Page 32 of Strip for Me

“Meet you at the car, little missy,” Kaiden says, making me laugh. I quickly go up to my room and put on my black jeans, a white top that’s flowy and isn’t too tight. The bump is still visible in it. I check my phone, seeing dozens of messages and calls from Liz. I can’t bring myself to block her number, no matter how much I know I should. I just delete the messages, there’s also one from an unknown number that gives me goose bumps.

Games are fun, aren’t they?

I know it’s Drew, but I’m sure he means sleeping with Liz. It would have been a game to him. I know it was his way of getting back at me. I leave my phone on the bed before I walk out of my room.

I pull my jacket and my shoes on by the door, where the guys are waiting for me.

We all wordlessly get our stuff and get into Andre’s car, with me sitting in the front. I slide my hand over my stomach, loving the feeling of the small bump I have now.

“Why is there an ungodly amount of money in my bank account this morning?” I ask them both.

“Consider it your wages, and my money to help with the baby,” Andre replies smoothly.

“I can’t accept that amount,” I say quietly. “It’s too much.”

“Well, think of some of it as the baby’s money, I don’t know what to buy. So, you can buy all the stuff we will need,” Andre says, ending the conversation, as I don’t know how to respond to that. I want to give it back, but he has a point, I need to get baby things, and they are expensive. I’ll also need to get maternity clothes soon; my clothes are feeling tight. I wish I could call Liz and get her to come baby shopping with me. I sink back in my seat when I realise that she won’t be there when I’ve given birth to this baby like I thought she would, and I don’t have any friends that are girls to turn to. It was always just me and Liz. I look out the window, feeling stupidly sad over everything.

“So, I didn’t know you had an aunt,” I say when we’ve been driving for a while and go on the dual-carriageway.

“Yes, and I think she might be a little shocked when I introduce you,” he says with a small smile in my direction. Why do I feel crazy nervous at meeting his family?

We don’t chat much more on the drive, I’ve lost where we are with all the turns Andre has made. Kaiden sings along to the music, making me laugh and somehow, he even gets Andre humming along with the cheesy songs that the radio plays.

“By the way, Mel is a little–” Andre starts to say.

“Bonkers,” Kaiden adds in before he gets out of the car.

“Okay . . .,” I say, and Andre leans across the car to kiss my forehead.

“This means a lot to me, thank you for coming. Mel is all the family I have left, other than you and our baby,” he says, making my heart swell as I go speechless.

Kaiden opens my door as I have to look away from Andre, feeling something stronger than I ever have for him. I don’t want to put a word on it.

I slide out of the car and see we are in front of a building of new-looking flats. Andre links his hand with mine as we walk to the building. He presses the buzzer, and we wait.

“Hello?” a female voice says.

“It’s Andre,” he replies, and there is a buzz before he opens the door. We walk in, and Andre leads us to the flat on the ground floor, the door is slightly open.

There’s a small purple-painted hallway, with wooden floors, and at the end is a lounge painted in the same colour. On one of the two sofas in the room is an older woman. I try not to stare at her legs when I see they are both amputated at the knee. Next to the other sofa, is another woman who must be in her forties with sandy-blonde hair, a rounded body, and a big smile. The woman has a long, blue shirt and jeans on.

“Mel is having a good day, today,” the woman says in a slight accent I can’t put my finger on, and Mel interrupts.

“Don’t be talking about me like I ain’t here.”

Andre laughs and pulls me over to stand in front of Mel. I see Kaiden jump onto the other sofa from the corner of my eye, and the woman who I’m guessing is someone who looks after Mel, leaves the room.

“Aunt Mel, how are you?” Andre asks her, but she looks up at me. Mel has the same warm, blue eyes as Andre, with short, grey hair and some wrinkles on her face that don’t take away from her beauty.

“Less of the small talk, boy, who have you brought to see me?” she asks, and it’s hard to understand. Her accent is very old-school York.

“This is Ellie, my girlfriend. Ellie, this is Mel,” Andre introduces us, and Mel looks me over slowly. I don’t know why, but it feels normal, him calling me his girlfriend.

“Are you pregnant?” she asks bluntly, her voice crackly, and she starts to cough.

“Yes,” I say quietly when she stops coughing, and she smiles.

“You are a lucky woman; this boy will look after you,” she tells me, reminding me of the time Liz called me lucky. I ignore the sharp stab of pain I feel at the thought and smile instead.

---