𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

In A Smaller Galaxy.

(Second Edit)

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞

"I am positively starving. I wonder what the chefs prepared for dinner," I say as Valentino and I walk down the silent hallway on our way to the dining room where dinner was to be held.

"As this is a formal dinner, a six course meal has been prepared, including the aperitif; which we Italians call a pre-dinner beverage," Valentino explained. "Most of the time it's an alcoholic drink such as Campari, Bourbon, Gin or a cocktail."

I nodded understandingly and we continued walking.

But then out of nowhere, we heard a woman crying hysterically and stopped dead in our tracks. The sound was clearly coming from Damen and Sabrina's room so we immediately turned back around.

I knocked on the door. "Damen? Sabrina? What's going on?"

Almost immediately the door swung open and there stood a flustered Damen. "Thank God you're here Jasmine, I desperately need your help."

"What's the matter? Is Sabrina okay?" I asked in concern.

"Judge for yourself."

He motioned for us to come in and when we stepped into the room, I saw Sabrina standing in front of the mirror, wrapped up in her bathrobe and surrounded by scarves, coats and dresses that lay scattered throughout the room. Her hair was disheveled and her cheeks were streaked with tears.

"After her bath, I went to pick out a dress for her to wear. But she's had a problem with everything I took out," Damen groaned. "The first dress was too green, the second was too short, the third made her look like a walking flower. After trying on six or seven dresses, she started to get frustrated. And then came the tears."

"It's not your fault, it's the hormones," I say as I pull out a tissue and hand it to her. "During pregnancy a woman's estrogen and progesterone levels tends to fluctuate which causes her to have unexpected outbursts and emotional episodes. It's perfectly normal, especially since she's approaching her third trimester."

"Stupid hormones, stupid diet, stupid dress!" Sabrina said tearfully as she blew her nose in the tissue. "I..I don't want to go anywhere. I'll just stay in bed all night."

"Sabrina, you have to come downstairs," Damen said patiently. "How do you think it'll make me look if I'm down there and my wife isn't? So please stop crying and let's get you ready."

Her lower lip quivered. "Why are you yelling at me?"

Damen blinked. "I didn't yell-"

"I can't help it if I'm emotional!" she exclaimed, bursting into fresh tears. "And what the fuck do you have to complain about? I'm the one who looks like she has a beach ball attached to her abdomen!"

Valentino sighed. "Nice going, Damen. You made her cry even more."

Damen threw his hands into the air. "Don't pin this on me, Jasmine literally just said it's the hormones that's making her cry."

"Even so, you need to learn to be more sensitive to her feelings."

"Oh, what do you know? Do you have any idea how stressed I am? I haven't had a proper night's sleep in weeks!"

Valentino gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Ah, the joys of impending fatherhood. Best of luck to you, brother."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Neither of them was helping. In fact, they were making things significantly worse.

"Alright," I interrupted, looking between the two brothers. "You two - out. Go downstairs and we'll be there in a few minutes."

Valentino hesitated. "But our guests-"