I Know I Was for a While

“Can you remember where you last saw Oscar’s comforter?” Camila asked as she stepped into the living room, her dark eyes quickly settling on Lionel who sat on the floor, cooing softly to Oscar who laid ahead of him, his tiny hands reaching for the plush toys which hung over his head. It had been a while, after they’d arrived home from their holiday, a few days had passed, and with Isabel having called almost as soon as they’d landed, she’d offered to allow the older woman to accompany her whilst she took Oscar out for a couple of hours, something Isabel had been quick to jump at, more than looking forwards to spending a little more time with her grandson.

Lionel, who’d been lightly tickling Oscar’s stomach, jumped a little at the sound of Camila’s before he lifted his head. “What?” he asked.

Camila, who’d moved to place Oscar’s bag down onto the couch, smiled a little at his question before she turned to look at him. “His comforter” she repeated “It’s a little stuffed elephant blanket. We take it everywhere with us. Have you seen it?” she asked.

“I think it might be in the pocket of one of my jackets upstairs” Lionel replied, diverting his attention back towards Oscar “The last time I remember him having it was when we went out for a walk yesterday. If it’s not there, then I don’t know” he quipped, quirking a small smile as Oscar’s face lit up with a smile. Leaning forwards, he lightly tickled the baby’s stomach before he pressed a soft kiss against the top of his head, mumbling quietly to him.

Camila watched the two of them for a few seconds, marveling at how sweet they were together, before she gently shook her head, not quite able to stifle the soft smile that itched to spread over her lips. Smiling gently to herself, she admired the smiles which lit up both Lionel and Oscar’s faces for a few moments before the sound of the front doorbell filled the air, causing her to jump slightly before she shook her head, a soft sigh falling out of her mouth. “That’s going to be Isabel” she mused.

Lionel, who’d turned to look up at her at the sound of the doorbell, nodded. “I’ve got to get moving anyway” he mused “I’ll let her in on my way out. You’re going to be OK?” he asked as he pushed himself back to his feet.

Camila smiled a little at his question before she nodded. “We’ll be fine” she mused “We’re going for a walk around the park and then maybe for some lunch. I am sure that we’ll survive” she added.

Lionel offered her a playfully dubious look, something which made Camila roll her eyes before she took a couple of paces towards him, pressing a couple of quick kisses against his lips. “I’ll see you later?” she mumbled as she stepped away from him slightly, her fingers lightly straightening out the jacket that he wore.

Lionel watched her for a moment, a tender smile toying with the corner of his lips, before the doorbell rang again, something which caused him to playfully roll his eyes before he ducked in towards Camila once more, stealing another quick kiss. “Adios” he mumbled before he crouched down, pressing another quick kiss to Oscar’s head before he stepped out of the room.

Camila’s stare followed him out of the room for a few seconds before she stepped towards Oscar, gently lifting him up into her arms. Gently smoothing out his dark hair, Camila pressed a soft kiss against the top of Oscar’s head before the sound of a light cough reached her ears, causing her to turn towards the doorway, greeting Isabel with the best smile that she could muster. “Hola, Isabel” she greeted gently.

Isabel smiled warmly. “Hola, Camila” she mused “And hola, Oscar. Are we ready to get moving?” she added as she stepped up to Camila’s side, gently brushing her fingers over the little boy’s hand.

Camila nodded. “I think so” she mused “I just need to go and grab something from upstairs but then we can go. Could you hold him for a second?” she added.

Isabel’s expression lit up before she nodded her head. “Of course” she mused.

Camila flashed her another slightly hesitant smile before she carefully handed Oscar over. Pausing for a second, she watched Isabel’s smile widen as she fussed over the little boy before she stepped out of room, mumbling about needing to find Oscar’s comforter.

~#~
“You know” Isabel fussed “I can’t quite believe how big he’s getting now” she added, her eyes marveling at Oscar who laid in his pram, snoozing quietly.

It hadn’t taken long, after she and Camila had arrived at a local park, it had only taken about half an hour to settle the baby down for his nap, and whilst it had led to a few long silences between Isabel and Camila, the older woman was merely glad to be there, more than excited to spend as much time as she could around her grandson. She knew that it wasn’t something Camila looked forwards to, the frequent awkward silences and the way that the brunette shifted in her seat whenever they were alone together confided it to her, but Isabel was sure that it would get easier, even if it did take some time for the uncomfortable atmosphere between them to dissipate. She was hopeful that, eventually, things would feel a little easier.

Camila, who was sipping on her mug of tea, smiled a little at the older woman’s comment before she nodded. “I know what you mean” she mused “I know it’s been a few months since he was born, but he’s already grown so much. He’s already grown out of a lot of his clothes” she added, sparing a quick, doting look down towards the baby.

Isabel looked at her, admiring the soft smile on her lips for a few seconds, before she shook her head. “We can help” she mused.

“What?” Camila asked as she lifted her stare, settling it back on Isabel.

“Me and Victor” Isabel clarified “If you need help buying new things for Oscar, we’re more than happy to help out. He’s going to need his own room eventually, and if you need help with the decorating, me and Victor will be more than happy to give it. I assume that you’re still looking for a place?” she asked, a pleasant smile on her lips.

Camila blinked a couple of times, surprised by the question, before she gently shrugged her shoulders, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. “It’s...It’s not something I’ve really thought about” she mumbled “I mean, we’ve been pretty settled at Leo’s, and he seems to be happy enough to have us there...I guess it’s not something that’s really crossed my mind yet” she added gently.

It hadn’t crossed her mind, with things as settled and as comfortable as they were for her, Lionel and Oscar, the idea of finding her own place was something which had fallen to the back of her mind, but she knew it was something that she did need to think about, even if she didn’t want to disturb the balance of things between her and Lionel. She knew that, at the very least, it was something they needed to talk about in order to figure out where they stood.

Isabel nodded her head gently. “You should give it some thought” she mused “And if you need some help trying to find a place, I know that Victor knows a couple of very good realtors. I am sure that we can help you find somewhere wonderful for the two of you” she added with a warm smile.

Camila returned her smile hesitantly before she guided her stare back towards Oscar, trying to ignore the familiar knot which twitched in the pit of her stomach.