Glamping ~ Joel Dommett

Employment

I scratch my head and wander into the kitchen with a yawn, mumbling 'morning' to a very busy Joel who is emptying the dishwasher and gradually re-stacking it with some dirty tea stained mugs.

I bend down and pick up the few letters on the doormat, all addressed to me.

"What are they?" Joel queries, head buried in a cupboard, pulling out a clean mug, and filling it with boiling water.

I shrug and slam them on the coffee table, "Probably just bills."

I feel seriously groggy this morning, probably because the sickness has
passed and now my body is just getting over feeling like shit for so long.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Urm," I read somewhere that you shouldn't drink caffeine when you're pregnant... Or is that when you're breastfeeding? Damn, I don't know. "Green tea please." Just to be on the safe side.

Joel squirms, "That stuff tastes like dishwasher water." He grimaces as the opaque water turns a piss coloured yellow.

"It's good for you." I argue, taking the mug gingerly, still containing the tea bag; tastes better with it in.

"Exercise is good for you but you hardly do it." Joel raises an eyebrow before drinking from his own mug.

I gasp, "Excuse me? I'm pregnant mate." I punch his shoulder, earning a kiss on the cheek.

"Say that again." He breathes against my skin.

"I'm pregnant?" I feel a giggle rising up my throat and we laugh together, him picking me up and swinging me round on the kitchen tiles acting like we're twenty one again.

"Are you sure these are 'just bills'? This one looks pretty-'

I snatch the envelope out of his hands and see the BBC logo printing on the top left hand corner just by the stamp.

My audition.

Joel watches eagerly as I rip the letter from its casing.

'Dear Miss Thomas' yada yada yada.

I scan my eyes down the text and feel my expression fall when I read the dreaded paragraph, 'We're sorry to tell you that we are not offering you the part-'

I drop the letter into the bin, but Joel only fishes it out, his eyes soft but disappointed for me as I snuggle down into the cushions on the sofa, huddling my legs to my chest.

"You silly plonker... Did you not read until the end?" Joel chuckles after a few minutes of silent reading.

I shake my head and place my mug onto the coffee table. "No. Why?"

Joel hands me back the letter with a smirk, "'However, we have recommended you for another role in a new comedy coming to BBC One in 2018.'" He reads out clearly. "Please contact 0143- blah blah blah," Joel grins, planting a soft kiss on my temple. "Always read the small print." He instructs. "'Filming will commence in only a month, so please get back to us ASAP.'"

"You're joking!" I gush, almost knocking over my mug of tea as I bound up to Joel and wrap my arms around his torso.

"Well done sweetheart." He whispers into my hair.

We pull apart and Joel leaves me to have a very flustered conversation with the writer of the comedy which is called 'Witless', about two girls who witness a shooting and go under witness protection.

I hang up the phone, grinning like a complete idiot, and feel all the jigsaw pieces that make up my life slowing connecting together to make a magnificent picture.

:-:-:-:

"Turn it off!" I yell, throwing myself in front of the television so Joel cannot watch the dreaded program.

"Calla! I want to watch it!" He argues, folding his arms moodily and sighing.

"Not whilst I'm here." I mutter, snatching the gadget and changing the channel. "It's too embarrassing."

I sit down on the sofa next to Joel, who is smirking cheekily. "You weren't embarrassed last night." He winks, earning a light slap on the arm from me.

We watch the nature documentary in silence, me snuggled into Joel's chest and him with his arms around my waist protectively. Every couple of minutes his rubs my stomach lightly and grins, remembering that there is a tiny little bean inside of me right now, a tiny little bean containing each of our DNA and traits, a tiny little bean who we are both eager to meet, but sadly cannot for another six months.

"What time is the appointment tomorrow?" Joel whispers quietly against my hair as we watch a couple of exotic birds do their insanely ridiculous mating routine dance thingy, it reminds me of a normal night out in Birmingham.

"Eleven." I reply, yawning stiffly.

I hardly slept last night, so nervous about my show being broadcasted this evening. Just knowing that there'll be thousands of reviews online and comments on Instagram and many tweets, scares me to death. What if people hate it?

"That early?" Joel sounds shocked, switching off the television and pulling me up from the sofa. "Best get you to bed then." He takes my hand and I sleepily follow him into our room, which is full of cardboard boxes with labels such as 'Calla's books' and 'Calla's guitar stuff'. There's only one for Joel which is usefully called, 'Joel's shit'.

We're moving out in a week to Surrey, just outside of London.

Joel tucks me into bed and chuckles softly, "After tomorrow we'll be able to tell people." He grins against my cheek.

I nod wearily, rubbing my tummy and yawning again.

"Night darling."

"Night."

I feel my eyes droop and eyelids grow tired and clamp shut the second Joel has left the room, but I'm still awake to hear him murmur, "I love you," just as he wanders down the corridor and back into the cosy sitting room, leaving me to sleep.

:-:-:-:

Joel and I trudge along the pavement, neither of us speaking due to sheer excitement.

Our first appointment.

He takes my hand in his, occasionally squeezing it to reassure me.

Obviously I'm nervous, I could find out some awful news, or find out that all three tests were wrong and it's nothing but a silly phantom pregnancy-

"Stop stressing." Joel chuckles, rubbing his thumb along my knuckles softly.

"I'm trying!" I argue, kicking the leaves on the ground with my foot.

We cross the road and turn the corner, seeing the surgery in full view.

"It's going to be fine, I promise." Joel smiles cheekily, pulling me in for a quick and dignified kiss (neither of us are big fans of PDA) and leads me up the front steps eagerly.

:-:-:-:

@joeldommett: Off to a very important appointment but had to stop to take a photograph of this beautiful lady I stumbled upon @callatheokayactress are you stalking me?

@callatheokayactress: there are far more interesting people to stalk mate

@joeldommett: I've just called childline.

Picture link: http://favim.com/image/1658676/