Devil's House

A Strong Warning

Chester was almost done with his turkey and cheddar lettuce wrap. He tried not to think about the lack of bread on his sandwich, or that the piece of cheddar wasn't actually cheese. Instead, he appreciated the nice cut of pepper turkey that was on it and the mayo that was listed as being made with olive oil. It was tasty in its own way, and with lots of lettuce and tomato, it really wasn't bad.

He looked across the small table at Talinda, who was wolfing down the last of her turkey wrap and polishing off her second order of sweet potato fries. Talinda was almost in her third trimester, and Chester was starting to really notice the changes in her body. Her baby belly was no longer able to be hidden. It was now common knowledge at Score that she was pregnant. Her face was a little fuller, along with her breasts, and with all of that, Talinda's neediness had hit an all time high. Her moods were unstable, and she constantly seemed to be uncomfortable. She's got two people living inside of her. I'd be fucking uncomfortable, too.

"I shouldn't be eating these," Talinda mumbled as she ate more fries. "Sweet potato or not. God, I'm never going to lose this weight, Chester." She glared at him for a second. She'd always considered Chester Bennington to be a very handsome man. But now his attractive features and slim build was annoying. While he was sitting there looking sexy, she was sweating with swollen ankles and a sore back.

Chester left the last two bites of his turkey wrap on his plate before picking up his napkin to wipe his hands. "T, of course you will," he encouraged as he watched her fan her face with her hand. She always seemed to be hot now, even when they were sitting in the air conditioning. "We're going to start running, remember?"

"Look at me, Chester. I can't run anywhere."

"But you won't look like that after the girls are born," he tried, but when she glared at him around her food, he decided to try a different tactic. "We'll go at your pace," he offered. "We can walk on the beach until you're ready to jog."

That was a really nice offer, and Talinda knew it. Chester walking slowly with her along the beach would be a far cry from what she knew he was really going for when he'd originally invited her to become his new running buddy. "Thanks, Chester," she said with a huff. "I'm just cranky. I'm really ready for these babies to be out of me." She ran her hand over the front of her oversized blouse. She hated that she was now buying her clothes in the maternity section of department stores instead of the Hollywood boutiques she loved. She was no longer wearing heels, but had switched to open toed sandals most days. Her pants had elastic in the waistband to give room for her growing belly, and at some point she'd stopped shaving her legs. She felt gross, and she was ready to leave. "Come on," she said, standing up. "I'm ready to get out of here."

Chester was on his feet in a flash, helping her stand up. After being pregnant himself, he could relate to what Talinda was feeling. At least to some extent. He hated that Mrs. Kitchens had ultimately been right that day when she'd strapped the fake belly to Chester's stomach - it didn't matter that he was gay, everyone could use a lesson in empathy.

Chester pushed Talinda's chair in for her as she tried to straighten her top over her stomach and her boobs that had started to ache now and again. Chester waited. His focus landed on her pink painted toes that didn't match the dark purple top she had on. Talinda was no longer the powerwalker she used to be. Now she was slow, and a little clumsy, and even though Chester wasn't the most graceful person in the world, he always felt compelled to help. Even with the little things like standing up or walking to the car.

"I need to go to the restroom before we go," Talinda informed him with an eye roll. "That's all I do now is pee." She sighed before she headed for the ladies room, murmuring something else under her breath.