You Loved Me Once

“Alba?”

Alba, who’d holed herself up on the bed, shifted a little at the sound of her name, her blue eyes peeking towards the door where Lionel stood, peeking around it slightly.

“Are you OK in here? It’s been an hour” he added, shuffling into the room sheepishly.

Alba wiped her eyes a little before she nodded, shifting her feet to offer him the spot at the end of the bed. “I’m sorry for snapping” she noted gently.

“It’s fine” Lionel mused.

“It isn’t” Alba mumbled, shaking her head a little “You were only trying to keep me calm and I snapped at you. I shouldn’t have done. I am not upset with you” she babbled softly.

“Alba, it’s fine” Lionel mused, offering her a smile.

Alba offered him a slightly dubious look before she shook her head, her fingers pulling at a loose thread on the duvet.

“I’m sorry that your papa acted like that, Alba” Lionel murmured, watching her softly “I had thought that he would make more of an effort” he added.

Alba snorted. “You clearly forget how stubborn my papa is” she muttered “When I wanted to move to Barcelona to be with you with the first time, he barely spoke to me for 6 weeks because he thought I was getting too far ahead of myself too quickly. He’s protective, he always has been, but he hates to be wrong more. As far as he is concerned, you and me is just an accident waiting to happen” she insisted with a small shake of her head.

“He’s still going to be an abuelo. I thought that would have at least raised a smile” Lionel noted.

Alba shook her head. “I had hoped that it would” she mumbled “I miss them, Leo. I miss calling my mama just to talk about my week or calling my papa to talk about rugby or something. It’s been a long time and I had thought…hoped that they would come around. 8 months is a long time and I had hoped the longer you and I made it, the more willing they’d be to accept it” she explained, her fingers tugging at the hole she’d made in the duvet cover.

“They could still come around” Lionel pointed out “Bump’s not due for 6 months. Maybe they could still change their minds” he suggested hopefully.

Alba shook her head. “I think we both know that that is unlikely” she mumbled.

Lionel sighed a little before he caught her hand, stopping her from making the small hole she’d made worse. “If they can’t be happy for you, Alba, then you don’t need them. They don’t deserve you or bump” he murmured, kissing her palm softly.

“They’re my parents” Alba pointed out.

“And they’re the ones causing the problem. You’ve not done anything wrong, Alba” he retorted.

Alba shook her head.

“Alba, this is what you want, isn’t it?” he posed softly.

Alba lifted her head. “What?” she posed.

“You and me. It’s what you want, isn’t it?” he posed, his dark eyes peeking at her slightly.

Alba spluttered a little, caught off guard by his question. “Why are you asking that?” she spluttered.

“It would be easier for you, no?” he noted “It would be a lot less stressful” he added.

Alba shook her head, an expression of disbelief on her face. “How could you think that for a moment?” she posed, her blue eyes looking up at him as he stared down at the pattern on the duvet cover.

“Because it is true” he shrugged “There’d be a lot less problems without me, Alba. You’d have your mama who I know would be the best person to look after you and bump when they come along, your papa too” he insisted with a small frown on his face.

Alba shook her head. “How could you think that?” she spluttered.

Lionel opened his mouth to reply, but Alba cut him off, her hands settling on the sides of his face. “You’re the best thing I have, you know that?” she posed softly.

“I am a complication” he retorted.

“No, you’re not” Alba insisted “The situation with my parents is regrettable, but it is on them, not me. Leo, these last months have been amazing, I’m happier than I have been in a while and whilst I know I’ve not made it easy on you, I want you to know that. I want you” she insisted.

Lionel smiled a little.

“This is where I want to be, Leo, with you and bump and I don’t want you to question that again” Alba insisted.

“I just want you to be happy and calm” Lionel noted.

Alba nodded. “I know” she insisted “But I am happy with you and you shouldn’t question it. We’re in it for the long term, no?” she posed.

Lionel smiled and set his hand against her bump, offering her a nod of his head. “We are” he confirmed, his thumb brushing over her bump.

Alba watched him for a moment, not missing the fond smile on his face, before she leant forwards, kissing him softly. Lionel startled a little, not entirely expecting her to kiss him, but he quickly warmed to it, his weight gently pushing her back against the mattress, causing her to giggle a little. “You’re eager” she quipped as he shifted his hand, moving to pull at the blouse she wore.

“Can’t a guy just want to kiss his girlfriend without her teasing him?” Lionel countered, offering her a quirked smile.

“That’s not how this works” Alba teased, motioning between them.

Lionel rolled his eyes playfully before he dipped down, kissing her softly once more.

Alba smiled into it before she carefully pulled back, levelling her blue eyes with his darker ones. “Leo” she mumbled.

“Huh?” he posed gently.

Alba studied the look on his face for a moment, chewing on her lip briefly before she leant up, kissing him softly. “I forgive you” she mumbled softly.

Lionel blinked.

“I know that it wasn’t necessary to say it” Alba babbled, pushing some hair out of her face “But these last 8 months, they’ve been good and I am happy, and that’s on you. We’ve still got a way to go, I don’t want to put a rush on this, but I just thought that you should know that whilst I will probably never forget how badly it hurt when you left, I understand why you did and I forgive you for it” she added, rambling as Lionel stared down at her, his expression slightly blank.

Alba studied his face for a second before she shook her head, babbling out a small ‘sorry’ before she tried to push herself to her feet, something Lionel was quick to prevent. “You’re sure?” he posed, pecking her lips softly.

Alba nodded. “I understand it and whilst I don’t agree that what you did was best for us both, I forgive you for thinking that it was” she insisted.

Lionel mulled her words over before he ducked down, capturing her in a strong kiss that made her grin brightly.