^Prom Queen- Molly Kate Kestner
That Same Day

"The worst is yet to come." -Unknown

Romain was sat on his motorbike when I walked out of my last lesson. The fact that he was in the car park before everyone else got out suggested he'd skipped last period. I couldn't say I blamed him.

I thought about turning away, I really did. But that wouldn't be fair. The fact that I'd told him I was pregnant then bolted wasn't fair. He deserved a chance.

Romain looked even more rough that he had this morning. I knew he was still in shock, for he had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he stared at the gravel, black hair falling in a tousle over his face. He looked like someone out of a 50's black and white film.

"Hey."

Romain started at my voice. Almost as if he couldn't help it, his eyes went straight to my stomach. I resisted telling him how I made sure to wear enough layers that it wasn't noticeable.

"How long?" He murmured after a tense moment.

It was then that I noticed the cigarette wasn't lit, a lighter in his left hand as if he'd frozen from thought.

"Eleven weeks or so." I said, wishing he'd look at me. "I think it happened on the beach."

Slowly, Romain began to nod. "I'm guessing the condom-"

"Broke?" I finished, suddenly sweating. "Yes."

"And you weren't on-"

"No." I said shamefully.

Romain looked up then, at my face this time. "Don't blame yourself, Catherine."

But I do, I thought.

Instead, I just nodded. "So what now?"

To my surprise, Romain lifted himself off of the bike, lighting his cigarette in the process. "Now, we walk."

"Walk?" I repeated, not quite catching on.

Romain took a long drag. He looked like he needed it. "Do you really think I'm going to let you on this bike?"

I frowned. "I'm sure it would be fine-"

"I'm not taking any chances." Romain interrupted, stealing my rucksack and swinging it other his free shoulder. "Come on, we'll walk to the bus stop. There's something I want to show you when we get to WingerTree."

At that moment in time, I allowed myself to believe Romain would handle the situation well. Better than myself, in fact. If only I knew...

••

Romain's house was bigger than I'd expected.

I mean, my family weren't exactly poor, our house big and expensive when compared to others. The village of WinterTree was perhaps a little more pricy than neighbouring places, however it was obvious that the Porte family had scored big time.

We had just gotten off of the bus. Romain was unusually quiet, yet at the same time understandably.

It wasn't until I saw the familiar Range Rover parked in the spacious drive that I caught onto what was happening.

I stopped, my stomach suddenly feeling queasy. Romain, after taking a few steps, realised I'd stopped and turned. He looked awoken from a daze. He looked weary to the bone.

"My parents and Chloe aren't home." Romain said, hardly any emotion in his voice. "They're is nothing to worry about."

This time, we continued down the drive hand in hand. I felt comforted by Romain's warm touch, it reminded me that I wasn't alone in this.

The house was just as big and grand on the inside. It even had a winding staircase up against the left wall and marble floors that made soft echoes as you walked over them.

There wasn't a plant pot or picture out of place. Everything held the same grey, white and black tone expertly. I guessed Camilla had gotten a man interior designer upon moving in.

"This way." Romain instructed, leading the both of us up the fairy-tale staircase. I felt like I was in some kind of movie.

The corridor, would you believe, was just as gorgeous as the entrance. It was wide enough that a group of three could walk side by side and still be no where near touching the walls.

"My rooms the end door." Romain said, handing me my rucksack. "I'll be back in a second."

"Okay." I replied, a strange feeling washing over me. I was going to see Romain's room.

Wow, that sounded stupid.

You may find it strange that I was excited to see the infamous room, but I'd been curious as to what it looked like for a while now. I mean, Romain had seen mine, it was only fair that I se his.

Twisted the silver doorknob, I stepped into a room that smelt strongly of deodorant, the same sweet vanilla scent of the entire house, with an undertone of smoke.

The room was spotless. King sized bed clad in white sheets made and straightened to perfection. Dark grey curtains pulled back precisely, giving the room a warm autumn glow. Various sketches expertly drawn hanging in frames along the white walls.

I went to one. It was a sketch of a place I'd never seen before. Looking at the bottom, I saw in small scrawling letters, two names.

Leon R. Porte.

"I drew that just before I moved here." Romain had returned, his sneaky entrance causing me to start and spin around. He was leaning in the doorway, his eyes again on my stomach as if he could see through the layers of fabric. "I had taken photos, of course. But it never quite captured my home, so I decided to draw it instead."

"It's beautiful." I said.

We stood in silence. Romain looked as though he was struggling not to fall asleep. I wondered why he'd brought me here. Was it for the same reason I'd been thinking all this time? That it was odd that he'd come to mine so many times yet I'd never even seen his in person? Or was it because he felt obligated now that I was...pregnant.

"Would you like to see." I ended up saying quietly.

Romain, as always, knew what I meant without me even having to explain.

Walking further into the room, he took a seat on the edge of the bed and waited. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that this was Romain, not some stranger. He'd seen my body before.

There was something very possessive about the way Romain watched me unsnap the buckles of my dungarees over my shoulders, allowing them to fall to the floor. This left me in nothing but my underwear and oversized sweater.

I took another deep breath, my heart racing. Lifting my sweater, I decided to discard the whole thing, leaving me in just my underwear and bra.

If I hadn't been so skinny, the bump would be barley recognisable. But there it was, standing out to me like a great florescent sign.

Romain also took a breath. Again, he looked extremely exhausted. I did, however, see his blue eyes brighten slightly as he hesitantly placed a hand over the small bump.

"Is it bad that I want to kiss you?" He whispered finally, never taking his eyes off of the bump."

I understood what he meant. This was a moment neither one of us would forget. Teenagers, yes. But I had a great overwhelming feeling of emotion as I watched Romain trace small circles onto my stomach. We were parents, whether we wanted to admit it or not.

"Not at all." I replied, leaving down first.