Scrolling down, I see that he’s active and updates his page often. Manly posts—short, sweet, and to the point. Scrolling back to the top and clicking on the photos section, a handful of photos pop up. There are some of coffee beans and an espresso machine. A few with the three guys he’d been with at the birthday get together. And then, just when I thought the coast was clear, a cluster of photos with Harley and a girl with dark hair, hazel eyes, and a button nose.
There are some of them at the water, some in a park… so many different places. In all of the photos he is smiling, but it’s not the same smile I've seen him share with me over the past few days. I lay my phone down on the side of the tub and dunk my head under water to silence everything around me. It’s been seventeen years, give or take, since we were teenagers in love. Obviously, he’s been with other women. He’d ventured into my thoughts every now and again, but I have been in a mix of survival mode and not giving a fuck, so I hadn’t let any of those thoughts dominate my mind.
Rising up out of the water, and running my hands over my face to get the water out of my eyes, I let the overlook creep into my brain. Harley was fucking amazing—he knew how to cause the perfect amount of pain to make it pleasurable. I’ve never been with anyone who has done that before. I also have never been choked, and that is something I absolutely want to get on board with. He was dominating, and it felt good to let go and have someone else make the decisions, but also know that I was safe.
I smile to myself, putting soap in my hair and leaning back to rinse it out, knowing full well I'm about to drain the tub and finish up with a shower.
Finally finishing up, I exit the bathroom and climb into bed. I plug my phone in and make sure my alarm is set for the morning. The bookshop is under twenty minutes away from my house, and while I usually don't go for a full face of makeup, I might put in a little extra effort in the morning—just in case anyone stops in.Harley did seem pretty interested in where I’d be tomorrow.
I pull up the camera feed one last time, just to put my mind at ease. Clicking into the app, I see two tabs, both under the same name. I didn’t notice it earlier, but I hadn’t messed with it too much. The weight of the day finally hits me, and with nothing raising suspicion on the camera now, I drift off to sleep.
I’m on bedrest because I went into premature labor. I was at work when one of my coworkers noticed me standing off to the side. I was out of breath and just taking a minute to breathe.
“You good?” she asks, coming closer.
“Yeah I’m good, just out of breath. Tired. You know, pregnant life,” I tell her, straightening to head back to the front to take orders.
She places a hand on my stomach. “Ember, I think that’s a contraction?”
My heart drops, I’m only seven months, I can’t be in labor now. He’s not ready yet. I start breathing heavily, feeling a little lightheaded.
“Hey, let’s call Dean, okay? Maybe you should head up to the hospital, just to be safe rather than sorry.”
She’s right. So I head to the back, grabbing my phone. I call Dean, but the other end just rings and rings. The recorded voicemail comes up, and hitting End, I call again. Voicemail.
What the fuck?
I could call my mom, but I know she’s at work, and we need the money for bills. I call my best friend Levi. He was one of the only people to stick by my side when I started showing and my friends started dropping like flies.
Levi picks up on the second ring. “Hey, I thought you had work tonight?” he says. As soon as I hear his voice, I let out a sob. “Ember, what’s wrong?” I explain what’s going on, and I hear a car door close on the other end of the phone. “I'm on my way.”
I grab my stuff—thankfully, my coworker let the manager know what was going on—and I head out the door. Levi doesn’t live too far, and I could use the fresh air. I’ve been standing outside for a few minutes when I see his truck pull in. I walk over, pull the door open, and climb inside.
He gives me a genuine smile and pats my leg. “It’ll be alright, Em.”
We make it to the hospital, and I'm finally settled after being checked in. Levi stands with his back to me while I get dressed down so the doctor can check for any cervical change. I climb under the itchy hospital sheet and wait.
The doctor comes in, reading through my chart. “You didn’t feel any of these contractions?” he asks me.
“I was at work andjust felt out of breath,” I relay to him. “One of my coworkers found me while I was catching my breath, and she felt the contraction.”
“If you’re on your feet a lot, and not drinking enough water, these could be legitimate contractions,” he tells me as he grabs two gloves from the small counter on the wall.
“Let’s check your cervix and see if the contractions are actual labor, or if they’re Braxton hicks.” He applies the clear jelly onto his gloved fingers. “It’s a bit cold.” He taps my leg, indicating that he’s going to check my cervix now.
“A little bit of pressure,” he says as he performs the exam.
Levi holds my hand, his eyes on my own, squeezing so that I know he’s here.
“I’m just going to get a swab to check for any amniotic fluid, and I’ll be back. Hold tight.”
I lay there with Levi standing by my side. We stay quiet as we sit and wait. I hear a commotion out front and recognize the unmistakable voice. Seconds later, the curtain is ripped open.
Dean’s eyes are bloodshot and fuming as he looks from me to Levi. “What the fuck is he doing here, Ember?” He’s getting loud, and he’s advancing on Levi.
“STOP,” I whisper-shout at him. I am livid. “He was helping me since you couldn’t answer your phone!” How fucking dare he start something when he couldn’t even be bothered to answer when I called.
“You’re no longer needed here.” He looks at Levi with hate in his eyes. Levi is much smaller than Dean, so I don’t blame him for wanting to leave.
