The Center of My Universe

::19::

   "Hey Ellen," Alex said, kneeling behind her and pulling her hair back. She finished throwing up into the toilet and flushed it.

   "This sucks," she said. He hugged her tightly from behind.

"I know," he said. "It's gonna be over soon though. I think."

"We can only hope," she joked, brushing her teeth. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the wall, looking around and taking in just how small the apartment was. First it was only him, and it seemed huge. Then Ellen started living here, and it wasn't quite as big, but was still a decent size. Then Elvis came along, and it seemed as if it had shrunk. Now, they were going to have a baby. It just wasn't big enough for the four.

"When do you wanna start looking for a bigger place?" Alex questioned her, and she seemed taken aback. They hadn't really talked about it yet.

"I'm not sure," she said. "It might be kinda hard to move with..." she said, pointing at her stomach.

   "Maybe we should do it sooner rather then later?" He said, and she shrugged.

   "We can look," she said. He nodded and checked his watch.

"I better get ready," he said. Ellen nodded.

"I should too," she said. They got dressed and grabbed their things, rushing off to work. When Ellen got to the cafe, she smiled and grabbed her apron.

   "Ellen's here!" One of her coworkers exclaimed. Ellen smiled as she walked behind the counter.

   "Morning everyone," she said. They all greeted her and changed the closed sign on the front of the door to the other side to say open.

   When Alex got home late at night, he walked in to see Ellen sitting on the couch, petting Elvis and rolling a ball towards him.

   "Hi," Alex said. Ellen looked up and smiled at him.

   "Guess what?" She said. He gave her a curious look. She then reached down and grabbed something, holding them up for him to see. He grabbed them and smiled curiously.

   "Plane tickets?" He asked. She nodded eagerly.

   "So we can tell your family in person," she said, and he looked down at the paper, seeing the date of the flight was three days later.

   "That's great," he said, giving her a quick kiss. He walked into the bedroom and changed from his suit into a red shirt and some sweatpants. He jumped over the couch to land next to Ellen, who laughed as he landed on the cushions, making it bounce up and down slightly. He threw an arm around her and pulled her into his side smoothly and out of habit. She fit comfortably into his side, as she had been there many times before.

"How was work today?" She asked, and he shrugged.

"Okay I guess," he said. Ellen gave him a strange look.

"You always seem so... enthusiastic about work," she said. He nodded.

"I know. It's just that, it seems to be taking up a lot more time then it used to" he said. Ellen squinted.

"Why?" She asked. He looked down and kissed her forehead.

"There's other things I'd rather be doing, but I'm there from dusk til dawn now," he said. She turned her head slightly.

"Well you're here now," she said, and maneuvered so she wasn't leaning so much. She then wrapped her arms around him and leaned in to kiss him.
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"Are you gonna be okay on the plane?" Alex asked, holding Ellen's hair back once again. She finished throwing up and sat back into him, letting him pull her close to his body.

"I'll be fine," she said. He nodded and kissed her cheek, before standing up, and lending her a hand. She jumped up and he pulled her towards him, causing her to fall into his body. She giggled.

   "Alright, let's go home," he said, and Ellen couldn't help but realize his use of the term, home. He'd always referred to New York, and their apartment as home. She smiled anyways, and they prepared for their flight. They grabbed their luggage and were on their way. When they got on the plane, Ellen took a quick nap. She opened her eyes to see Alex fiddling with his hands.

"What's wrong?" She asked him quietly, still waking up. He looked at her and smiled as she sat up.

"Oh nothing," he said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine but don't change the subject," she said, smiling and pointing at him. He shook his head.

"You know me too well," he said. "I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"The future," he replied. She nodded, hoping he would continue. "My family will be happy, right?" He questioned.

   "Of course they will," she said, turning her body more towards him. "I've never met anyone more supportive then your family."

   "You're right," he said. "I'm just nervous."

   "Don't be. They are going to be thrilled."

   "My moms gonna say she's too young to be a grandma. Five bucks," he said.

   "I'll take that bet. She'll be too excited to say anything," Ellen said, and they shook hands, smiling and laughing at the ridiculous bet.

"Ready?" Alex asked as the plane landed, and Ellen gripped his hand, feeling slightly sick as her stomach dropped.

"Yeah," she replied, gripping his hand until the plane began to roll through the landing pad. She let out a breath she hadn't know she'd been holding.

   "That really got ya there, huh?" Alex said.

   "Oh you have no idea," she said, and they exited the plane, grabbing their luggage from the baggage claim and leaving to rent a car.