For the first few seconds of consciousness, I'm afraid of where I am. My heart rapidly beats against my rib cage as I flutter my eyelids to keep myself awake. Blank walls, an empty bed, and quietness enclose around me like a constricting snake. The utter silence of nothing but the clock ticking beside me is frightful.

Where am I? Where's Blake?

As I sit up in bed, I realise I'm not completely lost, I'm just at my parents' house. I look to my side and find that the bed is actually empty. I wonder if he's hanging around the house until I get my butt out of bed, or if he's just gone home without saying goodbye. It would be out of character, but with the underlying circumstances, I could see the appeal for leaving.

Pushing those thoughts behind me, I slip out of bed and check my phone. I find a message from Blake, which instantly brings a cheerful smile to my lips. I quickly unlock my phone so that I can send him a reply.

As I walk around my bedroom, I stretch out my muscles and yawn. My neck feels stiff, but I think it's from the awkward angle of the pillow. The downside to having a smaller bed is that you don't get too much room. Though, sleeping in the same bed as Blake waves just the same. He's always playing starfish right in the middle of it.

I grab my bag off the floor and place it on the bed. I quickly shift through the clothing until I find something I want to wear. I end up with a pair of black fitted jeans and a long white sleeved shirt since it isn't too cold at the moment.

Once I'm dressed and somewhat prepared for the world, I head downstairs for breakfast, or well lunch considering the time. . .

I find my mother in the kitchen preparing food. She's standing with her back to me as she hacks at the vegetables for a salad. I'm not too keen on eating a salad, but my stomach grumbles with hunger. I guess a carrot stick will have to do for now.

"Wow, is that the time already?" I ask.

While Mum is distracted from my question, I lean against the kitchen bench and steal a piece of food off the board.

"Yeah." She nods her head. "I didn't want to wake you since you seemed so peaceful asleep."

"Thanks." I smile. "I must have needed the sleep." She goes back to chopping the food, and despite the fact she's wielding a knife, I grab another piece of food. Before she can slap my hand, I jump back and laugh at my stealthiest.

"When did Kyle leave this morning?" I casually question.

"He ran off early this morning. He looked pretty upset. Did you two fight last night?" she asks. Mum tries to busy herself with the food to stop her curiosity from showing, but it's still evident in her voice.

"No." I shrug my shoulders. "Everything was okay. Maybe he needed to be somewhere?" I offer.

Before she can dive into a whole analysis of what is wrong, or what I could do to fix it . . . I dive right into the solution to fix everything.

"Can I borrow your car?" I chuck on a bright smile, the one I know she can't resist.

"Fine, the keys are on the table," she groans. "You're lucky I love you."

"I know." I laugh. "Thank you, and I'll see you tonight." I step back towards her so that I can kiss her cheek. Instead of stealing a slice of something, I grab a peeled carrot from the chopping board and walk out.

I munch on the carrot as I run upstairs to retrieve my belongings before collecting the keys. I want to speak with Kyle before he gets too upset about what's happening. I really want to make sure he's okay. I was afraid of this happening . . . I knew things were going too good for us.

Getting into the car, I fire up the engine and head off. I half remember where he lives, so I pray I don't end up at a stranger's house as that would be awkward!

After a whole hour of driving and getting lost, I end up in from of their share house. I park in the drive way and head up to the front door. Without hesitation, I knock on the door and nervously wait with anticipation. I don't know what I'll say, but I know I have to say something.

Within seconds, the door swings open to reveal a curious Ben staring back at me.

"Hi Ben," I greet. "I'm looking for Kyle, is he here?" I ask.

"No." He shakes his head. "Kyle came home this morning upset, then stormed out of here." The hostile look on Ben's face makes me worried. I don't think he's going to be handing over the answers I need.

"Oh." I frown.

"I don't know why he's upset, but I do know you're not being fair, Ava," he explains.

I jerk backwards with confusion. "Fair? What are you talking about?"

"You can't keep tugging on Kyle's feelings, Ava." Ben crosses his arms over his chest as a stern appearance filters onto his face. "What about Blake? You're hurting the poor guy by being here."

"What the hell are you talking about, Ben? I just want my best friend?" Sadness and confusion begin to swirl up inside my chest. So much, I feel as if I might explode like a grenade.

"Are you serious?" Ben laughs like a mad man, the kind that sends chills down my spine. "You know what, don't worry about it. Go home to Blake, Ava."

"I'm sorry." I burst into tears. My sadness brings some remorse to Ben's hard face, yet no answers.

"Shit, I'm sorry, Ava," he apologises. "But you should probably go." Nodding my head, I take a step back and dry my tears. Ben closes the door, and it somewhat feels like he's closed the door on me, like I wouldn't be welcome back here.

I try to gather my scattered thoughts as I get into the car. What is he talking about? I just needed to speak to Kyle. I wanted to make sure everything was okay between us. I didn't mean to hurt Kyle, yet I knew I would anyways.

The streets turn into a blur along with the scenery in front of me. I know I'm not fit to drive, so I pull into a small shopping complex to park the car. I dry the tears from my face and look up. The fact that I'm parked in front of a baby store makes me burst out with laughter. The irony of it all makes me feel better.

Instead of sitting in the car, I get out and stretch my body. Since I magically arrived in front, I might as well walk around. There's going to be a long drive home and I need to stretch out.

I walk inside of the shop and notice someone behind the counter. I don't pay too much attention since I'd rather be alone. I find myself wandering towards the first shelf with equipment stacked on it. There's a bunch of bottles with all different sizes, shapes, and pictures.

Looking at bottles doesn't amuse me, so I continue further down. I find myself in the clothing section torn between boy and girl stuff. I hope I'm having a little girl, then London will have a little sister to play with. But, I'd be happy with either or. As long as they're healthy and happy, that's all you can really wish for.

"Hi, did you need some help?" someone asks. "Shopping can be hard for other people," she notes.

"Uh." I turn around and notice the woman standing behind me is pregnant herself. With the gleaming, yet comfortable smile on her face, it makes me feel relaxed and okay to talk with her for some odd reason.

Maybe pregnant women could make that sort of connection with each other. We're all sort of on the same boat . . . trying to figure out what the heck you do with the growing foetus inside your stomach.

"No, myself, I mean, I don't know what I'm doing . . ." I trail off in a muttered heap.

I'm not sure what to tell her. I feel like I should keep my life a secret, yet I'm tired of having all of these secrets. They're bursting to come out of me.

"How far along are you?" she asks with genuine excitement.

I look down at my stomach, the place my right hand over the top of it for comfort.

"Just over nine weeks," I reply. "You?"

"Just under six months, actually. This is my first baby with my husband, second in general, though," she explains.

"Oh." I'm taken back by her complete honest about her situation. Her peculiar life somewhat makes me intrigued, yet better about mine. Perhaps Blake and I weren't so odd after all . . .

"Well, this is my first unexpected pregnancy, but my partner has another child we care for," I explain.

"Children can be hard." She laughs nervously. "My little two year old is into everything at the moment!" she mutters to herself. It's only now that I look a little more at her facial features, I notice the dark purple bags forming under her eyes.

"Yes." I smile with relief. "My little one is about to start teething, and I'm totally not looking forwards to it," I add.

"I found putting teething rings in the fridge helped," she says.

"Good idea, thanks!"

"I run this parents' group, and I think you should check it out. We catch up once a week to vent about pregnancies, kids, husbands, and the works." She winks cheekily. "Maybe you'd find it helpful to have people around you?" she explains.

The thought of meeting up with a bunch of strangers makes me worried, yet the thought of being able to vent about stuff to people currently experiencing it sounds like heaven!

"Sure, I'd love to!"

"Awesome, I'll get the pamphlet for you." I follow the woman towards the counter. She grabs one off the front stand and hands it to me.

"Thank you for the suggestion, I really appreciate it."

"No worries! We're meeting tomorrow, so you're welcome to come and bring your little one!" she says.

"Thanks again. I'm Ava by the way."

"I'm Eden." She smiles.

"Nice to meet you Eden, bye!" With the pamphlet in hand, I walk out the store with hope filling my inside.

By the time I battle through the mid-afternoon traffic, I make it home in time for dinner. I slip through the front door and instantly smell dinner cooking. I place the keys on the table and head straight to the kitchen for food.

"Can you set the table, Ava?" Mum calls out.

"Ugh, if you want me to." I stop my hunt for food and turn my attention to the task at hand. I grab out the plates and cutlery from the draws and then head towards the dining room. I place the three plates on the table and grab a seat.

Shortly afterwards, Mum walks in with two large plates of spiced chicken and fried chips.

"I love you so much right now," I say, my eyes glued on the food.

"You should because your father made me use the spicy sauce he made." She pouts.

"Oh gosh, I love you both so much! I crave so bad for chicken!" As she places the food on the table, I use my fork to stab a piece of chicken to put on my plate. My mouth waters at the sight of it.

Mum sits beside me while Dad takes the chair across from us. They laugh at my eagerness, but I just shrug it off.

"So, how was your day, did you get much done?" she asks.

"Yeah." I shrug my shoulders. "What about you?"

I slice into the tender meat of the chicken and listen to the sound of my mother's voice. She talks about how she had to spend the day working in the garden, but she's proud of the work she's accomplished.

While I do miss being at home with Blake – the cuddles, the tickles, or even talking to him about his day . . . I've really enjoyed spending some time with my parents, even if it's just been at meal times. I've missed my mother's cooking and my dad's lame jokes that don't make sense! However, this doesn't feel like home, not with Blake missing by my side.

Thoughts on Ben? Do you support what he said or should he butt out?