When You Close Your Eyes

Smoothing out the material of the dress she wore, Isabelle spared a soft look towards the mirror which stood ahead of her, her blue eyes meticulously studying her stomach for any sign of the small bump beneath her dress. It had been a few days, after they’d discussed the idea of sharing the news of her pregnancy with the team, a little over a week had passed, but with the team due to head out for a team bonding meal, Isabelle and Lionel had agreed to use it as opportunity, wanting to share the news before the bump on her stomach became too obvious to miss.

Studying her reflection for a second longer, she smoothed the material of her dress out once more before the sound of someone clearing their throat reached her, causing her to lift her head, her blue eyes settling on Lionel who stood in the doorway, a coy smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “You look pretty amazing, Isa” he mused softly.

Isabelle, who’d moved to collect her shoes, blushed a little at the compliment, something which made him chuckle a little before he stepped further into the room, moving to settle down on the bed. “Are you sure that you want to come tonight?” he posed softly.

He didn’t want to be overprotective, he knew that Isabelle wouldn’t like being coddled or fussed over too much, but part of him wanted to make sure that she alright, even if it did seem a little overbearing, he merely wanted to ensure that the months ahead of them were as calm and as comfortable as he could make them for her.

Isabelle, who’d moved to pull her shoes onto her feet, tilted her head. “I thought you wanted me to come” she noted softly “I thought tonight was the night you wanted to tell everyone about…you know” she added, her blue eyes peeking down towards her stomach.

Lionel followed the line of her stare before he quirked a soft smile. “It is” he confirmed softly “But I know that you were a little unsure about it and I wanted to offer you the opportunity to duck out. The last thing I want to do is…”

“Leo, you’re very sweet for worrying” Isabelle interrupted softly “But I want to do this. Besides, it’s not like we’re going to be able to hide it forever. I think people would notice when I started to have a bump or when we actually had the baby” she added, offering him an impish smile.

Lionel admired the smile on her face for a couple of seconds before he pushed himself to his feet, his arms moving to settle around her waist. “I just want to make sure that you’re comfortable” he mumbled softly “The last thing I want is for you to get worked up” he added, his hand gently moving to rest against her stomach.

Isabelle watched his hand for a couple of seconds before she lifted her head, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. “I’m fine, Leo” she murmured softly “I promise that I am, and the second I am not, I will tell you, I promise” she added, pressing another brief kiss against his lips.

She thought that it was sweet, after he’d come around to the idea that she was pregnant, he’d been more than a little protective and sweet, and whilst she thought it was cute, part of her wanted him to relax a little, even if she did like the way he fussed over her bump, they still had a long way to go before the baby arrived.

Lionel offered her a slightly dubious look, wordlessly asking if she was sure, before he nodded his head, moving to steal another soft kiss before the sound of his phone buzzing reached them, causing him to pull back a little. “That’s going to be Gerard” he mumbled, pulling the phone out of his pocket “He’s outside. You ready to get moving?” he added softly.

Isabelle quirked a small smile before she pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Let’s get out of here” she mused softly, lacing their fingers together.

~#~
“Are you ready to do this?” Lionel posed gently, his dark eyes peeking towards Isabelle who sat beside him, pushing the last of her dessert around her plate. It had been a quiet night, with still a few months left in the season, the coaching staff had been quick to insist that the evening was quiet and subdued, but still Lionel had enjoyed it, even if he had had a knot in his stomach since he and Isabelle had arrived, he had enjoyed the opportunity to relax with his friends for a while.

Isabelle, who’d been focused on the last piece of her dessert, startled a little at the sound of his voice before she lifted her head, offering him a soft look. “You want to do it now?” she whispered softly.

“I do” Lionel confirmed “But if you want to wait, I am sure that we can find another moment” he added gently.

Isabelle thought about his words for a couple of seconds before she shook her head. “We can do it now” she confirmed softly.

Lionel offered her a slightly dubious look, wordlessly asking her if she was certain, before he nodded his head, moving to tap his fork against the glass of water which sat ahead of him. “Do you think I could borrow you attention for a couple of seconds?” he posed gently.

The table, which had been buzzing with conversation, quietened a little before they all turned to look at Lionel, something which caused him to shift a little. “I…I have something I want to share with you all” he noted softly.

“Aren’t you two already engaged?” Luis Suarez quipped, earning a few mumbles in agreement.

Lionel nodded. “We are” he confirmed “But…I have something else I’d like to share. A few weeks ago, Isabelle and I found out that, in a few months’ time, we’re going to be welcoming a baby” he added, a soft smile playing on his lips.

The table was quiet for a couple of seconds before Andres Iniesta stood up, lifting his glass into the air. “To Lionel and Isabelle” he mused softly “Congratulations, both of you” he added warmly.

Lionel smiled a little at his words before he flicked his attention towards Isabelle who’d quickly been surrounded by other women who were all eager to fuss about the news watching. Watching her for a couple of seconds, he quirked a small smile before he felt a hand knock against his shoulder, something which caused him to jump.

Gerard, who’d stepped up beside him, chuckled a little before he shook his head. “You talked to her then?” he quipped lowly. He knew that it wasn’t his place, whatever happened between Isabelle and Lionel was between the two of them, but he wanted to make sure that things were alright between them. The last thing he wanted was for things to fall apart before the baby came along.

Lionel offered him a small look before he nodded. “I did” he noted softly “And I think we’re going to be OK. It was a surprise, Gerard, when Isa told me about the baby…it knocked me for six, but I assure you, I am excited about it” he enthused softly. He knew what Gerard was going to say, one look at his face confided it, and Lionel wanted to reassure him. He was excited about the baby, even if he’d not had the best reaction when Isabelle had first told him, and he couldn’t wait for them to arrive.

Gerard offered him a look, mulling his words over, before he nodded his head. “I’m glad that the two of you have figured things out” he noted softly “You’re good together, you always have been, and I hope that you can keep that going. Your bump deserves to have parents that know where they stand with one another” he added before he padded away.

Lionel watched after him for a couple of seconds before he nodded his head, knowing that Gerard had a point.