Were you mine?

Chapter 36 Call

Lea's POV

Phill hadn't been back for days. He had called only once and said that he was caught up in some family problem and asked me to take care of myself and call him whenever I needed.

Though there were a lot of times when I thought I could do with a helping hand, I could never reach for the phone and call his number. It just never happened.

My belly was significantly growing and there was no way I could hide it any longer. I was already showing. Soon I would reach my last trimester and there would be no way I would be able to move around freely. I would have to go on leave and that meant I would need a lot of saving. I didn't even do any shopping for the baby.

Damn!

There were a lot of things pending. I tried to wrap up as much as I could before the next meeting with my gynecologist. It would be my first meeting with him alone . I was already dreading it. Perhaps I was already starting to depend too much on Phill. It was unhealthy. I was grateful for his long absence. I hoped I would be able to take care of everything from now on, truly by myself.

It was sunny and I got all the clothes out in the sun. The cushions, pillows everything. It was a must do every week, back in my hometown. We ran with whatever need such as soon as the sky turned blue.

I was dusting the cushions and changing their covers when I started feeling miserable. I remembered how Jake and I used to fight when aunt asked us to change the cushions for her.

A smile crossed my lips. I missed Jake every second but I also missed my old life, my hometown, aunt, our friends, everything. I couldn't help but wonder how our lives would have been if I never forced Jake to go for that audition.

I knew I was being selfish in that moment. But I didn't care. I could steal a few moments of shellfish pleasure. The fleeting images of a life with Jake nestled in our small town started crossing my mind and I didn't notice when I had abandoned my mission ( of clothing the cushions) and sunk into a chair .

My hands itched. I reached for my phone and searched for one of his very first songs. I found it immediately. It had millions of views. I blasted it on full volume as I sunk deeper in my chair as I closed my eyes.

His voice caressed me , hugged me, cuddled me like he once did.

And then my phone rang. It was Phill.

" Hello! ” I instantly picked it up, just after two rings. But the voice on the other side wasn't his.

" Lea! ” The sweet, husky voice that smelled of raspberry, that carried with it the smell of the first rain on dry earth, the voice that drove me crazy to the extend of keeping me up all night. Night after night.

It was Jake. My head started to spin but my heart stopped. I wanted to reach out and touch him. I wanted stop my eyes from stinging so bad. I wanted to stop the tears that was already falling and I could not respond. I wanted to hear him speak forever. I won't lie.

" Lea, please dont hang up! I had no choice. It's about Aunt! ”

I didn't care what it was. I was already clasping my heart with my free hand and trying to sit down. It was too overwhelming. It was a pain that was consuming me with pleasure and I wanted more of it.

" I had my doubts that you were... that Phill was... I knew I could find your number from his phone. A lot has happened Lea. Gosh! Damn! Lea, are you even listening? Hello? Lea? ”

I covered my mouth with my hands because I was already sobbing. I didn't want him to catch me crying. But I knew if I uttered so much as one word, he would know I was breaking. I could not say anything.

" Lea, Aunt is dying. She wants to see you. Please come visit her once. Lea... ”

And then my hand slipped and my phone fell directly on the road, down my balcony.

I saw the screen shatter as a car went over it. I closed my eyes, letting my tears fall freely, finally.

Jake had called. He had found his way back to me.

Aunt was dying.

It felt like my known reality was shattering.

For a moment, I felt completely paralyzed, as if every muscle in my body refused to obey my commands. Aunt was dying? It seemed impossible, surreal. She had always been this strong, unbreakable force in my life. I couldn't picture her any other way.

I glanced at the broken phone lying in the road. It felt like a metaphor for my life at that moment. Shattered and in need of repair.

My hands trembled as I wiped away the tears. I couldn't sit there forever, feeling sorry for myself. I had to do something. I stood up, the weight of my belly making the movement awkward. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

I needed to think clearly. I needed to get a new phone, call Phill, and find a way to visit Aunt as soon as possible.The thought of seeing Jake again filled me with a mix of dread and longing. How would it feel to be in his presence after all this time? Could I handle it?

But the more important question was how would be handle it. What was he doing with Phill anyway? I knew they couldn't stand each other.

My hands were involuntarily caressing my baby bump. I wanted to assure the little life growing within me that I had everything under control, that I wasn't a wreck, that I wasn't disintegrating into pieces.