Chapter 51: Distance
TERESA’S P.O.V.
The next morning started off like any other, but there was a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that I couldn’t shake. As soon as I opened my eyes, I sensed something was... off. And then, as I got out of bed, it hit me: everything felt tighter. My pajamas clung a little too snugly, and as I shuffled around my small room, my feet complained loudly as they touched the floor.
I took a deep breath and willed myself to get dressed. Pulling on my jeans felt like wrestling with The Rock, and I winced as I tried to fasten the button. "It’s just the wash," I muttered to myself, blaming the laundry instead of the rapidly growing baby bump that had started to make itself painfully known. Then I slipped into my shoes, and—ouch! The leather pinched at my toes like it had shrunk overnight.
"Fantastic," I mumbled, hobbling around like a penguin with sore feet. Every step felt like a battle against my own shoes. "It’s fine, Teresa. You can manage," I reassured myself, all while my toes were screaming at me to please, for the love of all things holy, find something roomier. I knew I needed new clothes and shoes, but the idea of spending what little I had left was... unsettling.
When I finally made it to the diner that evening, I was more than ready to collapse into a booth and let my feet recover. But as luck would have it, Mary, Susanne, and Tom waltzed in just as I was about to sit. They looked far too perky for my liking—full of energy, laughs, and, worst of all, curiosity. I barely had time to fake a smile before Mrs. Flora, my evening boss, seemed to sense my fatigue, especially after a long day helping Mr. Ben at the bookstore, and let me take a small break to sit with my ’friends’. She even reminded me to rest more because of the pregnancy, her gentle way of watching over me.
As I settled into the booth, I noticed Mary’s eyes practically gleaming with mischief. She leaned in with a grin that spelled trouble. "So, Teresa..." she whispered, "how close are you with Adrian Daegon?" She said his name like it was wrapped in scandal, and I could see Tom struggling to hold back a laugh as he eagerly leaned in.
I felt my face heat up instantly. "Adrian?" I tried to laugh it off, though it came out a bit strangled. "He’s just... a friendly neighbor. You know, like he is with everyone."
Susanne’s eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh really? Because I heard he was carrying your basket at the market the other day." She leaned forward, her voice taking on a conspiratorial whisper, like she was sharing top-secret intel. "And I also heard he followed you to the hospital. What’s that about, hmm?" She looked at me like she was begging me to clear up that my relationship with Adrian was really nothing. Her eyes and body language were practically chanting, Please say no, please say no.
I stiffened, frantically searching for a way out of this. "It’s nothing, honestly!" I insisted, though my cheeks were undoubtedly betraying me.