You Loved Me Once
15: You Want Me Too
Wrapping her arms around herself, Alba let out a small sigh, shivering slightly as the cool evening breeze brushed past her. It hadn’t been long, only about half an hour had passed since she had made her way out of the wedding reception, but she couldn’t quite find the nerve to make her way back inside. It had been an overreaction, walking out as she had, and she didn’t want to face the questions that would follow her making her way back inside. Part of her merely wanted to head back to her hotel and prepare for her flight home the next morning.
Rubbing her hands up her arms, she tried to ward off the cold before she felt something warm drop onto her shoulder, causing her to look up, a sigh falling out of her mouth. “They sent you?” she posed.
“No” Lionel replied “No one sent me. I figured someone ought to check on you” he mused as he sat down beside her.
“I’m OK” Alba noted “So you can take your jacket, and go” she added, trying to pass the suit jacket back towards him.
“You look cold” Lionel noted “And I’ll be fine without it. Keep it” he enthused.
Alba contemplated fighting him on it, telling him to take the coat back, but the truth was that she did need it. It was warm and Alba, who’d been sitting outside for a while, was cold.
“You want to talk about it?” Lionel posed, stretching his feet out ahead of him.
“About what?” Alba posed.
“You just walked out of a wedding, Alba” Lionel reasoned “Do you want to tell me why?” he posed.
“That isn’t obvious to you?” Alba quipped, tugging at the hem of her pink bridesmaid dress.
“Not immediately, no” Lionel noted “So, you want to talk to about it?” he posed.
Alba offered him a look before she shook her head, tugging the material of his suit jacket a little more around her.
Lionel watched her for a second before he pushed himself up to his feet, offering her his hand. “Come on” he noted.
“Lionel…”
“You don’t want to talk” Lionel reasoned “So I thought, maybe I could take you somewhere, get your mind off it” he offered, wiggling his hand a little. It was a spur of the moment call, chances were that Alba wouldn’t even want to go anywhere with him, but he wanted to try. Chances were that that night was the last shot he had at showing her that he wasn’t the worst person she could have ended up with.
“We’re supposed to be at Oscar and Eva’s wedding” Alba pointed out.
“And? We were there for all of the important moments and I highly doubt that they will notice we’re missing. Come on, Alba” he encouraged.
“Lionel…”
“You trust me, don’t you?” Lionel posed as he ducked down, collecting her hand in his.
Alba watched him, noting the fit of their fingers, before she nodded, something which made him smile gently. “Come with me then” he mused.
“Ok” Alba agreed “But if Eva asks why I wasn’t here when she and Oscar left…”
“I will take the blame” Lionel agreed, offering her a small smile.
Alba nodded her head. “Ok” she mused “So, where are we going?” she posed.
“That’s a surprise” Lionel noted before he tugged on her hand, leading her out towards the road which stood a little away from the hotel where Eva and Oscar had arranged their reception.
Alba followed after him, shaking her head a little. “You’re not going to tell me?” she posed.
“No” Lionel grinned, hailing a taxi “But trust me, you’ll love it” he enthused.
Alba offered him a look before she sighed, already wishing that she had just stayed where she’d been.
~#~
“This is ridiculous” Alba complained as she followed after Lionel, her hand clinging to his. It had been a long journey, after Lionel had mumbled something to their cab driver, they’d spent almost 45 minutes sat in a slightly awkward silence before Lionel had leant towards her, tying the tie he’d worn around her eyes, something which irked her. She trusted him, even despite the current state of their relationship, she trusted him entirely, but she was still irked. She had never had the patience for surprises.
“If you’d stop complaining, we’d be there a lot quicker” Lionel pointed out.
“You were the one who tied this tie around my eyes” Alba fought back “If you didn’t want me to complain, you’d not have done it” she added, a small pout on her face.
Lionel rolled his eyes. “You never did like surprises” he commented before he led her a couple of steps forwards, smiling a little at the sight ahead of them. It wasn’t much, the small park looked a lot different to what it had looked like when they were children, but it still made him smile. It was one of his favourite spots in the city and he knew it was the same for Alba. It was the site of a lot of their relationship defining moments. Admiring the park for a second, he grinned to himself before he stepped towards Alba, carefully pulling the tie away from her face.
Alba blinked a little, trying to get used to the soft light of the streetlamps, before her blue eyes widened a little, something which made Lionel smile. “You remember this place?” he posed.
“Yes” Alba squeaked “This was where we had our first kiss” she babbled.
“And where I first said that I loved you” Lionel mused “And where I…”
“Where you asked me to marry you” Alba finished for him.
Lionel nodded gently. “I know why you ran off earlier” he murmured “This must be the first wedding you’ve been to since…since you had to cancel ours” he murmured.
Alba nodded. “I was invited to my cousin’s but I declined. I wouldn’t have come if it had been anyone but Eva getting married” she admitted.
“It’s not my first” he mumbled “My teammates are all going off and finding wives or having kids, and it turns out, I can’t just duck out. Gerard never lets me” he mused.
“Was the first one hard?” Alba posed, making her way towards the bench which stood a little away from them.
“Almost unbearable” Lionel agreed, nodding gently “But it does get easier, I promise you that” he insisted gently.
Alba shook her head. “I don’t know about that” she murmured “My sister’s probably going to married before too long and she’s 4 years younger than I am, Eva’s already married, and I am sure that every one will just be a reminder of how far off that is for me. You know that Hector was the first date I’d been on in almost 2 years?” she posed.
Lionel shook his head.
“You dated, no?” she pressed.
“I dated a girl for a few months” he admitted “But it didn’t work out. Turns out, I wasn’t over my ex” he added, lifting his head slightly to look at Alba who was still messing nervously with the hem of her dress.
Alba shook her head. “It’d never be the same” she argued softly “Even if I thought I could let you get close again, we’d never be the same as we were” she mused.
“You don’t know that” Lionel argued “You don’t know that I couldn’t make you happy, Alba” he added.
“And then leave me again?” she countered, her expression tightening.
“It was a mistake” Lionel insisted “The biggest one I’ve made, but Alba, I never stopped caring about you and I know that you haven’t stopped caring for me. I admit, this month could have gone better, but I know what I want. I knew it from the second I saw you” he insisted.
Alba scoffed. “What you want?” she posed.
“Alba…”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Alba interjected “This whole thing is on you and you being selfish. I would have given anything to make sure that it worked out for us, Leo, I would have given up our wedding day, but you never even asked and then you left. I took years trying to get over that, trying to get over you, and you have no right to try and convince me to let that all go” she spat.
Lionel blinked.
“I should have just stayed sat outside that hotel” Alba muttered before she turned on her heel, moving to walk back towards the road.
“I know you want me” Lionel called, following after her “You fell into bed with me” he added, capturing her arm,
“A mistake” Alba noted.
“No” Lionel countered “You knew what you were doing, as did I, and I am not going to let you pass it off as nothing. I’ve watched you do far too much of that since you got here. I am not some fling, Alba, and I know you know it” he insisted.
Alba scoffed.
“I am not just going to let go again, Alba” Lionel insisted “I am done pretending that I am over it. I’m not, I’ve never even been close, and I want a shot to show you that I can still be the one to make you happy” he noted.
“Good luck with that” Alba muttered before she tried to walk away again.
Lionel, however, kept a hold of her arm and turned her back to him, pressing a strong kiss against her lips. “I know you care” he mumbled as he leant back, carefully brushing the blonde hair out of her eyes “I know you do, Alba, and I want you to know that I am not just going to let go again. You’re it, nena, I know it” he insisted, searching her eyes.
Alba stared at him for a second before she shook her head. “I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you” she mumbled before she turned to walk away from him.
Rubbing her hands up her arms, she tried to ward off the cold before she felt something warm drop onto her shoulder, causing her to look up, a sigh falling out of her mouth. “They sent you?” she posed.
“No” Lionel replied “No one sent me. I figured someone ought to check on you” he mused as he sat down beside her.
“I’m OK” Alba noted “So you can take your jacket, and go” she added, trying to pass the suit jacket back towards him.
“You look cold” Lionel noted “And I’ll be fine without it. Keep it” he enthused.
Alba contemplated fighting him on it, telling him to take the coat back, but the truth was that she did need it. It was warm and Alba, who’d been sitting outside for a while, was cold.
“You want to talk about it?” Lionel posed, stretching his feet out ahead of him.
“About what?” Alba posed.
“You just walked out of a wedding, Alba” Lionel reasoned “Do you want to tell me why?” he posed.
“That isn’t obvious to you?” Alba quipped, tugging at the hem of her pink bridesmaid dress.
“Not immediately, no” Lionel noted “So, you want to talk to about it?” he posed.
Alba offered him a look before she shook her head, tugging the material of his suit jacket a little more around her.
Lionel watched her for a second before he pushed himself up to his feet, offering her his hand. “Come on” he noted.
“Lionel…”
“You don’t want to talk” Lionel reasoned “So I thought, maybe I could take you somewhere, get your mind off it” he offered, wiggling his hand a little. It was a spur of the moment call, chances were that Alba wouldn’t even want to go anywhere with him, but he wanted to try. Chances were that that night was the last shot he had at showing her that he wasn’t the worst person she could have ended up with.
“We’re supposed to be at Oscar and Eva’s wedding” Alba pointed out.
“And? We were there for all of the important moments and I highly doubt that they will notice we’re missing. Come on, Alba” he encouraged.
“Lionel…”
“You trust me, don’t you?” Lionel posed as he ducked down, collecting her hand in his.
Alba watched him, noting the fit of their fingers, before she nodded, something which made him smile gently. “Come with me then” he mused.
“Ok” Alba agreed “But if Eva asks why I wasn’t here when she and Oscar left…”
“I will take the blame” Lionel agreed, offering her a small smile.
Alba nodded her head. “Ok” she mused “So, where are we going?” she posed.
“That’s a surprise” Lionel noted before he tugged on her hand, leading her out towards the road which stood a little away from the hotel where Eva and Oscar had arranged their reception.
Alba followed after him, shaking her head a little. “You’re not going to tell me?” she posed.
“No” Lionel grinned, hailing a taxi “But trust me, you’ll love it” he enthused.
Alba offered him a look before she sighed, already wishing that she had just stayed where she’d been.
~#~
“This is ridiculous” Alba complained as she followed after Lionel, her hand clinging to his. It had been a long journey, after Lionel had mumbled something to their cab driver, they’d spent almost 45 minutes sat in a slightly awkward silence before Lionel had leant towards her, tying the tie he’d worn around her eyes, something which irked her. She trusted him, even despite the current state of their relationship, she trusted him entirely, but she was still irked. She had never had the patience for surprises.
“If you’d stop complaining, we’d be there a lot quicker” Lionel pointed out.
“You were the one who tied this tie around my eyes” Alba fought back “If you didn’t want me to complain, you’d not have done it” she added, a small pout on her face.
Lionel rolled his eyes. “You never did like surprises” he commented before he led her a couple of steps forwards, smiling a little at the sight ahead of them. It wasn’t much, the small park looked a lot different to what it had looked like when they were children, but it still made him smile. It was one of his favourite spots in the city and he knew it was the same for Alba. It was the site of a lot of their relationship defining moments. Admiring the park for a second, he grinned to himself before he stepped towards Alba, carefully pulling the tie away from her face.
Alba blinked a little, trying to get used to the soft light of the streetlamps, before her blue eyes widened a little, something which made Lionel smile. “You remember this place?” he posed.
“Yes” Alba squeaked “This was where we had our first kiss” she babbled.
“And where I first said that I loved you” Lionel mused “And where I…”
“Where you asked me to marry you” Alba finished for him.
Lionel nodded gently. “I know why you ran off earlier” he murmured “This must be the first wedding you’ve been to since…since you had to cancel ours” he murmured.
Alba nodded. “I was invited to my cousin’s but I declined. I wouldn’t have come if it had been anyone but Eva getting married” she admitted.
“It’s not my first” he mumbled “My teammates are all going off and finding wives or having kids, and it turns out, I can’t just duck out. Gerard never lets me” he mused.
“Was the first one hard?” Alba posed, making her way towards the bench which stood a little away from them.
“Almost unbearable” Lionel agreed, nodding gently “But it does get easier, I promise you that” he insisted gently.
Alba shook her head. “I don’t know about that” she murmured “My sister’s probably going to married before too long and she’s 4 years younger than I am, Eva’s already married, and I am sure that every one will just be a reminder of how far off that is for me. You know that Hector was the first date I’d been on in almost 2 years?” she posed.
Lionel shook his head.
“You dated, no?” she pressed.
“I dated a girl for a few months” he admitted “But it didn’t work out. Turns out, I wasn’t over my ex” he added, lifting his head slightly to look at Alba who was still messing nervously with the hem of her dress.
Alba shook her head. “It’d never be the same” she argued softly “Even if I thought I could let you get close again, we’d never be the same as we were” she mused.
“You don’t know that” Lionel argued “You don’t know that I couldn’t make you happy, Alba” he added.
“And then leave me again?” she countered, her expression tightening.
“It was a mistake” Lionel insisted “The biggest one I’ve made, but Alba, I never stopped caring about you and I know that you haven’t stopped caring for me. I admit, this month could have gone better, but I know what I want. I knew it from the second I saw you” he insisted.
Alba scoffed. “What you want?” she posed.
“Alba…”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Alba interjected “This whole thing is on you and you being selfish. I would have given anything to make sure that it worked out for us, Leo, I would have given up our wedding day, but you never even asked and then you left. I took years trying to get over that, trying to get over you, and you have no right to try and convince me to let that all go” she spat.
Lionel blinked.
“I should have just stayed sat outside that hotel” Alba muttered before she turned on her heel, moving to walk back towards the road.
“I know you want me” Lionel called, following after her “You fell into bed with me” he added, capturing her arm,
“A mistake” Alba noted.
“No” Lionel countered “You knew what you were doing, as did I, and I am not going to let you pass it off as nothing. I’ve watched you do far too much of that since you got here. I am not some fling, Alba, and I know you know it” he insisted.
Alba scoffed.
“I am not just going to let go again, Alba” Lionel insisted “I am done pretending that I am over it. I’m not, I’ve never even been close, and I want a shot to show you that I can still be the one to make you happy” he noted.
“Good luck with that” Alba muttered before she tried to walk away again.
Lionel, however, kept a hold of her arm and turned her back to him, pressing a strong kiss against her lips. “I know you care” he mumbled as he leant back, carefully brushing the blonde hair out of her eyes “I know you do, Alba, and I want you to know that I am not just going to let go again. You’re it, nena, I know it” he insisted, searching her eyes.
Alba stared at him for a second before she shook her head. “I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you” she mumbled before she turned to walk away from him.