You Loved Me Once

Closing her laptop, Alba let out a relieved sigh, glad that the day was over with. It had been a long one, with a couple of days’ holiday booked, she had been in a hurry to finish up, not wanting to leave anything half-completed, but she was glad that the day was over with. Nothing appealed to her more than the idea of her bed and a warm mug of tea. Shuffling the computer into her bag, she placed the satchel over her shoulder before she padded towards the door, stopping slightly as her head span a little. It wasn’t the first time, for the past few weeks, brief moments of dizziness or nausea had become more and more frequent, but Alba wasn’t concerned. It was usual in the lead up to her time of the month.

Taking a little breath, she steadied herself before she padded into the foyer, a small smile appearing as she spotted Lionel sat waiting for her, a bouquet of flowers held in his hand. “You know, before we got back together, I did manage to get home by myself” she teased.

“I know” Lionel smiled “But it’s not every night that we’re celebrating our 6 month anniversary and whilst you insisted that we don’t make a fuss, I figured I could at least get you these and offer you a ride home” he enthused as he handed over the pretty bouquet of lilies. It wasn’t what he wanted, for him, the notion that they had made it 6 months was worthy of more fuss, but Alba had been insistent. She wanted it to be quiet, she wanted it to be simple, and Lionel had opted to go along with her, wanting her to enjoy it.

Alba shook her head. “You didn’t have to do that” she noted as she lifted the flowers to her nose.

“I know” Lionel enthused “But I couldn’t just let it slip by, no matter how much you asked me to. 6 months is a big deal, Alba, and a little part of me wants to make a little fuss” he quipped with a smile. He was impressed, when they’d run into one another in Argentina, he’d doubted that Alba would allow him to stay around for 6 minutes, let alone 6 months, but he was proud of them. Since they’d gotten back together, things had been good and Lionel wanted to keep them that way, even if he was still playing by Alba’s ground rules, he was merely pleased that she had kept him around for as long as she had.

Alba, who was messing with the flowers, smiled. “Happy 6 month anniversary” she quipped.

Lionel smiled and moved to take her bag from her shoulder, settling it on his own before he found her hand, offering the small extremity a soft squeeze as he led her towards his car.

“You really are just going to take me home, aren’t you?” Alba posed as she followed after him.

“That’s what you said you wanted when you were telling me that you didn’t want to make any kind of fuss. You were very specific” Lionel teased as he pulled the passenger door open for her, allowing her to settle in the seat. “Have you changed your mind?” he posed.

Alba shook her head. “It’s been a long day” she mused “What I really want is a mug of tea and my bed. Do you think we can do that?” she posed, offering him her best puppy eyes.

Lionel shook his head. “Fine” he mumbled “But when we get to a year, I am making a fuss” he bargained with a small grin.

“You think we’ll make it to a year?” Alba commented, her eyebrow cocked.

Lionel pressed a kiss to the top of her head and smirked. “I know we’ll make it to a year” he commented confidently.

~#~
“You know, you don’t have to stay”

Lionel, who was sat at the foot of Alba’s bed, smiled a little, not missing the distinctly sleepy tone of her voice. It wasn’t overly late, with Alba having finished work at just gone 7, the couple found themselves in her bedroom at just gone 9, but Alba was clearly trying to stay awake, something which made him smile slightly. It was a little disappointing, he had been hoping to enjoy their anniversary a little more, but he didn’t to press Alba. She was clearly in need of a rest and whilst it wasn’t exactly what he would have chosen to do, it had been quite nice and quiet.

“It’s our anniversary, where else would I go?” he posed softly as he made his way towards the head of the bed, resting comfortably against the pillows.

“It’s not exactly been the most romantic evening” Alba pointed out “And I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to get out here. I am probably going to be asleep in a little while” she added.

Lionel shrugged. “I’m good” he grinned.

Alba sighed a little before she shuffled a little closer to him, her arm wrapping around his waist as his settled around her shoulder. “I’m sorry for not wanting to make more of a fuss” she mumbled softly.

“You don’t have to apologise” Lionel noted, his hand skimming up and down her arm “We’ll just make more of a fuss for the next one” he mused.

Alba smiled a little. “I like that you’re so confident that there’ll be a next one” she mused “I wasn’t sure that we’d make it 5 minutes, let alone 6 months” she added, peeking up at him slightly as a small yawn fell out of her mouth.

“I guess I am just surer than you are” Lionel shrugged before he ducked down, kissing the top of her head. “You should get some sleep. You look like you could use it” he added with a small smile.

Alba nodded her head. “I’ve been tired a lot recently” she commented as she moved to rest against her pillow.

“I’d noticed” Lionel mused “But you’ve been working hard. You’ve got a couple of days to take to recharge and I am sure that you’ll feel fine after that. Buenos noches, nena” he fussed as he pulled away from her slightly, allowing her to snuggle a little deeper into the bed.

Alba offered him a sleepy smile. “Here’s to another 6 months” she teased, another slight yawn falling out of her mouth.

Lionel smiled at her softly and dipped down, kissing the top of her head before he ducked out of the room, a small smile playing on his face. He was confident, for the first time since he and Alba had gotten back together, he was sure that things were good, and he was confident that they would make it to a year or further, something which made him grin. He had been sure that he’d lost his chance when he’d walked away from Alba the first time.