Slow Dancing in the Darkness

Wrapping the last hair tie around the base of the braid she had placed her dark hair in, Gabriela sighed softly, a little nervous about the night ahead. She knew that it wasn’t a big deal, Lionel’s latest note had suggested that it would be a casual affair as opposed to a stuffy or awkward date, but still she was a little nervous. She hadn’t been on a date in years, the last one she could recall was the night that Elliot had popped the question, and she worried that she was out of practice. Dates had never been a forte of hers and she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the man who seemed to have an uncanny knack for making her smile. Sparing her appearance another gander, she offered herself a reassuring smile before she padded back into her living room, making it just in time to greet the knock at the door swiftly.

“Lionel” she noted, peeking up at the argentine who greeted her with a light smile.

Lionel looked the brunette up and down for a second before he stretched his arm out to her, offering her the bouquet of lilies that he had thoughtfully purchased. “I am not an expert in flowers, but I thought that these were quite nice” he noted, smiling a little.

Gabriela smiled. “They’re beautiful” she smiled gently, taking them out of his hand.

“Kind of like you are” Lionel followed up smartly.

Gabriela shook her head. “I ought to put these in water” she commented as she took a couple of steps away from the door “You can come inside and wait” she added before she disappeared into the kitchen. Lionel watched her go before he stepped into the living room, his eyes wandering around the small room with intrigue. It had been forwards of him, asking Gabriela out after only a few days, but he could already sense that he had made the right call. She intrigued him and Lionel wanted to find out all about her. Pushing a hand through his hair, he padded up towards a shelf, smiling at a picture of Gabriela and her son.

“He’s a cutie right?” Gabriela mused, drawing his attention back towards her.

“He certainly is” Lionel enthused “You must be so proud” he added, offering her a small smile.

“He’s the best thing I have” Gabriela noted.

“He’s a lucky boy to have a mama that loves him so much” the argentine quipped, stepping a little closer “Are you ready to go now?” he posed.

Gabriela nodded, an action which caused Lionel to reach out, his larger hand encasing her smaller extremity with ease. “Then let’s go” he smiled, squeezing her hand gently. Gabriela offered him a light smile in return before she tried to hide her face, hoping he wouldn’t notice the slight blush that had appeared.

~#~
“This is what you came up with for our first date?” Gabriela posed, an amused grin on her face.

“Technically, this is our second date, and I don’t see the issue with this. I have a feeling that a dinner in some fancy restaurant is something you’ve done before” Lionel replied, helping her down into her seat.

Gabriela nodded. Fancy dinners with menus she couldn’t pronounce were Elliot’s trademark.

“So, what’s wrong with this?” Lionel noted, gesturing around the small ice cream parlor that he had found. He knew that it wasn’t much, it was nothing like the first dates he had been on before, but that was how he wanted it to be. He didn’t know much about her, but having seen her ex, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that money wasn’t something which was going to impress her. He had little doubt that it was how Elliot had attempted to woo her and he didn’t want to be the same.

Gabriela shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong with it” she commented “I just wasn’t quite expecting it” she added.

Lionel quirked a grin. “Learn to expect the unexpected with me, hermosa” he mused.

Gabriela giggled. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit strange?” she posed, leaning on her elbows as she stared over at him, a little amazed that they were sat anywhere together.

“Occasionally” he teased “But that’s why you like me, I’m guessing” he added.

Gabriela smiled. “You make me laugh” she admitted “My ex…”

“The ass” Lionel interjected.

“The ass never made me laugh” she mused “He was always serious and couldn’t take a joke, let alone make them. I like that you can make me smile” she enthused, her blue eyes shyly looking up at him. Lionel smiled at her gently and reached his hand out, squeezing hers which sat on the table ahead of her.

“I like you” he admitted earnestly “And I’d like to think that I could make you forget about him. We could have something here, Gabby” he enthused.

Gabriela smiled and laced her fingers with his. “I think so too” she grinned.

~#~
“I had a wonderful time, Lionel” Gabriela commented as they made the short walk from the elevator towards her apartment which stood at the end of the hall. It had been a pleasant evening, Lionel had listened to all that she had to say and she had listened to him, and it had given her a good feeling about them. They seemed to be on the same page about a lot of things and it was refreshing to Gabriela. She had grown sick of always lagging one step behind.

“It’s Leo” Lionel corrected gently, swinging their hands “And I had a great time too, even if I did embarrass myself by getting ice-cream on my face” he grinned.

“It was cute” Gabriela insisted.

“I wasn’t aiming to be cute, Gabby” he replied.

Gabriela shook her head. “You were wonderful” she noted gently.

“So you’re not against going on a 3rd date?” Lionel quipped.

“We haven’t been on a 2nd date yet” she replied.

Lionel shook his head. “Fine. How about a second date?” he posed.

Gabriela nodded. “I think I would quite like that. How are you for next weekend?” she posed softly.

“I have it off” Lionel replied, mentally checking the dates “But I think after that, we’re probably going to have to work on finding you a babysitter. Eventually, weekends will become off limits” he explained.

Gabriela smiled. “I could do that” she noted, reaching her door.

Lionel nodded his head gently and watched her for a second, trying to rationalize leaning over and kissing her. It was undoubtedly what he wanted to do, he’d wanted to do it from the second that he had seen her that evening, but he didn’t want to rush her. She didn’t seem overly sure of herself and he didn’t want her to think that he was putting too much pressure on something which was still in the fledgling stage.

Gabriela studied the expression on his face and smiled. “You know, I wouldn’t be entirely against kissing you goodnight” she mused, her fingertips brushing some hair away from her eyes.

“You’re sure? I’d hate for you to hold it against me” he commented.

Gabriela smiled. “I think I’d live with it” she teased.

Lionel laughed gently before he took a step towards her. Gabriela smiled at him encouragingly. Returning her smile, he placed his hand gently on her cheek before he pressed a light kiss against her lips, earning another timid smile. It wasn't like her, being forwards wasn't a trait that was usually expected of her, but with him, she couldn't help herself. With him, everything felt natural, it felt warm and comfortable, and she had little doubt that she could get used to it. She could see herself getting used to being with him.