Page 37 of Shattered

“I don’t know.I haven’t checked it yet.”

“Do you want me to look for you?” she asked as she took a step across the threshold of the bathroom, her eyes never leaving mine for fear I would crumble to the floor.

I simply nodded.

She grabbed hold of the directions and read them quickly before picking up the stick.The corners of her mouth curved up to form the smallest of smiles.Her expression could mean she was happy I was going to have a little one running around, or it could mean she was happy not to have to put up with a screaming child waking her up in the middle of the night.

Slowly, she turned around and faced me.It was mere seconds before I found out what her smile truly meant.

“You’re not pregnant.”

I exhaled a rush of air and closed my eyes.Thank God.As I moved toward my best friend to grab the stick to see for myself, a few tears escaped.The funny thing was I had no idea if I was happy or sad.

Damn Alek for confusing me.Damn him for his undying support and his promise to keep our potential child safe.I knew he would make good on his promise, too.

Deciding not to dwell on thoughts I didn’t completely understand yet, my eyes focused on the dash which appeared in the tiny window of the pregnancy test.

Yep, I’m not pregnant.

Now all I have to do is tell Alek.

~18~

Alek

My reaction to the results of Sara’s pregnancy test was controlled.I knew how she felt about the whole situation, so I tried to reel in my disappointment at the news.There was plenty of time to persuade her to reconsider in the future.

I couldn’t believe I was looking forward to discussing the possibility of starting a family with anyone.But Sara wasn’t just any woman.She was the love of my life and I knew it.I knew it deep inside my soul.

As the weeks passed, we had long talks about our relationship and where we saw things going.Sometimes I acted as if I was the woman, wanting to know where we stood.I held back most times, but inside my head, I was a fucking nightmare.Iwanted to punch me.

~~~~

One afternoon, I asked her to join me on a little shopping excursion, needing to pick up some new things for my office.As I knew she would, she agreed.

Our day together was relaxing.We were having a blast, reveling in each other’s company.No stress.She wasn’t prompting me to make any crazy demands, and therefore I didn’t have to deal with her stubbornness.I managed to remain calm and free-spirited all day.It was a side of me I knew she liked seeing.

“I wish every day could be like this, so carefree and jovial.”Her tone was hopeful.

“If you would listen to me and do as I ask then every daycouldbe this nice.”The grin on my face told her everything.I was indeed making light of my crazy statement.

“Yeah, well, that’ll never happen, so we may as well enjoy the moment,” she said, giving me her best smirk.While the majority of our time spent together was happy and blissful, there were times we argued.Not full-on fighting, just disagreeing.She pushed my buttons, as I did hers.We would bicker then would be done with it, nine times out of ten ending up in bed, fucking each other senseless.

We were walking hand in hand in front of the many little shops in the center of town when I heard someone call out my name.Looking ahead, I couldn’t see who it was until a man parted through the small crowd.

Glancing at Sara, I couldn’t help the huge ear-splitting grin which spread across my surprised face.

“Devera?Is that you?” he shouted as he quickened his pace.

Ushering Sara forward, I bridged the remaining distance between us and one of my oldest friends.His extended hand connected with mine as I pulled him in for a big hug.Damn, we hadn’t seen each other in years.How the time flies when life is all too consuming, especially those past few months.

“Kael Stonebridge!What the hell are you doing here?” I asked as we finally broke apart and took a step back from each other.

“Adara and I moved back from California two weeks ago.I meant to look you up but have been so busy with the move and everything.I’m so happy I ran in to you.It’s been, what, like five years since we saw each other, right?We have a lot to catch up on, man.”

“You’re damn right we do.”We both stood there watching one another, the surprise of having him standing in front of me still not completely registering.I was so lost in memories of us growing up, including all the trouble we used to get into, I’d completely forgotten about Sara.

She reached out and gripped my hand, the warmth of her palm speeding up the beat of my heart.One touch was all it took.One small point of contact and I forgot all about my long-lost buddy.

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