Chapter Five
"You're asking will he be the one, I'll be gone before you're done tonight."
Harrison anxiously paced the winding pathway at the quiet park Y/N asked him to meet her at. The two cups of coffee he held in his hands slowly burned into his palms, like the feeling he felt in his heart over the wild ride he was on with her. He had thought he knew what she wanted, but she had him at the end of a string, always jerking him around back and forth with no clear-cut future.
He turned around at the sound of her heels clicking, euphonious to his ears. She looked stunning, like always to him, simply wearing a loose grey sweater and jeans. Every little thing she did was effortlessly beautiful and only served to draw him in more and more under her spell.
“Hey, Haz…” she greeted him, and he knew right away by the tone of voice something was upsetting her. He met her with open arms and slid the warm coffee cup into her shaky hands.
“So, what did you need to tell me?” Harrison cut to the chase. She reluctantly looked down, searching for the right words to say, but there were none in this situation.
“Haz, I can’t sugarcoat this…” she started off and Harrison gulped. He wanted to run away from her so he didn’t have to face the reality of her choice. He could already feel the tears stinging in his gorgeous blue eyes threatening to spill over, but he held them back and clenched his jaw.
“Oh, so you chose Tom. I see,” he cooly assumed.
“No! Well, I mean, yes, except there's more to the story than that,” she struggled to explain.
“Is that so,” Harrison savagely responded, refusing to look her in the eyes.
“Please, please just listen to me! I… I’m pregnant, and we both know it has to be his,” she finally admitted. He choked on the coffee he was sipping, sending spurts of it all over his clothing. His expression changed in a heartbeat, appearing more concerned than hurt and angry.
“You… Oh, well, that’s, uh… Good news, then?” he walked on thin ice, careful to not say anything he shouldn’t.
“Yeah, we’re keeping the baby. Maybe this was how it was supposed to go, you know? Fate made the choice for me, I guess,” she pondered aloud. Harrison sucked in a breath; he had no idea how to react or how to feel.
“I guess so,” was all he could think to say. She made him look her in the eyes, and she held firmly onto his hand.
“I’m sorry, Haz. For the record, I was going to choose you…” she confessed as if that should make him feel any better about the shocking news. He turned his gaze away from her, worried his tears would start to pour; he didn’t want her to see he was affected by her.
“Well, congratulations. Good luck with Tom, we both know how well he’s treated you in the past,” Haz sarcastically pointed out.
“Harrison-”
“No, NO! Don’t even fucking say another word. I come here, expecting to hear that you made your choice, me, the right choice. Not this, never in a million years. And then you fucking tell me that you would’ve chosen me? Do you think that makes me feel better?” he spat out, letting her have it now.
“I’M SORRY! I’m sorry, okay! You act like this was easy for me to decide! You know, I am the one who is pregnant here! I’m still in school, I didn’t ask for this, and I certainly didn’t ask for you to treat me like some knocked-up whore!” she cried, not ashamed of the tears she couldn’t hold in. Haz’s expression softened, and he raised a hand to brush the tears off her cheek, but she smacked his hand away.
“Fine, it’s okay. I’m sorry, I really am. You’re right, this was probably meant to happen this way. No hard feelings, alright?” Haz pretended to accept her decision. She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yeah, no hard feelings…” she agreed, not sure what was left to say.
“Well, goodbye Y/N, and really, I wish the best for you two,” Haz gave her his blessings. She took one last look at the kind-hearted man she had left broken more than once. As he turned to walk away, she lunged into him. She buried her face in his chest and he wrapped his strong arms around her tightly, afraid to let go of her for the last time. She pulled away and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, her parting gift.
“Darling, which shade of yellow do you like better? Lemon, dandelion, or bumblebee?” Tom questioned, deep in thought over the color they should paint the nursery. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and gave the back of his neck a quick peck.
“Hmm, I actually like pineapple better,” she answered. Tom rolled his eyes at her choice.
“Ohhh, excuse me, I forgot I’m talking to the yellow paint expert,” he teased playfully. She tossed her head back in a sweet laugh, and Tom turned around to face her. He flung her over his shoulder and carried her to the kitchen, while she kicked at his chest stubbornly.
He swung open the fridge door and snatched the can of whipped cream before she could fight him off. Tom released her, but not before he doused her face in a flurry of cream.
“Tommy, stop! I surrender!” she screamed and pushed him away while wiping it off onto her sleeve.
“Only if we paint it dandelion yellow!” he demanded first.
“Fine, fine! You’re the yellow paint expert!” she gleefully appeased him. He smugly grinned as he put the can back in the fridge; she took the chance to run off into the nursery.
“Hey! What are you up to, love?” he cautiously walked back to meet her. As soon as he stepped into the room, she hurled a wad of yellow paint at his chest. His jaw dropped in surprise, and this time he was the one to hold up his hands in surrender.
“Princess, you’re going to have to pay for that!”
Harrison looked out into the deep, pitch-black midnight sky, alone on the bridge. He often came back to the spot, to reflect to himself. His eyes were glossed over, no more tears left to cry over her. He had to move on and save himself from the pain that would follow if he didn’t. He imagined Tom and her right at that moment, probably decorating a nursery, and he tried to shake his head of the thought.
He couldn’t think of her anymore. He would box off all their memories and shove them deep down where he wouldn’t let himself think of them. Of what they could’ve had together.
Haz reached into his coat pocket and removed a shiny object he’d been keeping for a special moment. He knew it was probably way too fast, but after they had slept together he thought she was the one he was going to spend the rest of his life with. Now, every time he looked at the ring his throat closed up and his heart throbbed.
He knew what he had to do.
He toyed one last time with the engagement ring and leaned his hand over the edge of the bridge. He closed his eyes and took a single breath as he released it into the churning waters beneath him, praying it was the right decision.
Tom groaned as Y/N shook him awake on the nursery floor, where they had spent the night. He tried to turn over and pretend he didn’t feel her tugs on him.
“Tommy--help…” she managed to whisper, and he immediately turned back over to see what was wrong. His eyes fell into a panic at the sight of her writhing in pain on the floor.
Blood pooled from between her legs and she clutched her abdomen in stinging pain.
There was too much blood.
Tom’s thoughts flashed back to when Harrison’s beaten up body had laid underneath him, bleeding because of his actions.
“No, no, no Y/N!” he yelled out as he moved to scoop her frail body into his trembling arms.
“Tom- I… I don’t know what’s happening,” her voice quivered, and her eyes rolled back into her head, passed out in his arms.
“NO! You’re okay, just, just hold on, I’ve got you,” Tom sputtered out, as he hustled to find his phone and call for an ambulance. Blood oozed onto his legs and he bit back his shaking lip, struggling to keep calm.
“You’re going to be okay, please. Please…”