When We Were

Thirty Four: I Wouldn’t Want You To

Pushing her hair out of her face, Emilia leant forwards in her seat, her eyes surveying the arrival lounge for a split second before she leant back, trying to swallow nervous lump which had been lodged in her throat from the moment her flight had taken off. It was a combination of things, her nerves about being in Barcelona, the conversation that she had had with Isaac before she had left and the fact that she never really been keen on flying had left her more than a little apprehensive, and the fact that Lionel was running late hadn’t helped, even if he had texted her to let her know that it was a possibility. After the day that she had had, all she wanted to do was get to Lionel’s place and fall asleep.

She had been caught by surprise, in all the years that Isaac had been around, he’d never been as straightforward with her as he had been that morning, and whilst he had seemed to accept what she had said, she doubted it would be so simple. Isaac was determined, if nothing else, and she doubted, despite him having agreed to leave he and Lionel alone, that he would simply let things lie.

Taking in a deep breath, she gently rubbed her temple, trying to ease the headache which had steadily been growing there, before someone cleared their throat ahead of her, causing her to reluctantly look up, her expression softening a little as her eyes met Lionel’s. Blinking a couple of times, she gently pushed herself up to her feet before she stepped into him, grinning softly when his arms came up around her, hugging her tightly. “I’m so sorry” he mumbled into her hair as he dropped a gentle kiss on the top of her head “I got caught up with some stuff and getting away was harder than I thought it would be” he added.

Emilia shook her head, not even attempting to break their hug. She had quickly learnt that the first hug that they shared after they were reunited was her favourite one and she didn’t want to let it go easily. It was a hug of relief, of happiness at being in the same place again, and Emilia loved it. “It’s fine” she mumbled.

Lionel dropped another kiss on her head, smiling against her hair. “I’m so glad you’re here” he noted.

“I’m so happy to see you” Emilia replied as she reluctantly pulled out of their hug.

Lionel took a second to just look at her, a slightly awed smile pulling the corner of his mouth upwards, before he leant down, lifting her suitcase up from the space it occupied by her feet. Adjusting the handle in his grip, he flashed Emilia another grin before he offered her his other hand, something which made Emilia shake her head gently before she placed her hand into it. Feeling her cheeks warm slightly, she watched his fingers curve around hers before she smiled to herself, feeling a little of her anxiousness that had filled her melt away.

~#~
“Emmy?” Lionel prodded quietly as he stepped into his bedroom, his expression softening a little as he spotted her sat on the bed, grinning tiredly at her laptop. It was obvious who she was talking to, the look on her face was one that was especially reserved for when she was talking to or about Luca, and for a second, he thought about backing out of the room, something which was stopped when Emilia looked up at him, beckoning him closer.

“Do you want to say hello to Leo?” Emilia asked.

“Can I?” Luca asked in response.

Emilia grinned and nodded her head, shuffling across the bed slightly to make room for Lionel in the camera’s shot.

Lionel hesitated for a beat before he shuffled into the space that she had made, meeting Luca’s wide grin with a timid smile of his own. “Hola, Luca” he greeted.

Luca grinned, waving at the camera. “Hola, Leo” he chirped.

Lionel breathed out a little laugh. “Are you excited to be spending some time with your papa?” he prodded, frowning ever so slightly when he felt Emilia’s body tense ever so slightly next to him.

Luca nodded. “He’s bringing home auntie Luisa’s chocolate cake” he announced “It’s the best” he added.

“Don’t eat too much of it” Emilia noted “You can have a little bit after dinner, but not too much before you go to bed. I’ll call your papa to check” she added firmly.

Luca huffed a little, but nodded his head, something which made Emilia smile gently. “I’ve got to go” she mused gently “But I will call you tomorrow, OK?” she asked.

Luca nodded. “Bye-bye, mama” he cooed “Bye, Leo” he added.

Lionel smiled, offering him a still-unsure wave of his hand.

Emilia’s lips quirked upwards slightly as she watched Lionel before she looked back at the camera. “Love you, Luca” she mused.

Luca smiled, returning the words, before he disappeared from view, something which made Emilia laugh as she shut her computer down, moving to place it onto the bedside table. “Were you looking for me?” she asked, turning back to glance at Lionel.

“Hm?” Lionel posed, smiling a little as their eyes met. He was still a little in awe of the fact that she was actually there with him.

Emilia felt her cheeks warm before she looked away, smiling goofily down at the bedspread. “You were calling out for me” she noted “Did you need something?” she asked.

Lionel leant a little closer to her, softly twirling a strand of her hair around the tip of his finger. “I thought you’d probably be asleep” he noted.

“I just wanted to make sure that Luca was alright” Emilia replied “I mean, don’t get me wrong, he likes spending time with Isaac, but he’s never usually there for longer than a couple of days. I just wanted to make sure that he...” she trailed off as she looked up at Lionel, laughing at the smile he wore.

“What?” she prodded.

“Nothing” Lionel replied “I just...you’re actually here” he added, a slightly bashful laugh tumbling out of his mouth.

Emilia grinned, nodding her head as she tucked her hair off of her face. “I am” she confirmed “And you’re not getting rid of me for a week. I am not changing my return ticket” she added brightly.

Lionel gently weaved his fingers into her hair, tugging her closer to him until their lips met. Emilia didn’t hesitate, melting into the soft kiss for its duration until Lionel leant back, touching a parting kiss to her lips before he sat up properly, offering her a goofy grin. “I wouldn’t want you to” he noted “I’m just...I’m glad that you’re here. I know that you were worried about coming, and for a while, I was pretty sure that you’d find a way to get out of actually getting on the plane, but I am glad that you didn’t. No matter what happens, I am going to be glad that you’re here” he added gently.

Emilia smiled gently. “You say that now” she noted, her voice caught somewhere between shy and teasing.

Lionel leant forwards, touching a soft kiss against her forehead as she cuddled into him, just wanting to relish the fact that they were together for a while. She was nervous, he knew it, and she knew it, but in that moment, everything else was irrelevant. It’d been weeks since they’d been together, weeks of video calls which had been spent wishing that they could hug or kiss, and for that night, they both wanted to marvel at the fact that they were together again. Peppering the top of her head with soft kisses, Lionel tightened his arms around her, something which made Emilia grin, inhaling the comforting scent of his aftershave, a scent she doubted she’d ever get tired of smelling.
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Thanks to FootieJo for the comment :)