Invisible String

5

I held up the screen so he could see Kylie’s texts. His eyes widened as he read my blunt message.

“Taylor!” he said, half amused, half shocked.

I just shrugged and casually applied some chapstick, trying to play it cool.

“It’s true,” I said, looking him right in the eyes. “It felt good to actually notice… like I was just being used to get pregnant. Wait—okay, I take that back. I love you, babe. But after three years of it feeling like clockwork, it was… transactional. If that makes sense.”

He smiled softly and walked over, pulling me into a hug. “I get it. I’m glad you said it out loud.”

I nodded, feeling a little lighter already. Sometimes honesty was exactly what we needed.

Kylie texted back almost immediately,
"Hey, we can swing by your place later—hang out and grab some dinner if you and Travis want!"

I glanced over at Travis and asked, “What do you think?”

He gave me that easy, reassuring smile I loved and said, “Sounds perfect.”

Later that evening, we all gathered around Kylie and Jason’s cozy kitchen table. The kids were finally in bed, and the grown-ups were unwinding.

Of course, Kylie couldn’t resist her curiosity any longer. She looked straight at us and asked with a sly grin, “Okay, serious question—did you guys really do quickies for three years?”

I caught Travis’s eye, and we both just nodded.

“It’s what we had to do,” I admitted. “It sucked, honestly. Nothing romantic or spontaneous—just me on my back, Travis going at it for a few minutes, then done.”

Travis shrugged with a chuckle, “Not exactly switch-it-up-and-explore positions territory.”

Kylie laughed. “Wow. That’s… brutal. But also kind of heroic?”

I smiled, feeling grateful we could be this real with each other. Because sometimes the truth wasn’t pretty—but it was ours.

Jason grinned slyly and gave Kylie a look that screamed, “Should I say this or not?”

Kylie bit her lip, clearly torn, but Travis caught the glance and shook his head with a knowing smile.

“Just say it,” Travis nudged him, “Break the silence. You know you want to.”

Jason smirked and went for it, “So… with all that clockwork baby-making, do you guys remember what actual foreplay is? Or did that get lost somewhere between the needle shots and the calendar apps?”

Taylor rolled her eyes but laughed, “Honestly, it was like a science experiment. Foreplay? More like ‘five minutes and done.’”

Travis nodded, chuckling, “Yeah, we’re definitely trying to remember what fun feels like now.”

Kylie grinned, “Well, about time! You both deserve that break from the lab work.”

Kylie clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling. “Okay, enough baby-making talk — let’s do something fun for once!”

We all agreed, the idea of a break from appointments and stress was exactly what we needed.

But then, out of nowhere, my stomach flipped. I barely made it to the kitchen trashcan before dinner came right back up.

I felt Travis right behind me, his hand steady on my back as I tried to catch my breath. Kylie and Jason hovered nearby, their faces full of concern.

Fun would have to wait.