Just Steve

N I N E

You know how when you stand in the ocean on a hot summer day and all you hear are the noises of screaming children, waves crashing, and beach stereos blaring, but when you sink under the surface of the water all the sounds are compressed into one loud silence? The silence isn't absolute, as the same sounds can still be heard but now in a more quiet and muffled way. It's as if someone turned the volume on the tv from 25 down to 2 in a matter of seconds. In a way it's kind of peaceful, but there is also the suspense and pressure of knowing that the serenity will end as soon as your ears come above the waves. 

Well, that's what it felt like when you told Steve you were pregnant. 

Instead of responding to the news Steve was silent, showing no reaction whatsoever. You waited for him to speak, to acknowledge the bomb that you had just dropped on him but he just stood there like a statue, staring at you blankly. 

A few minutes trickled by as you stood there quietly. In truth it would have been quite a tense moment if you had not been lost in thought, contemplating if the man was some kind of robot or cyborg.

"Do you want to go on a walk?" Steve asked finally breaking the silence.

"Yea that sounds good," you nodded, turning to head back towards the elevator. You didn't really want to go on a walk, but you figured it would be easier to make a break for it outside of the tower than inside which is why you had agreed. 

The two of you walked side by side, through the elegant lobby of the tower and back onto the city streets. The sun had almost completely set now, making the city lights seem brighter than ever. After walking a couple blocks away from the tower Steve halted abruptly, causing you to trip lightly. Very graceful, nice going (Y/N).  

You would have continued your inner monologue but Steve began to talk, pulling you from your own thoughts. 

"Are you certain?"

"About the baby?" you clarified. "The doctor confirmed it this morning, so yea, definitely pregnant."

He nodded, processing for a few seconds as you shuffled your feet nervously.

"And it's mine?" He asked.

"Yes it's yours, otherwise I wouldn't be here you know?" The words came flying out of your mouth before you could stop them. You hadn't meant to be so sarcastic and it was a fair question, even if the answer was slightly obvious. Looking at Steve sympathetically, you hoped he would understand that the sarcasm was meant as a joke not as a show of hostility. It was a tense moment for both of you, hopefully he would cut you some slack.

"I'm sorry about telling you to leave like that the other day."

You scrunched your eyebrows to the bridge of your nose, taken aback by his apology. After all, you had been expecting more questions related to your pregnancy, not a discussion of the awkward and uncomfortable events of your last encounter. 

"I hope you know I didn't really want you to leave." 

It was painfully obvious the man was telling the truth. His voice was laced with guilt and sincerity and his crystal eyes stared at you imploring you to believe him. This man made it almost impossible to be mad at him. You already knew you weren't mad at him, and you blamed yourself for most of the things that had gone wrong last time you had spoke anyway. 

"You don't have to apologize, we both said things that we didn't mean. Besides I think we have more important things to be focusing on now anyway," you laughed, patting your stomach lightly.

Relief washed over his face and the tension between you both lessened noticeably, although some of the awkwardness was still there. 

"There's a coffee shop across the street, we could sit and talk if you'd like?"