LOGINI woke up the next morning feeling extremely tired, it had to be the baby, I never woke up this tired, waking up and feeling lazy? Yes but never this tired.Jane had already gone to work because everywhere was quiet, too quiet. I walked into the kitchen where I saw a note stuck to the fridge ‘There’s leftover pizza in the fridge, you can warm it up and eat, and there’s some orange juice too since you can’t have coffee anymore, sorry I'm not around when you see this, there’s an emergency in the office’ it read. I took out the pizza and put it in a microwave to heat up, then brought out the orange juice from the fridge and poured it into a glass.After I was done with breakfast I texted Jane.“Can you drive me to Sean’s place when you’re back from work?” I asked her.“Sure, want to break the news there?” She replied back.“Yeah, I don’t want to drag this out, I’ll just tell him about it. Besides he deserves to know.” I felt nervous even thinking about it, telling Sean I was pregnant w
The hospital discharged me after making sure the baby and I were okay. They only said to rest and stop stressing, and they also gave me some vitamins to take. Jane had held me and “helped” me walk like I was disabled.“I didn’t lose my leg, Jane,” I said, trying to shoo her away, but she wouldn’t listen.“You have to be careful. Your health is top priority,” she responded back. I sighed. I knew I could never win so I just let her do what she wanted for her peace of mind.When we stepped outside of the hospital, it was already getting dark. It was late. Jane led me to the door and opened it for me. I held back a smile. She was so cute.I buckled my seatbelt. Jane buckled hers, then we were off to the house.“What would you like to eat? Should we stop by for some burgers and some chips?” Jane asked, trying to concentrate on the road.“Sure, that’s fine with me,” I replied. Then we fell into silence. Even though I was nervous and still processing all the information I got today, it was s
By three that afternoon, I was dressed and ready. Comfortable jeans, sneakers, and the green sweater folded neatly into my bag. Jane insisted on coming with me to look at houses.When she had left for work, she called and said she'd be done before 3pm and would be accompanying me for the house hunt. I tried talking her out of it, but she wouldn’t listen.“Emotional support,” she said. “And also I have opinions and ideas.”The first place was only a few blocks away. Small, bright, with big windows and creaky wooden floors. I didn’t like it so we moved on to the next.The next one wasn’t far away. It was a cozy apartment painted white. It looked like the last occupants had been painters because there were beautifully painted little flowers on the wall. I liked it immediately and the big windows were a bonus. I could see myself there reading by the window, writing at a little desk, cooking meals for one and just enjoying my own space.As the agent talked, her voice began to sound far awa
I woke up from the sun shining directly on my face. I grunted and turned away from the light, trying to go back to sleep, but I was already awake so I forced my eyes open. I blinked continuously before I could see properly.I thought about my day. I was going to take a shower, get coffee, and read a little while waiting for my appointment with the house agent. I brushed my teeth and then headed downstairs.When I got to the kitchen, Jane was already in there preparing breakfast. I looked at the clock on the wall and it was already past nine. Jane usually left for work at 8:30 every morning.“Good morning, why are you still at home?” I asked with a yawn, placing my hand over my mouth. “You don’t want me around anymore?” She replied, giving me puppy eyes.I chuckled. “You know that’s not what I mean.”“Yeah, I know. I got a lot of work done yesterday so I’ll be clocking in late today,” she explained, handing me my coffee as well as a plate containing toast bread with avocado spread. “
I stayed on the bed until the sky outside the window began to darken.I rolled onto my side and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. For the past year, evenings had been the hardest. They were when I’d start calculating what time he’d be home, what mood he’d be in, whether silence or conversation would be safer. My body still braced for that ritual, muscles tightening out of habit.Nothing happened.No footsteps. No keys. No voice calling my name like a summons. He didn’t summon me. I always appeared myself, always volunteered myself.Just quiet.I exhaled, slow and shaky, like I’d been holding my breath for months without realizing it.My phone buzzed again.“Pizza still happening. Any toppings you want?” Jane texted.I smiled at the screen. “Anything. Surprise me.”A few minutes later, I sat up and finally opened the suitcase. It felt ridiculous that I’d been avoiding it, like it might bite. Inside were clothes folded by someone else’s hands. It probably was Jane’s, I realized. She mus
I opened my eyes to the light coming from the window, so bright I couldn’t even see for a minute. For a moment, I didn’t remember where I was. Then my chest tightened. I sat up slowly and thought about all that went down last night. My body felt heavy, even my eyelids felt heavy. I changed into one of Jane’s oversized T-shirts, one that might’ve once been mine, and padded barefoot down the hallway. The smell of toast and coffee wrapped around me before I even reached the kitchen. Jane stood at the counter, hair still a mess, humming under her breath. Looking that beautiful in the morning had to be a crime. She looked over her shoulder and smiled like this was just another ordinary morning, like I hadn’t arrived looking like a complete lunatic and a mess. “Morning,” she said softly. “I didn’t know if you wanted coffee, but I made it either way. This is me threatening you to take it.” I managed a real smile this time. “You don’t have to threaten me. I’ll take it. You know I can’t







