Girl in a Hoodie: Where the Future Lies

Chapter 33

Riley's POV:

Whilst on video call to Michelle, I sat on the bed with music playing off Spotify which I had connected to the flat screen tv on the wall whilst James was taking a shower after our night out. I had changed into shorts and a loos midriff pyjama top with a bowl of ice cream in front of me as I casually ate it and stuffed my mouth with the raspberry flavour. Michelle laughs at me, watching as I devoured it whole.

"Geez, Ri. You have no limits, do you?" she chuckles.

"I'm pregnant for the last time. Desperate times call for desperate measures," I tell her, joining her in laughing.

"So how are you and James doing? Is he behaving himself? If not then I can sort him out for you?"

"No, Michelle. Everything's good. Or at least I think so..." I say, mumbling the last part but she hears it and it's clear as she raises an eyebrow. 

James's POV:

I listened to Riley as I had finished showering but realised she was on call to Michelle and just as I was about to walk out to get changed in the bedroom, I heard the two of them talking about mine and Ri's relationship so I stood by the door and listened but turned the shower on all the same so that she wouldn't suspect that something had happened to me.

"I mean, he took me on like a date and we got back an hour ago. It was at an outdoor restaurant in Brooklyn and it was amazing. It's like everything went back to how things used to be..."

"Is something happening between the two of you?"

"No, I don't think so. He spoke to me yesterday about how we need to stop keeping things from each other but, I don't know, it just seems different." It goes silent for a moment until Michelle talks again.

"I think you two are trying too hard. After finding out you were pregnant, I think you've both put these expectations into mind and after James proposed to you, you're overthinking everything and want to be the best wife you can be in the future. You guys are both worrying about the near instead of now and it's not helping you as a couple. I think you guys need to have another long talk about it and then see if things get better from there, okay?"

"Okay. I think you're right."

"I am, Ri. I have to go, Maddie's calling me to help her with the microwave or something," she says rolling her eyes as she mentions her roommate. She shares a room with two other girls and three guys on her campus, including Eldon - it surprises me how he was able to get into the same college as her but he was really trying to up level his grades on the last year of school, it's just as well.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, bye."

"Bye."

There's a beep as the call declines and then I turn the shower off before walking out with the towel covering the lower half of my body and I smile softly at her, noticing she was fiddling with her necklace.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah... I was just talking to M." I play out two separate conversations in my head, wondering whether I should lie to her or be truthful before picking one.

"I know..." I sigh. "I... heard you talking."

"Oh." She shuffles back on the bed so that her back was against the headrest and she was positioned in the middle as I began to change. She looked down though, and continued to play with the piece of jewellery around her neck. "Do you mind if I just like, start shouting for two minutes straight or something so I can get everything I've been thinking out and we can move past this awkward phase we're currently going through?" she asks me, looking up.