My Forbidden Fruit

6. Lola

I walk into the kitchen and see Marie washing up and Lily sticking her fingers into the cookie mixture and licking it before Marie sees but Marie is too quick. "Lily don't eat it, it's supposed to be cooked first." She scowls and Lily laughs.

"Hey." I say.
"Lolly we're making cookies." Lily runs up to me and I pick her up.
"That's lovely, is Marie teaching you?" I ask and she nods.
"Where's daddy?" Lily asked.
"Um... he's busy at the moment." I tell her.
"Lily why don't you go watch some cartoons in the living room?" Marie suggests.
"Yes! Can I watch Barbie?" She asks, I put her down and Marie takes her to the living room.

Marie comes back a few minutes later "What's up with Rhys?" Marie asks.
"I think he's just worried about me. Last night..." I shut my eyes tightly trying not to relive what happened. "A guy at my school... he broke into my house and... tried t-to-" I could say anymore, I broke down crying and Marie rushed over and hugged me. "I-I'm sorry for crying..." I sniffle.
"Never apologise for showing your emotions." She pats my back.

After crying my eyes out to Marie I went upstairs and knocked on Rhys' door. There was no answer so I slowly opened the door. "Rhys?" I said. No answer. I walked through a small hallway before being met with a big room, to my right was Rhys' bed he was sitting on it with his head lowered looking down wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. "Oh sorry." I said turning around.
"Stay." Was all he said, I stopped and turned to look at him. He kept his head low, he didn't seem sad or angry, he looked hurt. "You're right." He said. "I know why Emalia is with me or was with me. Everything changed since I sold the company. Before she used to act like we were in love and our relationship was perfect but a part of me always knew it wasn't real. I just think that... I didn't want to believe it. When Emalia got pregnant we were happy but Lily wasn't planned and Emalia constantly demanded money all the time and used Lily as an excuse. She'd say stuff like 'Babe can I have $1000 so I can buy stuff for the baby?' and rather than spending it on Lily she'd buy a bunch of shit for herself." He sighs, I stay quiet. "When I first met Emalia I thought I was in love but how can you love a person who doesn't genuinely want you for you?"
"It wasn't love. She used you." I walked closer to him stepping in front of his legs, his eyes rising up to meet mine. "For love to be real. A person would do anything for that person, they wouldn't care about their money, their social class, how tall they are, how their hair looks like wet. A person who loves someone will love them for them, they will see that person as absolutely perfect even if that person has a thousand flaws. Emalia doesn't deserve you." I push a stray hair out of his face, he grabs my hand and holds it in his.
"How do you know so much about love?" He smiles.
"I'm in fact a huge love expert." I smile back at him, he laughs.
"Lily would go nuts if she heard you say that and she'd make us all watch Frozen." He smiles to himself. "I'm sorry I even suggested the money."
"It's ok, you have every right to suggest it when you've been around Emalia..." I stop for a second. "And Maggie..." I mumble.
"What was that?" He laughed.
"Nothing." I smiled. "Why does Emalia still live here?" I asked.
"She's never really moved out. I've asked her to in the past but then it leads to an argument and then says she can't afford it and threatens to take Lily away."
"That's horrible." He nods in agreement. "I know I have no right to say this but..."
"But..." he laughs.
"You need to kick Emalia out. Yeah she's the mother of your child but she doesn't act like a mother." He laughs and strokes a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
"You're right." He stops and sighs. We look at each other and he pulls me onto his lap, I latch my hands around his neck, his wrapping around my waist. I rest my head in the crook of his neck and we stay like that for a while before I drift into a heavy sleep.

I blink my eyes open, feeling a heavy weight resting on my waist. I look down and see a muscular arm draped around my waist, I panic for a second before realising who it was. I turned my body and was met with Rhys' sleeping face. I stared at him for a while, memorising the stubble on his face, the way his eyes twitch every few minutes, his steady breath with his lips slightly parted. I quietly got out of his hold and tip toed out his room, I silently shut the door and stopped. Marie was looking at me with what seemed like concern holding a bunch of dirty sheets, I rushed off, now I look guilty and we didn't even kiss.