The house has been sort of tense lately. Milo has been keeping to himself, smiling and saying hello when he gets home, but everything else is done quietly. I hate it, but don't know what to do about it.
He had told me that he was not mad at me when I confronted him the other day, but he has been drawing in on himself. Nothing I do seems to be working, so I have resolved to let him go at his own pace.
I know things have been hard, things hitting him one right after another. Aaron leaving him, the suppressants in his system, and his harsh heat. It seems as if he is never getting a break.
Well, that's what I am here for. Milo had left for work early this morning, in charge of opening the coffee shop and then closing the bookshop. It is going to be a long day, and I hate that he pushes himself so much. He never allows himself to take a break, but it has always been his way of coping.
Looking down at the papers in my hand, I quickly memorize the fax number Milo had scrawled across a sticky note before typing it into the machine. I didn't know people still used these things, but apparently, his lawyer does. She had asked Milo to fax her the divorce papers that Aaron had given him so that she could look over them before their meeting in a couple weeks.
There are so many papers, so it takes a while to get them all through the machine in order to be faxed, but eventually, the task gets done.
The day passes slowly. All of the kids in my class are bouncing off the walls, way too energized after being cooped up all day. The rain outside has only increased, making the playground a muddy mess. By the time the parents come to pick them up, I am exhausted.
But I don't want to just go back to the house and wait all day for Milo to get home. Instead, I grab my stuff and drive over to the coffee shop. There are not too many people there at the moment, since it is the middle of a weekday, making it easy enough for me to buy a drink.
"Mr. Bellamy!" Xania exclaims, smiling when she sees me step up to grab my drink. "How are you?"
"I'm doing great, Xania, thank you. And call me Ollie, please. Mr. Bellamy makes me feel old."
She nods her head, handing over my drink. "Mr. Katz is in the bookstore right now. Would you like me to get him?"
Smiling at her, I take the drink, warming my hands by wrapping my fingers tightly around the drink. "No, it's fine. I don't want to bother him."
Someone calls Xania's name, and she looks over her shoulder, brows scrunching before turning back to look at me. "I got to go see what that's about. Have a good afternoon, Ollie."
"You too, Xania."
Looking around the coffee shop, I see a nice empty recliner in the corner of the coffee shop, near the fireplace. One of the things that draws people to this place so much is the coziness of it. It feels more like home instead of a cold, sterile store. When Milo was first designing this place, he had debated whether or not to go the more modern route for coffee shop designs but had finally settled on making the place more comfortable. Clearly, this decision is paying off.
The fire feels amazing, and soon enough I find myself starting to doze, despite the fact that I am sipping on a coffee. Someone sitting in the chair across from me startles me from the half sleep I had found myself in, causing me to almost spill the rest of my coffee.
"Didn't mean to scare you," a familiar voice says. Blinking my eyes, I look over at the person, noticing Milo smiling at me. His hair is in its usual half do. The top is twisted into a bun, while the strands that are too short fall around his face, resting just above his shoulders. "How long have you been here?"
"What time is it?" I ask, voice coming out slightly rasped. Milo leans forward, gently taking the mug from my hand before I can drop it, setting it on the small table on my left.
"A little after five."
Rubbing my hands over my eyes, I try to force the sleepiness away. "Wow, didn't mean to sleep that long. I got here around three."
"How come you didn't just go home if you're so tired?"
If that question had come from anyone else, I might have bristled, but Milo looks concerned. His blue eyes are pinched in worry. Scooting over on my chair, I pat the cushion next to me. Milo hesitates for a second, looking around the coffee shop before coming to join me. It is a tight fit, so he is sitting more in my lap than in my chair, but I don't care. His weight is welcoming, and I wrap my arms around his waist as he gets comfortable. My eyes start to slip shut when his fingers run through my hair, the gesture comforting.
"Didn't want to go home alone. I'll just wait for you to finish up here, and maybe I can even help you close up, that way you can get home sooner."
He tenses slightly, before finally relaxing into me. "I'd like that."
We sit there silently after that, Milo's fingers continually running through my hair until I find myself drifting again. It only when I feel him completely tense up that I lift my head from his chest, forcing my eyes open. Looking up, I see Milo staring at the front doors. My eyes follow his gaze, and I can see what has him completely freezing in my lap.
Aaron is across the street, the windows giving a great view of the outdoors. With the heavy rains outside, it makes it easy for us to see out, but those outside are not able to see in. He is walking across the sidewalk, a young woman standing at his side. His smile is wide, as he watches her rest her hand on her stomach. His own hand comes up, resting on top of hers, and when I look down, I see that her stomach is slightly rounded.
"What the hell?" I murmur. "Is she...?"
"Pregnant," Milo whispers. He moves as if he is about to stand up, and I tighten my arms around him, keeping him in my lap. "She-she's pregnant. Oh god." Milo collapses into my arms, burying his face in my neck. "What's going on, Ollie?"
My hand runs along his back, finally settling on the back of his neck and keeping him close to me. The scene is clear. Aaron doesn't seem to mind that he is standing in perfect view of Milo's stores, probably thinking Milo is still in the back like he usually is. The alpha leans down, pressing his lips against the woman's before wrapping his hand around her waist and leading her into the store they were standing in front of. I'm silently grateful that Milo was at least spared from having to see that.
"Milo," I whisper, pressing a kiss against the side of his hair. "I-I think he was... cheating on you." He lets out a small whimper, curling in closer to me. "If she is showing, she has to at least be a few months along."
"How could he do this?" Milo whispers into my neck. "Was I really so terrible? He knew we were struggling to get pregnant and he goes and gets someone else pregnant? How-How could he do this?"
"He's an asshole, love." Shifting Milo slightly, I reach into my pocket to pull out my phone. "We have to get a picture. This has to work in your favor in the divorce if he was cheating."
Milo tenses against me, pulling away slightly. "What? No, I don't want anyone to know about this. It's so embarrassing."
"He should be embarrassed, not you, Milo. He is the cheating asshole, and he shouldn't be able to get away with it," I meet his gaze, not looking away. "Let me help you." He doesn't move for a few seconds, but finally, nods his head.
"Fine," he whispers, settling against my chest again as I wait for Aaron and his partner to step out of the store again, snapping a picture of them holding hands, and another of them smiling adoringly at each other, and one last one of Aaron pulling her hand up so that he can press a kiss to the back of it.
At least we got something out of this. Cheating is something that can help Milo in the end. Because knowing Aaron, the arrogant doctor that he is, he would have tried to lord the whole divorce over Milo, trying to get everything he can in the separation. He has already forced Milo to move and taken most of their stuff. Milo doesn't deserve to have his soon to be ex-husband take anything else.
Aaron is starting to show his true colors, and I know it is painful for Milo. But I can't help but be grateful that Milo is getting away from the demeaning alpha now. Besides, the thought of having Milo be with anyone else, after how close we have become over the last few weeks, makes a whip of jealousy crack through me.
Others are looking at us while most of the room is ignoring us. Xania is behind the counter biting her lip, looking at me with a questioning gaze. I give her a nod, and she nods back before disappearing into the back room, where Milo's office is located. She reappears a few minutes later, silently walking over to us with Milo's stuff.
"Let's go home, love," I whisper. "I'm sure Xania and the other guy can shut down the bookstore for you."
"I-I'll talk to David. He was supposed to go home soon, though," he murmurs, allowing me to pull him up from the chair with me.
"I'm sure it will be fine. I'll go pull the car around while you talk to David."
He gives a shaky nod of his head, walking over to the door connecting the bookshop to the coffee shop. While he is gone, I pull out my phone, emailing those pictures over to Milo's lawyer, thinking that this may help her. With that done, I pick up all of our stuff, placing the empty coffee mug in the dirty dishes bin.
The rain is coming down hard outside, making me jog to the car, which is about two blocks down from the coffee shop. All of the closer parking spots were taken when I had come here earlier. Luckily, I had dropped Milo off this morning, so we don't have to leave his car behind.
Milo is waiting for me when I pull the car up, quickly jumping in and buckling up. He leans over to turn up the heat, and before I can start driving away, he settles his hand on my cheek. "Thank you, Ollie," he whispers, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to my lips. "I don't know what I would do without you."
Smiling, I lean forward to give him another chaste kiss before pulling away and steering the car away from the curb. Milo grabs my hand, keeping hold of it the entire drive home, and I hold on tightly.