Chapter Eight

Past- 19th September 2032

I woke up feeling more tired than I did before I went to sleep. It has been twenty-nine days, five hours, and twenty minutes since I found out that I was pregnant. I haven't even told Stan, John, Calvin, or Jessica yet. The guilt, as well as the bump, has been growing with every day going by. The bump doesn't show until the second trimester, but I can still see every change in my body.

How can I be a mother when I cannot even keep myself in check? I have always wanted children. And I know that I'm completely prepared to have them. I have enough money to raise my child and I love taking care of another child. But I only want them with my future husband once I settle down.

What about Stan? We've never had the discussion about him wanting children or not. I didn't even have the chance to ask about settling down. Does he even want to get married? Or is it that he would rather be with someone that isn't me. I sink further into my bed; just the thought of him leaving me because of my pregnancy made me sulk. 

Did Pastor Henry know about this? For the past two sermons, he had been giving me advice about relaxing during stressful times, proper diet and soothing my nausea. It's also good to mention that he has never given me information about these things, ever. 

The sound of my mobile phone ringing brings me back to my senses. I haphazardly reach for it, dreading to hear anyone on the phone.

"Hello?" I groan into the device. I really don't want to do anything right now. 

"Good morning, Christine. I just wanted to remind you of the manuscript that is due in three months. What have you got for me?" The chirpy voice of my editor almost makes me scream. Why did they have to call me when I am in the worst state? I'll come up with some random bullshit and hope that they will take the pitch. 

"I am thinking of a more romantic theme. All my books revolve around the harsh realities of politics and religion. I love writing them. But some of my readers love the idea of me writing romance. These types of books have always been something that I want to work on." I say with no desire to write. The other line goes silent for a few seconds before they reply.

"Christine," I hear them take a deep breath through the phone before continuing, "Most romance books that you can think of, are already published. I believe that your writing skills should be of more use to those wanting to read something new. But I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Give me something unique and exciting and I might consider it." I smile at my editor's approval. Even though I feel like crap, at least he's taking the pitch. 

Besides, I am already working on a romance book at the moment. But it's only halfway complete. 

"Thank you, I highly appreciate it," I say with a thankful tone. They say their goodbyes before hanging up. I take a deep sigh and get out of bed. At least I can continue working on the romance novel. I quickly clean myself in the bathroom and change into some nice sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Once I'm finished, I go to the kitchen to eat something. 

The journey to the kitchen feels like walking through water. My feet drag across the floor and  I feel myself wanting to go back to bed already. This is why I don't want to do anything, I just feel tired. Why should I bother going through the day? I'm probably staying inside today. I will usually go to the park a few blocks from here, but I'm not feeling it.

My head throbs as the loud ring of my doorbell echoes through the house. I'm tempted to not open it and pretend that I'm not here. Talking to other people is going to take all the energy out of me. 

But the ringing persists, and the person isn't going to stop. After a good minute, I sigh in defeat and rush to the door. When I open it, I'm pleasantly surprised to see Jessica and Calvin stand in front of me. Before I can utter a word, both of them enter my house and walk straight to the living room. 

So much for saying good morning. 

I close the door and follow the pair. I then take a seat on the couch, waiting for them to say something. But what they say completely throws me off my guard. 

"Christine, I am so sorry. These past few weeks, I have been talking with V-Stan, and I believe that he is a good person." I nod my head at Calvin's apology, ignoring the mistake. Jessica places a hand on his shoulder and speaks next. 

"I also have to apologize, Christine. My behavior towards you was the most immature that I have ever been. I shouldn't have left you in that club. The text that I sent was the worst part. I was hurt, and instead of telling you, I was petty. 

I shouldn't judge your actions. You are in charge of your life. And if you want to be with Stan, then so be it. So Calvin and I have decided to let you and Stan go on a date. Both of us will look after your place while you two will relax." Jessica apologizes with true sincerity. I look between the two as if they both grew heads. What's with this sudden change? And since when are they buddies with Stan?

The one day that I don't want to see Stan, I'm going to have to get ready to see him. I appreciate their effort, but they need to leave me alone. However, this can be my opportunity to tell him the truth. I cannot keep avoiding Stan. He doesn't deserve that from me. 

"Okay, so when are we going?" I ask. Jessica helps me to my feet and drags me into my bedroom. 

"Stan is going to take you to your destination in an hour. Which will give us enough time to get you ready," Jessica says in glee. I sigh. If this was any other day, then I'd be very excited about it. But, just the thought of telling him about our unborn baby scares me. 

What if he demands I abort it? I refuse to destroy what I think is something that comes from my body. I hope that he will understand my choice. Jessica sits me down on my bed and goes through my closet as if it's her own.

"Your dress should be one that is classy but shows off your curves," Jessica teases. I smile as Jessica attempts to cheer me up. But I cannot avoid the elephant in the room. 

"Why are you doing this, Jessica? I have been so rude to you and have been avoiding you for weeks," I admit. My childish behavior cannot go unpunished. Jessica turns and sighs making me worried for a second. 

"We had a fight. And even though you were a bitch, I kind of understand why. I have to trust you. You are your own person, so I have to accept the things you do. You are my best friend. And no matter how much you hurt me, I'm not going to let this ruin our friendship. I will always be there for you," Jessica putting on reassurance on our friendship makes me smile. I wipe away a happy tear as she picks out a dress. 

"Okay, how about this blue dress? It flows down to your ankles, and the top is really nice." Jessica asks. I tilt my head as I imagine wearing it. Don't get me wrong, it looks nice. But the color is hideous on my post-summer complexion. 

"No," I say bluntly. Jessica rolls her eyes and continues searching. She picks out a silky pink dress. Before Jessica can even utter the words, I shake my head. Jessica groans and continues the search; she knows that I am picky. It usually takes me an hour to even pick a dress.

"Okay, Christine. Half an hour has gone by, and you said no to the two out of the three dresses that I can find. So, this dress is your final option. What do you think?" She asks while holding a deep purple dress. I smile as I remember the burgundy dress. That dress is what I wore when I first hung out with Jessica and John at a fancy restaurant. 

I slowly nod, making Jessica happy that I'm finally agreeing to something. She shoves the dress into my arms and leaves my room so that I can dress in privacy. 

I quickly stand up and put on the dress. Then, I watch as Jessica reenters with a miniature briefcase. I sit down in front of my dressing table and wait for Jessica to apply my make-up. Jessica knows that I'm not into wearing a lot of makeup, so she only applies some foundation, blush, and some eyeshadow.

Once Jessica finished, she takes out her mirror and shows it to me. The reflection that stares back at me is gorgeous. Even though there was little to no make-up, it makes me feel much pretty than I was. I stand up and engulf Jessica in a huge hug. I'm not having the best day but this turns out to be very helpful.

I didn't know I needed this until she came. 

"Thanks, Jessica. I really appreciate it," I speak with full sincerity. When I release her from my hug, I cannot help but notice the guilty look on Jessica's face. However, I try to not think too much of it. 

"No worries. We will sit in my car and I will take you to Stan's place," Jessica explains while packing. My smile is beginning to decay. Since when did Jessica know where Stan live? As we got inside her car, I start becoming nervous. 

I have no idea what I am going to do on the date. Right now, I don't want to eat, speak or see any-.

"We're here," Jessica's voice breaks my trance. I smile and got out of the car. When I close the door, I give Jessica a wave as she drives back to my house. Maybe this date will be really nice. Having quality time with Stan and seeing his face may ease me into telling him about the baby.

For a CEO, his house was quite modest. No huge mansion, its exterior is a simple two-story house. I knock on his door and wait. When Stan opens the door, he's wearing a maroon suit. Even though it was quite simple attire, he looks so good in it.

"Are you ready to go, Mio Regina di cioccolato?" Stan ask. His accent made me swoon in delight. I nod my head, scared that I would say something weird.

We both got in Stan's car and drive off. Nausea starts kicking in, and I have to hold it in. I really don't want sick all over his car. Once the car slows down, I see that we are in front of a forest that I haven't been to before. 

"We're here, Christine. Our destination is a short three-minute walk from here," Stan states. Both of us get out of the car and begin the walk. The curiosity is eating me from the inside out. Why were we going into the vasts forest?

"Stan, why are we in the middle of the forests?" I question with a skeptical voice. He responds with a chuckle and walks behind me. 

"It's a surprise. We're almost here. But I need to close your eyes." Stan quickly put his large hands over my eyes. Now I cannot see a thing. Fear starts brewing inside of me, and I'm afraid that he's going to kill me. I have read enough horror books to know that couples in forests do not mix well.

"Stan, if you are going to kill me, then I will make sure that I won't go down without a fight-" Stan interrupts my threat by reassuring me. 

"Christine, don't worry. We are here," Stan slowly removes his hands, and I gasp. We're standing in front of a lake with a deck. And on the deck, there's an elaborate dinner table with scattered rose petals all over the wooden floor. 

It's so romantic, but what a waste of perfectly good roses. 

"Wow, this is quite beautiful," Stan smiles at my response. I swear his smile will be the death of me. 

"Thanks. I had Calvin and Jessica help me." He admits. I grin and kiss him on the cheek. 

He leads me to the table and sits me down. I cannot stop grinning at him as he sits in his seat. I look at the center of the table and notice that there's a ceramic dome over a white dish. When he lifts it, I smile when I see my favorite thing in the world.

Three twelve-inch barbeque chicken subs from the Grillway. And two of them have extra garlic aioli and pickles. I quickly swipe my sandwich and gobble it in satisfaction. During the time, he watches me with satisfaction rather than disgust. 

Stan gets me.

"So, how was your day?" I quickly stopped eating and stared at him with my mouth full of food. Yes, Stan, I can answer your question with my mouth full of meat and carbs. I slowly started chewing the food in my mouth and swallowed it.

"It's going okay, I am just going to start a new book," Stan raised an eyebrow in interest.

"Really? What is it about?" He quickly took his sandwich and took a small bite.

"Well, it's going to be a romantic novel. But I feel like it will be a cliche," Stan nodded as he finished his bite.

"I mean, it doesn't matter whether or not it will be a cliche. As long as you genuinely like the novel itself," He had a point. I couldn't make a story without it being something that came from a special place. But nothing excit- wait. I forgot to mention my pregnancy. I have to tell him; otherwise, I will never tell him soon. But I have to break the ice. 

"Stan, I want to ask you a serious question."

"Go ahead," He said, his mouth that was full of food had it flying everywhere.

"What do you think about having children?" Stan stopped chewing and stared at me. His unreadable expression was starting to scare me. He quickly swallowed and took a minute to think. 

"I don't feel like I will have kids. The thought of children doesn't sit well with me. As you know, I wasn't raised in the best environment, and being dependent on someone who doesn't have the right mindset will traumatize them,"

Oh, so then you will love the news of you knocking me up. But whether or not he was ready, I still had to let Stan know. But before I could even tell him, he had already beaten me to it.

"Christine, there is a lot that you don't know about me." I sat there, confused. What was he hiding from me? "But I like you, and I want you to know,"

"What is it, Stan?" He took a deep breath before staring at me.

"I am a devoted Satanist." As soon as he said those words, I laughed. Surely he was not serious. As I kept laughing, Stan's face looked more upset by the second. Once my laugh died down, he sat there with his fist-shaking on the table. 

Oh. Stan was serious.

"Oh. So, this isn't a joke?" Stan scoffed in irritation.

"Do you think that I would joke to you about my beliefs?" I sat there a little shocked. A guy that I had been dating for about two months believed in worshipping the devil.

"I mean, you're a charming guy. And I am not one to judge someone else's beliefs. However, I wouldn't imagine that you would worship the devil."

"Not that type of Satanist, Christine. I am the type that believes that the devil is a symbol of the impurities of humanity. Traits such as self-indulgence and an eye for an eye are things that I think should be more incorporated. Nobody is perfect; all I want to do is to accept those imperfections.

If you don't accept that, then I don't think we can continue our relationship." Well, as long as Stan wasn't devoted to worshipping Lucifer, I didn't mind. However, now that he told me something so intimate, it felt more comfortable to say that I was pregnant.

"Stan, I am not going to break up with you. I enjoy your time as a human, and I am not going to brand you to your beliefs.

Besides, I also have to tell you something." I admit before taking a few deep breaths. Here goes nothing.  

"I'm pregnant, and it's your child." Stan's face held so many emotions at that point. Oh no. This was the part where he will break up with me. I can't deal with that, not after everything that happened. I didn't even realize that I was crying until I saw the tears falling on the table. 

"I'm so sorry, Stan. But I refuse to abort it. I honestly understand if you want to break up with m-" My sentence gets cut off when Stan hugs me tightly.

"It's okay, Christine. We'll figure it out, together," His whisper only made me cry even more. Stan has no idea how much relief he is giving me.

I love him.

He holds me in his arms, comforting me for what feels like an eternity. Even though Stan finally knows, I still have to tell Jessica, Johnathan, and Calvin.

And I feel like they aren't going to react well.