"El, let's go inside before we both catch a cold out here." Joyce murmurs, giving her half a smile. It was filled with such warmth and adoration that it took everything in El's power not to shatter in front of her.
Oh, if only it was that easy.
Joyce formed a puzzled expression as her hazel eyes continued to bore into El's. Joyce remained still against the doorframe, her arms were outstretched, almost as a silent plea for El to go inside and confront him.
Confront Mike.
"No, I'm not ready. It's still too soon, I can't do this-" El cut herself short as she felt something undefinably tragic swell up inside her chest. She could feel tremendous pain lurking within her, each hitched breath felt like her ribs were slowly cracking and her lungs collapsing.
"I won't do this." Her words came out strangled and a lump had formed inside El's throat. Her head lurched forward as her eyes matched against a pair of black ones. There he was suddenly beside Will, adding one of his signature smiles against his lips which used to be reserved only for her, now for all she knew it could belong to another. Or more importantly, belong to Emily.
"Are you coming inside, sweetheart? Will and I are starving. I can definitely say that I have missed your famous dinners, Joyce. El just can't seem to cook the way you do, have you seen her in the kitchen? It's like a war zone, I'm telling you." El had to bite back her tongue as she felt hatred boiling against the tip of it before it finally dawned on her.
Will had no clue about what Mike had done to her.
He was simply acting.
She wasn't about to let him drag Will into there own stupid mess, she wouldn't allow him to ruin anything else in her miserable excuse of a life. Yes, so far her life had only seemed to consist of restless sleeps and loneliness spurring on her at the most random of times. But it was her life and for once she wasn't going to let him control any ounce of her being, not anymore. Suddenly she was beyond furious. Who did he think he was?
"I've got to get out of here, I'm sorry. I'll call you two later on, something's seemed to happen at work and it turns out they need me more than ever." El says tightly.
Will began shooting El worried glances as his eyes remained alert between the couple. His lips parted, but it's what his eyes gave away that made El all of a sudden feel sick to her stomach. Wills eyes reflected to confusion, hurt then as his gaze swiftly landed on Mike; it turned to shock. Will's quiet for several moments, just as El was about to usher out countless apologies, he adds silently, "But El, I've hardly gotten to talk to you since I've been back home. You know I've been looking forward to this for months, something is going on that your not telling me. I just know it."
Both El and Mike say nothing. Will's mouth twists as he attempts to hide his frustration before his voice finally rises, "What are you guys hiding from me? Is someone hurt? Is that it? Did someone that we know die?"
"No, no. It's not like that, El's just been feeling a little bit stressed lately. Works been keeping her busy, hasn't it?" Joyce murmurs, running her free hand against the bridge of his back, in attempts to sooth him.
Instead it only seemed to anger Will more.
"You're all lying to me, if it's not death then what could possibly be worse?"
El suddenly stiffens, her voice is barely audible as she mutters the next few words, "Will, everything is fine. Really, it is. Management has been letting go of people recently and they've been asking me to do a few extra hours. I'm sorry that I can't stay, I-" She halts.
Will shakes his head in exasperation, his lips beginning to form into a sad smile. "El, don't forget we were once close. I know when you're lying to me. Will you please give this a rest already and tell me what is really going on, please?"
El swallows hard, how could she resist when he was laying down his puppy eyes. What a smart boy, she thought.
El could feel her body tensing as she pictured what the next few seconds would be like. She prepared herself for the worst, for screams to echo against her ears and for arms to pry her inside the house. Instead, it was Mike who interrupted her thoughts this time. "El's pregnant." He breathes out steadily, his composure remaining the same. Cool, calm and collected while El could feel herself becoming woozy and light headed.
What the actual fuck?
Sometimes, El just wished Mike would shut the fuck up. For how smart he was on paper, it still continued to amaze her that he could say the dumbest things.
At the worst moment possible.
"Surprise?" El whispers encouragingly, her voice both patchy and rough.
No, she can't cry now. If she cries, Mike would say it's because of her crazy hormones and knowing Will, he'd be ecstatic to become an uncle. Why didn't she walk away when she had the chance to?
This is all so terribly wrong.
Mike shifts his attention off Will and back onto El, surprise crawls it's way onto his features. He wasn't just shocked at what he'd done but more along the fact that she silently agreed to go along with it.
"Oh, El. You shouldn't be working yourself to the core. I'm sure it wouldn't be healthy for the baby, would it?" Will asks, concern wedged in his voice.
How could El answer him when she wasn't even pregnant to begin with.
He frowns and continues to stare at El, waiting patiently for her to reply but for once she's grateful that Mike intervenes. Unfortunately, she just wasn't as good of a liar as her darling husband was.
Must've been practice from all the late nights he would call her, ushering mumbled sentences that consisted of his work being overdue and how instead he wished that he was at home, in bed with her. But in reality, he had made her become a complete and utter fool.
"I've been trying to get El to quit her job for awhile but you know how she is. Once she's passionate about something, she won't stop. Not even for the baby." Mike suddenly reaches over and caress her belly.
If anyone would had asked her once what she thought of having a baby with Mike would be, she would have endlessly cried a thousand tears and sighed in contentment at the thought of her husband becoming a father to their unborn child. But instead, everything continued to be a lie.
In fact, El knew deep down that if she were to have a baby, it wouldn't be his. The thought alone scared El to her whits end about her real everything seemed to become. The cheating, then the heartbreak and now it was becoming known for El's life to get seemingly worse by the second.
If there is a God out there somewhere, now would be a good time to send her any time of miracle. One that would consist of two arms, two legs and a heartbeat because she knew she wouldn't be able to hide this lie for 9 months solid.
If Mike hadn't been looming over her short frame, she would've reached over and strangled his neck for putting her in this position in the first place.
Stupid, stupid boy.
Before El could muster up the courage to reply, Will puts a finger to his lips. "Everyone be quiet, I want to feel the baby kick." He squeaks out excitedly, his face now pressed up against El's un-bumped belly and panic seems to arise within her mind.
"First off, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't need your ears to feel the baby move and second, I'm only a few weeks along so in reality the baby would be the size of a pea."
Will continued to look at El's stomach in amazement, his crooked smile almost beginning to latch itself onto El's face.
She loved when her brother was happy, especially if she was the reason behind it. But what could she do now? Everything they were telling him had been utter lies, even Joyce remained baffled, continuing to lean against the front door.
"Take it easy, I'm sure El doesn't want her stomach probed. Not to mention, you'll have the whole nine months to feel a kick, I'm sure of it." Mike leans over and sighs against her tight curls, if it wasn't for El's love for her brother and their relationship, she would of pried him off her right then and there.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just so happy for you guys, I was wondering when this was going to happen." He says gently, Joyce makes her way to where he sat before pulling him swiftly off the ground and towards the inside of their home.
Fuck, El could feel her scalp beginning to prickle as it was almost only herself and Mike left outside together. El faintly heard Will usher out, "I'm finally going to be an uncle, this has got to be the best Christmas dinner we've ever had."
El puts her hands on her hips as she notices Will's out of her view before fully turning to face Mike.
If looks could kill, Mike would be buried six feet under.
"You've got some serious explaining to do."
XXXXXXXXX
AND THATS IT.
Hope my lovelies enjoyed this chapter! Thoughts would be great? Do you guys like the way the story is heading so far? Please let me know what you guys actually think, I love reading each and every comment off you wonderful people!
Hope your week has been amazing ((I'm going to start updating a little more, just don't give up on the story! I've been writing these last few chapters on my phone because the wifi has been out so I've been using my credit.
Can I have 10 comments for the next story?
L xx
