Slow Dancing in the Darkness

“You’re really going to be OK here?” Gabriela fussed as she moved to slip her feet into her shoes, her blue eyes glancing back at Lionel who stood behind her, leaning against the doorframe. It had been sudden, Shakira’s invitation to a night out had caught Gabriela slightly off guard, but Lionel had been insistent that she go. He couldn’t remember the last time that she had taken a night for herself away from him and the children, and he wanted her to go for it, if only because it afforded him the chance to get a little more planning done whilst she was gone.

“I’ve looked after them by myself before, Ela” Lionel countered with a small shrug “Besides, Gerard’s going to be here. I think we’ll be fine” he mused with a small smile.

Gabriela nodded. “You’ll call if you need anything right?” she posed as she moved to collect her jacket.

“Of course I will, Ela. This isn’t my first time” Lionel teased, pushing himself towards her “You have nothing to worry about” he added.

“I know that” Gabriela replied “I…I just haven’t exactly been out on a girls’ night in a while, not since Noah came along” she murmured softly. It had never been a strong point, making friends was not something Gabriela tended to do easily, and she didn’t quite know how comfortable she felt about spending a night with Shakira. It felt a little different from the lunches they had been to.

Lionel shook his head and stepped towards her, his hands settling on her hips. “You’re going to be fine” he noted “You and Shakira get along and there’s no reason to worry about tonight. You’re going out for a meal, a couple of drinks and then you’ll be home. It’ll be fine, Ela” he assured her softly.

Gabriela offered him a slightly dubious look before the sound of the doorbell echoed, causing her spare a small sigh.

“You’ll be fine, Ela” Lionel smiled as he took a hold of her hand, carefully leading her through the house.

Gabriela nodded. “You’re probably right” she noted as she pulled the door open, greeting Gerard, Shakira and their children with a smile.

“You ready, Gabby?” Shakira posed.

“Let me just grab my bag” Gabriela replied before she ducked out of the hall.

“She’s a little nervous about tonight” Lionel noted gently “Apparently, since Noah was born, girls’ nights are not something she’s done a lot of and I would appreciate it if you…”

“I will” Shakira smiled “Don’t worry, Leo, I’ll bring her back in one piece” she added with a laugh before Gabriela appeared, her expression slightly hesitant. Shakira offered the argentine a small smile before she padded up to Gabriela, lacing her arm through the brunette’s. “You have nothing to be concerned about, Gabby” she assured her quietly as they made their way towards the door.

Gabriela offered her a small smile and nodded, knowing that it would be nice to get out of the house for a little without Lionel or the children.

~#~
“So, you never did tell me how you and Leo met” Shakira mused as she sipped on her drink, her dark eyes fixed on Gabriela who tentatively sipped on her own glass of wine.

“It’s not all that interesting” Gabriela replied.

“I bet it is” Shakira grinned “Besides, you two are cute. I want to hear all about it” she grinned.

Gabriela peeked down at her glass, a fond smile on her face at the thought of the first time she had met Lionel. “I hit him with the door of Elliot’s car” she noted.

“You did?” Shakira squeaked, a small laugh falling out of her mouth.

Gabriela nodded. “Elliot had just dropped me and Noah off at the apartment complex and I pushed the door open, knocking the coffee out of his hand. He made some joke about me doing him a favour” she mused with a small smile.

“How’d he ask you out?” Shakira posed, a little curious. She had spent time with Gabriela, since they’d met, they’d gotten quite close, but she had to admit that Gabriela didn’t really talk about herself or her feelings, she tended to stick to Lionel, Elliot and her children.

“He did it later that night” Gabriela reminisced “I’d not thought about shopping and Noah had woken up hungry. Leo caught me in the hall and took me back to his apartment to get me something to give to Noah. He just kind of did it. It was really sweet, actually” she enthused.

Shakira watched the brunette speak and smiled, not missing the way her blue eyes lit up when she spoke about the man she had married. It had been a whirlwind, both Lionel and Gabriela would be the first people to admit it, but there was no doubting that it had worked out for the best, something which made Shakira grin. She couldn’t quite imagine one of them without the other anymore.

~#~
“How was she?” Lionel posed as he pulled the door open to Shakira and Gabriela, allowing the brunette to move inside, a little shaky on her feet.

“Once she got settled, a blast” Shakira smiled “She’s a clever and sweet girl, Leo, and she sure does love you” the blonde grinned.

Lionel ducked his head sheepishly, something which made Shakira giggle. “You two make sense” she mused before she pulled something out of her bag, handing it to the argentine who tilted his head. “She picked one out” Shakira mused as she gestured to the bridal magazine which sat in Lionel’s hand. It had been a little bit risky, by showing off a bridal magazine, Shakira had risked exposing the argentine’s meticulously thought out plan, but Gabriela hadn’t even batted an eyelid. With a few drinks in her, the brunette had become more relaxed and had easily gone along with Shakira’s line about one of her cousins needing a wedding dress picked out.

“She did?” Lionel posed.

“I folded the page down for you. You know her sizes so I figured you were best placed to get it. Have it sent to ours and I will watch it for you” Shakira smiled before she stepped away, waving at Gabriela who had sat down at the foot of the stairs, slipping her feet out of her shoes.

Lionel smiled after the blonde before he padded towards the foot of the stairs, crouching down ahead of Gabriela who smiled at him tipsily. “You look like you had fun tonight” he mused, offering her a sweet smile.

“I did” Gabriela mused “Shakira’s nice and I had fun not worrying about nappy changes and bed times” she enthused.

“I’m glad” Lionel mused “But it is getting a little late. Do you need a hand up to bed?” he posed.

Gabriela shook her head and moved to stand up, stumbling a little.

Lionel chuckled and wrapped an arm around her, allowing to her to lean some of her weight on him. “I might need your help” she murmured.

“You got it” Lionel mused.

Gabriela leant against him before she placed a kiss on his cheek, mumbling about how much she loved him.

Lionel smiled and helped her up the stairs, glad that she had had a good night.