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Annie Cresta-Odair had not anticipated how complicated and time consuming home renovating could be. It’s not like they hadn’t planned for it to eventually happen. When they first moved into their beach house it appeared to be the perfect place to start their new life as a married couple.
All except the eyesore bathroom. Whoever designed it must’ve gone blind halfway through finishing. Everything looked at least twenty years older than the rest of the house. The colors were painted a boring brown and beige. And it lacked good ventilation causing their vanity mirror to become foggy so easily whenever she wanted to take a shower. It just wasn’t a good fit. She tried ignoring it, but found it more annoying morning after morning.
Okay, so maybe Annie had trouble adjusting sometimes. It’s just that all the little problems would pile up in her head. She was already prone to overthinking. The mess of the bathroom was a physical representation of her chaotic mind.
Finnick assured her they would remodel and she would have first say on what to upgrade. But their plans were forced to a halt as not long after did they have to shift focus on creating a nursery instead. Then having a newborn made the whole thing get put off even longer.
Till one day after the one big light that lit up the whole bathroom went out, Annie finally had enough. She went full force into her DIY renovation plan. An impulsive choice, she admits. She deeply appreciated her husband’s patience. He’s used to her little switch ups and knows by now that some things she just has to get through.
It was hard work, not that she didn’t enjoy it. She had already improved most of their shower situation with new turquoise tiles and upgrading for a walk-in shower, and was now working on replacing their shower head as the water pressure on the old one was frustratingly poor.
The old shower head was easy to remove given how loose it already was, leading her to assume the rest of the water system would be as simple. Maybe she shouldn’t have done that. Luckily online videos showed the proper way to fix her little problem. She leaves her laptop paused on an image that explains the full extent of her situation while music plays on the other tab.
She goes digging through the drawers as she was pretty sure she left a map of their plumbing system in one when she finds it.
The test that changed their lives. For a second she was back there, heart pounding, staring at these two lines like they were written in permanent ink across their entire future. She remembers how nervous she felt when she first laid eyes on the very pregnancy test she’s holding. Nervous and yet so in love. This was a hallmark of when everything shifted.
It’s silly really. Because the real hallmark is currently at daycare right now. But the test reminds her of when it all became real. She even wrote the date on it. As if the day would ever escape her mind.
It really is silly. She had peed on this. It was kinda gross she kept it this long, and with everything changing it was definitely time for it to go. She allows herself one last moment of nostalgia before tossing it in the trash bin they keep beside the toilet. Forgotten.
Another thing Annie had missed was how hungry she was. She was used to skipping breakfast, at least until she married, then Finnick insisted on eating every meal with her, helping her keep a routine which also helped her relax. But it was Thursday and this morning Finnick was the one to take Dylan to daycare since she does it on Tuesdays, leaving Annie to dive right into her workshop mode.
Her growling stomach snaps her back to what is truly necessary and she casually leaves the room in its half-finished state. Most of the mess was around their new soaker tub she had installed since their old one looked more like a large sink. And there was a clear path to the toilet which is what really mattered, besides, she’ll get back to cleaning it up later.
Annie goes straight to the fridge to find leftover garden salad. Perfect. She sits down to eat and it’s at this time that Finnick returns.
Annie heads straight to the fridge to find leftover garden salad. Perfect. She sits down to eat and it’s at this time that Finnick returns.
“You took your time,” Annie says, hoping he can hear the lighthearted tone in her voice.
He does of course. “I went for a run, too,” Finnick orates, instantly beaming at the sound of his wife. He stretches his hips before making his way over to where she sits at the kitchen table.
“Oh no you don’t, Finnick,” Annie puts her hand up. “You smell.”
“You enjoy the way I smell,” He says, teasingly.
“Ha, yeah, well not when it messes with my meal,” Annie responds, turning him away playfully, “You can kiss me after you wash up and change.” She does enjoy everything about Finnick, but she also enjoys making him earn it at times, if only to see him become even more enamored with her.
Finnick places a hand over his chest, clutching his shirt while pouting, pretending to be heartbroken till Annie breaks the spell by laughing at his antics and making him snicker.
Finnick, despite being older than her, could pass as less mature to anyone who didn’t truly know him. But not Annie. She understood it came from a place of genuine respect, childish it may seem. She’d be lying if she said his humor wasn’t one of the things she loved most about him.
She continues to chow down on her meal as her husband comes back, but instead of the relaxed and loving manner she’s always come to expect from him, he walks back to her slowly as if treading through water and wearing a bewildered look on his face.
“Um, Annie?” Finnick asks, hesitantly.
“Finnick?”
His words come out slowly too. “Is there anything—you know you can tell me anything, right?”
“Sure I do,” Annie replies, still chewing.
Finnick plays with his thumbs like he’s struggling to get his thoughts in order.
“Something wrong?” She asks, feeling puzzled.
“No, well, I just came out of the bathroom.”
Ah, that’s right. So he saw the mess. “I know I just left it there, but it’s no big deal to me. We don’t need any more big changes and I’ve already decided the best thing is to get rid of it.”
“You have?” Finnick’s shoulders drop.
“Well, it just makes the most sense don’t you think? We don’t have enough room. It’s easier on all of us this way,” Annie confides.
“Well, Annie, I… I can see your point. And it is your decision. I just thought…” He trails off.
“You thought what?” She questions.
“That you would consult with me first,” Finnick answers, disappointedly. “I mean this affects me too.”
“Well, technically the job falls on me more.” It’s true. She’s been the one to supervise their whole project. “So I’ll be the one who has to deal with it the most.”
“I know, Ann. And I’m not trying to force you to do anything you don’t want to. I just wish you had let me know about it first. We’re a team,” Finnick argues, trying to mask the alarm growing in his voice.
Annie scans her husband’s face trying to read his expression. This wasn’t one of his fake heartbreaks. This was really getting to him. For reasons beyond her understanding.
“I know we are,” Annie puts down her fork. “But Finnick, it’s not like I would do anything without your knowledge. I only realized this today.”
Finnick nods. “Well, I guess I was still hoping you’d tell me as soon as I got back. Or called. I wouldn’t have gone on a run if I knew.”
“I appreciate your concern, and I was planning on telling you. I just forgot.” Annie shrugs.
“You just forgot?” Finnick echoes.
She didn’t expect this to shake up her husband so much. “I’m sorry, it simply slipped my mind. I stopped what I was doing to go eat. I guess I just got so hungry.”
“You—I know, Annie. I understand that. That's why I'm trying to get you to listen. We need to talk about this,” Finnick rubs his temple, trying to calm himself.
“We are talking. You’re acting strange.” Annie didn’t understand what was getting him all worked up. But damn these mushrooms in her salad were good.
She watches her husband begin to pace now. “Well, this is a big change in our lives,” he argues.
“I think the first change was the hardest,” Annie replies, recalling the first day they tried upgrading their bathroom. It ended up becoming an all nighter. Compared to that, he was getting stressed over nothing.
“Sure, alright, fine. And I want to be supportive of your wishes,” Finnick frets.
“So if you support me doing it then what’s the interrogation for?” It comes out ruder than she means. But her husband’s antics is starting to really confuse her.
“Because I thought your first instinct would be to talk to me about it. I know it’s your decision at the end of the day, I wouldn’t want you to live with something you wouldn’t want in the first place, but I thought marriage meant we discuss everything together.”
“You don’t think I can handle this myself? It’s not like I’m unfamiliar with something like this,” Annie says. She’s really starting to feel baffled by all this. She has been the one to learn all about home renovations and was proud of what she had managed to accomplish thus far.
Finnick takes a deep breath.“No, sweetheart, I know that. It’s just don’t you think I should be involved now? I mean to help you in any way.”
“If I need your help I will ask for it. I promise. But I was really planning on doing the whole thing myself,” she emits.
“Yourself?!” Finnick asks, completely flabbergasted. He freezes in his tracks.
“Well, sure. I know how the system works more than anyone.”
Finnick’s mouth opens but no words come out. He appears mortified.
This only serves to confuse Annie more. “What’s the problem?”
“Just how on earth do you expect to do that all by yourself?!”
“I saw a YouTube tutorial.”
At that, Finnick becomes lightheaded. His legs suddenly give out as he collapses on the couch behind him. His only safety net. He goes limp on the cushions minus one of hands covering his eyes as he makes attempts to catch his breath.
This is very concerning behavior from her husband who despite the occasional note to take it easy had previously been encouraging. Annie sprints over to him, carefully and gently as she can. She was getting as worried as he seemed, even more than she was confused, which is saying a lot. She begins rubbing the back of his neck, something she does whenever he gets really stressed.
She didn’t understand how this of all things was getting him so upset. She had always been the one prone to stress. Seeing her husband in this state was rattling. She didn’t want him in pain.
“I’m sorry Finnick I had no idea you would take this so hard. If I did, I would have told you right away.”
Finnick shakes his head. “No, Annie, please. I just want to help. Remember our talk about how you can rely on me? I support your choice. I know it’s a hard one to make. But please let me be here for you. I don’t know what you saw that made you think you can do something like this on your own, but you should not be doing this by yourself.”
“If fixing our shower means that much to you…”
Finnick instantly shoots up. “What now?”
“I’m saying I’ll let you help me get rid of the old shower system. What did you think I meant?”
“I thought…! Annie, I saw the pregnancy test you threw away.”
“Oh Finnick, that wasn’t a new test. That was from Dylan.”
“It was?” He asks, his expression finally steadying.
She turns his face to meet hers, nodding while staring into his eyes so he knew she wasn’t lying and had nothing to worry about.
“It was,” Annie says softly.
“You’re not pregnant?”
“Not unless you want me to be.”
Finnick smiles brightly, one of his wide, sappy smiles, all soft and no angles. The kind she can feel the warmth radiating from on her skin. Annie tucks her head in his chest, listening to the steadiness of his heartbeat return.
“I’m real sorry for stressing you out. I really didn’t know you were referring to that.”
“All is forgiven, sweetheart,” Finnick coos, hugging her now.
“Did you really think I would simply forget to tell you something like that?” Annie questions, raising an eyebrow, but she’s smiling as she does.
“I simply assumed it was an early case of pregnancy brain.”
They began laughing and it was good to see Finnick back in his typical lighthearted mood again. But Annie knew her husband well and could see past his masks, noticing he still seemed a bit disappointed.
“But it’s okay to be a little sad about it too,” Annie tells him, taking his hand and intertwining it with her own. “It can still happen again.”
“Yeah, you want that?”
“You make such a good dad,” Annie replies, squeezing his hand. “But perhaps we should let Dylan get a little older. I really don’t want the hassle of having two under two.”
Finnick nodded in agreement. And just like that everything was alright again.
Just then the phone rang. Finnick got up to answer it, talked for a bit, then turned back to Annie.
“That was Happy Harbor Daycare. Apparently Dylan threw his and a few other kids’ food and made a mess everywhere.”
“And that’s why we’re waiting on baby two,” She says, and the both of them are laughing now. The only thing that stops it is Finnick pressing his lips against his wife, kissing her deeply.
“About time you kissed me,” Annie tells him, smiling.
“It is. And I’m about to do it again,” Finnick responds, kissing her once more.