I Know I Was for a While

Taking a sip of the mug of tea that she held in her hands, Camila readjusted herself in her seat, her dark eyes settled on Lionel who sat a little away from her, folding clothes into the open suitcase which sat on the bed between the two of them. It had been a little while, after their date night, a few days had passed, and with Lionel due to meet up with the rest of the Argentina squad prior to the start of the world cup in Russia, they’d spent most of the morning together, knowing that it would at least be a couple of weeks before they were together again, perhaps longer if Camila opted against joining Lionel on his trip back to Argentina after the tournament.

She had given it a lot of thought, after Lionel had suggested that she join him, she had spent a lot of time thinking it over, but still she hadn’t quite figured out what to say, even if Lionel had been quick to insist that there was no pressure. A small part of her was still worried that if she said that she wasn’t quite ready, she’d upset him.

Sipping on her drink, she closed her eyes for a couple of seconds before the sound of Lionel’s laugh reached her ears, causing her to look up, her eyes marveling at the amused smile that he wore on his lips. “You know” he quipped “When you said that you wanted to help me pack, I actually pictured you helping me to pack” he added, his voice warm and teasing.

Camila quirked a small smile before she offered him a nonchalant shrug. “You seem to have it under control” she quipped “I just thought you’d appreciate the company. If me being here is bothering you...” she trailed off playfully.

Lionel breathed out a small laugh before he shook his head, offering her a crooked smile. “I didn’t say that” he quipped “In fact, I like having you around, even if you have been completely unhelpful” he added playfully.

Camila scoffed playfully before she took another sip of her drink, allowing a couple of beats of silence to pass between the two of them before she let out a small sound, something which caused Lionel to quirk an eyebrow. “You OK?” he asked, his voice half playful and half curious.

Camila, who’d moved to settle her mug down onto the end table, nodded as she stood up. “Fine” she mused “I just remembered that I got something for you. I’ll be right back” she added before she scurried out of the room, returning seconds later with something clutched in her hand.

Lionel, who’d moved to pack a few more things into his suitcase, watched her back into the room before he quirked a small smile. “You got me something?” he teased.

“It’s not much” Camila quipped as she stepped back towards him “But I thought...I don’t know, I thought maybe you’d like it” she added, hesitantly offering the object that she held in her hand out to him.

Lionel spared her a small glance before he stepped towards her, taking the object out of her hand before he turned it over, a warm smile quickly lighting up his face as he studied the picture of him, Camila and Oscar that she had had framed. It was an early one, in the picture, Oscar was as tiny as he had been when he’d first been born, and it made Lionel grin, a little amazed by how much the little boy had grown in the couple of months that had passed since he’d first arrived. “Who took this?” he asked, looking up at Camila.

Camila, who was chewing on her lip, blinked a couple of times at his question before she shrugged. “My mama I think” she mused “Or it might have been Tessa. It was taken the morning after Oscar was born, which means it’s a little old, but it’s one of the only pictures I have of just the three of us and I thought...I don’t know, I thought maybe you’d want to take it away with you. Is that silly?” she asked gently.

Lionel, who’d turned his stare back towards the photo, smiled a little at the soft tone of her voice before he lifted his head, shaking it slightly. “I’d love to take it with me” he mused.

Camila’s expression softened into a shy smile. “Really?” she asked.

Lionel merely offered her a warm smile before he stepped towards his suitcase, tucking the photo into the side of it.

Camila watched him, quietly chewing on her lip for a few seconds, before she shook her head, a familiar breathy laugh falling out of her mouth. “It’s going to be really weird around here with you gone” she mumbled “I mean, I know you’ve been away for away trips since I started staying here, but this...I think I am going miss you, Leo” she quipped, her voice caught between teasing and soft.

“You think you’re going to miss me?” Lionel countered incredulously.

“It’s possible” Camila played along “I do kind of love having you here” she added, her voice softening.

Lionel’s previously teasing smirk relaxed into a gentler smile before he stepped towards her, his hands gently settling on her waist. “It’s only a few weeks” he mused “I’ll be back before you know it” he added as he lifted a hand, tucking a few strands of dark hair behind her ear.

Camila leant into his touch slightly, allowing a couple of seconds of quiet to pass between them, before she took half a step forwards, pressing a tentative kiss against his lips. Lionel stilled a little, slightly caught off guard by the soft kiss, before he gently shifted his hand, cupping her cheek as he kissed her back gently. Hesitantly, he pulled away, pressing another couple of quick kisses against her lips before he leant back, smiling at her gently.

Camila searched his face for a second, admiring the gentle smile that he wore, before she quirked a grin of her own.

“Am I interrupting?”

Camila flinched, surprised by the sound of her mother’s voice, before she turned around, shaking her head. “Of course not” she mused “You need something?” she asked.

“Oscar’s not got another bottle made up” Lucille replied “And I think he’s starting to get hungry, so if you two could speed this goodbye up...” she quipped, a teasing smile on her lips.

Lionel laughed. “Of course” he quipped “I’ve got to get going pretty soon anyway” he added.

Lucille nodded her head before she ducked back out of the room, allowing Camila to turn back towards Lionel, a shy smile on her face. “I hope it goes well for you” she mused “And me and Oscar, we’ll be watching your games, though obviously, should you come up against Spain...” she trailed off with a playful shrug.

Lionel rolled his eyes before he stepped towards her, wrapping her in a tight hug that she was more than happy to return. “I’m going to miss you both” he mumbled.

“We’ll miss you too” Camila mumbled softly in reply.

Lionel squeezed her tightly, holding her close for a few seconds before he took a couple of steps backwards, flashing her another shy smile. “You’re still thinking about my offer?” he asked.

Camila’s body tensed, something which caused Lionel to shake his head, a soft laugh falling out of his mouth. “You’ve got time” he quipped “I’m going to be gone for at least a couple of weeks, so take your time and tell me when you have an answer. I might need to make plans” he added hopefully.

Camila merely pushed a smile onto her lips, something which caused Lionel to offer her another shake of his head before he stepped forwards, pressing a soft kiss against her cheek. “I’ll call you, OK?” he mused.

“I’ll probably call you first” Camila retorted with a soft smile.

“I wouldn’t bet on it” Lionel quipped.

Camila rolled her eyes gently before the sound of Oscar’s cries filled the air, something which caused her to let out a sigh, shaking her head gently. “I should...” she mumbled.

Lionel nodded before he stepped forwards, pressing another couple of quick kisses against her lips before he stepped back, offering her a small smile as she stepped out of the room.