featherweight
Marrakech was a honeymooners dream, but without the actual honeymoon. It was more romantic than our first time there when he was filming John Wick. This time around I had his full attention and that came with being spoiled at every turn and him giving in to my every whim, which I think he secretly enjoyed more than I did.
A week later we were back in the City and we agreed that we would keep our pregnancy, my pregnancy to ourselves for as long as we can manage it. This was our moment and we wanted to bask in it for as long as we could or before my belly would start to show, which would be months from now.
We fell into our routine, he went to LA when it was necessary, but for the most part we were here in NYC and I continued my marathon training with him a bit leery, but the doctor signed off and said since I was a seasoned runner there wasn’t much to be worried about because my body and lungs were well acclimated. This didn’t stop Keanu from being over-protective.
I tossed my running watch on the bed and peeled my socks off. I walked into the closest and came out with a massage ball. I sat on the chaise that faced the bed and I placed the ball on the floor, massaging the balls of my feet. He came out of the bathroom with a shirt in his hand, I watched him and braced myself as he picked up my watch and clicked a few buttons then placed it back down.
I felt the coolness of his eyes on me, "you ran thirteen miles?"
I shrugged, "if that's what it says, I didn't realize I did." I say as I stood and walked past him into the bathroom. I pulled my shirt over my head and felt his eyes in the mirror.
“You said you would take it easy.”
“I am.” I answered as I tugged on the straps of my sports bra and pulled it over my head.
His breath catches. “Running a half marathon is not taking it easy.”
I tilted my head and gazed at my boobs, are they bigger?
I tugged the string to my running tights. “Ke, it’s training season. I’m going to have to run twenty miles in a few weeks.” He became exasperated as if I told him I was funding a small militia to overtake NYC. “Dr. Rene said I was healthy and fit to continue my training. You were sitting right there or did you forget.”
He shakes his head, “I said I was okay with this, but I’m not. You need to stop, defer to next year.”
“It’s the 50th anniversary. This race is big.”
“And you’re two months pregnant. I’m worried that the training is going to take a toll on you.”
“And I told you not to worry about that. This isn’t my first marathon. This will be my fourth.”
“But your first since 2016. It’s been four years since your last marathon.”
“You have to stop training?”
“You're carrying our children.”
“And this is my body, nobody knows my body like I do.”
“And you are being unreasonable.” I countered. “It’s not your choice to make.”
“Yes, it is, when you are putting yourself in harm's way. I don't want you running and that’s final.”
He pulled his shirt over his head, glared at me then turned and walked out of the bathroom.
I gawked after him. What just happened?
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, what in the actual fuck just happened?
I stepped out of the shower twenty minutes later feeling refreshed, but moody. I pulled on shorts and a crop top and made my way to the kitchen. He had his back to me and his phone up to his ear and a strong cup of coffee that made me crinkle my nose in his other hand.
“Thanks, Dave, text me when it’s done.”
He hung up his cell phone and turned to see me on the opposite side of the kitchen island. His jaw was clenched and his brows were knitted, he was still angry.
I sat across from him and he placed a cup of tea in front of me. I took a sip thinking of how best to plead to his softer side.
His phone pinged and he looked at it and wrote a quick text. My cell phone vibrated and I pulled it from my shorts, it was a call from Debi, my assistant. I place the call on speakerphone.
“Hi, good morning, I’m just checking in to see if everything is alright.”
“Yeah, everything is fine, Whats up.”
“How are you feeling? Are you sick?”
“What? No, I'm not sick.”
“Okay because I just received an email confirming your medical deferment of the marathon.”
My eyes flashed upwards and he didn’t flinch. “Debi, I’ll call you back.” I hang up the call, my eyes becoming slits of fury.
“What did you do? You had no right.”
“You weren’t listening, so I took matters into my own hands.”
Anger gripped me by the throat and squeezed. “You had no right! None! What are you so afraid of?” I knew exactly what he was afraid of, but my ego wasn’t having it. I unleashed my fury and Ambrose Bierce was right when he said, when you are angry you will make the best speech you will ever regret. “You being afraid that I’ll miscarry or have a stillborn has nothing to do with me or my training, that’s all on you.”
His movements were quick. Two strides and he was on my side of the kitchen island and in my face. I felt the heat and anger thrumming from him. “I’m trying to protect you from any unnecessary stress that can lead to early complications.”
“And you think this isn’t stressful? Ke,the doctor gave me the all-clear. I can do this. I am doing this. It's my body. I-.”
“You have never lost a child," he interrupted. I heard the tremor in his voice. “Y-you think you know pain and loss, you know nothing of it until you've held your unborn dead child in your hands.” He hissed. “There is no compromising or coming to a middle ground on this. You are not running, not until after our babies are born."
My shoulders fall and my eyes filled with tears, "Ke, please. Nothing is going to happen to me. Please."
He exhaled deeply and wiped the tears streaming down my cheeks. "End of discussion." He picks up his coffee mug and leaves me standing in the kitchen.
Post Note: Did you really think I would let Keanu's birthday past without a new series? Shame on you! I can't believe wilderlove was 2 years ago. I hope you enjoy this new series, it's going to be so gooey like a warm & fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookie.
*Please let me know if you want to be added or removed from the Keanu Reeves tag list or my permanent tag list.