Chain Reaction 1.37: Ten Percent

     Life isn't fair. One would think I'd know this by now.
     I work out almost as much as Graham does, and we eat the same food. Why is that I start turning into a fat blob while he does nothing but get hotter?
     "I'll just have some yogurt," I tell him when I start seeing him fix a family meal. I guess I have to work out even more and eat even less.
      Graham shakes his head like he knows he shouldn't argue with me, but he does anyway. "Brielle, stop it. You aren't fat; you're beautiful."
      I don't believe him. "Graham, look at me! I've never been this big."
      He lets go of the refrigerator handle, turns around, and looks at me. "I see what you mean."
      My mouth drops open that he'd finally admit it to me: he thinks I'm fat!
      Wait a minute... That's not what he's thinking.
      He takes one step, closing the gap between us, and kisses me hard before happily going to second base.
      "Ow!" I exclaim, and he moves his hand, satisfying his ardor with kissing my neck instead.
      I love his voice. It's beautiful.
      "Brielle, you are so dam- hot. Would you please stop cutting yourself down? Now, sit at the table. I'll cook tonight. Eat dinner with me, having the same thing." He looks down at me lovingly and kisses my nose with a small smile.
      I close my eyes with a resigned sigh.

      I pick at my food, and Graham watches me.
      "Why not go and have a day at the spa?" he suggests with a small smile.
       I don't deserve him! He's so wonderful, and I'm a horrible, fat beast! I think as I consider how he's trying to help me.
      I burst into tears.
      "Brielle! What's wrong?" Graham asks, worried now. "You don't have to go to the spa! I thought it might be a good thing, make you feel better about yourself." He reaches over to hold my arm while I hide my face in my hands.
      "I know!" I yell out in a hopeless way. "I don't know what's wrong with me, Graham! No matter what I do, it just gets worse! And now I'm crying when all you want to do is help!" I sob more before I can speak again. Graham rubs my arm gently. "I'll just stop eating!"
      "No," he tells me. "Don't do that."
      "I'm around food all day. I must be snacking too much," I say with a sniff. Honestly though, all I do is a bite here and there just to taste test.
       I look down at my pasta, and I dig my fork into it before bringing a few noodles to my mouth.

     "Oh maker," I moan as I fear I'm about to be sick all over the table. It's disgusting! It's all disgusting! Graham's cooking hasn't ever been like this before.
     I hold my hand up to my mouth, but I fear it won't be enough. Giving an apologetic look to Graham, who's half-finished his pasta like there's nothing wrong with it, I get up and run to the bathroom.

     Great. I'm getting nothing but fatter, and now I'm getting sick. My body is rejecting these starches because it knows I'll just gain more weight than I would with yogurt.
     When my stomach finally stops heaving, I sit on the floor and cry.

       No, I tell myself and make myself get up off the floor, ending my pity-party. I can get through this. I've been through much worse than this. I go brush my teeth. When I finish, Graham walks in. He wears a beautiful smile on his handsome face. I feel wretched, but at least my teeth are brushed.

     "Brielle," he says, sounding happy, "I think I've figured it out."
     "That I'm crazy?" I ask him, my lower lip starting to tremble. That's it. All the stress of my life, I've finally cracked up.
      "No, you're not crazy," he tells me, a laugh getting caught in his throat. "You're pregnant."
      "I... What?" I look at him. "No, I..." I look at him. "Graham, that would be an excellent excuse for all this, but..." I think about it. What if he's right?
       The maker had done something evil and, just for the 'fun' of it, had installed a risky woohoo mod. Ten percent...TEN PERCENT chance of unexpected pregnancy! At first, she'd thought it was only five, but when she looked in her mods folder, she saw she'd gotten the ten percent one.
       We did do a LOT of woohoo on our honeymoon...

      "I love you," he tells me quietly and kisses my cheek. He won't be dissuaded from his revelation.
      "Graham, I..."
      "If you've gained, it's what should happen. You're more emotional than normal..."
      I let out a huff, and my head starts spinning. "And late."
      "And late," he agrees. "And...sensitive." He refers to when he went to second base a little while ago. "And so f-----g wonderful." He kisses my neck. "And beautiful." He carefully pulls back my robe just a bit and gently kisses me there.
      "Moody," I agree with him as my mood rapidly changes. I pull his face back up to me and voraciously kiss him. He happily kisses me back before bending down to pick me up and carry me into our bedroom.

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