Me, Myself, and I

Chris leaned over me, his soft lips brushing my forehead. “Wake up, angel..” He murmured, smiling down at me. I crumpled the sheets in my stiff fingers and groaned. “Five more minutes..”
He chuckled softly. “You've been saying that for an hour. Come on. Frank already left for work and I can make you breakfast...okay?”
I heaved myself up, rubbing my belly before stretching. “Mh. Sounds good. I love you..”
He grinned and hugged me gently. “I love you too, come on..” His hands slipped under my shoulders as he helped me to my feet. “You're so tiny..” Chris laughed, stroking his fingertips down my back. I rolled my eyes and kicked my slippers on. “At least I'm not Frank-sized..”
He smiled and kissed my hair, holding my hand as we walked towards the stairs. “You weighed less than him before you got pregnant, though..” He pointed out gently. “That's why you're waddling everywhere after six months..”
I slapped his arm, blushing. “Shut up! I don't waddle!”
Chris kissed my cheek and hummed softly, leading me into the kitchen. “What do you fancy for breakfast..?” He asked, opening and closing several cupboards. I closed my eyes and leaned against the fridge door, sighing quietly. “I wanna go to IHOP..”
Chris snorted. “We can't go without Frank, he'll throw a fit..”
I hummed agreement and looked down at my feet, pouting slightly. “Hm. Maybe we could go for dinner..”
“Babe...you know I have an early shift tonight..”
I sighed and threw my hands up jokingly. “Well fuck! No IHOP for the pregnant lady!”
He laughed and pecked my lips softly, hugging my waist loosely. “You're not a lady just because you're pregnant...you know Frank and I don't think that way..”
My face flushed and I sighed, leaning my forehead against his collarbone. “He doesn't even…” I trailed off and Chris rubbed my back slowly. “He doesn't know what to do with you, like this. He's scared of hurting you..” He murmured, his knuckles running up and down my spine. “You know he still thinks you're sexy, and pretty, and all that. He can't not, because he loves you..”
I sighed again and Chris ran his long fingers through my tangled hair. “I know..”
He rocked me slowly, drawing me closer to him. “And yet it's hard to believe all the time. I know that too...that's why I'm here..”
I whined softly and pulled away, brushing my hair out of my face. “Please can we go to IHOP? Frankie won't know..”
Chris sighed and kissed my nose. “Go get ready, sweetie..”
I squealed and whipped around, jogging up the stairs. I could hear him laughing, but I ignored it, hurrying to look at least mostly decent. I clattered back down the stairs after about five minutes, and Chris helped me put my shoes on before walking me out to the car. “You look so cute today..” He smiled as I buckled into the passenger seat. I blushed and tucked my legs up, rubbing my belly lightly. “Mmh. So do you...can I come see you work a little tonight..?” Chris flushed bright red and I looked down.
“Sorry...I know you don't want me to...I’ll drop it..”
He smiled apologetically and squeezed my thigh gently. “I'm sorry baby, but you know it's different with you and Frank…”
I nodded and kissed his shoulder. “It's really okay, Chrissy..” I tucked a lock of his long black hair behind his ears and kissed his cheek. “I love you and you never have to do anything for me that would hurt you, okay?”
Chris nodded and smiled, his grip on the wheel tightening a little. “M’kay. Love ya..”
I purred as he parked, and got out of the car quickly, eager. He caught my hips and spun me around, kissing me softly. I giggled and leaned into his chest slightly, smiling up at him. “You and your cravings are gonna make me so fat..” He joked softly. I rolled my eyes and dragged him inside. “You love it..”

Chris grinned at me as I dug into the pancakes, giggling happily as sticky sweet syrup dripped down my chin. I wiped it off with my fingers and he rolled his eyes, starting to eat his omelet more tamely. I smiled brightly, wriggling a little in my seat as I finished my bite and sucked the sweetness off my fingers. I dug in again and closed my eyes in bliss as I chewed. Satisfying cravings always felt orgastic. The flavor would hit my mouth in a way that I could never comprehend, perfectly fitting in and soothing some ache, reforming something that was missing. It felt so right.
I'd explained it to Chris before, one night when Frank didn't come home and we laid up together, his hands on my belly and my back, and my body against his chest. He'd laughed, then, and he laughed now, but not in a mean way. He was laughing with me, laughing simply because I was happy and that made him happy.
I grinned and Chris rolled his eyes fondly, offering me a piece of his bacon. I shook my head politely and kept eating my pancakes, enjoying them far too much to take a break.
We went straight home after, and I hid my leftovers in a remote corner of the fridge, smiling as Chris started brushing my hair. “This is still such a mess..” He hummed, teasing out all the tangles and managing to make it lay flat in a way I never could. He glanced outside and bit his lip lightly. “You should go read in the hammock, it's such a nice day. I gotta start looking over finances and setting aside money for the baby room, okay? You need some relaxing time..”
I smiled and nodded, kissing his cheek softly. “M’kay. Love you..”
I picked up my book and my sunglasses, heading outside slowly. I climbed into the hammock with some effort and curled up, starting to read happily.

Late in the afternoon, Chris shook me awake gently. “Hey. I gotta get going to work, okay? I'll be at Kahleu’s tonight, until one. I'll come and sleep with you when I get home..”
I nodded and tugged him down into a gentle kiss. “Okay...I love you..”
He smiled and offered me his hand. “I love you too. Why don't you come inside and curl up in bed while I'm out? I don't really like you being outside when I'm not here..”
I nodded again and yawned as I got up, stumbling against my boyfriend’s chest. He scooped me up and carried me to bed, bridal style.

I was woken again by the front door slamming. I glanced at the clock; 11:47. Earlier than he usually got home. I stood up and stepped into my slippers, wandering downstairs quietly. He was rooting around in the fridge, and I could smell the weed smoke from the other side of the kitchen. “Frank..?” I called out softly. He turned and grinned at me drunkenly. “Heyy, whassup Gee..?”
I bit my lip and gestured towards the stairs. “I was just checking you were home...I’m gonna go back to bed..” My heart was pounding. I hated it when Frank was drunk. It reminded me of too many things, and it had been fairly unusual up until about a month ago.
He stumbled over to me and pushed my back up against the kitchen island. “How about I come with you..?” He purred, trying to kiss me as he rubbed his half hard dick against mine. I whined softly and tried to pull away. “Frankie, please stop, I'm tired and I don't feel good..” I begged, struggling against him.
“Me too...but you always say I don't get you off enough..”
He grabbed my junk, hard, and I whimpered in pain. “Get off me!”
Frank suddenly looked angry, shoving me away from him and heading towards the stairs. “Prude bitch..” He muttered. I stared at the ground for a second, then grabbed my coat and keys, rushing out of the house in my slippers. I climbed into Frank's car and buckled my seatbelt, heading off to Kahleu's. I knew Chris would hate me seeing him there, but I felt sick and dirty, and I needed him to know. I didn't feel safe.
I parked on the street by the dingy club, getting out of the car and wrapping my coat around myself tightly, hoping to disguise the otherwise obvious baby bump. I pushed the peeling gaudy doors open and slipped into the world of flashing lights and loud music. I tried not to look around, hugging myself tightly. There were half naked men everywhere, dancing on people, serving drinks, and stripping on pedestals and by poles. I stumbled through the raucous crowd, tripping over feet and various body parts. I finally found Chris on one of the pedestals, upside down on the pole. He had dollars sticking out of his underwear and a glittery bow tie around his neck. I'd only seen him naked probably twice, and my throat tightened a little to see him like this. He made eye contact with me and dropped to the ground, slipping off the pedestal and hurrying over to me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me toward the back of the club, through an ‘employees only’ door. His hand slipped into mine as he frantically opened his locker, tugging a bathrobe on over his skimpy outfit. Chris was blushing bright red. I kissed his forehead and buried my face in his chest, starting to cry almost immediately. He sighed and pressed soft kisses to my cheeks and forehead, trying to calm me down despite his own agitated state. I could feel his heartbeat racing under my hand, and I suddenly felt horrible for disturbing him.
“What's wrong..?” He asked quietly, stroking my hair and rocking me slowly. I sniffled and told him everything, my fingers bunched in the fabric of his robe. He sighed and kissed me gently. “Wait here, okay? I'm gonna go talk to my boss and get dressed, and then we’ll go home..”

Chris helped me into our bed, tucking a pillow between my knees and laying down behind me. His arms slipped around my waist and I smiled slightly. Frank had gone to sleep in his room, and Chris had locked our door. I could tell he was absolutely furious with Frank, but he couldn't do much until the next day, Saturday. He was also extremely upset from me seeing him at work.
I rolled over and kissed his jaw. “Chrissy...baby...I know this probably won't help, but you know I don't see you that way. You don't want to have sex with me or Frank or anyone, and I respect that. Just because you're a great stripper and that's what you do for a living, I don't expect you to be sexual with me, and I certainly don't see you differently. Please don't be upset..”
Chris smiled sadly and kissed the corner of my mouth. “I know, baby, it's not just about that. I'm just...I'm kind of ashamed. Of how I look and what I do. That's not...other people like it, I guess, but it's not...I don't know..” He trailed off and I kissed him firmly.
“Shh. Sleep time. I know what you mean...you're okay. I think you're beautiful, inside and out..”
Chris sighed, but didn't say anything else, at least not before I fell asleep.

Notes

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