They turned back to Ethan, who had grabbed their attention with his soft claps.
"Why are you doing that?" Ingrid asked, her cheeks tinted.
"You two, as young as you are, are just fun to watch." He answered her. "The young mom, the younger father... seems like something straight out of a movie." He slid his chair closer to the table. He rested his elbow on the table, clenched his fingers together, and rested his chin on the clenched fingers.
"What you two did was wrong," Ethan started. "It was stupid, and immature, and irresponsible. Especially from your end Ingrid. It really is. You can tell me love is blind or whatever excuses you have already lined up in your mind... but what you did was a mistake. A terrible mistake." The two kept quiet and looked away ashamed. "But I'm not here to judge you on that, not all... given the side of the table where I'm seated and the clothes I wear." He paused.
"Mistakes do happen, unlucky for us." He continued after a while. "And after that we just have to move forward, right? Ayden, I had some different thoughts about you. I thought you were one of those high school junkies who screwed up with the lives of young girls and run away. But you're not. You're like the complete opposite. Believe me or not, I'm already starting to have second thoughts about you." Ayden felt a smile find its way easily onto his face, his eyes filled with happiness. His eyes drifted to Ingrid and the happiness in her eyes was outmatched. "Ayden, I know you like my sister a lot... and though it pains me to say this, you might be filling my spot in her heart one of these fine days."
"He can never fill your spot, Ethan," Ingrid said, as he took Ethan's hand.
"He has to," Ethan said immediately. "Ingrid, I'm... I," he sighed, "I'm not getting out of here in time... you know that. I need someone out there who can actually fill my space and take care of you because I know how hard from my end that is going to be. I'm never going to be there 24/7 looking after you, and I wish I could. He's here. I know he wants to stay. Guys like him are rare, I know that. He wants to help you and I trust him on that." He turned to Ayden.
"I admire your courage Ayden. A lot. I'm still wondering if you're real or a mirage just in front of me. Dressed in black from hair to feet." The two chuckled. "I have one sister kid, and her name is Ingrid. This beautiful girl over here. I'm never going to have another sister, okay? She's the only one. She can't do this on her own... the pregnancy and all that relates to it. I know she can't. She'll need your help. I need you to look after her for me. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes, yes I can..." Ayden responded, nodding.
"Promise me."
"Till death do us part."
"I don't care about those lovey-dovey quotes. I want you to promise me."
"I promise you," Ayden responded affirmatively.
"Good," he heaved a gust of breath, taking his hands away from Ingrid. "Very good. I'm not going to call my parents and tell them about this. You two will do that on your own."
"Ethan please," Ingrid cried out immediately.
"It won't make a difference if I tell them myself Ingrid, I'm sorry... but that's how I see it. I needed to tell you personally and hope that you'd understand why it has to be done this way."
"Ethan please...."
"Babe, I'll be with you. You won't do that on your own." Ayden seamed in immediately grabbing Ingrid's hands. Both of them. "I will be there with you, all the step of the way. I won't leave you before then, I swear... and I won't leave thereafter. I'm here to stay."
"Ingrid, your life without me is real, you know that. And I want you to move on. I trust this smart kid, it's time you trusted your boyfriend too."
"I just wanted... to be you," Ingrid said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Ingrid, it's okay. Don't worry, we're gonna do this together, okay?"
"Yes." She said nodding while wiping away her tears.
"Don't cry." Ayden calmed her down, rubbing his hand gently on her back.
When he looked at them longingly, his mind drifted away to how he used to be that close to Elena three months ago. He always felt at home in her presence, as she did in his. He had everything well planned out in his mind for a future with her, and nothing was going to interrupt their happy lives. He missed hearing her voice as she sang to the songs she danced along, as well of her soft breaths at night when she slept. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to see her again in his life. That was worrying enough for him.
"Um, Ayden," He began when his mind came back to the present. "I need you two to not like ever do what you did ever again. Till when the time is right, maybe. Perhaps. Not tomorrow, not next month, and not in the five years that are coming. Okay?" Ayden nodded in response. "Ingrid, about that baby. You know what you have to do. Do not try anything stupid, okay?"
"I'm not a careless girl Ethan and you know it."
"Uh, remind me how you got pregnant again?" Ethan asked.
"I mean nowadays. I'm not a careless girl... nowadays." Ingrid said.
"Say all you want baby sister. But I will remind you once again. Don't try anything stupid with that baby okay?"
"I won't. If I wanted I would have already done so." Her eyebrows shot up.
"Ssh. Don't even dare think of that. Never. And Ayden, make sure she doesn't do that otherwise you know what happens."
"Yeah I know... the baby dies."
"What?" Ethan asked.
"What? That's what happens during an abortion right?" Ayden responded in a slithering whisper.
Ethan turned to Ingrid, eyebrows drawn closer. "You haven't told him yet? WOW! Just wow!"
"Tell me what?" Ayden inquired as he toured his eyes back and forth at the two.