Two Hearts Collided

Chapter 17: Love

Carter and I found a house and now we've called a meeting with everyone. I'm kind of...fat?

I have a lot of baby fat on me and I want to be able to fit in my jeans. Everyone will be here in three hours. Lucy and Rachel had their babies and our baby boy is almost a month.

I put on a t-shirt and sweats and go downstairs. "I'm going on the treadmill." I announce.

Carter looks at me and frowns. "Why? You're beautiful." He says.

"And fat." I reply.

His eyes widen. "No. Don't ever say that. You just had a baby. Don't call yourself fat."

"I believe I just did." I reply.

He looks like he wants to reply, but I just walk out to the garage and start the treadmill.

It tells me how many calories I burn, too.

I run for a while, and then I stop from asthma.

Fuck. I shut off the treadmill and walk into the house. Carter hands me my inhaler and stands in front of me like a hawk until I'm calm, and then I go right back onto the treadmill.

It's not until I hear the doorbell that I realize I've been running for three hours straight, only stopping for asthma.

I shut off the treadmill and walk into the living room. Carter's letting people in, and Justin gets ripped from his arms by my mother.

"Don't hug me." I say. "I'm going to shower. I smell like sweat and B.O."

I go upstairs, proud of my workout, and I take a hot shower, and I shave and I wash and then I get out and dry and put on deodorant, and I dress in a beige bra, white panties, a white loose t-shirt and jeans. I go downstairs and everyone is here.

"He wants tit." Carter says, handing Justin to me.

"You can't say food?" I ask. All he does it smirk. I cover myself with the blanket on the back of the couch and give Justin foot.

"How are our new mothers doing?" Mrs. Harris asks.

"Tired." Me, Lucy, and Rachel say in sync. Lucy's daughter is named Abigail and Rachel's daughter is named Taylor.

She smiles. "It gets better when they sleep through the night."

"I'm nervous." Alec blurts. "You two hate meetings, yet you called one. Why? If you guys quit the band I'll cry myself to sleep."

I sit down on my beloved recliner and put my feet up.

"Please don't quit the band." Lucy adds. "You two idiots make everything more fun."

"I don't know if that's a compliment. What do you think babe?"

"I don't know." He shrugs, running his fingers through his hair. He's wearing light blue jeans and he's not wearing a shirt.

"Are you guys quitting?" Rachel asks.

"Please say no." Ryan says.

"Yeah. Don't go. UNO won't be any fun without competitive Roxy."

"And you two assholes won't be there to squish me next time Devin slams on the breaks." Cody says.

"I couldn't help it." Devin defends. "It's either that or we slam into some lady."

"The lady shouldn't have been in the way." I mutter.

All of us laugh, and then I sigh. "Well it's your lucky day. We're not quitting the band...we're just...adding to it?" I look at Carter and he nods.