‘Dish what?’
‘Well you can start with the ruined paint work there.’ She nodded at my purple wall. I looked aghast, I hadn’t even noticed that there were chunks of my lovely purple paint and plaster missing behind each of the white bedhead balls. I stood up and went to inspect and winced as I saw that the balls were actually dented.
‘O god.’
‘I thought it’d look worse, sounded like the bed was coming through the wall and that was with my ear phones on.’
I hopped up onto the bed with her and sat crossed legged opposite. ‘Lexi, I’m so happy, it’s amazing. Sex is so amazing, he’s amazing. He’s so caring and considerate and really really wants to make sure I enjoy myself.’
‘Typical you find someone like that on your first time. Lucky cow. So what about these marks on your wrists? He’s not getting too rough is he?’
‘No, god no. It was my fault, I decided to try and take charge and cuffed him last night.’
‘Where the hell did you get a pair of cuffs from? Or does he just carry them around in his bag on the off chance?’
‘There was a special offer on with a vibrator that I wanted. It came with a pair of handcuffs and an eye mask and I figured the eye mask would come in handy for on the plane when we next go away. I was going to give the handcuffs to you, I forgot all about them until yesterday.’
‘So how did that go down?’
‘I took him by surprise, he was really mad at first.’
‘I bet he was, he’s a bit of a control freak from what I’ve seen.’
‘You’d have been so proud, I stood my ground and made him wear them while we … well you know,’ I blushed.
‘Fucked? If you’re doing it, I think you can say it.’
‘Well it was all going amazing until he needed to take a leak.’
‘So?’
‘I’d cuffed his hands behind his back,’ I giggled.
‘You bloody vixen, you’re a secret dominatrix you are.’
‘You told me be like that Lex, You said if I wanted to get over these insecurities with him being experienced, I needed to ramp it up. So I did.’
‘Have you asked how experienced he is?’
‘Yes, this morning,’ I sighed. ‘He told me a couple of hundred girls. I feel sick about it Lexi. Is that normal? He said it was mainly one night stands.’
‘Guys tend to start a lot younger Mia. If he was doing it even once a week, from say 15, then you’d be looking at over 200 girls. So yeah, sounds reasonable.’
‘Reasonable?’ Logically I knew she was right, but it didn’t make me feel much better about it.
‘Is he into bondage and all that stuff?’ she asked as she ran her eyes over my marks again.
‘I don’t know. He enjoyed what I did last night and said he’d never done that before, so I guess it’s new for both of us. Lex it was so hot, but it was also really funny. I had to help him pee after I’d refused to take them off. him I wasn’t going to give in and release him.’
‘Who are you and what’ve you done with my best friend? You’re in serious lust you know that?’
‘I do. I’m so loving sex, it’s like I need it all the time. Why did I wait so long?’
‘Beats me.’
‘He’s pretty full on, not just the sex. He opened up to me last night about his past and it was heart breaking.’
‘Why what happened?’
I took a deep breath and thought about it. I couldn’t tell her everything, it wouldn’t be fair to him, after all I’d promised. It was such a big deal for him to have told me, but I didn’t want to lie to my best friend so I decided to keep it simple.
‘His mum died when he was a kid and he’s still quite raw about it.’
‘God poor guy, how did it happen?’
‘A really tragic accident Lex. God and to think I’m thinking of having stupid bloody therapy for my issues, it’s just so wrong.’
‘Hey, you can’t compare your problems to his Mia. Who’s to say how much anyone hurts, no matter how big or small the event, you feel what you feel.’
‘That’s just it. I’ve a chance to fix things, he doesn’t.’
‘So fix them.’
‘You make it sound so simple.’
‘It is, you ring your Dad and say hey Dad, I’d like to see you but I won’t be messed around. If you say you’re coming come, or I’ll kick your ass.’
‘Yeah that would go down so well.’
‘Well I bet Gabe would kick his ass if he hurt you, or if anyone hurt you. I’m comforted to know he’s looking out for you.’
‘He is, I really think he is,’ I replied with a frown. ‘I’ve agreed that it’s a proper relationship Lex.’
‘No, seriously?’ she exclaimed.
‘Yep,’ I nodded. ‘I like him so much Lex and he’s so sweet with me. He was so happy when I agreed.’
‘So, we need to get in at the Doctors and get you suited up and to talk about your periods and this bloody dizzy deal you’re going through.’
‘O god, periods,’ I groaned. ‘I’m due on this weekend. That will ruin my enjoyable sex streak.’
‘What? You’re not due for another couple of weeks.’
‘No, I’m due this weekend. What makes you think it’s a couple of weeks? I’m always the week after you.’ I watched Lexi’s face go pale as she stared at me. ‘O god Lexi, tell me you had your period last week?’
‘No,’ she whispered.
‘What about August?’
‘I can’t remember. I’m not sure if I did.’
‘Lexi it’s pretty damn important, how can you not notice you haven’t had your last few periods?’
‘We were busy, partying at home, saying goodbye, then with the move and settling in.’
‘God Lexi I don’t think you were sick this morning from the bloody sausages, I think you’re pregnant.’
‘Shit don’t say things like that,’ she groaned. ‘I can’t be I’m on the pill.’
‘Is it 100% fool proof?’
‘Pretty damn much,’ she said emphatically.
‘So there’s no way it can be affected?’
‘Well only if you have sickness or diarrhoea or whatever.’
‘Lexi you were really sick after our college leaving party mid-July, a few weeks before you were due on. Did you have sex around then?’
‘Yes,’ she said sheepishly.
‘Just the once?’
‘No, there were a few guys that week.’
‘A few? Jesus Lexi how could you be so bloody stupid, I can’t believe …’ I cut myself off mid flow when I saw her gutted face. ‘O god I’m sorry I didn’t mean to yell, come here.’ She put her head in my lap and started to cry as I gently stroked her hair. ‘Right, we don’t know for sure Lex. It could have been the stress of the move and everything going on.’
‘What about me throwing up?’
‘Well maybe it was a one off. Those sausages really weren’t cooked well.’
‘It’s not been a one off,’ she sniffed.
‘You’ve been sick before? When?’
‘The last few weeks, a couple of mornings.’
‘And you didn’t put two and two together?’ I said softly.
‘We’ve been partying a lot, I thought it was the alcohol. You were throwing up too the morning after those parties.’
‘Well either way we need to know for sure. I’m going to run you a bath and you’re going to go and relax while I go down to the chemists to buy a test for you. If it’s positive we’re going to get in at a Doctors to be sure. Everything’s going to be fine, you hear me?’
‘I’m scared Mia,’ she whispered as she looked up at me with her big green eyes.
‘Me too, but I’m in this with you ok? If you are, we’ll deal with it together, just like we deal with everything. Right come on. I’ll get you settled in and pop out.’ She sat up and hugged me and I hugged her back tightly. ‘Lie down here and I’ll come and get you when it’s ready.’
; I hopped off the bed and went and gave the bath a quick rinse and clean and started filling it. I grabbed her a glass of cold water and popped it on the cabinet next to the bath and poured in some relaxation bubble bath for her. When it was ready I got her up and sat her on the toilet lid, just as I’d done with Gabe last night. God what was with this bathroom and emotional situations?
‘Right, I’m going to run out. Are you ok for a while?’
‘Yes.’
‘See you in a bit.’
‘Thanks Mia.’
I looked back at her sitting on the toilet looking so lost and gave her a reassuring smile and headed out the door. Down on the street I looked around to get my bearings and tried to remember the route Gabe had taken me on Sunday. Less than ten minutes later I was there and made my way inside, past all of the rows of shampoos and makeup.
‘I need a pregnancy test kit please,’ I asked lady behind the counter.
‘Sure thing sweetheart, which one?’
‘There’s more than one?’ I asked surprised.
‘O yes. You have yes or no, the one that tells you how many weeks you’re along if it’s up to 3 weeks. Then we have a double pack too. It tells you if you’re pregnant and the other tells you how many weeks again, just so you can reassure yourself with two tests in a row.’
I stared at her baffled, how was I supposed to know which one Lexi would need.
‘How long since you last period honey?’
‘O it’s not for me, it’s for my friend.’ She smiled at me and I got the distinct impression she thought I was lying, whatever. She’d mentioned a double pack, maybe that was better than just one so I asked for that and handed over £10 for which I got very little change. ‘Thanks.’
‘Good luck,’ she said as I hurried out and power walked home, we needed to get this bloody thing done.
I made it back by 4.20 p.m. We needed to hurry if I had to book her in at a doctors. I knocked on the bathroom door. ‘Lex it’s me, I have the kit are you ok?’
‘As bloody ok as I can be. Give me a few minutes will you?’
I went and sat on the bed, tapping the pregnancy test kit rapidly on my knee. God if I was this nervous what the hell was Lexi feeling? I put it down and searched for a doctors surgery within a two mile radius of our postcode and a few popped up, so I scribbled down the number of the one closest to us as Lexi opened the bathroom door wrapped in a towel.
‘Let’s get this bitch done,’ she said firmly.
‘You think you can pee?’
‘Yep, drunk three glasses of water this morning. Will you come and sit with me?’
‘Sure.’ I went into the bathroom with her and handed her the first test. ‘Right just pee on the end and it will say within a couple of minutes.’ I sat on the edge of the bath as she sat on the loo and bent forwards to hold the stick in the bowl. ‘Don’t pee all the way, you might need to save some for the second test,’ I warned her.
‘Great, like there’s not enough pressure on me already,’ she said as she shook it and removed it. I looked away while she sorted herself out and flushed the chain. ‘Here.’ She thrust the stick at me.
‘Well I don’t want it,’ I grimaced. ‘You’ve peed all over it.’
‘I peed on this end and I wiped the end you hold. Don’t be such a wuss, I can’t look at it. I need you to.’
‘Lexi,’ I objected.
‘I had to listen to you screaming “O Gabe, O you’re so big, Gabe I’m coming, I’m coming” and the bedhead rattle all bloody morning. You owe me.’
I gave her a scowl and took the stick off her carefully as she went back to the toilet, lowered the lid and sat down, her feet tapping on the floor impatiently. I put the stick next to me on the edge of the bath and watched the clock.
‘Fucking hell check it will you, it’s been like half an hour,’ she moaned.
‘It’s been about a minute Lex.’
‘Well it feels longer and you were fannying around not taking it off me for ages. Please Mia I can’t bear it.’ I picked up the stick and looked at her before taking a deep breath and looking down and my heart sank. ‘Well?’
‘It says pregnant,’ I whispered as I looked up at her.
‘Fuck it. Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUUUUCK,’ she screamed.
‘It may be a false positive Lexi, we can try the other one.’
‘Now who’s being stupid? I’ve apparently missed three periods, I’m being sick and the stick says yes, I think it’s pretty damn conclusive.’
‘Can you pee again? Try the other one.’
‘Don’t you have to wait a day or something?’
‘I don’t know. I’m not a leading authority on pregnancy Lexi, I only lost my virginity five days ago.’ I read the box. ‘No you can do it again now. Here take it. I’ve found a local doctors so I’m going to get us both an appointment asap. I’ll be back in a second.’ I walked over to her and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and went to the bedroom to phone. The quickest they could get us in was Thursday morning at nine. I heard Lexi swearing again in the bathroom. Damn, it must’ve been positive again. I went back in and looked at her and she bit her lower lip, nodded and started to cry. I reached out to her and she came into my arms and I just held her as I rocked her back and forth.
‘I’ve got us into the doctors at nine on Thursday,’ I whispered.
‘What am I going to do Mia? I can’t do this, I’m 18 years old. Christ I can’t even look after myself, I burn bloody sausages.’
‘We can worry about that when we’ve seen the doctor and found out how far along you are. What did the stick say?’
‘3+ weeks, which is no help at all,’ she sniffed.
‘Well if you were due on at the end of July, you must’ve got caught mid-July, so you’d be about eight or nine weeks pregnant by now.’
‘Fucking great,’ she sighed.
‘Come on, we’re going to have our movie night as there’s nothing you can do for now. It is what it is and we’ll deal with it when we need to, together ok? Let’s have a comedy evening to take your mind off it.’
‘Well I’m not watching Knocked Up,’ she grumbled making me smile.
‘Thank god, everyone but me seemed to love that film,’ I smiled as I took her hand and we headed to the lounge.
We decided to watch Hangover I and II and I sat on the sofa with her head on my lap so I could stroke her hair, it always made her feel better. I looked down at her from time to time, but she seemed fine, totally engrossed in the film, despite us having watched them two or three times before. We both fancied Bradley Cooper so at least he was a good distraction. It was just after six thirty when the first film ended and I was starving.
‘Lex, I need to eat, do you want anything?’
‘Yeah I could eat, what you thinking of having?’
‘Well there’s either some of the Bolognese left from Sunday night, or we have the beef stew Gabe made for us.’
‘Was that what I could smell this morning?’
‘Yes.’
‘Best I avoid that then, unpleasant associations,’ she said with a wrinkle of her nose.
‘Ok, Bolognese it is. I’ll have to go and read the spaghetti instructions and get it sorted. Do you know if we have any freezer bags or boxes for this stew?’
‘Hey I didn’t know you had to leave the grill door open. I’ve no idea what’s in any of the cupboards other than the ones that house the cereal, popcorn, mugs and bowls. Is Gabe coming over?’
‘No, it’s our night. You think I’d drop our Tuesday nights just like that?’
‘Well it’s all new and exciting and you can’t keep your bloody hands off each other.’
‘Well tonight we are. I’ve made it perfectly clear that Tuesdays are off limits, besides I need a break. My bloody thighs are killing me and it hurts every time I get up and sit down.’
‘Lucky sod.’
‘Yes I am aren’t I?’ I grinned.
I rummaged around our kitchen and found some plastic air ti
ght freezer boxes, which Mum must’ve got for us. I loaded up four of them with the stew and stuck them in the freezer and boiled the kettle and put on the pasta for 10 minutes, thank god the instructions were on the packet. Once it was on the hob cooking, I went and got my phone from the bedroom and saw I’d two text messages from Gabe and a voicemail.
Hey girlfriend, I can’t concentrate in class. All I can think about is how amazing you were last night and this morning. Are you ok? How are your wrists? I feel awful. Have fun with Lexi. Your boyfriend G xx
I chuckled and checked the next one that came in four hours later.
Are you ok? I’m worried that I’ve not heard back from you. Let me know you’re ok baby x PS I’m glad I have your pictures on my phone to look at, I miss you G x
I smiled as I read the last part and dialled my voicemail, he’d only rung five minutes ago how had I missed it? I looked at the side of the phone quickly and realised it was on mute, bugger.
‘Mia please let me know if you’re ok. If I don’t hear from you by seven I’m coming over to check on you’
He sounded really cross, god he was so overprotective. I really didn’t want him turning up tonight of all nights. I looked at my watch, it was already quarter to seven so I dialled him as I walked back into the kitchen to check on the pasta. He answered within two rings.
‘Mia what the hell? I’ve been worried sick.’ God he sounded mad and so sexy.
‘Hello to you too. I’m sorry, my phone was on silent and I’ve been studying and doing stuff. I only just saw your messages.’
‘Seriously? I’ve never met a woman who puts a phone down for more than a minute without picking it up to check it again.’
‘Well that’s not me, I’ve other things to do you know than hang around checking my phone all day, besides you were in lectures and I didn’t expect to hear from you.’
‘God you sound so sexy on the phone.’
‘Thanks, so do you.’
‘We could have phone sex.’
‘Gabe I’m busy.’
‘What’s more important than me telling you what I want to do to you?’
‘I told you it’s my night with Lexi and I’m not going to abandon her to have phone sex with you. Besides I’ve no idea how that even works anyway.’
‘O baby,’ he sighed down the phone. ‘I’m going to have so much fun teaching you exactly how that works.’
New Leaves, No Strings (Austin Erotic Romance Series) Page 27