Riza is still trying to come to terms with her pregnancy. Rebecca and Hughes try to matchmake and Roy gets an unexpected visitor from his past.
Title for fic and Lyrics in chapter name: Unexpectedly by Jason Chen
Chapter 2: "Suddenly, oh you caught me, so off guard"
Rebecca opened the door of her apartment. Her eyebrows shot up at the scene in front of her; Roy and Riza were curled up on the sofa, Riza with her head on Roy's shoulder and he had his arm wrapped around her. She burst into a smile as the couple jumped apart, matching guilty, sheepish expressions on their faces. Well, this is a surprise. It's about time those two losers gave up pretending to be just friends.
Rebecca waggled her eyebrows. "So, when did this happen?" Hands on her hips, she wagged her finger. "And more importantly when were you going to tell me?"
Riza's face was bright red. "It's not what you think." She and Roy were both standing up now. Roy rubbed the back of his neck and Riza wringing her hands.
"And what is that I am thinking?" Rebecca looked expectantly from one to the other. "Because from where I'm standing, you two looked very coupley."
"It's not like that," Roy said, a bite to his voice that she had not been expecting.
The dark-haired woman blinked and then looked from one to the other. What am I missing?
Roy checked his watch. "I better go, I am supposed to help Chris out with the restaurant this evening." He whispered something to Riza and she nodded. He passed Rebecca on the way to the door, "Bye, Catalina, take care of Riza, won't you?"
Now, Rebecca's curiosity was even more piqued. She lifted an eyebrow and caught Riza's eye. Her friend looked away and waved to Roy as he exited the door. The moment the door slammed behind him, Rebecca grabbed one of Riza's hands and led her back to the couch. "Tell me everything." To her horror, she noticed Riza's eyes were full of tears. Her breath caught in her throat and she frowned. "Oh, Riza honey, what's wrong?"
"I'm pregnant," Riza blurted.
Rebecca's mouth dropped open. "You're - you're pregnant?" The blonde's chin trembled. Rebecca squeezed her hand. "And the father?" She licked her lips. "Roy's?"
Riza pressed her lips together and shook her head, "Of course not," she said tersely. "Roy was just there for me, alright? Like he always is." She pulled her hands free and wrapped her arms around herself. "Liam's the father."
Silently, Rebecca cursed herself. Of course, it was Liam. Poor Riza wasn't even with Liam anymore. How will he take it? It shouldn't have been Roy comforting her today. It should have been Liam. But Liam didn't know, she couldn't hold it against him.
"Oh, Riza." She pulled her close. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I only found out today," the blonde mumbled and relaxed into the embrace freeing her arms to return the embrace. "Roy followed me to the restroom and caught me by surprise when I came out." She turned her head slightly to look at Rebecca. "I did a pregnancy test, I still need to see a doctor. Will you go with me tomorrow?"
"Of course, Riza." She brushed her friend's hair from her face. "Whatever you need, just ask."
She couldn't imagine what her best friend was going through. What would she and Jean do if she got pregnant?
"Becca, you're a great friend." Riza pulled out of the embrace and rubbed her eyes. "Why do I have such good friends?"
"Because you deserve them, stupid." Rebecca lightly punched her arm, "Looks like Roy took good care of you."
Riza nodded. "Yeah, he always looks out for me. As long as I've known him."
Rebecca gave her friend's shoulders a squeeze. "Don't tell him I said this, but he's kind of handsome, isn't he? You know I think he likes you."
"Becca! Don't!"
Rebecca dipped her head. "Oh, I'm sorry." Maybe now probably wasn't the right time to tease her about Roy. Riza had much more important things to worry about. "What are you going to do?"
The blonde's lip trembled. "I'm not sure." She met Rebecca's concerned gaze. "I'm so scared."
"Riza, I'm here for you, alright?" She wrapped her arms around her again. "You just need to make the right decision for you. You might not know what that is right now but you will."
Roy was always the one who was there for Riza and Rebecca suspected he was half in love with her. She wondered if Riza felt the same. She resolved to keep her mouth shut for now. Riza had enough to deal with.
"Thanks, Becca." She took a deep breath and pulled away. "So, did I miss anything important in class?"
The dark haired woman shook her head. "I'll give you my notes. Missing one day of classes isn't going to kill you."
"I guess not." Riza stood up. "Do you want to help me eat more ice cream?"
Rebecca made a scoffing noise, "Girl, do you even need to ask? So, Dirty Dancing?"
Her friend burst into a smile. "You're on."
Ice cream and Dirty Dancing was their tradition whenever the other woman was in the need of a pick me up. They knew the movie script off by heart and often ad-libbed their own lines for scenes. It was the perfect distraction and Riza needed to be distracted. She would talk when she was ready and Rebecca would be there.
Roy tried to clear his mind as he drove home. He needed to change into his work clothes. He knew he had messages on his phone from Hughes and Havoc. Riza's revelation had driven everything else from his mind and he hadn't bothered replying. He was worried and he hated leaving her like that. Still, he knew Rebecca would look after her. He resolved to check in on her later when he got a chance.
He pulled up outside his home and parked in the driveway. The modest two-story home had an adjoining restaurant, where he spent his teens helping out for pocket money. These days his aunt often left him in charge and even though he was living at home, he needed the money for his college expenses. He unlocked the door and ran up the stairs, two at a time.
He had a quick shower and changed into his dress pants and shirt. He checked his watch as he tied it around his wrist again. He had fifteen minutes. His phone lit up; Hughes' name flashed on his screen. Roy groaned but swiped to answer.
"Hey, Hughes! Sorry I didn't reply to your messages."
"Where did you disappear to, buddy?"
]Roy walked back into his bedroom, his phone between his ear and shoulder blade. He grabbed his wallet and keys and shoved them in his pocket. "Took Riza home, she wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to leave her alone."
"Took her home, huh?" He could hear the smile in the other man's voice.
Roy picked up the phone and rolled his eyes as he sat on the bed. "Shut up, Hughes, you know what I mean. Did you take notes?"
"Don't worry, buddy," said Hughes. Roy could imagine the smug look on his face. "I paid attention and my notes are fantastic even if I say so myself."
He chuckled. "Thanks, Hughes, you're a lifesaver.
"Just make sure to thank me in your wedding speech. I'll be your best man, right?"
"Shut up, Hughes! The last thing-" Roy cut himself off before he could divulge Riza's secret. "Why you keep going on with that nonsense? You knew we're just friends."
Hughes went silent and Roy cursed himself. His friend knew him better than he would like. "Roy, what's up?"
"Nothing, it's fine."
"If you say so," Hughes mumbled. "You're lucky you don't make a habit of this missing class thing. I don't make nearly as good a job on taking notes as you do."
"You scrawled Mrs Gracia Hughes all over them didn't you?"
"You got me!"
"Listen, I've gotta go before Chris rips me one for not getting to the restaurant on time. I'll see you tomorrow."
"No playing hooky with Riza then?" Hughes teased.
Roy's hand tightened on the handset. "Hughes, it wasn't like that."
"Oh, come on, buddy, anybody with eyes can see you're sweet on her. You should tell her."
Roy hung up before Hughes could go any further. "Sweet on her," he mocked. Sometimes, Hughes talked like an old man. He was always trying to push him and Riza together. What was the point in telling her how he felt? Riza didn't see him that way and it was simple as that. She usually went for bigger, burly guys, jocks. While Roy was fit and athletic, he wasn't built like a tank. He sighed and dropped down on his bed. He lay back with a grunt. He shouldn't even be thinking about that right now. Riza was pregnant. She needed Roy, her best friend. He shouldn't complicate matters any further. Besides, he wasn't even sure how he felt and he didn't want to ruin what they had.
He opened Havoc's message before his other friend decided to ring.
"Are you alive, Mustang?" it read.
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Riza felt sick," he typed, "so I was making sure she was ok. Left her in the capable hands of your girl."
He caught the time on his phone. "Oh, fuck." He sat up. He was going to be late.
Roy ran down the stairs and took a left into the restaurant storeroom.
His aunt looked up as he walked into the main restaurant. "You're late."
Grimacing, Roy hung up his jacket. "Sorry, Chris, lost track of time." He wasn't about to tell her he skipped his classes for the day.
"Are you alright, Roy-boy? You look a little spooked."
He shook his head. "I'm fine. Where do you want me?"
Chris grabbed her handbag. "Behind the counter. Vi's on the floor. Vanessa and Sam are out back. Do you think you can lock up tonight?"
"Sure." He flashed a smile to his aunt.
Her eyes narrowed, she tapped her nose, "I know you're hiding something, Roy-boy."
"Yeah, yeah, bye," he retorted.
Riza stood in the bathroom and stared into the mirror, her hair still wet from her shower. She was already dressed in her pyjamas. She scraped her long hair back from her face and started applying face cream. She looked down at her stomach. It was hard to believe that she was pregnant. She was still holding out hope that she botched the test somehow but her body felt off. Deep down, she knew it was true but she still wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She lost her mom at a very young age and her father wasn't the type she could confide in. Right now, she desperately wished she had a mother to turn to, to ask for advice and to tell her about what to expect. She loved kids, she had always liked the idea of having two or three but not now. She had her whole life ahead of her. She was meant to be dating and having fun. College years were supposed to be the best days of her life. But what if this was her only chance? Could she do it? Could she be a mother? She took a deep breath.
Her phone beeped and she picked it up. It was Roy.
"Hey, Riza. I'm finishing up work at 11. Do you want me to call over?"
She felt a surge of warmth for her best friend. She didn't deserve him.
"No, Roy," she wrote, "Thanks but I think I'm going to go to bed early."
"See you tomorrow."
"Goodnight!" She smiled and put her phone down again. He always had uncanny timing. He would turn up or message or call her whenever she needed him the most. When she and Liam had been together, she knew her friendship with Roy had been a bone of contention. On reflection, Roy was probably a better boyfriend to her than her actual boyfriends. She took a deep breath. She shouldn't be thinking like this. Rebecca was putting thoughts in her head, thoughts she had no business thinking. Roy was her best friend.
The restaurant was quiet and Roy agreed that Vi could leave a little early. There were only a few customers and Vanessa and Samuel had the kitchen covered.
Vanessa came into the restaurant with a cup of coffee. "Thought you could do with one, Roy-boy."
Roy took the cup. "Why do always address me like a kid, you're only ten years old than me."
She cuffed his head. "Thanks for lying, but we both know that ten years is a bit generous."
"I can't win, huh?" He smirked at her.
The door creaked open and he looked up ready to greet his new customer. A young woman with long, black hair tumbling down her back walked in.
He blinked. It isn't. It can't be . He blinked again. No - she is still there.
A lopsided smile on her face, the woman said, "Hi, Roy, long time, no see."
"Katie?"
Her whole face lit up. "I'm glad you're here, I was looking for you."
Vanessa gave Roy a shove, "Go on, talk to her."
He walked over to where Katie was standing by the door. "Wow, are you really here or have I hallucinated?"
Katie grinned and hugged him. "I met Chris and she said you were working."
He reciprocated the embrace. "What are you doing here?" He pulled back, the scent of her perfume still in his nostrils. He searched her face. It was a surprise but not an unpleasant one.
She shuffled her feet. "I am back in town for a few days and I wanted to see you when I was here. I guess I missed you."
He smiled. "I missed you too."
His and Katie's spilt had really hurt but he knew it was for the best. They were both going in different directions, entering new phases of their lives. They weren't right for each other anymore. But having Katie standing there again, all the old feelings started rushing back. She was his first serious girlfriend and they had a lot of good memories. His mouth felt dry and he wet his lips.
She played with her hair. "What time do you finish up? I'd love to go and get a drink."
Roy rubbed the back of his neck. "I -uh- have to close up but I guess I would have time for a drink with you if you meet me here in an hour."
"It's a date - or you know what I mean." She flushed. "Damn."
His lip twitched. "I thought college was supposed to make you smarter."
She scrunched her nose and she shoved him in the chest. "You're an asshole. Maybe I didn't really miss you as much as I thought?"
Roy chuckled. "C'mon, Katie. I'm hilarious."
"Glad to see you haven't changed." Katie kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later, Roy."
"Yeah, see you then."
She smiled and turned around. He watched her leave and realised his hand was his cheek where she had kissed him. Damn, Katie was back and maybe he wasn't as over her as he thought he was.
To be continued...