Bibliophile - a person who collects or has a great love of books.
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Nicholas loves to read. It is his passion, his source of air, his world. He'd lose himself among the pages of an alternate reality. It is his daily routine, so getting a job...
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This is not real.
Dina's eyes went wide as her mind pieced the results together. Her fingers shook, clutching the test as if it were the source of her survival, heart clamoring against her chest. She couldn't believe it, and the room spun while the rational part of her brain struggled to understand.
She was pregnant.
Her eyes looked at the other two pregnancy tests sitting on the bathroom counter. Each had the same result, the same two lines. Blood rushed to her head, cheeks feeling flushed, and body too heated to feel the coolness of the room. It was true.
They were having a baby.
Dina bit her lip, a hoard of scenarios rushing to her mind. She was still in last semester of college, and she'd chased after internships at every news agency in their state, pushing past all the stigma and barriers that came from her religious beliefs. She worked so hard, thrived in her field, and was ready to make a mark on the world.
However, the American public did not take too kindly to young pregnancies. Although Dina was married to a doting husband and of an age where she was at a prime for childbearing, she knew with a child on the way, the mass media would scrutinize her more. Some companies would even think starting a job while pregnant would hinder Dina, and for that reason they would not give her the job.
Her hand gently touched her abdomen. "You're real," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "You're a real baby."
Loud knocks came from outside the bathroom, making her jump in surprise.
"Dina, hurry up," said her husband's muffled voice. "You have class in like thirty minutes, and I have to get to work."
She scrambled to hide the evidence. "J-Just a minute," she stumbled. I'll tell him later.
When the bathroom door opened, she rushed past him, eyes avoiding eye contact. Dina busied herself by fixing the pins on her hijab and stuffing her notebooks and laptop into her bag, disregarding the look of concern on her husband's expression. Nicholas sensed something was off.
He cleared his throat. "Do you want a ride to university?" he asked, hoping to break into her train of thoughts.
"No," she smiled tightly, throwing the bag over her shoulder. Her usually vibrant, brown eyes seemed weary. "I have to do some stuff before class anyway. Have a good day at work!"
Within an instant, she ran out their apartment door as it slammed shut behind her. Nicholas was even more curious. His wife was never one to be nervous or quiet. If anything, she was a chatterbox that had no 'off' switch and could make a man's ears bleed for hours.
Then there was the sudden rush. Dina thrived in arriving late to classes because it gave her the opportunity to test her latest excuse on some professors that cared. She said she had business to attend to, but she didn't disclose it.
