When We Were

“Let me take that off of you”

Emilia, who’d been carrying a box through towards the living room, watched as it was taken out of her hands before she shook her head, sparing Jordi a slightly unimpressed look. “It’s not even that heavy” she grumbled as she traipsed after him, watching him set the box down in the ever growing pile which had slowly started to form in her living room.

It had been a while, after she and Isaac had reached a sort of compromise, a few weeks had passed, and with her and Luca having a flight booked for the end of that week, work had started on packing up her apartment, something which was both exciting and nerve-wracking. She knew that it was what she wanted to do, with the baby on the way, she knew that she wanted to be closer to Lionel and she knew that he wanted the same thing, but still the idea of leaving was scary. She wasn’t just leaving an apartment, she was leaving her job, her parents, her brother and whilst she knew that it was for the right reasons, and that she and Luca were excited to go, it was a slightly bittersweet feeling. The prospect of not having everyone so close was one which scared her.

“I know” Jordi chirped “But if I let you carry it, mama will freak out. So, humour me, Em” he added.

Emilia rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue, something which made Jordi smirk. “You’re just trying to avoid her, aren’t you?” he prodded.

“She cries every time we’re left alone for a few seconds” Emilia retorted “And then once she’s started, I start because my hormones are all over the place. If we keep crying, we’ll never get this done and I’d like most of it done before me and Luca leave for the airport” she explained.

Jordi, who’d started to build another box, scoffed, smirking amusedly. “You’re her baby, Em” he quipped “And you’re moving to a different continent with her grandbabies. I am amazed that she’s actually stopped crying at some point. When she started after you’d told her, I didn’t think it’d happen” he added.

Emilia offered her brother a pointed look. It hadn’t been an easy conversation, after Luca had taken the news better than anyone had expected, Emilia had headed into the conversation with her parents and Jordi not knowing exactly what to expect, and what she had gotten in response had caught her slightly by surprise. She had expected that her parents would be surprised by the news of her pregnancy, she had expected that they would be worried about the prospect of her moving to Barcelona, but she hadn’t been expecting for Marcella to cry. Her mother wasn’t a crier, even when Luca had been born, Marcella had been all smiles rather than tears, and seeing her cry had caught Emilia off guard. It was a moment that had made clear to her what a big thing her and Luca moving to Barcelona was.

“You’re not helping” she mumbled.

Jordi answered with another playful smirk. “Who ever said I was here to help?” he quipped.

Emilia didn’t want to smile, but she couldn’t stop the little laugh that bubbled out of her, something which made Jordi shake his head, his expression softening slightly. “You know that she supports you, don’t you?” he asked “I mean, I know she’s crying, and she won’t stop cuddling Luca like it’s the last time she’ll ever see him, but she really is thrilled for you. We all are, Em” he added.

Emilia, who’d busied herself with sorting through a pile of Luca’s clothes which had been left on the couch, glanced up at him. “Yeah?” she prodded.

Jordi nodded. “Obviously, we all like Leo” he noted “And it’s obvious how much you love him” he added.

Emilia’s cheeks blushed, a bashful smile on her face.

Jordi’s grin widened. “Yeah, that gives it away” he quipped “And whilst we’d obviously love to be around whilst you’re pregnant again, none of us would want to stand in Leo’s way. He’s really excited about this” he enthused with a little nod down towards her bump which had started to show a little more.

Emilia smiled down at her stomach fondly.

“You deserve that”

Emilia looked up, glancing over her shoulder at her mother who’d just stepped into the room. “Hm?” she asked.

“Leo’s excitement” Marcella clarified “You deserve someone who’s as in this as you are and he is. It’s so obvious, honey” she cooed.

“You don’t think it’s moving too quickly?” Emilia prodded, directing her attention back towards the clothes she had been folding.

“As long as you’re happy, I don’t care about how quickly it moves” Marcella replied “And you are happy, Emilia, happier than I have seen you in a very long time. Do I love that you’re going to be hundreds of miles away? It’s not my favourite thing, but if it is the right thing for you, then that’s what matters. It is the right thing, isn’t it?” she prodded as she sat down on the arm of the couch, catching Emilia’s eye.

Emilia’s nod was instant, as was the small smile which grew on her face. “It’s scary” she mused “And I am sure that Isaac’s going to be...he’s going to be very Isaac about the whole thing, but the idea of me and Leo getting to be together, of going through this pregnancy with him...it outweighs the nerves. Luca seems excited too, which is a huge surprise, because I was so sure that he’d not want to go. I know it’s a long way from home but...”

“But the guy I set you up with is entirely worth it” Jordi finished for her, smirking broadly.

Emilia scoffed. “You didn’t set us up” she mused.

“Yeah, I did” Jordi quipped “Who do you think made the seating chart for my wedding?” he argued childishly.

“Samia” Emilia retorted knowingly.

“You still started seeing each other at my wedding” Jordi pointed out “I’m claiming it” he added.

Marcella shook her head, smiling good-naturedly at her children as she backed out of the room.

“My getting with Leo had nothing to do with you” Emilia retorted.

“It did” Jordi replied “So much so, if this baby is a boy, he should have my name” he added.

“Not a chance” Emilia scoffed.

“Why?” Jordi asked “It’s a great name. Jordi Messi Moretti. It’s got a ring to it” he added with a grin.

“I gave Luca your name as his middle name” Emilia quipped “I am not naming all of my future children after you, Jordi” she added, rolling her eyes.

Jordi just grinned for a second before he stepped towards Emilia, wrapping her in a tight hug that, for a second, caught her by surprise. Blinking a couple of times, she gently wrapped her arms around him, allowing Jordi to sway her slightly on the spot. “I’m going to freaking miss you, Millie” he mumbled.

Emilia laughed gently. “You haven’t called me that since we were kids” she mumbled “You used to call me it just to wind me up” she added.

“I’m not going to be able to wind you up so easily when you’re all the way in Barcelona. I’ve got to take my shots when I can while you’re still here” Jordi countered.

Emilia laughed again, hugging him just a little tighter.

“Seriously, though” Jordi murmured “Leo is...well, as far as I am concerned, he’s the best thing that could have happened to you. He’s bought you back out of that shell that Isaac put you into and he’s going to be the best papa to that little baby too. Heck, he’s going to be a great stepfather to Luca too. I’m going to miss you like crazy, we all are, but this is so good, Millie” he added as he leant back slightly, offering her a wide grin.

Emilia bit her lip, nodding her head. “I think so” she confirmed.

“It is” Jordi insisted.

“Why are you so confident?” Emilia replied with a laugh.

“Because no one knows how awesome you are more than me” Jordi quipped “I’m going to go all cliché here and tell you that I was so lucky to grow up with my best friend as my baby sister” he added.

Emilia feigned a scoff, but couldn’t hide her smile, encouraging Jordi to wrap her in another tight hug. “I’ll miss you, Em” he mumbled.

“I’ll miss you too, Jordi” Emilia replied quietly, a tightness forming in her chest as she realized just how close everything was to changing.