Grand Lies by JC Hawke

35

Nina

I’min the kitchen washing up when the girls arrive. They are later than I expected, and because of that, I’ve not been able to stop pottering around the penthouse—the need to get the test over and done with too much.

Mason texted me half an hour ago to check in, but I didn’t reply. He is out on a stag do and I don’t want to lie to him. He has had enough trauma this year. He doesn’t need to know that I am stressing over this.

Especially when I don’t know what this is.

“Sorry we are late,” Lucy sings as she dumps the bags of shopping on the counter. “We stopped in at Tesco’s, but I knew the cashier so I had to bail and go to the pharmacy instead.”

“What’s all this?” I open the bags she placed on the counter.

They are filled with junk.

“The stuff from Tesco’s. I couldn’t just buy a test, and I wedged it in the magazines when I spotted Annie on the checkout and just brought this. She totally knew I was being sketchy.”

“For goodness’ sake. Only you.” I smile, shaking my head at her.

“We got the test. Four actually,” Megan tells me as she walks into the kitchen.

“Four?”

“We read up on false negatives and faulty pee.”

“Faulty pee? That’s not a thing.” I laugh out loud awkwardly, and they both turn to look at me.

“Well, no, I’m sure it’s not, but time of day and shit,” Megan says with a shrug. “It’s something to do with your hormones.”

“Right. Give it here.” I hold my hand out.

“You’re going to do it now?” Lucy asks.

“Yeah, pass it over. I want to get this over with, then sink a bottle of wine.”

I take the test Megan holds out to me and walk into the lounge and towards the stairs. I pause when I spot Scarlet sitting on the sofa.

“Scar? You okay?”

She spins, her phone clutched tight in her hand. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, just on the phone.”

I cringe. “Sorry!”

Spinning on my heel, I leave her to it and head for the bedroom with all four of my tests, hoping that I don’t have ‘faulty pee’.

* * *

Mase

The night has gone as expected.It’s trashy. Top shelf trashy, but still trashy. The music is blaring, the club alive with the thrumming atmosphere.

Greg has his arm thrown around a blonde as he sips his scotch, a cigar in his hand. He is a great bloke—as a friend. But I can’t help but feel sorry for his soon-to-be wife.

Pulling out my phone, I check my screen for the one hundredth time, noticing that Nina still hasn’t replied to my message. I know she is with the girls, so I don’t worry, but I hope she isn’t ignoring me because she’s pissed I’m not home yet. She doesn’t seem like that kind of girl, but I did say I wouldn’t be late.

“Hey, my man,” I greet Charlie as he approaches me.

“You good?” he asks, not waiting for an answer before he says. “Greg’s a piece of shit.”

I take a swig of my drink, smiling at him over my glass. “I have some things I need clearing up with Dad’s properties. Can you carve out some time?” I turn and rest my arm on the bar.

“Course. Send me the dates, and Kelsey will sort it.”

“Thanks mate. You all good now?” I ask, referring to everything that unfolded before the holiday.

“Yeah,” he answers quickly, dropping his head. “I think it needed to come to a head. I’ve been…”

“Fucking hard work.” I knock his shoulder with my own.

“Prick.” He laughs.

Charlie hasn’t been hard work at all, but his inability to sleep with a woman unless he is in an established relationship? That’s new. He changed his ways after Phoebe died, and I think it has a lot to do with the reasons behind that. Specifically, consent. It made him softer, more aware, and sensitive. It’s a tough pill for him to swallow, being the notorious hard-faced lawyer he is.

“Honestly, though, thank you. I can never repay you for what you did for me, for Phoebe.”

“You don’t need to. Prick got what he deserved.”

He nods his head, smiling. “You think El will ever change?” I follow his line of sight to Elliot, who has a curvy brunette writhing on his lap.

It’s been a while for him, and I know he will go hard tonight.

“Nope.” I laugh, turning back to the bar.

“You have, though. You and Nina seem pretty serious.”

A wide smile breaks out across my face, and I do nothing to hide it. “It happened fast. And fucking hard.” I smirk. “But we’ve been through so much already. I suppose we just always snap back to one another when shit hits the fan. I’m fucking obsessed, Charles.”

He chuckles, clapping me on the back. “So romantic, mate.”

“You know it.” I wink, lifting my hand and ordering another round of drinks.

* * *

Nina

Is therea protocol for how I should be feeling?

A wife would be excited, right? She would be elated that she even needs to do a test. But the girlfriend? How is she supposed to feel as she pees on the little white stick?

They don’t put that on the box.

I feel stupid for feeling the way I do. A small ball of energy in my gut rears its head and tells me everything will be okay, and we have got this.

The wife in me, the woman I want to be in ten years, once I have achieved my dreams, she is excited. But the girlfriend who will be seen as a money-hungry whore to anyone who doesn’t know me, she is shitting it. She wants to run and not do a test at all.

Taking all four tests, I put them into the packet and wash my shaking hands. I go to the landing and take a deep breath before taking the stairs one step at a time.

“We have to wait for Meg. Our takeout is here.” Lucy bounces on her toes, her excitement evident.

“Calm down, you’re stressing me out.”

I wipe my forehead, feeling hot.

This is torture. I need the alarm to sound. I won’t be able to wait for Meg.

“Come sit down, Nina.” Scarlet smiles warmly.

“I can’t.” I fiddle with the end of the white stick, flip it over in the packet.

I don’t look, but I know if I pull it out, I will see the result.

My heart starts to pound, and my chest grows warm. Adrenaline is pumping through me.

I try to control my breathing. “Shit!”

“Stop panicking.” Lucy catches hold of my wrist and squeezes it tight.

I nod my head and close my eyes, counting to ten.

One, two, three, four, five, six—

The elevator doors ping. Meg steps out, the takeout in one hand and an envelope in the other.

“Hurry up, will you!” Lucy hisses, letting my arm go.

“Sorry, there was this with the food at reception.”

She starts to pull open the envelope, and my timer chimes. I swallow thickly and pull out the test, looking down at the two lines that sit perfectly clear in the small square box.

“Oh my god,” Megan and I say in disbelief.

“No way!” Lucy jumps up and takes the test. “Fuck. Yes! Nina, oh my god, you’re pregnant!” She covers her face with her hands.

My gaze is fixed on Megan, though. Her face is pale, and her hands shake, the envelope clutched tight in her hand, and our takeout is spilling out of the bag at her feet.

I wonder when she dropped it. I never noticed.

“Megs?”

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

I step down from the last stair and walk to her, the test momentarily forgotten. “What’s the matter?”

“Nina, I’m so sorry.”

Reaching out, I take the glossy pieces of card from her, flipping them so I can see.

What I’m met with destroys me. My legs give out from under me, and I feel Megan reach for me, trying to take my weight, but I collapse to the floor despite her hold on me.

Please, no.

“Nina? Oh god, Nina?!” I hear Lucy shout. “What is it? Nina? Megs, she is pregnant.”

“Scarlet, call an ambulance,” Megan calls out.

“Nina?” I can hear their cries. I can feel tears on my face. But inside, I feel nothing.

* * *

Mase

My head spins,the room flashing.

My head feels foggy, heavy.

Fuck, I don’t feel right.

“Mason.”

My head connects with something hard, liquid rolling down my temple.

What’s wrong with my hands?

A rush of cold surges through my chest and spreads through my torso.

“I don’t fucking feel right.”

Darkness takes me.