![\"pots\"](\"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/pots.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mia opened the door to the apartment quietly. She paused in the hallway, listening for signs of life. For the last week she had come and gone from the house as quiet as a mouse. She had been avoiding them all – Ana, Willow, Johnny. Especially Johnny. Not that he had been going out of his way to spend time with her, she thought angrily. They\u2019d barely exchanged ten words since he\u2019d found out she was pregnant and freaked out.<\/p>\n
She walked upstairs and dumped her bag in her room. She paused in front of the mirror and turned sideways, putting her hands on her slightly round belly. She was wearing a lot more loose fitting tops these days, keeping the slight bump hidden from her housemates, but it wasn\u2019t going to be long before those weren\u2019t enough anymore.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d gone over the scenario in her head so many times, playing out how they might react. She\u2019d been so far off the mark with Johnny though, she really didn\u2019t know what to expect anymore. Mia had hoped that she and Johnny could tell them together. But the longer Johnny was silent about it, the more Mia realised that this was something that she was doing on her own. She\u2019d already made her decision: even if Johnny wanted nothing to do with this kid, she was keeping it.<\/p>\n
She wondered if he\u2019d go back to Australia. He\u2019d have to move out, at any rate. Or maybe she would have to move out, she thought suddenly with panic. It\u2019s not like Ana and Willow were really going to want to deal with a crying baby at all hours of the day or night.
\nMia closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She considered curling up in bed and going straight to sleep, but she hadn\u2019t eaten since much earlier that day, and she knew the incessant grumbling in her stomach wasn’t going to get any better.<\/p>\n
She wandered downstairs, surprised when she heard noises coming form the kitchen. Pots and pans clattering, followed by a yelp and a string of swearing. It was Johnny. She considered disappearing back up to her room, but realised she couldn\u2019t hide from him forever.<\/p>\n
He looked at her, startled, as she walked into the room. \u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI live here,\u201d Mia said, not even trying to keep the disdain out of her voice. She surveyed the state of the kitchen; dishes piled in the sink, ingredients over every available surface.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat on earth are you doing?\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCooking,\u201d Johnny said with a sigh. \u201cWell, trying to. But I\u2019ve just overdone the kale and burned the lentil stew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kale? Lentil stew? These weren\u2019t exactly Johnny\u2019s favourite dishes. Mia looked at him with suspicion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to make dinner for you. As a surprise,\u201d Johnny said sheepishly. \u201cI didn\u2019t think you\u2019d be home for a while longer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia\u2019s face softened involuntarily. Johnny smiled gingerly at her. \u201cHi,\u201d he said gently. \u201cHow are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia felt suddenly exhausted. \u201cNot so great,\u201d she said, smiling wryly.<\/p>\n
Johnny nodded slowly and pulled out a chair for her to sit down on. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of apple juice. \u201cA nice drop of white?\u201d he said with a grin.<\/p>\n
Mia gratefully accepted the juice and drank it in three gulps.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to talk,\u201d Johnny said. He pulled another seat opposite her and sat down. \u201cI\u2019ve been trying to think of how to say this all week but I wanted\u2026\u201d he paused and sighed. \u201cI just wanted the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow seems as good a time as any,\u201d Mia said. Here we go, she thought. The beginning of the end. It had been fun while it lasted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so sorry,\u201d Johnny said. \u201cWhen you told me about the baby, I was over the moon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia snorted. \u201cThe reaction you had was hardly what I\u2019d call over the moon!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly Mia. I really was,\u201d Johnny fiddled with the sleeve of his jumper. \u201cBut – call it stupid or antiquated or whatever you want – I don\u2019t want to have a baby with you if you\u2019re not my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is so\u2026 traditional!\u201d Mia said, angrily.<\/p>\n
Johnny smiled and shrugged, but didn’t offer an explanation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what you\u2019re saying is that because we\u2019re not married, you don\u2019t want to be a part of the baby\u2019s life?\u201d Her voice was strained, as though it might crack any minute.<\/p>\n
Johnny reached into his pocket, pulling out small black box, and knelt down on one knee.<\/p>\n
Mia blinked. \u201cWhat are you\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMia, will you marry me?\u201d<\/p>\n
For a few seconds, Mia didn\u2019t say anything. She just stood there, looking from the sparkling diamond ring nestled in a small black box, to Johnny\u2019s expectant face.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2026but\u2026\u201d She started crying. \u201cGod Johnny! You leave me thinking that you don\u2019t even like me anymore, that you don\u2019t want to be part of my life, and then\u2026 this!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCall me conventional, but usually the finance-to-be have to give a yes or no answer,\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you\u2019re only doing this because of the baby,\u201d she said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is all I\u2019ve wanted since the day we first kissed,\u201d he said. \u201cMaybe even before that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mia wiped the tears from her face and looked at him quizzically, just to make sure he wasn\u2019t having her on. The earnest look on his face assured her he wasn\u2019t. \u201cWell\u2026 I mean\u2026 as long as you\u2019re sure\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that a yes?\u201d Johnny said quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes!\u201d Mia said slowly. Her face broke into a brilliant smile. \u201cYes, yes, yes, yes, yes!\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears welled in Johnny\u2019s eyes as he took the ring from the box with shaking hands. He held it towards Mia.<\/p>\n
\u201cFuck the ring,\u201d Mia said, rolling her eyes. \u201cKiss me you fool!\u201d<\/p>\n
And so Johnny did. The deepest, sweetest most sincere kiss either of them had ever experienced.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow hand over that bling,\u201d Mia said with a cheeky smile.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mia opened the door to the apartment quietly. She paused in the hallway, listening for signs of life. For the last week she had come and gone from the house as quiet as a mouse. She had been avoiding them all – Ana, Willow, Johnny. Especially Johnny. Not that he had been going out of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[228],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1117"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1120,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions\/1120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ravenoustales.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}