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Rosalind sighed as she relaxed in front of the fireplace, allowing the soft glow and steady heat of the flames ease the slight aching in her bones. The warmth of the fire accompanied with the plush softness of her elegant chair made her eyelids feel heavy and her breathing slow; lulling her to the brink of sleep before she snapped awake once more with a few rapid blinks and a drawn-out yawn. Next to her was an identical seat, both of them being a deep red with golden detailing, armrests and gold feet. The seat adjacent to hers was vacant. In front of her, a long coffee table with shiny, polished wood and a lacy placemat in the middle; placed nearer the chairs to avoid any accidents with the flames in the fireplace.
She rested her hands on her still growing stomach, massaging it slowly through the thick fabric of her dress. It’s only been 6 months, but to her, it felt like a decade had passed her by already with all the struggles accompanied with carrying a child. Despite the morning sickness, odd food cravings and random aches, she continued to work on experiments and research; much to Robert’s distaste. He would place his hand on the small of her back and look down at her with a concerned scowl, guiding her to the nearest chair with the usual scolding of “you should rest, it’s safer for the child as well as you if you take it easier.” As usual, she would return that trademark scowl that they both shared, but lately, she’s kept her lips sealed and sat down for a while.
The sound of lightly clinking china and slippers sliding against wooden flooring snapped her out of her spacey state of mind.
It was Robert, carrying a tray of tea settings. He quietly made his way into the room, wordlessly placing the tray on the low coffee table in front of the two chairs. Carefully, he began to pour an equal amount of tea in the two delicate looking cups; preparing both of them almost mechanically. Rosalind watched as he did this, continuing to slowly massage her stomach in an attempt to relieve her drowsiness.
After a few minutes, Robert handed Rosalind the tea cup and saucer, which she accepted with a nod and a quick “thank you.” Robert picked up his own, sitting down on the chair next to Rosalind’s and letting out a long breath, content to finally sit down and relax after a hard day.
“Have you been thinking of a name?” Robert suddenly piped up, looking at Rosalind over the rim of his teacup.
“Have you?” Rosalind answered almost instantly.
“Of course.”
“Do tell.”
“Well, if it’s a girl,” Robert started,” I think the name ‘Mary’ would be rather nice.”
“Mary?” Rosalind thought over the name for a moment, taking a small sip of her still rather hot tea before she opened her mouth to speak again. “There’s so many girls already named Mary running around, such a popular name these days. Anything else?” She fixed her gaze on Robert, watching him with one raised eyebrow and an expectant look in her eye.
“Ruby. Hazel. Mabel. Florence.” Robert listed off the names that he had thought up, tilting his head ever so slightly with each one he spoke. “Lucy. Jane. Opal…” He trailed off, the string of names turning into a hum.
“Hm.” Rosalind’s mind pondered over the list of names that Robert had spoken, one hand holding the teacup saucer and the other rubbing her stomach when it wasn’t lifting up the teacup to her lips. “Jane is rather nice. Mabel, also.”
“Have you thought of any names if it were to be a boy?” One of Robert’s eyebrows cocked, taking another sip of his tea.
“Of course.”
“Well, do tell.”
“I’ve taken a liking to Thomas. Rather plain sounding, though it seems to fit every male it’s been given to.” She shrugged lightly. “Clarence. Anthony. Roy. Leo...though, I must say my favorite out of that bunch is Clarence.”
“I agree.” Robert nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. “Though, I must say ‘Roy’ is a close second.”
“Hm.” Rosalind gave a noise of content in return, a relaxed moment of silence taking over them as they sat there in the glow of the fire, the chill of the winter weather outside forgotten.
“We have about three months until we have to make a final decision, so we have a good amount of time to mull over our choices.” Rosalind broke the silence first. She had slumped in her chair, the weight of pregnancy on her shoulders making her usually rigid posture kneel under the drowsiness.
“True, true.” Robert held the saucer in one hand, balancing the teacup on the petite surface as he reached over and held out his hand, palm up. Rosalind caught this motion in the corner of her eye, turning herself slightly so that she could reach out her hand and tangle her fingers with his; the male squeezing her hand gently, a soft smile on his features as he gazed at her. She met his gaze and returned that content smile, albeit more sleepy-looking.
“I’m sure our child will fit the name that we give them, no matter what it may be.” Robert spoke, his thumb lovingly caressing the back of his twin’s hand. Rosalind replied with a content hum, her eyes closing. Robert, noticing her drifting off to sleep, stood up, still holding her hand; placing down his half-finished tea on the tray resting on the coffee table so that he could take Rosalind’s from her drooping hand and place it next to his own. He continued caressing the back of her hand soothingly, his other reaching out to rest on her shoulder and gingerly wake her up just so he could listen to him.
“You look absolutely exhausted. Come on, let’s go to bed. We all need well-earned rest.” Again, Rosalind answered with a quiet noise of agreement, carefully getting up with the help of her twin guiding her.
Leaving the tea unfinished and the fire slowly fading, both redheads went to bed; falling asleep intertwined with each other and the growing child safe in its mother’s womb warmed by its father’s hands resting on mother’s large stomach and the thick blanket over the three of them.