The Things That You Do

74: My Best Friend

“How was Zach when you left him with Marco?”

Lionel, who’d been buttoning up the shirt that he wore, jumped at the sound of Alexa’s voice before he turned his head, watching as she stepped passed him, making her way quickly into the wardrobe which stood a little away from him. It had been a while, after they’d made up after their fight, a couple of months had passed, and with Poppy having arrived in Barcelona for a visit, they were due to head out to dinner with her, something which Lionel knew that Alexa was looking forwards to, even if she hadn’t said it. He knew that she was looking forwards to seeing her friend again.

It had been a while since they’d seen each other, with Poppy having moved to London a couple of months after her son had been born and Zachary only being a few months old, chances for the two of them to get together had been few and far between, and Lionel knew that Alexa was excited to see Poppy, even if she had been trying to play it down all day. He knew that she couldn’t wait to spend the evening catching up with her friend.

Watching her duck into the wardrobe, he shook his head slightly before he turned back to buttoning his shirt. “He was a little grumpy when we first got there, but he settled pretty quickly. He was happily enjoying the bottle you’d prepared for him when I left him” he explained.

Alexa, who’d padded back into the bedroom, nodded. “You told Marco to call if there was a problem, right?” she posed, smoothing out the material of her dress.

Lionel quirked a small smile, slightly amused by her fussing, before he nodded. “I did” he replied “And Marco told me to tell you that Zach isn’t the first baby that he’s looked after. He’s going to be fine and you don’t need to fuss” he added as he stepped towards her, settling his arms around her waist.

Alexa jumped at the feel of his arms around her before she leant back, resting comfortably into his embrace as her eyes closed.

Lionel smiled at the contented expression on her face before he tilted his head, kissing her temple softly. “You OK?” he mumbled against her skin.

Alexa shrugged. “I’m a little tired” she noted “But it’s nothing too bad. Besides, even if I had the flu, Poppy would almost certainly show up at the door with a bag of food and a bunch of Jackson’s baby pictures” she added, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Lionel smiled against her head. “Jackson’s a cute baby” he mused “I mean, he’s got nothing on Zach, but...” he trailed off playfully.

Alexa swatted his shoulder playfully before she gently pulled out of his embrace, moving to collect the jacket which she had left hung up on the wardrobe door. “Are you ready to go?” she posed, slipping her arms into the sleeves.

Lionel stared at her for a moment, wordlessly noting how beautiful he thought she looked, before he nodded his head, a soft smile spreading across his features. “As ready as I will ever be to spend a night with you and your friend” he quipped impishly.

“My best friend” Alexa corrected, fastening the buttons on her jacket.

Lionel, who’d moved to step past her, smirked a little before ducked back, pressing a brief kiss against her cheek. “That would be me” he teased warmly as he stepped out of the room, leaving Alexa giggling behind him.

~#~
“So, fill me in on your wedding plans. You two have started, haven’t you?” Poppy fussed as she sipped on her glass of wine, her eyes settled on Alexa and Lionel who sat opposite her, staring down at the screen of Alexa’s phone. It had been a nice meal, with Poppy and Alexa having not seen each other in a while, they’d had a lot to catch up on, and Poppy was glad that Alexa had shown up, even if she had been a little surprised to see Lionel at first. She had enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with them both. It was sweet, the way that they were together was adorable, and Poppy was thrilled to see that things hadn’t changed much since she’d departed for London. She was thrilled that the two of them seemed to have gone from strength.

Alexa, who’d been replying to a text from Marco asking how much longer they planned on being, smiled a little at Poppy’s question before she nodded. “We have started” she mused “We’ve got a date in mind, but we’re still trying to decide on a venue and that’s kind of put everything else on hold. We’ll figure it out though” she added, sparing a look towards Lionel who nodded, grinning back at her.

Poppy admired the two of them for a second, just about refraining from cooing over how sweet they were, before a shadow appeared over the table, causing her to look up at their waitress with a smile. “Gracias” she mused, making room for her plate of dessert and mug of coffee in front of her “Didn’t you order anything, Alexa?” she posed, watching as the waitress placed a fresh glass of water down in front of Lionel.

Alexa shook her head. “I’ve eaten enough” she quipped before the scent of Poppy’s coffee reached her nose, causing her to wrinkle it slightly “What is that?” she posed.

Poppy quirked an eyebrow. “It’s coffee” she replied simply.

Alexa nodded her head stiffly. “How is Danny?” she posed, trying to ignore the slight turn that her stomach gave at the smell.

Poppy’s expression brightened. “He’s doing great” she enthused “He’s sorry that he couldn’t come over with me. He and Jackson send their best though” she fussed excitedly.

Alexa smiled as best she could. “How are you liking London?” she posed.

Poppy grinned and began to talk about how much she was enjoying the English city, something which afforded Alexa the chance to lean back in her seat, taking in a couple of deep breaths. Swallowing a little, she brushed her blonde hair out of her face before she felt something nudge against her leg, causing her to look down, spotting Lionel’s foot which sat beside her own, bumping it softly. Lifting her head, she spared him a small look, watching as he mouthed the words ‘you Ok?’.

Quirking the best smile she could, she offered him a stiff nod. “I’m fine” she mouthed back.

Lionel lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t comment, knowing that it was unlikely that he would get anything out of Alexa whilst they were around Poppy. Offering her another concerned look, he slipped his arm around the back of her seat before he gently shifted his hand, rubbing her shoulder reassuringly. Alexa, who’d been trying to focus on Poppy’s story, jumped a little at the feel of his hand before she looked at him, offering him a small grateful smile.
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Thanks to Jayme112234 for the comment :)