Ellipses trickle across the screen as Jorgie types a response.
Jorgie:Yes! I was hoping you'd say Capers. I’m dying for their Caesar salad… and cheeseburgers. See you at twelve.
Smiling at her excitement, I return my phone to my pocket and call in Mrs. Roach and her son, Xavier.
* * *
By the timemidday rolls around, I'm beyond starving. Not just for food, but Hugo as well. He is my addiction and I'm beyond saving when it comes to him. Slinging off my coat, I hang it on the coatrack in the corner of my office and dash down the corridor. Mrs. Gardner says farewell with a nod of her head as I rush past her to the parking lot at the back of the office. A blast of hot, humid air smashes my face when I exit the back door. It is only mid-May, but the temperature has been hovering around the mid-eighties.
Jorgie greets me with a large smile and numerous plates of food when I enter the restaurant.
“Hey, sorry I’m late. A mother’s paranoia about a cleaning stretched my schedule thin,” I say, leaning in and placing a kiss on her warm cheek.
“That’s okay. It’s not like I have anything better to do,” she replies, her tone cheeky.
“How is the maternity leave going?” I query, stealing a couple of French fries off her plate before signaling for a waiter.
Jorgie waits for the waiter to take my order for two iced raspberry teas before replying. “It’s as boring as hell. It’s only been a week. I’ve no clue how I’m going to survive the next six months.”
I place my hand on her forearm. “You won’t be saying that when you are juggling diapers, bottles and a screaming baby in five weeks’ time.”
A large grin stretches across her face. “He’ll be worth it,” she mumbles, rubbing her expanded stomach.
“Yes, he will,” I reply, tears welling in my eyes.
Jorgie huffs dramatically while adjusting her position so she sits more comfortably with her expanded belly before lifting her eyes to me. “Well enough about me and my watermelon. How are things with you… and Hugo?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, internally battling to hide my excitement. Just one look into Jorgie’s mist-filled eyes tells me she isn’t buying my attempts at candor.
“It’s really good. I wake up every morning and pinch myself just to make sure I’m not dreaming.”
I try to keep my tone neutral but miserably fail. I’ve never been more happy. Hugo and I may have only been together officially as a couple for weeks but we have a lifetime of memories we share.
“I’m hardly sleeping because I don’t want to wake up and find out it was all a dream. I also don’t want to miss a single moment.”
Now it’s Jorgie’s turn to have tears prick in her eyes. “Oh, stop it,” she demands, using a napkin to dab away a few rogue tears escaping her eyes.
Seeing her happiness for Hugo and me trickling from her eyes make my own tears shed. I lower my hand down to my bare thigh and give it a gentle pinch. I sigh, relieved I don’t wake up from the dream I’m living. Flinging my immature tears off my cheeks, I lean in close to Jorgie’s side.
“The rumors are true,” I whisper into her ear. “Hugo’s nickname you try to pretend doesn’t exist. It’s one hundred percent true!”
My excited squeal gains us the attention of a handful of patrons. Jorgie gags. I laugh at the repulsed expression etched on her face before taking a large bite out of one of the many cheeseburgers in front of me.
* * *
After devouringenough food to feed a small community, I signal for the waiter to bring us the bill.
“I’m paying,” I declare when Jorgie collects her purse from her handbag. “It’s the least I can do.”
She looks at me, confused by my statement.
“If it weren’t for you, I'd still be fighting fate,” I explain.
When a large grin stretches across her face, my heart skips a beat. She and Hugo have many similarities. A heart-stopping smile is one of them. After paying the bill, Jorgie and I walk out the restaurant arm in arm. My eyes shoot to hers when she fails to suppress a large yawn.
“Are you not sleeping?” I ask, genuine concern heard in my voice.
She shakes her head. “If having a water melon attached to my belly isn’t bad enough, I can’t sleep without Hawke next to me.”
