Lily sat at the kitchen counter, half-listening to the sound of the coffee machine gurgling behind her. She had barely touched her toast. Her phone buzzed—just another text from Sammy asking if she was coming to the group lunch this weekend. She didn't reply.
Something felt off. Not just today—this whole month.
Her period hadn't come. Again.
She wasn't panicking yet. Not out loud, anyway. But her cycle had never been this late. A week, sure. Even ten days when she was stressed. But this? It was nearly five weeks.
She stared down at her half-empty mug. The smell of coffee didn't appeal to her today. Her stomach turned slightly, not enough to make her sick, but just enough to feel strange.
"Maybe it's nothing," she muttered to herself. "Stress. Change in routine."
But even as she said it, she didn't believe it.
She slid off the stool and walked toward the bathroom. Quiet. Calm. Like she didn't want to alert her own nerves.
She rummaged under the sink until her fingers closed around the unopened pink and white box she bought two days ago "just in case." The packaging crinkled in her hand.
Her breath came shallowly as she tore it open and read the instructions again, even though she'd already memorized them.
Cap off. Pee on the strip. Wait five minutes.
She locked the bathroom door.
Her hands trembled slightly as she unwrapped the test, pulled down her pajama shorts, and sat down. The bathroom was silent except for the quiet hum of the ventilation fan. She peed on the test, capped it, and set it on the edge of the sink. It sat there, silent and unassuming.
Five minutes.
She washed her hands, dried them slowly, then stood there.
Still waiting.
She didn't want to look too early. She paced the small bathroom, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. Her face looked the same. Tired, maybe. A little pale. But not like someone whose life was about to change.
"Okay," she whispered. "Okay."
She turned and finally checked the test.
Two lines.
Her stomach dropped.
She blinked. Once. Twice. The lines didn't go away.
Two. Not one. Not faint. Not unclear.
Pregnant.
A wave of numbness rolled through her. She sat down on the closed toilet lid, test still in hand. Her thoughts came slow, disconnected. She wasn't crying. Not smiling. Just stunned.
I'm pregnant.
It didn't feel real yet.
She stayed there for another ten minutes before she finally got up, washed her face, and walked out into the hallway. Aaron was in the living room, leaning over his laptop with glasses perched on his nose—he wore them sometimes when his eyes got tired. He looked up when he heard her.
"Hey," he said, standing. "You okay? You look pale."
Lily held the test behind her back.
She walked straight to him. Her legs felt heavy, but her voice came out calm. "Can we talk?"
He immediately closed the laptop. "Yeah. Of course."
She sat on the couch. He followed, brows furrowed. "Is something wrong?"
Instead of answering, she pulled the test from behind her back and placed it in his hand.
He stared at it. Quietly. Then looked up at her.
His voice was quiet. "Are you sure?"
"I took it ten minutes ago." She paused. "I missed my period last month. I didn't want to panic too early but… I haven't had anything since."
Aaron didn't speak for a long moment. He just looked at her. And then he gently set the test on the coffee table.
Lily waited. Her heart was racing now—not from fear of the test, but from fear of how he would react.
Finally, Aaron let out a long breath and reached out. He took her hand.
"You're pregnant," he said.
She nodded. "Yeah."
There was another pause. And then a soft smile broke across his face. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
"We're having a baby," he whispered.
Something in her chest cracked open. She hadn't realized how tightly she'd been holding herself together until now. Her shoulders dropped. She let herself exhale.
"You're not… scared?" she asked.
"Of course I am," he admitted. "But I'm more… stunned. And happy. I mean, I love you, Lily. We're married. We always talked about having kids eventually. And if this is happening now…" He squeezed her hand. "Then we'll figure it out."
Lily's eyes burned. "I was so scared to tell you."
"You never have to be scared to tell me anything."
She leaned into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. They stayed like that for a while.
Eventually, Aaron sat back and grinned. "So… how many pregnancy tests did you buy?"
"Three," she said.
"Let's take them all. Just to be sure. And then, maybe…" He paused. "We call your dad?"
Lily winced. "Let's wait a few days."
Aaron chuckled and kissed her temple. "Deal."
They sat back on the couch. The test lay between them, those two little lines staring back.
The room was quiet, but inside Lily, everything was beginning.