You Loved Me Once

“Why are you up so early?”

Alba, who was fixing her hair, smiled a little at the sound of Lionel’s voice, not missing just how sleepy he sounded. It was early, with a breakfast with her bridesmaids arranged for that morning, Alba had gotten out of bed a little earlier than she would have done usually, and she was a little surprised to see Lionel awake. When she had stepped out of their bedroom, he’d been contently sleeping and she’d imagined that he would be there for a while.

“I have a breakfast with my bridesmaids” she noted as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail “And you know how Eva is. I’ve been in town for more than 12 hours and she’s not seen me” she added with a grin.

“It’s barely 9 in the morning” Lionel complained softly, sparing a yawn into his hand “You couldn’t have made it a brunch instead?” he posed.

“You could have stayed in bed” Alba pointed out as she stepped towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck “I was going to take Isabella with me and I got Shakira to promise that Gerard wouldn’t be here before 10 so that you could sleep in for a little while” she mused softly.

Lionel studied her face for a moment before he let out a small sigh, something which made Alba press a kiss to his cheek. “You’ve only got a few more days to put up with” she murmured gently “And then we have two weeks of honeymoon to enjoy. Just me and you” she enthused softly.

Lionel nodded. “I cannot wait for that” he mumbled softly.

“Are you going to give me a hint as to where we’re going yet?” Alba posed, offering him a curious smile.

Lionel shook his head. “It’s a surprise” he mused as he ducked forwards, kissing her nose softly “But I know you’re going to love it” he added.

Alba pouted a little, something which made him smile. “Trust me, nena, you’re going to love it” he enthused before he pressed a brisk kiss against her lips.

Alba opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of the doorbell, something which made Lionel smile. “You have a breakfast to get to” he mused softly.

“I do” Alba conceded “But I will get where we’re going out of you” she quipped, moving to collect her phone from the side.

“You really can’t just wait 5 days?” Lionel posed, an amused smirk on his face.

Alba offered him a look, something which made him shake his head. “You will cope with waiting” he enthused.

Alba rolled her eyes a little before she pressed a brisk kiss to his cheek, mumbling about seeing him later before she ducked out of the room.

Lionel watched her go before he let out a small sigh. “5 days” he mumbled before he padded back towards the bedroom.

~#~
“So, how nervous are you, Alba?” Eva teased as she sipped on her glass of orange juice, a grin fixed on her face. She knew that Alba was excited, for months, all she had wanted to talk about was the impending wedding, but she wanted to ensure that she wasn’t getting too nervous. They were only a few days away and no one involved with the big day wanted to see anything go wrong.

Alba, who was sipping on her mug of tea, shrugged. “I’m a little nervous” she admitted gently “There are a lot of things that could go wrong” she added.

“You think we’re going to let anything go wrong?” Jess quipped.

“We’ve got everything under control” Eva grinned warmly.

Alba nodded. “I know you have” she mused softly “And I am grateful for that, but I think I will continue to be nervous until the moment arrives. It’s a pretty big deal” she added gently. She knew that things were under control, for weeks, she and Eva had been in contact frequently so that Alba could check up on the progress of the plans, but still she was a little worried, something she was pretty certain she wouldn’t shift it until the day itself arrived. It was a big deal, the idea of getting married, and a small part of her merely wanted it over with, even if she was looking forwards to the big day, the anticipation was something she could have easily done without.

“It is a pretty big deal” Shakira mused “But it’s Leo and everyone at this table can tell you how good the two of you are together” she added, a warm smile on her face.

Alba’s cheeks warmed a little, something which made Eva coo.

“How is he coping?” Jess posed.

“He’s OK” Alba smiled softly “I think he’s getting a little tired of people asking if he’s OK or if he is sure, but he’s doing alright. I think he just wants to get through it” she enthused softly. She knew why Jess was asking, since they’d arrived a couple of days previous, more than one person had asked if Lionel was coping or whether or not he was nervous, and whilst she knew that it played on Lionel’s last nerve, she was a little touched that people were checking in. It meant a lot to her that people were determined to ensure that nothing went wrong.

“He’s going to be so in awe of you” Eva grinned “I mean, he normally is, but when you’re wearing a wedding dress? I can’t remember a night that Oscar was more handsy than our wedding night” she enthused.

“Too much information” Alba squeaked, wrinkling her nose a little.

Eva rolled her eyes, quipping something about Alba’s own wedding night, something which made the other two women snicker a little.

“Here’s to Alba” Jess grinned after a moment of quiet, toasting her glass of orange juice “The beautiful bride to be” she enthused brightly.

“To Alba and Lionel” Eva grinned “The best couple I know” she added, clinking her glass against Jess’ and Shakira’s.

Alba watched the other women and shook her head, the idea that she was only days away from getting married stuck on her mind.