Race of Love

Chapter 7

Maya sat on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the calendar on her phone. She'd been scrolling through it for what felt like hours, counting and recounting the days, but the answer was always the same: she was late. Very late. Her stomach twisted into knots as she tried to push away the growing panic that threatened to overtake her.

"Hey, you okay?" Kaeo's voice broke through Maya's thoughts, pulling her back to the present. Maya looked up to see Kaeo standing in the doorway of Maya's room, a concerned look on her face. She'd just come back from her evening run, her skin still glistening with sweat, and her expression softened as she noticed the worry etched on Maya's face.

Maya quickly locked her phone and tossed it onto her bed, forcing a weak smile. "Yeah, I'm checking my calendar."

Kaeo wasn't convinced. She could tell when something was off with Maya, and right now, everything about her seemed off. She walked over to Maya's bed and sat down beside her, their knees almost touching. "Come on, spill. What's going on?" She gave her a small shoulder nudge.

Maya bit her lip, unsure of how to even begin. She'd been trying to ignore it, to pretend it wasn't happening, but now that Kaeo was sitting next to her, the words felt like they were right on the tip of her tongue, begging to be released.

"I... I'm late," Maya finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Kaeo furrowed her brow, not quite understanding at first. "Come again, I didn't quite hear you?"

Maya took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly in her lap. "My period. It's late. Like, really late." she said, this time with a bit more annunciation

Kaeo's eyes widened slightly as the realization dawned on her. She didn't say anything for a moment, just sat there processing what Maya had just said. "How late are we talking?"

Maya swallowed hard, her throat dry. "Almost six weeks." saying it out loud only confirmed her denial of reality

"Six weeks?" Kaeo's voice was laced with concern. She leaned in closer, her tone gentle but serious. "Maya... that's not just late. That's really late."

Maya nodded, her eyes downcast. She felt tears forming at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them back. She didn't want to cry, not now. Not in front of Kaeo

. "I know. I've been trying to convince myself it's just stress, or the change in diet, or... I don't know, something else! Anything else!"

"Did you use protection at least?" her tone unchanged.

Maya hesitated, her mind flashing back to that night with Roman. The memory felt like a dark cloud hanging over her, one she'd tried so hard to forget. "It was... a while ago. At the Sigma party, remember? With Roman."

A light went off in Kaeo's head, "Oh, that stud that walked out of your bedroom that one morning?" Maya nodded.

Maya shook her head, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her. "Yeah. I wasn't thinking straight, and... I didn't even consider the consequences." tears were forcing to make a grand entrance, but she did her best to hold back a few. She didn't -no, she couldn't break down in front of Kaeo. It would eat her up inside with embarrassment.

Kaeo's heart sank a little, but she didn't let it show. She knew Maya was already beating herself up enough without her adding to it. "Okay. Well, the first thing we need to do is figure out if that's what's going on. Have you taken a pregnancy test?"

Maya shook her head again, her voice barely audible. "No. I'm too scared to." she looked down at her hands, trying to hide the tears now streaming down her cheeks.

Kaeo gently lifted Maya's chin, forcing her to meet her eyes. "Maya, I know this is scary. But not knowing is worse, trust me. You need to take the test, and I'll be right here with you when you do. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together, okay?"

Maya felt a lump in her throat form. The tears came down faster as she looked into her eyes. The reassurance and the comfort she gave. It made Maya feel safe and wanted. Kaeo has always been on her side and helping her along the way. The level of respect and adoration she held for her only grew more at that moment.

"Okay, ill...ill take the test" she whimpered out before being brought into a warm embrace.

"Good," Kaeo said, giving Maya's knee another reassuring squeeze before standing up. "I'll be right back."

Maya watched as Kaeo left the room for a moment before coming back in with a small blue and white stick. Kaeo handed her the pregnancy test, Maya took it with shaky hands, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Why do you just have a test lying around?" Maya's confusion on clear display, " I thought you liked women?"

Kaeo burst out laughing, cutting the tension in the air with a knife.

"Let's just say I was playing both fields for a while and couldn't afford birth control at the time and I didn't always have condoms on hand, good ole pull out method" she said with a small laugh

"Guess that's a method Roman knows nothing about" she said with a small chuckle. Kaeo's energy always seemed to make the stress of life melt away.

"I'll be right outside the door," Kaeo said, her voice soft once more. "Take your time."

Maya nodded, feeling a strange mix of fear and relief as she headed to the bathroom. The fear of what the test might reveal was overwhelming, but knowing that Kaeo was there, just a few steps away, made it a little easier to face.