caty norfolk ❄️sansa stark. (learned) wrote in dunhavenic, @ 2019-05-09 21:18:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, * jamie, * kit, c: caty norfolk, c: elias salazar |
WHO: Caty Norfolk & Eli Salazar
WHEN: Monday, May 6, 2019; Evening → Thursday, May 9, 2019; Late Morning
WHERE: Caty’s Apartment → Dunhaven General
SUMMARY: Caty has very, very unexpected news for Eli :)
WARNINGS: Spoilers for Endgame, very brief and very vague mentions of previous abusive relationship
There had been so many times over the past several years when Caty had known one thing even when it felt like she was drowning in everything else. That one thing was that, if she'd only had her mom to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, it would have been. Every time she'd thought about that simple fact, she'd been hit with the overwhelming knowledge that the only reason she didn't have that source of comfort was because she had cut it out, root and stem. It had not been a clean break and there was never a time that she missed her mother that she didn't consider the fact that, if it felt to her like an unhealing wound, there was no way she could fathom what it felt like for Diana. So it was to her surprise when, after seven years of silence and separation, the first thing Diana Norfolk had done upon finding her only child standing at her doorstep was to pull her into a tearful hug and tell her she loved her. It was the sort of unconditional love that Caty hadn't realized she'd had, and the sort she'd sought in the wrong place. It had been that search that had led her into seven years of a marriage that had left her feeling broken, defeated, and somehow twice the person she'd been before she'd been through it. But, after all of that, she'd found exactly what she'd been looking for in the arms of the two people she'd taken for granted and hurt the most. Despite everything, all they wanted in life was for her to be happy, to be healthy, to have the best of everything she could be. And that, Caty thought as she'd pulled an oversized blanket protectively around herself after coming home from the clinic, her thumb hovering over her mother's phone number on the screen of her smartphone, was exactly the type of mother she wanted to be. Diana had arrived early the following afternoon and Caty couldn't help how full her heart was at the thought that her mother must have left far too early in the morning to be there for her daughter. And, just as she had done weeks ago, the first thing Diana had done was pull Caty into a hug and tell her that everything was going to be okay. It was what Caty had needed to hear and she'd needed to hear it from her mother. Not Eli, not her second family, not her best friend. She'd needed to hear it from one of the only two people she could be certain would be there for the years to come, who would be there no matter what choice she made and what her uncertain future now held. Her mother had quickly set to making the both of them an early lunch--no eggs, no ground beef--and put on some tea to help settle Caty's stomach. Once she was sure Caty was well-fed and comfortable, Diana had settled in next to her daughter on the worn and tattered sofa that Caty had bought for practically nothing at the local thrift store right after she'd decided to stay in the small town. She'd pressed a kiss to Caty's head and asked the one question Caty had been considering since the night before. "What do you want to do now?" It was both an easy and a difficult question to answer, one that both did and didn't include so many other factors. Caty looked at her mother, taking a deep breath before saying, "I know I want to keep it." And that was the simplest truth of it. Caty was pregnant and, though she knew that there were any number of valid options for how to handle that fact, the only option she wanted was the one that ended in her loving the tiny life growing inside of her as unconditionally as her own parents loved her. Diana nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind Caty's ear. "And how does Eli feel about it?" "He doesn't know yet," Caty replied. "I'm telling him later today and I feel like I know how he'll react, but I think I've also proven how wrong I can be when I base my expectations on assumptions." "You've made mistakes, sweetheart, we all have. And I think you've learned from them, unlike many people who make the same mistakes." Caty shrugged. "I know you're right. And I know he's not...he's not anyone but himself. Eli is a good man, Mom, I know he is. He's the best sort of man. But I don't think it's smart to make any choices based on what I expect from someone else. I have to be realistic, you know? I have to assume that whatever decision I make is mine, and mine alone." Diana's hand fell to her daughter's back, rubbing comforting circles in with the palm of her hand as she nodded in agreement. "You're right, sweetheart. That is smart. And you know that, no matter what happens, you're not alone. If you ever need it, there is always a place at the house for you, complete with free daycare anytime you need it." She offered a smile and the attempt at a light-hearted joke warming Caty's heart, but then Diana grew serious once more. "And what if he doesn't react the way you think he will? What if he doesn't want this, and you do?" It wasn't a harsh question, it was a necessary one. And Caty had an answer for it. Because she had learned from her mistakes and, despite her best efforts, she had Sansa Stark in her, too. "It will hurt if this is the end of something really good," she conceded, "but it won't matter. Mom, I love Eli more than I thought I'd ever be able to love someone else again after everything with Jeff. But if Eli doesn't want this, if he makes me choose between this baby and him, I won't choose him. It's not even a choice, not really." And she hated the idea of losing Eli so much that it made her heart physically hurt, but she knew it was true. She was not the same girl who would choose a man over everything else, including her family. She was someone new, someone forged by bad decisions and self-preservation, someone stronger and more confident than she'd ever been before. Someone who loved herself more than she loved the validation of others. She was pretty sure Eli would rise to meet her expectations, and she was confident that he wouldn't make her do this alone in any capacity, even if they weren't together, but she found strength in the knowledge that she didn't need him to. No matter what happened, now or in the future, Caty knew she'd be okay. "I don't think it will come to that," she added, wanting her mother to know that her words were not indicative of Eli's character, "but it's important to me to know what takes priority now." She and her mom spent the next several hours together which consisted in large part of her mother making sure she was okay and helping her make a list of everything she needed to do in the coming days and weeks. It was all information Caty could have easily found on some website, or by calling the local OBGYN herself, but it was nice to know that her mother was there to help her. It was nice to know that she was never going to be alone again. Caty's mother was still at her apartment when Eli arrived later that evening. She'd already decided that she was going to be spending the week in Dunhaven and, since Caty only had her one-bedroom apartment with a couch not intended for sleeping, she'd booked a room at the local bed-and-breakfast. She'd told her mother that it was unnecessary, but she was secretly pleased that he mother would be so nearby, at least for a little while. When Caty let Eli in, Diana patted him on the shoulder and offered a small smile in greeting before letting herself out. "Call me if you need me, Catybug," she said as she started to close the door, the old nickname a quiet balm. "I won't be far." As soon as the door clicked shut, Caty turned to Eli, suddenly nervous after a day spent reassuring herself and settling her nerves. It was easier to set her resolve than it was to finally put that resolve into practice. It was impossible to contain the way her heart swelled at the sight of him, though, or the way her smile brightened without any effort on her part when he was near. Reaching out, she took his hand and gently pulled him into the apartment toward the couch. There was no sense postponing the conversation, she thought. She knew Eli and knew he'd probably been worried about her from the moment she'd told him she was home but offered no further detail. Longer than that, even, though she was confident that his mind hadn't strayed far from this evening all day. She hated worrying him more than necessary, so the last thing she was about to do was make him suffer through small talk. "I'm sorry for not asking you to come over last night," she started, taking a seat on the couch and lacing her fingers through his. God, she hoped she wasn't about to lose the way it felt to touch him, to be near him. The only reason Eli hadn't worried himself sick was because he had grown very good at denial. He knew that such a reaction whenever one of his loved ones grew ill enough to warrant a visit to a hospital wasn't the healthiest on his part, but it was hard for him not to allow his mind to drift back to the days leading up to just before his mother got her diagnosis. He remembered the strange symptoms that she couldn't quite pinpoint as being something she'd battled before, the declarations that she was fine, until his step-father finally talked her into making an appointment. And, of course, he remembered the days that followed. He remembered trying to work as he waited for the phone call from his mother, surely telling him that it was nothing and all of the tests had come back negative. He remembered instead getting a text asking him to come over that evening. He remembered his mother and Grant's solemn faces as they told him and his siblings the news. Eli tried not to remember any of it. He didn't want to necessarily forget, as he wanted to hold each and every memory of Vanessa Nichols in his heart until his very last moment -- even the bad ones. But now, with the worry of how Caty hadn't invited him over despite their initial plans and the days of her not feeling well piling on top of it, he really didn't want to remember it. And so, he tried and he leaned on denial to get him through the night, then through the day. It had helped that he'd had to go to DC and be as on as he possibly good, he and his partner doing a presentation and then a minor press conference with some updates about a current project. But once he was in his car and driving back to Dunhaven, it became difficult not to remember. By the time he'd made it to the sleepy town that he now called home, he hadn't even bothered stopping home to change out of his work clothes. He was sure that he had something more comfortable at Caty's that he had left behind at some point and all he really wanted was to just be with her, to have the reassurance that she was there, she was okay, that he was overreacting and letting the stress of the last several weeks get the better of him. He did, at least, leave his jacket and tie behind in the car, the top few buttons of his shirt and the sleeves pulled up to make him look less like Elias Salazar, CEO and CTO of Salazar Industries, and more like Eli, just Eli. When Caty answered the door, he had been only seconds from pulling her in for a tight hug, but was instead too surprised by the sight of her mother in the apartment to do much of anything. He was as polite as ever, returning her smile as she left, but his always moving mind seemed to increase in speed. Eli had only just met her parents days ago and he was certain that they had returned back to Boston after the visit. That knowledge did little to assuage his mounting fears, though he didn't voice them--not yet. Instead, he just let his girlfriend direct him through the apartment, pausing only to toe his shoes off at the door. "It's okay." Eli's fingers entwined with Caty's on instinct, his free hand lifting to push back a lock of hair and tuck it behind one of her ears. "Are you feeling any better today?" He wanted to ask what the doctor had said, why her mother was there, if something was going on that he just hadn't figured out yet, but her well-being would always override his own curiosity and that question had to come first. Of course that was the first thing Eli would ask her, Caty thought. She smiled, closing her eyes as her head tilted tilted toward his outstretched hand. She couldn’t imagine a world in which they couldn’t face anything together, especially after everything they’d already been through in the four too short months they’d officially been together. Still, she worried. She worried that it was because of everything they’d been through and everything still inevitably to come that he might not be ready for this. What if it was too soon after the memories of Tony, and Tony’s life, that he’d so recently received? What it this was too much right now on top of everything else? It was too much for her, if she was honest, but she already knew that she was willing to do more than she thought she was capable of doing for this baby. The were a lot of uncertainties going around just now, but that was not one of them. “I’m--I’m fine, but I still feel about the same,” Caty replied, pushing down her fears and her worries. She’d deal with them when she had to, if she had to. “But I’ve only been sick twice so far today, so I’m holding on to hope that maybe it won’t be so bad tonight.” This was still small talk, she knew. And she also knew that she ought to just keep talking and tell him everything. But these moments felt potentially borrowed and she needed just a few more to enjoy this, and him, before she said the words out loud. The moment Eli saw Caty's head tipping toward his hand, a small smile formed at his mouth and he let his knuckles brush gently at her jaw. Being with her and not a city away alleviated some of his worries, her presence alone being enough to steady his thoughts and fears -- at least for the time being. Even hearing that she'd only gotten sick twice that day made him feel a bit better, even if he'd rather that the grand total had been zero. "Only twice," he said, his hand stilling to cup her face, thumb moving across her cheek. "That's an accomplishment." He paused just a moment, considering if it was any of his business, before adding, "I didn't realize your mom was still in town." Caty laughed despite herself. “I’m just full of incredible accomplishments, Eli. Keeping food down is just one of them, if you can believe it,” she replied, then pressed her lips into a smile. But his observation was sobering, and a quick reminder of what she had yet to tell him. “She’s not,” Caty said. “She drove back into town today because I needed her. She’s--” Caty hesitated, then amended, “I think if I could be even half the mom she is, I’d consider myself pretty fortunate. I hope I will be, Eli.” Eli's worry spiked in a way he hadn't really thought was possible, given just where his worry levels had been living all day. Knowing that Caty had needed her and that her need had been enough to bring her mother down the coast again was a red flag, even if he had to agree that it was fairly wonderful mom behavior. He liked to think that he would have done the same to any child he would have -- he already knew that he'd have done it for any of the other children in his life, though he hoped Alice, Ava, Hope, and even Yuri wouldn't be in need of such rescue anytime soon. He focused his mind on her words, though, his features softening at her own hopes. "I think you absolutely will be," he replied, words as honest as ever, even as he amended, "I know you will." He knew that he had only known Caty for a short time in the grand scheme of a full lifetime, but Eli considered himself to be a pretty smart guy that read people fairly well. His girlfriend was kind and loving and, as far as he was concerned, would absolutely be a wonderful mother. But, even as he said as much, the worry didn't fade. Trying to push the thoughts of his own mother aside once more, he let his hand drop to sandwich hers between both of his. "Is everything okay?" His words, his reassurances, meant everything to Caty and Eli couldn’t even understand just how much they meant to her just yet. They meant even more to her, perhaps, that they’d been spoken without knowing how close to home they hit. They’d been offered without bias, without knowing she even needed to hear that she could do this. At Eli’s question, though, a crease formed in Caty’s brow and she look down at their hands for a moment before looking back at him and nodding. “Everything’s okay. I’m okay,” she replied because she’d already decided that she would be. It was time to tell him, though, and she hoped she hadn’t just lied to him, that he didn’t think that this was the very opposite of okay. Taking a deep breath, she made the choice to just rip off the bandaid. If she just put it all out there, then there would be no more second-guessing, no more uncertainty over how this would go. Good or bad, they’d know where the other stood, and that was enough to steel her resolve. “But...Eli, I don’t have the flu. I have morning sickness. And, you know, afternoon sickness. And I definitely have night sickness,” she replied with a nervous laugh. “I’m sick because I’m--because I’m pregnant.” Though modest, Eli considered himself a fairly smart guy. He would be where he was at his age if he hadn't been above average when it came to the way his brain worked and that much he could accept about himself, even if it just made him blush when other people pointed it out. Because of that, he would have thought that he'd have been able to process such news as soon as it was delivered to him. Instead, it seemed to take a moment, then one more, before he realized just what it was Caty was telling him. She didn't have the flu. She was getting ill, but it wasn't because she was sick with some stomach bug. No, it was a symptom of something else entirely. She was pregnant. She was pregnant with his child. Some part of his mind went to another life, where Tony Stark had told his fiancee about dreams of her being pregnant and how they should name the child after her eccentric uncle. He could remember Pepper confirming the news, just how overjoyed Tony had been despite everything that they had been through, despite everything that they were still going through in the aftermath of Thanos. He could remember holding Morgan for the first time. He could remember all of it as easily as if he'd lived it himself, because, in a way, he had. But this wasn't Tony's life that he was living now. No, he was Eli Salazar and his girlfriend had just told him that she was pregnant. His heart seemed to stutter in his chest and then, cautiously, almost shyly, he began to smile. "You're pregnant?" There was hope in his tone, even though he knew better than to think she'd ever play a joke like this on him. It seemed so impossible to believe, to even consider, though. Everything that had been happening to them in the past several weeks and months seemed to quiet, letting him focus just on this one singular moment, a feat for him. "Really?" Caty nearly choked on the breath she’d been holding waiting for Eli to respond and the hope in his voice very nearly made her want to cry. No, she thought, it was going to make her cry because this was the first moment she’d really allowed herself to hope, too. Her hand tightened around his and she nodded, lifting her free hand to swat away the tears that managed to escape. “Really,” she said, her voice thick. “I’m really pregnant. I’m-- We’re really having a baby,” she continued as though she needed to make sure he knew for sure what they were processing here. And then, because she couldn’t stop the dam that had been breached, the words started tumbling out of her mouth in rapid succession. “I mean, I’m definitely having a baby, and I hope we’re having it, but I want you to know that I won’t be angry with you if this isn’t what you want. I know it’s fast, and it’s unexpected and unplanned, and I know that there’s so much else going on in your life so it’s not like I wouldn’t understand if this isn’t what you pictured for your life right now. I want to do this with you, Eli, and I love you so much it hurts, but it’s okay if you need something else. I just-- I just want to make sure you know that. I want to know that you know that what happens next is just as much your choice as it is mine and even though I’ve already decided that this is happening for me, I’ll respect whatever choice you make.” Though he was quiet as Caty spoke, Eli took in every word that she said and didn't interrupt. It was obvious that she had been thinking about this a lot and how could she not have? Though they had known one another for a bit now, they had only been together a handful of months. He knew that he was in love with her, but given all of her history, how could she not consider the potentially difficult hypotheticals? As someone far too capable when it came to the fine art of worst case scenarios, he understood that worry -- especially in something like this, where they were talking about their entire lives changing. Because their lives would change, there was no doubt about that. Eli might have thought that was something that would have worried him to consider. He had been living the life of a bachelor for so long, but he had never been scared of the prospect of settling down. If anything, having had also lived the earlier years of Tony Stark had been more than enough sewing of oats for both their lifetimes. Having a child might not have been something he had been considering anytime soon, but he had been considering it in an abstract sense. It was hard not to do exactly that when he was surrounded by all of his nieces and Yuri at any given time. And so, even if it might have been within his rights to indulge in just a bit of panicking in that moment, Eli didn't. Instead, he released Caty's hand, his lifting to carefully push her hair back behind each of her ears and then wiping away her shed tears from her cheeks. "I love you," Eli said, his voice quiet, but firm. "I'm going to be by your side for as long as you'll let me, Caty Norfolk. And I'm especially going to be by your side for this." What came out of Caty’s mouth as she lunged forward from her spot on the couch to wrap her arms around her boyfriend was equal parts sigh of relief, laugh, and sob. Every fear, every worry, every concern, every worst-case scenario dissipated with those words and though she knew she’d been smart to consider all of them before she’d figured out where she stood, she was glad they had all been ultimately unnecessary. She didn’t know the exact moment that her life had so beautifully and irrevocably changed. Maybe it was the moment he’d passed her on the side of the road, or maybe even before that when she’d found the strength to finally choose herself over Jeffrey’s bullshit, but it didn’t matter if she could pinpoint it. Her family was growing by leaps and bounds these days and Eli and, now, their baby were a huge part of it. “I love you, too, Eli, so very, very much,” she said, cheek pressed against his, holding onto him for a few moments longer before reluctantly pulling away and sitting back. “I have an appointment Thursday morning with the OBGYN. Mom and I got that scheduled today. That’s when we’ll get a more accurate picture of how far along I am and when we’re due. Are you-- would you want to go?” Even after Caty had pulled away to sit back, Eli found it difficult to stop touching her. His hands slipped to hers, wanting to have something to hold as he nodded in assent. "Yeah, I want to go. I'll take the morning off or even the whole day, if you'd like me to." All of this was big and should have been terrifying, but he didn't feel that terror in that moment. As he considered it, he wasn't sure if he would feel it at all. Some anxiety, sure, but he knew that this was something that they could do. He might have been helpless on his own, but he'd be anything but with Caty at his side. His words from before seemed especially poignant, now that he knew what had been going on that he'd been otherwise unaware of. They were no less true, though. He had no doubt that Caty would be a good mother. He just hoped -- really, truly hoped -- that he could say the same of himself as a father. If it hadn’t been for the utter exhaustion brought on by her pregnancy, Caty was sure that she would not have been able to sleep for the past couple of days. Thanks to the certainty of where she and both Eli stood in regards to this baby and the presence of her mother, the fear Caty had been feeling had ebbed, allowing excitement to gradually started gaining momentum. With excitement, however, came an entirely different sort of anxiety and anticipation, and it was those two things that made Caty surprised that she had slept at all. Thursday morning was finally here, though, and her pregnancy suddenly felt even more real than it had at the immediate care center, or in her apartment while she delivered the news to her boyfriend. Her mother waited out in the waiting room while she and Eli had gone back into the examination room to wait for the ultrasound technician, and Caty was grateful for the knowledge she was there, even if this part of the appointment was something she needed to share with Eli. After Eli had left her apartment early Wednesday morning to head to work, she had left herself to go and bring her mother up to speed on how the previous night had gone and Diana had been pleased to hear just how easily Eli had stepped up to this new responsibility. She’d only known him for a cumulative few days, but already he’d impressed her far more than Caty’s ex-husband had ever been able to hope to impress her. Caty was always sure that Eli was as good as he seemed, but it was nice knowing that her parents thought so, too. She hadn’t trusted their judgment the first time around, and she was relieved that their impressions of Eli were not at odds this time. Despite the fact that she had mentally prepared herself for this visit by laboriously poring over endless articles, YouTube videos, and posts about what to expect from her first prenatal visit, Caty was admittedly nervous. And though two-thirds of the people in the room, including herself, had clearly already seen her in various states of undress, she couldn’t help the fact that it was uncomfortable laying back against the reclined exam table, half-dressed, and covered only by a thin sheet. It was something she was going to have to get used to, she knew, because she had several more months of this and it was sure to only get worse as their due date approached. The moment the ultrasound came into focus though, everything that made Caty uncomfortable faded away. Her fingers curled tightly around Eli’s as the technician zoomed in on the tiny form that was their child. The technician used the cursor to point out the head, an arm, a leg--things that Caty couldn’t have made out on her own but trusted were there. Her heart raced and her breath caught as the realness of it all hit her with even more force than before. And then-- And then there was its strong, little heart, beating so rapidly that Caty thought for sure it was beating in time to her own. She found it nearly impossible to believe that such a loud, strong, and steady beat could come from such a tiny thing inside of her. Nearly impossible, she thought, except that of course this was their child. Two individuals who’d been through as much as they had both before and after finding each other couldn’t have produced anything less than this. Anything less than this perfect little creature whose heart beat so quickly and so surely inside of her. Mouth opened wide in awe and eyes--shining bright with fresh tears--even wider than that, Caty turned her head to look at Eli. “That’s our baby, Eli. We made that,” she said, an astonished, joyful laugh punctuating her words. No amount of preparation could have really left Eli feeling truly prepared as he sat in the plastic chair next to Caty, his hand clutching hers as he struggled with patience as he waited for the ultrasound technician to do their magic. The irony wasn't lost on him that it hadn't been too long since he had come to the hospital with Emilia for a very similar reason, though he'd had nothing to do with the creation of Hope. Now he sat there with his girlfriend, his eyes widening as he looked at the screen and took in the image before him of a baby that he had everything to do with creating. The smile grew slowly across his features as he watched the screen, looked at the little head and the little leg, but even that couldn't have prepared him for the wave of emotion that came with hearing his child for the first time. The steady rhythm of a heartbeat seemed to make all of this seem undeniably real -- not that he had been denying just how real it was in the first place. "Oh," Eli said, not the response he might have chosen had he the mental capacity to actually choose his response in that moment. The ineloquence made him let out a soft laugh, echoing Caty's joyful one as he turned to look at his girlfriend. The tears in her eyes matched his own, but he didn't focus on his, instead reaching out to touch Caty's cheek. "That's our baby," he repeated, his voice quiet but overflowing with emotions. It was difficult to decide where Caty wanted to look--at the monitor, or at Eli--because both commanded so much of her attention if only because the sight of both filled her with so much joy. It had been comforting to realize, in the days leading up to this, that she hadn’t needed any of this to feel fulfilled, to feel proud of herself for where she was in her life, but even if she hadn’t needed either of these things, she wasn’t about to give either of them up. Ultimately, the baby won out and she watched its little heart beat as the technician drug her cursor over the screen to take measurements of it. Less than an inch right now at just over eight weeks old--hard to believe that, in just a handful of months, it would be so much bigger than it was now. When the ultrasound was done and Caty was dressed again to wait to be taken elsewhere for her bloodwork, she sat facing Eli with her legs dangling over the edge of the table. She reached out and touched his face, her thumb brushing over his cheek. “So, December 18. We’ve got sevenish months to figure out how to be ready for this,” she said, her head tilting to the side as she looked at him, her hair falling over her shoulder as she did so. “Think we can manage it?” Though Eli could have stayed in that room all day and just stare at the monitor and listen to that heartbeat, he knew it wasn't actually plausible. Caty getting dressed and the ultrasound ending hadn't put a stop to the somewhat dazed expression on his face, though, even as he stood, his hip pressing into the table next to where she sat. Her mentioning of the date helped him to focus, though. His gaze stayed on Caty's face, even as he reached out to brush her hair back from where it had fallen. December had become a difficult month for him since the loss of his mother. Christmas had always been a holiday she loved, so when she had passed away only a couple short weeks before that date, it had been difficult for him to really even consider the month. He put on a good face for his siblings and participated in their traditions, but there was always a part of him that just wanted January and the new year to arrive. The year could end solemnly, but it could start fresh. The thought of adding happiness back into the month that his mother had once held so dear -- well, that felt very good, indeed. "Sure we can," Eli decided, more confident than he probably should have been. He smiled at Caty, fingers still at her shoulder. All of it was terrifying in its own way, but there were some things that he wasn't quite so worried about. Money, after all, would never be a problem and the lifting of that stress was nice, even if there was still plenty of unknowns that he knew he would dwell on in due time. But riding off the high of seeing the ultrasound, it was hard not to just be happy. "I think we'll be a pretty good team in all this." Caty nodded in agreement. “I think we will be, too,” she replied, a smile playing at her lips. Her hand fell as she reached to wrap her arm around his waist, leaning in to rest her head against his chest. “This is such a huge change, and I know we have so much to figure out and discuss and decide on, but I’m glad you’re my partner. Do you think it’s okay if, for right now, that’s all that matters? We can get to all of the other stuff tomorrow. Right now I just want to live in this moment. It’s a good one, right?” Eli's arms lifted to surround her in an embrace, one circling around her shoulders while the other's hand laced into her hair, holding her close to his chest. Though he had been wondering just how his life had led to her, just how he had lucked into finding her in the first place, for months, his luck seemed even impossible to deny than before. While perhaps some might have thought that this was too much in too short a relationship or questioned every other aspect of the situation they had found themselves in, none of that mattered to Eli. He was convinced in that moment that everything would be all right -- and he had a suspicion that his thoughts wouldn't change on that matter, ever. "This is a very good one," he agreed, tipping his head forward so he could press a kiss to the top of Caty's head. "It's the best moment." He paused a breath, his hand moving to skim along her back. "I love you, Caty." |