Not YOURS but OURS

CHAPTER 2

Alexander's POV

She’s probably not coming back.

The dim light from the television illuminates my dark figure. The pitter-patter of the rain against the window does little to distract me from my thoughts. Luke was still fast asleep, the first time in the last four months.

Eliz is great with kids.

I really shouldn’t be surprised; she basically raised her younger siblings. She has always been good with kids. Hell, my younger siblings love her more than they love me.

Maybe it would be nice to have her around.

No, I should be doing this alone. I shouldn’t drag her into my mess. She wasn’t there when Luke was made. She shouldn’t be here to help me raise him. My child. My responsibility. Sighing, I get up, walking over to check up on Luke, peacefully asleep. Maybe I should get some rest too.

*******************

The sound of sucking awakens me from my sleep. The house was still as dark as I left it. Yet there was now a blanket covering my figure. The late-night news was playing on TV. Eliz sat on the one-seater couch adjacent to mine, Luke in her arms, peacefully drinking. A warm smile decorating her lips.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Eliz says, her attention turning away from Luke to myself. Her warm smile was gone. “You didn’t wake me, it’s fine,” I reply, sitting up. “You can go back to sleep. I’ll take care of Luke.” Eliz says, her attention turning back to Luke, the smile returning. “You really don’t have to.”

“But I want to.” She says a small smile on her face again as she looks down at Luke. “It's not your place to,” I murmured, as I get up to head to the kitchen. “I heard that,” Eliz says in a monotone voice.

I stand in the kitchen for a few minutes before I hear movement from the lounge. Not long after, Eliz joins me in the kitchen. For the first few seconds, she stands there watching me drown down some whisky before filling my glass again. “How are you?” She asks, moving to get herself a glass.

“I’m okay,” I reply shortly. “Why did you come back?” I ask. Eliz takes a long sip of her drink before turning herself to lean against the counter. “Because I’m not blind Alex. You need help.” She replies, looking down at the floor. “Aren’t you going to ask?” Over the last five months, every time someone found out about Luke, they have asked me about everything regarding my baby. Yet here Elizabeth was. She only asked me two questions: where his mother was and how old he was. Nothing else.

“No, not yet. You’ll tell me eventually.” Something I always loved about Eliz and that I should have expected from her in this type of situation has to be that she’ll never press. She wants you to tell her when you’re ready. She doesn’t want to open wounds for you. She lets you heal. “What if I don’t?” I ask. It’s been a while since Elizabeth and I have spoken, especially face to face. And with our current situation, the conversation felt a bit forced and awkward.

“That’s your choice. Just don’t think for a minute your not wanting to tell me anything about you and Luke’s mother is going to stop me from helping you.” Eliz says drinking the last bit of her whisky. “Go get some sleep, Alexander. I’ll sleep in the lounge with Luke tonight.” With that Eliz leaves me alone in the kitchen with my own thoughts.

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The morning came faster than I expected. Although I had gotten some of the best sleep I’d gotten in months. The lovely smell of bacon fills my nostrils as I make my way toward the kitchen. Elizabeth stands in front of the breakfast bar, Luke on her hip. Breakfast decorates the bar. Toast, eggs, bacon, and orange juice, all beautifully placed.

I could almost cry at the sight. It’s been a while since I’ve had breakfast, especially a homemade one. It's usually nothing or something delivered from the Chinese takeaway not too far away. It’s the first time in four months I have woken up and seen someone other than Luke or the maid in my house. Makes me feel a tiny bit better.

“Look Luke, say morning daddy.” It's amazing how fast Luke has taken a liking to Elizabeth. He's all smiles as she talks to him. He didn’t even like my sister this fast. And she took care of him for the first month of his life. “Good morning, Luke. How is daddy’s little boy?” I asked, taking Luke from Eliz’s arms. “Good morning, Alexander.” Eliz greeted me. “Good morning, Eliz. How did you sleep?” I returned her pleasantries. “I should be asking you that.” She says dishing me a plate. “Better than I did before. Thank you.”

Eliz sets down the plate in front of me before coming around to take Luke from me. “No, you should eat first. Don’t worry about me.” Hesitantly she makes her way back to the other side of the breakfast bar. Sitting down, she grabs a plate for herself. “Don’t you have work today?” She asks, casually taking a bite of toast. “I don’t have to be back at work until the end of next month,” I answer, playing with Luke a little.

“Who is taking care of the company then?” She enquires. “My dad. He gave me until Luke is six months old. After that, I need to be back at work. Which reminds me I need to find a good nanny.” Elizabeth’s face suddenly turns sour at the mention of a nanny. “You want to hire a total stranger to look after Luke?” The question sounds rhetorical, yet I still choose to answer. “Yes.”

If there’s literally nothing worse than Elizabeth’s ‘disgusted’ face. It could make you rethink your life choices. The way her eyebrows pull down, her nose crinkles, and her upper lip pulls up really hits one hard. “Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, confused. “Maybe because you want to get a nanny.”

“What’s wrong with getting a nanny?” I ask, still generally confused.

“Why would you get a nanny but I’m here?”