Beating For Two

Chapter 17

Friday, February 25th

Twenty-seven weeks and four days

“I think my parents are home,” Harry said as we entered the foyer.

“They're going on a cruise for the weekend though, so they're leaving in an hour or two, I reckon.”

“Oh, yeah, okay, sure,” I said as I started taking off my shoes.

“Are they- or, uhm, well, should I keep my coat on?” I added, looking at him nervously.

“Na, I'll go tell them I'll be in my room and that I have a friend over, they'll leave us alone then,” he said easily as he hung his own jacket up on a peg and kicking his shoes into a corner.

“Just go wait in my room and I'll be there in a couple of minutes.”

He sent me a quick smile before he turned around and headed into the house, though instead of continuing down the hallway I knew lead to his bedroom, he took to the left and disappeared.

“Okay,” I mumbled to the empty foyer before I took my coat off, looking around myself slightly nervously in case someone suddenly were to appear. I was just wearing a hoodie that didn't hide my belly all that well and if someone were to see me, they'd realise pretty quickly that something was wrong. I made it into Harry's room without running into anyone though and I let out a sigh of relief once I'd closed the door behind me. I walked over to his bed and sat down on it, letting my shoulders slump a little and feeling some of the tension in my back disappear.

“What the fuck?” a voice suddenly said from somewhere to my right and I let out a squeak of surprise as I sprang up on my feet again and looked around in search for the voice. I found it quickly... and felt like a bucket of ice was dumped in my head. Lauren. Of course. With the luck I'd been having lately, it was only to be expected.

“I- uhm- I don't- it's- I-” I stuttered, my entire body tensing up again.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked, narrowing her cold eyes at me.

“Uhm, I'm- I'm waiting for Harry,” I said hesitantly, my eyes glued to the floor.

“Why?” she demanded.

“Because he t-told me to wait here while he... talked to his parents,” I mumbled, cursing myself for how small and subdued my voice sounded. I looked up again and saw her standing a metre or so away from me, glaring at me with one hand on her hip.

“Well, that's too bad, because he's hanging out with me today,” she said.

“So I suggest you just go back home or go to the nearest McDonald's to keep fattening yourself up.”

She threw a venomous look at my belly and then sent me a scornful smile.

“Looks like you're well on your way to get sent off to join The biggest looser anyway.”

I bit my lip and tried to think of something to reply to that, but I didn't get the time to say anything at all before the door opened.

“I brought some-” Harry started, holding up a bowl that seemed to contain chips, but stopped when he spotted Lauren.

“Lauren?” he then said, stopping in his tracks and looking at her with confusion lacing his features.

“What's he doing here?” she asked, gesturing towards me.

“We're hanging out,” Harry said as he walked over to his desk and put down the bowl.

“Why are you here though?”