One Kiss (One Kiss Book 1)

39. Results

Drew

Haley found Mona's Instagram profile and from the pictures she uploads we can tell she is very confident in her body and that she is a party animal. I cannot help but wonder how this girl could possibly be related to Haley - the idea is absurd. They are as different as night and day. How can they be related? How is it possible that they share the same father?

Haley is sitting on the bed when I exit the bathroom.

She puts her phone away. "Do you think she's my sister ... half-sister I mean?"

I take a deep breath and slump down next to her. "You two are complete opposites. How can she be related to you?" It is the truth but I cannot help this fear inside me. I do not want them to be sisters because I do not like this Mona. She seems like trouble and I do not want her to disrupt Haley's life. The death of her mother was already too much for her to deal with.

Haley stares at the wall in front of her.

"I know this DNA test could have a life-altering result. This could change everything you thought you knew about your father." I should probably shut my mouth but I keep going. "Your mother never told you he had a family or maybe she didn't even know."

"I just want the truth." Her face is impassive. She looks shaken up and I have no clue how to help her.

"You should get some rest. We will know the truth tomorrow," I say quietly.

She does not say anything else. She is still wearing a poker face as she lies down in bed. I switch off the light and lie down next to her and pull the sheets over our bodies.

I wake up to an empty bed. Haley is not sleeping next to me. How did I miss her getting out of bed? Where is she? I get up and switch on the light. I look at the clock to find it is still six in the morning. Why did she wake up before six?

I go look for her in the bathroom first but she is not there so I go check downstairs. I find her in the kitchen but she does not notice my presence. She is concentrated on what she is cooking. What is she cooking?

"What are you doing?"

She jumps at my voice. I didn't mean to startle her. She holds her hands over her chest breathing heavily.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You shouldn't sneak up on people."

"What are you doing so early?" I ask, wondering what she is cooking at this time of the day.

"I couldn't sleep so I am making pancakes."

That explains the mess of flour on the kitchen counter and the little bit of white smudge on her left cheek. She is wearing her hair up in a messy bun which exposes her face completely. I can see the uneasiness and worry and anxiety behind her blank expression. She is trying to hide her true feelings but she is failing.

"It's okay to be anxious. I would be worried if you weren't."

She turns back to face the pan and flips the pancake. "Would you like a pancake?"

Changing the subject tells me she does not want to talk about the DNA test. She is trying not to think about it.

"Yes, please." I take a seat at the dining table and wait for her to finish cooking the pancakes. I do not offer any help because I know she is cooking as a means to occupy her time and forget what lies ahead. I do not have to be a psychologist to know this much.

When she is ready, she places a plate of three pancakes, stacked on top of each other, in front of me. She also brings honey, nutella and strawberry jam for me to choose whatever I want.

"What about you?" I ask her.

"I'm not hungry," she deadpans.

"Can you keep me company at least?" I don't want her to be on her own, not like this. She is too vulnerable at the moment and she is failing miserably at hiding it.

"I should clean up before your mom comes down."

"Leave everything. I'll help you clean up later. My mom won't say anything." My mother will understand perfectly. She knows how difficult this must be for Haley.

She nods and sits down next to me.

I eat my pancakes with strawberry jam.

My mother enters the kitchen a few minutes later. She halts in the doorway. "You're up early." She eyes Haley for a second and then glances my way.

"Haley made pancakes," I inform her.

"Would you like some?" Haley stands up ready to offer some pancakes to my mother.

I nod at my mother to go along with her.

"That would be lovely, dear."

Time passes by slowly. It takes too long for eleven o'clock. We are to meet Mona at the clinic at that exact time. The same time we receive the results. I am anxious but not as much as Haley is. The more time passes, the more anxious she gets.

At the clinic, Haley stays quiet while Mona sits relaxed and types on her phone as we wait for the doctor to call us. Mona even takes selfies as we wait. I find it ridiculous but I do not say anything to Haley.

We wait for what feels like hours but in actual fact only ten minutes passed until the doctor called us. We follow him to his office. The scent of a sanitizer fills my nostrils as we enter.

"Please have a seat."

There are exactly four chairs for the four of us. We all take a seat anxious to get the results.

The doctor holds a paper and speaks before I have time to ask. "Haley Watson and Mona Watson share twenty four point seven percent of their DNA, meaning they can be half siblings. However, a paternal DNA test will give us the best result to know for sure."

"That's not possible," Haley informs him.

"Actually it is," Mona says before the doctor opens his mouth to speak.

Our heads snap toward Mona. What is she talking about? Their father could be dead from what Haley told me. Her mother told her that her father was nothing but a drunk and was dead most probably. Haley always believed he was dead because it was easier than believing he did not want anything to do with her. Is he actually still alive? If he is, it could change everything for Haley.

Mona continues and looks straight into Haley's eyes. "He faked his death to get out of trouble. People were after him for money."

"You're lying," Haley counters.

"Why would I lie?"

That's a good question. Why would she lie? What does she want from Haley?