Beyond the Black Curtain

Chapter 43 - My Anchor, My Life

A/N: Just echoing what I said on my other story. Thank you for staying!

***

"Fuck, I did it again," I muttered angrily under my breath right after the call with Rae ended.

"What did you do again?" Josh came sauntering in with bags of food that he set on the table. I was hungry before he left but after that awkward ending to the call with my woman, all appetite I had was long gone. "Oh, never mind, I think I know. But first, you have to eat. Rae will kill me if she found out you weren't eating properly."

I groaned and propped my head up on the counter with my hands and elbows at the mention of her name. Sideways, I can see Josh smirking knowingly. Sometimes, I really hate how this guy knows me so well.

"Ah," Josh mused. "What a curse and a blessing it is at the same time to know you so well, Sebastian Stan. It is about Rae, isn't it?"

I nod in concession and then proceed to tell him about Rae and I's last conversation. At some point while I was recounting what we talked about, Chris called via Facetime. I restarted my story and by the end of it, two pairs of annoyed eyes were looking at me.

"Um, he's all yours, Evans. I'll smack him later," Josh turned around and stepped out of the room. I return my gaze at Chris, hoping I wasn't looking as helpless as I felt. Chris' stare softened and my shoulders relaxed somewhat.

"Well," Chris began with a small shrug. "I guess that marriage proposal thing is happening then. You are so fucking hopeless, Sebastian."

He said the last bit with a smile and I couldn't help but smile helplessly at him as well. I don't know what I'm supposed to do these next few days and months, but with the anticipation of our baby, I knew that no matter what happened, the next step is to marry Rae already.

December couldn't have come fast enough but here I was nervously tapping my foot as I waited for my luggage to come by in the carousel that was churning out bag after bag of passengers who'd been on the flight with me. I purposefully didn't tell anyone when exactly I'd be coming home for Christmas and as I stood at the baggage carousel, I just hoped no one would recognize me right away and post it on social media. I wanted to surprise my girl. She was with the knowledge that I won't be arriving until the 20th, but by a good flick of fortune, filming for Monday wrapped two weeks earlier than expected and I raced to the airport and took the first flight that would bring me back home.

The flat was quiet when I got there. I took in a moment to admire what Rae had done. A handmade gold and silver wreath hung on the front door. When I stepped in, the small fireplace was adorned with green wreath sprinkled with little white lights. The threshold to the kitchen was also decorated similarly but for variety, there were little snow angels hanging in the arch. As I returned my gaze to the fireplace, it was then that I noticed the Christmas tree standing just beside it. More snow angels and snow flakes littered the tree along with miniature poinsettia flowers, taking my breath away. The apartment felt like home, all I needed to see now was...

"Sebastian?" I whipped my head to the direction of the voice and found my blushing fiancé to be gaping at me in surprise. My breath stopped momentarily as I took her in; Voltron fuzzy slippers covered her feet and she was wearing one of my oversized t-shirts, her bump visibly straining against the print of it. Hair haphazardly put in a bun over her head emphasizing the flush of her cheeks, pregnancy made her even more radiant than any make up could make her. She was right, I needed to see her with the baby bump, and good heavens, she was stunning.

I closed the gap between us in a few strides and wrapped her in the tightest embrace I could without squishing her bump. "Hey beautiful," I say to her in greeting. I bury my face in her neck and breathe her in. She shudders at the contact and it sends blood rushing to my groin. Jesus, if that didn't say how much I missed her, I don't know what else would.