Page 43 of From Fake Dates to Forever Goals

I think for a moment, regretting I didn’t make a list like she did.

“I might need tampons,” I tell her, somewhat unsure. At least I think I do.

“I just got my period yesterday, too,” Annie says, rolling her eyes.

“Yesterday?”

“Yeah, it was only a couple of days late,” she begins. “Scared Stewart half to death! I think I was secretly hoping, though.”

She laughs, but I’m silent.

Shit. No. Shit.

“Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“I—I’m late,” I realize out loud, my voice shaky.

“How late?” Annie asks, her expression growing serious. “I thought you were on the pill?”

“I am! I am,” I say, fumbling to pull out my phone. I open my period tracker app, and my stomach drops. “Almost two weeks.”

“Two weeks?” Annie’s voice is now as panicked as I feel.

“I can’t be,” I tell myself, terrified to even finish the thought.

Annie grabs my hand, pulling me toward the family planning section. “I guess we should pick up a pregnancy test, too, then.”

“How did this happen?” Annie asks when we arrive back at my place.

Suddenly, I feel like a teenager being grilled about her life choices. I wish I had a better answer.

“I don’t know. I guess I just lost track. Maybe missed a pill here or there,” I sigh. It’s a terrible excuse. I should have been more careful.

“Call me,” Annie says before driving off.

She had offered to stay with me while I took the test, but I wanted to face this alone. I need time to process.

I’m scared, but I know I have to do this. Putting it off won’t change the answer.

So, I do it. I pee on the stick and place it on the counter, watching the seconds tick by.

This is it.

The minute hasn’t even passed, but the result is there, clear as day:Positive.

It’s what I expected, but not what I wanted.

Sebastian and I finally turned our relationship into something real, and now this. How will it affect us? We both have ourcareers ahead of us. I don’t think a baby was in either of our five-year plans.

I’m not ready for this.

My head spins as I grab my phone and call Annie.

“I’m pregnant,” I blurt the moment she answers.

The silence on both ends stretches for a moment. Saying it out loud makes it feel real.

“You need to tell Sebastian,” Annie finally says.

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