Best of Me

“It’s official. I only have one week left before I’m out of my first trimester. And I am now starting to get fat.” Kat said lightly, hands resting on her hips as she stared down at her stomach. Brian, who was currently lounged on her bed, shot her a look.

“Stop, you are not getting fat. The only weight you’ve gained is in your belly.” He pointed to her small, but more noticeable bump. If she wore certain clothes, it wasn’t easy to see at all. However, today she was wearing leggings, a tank top, and a knit cardigan. Brian could see the bump clearly and it was blowing his mind.

“How big is the baby supposed to be now?” He asked, eyebrows pulling together in thought. Kat hummed lightly, trying to remember what the app on her phone said.

“I think a plum? Something like that. And you lied, it’s not just my belly. My boobs are huge now.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to point that out, but it’s not such a bad thing.”

Kat scoffed playfully at him mumbling ‘perv’ under her breath. She stepped around the room, gathering up any laundry that needed to be done, throwing the articles into her laundry basket. As she cleaned up, her mind raced.

Everything involving her pregnancy had seemed to calm down, but there was one more thing that needed to be discussed. Tour. Kat didn’t know what the exact schedule was looking like, but she knew that it had to be coming up soon.

“So, I think we need to talk about something.” She started, moving to sit on the bed next to Brian’s legs. He locked his phone and set it down, giving her his undivided attention.

“What about, doll?”

“We need to talk about tour. I know it’s coming up soon and I just want to make sure we have some sort of plan in place.” Kat combed her fingers through her long hair, pulling the dark locks over her shoulder.

“Well, I meant to talk to you about that. We decided to push the tour back because the dates were lining up with the baby’s due date. However, we do still have a small leg. Two weeks tops and local.” Brian explained, smiling softly at her. He watched the relief flood her blue eyes.

“And we don’t leave for a month and a half, so I can go to the next appointment with you.” He added. Kat instantly started doing the math in her head.

“Oh shit. That puts you leaving like right before we find out the gender.” Kat explained, feeling a little bummed, but she smiled anyway. “It’s okay. We can wait until after you get back.”

“Speaking of the gender, I was doing some research. It’s mostly old wives’ tales, but supposedly if you’re carrying low, it’s probably a boy. It’s too early to tell, but I think you might be carrying a little low.”

Kat grinned at him, laughing as she spoke. “Well, look at you. So that’s why you’ve had your nose in your phone.”

“I gotta know these things. Oh, also craving salty and savory foods leans toward boy. And I bought you an ass-ton of salt & vinegar chips the other day.”

“I think it’s a boy too, but I could be wrong. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Kat checked the time on her clock and sighed. “I’m sorry, but I gotta kick you out now. I have dinner with my dad here soon.”

Brian rolled off her bed, stuffing his phone into his pocket. “Say no more, I’m gone. I’ve gotta head home anyway; Pinkly will throw a fit if I’m gone too long. Bye shorty.”

Kat pursed her lips and threw a shirt at him as he left the room, but he dodged it with a laugh.

***

When Brian pulled into his driveway, his good mood quickly began to dissipate. He slammed his car door shut and practically stomped into his house. He was immediately greeted by Pinkly and he quickly reached down to pet her head. He would have spent more time with the tiny, white dog, but the familiar car in his driveway left him in a foul mood.

Brian climbed the stairs and followed the hallway down to his room. And there she was.

Michelle was waltzing around his room, putting what appeared to be her clothes into some duffle bags. She hadn’t noticed that he was there, and Brian didn’t know what exactly he should say here.

“I would appreciate a call before you just show up at my house.” He spoke causing Michelle to startle. She turned to look at him, giving him a small smile.

“I just needed to come and get the rest of my stuff. We lived together for years; I didn’t think I needed to call.” She explained, going back to her packing. Brian remained silent for a few moments, stepping further into the room.

“How did you get in anyway?”

“I have a key, remember?” Michelle answered, raising an eyebrow.

“I need that back when you’re done.” Brian knew that he was being cold, but he couldn’t help it no matter how hard he tried. He was still mad at Michelle for cornering Kat that day at the studio.

“Why are you being like this?” Michelle asked, growing impatient with Brian’s actions. “You’re acting like we didn’t have a life together, like I’m just some fling you had over the summer.”

Brian sighed heavily, running his hands over his face to keep himself composed. “You told me over dinner that you were done, that we needed to go our separate ways. Then, you go behind my back to talk to Kat. You told her that it was a matter of time before you and I get back together. What game are you trying to play, Michelle?”

“I didn’t know I needed your permission to talk to her. We’re all adults here.” Michelle paused mid-fold. “And what I said to her was true. We have always gotten back together no matter the circumstances.”

“Well, it’s different this time.” Brian replied.

“What, are you dating her now or something?”

“No, Michelle, but maybe at some point. But no matter what, Kat’s my best friend and she’s pregnant, and it’s mine. I can’t focus on being a good father if I’m constantly miserable because you and I are fighting. That’s not fair to anyone.” Brian argued. They both knew that he was right, but Michelle could be really stubborn a lot of the time.

“If only you could have made me a priority. You always had to put her first.”

Brian huffed, wanting this whole encounter to be over with already. “Okay, yes, I will give you that. But you were more of a priority than you think. You put me in a lot of positions where I had to choose between you and Kat, and that’s not fair. She is my best friend and has been since we were kids.”

Michelle was quiet; Brian had called her out. She quickly finished packing and zipped up her bags. Dropping her key on the dresser, she quietly left. Brian let out a deep breath and sat down on the edge of his bed.

After finding out that Kat was pregnant, Brian had put a lot of things into perspective. One of those things was his relationship with Michelle. He realized that it just wasn’t something he wanted anymore. His wants were changing.