Stained

Chapter 15

CHAPTER IS IN THE MIDSTS OF REVISION

Fixing his expression back to his normal calm, he moves toward me with slow shallow steps. All the while I try and fail to read his expression.

Once he's in front of me he doesn't break eye contact as he leans down to grab the pregnancy tests, then straightens slowly. Because he's so close and so damn tall I have to crane my neck back to meet his eyes.

"You're pregnant?" He half asks.

I glance at the packet in his hand. He thinks I'm pregnant?

What am I saying. He saw me examining a pregnancy test. The first thought that would come into anyones mind if they saw a college student doing that would be that she has had a pregnancy scare.

"It's none of your business." I move to snatch the packet out of his hand. He tightens his grip around it, almost crushing the cardboard box.

Fine he can keep it for himself. I turn back to the other pregnancy tests. I spot clear blue and grab it. I've seen many adverts on it, and it even tells you how many weeks you are. I grab two of them, plus a cheap one, just in case.

"Rose."

I pay him no heed, and instead, tuck the pregnancy tests under my arm and move toward the cash register, grabbing some snacks along the way for Hannah.

I have barely made it two steps when a hand grabs mine. Not my arm.

I don't want to think too much into the movement so I attempt to divert my attention by focusing on the pregnancy test in my hand. On the font. On the logo.

Damien doesn't pull me back and I don't turn around. I have to let him think it's for me. I can't tell him it's for Hannah. He could know her. And I barely know him. I cant risk another rumour being spread around about her. She's going through enough as it is.

a woman with a pushchair and little boy comes into the aisle.

I instinctively move closer to Damien to make room for her.

The women has brown, almost black tight curls in a nest atop her head and prominent dark circles under her eyes.

I look down and see the reason why. In the pushchair is a little girl who can't be more than a year old with the same identical brown curls as her mum and she is thrashing restlessly in the pushchair.

At the mothers side, is a little boy who seems to be under five years old. He's wearing a Mr. Potato Head t-shirt and is relentlessly tugging on his mother's sweater, begging, "please mummy. Please."

The baby drops her Little Bo-Peep teddy on the ground and her face scrunches up like she's about to start crying. I swiftly lean down on my knees and pick it up and place it in her lap. She smiles up at me, making cute little dimples pop out. I lightly poke them with my finger as I wiggle the teddy's nose on hers. She giggles and the cute little sound makes my heart melt. I give her the teddy and she clutches it to her chest.

The little girl looks up at me and I smile at her. I love kids.

The mum comes up next to us and eyes the pregnancy tests on my arm. Something like pity crosses her features before she masks it and beams up at me. "Congratulations, you two make a lovely couple. You'll have a beautiful baby," she says, snagging her sweater from the little boy's grip.

This is embarrassing, I think to myself as I look up at Damien with wide eyes. But his are already on me, watching me with a look I can't decipher. Shock or calm? I can't point my finger on which one it is.

I smile at the women and discretely take a step back from Damien.

I tap her tiny nose, erupting another giggle from her. "What's her name ?" I ask her mum.

Before her mum can answer she shouts, "li!"

I laugh and so does her mum. "It's lily," she smiles down at her daughter who looks up at her with a toothy grin. "You're good with kids, you'll be an amazing mum."

"Thank you." Hiding my blush with a smile, I get up and move away from the pushchair. I wave bye to the little girl and boy as their mum pushes the pushchair away.

I turn to Damien still smiling, but it dies when I see his frown. Trying not to think too much into it, I turn on my heels and make my way to the cash register. Fortunately, he doesn't grab me again.

I put my stuff on the till and wait for the guy to finish scanning the stuff. I have to suppress a gasp when he tells me the totals fifteen pounds. Wow, pregnancy tests are expensive. But I'm not going to ask for the money back from Hannah, and I hope she doesn't try to give it back either because I won't accept it. Not that I'm going to tell her the price.

I bring up Apple Pay on my phone and am about to press my phone to the card machine when a hand shoots past mine and presses a card to it before I can.

I gasp and turn around, already knowing who it is. "what the hell!" I shout.

I'm about to shove him, but decide against it when I realise where we are. Not drawing any more attention to myself, I turn to thank the cashier, then walk out with Damien trailing behind me.

Damien rushes past me to the car despite me being ahead of him. I blame his long legs. He opens the passenger door and I get in with a groan. What a gentleman paying for me when I never asked him to and driving me around when I specially said I didn't want him to.