Whiskey, On The Rocks

twenty one

Taylor

Travis stayed over a lot in the next two weeks. He kept getting better, got more involved with work again, and things went back to normal. Well, our normal. I worked at the bar, and sometimes Travis would come home with me and spend the night in my bed. Selena warmed up to him a little more, but I was pretty sure that was to do with the snacks he provided her with. Either way, things were good.

"Something smells good!" Selena called when she got home from work on Friday, which had been my day off, so I'd made dinner for when she got back. "I thought you were doing fish." She said when she came down from the hallway, shrugging out of her coat. I shrugged.

"I just couldn't stand the thought of fish for some reason, so I thought we'd use up the mince instead." I told her, and she nodded. "How was work?"

"Eh." Selena rolled her eyes, dumping her things on the table and going to get a glass of wine. "Want one?" She offered, and I nodded as I turned the vegetables and put them back into the oven.

Selena poured two glasses of red wine and placed one down next to me as she took a sip of hers, sighing as she leaned against the counter. She'd been working really hard lately, so I wasn't surprised she was tired.

"Hey, why don't you go watch something and we can do a couch dinner tonight?" I offered.

"That sounds amazing." Selena smiled. "I'm so tired."

"Go sit, I'll bring it over when I'm done." I said, and she nodded, nudging my arm playfully as she passed.

I picked up my glass of wine as I stirred the mince, glancing over at the time as I lifted it to my lips. I took a sip, swallowed, and then frowned. Something tasted off. I took another sip, swilling the wine around in my mouth for a few seconds before I gagged and spat it out into the sink. Selena looked over at me from where she'd sat down on the couch.

"Oh come on, I know you're a white wine girl but it's not that bad." She said.

"No, something's off." I frowned, going to check the bottle she'd poured from. "Does yours taste fine?"

"Yeah, normal." Selena shrugged. I rubbed my lips together as I put the bottle down, thinking. It was the same brand we always had, and I'd never had a problem with the taste before.

I put my glass down, lost in thought. My mind immediately flickered to thoughts of being pregnant, and I counted backwards in my head. When had been my last period? Had Travis and I ever used protection? How had that slipped our minds not once but every single damn time we'd had sex. Fuck, I had to check.

Taking the mince off the stove, I put it aside and went to the bathroom. Rummaging in the back of the drawer, I located the box of pregnancy tests Selena had bought just in case, and I bit my lip as I grabbed one. My heart thumped as I took it, sure that I wasn't actually pregnant, but I needed to make sure. For my own peace of mind.

I sat down on the edge of the bath as I waited, my leg bouncing up and down as I nibbled on my nails. I kept thinking about how many times Travis and I had had unprotected sex, how careless we'd been. He'd bought some plan B for me the first time I'd spent the night at his house, but I'd forgotten to use them, and then it had just slipped my mind. Travis had obviously forgotten as well. We'd both been stupid.

"Fuck, alright." I breathed to myself a few minutes later, reaching out for the test. I grabbed it, flipped it over, read the little screen. Pregnant 4-5 weeks. "Shit." I dropped the test like it had burned me, and it clattered to the ground. "Shit, shit, shit!" I ran my hands through my hair, my heart speeding up. 

I couldn't be pregnant. I was nineteen. I was a bartender. I wasn't ready to be a mother, but by some twist of fate, there was a fucking baby growing inside me right now. Looking down, I lifted my shirt and stared at my stomach. It was the same as always, but all of a sudden I saw it in a completely different way. There was no bump, but at a certain angle I thought I could see a hint of one. My mouth went dry, and I dropped my shirt.