Everything's working now :D Should be learning my german passage right now for the test tomorrow...oops.
"`Lanta!" Her red hair was glistening from the sunlight coming through the large window. It cascaded down from the top of her head to the base of her neck. Her milky skin seemed to sparkle under the influence of the light. She was wearing one of my shirts and a pair of leggings as she stared out the window.
She turned round as I shouted her name at her. She stumbled backwards as I threw myself at her and wrapped my arms around her chest. I needed to make it up to her.
I was back in the apartment again. Things had been tied up and put away now; there were no longer the boxes that had been scattered across the place. It was also daylight so I could really see what it looked like. Wasn't half bad actually. "Luke..." She was okay. No depression, no anorexia, no problems. I'm not going to let that happen either. "Luke, let go..." I held her tight to me, as if I was apologizing for everything I did to her that hurt her. I kissed her cheek and really tried to make it up to her. "Luke you're going to squash the kids-" I felt- hang on. Did she say kids?
I let her go and held her by the shoulders in front of me. I could see what she meant now. Well, hadn't we been getting frisky lately.
She was pregnant; I'd got her pregnant, I'm going to be- gods-I'm going to do this right, not like my Dad or hers. I was going to be there for her and the kids whenever I was with them. I'm going to do what's right for them.
I tried to laugh the awkwardness off. "Well, I, erm kinda," Ideas, ideas, ideas, "forgot?" I attempted to smile at her in that kind of 'what the Hades am I doing' way. She laughed at me and clung onto my arm. I stroked her cheek and remembered my promise to her that I made years back: I'll be by her side forever, even if we don't make it, I'll be behind her if she falls (metaphorical obviously).
"Six months Luke and you still forget. I know your memory is bad but I didn't think it was this bad." She pulled away from me and tucked some hair behind her multi-pierced ear. I smiled at her, the awkwardness gone. I couldn't believe I missed it. Even though my shirt was big on her you could still see it. How could I have missed that?
"Shouldn't you be sitting down or something?" I have no idea what she should be doing now- gods, she's pregnant. I know this isn't her but I could have had all of this, I mean this. I don't know how to put it: pregnant girlfriend (maybe even wife) nice apartment and a future, not the one I'd thought I'd had but it's still a future.
"Just because I'm twenty-four weeks pregnant doesn't mean that I'm incapable of standing up."
"Sit."
"No."
"Sit." I growled at her and used that tone of voice that I used when I was in charge of the titans.
She pulled back, looking self-consciously at the floor. She turned round and I realised what I had done. I was controlling her again, treating her like an object again. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into me. I kissed her lips briefly and held her loosely to me. "Sorry `lanta, it's still sort of sinking in." She smiled weakly at me. "Anything you want-"
"Chocolate." No hanging round then. "Or toffee."
I kissed her forehead and let her go. I looked at her again. I still couldn't believe it. Never seen her as the maternal type, maybe it was an accident? "Okay girl. Chocolate or toffee-"
"Chocolate, definitely chocolate."
"Make up your mind." I let her go and then realised I had no idea where I'd find it. I was about to ask her when I spotted a purple packet under the couch. I picked it up; there was about half of it left in that packet and there was an empty one under there as well. "Someone's having cravings."
She grabbed the packet from my hand in defiance. "No I'm not." She dug her nails into the packet and started to rip the wrapping off. I wrapped my arms round her as she stood with her back to me. I attempted to take it back off her. She spun round and I pushed her back against the wall. I could feel her bump pressing against me as I pinned her there. "Give it back."
I grinned at her. "No."
"Give it!" She pushed my shoulders and I stumbled backwards. The chocolate fell from my hand to the ground. She placed her hands either side of my face and kissed me, hard. I let her, giving in to her uncontrolled hormones. What the Hades did she want? Did she know what she wanted? She pulled back and opened her eyes slowly. She breathed her words. "Damn cravings."
I wrapped my arms around her back. "You're telling me." I let her go and watched her walk away from me. She started to pick up the chocolate when I caught her arms and pulled her to her feet. She looked at me annoyed until I handed it to her. She held it to her chest and blushed slightly. "Thanks." She walked away from me and I looked out the window. Still in the city just not in the centre; road works, people, car horns, police car; nothing unusual.
I went back to Atlanta who was now lying on her back on the couch. She sat up when she saw me approach and let me sit down before placing her head back in my lap. I looked in to her sparkling green eyes that were framed with red tinged lashes. I was starting to get lost in them. She took my hand and placed it on her exposed stomach now she'd unbuttoned the lower half of her shirt. Her skin, once soft, now strangely hard. I ran my hand over her bump, our- "Kids?"
"Twins, surely you'd remember that."
"Right." I looked down at them, my unborn kids. Two people that could and would never exist because of what I did.
It was strange looking at her like this. Yeah, I've seen her naked before but not when she's- seriously this is not sinking in.
She played with my hands and face as we talked. They kicked inside of her and I couldn't help but smile. We talked about names and due dates and all sorts of baby stuff. This was all alien to me, I'd never even thought about her and me like this. Me and her together but not with a kid or even two.
I found out some stuff about the two of us since the war like how she was Lannie now, not `lanta and how, gods know how, I'd met her Dad. Apparently, he likes me. I couldn't really see that; I'd never got on with parental figures.
I could feel myself fading as the tow of them started kicking again and the sun started to fall. I smiled at her and she clung on to my fingers. I told her I loved her and let myself fall back to the other side. Even when the image had gone I could still feel the bump under my hand.
In the darkness, I stumbled to a stand and leant back against a wall. I slid back down and hugged my knees. It was the first time the tears fell; somehow I knew it wouldn't be the last.
