Into your arms

Late night talking

Leahs Pov

I wake up in the middle of the night. It's 2 am. Why am I awake? I turn my head to the side and look at Emilia sleeping next to me. Her arm is laying over my stomach and she is holding on to me. My mouth is dry and I know I need to drink something so I can fall asleep again. I really don't want to get up now but I don't have a choice. I carefully remove Emilias arm from me without waking her up. I just want to go back here and hold her in my arms. Before I leave the bed, I lean over Emilia and gently kiss her cheek. She doesn't move at all. Luckily I didn't wake her up. I get out of bed and quietly make my way out of the room.

I make my way to the kitchen and recognise the light being turned on there. What is going on? I slowly look around the corner and see Emilias mum sitting on the table in the kitchen. Why is she here? Why isn't she sleeping? She looks a bit sad how she sits there. I should probably go and talk to her.

"Elizabeth?" I step inside the kitchen. She looks up at me and smiles. I don't think it's a real smile.

"Did I wake you up?" She asks.

"No. Are you okay? What are you doing here?" I go and take a glass of water like I originally wanted to do.

"I couldn't sleep." She says. She looks pretty depressed so I think there is something wrong. I take a seat at the table with her. She seems surprised by that.

"Do you want to talk?" I ask. She sighs and looks up at me. She is probably thinking about what to tell me. Maybe she isn't comfortable in talking to me. We don't know each other that well.

"The longer I stay here the more I realise how big of a mistake I made." She says.

"Why?"

"Because I see how happy Emilia is and how great you are. You are everything I ever wanted for her and I hate the fact that I gave her the feeling that I wouldn't be happy for her. I spent so much time not being her mum that I feel like she doesn't see me as her mum anymore." She explains. I sort of understand that. I do feel a bit bad for her because that is not at all what Emilia thinks of her.

"She forgave you. She probably never said it but she did. She is happy that you are here and make up the time that you missed. She needs her mum and she always saw you as her mum. She always cared about your opinion even though it probably would have been better if she didn't."

"I just wish that she would have told me earlier. I would have supported her." She sighs.

"She didn't know about her sexuality sooner. It isn't like she kept this from you for years. She only discovered it after she came here when she ran from Mark." I say. Her mum probably thinks that Emilia didn't tell them for so long because she was scared.

"I once met Mark and I really liked him. He seemed so good. To think about what he did to her feels so horrible and I feel like I have failed at protecting my own child." She says. That is exactly how I feel.

"I feel exactly the same. I was at her house and searched for her when he was already treating her like that. I spoke to him and believed him when he said she was fine. I left her there with him. That always haunts me and I don't think I will ever get over the fact that I let her alone with him." I confess.

"Emilia always told me that you saved her. I don't think she feels like you let her down or failed at protecting her."

"I know but I feel like that. I hate myself for that. I know she doesn't hate me and she always calls me her hero but I don't feel like a hero." I look down again. I definitely helped her but I could have done a lot more.

"You were there for her when no one else was. You were a far better support to her than I ever will be and I will always be grateful for that. I'm so so glad that you were there for her." She says. It feels good to hear that.