Fiore Mortale (mxm)

80.

The clicking of the door startles me since I'm washing my face. I pull the warm towel from my skin, sighing when I see Arsenio locking the bathroom door.

Without bothering to question what he was doing, I brush my teeth, hiding the fact that I'd been up all night throwing up. I'm positive he noticed, but hadn't said anything.

For the past three weeks he hasn't questioned anything I've been doing, which mostly looked like hiding an uncertain pregnancy. I'd been meaning to go to the doctor and find out for certain once I took Rosie for her shots, but obviously being pregnant meant sleeping entirely too long. Not to mention how I'd suddenly turned into a hardcore carnivore, eating more meat than anything else.

I'd crave bacon at two in the morning, sneaking out of bed once he'd fallen asleep to devour an entire package, obviously not by choice. The craving never happened this early, and I hoped they wouldn't be present the entire pregnancy. Like I said, I had a fairly good idea about how my body suddenly changes, or the subtle signs for that matter.

Eating meat in excess, sleeping at random times of the day, hell sometimes all day if Arsenio didn't wake me up. The excessive need to pee all the time. So when he drops a pregnancy test on the counter next to the toothpaste, I'm not surprised.

"I want gelato." I state, screwing the cap back on the paste, ignoring the box which read Advanced Accuracy in bold letters.

"You're not eating ice cream, now take the pregnancy test." I meet his dark eyes, frowning when I realize I'd overslept since he's fully dressed in a formal black and white suit.

"What are you doing today?" I ask, turning back to the mirror. It had to be at least eight considering he'd come back to make sure I'd gotten up for the day.

"You mean what I've already done. I took Georgie for a trim since she'd started sporting split ends, and made a few dozen business calls, made a trip to Florence to take Carmen home, then one to Rome. It's almost four in the afternoon."

There's no way. I mean there clearly was one, but I hadn't wrapped my head around it yet. Sighing in exasperation I shakily pick up the box, tearing the familiar cover back.

"Who picked this out? A cheap one can do the same thing." I point out.

"What does it mean when you're carrying my kid?" Arsenio's voice is bland as if he's trying not to get pissed off.

"They deserve the best and finest of everything in life. From conception. Yeah, I got it."
He watches with narrowed eyes when I don't have to read the instructions to know what to do. Once I've peed on the stick, I set it on the counter to which he immediately picks up. "It takes anywhere from three to five minutes for the results." I offer, studying my face in the mirror.

My cheeks were starting to fill out again, meaning only one thing. The glow of pregnancy would have me chubby, especially this one if I continued eating meat the way I did. Arsenio fidgets, before starting to pace while I sat on the counter willing the minutes to tick by. "Why are you nervous? I'm the one pregnant." I say, wishing he'd just sit down since the inability for him to calm down was irritating me.

Arsenio halts, offering me a look of disbelief, but before he can comment the little beeping noise draws our attention to the test. Really? How fancy of the thing to alert when it was ready. We peer at the test simultaneously, me confirming my thoughts when I see the double, solid red lines.

Arsenio seems to process it slower than I do while I'm awaiting the new threat he'd had for me. "Two lines mean positive." I state slowly, out of spite.

"I'm not stupid Eli, I'm confirming what I've noticed lately, and what I'm about to have to put up with for a while." He rolls his eyes handing the stick to me as I drop it in the trash.