[|]

The moment I noticed the sky turn dark blue with the sound of thunder rumbling in the sky, I made eye contact with my mom, whose eyes were wide.

"I wasn't expecting it to rain," I said and stood up from the park bench.

"Do you have an umbrella with you?" My mom asked and I shook my head. "How are you going to get home?"

"I'll order a ride home, mom. Don't worry. You should probably start heading back to your hotel before it starts to rain," I said, and as if on cue, heavy rain drops fell onto us.

I squealed at the cold drops wetting my clothes. I lifted my jacket and used it to cover my head then ran with my mother to a tree. We stood under it, alongside two other people.

"This is such an unexpected rain," my mom said, wrapping her arms around her body.

I shuddered when a wave of cold passed through my body, causing painful goosebumps to rise on my skin. A gust of wind blew and the cold inside of me doubled, making my limbs start to shake.

"You're shaking."

I turned my head in the direction of where my mother stood and watched her take off her jacket. She placed it on me and I felt a small warmth.

"You are always so sensitive to cold. I hope you don't get sick," my mom said, shifting my hair away from my face.

I felt my phone vibrating inside my bag but the rain was just too much for me to start searching through my bag. When the rain increased, the tree branches started to dance aggressively, causing heavy drops of water to land on us.

"Come on! There's a taxi!"

I looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a taxi parked at the entrance of the park. We exchanged a look before running toward the entrance. As soon as we got to the taxi, we were already soaked and I was shivering to the bones, teeth clattering too.

"Get in," mom said and opens the back door for me.

I boarded the car and sighed at the warmth of it. I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion when I realized that she was not getting in, instead, she was handing some money to the driver and telling him to take me to whatever address I tell him.

"Mom? Aren't you coming in? It's raining so heavily.

"No, dear. Go ahead. I live in the opposite direction and I don't want you staying too long outside with your wet clothes. Go home, change and take a hot shower. Eat something hot too!" She said over the loud rainfall.

The driver started the car's engine and drove away. I pressed my head against the window and waved at my mom. I looked back and watched her run across the street with her hands over her head. I sighed and relaxed on the seat. I was feeling so cold that my clothes felt so uncomfortable on my skin.

A smile appeared on my face when I remembered the fun I had with mom. We had a lot of ice cream and went to eat at a fast-food restaurant before we came back to the park to talk more. I had told her everything I had gone through in college and she told me how proud she was of me for being strong and independent. I had intentionally left Lucas being my boyfriend and only told her I was staying with an old school friend.

I have never discussed the boyfriend topic with my parents before, so it was weird to bring it up.

I snapped out of my thoughts when my phone rang inside my purse. I opened it and took it out. I felt anxious when I saw it was Lucas calling. He was going to be angry, I know so. Instead of answering, I ignored the call and looked out the window.

[|]

"Where have you been?" Was the question that was thrown at my face the moment I stepped into the house.

Axel was standing in front of me, a scowl on his face while Lucas was leaning against the kitchen counter, staring into space. They looked pissed.

"Why weren't you answering any of our calls? You got us worried," Axel complained and I simply smiled at him before making my way toward Lucas.

"Lucas?" I called to him and he shut his eyes tightly before opening them to stare at me.

"Where were you and why didn't you answer my calls? I was so worried about you that I wanted to come to pick you up but you weren't answering. Fuck, are you okay?" He walked up to me and took off the wet jackets on my body.

"I'm fine. I'm just—achoo!" I sneezed hard and shuddered when goosebumps rose on my skin. I bit my lip and hesitantly looked up at Lucas. He was frowning hard.

"Now you're going to catch a cold," Axel said.

"No...it's just a sneeze and— achoo!" I rubbed my nose as it suddenly became itchy.

"Yeah, it's just a sneeze, indeed," Lucas said and grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's go get you under a hot shower."

"I'll make soup for her," Axel said and I smiled at their protective gestures.

As soon as we climbed the steps and went straight into the bathroom, Lucas helped me out of my wet clothes. I wrapped my arms around my body as I began to shake from the cold. Lucas was still frowning, most likely angry that I had not answered his calls.

"I'm sorry, Lucas," I said as he went to the shower cubicle. He turned it on and waited for a few seconds for the hot water to flow.

I gulped when I saw him begin to take off his clothes, leaving only his boxer. He grabbed my hand and dragged me into the cubicle. I sighed when I felt the jets of tolerable hot water touch my skin, forcing the cold inside me out.

I stiffened up when Lucas pulled me closer to him, in a hug. I blinked, feeling confused but wrapped my arms around his torso.

"You have no idea how scared I was," he said. "The rain was just so harsh that I wondered if you were indoor or not. I don't want you getting sick."

I blushed when he kissed my forehead.

"I'll be fine. Trust me, I will be," I said in a promising tone of voice.

[|]

I sneezed hard. "I am not fine."

The next day, I woke up with a nasty headache, a bad fever, and weakness. I felt so sick that my nose was clogged and my eyelids hurt. I hated being sick because I had to take medicine which was piled up on the side table to my left.

Lucas and Axel had made sure I was wearing thick clothes that made me sweat and feel uncomfortable. Even the heater of the house was turned on. I felt like a chicken that was in an oven.

"Here's your afternoon dosage," Lucas said and sat down beside me.

I grimaced at the five different shapes and colors of pills in a small white cup. I could already taste the pills and smell them, making me want to puke. I shook my head and Lucas sighed.

"You need to take them, baby. It'll help you get better," he said, trying to urge me on but I didn't want it. "Fine, I'll buy you the chocolate bars you wanted if you take them down."

"No. I need the chocolate first," I bargained and Lucas exhaled out of exhaustion.

I wanted to feel bad because he has been up all day, taking care of me but I was restless and needed attention to feel better.

"Okay. I'll call Axel to get them for you but you need to take these pills first, hm?"

I frowned. "Okay."

I took the cup and glared at the pills until Lucas handed me a glass of warm water. I took deep breaths and counted to ten. Just as I was about to pop them into my mouth, someone knocked on the door.

"I'll go get it. Take the medicine while I'm gone," Lucas said and left the bed, then went downstairs.

I quickly grabbed one of the pillows and tossed the pills into the pillowcase. I drank half of the water and put a fake grimace on my face as if I could taste the bitterness of the pills.

"She's upstairs. You can go meet her. I need to clean the kitchen." I heard Lucas speak.

Then footsteps resounded on the steps and I grinned when I saw Maddy. She grinned back and rushed into the room.

"You look good," Maddy said and I could sense the sarcasm in her words.

"Hey," I said and coughed a little. "When did you get back?"

"Yesterday," she answered and sat on the edge of the bed. "How have you been?"

I raised my hand to wipe the snot away from my nose. Maddy squealed and I froze in fear.

"What?"

"Is that an engagement ring on your finger?"

I turned my hand over and saw the diamond ring. I smiled and nervously chuckled.

"It's a promise ring, not an engagement ring." I bit my lip as a smile made it to her face.

"You're half-engaged to Lucas. Oh, my God. You two are so in love and it's so cute," Maddy said and squealed.

"I guess. Everything is just so surreal. He's my first love, my first boyfriend. My first everything," I said.

Maddy scooter closer but stayed at a respectable space, not wanting to contact my cold. She laid on her stomach and propped her chin on her palm.

"But isn't it too early? I mean, you two just started dating and he gives you a promise ring?" Maddy asked and I mulled over what she said.

"True... But we love each other. I trust him, Maddy. Even though his past was full of him playing girls, I trust him. Being with him feels like I've been with him for years now, I can't explain it. He makes me feel things I've never felt before. So, yeah; I trust him," I said, pouring my heart into every word.

"I just don't want you getting heartbroken," Maddy said, her smile dropping. "Anyway, what made you sick?"

I sniffed. "Got beat by rain."

"Well, get well soon. Oh, you need to tell me all about you reconciling with your mom," Maddy said and grinned with a curious look in her eyes.

[|]

I slowly unfastened my seatbelt and relaxed on the car seat, feeling tired. I rubbed my forehead and sighed when Maddy turned off her car.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she picked up her purse from the space between our seats.

"I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired," I replied and pushed the door open. I stepped out and felt lightheaded, forcing me to sit back with my hands holding my head.

"Jackie, I don't think you're well. You've been looking unwell plus it's been a week since you feel sick. Are you sure it isn't just a cold?"

I shook my head and moaned when I felt my head spin a bit. I stretched out my hands and placed them on the dashboard. I stared at my feet and saw them moving around in a dizzy motion.

"I feel dizzy," I said, sweating profusely.

"Jackie?!" Maddy panicked and got out of the car.

I heard her footsteps go around the car then she opened my door.

"Jackie, take deep breaths. Do you want water, pills, anything?"

I felt my stomach turn and a strong wave of nausea hit my gut. A felt a strong force in my throat like I was about to throw up. I quickly turned toward Maddy and pushed her out of the way. In an instant, I threw up the noodles I had eaten earlier onto the sidewalk.

I heaved and vomited every food in my stomach. My head ached and my eyes filled up with tears as I continued to throw up. After a minute, I stopped and wiped my mouth with my sleeve. I pushed myself back and relaxed on the seat, feeling relieved a bit.

Through my heavy eyelids, I saw Maddy stare at me with shock on her face.

"Jackie, have you had unprotected sex with Lucas?" She asked and I immediately knew where she was going.

"Nah, I'm not pregnant. I can't be pregnant," I replied in a wavering voice.

"Girl, you were sick with a cold since last week and by now, you should be healed. But no, you've been showing signs of sickness which is suspicious... You know what? I'm taking you to a pharmacy and you're going to take a test."

I gulped when I remembered the one time we had sex and how I had forgotten to take the morning after pill until a day had gone by. I placed my hand on my stomach, envisioning a fetus in my womb, then panic rose inside me.

"No, I can't get pregnant. No... It's just a slight fever," I said under my breath.