I Know I Was for a While

Gently nibbling on the side of her thumb, Camila let out a shaky sigh, her dark eyes fixed on the phone which sat on the counter ahead of her. It wasn’t the first time she had found herself staring at it, with Lionel having departed for training a few hours previous, she had been left alone in the quiet house for a while, and despite her knowing that there was a good chance that Noah wouldn’t pick up the phone, she couldn’t shake the temptation to call him, wanting to at least try and talk to him about what had happened between them. She knew that he wasn’t likely to have changed his mind, with her having only told him about the pregnancy the previous night, she knew that his response to her was still likely to be the same, but still a small part of her wanted to call, even if it was just to hear his voice.

Lifting up a hand, she wiped her nose a little before she reached out towards the phone, turning it over a couple of times in her hand.

“Noah?”

Camila, who’d been staring down at the phone, visibly jumped at the sound of Lionel’s voice before she lifted her head, shaking it slightly. “I didn’t dial” she noted “I mean, since you left this morning, I’ve been having a pretty intense staring contest with this phone, but I still haven’t quite found the nerve to dial. Is it stupid that I want to call him?” she posed, looking back down at the phone which sat in her hands.

Lionel, who was stood in the kitchen doorway, shook his head a little before he stepped towards the counter, leaning against it so that his dark eyes mirrored hers. “It’s not stupid” he noted.

Camila snorted, but didn’t say anything, something which caused Lionel to reach his hand out, settling it gently on top of hers. “Of course you’re going to want to call him” he noted “I’d be surprised if you didn’t, but perhaps now isn’t the best time. It’s only been a day, Mila, and maybe you ought to offer him a little more time to wrap his head around it before you try and talk to him” he added tentatively.

He wasn’t surprised, after the sudden end of their relationship, he knew that Camila would want to speak to Noah, to see if there was anything they could do to fix things, but he wanted to encourage her to give him time, not wanting her to push things when they were still so raw. It was soon, too soon to his mind for her to try and talk to Noah, and he wanted to encourage her to be cautious, not wanting to watch her get hurt again.

Camila, who was still staring down at the phone which she held in her hands, quietly mulled his words over his words before she nodded, offering him a sad smile. “You’re probably right” she mumbled.

“It has been known to happen from time to time” Lionel replied with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood slightly.

Camila shook her head, a soft laugh falling out of her mouth.

Lionel’s smile widened a fraction at the sound of her laugh before he offered her hand a comforting squeeze, something which caused Camila to look up at up him, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth.

Lionel marveled at her smile for a second before he squeezed her hand again, gently letting his grip on it fall as he took a step away from the counter. “You want anything to eat?” he asked as he walked towards the fridge, perusing its contents “I was going to make some lunch and sit outside for a little while. It’s a pretty nice day out” he added, trying to sound nonchalant.

Camila’s faint smile twitched a little, amused by the tone of his voice, before she nodded. “That sounds nice” she mused “You’d not mind me joining you?” she asked.

Lionel shook his head. “Your company’s not so bad” he joked.

Camila simply shook her head before she stepped past him, pulling the backdoor open before she stepped outside, making her way towards the edge of the pool. Lionel watched her go for a second before he shook his head, a gentle sigh falling out of his mouth. He knew that there wasn’t a quick fix, with the baby on the way, and Camila hurting over the way things between her and Noah had ended, he knew that there wasn’t something he could just say or do to make her feel any better, but still he wanted to try and make things slightly easier, even he could only achieve the odd half smile or light laugh on occasion. It was a start.

~#~
Quietly swirling her feet around in the cool pool water, Camila let out a quiet sigh, her eyes watching the gentle ripples of the water around her feet as a quiet hung around her. It had been a little while, after she and Lionel had had lunch together, he’d disappeared back into the house to take a phone call, but Camila had stayed behind, wanting to make the most of the warm afternoon. It had been awkward, with Lionel trying to encourage her into conversation whilst trying to steer clear on the elephant in the room, the conversation hadn’t flowed easily, but still Camila was grateful for Lionel’s efforts, even if there had been more than a couple of awkward silences.

Watching the water, she gently shifted her feet a little more before she shook her head to herself, her dark eyes settling on the front of her shirt. Staring at down at her shirt, she quirked a small sad smile to herself, before she gently placed her hand at the bottom of it, lifting it up slightly before she placed her hand against her skin, cupping the small bump she carried.

“Camila?”

Camila startled, surprised by Lionel’s voice, before she turned, offering him a wobbly smile. “I didn’t hear you come out” she mumbled “You need something?” she added, trying to mask the slightly quiver in her voice.

Lionel frowned, not missing the shake in her voice, before he lifted his hand, showing her the phone he held. “It’s yours” he quipped.

Camila’s expression brightened slightly. “Is it...?”

“It’s your mother” Lionel cut in reluctantly, an apologetic expression on his face.

Camila blinked a couple of times, surprised by his interruption, before she nodded her head slowly, her eyes dropping back towards the pool water.

“You should answer it” Lionel mused, sitting down beside her “Regardless of how annoying she is, she’s still your madre” he added with a weak smile as he held the phone out towards her.

Camila stared at the phone for a moment before she reached out, taking it out of his hand. Taking in a deep breath, she tried to compose herself slightly before she pressed it against her ear, greeting her mother quietly. “Madre” she mumbled “To what do I owe the pleasure?” she added.

“I just wanted to check in on you” Lucille replied “I dropped by your place on my way home from lunch and Noah told me that you weren’t there, which was pretty surprising. I just thought I’d call and make sure that everything is OK. He didn’t seem too happy to see me” she added.

Camila closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from crying, before she let out a shaky sigh, something which made Lionel, who was still sat at her side, take her hand, squeezing it comfortingly. Camila glanced at their hands for a second before she flashed him a small greatly smile. “I need to tell you something, mama” she murmured “But I’d rather do it face to face. I’m...uh...I’m staying at Leo’s for a couple of days. Do you think you come over?” she added.

Lucille was quiet for a couple of seconds before she spoke up again. “Of course” she mused “I’ll come by as soon as I can. Are you OK, sweetheart?” she pressed.

Camila took in a breath before she let it out slowly. “I’ll see you when you get here, mama” she mumbled before she hung up the phone, allowing her to rest her head on Lionel’s shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her gently.