Sleepwalking // Sam Fender

18

To say that London was a living hell was an understatement. There was black mold on the walls of the apartment, I could not find a job and Beth was not happy to be there. The album's release date was September the 19th, just a few days after my due date which was September the 6th. Sam always came home saying that the album was nearly finished but this nightmare kept on going for three months. My relationship with Sam was stuck. I would even dare to admit that it became awkward after his affair. The thought of Maisie kissing those very same lips enraged me and a new fight between us would start again. Still, we were holding on even if my mental health was walking towards a really dark path.

May the 1st. I was officially five months pregnant. I was happy as the nauseas had stopped a month before and I was now enjoying the glow that the pregnancy was giving me. I was feeling much more energetic and less emotional so I could be more active with my house cleaning chores (as I did not find a job in London). It was an oddly sunny day in London so I decided to take Beth to the park next to her school after her classes were over. She was playing hide and seek with some of her classmates while I was sitting by myself, trying to absorb some much-needed vitamin D. I was distracted, looking at my kid when a man came passed me before he stopped right in front of me.

"Alice?" You all know how big London is, right? It was Alex. I moved to one of the biggest cities in the entire planet earth and I came across my ex-husband, whom I hadn't seen in years.

I looked up to him while faking my best smile. "Alex, hi! What a nice coincidence" I said.

"Yeah, I usually come here for a jog after the recording session" I nodded; I didn't care. "How have you been?"

"Uh, great actually. You know" I looked down at my belly. "Getting bigger and that. How about you?"

"I'm alright. Just recording here and trying my best to spend the weekends with my parents in Colchester" I nodded again, still not interested but he decided to sit down next to me. I could still distract myself while looking at Beth laughing around with her mates, unaware of her father's presence. "Are you doing okay with the pregnancy?"

"Yeah, sound. It's a boy" I took a quick glance at Alex. "Elliott Thomas Fender" Alex frowned. "I let Sam decide his name"

It was true. We agreed that if the baby was a girl, I got to choose the name, which would have been Elys Violet Fender. But, if the baby turned out to be a boy, it was Sam's turn to decide. He came up with the name rather quickly seeing that Thomas was also Sam's second name.

"My girlfriend wants to choose the name of our kids if we have them" Alex said.

"You have a girlfriend?" Alex nodded proudly. "Beth never mentions her"

"Oh" Alex sounded disappointed. "She never shuts up about Sam. It's always Sam did this, Sam said that, Sam thinks this. She even asked me to get her a Newcastle shirt" Sam would be impressed if Beth ever wears his team's shirt.

"Yeah, they really get along. She even started to speak like him recently" After this, our conversation went silent. None of us said a thing.

"Well" Alex stood up. "I better get going"

"Yeah, I should go too" I stood up as well and started picking up everything that was scattered around the bench.

"Do you want to... Would you want to hang out sometime?" I froze. "You don't have to if you don't feel comfortable with it-"

"Yeah, sure" I looked at Alex. "Same number?" He nodded. "I'll give you a call whenever I get the chance, alright?" I had all the time in the world but I did not want to get in touch with him or to rekindle our friendship.

It seemed enough for Alex as he left with a slight smile on his face right before Beth came running to me.

"Who was it, mommy?" Beth asked.

"No one, love" I messed her hair lovingly.

Little did I know that Beth had seen Alex but my kid was smarter than I thought. When we made our way back home, Sam was sitting down watching a football match and the house smelt delicious. That was the time when I felt most at home in London.

"Hiya love" I greeted Sam as I took Beth's coat off.

Sam turned his head and looked at us over the couch. "Hi you two" Beth ran into his arms as soon as I had taken off her coat. "Where have you two been, party animals?" Sam asked with a smile on his face.

"At the park" I took off my coat and made my way into the small kitchen, where I saw the dinner that Sam had prepared for us.

"Anything interesting?" Sam asked, mostly to me.

"Nothing, really. Beth was playing with some friends of hers and I was just looking" I said, trying to avoid bringing Alex up.

"Mommy saw daddy at the park and they talked for a lot of time" Beth said. Do not have kids. I repeat, do not have kids.

"Oh, did she?" Sam asked. His tone seemed relaxed but I could hint a different feeling in his voice.

"Yeah" I made my way into the living room again. "He asked me if I was alright and then said something about his girlfriend"

"And that's all?" Sam said.

"And that was all"