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Anticipation settles like a weight in my chest as I imagine my editor delving into the world I’ve created, scrutinizing every sentence and every plot twist.
As the email disappears into the digital abyss, I find myself second-guessing my choices. Did I revise enough? Are the characters believable? Will my editor see the same potential that I do?
Ollie and Ed come in after a few hours. I greet them at the door.
“Susan finally finished her book and sent it out,” Artie announces.
“Wow, Susan, that’s great.” Ollie kisses me, pushing his tongue inside me as he squeezes my breasts. Thanks to the pregnancy, my boobs are pretty much swelling in front of my eyes. And Ollie seems to enjoy that. “If you wrote scenes that are half as hot as the ones you read out to me, it’ll be a massive hit.”
I roll my eyes at him.
Ed is next. He kisses me softly and doesn’t let go of me till we walk over to the kitchen. He pulls out a small container and pushes it across the table.
“Coffee cake!” I exclaim.
“It’s your favorite,” he says.
I nod, taking a bite and then another. “She loves it.”
“She?” Ed says, looking puzzled.
“She,” I say, gently rubbing a hand over my stomach. I don’t have a visible bump yet. “Kira,” I say softly. I’ve always loved the name. I used it for the protagonist of the very first short story I wrote that went on to be published by an indie magazine. It’s the first story that earned me money.
Ed looks stunned for a few seconds before he recovers. “Oh. Good.”
Disappointment curdles my stomach. Oh, good? There’s no enthusiasm in his words. It’s just mechanical, as if he couldn’t care less. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from crying. I’m being an idiot.
“That’s a cute name,” he finally says before walking away.
“Oh, shoot,” Ollie announces. “I was supposed to do the grocery run today. I totally forgot.”
“I’m not even surprised,” Artie says, shaking his head.
“I’ll get it,” Ollie says, grabbing the keys from the coffee table.
“Can I come with you?” I ask.
He raises an arched brow. “Are you sure?”
I never get to go into town anymore, except when I’m seeing the doctor or getting more vitamins. I’m sick and tired of being cooped up in here. “Yes. The doctor said I need to get out more.”
She didn’t say anything of the sort, but I feel like I’m going insane inside the house.
“So let me rephrase that,” I say, grabbing my purse. “I’m coming with you.”
* * *
The rideto town is quiet and uncomfortable. Ollie seems unaware, humming a song under his breath.
I stare out the window, watching the day darken. There’s a heaviness in my heart, a mixture of anxiety, uncertainty, and a touch of sadness. I can’t seem to shake off this feeling, no matter how hard I try.
As we enter the bustling grocery store, the bright lights and cheerful atmosphere contrast sharply with the storm brewing inside me. I push a cart along the aisles, mechanically picking up the items on my mental checklist, but my mind is elsewhere.
Ollie is next to me, going over the things that we need to buy and helping me pull things off the shelf.
“So I was thinking that we could—” He stops midsentence, his mouth pursed as he looks at something in the distance. I follow his gaze to see a girl standing there. I don’t know her, but her eyes are narrowed at Ollie.
“Wait here, Susan,” Ollie instructs me as he walks toward the girl. The girl’s voice drips with hostility as she immediately lashes out at Ollie.
