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“I told you guys,” I said, “it’s still really new, that’s all.”
Neither of them looked convinced.
“Why are you so compelled to hide it?” Melinda asked.
Larissa followed her line of thinking. “Doeshewant you to hide it?”
“Is he…” Melinda came and sat on the other side of me, putting a hand on my wrist, tentative but loving. “Is he making you do things you don’t want to do?”
My eyes rolled involuntarily. Nathaniel was the last person in the world who would do something to scare me or force me into anything. What I had with him was pure thrill and excitement, not danger.
“No, no,” I said, shaking my head emphatically. “Not at all. The man I’m seeing would never do anything to hurt me.”
“If he’s your first…” Larissa swallowed, glossing over the part where they even asked me if I had lost my virginity in the first place. I guess it was that obvious. Maybe they were hurt that I hadn’t told them. “It’s easy to overlook things with your first partner, since it’s such a new, exciting thing. Like warning signs, or clues that your limits aren’t being respected.”
“We just want to make sure that some man we don’t know anything about hasn’t put you in a bad position,” Melinda added.
“He’s a good man,” I said, feeling defensive of not only Nathaniel, but myself and my choice to be with him. “He’s a wonderful man, actually.”
“If he’s such a good man, why can’t we know his identity? Why the secrecy?” Larissa’s dark green eyes bored into mine, flustering me and giving me no time to be tactful or diplomatic.
“Hey,” I said, feeling a warmth rise up my neck. “You guys need to back off. I may be younger than you, but you’re not in charge of me. I am still a grown woman, and I can make my own choices. When I’m ready to be open about my new relationship, I will be. Period.”
Melinda and Larissa shared a knowing look.
“Speaking of periods,” Larissa said, “we’ve noticed some unusual stuff with you lately. I heard you throwing up the other morning, and that was after our dinner at Mom and Dad’s. Didn’t you throw up that night too?”
What exactly is she saying?
“Your complexion is brighter. Which is great! But I know that if you’d found a new serum, you would’ve texted me a link,” Melinda said, winking, trying to lighten me up. It wasn’t working. “You’ve been drinking boatloads of water, too. And you’ve always been a diet soda girl.”
What are they getting at?
“Amelia, when was your last period?” Larissa asked, point blank.
A loud scoff made its way out of my throat. “Are you serious?”
Melinda reached into her bag next to the sofa and pulled out a little pink and yellow box–a pregnancy test. “Let’s just be sure, okay?”
“This is ridiculous! I’m not pregnant! I have an IUD, and you both know it! You two went to the appointment with me to have it put in!”
I was furious. This was an invasion of my privacy, and besides, it was nearly impossible.
“IUDs fail, sis,” Larissa said, patting my shoulder, a poor attempt to calm me down. “C’mon. Just take the test. Please?”
She wasn’t unkind. Neither was Melinda. This was just the way they were sometimes, caring, but adamant.
I knew them too well. They weren’t going to drop it.
“Fine,” I said, irritated but wanting to get this over with. I just wanted them to drop the subject and leave me alone. “As long as you quit bugging me about who I’ve been seeing.”
Neither of them responded.2
I stood up in a huff, went into the bathroom, and took the damn test, setting my phone timer for the result.
Then, my alarm dinged, and my heart dropped.
This can’t be happening…
