I stood at the front of the dance studio, leading my class through a series of fluid movements. As the music pulsed through the room, I could feel the energy of the dancers around me, their bodies synchronized in perfect harmony.
"Good!" I called out, pausing the music. "Let's take it from the top. Remember to count your strides but other than that it's looking good." I announced, counting in the song and starting it from the beginning.
I stood up front, watching each student and taking a mental note of which students need to work on which moves when suddenly, a wave of nausea swept over me, and my stomach churned. Trying to push through the discomfort, I continued instructing the class, but the queasiness only intensified.
With a sudden urgency, I excused myself and dashed out of the room, my hand clamped over my mouth. I burst into the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before retching uncontrollably. As I knelt there, the room spun around me. "Fuck," I muttered under my breath, flushing the toilet.
As I cleaned up I began to feel discouraged. I've only felt sick so far but now I'm throwing up. If this continues I won't be able to teach properly. Dance is my escape, it's my happy place and I need it. I can't stand the thought of not being able to dance for a whole 9 plus months.
When I entered the room, my class was dancing around doing their own things. Some were stretching while others were practicing the moves we were just working on. Luckily after emptying my stomach I did feel a little better so I continued with the class as per usual and said goodbye to my class before I made my way into my office.
Because I teach such a high volume of the classes that are run here plus I take a lot of classes, they gave me an office and I'm kind of in love with it. It's like my secret hiding spot from the world. There are no windows but it's lit up nicely with fancy lighting. The walls are white with light grey cabinets and white countertops. My trophies and awards are displayed on shelving along with a few framed photos of times I was in music videos or my class won a championship. I bought myself a mini fridge for the office because a lot of the time I'm here all day and end up eating here so I like to keep it stocked with drinks.
I have about half an hour before my next class so I turned on my computer and began doing more research about...babies. I realized last night that I've never even changed a diaper before, or even held a newborn. It scares me but my mom told me that it'll come naturally when the babies are born. I just hope I'm ready when that day comes.
As I was scrolling through cribs my phone began buzzing on the countertop beside me. I was shocked to see Billie's name across the screen but it did make me smile. "Hey?" I answered.
"Hey Wren, how are you doing?" She asked, her voice absolutely adorable.
"I'm pretty good, aside from the fact that I had to run out of class today to throw up," I answered honestly.
"Oh shit, I'm sorry. Do you need anything? I can bring you something?"
"That's sweet but I'm okay. No need to bring me anything."
"Are you sure? Because I'm pretty close to where your dance studio is," She double-checked and I thought it was really sweet how she remembered where the studio is. Luckily, we do know a tiny bit about each other from when we first met. Not a lot but we did make some small talk around the dinner table before she took me home.
"I promise, I'm good," I smiled to myself.
"Okay, if you need anything, text me, yeah?"
"Yeah," I assured her.
"Oh! I read that this week our babies are the size of blueberries. How cute is that?"
You're cute...
"Very cute," I chuckled. Wait... she said 'our babies', I mean she's technically right but I've never thought of it that way.
"Alright well I don't want to take up too much of your time but also are you free tonight?"
"Yeah, I am actually. What's up?"
"I was thinking we could maybe start some online shopping for some stuff? Also, I want to talk about a few things," She spoke, getting quieter with the last sentence.
"Yeah, for sure. Would you want to come to my apartment?"
"Sounds good," I could hear the smile in her voice. "How does seven sound?"
"Perfect. I'll text you my address." We said our goodbyes before hanging up and I grabbed a bottle of water, taking a few sips. I'm excited to start shopping and getting the basics but I'm also a little nervous about her coming over. I'm not embarrassed by my apartment or anything, I love my apartment and I'm proud of it but it's still her coming to my house.
~~~
As I paced back and forth in my apartment, I couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety. Billie was coming over, and I wanted everything to be perfect. Even though I had spent hours cleaning earlier, I found myself compulsively wiping down countertops, rearranging pillows, and fussing over every little detail. Was the vase of flowers positioned just right? Did the cushions on the couch look inviting?
I kept glancing at the clock, my heart racing with anticipation and nerves. My mind was in overdrive, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed everything to be flawless. I knew I was being irrational, but I couldn't help myself. I just wanted everything to be perfect for Billie's arrival, as if the state of my apartment somehow reflected what type of parent I'd be.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my racing thoughts, reminding myself that Billie cared about the babies, not the state of my apartment. But as I continued to clean, my jittery nerves persisted, and I couldn't wait for the doorbell to ring, signalling Billie's arrival and hopefully easing my anxious mind.
Finally, the doorbell chimed, and my heart skipped a beat. I rushed to the door, trying to contain my nerves as I swung it open to reveal Billie standing there with a warm smile. Her presence instantly eased my anxiety, and I looked at her with a shy grin. "Hey Billie," I greeted her, stepping aside.
"Hey," she smiled, stepping inside. I closed the door behind her and I couldn't help but notice how effortlessly she made herself at home, not seeming to mind the minor imperfections that I had been so fixated on.
"I like your place," she told me softly, her eyes wandering around the room. "Cute flowers," she pointed to the bouquet of white flowers I had placed on my kitchen island earlier.
Her simple compliment of expressing genuine appreciation for the effort I had put into my apartment made my heart swell. I blushed, feeling a sense of relief and gratitude wash over me. Billie's calming presence and easygoing demeanour helped to ground me, reminding me that perfection wasn't necessary.
"Um, have a seat, I'll go grab my laptop," I told her. She nodded and I watched her sit down and pull out her phone before I ran to my bedroom and grabbed my Macbook that was sitting on my nightstand.
Soon enough we settled onto the couch, and I opened up Google. I paused for a moment, not sure what I was even supposed to type into Google Search. I turned to her only to see her looking back at me with furrowed brows and a smirk on her lips. "What do I even look up?" I asked, causing her to let out a little laugh.
"Here," she grabbed the laptop from my hands and began typing. "I made a list in my phone of everything that's necessary to buy before the babies arrive," she handed me her phone with the list opened and my eyes widened as the list went on and on, and on, seemingly never-ending.
"Okay, this is insane Billie. I'm sure not everything on this list is necessary.
"I might've gone a little crazy but what can I say? I want my babies to be spoiled," she shrugged her shoulders and I shook my head with a giggle.
"Fair enough," I chuckled.
"So I'd say we start with the big stuff like car seats, cribs, and a stroller," she explained, tilting the laptop screen to show me the few items.
"Yeah, sure," I nodded slowly.
"Also are you planning on breast feeding?" She questioned.
With that question, I suddenly began to feel extremely overwhelmed. I haven't thought this through at all. The only thing I'm sure of is that I wanna protect the little blueberries growing inside of me.
"Um, I haven't really thought that far yet," I answered sheepishly.
"That's okay," she smiled sweetly. It almost seemed as though she was sensing my hesitation. "Everything will be alright, Wren," she placed her hand on top of mine.
"Yeah," I cleared my throat. "So what was the thing you wanted to talk to me about?"
"It can wait," she waved it off.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah of course! Now let's start breaking the bank for our babies!"
~~~
A/N: How's it going? Are we liking this so far?
Also, this is kinda how I picture Wrenley's office but obviously replace the pictures for dance photos and imagine awards on the top shelves.
Oh also, I need all the baby name suggestions rn please!!