I Know I Was for a While
01: I’ve Got You
Softly brushing her fingertip over the picture that she held in her hand, Camila let her head fall forwards, another sniffle slipping out of her mouth and into the quiet air which sat around her. It had been quiet for a while, after the sound of Noah slamming the front door shut after he’d stormed out had reverberated through the apartment, the only sounds that had disrupted the silence were the sounds of Camila’s soft sniffles, but she couldn’t seem to stop them, even if it had been a while since Noah had left. She couldn’t quite bring herself to stop crying, still too surprised by his reaction to news that she had thought he’d be excited about.
She had known about it for a while, when she’d started to feel nauseous a couple of weeks previous, she had quickly guessed what the cause was, but she had opted to keep it to herself for a little while, wanting to find the perfect moment to surprise her boyfriend with the news that he was only a matter of months away from becoming a father. She knew that it would surprise him, with them having only been dating for a year, she knew that the news that she was pregnant was something which would catch him by surprise, but still his reaction had surprised her, even if she had anticipated his shock. She hadn’t expected that he would tell her that he didn’t want to be involved in her pregnancy.
Allowing her head to fall forwards, she cried quietly into her hands for a few seconds before the sound of a light knock at the front door reached her ears, something which caused her to push herself up to her feet. Hesitating for a couple of seconds, she placed the photograph down onto the end table before she padded down the hall, pulling the front door before she stepped over the threshold, quickly wrapping her arms around Lionel who stood on the other side.
Lionel flinched, surprised by the strength of her hug, before he took a couple of steps forwards, gently guiding her back into the apartment before he knocked the door closed. Feeling the dampness of her cheeks against his neck, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly for a few seconds before he tugged back, cupping her cheeks in his hands.
Gently brushing his thumb across her cheek, he brushed away a few loose tears before he shook his head, a soft sigh falling out of his mouth. “What’s going on, Mila?” he mumbled “I mean, you didn’t say much in your text, just to come over. What’s wrong?” he posed gently.
Camila, who’d moved to lean her head into his hand slightly, sniffled a little before she lifted her head up, her tearful brown eyes mirroring his. “I need to pack up my things” she breathed “Things between me and Noah...I just need to get out of here, Ok?” she added shakily.
Lionel’s expression softened. “You and Noah broke up?” he asked, trying as hard as he could to keep the surprise out of his voice. He knew that she was upset, even before she’d opened the door to him with tears in her eyes, he’d known that there was something the matter, and he didn’t want to make things worse by saying the wrong thing in the wrong way, even if he was more than surprised by the news that she and Noah had ended things. He wanted to try and be as comforting as he could be.
Camila simply nodded, not even trying to meet his eyes.
Lionel offered her a look, briefly contemplating asking what had happened, before he stepped back towards her, pulling her into another tight hug. Camila startled, surprised by the soft hug, but she was quick to respond to it, her arms wrapping around him tightly as she buried her face in his neck, crying softly. Lionel held onto her, his hand softly brushing up and down her back before he pulled back again, gently brushing a few more loose tears off of her cheeks. “Have you got some bags?” he asked “Or boxes. Anything I could use to put your stuff in?” he added
Camila nodded. “In the hallway closet” she noted.
“OK” Lionel mused “I’ll grab those and we’ll go and pack up what you want to pack up and then you can come back to mine, OK?” he added, offering her a small comforting smile.
“You’d be OK with that?” Camila noted softly “I mean, I could always get a hotel or something, or head to my mother’s” she added.
Lionel offered her a dubious look. “You want to go to your mother’s?” he quipped, his voice slightly teasing.
Camila let out a snuffly laugh, something which made Lionel’s faint smile grow a fraction before he stepped towards her, offering her another tight hug before he stepped back, moving to walk through towards her bedroom, Camila following after him.
~#~
“Is this everything?”
Camila, who was sat quietly at the foot of her bed, blinked a couple of times at the sound of Lionel’s voice before she lifted her head, settling her eyes on where he sat a little ahead of her, zipping up another suitcase. It had taken them a while, with her and Noah having lived together for a couple of months, his apartment was full of her stuff, and it had taken them a couple of hours to pack it all, something Camila was pleased they were finished with. It had been hard, watching as Lionel had placed her things into boxes and bags around her had hurt, and she was glad that it was finished with, even if she was dreading the moment that they actually left the apartment.
“I think so” she mused “I mean, I took all of my stuff out of the living room and the laundry. I can’t think of anything I’ve forgotten” she added.
Lionel, who’d moved to place the bag he’d just finished packing with the others which stood beside the bedroom door, stood up and glanced around the room, his dark eyes settling on something which stood on the nightstand. Taking a couple of steps forwards, he leant down and lifted up the piece of paper, his eyes softening a little as he recognized it. “Mila” he murmured softly.
Camila, who’d watched him across the room, quirked a weak smile, a few tears appearing in her eyes. “Twelve weeks” she murmured.
Lionel tilted his head. “Huh?” he spluttered.
“That’s my twelve week scan” Camila clarified gently “I had an appointment with my midwife a couple of days ago, and, once I knew that everything was alright, I decided that I wanted to surprise Noah. I thought he’d be excited, Leo, I thought that the idea of us having a baby would be...” she trailed off as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.
Lionel, who was still staring down at the sonogram picture which he held in his hand, listened to the soft sound of her sniffles for a second before he stepped towards the foot of the bed, pulling her into another tight hug, something which allowed Camila to cry softly into his shoulder. Gently brushing his hand up and down her back, he rested his head onto top of hers for a second before he dipped down, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head. “I’ve got you” he mumbled softly “And I am going to help you, OK? I’ve got you, Mila” he added, his voice warm and reassuring.
Camila sniffled a little, listening to the warm sound of his voice, before she tightened her arms around him, wordlessly thanking him for showing up when he had.
She had known about it for a while, when she’d started to feel nauseous a couple of weeks previous, she had quickly guessed what the cause was, but she had opted to keep it to herself for a little while, wanting to find the perfect moment to surprise her boyfriend with the news that he was only a matter of months away from becoming a father. She knew that it would surprise him, with them having only been dating for a year, she knew that the news that she was pregnant was something which would catch him by surprise, but still his reaction had surprised her, even if she had anticipated his shock. She hadn’t expected that he would tell her that he didn’t want to be involved in her pregnancy.
Allowing her head to fall forwards, she cried quietly into her hands for a few seconds before the sound of a light knock at the front door reached her ears, something which caused her to push herself up to her feet. Hesitating for a couple of seconds, she placed the photograph down onto the end table before she padded down the hall, pulling the front door before she stepped over the threshold, quickly wrapping her arms around Lionel who stood on the other side.
Lionel flinched, surprised by the strength of her hug, before he took a couple of steps forwards, gently guiding her back into the apartment before he knocked the door closed. Feeling the dampness of her cheeks against his neck, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly for a few seconds before he tugged back, cupping her cheeks in his hands.
Gently brushing his thumb across her cheek, he brushed away a few loose tears before he shook his head, a soft sigh falling out of his mouth. “What’s going on, Mila?” he mumbled “I mean, you didn’t say much in your text, just to come over. What’s wrong?” he posed gently.
Camila, who’d moved to lean her head into his hand slightly, sniffled a little before she lifted her head up, her tearful brown eyes mirroring his. “I need to pack up my things” she breathed “Things between me and Noah...I just need to get out of here, Ok?” she added shakily.
Lionel’s expression softened. “You and Noah broke up?” he asked, trying as hard as he could to keep the surprise out of his voice. He knew that she was upset, even before she’d opened the door to him with tears in her eyes, he’d known that there was something the matter, and he didn’t want to make things worse by saying the wrong thing in the wrong way, even if he was more than surprised by the news that she and Noah had ended things. He wanted to try and be as comforting as he could be.
Camila simply nodded, not even trying to meet his eyes.
Lionel offered her a look, briefly contemplating asking what had happened, before he stepped back towards her, pulling her into another tight hug. Camila startled, surprised by the soft hug, but she was quick to respond to it, her arms wrapping around him tightly as she buried her face in his neck, crying softly. Lionel held onto her, his hand softly brushing up and down her back before he pulled back again, gently brushing a few more loose tears off of her cheeks. “Have you got some bags?” he asked “Or boxes. Anything I could use to put your stuff in?” he added
Camila nodded. “In the hallway closet” she noted.
“OK” Lionel mused “I’ll grab those and we’ll go and pack up what you want to pack up and then you can come back to mine, OK?” he added, offering her a small comforting smile.
“You’d be OK with that?” Camila noted softly “I mean, I could always get a hotel or something, or head to my mother’s” she added.
Lionel offered her a dubious look. “You want to go to your mother’s?” he quipped, his voice slightly teasing.
Camila let out a snuffly laugh, something which made Lionel’s faint smile grow a fraction before he stepped towards her, offering her another tight hug before he stepped back, moving to walk through towards her bedroom, Camila following after him.
~#~
“Is this everything?”
Camila, who was sat quietly at the foot of her bed, blinked a couple of times at the sound of Lionel’s voice before she lifted her head, settling her eyes on where he sat a little ahead of her, zipping up another suitcase. It had taken them a while, with her and Noah having lived together for a couple of months, his apartment was full of her stuff, and it had taken them a couple of hours to pack it all, something Camila was pleased they were finished with. It had been hard, watching as Lionel had placed her things into boxes and bags around her had hurt, and she was glad that it was finished with, even if she was dreading the moment that they actually left the apartment.
“I think so” she mused “I mean, I took all of my stuff out of the living room and the laundry. I can’t think of anything I’ve forgotten” she added.
Lionel, who’d moved to place the bag he’d just finished packing with the others which stood beside the bedroom door, stood up and glanced around the room, his dark eyes settling on something which stood on the nightstand. Taking a couple of steps forwards, he leant down and lifted up the piece of paper, his eyes softening a little as he recognized it. “Mila” he murmured softly.
Camila, who’d watched him across the room, quirked a weak smile, a few tears appearing in her eyes. “Twelve weeks” she murmured.
Lionel tilted his head. “Huh?” he spluttered.
“That’s my twelve week scan” Camila clarified gently “I had an appointment with my midwife a couple of days ago, and, once I knew that everything was alright, I decided that I wanted to surprise Noah. I thought he’d be excited, Leo, I thought that the idea of us having a baby would be...” she trailed off as a few tears slipped down her cheeks.
Lionel, who was still staring down at the sonogram picture which he held in his hand, listened to the soft sound of her sniffles for a second before he stepped towards the foot of the bed, pulling her into another tight hug, something which allowed Camila to cry softly into his shoulder. Gently brushing his hand up and down her back, he rested his head onto top of hers for a second before he dipped down, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head. “I’ve got you” he mumbled softly “And I am going to help you, OK? I’ve got you, Mila” he added, his voice warm and reassuring.
Camila sniffled a little, listening to the warm sound of his voice, before she tightened her arms around him, wordlessly thanking him for showing up when he had.