"Oh. Ayden Ramsey." Ethan said as he still locked eyes with the boy. "Was he the one who...?"
It took a moment of silence before she opened her mouth to speak. "Yeah," Ingrid answered, her green eyes dancing around, as they scoured her brother's. "It's him."
"Hey kid," Ethan said intently, drawing his eyebrows closer.
"H-h-hi... s-s- sir," Ayden responded, but what he said felt rather like a DJ tuning the words on a deck before they left his mouth.
"Come on, be a man, talk to me," Ethan said.
"I-I-I... I'm sorry." Ayden mumbled.
Ingrid closed her eyes, feeling ashamed but what he said. "Ethan, be nice... please."
"I am being nice." He responded.
"Ethan, please," Ingrid said. "We are here to talk, not to throw threats at each other. And Ayden stop sounding like a baby for Pete's sake. I told you he wasn't gonna hurt you."
"Fine." Ethan cohered. He turned to him. "Okay, kid... how old are you?"
"F-f-f-fifte-en?"
"Fifteen?" Ethan asked, eyebrows drawn even closer.
"Turning sixteen this year, yes." Ayden finally managed to answer without breaks in between. Ethan turned to Ingrid, one eyebrow raised.
"Wow. So it was a minor." Ethan told her. "Really Ingrid... can you be that stupid?"
"I know, I know, but… uh... I mean he might be younger than me or whatever... but I like him all the same."
"I get that you like him, I do... but Ingrid, you had... with a minor?"
"You're losing the point of this Ethan. I love him, and things such as age don't matter. He's who he is and I like him a lot for that."
"If the justice system was as harsh on girls as it is on boys you would be seating in juvie right now, Ingrid. Do you hear me? I get that you love him but... were you willing to risk something like that?"
"It's okay, Ethan. I was the one who insisted." Ayden said.
"Huh?"
"I was the one who asked Ingrid if we could do it... so it's all my fault."
"Is it true?" Ethan asked as he turned back to his sister. "Did he ask for it?" Ingrid looked at Ayden at first, as she studied his intense breathing pattern. "Ingrid look at me. Did he?"
She obeyed the sweet command and teetered back to him. "No." She answered. "It wasn't his idea." Ayden closed his eyes and bit his lip hard. "It was mine. Mine and mine alone."
"So he's lying to me?"
"He's just trying to be the gentleman, here. That's all."
"I don't know what to believe now. Who's telling the truth here, and don't dare lie to me Ingrid!"
"I'm telling you it was me, Ethan." Her voice rose slightly. "He tried to talk me out of it, over and over but I forced him to. So if there's anyone to blame, it's me."
"Is that true kid?" Ethan asked. Ayden nodded. "God, what were you two thinking?" He asked, shaking his head in disbelief. None of them bothered to answer. "And how young you are..."
"I'm sorry, Ethan," Ingrid told him. "I messed up."
He sighed. "So, I guess mom and dad don't know."
"Yet, Ethan. And I don't know how I can face them, without your help at least."
"Ingrid... I wanted to help and I would have done so when I was a free man. But right now, how can I?"
"Ethan, if I had other options on how to do this I would have already told mom and dad. I do not know how, but I know one thing. I cannot do this without you. So don't turn me away."
"Ingrid, I'm not turning you away. I'm just telling you to be realistic."
"Mom and dad will beat me, you know that." Ingrid cried out. "They wouldn't want to hear a dime of my explanation. Have you forgotten already? What they did to..."
"Ingrid! Not in front of him." Ethan cut her short, eyes locked on Ayden, who was only listening.
"Exactly, Ethan. Mom told me that if she found out herself that I have been hiding something from her she was going to turn my life into a nightmare."
"So what can we do instead?"
"Talk to them. Tell them the truth and what happened. If we tell them together, when I get back home, things might be easier when I finally face them with him, the father."
Ethan looked at the young lad once again. Ayden, a father. It sounded so funny.
"What do you think we should do, Ayden?" Ethan asked, sarcastically.
"Um, well I do not know Mr. and Mrs. Purcell very well, and they sure as hell do not have any idea about me. But I know one thing. They are my girlfriend's parents and I know her very well. If Ingrid says that she needs your help to talk with them about this situation, then I think we should do as she says."
"Are you sure?" Ethan asked.
"Yes," Ayden answered.
"I couldn't help but notice, that since you came here today, you've been behaving like a girl and Ingrid has been more of the man."
"He's just scared of you. He'll grow it out."
"No, it's something else." Ethan insisted.
"What do you mean?" Asked the pregnant teenage girl.
"What's this relationship of yours based on? Rules? 'Cause, that's the signal the two of you have been giving me all the while. Rules and orders."
"Ethan, don't start it." Ingrid's voice rose once again.
"No, I'm just being fair here. I want you two to reason with me. Ingrid's been saying everything while you have been agreeing and tagging along with them, haven't you?"
"That's not what it means. It means that I trust her, and I know what she's doing is to benefit both of us."
"Why can't she trust you instead? Come on Ayden... be honest here. I want you to tell Ingrid how you think we should handle this situation. Don't be scared. Say what you really want to."
Ayden took a sudden glance at Ingrid, his heaving breaths intending with every passing moment. Ingrid looked back, waiting for something to happen or to be said. She hoped that Ethan was wrong about them.
"Ingrid." Ayden began.
"Yes, babe?" Ingrid replied intently.
"I'm sorry," he continued with clenched teeth, "but your brother is right."
"What?" She hissed, eyebrows shot up.
"I mean, Ingrid I don't know why you couldn't just let me handle this with your parents. I mean, I'm the one who got you pregnant and I feel like you should let me step in and take care of you, and handle the situation."
"But Ayden, if you did that, my parents might murder you."
"I don't care." He answered as he took Ingrid's hands into his.
"Hey, hey, hey. No touching of each other in front of me, okay?" Ethan cut them short. Ingrid rolled her eyes while Ayden took his hands away, feeling shaken by Ethan's statement.
"I don't care, babe," Ayden said once again.
"Or calling each other that name too. Let's just keep things simple here, okay kids?"
Ingrid huffed. Ayden continued, "I told you I was going to help you, no matter what you wanted... how you wanted things done, I told you I was going to help. Your ways might be a mile stretch from the same purpose that we share. It's just the same only that we don't have to involve a third party in our debacle. I know it's scary but yeah, I'm willing to."
"Are you sure this is what you want Ayden?"
"It's not a matter of what I want. It's a matter of me being there for you... all the way. I know how scared you are Ingrid and you think that I'm a loser or something that you had to talk to your brother first before we told your parents. And it's okay. I know you're scared because I am... I even don't know what I'm going to tell my parents, I know how you feel, truly... I do."
"Wow, there's something you never see every day," Ethan muttered on the opposite side of the table.
"Why have you never told me this before Ayden? Why keep quiet?" Ayden shrugged. "Ayden?"
"Ingrid?" Ethan corrected her tone.
She sighed. "Please tell me, babe... why have you never?"
"I was scared."
"Of what?"
"Of hurting your feelings."
"Ayden, you don't have to be scared of me, and if I have been too bossy then I'm sorry. I might be too preoccupied to even notice and I'm telling you that I'm sorry. For that and everything. I want our relationship to be built on trust, not orders... okay?"
"Yeah, I'd like that too," Ayden answered as they froze and looked at each other longingly.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!