PREGNANT AFTER ONE NIGHT STAND

The doctor said my condition is starting to stabilize, and the baby’s growth is healthy. There’s nothing to worry about except one thing – I easily get fatigued. That’s why the doctor suggested not overexerting myself with work and other activities. I followed the advice. I didn’t want to argue, especially when Naomi and Dona were there, rudely following along during the doctor’s explanation.

They said they are my close cousins. And don’t forget, Cedric was also there. The three of them were like inseparable twins, annoying me. Cool, huh?

“Well, since Cedric is here, we don’t need to keep you company,” Naomi suddenly said. I looked at her in disbelief, calculating the bill in my mind.

“Are you serious, Naomi?”

“Is your hearing also affected?”

I pouted. Naomi and her sarcastic lips.

“Yes, you can have a cozy night at the hospital with Cedric.”

“Shut up!”

They burst into laughter.

“But seriously, I’m allowing you to sleep at Anya’s apartment, Cedric. I’m just afraid that you might pass out suddenly. Right, Nao?” Dona gave a teasing look, but I could tell there was concern there.

“True.”

Meanwhile, Cedric didn’t respond at all, as if their words were just passing wind. He smiled in response to Dona’s words. Ugh! I wasn’t expecting anything fancy, but at least Cedric could respond. Did he just blindly follow Dona’s ridiculous request? I’m the one who has control over the apartment; why am I the one who seems to be the guest?

“I disagree,” I said curtly.

“Your disagreement won’t stop us from worrying about you, Anya. Fine, until you stop vomiting every morning.” Dona gave me an annoyed look. “Besides, if Cedric dares to touch you again, it’s not a problem. You’ll end up marrying Cedric. His stock has already risen; only the official approval is left.”

I threw the pillow I had been using to prop up my back at them. It hit Dona right on target, and she burst into laughter. Naomi joined in, watching my reaction with amusement. They’re so disrespectful.

“That’s enough, stop teasing her. Let Anya rest.”

Instantly, their laughter stopped, but I didn’t want to hear what followed. I covered my ears even though I could still hear them shouting.

“Cedric has turned into Anya’s hero?”

Finally, they left, but I was irritated and unwilling to spend more time with Cedric. Yesterday’s conversation was still fresh in my mind. I was scared that I would be the one to lose in the end, and I still had no idea about my future with Cedric. I couldn’t imagine it at all.

“I’m glad you’re surrounded by people who care about you,” Cedric said, sitting next to me. I only cleared my throat in response.

“How many siblings do you have, Anya?”

Now my brow furrowed. “Why?”

“Just curious. If you want to know about my family, I’ll tell you. Or… should I tell you first?”

I didn’t want that information to influence my thoughts. But for some reason, I was curious. I was torn between nodding to agree, but it felt embarrassing, or shaking my head because I didn’t want to know but was curious. Oh my God! What’s wrong with me?!

Seeing my doubtful expression, Cedric smiled again. This time, I didn’t know why his smile seemed different. It felt warmer than usual and… sweet. I couldn’t even blink while looking at it. As his fingers touched my slightly messy hair and tucked it behind my ear, I snapped back to reality, realizing Cedric had been trying to make me aware of his presence.

“That’s enough,” I said, stopping his movements.

“I know it’s probably very difficult for you to accept me in your life. I understand.”

I swallowed slowly, feeling like I was swallowing thorns, feeling the sting as they went down my throat.

“But… can I ask you not to keep me away from our child?”

So, once again, it’s all about the baby, huh? I closed my eyes for a moment.

“Because of this baby, I can get so close to the woman I like.”

I remembered Cedric’s words from last night, before I fell asleep. He did many things before I actually fell asleep – taking his medicine and vitamins, massaging my feet even though I wasn’t tired or complaining, sitting by my side while I read a novel, making sure the room didn’t smell like carbolic acid or any other strong odor. I felt incredibly pampered by Cedric.

“Allow me to fight for you both.”

I was immersed in the romance novel I was reading when Cedric said that, but his words instantly distracted me. I didn’t respond to him, but his voice still filled my mind. And now, with his current statement, Cedric was slowly but surely interrupting my life.

Oh, God, what should I do? Among all my fears, the biggest one that was slowly creeping up was the fear of being abandoned. I didn’t know why, and I had no idea. With Cedric’s behavior like this, I couldn’t deny that someday I might return his feelings.

Unbelievable, right? Yes. But what could I do? That was the most fundamental reason why I found it difficult to accept other people’s feelings. Naomi said that if I don’t let go of this, I will slowly die. I didn’t care because I didn’t want to experience disappointment again.

That was just my parents, so what about someone I’ve fallen in love with?

“Why are you daydreaming?”

I didn’t know why, but my eyes started to well up with tears. I felt so emotional right now.

“Why are you crying?”

I shook my head because I was confused.

“Don’t let this be a burden, Joice. Everything that burdens you, let me bear it. Just take care of yourself and our child. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’m serious.” Cedric pulled me into his embrace without asking for permission. He gently rubbed my back, causing me to break down into tears.

***

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Today, I was ready to work. My condition was much better, and it seemed like I could cooperate. According to the last ultrasound results, since I didn’t quite understand it, the condition has been developing well. I just needed to take care of myself and avoid getting too tired, as I was more susceptible. My diet also needed to be monitored.

Again, I checked all the items in my work bag, making sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. Last night, I had briefly checked Krystal’s schedule for the week. I also started communicating with Anna finally. Briefly giving her some guidance when I was in the hospital last Friday.

Today, Kelvin’s replacement began working. There was still a month before he would leave the IT team in our office for good. I had hardly been communicating with him lately, only exchanging greetings when we bumped into each other. I rarely responded to his calls or messages. I didn’t want him to feel like I started paying attention to him after acting cold earlier.

Saturday and Sunday were truly spent resting, even though my two best friends kept teasing me non-stop. Cedric’s reaction was even worse, smiling annoyingly in response! They were so pleased with themselves, weren’t they?

Today, Cedric made sure to drop me off and pick me up. I refused at first. As if it were so easy. But with my two very kind and irritating friends’ insistence, I eventually agreed. Besides, they didn’t agree with me riding a motorcycle even though Cedric never rode fast.

Why did it turn out like this? I was the one who had the car! Oh my God! It didn’t mean I was stingy or anything. Even if I was behind the wheel, being stuck in traffic was still tiring.

But I couldn’t protest for too long; Naomi was the one who could make me speechless. So, I just went along with their wishes. This morning, I waited for Cedric to ring the doorbell of my apartment. I went down to the parking lot, and we went to work together. Maybe there was an advantage, as I could leave earlier since Cedric’s work started earlier than the other employees. I didn’t mind, actually.

“Good morning,” Cedric greeted as I opened the door without any delay. I already knew he would be arriving soon. Without further ado, he immediately extended his hand to take all my belongings.

How nice. So I just gave them to him without thinking.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“Are you going to treat me to breakfast?”

He smiled. Soul-crushing. Did he really expect me to be satisfied just because he smiled at me?!

“What do you want?”

“What about sushi for breakfast?”

Cedric furrowed his brow. “Is there even any sushi place open this early?”

I shrugged. He gestured for me to step into the elevator first. After pressing the button that led to the basement where my car was parked, he spoke again. “Can you hold off until lunch? I’ll buy you some sushi then. I don’t know any place that’s open for sushi in the morning.”

I wanted to laugh, but I held it in. From the corner of my eye, Cedric looked funny when he was thinking.

“No, I want it now.”

“I’ll negotiate something else. I can’t negotiate with you.”

He laughed. His teeth lined up nicely, and one of his teeth slightly overlapped at the corner of his lips. “Not this morning, okay? Or how about tonight? After work, we can go to a sushi place. How about having chicken porridge for breakfast now? Is that okay?”

“As long as there’s ekstra chilli.”

Cedric nodded.

“And I want it with hot tea.”

Again, he nodded.

“And lots of chicken.”

“Yes, Joice.” Then, without asking for my permission, he used his other hand, the one that didn’t carry my belongings, to hold my hand. I saw our intertwined hands going back and forth, and Cedric was still looking at the elevator wall. When our eyes met in the reflection on the wall, Cedric smiled.

“It’s only in moments like this that I can hold someone like you, Anya.”

I was annoyed!!!

***

“Morning, Anya,” Krystal greeted as she entered our office. I was giving Anna some instructions on tasks she could handle to lighten my workload.

“Morning, Ma’am.” We both spoke at the same time. Krystal responded with a small nod.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“How are you feeling? Feels better?”

I just nodded.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“We’re going to have a long day, Anya. Later, you can assign the tasks that could be burdensome to Anna. Especially any agenda outside the office, so you can stay.”

I swallowed hard. My heart suddenly ached, but there was nothing I could do except nod.

“Miss Anya, Mrs. Krystal is really kind to you, isn’t she?” Anna suddenly said, breaking my reverie. Meanwhile, Krystal had already entered her office, leaving behind the elegant scent of her perfume, giving off a commanding presence. Beautiful and intelligent.

I don’t know why, but I felt like Krystal wasn’t just being kind to me. She seemed to be starting to remove my existence from every task she assigned to me. I saw Anna smiling, probably still preoccupied with how good our boss was.

Ah, if only she knew…