"So, how did you guys like it?", Ash looks excitedly back and forth from Cappie to Rusty as the credits of The Notebook play.
"Well it was definitely something", Cappie sighs, looking a little tired and bored. "Made Case cry though".
Cap gestures over to me as I wipe my tears on the sleeve of my sweater.
"Oh c'mon, a gust of wind could make her cry at this point", Rusty laughs.
"You okay?", Cappie looks at me half jokingly. "I know, the way the old people just happened to die on the same day, at the exact same time, is pretty sweet. If not completely unrealistic".
Ash glares at him as I laugh.
"You should probably get used to being roped into stuff like this Cap", Ash laughs. "You are having a girl, you know".
"God you're right", Cappie let's out a joking groan. "It's gonna be chick flicks for life now".
"Just embrace it", I look at him jokingly.
"Well… me and Rusty have a surprise for you guys!", Ash jumps out of her seat excitedly.
"Is it getting the last two and a half hours of my life back?", Cappie quips and I hit his arm.
"No", Rusty laughs. "It's our baby shower gifts for you guys".
"Aw you guys didn't have to get us anything!", I say.
"Yeah we did, we're your best friends", Ash says like it's obvious. "I brought mine over and Rusty just has to go grab his from downstairs!"
"Aw okay!", I beam, sitting up on the couch, cross legged.
"Yeah thanks guys", Cap smiles at them.
"Okay be back in a sec!", Rusty announces, running to the door.
"Okay here's mine!", Ash brings over her present that's a little… oddly wrapped.
"Wow nice wrapping job Ash", I laugh sarcastically.
"It's harder than it looks!", Ash explains. "I've never actually wrapped a present in wrapping paper before".
"Well I'm honoured you did it for us and the baby", I laugh at her. "I'll just wait till Rusty gets back to open it".
As if on cue Rusty bursts back into the doorway.
"Hey so… I actually can't carry it up by myself…", Rusty looks at us awkwardly, out of breath.
"Alright", Cap sighs jokingly. "Let's put this muscle power to good use".
He flexes his arm muscles jokingly as me and Ash snicker at him, then he gets up to follow Rusty downstairs.
"So…", I probe Ash, gesturing to the present. "Give me a clue!"
"No way, you just have to be patient till you can open it", she laughs and gives me a pointed finger.
"Ugh fine", I laugh. "Anyways Ash… I wanted to tell you how happy I am for you and Rusty. I know I joke around about it making me feel weird, but I'm honestly happy that my two favorite people have found happiness together".
"Aw!", Ash pouts. "Thanks Case, you're too sweet! And I'm happy for you too, for you and Cappie".
I give her a look then, scoffing.
"Even though we're not together and we're having a baby we completely didn't plan for?", I sigh sarcastically.
"Yes, even with that", She shakes her head at me. "I know she's unplanned, but she's not unwanted. And you and Cappie, well you'll figure that out too, I know you will. He's gonna be in your life forever".
The way she says that last sentence makes me smile.
We turn then to see the guys carrying a large box into the room. Rusty had put a red stick on bow on top it.
"Oooh what is it?", I look to Rusty with a laugh.
"My guess is a bag of rocks", Cappie says jokingly alluding to how heavy it is as him and Rusty finally put it down on the ground in relief.
"No, I promise you'll like it even though it was hard to get up here", Rusty smiles.
"Yeah Rus, how did you get it up to your apartment?", I question him with a laugh.
"I paid for delivery so the delivery guys did it", He explains. "But hey, why don't you guys open Ash's first? She wrapped and unwrapped it like 5 times".
"Rusty!", Ash turns to give him a look with a whine.
"Oh sorry, was I not supposed to mention that?", He grimaces awkwardly as him and Cappie come back to sit down with us.
I laugh to myself then at the fact that Ash had wrapped and unwrapped this present and this is the final product she'd come up with, still a mess. But I didn't care, I loved Ash. In fact, I loved these three people here with me tonight more than anything.
Ash passes me the present and I turn to Cappie so he can see it as I open it. I rip the wrapping paper off it to see a box. Then I open the box up to see a glass picture frame. It was fairly heavy. I pull it out to rest on the couch.
On it there's one large spot for a picture at the top, which is filled with a picture of me and Cappie at the undie run in freshman year, a picture I remember Ash had taken. I'm actually not sure if I'd even seen it before today since it was on her camera.
"Aw! Cap look, it's baby us", I laugh then, showing him the picture.
"Wow, yeah", he grins when he sees it.
The picture frame has 6 other smaller frames underneath the photo of me and Cap.
I read the words on the frame. It says ''Mom Dad' over top of the picture of me and Cappie. And then the smaller picture spots have titles like '0-6 months', '6 months to 1 year', and so on until age three.
"Aw Ash", I give her a pucker of my lips as I look up at her, tears pooling in my eyes.
"I thought you'd like it, you can chronicle your baby's first three years and then hang it up!", Ash beams.
"I love it", I lean forward to hug her, a tear falling down my cheek.
"Case is crying again, I think you did good Ash", Rusty remarks with a laugh.
I feel Cappie's hand on my arm then, giving me a light squeeze as I turn to look back at him, my eyes glassy. He looks serious, happy, but serious, like the picture of us and the idea of the whole picture frame has brought out something in him too.
"Yeah thanks Ashleigh, this is awesome. I didn't even know there was a photo of me and Casey at the undie run", Cap smiles at her.
"Yeah I was looking through my things to find a photo of you guys, and I thought that one was cute! Plus I thought you would like to see a reminder of how hot you looked Case", Ash laughs.
"Ugh I know", I groan with a laugh and touch my belly. "Hopefully I'll get back to that after this little girl is out".
"Don't worry, you will", Cappie waves it off. He'd told me multiple times not to worry about it, because sometimes my body changing so much really got to me.
I give him a smile for trying to comfort me about it.
"Oh and there's one more thing in there!",
Ash smiles.
"Aw you didn't have to get me more than this!", I tell her but she urges me to look at the bottom of the box.
I find a really cute pink newborn outfit with a little pink ruffled hat.
"Since you told me you didn't know what outfit you were gonna dress her up in when you bring her home from the hospital", Ash explains. "I thought I'd be a good aunt and go ahead and get her one! If I knew what her name was I would've bought one of these cute custom embroidered ones on Etsy. But since you're still undecided on her name, I got this one".
"When we actually pick out her name, maybe we can get an embroidered one", I scoff. "But this one is so cute, I love it!"
"I know right, ugh! I could've bought the whole store", Ash sighs.
"Right?", I agree, because I had also gone extremely overboard on cute baby girl clothes.
"Hopefully it'll fit her, I got the newborn size", Ash shrugs.
"I'm sure it'll be good for when she's born, if not it should fit her at some point", I smile.
"Unless she takes after me and is a ten pounder at birth", Cap comments.
I turn to give him a glare.
"Ugh god, don't remind me about that. She better not take after you, I don't know if I can physically survive that", I groan. "I was only seven pounds and so was Rusty so hopefully she'll take after the Cartwright genes on that front".
We laugh then at my fear of having a huge baby.
"Thank you Ash, I love your gift. It's perfect", I smile at her.
"You're welcome! Okay Rusty's turn. Rusty told me what he got you but I still don't… fully understand it", Ash states.
"Oh god, you didn't get something sciencey for the baby, did you?", I give him a look and Cappie snickers.
"No", Rusty rolls his eyes. "I mean… yes it does involve technology but… I think you'll like it".
"Okay", I laugh.
"Here, want me to open the box?", Cap offers and I nod so I don't have to get off the couch.
Cappie opens it in front of us revealing a lot of pieces, pink plastic pieces. I wasn't exactly sure what it was.
"Yeah so you have to assemble it, I can help put it together", Rusty explains. "I put a photo I printed off the website in there so you can see what it looks like when it's all put together".
Rusty looks through the pieces in the box to find the photo and then passes it to me so I can see it.
"It's a thing you can strap the baby in and it rocks her back and forth", Rusty explains with a smile. "You just press a button and then it has different settings to how fast you want her to rock in there".
"If we put it on the highest one will she feel like she's on a rollercoaster?", Cappie jokes and we laugh.
"It's so you guys can put her in there and then have some free time", Rusty laughs. "So you don't have to constantly have to be rocking her in your arms. It's a new product, it simulates how a parent would hold them so that it makes them feel comfortable".
"That's really cool Rus", I smile sincerely. "Thanks, I'm sure she'll love it".
"Yeah thanks Spitter, anything that'll let us put her down and have some alone time is a good invention in my books", Cappie says and then gives me a smirking look, eyes sinful. I give him a look in response, like he's crazy, I'm sure he's thinking we can put her in here and then get it on.
"Yeah she can sleep in there too and it's pretty light so you can move it from room to room, it just runs on batteries", Rusty further explains with a smile.
"Well I love it, and also it's pink!", I smile.
"Yeah thanks for the gifts guys!", Cappie smiles at the two of them.
"You're welcome", they say in unison as Rusty goes to sit by Ash again, on the arm of the chair she's in.
"Yeah you guys are already great godparents!", I laugh.
"Well if anything happens to you guys, we're totally prepared to raise her as our own", Ash says jokingly. "Obviously it would be, like, super sad, but also a great romcom plot!"
"Okay Ash", I giggle at her.
"Well, want me to drive you home Ash?", Rusty asks her. "It's getting pretty late".
"Yeah, I'm getting tired", Ash agrees with him. "I'll see you later Case!"
Ash comes over to hug me.
"And take care of our girl Cap, she's gonna be a full 9 months soon, you should be getting her anything and everything she wants", Ashleigh turns to Cappie, speaking sternly to him which makes me laugh.
"I'll take good care of her, promise", Cappie nods up and down, assuring Ashleigh as he laughs.
"Okay good", Ash grins and Rusty hands her her coat.
"And I'll come back later to help you guys put what I got you together", Rusty gestures to the box now sitting in our living room with the pieces of his present.
"Thanks man", Cappie smiles and leans in to give him a quick hug.
"Bye guys! Have a good rest of your night!", I smile to them as me and Cap see them off, them bundled up in their winter hats and scarves as they go out into the hall, bidding us goodbye for the night.
"Cap? Are you there?", I call out to him as I lay in my bed, feeling unsettled and restless.
It had been a little while since Ashleigh and Rusty had gone home, it was almost midnight now. My light was out and I'd already said goodnight to Cappie and he'd gone to his room. But somehow I figured he was probably still awake.
"Yeah I didn't spontaneously combust. So… still here", He jokes across the hall from me and I scoff to myself. After a pause he speaks again. "You okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine", I confirm. "Can… can you come here?"
I turn my lamp on then.
"Yeah sure", I hear his voice.
I sit up then, pulling my red nightgown over my head so I was just in my underwear.
"Is the baby doing something cool again or-?", He says but stops in his tracks when he walks into the room and sees me kneeling on the bed, sitting on the bottoms of my feet, waiting for him, basically naked.
"Whoa", His eyes go wide then in surprise but eventually his face comes around into a smile. "Are you trying to seduce me?"
He jokes with me and I laugh, feeling slightly vulnerable right now.
"Do I even have to try?", I question with a laugh.
He thinks about that for a moment and then laughs.
"Nope", He shakes his head and I feel his gaze move down to my chest, not trying to hide the fact that he's looking at my boobs.
He walks in closer to me, sitting down beside me on my bed to kiss me. I happily kiss back, the feeling of his lips on mine exhilarating right now. I'd kind of been on a rollercoaster of weird emotions today. First, I felt awkward about having the whole sex after the baby conversation with Cappie, then felt insecure and upset about Rusty and Ashleigh being all coupley, then felt like a crazy person when I tried to throw myself at Cappie to prove something to them.
And the last hour all I've felt is boredom, restlessness. Like I wanted some touch at least before I went to sleep. Okay, not just some touch, specifically his touch.
Cappie pulls away then, breaking me out of my thoughts. He moves away from me slightly giving me a bit of a downcast look as if something is bothering him.
"What?", I ask him.
"Is all of… this", He gestures up and down my naked body kneeling here in front of him. "About what Rusty said earlier tonight?"
He appears to be serious about this, not wanting this to just be a hook up with him out of my sheer insecurities around my brother's comment.
"No", I say softly, and then scoot forward to put my hand on his cheek, looking him right in his eyes so he knows I'm serious. "I promise it's not".
He searches my eyes and then nods up and down.
"You wanna know what this is about?", I smile at him then, as I hold onto him. "This is about how insanely sweet you've been to me lately. How you've dealt with my crazy up and down emotions".
We both laugh then and he gives me a smirk as he looks down to take my hand in his own.
"This is about you driving me everywhere because you don't want me to have to while I'm pregnant", I give him a look, smiling. "And about making sure I'm dressed properly for the cold even when my jacket will barely zip up because you don't want me to catch a chill. And… for letting me eat all the popcorn during the movie tonight".
I giggle at him then as he scoffs.
"Except for the pieces I spilled on you", he adds and I laugh.
"This is about you and me Cap", I lean into him then as he gives me a smile and moves my hair behind my ear. He leans in to take my lips in his again.
We keep kissing until he leans forward, moving me down gently so I lay back on my bed.
Once I'm laying down he hovers over me the best he can with my belly in the way.
He pulls away from our kiss to look down at me for a moment and then back up to my face, lips inches from mine.
"Hi", he says, whispering to me with a smirk as we meet each others eyes.
"Hi", I giggle and then take my head off my pillow slightly to lean up to kiss him, putting my arms up around him so I can play with the tufts of hair at the back of his head.
He's still in a t-shirt and boxers, laying against my mostly naked body, my legs spread out around him.
I can tell he's trying not to put too much pressure on my bump.
I start to feel the baby move around in me then and I move away from Cappie's lips for a second to smile.
"What?", he laughs.
"Nothing, just the baby. A lot of times when me and you kiss she starts kicking like crazy. I'm pretty sure it's because… my heart starts to pound and she reacts to it", I explain as I bite my lower lip, feeling a little exposed by telling him this.
"Really?", he grins, smile taking over his entire face as he looks down my body, moving now to lay beside me slightly, taking his hand to rest against my stomach, feeling around for her. "Yeah I can feel her".
He looks up at me with a smile.
"She'll stop in a sec", I laugh. "Wanna get in bed with me?"
I suggest to him, giving him a jokingly seductive look which makes him laugh.
I don't have to ask him twice as he moves over quickly to pull the covers back on the other side of my bed, getting in beside me so we're both under the covers. He faces me and leans in to kiss me again.
I pull at this bottom of his shirt, getting it up and over his head with his help as he smirks at me.
"You looked so pretty today", He smiles and then looks up to my eyes, his expression sincere.
I feel sheepish then, letting out a scoff as he leans in to kiss my neck.
"And I loved getting to see our baby again with you", He looks up so he's inches away from my face as he smiles.
I feel those butterflies in my stomach again, and then the baby kicking as my heart pounds again in excitement. I was literally having a bodily reaction to his words and she seemed to be able to tell.
"Me too Cap", I nod, blushing.
He gives me one last glint of his eye and then goes back to kissing down my neck down to my chest, and then down my bump. I can't help but feel close to him like this, when I see him kissing against where our baby is.
"Did you mean what you said earlier?", I say quickly, impulsively, even though he's farther down my body now, his mouth at work.
He looks up, laying between my legs, at eye level with my bump as I look down at him, propping myself up a little bit on my elbows.
"You're gonna have to be more specific", he scoffs.
"Earlier tonight when you said that we should be a couple", I clarify.
He looks for a moment like he's trying to decide what to say.
"Well we shouldn't decide to be a couple just because Ashleigh and Rusty are", He says. "I don't want that to be the reason".
"Okay", I nod, thinking over his words.
"But just as a general statement, yes", He lands on as he speaks blatantly.
"Yes, what?", I question.
"Yes I… think we should be a couple", he says finally with a sigh, looking down at my belly and then back up at me to give me some semblance of his usual smile. "I'm pretty sure if you know me at all, you know that that's always been true for me".
I blush then, feeling sheepish, my heart fluttering in my chest.
"Okay", I nod giving him a smile.
"Okay?", he laughs. "Okay, what?"
"Okay I'll keep that in mind", I give him a look, knowing I'm annoying him and relishing in it slightly.
"So asking me about it was just you getting me to admit it?", he laughs. "Smooth Case. I'm not… I'm not even gonna ask you what you think about the possibility of us getting back together for real".
"Why not?"
"Because… ", He can't seem to meet my gaze when he says this next part. "I don't wanna know your answer I guess…"
I sigh then, regretting bringing up something so serious now. Regretting that I'm probably hurting him.
"Ask me when the baby is born", I say confidently then and he looks at me slightly confused.
I take my hand to touch his cheek then, lovingly, his stubble against my fingertips.
"Ask me how I feel about it after she's born", I say again, clarifying.
His unsure expression turns into a slight smile then as he nods abashedly.
"Alright Case", he says quietly as he nods, serious for a moment there until he makes a joke again. "Well then we gotta try to get her out as soon as possible, don't we?"
I giggle at him then as he looks down at my belly, his hand resting on my stretched out belly button.
"Yeah, did you hear that?", he speaks to the baby then. Well, to my stomach. "We gotta get you out of here so your mom can tell me how she really feels".
I scoff at him as I shake my head and he looks up at me again, expression mischief filled, as he moves himself up my body to my lips as he kisses me again.
His kisses feel warm. He tastes good too, like mint. Probably from his toothpaste. His tongue plays against mine as I pull him into me further, wanting more, wanting him.
"You can't pull me onto you too much", Cappie warns me with a laugh against my lips. "Or I'm gonna crush the baby".
"Right", I giggle and then sit up, Cappie moving off me, as I sit up on my knees again and wait for him to lay down so I can straddle him like we'd come to find as our new go to position for this.
Once he's laying propped against my pillows, I climb on top of him, my belly in between us as we keep kissing.
He takes his hand to find his way into my panties. When I feel him I move away from his mouth to let out a sharp breath as he watches me in delight.
As he starts to play with me, I move forward to kiss him harder, our kisses becoming more and more desperate. I begin to moan against his lips, his touch enough to make me scream right now.
I move my hips back and forth as I feel his finger slip inside me, him moving my red panties to the side.
He seems to be entertained by the fact that I'm starting to only be able to kiss him back lazily now, my tongue messily wrestling against his as my mind is elsewhere. Elsewhere further down my body.
"Cappie?", I barely can get out his name as my breathing becomes staggered.
"Mmm hmm?", He questions, his focus now on kissing across my breast.
"I wanna try something", I declare breathily.
He moves his gaze up to my eyes then as he seems confused but then nods.
I take his hand to pull him out of me and then hurriedly pull my underwear down my legs and discard them onto my floor. He leans back against my pillows, watching this happily.
I turn with my back to him now, kneeling in front of him.
"Enter me this way", I explain.
I turn my head to see his reaction as he grins at me in surprise, stopping for a moment to take this in, and then he nods.
"Switching it up to a different pregnancy safe position?", he beams, taking pleasure in this. "I'm up for that".
I laugh at him, giving him a look like he's crazy but I'm happy when he starts to sit up, pulling his boxers down.
I look back in front of me, laying down slightly, elbows against the bed, my hips up.
I feel his hands find their place on either one of my hips then as he holds me steady and I feel him trying to find his way inside. The feeling of him moving himself against my aching core makes me whimper as I feel my leg start to shake in anticipation. The aching only intensifies when I finally feel him start to find his way inside me.
I shimmy myself back, trying anything I can to feel him further in, impatient and desperate now. But luckily I don't have to wait too long because he moves in all at once as we both breathe in unison and I can tell that he feels the way I do right now even without seeing him.
"Fuck", I hear from his mouth.
I smile then, even if he can't see it. I'm gripping onto the covers in front of me, piled into little balls in my fists.
"Here, wait, put this under you. It'll be more comfortable for your belly", Cap says and he hands me one of my pink pillows on my bed for decoration and I take it happily, needing something to lean on.
"Thanks Cap", I nod, looking back at him for a moment to see his face as he smirks, looking a little bewildered right now, I think surprised by the fact that I'd suggested this.
I put the pillow under me so I can lean on it and so it can support my bump. Then I move back against Cappie, moving myself so I can feel him in and out of me, hitting a certain spot each time that felt like ecstasy.
He holds my hips in place as he takes my cue and moves into me at a rhythmic pace. I whimper to myself, feeling him deep inside, warmth tingling all through my pelvis and up into my belly.
"Oh my god", I let out in a moan. "Why didn't we try this sooner?"
I moan as I close my eyes in pleasure, letting his force move me back and forth and back and forth. He's still going really easy and gentle, not hard or fast at all. I'm sure he's holding back because I'm really pregnant right now.
"I just didn't think you liked this position", Cappie laughs.
"I usually don't because it makes me feel like a pornstar", I joke and Cappie laughs at that comment. "And it feels less romantic to not be able to see you. But right now…"
I let out a happy sigh then.
"Right now it feels like literally the best thing ever", I let out a breath as I continue to moan, feeling waves of pleasure ripple through me as he rubs up against every single pleasure point imaginable inside me.
"Good. It's a mutual feeling", Cappie scoffs and then let's out a groan.
I snicker to myself hearing Cappie struggle to hold on inside me.
I lean up from my bended over position then, and his body moves with mine as I kneel upright now, my back pressed against his chest. I turn back so I can see him.
He moves my hair off my neck then to make his way to kiss down it with his lips. His other hand finds its way down to support my bump, holding it at the bottom of the swell as I move myself back and forth.
I turn my head then so he can kiss me, our kiss slow and messy, taking our time with it until I eventually fall back down again to lean against my pillow. My elbows rest against the pillow as he moves into me faster, being further bent in front of him, giving him better access to find his way as far into me as possible.
"It feels so good like that", I sigh out deeply as I nod, referring to way I feel him deep inside me.
"Good", he whispers as he takes my hair in his hands gently, pulling it back slightly, bringing it down my back.
I grin to myself then as I let myself just enjoy what I'm feeling, the pleasure deep within me taking over my entire body. My muscles tighten as I start to contract down there and I know it's effecting Cappie because I can hear him start to moan behind me as I involuntarily tighten and release.
I turn my head to watch him until he notices me looking and gives me a smirk.
Eventually I collapse against my pillow, everything building up and becoming too much for me to bear as I hold onto it, gasping out the word 'yes' over and over again.
It doesn't take long for Cap to follow me, him going over the edge and then falling down against me, our skin warm and wet against each other, wrapping his arms around me as we both try to learn how to breathe again.
"Jesus Christ", Cappie let's out in an exasperated breath with a slight laugh.
I let out a laugh then as Cappie gently turns me over so we can be face to face.
He leans down to kiss me softly and I feel what I always feel with him, butterflies stirring inside me.
When we part he just stares down at me for a few moments, smirking as his eyes scan over me.
"What?", I laugh as I pull the covers over us.
"Nothing", He shrugs with a grin. "I'm just happy".
I scoff at him then as his hands trail down my body to stop at my belly, him holding the swell of my bump in his hand.
He looks down, focused on my bump until I take his other hand and bring it up to my lips to kiss his knuckles.
"I'm happy too Cap", I nod, giving him a grin.
"You're not just saying that because you're in a post orgasm state?", He jokes with me.
"No", I laugh with a shake of my head.
"Okay good", He jokes and then lays to the side of me, flopping down as we both get comfortable in my bed.
"I do have to ruin this moment for sec to pee though", I giggle. "And to clean myself up".
"Okay, I'm gonna get us some waters", Cap smirks as he pulls his boxers on and then hands me my nightgown. I pull it over my head and then waddle to the washroom.
When I come back he's laying on his side of the bed, chest bare as he smirks when I walk in.
I turn my lamp off and then get in beside him.
"Night Cap", I smile as I lean over to look at him, cozying my body into his to spoon against him.
"Night Case", He nods, and I can see his blue eyes shine to me even in the darkness.
I wish I could tell him that I loved him. Every time we did stuff like this I wanted to tell him. Last year when we dated it had become such a basic part of our daily routines. Every night when I stayed at the KT house with him we always told each other we loved each. During sex, afterwards, or when we were just falling asleep together after a long day.
But even though I wanted to tell him, I'd have to wait.
This was good enough for now.