Love's Requiem

“Alex really I am fine.” I assured Alex on the phone Sunday night.

“I still think I should come home.” He huffed on the line. “What if you go in to labor early?”

“Then you’ll fly home, but as of right now I’m not so stop worrying so much you’re making me look good on our wedding day!”

“Excuse me for wanting to be home with my pregnant wife.”

“You’re excused.” I chuckled. “Miss me yet?” I teased.

“You have no idea.” He mumbled making me frown.

“It’ll go by fast, I mean we spent almost a year apart and survived.”

“Mind you we were with other people.”

“Still!”

“Slon feed me!” Niko whined from the living room.

“New nickname?” Alex laughed while I cursed out my brother in Croatian.

“He’s been calling me elephant! That’s what slon means!”

“But you’re a cute elephant.”

“Not you too! I’m pregnant!” I cried making Alex laugh.

“I’ll let you go, call me before you go to sleep.” He chuckled.

“Okay, I love you.”

“Volim te, Slon.” He chuckled. “I love you too.”

“I hate that you now can speak some Croatian.” I told him as I hung up.

“I’m not cooking, lets get take out.” I told Niko as I walked in the living room plopping down next to him.

“What are you in the mood for?”

“Greek.”

“I could go for Greek.” He nodded as I picked up the phone and the take out menu from the stack that I had next to it.

We ate dinner, and watched a few movies for the remainder of the night.

“Ugh I can’t last another 3 months of this.” I groaned as the babies started kicking again.

“Don’t you mean 5?” Niko asked confused.

“Yeah that’s what I meant.” I mumbled.

“Bella, how many months are you really?”

“4 like I said going on five.”

“But you can’t feel them kick until around 6 remember Melanie with Sofia?” He pointed out.

“You can if you’re having twins.”

“I don’t think you can.” He paused and thought about it.

“Okay!” I said cracking. “You can’t say anything to anyone not even Angela.”

“What’s up?” He asked looking concerned.

“I’m 6 months.”

“Is, is it Niko’s?” He asked with wide eyes after doing the math.

“No.” I shook my head.

“Are you sure I mean if I’m correct six months ago was February and you were still with him.”

I let out a sigh, “When we were in Vegas on the winter tour Alex and I were drunk and ended up having sex.” I confessed. “And that’s how these two came to be.” I added putting my hands on my belly.

“You cheated on Niko?” He exclaimed.

“You really think I’m happy about it? Why do you think I ended it with him?”

“Jesus Bella, what did you tell him?”

“That I couldn’t leave my life here, I wasn’t lying.”

“But you weren’t exactly telling him the truth.”

“What was I supposed to do, tell him they were his? What would happen if they looked just
like Alex? I’ve hurt him enough, he deserved better.”

“So is that why you and Alex decided to get married then? Cause you were pregnant?”

“No, we got married because we love each other you really think I would do it other wise?”

“I guess not, so what are you going to do when you go in to labor?”

“Try to play it off that they’re a month early.” I told him as I got up and went to the kitchen.

“Who else knows?” He asked following me.

“Close friends, and Dennis.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I’m you’re brother.”

“You also have Baka’s mouth to gossip.” I added.

“Good point.” He nodded.

“Can we not talking about this anymore, my indigestion is making me feel terrible enough.”

“It’s okay Slon I still love you.” He smiled giving me a squeeze.

“Stop calling me Slon I’m not that big.” I whined.

“Sure you’re not.” He laughed as I pulled out two containers of ice cream passing him one.

“Hey you’ve seen how big Alex’s head is I have two of his spawns growing in me.” I defended.

“Yeah, yeah what was your excuse 7 months ago?” He joked.

“Shut up!” I exclaimed smacking his arm.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” He laughed.

“Dick.” I mumbled making him laugh more.

The next morning, we picked up Michi at the airport well sadly Niko had to go because I felt like complete garbage when I woke up that morning.

“Too good to come and pick up your best friend from the airport now?” Michi exclaimed as I let them in the house.

“Ugh.” I grunted.

“Ew you’re making me never want to get pregnant.” She told me giving me a tight hug.

“Adopt.” I mumbled as I felt a sharp kick. “I’m going back to bed.” I mumbled.

“Glad you offered, I could use a nap.” She smiled throwing her suitcase down.

So Michi and I crawled in to my bed and we girl talked about everyone back home as well as what had been going on with me.

“So what names have you come up with?” Michi asked me while I yawned and rubbed Zita’s head that was sleeping next to me.

“If it’s a girl Nora or Maya I think.” I said trying to remember.

“And a boy?”

“Brandan I think. You should be asking Alex he remembers better than me.” I chuckled.

“So when do you want to start construction?”

“Tomorrow depending how I’m feeling, sound good?”

“Of course darling.”

Niko left that night after we at the dinner the three of us made together and promised he’d be back next weekend. Michi and I started planning out what we wanted to change with the house, as well as how we were going to do the nursery.

“I just don’t like yellow, when did that become so gender neutral?” I exclaimed to Michi while we were in Home Depot the following afternoon. Of course we were drawing attention to ourselves because we were quarreling back and forth in Croatian.

“It just is!” She replied.

“But I fucking hate yellow, which means my babies are going to hate yellow. How about red?”

“No one makes their nurseries red, the color hurts the babies eyes.”

“When did you become the baby expert?” I mumbled earning a smack in the head.

“Do you ladies need any help?” Someone asked us nervously.

“Yes!” I exclaimed turning to face the person. “I’m looking to paint a nursery but I’m unsure of
a good color scheme.”

“Do you know the baby’s sex?”

“No, I decided to wait.”

“Well yellow is always a-“

“Anything but yellow!” I pleaded making them laugh.

“A lot of people go with greens, and off white colors.” He suggested.

That guy ended up not helping us one bit, I did not want a lime green baby nursery.

“Well, if you don’t pick something I’m painting it yellow.” Michi explained. “What color was yours?”

“White.” I said closing my eyes trying to remember my old room from when I was in Zadar.

“I mean we can do a lot with white.”

And then it hit me.

“Blue.” I said out loud as I opened my eyes. “We’re going to paint it blue.”

“What if you have girls? And why blue? Of all the fucking colors?”

“The water of the beaches, my room was white but outside the window I had the bright blue
water. A little Zadar for them.” I smiled resting my hand on my belly.

“You’re insane but okay.” She said as we looked through the bright blues.

Minus a detour to taco bell and Cinabon on the way home, I finally had found the color for the babies’ room. A bright blue that even Michi admitted came pretty close to the waters of Croatia.