She got home that day six in the evening. The front door was locked and she toured around the house hoping to find some movement inside. It was deadly quiet. She went back to the porch and fished out her keys from her bag. She jacked them in, twisted, and opened the door. Once in, she wasted no time calling her mother to inform her that she had arrived back home. She had taken her phone back from Mr. Grant. Layla informed her that something had come up over at work so she was to come home late. She also informed Ingrid that her father had traveled to Washington D.C for a court case. Ingrid placed the phone down after the short conversation with her mother and toured the large house.
She ended up stopping outside Ethan's room and she looked at the door with eyes of curiosity. It had been a long time. A really long time. She opened the door to his room and got in, her eyes wandering all around it. It was neat, everything seeming to be in place and order. His king-size bed was well made and the five pillows were neatly arranged on it. The bedsheets smelt nice. Ethan loved sleeping, she knew that. She slouched herself on his bed, chest up, and stared at the ceiling. Her hands slid over to her belly and she felt the belly belt strapped across. She removed it and felt the belly spring into freedom. It was growing day by day and that sent shivers down her spine. Perhaps after the visit tomorrow she'd be ready enough to tell her parents. Ethan would talk to them, and Ayden would be there all the way. Lost deep within her memories, her eyes shut themselves together and total darkness engulfed her vision.
She opened her eyes and gasped at how dark the room had gotten. Moonlight lit the room from the unclosed curtains and Ingrid saw how the blue luminance was all over. She went over and closed the curtains and saw how pitch dark it was outside. Once through, she raced down to the living room, took her phone, and checked the time. It was ten in the night. She gasped at how time had passed. She called her mom once again after she noticed she was alone in the house.
"Oh, sweetie I'm sorry I'm not going to make it home today," Layla responded from the other end.
"But mom, you said you were coming." She whined like a sad little girl.
"I know, I know." She responded. "But I've got a ton of work to do, Ingrid. I'll just see you when you come back from Arizona."
"So… like you won't be here tomorrow morning?" Ingrid asked. "You want me to spend the whole night alone?"
"If you're scared to be by yourself I can arrange a babysitter to come and stay with you for the night, or you can go to the Richards and sleep there for the night."
"No, no, no. I'm okay here." Ingrid told her as a smile stretched from ear to ear. "The airplane ticket is in your room? Oh? Okay. By the drawer? Okay… I'll get it. I'll be back tomorrow by nine I promise."
"Six, not nine."
"Eight?"
"Six."
"Seven… please?" Ingrid squeaked fingers crossed.
"Fine... seven." Layla agreed. "And not after that or you will be in big trouble young lady."
"Mom, please. I'll do as you want. Seven. Yeah. I'll tell him you said hi."
"Okay bye sweetie. Lock all the doors. Okay?"
"Don't worry mom. I'm not a little girl anymore."
"Bye baby."
Ingrid rolled her eyes. "Bye mom." She then hung up. She skipped up and down the living room before she remembered she was still in her uniform. She stopped immediately, raced for her bedroom, and changed into a white T-shirt and shorts. She then called him.
"Hi." She began.
"Hey there," Ayden responded, fragility in his voice, "So you finally decided to call."
"I'm sorry. I've been busy lately with my school and stuff. Probation week was a demanding one."
"Okay," he softly told her, "so I can say you're practically home right now?"
"Yes. As I told you last Saturday, I'll be going to visit Ethan. So um… I was wondering if you would come."
"Totally, totally babe," Ayden responded. "In fact, I lied to my mom that I was going for this grand karate camp trip with some of my friends over the weekend. I've already bought my ticket for the first flight that leaves at nine. That's what you told me to do, right? I'm so gonna get in trouble when my mother finds out that I lied."
"You lied? For me?" Ingrid asked softly.
"I'd do anything for you, Ingrid. I love you… I told you that." Ayden responded.
"I love you too," Ingrid's cheeks were tinted with red as tears dared escape her eyes. She snuffed her teary emotions away. "I love you very much Ayden."
"I know what happened on Monday with Freya was uh, um, it was too extreme. And I'm personally saying sorry for what I did. I'm sorry that I hurt her. That was not right." Ayden apologized, in a calm voice. "I'm so stupid…" He mumbled regretfully.
"Ayden it's okay." She told him. "I know I'm the reason and cause for all of this, but I settled everything with her," she continued. Kisses in the field last week, then on her bed on Monday and then the one that had just happened a few hours ago. She remembered them all and closed her eyes in regret. "I settled everything with her."
"Good. I missed you so much Ingrid, I can't wait to see you tomorrow."
"Me too. I checked my ticket. My plane's also departing at nine… I'm guessing it's the same flight. Is yours United Airlines?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, great! So by eight-thirty, we should be at King County Airport, okay?"
"Yeah. I will be there waiting."
The words sounded familiar. She closed her eyes once again. "Bye babe, I have to go now."
"Bye, sleep tight. Love you."
"Love you too." She said lastly. Ayden ended the call.
She then dropped down on her comfortable bed, and her hands caressed her belly once again. It seemed that everything was falling into place for her. Almost. There was one piece she wondered whether needed to be fixed into the already full puzzle. Ayden was here, Ethan would help her. Her parents would soon find out and then life would move on as she was expecting. Out of nowhere, Freya had come and changed her in a snap. She hadn't kissed a girl ever since her summer camp trivia from when she was in middle school. Back then it was a game, and now… with Freya, it felt different. It wasn't only a matter of the kiss, it was a matter of how Freya handled her: the sacrifices she had done for her and the repercussions she paid in place; an extra day of community service was added on top of her punishment résumé. Was she already feeling something for her and was too arrogant to accept it?
Early next day, she woke up, prepared and ate some heavy breakfast, and put on a whole black-themed attire. From her black blouse, jacket, and tight jeans. On her feet were grey sneakers with a white strip that ran across them at the saul. Her dark brown hair still had its lovely wavy pattern and her eyes were filled with a dark eye shadow to compliment her theme today. She found Ayden in the waiting area dressed for their designated plane dressed in full black too. The two seemed like dating couples when a stranger could lay their eyes on them. When he hugged her in his lovely embrace, she couldn't help herself from pulling away. She would have breathed in his fragrance were they not wearing the same cologne. Caron Poivre it was. They decided they were going to have the day as couples and if it needed a theme then, one would be afforded.
"How was your night Miss?" Ayden asked sarcastically.
"Fine Sir. How about yours?"
"We have the whole journey to Arizona. I hope to tell you while we're at it."
"Okay." She bit her lip seductively. "God you're so beautiful I could kiss you right now." She muttered as her lips stretched from ear to ear.
"We have all the day to ourselves, I'm pretty sure we will have lots of opportunities to do that."
"Okay."
"You look good though," Ayden said. "The plane is about to leave. So. Future Miss Ingrid Ramsey, will you?" Ayden said, intensifying his British accent. Ingrid chuckled, nodding. As she led the way to the gate of the plane, the slightly shorter boy followed from behind humming.