I woke up in Bernice's bed, the sunlight creeping through the curtains. My head was clear, but my body still felt heavy from the night before.
Sliding out of the sheets, I reached for my boxers, pulling them on before grabbing my clothes. I made my way to the living room, tossing my stuff onto the couch.
I opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and took a long sip.
Then it hit me.
Post-nut clarity.
'Damn… I was really wildin' last night.' I thought, shaking my head slightly.
As I stood there, lost in my thoughts, Ashley suddenly walked in.
"Good morning, Franklin. Sleep well?" she asked, her tone casual.
"Yeah, I slept good. What about you? You good?" I replied, keeping it smooth.
She gave me a small smile but looked a little awkward.
"Yeah... I'm good. And, uh, sorry about last night." She said, scratching the back of her head. "I just… didn't expect my mother to be home already."
I almost choked on my water.
But I played it cool, nodding.
"Oh, I didn't even know your mother was here." I said, setting the bottle down on the counter. "But it's all good, don't worry about it."
I kept my face straight.
Ashley stretched a little and glanced toward the kitchen.
"I'll make breakfast." she said casually.
I raised an eyebrow.
"Do as you want." I replied, keeping my tone chill.
But she was already moving, grabbing ingredients and setting up. Guess that was her way of handling things.
I pulled out a chair and sat down, watching as she worked.
We started talking, just small talk, random stuff, when suddenly, Bernice walked into the kitchen.
She was wearing a silk robe, her hair slightly messy. Her eyes landed on me immediately.
"Oh, I didn't know we had a guest." she said smoothly, acting like she had no idea I was here.
Ashley turned around, a little stiff.
"Good morning, Mom."
Bernice just raised an eyebrow.
Ashley cleared her throat and quickly added. "Franklin, this is my mother. Mom, this is Franklin. He walked me home last night because I wasn't feeling well."
I almost laughed. She really went with that excuse?
I turned toward Bernice, who looked at me with the tiniest smirk.
"Nice to meet you." I said.
Bernice just hummed.
Breakfast went surprisingly smooth. The conversation was light, the vibe was good, like we didn't just go through the most awkward introduction possible.
Ashley eventually got up, stretching. "I'm gonna take a shower."
I nodded, finishing my drink as she disappeared down the hallway. Then, I glanced at Bernice and gave her a little motion with my head toward the terrace. She didn't say anything, just got up and followed me outside.
We stepped onto the terrace. She leaned against the railing, crossing her arms as she looked at me.
"So? What's up?" she asked, amusement still in her tone.
I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck.
We stood there for a second, just letting the silence sit between us. Then, I decided to bring it up.
"Alright, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it… You took the pill, right?"
Her smirk faded. She tilted her head slightly.
"Nope."
I clicked my tongue. "Tch… Alright. Look, if you end up pregnant, you got my number now. Just hit me up so we can talk about it. I know it's your body, your choice, but if you got a good head on your shoulders, we need to have that conversation."
She studied me for a second, then nodded.
"Aight, we'll do it like that." she said simply.
I exhaled, leaning on the railing.
"Good. I just needed to put that out there."
Bernice gave me one last look before smirking again. "You're responsible… That's kinda sexy."
"Don't gas me up, I'm just tryna be smart because I was stupid yesterday."
She then reached for the door. "C'mon, before my daughter starts asking questions."
I followed her back inside 'I messed up.'
We walked back inside like nothing had happened. No weird energy, no side glances. Just keeping it moving.
I went to take a shower, letting the hot water wash off the night before, and by the time I was dressed, I knew it was time for me to head out.
As I grabbed my keys and made my way to the door, Ashley stopped me.
"We should link up another day." she said, tilting her head slightly.
I exhaled, keeping it straight with her.
"Nah, I got a lot on my plate right now. But it's nothing personal." I told her.
She nodded slowly, but I could tell she wasn't really used to hearing that. I didn't stick around to explain. I just stepped out, got into my car, and pulled off.
A few days later...
I was back in Orlando, locked in at the gym. No distractions, no noise, just me, the basket, and my focus.
At least, that's what I thought.
We had just wrapped up practice, and I was cooling down in the locker room, talking with Rose. We were just chopping it up about the game, some plays we ran earlier, nothing too deep.
Then, my phone started buzzing from inside my bag. Not my work phone, my personal one.
I reached over, grabbed it, and looked at the screen.
I wasn't expecting this call. I hesitated for a second before answering, lifting the phone to my ear.
"Hello? How you doing?" I asked.
But the voice on the other end came straight to the point.
"Franklin...I... How can I tell you this... I'm... I'm pregnant."
My whole body tensed up.
I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear, just staring at the screen for a second like it could somehow change what I just heard.
Rose noticed my shift in energy. "Yo, you good?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
I ignored him for a second, swallowing hard before putting the phone back to my ear.
"Say that again?" I said, my voice lower now, more serious.
"I'm pregnant, Franklin. It's yours."