Page 131 of Through You
“Artemis.”
“Yes?”
I close my lips tightly then relax them, and think carefully about what I’m about to say. I’m unsure if this is the right time.
But I don’t think there’s ever going to be an ideal moment, so I should just go ahead and tell him now.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” He sits up and unclasps his hands, reacting to the serious tone in my voice.
“What’s wrong?”
“I—I . . . umm.” I blurt, “I’m pregnant.”
Thirty-six
Don’t joke around about that stuff, Claudia.
ARTEMIS
What?
That single word keeps spinning nonstop in my head. But I keep smiling because Claudia must be joking.
“Very funny. But I’m not falling for it,” I reply, shaking my head. “You probably thought you could trick me like the time you had your appendix removed and you told me the doctor ordered you to eat obscene quantities of ice cream. You got ice cream every day for an entire week until I realized you’d been lying to me.”
She half smiles when I bring up that story, but there’s no joy in her expression. She licks her lips and puts a lock of hair behind her ear. Then she stares down into her lap, where her clasped hands are resting.
“Come on. Don’t give me that,” I say, laughing a little. “Superb acting performance.”
“Artemis . . .” Her voice is barely a whisper.
“Don’t joke around about that stuff, Claudia.”
She looks up at me—straight in the eyes. And I understand she’s serious. My smile slowly fades and my chest feels tight.
“I’m not joking.” Her tone is flat and defensive.
I open my mouth to say something but immediately close it because I really don’t know what to say.
My mind goes back to that one word, still spinning in a hamster wheel of disbelief because I didn’t see this coming at all. I want to say something and soothe the fear and hesitancy evident in her expression. I just don’t know what to say.
She’s pregnant.
I suppose that’s possible since we had unprotected sex—I’m not stupid. Although, I thought she was on the pill. Claudia has always been meticulous and careful in everything she does, so an unplanned pregnancy seems out of character for her, and has completely caught me off guard.
Say something.
Claudia bites her upper lip then slowly releases it. The tension is obvious in her shoulders and her body language.
“I’m sorry,” she says with a sad smile. “I must have missed a day of the pill or something. I still can’t figure out what happened, but this is my fault. You trusted me. You don’t have—”
“Stop.”
She stares at me with a puzzled look.
“Please stop talking, because I know I’m not going to like what you’re going to say. I know you, and I can tell what you’re thinking.”
She is silent, and eyes me warily. I get up, and the back of my neck is so tight that I try to massage out some of the tension.
