Lessons learned

5

They sat there for what seemed hours just in the quiet of the house. He was content to let her stay there in the confines on his arms for as long as she needed to be comfortable there. He was beginning to see a future finally that he could be happy with. A small family in the house. He could see this being a place he wanted to be instead of laying in bed dreaming of something he didn't think he could have.
He nuzzled his face in her hair. She reciprocated by nuzzling deeper into his shoulder. She took a deep breath in. Noelle was resting after the night from hell that turned into a night of promise. "I missed this." Noelle said softly.
"What?" He asked breaking the silence that had blanketed the pair.
"Being close to someone." She said, "people either turned their back on me or were so judgmental if they found out. I missed being around someone when I was alone. I enjoyed being at work for that reason. You never treated me anything other then a normal person."
"That's because you are a normal person Noelle." Mitsuhide said.
"I am far from normal Mitsuhide. I wouldn't know you though if it wasn't for him." She replied chuckling slightly.
"Why is that, love?" He asked.
"I wouldn't need a job if it hadn't been for him. I would have never looked at the list that led me to you." She said.
"Well then this guy is my lucky charm because I think right now I am pretty much getting everything I ever wanted." He smiled. "Now did you eat?"
"I wasn't thinking about food." She said, "I was so tired from work I was laying down."
"Then what do you want?" He asked as he fished out his phone.
"I'm Fine Mitsuhide." She said trying to sit more up.
"No." He said as he narrowed his eyes at her, "you have to eat Noelle. This guy needs you to and I need you healthy."
"You are going to be a pain about this aren't you?" She laughed.
"Yes. I am." Mitsuhide said as he looked into her eyes, "I can't cook but if I have too I will hire one."
"I can cook Mitsuhide." She smiled, " I just don't often have enough to cook."
"Well my dear you will have whatever you wish from now on. That is a simple promise." He smiled at her. "Tomorrow we will go shopping as well for some clothes and food as well as your new bed. We will also start to get some things for him." Mitsuhide pat her stomach again. "Have you thought of a name for him?"
"No. Mitsuhide I wasn't even sure I would be keeping him I didn't want to name him or really bond with him." Noelle said as she rubbed her stomach.
"And now?" Mitsuhide asked as his eyes held a certain gleam.
"Now I can see a chance to really be happy." Noelle said as she smiled as looked down at herself. "I had to think of so much other than him. Now I can try to focus on him."
"I hope not just him." Mitsuhide said softly.
"No not just him." Noelle said with a smile.
"Good girl." Mitsuhide said. "We are in no rush but I don't want you to forget about me either."
"I don't think I could forget you." Noelle said as she moved closer to him. He liked the look in her eyes.
"Is it possible you hid something from me, my dear?" He asked in a deep baritone that went through her.
"I didn't hide anything from you." She smiled, "I am allowed to have a crush without telling the crush."
"A crush huh?" He whispered, "I had much more then a crush on you."
"Oh really?" She said as he pulled her close to him.
"Really." He said as his lips found hers again.
"This might not be the worst night ever." She smiled at him.
"You scared years off my life, you know." Mitsuhide said as he rubbed her back when the doorbell went off and echoed through the house. "Food."
"What did you order?" She asked as she followed him and when he opened the door there was someone standing there with eight bags.
"Everything." He replied.
"Mitsuhide!" She exclaimed.
"What?" He asked as he took the bags.
"Why did you order so much?" She asked.
"You are pregnant who knows what you like today." He said.
"I see how it is going to be." She said softly.
"You need someone to watch out for you." He said as he kissed her temple. "Now dig in."
"How are you still single?" She asked.
"I was waiting for the right person." He smiled as he reached into the bag and began to pull box after box out.
"Just for future reference this is how you are going to be?" Noelle asked as she was giggling.
"How I am going to be?" He asked as he looked at her.
"Extra." She replied as she sat and started to eat.
"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders as he sat down to join her.
They ate in relative peace. She wondered how something so horrible could turn into a blessing for her. This man wanted to be with her even though she was having a child by an unknown person. He wanted to step in and claim her child as well all because it was her child. He wanted to give her a home and whatever she wanted. All because of a fire in her horrible apartment. He was everything she needed. Everything she wanted. She had learned much about the man as she had worked for him. Though he was demanding in his classes he was caring outside of them. He had a shell around him that kept even the other professors away at times. His quick wit and sarcastic tongue made him seem a lot worse than he really was. When they were alone he would temper his tone with her though she rarely made a mistake he would explain the reason it was wrong instead of belittling her as some instructors were she had heard. He was concerned for her from the beginning even before he knew she was pregnant. She could sit back and think now about the future instead of trying to make it through the present. She knew he was a man of his word. This wasn't some phase. He was going to complete this make shift family and keep it together.
"You're quiet." Mitsuhide said breaking the silence.
"Just thinking." She replied.
"Can I inquire about what?" He asked.
"Everything Mitsuhide. Just everything." She said as she smiled and he was sure he lost his heart in That moment.
"That is a lot to think about." He chuckled.
"A few hours ago I was in my cramped one bedroom apartment thinking how I was going to get through the next few months. What was going to happen in my life and what to do about him. Then the fire broke out. I thought I lost everything but I really gained everything Mitsuhide. You came for me. You fixed my brain and all the screaming how I failed. I can sit here now and relax. I am not alone anymore. Someone wants to be here with me. I have to tell you the idea of all of this by myself was overwhelming and scary. It doesn't seem so scary right now."
"Good. That is a first step." Mitsuhide said with his signature grin.
"Just a first step?" She asked surprised.
"Oh yes." He said as he stood and reached out his hand to her, "come with me."
She placed her hand in his and he helped her up and led her up the stairs to a loft area that was centered in the middle of three bedrooms. He opened the door to the first room which was empty and she walked in. "If you want this room you can have it or any of them." Mitsuhide said. As he pulled her to the next room which was on the other side of the loft area. "This one gets sun during the day and is bright but is the darkest at night. This could be his room."
She walked deeper i to the room and looked around.
"I think this room is bigger than the apartment." She said in awe. He was propped on the door jam watching her.
"I wanted to invite you to stay the first time you came here, you know." Mitsuhide said softly.
"You did?" Noelle asked as she refocused on him.
"I did." He said as he moved to hold her from behind as she faced back to the walls and everything else. "Noelle you have no idea how the interaction with you changed me. I started wanting things I figured I couldn't have."
"Like what?" Noelle asked as she turned in his arms.
"You." He responded softly. "I wanted you." She smiled up at him with a slight blush in her cheeks. "You must be tired, my dear."
"A little." She said. "My muscles are not as tight."
"I will show you where you can take a shower to relax more and I will get you something to wear." He said. "The first room I showed you has a bathroom attached."
"Mitsuhide." She said.
"What?" He asked as he stopped on the stairs.
"Nothing." She said quickly almost ashamed she was going to be so forward.
"What sweetheart? You know you can say anything to me." Mitsuhide said as he brushed her hair off her face.
"I was going to say something stupid. Forget it." She said.
"Now I really want to know." He smirked.
"Fine. I was going to suggest maybe we didn't have to set up two rooms." She said as her blush grew.
"What you want the baby to sleep with you?" He asked.
"Not the baby, Mitsuhide." Noelle said softly. His eyes widened slightly and then softened.
"Noelle." He said as he looked at her. He couldn't break the contact with her eyes. He brought his mouth crushing down onto hers. "I want you have no doubt about that but the question is do you want me or do you feel grateful right now. I don't want you to be grateful to me. I want you to want me as I do you."
"Mitsuhide I do want you too. You are the only one who saw me and not the screw up. You are the only one who wants me for just being me. You not only accepted the fact I'm pregnant you were the only one who cared for me. I am grateful to you but not in the way you think. I am grateful I have someone who will help me with my no I mean our son. I want to try to be a normal family Mitsuhide. This isn't a normal start to one but why prolong us dating or the courtship period. We don't have to have sex I mean I am only going to get bigger but we can be together." Noelle said softly.
"You think your size matters? God woman you are insane." He said as without giving her time to react he bent down and picked her up in his arms and he carried her into the master bedroom. "We are not going to make love tonight but if you want to try this we can. The reason has nothing to do with your size either, that has to be the most asinine thing I have ever heard. It is more we need to get to know each other in this new capacity better. Time is on our side, my love. You need to hop that butt into there and strip. Take a long warm shower and the. I will rub your back."
"Fine." She smiled at him. As she closed the door he smiled as he looked up and thanks the invisible deity that blessed him with this perfectly imperfect woman.