You Loved Me Once

“She wasn’t any trouble, was she?” Lionel posed as he peeked down Isabella, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. It had been a long night, with Alba only tentatively talking throughout the duration of their dinner with her parents, it had become awkward and uncomfortable, but Lionel was pleased to be away from the older couple. He knew that it was going to take time, Alba had always had a hard time letting go of things, and the last thing he wanted to do was spend hours sat with the older couple who’d made it clear that whilst they wanted to be civil, they had little intention of learning to like him.

“She was no trouble at all” Gerard mused “She’s very well behaved, something I assume she gets from her mama rather than you” he teased.

Lionel rolled his eyes. “Remind me to not let you babysit next time” he quipped with a feigned frown.

Gerard shook his head, laughing a little before Isabella let out a small whimper, causing Lionel to shift her slightly, allowing her to lean against his chest happily.

“How was the dinner with Alba’s parents?” Gerard posed as he moved to pack Isabella’s nappy bag.

“As awkward as I anticipated that it would be” Lionel mused, not shifting his stare from Isabella who pouted a little in her sleep “Alba barely spoke throughout the whole thing, but she agreed to give them a shot at making it up to her and that’s progress. I know that she wants them around, Gerard, but you know Alba. She’s never been one for letting things go easily” he quipped with a half-smile.

“She’ll come around” Gerard mused, stuffing one of Isabella’s toys into her bag “If anyone ought to know that, it should be you, the man who she vowed never to speak to again” he teased.

Lionel chuckled a little before Isabella let out a cry, causing the argentine to smile softly. “You miss your mama?” he posed as he moved to lift the baby up, his hand gently rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her.

“I will go and find Alba” Gerard mused as he moved to his feet.

Lionel flashed him a slight smile before he turned his attention back to the two month old, cooing to her softly for a moment before Alba appeared in the doorway, a small smile forming on her face at the sight of Lionel with their daughter. It was a sight she adored, from the moment that the midwife has placed Isabella into Lionel’s arms, Alba had loved seeing the two of them together, and for a second, she merely wanted to admire them. It had been tense, the dinner with her parents had been awkward and uncomfortable in phases, but looking at Lionel with Isabella reminded Alba of what she had, even if it wasn’t what her parents had wanted. Looking at Lionel and Isabella reminded her of how well things had panned out since her trip to Argentina for Eva and Oscar’s wedding.

“Look, Bella, mama’s here to give you your feed” Lionel fussed as he moved to his feet.

Alba smiled and stepped towards him, gently moving to collect Isabella from his arms.

“I will go and thank Gerard and Shakira and then I will get the two of you home, OK?” he posed softly.

Alba nodded her head gently. “That sounds like a plan” she mused.

Lionel offered her a small smile and pressed a kiss against her head before he stepped out of the room, leaving Alba with a small smile on her face.

~#~
“How did she go down?” Lionel posed as he peeked up at the doorway, his dark eyes watching as Alba stepped into their bedroom, her fingers pulling her blonde hair up into a ponytail.

“She was a little fussy” Alba quipped as she padded through the room, collecting a clean set of pyjamas from the dresser “But she’s asleep now and should be for a little while. I think she is tired out” she enthused.

Lionel nodded his head. “And you’re OK?” he posed softly as he moved to set his tablet onto the end table. He knew that she wouldn’t want to talk about it, if there was one thing that Alba was good at then it was hiding her feelings, but he wanted to ask. The dinner that they had been to had been the first time that she and her parents had been together in a long time and he wanted to ensure that it hadn’t upset her. He wanted to make sure that she was OK.

“I’m fine, Leo” Alba commented as she moved to pull off her dress, replacing it with her pyjama shirt.

“You’re sure?” Lionel pressed.

Alba nodded her head, pulling on her pyjama shorts before she padded towards the bed, climbing in at his side. “I am certain” she mused “Seeing them…it felt a little strange, but it was always going to and I am glad that we did it. It’s going to take a little work, but it is something I want to do” she enthused as she cuddled into his side.

“I just wanted to make sure” Lionel muttered “You were quiet and I know that that is usually a bad sign” he noted softly.

Alba shook her head a little. “It’s going to take some getting used to, but I am fine, I promise you” she insisted, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

Lionel smiled a little at the contact, allowing a small silence to fall over them.

Alba shifted slightly, attempting to get a little more comfortable, before she kissed his cheek again, something which made him laugh. “What are you doing?” he mused.

“Can’t I kiss you without questions?” Alba countered.

“You can do, but we’ve been doing this for over 8 years now, on and off, and you never have. I’ve always been the affectionate one” he teased.

Alba rolled her eyes a little, but smiled nevertheless as Lionel placed a kiss on the top of her head. “I love you, you know” he muttered gently.

“I know you do” Alba mumbled, sparing a sleepy yawn into her hand “And you should know that I feel the same about you. Te amo, Leo” she added, smiling a little as he pressed a kiss against the top of her head. It had been an awkward evening, Alba had found herself feeling a multitude of emotions, but as she laid beside Lionel, she knew that she had made the right decision, even if it had caused a few problems with other people, she was pleased that she had opted to take him back. It had worked out, even if it had had a few hiccups, and she was sure that it was only a matter of time before she found herself agreeing to marry him.