When You Close Your Eyes

Playing with the scarf which sat around her neck, Isabelle spared a soft look towards the door which stood ahead of her, a small nervous sigh falling out of her mouth. It had been a little while, with things between her and Lionel having been awkward for a while, it had been some time since she had been to a game, and she felt a little nervous about the prospect of running into his teammates, even if she knew that it was only likely to be brief, a small part of her felt a little unsure.

It had been a close game, like the first half, the second half had been close, but Isabelle had to admit that she had enjoyed herself, even more so when Lionel had snuck in to score the game’s only goal.

“He should be out in a second”

Isabelle, who’d been messing with the end of her scarf, startled a little at the sound of Luis Suarez’s voice before she lifted her head, offering him a soft smile. “Gracias” she noted softly “And congrats on the win” she added kindly.

Luis offered her a polite smile before he padded away, allowing Isabelle to flick her attention back towards her scarf, her teeth nibbling softly on her lip.

It had been a while, with things the way they were, it’d been months since she and Lionel had headed out on a date, and whilst she was a little nervous at the prospect, part of her couldn’t wait to spend some time with, even if it did have the potential to be awkward or tense, part of her was more than a little excited about the idea of the night which stood ahead of her.

Messing with her scarf a little more, she shook her head softly before the sound of the changing room door opening caught her ears, causing her to look up, her blue eyes settling on Lionel who stood a little away from her, a soft boyish smile on his face. “You ready to head out?” he posed softly, stepping towards her.

Isabelle offered him a shy smile before she nodded her head. “I think so” she mused, her fingers messing softly with the bottom of her coat nervously.

Lionel admired the soft movements of her fingers for a couple of seconds before he shook his head, moving to step towards her slightly. “You know, we can just take a rain check on dinner if you want” he mused, knotting their fingers together “I mean, I’d love to go, but if it isn’t what you want to do…”

“I want to go” Isabelle interjected softly, her blue eyes peeking up at him “It’s just been a little while. I’m a little nervous” she added, a weak smile on her face.

Lionel admired the smile briefly before he leant towards her, pecking her lips briefly before he ducked back, offering her a small smile. “You’ve got nothing to be worried about” he noted softly “In case it slipped your mind, we’ve sort of been doing this for a while now and I think that we can handle heading out to dinner together, don’t you?” he posed, his tone caught between comforting and playful. He knew that she had a point, it had been a while since they’d headed out on a date, but he wanted to offer her a little reassurance, even if their night did have the potential to have a few awkward silences, he wanted to reassure her that things would be Ok.

Isabelle mulled his words over for a moment before she quirked a soft smile, shaking her head a little. “I think we can probably handle that” she agreed softly.

~#~
“So, how are Grace’s wedding plans coming along?”

Isabelle, who’d been pushing the last of her dessert around her plate, startled a little at the sound of Lionel’s voice before she lifted her head, offering him a small shrug. It had been a good night, even despite a few awkward pauses or nervous words, the dinner had been calm and pleasant, and Isabelle had to admit that she had enjoyed it, even if nerves did still twitch in the pit of her stomach, she was glad that she had agreed to head out with him.

“I think that they’re coming along nicely” she mused softly “I mean, my mother works as an event planner, so I imagine that they have everything under control, but I am sure if they need my input they’ll ask. I’ve got a bridesmaid dress fitting in a couple of days” she added softly.

Lionel, who’d rested back into his seat a little, nodded his softly. “Is it a big thing?” he posed.

Isabelle nodded. “Grace has a lot of friends” she mused softly “And both she and Sam come from pretty big families. It’s going to be a pretty big event, but that’s hardly a surprise. Grace had always liked a big fuss” she enthused with a soft smile.

Lionel admired her smile for a couple of seconds before he leant forwards, his dark eyes mirroring her blues. “And what about you?” he posed softly.

Isabelle tilted her head. “What about me?” she posed.

“Your wedding day” Lionel quipped “Will it be a big occasion, or something smaller?” he added, a slightly coy smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

Isabelle blinked a couple of times before she shook her head. “You…you’re not…are you?” she spluttered, her cheeks tinting a soft shade of pink.

Lionel chuckled a little before he shook his head. “I’m not” he noted softly “Trust me, when I do…do that…it will be a lot more romantic and special than this, but I was just wondering. It’s something you want, isn’t it?” he posed softly.

It wasn’t something that they’d talked about a lot, in the almost four years that they had been together, he was confident that he could count on one hand the amount of times they’d discussed the prospect of marriage or children, but it was something he wanted to do more, even if he knew that they still had a way to go when it came to fixing things between the two of them, he wanted to know where it was she wanted things between to go.

Isabelle offered him a slightly dubious look before she nodded her head, her fingers softly playing with her napkin. “It is” she confirmed softly “But if it isn’t something you want, then I get it” she added quietly.

Lionel watched her for a couple of moments before he reached his hand out, gently resting it atop hers in an attempt to stop her from tearing the napkin. “Isa, I am pretty sure that it is something that I want” he mused softly “I mean, we’ve still got some work to do to fix us, but it is something that I want. I want you to know that” he added, knotting their fingers together.

Isabelle spared a soft look down towards their hands before she quirked a shy smile, a small hint of pink playing on her cheeks. she knew that he had a point, they did still have work to do to put things back together before they contemplated making a move forwards, but still the idea that he had contemplated it made her smile a little, even if it was a little way off, the prospect of moving forwards excited her a little.