The Things That You Do

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Alexa asked as she turned her head, offering a glance towards Lionel who sat at her side, steering his car through the streets. He hadn’t been lying, when he had said that he would come back to take her to dinner, he’d meant it, and whilst a small part of Alexa had been hoping to spend the night cooped up in the bedroom that she was sleeping in at her mother’s house, she was slightly pleased to him, even if she knew it was only a matter of time before he tried to start a conversation about what had happened between them. She was glad that he opted to stick around.

Lionel, who was focused on the street ahead of them, quirked a half smile, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. “I’m taking you to dinner” he noted simply.

Alexa glared up at him. “You know that’s not what I meant” she quipped.

“I know” Lionel chirped impishly “But can’t you just wait and see? We’re only a couple of minutes out” he added as he steered the car around a corner. He knew that she didn’t want to be there, when he had arrived at her mother’s home, she had tried to make an excuse to get out of heading to dinner with him, but he had talked her round, even if she did still seem a little reluctant. He hadn’t wanted to let her spend another night in her room.

Alexa glanced at him before she let out a soft sigh, resting her head against the cool glass of the window.

Lionel offered her another sideward glance before he gently reached his hand across, offering her knee a light squeeze. “You never know, you might actually have a nice time tonight” he encouraged warmly.

Alexa smiled weakly. “Maybe” she mumbled.

Lionel frowned a little, not missing how forced her smile looked, but he didn’t say anything, instead simply offering her knee another light squeeze, something which made Alexa closed her eyes, wordlessly hoping to herself that being around him was something which got easier.

~#~
“Have you decided what you want to order yet?” Lionel asked gently, his dark eyes settled on Alexa who sat across the table from him, quietly surveying the menu which sat in her hands. She had been quiet, since he had picked her up from her mother’s house, she had barely uttered two words to him, and whilst he wanted her to talk to him, he knew better than to push her, not wanting her to think that he was trying to push her into a conversation which was likely to be awkward for them both.

Alexa simply nodded.

Lionel looked at her for a couple of seconds, hoping that she would say something, before he quietly dropped his stare, surveying his own menu for a couple of seconds before a shadow appeared over the table, causing him to look up at their waiter. Offering the other man a small smile, he reeled off his order before he looked towards Alexa, wordlessly encouraging her to do the same.

Alexa’s cheeks flushed under his stare before she smiled softly up at the waiter. “Could I get the pasta, please?” she posed.

The waiter nodded, offering her a small smile in return. “Of course” he noted “My name’s Andres, and if you need anything else, just call” he enthused before he stepped away, flashing Alexa a slightly flirtatious grin.

Alexa’s already pink cheeks darkened a little before she shook her head, moving to sip on her glass of water.

Lionel lifted an eyebrow, not missing the slightly shy smile which played on her lips. “Are you blushing because the waiter smiled at you?” he asked.

Alexa spluttered on her drink. “Huh?” she stumbled out.

“You’re blushing” Lionel pointed out “Is it because of the waiter?” he repeated, the tone of his voice difficult to decipher.

Alexa frowned slightly at the tone of his voice before she shrugged, timidly tucking a few loose blonde hairs behind her ear. “I was just being polite” she mused “He smiled at me and I smiled back. It’s nothing” she babbled.

“You sure?” Lionel posed.

Alexa nodded quietly before she took another sip of her drink. “So” she mused after a couple of seconds, breaking the quiet which had settled over them “How are you? We’ve not exactly talked a lot about you” she added, trying to change the subject. It felt awkward, even more so after Lionel’s question about the waiter, and she wanted to get the conversation moving again, even if talking to him did feel slightly uncomfortable. To Alexa, it seemed preferable to sitting in an uncomfortable silence.

Lionel quirked a small smile. “What do you want to know?” he asked.

“I don’t know” Alexa noted “How are things going with Barca?” she posed.

Lionel shrugged. “It was a tough summer” he noted “Losing Neymar, it was a big blow to the team, but we seem to have bounced back pretty well. The team are playing well, we’re winning games, and I’m pretty pleased with how it is going” he explained with a fond smile.

Alexa smiled in return. “You know that you smile when you talk about it, right?” she posed.

Lionel shrugged. “Is that a bad thing?” he posed.

Alexa shook her head. “No” she mused “If anything, it’s pretty sweet” she fussed warmly, her hands fiddling nervously with the napkin on her lap.

Lionel noticed the slightly nervous actions, but opted against pointing it out, instead opting to continue talking, something which allowed Alexa to shake her head subtly, trying to get rid of the familiar knot which existed in the pit of her stomach.

~#~
“Am I taking you back to your apartment or to your mother’s?” Lionel asked as he pushed himself up to his feet, his dark eyes glancing towards Alexa who stood opposite him, pulling her coat around her shoulders. It had been a pleasant evening, despite both him and Alexa being slightly awkward around one another, they’d settled into something close to a comfortable rhythm, and he was pleased by how well it had gone, even if Alexa had clammed up on more than one occasion. To him, it was a step in the right direction.

“My mother’s” Alexa replied “Me and Marco are going to stay for the rest of the week before we both head back to our own places” she explained.

Lionel nodded his head before the sound of his phone reached his ears, causing him to pull it out of his pocket, a grin appearing on his lips at the sight of the name which filled the screen. “I need to answer this” he quipped “I’ll make it quick” he added before he sped across the restaurant, ducking out of the door.

Alexa watched after him briefly before she let out a small sigh, falling back down into her seat.

“Did your date just leave without you?”

Alexa jumped before she lifted her head, looking up at Andres who stood ahead of her, a soft smile on his face. “I didn’t mean to scare you” the waiter mused, pushing his glasses up his nose.

“It’s fine” Alexa mused, shyly avoiding Andres’ eyes “And him? He’s not my date. The phone call he went to take was more than likely his girlfriend” she added.

Andres, who’d moved to take Lionel’s vacated seat, shook his head. “Sorry” he noted “I just assumed that you two were together. He gave me a pretty hard glare when I bought over your meals” he explained.

Alexa scoffed, almost letting a sharp comment fall out of her mouth, before she shook her head. “I’m sorry for that” she quipped.

Andres laughed. “He’s not the first” he quipped “Besides, if I was having dinner with a beautiful girl like you, and the waiter kept flirting with her, I’d probably glare too” he added boyishly.

Alexa smiled up at him shyly. “A beautiful girl like me, huh?” she posed.

Andres grinned. “Not my best line” he quipped “But it is true. You are a very beautiful woman...” he trailed off, hoping to get her name.

Alexa blushed before she offered her hand out to him. “Alexa” she mused.

“It’s nice to meet you, Alexa” Andres mused before someone called his name, causing him to let out a playful groan. “Duty calls” he added.

Alexa giggled gently before she offered her hand out towards him, something which caused Andres to lift an eyebrow. “Have you got a pen?” she posed.

“A pen?” Andres asked.

Alexa nodded. “You’ve got to get back to work” she noted “And so I thought I’d give you my phone number. Maybe we could get coffee or something, some time?” she suggested hesitantly.

Andres noted her hesitance before he offered her a small smile, placing a pen into her hand. “I’d like that” he mused.

Alexa returned his smile briefly before she turned away, scribbling her phone number down onto the bill before she stepped away, making her way towards the door. Andres followed her with his eyes, a small grin playing at the corner of his mouth, before he met Lionel’s stare across the room, not missing the slight glare that the argentine wore on his features.