Laws of Attraction
employment
26 weeks – 6 ½ months.
The atmosphere in the room is tenser than it’s ever been since Alex has known Jack. He’s sitting at the kitchen table, one hand on his stomach and the other holding up a piece of paper in front of him. Jack is beside him, anxiously scribbling words down on another paper and Alex feels like if he even breathes too loudly, Jack is going to yell at him. He’s done it already, when he inhaled sharply when the baby kicked him in the ribs, so Alex doesn’t want to upset him again.
“This is impossible,” Jack mumbles, shaking his head, “The employment rate’s practically at rock bottom and nobody is hiring and I’m not even qualified for half the places that are.”
Alex stays quiet, his chest tightening and a lump forming in his throat. He wants to cry. His hormones are practically begging him to just start sobbing. But he won’t because he doesn’t want to upset Jack right now. Not when he’s so stressed like this over finding a new job.
“There’s a Best Buy at the mall…But I don’t know…Fuck.” Jack slams his hand down onto the table, making it shake and Alex’s water glass almost tips over. “We’re screwed.”
With a quiet, barely audible sight, Alex lifts his head, puts the piece of paper with job descriptions down and says, “I…I could try and get my job at the Nike store back…”
If anything, that suggestion just makes Jack even angrier. “Absolutely not,” He spits out, turning on Alex with angry eyes and a seemingly permanent frown. “You’re nearly seven months pregnant and the doctor said to stay off your feet as much as possible. No.”
Alex nods, leans back in his seat and turns away from Jack. The baby keeps kicking him, and it fucking hurts as usual, but he’s not going to say anything. Jack has every reason to be upset right now. He was ‘let go’ from his job at Best Buy because they had too many employees. He wasn’t the only one let go, just one among many but still. They can’t afford this. They barely had enough to get by when Jack had the job and now that he doesn’t, Alex is sure that they’re going to have to move back in with their parents, or something. And that’s something no soon-to-be parent ever wants.
“Alex…” Jack’s voice is suddenly softer, lighter. Alex looks over, finding him staring at him with a troubled expression. “Lex, I shouldn’t have yelled. I’m sorry.” He reaches out, his right hand wrapping around his back and the other on his hip, pulling him in as close as possible. “You don’t deserve me yelling at you. I’m just-”
“It’s okay,” Alex mumbles into Jack’s shoulder, “I understand.”
“No, it isn’t. I shouldn’t take it out on you. It isn’t your fault. I’m sorry.”
Alex laughs lightly, his breath fanning across Jack’s neck, “I already told you, it’s fine. I get it. But stop stressing so much.” He runs his fingers along the back of Jack’s neck, threading into his hair, “You’ll apply to the Best Buy at the mall and see what happens. If you don’t get it, we’ll just have to go from there. We’ll find something. Okay?”
Jack sighs, “Yeah, okay. You’re right. I’m sorry-”
“Stop saying sorry. Shut up alre- ouch, fuck.” He gasps, both hands moving to his stomach as the baby kicks him particularly hard in the ribs.
Jack is on the floor in seconds, kneeling in front of Alex so that he’s eye level with his protruding stomach. “Hey. Enough,” he says cutely, his lips pressing to the spot above his belly button. “Chill out. You’re hurting your daddy. If you stop kicking him now, I promise you can kick me all you want once you start walking.”
The baby kicks again.
The atmosphere in the room is tenser than it’s ever been since Alex has known Jack. He’s sitting at the kitchen table, one hand on his stomach and the other holding up a piece of paper in front of him. Jack is beside him, anxiously scribbling words down on another paper and Alex feels like if he even breathes too loudly, Jack is going to yell at him. He’s done it already, when he inhaled sharply when the baby kicked him in the ribs, so Alex doesn’t want to upset him again.
“This is impossible,” Jack mumbles, shaking his head, “The employment rate’s practically at rock bottom and nobody is hiring and I’m not even qualified for half the places that are.”
Alex stays quiet, his chest tightening and a lump forming in his throat. He wants to cry. His hormones are practically begging him to just start sobbing. But he won’t because he doesn’t want to upset Jack right now. Not when he’s so stressed like this over finding a new job.
“There’s a Best Buy at the mall…But I don’t know…Fuck.” Jack slams his hand down onto the table, making it shake and Alex’s water glass almost tips over. “We’re screwed.”
With a quiet, barely audible sight, Alex lifts his head, puts the piece of paper with job descriptions down and says, “I…I could try and get my job at the Nike store back…”
If anything, that suggestion just makes Jack even angrier. “Absolutely not,” He spits out, turning on Alex with angry eyes and a seemingly permanent frown. “You’re nearly seven months pregnant and the doctor said to stay off your feet as much as possible. No.”
Alex nods, leans back in his seat and turns away from Jack. The baby keeps kicking him, and it fucking hurts as usual, but he’s not going to say anything. Jack has every reason to be upset right now. He was ‘let go’ from his job at Best Buy because they had too many employees. He wasn’t the only one let go, just one among many but still. They can’t afford this. They barely had enough to get by when Jack had the job and now that he doesn’t, Alex is sure that they’re going to have to move back in with their parents, or something. And that’s something no soon-to-be parent ever wants.
“Alex…” Jack’s voice is suddenly softer, lighter. Alex looks over, finding him staring at him with a troubled expression. “Lex, I shouldn’t have yelled. I’m sorry.” He reaches out, his right hand wrapping around his back and the other on his hip, pulling him in as close as possible. “You don’t deserve me yelling at you. I’m just-”
“It’s okay,” Alex mumbles into Jack’s shoulder, “I understand.”
“No, it isn’t. I shouldn’t take it out on you. It isn’t your fault. I’m sorry.”
Alex laughs lightly, his breath fanning across Jack’s neck, “I already told you, it’s fine. I get it. But stop stressing so much.” He runs his fingers along the back of Jack’s neck, threading into his hair, “You’ll apply to the Best Buy at the mall and see what happens. If you don’t get it, we’ll just have to go from there. We’ll find something. Okay?”
Jack sighs, “Yeah, okay. You’re right. I’m sorry-”
“Stop saying sorry. Shut up alre- ouch, fuck.” He gasps, both hands moving to his stomach as the baby kicks him particularly hard in the ribs.
Jack is on the floor in seconds, kneeling in front of Alex so that he’s eye level with his protruding stomach. “Hey. Enough,” he says cutely, his lips pressing to the spot above his belly button. “Chill out. You’re hurting your daddy. If you stop kicking him now, I promise you can kick me all you want once you start walking.”
The baby kicks again.