Page 91 of When Love And Destiny Collide

Chapter 26

Lily

"Are you sure you're okay?" Laila asks, her eyes narrowing with skepticism.

"Yeah," I reply, trying to sound casual. "I just wasn't in the mood for beef. The smell kind of grossed me out."

"Hmm," Laila muses, her eyebrow arching high.

"What?" I question, sensing her doubt.

"Lily, you look peaked, honey."

"Peaked?" I scoff. "Out of all the words in the English language, you pickpeaked?"

"You look like you could barf at any second," she retorts, "so yeah, peaked is the appropriate word in this case."

"Well, it's not that serious," I defend, but my tone wavers. "I think I just had something that didn't agree with me."

"Lily," she says, her voice softening into a sweet, low tone that makes me pause. "Could you be—pregnant?"

"Pregnant?" I whisper, shaking my head in disbelief. "You know that's impossible."

"Is it impossible because you've never had sex?" she asks, her green eyes penetrating. "Or because you only have one working ovary and a semi-functioning uterus?"

Her words wound me because they're true, but I don't respond. I just glance down at my ring, twisting it nervously as a wave of nausea rises in my throat, threatening to spill over. I cover my mouth with my palm and dash down the hall to the bathroom.

I dry heave into the toilet for a couple of minutes before a light knock on the door interrupts me. "Let me in," Laila’s voice calls from the other side.

I open the door, and she slips inside. She immediately looks out before shutting the door to make sure the guys are still upstairs. She turns to face me. Her worried expression comforts me despite the chaos swirling in my mind. I’m at a loss—unsure what to think, where to look, how to even feel.

"What you're suggesting... it's impossible," I murmur, panic creeping into my voice despite my attempt to sound calm. "Right?"

"Lily, be honest with me," she begins, her tone shifting slightly. "Have you and Noah—?"

I feel the heat rise to my cheeks. "It only happened once," I admit. "Just... one day."

"Well, that’s all it takes," she says, her eyes growing wide.

I watch as she rummages through her purse and pulls out three or four packs of pregnancy tests.

"What the hell, Laila?!" I exclaim as she shoves the boxes into my hands.

"Sam and I were trying for months," she says, her wide smile illuminating the room. "It was fun. Anyway, we won’t be needing these anymore."

"You’re—?" I stammer as the realization hits me. "You and Sam?"

She nods, beaming. "Yeah, I'm almost eight weeks."

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaim, pulling her into a tight hug. "Congratulations!"

"We just found out," she says softly. "We haven’t told anyone yet, so—"

"Oh, of course," I say quickly. "Mum's the word."

"Here," she says, opening one of the boxes. "Go ahead, pee on the stick!"

"Laila," I protest, my heart racing. "I'm not pregnant."

---