Bittersweet

It had been a full month since Ava discovered her pregnancy and things were finally beginning to look up for her. She was now 18 weeks pregnant, and Ava couldn't have been happier. Her relationship with Miguel had grown stronger. A week after he'd left back to Italy, Miguel asked Ava to be his girlfriend which obviously she said yes to. She promised to keep in touch with him no matter how hard the distant was between them. Secondly, Ava had spoken with her parents who began to question why their daughter hadn't returned home after the trial. Ava insisted she wanted to stay in London a little longer, just to patch things up with Latoya. They weren't fond on the idea; Ava gave them no choice. She knew it was wrong to hide away her pregnancy from them, but Ava wasn't ready to tell them yet. Her full concern right now was telling the father.

While the brunette was in London, the female had decided it was best to find a place of her own. Ever since she'd confessed in front of Juan about being pregnant, he'd been giving her odd glances and an awkward silence lingered around them when Latoya wasn't near. Ava searched everywhere, it took a few weeks to almost find a place but in the end, she had managed to find a suitable area. She'd found a nice sized place nearby Latoya which had enough space for 3 people. A beautiful sized kitchen, a spacious living room, 3 bedrooms, one en suite bathroom and a conservatory leading to a medium sized garden. The house, fully furnished was ready and Ava didn't waste any time moving in.

The sun gleamed brightly and there was a warm gentle breeze as Ava sat at the table on her backyard porch. A few magazines and books were lined up in piles in front of her. She was currently reading a book on pregnancy which she'd bought from a store earlier in the week. Ava sensed movements coming from within in her house but she didn't need to look up as she knew it was Latoya visiting. She happened to have visited a couple of times last week when Ava moved in for the first time.

"You know, this is the fifth time I've seen you here," said Ava, who still hadn't looked up.

"Oh hush." Latoya replied in a cheeky manner. Ava knew her friend had a mischievous smile on her face. She didn't need to look up to see it. Latoya who now approached Ava, looked intrigued as she gazed down at the pile of books. She took one in her hand. "A to Z on Pregnancy," She read before placing it down and picking up another off the pile. "Things to know about becoming a mother." Ava nodded, still not looking up to the brunette. "Baby Journal?" Latoya asked which Ava gave a simple shrug to. Latoya became interested as she opened up the diary to find notes and written dates by Ava along with several scans from her ultrasounds. Latoya closed it up and glanced to Ava. She pursed her lips. "I know you're new to all of this but, don't you think you're getting a bit carried away?"

"There's nothing wrong with preparing myself Latoya, like you said, I'm new to this so I need to learn as much as possible and I need all the help I can get."

"Yes, but you don't need to have books by your side every second, every minute." Latoya explained. She slowly sat down on one of the seats across from Ava. By now, Ava herself had paused from her reading. She sat quietly in her chair, and stared back at Latoya. "You mustn't forget, you have your friends Ava, me and Juan, your family and most importantly Miguel."

"Miguel?"

"Well yeah, considering he is the father right?" Ava stayed silent at her friends question and Latoya's brows knitted as her curiosity got the best of her. Ava glanced down when she noticed the solemn look the brunette was giving her. "You have told him?"

"No." Ava responded eagerly, with a look of worry. Latoya frowned at her.

"And why not? Ava, he deserves to know."

"I haven't told him," She said, not wanting to tell the true reason why Miguel didn't know. Latoya sensed the nervousness in her voice as she watched Ava fidget. "Because he's not the father." Latoya gaped in shock as Ava locked eyes with hers but then she immediately became concerned when Ava began to sniffle and turn away to wipe her eyes. The brunette realised there and then, Ava obviously knew who the father was; she just didn't want to ask. It would cause further destruction to Ava's emotions and she didn't need that right now. It wasn't good for the baby. "I knew the minute I heard the conceived date who the father would be and it honestly terrified me because...I realised right there, I've slept with one guy since turning 21, and it was with a married man."

"Oh my...god." replied Latoya through a stutter. Her eyes widened. "Fernando?"

-

An awkward silence brewed between the two friends as the pair were still sat at the table. Latoya had fetched drinks for them both before returning back but this time she sat next to Ava instead of sitting across. She hadn't said a word and neither did Latoya. To be fair, none of them weren't sure on what to say at the time until Latoya tried to lighten the mood.

"It's a good thing I didn't ask," She said which earned a small smile off of Ava. Latoya gave her a gentle smile in return.

"I know it's hard to understand, I've been trying to believe it since my first ultrasound but it's happening, this is actually real, I'm having his child."

"Either way, no matter what happens, I'm going to support you through the whole ordeal, even if I have to sit next to you and hold your hand when you're pushing the bugger out," said Latoya. Ava laughed loudly, making the brunette grin.

"Telling him is going to be the worst, Fernando's gonna freak and he's gonna hate me even more." Ava sighed. "Charming."

"You don't know that until you actually tell him Ava, you can't wait around forever because sooner or later, things are going to get messy. I can tell you one thing though, Olalla will not be pleased."

"She already knows." Ava answered, letting out a puff of annoyance. Latoya's eyes bulged and coughed on her drink.

"What? Are you joking?"

"No, apparently she's physic and knows the signs of pregnancy. She literally walked in on me in the bathroom at the restaurant last month. She gave me a damn serious threat while she was in there as well, luckily she left before she did something drastic."

"Why didn't you tell me this before? Honestly, what a bitch. One day she'll see what's coming to her and it won't be a pretty sight."

"Karma's a bitch." Ava said, smirking at Latoya who only grinned and nodded back at the brunette. She took a swig from her drink before jumping back into more reading, leaving Latoya to her thoughts. The female stayed round a little longer before making lunch for them both. The two girls headed inside to eat when the meal was ready. By the time they were both done, Juan had rang Latoya informing her that he was now back at home from training. Latoya told him she'd be back soon before promising Ava she'd visit again. Latoya left and Ava went to have a shower. Once the brunette had finished, she dressed into a bloom print maxi dress with white gladiator sandals. The dress outlined her curves perfectly and hid the slight bump on her belly which satisfied the brunette happily.

Ava headed downstairs where she washed the remaining dishes then left to the living room. The night before, Ava had been flicking through a home design magazine where she was gaining ideas for her baby's nursery. She couldn't contain her excitement for when the time came to fully decorate it. As she began eyeing through, her answer phone beeped signalling there was a new message. Ava pressed the button and Miguel's voice rang within the room. Ava instantly smiled when he muttered something in Portuguese.

"I'm sorry Ava, so sorry, I hope you are well, training has been very tough these last few days but I do my best to contact you.." He paused for a while before he continued. "There isn't a day where I don't think about you, I miss you and I shall see you soon." Ava bit back at a smile as the message ended. She pressed the button to listen to him again. Ava missed him too and she loved how he could be so loving with the simplest words towards her. She sighed once the message ended for the second time and went back to her reading. It didn't last long when the doorbell suddenly rang leaving Ava frozen. The only people who knew where she lived were Juan and Latoya since they helped her move into her new home. She never told no one else. The doorbell rang again and Ava pursed her lips. She stood and quietly left the room, walked slowly down the hallway towards the door where she saw the outline of someone through the glass. They were about to ring again until Ava twisted the handle and pulled the door wide open leaving her breathless as her eyes came to meet familiar brown ones.

Fernando.