The trolley’s bells dinged as it came to a stop in front of where Lola and Bryon stood. He ushered her in front of him, and touched the small of her back for support as she climbed the stairs. It sent shivers down her spine.
They found two seats towards the back and slid in next to each other. Lola stared out the window for a moment examining the view from where she sat.
This was her hometown, the place she had grown up, met the love of her life, and planned her whole future. It used to be so important, but the colors were all wrong now like a dark haze had crept in and covered the town.
“There’s that frown again,” Bryon said cheerfully, as the trolley kicked into motion.
Lola tried to smile back at him, but she couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. Maybe it was just disturbing text she had received from Mark. Irritation filled her.
“What about the baby?” he asked. “Do you know what you’re having?”
It took Lola a moment to realize he had asked her a question. “It’s a girl,” she said lamely.
“What about a name? I bet you’ve thought of thousands by now!” She tried to discern if his enthusiasm felt forced, but she couldn’t tell. Then her stomach sank. She hadn’t thought about names since she first found out she was pregnant, then wondered how many times her mom must of wondered, but never asked.
“I don’t know” she answered. As she looked over to meet his gaze, she knew he wanted her to say more, but Mark’s warning repeated like a broken record in her head. She looked away and back out the window and for a split second she thought she saw Mark’s face in the street. Curiosity filled her mind, a million questions all at once, and suddenly she couldn‘t sit still.
“Ya know, I’m starting to feel a little queasy,” she touched her fingers to her lips then puffed out her cheeks hoping it looked convincing. “I think the rocking is getting to be too much.”
“Right, right,” he said quickly. He jumped up and headed towards the driver. A few seconds later the trolley came to a stop, and Lola stood quickly, walked to the front and down the stairs. She took a few deep cleansing breaths once she reached the bottom to make it seem like it was helping, but really she was just out of breath.
“Is that better?” he asked rubbing her back. “Do you need any water?”
“Oh no, I think I’ll be alright now,” she said, then tried to think quickly. “Ya know, my mom said she was going to be shopping in some of these stores, so I’ll just give her a quick text to make sure, that way you don’t have to drive me home.” She reached for her phone.
“It’s no trouble really,” he insisted placing his hand on hers covering the cell. Lola took a step back, her heart starting to pump in her chest.
“Lola?” a familiar voice sounded behind her. She turned to see Mark coming at a quick jog in their direction.
“Wow! It’s so good to see you!” he said enthusiastically scooping her into a hug.
Relief rushed over her, immediately followed by anger, and she resisted the urge to shove him off. He felt her tense up, so he dropped his arms releasing his embrace, but kept his left hand on her back.
“Who’s this?” he asked and reached out to shake Bryon’s hand.
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