Relationship For Convenience

Chapter 12

Anna stepped into her two-bedroom apartment, taking in the blue walls and chic interior. Although the break was fun she had missed the solitude that living alone had entailed, or so, she thought.

Her apartment still faintly smelled like the lemon air freshener she loved, she thought as she dragged her suitcase into the living room. She ran a critical eye over the medium-sized living room, mentally taking note of what needed to be done. She had left her apartment in pristine condition, just the way she liked it but a thin sheen of dust had settled in.

So she set herself to the task of making everything gleam, as usual, opting to clear her head in the process. Cleaning had a therapeutic effect on her, and she needed all the help she could get to clear her head.

Anna went towards her bookshelf, running her fingers through the spines of her beloved books, she felt like curling on the floor with a good book and a glass of her favorite wine, but she couldn't and she didn't want to dwell on the reason.

Armed with a duster, broom, and rag, she entered her living room determined to get done with everything she had to accomplish. It took her an hour to return her living room to the former splendor before moving on to the next task.

Exhaustion seeped into her system, but she stubbornly continued to tackle everything head-on. Feeling thirsty, she opened her fridge in search of something to relieve her parched throat, also noting how empty her fridge looked. The next thing on her list was groceries, she needed groceries to survive.

Walking into her beige-colored room, she spotted her purse on her bed and went towards it, but as she sat down on her bed, the only thoughts running through her head was to take a nap, just a short one before she continued her chores.

Anna jolted awake, momentarily confused as to where she was, before realizing she was in her own room in New York. Her stomach growled, alerting her to the reason why she was awake.

Her fridge was almost bare, save for a few foodstuffs and an open bottle of white wine, her favorite, too bad she couldn't take alcohol again, it was one of the downsides of being pregnant, that and loss of caffeine and the inevitable weight gain. She settled on making a pasta dish, complementing it with salad. Salad makes everything healthy.

She missed cooking for two or more now that she was single and alone. There was no one to set the table with, share her meal with, or even squabble with. Has her house always felt this empty? But of course, there was no one there to witness her internal struggle except herself and her unborn baby.

She had roughly seven months before her baby would be here to keep her company, the brunette thought placing her hand on her stomach.

She couldn't imagine having a toddler crawling in her apartment with the glass center table in her living room and the vase that was kept strategically, giving her apartment a modern chic look. She would have to remedy that and make it baby-proof to avoid future mishaps. Maybe she could start shopping for baby things, or was it too early for that?

Just as the thought came in her phone rang, bringing her back to reality. It was an incoming Skype call from Nicole. Her friend had mentioned going to visit her parents after dropping her off at the airport. Setting her unfinished food to the side, she received the video call on her laptop instead.

She put the laptop down, adjusting the camera so they could see her well. It seemed like Nicole and her mom were arguing about something, it was quite normal for them to be arguing, thankfully the argument didn't appear heated.

"Hi Janice," she said to get their attention.

"Anna dear, how are you doing?" The older blond greeted back, focusing her attention on the brown-haired girl.