Milo Sousa

it was odd that a couple years ago sutton would be just as comfortable and not as awkward with the presence of milo. she was just herself around him, but the guilt of leaving him tends to eat her up on the inside whenever she thinks about him. it was even worse with him standing in front of her for the first time. 

‘ you’re obviously seem pretty busy. ’, she added as another excuse. ‘ um… ’, sutton hesitated as she tightened her grip on her purse. ‘ mommy ! just give him your phone. i want to go get ice cream ! ’, their son exclaimed as he got antsy with their slow interaction. ‘ niko. i already told you, no ice cream. ’, she muttered back to the little boy. after a few moments of trying to come up with excuses in her head, she figured nothing would’ve gotten her out of the situation. 

her hand reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. ‘ here. ’, she said softly as sutton handed her phone to milo. ‘ how’ve you been ? ’, she finally began to properly speak. ‘ you look… you look good. ’, sutton added with a soft smile.

milo raised his brow as she spoke, very much aware that she was trying to come up with an excuse to not have to give him her phone. he waited patiently and chuckled at her weak attempt, “i’m actually here early for an event and have some time to kill.” he looked down at boy, who he couldn’t help but see himself in, and gave a wink to show his appreciation.

he gratefully took the phone and started to plug his new number into her phone. “i’ve been good,” he paused looking down at his son, “i’m so grateful that galaxy signed me, coming home after those four years in michigan was like a breath of fresh air.” he said as he finished inputing his number in her phone.

Michigan is beautiful... you’d love it here...

I’m so sorry you’re going through this pregnancy alone

I wish I could be there for you

I’ll be home for winter break... I’d like to see you

I busted my ass and got a 4.0 this semester as well as going to semi finals

I can’t stop thinking about you.. and our son

I met someone... and I couldn’t help compare them to you.... they’ve got nothing on you

remember when you used to tell me that everyone threw themselves at me?? well i’m started to understand

I don’t know the exact date, but please tell our son I love him and happy birthday

Sutton I’ve been approached by the LA Galaxy.. I’m coming home

it’s been five years... and I still love you more than anyone

sutton began to softly chew on her lip, a habit to tends to do when she’s nervous. now that milo was standing in front of her, she began to wonder what could of been. where would they be if sutton hadn’t ran away with their baby in her arm. would she be in school completely her business degree, would milo be on the soccer team, would they still even be together ? all of these what if questions ran through her mind. once again, she snapped out of her trance to milo’s deep voice.

a soft smile spread across her lips to the sound of him saying her name. it felt like home to her. ‘ um… me ? yeah i’m fine.. ? are you okay ? ’, she replied quickly. his question processed in her head just as she replied. ‘ oh… we’re in a hospital… ’, sutton said out loud in an embarassed tone. ‘ yeah, i’m fine. one of my friends work here and gave niko a check up. he’s got a mild fever. ’, sutton added with a small smile.

a part of her wanted to stay  and run into milo’s arms, but she knew she would have to leave him once again sooner or later. she glanced down at her watch and without even reading the time she said, ‘ it’s getting pretty late… it’s almost niko’s bedtime. i should -um… i should really get going. ’

he watched as she chewed on her lip and couldn’t help but crack a smile at her, it was a habit she’d had for their entire lives, and he knew she was nervous. he watched as her eyes sort of unfocused and her teeth worried at her lip, he wanted to know what she was thinking, and when they were younger he would’ve asked. 

the smile that crossed her face made his heart flutter slightly, and it hit him how much he missed her. he let out a sigh of relief at her explanation, “i’m glad, you’re okay...” he paused before his eyes found the boy for a second before going back up to sutton, “i’m glad you’re both okay.” he smiled genuinely.

it was as if someone was holding onto her throat, refusing to let her speak. ‘ niko ! but mommy calls me nikolas sousa varga when she’s mad ! what’s yours ? ’, niko exclaimed, his high pitched voice echoing through the halls. she didn’t have it within her to look him in the eyes. sutton knew what she did hurt him, especially how deep they were in love at the time. but, she didn’t want milo to sacrifice anything from his future for her. she had known if she tried to explain that to him, he would disagree. she was young and scared, while milo was enthusiastic and excited. the only option she thought she had left was leaving in order to save what was milo’s future.

‘ milo… ’, she was able to faintly say under her slow paced breaths. she tightened the grip on her purse and was finally look at his face. all of the sudden a rush of nostalgia waved through her. he looked older, but that was given. it had been long since she’s seen his face. she refrained from even looking at pictures since it hurt her to do so. his voice made her heart completely drop. 

‘ what… what are you doing here ? ’, she finally managed to spit out. sutton saw his suit and put two and two together that he was here for the event, but truly she had no idea what to say to him. 

he smiled at the boy as he told him his name. “well niko, it’s nice to meet you, i’m milo.” he said leaving out his last name after hearing that it was the boy’s middle name. his eyes went back up to the woman the stood in front of him. standing up he fixed his suit and adjusted his tie not really sure what to say to her, or how to act around her child-- his child. 

the way she said his name it made him remember the last time he saw her, the summer after graduation, he’d been packing for his move to michigan spending time with her in preparation for the upcoming soccer season and the start of his college career. he’d been dreading the day that he had to move across the country away from the love of his life, “hello sutton.” 

there was a lot of chatter within the hospital halls, more than usual. on her way in, she saw luxurious decorations in the main lobby and also caters rushing in food through the doors. automatically, sutton knew there was an event occurring. niko let go of her hand as soon as they entered the building and began to run forward, skipping through the halls as if they were his own. ‘ nikolas, please, stop running ! ’ her mood wasn’t the best. she just finished what seemed like her 10th interview and they didn’t seem to really give her a call back and the business attire she was wearing was completely useless at this point. 

one of sutton’s good friends was a pediatrician at the hospital and insisted for sutton to drop by if she ever needed anything. it was far too late to go into their normal pediatrician, so her first instinct was to stop at the hospital. ‘ i think it’s just a normal fever, just wanted to make sure there was nothing else. ’, the brunette said as she held her hand against her little boy’s head to feel his temperature. ‘ it should really be nothing, but i just wanted to make sure. ’, sutton added. her friend wrote a prescription and handed it to sutton once all of the vitals and diagnosis was complete. ‘ it’s just a mild fever, this prescription should help it go away within the week. ’, her friend said with a smile. after saying her thanks, sutton guided niko out of the room and back into the halls of hospital. 

the energy in her son took over, making it hard to believe he was fighting a fever. he began to spring down the halls, making turns, & circles. sutton was too tired to call after him and let him roam around as long as he was within her eye’s distance. she let it happen until niko ran right into a figure that turned the corner. ‘ oh my god… ’, sutton muttered before running behind niko to see if he was alright. once she got to the little boy, he bursted out in giggles and said, ‘ mommy did you see that ?! ’ a sigh of relief left her mouth while her gaze went from niko to the figure he ran into. ‘ i’m so- ’ was the only thing that sutton was able to get out of her mouth once she realized who was standing in front of her. the girl let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding, placed a hand on nikolas’ shoulder, and took a step back. the girl had no idea how to react in this situation. she never would have thought to come face to face with someone who was once the love of her life. she never thought she would have niko by her side while it happened.

milo had a love hate relationship with these kinds of events, he loved helping out those in need, and raising money for those who need it, but children’s hospitals were his least favorite place. it reminded him of what he could’ve had, and what he didn’t get to have. he plaster a smile on his face as he walked through the hospital doors, and looked around, trying to find the others that were supposed to be here. his eyes scanned over the lobby and let out a chuckle when he spotted the decorations that had been strewn across the area. he was taking in everything when he heard a familiar voice.

“milo you’re early.. that’s okay just look around the hospital, we’ll be ready in about thirty minutes.” the la galaxy event coordinator spoke quickly not taking his eyes off of the clipboard in his hands. “yeah okay, i have my phone if i lose track of time and you can’t find me.” he said turning away from the shorter man and making his way through the hospital looking around. he made his way through the facility, as he was walking he noticed a board of art, that seemed to be made by patients of the hospital. a genuine smile crossed his face as he saw the different works. after looking away from the art he continued walking and turned a corner to be met with a small body colliding into his legs.