Page 102 of Rebellious Hearts

I held onto her, and just her warmth, her contact, made tears well in my eyes.

When she pulled away and saw my face, she frowned. “What’s wrong?”

My face crumpled, and tears spilled onto my cheeks.

“Everything,” I whispered.

Elena ushered me into my apartment, pushing my bag to the bedroom, and settled me on the couch with a blanket like a mother hen.

“Tea? Coffee? Wine?” she asked from behind my open-plan kitchen counter. “How serious are we talking here?”

“Ginger tea,” I said.

Elena narrowed her eyes at me. “Ginger?”

I nodded. I was sick to my stomach, so terrified I would throw up again.

Elena looked suspicious, but she moved around my kitchen, boiling a kettle on the stove, brewing the tea I needed, and the scent of ginger filled the front room.

She made a cup of coffee for herself, using my machine.

I sat back on the couch with my eyes closed, letting Elena fuss over me, moving around my kitchen, taking charge.

She was such a wonderful friend. She could read me like a book, and she knew something was wrong.

Finally, she came to the living room, handed me my cup of ginger tea, and sat on the couch next to me. She kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her. She sipped her coffee, her dark eyes studying my face.

“Are you pregnant?” she asked carefully.

I glanced at her. “What gave it away?”

“The ginger tea. You hate ginger tea.”

I nodded. “I feel so sick all the time, it’s exhausting. And I don’t even stop throwing up when my stomach is empty. It just keeps going.”

“Sofia…” Elena breathed, her face riddled with concern. “The last time I spoke to you, things were going so well with Ben. Is the pregnancy a problem? Why the tears?”

I glanced at her, my tears rolling over my cheeks again. There was so much to tell.

So much that had gone wrong.

I told Elena everything. About the perfection between us, how incredible it had been. And then I’d found out I was pregnant and I didn’t know what to do. How I’d talked to Amy and Ben had overheard it all.

And now he wanted nothing to do with me.

“And the cherry on top is the fact that I’m going to have a baby, so even if I nail the interview for the job with the GNPA, there’s no way I’m going to be able to go to Costa Rica.” The tears came faster, and I sobbed.

“Oh, my Sofe,” Elena said, and she put her coffee down, pulling me against her. I lay against my friend’s chest and cried as she stroked my hair.

I hadn’t realized how awful it all was and how much I’d kept pent up.

I didn’t know how long I’d cried, but finally, my sobs turned to sniffles, and I finally sat up.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“For what?”

“That I’m such a mess when you were here to celebrate with me.”