Having Your Jelly Baby

8: Arseholes

The entire place was airy and full of light but even I could feel the potential it had to be made into a home.

I was almost too distracted by the rather pretty plum coloured lampshade on the ceiling to remember to go and answer my bloody phone, the incessant ringing as soon as I had woken up giving me a headache.

The headache was amplified tenfold, however, when I caught sight of the number calling me, anxiety creeping up my neck and hitching up the rate of my breathing.

I gripped the phone tightly even though all I wanted to do was let it go, because it suddenly felt as if it was burning the skin of my palm and fingers.

I would have recognised that damn series of numbers even when I was old and suffering from an illness that would steal all my memories away. It had been his number forever, the one belonging to the arsehole that was Connor, the number coming up instead of his name because I had tried to erase every single thing he belonged to in my life, which had included his mobile number.

Obviously that didn't work in cutting him off and there was no point since the dickhead was now my brother in law, but even he'd had the decency not to try and strike up any conversations or to attempt to call me or anything even once since our messy break up. Except for that grim time at their beyond lame housewarming party.

I didn't want to pick it up, I really didn't, but the practically morbid curiosity that would kill me one day made me press the answer button and hold the phone up to my ear.

'Hello?'

'Hey Nova, it's me.' A female voice came through the phone.

'Who?' I admit, my tone sounded rude even to me and even though it was unintentional.

There was a pause, where I imagine the other person was pursing their lips and probably wanting to stab me through the phone as you always seem to want to do when someone doesn't recognise you, even when you're not face to face.

'Erm, it's Mia.' she said after the silence.

Ha. I didn't feel so bad for my stabbable response now.

What? Just because I didn't hate her, didn't mean I couldn't get some satisfaction over pissing her off. I needed some sort of outlet for that resentment that had built up since The Dumpage.

'Oh. Why are you calling?' I asked bluntly, adding, 'Specifically, why are you calling from that dick's phone?'

I heard Mia sigh, but surprisingly she didn't reprimand me or anything like I expected her to.

There was yet another pause. Seriously, these pause things were really starting to piss me off. It was just awkward instead of dramatic, and they had the uncanny ability to make a headache develop (and worsen, in my case), despite literally being silence.

'Look, I'm calling for him because Connor's worried about something to do with you, and he's too embarrassed to call you himself or even tell me what he wants to say. I'll give it to him in a second, but I hope you know that in spite the way things have turned out and the fact that you're cutting us off completely, we do still care about you, Nova.'

'Oh fuck off,' I said crassly, the fact that she had insinuated that I was the reason for our deteriorated relationship. 'Tell Connor to grow a pair and talk to me himself if he wants to. Why the hell should he be worried about me? And neither of you even have the right to even think about me anymore. I'm not a child.'

Speaking of children, something inside me turned cold. Did they know something about the baby? How did they know? I hadn't whispered a word, and I knew Laina or Drew wouldn't either.

Out of everything I had said, Mia responded to the most ridiculous part with, 'Will you watch your mouth, for God's sake! And-'

'BLASPHEMY!' I yelled down the phone immaturely in response, and suddenly it was as if I had no control over my own mouth. 'I'm pretty sure the Pope would find you taking the Lord's name in vain far more offensive than my language. A word's only crude if you perceive it that way, and I don't think the word fuck is in the Bible anyway. On the other hand, "do not commit adultery" is one of the fricking Ten Commandments, so don't you dare tell me what I can and cannot do, Amelia Hart.'

'Don't pretend like you even care about going to church or anything anymore. And what? What did you just say?' Mia sounded startled, her voice quavering a little.

'You heard what I said.' My own voice was cold.

It really was as if a switch had swiftly been turned within me. Was it pregnancy hormones causing this? Was it the panic at the thought of being discovered? Mia had barely said anything that offensive, and I was being dramatic and had turned a teeny thing into something huge.

Maybe it was just the mention of Connor being worried about me. Perhaps that wound was rawer than I had thought, and that mixed with the preggoness just made me want to yell at the two arseholes.

But what had been said had been said, and there was no taking it back now. Harsh and cruel as the words had been, I wasn't going to retract what I had meant.

'Hurry up and pass the phone to your wanker of a husband,' I said eventually, my voice tired as I added, 'Please.'

I didn't hear her say another word after I assumed the phone was handed over; all I could hear for a few seconds was soft murmuring, and that hurt even more than watching them kiss or anything coupley and disgusting like that would have felt.

When we were together, Connor and I used to have this thing where when one of us was getting panicky or anxious - it was usually me, but this one time with Connor would probably be engraved into my mind forever - the other would take all of that away with just a whisper or the gentlest touch on the waist or the arm.

The fact that Connor and Mia did that together now made my heart feel like it was on fire. I wasn't jealous about it, I realised. I was just sad.

Shaking my head roughly and feeling glad that those other two couldn't see the tears that swam in my eyes and blurred my vision, I held the phone away so that Connor wouldn't hear me clear my throat.

'Nova? Are you still there?'

'Where else would I be?'

'I don't know. Where are you now?' Connor's tone had taken on a different air suddenly.

'Why? Why's it any of your business?' I asked suspiciously, my heart admittedly clenching a little.

His response was like a gunshot in the silence.

'Because I know you're having Drew Turner's kid.'

OOOOOH, CLIFFHANGERRRRR!! Sorry for leaving it with yet another cliffhanger guys, and this chapter was considerably shorter than most, but I hope you're still enjoying this story and I would love to know what you think :) MUCH LOVE!!