The Hardest Part of Today is a Hangover.

I was the only one pacing through the waiting room. I felt like an idiot when I noticed this, but the doctor interrupted my recognition with a pop of his latex glove.

“Well, everything went great,” he informed us.

I finally took my seat next to Oli. He quickly grabbed my hand, giving it a quick squeeze, then sent a smile my way. I couldn’t help but smile back—his warm, welcome smile always made me do that. I felt like my body was on fire.

“You’re all allowed to come back and see her, but it needs to be two at a time, please,” he added, then disappeared through the door. A nurse stayed behind with a smile on her face, her hands clasped in front of her, waiting.

I looked around and everyone was looking at me. “Go,” they urged, giving my arm a nudge.

I gulped, grabbing Oli’s hand as a I stood, pulling him along behind me. And we disappeared through those doors together, a sigh away from seeing Adam and Erin’s new child—their new future.

Everything sunk in when I walked through those doors and saw that baby in Erin’s arms, smiling up at her. We weren’t going to be able to party anymore. We were growing up, getting older. Our responsibilities didn’t affect just us anymore.

“Casey Lynn, we’ve decided,” Adam said, the smile in his voice all too evident.

“Casey Lynn,” I muttered, looking at Oli. “Sounds nice.”

He nodded. “Yeah. It does.”

I felt his arm snake around my waist at that moment as he pulled me closer to him and we watched the new family in front of us rejoice in their new baby. The only thing in this room was happiness…and a new direction.

[-One Month Later-]

I sat behind the desk, Christie in the back room with one of the kids she was giving guitar lessons to, when Oli walked through the front door.

“Hey love,” he greeted, pulling me away from my AP magazine to give me a quick kiss. “I think it’s time for your lunch break. It’s 1:30.”

My head snapped up to the clock hanging above my head and, sure enough, it was 1:30. I grabbed my purse from underneath the desk, threw it over my shoulder and took a nice, love sigh before I started walking for the door to Christie's lesson room.

Not one second had my hand been on the door before the phone rang and I had to run back and get it.

"Hello. This is Righteous Record Store; Anna speaking. How may I help you?"

"Hey Anna. It's Tom. Is Christie there?"

I rolled my eyes, sent Oli a glare liek it was his fault or some nonsense, and then put my mouth back to the phone. "Yeah, she's here, but she's with a student right now. You want me to leave a message?"

"Yeah. Just tell her that we're picking my parents up at the airport tomorrow at five o'clock," he said simply, the smile on his face floating out of his mouth like he hadn't just sent me into cardiac arrest.

"Yeah," I mumbled, looking at Oli, "I'll tell her."

I hung up the phone, stomped over to Caitlin's door with Oli's death wish stabbing at my gut, and swung the door open. "Tom just called, Christie. Tomorrow. Five o'clock. Parents. Be there," I murmured, sighing, "and I'm going to lunch with Oli. I'll be back."

"Okay!" Caitlin said cheerily, beaming. "See you later!"

I rolled my eyes and closed the door behind me. How could she be so happy when her boyfriend's obnoxious Brit parents are coming in town tomorrow? I thought to myself, all the while walking down the street with Oli. And how could he not tell me? I continued. I'm probably going to have to meet them and be like 'Yeah, I'm the girl that fucked your son over for countless months. It's my fault he was extremely depressed. I'm the girl! Kill me now, please!' and hope they don't kill me right there. Then I-

"Anna? Anna, what do you want?" Oli asked.

I looked up to see a waiter standing there, a questioning look on his face.

When did we get in a restaurant?

"I'll have a-"

"And you were just too busy being fabulous
Too busy to think about us
I don't know what you were dreamin' of
Somehow you forgot about love
And you were just too busy being fabulous"

I picked my phone up and groaned. Erin. And the only time Erin ever calls anymore is when she's asking me to help with Casey, which drives me nuts 'cause I've had my own problems this passed month.

"Yes?" I mumbled into the phone, putting the waiter on hold.

Erin was out of breath on the other line. "Anna, I've run out of diapers! Can you buy me some? Please, please, please? I'll pay you back! I just... I need some! Now!"

Sighing, I nodded even though she couldn't see me.

"Yeah. I'll be right there."

I shut my phone and looked at the waiter. "I'll have a nothing. Oli, we've got to go."

[--]

"Thank you so much, Anna. You're a lifesaver!" Erin shouted, laying Casey in her bed and giving me a large squeeze. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Use a curtain or something," Oli laughed from the doorway.

I shook my head. "Well, you're welcome, Erin, but we've got to go. I need to talk to him about some things."

She looked at Oli, then me, then nodded. "Okay. I'll see you two later."

"Bye," Oli waved, though he was confused about what we had to talk about. He didn't say anything until we reached the car, then he turned and looked at me, "What's wrong?"

"I know your parents are coming tomorrow, Oliver," I muttered.

"Oh..." he whispered as he started to back out of the driveway. "I was going to tell you at lunch, I swear!"

I shook my head, throwing my hands in the air. "No, no. Don't tell me that! Why couldn't you tell me earlier than that, Oli? I'm not emotionally prepared for this!"

He stopped abruptly.

"What?"

I sighed. "Oli, I don't know how to really say this... I feel so lame and Soap Opera doing this now, but I just found out last week and-"

"What's wrong? Are you pregnant or something?" he laughed.

I looked at him seriously. "Actually, yeah. I am."