You Loved Me Once

Pulling her knees to her chest, Alba rested back against the wall of the house that Lionel had rented for them, her eyes quietly studying the scenery which was around her. It wasn’t overly early, after a long flight the day before, the couple had slept until mid-morning, but when a bout of morning sickness had hit Alba, she had reluctantly climbed out of bed, something which had led to her sitting outside, enjoying the warm morning sunshine.

Sparing a small yawn into her hand, she adjusted the material of the light jumper she wore around her shoulders before she heard the sound of the door open and close, something which made her shake her head. “How did you know where to find me?” she posed.

“It was a guess” Lionel noted “I checked most other places and reached the conclusion that you must be out here. You’ve been itching to get out the house since we got here” he added as he sat beside her, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun.

Alba offered him a soft grin before she stretched her legs out ahead of her, enjoying the warmth on her skin as Lionel wrapped an arm around her, his head resting happily on her shoulder. It had been comfortable, after the stress leading up the wedding, both Lionel and Alba found themselves a little more relaxed, and it was something that Alba wanted to make the most of.

“You should come inside” Lionel mused after a second of quiet “I’ve made us some breakfast and then I figured we could head out. I found a little beach which isn’t too far from here” he enthused as he pulled himself to his feet.

“A beach?” Alba posed, offering her hand up to him.

“I figured you might still be a little tired” Lionel reasoned “And I thought you’d like a day to relax before we go sightseeing” he added, carefully pulling her against him.

Alba smiled. “Look at you, thinking of me” she teased as she placed her arms around his neck, enjoying the comfortable embrace.

Lionel rolled his eyes. “It could be that” he commented “Or I could just be trying to get you into a swimsuit. I can’t remember the last time I saw you in one” he teased, scattering a few kisses across her cheeks.

Alba wrinkled her nose slightly, trying to dodge the kisses. “Our last vacation together was over 7 years ago” she pointed out.

Lionel tilted his head. “It was?” he posed.

Alba nodded. “We didn’t go on one last summer because you were out playing for Argentina and I was heavily pregnant with Isabella. The last vacation that we would have had together would have been about 7 years ago” she enthused.

“That’s a long time ago” Lionel noted.

“We’ve been doing this, on and off, for a long time” Alba pointed out with a soft smile “In a few weeks, we’re going to be 30” she added, kissing his nose softly.

Lionel wrinkled his nose a little at the mention of their impending birthday, something which made Alba laugh as she pulled away from him. “Stop pouting” she teased as she padded back into the house.

Lionel watched her go for a moment before he jogged to catch up with her, determined to enjoy the two weeks that they had to themselves.

~#~
“Are you not going to take that cover-up off?” Lionel posed as he sat down on Alba’s towel, his hand towel drying his hair. It had been a pleasant afternoon, with the small beach practically to themselves, the couple had spent a lot of their time fussing over one another, and Alba had to admit that she enjoyed being the centre of his attention, even if they had had to be a little careful, it was something she had missed.

“I’m perfectly comfortable” Alba commented, not shifting her eyes away from the book she had perched against her legs “Not all of us have an issue with sitting still” she added.

Lionel rolled his eyes briefly before he reached across, taking the book out of her hand. “You should come swimming” he mused, stowing the book in the bag that they had bought with him.

Alba offered him a glance. “Why would I want to do that?” she posed.

“Because it is starting to get hot and it will cool you down” Lionel pointed out “And because since we got here two and a bit hours ago, you’ve not moved. Just 10 minutes?” he suggested softly.

Alba offered him a slightly dubious look before he leant towards her, loosening the tie on the cover up she had opted to put over the top of her swimsuit. Alba watched him for a second before she lifted her hand, carefully tilting his head so that she could press a soft kiss against his lips. Lionel smiled into the happily before he tugged away, carefully pulling the cover up with him. “Hermosa” he murmured gently.

Alba’s cheeks warmed a little, something which made his smile soften a little. “Te amo, hermosa” he mumbled as he carefully helped her to her feet.

Alba smiled a little. “You have no idea how glad I am that you were in Eva and Oscar’s living room two years ago” she mused as she leant into him, allowing him to lead her towards the cool water.

“I think I do” Lionel mused “If it weren’t for them and their decision to try and match make, I doubt the two of us would have figured it out on our own” he admitted gently.

“I know I wouldn’t have tried to get in contact with you” Alba confessed, offering him a soft look.

“I don’t blame you” Lionel assured her “But I am glad they interfered, even if I would never admit it to them. Can you imagine how much they’d gloat?” he teased brightly.

Alba giggled softly before she placed her arms around his neck, pulling him into a soft hug that he was more than happy to return. he knew that they owed Oscar and Eva, without the two of them, there was no doubt in his mind that he and Alba would have failed to fix things, and he doubted that he would be able to find the words to thank them for helping him reconcile with Alba.