When You Close Your Eyes

Allowing a soft yawn to fall out of her mouth, Isabelle rested back against the couch, her ears doused by the soft sound of Isla’s snores which emanated away from the Moses basket which rested a little away from her. It was early, usually too early for Isabelle, but with Isla being a little fussy she had had no choice but to get up, even if she had been particularly comfortable cuddled up beside Lionel, she knew that the little girl needed her attention.

Pushing her hand back through her hair, she spared another soft yawn before the soft sound of her phone buzzing reached her, causing her to let out a soft sigh before she moved to pick it up, briefly perusing the message which filled the screen.

“Anyone exciting?”

Isabelle, who’d been busy reading the text, jumped at the sound of Lionel’s voice, something which made him chuckle softly before he sat down beside her. “I didn’t mean to scare you” he quipped “I was just wondering where you’d gotten to. It’s barely 8” he added, greeting her with a soft kiss on the cheek.

Isabelle smiled a little at the contact before she shook her head. “Isla woke up pretty early and it took a while to settle her back down again. She’s only been asleep for the last 10 minutes or so” she explained softly before she shifted closer to him, cuddling into him slightly.

Lionel smiled a little at the embrace before he shifted his hand, gently brushing it against her side as a soft silence fell over them.

It had been a little while, after their vacation, a couple of weeks had past, but still things between the two of them felt the best that they had been in a long time, something which more than pleased Lionel, even if a small part of him was worried about what would happen if they were caught, he liked that things between him and Isabelle seemed so settled and comfortable. He knew that it had been a risk, the idea of eloping was one that could have easily scared Isabelle, but he was pleased that she had agreed with him, even if he was concerned that it could cause a problem further down the line, he was glad that they’d done it.

Isabelle watched the movement of his hand for a couple of seconds before the sound of her phone reached her ears, causing her to sit up a little, moving to collect it from its spot on the couch cushion before she shook her head. “It’s my mother” she mused, taking the question out of Lionel’s mouth.

Lionel, who’d been watching her, quirked a slightly amused smile before he nodded. “OK” he quipped “Is there a particular reason that she’s texting you at 8 in the morning?” he added, his tone caught between teasing and curious.

Isabelle, who’d been composing a reply, rolled her eyes a little before she shook her head. “She’s trying to be subtle” she quipped softly “But I think she’s probably going to tell me that she and my papa are going to be in Barcelona next week. They’re going away for the holidays and I know that she wants to make a fuss of Isla before she goes” she added, her blue eyes peeking up towards him.

Lionel mulled her words over briefly before he nodded. “You know that they’re more than welcome here, Isa” he mused softly.

Isabelle offered him a slightly dubious look, wordlessly asking if he was sure, before she quirked a small smile. “You’re pretty great, aren’t you?” she quipped impishly.

“I like to think so” Lionel quipped “You’re pretty lucky to have a husband like me” he added, offering her a boyish smile. It still felt a little odd, the words ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ still felt strange to them, but he was sure that they’d get used to it, even if it did take a little while, he was confident that they’d grow into the idea that their relationship had taken another step forwards.

Isabelle playfully rolled her eyes at his words before she shook her head, flicking her attention back towards her phone which buzzed in her hand. “My parents are going to arrive on Monday” she quipped softly “They’re only going to be here for a couple of days, but my madre is already talking about using the time for wedding planning” she added, her voice slightly soft and nervous.

Lionel noted the tone of her voice before he carefully shifted his hand, gently moving to lace his fingers through hers. “She’s excited” he quipped softly.

“She is” Isabelle agreed softly “But I think we both know that she has the potential to be a little…a little enthusiastic” she added gently, a small smile on her face.

Lionel chuckled a little before he nodded his head. “She does” he agreed softly “But this is a big deal for her, even if we are already married, the idea of planning your wedding day is one she’s probably had since the moment you were set into her arms for the first time. Can you honestly tell me that you’ve not thought about it with Isla already?” he added, offering her a small amused look.

He knew that she was worried, the look on her face confided it, but he wanted to encourage her to relax a little, even if he knew that Francesca had the potential to become a little excited or pushy about the idea of making plans for their wedding, he wanted Isabelle to enjoy it.

Isabelle offered him a look before she shook her head, something which made him chuckle a little before he leant into her, sneaking a couple of quick kisses before he mumbled something about finding something to eat. Pushing himself back to his feet, he stole another brief kiss before he padded out of the room towards the kitchen.

Isabelle watched after him for a couple of seconds before she shook her head softly, a small smile on her lips. She knew that it was a big deal, the idea of planning a wedding was a huge one, and whilst they had already gotten married, a small part of Isabelle was looking forwards to it, even if she was slightly worried about becoming overwhelmed, a small part of her couldn’t wait to start to put plans in place.