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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 30, 2009 15:24:34 GMT -5
"No, I don't think you have," Riley said, her mind spinning in a million different directions, but still focused wholly on Roland. She was curious why he brought Amandine's birth up, and knew there must be a story behind it, so she was eager to hear it. At the same time, however, she glanced at the champagne and strawberries, still in the archway to bathroom.
"Come tell me about it in the bath?" She said, lifting her head to look at him, her eyebrows raising slightly. "I'll make sure the water's warm."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 30, 2009 16:17:56 GMT -5
He smiled and kissed her quickly. "That sounds good," he said.
Sitting up, he let the sheet fall, uncovering his chest. There were two plush robes hanging nearby, and it would have been easy to get up and grab them, so that she wouldn't have to search for something to wear to the bathroom. But instead, he gave her a mischievous look. "You first."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 30, 2009 20:12:14 GMT -5
Riley's cheeks flushed when he told her to get up first, and it was only because she got extremely self conscious when he looked at her when she was naked. Though really, she didn't know why. Roland told her over and over that she was beautiful. She just wasn't used to being so open with anyone. Maybe that was it... maybe her hesitancey in this area was just another wall she had built up. Or maybe just a lack of experience.
Despite all this, she sat up as well, allowing the sheet to fall to her waist as well, instead of holding it up against her chest like it was instinct to do. "You better not be too far behind me, or I might want the tub all to myself," she teased him, letting her legs slide off the side of the bed, and then got to her feet, smiling shyly.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 30, 2009 20:41:01 GMT -5
He smiled when she got up and made her way to the bathroom. Merlin, she was so beautiful it made his heart ache. It meant a lot to him that she was becoming less shy around him. Although he thought her shyness was cute, it was still sort of funny to him, because he already knew her so imtimately. He knew her body by heart.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and followed after her, grabbing the robes on the way. In the open archway to the bathroom, he caught up to her and pulled her to him in a long, lingering kiss. "You're beautiful," he whispered against her lips.
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 30, 2009 21:09:05 GMT -5
Almost surprised when Roland pulled her into his arms, Riley's shy smile widened. Somehow, hearing those words from him, she always believed them.
"Thank you," she told him when their lips parted. "You're quite handsome yourself." What she meant when she said this was that he was perfect and she loved him. She kissed him again, then pulled away to cast a charm on the water to heat it up and keep it warm before she took the robes from his arms and laid them across the sink.
"You first, this time."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 30, 2009 21:17:48 GMT -5
He laughed. "OK, fair enough," he replied.
He kissed her one more time, then pulled away and wheeled the cart with the champagne and strawberries into the bathroom, so that they could reach it from the tub. Then he carefully stepped into the oversized tub, casting a quick glance over his shoulder at her before settling into the warm water.
"It's perfect," he said, turning to look at her. His eyes glittered at the sight of her. "Better come in and join me."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 30, 2009 23:38:23 GMT -5
"I intend to," Riley told him, smoothing out the robes on the sink before she camme over to the tub, stepping over the side. She wondered for a moment whether to lean against him or settle in opposite him. She stood, water coming to her knees.
Finally, she decided she wanted to be in his arms and turned, settling against his chest.
"It is perfect," she told him. "all of this is perfect. Tell me about Amandine,"
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 31, 2009 0:03:44 GMT -5
As she settled against him, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. For a moment, he didn't want to talk, he just wanted to feel her in his arms and breathe in the intoxicating scent of her shampoo, which smelled like lilies and ginger to him.
Finally, he smiled and shifted very slightly, so that he could see her face. "I kind of help my mum give birth to Amandine," he began. "I was the only one with her when she went into labor."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 31, 2009 0:52:10 GMT -5
Riley's head tilted back and she rested it against his shoulder, feeling immediately relaxed, all tension leaving her body. She had a thing for baths, and water in general. That's why shy loved the beach towns so much.
"How old were you?" She replied almost sleepily, not wanting to do the math. "Your mother must have been so scared,." She couldn't imagine having to do that alone... Without RoLand. "You must have been really scared too."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 31, 2009 1:24:14 GMT -5
"I was 7," Roland replied. "Of course, the way I acted was closer to 12." He chuckled, remembering how grown up he had always thought he was, even as a kid.
"Anyway, I was terrified, but I never would have admitted it. I thought I had to be strong for my mum. See, my dad had taken Cyrus and Jamie on a trip to Diagon Alley, and I stayed behind with Mum because she wasn't feeling well. When the contractions first started, I immediately tried to take control and I got my mother to lie down and relax. She was in pain, and she couldn't really do anything, and I couldn't do magic yet, so I had to send an owl to St. Mungo's and hope it got there in time. We had no way to contact my father."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 31, 2009 1:30:08 GMT -5
Riley's eyes were now open, though her head was still against his shoulder. She was watching the way his lips moved when he talked, as if trying to memorize the way his words sounded and felt, how they were formed.
"Did it get there in time?" she asked, playing well into the avid listener role he was probably looking for. "Or did they send someone just after Ama was born?" That would explain with even greater clarity why Roland was closest with his youngest sibling. She was already imagining that he was the first to hold her, too, but she kept quiet and let him finish his story.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 31, 2009 1:42:34 GMT -5
He shook his head. "No, they didn't make it on time. But when I realized that she was about to give birth any minute, I ran next door. The lady that lived there was actually a nurse, so she knew what to do. She came over and helped us... I just sat there and held Mum's hand and tried to keep her calm. Luckily, because Ama was her fourth child, the labor wasn't very long... although, if it had been, the people from St. Mungo's would have been on time."
He shrugged, remembering that day. It had actually had a profound effect on him, getting to witness something like that. Pretty soon, he realized, Riley would be going through it, as she gave birth to their child. He only hoped that he'd be able to hold her hand during it.
"I was actually kind of freaked out at first, watching that happen. But it really made me admire my mother, you know? When Ama made her first cry... It was kind of amazing. I might have teared up a little, actually. Anyway, The neighbor... she let me cut the cord. And then she let me hold Ama until my mum was ready to do it."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 31, 2009 1:57:20 GMT -5
"That sounds pretty amazing," Riley said, though her voice had dropped to a whisper. She too was thinking of a time in the near future when Roland would be going through that again, only at her side. She dipped a hand under the water, pressing it against her stomach. When would she be able to tell there was a baby inside?
Holding back from asking question she really wanted to know for her own sake (how long had labor been with Roland, her first child? How much pain had she been in? What was it like after the baby was born?), she said, "That's probably why you're so protective of her. I mean, brothers are protective in general. At least, they're supposed to be... but you are very fiercely protective. It's kind of amazing to see, you know."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 31, 2009 7:38:37 GMT -5
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. It was true, while he loved all of his siblings, Amandine held a very special place in his heart. It probably would have been true, even if not for the experience of her birth, simply because she was the youngest and the only girl. But after being present to witness her entrance into the world, he adored her even more. That day, he had whispered something to the tiny baby in his arms. He had told her that he would fight the world to keep her safe. And he still meant it.
"I think that was the day it started," Roland admitted. "I don't think I was partcularly protective to my brothers before that, but after watching Ama's birth... It changed me. I got more protective of all of them, not just Ama. I felt like it was my job."
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Post by Riley Neves on Aug 31, 2009 15:44:46 GMT -5
Riley's first thought was that Roland had been so young to understand something like that, and it made her wish she had seen him or known him at a young age. It sounded to her like they had both put up their walls and developed their defenses very early on, but in some alternate universe, had they met under innocent circumstances, both open to the world and wonder and love, what kind of fireworks would have been caused?
"I love you," she said abruptly. "You're absolutely amazing. When our baby's born... you have to promise me you'll be there. I won't be able to do it like your mother did. And I want you to have that connection with our child, too."
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Aug 31, 2009 17:47:08 GMT -5
When she said things like that to him, it made him feel warm inside. He had never cared what anyone thought of him before, but her opinion mattered. It always had, he realized, almost from the very beginning. When she hated him, he felt like scum. And when she complimented him, he knew that she meant it completely.
"I think you're pretty amazing, too," he whispered tenderly. "I love you and our baby... Nothing in the world could keep me from being with you when it's born."
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Post by Riley Neves on Sept 1, 2009 1:05:40 GMT -5
"Good," was all she replied.
Riley only ever felt amazing when he told her she was, and when she saw how they made everything work together. Theirs was a case where the sum was truly greater than the parts.
"Boy or girl, Roland? What do you feel?" She wasn't asking which he would rather have. He'd been pretty noncomittal last time she hinted at the question. She wanted to know what his gut told him, because she knew she already felt like it might be one or the other. Then again, she could be way off and wouldn't know until... what visit was it, four months? Maybe she wouldn't even want to know by then.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Sept 1, 2009 1:18:13 GMT -5
He didn't answer for a minute. He simply closed his eyes and allowed his mind to form an image. He could see the two of them, in the near future, holding a baby between them. Whenever he pictured it, the image in his mind was always the same... a little pink blanket... a future of dolls and ballerina outfits and threatening overanxious suitors.
"I think it's a girl," he said at last, opening his eyes. "At least... I can see us with a girl. She's headstrong and stubborn and rebellious and is going to drive us absolutely crazy." He smiled and pressed a kiss to her neck.
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Post by Riley Neves on Sept 1, 2009 1:25:43 GMT -5
"Well I'm used to all of that from you, so I think I'll be okay," Riley teased him, smiling brightly as she turned her head to look at him. "You know, I think it's a girl, too. I keep seeing pink things. You know I detest pink, right? If we're right, I'm going to tell everyone that we don't know what it is so they'll get green or yellow things."
She turned her head so that her lips could find his, and she kissed again. "You'll help me figure out how to do this, right?" she asked, just making sure that he was definitely in this parenthood thing for the long haul.
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Post by Roland Ferrera on Sept 1, 2009 1:39:47 GMT -5
"Ha ha, very funny," he said, smiling. "Let's just hope our kid doesn't get my ego. Then we'll really have a battle on our hands."
He had to laugh at the fact that she didn't like pink. It didn't surprise him, really. She was all about bold colors, and pink just didn't fit in with that. "Why do babies always have to have pastels, anyway? Wouldn't brighter colors make more sense and be easier for them to see and hold their attention? Maybe we should insist on red or orange instead. I'm not sure I could take a bunch of pale yellow things."
He closed his eyes and relaxed into her kiss. "Of course I will. Just you try and get rid of me. I'm really looking forward to it... the midnight feedings, the whole thing."
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