You Loved Me Once
01: You Can Handle It, Right?
Adjusting the sunglasses over her eyes, Alba padded into the airport terminal, a small sigh of relief falling out of her mouth. It had been a long flight, the flight from Barcelona to her home town was always relentless, and she was pleased to be off of the plane, even in the air of the terminal was a little warmer than she had been hoping for, she was pleased to be on her feet. It had been a while, Alba hadn’t been home for almost a year, but she was a little excited. As settled as she had become in her home in Barcelona, she missed her hometown and was excited by the prospect of spending a prolonged period time there.
Adjusting the ponytail she had tied her blonde hair into, she moved towards the luggage carousel, and collected her bags before she headed towards the foyer, a grin pulling at the corner of her mouth as she spotted a piece of cardboard with her name written across it in thick marker. “Eva” she squeaked.
The brunette who held up the sign grinned at the sound of her name and sped towards Alba, pulling her into a tight hug.
“Eva, I need to breathe” Alba teased.
“You can breathe in a bit. I’ve not seen you in 11 months” Eva countered.
Alba rolled her eyes and gently pushed her friend back, shaking her head at the slight pout which had formed on her friend’s face. It had been a while, with Eva still living in Argentina, their visits had been short and far between for a while, but Alba intended to enjoy her stay. It wasn’t every day that her best friend got married and Alba wanted to be as much help as she could be, even if the topic of weddings was still an uncomfortable one with her, she wanted to lend a hand. “You have me here for a whole month, Eva, do you really want to kill me in the first 2 minutes?” she noted.
“Maybe, if you came home more often, I wouldn’t have to react so exuberantly when you’re here” Eva pointed out.
“Well, I am here now” Alba noted as she shouldered her carry-on bag “And you’re giving me a ride?” she posed.
Eva nodded. “Of course I am. You’ll stay with us for the first 3 weeks, but the last week, before the wedding, you’ll need to stay somewhere else. Oscar’s entire family is coming and he promised them they could stay with us” she explained.
“I’ll worry about that in 3 weeks” Alba commented “Right now, all I want is to take a shower and lay down for a little while” she noted.
“That can be arranged” Eva mused, picking up one of Alba’s bag.
Alba offered her friend a small before she padded ahead of her, making her way towards the car.
Eva, who was carrying the blonde’s suitcase, shook her head, her stomach turning a little. She knew that it wasn’t fair, Alba had little to no idea about what was waiting for her at her friend’s home, but Eva knew it had to be that way. If the word ‘Lionel’ had even come up in conversation, then there was no chance that Alba would have gotten on the plane and it was something she wanted to avoid.
Alba was her closest friend, the obvious choice to be her maid of honour, and she didn’t want her ex, who she had been apart from for five years, to be the reason that she shied away. Lionel and Alba were the past, a distant one at that, and Eva didn’t want it to have a bearing on her friend’s attendance of her wedding.
~#~
“I can’t believe that you and Eva are finally taking the plunge, Oscar” Lionel smiled as he sipped on the drink that his friend had plied him with. It had been coming for years, Eva and Oscar had been together for almost 4, but still Lionel was a little amazed that his friend had finally proposed. Part of him had expected Oscar to skirt around the issue for a while longer.
“The timing is right” Oscar commented, sipping on his own drink.
“You sure?” Lionel posed “I am sure you’ve got a few more years of trying to avoid it in you” he teased.
Oscar shook his head. “The time is right, Leo. Eva’s not going to wait around forever and I don’t want to lose her. I might not say it as often as I should, but I love her and I don’t want to run the risk of her getting bored” he insisted softly.
Lionel nodded his head in understanding. “She’s a good woman, Oscar” he enthused softly “You’re lucky to have her” he added.
“I am” Oscar grinned “But don’t let her hear you say that. I’d never hear the end of it” he joked as he leant back a little, relishing the warm feel of the sun on his skin. It had been a long time, with Lionel in Barcelona much of the year, it had been almost 12 months since he and his friend had had the chance to relax, but Oscar wanted to enjoy it. It was rare that Lionel had the summer clear and Oscar intended to spend at least part of it with his friend.
Lionel smiled a little at the joke and rested back into his lounger, his eyes closed contently.
“I do have to tell you something” Oscar mumbled after a second of quiet.
“Is it likely to mean that I have to get up? I’ve just found the sweet spot on the chair” Lionel countered, not opening his eyes.
“No” Oscar noted “But I think I should warn you” he noted.
Lionel frowned a little and turned his head, his eyes fixed on his friend. “Oscar?” he pressed.
“Eva told me not to tell you” Oscar babbled “She told me that if I did, you’d freak, but I told her that that was stupid. You’re a grown man, I am sure that you can cope” he insisted.
“Oscar, do you want to get to the point?” Lionel posed.
Oscar took in a breath before the sound of the front door opening and closing reached them, causing him to bolt out of his seat. Lionel offered his friend a slightly confused look before he pushed himself up, following the other man into the house. “Oscar, what are you doing?” he posed, catching his friend up.
“Eva’s home” Oscar noted “And she’s brought her maid of honour with her” he added with a slightly apologetic grin.
Lionel frowned at his friend’s expression before the sound of a voice that Lionel hadn’t heard in years trickled into his ears, causing him to whip round, his brown eyes locked on Alba, who was smiling at something Eva had said. “Alba” he spluttered.
Alba, who’d been conversing with Eva, lifted her head at the sound of her name, her blue eyes narrowing on Lionel who stood in the door way, his expression slack in awe.
“You can handle this, right?” Oscar quipped, patting Lionel’s shoulder.
Lionel blinked a little, pulling his stare away from Alba briefly to offer his friend a slightly dubious look.
“You’re staying?” Alba muttered.
“He is” Oscar confirmed “He’s not staying here, but he’s going to be around for the wedding. He’s my best man, Allie” he enthused.
Alba offered her friend a look before she flicked her attention back to Lionel, scoffing slightly before she excused herself from the room, making her way towards the stairs.
Lionel watched each and every step before he sighed. “She’s your maid of honour?” he posed, peeking at Eva.
“She is” Eva confirmed “And neither one of you is backing down. It’s been 5 years, Leo, just suck it up” she commented before she padded after Alba.
“She’s right” Oscar commented “It has been a while. You just need to be the bigger person” he noted.
“I’m the one in the wrong” Lionel noted “She has every right to be pissed still” he added.
“Perhaps” Oscar conceded “But you’re not here for the pair of you, you’re here for me and Eva, and you need to keep it under control. I don’t want my wedding day to become a sideshow to the Lionel and Alba show” he mused kindly before he patted Lionel’s shoulder.
Lionel nodded his head quietly, but frowned.
He already knew that being civil around Alba was going to be easier said than done.
Adjusting the ponytail she had tied her blonde hair into, she moved towards the luggage carousel, and collected her bags before she headed towards the foyer, a grin pulling at the corner of her mouth as she spotted a piece of cardboard with her name written across it in thick marker. “Eva” she squeaked.
The brunette who held up the sign grinned at the sound of her name and sped towards Alba, pulling her into a tight hug.
“Eva, I need to breathe” Alba teased.
“You can breathe in a bit. I’ve not seen you in 11 months” Eva countered.
Alba rolled her eyes and gently pushed her friend back, shaking her head at the slight pout which had formed on her friend’s face. It had been a while, with Eva still living in Argentina, their visits had been short and far between for a while, but Alba intended to enjoy her stay. It wasn’t every day that her best friend got married and Alba wanted to be as much help as she could be, even if the topic of weddings was still an uncomfortable one with her, she wanted to lend a hand. “You have me here for a whole month, Eva, do you really want to kill me in the first 2 minutes?” she noted.
“Maybe, if you came home more often, I wouldn’t have to react so exuberantly when you’re here” Eva pointed out.
“Well, I am here now” Alba noted as she shouldered her carry-on bag “And you’re giving me a ride?” she posed.
Eva nodded. “Of course I am. You’ll stay with us for the first 3 weeks, but the last week, before the wedding, you’ll need to stay somewhere else. Oscar’s entire family is coming and he promised them they could stay with us” she explained.
“I’ll worry about that in 3 weeks” Alba commented “Right now, all I want is to take a shower and lay down for a little while” she noted.
“That can be arranged” Eva mused, picking up one of Alba’s bag.
Alba offered her friend a small before she padded ahead of her, making her way towards the car.
Eva, who was carrying the blonde’s suitcase, shook her head, her stomach turning a little. She knew that it wasn’t fair, Alba had little to no idea about what was waiting for her at her friend’s home, but Eva knew it had to be that way. If the word ‘Lionel’ had even come up in conversation, then there was no chance that Alba would have gotten on the plane and it was something she wanted to avoid.
Alba was her closest friend, the obvious choice to be her maid of honour, and she didn’t want her ex, who she had been apart from for five years, to be the reason that she shied away. Lionel and Alba were the past, a distant one at that, and Eva didn’t want it to have a bearing on her friend’s attendance of her wedding.
~#~
“I can’t believe that you and Eva are finally taking the plunge, Oscar” Lionel smiled as he sipped on the drink that his friend had plied him with. It had been coming for years, Eva and Oscar had been together for almost 4, but still Lionel was a little amazed that his friend had finally proposed. Part of him had expected Oscar to skirt around the issue for a while longer.
“The timing is right” Oscar commented, sipping on his own drink.
“You sure?” Lionel posed “I am sure you’ve got a few more years of trying to avoid it in you” he teased.
Oscar shook his head. “The time is right, Leo. Eva’s not going to wait around forever and I don’t want to lose her. I might not say it as often as I should, but I love her and I don’t want to run the risk of her getting bored” he insisted softly.
Lionel nodded his head in understanding. “She’s a good woman, Oscar” he enthused softly “You’re lucky to have her” he added.
“I am” Oscar grinned “But don’t let her hear you say that. I’d never hear the end of it” he joked as he leant back a little, relishing the warm feel of the sun on his skin. It had been a long time, with Lionel in Barcelona much of the year, it had been almost 12 months since he and his friend had had the chance to relax, but Oscar wanted to enjoy it. It was rare that Lionel had the summer clear and Oscar intended to spend at least part of it with his friend.
Lionel smiled a little at the joke and rested back into his lounger, his eyes closed contently.
“I do have to tell you something” Oscar mumbled after a second of quiet.
“Is it likely to mean that I have to get up? I’ve just found the sweet spot on the chair” Lionel countered, not opening his eyes.
“No” Oscar noted “But I think I should warn you” he noted.
Lionel frowned a little and turned his head, his eyes fixed on his friend. “Oscar?” he pressed.
“Eva told me not to tell you” Oscar babbled “She told me that if I did, you’d freak, but I told her that that was stupid. You’re a grown man, I am sure that you can cope” he insisted.
“Oscar, do you want to get to the point?” Lionel posed.
Oscar took in a breath before the sound of the front door opening and closing reached them, causing him to bolt out of his seat. Lionel offered his friend a slightly confused look before he pushed himself up, following the other man into the house. “Oscar, what are you doing?” he posed, catching his friend up.
“Eva’s home” Oscar noted “And she’s brought her maid of honour with her” he added with a slightly apologetic grin.
Lionel frowned at his friend’s expression before the sound of a voice that Lionel hadn’t heard in years trickled into his ears, causing him to whip round, his brown eyes locked on Alba, who was smiling at something Eva had said. “Alba” he spluttered.
Alba, who’d been conversing with Eva, lifted her head at the sound of her name, her blue eyes narrowing on Lionel who stood in the door way, his expression slack in awe.
“You can handle this, right?” Oscar quipped, patting Lionel’s shoulder.
Lionel blinked a little, pulling his stare away from Alba briefly to offer his friend a slightly dubious look.
“You’re staying?” Alba muttered.
“He is” Oscar confirmed “He’s not staying here, but he’s going to be around for the wedding. He’s my best man, Allie” he enthused.
Alba offered her friend a look before she flicked her attention back to Lionel, scoffing slightly before she excused herself from the room, making her way towards the stairs.
Lionel watched each and every step before he sighed. “She’s your maid of honour?” he posed, peeking at Eva.
“She is” Eva confirmed “And neither one of you is backing down. It’s been 5 years, Leo, just suck it up” she commented before she padded after Alba.
“She’s right” Oscar commented “It has been a while. You just need to be the bigger person” he noted.
“I’m the one in the wrong” Lionel noted “She has every right to be pissed still” he added.
“Perhaps” Oscar conceded “But you’re not here for the pair of you, you’re here for me and Eva, and you need to keep it under control. I don’t want my wedding day to become a sideshow to the Lionel and Alba show” he mused kindly before he patted Lionel’s shoulder.
Lionel nodded his head quietly, but frowned.
He already knew that being civil around Alba was going to be easier said than done.
♠ ♠ ♠
Thanks to Jayme112234 for the comment :)