Jason stretches his right arm around my shoulders and pulls me in a hug, struggling to hold tight the steering wheel with his left one, knuckles turning white while speeding on the streets of NY.

"Sh, it's okay, Eve. It will be fine, baby. Calm down, sweetie. Think about the baby, Eve," he mumbles, and my cries grow higher, wrapping my arms around my womb while Jason squeezes me even tighter.

His words revive the reality of things being deeper than just a break-up or a secret being revealed. I'm pregnant with Enzo's child, but at this moment, I don't even know if I want him to find out or not.

He and mom have been together or are still together, I don't know, and I don't think I even want to know.

Their fears came true, as true as my pain is, and I wished Jason took me to a place that nobody knew about and nobody could find me.

What about dad? Did dad know about it? I heard Enzo saying "Lucas did understand" so my dad knew.

He knew and still let Enzo exist in our lives, become a family, knowing him as the closest figure to an uncle next to uncle Mike.

My phone is ringing, Jason's phone is buzzing in his pocket, but he doesn't even bother, nor do I feel to give it any attention.

I know it's Enzo. I don't feel to talk right now, much less talking to him.

Jason keeps his eyes tight on the road, driving with one hand, the other one still holding me while I cry out loud with my nose buried in his shoulder.

"That's it, girl. We're home now," he says while parking the car.

But instead of getting us upstairs to my penthouse he unbuckles our seatbelts and pulls me to his lap, chest to chest, his hands curled around me whispering soothing words in my ear while I let myself limp on his chest, decided to cry till my tears will stop falling.

"It's okay. It will be fine. I'll always be there, girl. Always be there," he whispers, rubbing one hand on my back, the other one curled around my waist, giving me the time to recollect.

I don't know how long we've been staying like that while our phones are on fire, ringing and buzzing.

My cries slowly become sobs, and finally, I sniff them away with my last powers.

"I want to go up," I tell him.

"Okay, girl. Let's go up," he replies and wipes away the last tears I've shed. "Hold on to me," he says, and opening the door he pushes his long legs out, standing up from the car while protecting my head.

He pushes the door closed with one leg and starts walking towards the elevator while I press the code.

I lay my head on his shoulder, and we both wait for the elevator to reach my penthouse.

"I'm sorry," I mumble. "I broke."

"I know, girl. It's okay to break sometimes," he says, caressing my head.

He walks into my apartment when the doors open and takes the way to my bedroom, hands holding the back of my thighs while I'm crushed all over his chest. He lays me gently on the bed and reaches for my shoes.

"That's okay. I can do it," I tell him, sitting up and pulling off my shoes while Jason spreads a blanket to cover me.

"Come on, lay down, Eve. Take some rest," he says, brushing the hair out of my face and tucking some strands of my curly hair behind my ears.

I close my eyes and let his tender touches soothe my sorrow.

"Oh, I forgot my chocolates," I pout.

"I'll bring you others, girl," he tells me back in a soft voice. "Lay down."

And I do. I lay on my left side, holding Jason's hand that was caressing my hair, and squeezing it to my chest, closing my eyes.

"Don't go tonight. Maybe tomorrow," I tell him still holding his hand as if it doesn't belong to him.

"Anytime you want, Eve," he replies, and his phone buzzes again.

"Yeah. We're home," he speaks, picking up the call.

I hear my mom's sobbing voice on the phone, asking about me.

"She's sleeping now. Maybe tomorrow," Jason continues and looks down at me, searching for my approval for his statement, and I give him a bitter smile, agreeing.

He proves to be a very good friend, after all.

"Bye," he ends the call and I let his hand loose, cuddling some more under the blankets and I sigh my all sufferings with a deep blow of air.

"Jas, can you give me my phone, please?" I ask.

I hear him shuffling around the room then walking around the bed and placing the phone next to my head.

"I'll make a doctor's appointment for tomorrow. What do you think?" he asks, sitting next to me, rubbing my right arm.

"Okay," I reply, eyes still closed, thinking back about Enzo.

He's supposed to be with me. He's the one that should take me to the doctor, he's the father.

But then again, I'm blessed. Jason seems to be so much more than I've used to believe about him.

"I'll have food ready when you wake up, okay?" he says.

"I'm not hungry," I stubbornly say.

"Okay, girl," he replies, and I know he doesn't believe me.

He pulls the cover higher to my chin and stands up, planting a kiss on my temple then walks away, turning off the lights in the room, leaving it in the dark and myself in my sorrow.

My phone buzzes next to my head and I see the screen turning on. Tenth of messages and missed calls are listed on the screen and I grab it, activating the screen with my thumb.

There are calls from mom and Enzo. None from dad. I'm wondering if they have told him if he knows, but I push that thought away. I'll think about it later.

"Eve, answer the phone."

"Eve, call me. Talk to me."

"Eve, I'm coming over."

"Pick up the fucking phone, Eve!"

And the list goes on.

Today I've seen Enzo for the first time in the past month. I've missed him so much and this is the day I've dreamed about, but in my vision, it was supposed to be so much different.

In my vision Enzo is standing at my door, pulling me in his arms once I open it, kissing me and hugging me, and telling me how much he loves me.

And I would tell him he was going to be a father. Again. And he would love me thousands of times more.

The train of my thoughts is stopped by the phone ringing in my hand. I stare at the screen, battling between ignoring and picking up.

And disregarding the enormity of the things that have happened today, I still want to hear his voice.

I want to know how he is, how he's feeling. Nobody has told me anything, just good words and encouraging things.

The ring tone of the phone stops and I watch the missed call message popping up on the screen.

My heart aches for the missed chance to hear his voice, but it doesn't take long until the phone rings again.

"Yes," I mumble, sliding the green button and placing the phone at my ear.

"Eve," Enzo speaks in relief, his voice shaking and this breath whistling in my ear.

"Yes, this is Eve," I reply coldly.

"Eve, stop with that," he scolds me.

"Stop with what?"

"Fucking shit, Eve! We need to talk. I'm coming over."

"I'm sleeping."

"No, you're not sleeping. You're fucking talking on the phone with me," he shouts back at me.

"Exactly. I would very much like to sleep and still be here you are. Talking."

I'm a brat, I know. But I don't want to break down in sobs over the phone. I don't want him to feel the tears that are rolling from my eyes. I don't want him to pity me, and I don't want him to feel that he has a duty, because he has none for what I care.

"Eveline..." he says with a long sigh in a deep, deep voice that sends shivers all over my skin making my heartbreak in thousands of pieces.

I'll collect them later. I'll pick them up, one by one, and heal my poor heart, but right now, I need distance.

"Enzo, it's good to hear your voice. I'm happy you are alive and in one piece. I'm happy you are good..." I tell him, trying to make the conversation shorter as I feel I can't hold back my sobs anymore.

"I'm not good, Eveline. Please, let me come."

"No..." I breathe back with a small sob. "No, I need time Enzo. I need... "

"You need to know the truth, that's what you need, amore." (Love).

His voice is soft, although heavy, and almost begging.

"At least talk to your mom," he continues, as he rightfully feels I won't talk to him.

"I will," I reply fast, and silence falls between us again, while I swallow my sobs, keeping myself perfectly quiet and Enzo breathing heavily on the phone, none of us wanting to hang up.

"I can wait here until you fall asleep," he offers.

Oh, such a silly teenager!

I smile at his offer, and my heart crumbles again, missing him.

"No, it's okay..." I reply.

"Please... Eve, I want to wait here until you fall asleep," he insists, and I almost escape an "I love you" from my lips that they only soundlessly move with my love confession.

"Okay..." I whisper to him back and I let my phone next to my head, hands-free, listening to his breathing sounding like a lullaby in my ear, falling asleep in just a matter of minutes.

He spoke nothing, he only kept the phone close enough for me to hear him and feel him there until sleep took me over.

I woke up the next day with the phone buzzing in my ear.

I groan and roll to my right side, grabbing the phone and seeing dad's call.

"Hello..." I reply with a sleepy voice. "Hey, Dad."

"Pumpkin, good morning," he says in a cheerful voice.

"Good morning, Dad," I reply to him, thanking God that he's joyful, which means he knows nothing of last night's events.

"Eve, how are you, sweetheart?"

"Fine, Dar. I was sleeping," I reply, rolling back on my left side and cuddling some more in the warmth of my blankets.

He laughs loudly and healthily on the phone.

"Pumpkin, come to dinner tonight. We'll have uncle Enzo here," he says and my blood freezes.

"Dad..." I try to protest, but a knock at my door stops my words. "Dad, wait a sec," I say and crawl out of the bed to open the door.

"Take your time, pumpkin. See you tonight," he concludes, giving me no chance to refuse or to say anything else. I sigh and give in.

"Okay Dad, see you tonight," I agree, thinking that I might find a reason later on to decline.

I hang up and open the door of my bedroom.

Jason is standing in front of my room with a smile on his face and hands shoved in the pocket of his suit pants.

"Morning," he says.

"Morning," I mumble and crash my forehead on his chest.

He's wrapping a hand around my back, pressing me closer.

"I have breakfast ready, and we have a doctor's appointment in two hours. Why don't you get ready?" he asks, rubbing his hand on my back.

"Okay," I tell him back, and I mentally scowl at myself for being so obedient. That's not me. Never has been me.

Half an hour later I'm ready, dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a loose top, sliding my feet in some nude flats. I want to be comfortable today and I'll have to get used to that. Pretty soon that is going to be all I can wear.

Walking out of my bedroom, I check my phone and I see that the call with Enzo lasted no less than four hours and forty-eight minutes.

For almost five hours, I had Enzo next to me. I smile and squeeze that small plastic thing to my chest, missing him a thousand times more.

"You look better," Jason says with a smile once I'm in the kitchen.

"I feel better," but my stomach doesn't agree.

Once my nostrils feel the bacon and eggs cooked by Jason, it rumbles, and a lump forms in my throat.

I swallow, trying to ignore it, and take a seat at the kitchen island.

"Smells good," I say, and I haven't lied. It's smelling heavenly, but I feel I won't be able to eat anything.

"Jason, I was thinking about something," I start a conversation that I've been meaning to have last night, and Jason turns around to face me, sensing the seriousness of my words from the coldness of my voice.

"I'm going to move to Italy."

*****
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