"Are you sure we can't fly out?" I desperately ask.

Bawdy has just hung up his phone call. "There's a huge thunderstorm, and they still won't let us leave until it clears, which might not be for hours." Fuck the midwest and its rain.

I start to pace around our hotel room, unsure of what to do. We were supposed to fly out in the middle of the night to get me back in time for my class and exam. Getting woken up from sleeping with Bawdy's dick was more than enough to energize me for the night. Since I slept all day, I planned to finish studying on the flight back.

But, apparently there will be no flight back in the near future.

"Are you sure you can't do anything?" I plead.

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, but, unfortunately, I can't control the weather."

I curse under my breath. I'm so fucked right now.

"Can't you just email your professor?" Bawdy asks.

"Not unless I have some life threatening illness. He's so strict about exams." And if I miss this one, I definitely won't be passing the class. And this class isn't offered in the spring, so I'd have to put off my graduation. And then my entire future is going to be put on pause, and I won't be able to get a job this summer.

Bawdy grabs my arm, trying to calm me. This was such a poor choice to fly here when I knew that I had an exam to get back for. "What do you want to be sick with?" Bawdy asks.

"Huh?" I reply with confusion.

Bawdy is already typing away on his phone. "I can get you a doctor's note." He says it like he's talking about getting me a glass of water. Super easy and typical. "Any certain disease you want or should I make it a surprise?"

"You can't be serious."

"It's really no big deal."

I know that this isn't the morally correct thing to do, but I really am stuck. It's not like I'm trying to get out of it for not being prepared. I would have questionably been prepared by only studying on the flight back, but I was still planning on taking it. As long as I didn't horribly fail it, then there would be hope that I would pass this class. However, I can't even get a chance at a make up without having a legitimate excuse.

It's not like I'm physically hurting anyone in the process. It's morally wrong in a different way, and right now I really don't give much of a shit for right and wrong. I just don't want to fail this class.

"And it'll look legit?" I ask still skeptical.

"Yeah, easily."

I agree, although I can feel the worry rising in my stomach to my throat. I trust Bawdy, but I just hope that this doesn't back fire.

It doesn't take long for him to get a note emailed over. I really wonder what doctor friends that he has who will do something like this in the middle of the night, but I don't question it too much.

My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest. Bawdy brings me back to sit on the bed and wraps his arms around me. "It's completely out of your control. Try not to worry about it," he says. A lot easier said than done, but he is right.

He's one of the few people who can help to calm me down. We're not getting on a flight. I sent over the doctor's note, and there's nothing that I can do now.

I guess we're stuck in Chicago for another day. Hopefully we can fly out soon.

"Are you tired?" Bawdy asks.

I let out a sigh and look at the time. It's almost 3:00am. "Honestly, not really. I kind of fucked up my sleep schedule during the day." I quickly add on, "but if you're tired, then please go to sleep. I'll just watch something until I fall asleep." Although I'm not sure if I'll be able to calm myself enough to sleep until I hear back from my professor.

He can't deny my excuse, but I'm still worried that something might go wrong. I try to take Bawdy's advice about it being out of my control right now, but that's difficult without a constant distraction. My brain is going to keep thinking about it.

"I'll stay up with you," Bawdy says. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, food would be great," I say realizing that I haven't eaten anything yet today.

Bawdy pulls out his phone and pulls up the room service menu. "Add anything that you want," he says while handing me his phone.

"Okay, so one of everything," I joke.

Bawdy shrugs. "Make it two of everything if you want."

I don't need that much food, but I'm also starving so having a bunch of options would be helpful.

As I'm adding things to the cart, a text pops up from someone just named M, and I accidentally click on the notification, bringing me into his messages. I'm not trying to snoop, but my brain reads the text before I can stop myself.

M: Look who was jealous that I got to see you, B. She couldn't stay asleep until I gave her the stuffed animal from you.

Along with the text is a picture of a little girl snuggled up to a bunny. I swear that I've seen this little girl before, but I can't quiet put my finger on it.

"Figure out what you want yet?" Bawdy asks while walking back towards the bed holding a drink for each of us.

"Uh, I think so," I say handing his phone back to him. "Sorry, you got a text, and I accidentally opened it." It's also the middle of the night. Why is someone texting him now?

He grabs his phone back from me. "Probably nothing too important," he says before he looks at the screen. His brows furrow as he sees the text thread pulled up.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to be nosy," I say quickly.

"I've got nothing to hide, so no big deal." He changes the subject. "I'm going to add a few more things, and then order it."

We sit in silence as he places the order. I wonder if he's going to address the elephant in the room, or if I'm going to bring it up. Maybe I'm just imagining that there's even an issue to bring up.

I start slowly. "So, who was the text from?"

"Oh, no one." He says without lifting his eyes from his phone. No one. What a wonderfully descriptive and informative answer. It's obviously not just no one if he bought a stuffed animal for a child, and someone is sending him a picture in the middle of the night.

Being on my period definitely isn't helping to regulate my emotions. It's also hitting me how hungry I am. And this is not a pretty combination.

"It's obviously someone," I say with a bit of sass.

"Don't make a big deal out of nothing," Bawdy says defensively.

"Then just tell me who that is." There's an easy solution to my worries. All he has to do is explain, and I'll believe him. I don't think he's doing anything too shady, but I just have a feeling that I need to dig a bit more here.

"I ordered the food. It should be here in about an hour," he says, directing the conversation elsewhere.

"Please don't change the subject. Just tell me who it is."

Bawdy rubs his hand on his face. He's sitting next to me in bed, but we're not touching. The physical distance between us isn't huge, but I'm feeling really disconnected from him.

"You met her before. Mary. M is for Mary." He replies with an even tone. I can tell that he's trying not to sound irritated with my questioning.

He has her labeled as M for Mary. She referred to him as B in the text, and she also called him Will when I met her. If she's just someone who he worked with, I don't understand why she would be sending pictures in the middle of the night of a child.

My brain continues to piece things together. I'm trying not to draw conclusions, but I feel like I know more than I should but also not enough.

Then it hits me.

I've seen a picture of him with Mary and that little girl out to eat before when he was in Miami. I'm certain of it.

"I swear that I've seen a picture of the three of you out to eat before," I say, starting to think out loud.

"Maybe," Bawdy says.

I think back to the photos that I saw, but I was most worried about the girls who were all over him at the clubs that weekend. I didn't think too much about him going out to eat with someone. Although, I do remember people online having strong feelings about him being out to eat with Mary.

Not just strong feelings but rumors. Rumors that I completely dismissed, because they seemed absolutely absurd.

"You and that girl have a baby together," I say out loud before thinking.