let it slip

[freddie beaumont]

Freddie chuckles as she confesses to stealing his hairbrush. "You little thief," he jokes and finds his right eyelid dropping to wink for the first time in this meeting. This was the only appropriate time to flirt, after all. The sealed envelope is slid across the table and directly in front of him. Why were his palms so sweaty suddenly? All the numbers were adding up, and he couldn't deny that he could see a bit of himself in any picture that Tate showed him of Aria. He takes his time to look back and forth, to Aisha and the sealed envelope. "Why don't you open it?" He asks and slides the paper closer towards her. "It's just been you and Aria for two years. Feels like you should." They both know that the paper is going to read the confirmation but he knows this has been sensitive and hard for Aisha.

[aisha van buren]

She watches his reaction to the envelope, trying to suss out how much it panics him. Is he secretly hoping that they've made a mistake? How relieved would he be if that were the case? The inequality of it infuriates her, how easy it was for men to disassociate. Pregnancy had been torture for her and her relationship to her body was still very far from being in a healthy place, and here Freddie was, looking just the same. "Coward," she mutters, though she can tell he's being generous. It takes all her focus to stop her hands from shaking as she slips one manicured nail under the sealed flap, running its length and tipping the folded paper out from it. Such a bland looking document for something so significant. Sure enough, there it was. "A 99.99999% match," she says flatly, making a point to read out every single one of those nines. "Congratulations, daddy."

[freddie beaumont]

His eyes can’t help but roll when she calls him a coward. Of course any bit of niceness he tries to give her, she assumes the worst of him. But she still takes the pleasure of opening it. Freddie notices her shaking hands while breaking the seal and brings his gaze back to her face. His heart beat feels fast and as if it’s now located in the pit of his stomach. Though he knew the truth, his mind does wander if there was someone else after him. She reads the truth and emphasizes on all of the digits. Officially a father. “Is that what you’re going to call me from now on, daddy? It’s hot. I’m a big fan,” he smirks as a charming smile appears on his mouth. He tries to read her face, to see how she’s feeling if it will give any indicator that she wants him in her life more. “So. I did want to talk about one other thing,” he clears his throat and props his elbows on the table. Leaning closer to her, he murmurs, “I meant everything I said yesterday. I do really care about you. Take that as you will.”

[aisha van buren]

Her eyes settle on him, searching for a tell. Did that land the way she hoped? As soon as he speaks she rolls her eyes, crumpling the paper up and throwing it at him. "That needs to stop. See, if... when she starts calling you that, you're going to have to reconsider your life choices." What a thought, little Aria calling him that. It wasn't a word she had bothered trying to teach her, now maybe she'd have to. As he continues, he says something she doesn't expect, and her cheeks burn crimson. Being liked was not something she was used to. Even her ex seemed to dislike her for the most part, and she could honestly understand why-- she was an acquired taste. One Freddie had apparently acquired. Struggling for something to say, she finishes off his wine, avoiding meeting his eye. "Just focus on her. If that's what you want to do."

[freddie beaumont]

He catches the paper that she throws at him and he can't help but laugh. Her reaction to his words was everything he had wanted. Her dramatics only fueled him, little did she know. "Oh come on, I was just having a bit of fun, I honestly wanted to see your reaction," he chuckles softly before continuing. "And now I'm imagining you calling me daddy." He doesn't even have to look up to know to know she's most likely scoffing at him. A look of disgust so obvious on her face. ""Okay, okay. I'm done." He picks up on the slight change of color to her face after he brings up his feelings again. Freddie scans her features and pays close attention to her body language, to see if she'll give anything else away of how she's feeling - besides the pink cheeks and her lack of words. He's slightly disappointed that she only wants him to focus on Aria. "I..." his deep voice trails off. Afraid that saying anything else will only lead him further down a path to feeling something he wasn't entirely used to. If this is what she wanted... "Never mind."

[aisha van buren]

She knows this is the stuff of fantasy. Her child's father declaring that not only does he want to be an active parent, but that he feels a certain way about her too. Her stomach is twisted up in knots as she tries to unpack how she feels about all of this. It's easier when he's joking around and she can roll her eyes at him, a small smirk creeping through the visible disgust. "You're incorrigible." Then there's silence, the great Freddie Beaumont rendered uncharacteristically speechless. She lets the silence sit for a moment, thinking of the infinite ways she could respond and what kind of response that would illicit in him. Before she can think too much about it, she leans forward, putting her hand on his and giving it a squeeze, trying to convey everything she feels but doesn't have the words to express. "One thing at a time," she says, her eyes finding his, imploring him to understand that for once, she wasn't trying to dismiss him.