Tattoo of Love Ch. 11

It seemed that each wiggle of his hips and movement of his body released giggles from the crowd, and as he continued to put on a show, everyone stilled their own dance steps so that they could clap along to his dancing. The lavalava which was wrapped around his waist made the movements of the dance even funnier, and the faces he made while doing the dance withdrew loud peals of laughter.

The humorous display before them soon grew even funnier as Jake joined in to dance with him. Each of the men played off of the other, and it seemed they both were trying to see who could be most outrageous. By the time the song finally drew to a close, everyone in the backyard was clapping, and a few even whistled in approval. Julia's stomach hurt from laughing so much, and as Nolan glanced down at her, his lips tugged into a pleased smile.

"I love seeing you laugh," he said to her.

"It's easy to do when I'm hanging around your relatives. You have some very funny people in your family."

"I guess we do have a pretty good sense of humor."

Feeling the need to lubricate her throat Julia said, "My throat is kind of dry. You want to get something to drink?"

"Sure." He followed behind her as she led the way.

Grabbing a pitcher of the watermelon drink, she poured a cup for both her and Nolan. They sipped quietly for a few moments, just observing those around them and enjoying the upbeat atmosphere.

"So, when am I going to meet *your* family?"

Before she could even answer, an unpleasant feeling developed in the pit of her stomach. "I don't know. I guess whenever she comes out for another visit."

"We can always drive into the city to see her, as well."

"Yeah, that might work." She was suddenly feeling very warm and a bit lightheaded.

"You don't want me to meet them, do you?"

"That's not what I said."

"But you're thinking it, right?"

Brushing a few strands of hair away from her face she said, "I really don't want to get into this with you again. Especially not now."

"I don't want to argue with you. I just wish you would open up and tell me why you're so nervous about introducing me to your family." He paused so she could answer, but when she didn't he continued talking. "Let me meet them, Julia. I want to get to know them."

Releasing a humorless chuckle she said, "No, you don't. Trust me on that."

Exhaling a sigh of frustration, Nolan set his drink down and placed a palm against her cheek. Looking deep into her eyes, he fixed her with an intent gaze.

"I need you to open up to me, more. We can't have a proper relationship this way. You know that, right?"

Julia nodded her head in response.

"I just want to know more about the situation. I'm not asking for private details, but at least give me some sort of idea as to why you feel this way." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Promise me we'll talk more about it later on."

"Okay, I promise." The taste of metal suddenly filled her mouth, and as saliva began to build up, she realized she was becoming nauseous. Taking a few unsteady steps backward, she placed her palm against her forehead and found that it felt feverish.

"Baby, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" Nolan's eyes filled with concern and he stepped closer so he could stabilize her in his arms.

"I-I'm fine, I just..," her voice trailed off as she struggled to stay alert, but the strong wave of dizziness which overtook over her body was too much for her to handle. Her body went limp in his arms as she fainted, and what followed was a trip into the depths of unconsciousness.

* * * *

Julia awakened to find herself lying on a large, comfy bed. Her back was propped against a couple of large pillows, and a knitted throw blanket had been pulled up to her waist. Using her palms to raise herself up, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and buried her head in her hands. She had a bit of a headache, and was also experiencing some pain in the lower part of her stomach. The nausea was gone, but there was still that unpleasant metallic taste in her saliva.

Rising up onto her feet, Julia headed towards the bedroom door so that she could go find Nolan. Yet before she could make it outside, Alveolela stepped into the bedroom and guided her back towards the bed.

"How long have you been up? I just came in to check on you five minutes ago."

Julia took a seat on the edge of the bed. "I just barely woke up a minute ago. What happened, did I pass out?"

"Yes, you fainted." She handed her a mug and then sat on the bed next to her. "Drink this tea, it'll make you feel better."

Steam rose up from the ceramic cup, warming her face with its heat. "Thanks." She took a few sips of the chamomile drink. "How long was I out?"

"Ten minutes." Placing her palm against Julia's back, Alveolela offered it an affectionate rub. "We were all very worried about you."

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to alarm you guys."

"No need to be sorry, you couldn't control it."

Julia took a few more sips of the hot liquid and then asked, "Where's Nolan?"

"He's in the living room. He wants to come in and see you, but before he does, I want to talk with you a bit."

Noting the concern in her voice, Julia shifted her body so that they could make more direct eye contact. "Okay, what's up?"

"How have you been feeling lately, in general?"

Recalling how she'd vomited a week before, Julia reluctantly answered, "Well a week ago I was sick, but ever since then I've been fine. Up until today, that is."

"How sick were you?"

"I threw up, but it only happened once."

Clasping her palms in her lap, Alveolela briefly glanced away, as if she were contemplating something. Then she turned her gaze back upon the younger woman.

"Excuse me for asking this question because I'm not trying to pry into your business, but do you think you could be pregnant?"

A small sigh released itself from between her lips. "I wouldn't completely rule it out, but the pregnancy test I took came back negative."

Nolan's mother could see the worry in Julia's eyes. "How late are you?"

"A week and a half."

"Are your cycles irregular, or do they usually come on time?"

"They're pretty unpredictable, so it's kind of hard to keep track of them." Clasping the mug in her hands, she peered down into it.

"I hope this talk we're having doesn't make you feel uncomfortable. It's just I have a feeling about these things."

"So you think I'm pregnant?"

Alveolela gave a light shrug. "I can't know for sure, it's just a hunch I have. Of course I could be wrong, though."

Biting her lip nervously, Julia contemplated the idea of carrying a child. She hoped that she wasn't because she was nowhere near ready to have a baby. She and Nolan had only been dating for close to two months now, and she knew that the arrival of a child would surely change their relationship in a very big way.

As she sat there thinking about her future, she found herself wondering how it could have happened. She'd been taking her birth control pills faithfully, so she didn't understand how she could possibly be pregnant.

"I'll give it another few days and then take another test."

"That's probably a good idea." Nolan's mother stood up from the bed and smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress. "You can stay here and rest for a bit longer, if you like."

"No, it's okay. I should be fine." Rising onto her feet, Julia followed her to the bedroom door. As they reached the threshold, the older woman paused to embrace her in a warm hug.

"I'm sure it will be okay. Try not to worry, alright?"

Julia nodded and they both headed for the living room. She noticed that many of Nolan's relatives were hanging out there, and felt all eyes turn her way as she entered.

Everyone was giving her looks of concern, and a handful of people came over to offer her words of compassion. Heading her way with a look of distress upon his face, Nolan wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up close to him.

"How are you feeling?" His brows dipped into a slight frown.

"Better. Not sure what was wrong exactly, but I seem to be okay now."

"You had me so worried. Baby, are sure you're okay?"

She gave a nod in response. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm just feeling a bit tired."

"Let's get you home, then."

After saying their goodbyes to everybody in the room, they made their way to the front door. Nolan's mother gave Julia another hug, and then gave her son a kiss on the cheek.

"Make sure you take good care of her," she called out to him as the couple departed from the house.

"Will do," he called out over his shoulder.

As they stepped outside, they saw Jake, Sia and Leonie hanging around chatting to each other. Jake nodded his head in recognition of them, then stubbed his cigarette out in an ashtray.

"You okay, Julia?"

"Yeah, i'm better now. Thanks for asking."

"Well it was nice to meet you, and I hope to see you again soon." He pulled her into a hug.

"Nice to see you too," she responded.

Leonie was next to offer her an embrace. "Glad you're doing better, I hope you'll be okay."

Sia gave her a hug as well. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

"You too."

After saying his own goodbyes, Nolan led Julia towards the car. He opened the door for her and saw that she was comfortably seated, and then walked around to the driver's side. Once he was seated behind the wheel, he started the engine up and they drove away from the curb, heading off into the night.

* * * *

As they entered her apartment, Julia flipped on the light and slipped out of her black wedge sandals. It felt good to be barefoot again, and as her bladder alerted her of its need to be emptied, she excused herself and headed for the bathroom.

Once she'd relieved herself, Julia changed out of her dress and slipped into some lounge clothes. After donning a pair of curve-hugging drawstring pants and a white tank top, she headed for the kitchen, where Nolan was preparing some tea.

"Need any help?" she asked.

"No thanks, I've just about finished up." He plopped a tea bag in each mug, and then handed one of the cups to her.

As she took a sip of the drink, the taste of lemon awakened her taste buds. "You make a good cup of tea."

"Glad you like it." He took a sip from his own mug, and they both headed for the living room.

Once they were comfy on the couch, Julia grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. As she flipped through the stations, Nolan nuzzled her neck and offered her soft, sweet kisses. She loved the feel of his warm breath upon her skin, and as she settled upon a channel, she cuddled up against him and sipped her lemony tea.

"What's this movie?" he asked. "10 Things I Hate About You. It's one of my favorites."

"Cool. Is it a chick flick?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. It's good though, you'll like it."

They occasionally commented throughout the movie, and chuckled at the funny scenes, but they mostly watched in contented silence. Happily enclosed in the arms of her lover, she realized that this was one of those simple pleasures that really made life so enjoyable.

As she became more immersed in the storyline of the movie, Julia realized that the anxiety she felt over her possible pregnancy had nearly disappeared. Yet as Nolan's palm began to caress her lower belly, she was suddenly brought back to reality.

The uncertainty of whether or not she was carrying his child was nearly maddening, and as she became lost in her thoughts, her eyes stared blankly at the images on the TV screen. Realizing that all she could do was wait, Julia mentally coaxed herself to be calm and just deal with whatever the outcome would be.

Yet unbeknownst to her, the possibility of an impending pregnancy would soon become only one of her serious worries. For what lay ahead would prove to be one of the most wicked curve balls that life had ever thrown her way.