The Things That You Do

Quietly studying the recipe which sat on the counter, Alexa pushed her hand back through her hair, mouthing the words to herself in an attempt to make sure that she got it right. It had been a few days, after they’d celebrated Christmas with her family, a little under a week had passed, and with New Year’s Eve having arrived, she and Lionel were preparing to spend the night with his parents, something which made Alexa slightly apprehensive.

She knew that it wasn’t the biggest deal, since she had met Lionel, she had met his mother and father more than once and they appeared to like her, but still she was slightly nervous about that night, even if Lionel had been quick to reassure her that his parents were excited to see her. She couldn’t quite shake the knots which twisted in her stomach.

Rereading the recipe, she mumbled the instruction quietly to herself before she stepped towards the stove, carefully stirring the pot which she had left on the top of it. Carefully adding a few ingredients, she stirred the pot for a few seconds before she felt an arm wrap around her waist, causing her to startle before she gently turned her head, her blue eyes peeking up at Lionel who stood behind her, a warm smile on his face.

“It smells good in here” Lionel mused, offering her a soft hug.

Alexa smiled a little at the feel of his embrace before she turned her body, happily placing her hands behind his neck. “You think so?” she posed.

Lionel nodded. “It smells great” he assured her “And I am sure it’ll taste good too” he added warmly.

Alexa offered him a slightly dubious look, something which made Lionel chuckle softly before he leant forwards, pecking her lips swiftly. “I have to get going” he mused “I’ve just got a text from my mother, telling me that they’re ready for me to pick them up, and I don’t want to keep them waiting for too long. I’ll see you when I get back, Ok?” he posed as he carefully reached up, tucking a few blonde hairs off of her cheeks. He knew that she was slightly nervous, since they’d woken up that morning, she had been slightly quieter than usual, and whilst he was sure that she had nothing to be worried about, he didn’t quite know how to make her feel any less unsure.

He had tried to soothe her nerves, he had tried to reassure that she had nothing to be worried about, but he knew that it hadn’t made her feel any better, something which had led to him stopping trying to make her feel better. He knew the feeling, whenever he was around Marco and Madeline, he felt slightly unsure of himself, and he knew that Alexa felt the same way about spending the evening with his parents. It was simply something they were both going to have to get better at in their own time.

Alexa leant into his hand slightly, smiling at the warmth of his skin, before she nodded. “I’ll see you then” she mused, her voice slightly shy.

Lionel sighed a little at the shyness in her voice before he carefully tipped her head back, allowing him to press a soft kiss against her lips. “You’ll be fine” he fussed warmly “You’re wonderful, Alexa, and they know it too. It’ll be fine” he reassured her gently before he ducked into her, stealing another soft kiss before he ducked away, making his way out of the room.

Alexa listened after him for a moment, hearing the distant thump of the front door, before she let out a quiet sigh, hoping that he was right.

~#~
“So, Alexa, you’re all moved in now, are you?” Celia posed as she sipped on her glass of water, her eyes settled on the blonde who sat a little away from her, nervously fiddling with the cutlery which sat on her empty plate.

It had been a little awkward, with Alexa appearing more than a little nervous around her and her husband, the conversation had been a little forced and disjointed, but Celia was confident that it would get better, even if it did take some time for Alexa to relax around them. The last thing she wanted was to make things hard on the woman that her son couldn’t shut up about. It had taken her by surprise, when the picture of Lionel kissing Alexa at the final match of the previous season had appeared, Celia had been caught off guard by it, but she was glad that Lionel had made his move, even if it was a long time overdue to her mind. She was glad that he had finally caught onto what everyone else had known for a while.

Alexa, who’d been quietly fidgeting, nodded her head, a shy smile on her lips. “I think so” she noted “I mean, there are still a few boxes of my stuff cluttering up one of the guest rooms, but I think I am pretty settled” she explained, sparing a brief look towards Lionel who merely offered her a grin, reassuring her that she was doing fine.

Celia smiled a little at the interaction but didn’t comment, allowing a brief silence to pass over them before Alexa pushed her chair back, moving to collect the empty plates which filled the table. “Can I get anyone anything else?” she posed.

“You made dessert, didn’t you?” Lionel poked.

Alexa nodded. “I did” she confirmed “You want some?” she posed.

“What do you think?” Lionel quipped, grinning up at her boyishly.

Alexa rolled her eyes playfully. “You can help me” she quipped “Celia, Jorge, can I get anything for you?” she posed, looking at the older couple.

“I’d love some, Alexa” Jorge enthused kindly.

“And me” Celia added.

Alexa nodded her head dutifully before she padded out towards the kitchen, Lionel following close behind. Taking in a nervous breath, she padded towards the fridge before she felt a hand land on the small of her back, causing her to turn around, her eyes peeking up shyly into Lionel’s. “You think I am doing OK?” she asked quietly.

Lionel nodded without hesitation. “You’re doing great” he enthused softly.

Alexa looked up at him, wordlessly asking if he was sure, before she let out a nervous sigh, something which caused him to lean forwards, gently pressing their foreheads together. “Why are you so worked up?” he murmured tenderly, his hands rubbing her shoulders comfortingly.

“They’re your parents” Alexa replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world “And I am pretty keen for them to like me. I am your girlfriend, Leo, and it means a lot to me that your family...that they’re keen on me too” she added.

“They do like you” Lionel retorted “They always have” he added warmly.

Alexa merely looked at him, something which caused him to quirk a light before he lifted his head, gently pressing a kiss against her forehead before he leant back down, keeping their heads together. “You have nothing to be worried about” he mumbled “They like you, Alexa, and even if they didn’t, it wouldn’t matter to me. I am crazy about you, I am crazy about us, and I have little intention of screwing it up now. This is serious, Alexa, and I am not about to mess it up now” he insisted.

Alexa stared up at him for a second before she quirked a shy smile. “We’re pretty good together, aren’t we?” she mused.

“We are” Lionel agreed with a smile.

Alexa marveled at his grin for a moment before she pushed herself up, kissing him gently as she mumbled a soft ‘I love you’. Lionel smiled into the kiss, mumbling the same words in return, before the sound of someone clearing their throat reached them, causing him to pull back, his eyes settling on his mother who stood in the doorway, a fond grin perched on her lips. “I’m sorry” she mused.

Alexa, who’d quickly pulled away from Lionel, shook her head. “There’s no need to be” she babbled “I was just about to take this through” she added as she quickly gathered the plate of dessert, skittering out of the room.

Celia watched her go for a moment before she flicked her attention back towards Lionel, grinning at him brightly, something which caused him to shake his head before he followed after Alexa, not wanting to hear the inevitable ‘how could you not know?’ form his mother.