Spellbound

“Elodie, I'd like you to meet Marianne”

Max indicated the woman on his arm. She was pretty much what I expected; blonde hair, big boobs, tall, skinny.

Wait, no, not skinny. I blinked. Not skinny at all.

I stumbled back, almost falling into Geno's arms. I tried to compose myself as quickly as possible so it wasn’t obvious, but with Geno's hand rubbing up and down my arm it was difficult. I had to stop thinking like that.

I looked at Marianne again. She was pregnant.

“Hi Marianne, nice to meet you” I could at least be cordial. I would be having words with Max later.

“Yeah you too Melodie”

“Actually, it's just Elodie” I corrected her.

“Yeah, I know. That's what I said. Duh” Oh God, this girl was even more dumb than I thought.

“Of course” I commented. I felt Geno snigger next to me so I gently elbowed him in the side, warning him to stop before we both ended up laughing uncontrollably.

“Maxie, I want to go sit down. Come on” Max followed her without hesitation. This wasn’t the Max I knew, that silly pregnant whale had changed him. Ok, so calling her silly might have been a bit harsh, but a whale most definitely.

After Max and Marianne went into his living room to talk to everyone else, it left me standing with Geno in the hallway.

“Did you know?” I demanded, poking my finger to his chest.

“Know what?”

“Don't plead ignorance with me, Geno. Did you know that Max's girlfriend was pregnant?”

“She's pregnant? I thought she was just fat” he joked. I was most definitely not in the mood, why hadn't Max told me before? Come to think of it, why the hell hadn't Geno mentioned it?

“Geno, why didn't you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” he questioned again, clearly trying to avoid explaining. I was beyond pissed. I opened the door ready to walk out, not that I had anywhere to go. I was staying either here or at Geno’s. I just needed to walk, to think.

As I reached the pavement I felt a tug on my wrist. I snapped back around to see Geno standing there, eyes pleading with me to hear him out, whatever he had to say. I nodded for him to start speaking.

“Max wanted to tell you himself. It wasn't planned, he hardly knew Marianne when it happened. None of your family know, and he didn't want it getting back to them before he'd had chance to explain to you. It was a one night stand gone wrong. He was petrified of telling you, so that's why it's taken so long to meet her.”

“I still don't understand why you didn't tell me though. I thought we were closer than that Geno.”

I needed time to think. I started to make my way outside again for some fresh air and thinking space. Before I'd got more than a few steps away I felt a hand, Geno's, tug on my arm.

“We are. We are closer than that, Els. I didn't tell you because...I don't know why I didn't tell you. Max asked me not to, and when I couldn't tell you straight away I figured I had blown my chance. You would only be angry at me for not telling you sooner. So I just didn't tell you. Sorry.”

“What do you mean you couldn't tell me straight away? When you met me at the airport and mentioned her you pulled a face, you could have just told me then.”

“I couldn't because I was too blown away by you.”

What? Geno was blown away by me? I couldn't say anything; I was flattered, honoured even that someone like Geno would be blown away by me when he could have anyone in the world. But I have Tom, I reminded myself.

“Sorry” he finally muttered when I didn't say anything. I stood looking down at my feet awkwardly. I was in shock. Geno was perfect, the person that completes me, but I have Tom.

“I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have got mad at you. It wasn't your fault, any of it. I'm just mad at Max but he's not here so you're getting the brunt of my anger.”

I looked up from my feet when I heard Geno softly chuckling.

“What?” I playfully punched him.

“You think that” he waved his arms about the air. Gosh, he was adorable, “was angry? You should try playing hockey.” I pouted, faking more anger at him. “You're so cute” he whispered into my ear as his arms once more found their way around my body. Why couldn't life be like this with Tom?

We made our way back inside and sat down with the other members of the team, plus various wives/girlfriends/friends. We watched random TV, the guys played on various Playstation games, and there was general chatter and merriment about the place.

I noticed that Marianne wasn't talking to anyone, not even Max. She looked completely out of her comfort zone. Part of me wanted to go and talk to her, get to know her, but I knew I should talk to Max first.

A little while later Max got up and went to the kitchen to get more drinks. I followed him in there, surprising him a little when I reached around him to grab some bottles of water. He looked at me nervously, waiting for the barrage of abuse about how he should have told me he was going to be a dad.

But it didn’t come.

Just looking at him, scared of my reaction made me realise how life changing something like this must be. I mean, we told each other everything, everything, so for him to be scared about telling me this meant that in fact he was petrified about the whole thing.

“So when’s Marianne due?”

“May 15th, we’re going to have a little girl” he grinned proudly, all the time keeping his eyes on the floor. When he bought his gaze back up to me though, the smiled dropped and was immediately replaced with an anxious look.

“I’m so pleased for you. Have you thought of any names?”

He was relieved for a moment, “No, we’ve not really thought about anything like that yet, we only found out the sex a couple of days ago”

“Oh ok. Well, Elodie’s a great name, she’s bound to turn out perfect if you name her that” I smiled at him. He chuckled, causing me to do the same.

We talked and talked, catching up on everything. He was petrified about having this baby, just as I thought but I assured him I would be there to do anything I could to help him, and I would be on hand as a babysitter any time he needed me.

Although the thought of having a baby scared the life out of him, he was genuinely excited, and that rubbed off onto me. Later that night as Geno and I were leaving, I snuggled up into him and he wrapped him arms around me to starve off the cold night air.

“I want a baby, Geno” I told him as I snuggled into him even more, his grip tightened around me, and when after a few seconds of no response I looked up at him, he was blushing. “You’re so cute” I kissed him on the cheek and got into his car. As we pulled up at his place, I got out and skipped to the door, waiting for him to let me in seeing as I didn’t have a key.

“You’d make an excellent mum Elodie”

“Thanks,” I was jumping up and down on the spot, itching to get away. “I’m going to call Tom”