you didn't notice me all that much. You were nicer than my brothers' other friends, but still..."
"Well, I was a teenager, so you'll have to excuse some of my obliviousness."
The light went off again, leaving us in the dark.
"So, can I make you dinner and thus show off my culinary prowess and impress you enough to let me do it again?" he asked.
I laughed. "I suppose it sounds better than the cheese, crackers, and fruit I was planning on having."
"Another reason I came with food. You've lost weight." He raised a hand when I started to speak and the light came back on, revealing his face once again. He was smiling. "I know that's common for a lot of women if they have morning sickness, but please don't blame me for worrying."
There he went again. Saying all the right things. Doing all the right things.
"Let's go inside. I'm hungry." He moved past me toward the house, waiting at the base of the steps for me to unlock the back door.
As soon as we were in the kitchen, I glanced down at my clothes. I had splotches of ice cream on my shirt and the bottoms of my jeans. I was also a bit sweaty from running around all day.
"Do you need any help?" I asked him.
He glanced at me. "Nope. Why don't you put your feet up and pretend you're impressed with my mediocre cooking skills."
I laughed and fingered a sticky stain on the bottom edge of my tee. "Actually, I'm gonna jump in the shower if you don't need me to show you where everything is."
J.J. waved me away. "I'll figure it out. Go clean up. Get comfortable."
I left him rattling around in my kitchen, humming under his breath as I walked back to my bedroom. I stared longingly at my bed, but my stomach growled, so I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep until I ate something anyway.
I'd also found that eating a satisfying dinner the night before helped the nausea when I woke up. It was just nice that I didn't have to cook tonight.
With one more glance at my bed, I went into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes, put my hair up in a bun on top of my head, and jumped in the shower. The hot water loosened the muscles in my neck and back. I wanted to stay there until it ran cold, but the knowledge that J.J. was waiting on me in the kitchen kept me moving.
Within ten minutes, I was clean and dressed in a loose pair of light cotton pants and a t-shirt. My waist was definitely getting bigger, so I found myself reaching for elastic waist shorts and pants and swingy sundresses more often than not.
I didn't know how I would afford to buy maternity clothes when the time came because all my money was likely going to pay for my medical bills.
Maybe I could find some things at the Goodwill one town over.
I walked out of my bedroom and was immediately assailed by the scent of cooking meats, herbs, spices, and vegetables. My stomach growled again.
My steps quickened as I came down the hall and walked into the kitchen to find J.J. making enough food to feed a small army.
I bit back a laugh and managed to hide my amusement before he turned around.
"Hey! Just in time. Dinner will be ready in five minutes."
I glanced at the sheet pan in front of him, which was covered with raw vegetables that he was tossing with oil and seasoning.
"Are we having crudité?" I asked.
"Crudawhat?"
"Raw veggies?"
He grinned and shook his head. "No. You mentioned you barely have time to cook while you're in school, so I'm meal prepping a few dinners for you for next week. They're sort of like TV dinners, only healthier."
"Wow." My throat closed up, so I had to clear it before I continued. "That's so sweet of you, Jay. You didn't have to do that."
He shrugged. "I do this every Sunday night for myself. I've got it down to a science now." He gestured to the sheet pan. "It's just some roasted vegetables and grilled chicken, but it's good for you and you don't have to worry about making it or cleaning up for a few days."
No one but my mother had tried to take care of me before. My brothers usually pretended they were helpless so I would do stuff for them, which worked when I was a kid. Now, they just begged because