The Things That You Do

48: He’d Prefer It That Way

Leaning back into her chair, Alexa let out a sigh of relief, more than glad that she had reached the end of the day. It had been a long one, with a deadline approaching quickly, she had spent most of the day staring at the screen of her computer in an attempt to get things finished, and she was glad that her day at work was over, even if she did have plans to visit Marco and Isabel after work. Part of her simply couldn’t wait to get out of her office.

She felt exhausted, the day had felt longer than usual, and she was looking forwards to the opportunity to relax a little, even if she had agreed to spend the evening with her brother and sister-in-law, she was simply looking forwards to being away from her desk. It had been a while, since she had spent the afternoon with Poppy, a few weeks had passed, and with both her and Lionel slightly busier than normal, she found herself looking forwards to the week of vacation that she had booked for a couple of weeks’ time, more than looking forwards to the opportunity to relax for a few days.

Leaning further back in her chair, she stretched out slightly before the sound of her phone vibrating in the pocket of her jacket reached her ears, causing her quirk a small smirk before reached into her pocket, pulling the phone against her ear without so much as a look towards the screen. “You know” she quipped “I am usually the one to call you on a match day. You’re kind of stealing my move” she quipped, her voice warm and playful.

“I know I am” Lionel replied “But with you heading over to Marco’s for dinner, I thought I’d call early. I don’t want you to have duck out halfway through dinner just to wish me good luck” he fussed warmly.

Alexa smiled a little at his fussing before she shook her head. “I am sure that they wouldn’t have minded” she noted “But I am a little glad that you’ve called now. If Ariana had heard that I was talking to you, she’d probably have taken the phone” she quipped amusedly.

Lionel snorted out a small laugh, something which made the soft smile on Alexa’s face widen a little. It was a routine of theirs, with Lionel frequently playing two matches a week, he often spent time away from home, and Alexa always made sure to call him when he did travel, even if their conversations were often short and a little rushed. She liked the fact that the two of them made time for it. “I can’t help that your niece likes me” he pointed out “I mean, I am pretty likeable” he boasted playfully.

Alexa scoffed playfully. “You think so?” she quipped.

Lionel snorted teasingly. “We both know that you like me, Alexa” he pointed out “In fact, you love me” he added brightly.

Alexa felt her cheeks warm a little at his comment before she shook her head, smiling gently to herself.

“Are you blushing?”

Alexa, who’d moved to mumble a small reply to Lionel’s comment, jumped at the sound of Marco’s voice before she lifted her head, settling her eyes on her brother who stood in the doorway, a smug smirk perched on his lips. “You are” he chirped.

Alexa rolled her eyes before she turned her attention back to her phone. “I’m sorry, but I have to go” she mused “Marco’s just shown up” she added.

“It’s OK” Lionel replied “Have fun tonight” he added.

“I’ll try my best” Alexa replied “Good luck with the match, Leo” she added warmly.

“I’ll see you when I get back” Lionel replied “Buenos noches, Alexa” he mused gently before he hung up at the call, something which allowed Alexa to pull the phone away from her ear before she looked up at Marco, not missing the smirk which played on his lips.

Rolling her eyes, she offered Marco a small playful glare before she pushed herself up to her feet, pausing a little as a small hit of dizziness washed over her. Taking in a breath, she closed her eyes, waiting for the sensation to pass, before she shook her head, quickly sinking back into her seat.

Marco, who’d moved to step towards the door, heard the sound of her sitting down again before he turned, offering her a small frown. “You alright?” he posed.

Alexa offered him a weak smile. “I’m fine” she noted “I guess I just stood up a little too fast. I’ll be fine in a second” she added, trying to dismiss the worried frown which had appeared on Marco’s face.

Marco studied her smile for a moment before he shook his head, gently testing the temperature of her forehead against the back of his hand. “You’ve eaten today?” he posed.

Alexa nodded. “I had breakfast this morning and I grabbed lunch with a couple of colleagues” she replied.

“You’re not warm” Marco noted.

“And you’re not a doctor” Alexa replied smartly.

Marco offered her a slightly sarcastic smile. “Do you feel nauseous?” he asked.

“A little” Alexa replied “But it’s nothing. I’ve felt a little off for about a week or so” she added with a shrug.

“A week?” Marco posed, his voice slightly incredulous.

“It’s not that big a deal” Alexa replied, shaking her head.

Marco glanced at her for a moment, quietly mulling over her words, before he shook his head, an amused smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “Isabel got dizzy” he noted “She never really got the sickness, but she did get dizzy spells every now and again” he added.

Alexa furrowed her forehead, offering him a small confused look. “What?” she posed.

Marco chuckled amusedly before he spared a small glance down towards her stomach, something which made Alexa’s eyes widen. “Marco...” she trailed off quietly.

“I am not saying it is” Marco insisted quickly “I mean, there are dozens of reasons why you might feel nauseous or dizzy, but maybe we ought to drop by a chemist on the way home. It won’t hurt to do a test, will it?” he posed, trying to keep his voice as warm and as encouraging as he could. He could see that he had surprised her, as soon as he had glanced at her stomach, the expression on her face had been one of surprise, and he wanted to offer her a little comfort, even if he doubted that he could ease her surprise. He didn’t want her to get too far ahead of herself.

Alexa, who was quietly glancing down towards her stomach, blinked a couple of times at the sound of his voice before she shook her head. “We can get one on the way home” she noted “But I...I want to wait to take it. I want Leo there” she insisted, her blue eyes mirroring Marco’s.

Marco offered her a warm smile. “I am sure he’d prefer it that way too” he insisted.

Alexa returned his smile hesitantly, something which made Marco lean towards her, pulling her into a soft hug as he mumbled soft words of comfort into her ear. Alexa stilled at the feel of the hug momentarily, her mind still ringing with Marco’s suggestion, before she leant into him a little, closing her eyes as she listened to his soft reassurances.
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Thanks to Jayme112234 for the comment :)