When We Were
Seventy: You Know That I Know, Right?
“Papa!”
Emilia, who’d been busy trying to stop Maisie from crying, barely had a chance to open her mouth before Luca sprinted away from her, barreling through the crowded airport towards Isaac who was slowly wandering towards the three of them. It had been a while, after Maisie had been born, a couple of months had passed, and with Luca having finished school for his winter break, he, Emilia and Maisie had made their way home with the promise that Lionel would join them once he’d played his last match that weekend. It was something she had been looking forwards to, no matter how settled she was in Barcelona, the prospect of returning home was something she had been waiting for, and whilst it had meant leaving Lionel behind for a couple of days, she was looking forwards to seeing her family, particularly Jordi, Samia and their newborn son who they’d welcomed a couple of days previous.
“Luca!” Emilia yelled after him, still trying to soothe Maisie. Shaking her head, she tried to watch him through the crowd, losing him a couple of times, before she saw Isaac lift him above the crowd, allowing her to breathe out a sigh of relief. Making sure that Isaac was making his way over towards her, she turned her attention back towards Maisie, cooing at her softly for a few moments before Luca’s voice snipped into her ears, causing her to look up, her eyes meeting Isaac’s for a split second before she settled them firmly on Luca.
“See?” the little boy chirped.
Isaac, who’d watched Emilia shift her gaze, breathed out a little laugh, shifting his grasp on Luca slightly as he looked down at Maisie. “You were right” he noted “She is very cute” he added.
Emilia couldn’t stop the little laugh that fell out of her mouth. “He ran all the way over there to tell you Maisie is cute?” she prodded.
Isaac’s answering smile was pleasant, if a little forced as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. “He’s a very proud big brother” he mused.
Emilia nodded, allowing a moment of quiet to pass awkwardly between the two of them, before she fixed a pleasant smile onto her lips, her fingers gently smoothing out Maisie’s dress. “You didn’t have to come and pick us up” she mused.
Isaac shrugged, his stare fixed on the floor. “You needed a ride” he noted “And I wanted to see this little guy sooner rather than later. Besides, didn’t Jordi’s wife have their baby a couple of days ago?” he asked.
Emilia nodded. “She did” she confirmed.
“So I imagine that Marcella is all up in their business and isn’t going to appreciate being pulled away” Isaac mused “And with your boyfriend still back in Spain, I’m the best option you’ve got. Come on, I’ve even fitted a car seat for the little one” he added, offering Emilia the most encouraging smile he could muster.
The tension between them hadn’t eased. Isaac’s feelings for Emilia, and Emilia’s happiness with someone that wasn’t Isaac still hung over the two of them, but they did their best to try and make something between them function, even if every interaction did feel forced and awkward. They knew that, with Luca between the two of them, they needed to have some kind of relationship and they did their best to make sure that it was something civil and polite, wanting to show Luca that, despite the fact they’d broken up, they were capable of putting aside their differences for him.
Emilia quirked a slight smile as they began to walk towards the exit. “Where’d you get a car seat from?” she asked.
Isaac, who’d moved to settle Luca on his feet, shrugged. “My sister had one” he noted.
Emilia nodded her head slowly, but didn’t have the chance to say anything before Luca spoke up, taking Isaac’s focus off of her, something she was more than a little grateful for.
~#~
“Emilia?”
Emilia looked away from Maisie, her eyes landing on Isaac who stood in the doorway of her bedroom. “Yeah?” she replied quietly.
Isaac offered her an apologetic look for being too loud, before he jutted a thumb back over his shoulder. “Luca fell asleep on the couch” he murmured.
Emilia quirked a small smile. “I knew the excitement would catch up with him eventually” she mused “That, and the flight probably took a lot out of him. Did you want me to be the bad guy and wake him up?” she asked.
“I was going to suggest that we just let him sleep” Isaac replied “I can just come back and pick him up in the morning. My parents aren’t going to mind if we’re a day late, they’ll just be glad to see him” he added with a little shrug.
Emilia quirked a faint smile, but refrained from making the quip that had passed through her head, instead just opting to nod it. “Sounds like a plan” she mused “Just try not to get here too early. Maisie’s still waking up every two hours at night, so I tend to sleep in as much as I can” she added with an awkward laugh.
Isaac smiled, admiring her pink cheeks. “You know I know that you have a new baby, don’t you?” he asked “I mean, Luca brings her up a lot” he added with a nonchalant shrug.
Emilia nodded, tucking her hair off of her face nervously. “I know” she mused.
Isaac pushed himself off of the doorframe, moving to sit down next to her on the side of the bed. Hesitating for a second, he gently pushed his glasses up his nose before he quirked a small smile, his hand squeezing hers which fiddled awkwardly in her lap. “I’m happy for you, Em” he mumbled gently.
Emilia shook her head, looking up at him. “Isaac...”
“I wish it was me” Isaac interrupted “Of course I do, but I know it isn’t, and I respect that. I am happy that you are happy, Emmy” he insisted.
Emilia’s eyes were soft as she looked up at him before she quirked a little smile. “I kind of loving having a newborn” she admitted.
“I bet” Isaac chirped “You used to love cuddles with Luca when he was tiny” he added.
Emilia smiled bashfully before she shook her head. “He’s missed you” she noted, changing the subject.
Isaac let out a breath, not entirely surprised by the change of the conversation topic, before he quirked another small smile. “I’ve missed him, too” he admitted “But a few more hours aren’t going to hurt. I’ll get out of your hair and come back in the morning” he added as he stood up.
Emilia nodded, watching as he walked towards the door, before he stopped, turning to look at her again.
Isaac opened his mouth, preparing to admit that he’d missed her as well as Luca, but the words died on his tongue as the phone, which was sat on the duvet behind her, lit up, Lionel and Emilia’s beaming grins filling the screen. Feeling a familiar lump in his throat, he watched Emilia glance down at the phone sheepishly, before he lifted a hand, offering her a halfhearted smile and a wave. “I’ll see you, Em” he mumbled.
“See you, Isaac” Emilia replied with an apologetic look.
Isaac nodded tightly before he walked out of the room and out of the house, wondering just when it would stop feeling like the first time he’d watched her smile about Lionel.
Emilia, who’d been busy trying to stop Maisie from crying, barely had a chance to open her mouth before Luca sprinted away from her, barreling through the crowded airport towards Isaac who was slowly wandering towards the three of them. It had been a while, after Maisie had been born, a couple of months had passed, and with Luca having finished school for his winter break, he, Emilia and Maisie had made their way home with the promise that Lionel would join them once he’d played his last match that weekend. It was something she had been looking forwards to, no matter how settled she was in Barcelona, the prospect of returning home was something she had been waiting for, and whilst it had meant leaving Lionel behind for a couple of days, she was looking forwards to seeing her family, particularly Jordi, Samia and their newborn son who they’d welcomed a couple of days previous.
“Luca!” Emilia yelled after him, still trying to soothe Maisie. Shaking her head, she tried to watch him through the crowd, losing him a couple of times, before she saw Isaac lift him above the crowd, allowing her to breathe out a sigh of relief. Making sure that Isaac was making his way over towards her, she turned her attention back towards Maisie, cooing at her softly for a few moments before Luca’s voice snipped into her ears, causing her to look up, her eyes meeting Isaac’s for a split second before she settled them firmly on Luca.
“See?” the little boy chirped.
Isaac, who’d watched Emilia shift her gaze, breathed out a little laugh, shifting his grasp on Luca slightly as he looked down at Maisie. “You were right” he noted “She is very cute” he added.
Emilia couldn’t stop the little laugh that fell out of her mouth. “He ran all the way over there to tell you Maisie is cute?” she prodded.
Isaac’s answering smile was pleasant, if a little forced as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. “He’s a very proud big brother” he mused.
Emilia nodded, allowing a moment of quiet to pass awkwardly between the two of them, before she fixed a pleasant smile onto her lips, her fingers gently smoothing out Maisie’s dress. “You didn’t have to come and pick us up” she mused.
Isaac shrugged, his stare fixed on the floor. “You needed a ride” he noted “And I wanted to see this little guy sooner rather than later. Besides, didn’t Jordi’s wife have their baby a couple of days ago?” he asked.
Emilia nodded. “She did” she confirmed.
“So I imagine that Marcella is all up in their business and isn’t going to appreciate being pulled away” Isaac mused “And with your boyfriend still back in Spain, I’m the best option you’ve got. Come on, I’ve even fitted a car seat for the little one” he added, offering Emilia the most encouraging smile he could muster.
The tension between them hadn’t eased. Isaac’s feelings for Emilia, and Emilia’s happiness with someone that wasn’t Isaac still hung over the two of them, but they did their best to try and make something between them function, even if every interaction did feel forced and awkward. They knew that, with Luca between the two of them, they needed to have some kind of relationship and they did their best to make sure that it was something civil and polite, wanting to show Luca that, despite the fact they’d broken up, they were capable of putting aside their differences for him.
Emilia quirked a slight smile as they began to walk towards the exit. “Where’d you get a car seat from?” she asked.
Isaac, who’d moved to settle Luca on his feet, shrugged. “My sister had one” he noted.
Emilia nodded her head slowly, but didn’t have the chance to say anything before Luca spoke up, taking Isaac’s focus off of her, something she was more than a little grateful for.
~#~
“Emilia?”
Emilia looked away from Maisie, her eyes landing on Isaac who stood in the doorway of her bedroom. “Yeah?” she replied quietly.
Isaac offered her an apologetic look for being too loud, before he jutted a thumb back over his shoulder. “Luca fell asleep on the couch” he murmured.
Emilia quirked a small smile. “I knew the excitement would catch up with him eventually” she mused “That, and the flight probably took a lot out of him. Did you want me to be the bad guy and wake him up?” she asked.
“I was going to suggest that we just let him sleep” Isaac replied “I can just come back and pick him up in the morning. My parents aren’t going to mind if we’re a day late, they’ll just be glad to see him” he added with a little shrug.
Emilia quirked a faint smile, but refrained from making the quip that had passed through her head, instead just opting to nod it. “Sounds like a plan” she mused “Just try not to get here too early. Maisie’s still waking up every two hours at night, so I tend to sleep in as much as I can” she added with an awkward laugh.
Isaac smiled, admiring her pink cheeks. “You know I know that you have a new baby, don’t you?” he asked “I mean, Luca brings her up a lot” he added with a nonchalant shrug.
Emilia nodded, tucking her hair off of her face nervously. “I know” she mused.
Isaac pushed himself off of the doorframe, moving to sit down next to her on the side of the bed. Hesitating for a second, he gently pushed his glasses up his nose before he quirked a small smile, his hand squeezing hers which fiddled awkwardly in her lap. “I’m happy for you, Em” he mumbled gently.
Emilia shook her head, looking up at him. “Isaac...”
“I wish it was me” Isaac interrupted “Of course I do, but I know it isn’t, and I respect that. I am happy that you are happy, Emmy” he insisted.
Emilia’s eyes were soft as she looked up at him before she quirked a little smile. “I kind of loving having a newborn” she admitted.
“I bet” Isaac chirped “You used to love cuddles with Luca when he was tiny” he added.
Emilia smiled bashfully before she shook her head. “He’s missed you” she noted, changing the subject.
Isaac let out a breath, not entirely surprised by the change of the conversation topic, before he quirked another small smile. “I’ve missed him, too” he admitted “But a few more hours aren’t going to hurt. I’ll get out of your hair and come back in the morning” he added as he stood up.
Emilia nodded, watching as he walked towards the door, before he stopped, turning to look at her again.
Isaac opened his mouth, preparing to admit that he’d missed her as well as Luca, but the words died on his tongue as the phone, which was sat on the duvet behind her, lit up, Lionel and Emilia’s beaming grins filling the screen. Feeling a familiar lump in his throat, he watched Emilia glance down at the phone sheepishly, before he lifted a hand, offering her a halfhearted smile and a wave. “I’ll see you, Em” he mumbled.
“See you, Isaac” Emilia replied with an apologetic look.
Isaac nodded tightly before he walked out of the room and out of the house, wondering just when it would stop feeling like the first time he’d watched her smile about Lionel.