The Things That You Do

Lightly tapping his hand against the door of Alexa’s hotel room, Lionel took a pace backwards, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. It had been a couple of days, after they’d left Barcelona, the time seemed to have passed quickly, and with the two of them due to return home the following morning, Lionel had arranged for them to head out to dinner, something he found himself more than looking forwards to.

It had been a good weekend, with it having just been the two of them, they’d spent a lot of time getting used to each other again as well as getting used to the slight changes which had occurred in their relationship, and Lionel was pleased with the results, even if they did still have moments where one or both of them seemed a little uncomfortable or shy. He was pleased by how things seemed to be coming along for them.

Pulling at a loose thread inside of his pocket, he waited patiently in the hallway for a moment before the sound of the door opening filled his ears, causing him to lift his head, a small smile creeping onto his lips as Alexa stepped hesitantly into the doorway, her hands fiddling shyly with the material of the dress that she wore.

It wasn’t unusual for her to be a little shy, ever since they’d kissed for the first time, she had appeared a little more cautious and timid around him, and whilst he wanted to ensure that she was as comfortable as she could be around him, he had to admit that he found it cute. It wasn’t like her, since he had known Alexa, she had always been confident and talkative, and he sort of liked seeing her a little nervous, even if he did want her to feel comfortable around him. He kind of liked seeing her a little less sure of herself.

Offering her a light smile, he studied her appearance for a moment before he took a pace forwards, greeting her with a soft kiss on her cheek. “You ready to go” he mumbled lowly into her ear, pressing another kiss against her cheek.

Alexa’s cheeks reddened at the feel of his breath on her skin before she stepped back, her hands nervously straightening out her skirt. “I’ve just got to put on some shoes” she noted “You want to wait inside?” she posed.

“If you don’t mind” Lionel replied “I mean, I could stay in the hall” he added playfully.

Alexa offered him a playful glare before she padded back into her room, him trailing close behind. Stepping across the room, she moved to slip her feet into a pair of sandals before she wrapped a light sweater around her shoulders, turning back to Lionel with a hesitant smile. “What do you think?” she posed.

Lionel, who’d moved to sit down on her bed, lifted his head at her question before he quirked a small smile, offering his hand out towards her, something which made Alexa frown before she took it. Lionel knotted their fingers together gently before he gently pulled her closer, allowing him to move his hands to her hips. “You never look anything less that beautiful” he fussed “But I do like this dress on you. You look amazing, Alexa” he insisted warmly.

Alexa blushed before she dipped forwards, pressing a soft kiss against his forehead. “You’re very sweet when you want to be” she mused, placing a kiss against the side of his nose.

Lionel wrinkled his nose at the contact, something which made Alexa giggle softly before she pulled back, tugging him up to his feet. “Come on” she quipped “You promised me a romantic dinner before we went home and I am feeling kind of hungry. Let’s get out of here” she added, offering him a grin.

Lionel marveled at her for a moment, noting just how much he liked her smile, before he offered her hand a light squeeze, something which caused Alexa to smile up at him once more. it had been a long shot, when he had first broached the subject of the two of them heading away together, he had been slightly concerned that Alexa would think that it was too much too soon for the two of them, but he was glad that they’d done it. It was what they needed, a little time alone together, and whilst he knew that they had to get back eventually, a small part of him was dreading going home, not quite wanting their vacation to end.

~#~
“So” Lionel mused “Are you excited to get home?” he posed, his thumb lightly tracing a line back and forwards across Alexa’s knuckles. It had been a pleasant evening, the dinner that they’d shared had been romantic and comfortable, and for what felt like the first time in a while, the conversation between the two of them seemed to have flowed easily, something which pleased them both, even if they hadn’t acknowledged it aloud, the subtle smiles which played on their faces spoke volumes.

Alexa, who’d been looking over the coffee menu, lifted an eyebrow. “Are you?” she posed teasingly.

Lionel shrugged. “I know that we have to get back” he noted “I’m due back in training late next week and you’re due back in work on Tuesday, but a part of me is sad to be going. I’ve enjoyed myself” he admitted warmly.

Alexa smiled at the warmth in his voice before she nodded. “I’ve enjoyed it a lot more than I thought would” she mused “I mean, a large part of me thought we’d spend the whole time babbling our way through conversations or just smiling at each other shyly, but it’s been a lot more comfortable than I was expecting. We might just be getting used to this dating thing” she teased shyly.

Lionel let out a soft laugh. “Don’t get ahead of yourself” he teased “We’ve still got a lot of hurdles to get through” he pointed out.

He was pleased with things, when it was just the two of them, they felt a little more comfortable and relaxed, but he knew that there were milestones that they had to get through, something which made him a little nervous. He knew that they weren’t the most important things, with him and Alexa having been friends for a while, they were pretty well introduced to all of the important people in each other’s lives, but still the idea of spending time with her family or friends made him a little apprehensive, even if they had met before, spending time with him as Alexa’s boyfriend was bound to be slightly different.

Alexa nodded in agreement before she leant back in her seat, her fingers gently playing with his. “You worried about that?” she asked gently.

Lionel offered her a non-committal shrug. “Would it be stupid if I was?” he asked.

Alexa smiled at him gently before she lifted their hands, allowing her to press a light kiss against his palm. “No” she mused “If anything, I am a little worried too. Taking home a friend is one thing, it’s more relaxed and welcoming, but a boyfriend is something is different. I don’t think that they’ll treat you any differently, I mean, when we have talked about us, both my mother and Marco seem to be happy for us, but I am a little nervous” she admitted quietly.

Lionel looked at her for a second, mulling over her words, before he squeezed her hand warmly. “I am nervous too” he confirmed “But we don’t have to do it all once. We’re still pretty new together, Alexa, and I don’t think anyone’s going to be very surprised if, for a while, we want ‘us’ to be something just for the two of us. I know that we can’t avoid it forever, and I don’t want to, but we can take our time, can’t we?” he asked.

Alexa nodded. “I’d like that” she enthused with a soft grin.

Lionel returned her smile gently before he stood up slightly, leaning across the table to kiss her. He knew that they couldn’t avoid their friends and families forever, eventually, they were going to have to let everyone in one what was going on between the two of them, but he wanted to put it off for a while, even if it was just delaying the inevitable. He wanted to keep what was going on between them to themselves for a little longer.