"Watch out before I get you!"
The little girl yelled and started running around the house, Julia chasing her. The little giggles of her step sister never failed to make her laugh as well. They were adorable.
"I'm close!" she yelled at Sofia, making her yell again and jump on the couch so she could grab a pillow and hide behind it.
"I can see you baby," Julia laughed. She slowed down and now slowly walked towards Sofia who crawled further and further into the corner of the couch. Just when Sofia thought she was hiding well enough, Julia pulled the pillow away from her face and picked her up with no effort, swinging her over her shoulder.
"Stop!" Sofia giggled, slapping her hands on Julia's back. Julia fondly smiled as she held the girl's ankles tightly and walked her back to Senna's bedroom where they had been playing.
No one else was home; it was just the two of them. It was a big moment though, because it was the first time Julia's mom trusted Julia enough to let her babysit Sofia again.
It felt good to finally feel safe again at home. It gave her at least one thing she could stop worrying about. She had plenty other things to worry about though. One of them being the fact that she was pregnant and no one knew. Just her and Senna.
"It's time for your nap, sweetheart," she told the toddler while placing her on the king size bed. Sofia pouted immediately and shook her head.
"Play a little more?"
"After the nap," Julia promised, tapping her pointer finger on Sofia's small nose, making her crunch her nose up.
"Sleep wif me?" Sofia asked, her eyes growing big. Julia wanted to tell her no again, but she really couldn't resist the big brown eyes. Besides, playing with the three year old while being pregnant with another kid exhausted her more than she thought it would. She could use a few hours of sleep.
"Sure. Let's get changed."
It was everything Sofia needed to know to do exactly what Julia asked her, which lead to them laying in bed together only five minutes later. A new record.
"You wanna play trains after sleep?" Sofia asked Julia while cuddling up against her chest, hugging her stuffed lion tightly. It was adorable how Sofia always planned what she wanted to do before she went to sleep. The best thing about it was that she always ended up doing something else once she woke up.
"Of course baby. Whatever you wanna do."
Julia kissed the toddler's head gently and pulled her a little closer, closing her eyes as well. She was happy Sofia never asked her about Dom anymore, which she used to do every day before her naps. She would ask when Dom would come over to play. This stopped when Senna got mad at her; something Julia didn't want to do even though it did really bother her.
After Senna had yelled at Sofia, causing Sofia to cry for a full hour, she never asked about him again. It was good, although Julia still felt a little guilty. She was just a child.
"Sof?" Julia spoke quietly when she felt the girl moving so she knew she wasn't sleeping yet.
"If you'd have a baby sister or baby brother, what would you name them?"
It was funny how the little girl started thinking immediately, without questioning why Julia asked her.
"Elsa," Sofia said after just a few seconds of silent thinking. "If it was a girl."
Julia smiled fondly when she realized where the toddler got the name from, and before Sofia could tell her the boy's name, she guessed "and Olaf for a boy?"
Sofia nodded proudly and giggled. "I be Anna."
"Sure baby. And you'd be the best big sister ever."
-
Julia: i'm keeping it
Senna: OMG REALLY
Julia: yeah i'm sure now
Julia: i really can't abort it. i'd be fucking broken
Senna: oh my god julia i'm so happy for you
Julia: :)
Julia: also i'm babysitting sofia and it made me realize how much fun it is to play with her and teach her things
Senna: it is!! you'll be such a good mom i feel it
Julia: i'm so scared tho
Senna: but it's worth it!!
Senna: if your kid is gonna be exactly like sofia you're gonna be so happy you kept it
Senna: actually you'll be happy you kept it, no matter what
Julia: yeah i feel like it's the best thing to do
Julia: i don't think i'm telling mom or sofia yet though. maybe later when it gets too obvious and i can't hide it anymore
Julia: oh god that fucking made me so nervous
Julia: just thinking about it
Senna: me too omg but i'm so happy i'm so excited
Julia: ugh
Senna: i promise you'll be fine
Julia: yeah
Julia: yeah i hope so
Julia: also i'm obviously not gonna tell dom. i wonder if he'll ever find out
Senna: oh my god
Senna: imagine running into him after a few years and you just... have a kid
Julia: hahahaha man he'd be so confused
Senna: i'm here for it
Senna: also jules
Senna: even though it's scary as hell you at least have something you can look forward to. maybe it'll help you to get over him
Senna: and get over your broken heart
Julia: you're right :( i'll just focus on the baby from now on
Senna: yeah!!
Julia: you have to help me think of names tho
Julia: i asked sofia and she said elsa and olaf...
Senna: that kid is so fucking obsessed with frozen for no reason
Julia: right hahaha it's so funny
Senna: it's funny but exhausting
Senna: SHE JUDGED ME FOR NOT KNOWING THE ENTIRE PLOT LIKE BRUH IM NOT THREE YEARS OLD LIKE YOU
Julia: she's so sassy i love her
Senna: me too
Senna: and i'm gonna love your kid just as much
Julia: my stomach turned AGAIN
Senna: ITS GONNA BE OKAYYY
-
By the time Sofia woke up from her nap, Senna was already home from school. It made them change the plan completely and they just ended up watching a movie together.
Of course it was Frozen, but this time Senna chose the movie. Sofia had never been happier though.
Julia hadn't felt happier than this for the past weeks either. Finally deciding what she wanted to do with the baby brought more peace to her mind than she though it would. Maybe she could live without Dom. Maybe there would be a day where she would get over him.
At least she was closer now.
"Julia?" Sofia's small voice interrupted Julia's thoughts that had made her smile unconsciously.
"What's up?"
She stroke her hand through Sofia's brown hair and looked down to see Sofia's head resting on Julia's stomach.
"Are we gonna play trains after this?"
Julia chuckled and nodded. "Sure. You wanna finish the movie first, huh?"
Sofia shrugged as she looked back at the screen, but it didn't take long until she sat up and crawled up so she could reach Julia's ear.
"Is Dom coming too?" she whispered in her ear, as quiet as she possibly could. It was obvious Sofia was scared of Senna getting mad at her again.
It hurt to have her step sister ask about Dom again just as she tried to forget him, but Julia knew Sofia whispered it in her ear for a reason and she trusted Julia for not getting mad at her.
So Julia shook her head lightly and whispered back "he won't, I'm sorry."
Sofia sat back on Julia's lap and pouted. "But I only want him to play trains with me."
The sad look on the toddler's face made Julia sigh a little as she stroke the top of her fingers over Sofia's cheek.
"Is that why you asked to play trains? So Dom would come too?"
Sofia nodded and got embarrassed by the way Julia could read her that well. She quickly hid her face in Julia's shirt.
"He won't come over anymore I'm afraid, baby."
"But why?"
"Because he... sometimes friends just stop playing with you. Not because they don't like you, but they just... don't have time anymore," Julia tried to tell her. She didn't even bother trying to explain what really happened as she knew it would be too complicated. She felt like it still was.
"He doesn't have time anymore?" Sofia asked her sadly, and Julia shook her head.
"But I do. Now Dom doesn't have time for us anymore, I do have all the time in the world, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"And I promise you'll get a new friend very, very soon."
-----
Dubble update again cuz I felt like 😌 Tonight will be another one because I'm nearly done writing it