Chapter 7: His Barbeque
2 weeks later
"Soooo we're hoping for not pregnant, right?" Claire was sitting with me in our room while we waited the 2 minutes until we knew the results of the pregnancy test I had bought this morning.
"Of course! Why would I want to be pregnant? I'm 18. You're not hoping I am, are you?" I glared at her. It had been two weeks since Jacob had come home- and two weeks since we'd had sex. I thought about him every day, but I just couldn't go back down that road with him. I couldn't.
"Yeah, yeah, of course, but you know I still think you should be with him." Claire had freaked out when I told her about Jacob, going on and on about how we could go on double dates again. She always liked Jacob and me together. When I told her I had made it clear it was a one-time thing, she had been disappointed but supportive like always.
"Well, it's not going to happen."
Claire looked at me and smiled sadly but said nothing. She looked down at her phone. "It's been two minutes."
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Picking up the stick, I analyzed the results. "Not pregnant. Oh, thank God." I dropped my head onto my desk.
Claire strode over to me from where she stood beside her bed. "Well, now that that's settled, I have a message for you." I looked up at her. "Okay, well, not a message exactly, but I should tell you Jacob asked me about you when I went to the movies with Quil and the guys last night."
I tried and failed to hide my curiosity. "What did he ask?"
"How you were doing- if you were okay." She shrugged. "He asked that in front of the guys. Later, when they went to get food, he dropped back behind them with me and asked about what I knew, so I told him that you had told me everything. Then he asked if you knew yet." She gestured to the pregnancy test. "He asked me to call him or ask you to call him once you knew. He said he was worried... and that he was sorry."
I sighed. Same old Jacob. Even if he was mad or upset about us not getting back together, he still worried about me and was responsible. I had no doubt that if I had been pregnant he would've done everything he could've- and should've- to help. "Don't worry about it, I'll call him and tell him."
"Really?" Claire looked skeptical.
"Yes, why wouldn't I?"
"He also said he's been trying to call you just to talk, but you were ignoring his texts and calls."
Damn him. Yes, he'd been trying to reach me, and I had been dutifully avoiding him, but it was only going to make it harder on both of us. It was why I hadn't seen any of my friends except Claire since the bonfire. I didn't want to put them in a position of choosing between their friend, brother, and pack-mate and me. They hadn't seen him in a while and deserved time with him. I knew they missed me. Embry and Seth had called and told me as much. Seth even went so far as to whine and beg for me to come hang out even for a little while. I had caved slightly telling him that he could come hang out the following Saturday which was now today. He should be here any minute, in fact.
"So what if I ignored him. I'll call him and tell him he isn't going to be a daddy any time soon, okay? I'm dialing. Remember Seth should be here soon, too. Are you chilling with us? We're planning on going to grab some dinner and then to the hockey game. We'll get ice cream after."
I placed the phone to my ear, hearing it ring as I called Jacob and Claire responding. "Actually, Quil is coming with Seth and we're going to spend some time here, so if you and Seth could stay out until say 10? That would be awesome. Thanks."
Ew. I gave Claire my best grossed out face. Then as luck would have it I said, "Condoms are in my desk drawer if you need them," just as Jacob picked up the phone.
"Um, isn't that what you should've said to me a couple weeks ago?" I felt my cheeks flush.
"I wasn't talking to you." I snapped. "I only called to tell you two things. One: everything's fine. You're-we're- in the clear and two: stop trying to call me."
I heard him let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. And I just want to talk, Ne-er-Ren. Please? Just hear me out for a second."
"If I recall, the last time I let you talk to me, I almost got pregnant."
Jacob laughed, although it sounded strained. "Well I'd be some man if I could impregnate you over the phone."
"Fine. What?" I did not want to talk to him right now.
"I'm really glad you called."
"That's what you wanted to say? What if I had picked up the phone when you called me? 'Hey Ness. I'm glad you picked up the phone.' That's stupid, Jacob."
"No! That's not just what I was going to say. I'm just glad you called is all. And I thought you went by Ren now?"
"I do. Why?"
"Well, when you were attempting to mimic me you said Ness not Ren."
"Oh, well, I guess I'm only used to you calling me Ness- not that I'm giving you permission to do so!" I announced quickly.
"Okay. Understood. Anything you want, Ren." I thanked him. "Okay, so, there's this-uh- barbeque that we're having on base for all of our family and friends to celebrate our coming back from overseas, and I was wondering if you'd come."
"Jacob-"
"Before you say anything else, I just want to be clear that I'm asking as a friend if anything. It's not a date, okay? I just think that it's ridiculous that you shouldn't hang out with our friends because you're avoiding me. We should be friends anyway. After all we've been through, I mean. Doesn't it just make sense? We have the same friends, so why shouldn't we at least tolerate hanging out together?"
"Wouldn't that be awkward, though? I'm fine staying away."
"It's only awkward if you make it awkward." He recited something that I used to tell him all the time. I rolled my eyes. "And no, you're not fine. You love your friends, and you love spending time with them. I know you."
Dammit. He was right. "Okay, fine. When is it?"
"Tomorrow at 2." I could hear the triumph in his voice. "I know you're hanging with Seth tonight, so if you tell him you're coming, he'll be sure to pick you up and take you."
"Okay, will do. Thanks. See you tomorrow."
"Yupp. Bye, Ren."
I hung up. Oh, God. What did I just agree to?
