You Gave Me Love

I sighed deeply and sadly down at the bottle, watching it roll a few feet before coming to a stop just to sit there and mock me. I moved towards it slowly and debated how well I could bend down and reach it. My protruding stomach refrained me from even seeing my toes and I couldn’t bend down and reach the floor properly anymore.

I turned sideways to the bottle and slowly bent my legs prepared to try and crouch to the ground, my spare right hand tucked itself under my large stomach like it would be able to lift it up at all. Before I could fully commit myself to the plan someone boots stopped in my vision and I looked up at a young smiling teenager.

“Here, let me.” He bent over, grabbed the bottle easily, like it was perfectly natural to not have a massive protruding stomach stopping your day to day activities before handing the bottle to me.

“Thanks.” I huffed out, taking the bottle back and the young man winked before heading away with barely a second glance. I stared at his quick movements wistfully before turning and heading towards the dance studio. My waddle was more pronounced and my feet already sore from the short trip I did to the café across the street.

I moved to open the doors but someone else beat me to it, shooing me inside before heading in the opposite direction of the elevators I needed. I pressed the button once inside and leant heavily against the wall. My feet and legs were burning and my back was starting to ache.

I stepped out on the floor of the studio I needed and headed down the hallway, waddling my way past students milling around in the all before pushing open the door.

Danielle was already inside, her perfectly skinny and healthy body bounding over to me. I tried not to glare resentfully at her. I didn’t hide it well from her surprised expression.

“Are you okay?” She asked, grabbing my hand and guiding me to a seat near the mirrors, she had set up a small couch and footstool and I gladly took the seat, basically falling down without the grace that would be expected from a dancer.

“I am so tired and sore and hungry and I swear the next time I need to pee I will do it in my pants.” I grumbled out to her, rolling my shoulders back and leaning further back into the chair.

“Are you sure you want to be here today? You know I can find someone else to take your class?” I waved her off, my hand rubbing lazily over the mass that now represented my stomach, my belly button could be seen through the lining of the top I wore.

“I’m fine, we’re just practicing mostly, I don’t need to show them anything just yell at them and keep them all in time.” I waved my hand at all the students that were piling into the studio now that I was here, some were already starting to stretch, others still chatting.

“I swear Harry would kill me if he knew you were here.” Danielle muttered but I heard her clearly.

“Well Harry decided he would go away for three weeks so he doesn’t really get a say.” I snapped back, my eyes hardening at a spot on the far wall situated just above her shoulder. She sighed and I noticed her shoulders slump forward.

“Skye-.” She started but I didn’t want to hear it.

“Nope.” I cut her off before focusing on everyone else in the room yelling a five-minute warning until the beginning of class. Everyone was stretching by now and almost ready. “You should go, I have a class to teach.” She grumbled in reply but left anyhow, shutting the door behind her. I closed my eyes briefly and rested my head back before finding energy and sitting up, ready for the day.

The students took their places and I grabbed the remote for the stereo focusing all the energy and attention I could on the performance in front of me. We would be doing a concert in just over two months and we were still working out kinks in most of the dances.

The track for the dance began to play as soon as I hit the button. My eyes scanned the room as I noted and catalogued everything I could remember while they danced. There were parts I needed to change, parts that didn’t suit a certain dancer, or timing that fit wrong with the move. I looked around hopelessly for a notepad and pen but eventually just hoped that I would remember everything that needed to be said.

The class went like this for two more hours. It was more frustrating because I couldn’t get up and show everyone how to fix something, or what to change and how to change it. Instead I got a laptop and relied on finding videos of the dance moves, formations and transitions I was aiming for. The rest of the time I just spent yelling at them every time they got it wrong.

Eventually Danielle arrived back when the class was wrapping up. I felt like a child being picked up from school.

“Harry called to inform me that you have a Doctors appointment after this class and you had promised him that I would be going with you. I however had no clue about said appointment that I was accompanying you to.” I glared at her and pushed my body to the edge of the seat, prepared to stand up.

“You do not know about it because you aren’t going to it with me. I am perfectly capable of going to a Doctors appointment by myself; I’ve done it hundreds of times while Harry’s been away over the years. And I didn’t promise Harry shit, I just didn’t reply to his demands.” I used the armrest and pushed myself to my feet, Danielle’s hands wrapped around my upper arms to help pull me the rest of the way until I was steady.

“Demand is a pretty harsh word.” She muttered, handing me my bag. I huffed and began to shuffle towards the door my free hand coming to automatically rest underneath my stomach. “I’m coming with you.”

“You can’t. You promised you would pick the kids up from school today.” I pointed at the clock in the hallway, as I ambled down towards the elevators.

“Already called Eleanor, she shall be picking up your kids and my kid and taking them to her house where they shall happily play with her kids until we can get them.” I glared at Danielle when she climbed into the elevator after me. She smugly hit the bottom floor button and stared straight ahead refusing to meet my glare.

“It’s rude to gang up on a pregnant lady.” I informed her. She snorted and stepped out of the elevators first.

“You’re a stubborn pregnant lady, rude is the only way to communicate with you.” I tactfully ignored her remark and got into my car, having trouble with how small it was. I always had trouble climbing out of it and almost considered buying a more spacious car the other day. I was tempted to take Harry’s but like all the other times he would find out and probably insist on buying me a bigger car. I loved my Cooper, no matter how old it was and Harry had bought it for me so I was keeping it until it failed me, even then maybe.

Danielle stayed annoyingly close to my car the whole way to the Doctors, not letting any cars between us as if she was afraid that I would take that as a chance to escape her.

The moment we were parked she was at my door and pulling me out, linking our arms across the elbow and into the Doctors surgery. I was secretly thankful to have her here but I wasn’t going to let her know anytime soon.

We sat waiting when my phone buzzed. Harry’s name flashing across the screen, without reaction I slid my thumb across the screen, ending the call and tucking my phone back into my bag. Danielle’s phone buzzed next, she glanced at the screen before scowling towards me and walking away; taking the call outside.

I refused to feel a bit of regret, instead I only felt angry and abandoned by Harry. I wasn’t going to let him off the hook easily not when he decided he needed to meet ‘important’ people in America for three weeks while I was less then two months away from my due date. I would skin him alive if he didn’t make it back in time for the birth.

Danielle walked back in through the door and I tried to school my face into utter indifference. She grumbled a few things under her breath as she sat down, crossing her arms over her chest and stayed silent.

I let her brood, picking up a magazine from the chair next to me and flipping through it. I had only just flipped to the ‘Fashion Yes? Or Fashion Don’t?’ section when Danielle’s dam finally burst.

“I am not going to keep being the go between for the both of you.” She growled out, her eyes focused on the wall opposite us. The lady sitting over there was shooting us nervous looks, Danielle’s anger worrying her.

“Then don’t be. I’m certainly not asking you to give him any messages and I’m definitely not asking about what he’s saying.” I told her firmly, my eyes focused on the magazine in front of me. Normally Gwen Stefani could do no wrong for me but the outfit in the magazine was a definite ‘don’t’.

“Would you pay attention?” The magazine was ripped from my hand and I looked up into Danielle’s desperate and annoyed face.

“To what?” I drawled. “Harry or how I should forgive Harry? Because I don’t have to do anything, I can hold a grudge against Harry for as long as I want and you honestly can’t stop that.” I snatched the magazine back from Danielle but didn’t open it up again.

“I don’t get what’s your problem. Louis and Harry have gone away for a couple weeks, yes it must suck and yes you’re about to pop but it’s not like they’re not coming back. They’ve been away for longer, we’ve experience so much longer so why are you behaving like such a child.” I kept my eyes glued to the closed magazine, thoughts whirling through my head, debating on what to tell her when someone called my name. I looked up at the nurse, beckoning me over.

Danielle groaned loudly but stood to help me up and follow me into the room where the Doctor sat ready for my check up.

The check up barely took half an hour and I was waddling back out with Danielle and a perfectly happy baby. I didn’t know the gender but Harry did. I refused to find out, preferring to wait and be surprised. Harry didn’t want to wait but he had been good about keeping it a secret so I hadn’t minded.

“I know you’re fighting but you should call him.” I sighed at Danielle, my hand already reaching into my bag for the phone. I was angry with Harry, yes, but I wasn’t that much of an asshole to keep this information from him. Although a part of me did hope that it would reach voicemail.

Instead Harry answered halfway through the first ring. I almost felt bad about the way I was reacting when he was being so desperate. I almost did.

“The baby is fine. Perfectly healthy.” I told Harry the moment he answered. Danielle held the door open before heading out towards our cars.

“That’s good. That’s great. He didn’t say anything else? Do you have photos of the scan?”

“Nothing worth mentioning, and yeah I do.” I reached my car and waved Danielle off to hers.

“Can you email them to me?” I closed my eyes briefly at the desperation and hopelessness in Harry’s voice.

“Of course.” I responded softly, opening the driver door and falling into my seat awkwardly, adjusting myself with trouble once again while I tried to get comfortable.

“Thank you. Are the kids with you?”

“Eleanor picked them up. I’m just about to drive there now and get them so I should probably hang up.” I told him, biting my lip, not wanting to end the first proper conversation we had had since he left three weeks ago. Every time he called I hung up, ignored it or let the kids talk to him. I missed him obscenely but I was unbelievably angry.

“You’re driving? You shouldn’t drive? Can’t someone else give you a lift? Wasn’t Danielle-.” I rolled my eyes at Harry’s sudden bossy tone.

“Bye Harry.” I cut him off and hung the phone up, throwing it onto my passenger seat and promptly peeling out of the park and drove towards Eleanor’s house.

The phone constantly rung on the passenger seat: vibrating around and around until eventually it slid to the floor. I left it there, not wanting to even bother trying to reach down with my stomach. I scrambled out of the car and towards Louis and Eleanor’s house.

Elizabeth met me at the door, everything she wanted to tell me about the day tumbling from her mouth. A quick press to my stomach was both a greeting to the baby and me before she was wondering beside me towards the living room.

There was a new boy to their class Elizabeth informed me, he sat next to Edward and started taking his stuff. I was only worried for five seconds before Elizabeth assured me that she yelled at him for bullying her brother before promptly telling the teacher. I smiled and praised her, she had clearly been waiting all afternoon for me to do this. I made a note to talk with Edward about the bullying, though, to make sure it wasn’t any worse then what Elizabeth was telling me.

Eleanor and Danielle were on the couch talking when I walked in, Edward, William, Abel and Bella were on the ground, Abel and Bella lying on their stomach while William and Edward occasionally waved toys in front of them before going back to their own building sets. I ruffled Edward’s hair fondly before moving to take a seat with Danielle and Eleanor. Elizabeth dropped to the ground next to her brother and immediately began building something with a serious intensity that still surprised me on her face. Edward’s tongue, I fondly noticed was sticking out the side and William sat across from him looking up every now and then to copy him exactly, tongue and all.

“Harry called me five times to know when you were here.” Eleanor informed me the moment I sat down next to her. I rolled my eyes and sighed out blissfully, the pressure lessened on my back and my feet had that good ache, the ache that made you stretch and move while meowing like a cat. Danielle stood up and pushed a footstool under my feet. I leant back and closed my eyes contemplating whether I wanted to take a nap.

“My phone is in the car.” I told them, my eyes closed and my head tipped back towards the ceiling.

“Skye.” Eleanor sighed out and I rolled me eyes, while still closed, at her condescending tone.

“Don’t ‘Skye’ me.” I growled at her, opening my eyes and rolling my head to the side to stare at them both. They had identical angry expressions on their face and I honestly didn’t give a shit how angry they were at me, my anger at Harry was justified, I thought so anyway.

“He’s going to be back for the birth, he’s going to be back in four days for God’s sake, I don’t understand why you are so angry at him especially when we’re all used to them being away for a lot longer.” Eleanor crossed her arms over her chest telling me that I wasn’t getting out of this conversation without explaining everything.

“Because we shouldn’t have to get used to it again.” I hissed at her, my eyes narrowing and I took my feet of the stool, sitting up in my seat properly so I could get angry with them both in return. “I’m not worried that Harry will miss the birth. I know Harry will make the birth. God do I freaking know he will because if he didn’t I would skin him alive and sell his pieces on Ebay.” My hormones were in play here and I couldn’t stop the word vomit. “But I’m pissed because Harry promised that he was back, that he was here for good. We’re having this baby because he’s supposed to be here, all the time, with me, with us as a family.” The kids had stopped playing and were focusing on us.

“And now I’m worried and I’m scared because, because what if this business thing works, what if he and Louis sort everything out and they make their record company and they’re successful which means that start travelling a lot. What happens then? Then we have to get used to it again and I can’t do that.” My voice cracked and my tears swelled but I was pregnant and hormonal, I was allowed to cry about this.

“It was hard enough when they were touring and they were a band and I had to be here alone without him and I hated it, I hated it that I threatened to leave him both in my mind and over the phone more times then I care to admit. And he knows this he knows all of this and he still chose to leave and do business overseas. So I have the right to be angry and scared and upset with him because he’s planning to leave me again and I refuse to be okay with that.”

“He’s not going to leave you.” Danielle replied without missing a beat, her eyes sympathetic.

“I’m not raising another kid that will only have its father half the time. Not again.” I grumbled at her, my hand coming to rest on the child in my stomach that was so innocent and pure and easily molded that even though I had already done all this before I was scared that I would stuff up this time.

“Is Daddy leaving us?” Edward’s voice was so small but I jumped with surprise at how close he was, Elizabeth next to him, holding his hand tightly and staring at me imploringly. I widened my eyes at my mistake and grappled for them both until they stepped forward into my arms.

“No sweeties, of course he’s not. He would never leave you, either of you. He loves you.” I smothered my words into their hair before Bella let out an almighty scream that vibrated in our eardrums. Danielle got up instantly to soothe her daughter, Eleanor following as Abel’s face began to waver like he too wanted to cry.

“He loves you to.” Edward whispered into my shoulder. “Daddy love you too so he won’t leave.” I deflated and pushed my head into his curly hair, Elizabeth snuggled closer both of her hand settled against my stomach and I exhaled, defeated.

“Of course he won’t leave.” I re-assured them hoping that I would one day believe that.

Notes

So a much quicker update this week! Go me! And drama more drama!! So but I must have like an aversion to fluff all the time so drama needs to be present.

Also I started a new story on here that will include all the boys in a University AU. It will also be the last story I will start for 1D fan fiction I plan to work on my own original writing so I need to give less time to fan fiction and more time to planning it out! So anyway I tried to link the story but recently this website isn't letting me link anything -_- so the story is called Study of Life and Love and you should totally check it out!
So I hope you read my new story and enjoyed this new chapter as well (leave comments, I love replying to you all!)
xx