Siraj laid her head on the headrest of her seat, her eyes closed to stop the sunlight from beaming into them. The light constantly made her head hurt, which triggered her morning sickness, and she just didn't feel like dealing with that right now.

Honestly, she didn't understand how moms did it-especially the moms that had more than one kid. Every time she got nauseous she wanted to run to the clinic to tell them to get this baby out of her. She hadn't yet, luckily. The morning sickness was getting old though.

She was currently sitting outside of the house her best friend, Zara, shared with her boyfriend, and was trying to gain the courage to walk in and tell Zara that she was almost two months pregnant with her brother's baby.

What way would be best to put it? She didn't know. That's probably why she'd been sitting out there for going on half an hour now, unsure of how to break the news. On top of that, she would also be asking her opinion on an abortion. She really just wanted to know how the process went, and Zara would know since she'd had one a year ago.

Out of everyone around her, Siraj knew that Zara would never judge her. Not for being with her brother's best-friend that was ten years older than her, or for getting pregnant by him, for that matter. At least she hoped she wouldn't.

"Sista?!" Zara's voice could be heard from the front door, and when Siraj turned her head, she saw her heading her way with a bag from Subway in her hands. She didn't even see the doordash deliverer park in front of her car.

"Sista you crying?" Her car door opened, and Zara's arms wasted no time to go around her body. That was another thing she hadn't realized; the wetness on her cheeks.

"Oh my god, I didn't even notice." She chuckled, sniffling as she used the back of her hand to wipe her face dry.

"What you doing sitting out here? Why are you crying? Come on, get out." Zara guided her to step out of the car, shutting the door once she was out.

Siraj held her hand, letting her lead the way into the house so that she could make sure she was alright. It was rare to see Siraj crying about something that seemed so serious. Usually, she only cried when somebody wouldn't buy something for her, spoiled at its best.

When they made it inside, Zara had to go tell her boyfriend that she would be in the living room with Siraj, and also gave him his food while she was back there. Luckily, she was previously being greedy and had ordered herself two sandwiches, now deciding to give one to her best friend.

"So? What's good? Why you crying?" Zara folded her legs underneath herself after giving Siraj the second sandwich.

"I'm pregnant." Siraj didn't even sugarcoat what the issue was, watching as Zara's mouth fell open in genuine shock.

"Bitch!" She shrieked, and then covered her mouth in shock at her own outburst while Siraj couldn't help but to let out a laugh. That was the only response she'd expected from her, for real.

"Rajjjj, oh my g-stop fucking lying bitch 'cause it's not funny if you is." Her eyebrows furrowed with hesitation, and Siraj chuckled. She reached in her bag to pull out the ultrasound pictures from her appointment this morning, passing them over to Zara.

Even though she'd taken literally twelve pregnancy tests that all came back positive, she still couldn't believe she was actually pregnant. So, she'd made her appointment for today, a week ago. Apparently this was real life.

Zara's eyes scanned over Siraj's name in the corner of the ultrasounds, and quietly cooed at the pictures of her future niece/nephew. Then, she remembered that Siraj was crying, meaning that maybe this wasn't something to be excited about.

"What's wrong?" Zara kept the pictures in her hands, watching Siraj wipe her face again, but wasn't able to stop her steady flow of tears.

"It's Exodus's baby." She revealed. For a minute, Zara's breath felt like it had paused. Exodus, like, Exodus Exodus? When the hell did that happen, and how come she hadn't caught on yet?

"I was going to tell you when I first got with him but I didn't know if I should or not. I'm so sorry. I am such a dumb bitch, oh my fucking god, my brother gon' kill me." She put a pout on her face, no longer interested in the sandwich that she was eating.

"Ouuuuuuu now that is some real tea. My lord, a snapping turlaaa-," she still wore her genuinely shocked expression, yet also managed to get a joke out because she hated serious conversations.

"Zara!" Siraj laughed, causing her to join in on it as well, happy that she was able to get a smile out of her.

"No bitch, don't Zara me. Where the fuck have I been at? That big neck ass nigga was the secret admirer this whole time? Exodus, bitch?"

"Not too much on my man, please. Thank you." Siraj chuckled, using one of the napkins from the subway bag to wipe her face.

"Ouuuu, yo' man? Shit. Shit. Semaj gon' kill us dead. Lord jesus." Zara face palmed herself, just now realizing how much deep water they were in.

Semaj didn't like the idea of his little sister having a boyfriend, no matter how old she was. She was still his seven-year-old broke best friend in his eyes. The main reason being, he didn't want anyone to break her heart. What older brother-sibling in general,-would?

Now, never had he mentioned that she couldn't date his friends. He had always figured that was common sense, so it was never even a conversation. If he knew that not only was she dating his friend, but someone who was supposed to be their brother-and was eleven years older than her, at that-he'd raise hell.

Exodus and Semaj had been best friends since the sandbox. They stayed weeks at a time over one another's house growing up, especially when they were teenagers. When the two men were twenty years old, Siraj and Zara were only nine. That's exactly what Semaj would think about the moment it was revealed that Exodus and Siraj were now together.

To him, his sister was still a baby. Never in a million years would he be okay with the two of them dating. He had never looked at Zara that way-ever. If anyone asked, that was his blood little sister, just like Siraj was. He figured Exodus had always thought the same of Siraj-which he had, up until last year.

That's the main reason Siraj and Exodus weren't public yet. Everyone else might've been a bit lenient with accepting them, but Semaj? Oh hell no. Siraj could see one of them ending up in a hospital-or a body bag-already.

It was a little too late for what ifs though. Siraj was already pregnant.

"I'm so scared, Z. If my brother finds out that I'm pregnant with his baby, he'll never talk to Exodus again. I don't wanna come between them." Her voice cracked, saying what they both knew to be true.

All Zara could do was hold her, because she didn't know what else to say. She was bad at comforting people; that was usually Siraj's thing. Zara was upset with herself for not knowing how to make her feel better.

"I'm so fucking stupid yo. I'm so selfish. Like what the fuck man." She couldn't stop her tears at this point, letting them just stream down her face.

"And your brother is sooo sweet to me. I love him so much. He does so much for me and it makes me feel so guilty that I'm thinking about not keeping the baby. I just don't wanna ruin their friendship bra'. Them niggas is brothers yo, they would go crazy without each other." She continued to rant.

"Exodus doesn't even want a baby. He told me that before we even started fucking. But it's his dumbass fault for nutting in me anyways 'cause he know I don't play that. I'm so fucking irritated."

"Siraj he is not gon' tell you to get rid of the baby. That man is grown and he'll take on his responsibilities." Zara assured, already knowing the type of person her brother was. He'd take care of Siraj and they both knew that.

"But what comes with that? Losing his best friend? I don't wanna be the cause of that shit Z."

"Exodus big dumbass knew what he was doing Raj, this shit is not your fault. Having unprotected sex, regardless of if he was nutting in you or not, could've resulted in a baby. He knew when y'all first started talking what could've came from this. It isn't on you alone. It's his fault too."

Siraj didn't say anything back to her, unsure of how to respond. She didn't even want to see how this would play out in the oncoming weeks. It wasn't even just about Semaj either. She knew that it was a chance that Emari would be upset too.

There was a possibility that soon, drama would be arising in the family all because she wanted to be fast. She shouldn't have ever came on to Exodus in the first place, yet, she didn't regret it either. The only thing she regretted was the future consequences.

As if he was aware that he was being spoken on, Siraj's phone rung with his contact appearing on the screen. Zara could see the 'Baby' contact with a pink heart emoji, and as she tapped the screen to answer the call, Zara also spotted her ring.

She said a quiet 'awww', earning a smile from Siraj. Even if Siraj felt like her own relationship was wrong in a sense, Zara was still so happy for her. It was no secret that someone had been keeping a big smile on Siraj's face the last couple of weeks.

"What you doin' fat ma?" His voice came over through the phone, which was up on Siraj's ear. She would've put on speaker but sometimes his mouth could get wild.

"Nothing, I'm at Zara's house eating subway. What you doing?"

"Shit, I ain't know you was there. I'm wit' Maj and Mari. I was missin' you though."

"I miss you too pumpkin." She chuckled, watching Zara silently scream while pretending to fan girl over the couple.

"I called to tell you I'ma be home late tonight. You gon' wait up for me or nah? I'll bring some food and snacks for you."

"Why you coming late?" Siraj asked as Zara stood up, deciding to give the two of them some privacy for a few minutes.

"Handling business wit' Maj. Nothin' you gotta worry 'bout mama."

"Okay, I guess. When you do come home, we have to talk, okay?" She played with the end of her shirt, listening to the line briefly go quiet.

"I did somethin' wrong?" His tone sort of softened with concern and confusion.

"No."

"You did somethin'?"

"No, nothing's wrong-I mean like, we didn't do anything wrong. I just need to talk to you."

"Siraj I don't like shi-stuff-like that ma, I'm finna be worried 'bout this all day. What is it baby?" He tried not to cuss at her, but could feel himself either becoming worried, or becoming aggravated.

"I don't wanna talk about it on the phone." She told him. When she did tell him, she wanted to watch his bodily reaction because that would give off how he really felt, in case he lied and said he felt something else.

"Why you done sat up here and said that like I wasn't gone ask what it was about? You can't give me a hint or nothing?"

"I don't wanna talk about it on the phone Jacere. Leave it at that and we can talk when you're home."

"Aight man, whatever." Was the last thing he said, and an immediate frown fell over Siraj's face when she realized that he had ended the call.

That was the type of childish, unnecessary shit that she hated. Now, she didn't even want to tell him and instead wanted to call planned parenthood as soon as possible. There was no reason for him to be mad over the fact that she wanted to talk in person rather than over the phone.

She was so glad for growth because the version of her from two months ago would've pulled up on him and embarrassed him regardless of him being with her brother. Hell, he was the reason for that growth anyway. He better be lucky, she thought to herself.

Siraj ended up spending the rest of the day with Zara just because she didn't want to go home, and because Zara forced her to go shopping for unisex clothes online. They didn't buy anything yet, but Zara planned to soon. She couldn't wait to be an auntie for the second time.

By the time she had made it home it was almost eleven at night and Exodus still wasn't there. He hadn't called her back all day either, nor did he respond to the brief message she sent that asked if he'd really hung up in her face.

If he wanted to have some kind of attitude and be ignorant about the situation that wasn't even supposed to be a big deal, then so be it. She wasn't going to force a grown man to talk to her. It was annoying that he was so much older than her, but could act younger than her at times.

She tried not to let her thoughts get the best of her as she showered, dressing in a pair of panties and a fitted, but cropped, muscle shirt once she was out. She also put some fur white socks on since she was cold.

Then, she turned on Disney Channel on the TV to add some background noise to the quiet house. She tried to stay up for Exodus because she really did want to talk, but stopped fighting how sleepy she was almost immediately.

Finally though, he arrived home just a little over two hours after she'd fallen asleep. It was twelve minutes past one in the morning, and Exodus was just getting out of the shower since he'd previously smelled like weed. Plus, he'd been out all day.

When he plugged his phone in on the charger, a piece of paper on his nightstand made his eyebrows frown up in confusion. Then, he saw the tests. Pregnancy tests. Three positive pregnancy tests. That flimsy piece of paper also became clearer, and he realized it was an ultrasound with Siraj's name printed across the top.

For a while, he just stood there.

He stood there some more.

And continued standing.

"Shit, man." Was all that he managed to mutter out.

He sat on the edge of his bed, letting out a low groan of irritation at himself. He had ignored her for the last few hours because he thought she was playing around on the phone earlier, only to come home and find out that she was pregnant.

What a turn of events.

Exodus climbed in the bed next to her, and wrapped his arms around her body from behind. He laid his head on her bare back since she was no longer wearing a shirt, leaving kisses against her soft skin to wake her up.

Slowly but surely, she began to move. He stopped kissing her, trailing his hand to be on her stomach which caused her eyes to flutter open. He didn't know what to say, but mumbled out an "I'm sorry," softer than the tone he last held with her.

"I shouldn't have hung up on you earlier, I'm sorry Raj. You still feel like talkin'?" He asked next, willing to be understanding if she was upset with him.

"Do you want me to keep it?" She asked him a question in return, not bothering to answer his.

Exodus's face kind of frowned up at her question because it seemed as if she was expecting him to suggest an abortion. Now, no, he didn't want any kids, but he would never ask her to get rid of his-their-child. The deed was already done.

"What you wanna do? I'm not gone force you to do nothin' you don't wanna do."

All that Siraj responded with was a sigh. She didn't know what she wanted to do, really. Though she wasn't sure if she was ready for a baby, she didn't want to abort it either.

"I'm scared." She mumbled, reaching her hand up to wipe her face as soon as a tear presented itself. When his arms wrapped securely around her, the tears fell more often, and she was now crying.

Exodus turned her over to face him, letting her cry to herself on his chest. His hand rubbed soothingly down the line of her back, trying to stop her cries as best as he could.

He wanted to ask what she was afraid of, because it didn't seem like she was afraid of the pregnancy itself. A part of him knew where her true fear was coming from though, and he could admit to being worried, but not so much afraid.

All of the times where he'd told her that he wasn't afraid of Semaj was the truth. Nobody scared him, really. He was already too deep in with Siraj to go back, especially now that she was pregnant. Exodus couldn't do anything about how Semaj would feel about them, because like previously stated, the deed was already done.

"You ain't got nothin' to be scared of. I got you and you know that. Look at me Siraj." He tilted her head back so that she looked up at him, seeing the small pout on her face.

"I love you. I been told you I don't give a fuck about how nobody else feel about me, or about us. Stop crying pretty. We good. Nothing's wrong. You understand me?" He used his thumb to wipe her tears away, gently kissing her lips at the same time.

"Yes. I love you more." She sniffed, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck to hug him back. The feel of him still kissing her face eventually resulted in a smile from her.

"Ion' know why you sad anyway. I should be the one sad 'cause I'ma be the one fighting when his ass swing on me." He chuckled, laughing once her mouth fell open in shock.

"Exodus that's not funny. Something is seriously wrong with you." She covered his face with her hands, even though her amusing smile remained.

She opened her hands but left them on his face, leaning her head down to give him a small kiss. He kissed her back, pulling her bottom lip into his mouth. Then Siraj stopped him just before he could deepen the kiss.

"What you ain't letting me kiss you for? Move." He grabbed her face, making her laugh as her hand went over his.

"I haven't brushed my teeth and you tryna stick your tongue in my mouth. You move." She chuckled, enunciating her words.

"You know I don't give no fucks 'bout that." He waved her off, and she amusingly rolled her eyes, turning to lay on her back.

Exodus removed the cover from over her, sitting himself up on his elbow to look at her stomach. He rubbed over it, and Siraj's smile slowly disappeared, also looking down at her stomach that would be way bigger, soon enough.

"I'm almost two months. I went to the doctor this morning." She told him, guiding his hand to be at the far bottom of her stomach where it was the firmest.

"I kinda had a feeling last week when you had slept all day, but I ain't wanna bring it up." He chuckled, remembering the day where Siraj had literally slept from sunup to sundown without getting up a single time.

"The baby makes me so tired, I throw up every morning and my headaches be so bad. My doctor gave me some prenatal vitamins to help with the morning sickness though, and she told me the baby is healthy. So I guess that's good."

"You should've told me earlier. That's something I wanna do with you." He said, referring to going to check up appointments with her.

"It was my first one. I didn't go when I first found out because I was scared. I didn't want to keep the baby at first, and I knew if I went, I'd wanna keep it."

"I wouldn't have never asked you to get an abortion. You know that right?" His eyes trailed to meet hers, and she nodded her head.

"I just figured that since you'd already said you didn't want a baby, you wouldn't want me to keep it. I didn't really want to at first anyway." She pulled the covers back over herself after feeling the air kick in.

"I'm glad you ain't make that official decision without me. Thank you." He wrapped his arms around her again, and she shrugged his statement off with a smile.

"I told Zara about us and about the baby. She's the only one that knows though." She revealed, watching his eyebrows raise in surprise.

"Yeah? How she take it?"

"She was shocked as fuck, and mad 'cause I didn't tell her earlier. She's happy for us though.." Siraj also went on to tell him about how her and Zara had made an online cart for the baby together.

"I'll take you to get some more stuff too, whenever you want. We gotta find a crib and stroller and shit." He sounded excited about the baby, and that made Siraj feel a lot better.

"Thank you papa. I love you." She laid her head on his arm, chuckling once it curved to wrap around the back of her neck, forcing her to get as close to him as possible.

"I love you more."

I guess we are keeping it then