“I was thinking if what should I do to keep myself busy” Naomi uttered while carefully hanging the baby clothes they bought and washed in the customized baby cabinet they purchased. Naomi now is five months pregnant. JL replied while vacuuming the condo unit, “I told you to stay on bed. Didn’t the OB told you to have a bed rest?”.
Naomi sighed, “I just want to do the preparations myself. It tires me laying down in bed all day!” she said with annoyingness. JL just shrugged and continued what he is doing. JL’s busy schedule is now divided, entering a new top priority – Naomi and his unborn kids. Suddenly, he heard a sniff and a tiny sob in the bathroom.
He followed Naomi inside who is tearing while carefully brushing her hair in front of the mirror. “Why are you crying?” he asked while hugging Naomi in her waist. Naomi sniffed, “I look like an elephant now. I can’t look like this for our wedding!” she answered while touching her pointed bulgy nose that was once a perfect arched one.
JL chuckled, “Hormones suck, right?” he asked playfully. Naomi continued bawling her eyes out because of the sudden change of her face. Not only that, she became insecure also of her dark armpits, thick thighs, and bulgy cheeks. JL tightened his arms wrapped around Naomi’s waist and whispered, “You never heard me complain about your looks, right?”.
Naomi looked at her fiancé’s face in the mirror. “That means you are beautiful in my eyes even when time comes that your face will be filled with wrinkles” he added while swaying her in front of him. Naomi turned around and wiped her tears. “Really? I don’t look like an elephant?” she doubted JL’s sweet words.
JL slowly nodded, “I never lied to you and I will never lie to you” he answered and slowly placed a kiss on Naomi’s forehead. “I want a vanilla ice cream mixed with oyster sauce” she requested. JL’s eyebrows furrowed, “Your cravings are getting weirder and weirder every day. But since I love you, I will buy that right away” he replied and quickly grabbed his car keys.
Naomi returned to staring at herself in the bathroom’s mirror and caressed her own hair. She perfectly wore a wide smile and waited for JL to return. He entered to a convenience store and grabbed a tub of vanilla ice cream and a bottle of oyster sauce. From afar he saw two familiar faces; he thought clearly with his eyes widening after recognizing who they are.
“Yilmaz and Blake” he said in his mind while hiding himself in one of the shop’s shelves. The convenience store is just about the area and he felt more cautious the moment he saw the face of the driver where Yilmaz and Blake dropped off. Luke, who’s wearing his sunglasses slowly closed the car’s window almost spared a glance in his area.
He quickly went back to the condo unit and presented the tub of ice cream and the bottle of oyster sauce. Naomi ran to the table where JL placed the things he bought. JL handed her a bowl and a spoon; she excitedly opened the lid of the ice cream’s tub and poured amounts of oyster sauce in it. She sat down in the living room’s sofa and watched the international series show she is obsessed with.
JL sat beside her and held her hand. He focused on Naomi’s eyes who is focused on the television. “Promise me you will be careful, okay?” he reminded while his eyes are still pasted on hers. Naomi looked at him with eyebrows raised, “What do you mean?” she asked. JL tightened his grip on Naomi’s hand and answered, “I think Luke is around this area. He freed Yilmaz and Blake who are both criminals and are jailed”.
Naomi’s heart started beating fast. “We will make things possible under my supervision” he assured to her. Naomi raised her pinky finger, “Is that a pinky promise?” she asked. JL smiled and made their pinky fingers intertwined. “That’s a promise” he answered.
Naomi scooped a vanilla ice cream with syruped oyster sauce. She presented the spoon in front of JL and asked him to have a taste. JL looked at the ice cream scooped in the spoon, it is quite brownish in color and it does not look appetizing at all for him. “Don’t you want it?” Naomi asked with a pout. Her puppy eyes technique made him fall and so he took the scoop of the weird combination of vanilla ice cream and oyster sauce.
The cold and sweet touch of vanilla is mixed with a touch of saltiness and thickness in texture because of the oyster sauce. It tasted weird for him but he quickly swallowed the mixture to avoid prolonging its taste in his tongue. Naomi asked, “How does it taste?”. JL faked a smile, “It tastes good but you know, I care about my image. Ice cream and oyster sauce will make me fat” he answered.
Naomi pouted and ate the serving herself. “Isn’t it advantageous that you become fat so I will be the only one to appreciate you?” she asked again. JL lightly chuckled, “I thought you liked my abs?” he asked back. Naomi just shrugged; she focused her eyes to the television without noticing JL escaping. He went to the fridge to drown his tongue with water. He does not want to offend Naomi and so he lied about the ice cream’s taste in his perspective.
Their wedding will be held one week after the current time. He glanced at her from afar; he smiles whenever she laughs and he feels alright knowing Naomi is with him once again after challenges ripped their relationship apart.
He slid himself to lay on Naomi’s lap. He faced her baby bump and gently planted a kiss on it. Her belly got really obvious and so JL limits going outside with her. He closed his eyes and planned to take a nap before his work in the hospital. Being a surgeon makes him alert of everything but the situations took his side; his emergency surgeries lessened and it made him more hands - on to taking the pregnancy journey with Naomi – his soon to be wife.
He felt a gentle poke to his cheek. He slowly opened his eyes to see Naomi’s shocked reaction. He got up and asked out of worry, “Are you feeling something unusual?”. Naomi cupped her mouth and answered, “The babies are kicking! Did you feel it?”. Excitement filled her eyes the moment she saw one of the babies move again. JL gently caressed his own cheek where his baby’s kick is felt by him.
“They are already active. I think they want to go out now” he said while gently caressing her baby bump. Naomi chuckled, “Those kicks were so strong like they will rip my belly out” she replied. Out of the blue, JL asked, “You are about to give birth four months from now, yet we haven’t decided of the names. Got some suggestions?”.
Naomi thought, “How about I’ll name the girl and you will name the boy?” she suggested. JL leaned back and answered, “No, I won’t buy that. How about you decide the first name and I will decide the second name?”. Naomi’s eyebrows raised, “Isn’t it unfair? Maybe the kids will always be called with their first name and the second one will just be a backup”. JL held her hand, “No, I think it is fair. Besides, you will be the one to take the challenge of giving birth so you deserve to name the kids of a name where they can be easily recognized”.
“I want the girl to be named ‘Luna’” she presented with sparkles in her eyes. He saw the love in her eyes and so he did not contradict. “And let us add that with ‘Noemi’. How does it sound?” he added. Naomi smiled, “Luna Noemi… why does it sound like my name?” she asked out of curiosity. JL smirked, “Because I want her to be as beautiful as you” he answered.
“How about for a boy named ‘Joachim’?” Naomi suggested after they settled with the girl’s name. JL nodded, “That sounds cool. I will add ‘Nolan’ that means ‘a champion and a noble’” he added. They got it listed in JL’s memo pad in his phone. “These kids will be the persons that will change us forever” Naomi said while leaning her head to JL’s shoulder.
“These kids will prove to everyone that our love never faded; it just paused” he added while putting his arm to Naomi’s shoulder.
JL buttoned up his white polo and tightened the strap of his leather wristwatch. He styled his hair and wore his favorite perfume. Today is his wedding with Naomi in a private and civil ceremony. He picked out his parents as the two witnesses of the solemn event in his life. Lorenzia fixed Naomi’s off shouldered mid - length white dress. Her flat sandals are bloomed with flower designs and her face is in beauty with a light make up on.
He is standing outside the hall’s entrance and waited for the signal of the one who will make them legalized. It is a small garden with only her, JL, her future in laws, Lorenzia, and the judge in the area. Unlike the grand wedding Luke and her family prepared, the wedding they planned for them is more exciting. There she knew that she fully submits herself committedly to tie her heart with JL forever.
She entered the small garden looking only at JL who is standing beside the judge’s table. He offered her a hand and the ceremony started. He vowed, “I've chosen you. I'll keep selecting you over and over again, without hesitation, without reservation”. She answered with her vow, “Unfortunately you did not become a heart surgeon. Sadly, you can’t open my heart and peep through who makes it beat fast”.
Their wedding ceremony only lasted for twenty minutes and it ended with them signing the legal papers to testify that they are married under the law. In that way, without hesitations, JL can name his kids with his family name.
They went back home with him carrying her to the bed. They shared a deep kiss as if they did not get contented with the wedding kiss they did earlier. “I can’t believe I am a wife now” she said the moment they got off each other’s lips. JL smiled; he looked at her eyes and replied, “This is the best feeling ever”. JL slowly unbuttoned his polo and smiled playfully at her.
Naomi hushed him with his index finger. She looked at him teasingly while shaking his head. “The twins are not yet born but you want to give them a sibling right away?” she asked jokingly. JL pinched her nose and replied, “Your mind is so dirty. Can’t I change my clothes in front of you?”. Naomi chuckled; they continued hanging around not until JL’s phone rang.
With annoyingness JL picked up the call from the hospital’s emergency room. “Doc JL, we need an emergency surgery for a twenty - year - old pregnant woman, a victim of road collision” the ER receptionist reported. JL facepalmed; he looked at Naomi’s side with a frown in his face. “Sorry, I need to go” he said with his hands holding Naomi’s.
Naomi caressed her husband’s hand, “Go now, work needs you”. JL placed a kiss in her forehead, “Sorry, I will leave you right after our wedding. Promise I will go back right after I finish the surgery” he replied and quickly changed to his uniform.
Naomi hugged him and gave him a lot of pecking kiss. “I love you, I love you, I love you…” she said without being tired. “I love you the most, love. Please be safe” he said before leaving the condo unit.