When You Close Your Eyes

Loosening the tie which still sat around his neck, Lionel pulled the front door closed, a small relieved sigh falling out of his mouth. It was late, after the ceremony and the reception, he, Isabelle and Isla hadn’t gotten home until a little after midnight, but he was relieved to be home, even if he had enjoyed the day that they’d had. A small part of him simply couldn’t wait to get to bed.

Ensuring that he had locked the door, he toed off his shoes before he moved to flick the light of the hall off, allowing him to pad up the stairs and into his bedroom where Isabelle sat, quietly running a brush through her blonde hair. Pausing for a couple of seconds, he admired her quietly before he moved to step a little deeper into the room, something which caused Isabelle to lift her head, a soft smile on her face. “Hola” she noted softly.

Lionel, who’d moved to pull his tie off, offered her a gentle smile in return before he moved to sit down at the foot of the bed. “Did Isla go down alright?” he posed softly.

“She was a little fussy when I was getting her changed” Isabelle replied “But I don’t blame her. It’s been a pretty long day for her” she added softly.

“It was a pretty long day for us too” Lionel confirmed “I mean, I know our families meant well, but I wanted to leave about an hour before we did” he added, moving to lay back against the mattress.

“Our parents would never have allowed that” Isabelle quipped, poking his side playfully “They were very keen to make the most of today” she added, pushing herself up to her feet. It hadn’t surprised her, since she had suggested the notion of a second wedding, both her family and Lionel’s had taken it heart, and whilst it had been a long day for the two of them, she was pleased that everyone had enjoyed themselves. She knew that it was something which meant a lot to a lot of people and she was pleased with how it hard worked out.

Lionel nodded his head in agreement before he turned onto his side, his eyes watching as Isabelle padded into the bathroom, returning moments later dressed in a shirt of his which was a little big on her petite frame and her hair pinned to the top of her head. Quirking a small smile, he allowed his eyes to look up and down her frame before he sat up, his hands gently taking a hold of hers. “I’ve thought you’ve looked amazing all day” he mused softly “But this, right now, it’s something else. You look so beautiful, Isa” he enthused, his fingers gently messing with hers.

Isabelle, who was looking down towards their hands, flushed a soft shade of pink before she shook her head, something which made Lionel chuckle a little before he pushed himself up to his feet, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. Isabelle startled slightly, not quite expecting the kiss, before she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding onto him for a couple of seconds before she ducked back, resting her forehead against his. “What was that for?” she posed, her fingers messing with the hair at the back of his neck.

“A guy can’t want to kiss his wife for no reason?” Lionel quipped, an impish look on his face.

“He can” Isabelle replied “But it’s not very you. I’m not complaining, but you’ve been very affectionate today” she added, her blue eyes mirroring his darker ones.

Lionel held her stare for a couple of seconds before he shrugged. “It is sort of our wedding day, Isa” he pointed out “And I guess I kind of want to make the most of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the way we got married but today, it’s been pretty good, hasn’t it?” he added, his fingers gently pushing a few loose blonde hairs off of her face. He knew that it was sentimental, he and Isabelle had been married for months, but he couldn’t help but get a little swept away by the day they’d had. It had been wonderful and he wanted Isabelle to know that it had meant a lot to him.

Isabelle admired the soft expression on his face for a moment before she quirked a soft smile, pressing a brisk kiss against his lips. “It has” she confirmed softly “I mean, I know it started out as a way to keep our parents happy, but it was still a pretty wonderful day” she enthused warmly before she pulled away from him slightly, moving to climb into her side of the bed.

Lionel watched after for a brief second before he moved to shuffle out of his trousers and shirt, quickly pulling a t-shirt on before he climbed into his side of the bed, his arm gently wrapping around Isabelle’s waist.

Isabelle smiled at the feeling of his arm around her waist before she tossed onto her side, her blue eyes peeking into his darker ones. “Can you quite believe that we’ve made it this far?” she posed, breaking the comfortable silence which had settled over the two of them. She didn’t want to start a fight, the idea that they had come close to calling it quits was still a sore point between the two of them, but Isabelle had to admit that she was little proud of how far they’d made it, even if they had had more than few moments along the way. She liked where they were.

Lionel, who’d moved to cuddle into his pillow slightly, frowned. “Isa…”

“I know that you don’t like talking about it” Isabelle interrupted “But we did come pretty close to ending this, Leo” she added.

Lionel mulled her words over briefly before he nodded his head, gently moving to press a light kiss against her forehead. “We did” he agreed softly “But that would have been a mistake, Isa. I know that this hasn’t been without its flaws, you and me have had a few ups and downs along the way, but I know that I like where we are and that I wouldn’t change it. We’ve got Isla, another one on the way, and I would say that we probably made the right decision when we opted to stick together. I am pretty happy with us” he added, softly brushing his hand against her cheek.

Isabelle leant into the contact slightly before she lifted her eyes, an impish expression on her face. “We’re pretty serious, aren’t we?” she teased, a playful smile on her face.

Lionel let out a laugh before he nodded his head. “After almost six years, a marriage and kids?” he played along “I think we’re probably serious, Isa” he added.

Isabelle offered him another bright smile before she leant into him, sneaking a couple of quick kisses. “Good” she mused “Because I kind of love you” she added warmly.

Lionel quirked another crooked smile before he ducked into her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips before he leant back, gently brushing some hair away from her cheeks. “I kind of love you too” he played along.

Isabelle giggled a little before she turned onto her other side, mumbling something about needing to get some sleep before she cuddled a little closer to her pillow. Lionel watched her for a couple of seconds, listening to the soft even sound of her breaths, before he cuddled a little closer to her, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. It had taken a lot of work, for a while, he had been convinced that he and Isabelle would simply fall apart, but he was pleased that they hadn’t. He liked where they were and hoped to keep things going for a while yet.