Dirty Little Secret

The word awkward couldn’t even begin to describe how the car ride to the pizza place was. Because Rian stayed back to wait for me, the guys took off in their car so I was left to drive Caitlyn, myself, and Rian. I was glad that he didn’t question me, but I couldn’t help to wonder if he was going to tell Jack. They were best friends after all.

Once we arrived at the restaurant, Rian acted as if he didn’t hear a word of Caitlyn and I’s conversation. Jack joked around, as usual, and I had gotten to know Alex and Zack better.

It was surprising to hear that Alex had a girlfriend considering how many people portrayed him to be the master of one night stands. Granted, I still didn’t know if that was true, but his personal life was really none of my business.

Zack, on the other hand, wasn’t really well known throughout their fan base. They knew him for his muscles, but that was about it. He didn’t talk much and kept to himself. But don’t be fooled by the tough exterior, Zack is honestly the nicest person I had ever met.

“I wasn’t planning on telling him, if you were wondering.” I turned to my left to see Rian temporarily replacing Caitlyn’s abandoned seat.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, “But why not?”

“It’s not my story to tell, you know?” he said, “But I will say this. I think you should tell him before he finds out from someone else. As much of a jokester as he leads on to be, he’s a sensitive guy. It’ll crush him if you don’t tell him soon.”

“I want to tell him,” I played with the cheap napkin in my hands, “But it’s just so hard. How do I start off that conversation? ‘Oh hey, you know this baby inside my belly? It’s yours. By the way, you wanna catch a movie with me later?’ That just sounds stupid.”

“What are you guys talking about?”

I smiled up at the tall boy. “Just small talk.”

“Why are you talking to him? Rian’s lame,” Jack said, “I’m much cooler.”

Rian snorted. “Says the guy who walked around with toilet paper stuck to his shoe the whole day.”

Jack lightly punched Rian. “Hey! I didn’t know, okay? And isn’t it your job as a friend to tell me when something like that happens? You wanna know something? You’re a sucky friend.”

His friend laughed in return. “I may be a sucky friend, but without me this band would be nothing.”

“I may be a sucky friend, but without me this band would be nothing,” Jack mocked, “You act like you’re so fucking important. Now go back to your seat. I need to discuss important business with Holly.”

I stifled a laugh as Rian stood up. On his way back, he said, “Just tell him at the right moment. I’m sure he won’t freak out. That much.”

As Rian retreated back to his seat, Jack spoke up. “What was that about?”

“U-uh,” I said, “I don’t know. I wasn’t really listening.”

He laughed. “You space out too much, Holls.”

Holls. I liked the sound of that. I usually hated nicknames, but Jack. Jack was an exception.

“Hey, let’s get out of here.”

Before I could reply, he took my hand and walked me out of the restaurant and into the night sky.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Nowhere.”

We ended up walking around for ten minutes before arriving at a small park. He led me to a wooden bench and sat down.

“So,” he said, “You look pretty today.”

I smiled and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. “For a pregnant girl?”

“Can you stop with the pregnant thing? You’re beautiful. For any girl. It doesn’t matter whether you’re pregnant or not. Most of the time, I don’t even think about that. I like you for you,” he grabbed my hand, “Who the fuck cares about what people think? I sure as hell don’t and you shouldn’t either.”

I nodded. “You’re right. I should just make the most of it before Capri gets here.”

“By the way,” he said, “Why’d you settle on the name Capri?”

“It comes from the Italian origin meaning ‘unpredictable.’”

He squeezed my hand. “That guy’s missing out on something special. And I’m not just talking about Capri.”

I swallowed hard and looked down at our intertwined hands. “Yep. He has no clue.”

Was this the moment Rian was talking about? We were alone and there were no distractions, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him. What if he reacted badly? What if he didn’t want Capri after finding out that it was his and not some other guy’s?

“We should probably head back to your apartment,” he said, standing up.

I agreed and took his hand. “Let’s go.”

We walked in a comfortable silence back to my place, where the rest of the guys were probably waiting for us. Once we got there, the guys were already standing outside the door.

“Why didn’t you guys go in?” I asked.

“You have the key,” Caitlyn grumbled.

My eyes widened as I realized the fact. “I’m so sorry. I totally forgot.”

“It’s cool. It’s about time to go anyways. Flyzik’s gonna freak if we don’t get back to the hotel on time,” Alex said.

The guys gradually said bye and only Jack was left. I searched in my bag for the keys and handed them to Caitlyn who let herself in.

He pulled me into a warm hug and I snuggled into him, never wanting the feeling to end. He pulled away and smiled at me. Before I knew it, he was pulling me into a sweet kiss. It was short, but I knew there something was there.

“I’ll see you later, Holly.”

I stood there, watching his retreating figure and realized that it was now or never.

“Jack, wait!”

He turned around. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s yours.”

He laughed. “What are you talking about? What’s mine?”

I took a deep breath. “Capri. You’re her father, Jack.”