"Anthony, we should get back to the office. We can't make an excuse of getting coffee and just disappear for an hour." I laugh at my friend as we walk around campus, avoiding our work and gossiping. I finally told him the SparkNotes version of what's been happening. He is having a hard time processing, hence our long walk away from the office.
"I know, I know. But holy shit, your life is a romance novel or horror movie, or a mixture of both."
Just like Anthony to make a joke out of all this, but it's what I need from him.
"No kidding. It's getting better though. Kieran and I are doing well after our little spat, and we have a better understanding. Hopefully we won't have to take as much time off anymore, but I would appreciate you giving us some of the same shifts off on weekends if possible, otherwise I'll never see him," I pout excessively in Anthony's direction as we enter the Tech office building.
He pushes me lightly into the stairwell and we start ascending slowly, side by side.
"I'll do what I can. You're both so cute, it makes me sick," he rolls his eyes playfully. "You do look happy though. Even with everything else happening, he makes you happy. You deserve it, sweets."
I hug him as we reach the floor we need, my coffee cup empty in my left hand. "Thanks, Ant. I'm glad we had some time to talk. I missed you." Anthony lets me go and takes the empty cup from me, throwing it in the trash bin as we open the door to exit the stairwell.
"I missed you, too. Now let's go before the boss gets mad," He laughs at his own joke, because he is technically the boss, and we scurry back to our desk.
Kieran is sitting in my spot, answering a call. He winks at me as I enter, and places me on his lap despite my protests. I quietly fight him as he remains on the phone, scheduling an appointment and adding it to our calendar online. When he hangs up, I smack him on his arm in disapproval.
"Let me go, you buffoon!"
Anthony laughs and then catches himself. "Children, be professional." His stern voice makes me smile, but Kieran's faux pissed-off reaction is even funnier. He lets me go with a huff and stands up, pressing me back down in my chair so I can continue working. He gives my cheek a swift kiss and goes to leave the room back to where the rest of the techs are.
"Kieran, remember I have an appointment, so I won't see you until later, okay?" I call out to Kieran before he gets too far away.
He nods in acknowledgement and waves back at me, blowing me a kiss when he knows Anthony isn't looking. I roll my eyes half-way and then stop, looking to see if he saw that. Kieran's stare is on me, his eyebrow raised. I mouth a "sorry" and smile shyly, hoping to get out of trouble. By the look on his face, I'm not getting off that easy.
Too bad for him, I won't be able to do anything sexual for a few days after getting my IUD in this afternoon. It's Thursday and thankfully I don't have my Friday class tomorrow so I can have some time to recover. I still have my appointment with Stacey, though. I heard that getting an IUD in causes a lot of cramping and it can be really painful, so I'm hoping I'll be okay enough to drive tomorrow.
The rest of the afternoon goes quickly at the office, and I make my way out around 4pm to go to my appointment. This past week has been interesting to say the least. Kieran and I can't keep our hands off each other, even more than usual. I think our talk on Sunday night helped Kieran out a lot. He talked to his therapist on the phone the other day, too, and will be doing that once a week from now on. He agreed that he hasn't been taking care of himself like he should.
I still haven't gotten the courage to open the journals from Jillian, but I'm hoping to read them soon. Probably during winter break so I don't have to worry too much about working or going to class. I don't know how much of a mess I'll be afterwards.
I've been excited for this appointment because I honestly don't want to use condoms anymore. After doing it a couple of times without it, I don't want to go back. Kieran has been tested and he's clean, and I'll be getting one today, but it should be fine. Then we won't have any issues. We'll still get tested regularly just to be careful, but I can't wait to not have a barrier between us anymore.
The appointment goes by quickly. I complete the paperwork, pee in a cup, and answer the questions from the doctor as much as I can. One thing that I was dreading this whole time is the topic of my weight. No matter what my appointments are about, my weight comes up, and it is the most annoying thing. I can come in for an earache and be told it's because I'm fat. So far, it hasn't come up.
The doctor first tells me I'm not pregnant since she has to check that prior to putting in the IUD. Then she talks about the possible complications of the IUD, what to expect for periods, and said I can have sex whenever I'm not sore anymore which should be a few days, but to still use condoms for about a week or two to make sure everything is working as it should.
I'll have a follow up appointment in three months to make sure things are good, and then I'll get it checked every year at my annual physical. It'll last for six years, so that's really nice.
She inserts the IUD, and the process goes quickly but the cramps begin immediately. I take a few ibuprofen pills from my purse and swallow them dry, desperate for the pain to go away at least a little, knowing it'll get worse. Before I leave, she brings up my weight. I thought I was in the clear, but I guess not.
"What about it?"
"It would be beneficial to lose some weight, there are so-"
I hold my hand up, her words stopping immediately.
"Look, I came here to talk about my birth control options, which we did. I didn't ask you to comment about my weight or ask about weight loss. Are there additional complications from the IUD that could be caused by my weight? If so, then please tell me. If not, then we're done here. Because my weight is irrelevant right now."
I stand up, knowing what her answer will be. I nod and leave the room, rolling my eyes at her dumbstruck face as I leave.
I don't even care about rolling my eyes right now because she deserved it. Kieran would agree with me.
--
I tell Kieran and Alice about my appointment while lying on the couch that evening, a heat pad on my stomach to ease the cramping. My head is in Alice's lap and my feet on Kieran's. They've been taking care of me for the last few hours and it's sweet how much they're worrying about me.
"I'm glad you said something to her. Doctors never seem to be mindful of things like that. I know it's their job to worry about people's health, but it's also not their place to point it out unless it's something you say you're concerned about," Alice chimes in, running her finger through my damp hair. I had taken a bath earlier while Kieran made us dinner.
"Yeah, I'm hoping she'll learn something from it." I sigh and close my eyes. "Thank you both for listening and taking care of me. Who knew this thing would hurt so bad?" My arm falls across my forehead in exasperation. I hate being useless.
"Of course, baby. It'll be worth it, though." Kieran winks in my direction as I peek at him from under my arm. My face blushes and I hear Alice gag behind me.
"You guys are gross."
"You're just jealous," Kieran retorts, throwing a piece of his popcorn at Alice. Apparently, we like throwing food around here.
These two bicker so much it's ridiculous.
"Yes, I am actually. I hear how loud Gemma is when you're in that room, so it must be good. But goddamn, stop flaunting it in front of my face."
"Alice!" I yell, warmth rushing to my face even more than before. I look up at her and she shrugs.
"What? It's true. That whole 'sir' thing is hot, too. I get it."
I am going to die right here on this couch. Kieran's face is a light shade of pink, but he still has a smirk on his face, proud of himself.
"Alice, I swear. Stop talking."
"I can't, this is too fun. And the begging? My god, ama-"
I slap Alice's bag of chips from her hands and sit up, glaring in her direction. Her mouth forms an 'o' before she begins laughing hysterically. She holds her palms up in surrender and stands, rushing to her room, cackling as she goes.
I didn't think I could get so embarrassed in front of my best friend but the thought of her hearing us is incredibly disturbing. I hear Kieran trying to stifle his laughter at the other end of the couch. I throw my pillow at him, and he stops.
"Sorry, sorry. That was funny."
"I'm so embarrassed."
"She doesn't care. It seemed like she was praising you, actually."
Suddenly, I hear Alice yelling from her room, "and we know that she really likes praise, too!"
I screech and fall back into the couch, my cramps soon forgotten.