The Things That You Do

“Are you sure that you’re not too busy to spend time together tonight?”

Alexa, who was staring intensely at the screen of her laptop, looked up at the sound of Lionel’s question, her eyes landing on where he stood in the doorway, a curious expression etched onto his face. It had been a while, after their weekend away, a few weeks had passed, and whilst they were still taking things at a cautious pace, they seemed to be going well, something which pleased Alexa.

She had been worried, for a while after he had suggested that they give their relationship a chance, she had been concerned that had merely done it out of fear of losing her rather than having romantic feelings towards her, but her worries had quickly subsided, even if she was still keen to be a little cautious. She had little doubt that his feelings for her were somewhere near to her feelings for him.

“What?” she spluttered.

“You’ve been staring at your laptop since I arrived” Lionel pointed out as he stepped a little deeper into the room “If you’re too busy to spend time with me, then just say. I promise, I won’t hold it against you for too long” he teased as he stepped towards her, pressing a quick kiss against the top of her head before he sat down on the couch behind her.

Alexa smiled at the feel of his lips against her head before she shook it, offering him a slightly sheepish smile over her shoulder. “Sorry” she mused “I’ve just started a new project and I was just reading over the briefs. They want the ad campaign up and running pretty quickly” she explained as she pushed herself up, closing the laptop down.

“Do you want me to go?” Lionel posed “Because I can. I’d hate to be a distraction” he added.

Alexa, who’d moved to sit down beside him, shook her head gently before she cuddled into his side, encouraging him to wrap an arm around her shoulders. “I could use a distraction” she mumbled, hiding her face in his shoulder.

Lionel let out a small laugh before he leant down, pressing another soft kiss against the top of her head. “Why don’t I cook?” he suggested “I mean, I’m not too much of a chef, but I know how to make a few things. I can make us some dinner, you can get a little more work done, and then we can put on a film or something. Does that sound like a plan?” he asked, gently brushing his fingers over her shoulder.

Alexa cuddled into him a little more before she nodded against his shoulder, something which caused him to press another quick kiss against the top of her head before he pulled back, pushing himself up to his feet. “I’ll come and get you when it’s ready” he quipped.

Alexa smiled up at him. “Have I mentioned that you’re one of my favourite people?” she fussed. It wasn’t what she wanted to say, in that moment, a small part of her was almost screaming for her to allow the ‘l’ word to fall off out of her mouth, but she had quickly stifled it, knowing that it was too soon for her to say it. They had been together for a little while, since their first date, a couple of moths had passed, but she was aware that it was still early days, and she didn’t want to push things, not when they seemed to be going so well..

Lionel smiled a little at her compliment before he leant over, sneaking a quick kiss. “I’m glad” he quipped “Because I am pretty fond of you too” he added before he ducked out of the room, leaving Alexa behind, smiling softly to herself.

~#~
Letting a soft yawn fall out of her mouth, Alexa sat up slightly, her blue eyes sleepily peeking over her shoulder at Lionel who laid behind her, snoring quietly, a sight which caused her to quirk a small smile. It had been a relaxing evening, after Lionel had cooked them dinner, they’d spent a couple of hours curled up in front of a film, and whilst she wasn’t over surprised that she had fallen asleep, she was surprised that he had. She had been half expecting to wake up to find him having left a note telling her goodnight.

Letting out another yawn, she tried to wake herself up slightly before she pushed herself to her feet, collecting the two glasses which sat on the coffee table before she padded through towards the kitchen, placing them quietly into the sink. Scanning the dark room, she made a mental note to leave time the following morning to wash up the few dishes which littered the counter, before she padded towards the fridge, taking a sip from the carton of orange juice which sat in the door.

“What time is it?”

Alexa visibly startled at the sound of Lionel’s voice before she leant back, peeking at him from behind the fridge door. “It’s about half past midnight” she quipped “I thought you were still sleeping” she added, putting the juice carton down.

Lionel offered her a sleepy smile. “I felt you get up” he noted “And I figured I ought to get up too. I should get out of your hair so that you can get some sleep” he added, sheepishly stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

Alexa looked at him for a second before she shook her head. “It’s late” she pointed out.

Lionel nodded. “I had noticed that” he joked.

Alexa rolled her eyes. “I was going to suggest that you spend the night here, but if you’re going to keep trying to be funny...” she trailed off as a small impish smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Lionel quirked an eyebrow. “You’re inviting me to stay the night?” he posed.

Alexa shrugged shyly. “We’ve shared a bed before” she quipped “It’s not that big a deal, is it?” she added, twisting a strand of her blonde hair around her finger shyly. It was a step forwards for them, since they’d started dating, they’d refrained from spending the night in the same room, let alone the same bed, but it didn’t feel like a huge step for Alexa, even if it was a move forwards. Sharing a bed was something they’d done before.

Lionel watched her shyly play with her hair for a second before he shook his head, a grin forming on his face. “It’s not a big deal” he noted “And, to be honest, it sounds preferable to driving home right now. You sure that you don’t mind me staying?” he asked as he stepped towards her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist.

Alexa’s cheeks warmed a little at the embrace before she wrapped her arms his neck, offering him a coy smile. “I don’t mind too much” she quipped.

Lionel let out a small laugh, amused by her teasing, before he leant forwards, sneaking a couple of kisses. “Gracias” he noted.

“It’s no problem” Alexa replied “Just know, the left side of the bed is mine” she added playfully.

“I can cope with that” Lionel replied.

Alexa kissed him once more before she stepped away from him slightly. “I’m going to go and get ready for bed” she noted “I’ll see you in there?” she posed.

Lionel nodded his head, something which caused her to flash him a soft smile over her shoulder before she padded out of the kitchen and into the hall. Lionel watched her out of the room before he smiled to himself, noting just how quickly he was falling for her. It wasn’t overly surprising to him, with them having been as close as they had been for as long as they had been, it wasn’t surprising to him that they were growing so close so quickly, but he had to admit that he liked it, even if he didn’t intend on letting those three words fall out of his mouth in the near future. He had little doubt that he would find himself saying them to her at some point.