Chapter Thirteen

The inevitable had happened.

It wasn't like she hadn't expected it. It happened to all pregnant women at some point or another. Maybe it was just wishful thinking that this should pass her completely and that she should have no problems with it.

Xiaoyu's clothes didn't fit her anymore. Well, they still fit; kind of. But there was always something that didn't look quite right. A shirt would stretch too tightly across the widening span of her stomach or a waistband of a pair of jeans wouldn't quite fit around her anymore.

When Jin came home that night, Xiaoyu wasn't in her usual spot on the couch in the living room. He walked around, quietly, through the rooms in the house until he found her upstairs in their room.

Her back was turned away from him and she was looking into the mirror in front of her. Jin leaned against the doorway and smiled at her as she twisted and turned, examining the curves of her body. He tried not to laugh as she rolled her eyes and whipped the shirt off of herself and threw it into a very large pile of clothes she had, obviously, already tried on.

Jin walked up behind her, carefully navigating his way through piles of clothes that no longer fit. Xiaoyu seemed to be very upset as she pulled another shirt over her head. She was wearing her favorite pair of jeans.

Several other pairs of jeans were thrown across the back of a chair and tons of t-shirts in so many different colors were thrown on the floor all around her. He stood there for a moment, lost among every article of clothing that she owned, and tried to hide how bad he felt. It was his fault, after all.

"Don't worry, baby," he whispered in her ear as he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Your clothes will all fit again someday soon."

Startled, Xiaoyu turned around quickly and sighed with relief when she saw Jin staring down at her. She didn't say anything but moved her eyes towards the floor. Xiaoyu wasn't ashamed or embarrassed; just sad.

The room was a total mess, she knew this. It was terrible for Jin to have to come home to find their room such a mess.

"I'm sorry I made such a mess," she whispered. "But I couldn't find anything to wear today."

Jin didn't say anything. He was completely shocked. "You've been up here all day long?"

Xiaoyu weakly nodded her head. She wouldn't look at Jin.

"Oh," he murmured. "What about this one?"

He picked up a red short-sleeved shirt and handed it to her. She took it, slowly and tried it on.

"No!" she exclaimed with tears welling up in her eyes. "It's too tight."

Jin pulled her into his arms and kissed away her tears. He snuggled close to her and they rocked back and forth.

"I think it looks great," Jin whispered.

There was a long pause before Xiaoyu looked up at her husband. "Really?" she asked him. "You're not just saying that?"

"Absolutely not!" he exclaimed.

"But my other clothes," she turned her eyes towards the piles of shirts, jeans, and shorts that no longer fit her.

"It's alright," Jin comforted her, pulling her into another tight hug.

Xiaoyu wrapped her arms around her husband and laid her head on his shoulder. They stood there for a moment in silence, just enjoying the other's presence. Jin brushed a few strands of her hair back and smiled at her.

Although she was still unhappy, something inside of her was beaming with joy; something that she couldn't quite explain.