When You Close Your Eyes

“Isa?”

Isabelle, who’d been sleeping quietly in her seat, startled a little at the sound of her name before she blinked her blue eyes open, peeking towards Lionel who sat beside her, a soft smile perched on his face.

“The plane, Isa, it’s landed and that means, no matter how comfortable you look, you need to wake up” he added warmly.

Isabelle offered him a soft look before she nodded her head, a soft yawn falling out of her mouth, something which made Lionel chuckle a little before he carefully ducked down, capturing her hand in his before he carefully helped her up to her feet. “Was I asleep for long?” Isabelle posed, sparing another soft yawn into her hand.

It had been a long day, with packing and preparing for their flight, Isabelle had been awake fairly early in the morning, and whilst she felt a little bad for falling asleep, a small part of her was relieved that she had, even if hadn’t been for long. She had needed a couple of hours of sleep.

Lionel, who’d moved to collect her carry-on from the overhead locker, quirked a small smile before he nodded. “You were out for a few hours” he mused softly “But I don’t blame you, you were up ridiculously early this morning” he added, offering the bag out to her.

It had been a few days, after her parents had left, things between the two of them had been as comfortable and calm as they had been for a while, and it pleased Lionel who, even despite his want to keep things moving at a steady pace, was more than excited by the prospect of proposing to her.

Isabelle took the bag out of his hand before she shook her head. “I’m sorry” she mumbled softly.

Lionel shook his head a little before he ducked down, knotting their fingers together before he offered her hand a soft squeeze. “You have nothing to be sorry for, nena” he mumbled, carefully leading her towards the exit “This is what this trip is supposed to be about. We’ve got a few days to relax and I think we ought to make the most of them” he added, pressing a light kiss against her temple. It had been while, with his commitments with Argentina, it had been a couple of years since they’d headed away on a vacation meant for just the two of them, and he intended to enjoy it, even if a small part of him was distracted by the idea of planning his proposal, he wanted to enjoy a little time alone with his girlfriend.

Isabelle’s cheeks tinted a little pink at the feel of his lips against her head, something which made Lionel smile a little before he ducked down, pressing a soft kiss against the warm skin. “Here’s to our few days, nena” he mumbled, carefully guiding her through the airport terminal.

Isabelle quirked a small smile before she tilted her head, pressing a light kiss against his cheek. “Our few days” she grinned softly.

~#~
“I thought that you wanted to unpack?”

Lionel, who’d been settled comfortably at the foot of the bed, startled a little at the sound of Isabelle’s voice before he lifted his head, offering her a slightly sleep smile. It had been a long day, with Isabelle being particularly excited about the prospect of their vacation, they’d woken up a little earlier than they were used to, and whilst Isabelle had slept on the plane, he’d refrained, something which meant that he was more than a little tired.

“I did” he mumbled softly “But then I found this wonderful bed and I figured unpacking could wait until the morning. What did you have planned for the rest of the night?” he added, a small yawn tumbling out of his mouth.

Isabelle, who’d moved to unzip one of her suitcases, quirked a soft smile before she shook her head. “Not a lot” she mumbled softly “I was thinking that I could take a shower, find something to eat and then curl up in bed for the rest of the night. How does that sound?” she added, carefully pulling a set of pajamas out of the bag.

Lionel, who’d tossed onto his side, quirked a soft smile. “I think that that sounds pretty great” he mused softly.

Isabelle offered him another impish grin before she pushed herself to her feet, carefully pressing a couple of light kisses against his lips before she ducked out of the room, musing about taking a shower before they found something to eat.

Lionel watched her out of the room for a couple of seconds before he sat up, moving to pull one of his bags towards him. Ensuring that Isabelle wasn’t coming back, he carefully unzipped the bag before he moved to collect the small velvet box which he had stowed inside of it. he knew that he wanted to be careful, whilst things between him and Isabelle were getting better, he knew better than to push things too far too fast, but a small part of him was excited about the idea of taking a step forwards, even if it had been four years, the idea of spending many more years with Isabelle was one that excited him greatly.

Sparing another cautious glance towards the door, he carefully flipped the lid of the small box open before he quirked a small smile, his dark eyes admiring the ring that he had picked out almost a year previous. It wasn’t the first time, since he had bought the ring, he’d thought on more than one occasion that he had found the right moment to ask Isabelle, but he had a good feeling about that week, even if things between him and Isabelle had been a little precarious only a few weeks previous, he was confident that he had finally found the right moment.

Admiring the ring for a couple of seconds, he spared another soft a smile before he closed the lid, carefully moving to stow it back in his bag before he pushed himself up to his feet. “She’ll say yes” he mumbled to himself confidently before he padded out of the room.