Back to You

Mia

It's been such a long day today. I have just finished a double shift from breakfast. My feet are starting to ache and I just want to go home and relax in a nice hot bath. This little bub is starting to gain some weight now I'm over half way and I know I won't be able to keep up with work especially double shifts, I can just hope that they will still keep me employed and only work a few hours at a time. My manager did mention before about a change in role so I wasn't standing all day but we haven't had that conversation again, I think I might need to bring it up again with him.

Grabbing my jacket and bag from my locker I make my way down the street towards my apartment. I walked today even though I had an early start, the spring weather is beautiful at this time of year and I don't like taking my car when I'm only a few blocks from work but I might need to start to reconsider this with my growing baby bump. Ella should be home today as she doesn't have work unless she has gone to the library to finish off some assignments. Finally making it home and walking into the apartment to find Ella sitting on the floor with her schoolwork spread across the coffee table. We both greet each other, and I flop down into the couch with a groan.

"Long day?" Ella askes without looking up from her work. "Yeah, it's just getting harder and harder every week. I need a bath but I'm not sure I can be bothered to get up" Ella just laughs at me. I pull my phone out of my bag and I sit up in shock. This makes Ella look away from her work and towards me with a concerned look on her face. I open the message and I did not expect to see this.

Hi Mia, are you free tomorrow? I'd like to come up and talk. Ethan

It's only a short message giving me no clue as to what he wants to talk about. I can't even speak so I just hand my phone to Ella for her to see for herself. After reading the message she comes and sits next to me on the couch wrapping her arms around me. This is what I want, I want to talk to Ethan, I just hope that he is willing to talk to me this time. What Alex told me has been playing on my mind, I need to know what happened with Chloe because the way that Alex spoke, it obviously had a huge effect on Ethan.

Ella lets me go and hands me back my phone. "I'm sure everything will be ok" she's trying to convince me but I'm not really sure. But Ethan is reaching out to me so I need to see him. When I saw him get hurt in the match, I couldn't take my eyes off him, I was so worried that he got seriously injured. I've been messaging Jake every day asking about him. Apparently, it was just bruised ribs and he's healing fine but the look on his face when it happened, I was so scared for him and his dream of playing in the NHL, I thought it might be over before it even began.

I send Ethan back a quick message letting him know that I have to work from 5pm and that I have an appointment at 1pm but I'm free all morning. I sit there looking at my phone waiting for a response and he gets back to me straight away letting me know that he will be here around 10am. I tell him my address so he can come here, I think the conversation that we are going to have needs to be done in private. With no response from him I decide its time I take that bath that I have wanted all day. I need to try relax because I'm not sure how much sleep I'll get tonight knowing that Ethan is coming to see me tomorrow.

The next morning I'm so nervous, I'm running around the apartment cleaning and packing anything I can find away with Ella just laughing at me. I'm not even sure what to wear. I know I have an appointment in the afternoon so I choose a pair of leggings and a loss fitting t-shirt. It's getting harder and harder to find clothes that fit me these days, I have already had to buy maternity pants but have been lucky I can stretch some of my tops over my belly. Ella is just watching me run around in this panic. She said that she'd stay with me if I wanted but she had work so I told her to go.

I'm now sitting on the couch just waiting, I keep looking at my phone for the time and it seems to be going so slowly. Every time I check it's only a couple of minutes have passed and it's only 9:30 then there is a knock on the door. I'm not expecting anybody else but it's too early for Ethan, isn't it? I make my way to the door and open it and there in front of me stands Ethan. Just as I remember him, his crystal blue eyes meet mine and I take a deep breath trying to calm my nerves.

"Hey" that's the only word I manage to get out and he responds the same. This is awkward already and we have said all of two words to each other. "Come in" I add opening the door wider so he can enter my apartment. He enters the apartment and I can see he's looking around the place. I walk over to the couch and take a seat and he does the same on the other one. We sit in silence for a moment. Ethan is leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and looking at the ground.

"How's the ribs?" I ask trying to start off with some small talk knowing we need to break the ice somehow. "And congrats on the win" I offer a small smile as he looks at me when I speak.

"Ribs are healing, still a little sore but I'll live." He leans back in the chair with his eyes not leaving mine "Listen, firstly I want to apologize for walking off from you but there are things that you don't know about me, well nobody does except for Alex." He takes a deep breath, closes his eyes and leans forwards again with his elbows resting on his knees and his head in him hands.

"I was leaving class one day and this girl came up to me telling me that she saw Chloe, my girlfriend at the time, at an abortion clinic. You could never imagine the thoughts that went through my mind. I tried calling her but she never answered. By the time I got home, she was gone. All she left was a note. She told me she cheated on me and the baby wasn't mine. It took me a long time to get over that and then I saw you pregnant with my baby and you left me as well" I can hear the hurt in his voice. I always knew that me leaving would hurt him, but he's been through it all before. My heart just breaks for him.

Before I realise what I'm doing I stand and walk over to where he is, I sit down next to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Ethan. I'm so so sorry" I whisper. He looks up at me and our eyes connect. I can see the unshed tears and I know I have them too. "I do understand why you left but I guess with what happened with Chloe, I didn't really want to listen to your reasons" We just stare into each other's eyes, before I break contact. I remove my hand from his shoulder and move away from him to create some distance between us.

"I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, would you like to come?" I ask hopefully because this is Ethan's baby too. I don't know what's going to happen after today, but I can't run away from him again. This is his decision to make not mine, I just hope that Ryan is long gone. "I'd like that. Thank you"