All I Can See Are These Flames Around Me

Goddamn it, why am I so stiff?

Apparently I need to teach myself to stop falling asleep on the couch, because waking up from a nap shouldn't be nearly as uncomfortable as this is. Beds are your friends, Nikki, they're not the enemy. Being pregnant is really kicking my ass. I'm constantly tired and all I can keep down is tea and on a good day, if I'm lucky, a few crackers.

Grumbling to myself, my back cracked as I sat up. A thin fleece blanket had been draped over me. I smiled at the sight of it. God, Andy is too good to me.

I don't know what I did to deserve to be treated so well by him. But let me just say I'm thankful that I have him by my side. Since we found out two weeks ago that I'm expecting, he's been bending over backwards to make sure that me and our six week old bundle of joy were well taken care of.

The television in front of me was playing reruns of Big Bang Theory, which I had been binge watching before having passed out. And in the other room I could hear the shower running. Reaching for the remote control I turned the television off just as it was going to a commercial break. I sighed and leaned back against the couch.

Humming to myself in content I enjoyed the steady sound of the water that was cascading down on Andy's body. He wants to be this baby's father so badly. Even though it biologically won't be his, he has chosen to step up and be the father figure he or she will need. It blows my fucking mind that Andrew is so excited about becoming a dad and that he would even want to do such a thing. But, honestly, I think I love him because of this.

The soothing sounds of the water in the bathroom suddenly ceased leaving the apartment became silent. The silence was welcomed though. Closing my eyes I sighed, wishing perfect moments of tranquility could last forever.

"Babe?" Opening my eyes just a crack I was surprised to see a half naked Andy in just a towel that loosely clung to his hips.

Goddamn... He is beautiful.

"Huh?" Still pretending to be asleep I kept my eyes closed. Mostly.

"So you are awake." Laughing that infectious laugh of his, Andy crossed his arms over his chest.

Smirking in my "sleep" state, I struggled not to laugh along with him. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm totally asleep."

"Yeah sure you are. Liar." Andy began walking towards the bedroom to most likely get dressed.

"Pfftt... I'm not a liar!" I called after him as I stood up and went for the kitchen.

My mouth gets so dry when I sleep now. It's a huge pain in the ass. Do yourself a favor and don't ever get pregnant. The first trimester is basically three months of fucking hell. Take it from a miserable pregnant woman.

By the time I had retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge and had begun to rummage around the cupboards looking for something to make for dinner, Andy emerged from the bedroom fully dressed and looking ready to go on an adventure.

"What are you doing?" He asked, leaning against the doorway.

"Trying to find sustenance to feed the tiny human growing inside of me." I replied with my head in an almost empty cupboard.

Walking behind me, Andy placed his hands on my hips. "Oh, my poor little Nikki. You're not cooking tonight. In fact we're going out."

Not believing what he had said, I spun around and nearly banging my head on the cupboard door. "I'm in no condition to go out." I said motioning to my leggings, baggy t-shirt, and messy bun.

Andy rolled his eyes and pulled me in closer. "You have clothes here. It's not like you can't change. And we're going out for Chinese food. You've been moaning and groaning all day that you wanted some. So we're going on an adventure."

"Andrewwwww..." I groaned. Why can't we just order something in.

"Babe, get dressed. You're not getting out of this." Sighing dramatically I unhappily dragged my ass to Andy's room.

All I have here for clothes are a couple of sun dresses and a pair of skinny jeans. Not in the mood for the pastel colored dresses I was forced to settle for my jeans, that had left here one night after I stole a pair of Andy's sweat pants. Shimming the tight light washed pants on I wasn't sure how the whole shirt situation was going to work out. Because I sure as hell am not wearing that nasty shirt I had been wearing to go out.

Scowling at my lack of a shirt I decided that I would just have to steal one of Andy's. This boy has so many fucking shirts to pick from. Flipping through the ones he had hung up in his closet, I eventually pulled out a black ripped tank top that had a screen printed rib cage in dark gray paint. Pairing that with a red flannel I shrugged at how baggy the shirts were on, but it was my only option. And beggars can't be choosers.

The only thing left to do was my hair. Clearly I'm not bothering with makeup, because you know what? Fuck that shit. I pulled the hair ties out and let my hair fall to my shoulders. Even though my hair was pretty dull and lifeless I tried to revamp it by giving it a gentle ruffle. It didn't do much but I would just have to deal with it. I must be having a girl, because I swear my good looks have gone down the drain since I got pregnant.

I left the bedroom and found Andy sitting on the couch watching the news. He smiled at me and began to laugh when he realized I had jacked his clothing.

"I think they're a little big for you." He pointed out, eyeing me a little bit closer. "Where did you even find that shirt? I've been looking for it for ages."

Shrugging I sat down on his lap. "It was on a hanger, so I snatched it."

"I can see that." Leaning forward he kissed my cheek. "You look beautiful."

"Yeah, sure." I mumbled with a roll of my eyes.

"Oh hush you." He chided. "C'mon, lets go get you two something to eat."

Andy helped me onto my feet and took my hand in his. Leaning down he kissed the top of my head. The affection he showers me with makes me feel like a love-sick teenager. I squeezed his hand as we left his apartment and made our way to his car.

Notes

That was a pretty crappy rewrite if you ask me.
Sorry about that...
I was in the middle of an online class.

Thank you to all my readers, subscribers, and to those who have left comments!!
It all means the world to me!
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