I Know I Was for a While

Readjusting her legs which were crossed in front of her, Camila let out a soft yawn, her eyes staring at the screen of the laptop which sat on the coffee table in front of her. It was late, after she and Lionel had attended Gerard’s party the night before, they’d both taken advantage of the opportunity to lay in for a little while, but with baby intent on kicking up a storm, she’d climbed out of bed and headed downstairs, something which had led to her spending a little while browsing baby furniture on her laptop.

She knew that she still had things to figure out, with her due date only a matter of weeks away, she knew that there was still a lot things that she need to get ready before the baby came along, but she felt more comfortable about the idea of the baby arriving than she had done previously, even if she did still worry about the idea of being overwhelmed. She knew that she had people around her who’d be more than happy to lend a hand when the time came.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she allowed another sleepy yawn to fall out of her mouth before the sound of a laugh reached her ears, causing her to roll her eyes to herself before she turned, her eyes settling on Lionel who leant against the doorframe, an amused smile pulling at the corner of his lips as he attempted to straighten out his slightly messy hair. “You know that you could have stayed in bed, right?” he quipped.

Camila, who’d turned back towards her laptop, nodded. “I would have done” she mused “But baby’s been kicking for the last couple of hours and it made it getting comfortable pretty difficult, so I came down here” she added, her hand gently passing over the front of her shirt.

Lionel, who’d moved to sit down in a chair a little away from her, watched the movement of her hand for a second before he quirked a soft smile, his eyes catching on the t-shirt that she wore. It wasn’t the first time, since she’d started to stay with him a couple of months previous, he had found her wearing his t-shirts on more than one occasion, but still it brought a small smile to his face, even if he knew that she’d only taken to wearing them because they were comfortable for her. He had to admit that there was a part of him that liked seeing her dressed in something which belonged to him.

Smiling softly to himself, he admired her quietly for a couple of seconds, before he shook his head, lifting his stare slightly. “What are you doing?” he asked, disturbing the comfortable silence which had settled over the two of them.

Camila shrugged before she lifted her stare away from her laptop. “Not much” she replied “I mean, you might have noticed, but I am going to have a baby in a couple of months and I was looking for some baby furniture. I think I might need it” she explained, a teasing smile on her lips.

Lionel offered her a playful glare, something which made Camila giggle softly before she shook her head, gently pushing some of her dark hair behind her ear as her expression softened slightly.

Lionel tilted his head, not missing the shift in her expression, before he pushed himself up to his feet, moving to settle into a spot on the couch which sat behind her. Leaning forwards slightly, he reached over her shoulder towards her laptop, scanning up and down the page which she had loaded on the screen. “Have you chosen anything?” he asked gently.

Camila, who’d been watching him quietly, blinked a couple of times at the sound of his voice before she nodded, offering him a faint smile over her shoulder. “I’ve found a nice crib” she mused as she moved to brush his hand away, allowing her to bring up the crib that she’d chosen.

Lionel smiled at the sight of it. “It’s lovely, Mila” he enthused.

Camila nodded. “I thought so too” she mused “Now I just need to find an apartment to put it in” she joked halfheartedly.

Lionel, who’d been quietly admiring the image of the crib on the screen of her laptop, shook his head. “You’ve still not had any luck?” he asked gently. He knew that she had been looking, since she’d started to stay with him a couple of months ago, he knew that she’d been trying to find a place of her own, and he knew that she hadn’t found anything that she liked, even if she had been to a few viewings. He knew that she hadn’t quite been able to find a place which felt right to her.

Camila shook her head gently. “I’ve seen a couple of places which are OK, but nothing that really stands out” she explained.

Lionel glanced at her for a couple of seconds, mulling over her words, before he quirked a sheepish smile. “There’s always here” he mused.

Camila smiled up at him softly. “Leo...”

“It’s not been that bad, has it?” Lionel interrupted, cutting off what he was sure would be her telling him that he didn’t need to offer.

Camila offered him another soft smile before she shook her head. “Of course not” she mused “I just...I don’t want to impose on you” she stumbled out.

“You’re not” Lionel replied, his voice insistent.

“Leo...”

“I like having you here, Mila” Lionel admitted, cutting her off “I like having someone around the place, and I am more than happy to have you around for as long as you want. I’ve grown to quite like having a roommate” he teased, a soft blush spreading over his cheeks.

Camila glanced at him, admiring the blush which was noticeable across his cheeks, before she gently shook her head, a soft smile spreading over her lips. “You really like having me here?” she quipped “I mean, I steal a lot of your t-shirts and I am pretty messy in the kitchen. You don’t mind that?” she teased.

Lionel smiled back at her. “I’ve grown used to it” he quipped, playing along.

Camila shook her head, her expression softening a little. “I’m going to have a baby, Leo” she mused “And they’re going cry at all hours of the night. You think you can handle that?” she asked gently.

Lionel nodded. “I’m sure that I can” he mused “And I am not telling you to stop looking for somewhere else, I know that you’re going to want a place of your own eventually, I am just...I don’t want you to worry about it. The next couple of months, they should be calm and relaxed before baby comes along, and you don’t need to be worried about things like that. I like having you here, Mila, and I don’t want you to think that you need to rush out of here. I know I don’t want you to” he added, sparing her a timid smile.

Camila looked at him for a second, her dark eyes searching his expression, before she gently leant towards him, pressing a soft kiss against his cheek. “I’m so glad I called you” she murmured as she leant away from him slightly, her dark eyes mirroring his.

Lionel breathed out a slightly soft laugh. “So am I” he replied.

Camila smiled a little, amused by how shy he was, before she brushed a shy kiss over his lips, something which made Lionel let out another shy laugh as she pulled away, causing Camila’s own smile to widen a fraction.