He tilts his head, watching me briefly before he turns, walks to the bathroom sink, opens the cupboard beneath it, pulls out a paper bag. He tosses it none too gently onto the counter, opens the top, removes a small box, his eyes locked with mine as he removes the plastic around the outside. He goes about opening the box, removing the test from the plastic wrapper before walking over to me and holding it up under my nose. “Here you go.”
“What are you doing?”
He smirks. “Not being so goddamn reasonable.”
“This is not what I meant,” I respond, taking the plastic stick from him rather gingerly.
He shrugs, moving back to the counter and leaning back against it nonchalantly. “Too late. Either you do it now or I’ll sit your ass on that toilet until you have no choice but to pee on that stick.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
His smile lacks humor. “Try me.”
I study him, torn between intrigue and annoyance. Typically, Ren is the laid-back type, so him being overbearing always makes me feel a certain way.
Focus, Cassidy.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks with a knowing smirk, and I immediately check my expression, feigning innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He narrows his eyes, makes a shooing motion. “Get on with it. No trying to distract me with sex.”
Now I feign being greatly offended. “I would never.”
“Lies,” he retorts, pointing toward the door marked ‘WC’, “Get on with it.”
Sighing, I turn, slowly walk the few feet to the bathroom. I go to close the door, but he’s right there, having snuck up on me. “Leave the door open.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t trust you.”
“You’re not going to watch me pee.”
He says nothing, just leans against the doorjamb, his arms crossed in front of his chest. I wait a minute, expecting him to let me in on the joke, but when he doesn’t move I accept that I’ve pushed him too far.
He is now over-the-top Ren, and will remain so until I give in.
Then he deadpans, “Want me to hold the stick for you?”
“Oh my—” I begin, now completely exasperated by the entire situation. “That is not necessary.”
He eyes me suspiciously, so I untie my sleep pants, begin to push them down, but stop and say, “Seriously Ren, you don’t need to watch me. I’ll do it. I promise.”
At first, I think he’s not going to budge, but then, he relaxes slightly, and he pushes off the doorjamb, states, “I’ll be right out here,” then grabs the door handle, begins to pull the door closed, but I interrupt, “You can leave it open. It’s okay.”
He does as I ask with a nod then disappears from view, but I hear him at the bathroom counter, puttering around.
“You got this, Cass,” I mutter to myself then laugh that I needed a pep talk in order to pee on a damn stick.
And I honestly don’t know what I’m more afraid of; a plus sign or a negative one. Since we got back to our physicalrelationship we haven’t been actively trying to get pregnant, but as Ren so helpfully pointed out, not using birth control isn’t exactly tryingnotto get pregnant.
My doctor told me it may take time for me to conceive again, and to make an appointment with her if I start to worry it’s taking too long. The fact it’s only been a few months has me feeling nervous and overwhelmed, but at the same time the fact it’s been a few months has me scared and worried.
Making quick work of it, I make sure the tip is saturated before putting the cap on it, and setting it on the shelf. I get my clothing back to rights, pick up the test, being sure to have the results window facing away, and then exit the bathroom in a rush.
I shove the test at Ren, which he takes after a moment of surprised hesitation, then I move to the sink to wash my hands. Drying my hands, I glance at him, still standing in the same spot, holding the test, giving me a sideways look, so I ask, “What?”
“What am I doing with this?”
