Best of Me

A knock on the door interrupted Kat’s thoughts. The door cracked open and Michelle stepped in, shifting awkwardly on her feet. “I think it’s time we talk.”

Kat sighed, sitting back against the chair and nodded her head. She knew this was going to happen eventually, she couldn’t avoid Michelle forever. She supposed this conversation would be better now before she starts showing massively. That would just make it a million times more awkward.

“I think you’re right.” Kat agreed, her fingers twisting together nervously. Michelle stepped further into the room and took a seat at one of the available chairs.

A silence swept over them, their minds digging for the words to say. Michelle cleared her throat, thinking that maybe she should kickstart the conversation.

“I swear, I had this all planned out before. I thought maybe we would have this big showdown, we’d scream and raise hell, and get everything off our chests. But that’s extremely juvenile and unnecessary.” Michelle laughed humorlessly. Kat wetted her lips and combed her fingers through her hair.

“Look, I get it if you hate me. I wouldn’t blame you at all. I haven’t exactly been friendly towards you.”

“Well, I wasn’t either; you’re not the only one to blame.” Michelle took a pause, her fingers tapping against the tabletop. “I just want to know why.”

Why? It was a question that Kat hadn’t really thought about. Michelle was asking her why she had slept with Brian that night, and Kat didn’t exactly have a good answer to give. There wasn’t really a reason why either. It just happened.

“Michelle, I wish I could explain why. There was a lot of alcohol and the opportunity presented itself. It’s a horrible excuse, I know. You guys had just broken up, so I assume he was looking for some form of comfort. He’s my best friend; I’ve always felt comfortable around him. That combined with the bottle of whiskey I drank equals what happened. It wasn’t something that was thought about or planned out.”

Michelle held her hand out, silencing Kat. “Brian and I had our problems, that’s true, but they were our problems. Like I said, I don’t want some all-out war between us, but I have to get this off my chest. You were always in the way. He always waited on you hand and foot. He made you a priority when sometimes it should have been me. You could never just let me have him. I don’t know what the two of you have planned for this accident, but if you’re thinking you will end up together, think about this; Brian and I always end up together, even through the horrible times. It’s only a matter of time before it happens again.”

Kat was speechless. What could she even think about saying to counter that? It didn’t sound like a threat; it was more like she was stating a fact. Michelle stood from the table, silently excusing herself from the room. Kat chewed on her lip, Michelle’s words practically screaming in her mind.

Kat and Brian hadn’t talked about what they wanted yet. All they knew was that they both wanted to raise this baby no matter what. She knew they should talk about it at some point, but there was still plenty of time to do that. Over the last couple weeks, Kat was developing stronger feelings for Brian, but how much of that was because of the pregnancy? She didn’t want to act on those feelings and start a relationship with Brian if the only reason was because of the baby.

Kat slowly exited the room, her arms crossed nervously over her chest. As Michelle left the building, Brian and the guys walked inside, bags of food in their hands.

Brian furrowed his brows at Michelle, who said nothing as she left. His gaze immediately went to Kat and his confusion and concern grew. The small brunette was chewing her bottom lip raw while her eyebrows cinched together. Her stance was guarded, and Brian knew that Michelle had said something. He wanted to go after his ex to find out what she had said, but he was more concerned with making sure that Kat was okay.

He approached her, his hand resting on her lower back. “You okay? Did she say something to you?”

Kat uncrossed her arms and nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. We’ll talk about it later. Right now, just eat and worry about that solo.”

Brian eyed her for a moment before relenting. A smile appeared on his face as he reached into the bag and pulled out her chicken nuggets along with the sweet & sour sauce.

“Oh, my god, you are such a doll!”

Kat joined the others, happily eating her chicken nuggets. She realized that McDonald’s was not the healthiest thing she could be eating, but they tasted amazing. And as long as she wasn’t eating junk food all the time, what was the harm?

After their meal, Brian went back to working on his solo. Kat had pulled up an office chair beside him, listening to the melodies and tones that came from his signature guitar. Her head nodded softly to the sound. Brian would occasionally ask for her opinion, and she would give him suggestions. He enjoyed her company and that she was enjoying being at the studio. He would bring Michelle on occasion, but she was never too interested.

“Tell me what Michelle said to you.” Brian commanded softly, his eyes refusing to meet Kat’s face. The brunette sighed and shifted in her seat. She knew that Brian would just continue to ask, so she told him. She regaled him with every word that Michelle said to her. He had remained silent through all of it, absorbing every word. He hated that Michelle had pinned her like that, but he knew it would happen eventually.

“What do you think we should do?” He asked after Kat had finished explaining everything. She licked her lips and shrugged her shoulders.

“I hadn’t thought about it. I figured maybe things would come to us as things went along, but I don’t know.”

Brian was silent for a moment. He understood where Kat was coming from; it wouldn’t be smart to be together just because they were having a baby. There needed to be something more than that, otherwise it would all fall apart. He wouldn’t want to subject his child to that kind trauma.

“We’ll figure it out.”