Baby Steps

Chapter Five

Bella

"Thank you," I take the vitamins and receipt before exiting the clinic, seeing Adam waiting near the walls.

As I take my time to take a better look at his appearance, I see that he does look like an ordinary university student. He's wearing a short-sleeved shirt with a pair of straight-cut jeans and white sneakers. Apparently, anyone can tell that Adam looks pretty much basic but what attracts me most is his face, the depth of his eyes, the strong jawline and his full lips. Even his profile is enough for anyone to cast him into becoming a model.

He turns around, looking at me. "I thought you were still inside,"

"You were too deep in your thoughts," I respond.

"That was a first for me."

"It was for me, too."

Both of his eyes shut close for a few seconds as he clears his throat, adjusting the bag on his shoulder.

"Are you heading back to campus?" I ask, holding onto my handbag before looking around; trying to find if there are any available cabs or buses but according to the time, he would have to wait for a little while until the next one is available.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for a cab." He nods, "I might even walk . . . I'm just heading somewhere near first,"

I start to walk straight towards my car before turning back to look at him, a smile plastered on my face. "You said you wanted to talk about this. I can give you a ride back to campus and we can talk the way there. Besides, I don't have to rush for anything in the next few hours—I'd like to give you a lift,"

"I don't want to be any trouble—"

I cut him off, "—you're not. Please, just get inside."

Adam makes his way towards the car and enters without a doubt. Once we're both inside, I start the engine before driving down the road and after awhile, I begin to eye the grip on his books as if they'd run the moment they can. He tries to make himself comfortable by placing his backpack down near his feet but by the look on his face, I can easily tell there is something in his mind.

"How old are you?" I ask, stopping at the red light.

"Twenty-one,"

"Oh, wow. You're ten years younger than me,"

"Ah, that's quite a gap." He smirks, looking straight ahead down the road.

"Do you remember anything that happened? I can't seem to recall much. Everything was just mostly a blur," I change the topic, slowly reaching out to turn on the radio but making sure the volume is low. "I was celebrating my friend's birthday when all of a sudden, I was f*****g some random guy."

"I—I don't remember much, either." He replies, avoiding eye contact.

I nod, sighing. "Yeah, sorry. I was pretty drunk,"

We are being comfort by the sound of slow jazz music playing on the radio for a few seconds. At this moment, the sun is somehow shining the perfect amount of light. My grip loosens on the steering wheel before looking around at the pedestrians, seeing that most of them are busy with their phones—it used to be so much different. People weren't always glued to their phones and when we were having a decent conversation, it was worthwhile. Nowadays, gadgets and phones are the main thing which annoys me at times.

"Have you decided?" He asks, breaking the silence.

"On what?"

"On keeping the baby."

I clear my throat, "I'm keeping the baby."

"That's great. I—I hope you're okay with me wanting to be a part of it. I have a part-time job and I can manage my time very well, I'd never miss any appointments or any important moments—" He stutters but I manage to cut him off before he starts to talk even further about his future plans.

I chuckle, "Wow, wow, okay, you have to slow down a bit there."

"Sorry . . ."

"I can handle everything on my own whether it's financially or physically, the baby would have a good life. It wouldn't be an issue if you have a part-time job or not because honestly, I know how busy students can get. Trust me, I was a student once and I could not ever, imagine myself being in your shoes, wanting to settle assignments, study for finals and preparing to be a dad. You don't have to necessarily feel sympathy and want to play your part," I continue to speak before pressing onto the gas pedal, driving ahead after the light turns green.

"That was not what I meant," He replies.

"What did you mean, then?"

"I want the baby to have both parents in its' life." He shifts a bit in his seat before running his fingers through his hair as he sighs, "Don't get me wrong, Bella. I know you're vcry capable of giving the baby a perfect life regardless of me being in the picture or not but I want to work hard to provide as well. That baby is mine, too. I'd want to provide anything that I can and I want the baby to grow up happy because he has both parents by his side,"

"Oh, so . . . the baby is a boy?"

"No, I just think it's better than calling the baby an 'it' when we're talking,"

We chuckle, "You don't have to . . . you know?"

His brown eyes stare deeply into mine before nodding, "I know. I want to,"

The drive ahead to his campus seems short after the whole conversation. Not just that, most of the time we were drowning in our thoughts and it took up the time. I keep thinking about being a parent or actually having a child while trying to make it work with a stranger, a man whom is biologically related to my child.

As soon as we've arrived, I take a few seconds to prepare the words in my mind.

"Just for your information, I was raised by a single mother and I was happy. I was perfectly fine," I speak, turning my head to look at him and see that he's doing the same—once in awhile, he would glance down at my lips but his gaze stays longer at my eyes.

"I'm glad you were fine. I was raised by both but he was mostly absent—so, when I was a child, I kept wondering when he'd come back home from work. I don't want the baby to feel that when he grows," He replies.

"Fair enough . . ." I mutter.

We both stare at each other for a few seconds before smiling.

"Thank you for the ride, Bella."

Adam steps out of the car and I continue to stare at him as he walks away. Truth be told, regardless of his age, there is something about him that makes him appear more mature than the men I've met. I understand there was a lot of pain in his past, maybe he's trying to be different but I appreciate the little honesty. Deep down, there is a little part of me that hopes for more and feeling excited to see journey.

I drive out the campus, heading back to my office.