She canceled a breakfast date with him for the fourth time in less than two weeks. Jacqueline sent the cancellation over text, but being the kind and caring man he was, Vincent called her immediately.

“Are you feeling okay, Jacqueline?” Even through the phone she could make out his concern.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about, I’m just not feeling great. Honestly, mornings have been a little tough for me lately.” This wasn’t even a lie. Recently she’d been experiencing bouts of nausea and lethargy in the morning that left her without appetite or desire to even leave her bed.

“Alright, but I’m really starting to worry about you. You’ve been feeling lousy for awhile, right? If this keeps up I think you should go see a doctor about it. Will you do that?”

Jacqueline sipped from a cup of ice water. It was the only thing she could keep down at the moment. “Vincent, I appreciate your worry but I don’t think it’s anything that serious.”

“Please?”

It was the tone in that single word that made her agree to go. Jacqueline didn’t think it was anything to worry about, but it was still worth checking in on. Just to ease Vincent’s mind.

The doctor asked her all sorts of questions. Diet. Current lifestyle. Stress. Sexual activity. Sleep schedule. Any abnormalities she was noticing about herself physically. Aches. Pains. Possible genetic conditions worth noting in her family.

There wasn’t anything relevant to mention. The doctor decided to run some tests, but he was pretty sure her issues would resolve themselves on their own given time. They took some of her blood. He told her they would run it through a full battery of tests. It would take about five days to get the results, at which point they would call her to make another appointment and go over them together.

She was pretty sure the doctor just wanted to squeeze as much money out of her as he could. Vincent seemed relieved when she told him about the appointment a few days later, though.

Even while trying to end things with Vincent, she was glad to have him so concerned about her. There were few people in Jacqueline’s life that showed so much care for her wellbeing. She knew it was selfish, but it made her feel good. No one worried over her as much as he did. Being able to exacerbate or soothe his nerves just by telling him she went to the doctor was a new experience for her. She was reveling in it.

Then she got the results back.

She wasn’t reveling anymore.

He got a really nice check from Jacqueline’s publishing company, and the first thing he did with it was make a reservation somewhere fancy. It was against their established rules, but honestly they hadn’t been abiding by those for awhile. Not since their college date.

Just thinking about it filled his throat with bile.

He swallowed and squared his shoulders. Tonight had to be perfect. None of this weakness.

July was in its height, and with it the pounding heat. He would blame the sweat nervously trailing the back of his neck on it. He’d warned Jacqueline ahead of time about today’s weather but ignored his own advice. He needed to look his best tonight, and his best meant his nonno’s sports coat. It was the best piece of clothing he owned, and also one he’d never worn before out of respect for the deceased. Tonight was the one exception.

Putting it on left his with a strange feeling of deja vu. It struck him as he stared in the mirror that his nonna meant it when she said that Vincent was his spitting image. The resemblance gave him a bit of strength, like his nonno was watching over and supporting him.

…not that he would approve of this plan.

Vincent climbed the stairs to Jacqueline’s apartment. Better not to think of that. There was no time for doubt. Not after he’d come so far.

When he reached her floor he had to quiet his doubting head and racing heart. What was wrong with him today? He wasn’t normally this erratic emotionally over Jacqueline. There may have been more bumps in his plan than he anticipated, but it was nothing to get so nervous about. Maybe wearing the sports coat was a bad idea. The emotions he had about his grandparent’s deaths were still fresh compared to the scabbed over ones he was picking at while pursuing Jacqueline. He’d leave the coat in the car when they got to the restaurant.

If Jacqueline asked about the strange behavior, he would tell her the truth. She’d find that sensitivity and sadness charming.

As he approached the door, out came the neighbor. The petite blonde girl that Jacqueline despised for being fake. Irene or something. He’d never talked to her personally, but Jacqueline warned him to stay away from her.

“Oh, why hello there!” Her voice was chipper and saccharine. It made him flinch. He hated to admit it, but Jacqueline was right. There was something unreal in that voice. “I haven’t seen you around here. Did you just move into the building?”

He had to be perfect today, even to someone like whatever her name was. He smiled. “Hello! I’m Vincent, I’ve been seeing your neighbor Jacqueline for a bit. I’m surprised we haven’t met before.”

He held out his hand for her to shake. She took it. Her fingers were delicate and cold, and her big blue eyes were staring calculatingly at him. Like she was trying to find something hidden in his face.

He wondered if he ever looked at Jacqueline like that.

“My name’s Irena.”

Then, without any of the over theatrical movements she’d been making, her eyes flicked away from his face and to Jacqueline’s door. It was closed. She squeezed his hand and pulled him in for a hug.

Irena spoke so quietly he wasn’t sure if she really had.

“If anything happens, tell me.”

He pulled away from her, startled. “What?”

She smiled a big showstopper smile, the kind you could see even from the back of an audience. “Sorry, I guess I should have warned you that I’m a hugger. Anyway, I gotta go! Bye bye now!”

Irena ran to the stairs, waving to him as she went. He waved back confusedly, unsure what else he was supposed to do in this situation.

A strange encounter, but nothing he needed to deal with right now. He had more pressing concerns.

He had Jacqueline.

She was dressed beautifully, the same outfit she wore to the gallery. He was guessing that was her go-to for uncertain fancy occasions. She didn’t ask him how she looked this time. Still, he told her she looked beautiful.

Truthfully, she just looked apprehensive. When he offered his arm to her, she took it without a word.

Jacqueline was never the chatty type, but she’d never been so quiet before. She never left him to carry the conversation all by himself. Maybe this was a new distancing tactic to get him flustered.

If she was expecting him to break up with her over this, she had another thing coming.

The restaurant he took her to was the fanciest one he knew. The sort of intimate, candle-lit spot that whispered romance. They were shown to a table near the back so they wouldn’t be disturbed by anyone.

Once their server left after giving them their menus, Jacqueline finally spoke. “What are we doing here, Vincent?”

He’d been rehearsing this. “We’re here to celebrate! A lot of good things have been happening for us lately. I got that contract with your publisher for joining the cover design team as a freelance artist, your book is doing really well on all the charts, and…well…”

He looked down at his menu, feigning embarrassment as best he could.

“Us. Next week we’ll have been together for five whole months. Isn’t that crazy?” He chuckled and looked back up at her.

Her face gave away nothing. “That is. This is the longest relationship I’ve ever had.”

“Me too.” It was the only relationship he’d ever had. Not that he would admit it to her.

“Vincent, I have to tell you something-”

The champagne arrived before the panic could set in. He wasn’t expecting her to try springing the breakup on him like that. All of her moves up to this point were clearly attempts to get him to do it or for the relationship to just dissolve naturally on its own.

The champagne was poured and the glasses passed. Vincent raised his up.

“A toast,” he said proclaimed, “to you, Jacqueline. Ever since I met you, my life has changed. I’m an entirely different person than who I used to be, and it’s all thanks to you. I love you.”

How could she break up with him now? After that disgusting display of affection?

He took a sip. Jacqueline stared at the glass but didn’t pick it up.

“I can’t drink this.”

“Trust me, it’s good! I think you’ll like it.”

“No, I…” she slid the glass to his side of the table, “I can’t.”

Vincent was at a loss, he hadn’t expected this reaction. But then he remembered her behavior after their college date. Her guilt at what she’d done and how she’d promised never to drink again.

He was touched.

“You don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to, but if you’re holding back for my sake I’m giving you full permission. Don’t worry about it.”

Vincent smiled encouragingly and pushed the glass a little closer to her. She left it where it was and just stared at it.

“That’s not the reason.” She sounded a little guilty. What happened that night probably didn’t cross her mind. “Vincent, I’m… I’m pregnant.”

“Oh.”

He hadn’t planned for this.

“Okay.”

He drained both their glasses.

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