Even if people didn’t outright end up hating each other, they just kind of learned to co-exist and the passion just died away and they remained good friends who might give each other a hug now and then or a kiss on the cheek and cared enough to make sure each other had a good day. Even if her parents shared a bed, she doubted there was any kind of anything going on there.
“I’m sure you’ll both do the right thing,” Mary-Anne cut in after a lapse into silence. “Ross is a good boy. We tried to raise him right.”
“Mom!” Ross protested. His tone had the same sinkhole swallow me up desire that she’d just been feeling.
“Well, we did. I don’t see any shame in telling her that. You’re a good boy. A nice boy. And Teela, you look like a nice girl. Not at all like the kind of girls Ross was with in the past. If he had to accidentally make a baby with anyone, I’m glad it was you.”
“Oh my god, can we please just enjoy dinner,” Ross pleaded.
“Oh, well, alright. I suppose so.”
After that the only sound in the room was the forks scraping on plates and the clink of utensils, the lift and lower of a water glass. It was nice. Really. It wasn’t at all uncomfortable. Ross finished off his plate and went for seconds. And thirds.
Teela had no idea how on earth he stayed so trim and muscular if he ate like that. Maybe it wasn’t a regular thing. No one could resist a home cooked meal. She’d eaten more than she had in months. The food was good. Really good.
She was honestly eying him the peach pie when her mistake became extremely apparent. The extra saliva in her mouth was a dead giveaway. Her palms grew damp and her heart began to pound. Her breath shallowed out and her stomach spun.
“Uh- Ross…” She reached over and gripped his arm. Hard. Hard enough to make him turn to her, eyes wide with surprise. He clearly got the memo. Maybe because she’d suddenly turned a sickening shade of pale. Or green. Probably green.
“Oh. Oh my god.” He had her out of her chair and was steering her out of the kitchen in a flash. They took a sharp left and then he wheeled her down the hall, shoved open a door and hit the switch.
It was good timing. She hit her knees and hugged the bowl as she lost the most delicious dinner she’d had in a long time. It was definitely far less delectable the second time around. She was very aware, even as she was heaving and retching, that she wasn’t a graceful puker. She probably sounded like she was going to die and she was sweaty. Her entire body was soaked, and her clothes clung damply. Her hair, which she’d tucked up on top her head for the night, started to unravel and the strands lay plastered on her forehead. Her mascara was probably running down her cheeks since her eyes were watering so badly.
“I’m sorry,” she said pathetically as she flushed and leaned back. She rested the back of her hand on her damp forehead. “I seriously doubt your mom is ever going to invite me back to dinner again. That wasn’t very complimentary.”
“Don’t worry.” Ross looked at her, and he was… worried. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes narrowed, his lips thinned out and his jaw clenched. “Don’t worry about that at all. She used to remind me all the time, when I was particularly bad or bratty, that she’d been sick as a dog when she was pregnant with me and I should show a little more gratitude to her.”
Teela offered a weak laugh. “I’ll be sure to remember that. Maybe I can use it on our baby one day.”
“Our baby,” Ross repeated, wonderment tinging his words. He stared at her for a minute like he was seeing her for the first time. He shook himself out of his trance a second later, grabbed the glass that was sitting on the counter, and offered her cold water. She took it gratefully.
The water made her feel a little better. She was still shaking, but the sweating thing was slowing down, and her heart rate was returning to normal. She pushed to her feet, using the wall for support.
“You’re really pale.” Ross’ voice was thick with concern. “You don’t look well at all.”
“Thanks for that. Just what a woman likes to hear. How disgusting she looks.”
He shook his head and his voice was so soft it gave her chills. “That’s not at all what I meant. My parents have a guest room. It’s right across the hall. Why don’t you lay down for a few minutes until you feel better?”