Baby On Board ✓

Chapter 21: Nesting

Everything in Autumn's life was finally on track. The wedding details were perfect, the furniture for her house was being shipped, and she had enough baby and maternity stuff to last a lifetime. Even now, her baby was still perfectly healthy and other than a few late night active sessions here and there, she slept in peace most nights.

Yet none of that explained why she was currently standing in her living room at close to midnight, staring at everything as if she was an artist hired to paint the newest exhibit. Worse yet, everything made her sick. She was sick of the plants, she was sick of the dust, she was sick of her color scheme and the mess that constantly surrounded her.

She had scattered it all to the floor: books, magazines, pillows, blankets, everything was littering the floor. Pots, pans, and more littered her kitchen and she didn't even want to think about her bedroom. It was as if a tornado had struck through the living room, leaving nothing in its usual spot. As she stared up at the ceiling fan, she narrowed her eyes.

It was gathering dust, she could see the floating particles in the air. And think about all the dust bunnies. She didn't even want a single speck of dust anywhere. Fighting a groan, she tried to swipe at the fan blades to no avail. She was just too short.

Autumn smiled. But she knew someone who wasn't. Alright, now where did I put my phone? After rummaging through the mess, she found her phone in the flower pot. Brushing off the dirt, she dialed the number. Come on, come on, pick up.

As the dial hit the third ring, a groggy voice answered. "Hello?"

"Hey."

"Autumn?" She heard him shift. "It's three in the morning." Really? She glanced at her clock. Sure enough, it was three in the morning. Still, she glanced toward the ceiling fan with annoyance. "Sorry, I didn't mean to call you so early. I'll just figure something else out."

Gian groaned. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm trying to dust off my ceiling fan."

There was silence on the other end.

"Gian?"

"No, no I heard you." Gian yawned. "I'm just...trying to process what you just said." Autumn grabbed a blanket. Where did I even get this thing? "I want to dust my ceiling fan."

"At three in the morning?"

"Yes," Autumn nodded. "At three in the morning." Why was this so hard to understand? "You don't ever get an overwhelming urge to clean at three in the morning?"

"No." Gian yawned. "I do not."

Oh. She bit her lip, not sure what to say to that. Instead, her focus shifted back to the problem at hand. That stupid ceiling fan. She was this close to just throwing the rag at it. "Alright, well maybe I can get a ladder and-"

"Don't get a ladder, Autumn." Gian groaned. "You're going to fall and hurt yourself."

"But I really, really want this stupid ceiling fan cleaned!" She frowned. "I can see all the dust. Why is it so dusty?" She couldn't ignore that stupid fan any longer. "I'll get a ladder-"

"Autumn, breathe." Closing her eyes, she breathed. "If I come over in five minutes, will you keep the ladder put away?"

"Yes," she all but begged.

"Fine, do not take out the ladder. I'm on my way." And with that he hung up. Autumn glanced up at the ceiling fan before she turned her attention to the mess literally on the floor. She had barely made a dent in it when she heard the knocks.

"Gian!" She cried, hurrying to the door. Pulling it open, she smiled at the sight of a very tired Gian. "Hey."

He waved at her before he released a small yawn. "Alright, show me the dusty ceiling fan." She sidesteps him in. "Don't mind the mess, I'm doing some cleaning."