Shopping with Emma and Ada together is . . . stressing.
They're good friends, but their styles are completely different. So now they're fighting for wat feels like hundredth time today over what shop to go to. I stand next to Ada, holding her hand as I look around.
I'm actually hungry and would like to lunch, but engaging in the argument would be the most stupid thing I've ever done. So I wait for my fate to be decided.
"Aaron!" Emma cries out in desperation. I look at her, confused and cold. Whose idea was it again to go shopping in December?
"Tell her we need to get cute shirts!" she convinces me. I look at Ada, who raises an eyebrow at me. I blush and hide my face in her soft sweater. She cups the back of my head. "No. Micah ripped his pants apart last week and he needs new ones to go to work."
Emma scoffs at that. My cheeks redden even more. Did Ada need to tell that?
"Fine. But after, we'll go lunch and get shirts. Deal?" Emma sighs. Ada shrugs, grabbing my hand again. "We'll see."
Emma whines, walking behind us as we go to the jeans store. She may top Isaac, but she'll never top Ada.
But the second we're inside, her mood clears up and she gushes over every pants she sees. I shoot Ada a knowing look, one she answers with a kiss on top of my head. "Micah can finance this trip," she winks. I blush again.
Sometimes he's really too horny. I barely got home from work and he was already pulling me to his bedroom. He then continued to rip my pants apart. Not that he cared. He went on until I passed out and didn't wake up until 3 pm the next day.
"Look at these sweats," she tells me. I sigh, knowing it'll be women pants again or something. But no, this time she's serious. The sweats match with the hoodies I bought earlier, so I give her an approving smile and she picks them in my size. Micah will pay.
After going through the whole store and planning on making Micah bankrupt, we go to the changing rooms. Emma happily hops behind us, already excited to show off her new baggy jeans to her fiancé. I bet he'll swoon soon enough and lie underneath her in less than a minute.
Ada joins me in the little room, something I didn't expect. But instead of sitting down on the bench and watching me, she pushes me down on it. I roll my eyes and watch her turn around again, only to make sure no one can come in.
"I'm going first."
I raise my hands in surrender, hiding a little smile. "Alright. I don't think you'll have to put anything back, though. You look stunning in everything."
She grabs my chin and gives me a quick kiss. "Thank you, sweetheart. You're so cute."
"Cuter than baby otters?"
She pretends to be thinking before saying—very meanly, might I add—"No, I didn't think so."
I grumble a little, watching her try the second trousers. They're gorgeous on her, but she doesn't deserve a compliment after that comment.
Until she turns from the mirror to me. She's frowning a little. "Do I look fat in this? Shit, Sebastian has been cooking well these past few weeks. I must've eaten too much."
I wrap my arms around her ass, since it is on the same height, and pull her closer. I place a little kiss on her stomach. "You're perfect. I'm actually glad you've been eating more than usual. It keeps you warm in the winter."
She rolls her eyes at my last comment, but seems reassured by the rest of my speech and nods. She joins me on the bench, laying her head on my shoulder while she pulls off her pants again. "Your turn."
Okay. I stand up, seeing no beginning on the pile of pants. Sure, Micah is sponsoring us, but it's lots of work to try everything. And I'm already tired and hungry.
Ada chuckles at my desperation. "Most of them are the same size. Look, just try these four."
I nod and listen to her orders. When I'm on my third pair, she smirks and crosses her arms over her chest. "Yep. I like these."
Frowning and not understanding what she means, I turn in the mirror. Then I understand. My butt pops out in these.
"You're all so horny," I sigh. "When will you ever learn to love my personality?"
She pulls me in a hug. "We adore your personality. Your body is only a plus. A very good, fantastic plus."
Happier with her now, I smile and pull my normal pants up again. "Can we finally lunch now? I'm starving."
She nods, standing up and putting everything in a bag. "First, we'll make Micah go bankrupt."
We meet Emma outside our dressing room again. She doesn't look too well. I immediately hook our arms in each other, but she doesn't react much. Ada frowns, waving a hand in front of her face. "Emma? Are you alright?"
She's not. She blinks slowly and looks pale. I pull her along, outside. "Ada, you pay for now. I'm going outside with her. Maybe the fresh air will help."
For once, Ada lets me boss her around. I take small steps with Emma, wanting her to walk herself. That way, I know if she's still on this planet or not.
When the cold air hits our faces, I pull off her warm beanie. What was she thinking, dressed up with her scarf, beanie and winter jacket in a hot store?
I make sure she sits down on a bench outside. It's stone and so, cold, but maybe that helps with her coming back to her senses.
"Hot," she mutters, barely comprehensible. I nod, sinking through my knees a little to get a better look at her face. "Can you understand me?"
"I'm not—" She gags, placing a hand over her mouth. Panicked, I look around. Isn't there some plastic bag on the ground or something? Where is the pollution when you need it?
I grab a trampled bag off the ground and hand it to her, just when she starts puking. Ada joins us on that exact moment and groans. "Shit. I think it's better to call Isaac."
My hand, resting on Emma's back, starts rubbing circles. "Are you okay with that?"
She nods, so I pull out my phone and dial his number. "Aaron? Hi! Is everything alright? I'm sorry, but I thought Emma was going shopping with you and Ada. At least, that's what she told me. I have no idea where she is if she's not with you. Fuck, what if she's not alright—"
"Isaac, Isaac," I reassure him. "Emma is with us. We just have a minor inconvenience. Emma got a little sick. Maybe you can meet us and take her home?"
"Oh my God. I told her she shouldn't go shopping when she's feeling sick. Okay. Tell her I'll be there in twenty minutes. Send me your location and I'll be there."
He hangs up after that before I can say anything else. That's rude. I text him our location anyway, knowing he'll freak out if I don't.
"I take it he's worried?" Ada smiles. I nod. "He's always worried about her. Emma, Isaac will be here in twenty minutes. Is that alright?"
She nods, throwing the bag in the trashcan next to her. "I hate throwing up."
I nod, keeping her hand in mine. I hate being sick too, except the extra attention that comes with it. "Do you feel like you might do it again? What happened?"
As she shakes her head, a little blush rises to her cheeks. "I don't know why I got sick. Maybe it was too hot or something."
We wait for Isaac to arrive. He does, running through the street and checking his phone every few seconds. Ada stands up and waves him over. The relief crashes over him when he sees us.
He doesn't spare us a glance and immediately kneels next to Emma, checking her temperature with his hand against her forehead. "Stupid woman," he curses, shaking his head. "I told you it wasn't smart after this morning. I also told you Aaron wouldn't mind if you bailed."
I blush. "I really wouldn't, Emma. Not if I knew you were sick. Was she that bad this morning?"
Isaac scoffs, taking her hands in his and pulling her up. "Three times this morning. Twice this night. And still, she ate like three hockey players at breakfast. I'm scared how the rest of her pregn—"
He stops speaking when Emma hits his arm, but it's too late. My jaw is already on the floor. "Were you about to say pregnancy?"
I turn to the traitor in question. "You're pregnant? As in, you're carrying a little baby in your stomach?"
She sighs. "See, this is why I don't trust you with secrets, Isaac. But yeah, Aaron, I'm pregnant. About two months today."
I throw my hands up in the air. "And you were going to keep it a secret? How could you?"
Isaac shoots me a look. "Watch that tone, Bright."
Ada's mood grows bad. "Watch your tone, Newton."
Both Isaac and Emma scowl even more. I grin. "Good one!"
We high five. Then I turn back to Emma, hugging her. "I'm so happy for you! Wow! Am I the godfather?"
She sighs, dragging a hand over her face. "You, or Alex, or Theo. Then I'm not even talking about the possibility of your boyfriends."
I frown. "But I'm your best friend! And your sweetest. You said so yourself!"
She winks. "We'll see at birth. We're also waiting for the gender until then. I wanted it to be a great surprise for all of you too, not knowing I was pregnant and then suddenly, there's a baby! So you really can't tell Alex or Theodore, okay?"
I sigh. "Then who am I going to be excited with?"
Isaac raises his hand, a smile spreading over his face. "I'm pretty excited too. I can't wait to feed our twins."
I squeak. "It's twins?"
Emma slaps his arms before leaning into him with a loving look. "We don't know that yet. Isaac just has a feeling."