Learning How to Bend

NaNo Day 8 - Insert Title Here

We made a day out of getting ready for my dinner with Thaddeus, also stopping by Katherine's doctor near the lunch hour for a more dependable pregnancy test. I was sitting with her the entire time, her holding tight to my hand in nervous and hopeful anticipation. By the sound of the doctor's voice, she was older; Dr. Thornton had probably shared this type of news hundreds of times, if not thousands. She gave the results with a compassionate warmth in her tone: Katherine was indeed pregnant. Based off her hormone levels, the doctor estimated she was possibly six weeks along. Dr. Thornton asked if she wanted to do the ultrasound while she was there, but Kat declined. She wanted Joe to be there, and I definitely understood that. She made the appointment, though, and as we got manicures and pedicures at a local salon, we mused creative ways for her to give Joe the big news.

"If the doctor's estimate is right, this baby was conceived around our anniversary," Kat said, looking down at her feet as the woman scrubbed her feet.

When another salon employee started doing the same on mine, I shrieked and flinched backward, curling up my toes. I was not an especially ticklish person, but my sides and feet were weak points. I stayed as still as I could until the woman let go of my foot and let me relax against the massaging chair. "I like your literal 'bun in the oven' idea. What would you use, a loaf of bread?"

"Oh, no, definitely a hamburger bun," Kat said. "I have plenty of those."

"With the amount of cheeseburgers you like to eat, I'm sure you do."

Kat only laughed in response. We spent most of the rest of the afternoon keeping myself busy, my brain off Thaddeus as much as possible. I even had my phone off. Not on vibrate or silent but completely off. I wanted no one to bother me today as I spent time with Katherine. Today was a celebratory day for her, and it was a "I need a distraction or I'm going to screen" type of day for me. Embracing her happiness let me do that. I did so, losing myself in her joy, until we went back to my apartment. She started excitedly fretting about me. She sat me down on the stool in my bathroom, brushing through my hair and taking a curling iron to the long brown locks. Although according to Kat, my hair looked better than it did earlier today. She took me to get it cut, the length shortening from halfway down my back to three inches shorter. Kat also applied some of her own makeup on my face, but nothing complicated. Just a touch of mascara and a bit of gloss on my lips. Thaddeus had never before seen me with any makeup whatsoever. Did not want to sweep him off his feet or anything of the sort with my stunning beauty.

I was starting to think not even a hurricane could blow him over. All of the buildings would be gone, and he would just be standing there in the center of the storm, sipping his coffee. Wait...did he even drink coffee? I had never noticed, nor had I ever asked.

I put on Katherine's silky blue dress, hand immediately going to self-consciously touch the scar near my left collarbone. The fabric was smooth, flowing out from my waist with ease. It had very thin straps, which looped up from the front—the v closing to a point halfway down my sternum—and then clipped with a very small clasp behind my neck. She told me to twirl, which I did a few seconds after she asked.

"You look stunning," Katherine said.

"I'll have to take your word for it." I grinned, but it quickly slipped from my lips as my brow furrowed. "Is this a good idea?"

"Of course it is." She took my arm and pulled me into the living room. "It's 6:35PM. Thaddeus said he'd be here between 6:45 and 7:00, right?"

"Yes," I said.

"Then I'm going to go ahead and leave. Chelise will keep you company until he arrives." She squeezed my bare arms. "It's going to be great. Just be you, and he can't help but fall for you."