Best of Both Worlds

Chapter Twenty-three

Today, I was going to have a pregnancy photoshoot. It was an impromptu decision, made out of boredom and a little social media influence. It was another day off for me and I was all alone in the apartment. My mother had gone back to Nigeria two days ago, leaving me with a drop of homesickness. She left to prepare for her next return when the baby was born so she could perform 'Omugwo'.

I had started out the day hugging the sofa, watching reality shows whilst munching on a bag of chips. Then I switched to watching reels and browsing my Instagram feed. I would've preferred to hang out with Nicholas but he took another business trip to Chicago and wouldn't be back for another two or more days.

I happened to stumble upon a mutual maternity photoshoot and suddenly, I remembered Tom. He was a photographer and he had expressed being open to a pregnancy photoshoot last we spoke. I contacted him and much to my surprise, he had happened to be free for the entire morning. He expressed having a date planned for his afternoon with his new girlfriend so I had to come in right that moment.

Since it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, I didn't have ready any elaborate and fancy maternity photoshoot-worthy outfit. I grabbed an off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved burgundy bodycon gown that stopped right on my knees and threw it on. It accentuated every curve on my body and gave my bump a well-rounded snug look. For the first time, I tried on a makeup look, quite heavier than my usual day-to-day look, without Whitney's help. I followed the guidance of a beginner-friendly YouTube tutorial and I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

"This is insane," I muttered to myself as I lifted my phone up to my face. I was already tired, just from putting on makeup alone and I hadn't even figured out what to do to my hair.

Whitney requested that we did a facetime so she could see the whole look. Her face appeared on the screen, followed by the top of her lab coat and scrubs. I propped my phone up against a pillow on my bed and stepped back so she could get a portrait view.

She raised one brow as she took in the gown. "Don't you have something more flattering?"

I pursed my lips at her and cocked my head to the side. "Like what? You basically know everything I own"

She chuckled. "Uhm... How about that shiny brown dress we got that time?"

This time, I raised a brow at her. "Really? You want me to wear an evening gown? Plus, I've gotten bigger now, my belly would lift the gown too high and you know it has a slit at the side"

"Okay, okay. Well, this gown is still cute, so it's fine" she said

My shoulders fell and so did my face. "I don't think I want to do this, anymore" I picked up the phone and held it up to my face.

Whitney clicked her tongue. "Relax. You know simplicity is beautiful, right? Don't tell me you're going to waste a full face of makeup – by the way, it looks fire"

My spirits lifted a bit and a small smile tugged on my lips. "I know, right?" I admired the neat curve of my filled-in brows and the bold red lipstick that made my lips look fuller. "I'm still in shock I did this by myself"

She did a nose shrug at me and chuckled. "Okay, so what are you going to do to your hair? I'm thinking high ponytail, like the Barbie kind"

I huffed and sank into my bed. "Just thinking about the process has me weak. I wish you were here. When do you get off work, again?"

She laughed. "It's not going to be anytime soon. I thought you were bored before, now you're tired"

"Exactly," I nodded with a pout.

"Come on, you can do it. You want to look back on the pictures and be happy that you looked snatched" she snapped her fingers for emphasis.

I released a sigh and pushed myself up to my feet. "Okay,"