After we get our food—pad thai for me and pineapple fried rice for her—Electra just smiles at me from across the table and shakes her head.
“What?” I ask, dabbing my mouth with a napkin.
“I just can’t believe you’re knocked up,” she says.
My hand moves to my belly. “Neither can I. And it’s almost over.”
“That's a good thing, right?” she asks as she loads a pile of rice onto her spoon. “I mean, I hear pregnancy really blows.”
“It actually hasn’t been that bad,” I say. “Other than the morning sickness at first. That was pretty bad. By the way? The name is deceiving. It doesn’t only happen in the morning.”
“Shit, really?”
“Really. Then there’s the leg cramps. The night sweats. The mood swings. And don’t get me started on sciatic nerve pain. I literally thought I was going to die.”
“Sounds amazing,” she smirks, and I laugh.
“Okay, but other than that, it really does feel pretty cool. Like I’m growing a human being. A little boy.”
Tears sting the back of my eyes. I guess I forgot to mention the involuntary waterworks.
“It will be kind of cool seeing the little guy running around,” she admits. “Playing in the dirt. Ice cream all over his face. It’s an excuse to go to Disney World, which has always been on my bucket list.”
“You just want to drink your way around the world,” I tease, and she puts her hands up.
“Don’t you? And once he’s born, we can do that.”
I smile at the thought of a wavy-haired little boy with bright blue eyes and a temper to boot.
But it quickly fades. I don’t know what my future looks like. If I had to guess, it’s not going to be your everyday perfect family scenario. It can’t be. Not with Jenica in the picture. Not with me still being a secret.
“So tell me about this guy you’re seeing,” I say. “Does he have social media?”
“No,” Electra answers casually.
“Well then, how did you meet him?” I ask. “You always meet men on dating apps.”
“Thanks. But no, I actually met this one in person.”
I gasp in faux shock. “An organic connection?”
“Yes. Can you believe it?” She laughs. “We actually met at a speakeasy. I was there alone. Well, I was there because the bartender is a snack and I was trying to get his number. Or at least a free drink. That’s when Sean came in and stood next to me. Stacked. Blonde. A devilish grin.”
“How was his nose?” I tease.
“Straight,” she fires back.
“A man who has never had a broken nose. That does sound like a step up from some of the men you’ve been with.”
“You’re not funny. But tease me all you want. He’s a catch. And he lets me spend his money, which he has a lot of.”
“As long as he’s a good guy,” I say. “So… if he’s all that and a bag of chips, when do I get to meet him?”
Electra crinkles her nose a little. “Well. I’m not sure. He’s not very social.”
“Yeah, but I’m your best friend,” I say. “It’s mandatory before it gets too serious for me to meet him.”
“Only if I get to meet your baby daddy in a setting where he isn’t shoving you off into an alley during a blind date,” she says with a finger pointed at me.
