The Things That You Do

Pushing the front door closed behind her, Alexa rested her back against it, trying to swallow the lump which existed in her throat. It had been a little while, after her mother and Marco had departed from the restaurant, she had been quick to follow suit, but after she had pulled into the driveway, she had spent a little while sat in her car, trying to wrap her head around what had happened between the three of them. It had come as a surprise, the news that her mother had a new boyfriend was something which had caught both her and Marco off guard, but she was still surprised by the way that Marco had reacted, even if a part of her was upset by the notion of her mother moving on from her father. She knew that what Marco had said had crossed a line and hurt their mother.

Gently resting her head back against the door, she took in a deep breath before she closed her eyes, trying to blink away a few loose tears which had appeared in them.

“Alexa?”

Alexa flinched slightly, caught off guard by the sound of Lionel’s voice, before she allowed her eyes to open, quickly settling them on Lionel who stood a little away from, a confused frown spreading across his face. “I’m surprised to see you” he breathed “The way that your mother and Marco can talk, I thought you’d be gone most of the night” he joked gently.

Alexa forced a small smile at his joke before she gently shook her head, something which caused Lionel’s frown to deepen. He could see that there was something bothering her, the slightly tearful look on her face was hard for him to miss, and it worried him, even if Alexa hadn’t said anything. He was worried that something had happened between her, Marco and Madeline. They were close, from the moment that he had met Alexa, it had been clear that she closer to her family than she was to anyone else, and he knew how much it would have hurt her if something had happened between them.

Sparing her a soft look, he let out a quiet sigh before he stepped towards her, wrapping her in a soft hug that she was quick to return, tucking her head into the side of his neck. “What happened?” he murmured softly, his hand gently running up and down her back.

Alexa shifted a little at the feel of his hand before she took a pace backwards, her blue eyes peeking up at him tearfully. “My madre” she murmured “She...uh...she had a reason for inviting me and Marco out to dinner tonight” she stumbled out.

Lionel, who’d moved to sit at the foot of the stairs, quirked an eyebrow. “She did?” he posed.

Alexa wiped her eyes a little before she nodded. “She had something that she wanted to tell us” she mumbled “She’s seeing someone” she added, gently pushing her hair behind her ear.

Lionel watched her for a second, mulling over her words, before he shifted slightly, making a space for her at his side. “Your mother’s got a boyfriend?” he asked tentatively. He knew that it was a strange thought for her, the idea of Madeline being with anyone other than her husband was one which was almost certainly going to feel strange for Alexa and Marco, and he wanted to encourage her to talk to him about it, even if he didn’t quite know what to say to her to make her feel less strange about it. He knew that it was something that she merely needed to talk through.

Alexa, who’d sat down in the space he’d made for her, nodded. “That’s what she said” she mumbled “Not that she had much of an opportunity to speak. Marco cut her off pretty quickly” she added, a frown pulling at the corner of her mouth.

“He didn’t take it well?” Lionel asked as he gently moved his hand, taking a hold of hers

Alexa snorted. “That’s an understatement” she muttered, squeezing his hand gently.

Lionel glanced down at their hands for a moment, allowing a brief silence to pass between the two of them, before he picked her hand up, allowing him to press a soft kiss against her slightly cool skin. “How are you taking it?” he asked gently.

“I don’t really know” Alexa replied, not moving her eyes away from their hands “I mean, a part of me is happy for her. She was devastated when my papa...when he passed away, and it took her a long time to get back to being OK, and a part of me is thrilled that she’s getting back out there. But another part of me is upset. He’s my padre, Leo, and I guess a small part of me didn’t imagine her being with anyone other than him. It’s still pretty hard knowing that he’s not here anymore” she admitted before she squeezed her eyes closed, allowing a couple of tears to slip down her cheek.

Lionel lifted his other hand and gently settled it on her cheek, brushing the loose tears away with his thumb. “I know you miss him” he noted, gently tracing the line of her cheekbone “And that’s more than OK, Alexa, but your madre...she deserves the chance to be happy. It’s almost been two years and I doubt that your papa would have wanted her to mope around for longer than necessary. I’ll admit, I didn’t know him very well, but I know that he loved your mama very much and that he would have wanted her to be happy, even if it is without him. I know it must be strange, it’s probably pretty strange for her to be with someone that’s not your papa, but surely that’s what you want too?” he insisted, tenderly tucking her hair behind her ear.

Alexa leant into his hand slightly, quietly mulling over his words for a few seconds, before she let a soft sigh, nodding her head gently. “Of course it is” she mumbled.

Lionel quirked a soft smile before he leant over, pressing a soft kiss against her temple. “It’ll take a little getting used to” he mused as he moved to press a kiss against her cheek “But it will get a little easier. You just have to give it some time” he mumbled, pecking the side of her nose.

Alexa scrunched up her nose slightly at the contact before she quirked a small smile, something which made Lionel grin triumphantly. “I knew I’d make you smile” he quipped.

Alexa shook her head, but didn’t hide her smile. “You’re an idiot” she retorted.

Lionel merely grinned at her before he pushed himself up to his feet, offering his hand back towards her. “I’m guessing that you didn’t get to eat” he noted “I mean, you were barely gone for an hour” he added.

Alexa shook her head. “We hadn’t even ordered” she replied.

“Then you ought to come with me” Lionel mused “I was in the process of making myself some dinner when you came back. I’m sure it’ll split between the two of us” he added, wiggling his fingers slightly.

Alexa let out a soft giggle before she placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her up to her feet before he led her through to the kitchen, more than pleased to see her smile back on her face. He knew that it wasn’t going to be instant, the chances were that Alexa, and Marco, were more than likely to be uncomfortable with the idea of Madeline dating for a while, but he knew that they had to give it time, even if it stung. It was something they had to get used to.