Skinny Love

“Babe, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m on birth control, so maybe we’ll be fine.”

“Jessica, you’re bright red. I know you’re freaking out.”

“What am I supposed to do, Malik?”

“You know that we’ll be fine either way,” he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. He felt the stiffness of her body underneath him.

“Yea and Gucci has the cutest kids’ clothes now,” she mumbled under her breath.

He giggled a little, only would Jessica have that as a first thought.

“And there might be something growing in there that we made… together.”

They laced their fingers together and she finally cracked a smile.

“We can’t get too excited, babe. I still have to wait like a week or two before taking a test.”

Her features dropped immediately after stating that and tears welled up in her eyes.

“Jessica,” Zayn scanned her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m going to be a pregnant bride… My mother is going to freak out on me.”

“We’re not even sure, yet. Let’s wait a while and then we’ll think of it all later.”

***

Two weeks went by and the pair hadn’t really brought up the topic of pregnancy again. They weren’t afraid of having a baby, it was exposing that child into the world and sharing with their families that they were dipshits that got engaged and pregnant in the course of three weeks. They obviously didn’t want anyone to think they were getting married because she was knocked up. It was honestly the choice of getting married immediately or waiting until their possible child was born.

Jessica’s show at London Fashion Week was over and it went better than expected. She was always a force to be reckoned with, but that show was so well put together and thought out that it made the crowd sit in silence. They were some of the highest fashion elite and socialites, she set them in an abandoned warehouse with wild graphics and mindful sound effects. The pieces were so intricate and adorned with feathers and hand beading. She displayed a collection based off of the classic horror film ‘The Birds’ and the audience was awestruck. Jess always told them that each collection was only a chip off the block of what she had to offer.

“Give me time and I’ll give you a revolution,” a young Palermo spoke. This time, they finally understood what she meant. This was only the beginning.

That night, she didn’t drink nor was she around smoke. The audience didn’t really think much off it, but one person in particular did.

Her mother.

Mama Palermo, was flown in to ever show. They didn’t have the closest relationship up close, but they always looked out for each other from a distance. As Jessica sat with they boys, she sipped on apple juice with a couple of raspberries in it. Her mother was approaching the booth, so Jess stepped out to meet her half way. Zayn was being particularly protective of her steps which the boys noticed. They just didn’t think it was that reason.

“Ciao, Mama,” Jessica’s Italian background flooding through the room.

“How far along are you?” Jessica’s eyes widened. Hoping that it was just her mother’s accent that she heard wrong.

“Wha.. What?”

“The baby.”

“What baby?”

“Yours and Zayn’s. Why didn’t you tell me?” Her mother looked more hurt that angry. The opposite emotion that she was expecting.

“Mommy, we’re not even sure, yet.”

“You’re not even married, honey.”

“I know,” she spoke like a helpless child.

“Are you ready to be a mom?”

She nodded her head with a little smile, “You’re not mad at me?”

“You’re a big girl and I trust Zayn with you. When I can’t be there, I know that you’re always going to be okay with him.”

She looked over at Zayn who was looking intently upon the conversation. Her mother raised her glass to him; an action that he graciously returned. Jessica hugged her mom with so much hope in her heart. Maybe the possible baby in her stomach wasn’t an accident.

“Please go to the doctor, I want to make sure that my grandbaby is okay.”

Her mother then went on to grill her with a million questions about how she was doing and what they all meant. She was gaining a little more weight than her mother did in the start of her pregnancy, but she told her that everyone was different. It was honestly the first time that they bonded in years. When Mrs. Palermo called Zayn over, she smiled at the sight of Zayn holding Jessica close. It reminded her that love that young could exist and now they would hopefully have a beautiful new edition to add in the household.

That night, Jeremiah made her an appointment to go to the doctor with Zayn. It was a little nerve- racking because they would be okay either way. That night, they stayed up all night and thought about what would be the best option. They were in the new house which was decorated by Jeremiah and Jonathan Adler. They had three spare rooms and the one closest to them was the prefect size and a nice color scheme. It was honestly so in place for everything, they just needed to know if there was a baby.

Jessica didn’t have morning sickness, but her mother never did either. She did, however, going six pounds over the course of fifteen days. She didn’t look too different. She justfeltit. It was a strange feeling that she had no way of explaining. She felt like there were butterflies dancing inside of her and fluttering around as she did her daily routine. She felt happy all the time. Zayn saw the glow in her skin that she didn’t take much notice to.

She just felt guilty about being so excited about a baby that might not exist.

“So, what do we do about the wedding?”

“Honestly, Zayn. I always dreamed about a huge fairy tale wedding, but I would be much happier getting married in a court house with just us.”

“You mean that?” Zayn smiled at the ground, thinking about how happy that made him.

“It would make me the happiest woman in the world.”

“Are you sure it’s not just because of the baby?”

“It just feels like the whole spectacle of it all is just unimportant now. I just want to marry you as soon as possible. There’s no point in waiting if this is exactly where we want to be.”

“I’m happiest when I’m with you. I don’t care where we do this or what happens next. As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.”

She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips.

“Sometimes I wonder why you love me so much. I’m a mess and you still act like I’m a queen.”

Zayn scoot himself behind Jessica as they sat on the floor. He straddled himself behind her as she sat in criss- cross position. His hands crept up to her stomach and the butterflies went insane.

“I’m just here to remind you, when you forget, that you’re Jessica Palermo and I’m Zayn Malik. And I love you.”

He kissed the side of her head and she wrapped her arms around her body where his hands were placed.

“I love you so much, Malik.”

“What am I going to call you when your name is Malik?” he chuckled.

“I think I’ll always have that classic Palermo sass.”

***

“Jessica Palermo,” the nurses called out.

She and Zayn had just finished filling out an extensive list of paperwork for the doctor’s office. It was a hassle and she felt so nervous about everything that was to happen. Hand in hand, they went into their designated room with the nurse. She got her weight and blood pressure taken. The real test was to pee in a cup for the results.

She and Zayn waited for what felt like the longest five minutes of their lives.

“Ms. Palermo, the test results came back positive,” the doctor smiled at eh young couple.

“Now we need to get you hitched up to get to your first of many ultrasound. Just to make sure everything is moving smoothly.”

Jessica followed the doctor as Zayn followed her all smiles. She placed herself on top of the bed and laid back as Zayn squeezed her hand. The technician squeezed a blue jelly on her stomach and rubbed it with the abdominal probe. It was like a little miracle happening as they saw the white figure appear on the screen.

“That’s the heartbeat.”

It was a sound that was glorious to their ears. They made a baby and it had a beating heart. The technician made a screwed face and they watched her with confused faces.

“What’s wrong?” Zayn piped up.

“It’s just a little… odd.” She carried on with her thought through a little mumbling and the clicking of a couple of buttons.

“There’s the problem,” she smiled.

“You’re having twins.”

It was Jessica’s turn to speak,” Hoooooly shitballz.”