‘Thanks,’ Freya called. ‘My gusset is very grateful.’
A few moments later, Freya emerged from the bathroom, drying her hands on her jeans in lieu of a hand towel, to find Netta motionless in the kitchen. ‘What’s up?’
‘I’ve just realised I haven’t had a period since before Pete and I last slept together.’
‘So, you could be …’
‘No. Surely not.’
‘Have you got any tests here?’
Netta’s hands were shaking. ‘I think there might be one in the tub of bathroom stuff.’
Freya vanished into the bathroom and reappeared, triumphant, a few moments later. ‘Found one. Should we do it?’
Netta nodded, suddenly terrified. She took the box from Freya and quietly closed herself into the bathroom, tugging the test open with trembling fingers. She peeled down her jeans and sat gingerly on the toilet, a spiral of anticipation tightening around her. She peed on the stick and replaced the cap, popping it on the edge of the sink.
‘Have you done it?’ called Freya from the kitchen.
‘Yep.’ Netta’s voice shook with nerves. ‘Set a timer for three minutes.’
‘Well, where is it?’ Freya asked when Netta returned.
‘It’s in there.’ Netta pointed to the bathroom door. ‘I don’t want to see it till the alarm goes off.’
‘Netta,’ started Freya, carefully, ‘is there any chance it could be Mo’s?’
‘No. We were careful.’
Freya nodded. ‘So, if you’re pregnant, then it’s—’
‘Pete’s. I did a test the night before we broke up but it was negative. Maybe I did it too early.’
Freya let out a puff of breath. ‘It’ll be okay, Netta. Either way, it’s going to be fine.’
Netta placed her hands on the kitchen bench and leaned into them. ‘Oh God, Freya. I was drinking in England. I didn’t know.’ Her eyes were wide with horror. ‘I mean, never to the point of being anywhere even close to drunk, but if I’d known I would never have—’
‘It’s okay,’ said Freya. ‘I mean, obviously it’s not ideal, but worrying about it now won’t help either.’
Freya’s phone started barking as the alarm went off. ‘Do you want me to check it?’
Netta nodded. ‘Yes, please.’
Freya disappeared into the bathroom and returned, the test in her hand.
‘Well?’ Netta’s body was tense, every sense on high alert. ‘What does it say?’
Freya glanced down at the stick and back to her friend. ‘You’re pregnant.’
‘Holy shit.’ Netta’s head spun and the room swirled to keep up with it. She’d wanted this for so long, but now that it was happening, it felt too fast and way too late at the same time. She sank onto a stool, resting her elbows on the bench as she cradled her head in her hands. ‘Let me see it.’
Freya passed her the stick and sure enough, Netta was met with two lines.
‘The second line is pretty faint,’ she said. ‘Does it still count?’
‘A line is a line,’ said Freya. ‘It wouldn’t show up at all unless you had HCG in your system.’
‘I can’t believe it,’ said Netta, placing the test on the countertop. ‘I mean, we tried for months andnowI get pregnant? Talk about timing.’
