My phone rings again, and my stomach sinks just like it does every time it rings lately. Flipping my phone over, I peek through one squinted eye, scared that if I see his name on my screen again, I just might crack this time and answer.
Instead, Ryan’s name and picture are splayed across the screen. Swiping, I accept her call.
“Ry! I miss you,” I greet her, emotion coating my throat.
“Taev! Thank god you answered. I feel like it’s been forever since we’ve talked.”
I chuckle at that. “We just talked last night, you needy brat.”
“Exactly! Wayyyyy too long. I miss hanging out with you everyday.”
“Me too,” I choke out as tears sting my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks. Because, god, do I miss her.
“Want to have a FaceTime movie date tonight? We could do aTwilightmarathon.”
“I don’t know, Ry. I’m not really in the mood. I think I’m overworking myself because I’m not feeling the best. I’m exhausted, and if anything else I’m nauseous.”
Ryan cackles on the other end of the phone. “God, you’re not pregnant are you?”
I hesitate for a moment, just long enough for Ryan to pick up on the fact that I’m not laughing along with her.
“Tae? I didn’t hear you tell me there’s no chance in hell, so I’ve got to ask . . . is there any way you could be pregnant?”
“No. No, of course not. I haven’t been with anyone else.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured considering you’re still married and all that. But, I mean, when was your last period?”
Yeah, so I spilled the beans and told Ryan that Jax and I got married. Let’s just say she was shellshocked for all of a minute before she accepted it far too quickly than I would’ve if the roles were reversed.
“I don’t know. The end of August I think?”
“You think. Hmm, well do you track it on an app or anything?”
“Here, let me check. I think I texted Jackson asking him to get me tampons. I’ll just search my messages for that.”
Time seems to move at a snail’s pace as I wait for the search in my texts to load.
“Shit! No, that can’t be right. I had to have had it since then. There’s no way.”
“What? When was it?” Panic matching my own laces Ryan’s tone.
My stomach sinks and my world comes to a halt as I stare down at the screen. “According to this, my last period was at the beginning of July.”
“Holy shit!”
“Stop it, you’re not helping!” I shout at her.
“Taevin, that was like almost three months ago! You’ve missed three periods and you didn’t notice?” Ry’s on the edge of hysteria at this point.
“I’ve been avoiding dealing with a broken heart and more than a little busy trying to record my first album,” I grumble, pleading my defense.
“You’ve got to take a test. Do you want me to fly down there?”
If I were able to laugh right now, I’d snort at her absurdity. Instead, tears well in my eyes from her sincere friendship that hasn’t dwindled at all since we’ve become long distance. It has me wondering what other relationships I could’ve held onto.
Clearing past the emotion swelling my throat, I respond, “No. I can take one. I’m supposed to be flying to Boston to hang out with you next weekend anyways. I’ll just wait to see if I get my period before then, and if I don’t, we can get one while I’m there.”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line. “Taev, I don’t think it’s a good idea to wait. I mean, shouldn’t you be seeing a doctor soon?”
