Desired Fate

Chapter Four

I hugged Aidan's toilet bowl whilst I tried to speak through the retches, "I'm so sorry. I was looking for the bathroom..." I trailed off.

"Don't worry about it. It happens to the best of us," Aidan soothed.

He took a washcloth from the sink, ran it through cold water and then dabbed it across the back of my neck to offer some relief. After a couple of more retches, I turned to look up at Aidan who had now moved the cloth to dab across my forehead. At this point, the feeling of being caressed and comforted was a lot more welcomed than the feeling of cold water against my feverish skin. 

I sighed as I tried to regain my composure from the nausea, my eyes shifted over Aidan who was knelt beside me on the grey-marbled tiled floor. His hair was wet and ruffled, appearing to have been fresh from the shower. A pair of black boxers hung low on his Adonis belt that left nothing to the imagination, a trail of dark hair peeked out from the cotton material and headed towards all the tattoos that were littered all over his stomach and chest. My eyes traced all along the black ink until they stopped at one that rested incredibly low on his abdomen. 

It was that of a foetus inside a womb that was wrapped inside angel wings, it seemed to be a very meaningful piece of art that not only sent shivers down my spine but a wave of guilt that caused me to turn back to the toilet bowl and start to retch again. I hadn't eaten since yesterday so there was nothing in my stomach except bile, which was the only thing that could surface.

"Are you getting ill?" With concern in his eyes, he returned to comfort me with the cool cloth. "Or is this just a hangover because I'm pretty sure you didn't drink more than three glasses of wine last night? For someone who works in a bar, I can't imagine you to be that much of a lightweight." 

It dawned on me that Aidan was very observant, he paid extra attention to me so there was no way I could keep my secret from him. If we were going to start off on the right foot then I had to tell him the truth from the start. We had only known each other a day, but the amount of loyalty I felt for him overwhelmed me and the way he was so dotingly taking care of me, caused me to think that this might not be one-sided. Now I could only hope that my news wouldn't go down like a lead balloon, and my desires along with it. 

"It's not you, it's just hormones," the words tumbled from my mouth. 

"That time of the month, huh?" Aidan stated and my brows creased together in bewilderment which made the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile. "It's fine. Once a month I have to buy Avery chocolate and watch films with her under the blanket like when we were kids. She makes me feel bad that I'm the twin who doesn't have to endure hormonal changes and bleeding so she milks it for all it's worth." 

"A strong, masculine man who is in touch with his feminine side, could you be any more perfect?" I turned to face him once more. 

"I really don't mind doing it at all, I love my sister. Just don't tell her that she has me wrapped around her finger, will you?" He laughed. 

"I'm sure she already knows that, after all, how do you think she gets away with so much?" 

"Damn, what secrets has she been spilling to you?" We both laughed. 

"None," my body shivered in this now-or-never moment. "But my secret is that I'm pregnant," I blurted out before Aidan could compose himself.

"Oh," was the short reply. 

"Don't worry the look on your face says it all," the blank expression was enough to explain how he felt about this. "Now you don't want to know me because I'm carrying another man's baby," I growled.

"Don't put words into my mouth, you don't know how I feel and I've not given you any indication that I would feel that way," his hand touched my cheek, taking the sting off the harshness of his words. "A baby is a blessing. You're lucky. Not everyone gets to be in the position you are," there was a second sting that hit me directly in the heart this time.