Baby Steps - Lando Norris

S E V E N

☆.｡.:* BABY STEPS .｡.:*☆
act two — the start of the troubles
(⛈🐻💌🍯)

the family were finally back in the comfort of their own after a few hours at the Norris family home, all three of them bloated and full from Cisca's infamous chicken curry, thea especially due to her eating for two; there being enough food left to bring home, the two tubs in the fridge ready to be eaten whenever a craving came in.

louis was asleep peacefully, it not taking him too long to get tired again even after having a bath and a chocolate bar earlier on in the evening; but it was a knowing fact that he would wake in the night after having a nightmare, tonight being thea's night to get up with him. she had done it a few times before, when he was slightly younger, and as much as she knew he hated hating having them, she always tried to help him the best that she possibly could.

thea and lando were sat in the living room, thea being captivated by the sitcom on the tv as lando debated with himself whether or not to bring up emotions and feelings; not wanting to cause a very hormonal woman to get upset but he wanted to know how she felt. after a few minutes of wondering how the best way to ask a certain question, he figured it would be best to not beat around the bush and to ask it how it is.

"what's going on, my love?" lando's voice caught thea's attention, switching her gaze from the large screen to him. the way he spoke to her was soft and gentle but a sense of desperation was lingering in his tone.

"what do you mean? nothings going on." thea told him, chuckling to herself as she wondered what made him ask that question at such a random time.

"with you, i mean, why are you acting so strange all of a sudden?" her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his question.

"i'm fine, babe, there's nothing to worry about. i've spoken to your mum about it." she lightly shook her head, turning her gaze from him to the screen again, not wanting to carry on this conversation as she knew that it would end up in another argument.

"you talked to my mum instead of me? i'm your fiancé, thea." lando huffed, now sitting up with his body turned towards her, an unsure look on his face.

"it was easier in that moment to talk to her because she's a woman and she could kind of understand where i'm coming from." thea told him her reason, which she believed was a genuine reason until she saw his face.

"i know that but why couldn't you talk me?" he sounded almost betrayed at her words, but he could understand where she was coming from.

"maybe that's because it was about you." thea told him, his face slightly dropping at what he had heard. "you said something that hurt me more than i thought."

"what did i say?" he looked confused, thinking to himself what he could've said that would've upset her.

"when we was at cassidys, you said that you wanted one of each, a boy and a girl. i don't want to make a massive fuss over it because i'm too tired for that but it felt as if you forgot about rosie."

"are you serious, thea? that's why being off with me?" he let out a dry laugh, almost stunned that that was the reason why.

"it's not just that, you have to remember that." thea reminded him, her wanting to let him into her mind but she didn't want to get to a point of her feeling so vulnerable because somebody knew how she felt. "it's like i'm living in a constant battle with my own mind and it's telling me that i'm never going to be a good mum, everything with rosie was my fault and i can't get it to stop. so i'm sorry that i'm acting so strange but i'm trying my hardest here."

"but we're getting better, t, you could've talked to me about how you're feeling."

"did things get better or did we get used to it?" she asked him, not wanting an answer off of him but she wanted him to think about it. "it feels like ever since what happened with iona, everything between us has changed."

"but nothing happened with iona?" lando tried to defend himself, but it was useless at this time since thea had seen everything online.

"you're seriously trying to tell me that nothing happened?" it was now thea's time to let out a sarcastic chuckle, her shaking her head at him. "lando, people tagged me and sent me the pictures and videos of you both in spain. i'm not stupid enough to believe what you're saying right now."

"i can't believe you're choosing to believe social media over me, your own boyfriend."

"there is proof on social media." her eyes widened, her voice raising a bit not too much that it was overpowering. "but i never carried the argument on because of louis, i pushed everything behind me for him."

"but why did you do that?"

"because i want louis to grow up with parents that love each other and who aren't constantly arguing. i know what it's like to grow up without a parent, i don't want the same for him."

"it would've been better if we talked about it then so we could've prevented all of this."

"would it have prevented it? i really don't think it would, too much has happened with us to prevent arguments."

"i can't deal with this tonight." lando shook his head at thea, getting up off of the couch and walking away from her and the conversation.

"why are you walking away again? everytime that we talk, you always walk off. this is why i don't tell you anything." thea quickly began to get annoyed at his attitude to the conversation, following him as he walked towards the front door. "where are you going?"

"out." he murmured as he put his shoes on, not making any eye contact with the young mum. "don't wait up."

but thea had no time to respond to him as before she could, the door slammed in her face. she was completely speechless at what had happened, all of this because of a question; a question that obviously caught her by surprise, a question that only needed a simple answer and a question that shouldn't have turned into one of them leaving the house.

feeling her hormones get the best of her, tears began to cloud over in thea's eyes, as she unconsciously placed a hand on her bump. "be safe." she whispered to nobody, she had always said those two words to lando when he went out, no matter what terms they were on in that moment of time.