The World Inside of You
oo1.
"I'm pregnant."
The words tumbled out as I fiddled with a teaspoon, stirring my lukewarm coffee and shifting on my chair. My best friend Bryce choked on her spoonful of eggs and dropped her fork. Normally our breakfasts together would be uneventful, though they were always fun there had never been a bombshell like this.
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah," I nodded, trying to act like this was no big deal. But in fact, it was possibly the hugest deal I could have been dealt. Like gambling the last of your money on a losing hand. "About two months gone."
"Holy shit, Zane," she looked shell-shocked. "Two months, does that mean that Parker is...?"
"I don't know," I shifted again, feeling sick. I'd never kept secrets from Bryce, but the one I had tucked away was one she couldn't know. "Remember that one night stand? It could be him. So I have to tell both him and Parker that they're both possibilities. Then I have to tell mum and dad that I'm a Carrier."
I rubbed at my stomach, imagining the little tadpole baby inside of me. Me, a Carrier. Born a normal guy, except with a developing womb and eggs lying dormant until sexual activity. Most Carriers never found out what they were until they were in my position, most just figured they were infertile. In the olden days it was a big deal, and people could be killed for eat. These days even some of the big movie stars were known as Carriers.
"Hey, on the bright side," Bryce's chirpy voice snapped me out my thoughts. "Our babies will grow up together."
I grinned at that thought. She'd found out four months ago that her first round of IVF was successful, which was lucky because I knew they couldn't afford any more. I rubbed her cute little baby bump that was starting to blossom and thought of our kids growing up together, the same way we had. Being best friends, like us.
I relaxed as my thoughts went down a more positive path, and managed to finish off my breakfast. Thankfully the cafe was quiet so we wouldn't be kicked out the minute that our plates were clear.
But as Bryce chattered away about the baby names she'd been discussing with Harrison, I felt myself drift back off into my worries from earlier. It had been two months since I'd seen Parker, since I'd kicked him out and screamed that I hated him forever. Two long months of my aching heart not getting over him.
Unlike the other possibility, who I'd be seeing in just a few hours, seeing as he was the teacher of my college class.
The words tumbled out as I fiddled with a teaspoon, stirring my lukewarm coffee and shifting on my chair. My best friend Bryce choked on her spoonful of eggs and dropped her fork. Normally our breakfasts together would be uneventful, though they were always fun there had never been a bombshell like this.
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah," I nodded, trying to act like this was no big deal. But in fact, it was possibly the hugest deal I could have been dealt. Like gambling the last of your money on a losing hand. "About two months gone."
"Holy shit, Zane," she looked shell-shocked. "Two months, does that mean that Parker is...?"
"I don't know," I shifted again, feeling sick. I'd never kept secrets from Bryce, but the one I had tucked away was one she couldn't know. "Remember that one night stand? It could be him. So I have to tell both him and Parker that they're both possibilities. Then I have to tell mum and dad that I'm a Carrier."
I rubbed at my stomach, imagining the little tadpole baby inside of me. Me, a Carrier. Born a normal guy, except with a developing womb and eggs lying dormant until sexual activity. Most Carriers never found out what they were until they were in my position, most just figured they were infertile. In the olden days it was a big deal, and people could be killed for eat. These days even some of the big movie stars were known as Carriers.
"Hey, on the bright side," Bryce's chirpy voice snapped me out my thoughts. "Our babies will grow up together."
I grinned at that thought. She'd found out four months ago that her first round of IVF was successful, which was lucky because I knew they couldn't afford any more. I rubbed her cute little baby bump that was starting to blossom and thought of our kids growing up together, the same way we had. Being best friends, like us.
I relaxed as my thoughts went down a more positive path, and managed to finish off my breakfast. Thankfully the cafe was quiet so we wouldn't be kicked out the minute that our plates were clear.
But as Bryce chattered away about the baby names she'd been discussing with Harrison, I felt myself drift back off into my worries from earlier. It had been two months since I'd seen Parker, since I'd kicked him out and screamed that I hated him forever. Two long months of my aching heart not getting over him.
Unlike the other possibility, who I'd be seeing in just a few hours, seeing as he was the teacher of my college class.