Chapter 29
Max POV
During the last week of Lent, with the withdraw from sex nearly killing Fang and I, my mother forced us to start attending pregnancy classes. A month or so ago, I happened to stumble into the exact class one night, as you may remember. Since 'Early Motherhood,' had started several weeks ago, Fang and I had to introduce ourselves this week in an attempt to catch up.
"I'm Max," I awkwardly declared, giving a small wave. "And, this is F-Nick, my fiancé." It was weird calling him that, but, it also brought an unforced smile to my lips. The instructor, who's southern accent I remembered unmistakably, had us all sitting on the wooden floors of the building, which appeared to be an old ballet studio. Fang absentmindedly grabbed my hand, rubbing slow, soothing circles.
"Nice to meet y'all both," the teacher greeted, politely nodding towards us, rubbing her swollen, pregnant belly. "My name is Carolina and I will be helping you both down the path on the miracle of birth!"
She crossed the room, enormous stomach making her slightly wobbly. "Previously, we have discussed the harmful and long term effects of pregnancy drugs," she announced, taking a seat on a large, pink exercise ball. "Today, however, we will be getting to know our partners better." With a warm, reassuring smile, she continued.
"Please, face your partner and take their hands," she instructed. I turned to Fang, taking is large, calloused hands in mine. "Now, tell your partner that they are beautiful, strong, and thank them for taking this journey with you."
Taking a deep breath, I stared into the dark, mesmerizing orbs of his eyes, speaking. "You're beautiful," we said in synchronization, gazes still locked. I snorted, because 'beautiful' is the last word I'd use to describe Fang. Perhaps sexy, masculine, or even macho, is a more accurate adjective. "You're strong." Which, in fact, is an extremely spot on statement. We are both abnormally fit. "Thank you for taking this journey with me," I whispered the last part, voice cracking. We didn't plan this, which isn't the only thing that separates us from the rest of the people in this class. No matter how normal we seem, how normal we try to be; we'll always be mutant freaks.
Fang POV
"What do you think of this one, sir?" The frail, spidery man with hair as thin and grey as wisps of smoke behind the counter asked, displaying a flashy, gold ring with several diamonds cluttered at the top. I shook my head, scanning the rest of the selection. Max's ring had to be perfect...
"It's too...much," I mumbled, scratching my neck. He nodded, lowering the glasses on bridge of his nose.
"This girl," he began, using the ledge of the counter to steady his balance. "She's something else, huh?" I nodded, grinning. He had no idea.
"You know," he responded magically, tired eyes twinkling. "I was in love once." I brushed the hair from my eyes, taking another look at him. This time, instead of seeing the same meek, worn man, I imagined a lively one, young and free, stricken with love. I guess there really is a someone for everyone. After moments of silence, he spoke hurriedly. "I think I know just what you need," he chortled, disappearing into the back room. Seconds later, he came back, a small, black, velvet box concealed in his bony hands.
It was perfect. I smiled at the tiny box, tucking it in my pocket. "Thank you," I praised him, handing him a wad of bills. He clamped his frail hand over mine, locking eyes with me. His were a trusting turtle-shell brown.
"Whatever you do, don't let her go," he warned me. "Because, you'll regret it."
"I won't," I confirmed, smiling. "Ever."
"I'm pretty sure the best thing ever invented was the Xbox," Iggy rambled, owning everyone at Call Of Duty. Okay, so, mainly he was owning me at Call Of Duty because we were the only two playing, but, he's blind and, uh, I went easy on him... Yep, that's my story, and I'm sticking with it.
"Mmmhmmm," I agreed, kicking off my Vans. He stood, disappeared into the kitchen, and returned with two cokes, tossing me one.
"So, what'd you two lovebirds learn about today in 'Early Motherhood'?" Iggy inquired, jabbing me jokingly. I took a sip of the Coke, pausing the game.
"We used 'encouraging words to empower our partners'," I rolled my eyes, using air quotes. He laughed, standing for the second time.
"The power of protection, my friend," he said, patting my back. "Avoiding all that and just sticking to the fun stuff!"
I snorted, downing another swig of Coke. "Like you've had sex," I retorted. After a few moments of silence, I spoke again. "Have you?" He took a few steps toward the hallway's entrance, turned around, and winked at me. That bastard winked at me.
Max POV
The next day, I found myself in a spare bedroom with my mom, Nudge, and Ella, perched on the edge of a comfy, Queen-sized bed. "Today, at the store," my mother started, shuffling through an excessively large, plastic bag. "I picked up some maternity books, prenatal vitamins, and birthing videos from a local pregnancy health store. You should read and watch these," she said, handing me a stack of heavy books and a few DVDs. I nodded, tossing them to the side.
"Whoa, Max, these vitamins are huge!" Nudge exclaimed, holding up a bulky, orange pill. "I don't even know how that can fit down your throat, I mean seriously, are you going to choke? I really hope you don't… but, if you do, can I have all your clothes? I mean they aren't much now," she grimaced, fingering the hem of my bleak, plain grey t-shirt. "But, with a little bit of my creative genius," she smiled proudly, gesturing to her 'inventive' outfit. "They'd be fabulous!"
I rolled my eyes, shoving her playfully. "Max isn't going to choke," my mom reasoned, handing me the pill and a glass of water. I swallowed it and other vitamins easily, turning the TV on with a click of the remote. As the color drained into the screen, Ella began reciting facts from one of the several novels.
"Did you know the heaviest baby ever born was twenty-three pounds, twelve ounces?" Ella questioned, smiling. I grimaced, crossing my legs uncomfortably. Oww.
That night, after we had tucked the kids in and the boys had gone off to play with their Xbox again, (Curse the day my mom bought them that thing) Ella and I returned to the spare bedroom out of sheer boredom. "Do you want to, like, watch the birthing video?" she questioned me, grinning deviously. I shrugged, nodding.
"What the Hell, we have nothing else to do. I'll get the ice cream," I announced, lazily trudging to the kitchen. I passed Iggy and Fang in the living room, slouched in the exact same position that they were forty minutes ago, and made my way to the kitchen. As I dislodged the carton of vanilla ice cream from the freezer, a pair of all-too-familiar lips brushed my ear.
"Hey, beautiful," Fang whispered, wrapping his lanky arms around my waist. I spun around, shoving him slightly.
"There is one more week of Lent, and we're not screwing this up!" I protested, trying hard not to give in to him. I crossed my arms as he neared me again. He smirked, pressing his lips to mine.
"But, this isn't sex." He let the word hang on his tongue seductively, securing a finger in my belt loop. I bit my lip, shaking my head.
"B-but, it could lead to it," I bravely held my ground, reaching behind him to retrieve two spoons from the cabinet. He caught my arm, leaning in closer.
"Final decision?" He asked, locking eyes with me. I took a deep breath, nodding.
"Final decision," I confirmed, tucking the spoons into my back pocket. "Good night, Fang," I whispered, pecking his lips. He pouted, hanging his head.
"G'night."
When I finally returned to the spare bedroom, Ella had already gotten comfortable at the foot of the bed and turned the movie on. I passed her a spoon, took a bite of ice cream, and watched the opening credits.
I might have dozed off about halfway through, but, I was definitely awake when the woman started screaming. It was CHAOS. You know that feeling where you don't want to look, but you can't force yourself to look away? Well, that did not apply here, because, there was no way in Hell I was watching that. And, that, my friends, is exactly why I saw Fang walk in, glance at the TV, and faint.
I realize my story hasn't quite focused on pregnancy as well as it should have. Hopefully, this is more on track. RnR please :) and happy early Memorial Day :D
Also, I'd like to know what you guys are doing for the summer (cuz, I'm creepy like that) so, please tell me in your review XD
