Page 31 of Written in the Charts

Pine garland with lights woven into it hung around the crown molding and a small tabletop tree sat on the buffet in the corner of the room. A bright red tablecloth covered the table, and the centerpiece of pine sprigs with a white scented candle topped it off.

“It’s beautiful. Who decorated?” I hugged Maggie before sitting in the seat Evan had pulled out for me. She was shuttling dishes from the kitchen into the dining area while Derek filled glasses with wine. I quickly realized that we were about to have a conundrum when he got to mine, so as he filled Evan’s, I added, “None for me, thanks. I’ll just have water tonight.”

Evan offered a concerned look. “Is everything okay?” He sat next to me, studying my face.

“Yeah, everything is fine.” I could hear my pulse in my ears as I thought up a lie as fast as I could. I hated lying to him, but this wasn’t how I wanted to tell him. “I just have to study tonight, and I’m sure the wine will make me sleepy. That’s all.”

His expression eased and he nodded. “Alright, well that makes sense.” He reached for his glass of wine and sipped it. “Will it bother you if I have a drink?”

“Nah.” I smiled and turned to Maggie, who had returned with a plate of turkey, carved and arranged in piles of dark or light meat.

“I did all the decorations during naptimes.” She chuckled as she sat down. “But Derek helped with the outside. Didn’t he do a great job?”

Evan and I agreed that the decorations were on point. Then we settled into a conversation about the dinner and family traditions, which led to finishing our meal and meandering into the living room to exchange gifts near the crackling fire while Maggie and Derek each held a twin and fed them their bottles.

Evan tore open the paper on the package I got him, and I watched him expectantly. It was a simple gift, a picture of the two of us together, framed so it could sit on his bedside table. We’d been together for just a few months, so I wasn’t sure what to give him that would mean something without being too much. I felt this was perfect.

He grinned like an idiot and gave me a big hug. When it came time for me to open his gift, I did so with trembling hands. The package was heavy, wrapped in thick plaid paper, and it felt like a book. When I had the bow removed, I found a corner of the paper and tore it away, revealing a scrapbook. Evan had taken photos and arranged them into a love story sort of scrapbook art for me, starting with the day we met, or at least an image close to that time of our lives, and ending with the most recent photo of us together—the one I’d framed and given to him.

The gift brought tears to my eyes. When I looked up at him, he was holding his phone, ready to snap a selfie. I wiped away the tears quickly and leaned in, letting him take the picture quickly before the waterworks started again. Being pregnant made me much more emotional than I normally was, and I was an emotional sort. My crying didn’t seem to draw any undue attention, but I had to put the book away just to stay on the safe side.

Later, when Evan walked me to my car, I cried again. “That was the sweetest gift, Evan. Thank you so much.” I leaned in and kissed him, again lingering there a while.

“Are you sure you won’t let me drive you home? We can study together. I’ll teach you anatomy.” He winked as he pushed his hand between my thighs, finding my sweet spot and rubbing it. As much as I wanted him to take me home and fuck me, my stomach had started to roll a bit after dinner. It wasn’t easy dealing with morning sickness, and I didn’t want to have to fake being well. Just more lies to tell that way.

I returned his feverish kisses, the kind that slither down your throat and stir your body up. Fuck, did I want him, but I also wanted to not throw up on him. So I pushed him away and smiled. “Really, I have to study, bud. I can’t bomb another test. You understand.” His face fell. “But maybe after I’m done, we can do that thing... on Zoom again?” I winked, hoping the smile would return to his face, but he just shrugged.

“Yeah, that’s okay. You go home and study. I’ll just check on the horses. Let me know when you’re going to sleep and I can call and say goodnight.”

I climbed into my car after a quick peck on the lips and watched him walk toward the barn with shoulders slumped forward. If I stayed any longer, I’d lose my cookies right there next to his car, which wouldn’t be good, so I drove away. Evan deserved to know the truth, so I had to tell him soon, but I was still afraid. Maybe after my appointment with Derek, he’d be able to put my mind at ease that I wouldn’t lose the baby.

Until then, I had to keep carrying around this secret and lying about things I didn’t want to lie about. And I had to get home and open my books up because if I didn’t study, I was only going to sit and stew on my fears. Not to mention, my rejection of Evan’s advances would have been for nothing.

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

Evan

I sat on the couch glowering at the Christmas tree with its twinkling lights and reflective ornaments. Christmas was supposed to be a time to celebrate togetherness and love, and the person I wanted to be with right now had flat-out rejected me with the excuse of studying. I sullenly sipped the beer in my hand, waiting for Derek and Maggie to put the kids down.

The picture Gypsy gave me sat on the table, staring at me. We were happy, smiling. It made me wonder why she’d choose studying over me tonight, of all nights. She was pulling away from me. She’d been less available to spend time with me ever since my stint on base due to the suspension. And she never refused a glass of wine, especially with dinner.

Something strange was going on.

“Sorry, man.” Derek plopped onto the couch next to me with a beer in hand. “Sometimes it takes a while to get them to sleep. Maggie is showering now, so it’s just us.”

I nodded, not actually in the mood for company. I suddenly wanted to go back to my apartment and chill, but I didn’t want to be rude.

“Something wrong?” Derek sipped his beer and side-eyed me.

“Nah, man. It’s just Gypsy. It feels like she’s pulling away from me, like she doesn’t want to spend time with me anymore. It’s always about studying now.”

Derek offered a sympathetic expression. “Have you told her how you’re feeling?”

“No, I don’t want her to feel pressured if she’s really just studying, but I get the feeling there is more going on that she’s not telling me. I mean, when has she ever turned down a glass of wine?”

I downed the rest of my beer and set the empty bottle on the coffee table. The fire crackled loudly, drawing my attention. I stared into the flames as I tried to sort through the thoughts going through my head.

“You’re just overthinking. Listen, finals are this week right? She will have two weeks of break before her winter quarter starts, and things will ease up a bit during that time.” Always the voice of reason, Derek slapped me on the back as he stood and set his beer on the table. He rose and shuffled over to the fireplace, throwing a few more logs into the flames.

---