ROB

As we drove back home, I couldn't but hear the echoes of a movie Liv loved in my head. "Are you ready for a posse?" It felt like Stan from The Back-Up Plan was talking directly to me. Twins. We were having two babies at one time, and I wasn't sure I was ever going to be ready for a posse. I shouldn't have been surprised, though. Combining Liv and I was bringing two very fertile families together. Twins seemed to be written in the cards for us. I couldn't help but think that it would be nice if, next time, we could just have one kid. Not that twins weren't great, but life would be a hectic experience with two sets of twins.

Wait.

Next time?

'Don't get ahead of yourself,' I thought, shaking the thought out of my head. I pulled up to a red light, taking the chance to look over at Liv. She was staring out of her window, deep in thought. Here I was, worrying about myself, while her life had been completely flipped up again. Just thinking about the stress of balancing school and pregnancy made my heart hurt a little for her. And for all the women that did it without this much financial grace.

I reached over and touched her thigh. Surprised, she jumped a little, then looked over at me and smiled. "Are you okay," I asked her.

She gazed at my face, then looked away, "I'm just thinking. Twins, huh? I can't say I never thought about it, though."

That surprised me. Personally, kids weren't a big topic in my mind until recently. What I thought of most was work and my social life. Romance was... complicated, so the most I'd get involved with were flings and casual dating. Liv, on the other hand, seemed to think about everything. She was prepared for so many different possibilities, which probably should've been more like me.

"Did you think about us having twins, or just having twins in general?"

Liv thought about it for a bit, "both, I guess. The odds were that there was a decent chance I'd have kids with someone. But, it was also possible that I wouldn't. Like, Aunt Jen. She's the sister of twins, but none of her kids are twins. Oh, the light's green."

I accelerated, and took glances her way every once in a while until we got home. We parked in front of her house, and I was relieved to see her parents' car wasn't there yet. They said something about shopping when we left the doctor's office. I had a feeling they'd be coming back with many pairs of things for the babies. Her parents were ecstatic when they heard the news, though it didn't keep Liv's mom from shooting a dirty look in my direction.

Liv turned to me with a smile, about to get out. I took her hand to keep her from leaving, "so, how do you feel about the twins? About everything? It's a lot, and you still have school."

"A lot is going to change, I know. I'm not upset or anything like that, Rob. I'm so happy. I think that's the biggest thing I'm thinking about. Life as we know it is about to be flipped completely, but I just have a... good feeling? I dunno." She put a gentle hand on my face, "we should talk about everything. But, some other time? I'm in the mood for a romcom I've seen way too many times."

I turned, giving her palm a kiss. "I'm free tomorrow. We can spend the day together, if that's okay?"

She nodded, then gave me a chaste kiss. "Text me," she said with a smirk, then went into her house. As I watched her go, I couldn't help but miss having her next to me.

******

I tried not to think of the worst as I went to open my front door. The feeling in my stomach was stupid; it was like I was going on a first date. This should've been easy, seeing as Aaron and I were like brothers. Talking over some steaks and drinks was nothing new to us, but this felt wrong. Wrong, because we would be talking about the babies I was having with his niece, and why I was having them with his niece.

Obviously, a lot of this situation was unintentional. If I had known that Liv was nineteen, a student in my class, and Aaron and Jen's niece, I can't say I would have still slept with her. But, I also couldn't say I regretted it. If anything, it sucked how much it would change her life.

Aaron, on the other hand, would've happily gone his whole life without being in this position if he could. He wasn't Liv's dad, so technically I didn't have an obligation to explain myself to him. Regardless, I didn't want our friendship to go down the toilet. Especially since I'd be seeing him all the time, now that we were pretty much family.

The doorbell rang again as I opened the door, and there he was.

"Hey, man. Good to see you," I told him, a smile on my face. Aaron stood there with a wine bag in his hand. Unlike me, he was not smiling. Still, his outfit and the gift told me that he had more than tried, and that was good enough for me.

After a long moment of silence, I stepped aside to let him in. Without a word, he handed me the wine, then walked into the house, and I quickly closed the door behind him.

"I hope you brought your stomach, cause we're having steak tonight," I announced as I went to put the wine in some ice. I had to keep myself from cringing at my dad joke. When I was nervous, I couldn't help regurgitating the stupid jokes I'd heard growing up. Maybe it was a subconscious comfort thing.

Maybe I just needed to call my dad and make him tell me some jokes.

With the bottle of wine in ice, I finally got a good look at the label. This bottle of Merlot was definitely worth at least $300, and it looked like it would taste good. I had a taste for wine, but when I wanted to feel fancy I'd usually reach for a Scotch or Bourbon. My brother, Ronan, was the wine connoisseur. Thanks to him, I wasn't confused anymore when I was forced to attend my mom's annual Christmas party.

Aaron must've noticed me looking at the label, because right as I was about to give him a compliment on his choice, he said, "yeah, I've had that for a while. Yes, it was for something important. I like to think that talking about the baby you're having with my niece is a special enough occasion for a nice bottle. Don't you?"

I shrugged, "yeah. Well, uh, make yourself comfortable at the table. I'll get some glasses and meet you over there."

The filets I cooked were good, and they went perfectly with the salad and potatoes on the side. A very American dish, yeah, but that didn't change the fact that it was quality. The food almost made me feel better about the heavy silence that sat between my friend and I as we cut into our steaks without words. Every now and then, I'd look over at him while I took a sip of wine. Clearly, he was enjoying his dinner. He wasn't going to tell me that, though.

After we were almost completely done, I figured it was finally time to address the elephant in the room. "I want to tell you the whole story about what happened, and is happening, between Liv-" Aaron narrowed his eyes at me as I said her nickname. I cleared my throat, "sorry. Olivia and I. Okay?"

Reluctant, he agreed. So, I told him everything. I told him about the club I went to when I wanted to get away and not think. How I met this woman, and I spared him the details of the night we spent together. And how we fell out of touch until I found she was my student, and she was pregnant.

With every detail of the story I told, I could see his expression softening. No matter how you sliced it, Liv and I were making the best of our current situation. We were adults who had sex, and were now having kids together. After she decided she wanted to go through with the pregnancy, that is.

His and Jen's story was different, but the unsupportive family angle was something that they'd experienced. It was a lot worse for them, and it seemed like he was thinking about that as I talked.

"Oh, we went for our first appointment today, and... we're having twins, actually," I smiled as I delivered the news.

Aaron watched me for a moment, then after it seemed like he'd decided something for himself, finally gave me a smile. "Congratulations, Rob." He stood up next to the table, arms outstretched. It took me a little while to get up, but the hug was definitely worth the painfully awkward meal we'd just had. "I'm happy for you, really," Aaron exclaimed, before pulling away from me.

He held out a hand, and when I took it, he sighed. "I'm sorry for giving you a hard time. I was just worried about Olivia."

I shook my head, "I know. I get it. Did you like the filet, at least? That shit took some elbow grease to pull off, honestly."

Aaron laughed, then smacked my shoulder playfully, "I did. But once you're finally good at cooking, it won't seem as hard. I feel like watching something with Matt Damon in it. Come on. Bring your wine, chef Gusto."

Although slightly offended, I followed my friend into the living room to re-watch our favourite Bourne movie, rubbing my sore shoulder along the way.

*********
A/N

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-Ruth