"Okay so if I do this, then you'll promise not to lift anything tomorrow?", Cappie gives me a serious look, holding my makeup bag full of nail polishes.
We're laying on my bed, on opposite sides so my feet are near his waist.
"Yes Cap", I sigh deeply. "I solemnly swear not to pick a single thing up".
I give him a faux annoyed look. Because I'm really not annoyed at all. I'm actually having a great night. Because he's here.
Tomorrow me and Cappie and the rest of our friends are helping Ashleigh move into her new place. And over and over again Cappie has been adamant in telling me that I can't move anything or carry anything heavy. I'm pretty sure the night in the hospital last week freaked him out.
It did me for too. But I'm better now. I confirmed with my OB at our appointment a earlier today that everything was fine. I had another ultrasound and had to have a very, very awkward conversation where I had to admit I was sexually active again and that had probably caused the burst cyst.
But I was doing well lately, feeling pretty good besides having a hard time getting up and off the couch and my bed sometimes with my growing belly.
Nonetheless, if it would ease his worries, I didn't mind doing the lighter jobs like packing up Ash's clothes. Which would probably take an eternity anyways considering how much she had.
"Okay good", He gives me a grin. "Now… tell me again why you want your nails painted when it's… the end of October? No one can see them".
"You can see them", I give him a seductive look as a joke.
"Oh…", He looks devilishly at me. "So this is about me being able to admire the color while I'm fu-"
I cut him off.
"Don't swear", I touch my stomach. "She can hear words now, remember? Or at least studies think they can at this week".
"Sorry…", Cappie laughs. "I meant so I can admire the color while I'm kissing you. Just kissing you… with your feet on either side of my head".
I give him a smirk then.
"So… which color are we doing?", Cappie opens up the bag to look at my nail polishes. "Damn, you have like every color of the rainbow in here".
I do have a fairly extensive nail polish collection, I'll admit it. But that's kind of in the sorority girl handbook.
"I want red", I say with a smile.
"There's like 10 different shades of red in here Case", He laughs.
"They're all different, believe me", I giggle. "Choose one, I don't even care which one".
"Okay", He grins and picks one out, reading the label. "This one. It's called 'Fire-hydrant Red'".
"Perfect", I laugh and flex my toes out further to him, wiggling them in front of him.
I had asked Cappie to paint my nails for me. Okay, more like demanded. The argument somewhere along the lines of him owing it to me since this whole thing was partly his fault may or may not have been used.
I couldn't paint them anymore with my stomach protruding. To be honest, I can't even see my feet anymore when I'm standing up at this point in my pregnancy.
"Alright, come here", He smiles as he pulls my feet closer to him.
"Do it slowly, otherwise it'll look messy", I point out to him.
"Don't worry Case", He looks at me. "I'm taking this very very seriously".
I scoff at him.
"So when we move Ash into her new apartment tomorrow… I just wanted to let you know that Evan offered to help", I say treacherously.
He looks at me then, not upset, just surprised.
"You've been talking to Evan?"
"No, believe me, I haven't, but Rebecca mentioned it to him and she asked him to help so… of course Ash said sure. To be honest with you I haven't really wanted to see him much since he said some stupid things about me, you and the baby back in September when I came back here", I sigh.
He looks bothered by that last part.
"Why, what did he say?"
"Ugh, just stuff about how I'm ruining my life. How you meant to get me pregnant so I'd stay here. I don't know, a bunch of terrible, untrue stuff", I groan. "Don't worry, I handled it".
"I wish you'd told me Case. I would've told him off. He has no right to do that", Cappie looks annoyed at him.
"That's exactly what I told him", I agree and then touch his leg. "Don't worry, it didn't bother me. And I can handle my own battles".
His face softens then and he goes back to intently painting the red on my nails.
"Alright. Well I guess we have to get used to seeing Evan around. We have mutual friends", Cappie says. "It's fine with me, we kind of just avoid each other".
"Well we do kind of need all the manpower we can get tomorrow", I laugh slightly. "I mean Rusty will be there but… I think Ashleigh could probably carry more than he can".
We both share a laugh then.
"Yeah I guess you're right. Calvin said he's in too. With me, Rusty, Calvin, and now… Evanilla", Cappie grimaces and then sighs. "We'll be able to get it done. Oh, and Dale, but… to be honest he might just more so be there for moral support".
"Yep", I laugh. "And to try to become this baby's step dad".
We both share a knowing look and laugh. Cappie knew just as well as I did about Dale's weird crush on me.
"Don't worry, I can fight Dale off", Cappie lifts up his fist jokingly and I giggle.
"If Evan doesn't act like a total ass, maybe he'd be in to help us move next week too", I sigh. "Since Rebecca is gonna be there anyways".
Cappie thinks this over.
"Well as long as he doesn't act like a dick and say mean things to you tomorrow", He nods. "I guess we could use him".
"And you're… still okay to stay some nights at the new place?"
I feel nervous asking him but I really did want him to stay. I know that the baby's not here yet but I'd never lived alone and I was happiest when he was around like nights like tonight. And we pretty much had hung around together every day ever since homecoming.
I didn't want that to stop.
"Yeah of course", He smiles softly. "I'll stay as often as you want".
"Okay", I can't help the fact that that makes me smile. "Just because like… the baby could come early, y'know? That happens sometimes".
I throw in that last part as if to try and come up with any reason other than the fact that I wanted him there. If it sounded like it was solely because of the baby then it wouldn't be as complicated. And wouldn't involve me being as vulnerable with him.
"Yeah but hopefully she'll keep cooking in there for awhile", He smiles. "Because it's not even Thanksgiving yet".
"Yeah I know", I nod, and I feel her move around just above my abdomen. It's so often that she makes some sort of movement in there that's it's not exactly breaking news anymore. Sometimes I barely even notice because I'm so used to it. "I want time to hurry up though. I just want to meet her already".
"I know, me too", Cappie says and then moves on to my other foot. I try not to imagine what they look like since I have no idea to what degree Cappie has any artistic ability. "Hopefully she looks more like you".
"Why do you say that?", I laugh. "I want her to have things about you too. Like your eyes maybe".
He looks over at me with a smirk.
"Okay everything about you, with my eyes", He smiles. "That would be good. As long as she doesn't get my nose, yours is much cuter".
"She'll be perfect no matter what", I giggle. "She still has no name though".
I've been probing him about it for the last week or two but of course, he believes her name will find her on the day, he says. Karmic synergy I guess.
"I'm telling you Case, it'll come to us when we see her", He smiles. "And if it doesn't, I promise, you can name her anything you want, you have my permission. But I think we'll know her name once we meet her".
"Okay", I laugh. "I'll try to trust you".
He gives me a satisfied grin.
"Her name has to flow right though, like with her middle and last name. Mine is Casey Margaret Cartwright", I explain. "It flows good".
"We'll find a name that goes with Cartwright", He nods but I look at him confused.
"What do you mean? Her last names gonna be Jones, Cap", I say and he stops painting then to look at me, his face softening into just about the sweetest smile I'd ever seen on him. The only time that rivalled this look on his face is when he heard her heartbeat or felt her kick for the first time.
"Casey…", He smiles at me, using my full name. "I didn't know if you'd want to… you're sure?"
"Of course I want to use your last name", I say like it's obvious. "She's your daughter".
He blushes then and goes back to painting.
"That means a lot to me that you'd want to. Thank you", His face is serious.
"Of course Cap", I nod, the energy between us exhilarating, making me want to throw the nail polish bottle out of his hand and kiss him hard.
"Okay so…", Cappie smiles and breaks the string of dirty thoughts cooking up in my head. "I'm done and they actually look pretty good Case. I think I could have a future as an esthetician".
I giggle at him.
"Well you'll need the practice anyways, when I was little I was obsessed with nail polish, makeup, and dressing up", I smile.
"Yeah I've pretty much only spent my life with guys so… it'll probably teach me something", He laughs.
I lift my toes up in the air, trying to get a look at them but it proves harder than I would've thought.
"Here Case", Cappie laughs and steadies me. "Careful, you're gonna fall off the bed".
"I just want to make sure you didn't butcher them", I laugh.
He gives me a playful look of fake betrayal then.
"What? I'm thoroughly offended, I thought you trusted me", He jokes.
"Okay fine", I stop trying to get a look at them. "I give in, I'll just have to trust your word".
We smile at each other then.
If only I could truly just let myself trust him in all ways, maybe this baby would have parents that were actually together by the time she gets here.
But I don't dare think about telling him how I really feel.
Not when things were working so well the way they were now.
No strings attached.
I mean, except the fact that we were about to have a whole child together.
But other than that, no strings attached.
"Ugh god, why can't we be rich enough to just hire movers", Ash whines and flops down on my bed.
"Um probably because we're 23 and 22 year olds fresh out of college", Cappie says and I shoot him a slight glare for being realistic.
"C'mon Ash, it's not like you have that much stuff", I try to encourage her. "Really, most of it is just clothes".
"I know but there's just so many", She groans.
"Well here's a good idea", Cappie says sarcastically. "Why not get rid of some?"
We both shoot him glares then.
"Sorry", Cappie puts his hands up like he's under arrest. "I'll go make myself useful and help Calvin with your dresser. I think he's got it out on the porch".
Cappie makes a break for it so we can continue to complain about how bad moving sucks in peace.
"So…", Ashleigh drags out the word. "It seems like you and Cappie are really getting along good".
She gives me a knowing look.
"Yeah we are", I nod. "It's surprisingly really easy to hangout like friends but still… well you know".
"Just be careful Case. I know it seems like a perfect arrangement to you right now but these types of things… people can hurt get hurt, that's all", she shrugs but I feel the need to defend myself.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna get hurt", I scoff.
"I wasn't talking about you Case", She gives me a look then.
I think about it for a moment as we each fold clothes on our laps and put them into cardboard boxes.
"You think I'm hurting him?", I ask her quietly, the thought sending what feels like a searing knife through my heart.
"No but… ", She sighs. "Well I don't know. You know him better than I do. But I see the way he looks at you and I know that he still loves you… and I think if you told him tomorrow that you wanted to, he'd literally marry you, that's how much he wants this to work".
"I want this to work too", I argue. "That's literally the exact reason why I'm keeping things casual. So that we can't break up again and stop talking for months like we did. There's no way either one of us can go through that again while also having to coparent our baby".
"Yeah…", Ash nods. "I guess I see where you're coming from. For what it's worth I don't think Cappie is gonna be that immature again, not now."
I give Ash a soft smile as we continue to try to get her whole wardrobe into these boxes.
"Yeah I know", I nod.
"Okay so we're just waiting for Calvin and Cappie to come over with his car with your dresser in it", Rusty says as he and Ash wheel in a table on a moving cart.
I still can't help but wonder if Rusty remembers that he kissed Ashleigh. It all seems so weird to me.
Me and Ash had driven here together in my car which is full of all the small lights things.
Rebecca, Evan and Dale were here too helping set things up.
"So Ash, you seriously don't even have a bed yet?", Rebecca asks.
"It's coming tomorrow and luckily they're gonna set it up for me. But for tonight, at least I've got a couch", She gestures to the beige couch Evan, Rusty and Rebecca had helped her get in. "I got it from a used store for cheap so I'm just hoping it has no bugs hiding in it or anything".
We laugh.
"Well I'm proud of you that you made this all come together Ash", I smile. I knew Ash was on a tight budget since she's only recently started a new entry level job and had worked all summer for free.
"Thanks Case!", Ash smiles. "Hey guys why don't I order pizza? It's 7 o'clock already and we're almost done".
"Pizza would be amazing right now", I moan.
"You better order one just for Casey. If you don't we're all only getting one slice", Rebecca says, hands on her hips.
"Hey!", I argue. "Are you growing a whole human? No, I didn't think so".
"Okay noted, Casey gets her own", Ash laughs.
"Oh c'mon, I still don't eat as much as Cappie or Calvin or Evan!", I laugh with my hands on my hands on my hips.
"Sure", Rebecca says sarcastically.
"Ugh whatever. I'm gonna go pee", I announce because I pretty well always had to go now.
When I come back I'm happy to see Cappie and Calvin have showed up and are trying their best to get Ash's dresser up the stairwell in the apartment building.
Evan and Rusty have gone to help them.
"Sooo Casey, you're really moving in with Cappie then?", Rebecca asks me with a smirk on her face, taking a sip of a drink that I believe is something mixed with vodka.
"We're not moving in together", I clarify because I can tell she's judging. "I'm getting a place and then Cappie is gonna have his own bedroom so he can help me when the baby comes. If I'm all alone doing everything at night I'll probably just about go crazy, so he's just helping me out".
"Mmm", she nods. "Well with the sheer amount of time you spend with him I'd say he's not just doing it for the baby".
She gives me a look and I return it with a shake of my head and then look to Ash.
"Don't look at me", Ash laughs. "Rebecca is sort of right".
"Wait a second, you and Cappie are moving in together?", Dale overheard us. "When did this happen?"
"Okay, one, we're not moving in together", I clarify again. "He's just gonna be there sometimes to help me take care of the baby. It's just practical".
I shrug like it's not the big deal they're making it out to be.
"Well…", Dale thinks about it. "Old me would argue that you're going to be living in sin but… new, more accepting me is trying to be cool about it".
"Thanks Dale", I nod. "We're actually gonna be in your building, did Rusty tell you?"
Dale looks surprised then.
"Oh really? Rusty didn't tell me that", Dale looks surprised. "Probably because I told him I would move if there was ever a crying baby above or below us. There's just way too much brain power at risk in our apartment to be sullied by a fussy infant".
"Well", I grimace awkwardly. "Sorry. We'll definitely try our best to keep her quiet".
He sighs then.
"Ah you know I can't be mad about it Casey. You in the same building as me, that's pretty great", He smiles and upon seeing the uncomfortable look on my face tries to change his sentence. "You.. and Cappie I mean. Because you're my friends".
"Yeah", I smile. "It'll be really great".
"What'll be really great?", Cappie walks up behind us then, his hands landing on my waist and I just about swat him off because I don't want our friends, mainly Rebecca and Evan, judging us anymore than they already are. But, if I can be honest, I liked it too much, so there they stayed.
"You and Casey moving into our building", Dale smiles. "I just told Casey that I approve of it even though you guys are gonna be technically living in sin".
"Well I've never lived any other way", Cappie smirks deviously.
"Did you get that dresser up okay?", I ask him. "That looked tough".
"Oh yeah we got it up here", Cappie waves it off and I see Ash and Calvin moving it into the bedroom.
The doorbell rings then.
"Oh that's the pizza! Rusty can you get it? There's some cash on the counter", Ash asks him as she's busy in her new bedroom.
"Yeah sure", Rusty calls back and goes to the door to pay.
I look at the situation suspiciously.
I still couldn't get over the possibility of Ash and Rusty as a couple.
"What?", Cappie whispers to me, never not noticing when somethings going through my mind.
"Nothing, I'll tell you later", I say back to him.
I had kind of been sworn to secrecy, but I had to share this with someone, see what Cap thought of it.
"Okay, foods here!", Rusty calls, putting the pizzas on the new table in Ash's apartment.
"Oh crap", Ash walks out of her room. "The chairs for the table are still in the U Haul".
"It's okay Ash, we can sit on the floor. That's kind of a moving in right of passage", Rusty suggests.
"You guys can sit on the floor, I have a bad back so I will be doing no such thing", Dale professes.
I share a stifled grin with Cappie.
"Dale, Case you guys take the couch, the rest of us can rough it", Rusty suggests.
"So unfair. Just because I know how to use birth control I can't sit on the couch?", Rebecca sighs and I give her a slight glare. "But fine".
"Oh… I just realized I have no plates", Ashleigh looks at us awkwardly and puts her hands on her temples. "How the hell could I move and forget to buy even just simple paper plates?!"
"It's okay, we've got lots of paper plates at ZBZ I can send with you until you find some of your own", I put my arm over Ash's shoulder. There was no way Ash could remember everything. It was all of our first times trying to go out and live independently. It would take some getting used to.
"Yeah plus, it's pizza! Don't worry Ash, we don't need plates", Rusty smiles.
"Speak for yourself", Rebecca scoffs. "This skirt is Diane Von Furstenburg, it's a dry clean".
I give Rebecca a look and she pipes down.
"But… I don't mind because… we're just happy you're moved in now Ash", Rebecca says, her teeth gritted in an effort to be understanding. A trait that didn't come easily to her.
I sit on the couch and Cappie sits beside me on the ground.
"Oh yes, pizza!", Calvin cheers and he and Evan come over.
"Right, no chairs I guess", Evan says and goes to sit down by Rebecca.
"Yeah sorry guys", Ash laughs slightly. "Alright here's the cheese one, here's the veggie one".
She opens the boxes for us.
"No meat lovers?", Dale sighs.
"A ZBZ girl would never touch a meat lovers slice Dale", Rebecca sneers with a grossed out look on her face.
"Well good thing you've made it crystal clear I'm not a ZBZ girl then", Dale sighs, giving Rebecca a glare, who returns the sentiment.
"Dale just take a cheese slice", Rusty laughs.
I grab a cheese one myself.
"So looks like we're gonna be doing this all again next week when Cappie and Casey move into their place", Rebecca sighs.
"Oh right yeah", Calvin nods. "That's cool you guys are finally gonna be living together".
"Well for the baby", I say immediately, not wanting everyone to just assume we're together.
"Oh yeah right", Calvin nods awkwardly.
"Yeah it's just so I can help in the night and stuff", Cappie nods. "Since we're both gonna be doing an equal share when she's here".
"Seems like a weird idea to me", Evan mumbles.
"Why?", Cappie immediately questions him.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything", He tries to play it off.
I give Evan an annoyed look then.
"But you did", Cappie still doesn't take his eyes off Evan. I wish these two could just be friends again but that really may never happen. And to be honest, the way that Evan had been acting about my pregnancy, I didn't even know if I wanted to be friends with him anymore.
"Well I just think about how good that can be for a kid growing up", Evan says finally.
"Evan a baby having both its parents there to take care of her when she's born is the ideal situation", I cross my arms. "I'm lucky that Cappie is willing to help me".
Evan scoffs at that.
"I mean why shouldn't he? Since he's the only reason why you're not at law school right now", Evan says.
"Evan", Rebecca groans.
"No it's fine Rebecca", I put my hand up.
"No it's not. Evan if you have a problem why don't you keep it to yourself since literally no one asked for your opinion", Cappie says to him.
"Fine sorry. I just speak up when I feel like one of my friends is making a bad decision", He argues.
"Well we're not your friends so don't worry about us", Cappie says.
"C'mon guys", Calvin tries to keep the peace.
"Evan I get where you're coming from, but it's really me and Cappie's arrangement to make. And you blaming Cappie for getting me pregnant is really stupid. I'm not some passive participant. I'm pregnant because we both slipped up", I lay it down.
"And you're not even together now?", Evan won't let up. "Isn't that confusing for a kid?"
"Well since she's gonna be a newborn baby I don't think she'll really think anything of it Evan", Cappie rolls his eyes.
"I'm talking about as she grows up. You're really gonna just live together platonically, expect to not sleep together, date other people, all the while living together like some picture of a fairytale family?", Evan looks at us for answers we don't have.
"We're just taking it day by day. We'll figure things out as they come", I say.
"And we're not dating other people", Cappie says.
"Yeah but I can't see you just going celibate", Evan scoffs. "You're gonna pick up girls and bring them back to your shared apartment with the mother of your child? Isn't that gonna be awkward?"
"I'm not going celibate Chambers, thanks for your concern though", Cappie sneers at him.
Evan looks confused then, looking at us back and forth.
"Hold on… so you're hooking up then?", He laughs like it's insane. "I should've expected this".
I roll my eyes.
Could we ever just get through one of these things without Evan being a douche?
I knew what Cappie was trying to do but I wish he wouldn't have mentioned us sleeping together.
"It's our business", I say to Evan.
"This is going to fail miserably like it always does between the two of you and then there's going to be a poor baby in the middle of it!", Evan argues and looks around to see everyone's blank, awkward faces. "I mean I can't be the only one that's thinking it".
"Evan stop", Ashleigh says sternly.
"Yeah seriously, Casey and Cappie have done everything right for this baby so far. And they're not going to stop doing that, so whatever qualms you may have about their relationship, it doesn't have any relevance to them as parents", Rusty argues and I smile at him, always thankful to have him with me here.
"Well put", Cappie says to him.
"Fine, I'm gonna go get some air", Evan gets up then while the rest of us sit awkwardly.
"Hey for what it's worth guys, I think you're handling this really well", Calvin smiles at us. "And if any two of us in our little group here should be having a baby it's you two. You've known each other forever now, you care about each other, you're taking the right steps. Don't listen to Evan".
"Thanks Calvin", I smile.
"Yeah thanks Cal", Cappie pats his back.
"I'm just gonna… see if Evans okay", Rebecca sighs, getting up.
I wonder how she felt about the fact that Evan seems to care so much about me and Cappie still.
"Well we shouldn't let that ruin our housewarming party", Rusty smiles and gets up on his feet.
"This is a party?", Ashleigh laughs. "It's the first I've heard of it".
"I got something for the occasion", Rusty smiles and comes back with a bottle of champagne.
"Aw Rusty you didn't have to do that!", Ashleigh beams.
"It's no problem, this is a big step for you Ash", Rusty smiles and Ash gets up then to go to the kitchen to pop it with him.
Okay, so it looked to me like Rusty was crushing on Ashleigh. Which would make me bet that he did remember their kiss and thought maybe he had some chance of being with her.
I sigh internally then, hoping that I'm not going to have to console my brother when he gets his heart inevitably broken.
"Hey you okay?", Cappie breaks me out of my train of thought, his hand on my leg, looking up at me softly. "Just try to shake off Evan's comments, he's just being an ass".
"Oh yeah I'm fine", I wave it off. "That's just Evan, I wouldn't expect him to react any differently. Pretty awkward that it was just revealed to all of our friends that we're sleeping together though".
I put my face in my hands with a laugh.
"Did you really think we didn't know? I mean how else would you have, you know", Dale gestures to my stomach. "The Virgin Mary is a beautiful story Casey, a miracle really, but not exactly realistic in todays day and age".
We both laugh then and I decide to change the subject.
"Want some champagne Dale?", I ask him.
"No, I don't have to take part in the trials and tribulations of alcohol to have fun", Dale says and I scoff.
"Well… I do", Cappie laughs and gets up. "Want some water or something Case?"
"Yeah sure, thanks", I smile.
I get up to go stand up with everyone else who are currently standing at the kitchen counter with red solo cups of champagne.
"I got gingerale for you Casey, don't worry I didn't forget about you", Rusty smiles at me and Cappie hands me a cup so Rusty can pour it into it.
"Thanks Rus", I smile.
Dale comes over to join us then.
"Aw Rusty, you got me gingerale, thanks man", He smiles at him.
"Yeah…", Rusty nods awkwardly. "No problem".
"To Ashleigh's new chapter", Calvin lifts his glass up and we follow.
"We're so happy for you Ash", I beam.
"Thanks guys, you're the best", Ash looks at us all softly. "I could not ask for better friends, you were all so kind to help me move today".
"Happy to", Cap nods.
"And we'll be doing it all again next week", Rusty laughs and puts his glass up in the air.
"Yipee", Dale fakes enthusiasm.
"Oh c'mon Dale!", Calvin laughs. "You didn't even have to lift anything".
"I told you Owens, I have a bad back!", Dale argues, causing the rest of us to laugh.
"The only one that has a real excuse here is Casey", Rusty pokes fun at Dale and we laugh.
Evan and Rebecca come back in the apartment then and walk over to stand with us as the air in the room suddenly becomes wrought with tension.
"I want to apologize guys", Evan sighs. "Rebecca made me realize that it's your lives and your mistakes to make or not make. So I'm really sorry".
He looks at the both of us and then me and Cappie look at each other blankly.
Finally Cappie makes a move.
"Well it's a start Lamebers", Cappie sighs and extends his hand out to Evan.
"I know it doesn't seem like it but I really am happy to see you becoming parents", Evan says but it seems forced.
"Really?", I scoff sarcastically. "Because you've told me multiple times that I'm throwing my life away".
"Okay fine that last part was a lie, but the first part about me staying out of it, that was true", Evan laughs then.
"Well thanks Evan. That would be appreciated", I nod and he smiles back.
"I think we both need a drink", Rebecca reaches for the champagne and fills up her and Evan a cup with more than I would've thought but I don't dare say anything. If anything hopefully it'd mellow Evan out.