The Devil's Sweetheart

With their eyes wide opened, Nick and Reese glanced at each other meaningfully. They drove to the conclusion that Leena is suffering from insanity, and she seems to be enjoying every minute of it. Eating weird food was one thing to consider, and calling them an offbeat name?

''Is something wrong with you, Leena?'' Reese asked concernedly.

''Isn't my question to ask?'' Leena shot a ferocious glare at Reese. ''What all things you bitched about me with this cartoon.''

''Wait! You called me cartoon!'' Nick's voice raised to the ceiling. 

''Any doubt!'' She screamed at him with the same intensity.

Nick was at the brink of losing his temper when Reese poked his arm, threatening him to stay put. Leena is not in her usual self today, and if Nick starts a fight with her, Reese knows it's not going to end well for him.

''Don't mind him, Leena. He is just making fun.'' Reese forced a smile. Considering her words carefully, she said. ''I have got some important work to finish. Can I leave?''

''Permission granted, my dear best friend, Reese.'' 

''Thank you, my dear Leena,'' Reese spoke in a sugary tone to appease her.

Reese motioned Nick to follow her before she left. Nick was at the door to step out after Reese, Leena called him. ''Hey, cartoon. Can we go out shopping? I am craving for sauerkraut?

Cartoon again! Nick breathed in and out twice. He controlled the urge to kill Leena, but his mouth couldn't handle his temper. He looked up at her furiously. ''Four burritos, and two frozen smoothies for breakfast, and.'' His eyes shifted to her messy table. ''Not even an hour passed you have come to the office, and you ate four lettuce wraps, two oranges, and gulped one big glass of banana smoothie, and now you want sauerkraut! Is it a stomach or a small-sized Indian ocean?'' Given his strong appetite and muscular build, even he can't eat the foods in large quantities at a time. 

''I am not coming with you.'' He stormed out and closed the door shut. 

''You smell like a drama and headache. Isn't it just a regular quantity for an average human?'' She scoffed. With one last gulp, Leena emptied the glass. She opened youtube and her mouth watered as she watched the procedure of making sauerkraut. ''Fermentation for five days? Too much hassle.''

Leena ordered a dozen bottles of sauerkraut to home. Taking off the food thoughts from her mind, Leena concentrated on working for an hour at least. While she prepared the diet chart for a client, she felt so sleepy that she couldn't stop yawning. 

She thought of taking a ten-minute nap, and it turned into two hours of sleep. If not, Reese has come to remind her of the meeting, Leena would have slept late till office hours. 

.....

Due to the jam-packed meetings and hectic work, Devin didnot get the time to talk with Leena for the whole day. To make his time to Leena, he ended the meetings fast and started early.

''You are very early today? It's still seven O clock.'' Aunt Jalapeno looked at the paper bag Devin was holding. ''What is that?''

''Ice cream tub. For Leena.'' He handed the package to Aunt Jalapeno. When he called her in the afternoon, she told her cravings for ice cream. It's unusual that Leena asked for ice cream because he hadn't seen her eating it once. He found a vegan store Van Leeuwen and brought it by himself. ''Can you refrigerate it? I will bring her.''

''But she already had dinner and slept.'' Aunt Jalapeno answered, getting up to freeze the tub.

''Already?'' Be it eleven or twelve, she would stay awake until he arrived. 

''She must be tired due to work.'' Aunt Jalapeno's voice was laced with care for Leena. ''My poor child. The moment she came home, she asked for dinner so innocently and lovingly. I wonder if she is eating her mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks or someone snatching away from her.'' Aunt Jalapeno purposefully looked at Nick.

''Are you blaming me?'' Nick scoffed. This is one hell of a joke he heard in a decade.

''Of course, it's you.''

In between their fights, Devin slipped off to the bedroom. Since the romantic ice cream plan was canceled, he joined with Leena to sleep after dinner.

Leena was still in a deep sleep when Devin woke up in the morning. ''Koalas are better.'' To irritate her, Devin pulled her hair and earned an irritated groan. Satisfied, he slipped off the bed to the gym. He was glad that she woke up after he returned from his two-hour workout.

''I thought I would not get the chance to talk with you before I leave for the office. Is work stressing you a lot?'' 

Hearing the voice, she glanced up. Leena's throat dried up, and not a word traveled out of her mouth. Since it's the house, Devin has a habit of taking off his shirt right after he comes out of the workout room. Sweat dripped from his temples, coursed down to his face. Blue veins stood out on his arms and neck. With his pants lying low on his hip, something familiar churned in her lower region. She wanted the sheets to rip right at the moment.

''Leena. Are you with me?''

''Huh? What did you say?'' Oh no. This isn't good. Why am I having wild thoughts in the morning?

''I asked if your work is stressing you.'' He leaned over and kissed her cheek. ''You have been sleeping a lot lately. You can take a break, Sweetheart.''

''No..I am fine. I will tell you if it stresses me out.''

''Alright.'' He said. ''I brought the ice cream you asked for. You can_''

''Really!'' She flared from the bed like an atom bomb. ''You are the best, babylicious.'' She kissed his cheek and stormed off the room.

Devin glanced at Leena's back, shaking his head.

When Devin arrived at the breakfast table, Leena's thoughts immediately shifted to the morning incident. Although he dressed like a gentleman, her lewd mind began imagining him dirty. She has seen him naked countless times! Why is it affecting me badly? Get it done, Leena. Don't stress yourself. 

''Devin.'' She seriously called him, bringing his attention. ''What time your meeting starts.''

''At ten?'' He gave her a questioning look. Her behavior has been a little odd since morning. ''Why?''

Leena looked over the wall clock. It's eight-thirty. It takes an hour to reach WD, and with that, he has half-n an hour of free time. She got up and pulled Devin out of the chair. ''Let's go.''

Nick, who had just appeared out of his room, looked at Leena like she had grown another head. ''Something is wrong with her.''

''Where are you taking me?''

Without a word, she dragged him into the bedroom and closed the door shut. Cluelessly, Devin watched his back pushed to the wall and a pair of arms locked on either side. Did their roles swap? It's his signature push which he does to lock Leena from escaping.

She moved closer until their faces were an inch apart. ''Where did you buy these pants? I am in love with this.'' She whispered, tracing her finger over his belt buckle.

''Quite out of the question this is!'' He chuckled, pushing her body upwards. The moment he did so, Leena threw her arms to the back of his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist securely.

 To have easy access, Devin turned around with Leena's back on the wall. ''Did you drag me here to tell that?''

''No...To test the zipper of your pants.'' She bit his bottom lip with the built-up frustration inside her. That earned a deep groan from the back of his throat. Drawing her lips out, she moved his lips to his ear. ''We have half-n an hour time before your meeting starts.''

''Extra fifteen minutes if I speed up.'' The provocation was all she needed.

....

With full energy, Leena was working, occasionally eating the lettuce wrap. For munching, she had the saurekraut which she ordered yesterday. Moments later, she heard a knock on the door, and Renya entered inside. ''Hey, Leena.''

''Morning, Renya. What's up.''

''I prepared the report you asked for.'' Renya placed it on the table. Her eyes briefly shifted to the weird foods Leena consumed. ''Review it, and let me know for any corrections.''

''I will do it later.''

''Okay.'' Seeing the weird food on the table, Renya couldn't help but ask. ''Umm..are you pregnant?''

''Huh?'' Leena lifted her head in dismay.

''I mean..you are eating extra-weird food,'' Renya said. ''Pregnant women have cravings for unusual foods. I had cravings for paper when I was pregnant.''

''I..I am not.'' She said, hesitantly, unsure of the answer. ''Sometimes I tend to eat weirdly.''

Renya smiled. ''Alright. I will take my leave.'' But Renya didnot believe it. She knows it's the pregnancy cravings.

The moment Renya left, Leena thought of her words hard. ''Just like she said, I have been suffering from unusual cravings for three days.'' Nervously, she bit her lower lip. ''I haven't got my period as well.''

[How to find you are pregnant] Leena googled in the search stream. 

Except for nausea, she faced the rest of the symptoms. Fatigue, missed period, food cravings. Along with the symptoms, it said to test using the pregnancy kit at home.

''Am I pregnant for real?'' She pointed her stomach. Without informing Nick, she rushed to the nearby medical pharmacy and brought a test kit.

As told in the instructions, Leena followed accurately like a student. Her knees gave in due to nervousness. Although she hadn't expected it, the thought of a baby in her womb raised her hopes. 

Five minutes later, two colors appeared on the device. Leena screamed. ''Oh, My Devin!'' She squealed. ''You got a promotion, idiot!''