SAFE :: ZAYN

[39]

—

"Try not to breathe in too many fumes for that baby."

Yemi locked her jaw as Nadiely whispered in her ear. "Stop jinxing me, woman," she griped before slowly letting the curling iron release from her client's head.

"I'm not," Nadiely kept walking to her station and set her curlers out, "I see it, though."

"See what?" Yemi asked, putting the hot iron down and picking up a wide tooth comb, "I don't see anything, honestly. And that's not me ignoring it, but I don't see it."

"Sis, nah, I'ma let you finish your client, then we'll talk."

"I'd love to hear that--"

"Hear what?"

"Nothing Jean," Yemi laughed at the older woman, the one she always left in charge when she didn't come in to the shop, "Nadi's being annoying as usual."

"No, I'm being real."

"All done, Anaya," Yemi announced, fluffing her new hair a little before giving the young woman a mirror and turning to the larger one, "is it fine?"

"Gorgeous," the woman in the chair grinned and played with the wavy hair, "this is the Peruvian right?"

"Yep, my personal favorite."

"Thank you," Yemi hooked up her phone so Anaya could swipe her card to pay, "I really love this, gosh."

"I have it in my hair now," Yemi flipped her own straight locks, smiling, "it's perfect."

"Thank you so much," she got up to hug her and left the shop.

"Alright, Yemi," Nadiely pointed to her chair, "we gon' talk."

"About what?" the other girl groaned, sitting in Nadi's chair.

"You being pregnant," she whispered.

"What?" Jean exclaimed, sitting down and clutching her pearls.

"You're dramatic as usual!" Yemi laughed, "I'm not pregnant.

"Listen, Jean. A girl that usually drinks her life away suddenly doesn't want to go out with her girlfriends one night. She claims drinking will make her stomach hurt and she was tired anyway. What do you think this girl is going through? Hypothetically."

"She's pregnant," Jean eyed Yemi, who just gulped and rolled her eyes, "Yemi?"

"Yemi?" Nadiely looked down at her.

"Okay, okay," she put her hands in front of her to stop the madness, "I might be pregnant, okay? There."

"Tell me, Yemika--"

"That's not my name, Nadika."

"Shut up. Anyway, what hurts today?"

"My back," she shrugged, "but I've been up all day, so."

"Okay," Nadi parted Yemi's hair and went at it with a straightener, "when was your last period?"

"Last month."

"Have you missed it?"

"By two days--"

"See--"

"But it's always a day or two off," she crossed her legs, "you're so extra."

"There's only one way we can test this theory," Jean began, "take a test."

"You sound like Valentina Yemina Khan," Yemi laughed, "she passed me pregnancy tests while I was with Zayn in the hospital."

"Love her. Take them."

Yemi sighed, knowing this was gonna be a hard reality no matter the outcome, yet, these women were so annoying she loved them.

"Whenever you take them," Nadi started, "I'm gonna think of baby names. How does Nadiely sound?"

"Stupid."

"Bitch!"

—

"Baby!"

"Yes!" Yemi rushed out of her bathroom, closing the door and keeping her back to the wall.

Zayn furrowed his brows at her. "stop acting weird. What's with you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," she scoffed, "pfft...pfft..."

"Pfft..." he mocked her and nodded to the door, "what's in there?"

"Nothing important," she stretched her arms up.

"Yemi.."

"Yes?"

"Lemme through."

"No."

"Fine," he kicked her leg and she groaned, bending down to nurse it. Zayn reached to open the door, sliding right past while Yemi just leaned against the wall. "What's this?"

"What's what?" she asked.

"These...pregnancy tests," he looked at the rim of the sink where they lay, the results still pending.

"Wha...I'm...what pregnancy tests?" She cleared her throat and looked at something behind him.

"They're right here."

"Where?"

"Yemi--" Zayn cut himself off and leaned on the small windowsill, "don't act like there aren't two tests sitting here...taunting me."

"Are you mad?" she asked quietly, twiddling her thumbs.

"Of course I'm not mad, I just wanna know when I was going to be told about this."

"After, when I found out if I was or wasn't," she pursed her lips, "I'm sorry."

"You're fine, babe...I just..." he shook his head, "really didn't expect this to even happen."

"Oh," she sat on the lid of the toilet.

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't want kids with you," he crouched down and smiled at her, "we're in this together, baby."

"We are?" That was a dumb question, there was no doubt Zayn would be there for her through anything, no matter what. So...

And he was watching her every move, his eyes glazing over just a little, she almost saw her own reflection in them. His lip was being bitten down on and one of his eyes had this lil' twitch that told her he was nervous. She loved him so much.

"I love you, Zayn," Yemi put her hands on the side of his face, "I really love you."

"I love you, too, Yemi," he smiled, giving her a small kiss, "and whatever the outcome is."

Yemi hugged him, snuggling her face in his neck. "If I'm pregnant, I need for you to be patient, because I'm a drama queen regardless."

"Oh, we're gonna fight," he confirmed with an airy laugh, "I've gotten so comfortable around you, which means...I'm not holding my tongue."

"Or your foot, that mess hurt, Zayn," she groaned, rubbing her shin.

"I'm sorry, babe," but he was grinning so no he wasn't.

"Fucking liar."

"Stop cussin' that's not you."

"Bit--"

"Stop it," he shushed her with a kiss, "asshole."

"Gimme another," he kissed her again but kept his lips smushed with hers, "my favorite boy."

"Always," he licked her teeth while she screamed, slapping him.

"I hate it when you do that!"

The tests all made beeping noises, twice in a row and then again, half a second apart.

"Want me to look?" Zayn asked her quietly.

"Yes. I'm too nervous," she bit her nail and watched him get up to look at the tests.

Yemi was so ready to die.

—