Breathe

The bell on the front door rang, alerting everyone in the friggin' restaurant that another customer had arrived. I shoved a pen into my apron and headed to my table, nodding at one of the other waitresses who said something I didn't hear. "More coffee?" I asked, holding up the pitcher.

"Yes, thank you," the man said. He was probably around thirty-five, with large square framed glasses and a thick head of black hair. To say he was handsome was a bit of an understatement, but I wasn't going to let it phase me.

I poured him another mug of coffee. Turning, I started to walk to another table, but a muffled smack distracted me, followed by a rather strong sting on my ass. I looked at the man I had just served and stared at him in disbelief. "Sir, that was extremely inappropriate and I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You can pay -"

"Sarah," Ameila said, interrupting me. "Jake's here."

I sighed, and turned back to the man at the booth. "Pay at the counter." I gave him his bill and went back to the front of the restaurant, where Jacob was sitting on one of the bar stools. I contemplated telling him about the man smacking my ass, but decided against it. Jacob might blow it out of proportion and hit him. I didn't want that to happen. "Hey, Jake," I said, throwing the coffee pitcher back onto the hot pad.

"Hello." He smiled at me, and I made a face as the man approached the counter.

He held the ticket out to me, and I took it, a little bit more roughly than I had intended, and rung it up on the cash register. "It'll be eleven thirty-six." I could feel his eyes on me, even as he dug through his wallet to find the money. I kept my attention on the keys of the register, and when he handed me a ten and a five dollar bill, I quickly gave him his change.

"Thanks for everything, little miss," the man said, smiling. He left the restaurant and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Who was that?" Jacob asked, and I moved over to him, leaning across the counter to take his hand.

"No one. I served him today, that's all."

He stared at me suspiciously, but didn't say anything. Ameila came up behind me. "Here's that tip from table three." She slid twenty-five dollars towards me, and I looked at it, disgusted. I still pocketed it, and went to clock out.

My butt still stung from his hand, but I tried to shake it off as I left the restaurant with Jacob. "That guy was weird," Jacob said as we got into his little VW Rabbit. "I really didn't like the way he talked to you."

I sighed, and let my head fall against the cool window pane. "Yeah, he was creepy. I don't want to talk about him."

"Did he touch you, or something? Because I swear to God -"

"No, I'm fine. Everything is fine. I want to go home." Jacob started the car, and I closed my eyes, tired from the long day at work. I had only worked at Avanti's for a month now, and they had already started scheduling me double shifts because I wasn't in school.

Jacob sighed, and turned the radio up, filling the car with Linkin Park. I absentmindedly ran my fingers along my stomach, curling my fingers against my uniform shirt. I could feel Jacob's eyes on me as we came to a stop. "You've been acting strange lately, Sarah. Is everything ok?"

I nodded, eyes still closed.

He sighed again, and I heard the familiar crunch of Jacob's driveway gravel. But before I could get out of the car, he took my arm and kissed me, his lips eagerly melting against mine. I was tired, and wanted to take a nap, but this was ok, too.

We kissed for another moment, before I pulled myself away and got out of the car. Jacob followed, taking my hand and linking his fingers throughout mine. "Uch, what is that smell?" I made a face.

Jacob stared at me as he pushed the front door open. "My dad is making dinner. Sarah, you love his cooking. Are you sure you're ok?"

I took a deep breath, and nodded. "Yeah, maybe I'm just getting a little sick." I held my stomach as I entered the Black household. His sisters Rachel and Rebecca were sitting on the couch in the living room, watching a Lifetime movie.

"Hey, Sarah!" Rachel said, smiling. "It's been a while." She stood, and gave me a hug. "You look different. Did you color your hair?" Rachel looked at me, and I held on to my stomach even more.

"Nope. I did get it cut a few weeks ago, though." I gave her a meek smile.

Jacob tapped his fingers along my shoulders as he walked by, and I followed him through the kitchen to the backyard. Billy sat in front of the grill, a pair of tongs in his hand and a plate in the other. He smiled at us when we closed the back door. "Hey, Billy," I said, patting his shoulder.

He looked at me, and I watched as his eyes lowered to my stomach, where my right arm was clamped. I shifted uncomfortably. "It's really good to see you, Sarah," Billy said, looking back up at me. He looked at Jacob, who wasn't paying any attention. "Why don't you and Jake go back inside? I'll call everyone when dinner is finished."

I nodded, and pulled Jacob into the kitchen. "Sarah," he protested. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, breathing in his musky smell. "What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath, and then reached up to kiss him softly. "I love you so much, Jake," I said, falling onto the heels of my feet.

"I love you too?" He pushed my hair out of my eyes, and I sighed. I was so tired, and the only thing I could think about was sleep.

"I'll be right back. Potty break." I left him in the kitchen, but when I locked myself in the bathroom, I didn't use the toilet. Thankful that there was a mirror on the back of the door, I turned to the side, and examined my profile. I had already gained a few pounds. Damn. Untucking my shirt, I revealed my belly, grimacing at what I saw. I wasn't used to feeling so fat. My skin looked stretched out and hard, unlike the usual soft, smooth skin.

I tucked my shirt back in and flushed the toilet for the effect. Jacob was still in the kitchen when I left the bathroom. "Ok, sorry. I really had to pee," I lied. Jacob wrapped his arm around my waist, and I self-consciously pressed my arm against my belly.

God, why was I such a little chicken-shit?