Cassie was completely miserable.
By now she felt like her baby had outgrown her tummy and her insides felt like a crushed car in a compactor. Even breathing was hard, with this constant heavy feeling in her lungs.
She had done her nesting phase, maniacally cleaning their home, baby proofing every corner, watching videos on how to train puppies to behave around babies.
She was ready and waiting. Ready and waiting to meet her baby.
And it all started with a little tummy ache.
But pregnancy had brought lots of fun little ailments, from a sore back, to heartburn, to swollen ankles, and lots of other unglamorous feelings. And she had already embarrassed herself once freaking out over what had ended up being fake contractions.
So, she kind of didn't think that much of it.
Nate was attending a college 40 minutes from East Highland, which meant his mornings started pretty early and his evenings finished pretty late. Cassie had been quite impressed with his commitment to all the responsibilities in his life- school, work, sport. Perhaps pregnancy had made her extra lethargic, but she could not imagine getting as much done in a day as her husband.
As part of his new collegial life, Nate had been kind of sucked back into the party scene he had successfully left behind over summer. She tried not to let it worry her too much- this time it was more of a social necessity than a coping mechanism for him, she would tell herself. It was college, it was the start of the semester, of course there would be lots of parties and alcohol and late nights. McKay's social calendar had been much the same when they first dated.
Gemma had warned her about allowing Nate so much freedom again, and Cassie found it quite amusing that Gemma thought she had any control over Nate's freedom.
Still, she checked his pockets for signs of unmistakable plastic zip lock bags and rolled up notes, and let out a breath of relief each time she found nothing more than some crumbled receipts and used tissues.
That day, she kissed Nate goodbye in the early hours of the morning and tried to get a bit more of a sleep. The change in season had brought a slight morning cool which made her wrap herself a little tighter in bed. Secretly, the cooler temperature had been a godsend for Cassie whose body currently ran a few degrees hotter than everyone else around her. So much so that she had driven Nate crazy all summer complaining about the temperature in their bedroom.
There was nothing remarkable about her day. She had taken Pumpkin for a (slow) walk around the neighbourhood and then came back to a huge pile of laundry to wash, iron and fold. Her life was made up of a monotony she often resented and would probably come to miss once the arrival of her son upended her days. It was domestic and lonely and not what she expected from life at 18.
Somedays, she envied Nate.
Not his life per se, well aware how stretched thin he was between his many commitments. But she envied the diversity of his daily life- new college friends, new classes, new parties. In comparison, Cassie felt like a caged bird.
She had voiced her boredom to Nate here and there, only to be met with his annoyance and scolding and something along the lines of he wished he had time to feel bored, but he was too busy providing for them to feel bored.
Which in turn made her feel really guilty for saying anything in the first place.
So her days were filled with folding laundry and cleaning and cooking and walking her dog.
There was an unmistakable pop she felt when she got up to use the bathroom, followed by a trickle down her legs, which finally clued her in on the fact that she may have been in labour.
YOU ARE READING
happiness is a butterfly
RomanceIf he's a serial killer, then what's the worst that could happen to a girl who's already hurt? If he's as bad as they say, then I guess I'm cursed. Looking into his eyes, I think he's already hurt. Cassie x Nate clandestine romance.