Page 75 of See You Soon
"I love that there's a coffee shop in here." I smile, before downing my iced coffee and walking behind Meredith and Emilia. Emilia had to tackle her wedding list and Meredith was helping her.
"If I didn't have the shits every time I drank it, I would love it. So I'll just stick to the refreshers." Meredith scoffs and Emilia laughs.
"You guys have to get fitted for the wedding! It's next month. I'm taking you guys sometime this week to the dress shop. I gotta get this out of the way. One less thing to stress about." Emilia tells us as we walk through the aisles of the store.
"Of course, I can't wait. This is going to be my first time as a bridesmaid! I'm so happy for you and Harry. This was a long time coming and I'm so excited for your happy ending." I say, hugging her with one arm.
"Me too. I can't imagine myself with anyone but Harry I know I'm still young but I don't care what anyone thinks. Harry’s twenty-five and I'm twenty-two. I feel like I'll get criticized for getting married too young or too late. It doesn't matter.He's the one." Emilia rants and I can hear the frustration in her voice. She's been dealing with criticism from everyone about her marriage to Harry. From her family to her friends. She was frustrated but I was so proud of her. She hasn't let that stop her from marrying the man of her dreams.
"What about you, Ari?" Meredith asks, opening up her panini sandwich.
"What about me?" I ask confused, raising a brow.
"Do you think Danny’s the one for you?" Meredith teases and I stop in my tracks, shrugging. I don't know if Danny is the one, but itfeels like he is.We had just met and it was a whirlwind of emotions, craziness, and lust. The chemistry was undeniable in such a short amount of time. Whenever we were together, I couldn't think straight. Just the sight of him made me weak. His voice, something in the way he moves, the way he walks, his ambition, his passion for his career, his scent, his smile. The way he was so protective of me. I was completely enchanted by Danny.
Meredith takes a bite of her panini and it sends my stomach upside down watching her eat it. The smell of the chicken and bacon getting to me and it was disgusting.
“What’s wrong?” Meredith asks, talking with her mouth full and I throw my hand to my mouth to stop myself from hurling.
“It’s the smell of your sandwich,” I say scrunching my nose.
“You have a stomach bug don’t you?” Emilia asks, rubbing my back comforting.
“Or she’s pregnant.” Meredith’s voice muffled with food, chewing.
My heart drops and my eyes widen. I can feel myself growing pale and my mind starts racing.
No, I can’t be. Shit. I can’t be. There’s no way.But there is…
“Oh, my God. Are you pregnant?” Meredith swallows and I’m trembling.
I wasn’t ovulating when I had sex with him. I was always irregular in my periods so I used an app to keep track of them when I did get them. I remember this because I checked right after we had sex and I was in the safe zone. I checked…
Fuck, fuck,fuck.
“Shit,” I murmur, hyperventilating. Emilia and Meredith both look at each other worried.
“Look, this poor girl looks like she’s about to faint. We’ll buy a test right now. We’re at a Target for Godsakes. They also have restrooms. Let’s not worry unless we have to.” Emilia starts to jog towards the family planning section and I’m freaking out. Anxiety's getting the best of me and my skin grows clammy.
If I’m pregnant…no I won’t start this rabbit hole.I’m not pregnant.
Danny and I just met this year. I know situations like this happen all the time but still. This can’t be happening to me. It’s too fast. It’s too soon. I don’t know what I would do. I’m too young to be a mom.
I have a stable job, thank God, but what about my mother? Oh God, my mother. She still thinks I’m a virgin for crying out loud. I shouldn’t be thinking about what she thinks, though. It doesn’t matter. I needed to set boundaries with her already. It was long overdue. I’m in my fucking twenties. A successful nurse. A good daughter.
We hurry out of the self-checkout and I run into the restrooms. I enter an empty stall and take off my pants and start urinating on the pregnancy test.
Emilia and Meredith burst through the restroom doors, setting their belongings on the sink counters.
“So are we going to be aunts or what?” Meredith claps her hands eagerly. Emilia smacks her shoulder, hushing her. I clean myself up and flush the toilet. My heart's racing, unsure of how to calm my nerves.
I open the stall, dropping the test on the counter, upside down so I can’t see the results. I need to wait a couple of minutes which drives me even more crazy with anticipation.
“I need some words of encouragement right about now.” I rasp, looking at myself in the mirror. I’ve always wanted to be a mother. Just after marriage. I wanted a husband first, that was always the plan. Yet lately, everything in my lifewasn'tgoing as I had planned.
“You’re not pregnant. Meredith is crazy. You’re fine. You just have a stomach virus.” Emilia chirps, her voice high.
“Or you’re pregnant,” Meredith says nonchalantly.
