‘‘I’m pretty sure you’re not, either,’‘ Ian agreed, a chuckle leaving his lips. Maybe he was wrong entirely, but her being nervous and thinking of the little things, such as decoration? It was endearing at the very least. That also carried the connotation of her planning for their future together – as in, she was there to stay. They weren’t just dating, they weren’t just in a relationship. They were already living together, which was a preparation for the rest of their lives. How couldn’t he love every single bit of it, even the ones that left her a little stressed out and nervous? ‘’Like a cactus,’’ He deadpanned, even though everyone knew that taking care of a cactus required no effort whatsoever. ‘’We can even forget it’s there,’’ As soon as he said, however, a fit of laughter escaped him and before she would’ve run off, his hands landed on the sides of her hips to keep her in place, just in case. ‘’If you wanna get a plant, we can get one. But,’’ He smiled. ‘’You think we’d have time for somethin’ a bit more alive? Like a bird?’’ He didn’t want to say dog because dogs were practically like children, as far as taking care of them was concerned. ‘’A fish tank?’’ He then offered, but another fit of laughter bubbled up to the surface. ‘’Just because we do wanna practice for something a bit more… alive, right?’’ He locked his eyes on hers, hoping she’d catch what he meant by it. He wasn’t about to just drop the topic of a baby on her, but he did want to know how she felt about it. ‘’A cooking class sounds great,’’ He nodded not long after. ‘’But you already know my Mom thinks you’re great. They both just need some time, you know?’’ Referring to his parents as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face, Ian mused on it. His parents did think Natalie was cute and funny and pleasant to talk to, but he felt like they didn’t think she would stick. And who could have blamed them? He introduced them to Naomi out of nowhere, his mother held out a hope only to have that crash and burn. And before Naomi, he never actually introduced them to a serious girlfriend. And suddenly, he was living with one– despite them being aware of Natalie’s existence back when he was serving, he now understood they didn’t think she was that serious. In fact… he was pretty sure that they still thought he was secretly dating Greer or something along those lines.
“Maybe something blue or light gray---” She murmured in that distracted way of hers, eyes blindly scanning from couch to walls. Natalie didn’t have any experience with color theory, either, but the palette hinted at peaceful. Calming. Everything she found in Ian and needed to keep her head from exploding during the day to day. Natalie jolted back from her wandering imagination - from the fledgling idea of bringing the beach and the ocean waves indoors - when he mentioned something about a cactus.
“God, you have that little faith in me, huh?” Her palm swatted Ian’s chest. "I’ll have you know it’s been a year since Cerbie accidentally came into my life---” although it wasn’t much of an accident when she stole him--- “and he’s still kickin’.” The dog shared her trait of scrounging for scraps when life (re: Natalie) failed to supply. He was also probably waiting for her to pick him up from Bexley’s now that she’d officially settled in.
Her body pivoted on his lap. Pressed back to chest, draped arm over stomach. Then, when she was good and comfortable, Natalie helped herself to the second half of Ian’s sandwich. Out loud, she mused, “What’s more alive than that?” Her brain didn’t automatically operate in a maternal direction, so it took a moment for the pieces to fall into place. A wedge of sourdough and roast beef lodged in her throat. “Do you---” coughing, she slammed a fist to her chest, just once--- “do you mean like... kids?”
The idea of growing a family probably should’ve been expected, but it threw her for a loop. Even if Ian wasn’t thinking about it, now Natalie was. Being a mother. Teaching someone how to succeed and thrive. She went still, save for a finger that flicked a piece of fallen lettuce off her thigh. “Shouldn’t we--- I mean--- we should probably be sure your family even wants me in it before we go addin’ my hopeless mess genes to the bloodline, right?” It took a few seconds before her eyes eventually gravitated to his face. Searching. Unsure. Was she way off base right now? Or had seeing Mike and Naomi take that leap inspired a similar urge inside of Ian? Without knowing, she proceeded gently and with caution. “We just--- it’s not something we’ve talked about in a really long time.” Not since they were younger and untainted by the stain of all her bad decisions.
gummygunk
prguitarman
vaporwave
romaincrisis
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
izzy806
