Slow Dancing in the Darkness

Feeling the warmth of the September sun on her face, Gabriela wrinkled her nose a little, stirring a little beneath her comforter as she turned onto her side, her blue eyes peeking at the alarm clock which sat on the nightstand. It was late, at least it was for her, and it made her wonder how she hadn’t been woken up sooner. Shaking her head, she sat up and tossed the comforter away from her, her blue eyes landing on a piece of paper that had been neatly placed on the empty pillow which sat beside her. “Leo?” she called as she reached over for the note, a small frown on her face. She was a little surprised, since his return to training after the summer break, Lionel had developed a habit of waking her up before he left for the day, and she was a little surprised to find his side of the bed neatly made up. It wasn’t like him.

Noticing that she’d gotten no response, she shook her head and turned her attention to the note which sat in her hand. Unfolding it, she smiled a little at the familiar scrawled handwriting, before she read it, shaking her head a little. It was only a short message, it said that Lionel had taken Noah and Amelia with him when he’d left and that Gabriela ought to relax for a while, but it disappointed Gabriela a little. She knew what the date was, it was a year to the day that she and Lionel had gotten married, and she was a little disappointed to not have him around that morning. Shaking her head, she placed the note on the nightstand before she pushed herself to her feet, making her way downstairs, her blue eyes a little wide at the sound of voices.

“Leo?” she called as she rounded the corner into the kitchen.

“He’s gone out” Shakira smiled from her spot beside the counter.

Gabriela furrowed her forehead, her blue eyes peeking at the blonde who sat at the counter beside her two brothers who grinned at her widely. “What are you doing here?” she posed tentatively.

“You’ll see” Shakira grinned “But first, I am supposed to give these to you” she added as she moved to collect a bouquet of flowers which sat in a vase beside the sink.

Gabriela tilted her head. “Where’s Leo?” she posed.

“You’ll find out in due course, Lala” Evan smiled “By the way, he asked me to tell you that he said happy first anniversary” he noted kindly.

Gabriela nodded. “I was sort of hoping that I could say the same thing to him in person” she noted as she placed the flowers onto the counter “Is he going to be back any time soon?” she added.

“You ask far too many questions” David teased.

“My husband has disappeared and no one seems willing to tell me a thing. Excuse me for being a little curious” Gabriela returned, her eyes glancing over at her older brother.

David smiled. “I assure you, the surprise will be worth the wait” he grinned “But for now, Evan’s made some breakfast and I think we should eat it. Lala?” he noted.

Gabriela offered the trio a slightly dubious look before sat down, butterflies kicking in her stomach.

~#~
“She really has no idea that you’ve done all of this for her?” Celia posed as she followed Lionel around the venue that he had picked out. She was more than a little surprised, she had figured that after they’d gotten married, that that was that, but she was pleased to see the efforts her son had gone through to give Gabriela a day to remember. It merely reaffirmed how smitten he was with the brunette.

“None whatsoever” Lionel replied “I wanted to surprise her” he added with a small smile.

Celia shook her head. “You’re the sweetest boy” she mused, patting his cheek in a motherly fashion “She’s a lucky girl” she added.

Lionel smiled. “I just wanted to give her the day she never got” he mused earnestly.

Celia smiled, just about resisting the urge to coo. “I’ll go and check on Amelia and Noah” she mused with a small smile “You’re an amazing man, Leo, and I couldn’t be prouder” she gushed before she stepped away.

Lionel shook his head a little and padded through the room, his eyes studying it to ensure that everything was in place. He knew that it was a little sentimental, Gabriela had assured him more than once that she didn’t mind the way that they had done things the first time around, but he still wanted to do it for her. After all she had put up with when it came to Elliot, she deserved a day that was about her and the relationship she had built after her last one had crashed and burnt.

Ensuring that everything was in place, he turned on his heels and moved to leave the room, only to pause as he spotted the brunette woman who stood ahead him, her eyes narrowed on him. “Excuse me” he noted “Can I help you?” he added.

“That depends” the woman replied “Who are you?” she posed.

“I think I ought to be asking you that” Lionel countered “You’re the one standing in a room reserved for a private function” he returned.

“This is your party?” the woman noted.

“It is” Lionel confirmed.

The brunette eyed him for a second before she took a couple of paces forwards, her hand jutted out ahead of her “You must be Lionel” she mused.

Lionel furrowed his brow. “Who are you?” he muttered.

The brunette grinned “Maria Fernandez” she mused.

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Lionel posed.

Maria tilted her head before she smiled, shaking her head a little. “You probably wouldn’t know me by that name. Maria Cruz would probably be better” she fussed.

Lionel blinked a little, the name ‘Cruz’ striking a chord with him. “You…Luca…Ela” he spluttered.

Maria smiled. “Hola, Lionel, I am Gabriela’s madre” she grinned, offering her hand out to him.

Lionel stared at her, his brown eyes wide, before he shook her hand tentatively. He doubted she could have picked a worse day to show up unannounced.