Love On The Sidelines

seven

Curling her legs up underneath her body, Courtney smiles as she rests her head on the back of the sofa and glances over at the blonde who smiles at her. They opted to have lunch in Courtney's today instead of going out and risking being photographed, even if they are just friends at the moment Leah knows that social media would go insane with their theories. She arrived a little over two hours ago, bringing lunch for them which they enjoyed before Courtney put Bunny down for a nap leaving just the two of them in the living room.

'So when is your next game then?' Courtney asks.

'Wednesday.' Leah replies smiling.

'And what is this game for? Is it the league or?' Courtney asks.

'Conti-cup semi-final. We play Man City at home and then whoever wins will go on to face either Chelsea or West Ham in the final.' Leah explains and Courtney nods her head.

'How long do you think it'll be until I can convince you to come watch a game?' Leah asks watching as the brunette bites her bottom lip.

'I still have no one to watch Bunny.' Courtney replies shrugging her shoulders.

'You can bring her with you? I'm kidding, I don't want to pressure into coming to games when you've already said you're not into it. I know it isn't for everyone.' Leah says shaking her head.

'When you get to the final, Bunny and I will be there cheering you on from the stands. We might not have a clue what's going on but we'll be there.' Courtney replies.

'Yeah?' Leah asks and Courtney nods her head.

'Can I be honest with you about something, Court?' Leah asks.

'Mm... Always.' Courtney replies smiling.

'I like you, probably more than I ever intended to... I don't know if I'm ready to jump into a relationship yet but there is just something about you that really makes me want to get to know you better.' Leah says.

'I like you too, Leah. I uh- I've not been in a relationship in a while and honestly there was a time where I swore I would never get back into one but being around you, even just speaking to you on the phone throughout the day makes me so happy. I look forward to our phone calls and I've not felt like this in years.' Courtney replies.

'We'll take it slow.' Leah says and Courtney nods her head.

'Slow.' Courtney repeats.

****

'What was it like? Being pregnant and giving birth, I mean?' Leah asks as she plays peek-a-boo with the little girl sitting on Courtney's knee.

'Hard... It took me a while to get my head around being pregnant. I think for the first four months I was just doing it all on autopilot. I'd take the vitamins I needed to take, go to my appointments and obviously not do anything that could harm her but other than that I ignored the fact it was happening...' Courtney admits.

'Came as a shock to you then?' Leah asks.

'Mm... It came as a result of a situation that was out of my control.' Courtney replies biting her bottom lip.

'Oh...' Leah almost whispers and the brunette nods her head.

'It was hard and I- I wasn't sure I was going to continue the pregnancy for a while because how I could I? But I look at her and every day I thank my lucky stars that I get to be her mum because I don't think I could've got through the past eighteen months without her to focus on.' Courtney says kissing the top of the little girl's head as she feels tears fill her eyes.

'I'm sorry... I just- I've not spoken about this in a really long time.' Courtney mumbles using her free hand to wipe her cheeks.

'Don't apologise... I can't even imagine what you've gone through. I'm so sorry for bringing it up.' Leah says softly, her hand dropping to rest against Courtney's thigh.