Chapter 2

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Fiona suddenly covered her mouth, her brows furrowed in pain.

Hudson stood up so fast his chair screeched back half a foot.

"How could you be so careless?"

"The bones in this fish are too tiny. I didn't see them," Fiona said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Open your mouth. Let me see where it's stuck."

Hudson leaned over the table.

"It's on your tongue. Not too deep. I can get it out for you."

They were so close. Hudson turned on his phone flashlight to inspect her mouth.

Sitting across from them, the pungent smell of chili from the dishes invaded my nose. My stomach acid churned violently.

I pressed my hand firmly against my abdomen. No one spared me a single glance.

I unlocked my phone. Our chat from last week was still sitting there quietly.

[The test results are out. The doctor said it doesn't look good. Please take a look when you have a minute.]

[Okay.]

Below that, there was nothing else.

"Better now? The bone is out," Hudson said, sitting back down.

"Want to swallow some bread? Or drink some lemon juice? I'll be more careful cleaning the fish for you next time."

"I don't want any more fish. I'm scared," Fiona complained softly.

"Then eat something else. This fried chicken has no bones."

He picked up his fork and put a chicken drumstick into her plate.

"Thank you, Hudson. You're the best."

Fiona smiled sweetly.

She then turned to me, a hint of triumph in her eyes. "Angie, are you really not going to eat anything?"

"Not hungry." I took a small sip of my warm water.

"Is the food here not to your liking?"

"If I had known, I would have insisted we go to that Mexican place you like."

"It's fine."

Hudson suddenly slammed his fork down, his face darkening.

"Angie, who are you pulling that face for?"

I looked up at him. "I'm not pulling a face."

"Fiona is just trying to be nice. What's with the attitude?"

"My stomach hurts."

"If it hurts, go buy some meds. Don't ruin the mood for everyone else here."

I looked at him, finding it almost funny.

Three years. He completely forgot that I got this chronic stomach ulcer from staying up late with him for months to help him finish his startup project.

"I need to use the restroom," I said, standing up.

"Make it quick. I'm ready to pay the bill," Hudson said without looking up.

I walked into the restroom, gripped the sink, and dry-heaved twice.

Nothing came up but burning stomach acid.

I splashed cold water on my face and stared at my pale reflection in the mirror.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from my doctor.

[Miss Angie, your new biopsy report is ready. I strongly suggest you come to the clinic as soon as possible.]

I dried my hands and walked back to the dining area.

Hudson had already paid. He was gently draping a camel coat over Fiona's shoulders.

"It's chilly tonight. Don't catch a cold."

Fiona snuggled into the coat. "Hudson's coat is so warm."

Hudson turned and saw me, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Let's go. What are you standing there for?"

Outside the restaurant, the freezing winter wind hit my face. I shivered.

While Hudson went to the parking lot to get the car, Fiona stood next to me.

"Angie, don't be mad at Hudson."

"He just has a short temper, but he's a really good guy."

"Before my dad passed away, he made Hudson promise to look after me. Hudson keeps his word. He's a man of honor."

"Moving from my hometown to LA three years ago hasn't been easy. I don't know what I would've done without him."

She stared at the direction Hudson went.

"I'm not mad," I replied.

"Good. I was worried you'd misunderstand our relationship."

"I won't."

The car pulled up. Hudson rolled down the window. "Get in."

Fiona opened the passenger door and slid inside naturally.

I opened the back door and sat in the shadows of the backseat.

The car was playing the soft indie music Fiona liked.

"I'll drop Fiona off first," Hudson said as he started the engine.

"Thanks, Hudson. Sorry to trouble you."

"No trouble. It's on the way."

It wasn't on the way. Fiona lived on the east side of the city. I lived on the west.

But I said nothing.

When we arrived at Fiona's apartment building, Hudson parked the car.

"I'll walk you up."

"No need! I can walk myself."

"It's late. It's not safe."

They both got out of the car.

I sat in the dark vehicle, watching them walk side-by-side into the building entrance.

It took ten minutes for Hudson to return.

"Why didn't you turn up the heater?" He glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

"I'm not cold."

He didn't push further and started driving.

"Tomorrow is the weekend. Any plans?" he asked casually.

"No."

"Perfect. Come help me move Fiona's stuff tomorrow."

"She's a girl, she has too many boxes to carry by herself."

I stared out the window. "Okay."

I gripped my phone, opened my chat with Hudson, and typed:

[The doctor wants me to go to the hospital. My biopsy results are out.]

My thumb hovered over the send button for a long time.

After a moment, I deleted the message, letter by letter.

Forget it. He would only reply with an "Okay."