You and I - Eviana

Defeated

Callie was sitting outside as the sun set. She had been out there for hours without even noticing. She turned around when she heard footsteps approaching her.
"Jamie?" She got up from her poolside chair.
He didn't say anything instead he walked right up and placed a kiss on her lips. This caught her off guard but she quickly accepted and they made out for a few moments.
"I'm so proud of you" he pulled away. Her eyes twinkled in the light of the sunset and from the glow of the pool.
"Thank you. But I couldn't have done it without your encouragement you know that" she grabbed his waist and pulled him in for a hug.
"So, do you forgive me?" He said stroking her hair. She smirked and leaned in for another kiss.
"Let's celebrate now" Jamie said while walking towards the pool and removing his jacket.
"What?" Callie looked at him confused.
"We're the only ones out here right now" he smirked.
She hesitantly followed him over to the pool as she looked around. They slowly started removing clothing items till they were both in their undergarments then jumped in the pool. This reminded her of Gael, though, she thought this was better.
Callie laughed as Jamie pulled her close. She wrapped her legs around him and they enjoyed each others company into the night.

~

A few days later it was the day Stef and Lena would be coming over.
"They should be here at like 8 pm because they're running a bit late but definitely by tonight" Callie told Mariana as they both sat at their vanities doing their makeup for the day.
"I hope I look decent enough for today. It feels like this will be the first time I got out of the house in a while" Mariana said while straightening her hair. She had a job interview today at a different tech company that has more popularity than Speckulate. This made her nervous.
"You'll do great" Callie gave her an encouraging smile.
"Thanks, I just really want to tell moms that I have a job secured after I tell them that I'm pregnant. They'll think I'm irresponsible if I don't get my shit together quick"
Callie raised and eyebrow,
"They won't think that. You know how understanding they were when I quit my clerkship"
"I know, but you weren't pregnant" Mariana tugged at the buttons on her jacket.
Callie noticed her looking at herself in the mirror as she continued to tug at her stomach area.
"So you think you're starting to show?" Callie asked and Mariana shook her head.
"I can't even tell. I don't think I'm supposed to show yet. It just looks like I gained weight and I could tell because my pants barely fit. Besides that I actually feel really good today" Mariana said rubbing her stomach. Mariana had been going for appointments regularly and was making sure she was on a correct diet.
"How many weeks are you again?"
"9 weeks. It's going to feel so weird to see my stomach stretch so much"
Callie nodded and then started cleaning up the loft a bit.
"Oh no are you going to go clean crazy again?" She said looking at her and Callie laughed,
"No, I just like things to look good for our moms.. and you should too" she continued.
"Speaking of, have you tried looking for new jobs now that you passed the bar?"
"Actually I have and I'm feeling really good about some of them"
"Does one happen to be at the ACLU?"
"Maybe..." Callie hinted then left to clean up the bathroom. She was torn between staying and working at Legal Aid as a lawyer or going somewhere new like ACLU.
Mariana headed out shortly after to go to her interview.
She arrived 15 minutes later to a fancy looking tall building complete with glass windows lining the side and an elevator similar to the one at Speckulate. She took it to the 3rd floor where she was told to go and walked down the long hallway to a desk.
"Hi, I'm Mariana Adams Foster and I'm here for an interview" she smiled as the receptionist chomped on her gum loudly,
"Okay, I will let Peter know" she said walking through a door.
Mariana sat down on the chair nearby and tugged at her jacket buttons again. She looked down at her phone when she heard it vibrate,

E: good luck at your job interview I know you will impress them

She smiled at his kind words. She knew that she could get through the day with Evan's encouragement and belief in her.
"Hello Mariana, my name is Peter and im the CEO of WeaverTech. I'm excited to have this interview with you today, your resume is outstanding" he said and she stood up to shake his hand,
"Thank you so much. It means a lot to me"
She went into his office to start the interview.
"So, I understand that you left your job at Speckulate unexpectedly. Why was that?" Wow she was shocked at how he got right into it. Mariana took a deep breath,
"Well, it was because I didn't feel like it was a right fit. The management and structure changed too much and it was hard to keep up with the environment. I need somewhere stable and professional where I have room to grow" she said confidently. She was surprised she was able to come up with such a lie right on the spot. Even with a pregnancy brain.
"here we are a very stable tech and have been operating for nearly 10 years" he said and she liked how it already felt more promising than Speckulate. Maybe this is what she needed. Somewhere that knows what they're doing. She wondered about the diversity in this workplace.
They talked for another 30 minutes or so and Mariana felt proud of herself.
"You are an impressive young woman I must say and we need new female engineers. Definitely expect a call from us soon" he stood up and shook her hand one last time before they both left.
Mariana couldn't stop smiling she was sure she got this new job.
She walked over to the edge on the stairs and looked down at some of the tech workers and engineers. She noticed there was a few POC and minorities but once again mostly white men.
"I can't escape this" she whispered.
She hoped regardless that of she got this job that there would be less drama and they would treat her better.
She decided to stop at the bathroom before she left the building. She entered the stall, pulled down her pants, and started to use the restroom when she looked down, her heart stopped for a second. She was bleeding. She began to breath uneven and swallowed a hard lump in her throat. What could be wrong? She wasn't supposed to bleed while she was pregnant. Just then a text from Evan came in,

E: how did it go?

She hesitantly moved her fingers over the keyboard but stopped. Maybe she was just overreacting. Some bleeding was okay. But she wasn't just bleeding, she remembered how her stomach had been cramping for a while now. These thoughts scared her. She figured she didn't want to scare care Evan too.

M: it went great will tell you all about it later :)

She didn't know what to do and decided to call the only other person she could think of,
"Hello?" Callie said confused over the phone. She had been out of breath from cleaning and preparing for the moms stay.
"Callie I'm really scared"
"What happened? Did the interview go bad?"
"No, I actually think it went pretty well it's just... I'm worried about the baby" she started to catch herself wanting to cry. She hadn't realized up until this moment just how much she loved her little baby that was still growing inside of her.
"Why? Do you need me to go get you?" Callie sounded worried and Mariana wiped a few tears away.
"Can you please? I'm bleeding"
"Okay, calm down it will be alright. You should make an appointment with your doctor" Callie said and Mariana could hear her starting to leave.
"Thanks please hurry" she hung up and called her doctor to schedule an appointment after.
Around 15 minutes later Callie finally arrived. Mariana had been in such shock that she hadn't even moved positions. She noticed more blood on the toilet, she must be bleeding more. She felt deep down that something was wrong and this was not just normal spotting.
"Mariana" she heard a knock on her stall which caused her to come back to reality.
She quickly cleaned herself off and opened the stall.
Seeing Callie made her immediately cry.
"Come here" Callie said holding on to her as she cried.
"It's okay.." this moment reminded her of a few others they have already had. Crying in bathrooms must be their thing.
"Did you make an appointment?"
"Yes" Mariana said through sobs. Callie rubbed her back in gentle circles.
"Let's go" Callie said a few moments later as they headed out to the vehicle. She had to be strong for her, so she took her straight to the doctor for the appointment. Callie didn't want to show it but she was also deep down terrified for her sister. Mariana felt defeated. Today had started amazing but nothing could prepare her for this ending.