Seventeen

A month passed, and Autumn didn't like how her body eventually was going to change. Almost every day, she would look at herself in the mirror and convinced herself that it'd be over soon.
One morning, she was sitting in the living room, reading a book, when Jacob came home from his practice.
   “Hi.” She looked up briefly from her book. But that brief moment was enough to see that something was wrong. “What's up?” She asked him and put the book next to her. Jacob sighed and dropped his bag on the floor.

   “You know there are lots of trades going on right now?”

   “Yeah...” Autumn saw where this was going, but she didn't want to believe it.

   “Turns out I've been traded to the Caps.” Jacob waited for a reaction from Autumn.
   “Caps?” She said, thinking. “As in the Capitals? As in WASHINGTON?” Jacob nodded and looked at his feet.
   “I know you probably want to stay here in the sun, but my flight leaves tomorrow...” Autumn blinked.

   “But... Why are you being traded?”

   “I don't know.” Jacob shrugged. “They just told me they were sorry and to pack up my things. They're sending my equipment today.”
   “Mathieu's gonna freak.” Autumn put her face in her hands.

   “What?” Jacob asked.

   “Mathieu's going to freak out when he finds out I'm pregnant.” Autumn repeated. “And he'll probably kill you. Oh my god. Why Washington of all places?”
   “Hey.” Jacob put his arm around Autumn's shoulders. “Let's look at this in a positive way. It's our chance to start from scratch. No one knows you, except your brother, and no one knows me except Nicklas and Marcus. It'll be fine, I promise.”

   “But I'll just sit all alone in some apartment and die, because I won't make any friends.” Autumn sighed. “I'd better start packing though. Oh, and I'll have to quit my job...”

   “I'm sorry for putting you through this.” Jacob sighed. “I've made your life far more complicated than it should have to be.”
Autumn looked at him like 'You're not bringing this up again' and Jacob stopped talking.

   “Sorry.” He said. “I've got a lot of boxes in one of the closets. I'll get them and we can start packing.”

Autumn nodded and got to her feet. After going through her room, she realized that there wasn't much she wanted to bring to D.C.

   “Do you need some help?” Jacob asked when Autumn had filled her box with the stuff she wanted.

   “You can carry this out to the living room.” She pointed at the box. Jacob looked at it and raised his eyebrows.

   “That's it?” He asked lifted it from the floor. “This is nothing.”

   “I don't have that much stuff.” Autumn shrugged.

   “Okay.” Jacob smiled and they walked into the living room together. “Then you get to help me wrap glasses and bowls and stuff in bubble wrap.

   “Sure. No problem.”Autumn sat down by the kitchen table and started wrapping all of Jacob's glasses.

   “So have you ever been to D.C?” She asked when Jacob was sitting on the floor.

   “No, never. You?” Autumn nodded.

   “The whole family went down when Mathieu got his contract. It's a beautiful city.” She sighed. “But after living in Florida, I don't know if I can handle the cold.” Jacob laughed.

   “Aren't you supposed to be Canadian?” He teased. “Suck it up.” Autumn laughed too.

   “Why aren't you complaining though?” She asked. “This can't be the happiest time of your life?” Jacob shrugged.

   “I don't know.” He said. “I guess I'm kind of excited. It's a good team and some of my best friends are there. I guess I'm just trying to be positive. And it doesn't matter where I am as long as I get to play hockey wherever I am.”

   “I admire you.” Autumn sighed and handed him one of the glasses she had wrapped. “You're always fine, whatever happens.”

   “Don't say that, 'cause it's not true.” Jacob shook his head. “You don't know how I can get.”

   “I won't believe you'd ever complain though.” Autumn had finished the glasses and moved on to the forks.
   “You're so naive.” Jacob said, shaking his head and grinning. Changing the subject, he casually said:

   “I think we should get engaged.” Autumn nearly dropped the fork she was holding.

   “What?!” She stared at him, causing him to look up at her.

   “You know... If we're engaged, you can tell your brother we've been together for a while and that we planned it...” Autumn didn't know what to say.

   “And why wouldn't I have told him? Or my parents?” She finally said.

   “Well, won't it be better to be engaged and get pregnant than the other way around?”

   “Uh, I guess...”

   “And besides, I...”

   “What?”

   “Never mind.”

   “What were you going to say, Jacob?” Jacob packed a few plates in a box. “Jacob?”

   “I... Was planning on asking you anyway.” He coughed, and Autumn's eyes teared up.

   “You were?”

   “But if you don't want to, that's fine... Is it warm in here?”

Autumn swallowed and didn't take her eyes off him.

   “Jacob...” She said. “I'd love to be your fiance.” She blushed and looked at her feet. She never thought she'd say that. She was only 21, for Christ's sake.

   “Are you serious?” Jacob asked, not sure whether he should believe her or not. But then again, why would she lie?

   “Yeah.” Autumn smiled.

   “I wasn't sure you felt that way...” Jacob said.

   “Nor was I. But there's just something about you. I don't know what it is.” Jacob smiled and they stayed silent as they finished wrapping everything up.

Later that day Jacob took Autumn to WalMart, so that she could quit her job. She left him in the car and walked straight in to the manager's office.

   “Good day, miss Perreault.” He greeted her and gestured for her to sit down. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Autumn cleared her throat.

   “Uh...” She stuttered. “Mr Gilbert, I...” She paused.

   “Yes?”

   “I'm afraid I'm going to have to quit. Immediately.” Mr Gilbert looked taken aback.

   “Now?” He said. “But you have to give two weeks' notice.”

   “I'm sorry, but... We found out today. My boyfriend has been traded and we're moving tomorrow.”

   “Your boyfriend?”

   “One of the Panthers, sir.”

   “Yes.” Mr Gilbert said. “I've heard rumors of a trade. Who is it?”

   “I don't know if I'm allowed to say, sir. But it will probably be in the paper tomorrow.”

   “Very well. Fill this out and you can leave. Thank you for your time.” Autumn nodded, filled out a short form and hurried out of the store.

   “How did it go?” Jacob asked when Autumn came back to the car.

   “Fine.” She replied, putting on her seatbelt. “Can we go now? I think there are some stuff left to pack.”

Luckily for Autumn, the Panthers had been kind enough to book them in first class, so when they were boarding the plane, Autumn had a smile on her face.

   “Look at the size of these chairs!” She gasped when they had sat down. “It's amazing.”

   “And the food is better, too.” Jacob said with a smile from his aisle seat. Autumn had claimed the window seat when she had seen the two chairs.

   “Does Mathieu know you're coming?” Jacob asked when they were up in the air.

   “No...” Autumn bit her lip. “I didn't know how to say it. 'Hey Matt! It's me. You know that goalie who's coming to you? Yeah, he's my boyfriend and I'm coming up with him. Bye!' Doesn't sound too good, does it?” Jacob shook his head.

   “Why are you so scared of him?”

   “Uh, he's my older brother. And I'm not scared of him, I'm just scared that he'll hurt you.”

   “Please, Autumn.” Jacob said. “Don't worry. I can take care of myself. And I bet he'll just be happy to see you. And if you explain – well, lie a little – I'm sure he'll be fine.” Autumn yawned.

   “Whatever happens, happens.” She said. “I'll just sleep now, okay? See you in D.C.” And then she shut her eyes and leaned back. Jacob chuckled.

   “Whatever you say.” He whispered and leaned back too, choosing a movie on the TV in front of him.

It was 6.30 pm when the plane landed in D.C, and Jacob had to wake Autumn to make her put on her seatbelt.

They got off the plane quickly and managed to get their luggage pretty fast. They then headed out into the chilly Washington air and got in a cab.

   “Where to?” The driver asked and Jacob checked his phone. He didn't know whether to go to Kettler Iceplex in Virginia or Verizon Center in Chinatown.

   “Uh...” Jacob hesitated. “Verizon Center, please.” The driver took off and Jacob turned to Autumn. “I'm sure there's someone there to help us.” Autumn nodded and looked out through the windshield.

When they arrived at the arena, Jacob carried the two suitcases and Autumn took the lighter bags they had brought on the plane. Luckily, someone was waiting for them.

   “Mr Markstrom.” A man in a dark suit held out his hand. “George McPhee.” Jacob took his hand.

   “I'm sure you're exhausted and will want to settle in, and that's why I'm here. Come with me and I'll take you to your apartment.”

The apartment was only ten minutes from the arena, and it was incredibly beautiful.

   “Wow.” Autumn said when McPhee opened the door.

   “Gorgeous, isn't it?” McPhee smiled and stepped aside so that Jacob could get inside as well.

   “Fantastic.” Jacob said and walked further inside.

   “This is my phone number.” McPhee said and handed over a business card. “Call me if you need anything, and I'll see you at Kettler tomorrow.”

   “Oh,” Jacob said. “One question: how do I get to Kettler? My car won't be here until Wednesday and-”

   “Oh don't worry. When Nicky heard you were coming, he volunteered to pick you up. I already told him your address so he'll be around by ten thirty tomorrow.”

   “Great.” Jacob smiled. He hadn't seen Nicklas since last summer, when they had done their summer training together. Unless you counted the games they had played against each other and for some reason, Jacob didn't.

   “So, everything's fine, then?” McPhee asked. He received a nod from Jacob and Autumn, which he took as a sign to leave. “See you tomorrow.”

   “Bye.” Autumn and Jacob said together.

   “Nicky?” Autumn asked when McPhee had closed the door.

   “Nicklas.” Jacob said. “Bäckström. My friend from Brynäs?”

   “Oh, right.” Autumn smiled. “I love when you speak Swedish.”

   “Not again.” Jacob sighed. “Please don't make me say something again, because I won't.”

   “Pleeeeeease?” Autumn begged.

   “One thing. ONE single sentence, Autumn. That's it.” Jacob said. Autumn thought about it.

   “Can I save it for later? I want to think of something good.”

   “Yeah, do whatever you want.” Jacob took the suitcases off the floor and searched the apartment for the bedroom. When he had put them down, he hit his head on the lamp that was hanging from the ceiling.

   “Aj, för helvete.” He cursed in Swedish.

   “That doesn't count!” He heard Autumn from the other room.

   “Very funny.” Jacob said, rubbing his head.

   “What did you do?”

   “Hit my head on the lamp. Remind me to take it down, will you?”

   “Sure. I don't want you to lose any more brain cells.” Autumn said with a smug smile.

   “What are you a comedian now?” Jacob shook his head. “Lose more brain cells...” He rolled his eyes. “Let's unpack, shall we?” Autumn nodded.

   “But there's not much to unpack.” She said. “And we need to go grocery shopping and-”

   “Most of our things will be here tomorrow, and we can shop after practice, okay?”

   “Sounds good.” Autumn noticed that he had said 'our' stuff, not 'my', something that made her smile.

In the middle of their unpacking, Jacob's phone buzzed in his pocket.
   “Hello?” He said, sitting down by the table.

   “Hey Jake!” Nicklas' voice spoke in Swedish. “Settled in in the American capital yet?”

   “No, not yet.” The sound of Swedish had made Autumn look up and smile widely. “Thanks in advance for giving me a ride tomorrow, by the way. My car won't be here 'til Wednesday and you know...”

   “No problem!” Nicklas said. “So do you have a girlfriend or are you alone?”

   “I've got someone. Her name is Autumn. She's Mathieu's sister.”

   “Oh, right, right. Well that's cool.”

   “Yeah, how about you?”

   “I'm still with Nat.” Jacob could tell he was smiling.

   “Oh yeah, I remember her. Hey, maybe Autumn will have a friend after all! She was worried she'd be all alone.”

   “Well, I'm sure Nat would love that. Her only friends are her team, and they're not around that often anymore... Their season is over, you see.”

   “Is she going with you tomorrow?”

   “I don't think so. Do you want me to bring her over? She's got nothing to do tomorrow anyway.”

   “Uh, I'll ask. Autumn?”

   “Yeah?”

   “Would you like some company tomorrow? Nick's girlfriend would be happy to come over.” Autumn shrugged.

   “Yeah, why not. Hey, maybe I'll get a friend after all!”

   “She's up for it!”

   “Great. Nat will be happy to meet someone new. Uh, we'll swing by around ten twenty instead, then. See ya!”

   “Bye.” Jacob turned to Autumn. “Figured out what you want me to say, yet?” He asked.

   “You know what?” She said with a grin. “I think I'm good.” 

Sixteen

After breakfast, Nathalie's stress-level was incredibly high. She wanted everything to be perfect for her new friends and Nicky's team mates, while he didn't seem to care too much.
   “Nat, will you PLEASE relax?” Nicky begged her when she was running around the house. “Everything is fine. The house is clean and we've got everything we need.” Nathalie sighed.
   “Really? Really?” She raised her voice. “Then why are there bowls all over the table and dirty dish in the sink? I have so much to do!” Nicky turned off the TV and stood up.
   “No, you don't.” He said. “Now go upstairs, take a shower and get ready and I'll take care of this, okay?” Nathalie stared at him. “GO!” Nicky pointed towards the stairs. 

   “I love you.”
   “You too...” Nicky chuckled before heading into the kitchen to do what he had promised.
When Nathalie came down half an hour later, Nicky was still doing the dishes.
   “You know what?” He said when he saw her. “We should get a dishwasher.” Nathalie laughed and dried her forehead with her towel.
   “I've been telling you that for three months.” She wrapped the towel tighter around her body and hugged Nicky from behind. “Now pick up your pace, it's almost 4.” She smiled when he pretended to sigh.
   “You'd better watch it, if you want to keep that towel on!” He said while drying one of the plates.
   “Empty threats!” Nathalie said, but let go of him and ran away before he could actually do something.
   “Then why are you running away?” Nicky finished the last glasses and followed Nathalie into the bedroom. She had taken the towel off and was drying her hair with it, which surprised Nicky when he walked in. Remembering their bet, he cleared his throat and looked at his feet. Nathalie looked over at him.
   “What's wrong?” She asked and started looking through her drawers for underwear.
   “If I look at you, I'm going to lose the bet.” He laughed and turned around. Nathalie rolled her eyes.
   “Oh god, Nick.” She said after putting on her bra. “Control yourself.” Nicky shrugged.
   “I can't.”
   “Good lord, you've been without it for weeks before, surely you can do it.”
   “You obviously think too much of me.” Nathalie walked into the bathroom, hung the towel on one of the hooks and went back to where Nicky was standing. She kissed his neck and whispered:
   “Too bad.” She let one of her hands touch his thigh and when she felt his body stiffen, she felt very powerful. “One month...” She teased and laid down on the bed. “Or you know.” She bit her lip. “You can just give up and everything will be normal again.” Nicky had to close his eyes and count to three before answering.
   “No.” It came out as a whisper. “They will be here in two hours, and I have to...” What did he have to do? Nothing. He had told Nathalie that there was nothing to do.
   “What do you have to do?” Nathalie crossed her legs and held herself up by her elbows.
   “I don't think we have enough snacks.” He lied. “I'll just run to the store.”
   “Liar.” Nathalie grinned when she heard the front door close behind him. She was so going to win this bet.

Half an hour later, Nicky came back with Pringles and Cheetos and even though Nathalie was now fully dressed, he hurried into the bathroom and took a cold shower. He was shaking when he came out, but it was definitely worth it.

Nathalie was standing in the doorway when Nicky turned around, and he jumped at the sight of her.
   “Relax.” She said. “I was just going to ask when I should start dinner. I'm guessing you guys will be in front of the TV, so it's just going to be you and I, right?”
   “Yeah...” Nicky replied, relieved that she wasn't trying to seduce him again. “I was thinking we could eat at five, if that's okay?”
   “Perfect.” Nathalie said and turned to walk away. She paused and turned her head back. “Too bad I can't have that for a month...” She sighed and walked away, a smug smile on her face. She knew he was going to crack sooner or later, and it was hilarious to tease him.
When Nathalie had left, Nicky leaned against the sink and looked at his reflection.
   “You can do this.” He said, staring into his own eyes. “Just ignore whatever she does.”
With these words he managed to get dressed without thinking about it, but he had to focus on something entirely different to keep his mind off it.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Nicky went down to the kitchen, where Nathalie was preparing dinner: pasta carbonara.
   “Hi!” She said with a smile as the pasta water started boiling.
   “Hey.” Nicky looked over her shoulder. “Carbonara? Yum.” He said.
   “Yeah.” Nathalie began frying the bacon. “Could you make a salad? You know what I want in it: lettuce, cucumber and peppers?”
   “Sure.” Nicky moved to the fridge. “Can I put some tomatoes in?”

   “Only of you eat the ones that come on my plate!” Nathalie stirred the pasta. “You know I hate those.”

   “No problem.” Nicky said as he started slicing the tomatoes. “I'll eat yours too.” Nathalie smiled.

   “You better.” Even though they were having a normal conversation, Nicky was on his watch. He never knew what Nathalie could do, especially after the bet.

   “Done!” Nicky said, placed the bowl on the table and sat down on one of the bar stool's.

   “Me too.” Nathalie mixed the pasta with the bacon and sauce and brought it over to the table. “Let's eat.” She said, sitting down at the dinner table.

   “So when is your next game?” Nathalie asked when they had started eating.

   “Tuesday.” He paused. “In Edmonton.” Nathalie sighed.
   “So roadtrip again?” Nicky nodded and drank out of his glass.
   “We leave on Monday, and then we have a back-to-back in Calgary on Wednesday, so I'll be back on Thursday.
   “Aw.” Nathalie said after swallowing. “Well I hope you win. Ew, tomato!” Nicky smiled and finished the last on his plate.
   “So do I, and everyone else. I think we've got a pretty good chance though.”
   “Oh, yeah. I heard Edmonton's had a rough season so far. But don't under estimate them.” She warned.
   “I won't.” Nicky promised, and they went to watch their plates. Doing their dishes was always a battle between Nathalie and Nicky. Both of them wanted to do theirs first, and it usually resulted in them being covered in dish water.
   “Can we be grown-ups with this today?” Nathalie begged. “I don't want to change clothes.” Nicky agreed, and the kitchen was dry after they finished.
   “It's got to be the first time we've done this normally.” Nathalie laughed and checked the time. “25 minutes.” She said. “Want to play NHL?”
   “Why are you so perfect?” Nicky said as they walked into the living room and grabbed the xbox controllers.
   “NHL or Elite League?” Nathalie asked as they were choosing teams.
   “NHL!” Nicky yelled and hurried to choose the Capitals. Nathalie chose to play as the New York Rangers, and before the first period had ended, she had scored two goals on Semyon Varlamov. Nathalie danced sitting down, and Nicky pouted.
   “Don't get too cocky!” He said and started the second period. “I'll get back, just wait!” Nathalie chuckled.
   “Nooo, king Henrik is on the cage! No goals shall pass!” They played through the second period with two power plays: one for the Caps when Brandon Dubinsky hooked Mike Knuble, and one for the Rangers when Alex Ovechkin slashed Mike Del Zotto. The Rangers scored on theirs, making the game 3-0 after the second period. Their guests were arriving just as they started the third period.

   “PAUSE IT!” Nicky said as he ran away to open the door. “Hey guys! Girls.” He greeted them and showed them the way to the living room.
   “Hi!” Nathalie said. “We're playing NHL 11 and Nicky's getting his butt kicked. There's only one period left, so take a seat!”
All of them sat down on various places, and Mike sat down on Nathalie's right.
   “Maaaan, Nick.” He said when Nathalie scored again. “No offense to Varly, but get Neuvy in there.” He watched the replay. “And what the fuck was I doing?” Nathalie laughed.
   “Seriously, Nicky.” Mathieu said. “Losing to the Rangers, come on!”
   “Hey!” Nicky threw his hands in the air. “It's not my fault she practices this game all the time.” Nathalie gasped.

   “I do not!”
   “Oh, I know you do!” The third period was ticking down and Nathalie ended up winning 4-0. “You can't improve this much otherwise. Nathalie rolled her eyes.

   “Fine, but what am I supposed to do when you're away? Just sit here and stare at the wall?”
   “Oh, give it a rest.” Marcus said. “She's good, you're not, get over it.”
   “Yeah!” Mike agreed. “Can we watch the game now?” He reached for the remote and turned on the channel.
   “About that.” Nathalie said when Nicky had left to get snacks and drinks. “You know the hockey starts at seven.” Mike had his eyes fixed on the TV.
   “Mmhm.”
   “Do you think we can zap between them?” Mike looked at her as if she was crazy.
   “Why?”
   “Because all of us don't like football like you do, and everyone likes hockey.”
   “Uh, okay. Fine. Yeah, whatever.”

Nicky came back into the room, raised his eyebrows and received a nod from Nathalie. He smiled and handed out glasses to everyone.
Brooks, Mathieu and Sasha were sitting in one of the sofas, glancing at the three girls sitting opposite them. Marcus had taken a place next to Nicky and was checking Bridget out while Mike's entire focus was on the game.
Brooks and Mathieu were only curious as to who they were, not how they looked, seeing as they had girlfriends. But Sasha, Mike and Marcus were all single and eligible to check the girls out.
Bridget was glancing at Marcus from time to time, Megan was trying to get Mike's attention and Ashley and Sasha were flirting quietly. Their eyes were on each other, and Ashley was starting to blush.
   “YES!” Mike interrupted the awkward silence and everyone turned their heads to the TV.
   “What happened?” Nicky asked.
   “Touchdown!” Mike said and looked around. “Aren't you watching?” A few awkward coughs made Mike realize that he was the only one watching. “Hey, that's not fun...” He slumped back into the sofa. Nathalie looked at Nicky and he at her.
   “Well, let's change that!” Nicky turned up the volume and made himself comfortable next to Marcus, Nathalie and Mike. “Let's watch.”
Nathalie had no idea which team was Mike's, so she stayed silent until she heard him cheer and saw which team scored.

Mike's team ended up winning the game, and he danced around the living room, dragging Megan up with him.
   “Come on guys!” He laughed. “Woo!”

Nathalie giggled and switched over to one of the NHL games: Chicago – Detroit.
   “Swedes!” She said and pointed at the screen as Nicklas Lidstrom brought the puck up ice. Mike and Megan sat down again and Mike laughed quietly.
   “Look at Toews.” He said. “Why is he always pulling faces?”
   “Yeah.” Brooks agreed. “Captain Serious, not really!”
   “Kane is worse.” Marcus said. “It's like he's trying to pull faces whenever the camera is on him.”
   “Here's Zetterberg.” The announcer said. “He... SCORES!” The three Swedes in the room clapped their hands while the others just sat there.
   “What?” Nicky asked and looked around. “It was a nice goal.”
   “Whatever, Nicky.” Sasha sighed.
   “So we're rooting for Chicago? Really?” Nathalie smiled and Marcus shook his head.

   “I don't even care.” They both said.

The game then took a strange turn. It was 2-0 Detroit, then Chicago suddenly woke up and scored three straight goals, only to have Detroit tie it and take it all the way to a shootout.
Patrick Kane ended up winning the game for Chicago after he had fooled Jimmy Howard right out of his pads.
   “What now?” Nicky stretched out and looked around. Without him noticing, Ashley had fallen asleep in Sasha's lap and Mike had his arm around Megan. Nathalie had also switched places so that she was now next to Nicky.
   “What's going on?” He whispered to her and she shrugged.

   “I guess they like each other.”
On Nicky's other side, Marcus was chatting to Bridget about something that they couldn't hear.
   “Guys?” Nicky said and everyone looked at him. “Wanna play a game or something?” Mike looked at his watch.
   “Nah.” He replied. “I should probably head home. Early practice tomorrow, remember?”
   “Damn.” All the guys sighed. “Almost forgot about that.”
   “Well, it was nice meeting you girls.” Marcus blinked at Bridget.

   “Likewise.” Ashley replied, now awake, smiling at Sasha.

   “See you guys tomorrow.” Nicky yawned as he and Nathalie stood by the door, waiving them off.
   “You too.” Nathalie addressed the girls.

   “6 pm tomorrow, Nat.” Megan said and Nathalie nodded. After they had closed and locked the door, Nicky sat down in the sofa and started watching NHL On The Fly. Nathalie decided to let him watch it alone, and headed up to the bedroom.
   “Good night.” She said before climbing the stairs and preparing for a good night's sleep.
She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. 

Fifteen

   “Is it too late to get some of my stuff?” Autumn asked Jacob after throwing up again.

   “Uhh...” Jacob checked the time on his phone. “I guess not... Do you want to go now?” He fingered on his car keys. He loved driving and he did it whenever he had a chance.

   “Yeah...” Autumn said. “I'd like to have at least few of my stuff.” Jake nodded and put on his shoes.

   “Let's go then!” He opened the door for Autumn and closed it softly behind them. “So where do you live?” He asked as he backed out from the driveway.

   “You take a left up there, go straight for half a mile and then another left. It's not that far, actually.” Jacob nodded and drove as she had instructed. They pulled up to a large brick house with the number 26 on it.

   “Do you want me to come with you?” Jacob asked, turning off the engine.

   “Uh...” Autumn glanced at the building. “Sure. You can help me carry, if nothing else.” They walked together up the stairs and Autumn unlocked the door.

   “Oh my god, Autumn. Where have you been?” Sarah's hysterical voice sounded through the apartment. “I've been so- Oh hello.” Sarah cut herself off after seeing Jacob standing behind Autumn. She looked at both of them and then it struck her. “You've been with him?” She asked, her hands still resting on her hips from earlier.

   “Yeah...” Autumn replied, brushing past Sarah on her way to her bedroom. She started packing the most important things in one of her bags; cellphone charger, toothbrush, makeup, some clothes to sleep in, her favourite pillow and a hairbrush.

   “Hey, where are you going?” Sarah asked as Autumn came back with her stuff.

   “Jacob's.” Autumn simply said. “Would you mind taking this?” She handed Jacob her handbag and turned back to Sarah. “I'll be staying with him, so you might want to find a new room mate.” She went over to hug Sarah. “We'll be picking up the rest of my stuff later this week, okay?” Sarah looked absolutely shocked.

   “Oh-Okay...” She stuttered and blinked. “I'll miss you!”

   “I'll miss living with you, but I think this is for the best. Now, you won't have to deal with me.”

   “Thank god for that!” Sarah joked, breaking up the hug. She looked over at Jacob. “Good luck with her.” Jacob smiled.

   “I think I'll be fine.” He said. “But thanks.” A moment of silence passed before Jacob spoke again. “Are you ready to go?” He asked Autumn and cleared his throat. “Because this bag does so not go with my shoes!” Autumn and Sarah laughed.

   “He's funny, too.” Sarah whispered and Autumn nodded.

   “Yeah...”

   “Have fun.” They hugged again, and Jacob had to cough to break it up.

   “Yeah, yeah, I'm coming.” Autumn sighed, turned around and walked out with Jacob.

   “How do you feel?” He asked and put his arm around her waist as they walked toward the car. Autumn glanced back at the building and sighed.

   “I don't know.” She admitted. “I'm glad that I won't have to see her and Shawn, but I'm going to miss my apartment.” Jacob opened the car door for her and kept the conversation going when they drove off.

   “But you like my house, don't you?” Autumn smiled and hugged her bag.

   “I love your house.” She said and looked over her shoulder to see the building again. “But I've lived in that apartment for quite a while, and it's going to be weird not to go back there every day.” Jacob gritted his teeth together and took a firm grip of the steering wheel.

   “I'm sorry.” He said. “This is all my fault.” He moved his right hand to shift gears, and Autumn put her hand on top of his. She stroke it a couple of times and kept her eyes on his face.

   “Jacob...” She whispered, afraid to speak. “Don't say that. I told you... it's not your fault.”

   “Of course it is.” Jacob sighed. “I could have been more careful.”

   “And I could have been on the pill.” Autumn snapped. “But the damage is done. We have to look forward, Jacob. We can't undo what has been done. We have to take our responsibility.”

   “Of course.” Jacob sighed. “But it's my fault you're pregnant at 21. You're so young...” Autumn sighed. This was so stupid.

   “So are you!” Autumn said. “Remember?” Jacob turned right and slowed down, as they were approaching his house.

   “It's different.”

   “Why? Because you seem to think that you're 25 or something?”

   “That's not what I meant!” Jacob parked the car and when he turned his head back to Autumn, the door slammed and she was walking towards the house. Lucky for her, the front door wasn't locked, so she hurried inside and continued to the bathroom.

Jacob sat still in his car, his head in his hands. Why had he said that? He was such an idiot. Five minutes passed before he moved, and then he walked slowly up to the house.

In his mind, he saw Autumn yelling at him and throwing pillows across the room, but when he opened the door everything was quiet and nothing seems out of place.

   “Autumn?” Jacob tried, taking off his shoes and looking around the room. When she didn't reply, he went through the house, searching for her.

He opened doors and looked around the corners in all rooms before he found her on the bathroom floor. He squatted next to her and stroke her back.

   “I'm sorry.” He said, feeling terrible when he heard that she was crying. “I didn't mean what I said. It's just...” He paused. “I blame myself for all of this.” Autumn sighed.

   “Stop doing that! I hate when you make me sound like a child. Like I didn't know what I was doing.”

   “But you were drunk...” Jacob said quietly.

   “Yeah, I was, but believe me: I didn't do anything I regret.”

   “Really?”

   “Oh, come on Jacob. You're hot and you know it.” Autumn felt something move inside her and crawled to the toilet to throw up. “Fucking hell.” She spat and kept her head over the toilet. Jacob was standing behind her now, keeping her hair away from the vomit. “When is this shit going to be over? If there's one thing I hate, it's things coming out of my mouth.”

   “I'm sorry.” Jacob whispered. Autumn rolled her eyes.

   “I know. You've said it like a million times.” Jacob bit his bottom lip and let go of Autumn's hair when she moved away from the toilet. She checked her reflection in the mirror and pulled up her shirt to above the bellybutton.

   “Hello stretchmarks.” She muttered. “I'm going to be so ugly, Jacob. You won't even want to touch me.”

Jacob took a few steps forward and placed his arms around her.

   “Of course I'll want to touch you.” He said, meeting her gaze in the mirror. “Nothing can make you ugly.” Autumn dropped her gaze and looked at his hands. Why was it so hard to be upset with him? He always did or said something that made Autumn melt and want to hug him.

   “Why do you have to be so perfect?” She said. “You're making me look like a bitch who only complains.” Jacob chuckled.

   “I'm not perfect. Not at all.”

   “But you always know what to say, and you never screw up.”

   “Yeah, right...” Jacob snorted and let go of Autumn. “I'm going to bed. Do you want me to make yours for you?”

   “Mine?” Autumn asked, looking puzzled. “What do you mean?”

   “Well, the bed in the guest room. I thought you might want to sleep alone.”

   “Oh...” Autumn had expected to sleep in Jacob's room, but if he had an extra bed, why not? “That's okay, I can make it myself.” She walked out after Jacob and he showed her the way to the guest room. There were sheets lying on the sofa in the room, so Autumn could choose which one she preferred.

   “Good night then.” Jacob said and walked over to his room.

   “Night.” Autumn started making the bed and after brushing her teeth and changing into a t-shirt, she slipped under the covers and relaxed.

For half an hour, Autumn tried to fall asleep, but it was impossible. She sat on the edge of the bed, thinking. The thought of sleeping next to Jacob entered her mind, and at last, she tiptoed into his room.

   “Jacob?” She whispered. “Are you awake?”

   “Autumn, what's wrong? Is it too hot? Too cold?”

   “No... I couldn't sleep. Can I sleep in here?”

   “Uh, sure.” Jacob moved to the left side of the bed and let Autumn take the right side.
Next to Jacob, it seemed easier to fall asleep, and just as she was about to doze off, she felt Jacob's hand on her stomach and heard him whisper:

   “Hello, tiny baby. I can't wait for you to be born. I love you.” Autumn tried her best to act like she was sleeping, but right then and there, she started falling for Jacob. 

Fourteen

When Nathalie woke up the next day, she snuggled up to Nicky and laid her head on his chest.

   “Morning.” She said and stretched out her arms.

   “Morning...” Nicky muttered, sighing. Nathalie sat up.

   “What's wrong?” She asked, wondering why he was so grumpy.

   “Uh...” Nicky swallowed. “Are you on something? You know, like the pill or...?”

   “No... Nicklas what's going on?” Nathalie could see where this was going, but she didn't want to accept it just yet.

   “The condom broke last night...” He sighed. “So maybe you should take a test... I don't know how quickly you can tell, but...”

   “Oh...” Nathalie's face turned pale. “Okay... I... Uh... I think I have one in the bathroom actually, I'll go check.” She hurried out of bed, leaving Nicky puzzled.

   “Hey, why do you have one in the bathroom?” He asked her.

   “I bought some, just in case.” Se explained and came back into the room. “I took one some time ago because I missed my period and yeah...”

   “So, how long...”

   “A few minutes.”

Nathalie sat down by Nicky's feet. He was looking as if he had been told that he was going to die.

   “Hey...” Nathalie said, reaching out for his hand. “It'll be fine, okay?” Nicky swallowed, but nodded stiffly.

Nathalie glanced at the clock on the bedside table and went back to the bathroom.

   “Oh, thank god!” She said, bringing the stick back to the bedroom. “It's negative!” She raised her hands in the air, similar to the gesture Nicky did whenever he scored a goal. “Don't get me wrong, though.” She then added. “I love you and I'd love to have your baby one day, but I'm so not ready right now.” Nicky nodded again and finally smiled.

   “Same.” He said. “We're not mature enough.”

   “Speak for yourself!” Nathalie winked and went to toss the stick  in the trash. “So now that the drama is over for today, can we have breakfast or something? Oh, and we have to prepare for our guests.” Nicky raised his eyebrows.

   “What is there to prepare?” He asked, scratching the back of his neck. Nathalie sighed.

   “Well, what are we eating? Drinks? Snacks? You can't say that you weren't going to have snacks and beer?”

   “Of course I was, but that's not preparing to me. I almost thought that you were going to have some fancy guests over. They're our friends, they don't care.”

   “If you say so...” Nathalie said, sitting down again. “So, breakfast?”

   “Yeah!” Nicky got out of bed, put on his sweatpants and chased Nathalie down the stairs and into the kitchen.

   “Ha! Beat ya!” Nathalie said and jogged around the kitchen with her arms over her head. Nicky responded by attacking her from behind. He threw his arms around her waist and lifted her off the floor.

   “Nicky, NO!” Nathalie laughed. “Let me down!”

   “Yeah, I don't think so.” Nicky said, holding on to her as her legs began to move, trying to escape. He turned her horizontally and moved one of his arms to under her legs.

   “Oh, bridal style.” Nathalie giggled, holding on to his neck. “Carry me to the table!” She demanded, unable to keep a straight face. “No, but seriously, put me down!”

   “Or else...?” Nicky teased, easily carrying Nathalie around the room.

   “Or else I... Won't have sex with you for a month!” Nicky pretended to gasp and kept on carrying her. “You don't believe me?”

   “Please, Nat, you'll be begging me for it after a day.”

   “Let's make a bet then.” Nathalie said with a smug smile. “A month. Nothing. And we'll see who bails first.” Nicky laughed.

   “Fine, it's a bet.” They looked at each other.

   “We're such children, aren't we?” Nathalie said.

   “Yeah, we are...” Nicky agreed, finally putting Nathalie down. “But the bet is still on.”

   “Oh yeah...”