Page 104 of Obsession

“Okay, doctor!” Ananya smiled.

Reina asked her several questions. When and what was the last thing she’d eaten? Was she feeling acidic? Heartburn? Was she sleeping well? Did anything hurt? The barrage of questions went on for a bit.

Ananya answered honestly, confessing to her sister how she was tired all the time and how she hadn’t been eating or sleeping well.

“You have to stop working so much,” Navya complained. “Mom told me that you leave first thing in the morning, come home late, and then you’re working again. You’ve hardly spent time with anyone at home. You really don’t take enough care of yourself.”

Reina looked at Ananya, a tiny wrinkle on her forehead.

“What?” Ananya asked. “Have I answered all your questions? I told you it’s just exhaustion. Am I good to go now?”

“One last question,” Reina said. “When was your last period?”

Stunned, Ananya checked the period tracker app on her phone. She scrolled through it, going back and back... Her eyes widened a little more with each scroll.

“How late are you?” Reina asked.

“What?” Navya gasped. “Is she… Oh my God.”

Reina glared at Navya. “Be quiet, and let her answer.”

“More than six weeks.” Ananya caught Reina’s hand. “Please tell me that I’m only late. Please don’t tell me I’m?—”

“—pregnant. I think you may be,” Reina said, her face somber. “At least that’s what all your symptoms say. But we’ll have to do a test to confirm.”

Ananya slapped her palms to her face. “Oh. God.”

Her mind was swirling and whirling. Lifting her face, she looked at her sisters. They were both watching her quietly. They had questions, of course, but it was sweet that they were giving her space right now.

“I’m sure there’s a pharmacy close by,” Ananya said. “Can one of you get a test for me? I can’t sort the thoughts in my head without knowing for sure.”

Navya quickly texted on her phone and said, “I’ve messaged Armaan that you’re unwell and I need to get you some medicine. Wait here, you two; I’ll be right back.”

Ananya sighed when she saw the way Reina was looking at her. “Aren’t you going to ask the obvious question?”

“Your whole reaction right now proves that a baby is a possibility, quite a definite one.” Reina sat on the sofa next to her and put an arm around her. “I have questions, but I will keep them for after we know for sure. Ananya, no matter what you say, just remember I won’t judge, neither will Navya.”

“Oh God,” Ananya groaned.

A baby would change everything. She counted the days in her head backwards. All the times in Moscow they’d had sex without a condom, she’d assumed it was the wrong time of the month. Could her body clock have changed because of all the medication she’d taken after her attack? An attack of that intensity was bound to have taken a physical and psychological toll on her body. She was never late. Her periods were always on time. Which meant… Oh God, it most likely meant…

She pushed those thoughts aside, counting the minutes till Navya returned. She wasn’t going to think of anything until she did the test.

Reina squeezed her shoulder. A few women entered and left, but Reina remained by her side, a silent force in the storm that was going to erupt in her life.

* * *

The two pinklines on the test wouldn’t change no matter which way she looked at them. This was her third test. Navya had gotten three different brands for her. All of them said the same thing.

She was pregnant.

A knock on the cubicle door startled her.

“Are you okay?” Navya asked.

Stepping out of the stall, she showed the test results to her sisters before tossing them in the bin.

Washing her hands, she studied herself in the mirror. She pressed a palm to her fluttering belly.

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