85 - Jealousy

                                    

                                          
I chatted along with Verity as we rearranged the love potion display by the till. She had her hair braided back into a bun, a few strands falling onto her face. September has been excruciatingly hot and with her thick, curly hair she couldn't stand to have it on her neck. She laughed at one of her own jokes as she handed me vial after vial of love potions from one of the boxes Fred had brought out from the back room. I had really started to enjoy her company—she certainly made the more trivial tasks like restocking fun.
                          
"George is up making us some sandwiches." Fred drummed his hands to some imaginary rhythm on the countertop in front of him. 
                          
I hummed happily, carefully turning the vial in my hand so it was facing frontwards like the others. George isn't the best cook but he does make a mean sandwich. "That sounds amazing. I'm starving. We'll need to go through orders when we get back down."
                          
"I can help him with it after he gets back from lunch." Melanie interjected from her spot behind Fred.
                          
"No, really it's fine. I actually wouldn't mind spending some time with my husband." I laughed.
                          
"Last time you spent alone time with him that happened." Fred teased, nodding down to my pregnant belly.
                          
"Oh, I didn't know you were pregnant! Congratulations." Melanie smiled over at me.
                          
"What did you think? I swallowed a watermelon seed?" I mustered out a laugh but I couldn't help but feel she was trying to jab at me. I'm a little over six months pregnant. It's pretty obvious.
                          
She shrugged, her eyes scanning my body. "I just think it's rude to assume anything."
                          
The tension in the air was thick, Fred's eyes wide as he looked between the two of us. "Leah we better get to lunch...George is waiting." He placed a hand on the small of my back to guide me towards the stairs.
                          
"Do I look like I'm just fat?" I furrowed my brows as we climbed them.
                          
"No." Fred instantly shook his head with a roll of his eyes. "I don't know what she was on about."


                          
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I was thankful that George and I were able to work through today's orders like I'd planned, but I think I mostly have Fred to thank for that. He had assigned Melanie enough busy work to keep her out of my hair for the day. I always try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but I just couldn't shake the queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach every time she did manage to get around my husband. It was getting even harder to ignore the lingering touches on his arm or the airy laugh that escaped no matter what he said.
                          
That night, I excused myself from dinner and went to bed early. Not only was I physically tired but I am just emotionally spent. All day I've felt a little more insecure than usual, a little more aware of how I looked compared to others. I've been struggling as it is to be okay with all the drastic changes my body is going through. My husband working closely with a beautiful girl doesn't make it any easier.
                          
I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but her comment stung. My face had gotten rounder, my arms a bit thicker than before. In my mind, I thought it was obvious that it was because of my pregnancy. I grabbed one of George's larger t-shirts from his drawer and pulled it over my head. On the front was the Puddlemere United Quidditch Team logo, Fred and George had both bought shirts to support their old Quidditch captain when he made the team. It pulled a little tight over my belly now but still fit nonetheless. I crawled under the covers of our bed, cuddling into them and hoping to find a bit of comfort in their warmth. It'll take me at least half an hour just to find a comfortable position to lay in.