When You Close Your Eyes

“I can’t quite believe that you have a bump, Belle” Grace mused as she moved to pad into the living room, settling the bag of food she had bought with her onto the coffee table. It had been a little while, after her sister’s birthday dinner, Grace hadn’t seen a lot of Isabelle, but with Lionel away for the night with Barcelona and Samuel out of town on business, she had opted to pop by, even if Isabelle hadn’t quite been expecting it, she had missed spending girly nights in with her big sister.

Isabelle, who’d followed her younger sister into the room, shook her head a little. “It’s still a strange thought” she mused softly “But I am getting used to it, so much so, I think I might actually miss it when it is gone” she added, her hand gently brushing over her bump as she moved to settle down on the couch.

Grace, who sat beside her, watched the movement of her hand before she shook her head, a warm grin on her face. “I can’t believe that you didn’t want to find out the sex” she mused softly “You hate waiting 10 minutes for something, let alone 4 months” she added warmly.

It was still a little strange, the idea that in a few months’ time, Isabelle and Lionel would have a baby, but Grace was thrilled for them, even if it had come a little out of the blue, she was confident that her sister and her boyfriend would be more than wonderful when the baby came along.

“It’ll be a pretty great surprise” Isabelle countered softly “And I like that idea. When you and Samuel are expecting, you can make that call” she added playfully before she moved to flick the television on, settling on Barcelona’s match.

Grace rolled her eyes playfully before she settled her eyes on the screen. “You really watch these when Lionel isn’t around?” she posed amusedly.

Isabelle, who’d moved to curl up into the couch, rolled her eyes slightly before she nodded. “I do” she confirmed softly, a slight hint of pink on her cheeks “I mean, I don’t love watching them, but I know Leo loves to talk about them when he gets back and it helps if I sort of know what he’s going on about” she added, shrugging gently.

She knew that it was a little sentimental, with Barcelona being pretty popular, a lot of their games tended to end up on television, but whilst Isabelle didn’t love watching them, she still put them on, even if they were on in the background, she liked the idea of being able to talk to Lionel about the match when he got home.

Grace admired the soft blush on her older sister’s cheeks before she shook her head, a teasing smile fixed on her lips. “You really love that guy, don’t you?” she quipped softly.

Isabelle snorted. “You’re only just realizing that?” she posed amusedly.

“No” Grace replied “But I am glad to see it’s still the case. I mean, I know you tried to hide it in the run up to mine and Sam’s wedding, but I know that you and Leo were struggling, and I am glad that it seems to have worked out for you both, and for this little one too” she added, her hand gently brushing over the bump which was noticeable beneath the t-shirt that Isabelle wore.

Isabelle spared a soft look down towards her sister’s hand before she quirked a soft smile, something which made Grace nudge her ribs. “Things are good, aren’t they?” she posed softly.

She didn’t want to pry, as far as she was concerned, both Isabelle and Lionel were more than capable of handling their relationship without anyone else interfering, but she was a little curious. The last thing she wanted was to watch things between Lionel and Isabelle stumble again before the baby came along.

Isabelle looked at Grace for a moment before she nodded her head gently. “Things are good” she mused “Considering where we were just before your wedding, things are amazing, and I am happy, Gracie, even if mama and papa have their doubts, I like how things are going right now” she babbled softly.

Grace smiled a little at her words before she ducked forwards, gently moving to squeeze Isabelle’s hand lightly. “Mama and papa are always going to worry, they’ve been the same all of our lives, but you can’t let that get you down. You and Leo, you’re onto a good thing, Belle, and I hope you know that” she mused, her tone soft and reassuring. She knew that Isabelle was worried, her expression had twitched a little when she had mentioned their parents, and Grace wanted to offer her a little reassurance, not wanting their parents’ worries to cause a problem between Isabelle and Lionel.

Isabelle mulled her words over for a couple of seconds before she nodded her head gently, a soft smile on her face. “I know that, Gracie” she mumbled softly “But I guess…I guess a small part of me is a little worried. A baby is a huge deal, Grace” she added, her expression slightly dubious.

Grace spared her a sister a soft look before she shook her head, her hand gently moving to squeeze Isabelle’s. “Belle, you and Leo, you’re brilliant together” she mused softly “I mean, I know you’ve had your ups and downs, but still, the two of you make it look easy at times and I have no doubt that that will be the same when bump puts in his or her first appearance” she mused softly.

“But…”

“It will change things” Grace interrupted softly, not missing the slightly nervous expression that marked her sister’s face “Having a baby around is bound to change things, but you two…you’re amazing together, Belle, and I hope you know it. I’ve seen Leo when he’s around you, he’s still so smitten with you, even after four years, and I know you’re the same with him. You’ve really got nothing to be worried about” she added, her tone warm and reassuring. It was a trait of Isabelle’s, since they were kids, she’d had a tendency to over think things, but Grace wanted to encourage her. Things were good between her and Lionel and Isabelle’s worries only had the potential to cause a problem.

Isabelle offered her a slightly dubious look before the roar of the crowd emanated away from the television, causing her to flick her eyes towards it, watching as Lionel sped away from goal, a bright grin stretched across his face before he moved to collect the ball, stuffing it beneath his shirt. Isabelle watched the celebration briefly before she quirked a gentle smile, something which made Grace nudge her ribs.

“You love him” the younger woman mused softly “And he loves you, Belle, and between the two of you, I am confident that you can figure it out as you go” she added, offering her older sister another bright smile.

Isabelle admired her smile for a couple of seconds before she nodded her head. “You’re probably right” she mused softly.

“I normally am” Grace quipped teasingly “But seriously, Belle, you and Leo will work it out. You always do” she enthused kindly.

Isabelle offered her sister another soft smile before she nodded her head, knowing that Grace had a point. It would change things, when the baby arrived, things between her and Lionel were bound to be a little different, but she was hopeful that they’d be able to handle it. They’d figured things out before and she was hopeful that they’d be able to do it again.