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Exes and Oh's: Part 22

Serena and Marley Series

By Sharlene AlbaPublished 6 years ago 11 min read
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Photo by Everton Vila on Unsplash

SERENA

Baytown was merely a twenty-two-minute drive from Pasadena, but it might as well have been a different coastal state all on its own. The small businesses in Town Square were charming but still held typical pop shops of goodness. I was shopping for some decor for one of the houses I was renovating at the moment, and I needed something that wasn't an antique piece. Although the farmhouse look was something Texans favored, it just wasn't my style. I needed a fresh look, something that hasn't been done before. Which was why when I saw Red Daddy's Furniture Store awning, I smirked, knowing I just had to go into a store with a name like that.

Usually, when I went decor shopping to add some pieces for the collection at my warehouse, I never entered a place without knowing what I wanted. It saved me some browsing time, and today out of all days, I needed to pick a few things out and head back to Pasadena quickly. Marley would kill me if I was late to Thanksgiving dinner. I would've flown back to New York just for my mother's pulled pork and potato salad, but I just wasn't in the mood to travel this year. Especially since this damn flu wasn't letting up.

A few things caught my eye as I walked through the isles and I wrote down their numbers so I could give it to the clerks and have them delivered by next week. The house in Deer Park was close to being finished, and all it needed was a few key decor pieces to make buyers fall in love and make some offers. After exiting Red Daddy's place, I browsed the street for the nearest coffee shop, hoping they sold some of my favorite custom teas. When I spotted one just across the street, I headed towards it and heard a truck hit the brakes barely a foot away from me. I slammed my hand onto the hood and glared.

"Hey, I'm walking here!" the New Yorker in me came out as I cocked my head towards the driver, ready for a verbal exchange of nasty words. The driver pushed open the door and peeked his head out before exiting his truck. If I didn't know better, I could've sworn I knew this man. His facial features and build seemed familiar but I couldn't put a name to that bearded nest on his handsome face. But I recognized him the second he smiled and walked over to me for a hug.

"How've you been, Sugar Bear?" Kyle Lombert asked as he wrapped his arms around me and reminded me he had been the only actual proof that I could pull off being friends with an ex-boyfriend of mine. I couldn't believe he was here. And apparently, neither could he. He squeezed my entire life away with that hug before he pulled away and his smile widened. He was still as pale as ever, considering he lived in one of the hottest southern states, and he was still five-foot-eleven of southern sexiness, with warm brown eyes that always managed to make the cynical New Yorker in me disappear. I hadn't realized how much I had missed his company until now.

"I've been peachy, darling. And yourself?" I teased, trying my best at a southern accent. I didn't pull it off very well since he started laughing, but it was an infectious laugh at least. Kyle always had that effect on people, made them smile even though he had a tough time smiling on his own time and solitude. It was one of the main reasons why we had split up, and I wondered if he had managed to work through his depression at all since the last time we spoke.

"I'm still in shock. When did you move out here? And why didn't you tell me? I would've knocked on your door just to bug you." Kyle insisted as he jingled his keys in his pockets. He was nervous. About what, I wasn't sure. We were always comfortable around each other. Or at least over the phone. I had met him in an online chat room when we were about fifteen, where people from all parts of the world gathered to chat and play checkers. He always let me win and I always let him think so. We kept in touch for a while, dated other people, then circled back around to give each other a chance romantically.

The thing about teenagers and feelings is that most of the time, they had no idea how to handle them, and even more so for Kyle, who'd been overwhelmed dealing with his depression and low self-esteem at the time and had a mental breakdown two months into our long-distance relationship. We had exchanged a few nasty words and stopped talking for a while until we fell back into the friendship it was meant to be. Although some of those phone conversations weren't as PG as they needed to be, we enjoyed them until we drifted apart again. Fast forward a couple of years, and here we were again. It was as if the universe felt like I didn't have enough to deal with as it is.

"Maybe you should park your car first. You're holding up the traffic." I mentioned, gesturing towards the truck in the middle of the road as the other cars began to honk behind it.

"Don't disappear on me. I'll be right back." Kyle insisted, jogging towards his car. I pulled out my phone and shot a text to Marley, letting her know I was going to be late, then turned off my phone just in time for Kyle's return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feeling a bit disoriented, I opened my eyes slowly and found myself lying in a hospital bed. Panicking, I looked down at myself, making sure I was fully clothed, then sighed in relief when I was. I hated those hospital gowns. They always seemed to open in the back, showing everybody just how much junk you had in your trunk. I resumed to look around and cursed when I didn't recognize the hospital I was in.

"Just relax, Sugar Bear. You're in Baytown's finest hospital. You fainted at the coffee shop and I took you straight here." Kyle's familiar voice calmed me down and I turned to look at him as he reached for my hand and squeezed it.

"It's this damn flu I haven't been able to shake off. Just tell the nurse I have antibiotics at home so we can leave." I informed him as he helped me put on my shoes.

"I think it's a bit more complicated than that," Kyle stated and I raised an eyebrow at him just as the doctor arrived. She had dirty blonde hair and skin that resembled that of a porcelain doll. It didn't take me long to figure out this was Tracy, Kyle's older sister. I recognized her from a few pictures he had shown me years ago. She had put on some healthy weight and sported a wedding band on her finger, letting me know she had finally found someone just as crazy as she was to marry her.

"The infamous Serena, it's nice to meet you. Wish it were under other circumstances, but here we are." Tracy began and tried to smile as she looked at her younger brother, who was still holding my hand. It wasn't my business what kind of tension was between them but it was thick enough to cut with a knife and I felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Likewise. But there's no need for a diagnosis. It's just a flu. I have some medicine at home I've been taking and-"

"Well, you can stop taking them because you don't have the flu, darling. You're pregnant." Tracy informed me and I felt my mouth dry down to sandpaper and my heart pound out of my chest at the words coming out of her mouth.

"No. There must be some mistake. I take birth control. I'm completely safe. Always. There's absolutely no way..." I rambled as I felt a panic attack coming, my hands shaking, my chest squeezing all the air out until I began coughing.

"Do Mom and Dad know you're seeing her again?" Tracy asked Kyle as if I weren't in the room, hearing every word she was saying, while she began to rub at my lower back, using her fingertips to place some pressure on my spinal cord, releasing some of the stress my body was overwhelming me with.

"First of all, the baby ain't mine. No offense, Sugar Bear." he paused and I waved it off as Tracy began to take my blood pressure. "And second, what I do with my personal life is my business." Kyle paused and took my hand again as he helped me off the hospital bed and picked me up into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I just assumed, since you brought her here and all. I'm sorry ma'am." Tracy apologized, her cheeks turning a bright red out of embarrassment and I only brushed it off because I had bigger things to deal with right now. I had no time to figure out why she hated me too.

"How far along am I?" I asked as Kyle carried me towards the front desk to sign some discharge papers, which was really unnecessary but I was still feeling a bit lightheaded, so I held on tight.

"About five weeks. Some birth control brands just have faulty formulas. I'd stay away from the one you're currently taking now and make an appointment with your obstetrician in the meantime. Other than that, you need to slow down and lower your stress levels. The world needs more healthy babies and... congratulations." Tracy explained, as she signed off on some papers and nodded her goodbye towards her brother before moving on to the next patient.

As soon as Kyle placed me in the passenger's seat of his car shortly after, I glanced down at his wristwatch and noticed it was close to eight in the evening. Shit. I was late for dinner.

"I'm fixing to ask a friend of mine to drive your car back to your place while I drive you to your dinner. I don't think you should be driving right now. Not with those fainting spells you've been having." Kyle insisted and I was about to protest but he gave me a look full of warning and I nodded, knowing he was right since my hands were still shaking.

Kyle never asked me who the father was on our way back to Pasadena. He didn't ask me much at all actually. He just seemed to be in deep thought after we continued to catch up on each other's lives as we drove past cornfields and farmhouses and arrived at Marley's place. During the short ride, he had mentioned he had left the military to pursue his dreams of being a professional chef and was now in the process of looking at some properties for his future restaurant. I couldn't have been prouder of him. He managed to get a handle on his depression with some therapy and with the help of the structure and discipline the military instilled in him. He didn't seem as burdened and gloomy as he used to be when we were dating, and I couldn't be happier for him. I, on the other hand, was still a mess. Just a mess with a little bit more money than I used to have.

I had no time for a wardrobe change for dinner, but this outfit consisting of an overgrown long-sleeved black shirt, converse sneakers and leggings would have to do. Kyle killed his engine and jogged around to help me out of the truck and I gave him a smile as he walked me up to the door. There weren't many gentlemen left in the world, but I was glad that personality trait never left him at least. I fished for the spare keys I had to Marley's place and looked around the driveway to see who else was still here. Michael and Daniel's trucks were still parked right behind each other. Marley's car as well. The other guests must've left a while ago.

"Would you like to come in? I'm sure my friend made enough food for an army to eat." I joked, not sure how this night would end, having an ex-boyfriend and my estranged husband in the same room. Kyle chuckled as he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked up at the star-filled sky above us.

"My parents have this big dinner planned. I should head back before all the turkey's gone." Kyle replied as he smiled at me and I nodded.

"Give me a call next week and we'll have dinner?" I suggested and his eyes twinkled underneath the lit sconces on Marley's front porch. He seemed to be considering the idea, but he ended up reaching for my hand instead, placing a kiss on the back as he began to pull away.

"You know what would happen if we did, Sugar Bear." he reminded me and I sighed, knowing we were adults now. We couldn't blame our problems on hormones anymore. Especially now that there was a baby in the midst of all this.

"Have a good night then," I said and he nodded as he sent me a wink and walked towards his car, driving off shortly after.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been worried sick." Daniel's voice startled me as he opened the door before I could turn the key. I felt the draft coming from inside the house and the scent of homemade food tickle my nose, making me nauseous. Before I ran to the bathroom, I swallowed it down and pulled Daniel out onto the porch, making him close the door behind him.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked in worry, placing his hands on my hips to steady me against him.

"I don't know how to say this other than to just say it," I paused, taking a deep breath as I lead into the next part of this conversation that might undo the progress we were making in counseling, "I'm pregnant. And I'm not sure if I'm keeping the baby."

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About the Creator

Sharlene Alba

Full of raw and unfiltered fluid poems, short stories and prompts on love, sex, relationships and life. I also review haircare, skincare and other beauty products. Instagram: grungefirepoetry MissBeautyBargain Facebook: grungefirepoetry

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