You Were Meant For Me (Nemi)

Part 25

When she saw the pregnancy test stick in his palm, her entire body froze. The warm coffee she just swallowed felt like a burning liquid coursing through her lungs. It tasted even bitterer than it typically does. She tried to speak, but nothing seemed to come out of her mouth.

Even though the pregnancy result came out negative, she shouldn't have kept it from him. She didn't plan to and she knew she had to tell him eventually. But she needed some times to process the situation. It was a pregnancy scare after all, so she was obviously wasn't prepared to face it. She swallowed hard, finding her voice to speak. "I-I will explain everything. But I need you to sit down first."

He took a slow step forward and sat on the stool he had previously occupied. There was a long silence between them before he asked, "You thought you were pregnant?"

She slowly nodded. Her gaze settled on the table. She couldn't look him in the eyes. It wasn't because she felt guilty about not telling him, but the feeling was more of apprehension and embarrassment, as if she had been caught red-handed. She knew she shouldn't be feeling that way because she did nothing wrong. She lifted her head to look at him. "I hadn't been feeling well for about a week before fainting after the rehearsal. I felt nauseous, vomiting, smell sensitivity, fatigued and my boobs swollen they hurt like hell. At first, I thought it was probably the start of my period. But never in my life had I fainted and vomited before I got my period, so it was like confirmation that something was wrong with my body. And I started to freak out when I couldn't remember my period cycle and hadn't had my period yet this month. To make matters worse, all of the symptoms suggested pregnancy. So I took the test. It wasn't until this morning that I found out it was a false alarm. Even though the result is negative, there is still a lot to digest."

He heaved a long breath upon hearing the explanation. It wasn't what he expected, but it explained everything. It must've been a shock for her considering it was something she hadn't expected, planned for, or likely even thought about. He felt the same when he found the pregnancy test. He was also still processing the fact that his girlfriend might be pregnant with his baby. "Are you okay?" When she nodded without any word, he took the response as it was, though her gesture showed that she wasn't completely okay. From years of knowing Demi, he could read her like a book. Something was bothering her and he decided to make her talk it out. He hated to see his girlfriend looking so glum. "You want to talk about it?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line, trying to decide how to answer the question. For Demi, the situation was more than just pregnancy scare. It was a reality slap to her face. She was the person who always had a plan and was almost never without contraception after sex, but somehow she found herself in a situation she never expected to be in. Although the thought of being pregnant was alarming, there was a fleeting joy that she might be carrying a little Nick inside her. But without a future plan of what it might be like if she was going to be a mother, it scared the hell out of her. And she couldn't stop wondering about what Nick's reaction would be. Even though she believed she knew her boyfriend well, men were capable of an abrupt change of attitude the moment a child entered the picture. And that thought terrified her the most. But she didn't have the heart to say it out loud.

Noticing the uneasiness, he didn't want to push her to talk. "I'm not upset that I found the test before you told me. I was just shocked when I saw it. Well, who wouldn't?" He let out a dry laugh, trying to lighten the heavy air of the room. "I'm sorry this happened. I can imagine how stressful it must be. And I understand if you're not ready to talk about it."

She glanced at him, searching for any sign that he might be upset or acting differently, but she found none. He looked pretty calm, despite his concerned expression, which was likely an attempt to hide the surprise of what he had just learned. Even so, she would rather tell the truth than sugarcoat what had been bothering her. She cleared her throat softly. "When I thought I might be pregnant, I panicked. But I know I shouldn't tell you until I'm really sure about it. After I found out the result, I'm trying to find the right time and way to tell you. I'm not sure if-" Her words trailed off as she took a deep, slow breath. She wasn't sure how to continue. While the experience was somewhat a bittersweet mixture of disappointment, surprise and relief, she wasn't sure how Nick would react to the news. She continued, "...if you will be okay with it."