Really, Alexander had rushed from the room because he didn’t exactly what her to see just how shaken he was. He wasn’t used to showing anyone that level of vulnerability, he was used to coming across as strong, determined, someone who always had the answers.
He put water into the coffee machine, and then stood holding onto the counter as if he just couldn’t remember what the next step was.
Liberty followed, and he squeezed his eyes shut and refused to turn to look at her as she spoke. Oh, God, he should never have asked her to come over. He just wanted to spill everything, and wrap her in his arms, and made all of this disappear for a while.
“He’s meant to be two,” he said after a moment trying to gather his thoughts. “Actually, he’s not even meant to be born yet,” he realised, even though the memory of it seemed as fresh and real as any other. “He just… he grows up here. We don’t… ten years and we’re still…”
He really didn’t want to start crying about it, so he blinked rapidly against it, swallowed it down, and busied himself with putting the coffee in with shaky hands. “It’s just not the life I wanted. For him, for me,” he explained, sounded more annoyed than upset now.