Sophie ..“Alex.” His name rolled out like a longing prayer.“Uncle Alex,” Liam yelled. Alex’s lips were pressed into a line, not too tight and not too loose. His expression sitting on his face was calm, but there was a slight furrow on his brows. “Daddy. The ice cream is ready,” said the little boy who stepped from behind him. Holding Liam, I strode till I was beneath the tall shade of a tree, behind the ice cream truck.“Hey.” Alex finally spoke. He lowered into a squat until his eyes were level with Liam’s. “How are you doing, little man?” He smothered his head.“I am fine.” Liam's eyes were fixed on the boy beside Alex. “Is that your son?” Liam questioned.Alex's eyes swung to me, then Liam, then the boy, before returning to Liam. “Yes.” His jaw tightened. He rose to his feet. Placing his hand on the boy’s back, he pushed him forward gently. “This is my Myles and Myles; this is my friend’s son.” His eyes met mine. “Liam.”Liam and Myles exchanged glances as the silence stretc
Alex . . It’s been a week, and I was back in Manhattan. Back in the house that crumpled my happiness and made my future so bleak. Despite the quietness that filled every corner of the house except the kitchen, the aroma of my favourite dish that lined the air, and the nagging of Uncle Niall from the other end of the phone, the only thing I could think of was not getting a chance to hang out with Sophie again. Myles had returned to Manhattan three days earlier, and there went my perfect excuse for hanging out thrown into the mud. “You need to spend more time with your mother. She isn’t getting any younger.” Uncle Niall’s chide continued as I ascended the stairs. I didn’t know what all the yapping was about, but his nagging about spending time with my mother had started getting on my nerves. Running the company wasn’t a child’s play. Mr. Watson’s nephew was a puppet, only good for shows. I was still running the operations in Manhattan and Amsterdam. The building in San Fra
Alex . . The darkness wrapped its blanket across the sky, and the lights of the city were glowing. The breeze whispered its cool tune into the atmosphere. Stepping into the five-star restaurant, one of the waiters led me to the private dining room. Soon I stood before the door. I arranged the collars of my black dress shirt. I adjusted the bouquet of red roses. My chest tightened as it had been a long while since I went on a date with a lady. Heaving in a puff, I stepped into the private dining room. My gaze settled on the dining setup positioned beneath the geometric chandelier. The yellow light bouncing off the white walls adorned with some art pictures, I didn't appreciate. “Should I get you a bottle of red wine as you await your date?” The waiter asked. “Yes, thank you,” I responded. The waiter turned around and closed the door behind him while I strode and settled in the beige upholstered seat close to the expansive windows that gave a view of the city from a h
Sophie..I drew a little breath as I placed the thermometer on his forehead. It beeped as it read forty degrees Celsius. “His temperature hasn’t dropped." Luca questioned, leaning on the doorframe of Liam’s room. I shook my head. “I have given him his medications, and I have done everything the doctor said. He doesn’t seem to get anything better.” I turned back on the wooden chair to face Luca. My brows lowered and my lips curled downward. “Or is it because of the big bowl of ice cream?” Luca chuckled lightly and he moved closer. He placed his left hand on the backrest of the chair, while his right hand tucked my hair behind my ears. “It’s been over a month. There’s no way an ice cream can make someone sick for that long.” I returned my gaze to Liam. “The doctor said if his fever doesn’t get better by tomorrow, We would have to take him for more checkups.” I exhaled. Luca’s eyes hovered over my features—my puffy eyes and droopy eyelids, the black circles. “Try and get some rest
Sophie ..My eyes widened, and I inched back, like I was trying to create space between me and the news. “What do you mean you’re not his father?” My voice quivered before darkening. “It’s Liam, we are talking about. Our son, not some random kid.” My heart thundered against my chest, shooting panic into me and filling my veins with dread. What the hell was he saying?”“This is not the time for pranks, Luca,” I said, my brain refusing to accept those words he just spat out. “Our son’s life is at stake here.” My voice rose.Luca sagged deeper into the wall, and his hands tightened by his side. But no word left his lips; not even a breath left his lips.My eyes fell to the floor as his words started to sink in. This wasn't a game. This was real. Luca wasn’t the father of Liam. My gaze swung to him. “If you are not the father, then who is?” The words burnt my tongue, and a raw shot through my chest.Luca’s lips tightened and his eyes rounded. But he stood still. Silence stretched betwe
Sophie . . The drive from his office to his hospital was heavy with silence, and awkward glances. It was very obvious Alex was having a hard time digesting the news. Shock was boldly written on his face like a billboard. I still remember how his eyes widened and his mouth gaped. My cheeks turned red as embarrassment crept in. Alex parked the car in the car park of the hospital. We both stepped out and scurried towards the Doctor’s office. After He explained everything to Alex, Alex was led to the laboratory to run the compatibility test. I sank onto the long seat in the hallways outside the laboratory room. I buried my head into my bed palms and another wave of tears began to well up again. I was so confused and I had no idea what to do. Should I return to Liam or should I wait here till the result comes out? Sitting here wouldn’t change the outcome of the result. I rose to my feet and trudged down the hallway. With three turns to the left and a turn to the right, I a
Alex ..My eyes fluttered open, and a sharp throb coursed through my head, inciting a wince from my throat. A deep ache swathed my lower back and pelvis region. “Alex.” My mother leaned in and cradled my face. “How are you feeling? Can you tell your legs?” Her hands hovered around me as she checked me.“I’m fine. How’s Liam? My voice came out coarse. I attempted to lift my body up, but it was unresponsive, like my nerves had been disconnected from my brain.My mother sprang up and placed her hands on my shoulders; she pushed me back into the bed. “You need to rest. I doubt your legs are working.”“What?” My eyes bulged at our as I craned my neck, her hands still pinning me down by my shoulders. My mother’s lips curled upward. “Because of the anaesthesia and soreness. It might be hard for you to walk for some time.” letting me go, she dropped back into her seat. “Liam and Sophie?” I pressed “Liam is fine. The surgery was successful, and Sophie is by her son’s side.”A soft smile
Sophie..Two weeks had slipped by after Liam’s surgery, but he was still at the hospital for monitoring. I had returned to my hotel room.Locking the door, I sank to the floor. My muscles were weak from all the nights I had pulled. My heart was heavy as the doctor said Liam was healing slowly—much slower than usual.I couldn’t wait for my boy to be well, so he ran around and asked for ice cream. To return to school and play with his friends. An ache shot through me anytime I remembered his voice and how lively they were. After a while of consoling myself, I rose to my feet and headed towards the shower. Turning the shower on, the hot water poured down. The heat enveloped my skin, offering a sense of relief as it loosened my muscles. The vanilla scent of my shampoo filled the bathroom and steam fogged the glass partitions of the bathroom.After the shower, I wrapped my towel around my body and strode out of the bathroom. Alex’s words echoed in my head, haunting my mind. My lips pre