Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad-Chapter 933 : Ill tell him tonight

*Bianca*

Three nights.

I tapped the tip of my fingers against the edge of the wooden table. The tablecloth I’d spent hours setting up now boasted its frayed edges where I’d slowly unraveled the pieces of yarn from one another. The candles had long burned out, leaving me in total darkness.

I glanced at the untouched silverware I’d spent hours cleaning and arranging after finding them deep within the cabinets. Dinner had long grown cold, the untouched noodles had turned to soft mush, and the bread had hardened into rocks.

Despite that, I still sat there in the dark at the kitchen table set for two.

But only one chair was occupied.

Leo didn’t come home, again.

For three nights, I’d set the table and waited for Leo to come home, three dinners that went into the trash, and candles that were quickly running out of wick from their overuse. I stared blankly at the imaginary dinner guest across from me, wondering if I was beginning to lose my mind.

Three nights trapped inside this godforsaken house, three nights of watching soap operas in languages I don’t even speak, and three fucking nights of waiting for someone to come home who just wouldn’t.

I felt like I was going insane, ready to jump through the window and run through the streets barefoot so long as I could feel something other than boredom and disappointment. But I didn’t.

Instead, I sat here and waited.

My phone buzzed on the table, vibrating with an incoming text message. I knew I didn’t have to look at it to know who it was or what it said, but I did anyway.

‘Sorry, I won’t be back until late tonight. Have dinner without me.’

I snorted as I read the message, honestly feeling nothing after seeing it for three nights straight. He couldn’t even bother to change the message up which was another foot he’d dug in the deep hole he was in.

But then again, reading his excuses wouldn’t be any better anyway.

I finally got up from the table, my limbs screeching in pain from how long I’d been sitting there so stiffly. I’m not even hungry anyway as I clean up the untouched dinner. I felt bad scraping the food into the trash but learned my lesson after saving the previous two nights in storage containers.

There wouldn’t be a chance to reuse them.

I sighed as I tidied up as best I could, working in the dark. Honestly, I’m not so angry or disappointed, as I am just worried about Leo. His new obsession with his work had caught me by surprise but I accepted it as I knew he was working so hard to keep me safe.

I’m mostly just angry at the bastard who dared to put a hit out on me and by extension, our unborn child. Even if Taylor and I were the only ones who knew he existed.

Once the dishes were washed and the table cleaned off, I headed upstairs with my phone gripped in my hand. I know it’s going to be another long sleepless night where I’d spent half the night wishing Leo was here to hold me and the other half clutching my stomach as I threw up nothing into the toilet.

The only thing I seemed to be able to keep down was sugary sweets. Ironic considering neither Leo nor I were big on sugar. Taylor helped a lot, both by keeping me company and keeping me connected with the outside world.

Even just hearing about stupid petty dramas of what’s going on back home with my family or the complex relationships between the different Mafias has helped me keep sane. But Taylor couldn’t be a replacement for Leo.

I missed him. I missed his touch and his arms around me when he held me at night, I missed his lips as he whispered sweet nothings and left kisses on every part of my face. I even missed the dumb corny jokes he’d tell just to make me laugh.

I missed him so much it hurt.

No matter our problems, I’d forgive him easily if he just showed up one night. Even if it’s just with a flimsy explanation that I’d have to be stupid to believe. I go through my nightly routine, brushing my teeth and washing my face with the same dullness I do everything else now.

I crawled into bed with the exhaustion of a much older woman than I. I laid a hand over my belly as I curled up on my side and stared at the screen on my phone. The wallpaper, a picture I’d taken a few months ago of us stared back at me like an aggravating reminder of what I didn’t have. And what we were still struggling to hold onto.

My heart ached inside, missing him so goddamn much and I finally couldn’t resist it anymore. I dialed his number, putting him on speaker as I lay in bed and waited.

I was honestly surprised he answered the first call when normally he’d sent me to voicemail.

“Hello?” His voice was full of worry but I felt myself relaxing just by hearing it.

“Leo,” my voice cracked as I answered.

“What’s going on? Are you hurt?” His rapid-fire questions made me feel a bit guilty but I knew that I needed to get this over with. To tell him how much this is killing me.

“I’m not hurt and I’m safe,” I reassured him first then blurted out, “I need you to come home tomorrow. Early. Not until ten o’clock at night, not after I’m asleep. By five at the latest.”

“Bianca,” he sighed, sounding as frustrated as every other call we’d had of this nature but this time, I wasn’t backing down.

“No, Leo. I can’t stay here waiting for you day in and day out when you don’t even come home anymore. I need you to come home tomorrow, please.” Despite my best efforts, tears spilled down my cheeks as I slowly broke down from the loneliness. “I can’t do this anymore! I feel trapped and alone and like I’m slowly going insane from all of it–”

My breath caught on a sob and I ended up in a loud coughing fit, sobbing into the bedsheets and utterly irreconcilable. I don’t even know which part is real and which is fed by the hormones anymore. I just knew I was falling apart.

“Bianca, Bia, listen to my voice, okay,” Leo said soothingly, calling me over and over again until I started to catch my breath and calm down. “It’s okay. I’ll be home tomorrow, I promise. Whatever you want. I’m so goddamn sorry for leaving you alone. Whatever you want to do, I’ll do it.” 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

I sniffed, wiping my face with my sleeve as I listened to his voice. The sheets still smelled like him and I breathed it in.

“Can you talk to me? Until I fall asleep,” I asked quietly, feeling embarrassed for the childish request but knowing that I needed it right now.

“Of course,” Leo responded immediately and I felt a bit relieved, like maybe this time everything would be okay. I rub my slightly swollen belly, wondering if my baby has developed ears yet to hear as Leo talks to me in a low voice about meaningless things.

Gradually, without me even noticing, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up with more energy than usual. My phone died overnight so I left it to charge upstairs while I met Taylor for breakfast. I stuffed down my muffin with a speed even he was impressed with before I started telling him everything I had planned for the date night tonight with Leo.

He was kind enough to volunteer to get the supplies I needed, especially since he was the one who did most of the grocery shopping lately. Once he got back with everything, I set to work as we headed up to the patio rooftop.

The wind felt good on my skin and the breath of fresh air I inhaled was just what I needed.

“Okay, a little to the right,” I said, trying to frame the table with my hands as Taylor moved it back and forth for me. He groaned but did as I asked, the metal table for two screeching against the pavement stones with every movement.

“Back to the left a little,” I frowned, trying to determine where the best angle would be. “Then a little back.”

“This is heavy, you know!” Taylor yelled, throwing his head back playfully but he moved it anyway.

“You’re the one who said you’re ‘the man’ here. And I shouldn’t be moving things when I’m pregnant,’” I mocked his voice, grinning widely at the glare he sent me in return. “That’s good there!”

Taylor breathed a sigh of relief as I finally okayed the table set up. I pulled out the stuff I’d gathered from downstairs and the few items Taylor had purchased at my request. A white satin tablecloth then the candles and plates and utensils.

Each item was placed just so while Taylor worked on setting up the lights.

“I don’t get why you’re so excited over this one dinner date,” Taylor grumbled from the ladder. “I don’t see a difference from the last three dinners where he left you hanging.”

“Well,” I hesitated but then smiled as I gazed out over the backyard. The patio led into the gardens where the flowers were blooming in our evergreen garden of LA. It had rained last night so most of it was coated in a layer of dewdrops that seemed to make the whole area sparkle.

I turned to Taylor determinedly as I said, “I’m going to tell Leo about the baby tonight.”

Taylor nearly fell off the ladder in shock but managed to recover himself as he turned to stare at me wide-eyed.

“What?”

“It’s time,” I smiled nervously, “I don’t know how well Leo’s going to take it at first but I believe in him. He’s loyal, compassionate and sweet to me. Sometimes he gets stuck in his own ways but since I’ve moved here, he’s been the one stable thing in my life. Even if it’s bad timing right now, I know he’ll love our baby as much as I already do.”

I saw the unconfident look on Taylor’s face but I didn’t let it stop me. I gazed up at him determined to do this. I should’ve told him weeks ago but I’d let fear stop me. Not anymore.

Taylor sighed once he saw I was going to go through with this. He climbed down the stairs and pulled me into a hug.

“Just remember you have your family waiting for you back at home,” Taylor reminded me once more.

“I know,” I smiled reassuringly, pulling back so I could finish the last bits of preparations. “But I won’t need it. Leo will come around, I know he will.”

I felt Taylor’s wary looks on my back as I excitedly and nervously finished up our rooftop dinner date. All that’s missing is my boyfriend and the future father of my children.

Everything will be okay once we get past this hurdle. I just need to tell him the truth.