Love Interrupted

Part 6 - Are you kidding??

We laughed and giggled over our usual meat lover's pizza. We chatted about anything and everything except Darren and his upcoming wedding. "Oh gosh," I said looking at my watch. "It's already almost nine."

"Oh, my. I need to get home. Eric has early mornings and the baby has late nights."

"Yeah, I'm a bit of early bird myself these days. How about we meet up for breakfast?"

"Yes! But let's do nine-ish. I'm not much of a morning person since having Josh."

"Done."

"Hey, you need a place to stay? I have a spare room."

"Oh, I got a room at the Buffalo Inn. I'm good."

At that moment a very familiar voice shattered our evening. "What makes you think I want to??!!" I'd know that voice anywhere. There was great frustration in his words and I knew he was angry with whom he had directed his statement. Amy and I stood and approached his table with curious animosity. There sat Darren with his friend Rocky and the boy from his fiancée's pictures, the latter looking like he'd just been slapped. Darren was glaring at the boy until he and Rocky  gave us their attention. He turned to see who they were looking at and I swear the color drained from his face at the sight of us. "H-hey." He choked.

"Hey," I wanted to be angry, but as soon as I looked into his deep blue eyes all I could feel is pity. He looked lost, not like man in love, but like a man on death row, hopeless.

Amy shoved Rocky over into the boy as she sat next to him. "Have a seat, Erin. Let's get the story from the groom himself."

Darren scooted over to make room on the booth's seat for me. It was the first time in all the years I knew him, that he came off insecure, almost afraid of something. I watched him intently, staring at his profile looking for any hint of the man I had been in love with. He kept his eyes forward. Locked on Rocky, I assumed. "It's a long story."

"We got time," she quipped.

"I thought you said you had to get home to your son."

"Already texted Eric." She smirked, resting her face in her hands. "I'm good."

He sighed. Rocky and the boy shifted nervously. "Hi!" the younger piped up, sticking hand out towards me. "I'm Amir. His brother." He pointed his thumb towards Rocky. "Can you tell?"

"Yes," I answered. "Y'all do look a lot alike."

"Told ya," he said jabbing his brother with his elbow.

"Whatever, kid. Whatever." Rocky said. Okay tension broken up a bit. Everyone relaxed.

"Kid?" I asked. "As in 'young' or just 'childish'?"

"Young." Responded Amir and Darren while Rocky said "Both."

"I'm almost seventeen," the younger protested.

"Ah, I see."

"So," Amy interrupted. "Darren... tell us all about your bride to be."

"Yes," I added. "Do tell. What she like?

"Amazing!" Interjected Amir. We all looked at him. Amy and I in surprise; the guys had that 'shut up' look.

"Well," Darren started. "What can I say?"

"Apparently, she is pretty amazing." I offered.

"And beautiful!" Amir again. "Like crazy beautiful. Blonde, blue eyes and flawless porcelain..." he dropped his face under the weight of our eyes on him.

"So, she's also very pretty apparently." Amy concluded looking warily at Amir. She directed her next question in his direction. "Anything else interesting about her?"

He looked up apologetically and shook his head 'no'.

"You sure?"

"Amy, please." Darren's voice quivering only slightly nullifying his intended warning.

"No, Darren. You haven't so much as told your family her name. You didn't even tell us you were dating let alone planning to marry this mystery girl, so, no. I won't." She cocked an eyebrow at him, shutting down his protest. She turned her attention back to the younger brother. "Amir?"

Sheepishly, without making eye contact he simply stated, "We have the same birthday."

"Aww, that should make it easy for you to remember, huh Darren?" I snapped snarkily. "How old is this amazing beauty anyway?"

"Almost seventeen, like me." Amir offered. I'm pretty sure both guys kicked him under the table because he yelped and the table jumped.  Amy spit her soda out across the table. I sat there slack-jawed.

"Shut up." Rocky growled towards him. Darren pressed the palms of his hands into his eye sockets.

"What?" Amir cried. "I already said we have the same birthday, didn't I.?"

"Wait," I said confused. "You have the exact same birth – date? As in, born on the same day, in the same year?!"

"Well, yeah. Though, technically she's older because she was born in the morning and I was born in the af-ter-noo-n." The boys glowered at him.  "What?"

That was enough to shatter my resolve. My heart fell out of my chest in pieces before him. I didn't even try to contain my tears. I glared at Darren with my blurred vision. I saw his face redden, but mine was hot. "And I was too young?" I stood in my anger. "When I was almost eighteen, I was a child?"

"It's not like that," he began.

I put my hand up to silence him. "She's sixteen?" I whimpered.

"That actually explains a lot, Darren. It really does. I can see now why you didn't bother telling our parents." Snapped Amy. "Let's go Erin, I think we've heard enough."

"No! Erin. Wait please." Darren begged, but I ran out of the place. I couldn't bear to look at him. He was engaged to a child. Not just any child either; the governor's child. Why would any man let his sixteen-year-old daughter get married to a twenty-four year old man!? 'That's insane! Wait!' "Oh my god, Amy."

"What?"

"She's pregnant, isn't she? That's why the governor is letting this happen. He knocked her up! He knocked up a sixteen-year-old girl!"

"Hey, hey. We don't know that." She offered. "They didn't say anything about a baby in there."

"Why else would he be so 'hush hush' about it? I mean isn't that why you and Eric eloped?"

"Yes, but if the same were true for Darren, don't you think they would have done the same? Obviously, there's more to the story but let's just call it a night. We'll find out more from him tomorrow after we have all had time to calm down and rest."

"Okay, you're right. Thanks for everything. I needed the day with you." I hugged her goodnight. And you know I wasn't about to get any sleep. My mind and my heart were a jumbled mess. My emotions were all over the place trying to make sense of the situation. Why was Amir the only one talking about this girl? Was he in love with her? And if so, was she in love with him? How did Darren meet her in the first place? He's a factory worker, she's political royalty; they don't exactly run in the same social circles.