Nausea

Although Lola was grateful that Brian wasn't looking directly into her eyes to see the horror in them, she was worried that he would feel the sudden change in her heartbeat and stiffened body.

"Umm...y... you. We were talking about you. He wanted to know if you are feeling much better."

"Hmmm...how thoughtful." Brian smiled.

"Richmond is such a nice fellow. Right from the very first day when we accidentally ran into each other at Cliff Ville, he proved to me that not all rich kids were a**holes. I could have gotten into a lot of trouble but he saved me and even took the blame for my crime."

"Really?" Lola's eyes lit up with hope.

Even though Lola had listened to her husband repeat this story in the past, it felt as though she was hearing it for the first time. She desperately held on to the fact that Richmond was noble enough to take the blame just to save Brian. This also meant that he would keep his mouth shut about what he saw.

"Yeah, he did. Back then in my teenage years, I had two crazy friends who loved getting into trouble. We would always play outrageous daring games that exposed us to enormous risk. My dare was always the easiest since I was the youngest in the group."

"On that fateful day, all I had to do was throw a rock at the glass wall of a famous pompous jeweller shop. After successfully completing my task, I was supposed to ride away on my bike to our secret hideout. But somehow, my luck ran out because the town sheriff just happened to be pulling over in front of the same shop. In the process of escaping from the sheriff, I accidentally ran into Richmond, knocking him off his own bike. Instead of getting mad at me or even restraining me from escaping, Richmond helped me up and even gave me his expensive bike to run away. As I rode into the sunset, I turned around only to find Richmond being led into the back seat of the sheriff's car."

"You know, I still feel he was dumb for doing that." Lola pointed out, enjoying every bit of the story.

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first." Brian chuckled. "I wrongly assumed he was one of those new rich kid in desperate need of friends. But I later discovered that he had tons of friends who were way above my social status. It is still a mystery until today why he chose to help me."

Brian paused for a while to recollect his memory.

"To cut the long story short, he saved my ass, took the fall and his family paid for the damages I incurred. Three months later, I discovered that Richmond's parents had shipped him off to a far away boarding school just to keep him from associating with rotten eggs like me."

"Hahahaha..." Lola laughed out. "You are no rotten egg, my love. You are a good man with a good heart."

"Maybe if you had known me when I was a teenager, you would have taught otherwise." Brian nuzzled the side of Lola's neck causing her to giggle.

"No, I wouldn't." Lola's eyes brimmed with determination. "I meant it when I said you are an awesome man. If it wasn't for you, I would have been stranded all those years back after the accident. You are the reason why I have love and a family I can call my own. Thanks for loving me even when I failed in my responsibility of giving you a child."

Lola's eyes shimmered with threatening tears.

"Hey..." Brian raised Lola's head up to look into her eyes. Using his left thumb, he wiped off a lone tear that escaped her wet eyes.

"We will have children when the right time comes. Even if it doesn't, I will never stop loving you. Just don't let my mum and sister's words get to you. Okay?"

"Okay." Lola welcomed a brief kiss on her lips.

"Sweetheart, please, I would like you to stop by my office tomorrow and see Richmond."

"What for?" Lola's eyes widened like a saucer.

"The money. Richmond has promised to gift us the money for the surgery and I want you to pay back the loan you took from your boss. I don't want you indebted to the proud bastard."

-

-

"Can I pay a penny for your thoughts?" Brian's deep sexy voice broke through the serene atmosphere in the kitchen.

"Huh..." Lola almost jumped out of her skin as the mug of coffee she had been making for over fifty minutes slipped out of her hand and crashed on the floor.

"Shit!" She deftly moved aside to prevent the shattered fragments of the mug from cutting into her legs.

Lola had been so lost in her thought brewing only one cup of coffee, that she didn't notice Brian walk into the kitchen ten minutes ago.

Even though she had gone to bed the previous night pretending to be okay with her husband's request, she didn't catch a minute of sleep due to her tormenting thoughts.

The dark circles around her eyes were clear evidence of her restlessness. Her forehead was also aching terribly as though someone was slamming a mallet on the center of her head. She felt fatigue all over her body as if she had been involved in a marathon the previous night.

"Baby..." Brian's sharp panic induced voice pulled Lola out of her shock. "Are you..."

"Stop!" Lola raised her right hand in the air. "Don't come any closer. There are broken fragments of the mug everywhere and it could pierce through your slippers."

Lola carefully maneuvered her way around the broken pieces of the mug to get the broom and parker brush. She quickly cleaned up the mess while carefully avoiding her husband's curious gaze.

After Lola was done tidying up the mess, Brian came up to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Baby, is there anything bothering you?"

"No...not really...I just...umm..." Lola inwardly cursed her distress while ransacking her brain for a believable excuse.

"I couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking about what happened during the past few days. I'm just scared of losing you and..."

Tears welled up in Lola's sunken eyes as it slowly dawned on her that she could lose Brian if he ever found out the truth about her horrific night with Ian.

"Baby, I will always be here for you." Brian pressed his lips on her forehead. "I am going nowhere. This is just a phase in our life and we will get through it together. All I need from you right now is your pretty smiles. I don't want you worrying about me or losing sleep over my condition. I will be fine."

"Okay," Lola rested her head on her husband's chest as he sensually stroked her back.

"Baby, your body is a bit warm. Are you feeling sick? Do you want me to send someone else to handle the transaction..."

"No!" Lola almost screamed her response. "I mean...we can't afford to involve a third party in this arrangement. I can handle it. All I need is a cold shower and I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Brian lifted Lola's chin, gazing into her shimmering blue eyes.

"Yes, I am." Lola hurriedly planted a light kiss on his lips and pushed him out of the kitchen.

"Go back to the bedroom while I make breakfast."

An hour later, Lola left the house for Richmond's company. On her way she put a call across to Chelsea, informing her of the latest development.

They both agreed to briefly meet at one of their favourite coffee shops before Lola hung up.

Lola arrived ten minutes earlier at the ever busy and bustling Reno Cafe.

Reno Cafe was known in all of Westler City as the best coffee shop. They sold only the finest coffee and their homemade pastries were second to none.

As Lola walked across the parking lots, she could see the cheerful and brilliant lighting of the cafe.

There were tables outside the cafe each with a brown vintage style umbrella.

On the left-hand side of the cafe was a bookshop and on the right side a video store.

As Lola made her way through the transparent glass door, a blanket of warm air hit her and the rich aroma of coffee which was delectable. The boisterous chatting of happy customers reminded her why Reno cafe, even though small, stood out amongst major competitors.

"Hello, sunshine..." Lola turned her head in the direction of the sweet masculine voice. She didn't need much guessing to know that it was Jamal, one of the most zealous workers and co-owner of the cafe.

"Jamal...how are you?" Lola welcomed a side embrace and a peck on the cheek.

"I'm very well, beautiful. Sorry, I've not been able to check on you all this while. Business has been a bit rough since Reno travelled to see his mum. I hope Brian is all better now."

"Yeah, thanks." Lola smiled in appreciation.

"Should I get you the usual?" Jamal asked, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"You know how I like it. Thanks." Lola left him for her favourite spot at the cafe. She took her seat close to the floor-to-ceiling windows on the left wing of the cafe where she could have vantages view of the busy street.

A few minutes later, Chelsea joined her at the cafe looking all smart in her wool blend aqua collarless blazer and flare pants. Chelsea worked as a secretary to a subsidiary legal firm where she hoped to land a bigger portfolio someday at the headquarters company.

"Sorry, I took a while." Chelsea took her seat opposite her bestie while scrutinizing her appearance.

"My boss was in the building and I had to give a very stupid excuse to sneak out of the office. So tell me, how do you plan on managing this mess? Surely you can't return the money to your boss since it was never a loan. Also, you can't refuse the money from Brian's Boss otherwise there will be a lot of explaining to do."

"That is why I need your help, Chelsea," Lola said in a hushed voice as though someone was eavesdropping on them.

"I have given it a long thought and I've concluded that I will get the money from Brian's boss and have it transferred to your account. In that way, no one will suspect a thing."

"Hmm..." Chelsea tapped her finger on the table. "...that sounds like a perfect plan. At least, I get to profit from it."

"Yeah!" Lola chuckled.

Just then, Jamal arrived with Lola's coffee and freshly baked pie.

"Breakfast is served, princess." Jamal dropped Lola's order before her.

"Th..." Lola's stomach churned as the melody of cinnamon, fruit, vegetables and fish hit her nostrils. A surge of hot and cold air spiralled through her system causing her to clutch her stomach.

Beads of sweat gathered on her forehead as she gulped down her saliva to push back the nauseating feeling that was overwhelming her senses.

Sadly, none of that was working to ease her state. Instead, the feeling of throwing out her gut engulfed her.

Before Chelsea and Jamal could react to her sudden change in expression, Lola shut up to her feet and bolted towards the cafe convenience.