YOU'RE LOSING ME ; MILEVEN AU

02.

even drowning herself with sleeping pills, she still couldn't sleep.

something even her therapist couldn't uncover yet.

all she could do was provide better prescriptions, knowing it was a symptom of her depression.

"daddy, daddy! dinner!" novah cheered excitingly at how mike was back for dinner for the first time in a long time.

el just set the table with plates of food. sitting down silently, she set some food aside onto novah's tray with a tired blink.

"there we go..." el murmured and fed novah a small bite before novah began to eat herself. "yumyum!"

el forced a weak smile, playing around with the small proportion of food she gave herself but it wasn't like she didn't want to eat.

she just had no appetite.

"you feeling good?" mike spoke up after minutes and el glanced up and gave a small nod.

she made a mental note to arrange a session for later in the week.

novah flung her hands up and down, her hands kicking as the widest smile overtook her face. "i love mashy tatos!" she giggled, mashed potatoes all over her cheeks and hands.

el picked up a napkin and leaned over to wipe her cheeks, not caring at how clean she was wiping since novah wasn't finished yet. "mommy will make more for you next time then,"

novah's head titled and looked down at her plate. "uhoh, no more,"

picking up her plate, el gave the ones left on her plate which was untouched and place it onto novah's tray. "you can have mine then. mommy likes fish more,"

mike continued his gaze on her. that wasn't true. but she wouldn't be there first to have lied to their daughter.

he remembered telling her about how her grandparents were on vacation.

they've been on vacation for a while.

he assumed she just wasn't hungry by how the food on her plate was smooshed and spread, some left uneaten as she stood up to walk to the kitchen island, finding something to do and to distract herself.

"i need the bathroom," she murmured quietly, not even sure if mike had heard but she left with hurried feet and went upstairs to their bathroom.

which was weird to mike. there were 2 bathrooms down on this floor.

novah munched on her food with giggles, kicking and swinging her legs in the chair as she turned to face mike. "baba, buba—" she cut herself off with a laugh before grabbing a handful of cut apples to him. "share,"

"it's okay, sweetheart. i have my own,"

she began to pout. "no share with me?"

he leaned forward and took a bite of just one. "i wouldn't want you to miss out on anything, my love. you love apples, don't you?"

she instantly nodded and stuffed her face full before craning her head to the side. "where did mommy go?"

she turned back. "buba... where muma?"

god, he loved it when she called him buba or baba. it made his heart melt in an instant.

he remembered when she had trouble calling the mama and dada, her first words being muma as she clammed her hands open and shut at el.

the next week, she did the same to mike just as she was saying buba.

and the names stuck.

"mommy went upstairs."