When You Close Your Eyes

“You know, I kind of miss the two of you”

Isabelle, who was rested against the headboard of the bed she sat on, quirked a gentle smile at the sound of Lionel’s voice before she carefully adjusted the screen, ensuring that both she and Isla were in shot.

It had been a while, after her birthday, a few weeks had passed, and with Lionel away for a couple of days to play in the Champions League semi-final, she had opted to pay a visit to Bilbao, wanting to ensure that the plans for their wedding were still moving forwards. They had made a little progress, with her and Lionel having selected a date, things were settling into place, but still Isabelle wanted to ensure that things were going to plan, wanting to ensure that the two of them had a day that they could look back at and smile about.

“I know the feeling” she mused softly “I mean, it’s only been a day, but I’ve kind of gotten used to you being around. You nervous about tonight?” she posed, carefully adjusting Isla who squirmed a little in her lap, trying to get away. It wasn’t the first time, since the little girl had started to crawl a few weeks previous, she had grown to hate being cooped up in her mother’s arms, and Isabelle couldn’t help but find it cute. It was the first of many little milestones she was looking forwards to over the next few months.

Lionel watched the two of them for a moment before he shook his head. “It’ll be a tough game” he noted softly “It’s a semi-final after all, but I am sure that we’ll be OK. We’ve been in pretty good form as of late and I’m sure we’ll give it our best shot. But what about you, what’ve you got planned for the rest of the day?” he added curiously.

“Me and my madre are going to look at wedding dresses in a bit” she replied.

“You are?” Lionel quipped, his eyebrow lifted a little.

“We had planned to” Isabelle confirmed, her cheeks a soft shade of pink “I mean, I am going to need one in a couple of months, but if you want me to hold off…” Isabelle’s words trailed off a little as Lionel let out a soft laugh, something which caused the blush on her cheeks to darken a little.

“I like the idea of you going to look at dresses, Isa” he noted softly “I mean, it is a little strange considering that we’ve been married for months now, but I like it. It means we’re getting closer to our big day, something I am looking forwards to” he added, his tone warm and gentle. He knew that she was a little nervous, whenever the topic of their wedding came up in conversation, she seemed a little uncertain and nervous about it, but he wanted to offer her some reassurance, wanting to ensure that she knew that he was as excited as she was about their day.

Isabelle allowed his words to hang around them for a couple of seconds before the sound of Gerard’s voice emanated away from her laptop, causing Lionel to sigh a little. “I have to get going” he mused softly “But you should enjoy today. If I have my way, you’re only get to do this once and I want you to enjoy it, even if it does mean spending the day with your madre” he added, offering her a boyish smile.

Isabelle rolled her eyes playfully before she offered him a soft smile. “You know I love you, don’t you?” she mused, shyly twisting a strand of her blonde hair around her finger.

“I do know that” Lionel replied softly “And you know I feel the same way about you, Isa. I’ll see you both tomorrow when I get home?” he posed gently before he mumbled a small goodbye, ending the call.

Isabelle stared at the blank screen for a couple of seconds before she spared a small smile, wordlessly musing about how lucky she was to have found him.

~#~
“How many bridesmaids are you thinking about, Belle?” Francesca posed as she flicked through a rack of wedding dresses, her blue eyes briefly peeking towards Isabelle who stood a little away from her, trying to settle a slightly fussy Isla.

It had been a pleasant morning, Francesca and Isabelle had spent a lot of it discussing the details of the plans that had been made for the wedding, and Isabelle had to admit that she was enjoying herself, even if there had been a couple of slightly tense moments, she had enjoyed spending the morning with her mother.

“I’ve asked Grace to be my maid of honor” Isabelle replied, gently settling Isla into her pushchair “And I’ve got a couple more in mind, but I’ve not asked them yet. Leo’s already got his best man and his groomsmen sorted though” she added.

Francesca nodded her head before she carefully pulled a dress off of the rack, settling it on the pile of dresses that she’d chosen out for Isabelle to try on. “How is Lionel coping with wedding planning?” she posed softly “I mean, I know the two of you have already gotten married, but is he excited about this too?” she babbled, her tone slightly awkward.

It wasn’t something they talked about, despite making amends, the idea that Isabelle and Lionel had eloped was still a sore topic between Francesca and her daughter, but Francesca didn’t want to dwell on it, not wanting to make things awkward between the two of them.

Isabelle noted the tone of her voice, but opted not to comment, not wanting to make things awkward. “I think he is” she mused softly “I mean, whenever we talk about it, he seems pretty happy, and I am taking that as a good sign” she added, an impish smile on her lips.

Francesca marveled at the smile on her daughter’s face for a moment before she shook her head, collecting the first dress from the pile which sat between the two of them. “You should get to trying these on” she quipped softly “I’d like to find you the perfect one before you head back to Barcelona tomorrow, that way I can pay for it now and then me and your padre can keep an eye on it until the big day arrives” she added, placing the dress into Isabelle’s hands.

Isabelle tilted her head. “You want to pay for my dress?” she posed softly.

Francesca nodded. “Of course I do” she noted softly “I know I haven’t been the best madre to you since I found out about you and Lionel eloping, but this is still your wedding day, even if it isn’t the day you actually get married, and I want to make a fuss. I’ve seen you and Lionel together, this is likely to be the only opportunity you get at this, and I want to make sure that it is perfect for you. You two deserve a wonderful day that you can look back at in years to come and grin about” she enthused brightly.

Isabelle offered her a slightly uncertain look, wordlessly asking if she was sure, before she lifted the dress up a little, admiring it. “Will you keep an eye on Isla?” she posed softly.

“Of course I will” Francesca noted “Now, go and try that on. I’d love to see you in it” she added brightly.

Isabelle offered her a slightly bashful look before she padded towards the changing room, leaving Francesca with Isla. The older woman watched after her for a couple of seconds before she shook her head softly. It still stung, the idea that Isabelle and Lionel had gotten married without her around wasn’t one that was going to stop hurting quickly, but she was determined to make sure that they got the day that they deserved, even if it wasn’t the day they actually got married, she wanted to give them a day to remember.