“I mean what the hell! Of all people Shaun? Really?” Shaun leaned against the railing, his usual laid-back demeanor slipping as he processed Josie’s message. The shock spread like a wave, crashing over him in a swift rush of confusion and disbelief. His fingers instinctively tightened around the edge of the only thing keeping him from crashing to his death, spiraling random strings of the same line. Im. The. Father.
Shaun raked a hand through his messy hair again, a wave of frustration washing over him. “What do you mean 'where is Josie??!” He watched Becks attention return to her phone. “I just—look, I didn’t know she was going to drop this on me. I thought…I don’t know what I thought.” His voice trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the intensity of everything crashing in on him. The terrace had suddenly turned from a casual gathering into a hopeless trap. Shaun rubbed the back of his neck, pacing a few steps away from the edge of the terrace as the weight of the conversation settled heavily on him. He could feel Beck watching him closely, annoyance—anger? Etched on her face, and it made the admission even harder to spit out. He turned to face her, his eyes searching for understanding.
“Beck, I… I didn’t know,” he began, his voice barely above a whisper. “I had my suspicions, sure. But I thought it was one of those wild stories, you know? Like, she slept with… uh, a bunch of people, and I… I convinced myself it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t possible it could be me.” The confession hung in the air, the truth tugging at his conscience. “Holy sht.” He mumbled, realizing what he had not only admitted to himself just now, but to Beck Dawson of all people.
He hadn’t completely realized the distance she put between them until now. Shaun leaned against the terrace railing, watching Beck as she paced, the distance she was keeping grated against him like nails on a chalkboard. It felt strange—here he was, facing tumultuous revelations about—fatherhood, while the person who had been a fun flirty presence in his life was treating him like a stranger. He hated that he felt this way, guilty for wanting her support just at the moment he needed it most.
“Does it matter if she’s not coming up here?” he responded, trying to keep his tone neutral, though a twinge of hurt seeped through. “Can’t we just go look for her?”
Beck | @Kbail | Sorry it wasn’t as absolutely AMAZING as your post, but hopefully it gets us moving 