Life After The Villa

16. Alone

I wake up and race to the toilet; I just about get there in time before throwing up. I feel so nauseous right now, and I've been dreading the day when my morning sickness kicked in since I found out I was pregnant. I definitely haven't missed this since being pregnant with Sofia.

"Mama?" I hear a soft voice say from behind me.

I lift my head out of the toilet bowl and look at Sofia in the doorway to the bathroom. "Neonata, what's wrong?" I ask her, seeing the concern on her face.

"You're sick." She states sweetly, taking a step closer. "Do you need my special medicine?"

This makes me smile, I've always been by her side on her sick days, always been there to give her her children's medicine to make her feel better. And now she's trying to be there for me, the first ever time she's seen me sick. "Don't worry, Sofia. Mummy's just feeling a little ill because of the baby, that's all."

When I say this, she steps forward and leans towards my little bump that's now beginning to grow. "Please stop moving around so much." She whispers to my belly, "it's making mama sick."

I giggle at this, "thanks Sofia." I tell her with a smile, "now come here." I lift my arms up, waiting for her to hug me and she does so immediately, making me feel not so alone anymore. James said he'd be by my side through it all, but he had to go on a last minute business trip to Sweden to close a deal for his company. And I completely understand that, but it means I've got no one to help me at the moment. "I'm so glad you're here."

She looks at me when I say this, pulling away from our hug. "Why are you crying?" She asks, causing me to touch my cheek and feel the tears running down my face.

I didn't even realise I was crying. "Just because I love you so much." I tell her before giving her a kiss.

"I love you too mama." She smiles as she hugs me once more. "And I love my sister too. Or brother." She says, looking confused. "Can you tell me if I have a brother or a sister yet?"

I giggle then whisper in her ear, revealing what gender her siblings are going to be so quietly, even though there's no one else in the entire house.

"Really?!" She exclaims excitedly. "Just what I wanted!" She squeals.

"You're happy?" I ask sarcastically, even though she hasn't quite grasped what sarcasm is yet. "Well so am I."

~*~

"Thank you so much for coming." I say as Asher and Taylor walk into the house. "Sorry it's short notice but I could really do with some company."

"It's no problem." Asher smiles, giving me a hug. "You know one of these days you're going to be so big that I won't be able to wrap my arms around you."

"I know, I feel massive." I sigh, "having twins is definitely a lot more exhausting than having just the one."

"I bet." Taylor adds, joining in on the conversation. "Speaking of, let's get you sat down. I'll make everyone a cup of tea whilst you get comfortable."

"What would I do without you?" I smile as he hurries off to the kitchen and Asher and I head into the living room. "Thanks again for coming round, I know you probably both already had plans for the next few days."

"You're my best friend, Vee, I would drop anything to make sure you're alright." She replies with a warm smile as we both take a seat on the sofa. "You've helped me day after day and I'm merely repaying the favour. And I would do anything for you to make sure this pregnancy runs smoothly." I smile at her, mentally thanking her once more. "But I do have a confession to make."

"What is it?" I ask, wondering what's so important. Asher is using her serious voice, which I don't hear all too often.

"Next Monday I'm going to Australia." She announces, a big smile on her face. "I'm a celebrity get me out of here is starting soon and they want me to be one of the contestants."

"Oh my god, that's amazing." I exclaim, so excited for her. "Congratulations."

"I would have told you sooner but I had to keep it a secret. You won't tell anyone, will you?" She asks, and I shake my head.

"I would never." I smile, holding up my pinky so she can interlock hers with mine.

"But it means that I won't be here to help you, and I'll only be gone for just over a month but Taylor will still be here. And I've told him that no matter what he has to look after you, especially until James comes back from his business trip."

"Taylor's so sweet, you're so lucky that you've found each other." I tell her, wanting her to know how sincere I'm being right now. I mean every word.

"Oh it's not luck, trust me." She chuckles a little before continuing. "You've heard the ins and outs of everything that's gone on between us. The press think we're a perfect couple but you know the truth. You've been there holding my hand when I thought it was over between us. You've seen the fights and the arguments. And you were the one who tricked us into being in the same place at the same time so we could talk things out." She sighs a little, looking me in the eye, "so no, it's not luck. It's a lot of hard work, fighting to stay with each other. And it's also because of you that we're so happy right now."

"I only did what I knew was right, Ash." I smile back, "you two are meant to be together; anyone paying attention can see it."

"I come bearing tea." Taylor says from behind us, making the two of us laugh and stop our conversation immediately. "Here you go." He says as he hands me my mug.

"Thank you." I smile politely.

"So, what were you two talking about?" He asks as he sits down.

Me and Asher look at each other, not knowing what to say. But thankfully Asher breaks the silence. "I was just telling her about how I'm heading to Australia."

And I quickly nod my head, pretending that it's the truth. "I'm so excited to watch her every night."

"I'm excited to see her try to cope without us two." Taylor jokes in a teasing tone.

"Oh haha." She replies sarcastically. "I can take care of myself on my own, thank you very much."

"I know, I know." He admits, holding his hands up in mocking defeat. But his tone turns soft all of a sudden before saying the next part. "You can do anything you set your mind to."