I Know I Was for a While

Pulling his car to a stop outside of the house, Lionel spared a glance towards the rearview mirror, studying the dark bruising which had formed beneath his eye before he shook his head, a soft sigh slipping out of his mouth. It had been an accident, when he’d been attacking a corner, the defender had failed to see him before he’d jumped and he’d caught him in the face with a stray arm, something which had left Lionel with a dark bruise beneath his eye.

Studying his reflection, he gingerly passed his fingers over the mark for a few seconds before he pushed the car door open, quickly making his way up towards the house. Stopping ahead of the front door, he pushed the key into the lock before he quietly stepped inside, nudging the door closed behind him. Shuffling forwards a couple of steps, he kicked his trainers off of his feet before the sound of footsteps reached his ears, something which caused his head to whip up, watching as Camila stepped into the hallway. “Hola” he breathed sheepishly.

Camila, who’d been looking down at her feet, looked up at the sound of his voice before her eyes widened, something which made Lionel chuckle quietly. “I was kind of hoping that it wasn’t that noticeable” he teased softly.

Camila rolled her eyes a little at his teasing before she stepped towards him, her fingertips lightly brushing over the bruised skin. Lionel flinched a little under her touch, something which caused her to draw her hand back slightly before she shook her head. “What happened?” she asked.

Lionel quirked a crooked smile, like he’d thought of an amusing retort, before he shook his head, his expression growing sheepish once more. “A defender caught me” he mused “He wasn’t looking around at a corner and he caught me with his elbow. It’s not that bad, is it?” he added, letting a small nervous laugh fall out of his mouth.

Camila, who was quietly studying his face, quirked a faint smile at the tone of his voice before she shook her head, her fingertips lightly brushing the dark hair off of his forehead. “It’s not” she mused “I mean, it’s not lovely, but it’s not ruined your looks too much” she added playfully.

Lionel let out another soft laugh, the slightest hint of a blush spreading over his cheeks, before the sound of someone clearing their throat reached his ears, causing him to frown slightly before he looked up, his eyes settling on Isabel who stood in the doorway. “I am interrupting?” she asked, the tone of her voice difficult to place.

Camila, who’d taken a small step away from Lionel, offered him a slightly apologetic look before she shook her head, turning to look at Isabel. “Of course not” she mused “You were just getting ready to go, weren’t you?” she added.

Isabel nodded, adjusting her coat slightly. “I was” she confirmed “Thank you for having me, Camila” she added.

Camila smiled at her politely. “Adios, Isabel” she mused.

Isabel smiled. “Adios, Camila” she mused. “Think about what we talked about earlier” she added before she stepped past, offering Lionel a slightly stiff nod.

Lionel watched after the older woman for a few seconds, listening to the soft thump of the front door closing, before he turned back to Camila, a slightly curious expression on his face. “Do I need to be worried?” he quipped, his voice caught between playful and curious.

Camila shook her head. “It’s nothing” she mused.

Lionel tilted his head, his dark eyes mirroring hers. “You sure?” he asked.

Camila held his stare for a second, mulling over his question, before she shook her head, her fingers timidly pushing her dark hair behind her ear. “She asked about our plans for the holidays” she mused “She and Victor want to spend some time with Oscar, seeing as it’s his first Christmas, and then she suggested that we have dinner together. I told her that we’d not made any concrete plans, but...”

“But you’d rather not having to sit through a dinner with your mother, my parents, and Isabel and Victor” Lionel finished for her, a knowing smile on his face.

Camila smiled shyly, her fingers twisting in the ends of her hair. “It’s a recipe for disaster, no?” she asked “I mean, I’ll be nervous enough if your parents do come, and you still get all nervous around my mother, I think the last thing we need is Isabel and Victor sitting around and chiming in, but they are Oscar’s grandparents” she added, her voice softening slightly.

Lionel nodded slowly, a small part of him itching to fuss over the idea that they were planning their first Christmas together, before he reached his hand out, capturing her spare one which hung at her side.

Sliding their fingers together, he allowed a beat of silence to pass between them, before he pulled her hand to his lips, allowing him to press a soft kiss against her skin. “It would be a disaster” he noted “All of them being here at the same time, there’s no way it couldn’t be, and I don’t that for a day which ought to be pretty special, not just for Oscar, but for me and you too. It’s your baby’s first Christmas, Mila, and our first Christmas together as a couple, and I don’t want anything to spoil that for you, for us, even if that does mean arranging for Victor and Isabel to come over for a couple of hours later in the evening so that they miss everyone else. I want it to be a day to remember” he insisted, a timid smile on his face.

He’d known that Isabel and Victor would want to be around, with it being Oscar’s first Christmas, their request to spend time with him was inevitable, and whilst he knew that Camila would want them to see the little boy, he wanted to steer her way from the idea of the other couple joining them for most of the day, not wanting the inevitable friction to spoil a day which was going to be a special one, not only for Oscar, but for them as a couple.

Camila marveled at the small smile that he wore before she shook her head, mirroring it shyly. “You’re looking forwards to it” she commented.

Lionel didn’t hesitate in nodding. “Of course I am” he mused “It’s our first Christmas together. I want it to be special” he added.

Camila let out a slightly timid laugh, something which made Lionel smile gently before he tugged on her hand, pulling her a little closer so that he could press a soft kiss against her forehead. “We’ll figure it out” he mumbled, moving to press a soft kiss against her nose “I’ll even be the one to tell Isabel and Victor what we’ve decided if you want, but we’ll get it figured out. It’s going to be amazing, Mila” he gushed, pressing a swift kiss against her lips.

Camila smiled into the kiss, holding onto him for a few seconds longer than he’d been expecting, before she pulled away from him. “I really hope so” she mused quietly.