LABYRINTH II | Scarlett Johansson x Daughter

12 | gracie, gracie, gracie.

My stomach seems to be getting bigger by the day which is incredibly inconvenient when it's freezing and pouring down rain outside and I have no clothing that fits that I can layer underneath or over the top of my sweater.
I also seem to be in a phase of crying over every minor disruption, so the meltdown that came with not being able to find something to wear made both Scarlett and me late for our Saturday morning breakfast at Grindhouse.

It was just after eleven A.M. when we finally arrived, and I almost started bawling again when I noticed our table was taken. Fortunately—for every individual in the café—the couple gets up to leave before I have the chance to throw a chair.

Being pregnant is like having constant period mood swings, except ten times worse.

"You were about to rage, weren't you?" Scarlett questions, sitting across from me on the unusually uncomfortable chairs.
I send her a glare and keep sending her that glare as I place my tote bag on the floor beside me and open up the laminated menu.
She curls her lips into her mouth and lowers her head as she reaches for her own menu.

"That Tiramisu sounds so good," I state, fixating on the description under the dessert section.

"Breakfast, Kenz. You need a proper meal first," Scarlett tells me.

"Breakfast, Kenz. You need a proper meal first," I mock.

She gives me a look, but it's obvious she's fighting the urge to smirk. "Are you done?"

I sit back in my chair and huff. "No."

Rolling her eyes playfully, she looks back over at the menu. I do the same and just as I decide on the breakfast sandwich, a message pops up on my phone's lock screen.

Gracie 🤍:
Get your ass into the staff room :)

A giddy sensation settles in my stomach as I stand from my chair and begin to reply.

Me:
Yes ma'am 🫡

Once the text is delivered I inform Scarlett that I'm going to the bathroom and blame my 'urge to pee' on the person growing inside me, before heading behind the counter and through to the staff room.

"You're here later than usual and I'm on a ten-minute break so I figured you could keep me company," Gracie states, chewing on a piece of apple. Her legs are kicking off the edge of the table she's sitting on.

"Who's going to keep my Mom company then?" I question, raising both my eyebrows as I close the door behind me and approach her.

"She gets you all weekend, it's unfair."

I giggle at her words and bring my hands to her face. Our eyes meet in an intense stare as she finishes her piece of apple before I finally have the chance to press my lips against hers. I don't know if it's all the hormones, but I quickly begin to lose my mind when Gracie's breathing gets heavy and she pulls me closer by the neck of my hoodie.

I smile against her lips and kiss her harder until we're startled by the sound of her Dad's voice. "In the staff room? Really?"

Gracie's eyes blow wide and I whip my head to the door, my cheeks flushed. He raises an eyebrow and reaches for his water bottle before slipping back out to the busy café without another word.

I turn back to the redhead. "Whoops."

Her lips are tightly pressed together, her face redder than mine. "I look forward the the definite teasing I'm going to get about that later."
The two of us laugh off the embarrassment as I rest my head on her shoulder.

"Moving on though." She takes my hands in hers. "You have something to tell me?"

"I do?" I look back up at her.

"About the gender, angel."

"Oh, right." The realisation hits and I bring my shoulders up to my ears as I smile widely. "We were both right."
Her mouth falls open. "It's a girl?"
"It's a girl."

With a high-pitched squeal, Gracie jumps down from the table and throws her arms around me. "You're having a girl," she speaks in a cheery manner.

Teary-eyed, she pulls back and sends me a genuine smile. I melt at the way her fingers comb through my hair and her ocean blue eyes fixate on mine. "What are you going to name her?" she asks, her tone softer than before.

"I don't know yet, but I have a few ideas," I admit.

"Well, what are your ideas?"

I take a moment to run through the list in my mind. "There's Sophia, Hazel, Amelia, Harper, and I really like Charlie too. They're probably my top five at the moment but it's changing on a weekly basis. I also really like the name Charlotte but primarily because her nickname could then be Lottie which is  something I have with my Mom."

Gracie smiles and holds my cheeks in her palms. "I think they're all cute, but you should name her Gracie."

I chuckle, holding onto her wrists. "But then I won't be able to have a favourite Gracie."
She narrows her eyes. "That is a very fair point. You can make her middle name Gracie then."

"Hm no. I think her middle name is going to be Scarlett."

"Scarlett-Gracie?"
I giggle and turn my head slightly to kiss her palm.
"I'm only kidding," she says. "I wanna be your favourite Gracie always."

My lips curl into a gentle smile. "You always will be."

A few moments of utter silence pass as the two of us remain standing only centimetres away from each other. My heart races through my chest at every stroke of her thumb on my cheek.

"Kenz, are you planning on asking me to be your girlfriend sometime soon?"

My smile widens. "You could always take the initiative, you know?" We both giggle lightly.
"I've discovered that I have a huge fear of rejection, but I'm trying to work through it," she tells me.

"I'd kick myself if I ever rejected you. You're like...as close to perfect as they come. In fact, you might just be perfect."

"That's very sweet of you to say, but so far from the truth," she smiles. I roll my eyes.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend, Gracie?"

"It's really the understatement of the year, angel."

Her lips are back on mine in an instant, and I didn't think kissing Gracie could get any better but apparently I was wrong.
I've heard several people saying that falling in love is equally scary and painful as it is exhilarating, but I just feel the exhilaration with Gracie.
She's my person, and I'm hers.

A couple minutes later, it was time for her to get back to work so I made my way back to Scarlett, seemingly happier than I was when I left ten minutes ago.

"So, how was the bathroom?" She asks, quirking an eyebrow as she takes a sip on the coffee that had arrived whilst I was gone.

"Oh, you know," I shrugs, a giddy smile on my face, "got myself a girlfriend."

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I hope you all have a lovely weekend 🫶🏼