Chapter 9

Callie

Two weeks later…

The white tiles in our bathroom were cold and unforgiving against my butt as I leaned against the wall, waiting for the five-minute timer on Rori’s phone to go off.

Because of my family, I was used to moments that felt surreal or like I was a spectator watching a movie play out from my point of view. But I’d never quite had a moment like this.

I stared at the plastic white test that sat on the edge of our sink. Honestly, it felt like the damn thing was mocking me.

Since spending the night with Sulien nearly two weeks ago, most of my time had been spent at his place. It was easier for us to focus on everything that needed to get done for the showcase if we were together. But, for the last few days, a weird exhaustion had hung over me. No matter how much I slept, I’d wake up tired. I even dozed off in class yesterday. When Sulien found out, he immediately wanted me to go to the hospital.

But I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Instead, I figured if I took a day off school, I’d be able to recuperate. That was until I talked to Rori and realized my period was a week late.

“I’m not old enough to be a mom,” I said as if trying to convince the test .

I was only eighteen, and Sulien was only twenty-two. Plus, he was on the precipice of his career taking off. With the showcase being next Saturday, he didn’t have time to worry about this, not right now.

“Someone should have thought about that sooner.” Rori sang from her spot beside me.

I shot her a glare, but she wasn’t the object of my anger. I knew she was right. Having unprotected sex was risky, but in my defense, I’d assumed that because of how hot Sulien was all the time, he couldn’t get me pregnant—kind of like how you couldn’t get pregnant in a hot tub. At least, I thought you couldn’t, but apparently, I’d need to check that fact as well.

“What if he hates me?” I asked, unable to think of anything other than how I was potentially about to ruin his life.

What if the only placement Sulien was able to get was in California? That was too far to commute, and I still needed to finish school, so I couldn’t go with him. But that also begged the question—would I be able to finish school? Or would everything I’d worked for be derailed by this one mistake?

Rori moved closer before pulling my head to rest on her shoulder.

“I don’t think he’ll hate you.” She laughed. “He’s texted you about fifteen times since he dropped you off this morning.”

“That’s just how he is,” I mumbled, drawing my knees to my chest.

I made sure he ate and trained and didn’t need to worry about anything other than his future. He tried to make sure I didn’t work myself sick.

“He’s worried because he likes you.” Rori nudged me as she spoke. “Last Friday, Jack came home complaining because Sulien wouldn’t stop talking about you during Combat Simulations.”

A small smile sprouted on my lips as I remembered Sulien’s side of the story. He said he’d tried to find common ground with my brother. They’d been teamed together for the showcase, and that meant they needed to find some common ground, something they both enjoyed that would stop them from hating each other. I just didn’t know I was their common ground.

The idea of him thinking about me was comforting, but it only made this more real. If Sulien was that serious about me, what would he do if I was pregnant? Would he sacrifice his future for our family?

What if he didn’t want kids?

The shrill chimes of the alarm on Rori’s phone echoed through the bathroom, and she quickly silenced it.

“Do you want me to check, or do you want to do it yourself?” she asked.

My eyes started to burn, and my bottom lip quivered. I didn’t want to check; I wanted to live in blissful ignorance until either everything was okay or the baby was here.

Rori must have noticed my hesitation because she didn’t make me respond. Instead, she reached over and grabbed the stick off the counter.

Her face was completely blank as she focused on the test.

“Is it bad?” I whimpered.

“No. It’s not bad.” Rori sounded unusually tense.

“I’m not pregnant?” I said hopefully as I rubbed the tears from my eyes.

Rori shot me a tight-lipped smile. “Your baby is going to have a really cool aunt. ”

My sister had to be fucking with me.

I pressed a hand to my mouth and used the other to reach for the test, every part of me begging this to be some fucked up joke. Rori passed it to me before wrapping an arm over my shoulders.

Two pink lines stared back at me. Without thinking, I shook the test as if that would change anything. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

My breaths came in shallow gasps before I gave in to my sobs. Rori shushed me as she patted my back.

“I can’t tell Mom and Dad.” I pleaded, feeling more like a child than a woman.

“I agree,” Rori said. “As soon as you’ve calmed down, I’m going to get rid of the test, okay?”

I nodded before clearing my throat and wiping my eyes. “I can’t tell Sulien either… not yet.”

I expected Rori to argue with me, to say something about me being crazy. But instead, she nodded.

“The showcase is stressful enough… But it could be a cute surprise after he gets his placement.” She suggested. “We can get a onesie that says my daddy’s a hero and wrap it like a present.”

I didn’t like that idea. If he didn’t want kids, a surprise like that would ruin his day… But, Sulien had a right to eventually know, even if I didn’t want him to. So, I agreed and pulled myself off the floor, letting Rori dispose of the only evidence of what was happening inside my uterus.

***

I was a little surprised when Rori came back from disposing of the test with ice cream and two of the face masks that came in the packet. The ones that were uncomfortably wet and never seemed to fit quite right .

She said she couldn’t erase the pregnancy test, but she could help me forget about it for a little. And she was right. The threat of a baby loomed in the back of my mind, but our make-shift spa day mixed with a little mind-numbing TV helped soothe the worry.

Rori and I were halfway through an episode of some trashy dating show when the front door opened. The sound of heavy steps filled the foyer, and I looked back, expecting to see Jack.

I was right about my brother being home, but I was a little shocked to see Sulien following him.

This morning, when Sulien dropped me off, he was wearing a shirt that clung to every inch of his newly formed muscles, and I thought that would be the hottest thing I saw all day. But somehow, I was mistaken.

My jaw practically dropped at the sight of him covered head to toe in red and orange spandex.

“Quit staring at him like that. It’s gross.” Jack grumbled, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fact he didn’t take the opportunity to call Sulien a villain. Maybe he was warming up to him.

“Leave her be.” Rori scolded, and Jack flipped her off.

Sulien laughed nervously and looked away.

My gaze remained anchored on my boyfriend as he crossed his arms. Somehow, that made him look stronger—the last few weeks had almost been surreal. I knew certain supers built muscle quickly, but Sulien’s transformation seemed like something else entirely.

Every day, he felt a little sturdier, and his clothes fit a little differently, but I shrugged it off as me being dramatic.

“Quit looking at my sister like you want to get her pregnant,” Jack growled.

My brother was normally crude, and if it weren’t for the positive pregnancy test earlier, I might have laughed it off. But, right now, his joke caused me to stiffen.

Rori shot Jack a dirty look, and I realized I didn’t want Sulien to be here a minute longer than he needed to be.

“Do you work tonight?” I asked.

Sulien shook his head.

“I was hoping you’d feel well enough to come home with me. You know, so we can get ready for the showcase… It’s purely professional.” Sulien looked directly at my sister as he spoke.

She gave him a knowing smile, and I wondered if I should tell him that Rori was probably the only person who would be okay with the fact that Sulien and I were dating.

That was probably a conversation for a different day.

“I’d love to.” Beside Sulien was my new favorite place to be, and I needed that today. “I just need to get dressed and grab a few things from my room.”

Pajamas, a phone charger, and clothing for tomorrow. At this rate, I probably should also get a few things to keep at his place.

Sulien nodded, his eyes staying on me as I got up and headed to my room. The one that I hadn’t bothered to change since my freshman year of high school. God, my parents were going to fucking kill me.

I tried to ignore that thought as I grabbed a drawstring bag from my closet. I stuffed my bag with the essentials before looking for something to wear today. As I undressed, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

My stomach had always been flat, and while I knew it was far too early for me to look pregnant, thank God , there was an unexpected fullness around my middle. It was probably one of those things no one other than me would notice, but it was enough to make me self-conscious, especially because the first shirt I tried on did nothing to hide it.

Tonight, I was stealing one of Sulien’s shirts. And he wasn’t getting it back. That was the least he could do, considering this was half his fault. I took the shirt off before settling for a flowy sundress.

No sooner than I’d gotten dressed, a knock came at the door.

“I’m decent!” I called before taking one last look at myself in the mirror.

There was a looming feeling that, somehow, everyone could tell I was pregnant. And while I knew I was being stupid, that did little to alleviate the feeling of dread.

The door slowly opened, and Sulien peeked in, his eyes lighting up as they settled on me.

“You look nice…What’s the occasion?” He asked as he crept into my room and shut the door behind him.

If my dad were home, that action would have been enough to get Sulien killed. But I wasn’t going to ruin the moment. What was the worst that could come out of me being alone with Sulien? He’d already gotten me pregnant.

I shrugged. “I just wanted to be comfortable…Do you like it?”

“Do I like it?” He gasped as he stepped closer, resting a hand on my stomach as he pulled me closer.

The small gesture caused me to feel sick.

“Angel, I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep my hands off of you tonight.” He murmured against my ear.

I swallowed hard, trying to prevent the lump in my throat from turning into a sob.

Sulien’s expression softened as he let his hand linger on my stomach. “Callie, are you okay?”

I nodded, still fighting back tears. “Just tired. ”

“I know, and I’m sorry.” He whispered, finally moving his hand from my stomach to cupping my chin. “You’ve been working hard on everything, and I don’t want you to worry about a thing tonight, okay? I promise, the second we’re back at the apartment, I’ll take care of you, and you can rest.”

I tried to smile, but as the tears spilled out, I realized I probably looked crazy. That fact made me cry more, so I decided to hide the truth by burying my face in his chest. At first, my action caused Sulien to tense. But, after a beat of hesitation, he softly patted my back.

“Come on, Sunshine, let’s get you home.”