/ Istvan – FC Rob Evans
/ Both images borrowed from their Instagram
/ I own none of these images, all used with love and respect <3
/ Rings – enoirvado / Vegas view – Instagram sin1city / Quotes – all taken from Pinterest and none had credit for where they came from.
When Viktoria woke up on the sofa, it was dimly light in the lounge, she groaned and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling, her head was crashing from the stress of trying not to cry and then inevitably crying her eyes out earlier; she pulled the snuggly throw up around her shoulders. The room was silent aside from the snuffling noise that was coming from the side of the sofa. It was Raul, her most faithful little buddy. As she peeked over the edge at him, his little tail started to wag as though he was trying to polish the floor with it. Viktoria smiled at him as she reached down, running her fingers through his dense fur, whispering,
“Hey Raul. Where’s my good boy?”
The little corgi tilted his head to the side and pawed at the sofa, which usually he wasn’t allowed on… Viktoria moved back and patted the seat, Raul didn’t have to be asked twice, he hopped up beside her turning around two or three times before he settled with a sigh, leaning his head on Viktoria’s shoulder as she gave him a light kiss, stroking his fur as she closed her eyes for just a little longer…
When Viktoria opened her eyes again, maybe half an hour later, her headache had subsided, but she was confronted with Raul’s sprawled out body taking up more of the sofa than she was. She pushed herself up onto her elbows, ruffling his fur as she did so,
“Get down before Dad sees you Raul, you know you aren’t meant to get up here…”
The fluffy mutt licked her hand as he reluctantly slid onto the floor beside the other two corgis. Viktoria yawned and straightened up her pyjamas as she padded across to open the curtains, then through to the kitchen area of the royal apartments. She figured Istvan had been drinking apple tea, she didn’t like the taste of it, but it did smell beautiful. She leaned against the counter as she wondered quietly, ‘Where is Ist anyway?’ Viktoria felt butterflies in her stomach as she thought back to the hospital appointment earlier, how she’d went to pieces, the look on Istvan’s face… She sucked in a couple of deep breaths as she ran her hand back and forth across the little bump, eyes stinging again, ‘Relax… Just relax…’ She pictured the beach they’d spent their honeymoon on, imagining the sounds of the waves crashing, taking a few more deep breaths, keeping rubbing her belly, until she felt her tense muscles unfurl a little.
She filled the kettle and dumped a spoonful of decaff into her pink mug, her hand was still rubbing her tummy, back and forth, back and forth, as she picked up the scan picture from the breakfast bar, flipping the little card wallet open, biting her lip as she looked at the ultrasound prints, tracing her finger over the little shadow… She’d tried talking out loud to the baby for the first time the day before the scan and it just felt so weird to her. But maybe the more she did it, the less strange it would feel? Istvan was so good at all this, it sounded like he was talking to an actual person, not his wife’s stomach… Viktoria just felt stupid and she didn’t know what to say, but no one could accuse her of not trying… Her hand settled gently, creating a little warmth as she looked down at her slightly puffy tummy, her voice coming out low and shaky as she tried this for a second time,
“…Hi? So, this is you…”
She stared intently at the image on the scan: maybe looking at it would help her create a dialogue?
“So, this was kinda like your first photoshoot I guess… You should probably get used to that… Your daddy will never stop taking photos of you once you arrive…“
She chuckled lightly as she thought back to the first selfies she’d ever taken of her and Istvan together, he screwed his nose up at her, ‘Selfie??’, but had since become quite the fan… She stood there daydreaming about the lovely times they’d shared together and snapped to keep the memories: selfies at the top of the London Eye, underwater snaps whilst scuba diving in the Caribbean, at home snuggling with the doggies… They’d probably still do the same things with the baby… Well maybe not the underwater shots…
She shook her head and bit her lip as she continued,
“I’m sorry about today. I’m not sure what you can understand, or what you can feel. But I hope I didn’t upset you today.”
She gasped, inhaling sharply as she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach again as she spoke,
“Woooohh! Sorry. I’m not any good at ‘this’… I hope you understand… I’m so scared, but I don’t ever want for you to feel scared… I never want you to feel sad or afraid or lonely… I want for you to have a lovely little life.”
Istvan hung back in their bedroom, he didn’t intend to listen in, but when he heard her voice, then realised that it wasn’t the dogs she was talking to, he felt like he’d be interrupting. He leaned against the doorframe as he listened to her monologue, watching her massage their little bump. It tugged at his heartstrings, even though she was poorly, she was loving, she was caring, she was witty. He scrubbed his eyes with his hand; the Viktoria he knew was still there. She was struggling, but she wasn’t lost. In that moment, Istvan knew hope wasn’t gone; with the ideas he’d had earlier, some support and love from their family and friends, some help from Mr Kolettis and time to adjust, they would get there. And then, they would be fine…
Viktoria made her way back to the lounge with her coffee, spotting Istvan in the doorway: how much of that did he hear? She felt embarrassed, but wasn’t sure why. He spoke to the baby all the time. Maybe it was because he was so eloquent when he spoke, so full of feeling, and she just sounded so awkward… She gave him a half smile as she sat the cup down, her face felt hot. Istvan crossed the room and wrapped his wife in a warm embrace, kissing her gently on the temple,
“I love you Vik.”
Viktoria’s embarrassment melted away enclosed in his loving hug as she relaxed into his touch. She whispered to her husband,
“And I love you too.”
As they sat down on the sofa together, Istvan took both of her hands and clasped them within his,
“My love, I’ve been busy while you rested. I’m not trying to take over, or control you or anything like that, I want to help, and I want you to feel better, ok?”
Viktoria’s eyes widened slightly, but she nodded slowly. Istvan picked her hands up, pressing them to his lips,
“I haven’t did anything yet, it’s a bunch of ideas and suggestions right now, so anything you’re not comfortable with, just say the word?”
Vik nodded her agreement and looked into her husbands piercing blue eyes, as anxious as she felt, she trusted Istvan implicitly.
Istvan shifted closer to his wife, placing one hand on the bump as he spoke softly,
“You need to relax, and I know I never really understood your yoga thing, but I think I understand why it was so important to you now, so I’ve found a yoga instructor that can work as a personal trainer for you, she specialises in pregnancy yoga. I’ve got her details and we can call her today, if you want to? And we can make a contract with her to keep everything confidential until we’re ready to tell the world.”
Viktoria’s eyes filled as she listened to him; she had truly married the most caring man in the world, her voice waivered as she smiled,
“I would really like that Istvan…” Istvan beamed at his wife, emboldened by the yoga success,
“I’m so glad sweetheart. And I also thought that we could have a few days away? Some very relaxing spa time in the Greek Islands? Pregnancy-safe massages, facials, scrubs, shiatsu… Whatever your heart desires. A little villa of our own, very private, just the two of us? Plenty of time just to ‘be’. We can relax together, we can talk, if you want to, there’s no pressure, no monarchy business, no charity. Just me and you together, how does that sound..? And when we get back, if you liked the treatments, we can get you the same ones at home? I’ll make the arrangements.”
Viktoria looped her arms around Istvan’s neck, pulling him close,
“What did I do to deserve you?”
Istvan’s lips found Viktoria’s in a tender kiss, her fingers lovingly stroking his face as they slid down into the comfortable sofa together.
—
TBC – VP 💖
