I had made up my mind to let go of any attachments I held in my heart towards Dante, I just wanted us to live like normal humans, I wasn't interested in being a part of his life, I tried to convince myself so.
"Goodmorning, breakfast is almost ready" I informed him to prompt him to get out of bed
He looked like an absolute mess, his sleepy face, swollen and plushy red.
"What's for breakfast?", he asked, his deep morning voice sending goosebumps all over my skin.
"Come see for yourself" I responded, raising his curiosity.
He walked behind me as I headed back to the kitchen.
"Vegan sandwich? Are you kidding me? Why would anyone want to eat that?" He asked with disappointment.
"Trust me, this is really good and you know you need to eat healthy as often as you can" I told him.
He took a seat by the counter and watched me as I served out the food onto a plate for him.
"I'm really not eating this, can I just have the coffee alone?" he asked.
"Yes of course z you're eating this. You haven't even tried it yet, have a bite at least before you conclude if you're eating or not" I persuaded. I was very sure he'd love the sandwich.
After a few minutes of grumpy silence, he finally took a bite and one bite led to another and before I knew it he had finished the first sandwich I gave him.
"This is really really good Sienna, how did you manage to make it taste so good?" he said, still chewing.
I served some more for him before he could even ask and he enjoyed the meal so well.
It was Saturday and I usually didn't have much to do during the weekend, I just usually stayed in and watched TV and slept a lot. Dante usually spent his weekends going out and doing whatever it is that he does.
I showered and came to the living room to binge watch my favorite shows I had missed all through the week. I deliberately missed them because I knew they would air all the episodes every Saturday morning and that was a better way to watch it. I grabbed some snacks and laid on the couch to watch TV and in a few minutes to my greatest surprise, Dante joined me.
"You're not going out today?" I asked inquisitively.
"Oh no, I just thought to stay in and get some rest today. What are you watching?" He asked.
"The real housewives of LA" I answered.
He sat at the opposite end of the couch I was laying down on and we watched the show together. It was quite fun, Dante chipped in questions about what was going on here and there, he really wasn't a TV person. I could notice him getting bored at some point and it seemed he was just watching because I was.
"Wanna watch something else?" I asked considerately.
"Oh no, if you enjoy this then it's alright or do you wanna watch something else?" He asked. I was certain he hoped I would say yes, it was written all over his facial expression.
"Sure we could watch the games" I replied, giving in to his unspoken wishes.
"Okay" he said, not wanting to show too much excitement.
I handed him the remote and he switched the channel to the sports channel. His favorite team was playing, it made sense now, why he decided to come down to join me to watch TV. He was so invested in the match but he kept explaining to me what was happening at every point, who was with the ball, who scored a goal, why the referee gave a player a red card and what it indicated, I didn't feel left out at any point. I decided to support the opposing team and whenever they scored, I would celebrate and watch him sulk and whine like a baby.
I think I may have gotten too hyper because I started to feel my headache and slowly I felt so dizzy and uncomfortable, I returned back to laying down and after a while Dante noticed my mood change.
"Is everything alright?" He asked, concerned.
"Yeah sure, I'm just slightly dizzy and my head hurts a bit" I told him.
He quickly rushed to the kitchen and I wondered what he was going for. He came back with a towel and a bowl of warm water. He dipped the towel in the water and laid it over my forehead.
"This should help, I used to do this for my mom alot and it always helps her feel better, don't worry, you'll be fine" he said, gently pressing the towel on my forehead like a little head massage.
He sat at my feet and placed them on his laps and began to massage them while he continued watching the game.
I was intrigued by his show of affection.I couldn't tell if there was any underlying factor to it, or if he was just being kind, but whatever it was, I appreciated it. Being pregnant was a lot and the random discomforts needed attention at all times and him being there at that moment was a really good thing for me. I had no idea how I would have managed the situation if I was alone.
"You should get some rest", Dante said after the game ended.
He supported me to my feet and walked me up to my room. How gentle of him, he tucked me in bed and made sure the air conditioner was turned on to a proper setting.
"Thank you", I muttered softly.
As he stood to walk away, I grabbed him lightly by the arm not knowing why I even did that.
"Please stay a bit", I heard myself say.
Dante turned to me, our eyes locked and I couldn't read the expression on his face but I could feel the warmth of his skin as his fingers brushed against mine in a bid to release his arm.
"Of course I'll stay", he replied with a slight soothing smile.