After All This Time

“Okay, get up,” Jay demanded, pushing the door to Kate’s bedroom open. Kate tore her gaze away from the ceiling fan for a moment, her eyes drifting to the very pregnant woman standing in her room.

“I don’t wanna,” she replied, the springs of her mattress squeaking as she rolled over to stare at the wall. Suddenly, a protruding belly again clouded her vision. She groaned, throwing the violet pillow over her head.

“You’ve been sitting here pouting for two weeks with your damn cell phone off. It’s time to get out of the house, sweetie,” Jay crooned, grabbing Kate’s hand and pulling her to her feet.

“I have not! I’ve been busy with school and work. And I turn my cell phone on,” she snapped defensively. Jay scoffed, throwing a pink blouse and black skirt at Kate’s face. She caught it, nearly falling back onto the quilt covered bed.

“Go put those on,” she ordered, raising her eyebrows as Kate stormed to the bathroom with a huff. “By the way, school and work don’t take up every waking minute of your day, and I know your cell’s off, ‘cause otherwise it wouldn’t go straight to voice mail.”

“Whatever,” she grumbled, sticking her head out of the bathroom. “Is it so wrong for me to sit in the dark and listen to depressing music? Don’t answer that.”

“You look nice,” Jay said approvingly, handing her a pair of black pumps. Kate looked at her incredulously.

“Where are we even going?” she asked, snatching them from her hands. She hobbled around trying to get them on as she watched for an answer.

“Out for dinner,” Jay responded, pushing her wheat colored curls away from her glowing face. Kate rolled her eyes, grabbing her purse from the dresser top. She made her way down to the parking lot, Jay waddling closely behind. Kate tried to hold her laughter inside as Jay struggled to fit behind the wheel.

“So, why aren’t you going out to dinner with that lovely husband of yours?” Kate asked, watching her building slowly disappear behind them.

“Because I’m deeply worried about his baby sister. He is too, but it was either this, or he was gonna go to her boyfriend’s apartment and do some damage.” Kate’s jaw dropped as she stared at Jay completely horrified.

“If he did that, he would need to watch his back, because she would be pissed,” she hissed, watching Jay’s lips form into a smirk.

“I realized that. Which is why here we are, going to eat and have some girl time. Any more questions?” Kate crossed her arms, sinking down against the leather seats.

“No,” she sulked, watching people walking on the sidewalks. She heard Jay stifling laughter beside her, her hands clutching the steering wheel. A regal building appeared in view, and Jay turned into the parking lot, neatly positioning the tiny car between the yellow lines decorating the pavement.

“Hurry up, Katie. I’m eight months pregnant, and I’m still faster than you,” Jay taunted, already halfway to the double doors. Kate snapped out of her daydream, fumbling with her seat belt. Jay was giggling as her heel tapped against the concrete. Kate rolled her eyes, looping her arm with Jay’s as they strolled into the building.

The air was cooler, and the lights were dimmed. As Kate’s eyes adjusted, she could see a bar at one end, and tabletops draped in red dotting the rest of the room. Jay led her to the wooden podium, where a woman stood smiling. The whole atmosphere was relaxed and calm. Kate’s hazy eyes wandered across the slate gray walls, landing on the golden picture frames.

“Hi, reservations for Williams,” Jay said politely, and the hostess smiled, grabbing two menus and leading them to a table nestled in the corner. They softly thanked her before looking at the laminated paper, eyes scrolling through delicious sounding meals.

“What are you gonna get?” Kate asked, looking up at Jay. She pushed some blond hair away from her face before shrugging.

“I’m incredibly pregnant. Everything here looks appealing,” she joked, cyan eyes sparking. Kate managed a laugh, shaking her head a bit. They both jumped a bit as a waiter set a glass in front of Kate.

“We didn’t order drinks yet,” she managed, looking at the fruity, no doubt alcoholic, drink.
“It’s from the man over there,” the waiter responded with a soft smile. He gestured with his free hand to a brunette on a bar stool, handsome in the almost-too-pretty way. Kate felt her cheeks turn the color of the tablecloth as his warm brown eyes met her own.

“I’m sorry, but could you bring it back to him and tell him thanks, but no thanks, I’m taken?” she asked, and shifted in her cushioned seat awkwardly. The waiter did as asked, and Jay raised her eyebrows curiously. Before she could comment, though, a young woman dressed in black slacks and a white button up bounced over, a notepad in hand.

“Hi, I’m Lucy, and I’ll be your server this evening. Can I start you out with something to drink?” Her voice was almost too cheery for Kate’s mood, but she forced a smile on her face anyway.

“I’ll have the iced tea,” she said, her gaze flickering back to the menu. The girl scribbled it down before turning to Jay.

“I’ll just have water, thanks,” she murmured. The petite girl disappeared through the restaurant, allowing a silence to seep over. Kate’s phone buzzed in her purse, and she shuffled through it before hitting the ignore button. As she allowed it to be swallowed into her purse, she caught Jay’s disapproving look.

“What?” Kate snapped, a growl forming in her throat as the ringing started again. Jay waited until she silenced it to say a word.

“Well, you won’t take a drink from a hot stranger because you have a boyfriend, but when said boyfriend calls you, you won’t even answer? I mean, you’re supposed to play hard-to-get before you date.” Even with the light tone that filled her voice, Kate could sense the seriousness behind it.

“I’m just not sure what to say to any of them yet,” she mumbled, watching a couple at a table a few feet away.

“Sweetie, I get it, but you can’t stay mad forever,” Jay said softly. She gave Kate a half-smile, trying to be kind.

“They all knew, and not one of them said a word to me. They’re my best friends, and they couldn’t have the decency to tell me they’re leaving?” she whisper-screamed, clenching the silverware in her hands. Jay held her hands up in defense, her eyes glittering mischievously.

“Put the knife down and let’s talk about this, okay,” she teased. Kate dropped the rolled up cutlery, mumbling apologetically. “You can’t blame them all. Yeah, they should’ve told you, and you shouldn’t have found out like you did. But I’m sure they were giving Kendall a chance to tell you himself. Go easy on the poor boys.”

“It just sucks. Every time things start looking up, something like this has to happen.”

“Remember what I said after you guys broke up, about how things aren’t going to be perfect? How you have to find how much pain you can endure to be with that person?” Kate traced a pattern on the crimson cloth, nodding her head. “You may be hurting, but you decided Kendall was worth it. Do you still believe that?” Kate met the older girl’s eyes, her bottom lip quivering as his face flooded her mind.