Can’t Look Away

70: You Found Me

“Leo?”

Lionel, who’d been toeing off his shoes, let out a gentle sigh at the sound of Sasha’s voice. It wasn’t that he was unhappy to be home, but after a tough match that had ended badly for the team, he wasn’t exactly looking forwards to spending an awkward evening with Sasha. They both knew that something was off. Since the night that they had gotten engaged, there’d been a clear shift in the atmosphere between them, but neither one of them chose to acknowledge it or try to fix it, meaning that things which had previously felt comfortable now felt like they took a lot of effort. It wasn’t a first. At almost every milestone in their relationship, Sasha had assumed the worst, and they had always managed to get past it, but he hadn’t been able to let it slide again. He didn’t like the idea that she thought he was unsure, or that she was unsure and was putting her concerns onto him.

Leaning over, he tidied away his shoes before he stood up, his stare settling on Sasha who’d stopped halfway down the stairs. “Did you not hear me?” she asked.

“Sorry” Lionel mumbled, hanging his jacket up.

Sasha watched him quietly as he picked his bag up off of the floor before she followed him through the house, stopping when they reached the laundry room.

Lionel pulled his dirty clothes out of the bag, dumping them into the washing machine.

“Arlo is with my parents” Sasha’s voice came out slightly quieter than she had been expecting it to, but it was still enough for Lionel to pick his head up, a small crease forming between his eyebrows.

“Why?” Lionel asked.

“I kind of had something planned” Sasha replied, shyly pushing her hair back off of her face “But I am starting to rethink it. I should have given it more thought before now. I’ll call my mother, tell her to bring him home” she added before she moved to step out of the doorway.

Lionel was quicker. Gently, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist and tugged her to a stop.

Sasha’s eyes looked down at his hand on her wrist before they slowly tracked up towards his face, the slightest hint of a hopeful smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “It’s not a lot” she said gently “The last few days have been weird for us, and I...I thought I could try and fix it. It’s really nothing extravagant, but I just...” she trailed off as she watched the corners of Lionel’s mouth quirk into a gentle smile. Shaking her head, she took a small step towards him before she pressed her lips against his cheek.

Lionel’s eyes closed at the contact. “What have you got in mind?” he murmured.

Sasha gently brushed his hair back, allowing her to place a kiss against his temple. “Come with me and find out” she said, smiling slightly against his skin.

Lionel’s hand moved from her wrist to her hand, gently twining their fingers together. “Alright” he agreed.

Sasha gently squeezed his hand before she guided him out of the room. Slowly, they progressed towards the kitchen before Sasha dropped his hand, allowing her to take a slightly nervous step towards the table which she had laid out. “The food is from the restaurant we first went to together” she said quietly “The champagne is the same brand that Leila and Olivier had at their wedding, the same one that I stole a bottle of to sit outside with and drown my sorrows” she added with a slightly nervous laugh.

Lionel’s lips quirked, but he stayed quiet.

“The plates” Sasha spluttered, desperate to keep the silence from settling “They’re from a set Cassie and I bought years ago. I think we were still at university when we got them. Anyway, that’s not the important bit. I don’t know how well you can see the pattern on them from here, but I think you’d recognise it if you saw it. The set is missing one because...”

“I dropped it the first time we kissed” Lionel finished for her.

Sasha fell quiet, nodding her head as a soft hue of pink bloomed across her cheeks. “I know it’s silly” she said “I mean, these are just...little things, but I hoped that they’d be little reminders of us” she added.

Lionel stepped past her, his fingertips tracing over the label on the bottle of champagne. “Your mother got her wish” he said after a few moments of quiet.

Sasha, who’d been watching him, tilted her head in confusion. “What?” she asked.

Lionel turned around to look at her, a grin pulling up the corners of his mouth. “That’s why you were hiding at the wedding” he quipped “Not because of Leila and Olivier, but because your mother was trying to set you up with every single man there. She wanted to use your sister’s wedding to find your future husband and she did. You found me” he added.

Sasha blinked a couple of times before, slowly, a smile overtook her features. “I did” she confirmed.

“Sasha...”

“Can I say my piece first?” Sasha interrupted “I’ve got a few things I want to say” she added.

Lionel’s forehead furrowed, but he still nodded. “Of course” he noted.

Sasha was quiet for a moment, trying to get her thoughts in order, before she offered him a slightly nervous look. “You make me happy” she said gently “I don’t think I tell you that enough. I’ve spent a lot of this relationship being scared, or putting up walls because of what Alex did, that I don’t think I’ve ever really taken the time to tell you how I feel about you, and I really should do it more often, because you are...you’re wonderful and I don’t know what I would do without you now. I know I have a habit of saying the wrong thing, and I know I will probably say it again in the future, I don’t think I can help it, but I need you to know that I don’t think you doubt this, and I don’t either. I want this, every part of it, and I am so sorry for making you think otherwise. I love us” she insisted.

Lionel stared at her for a moment, his eyes searching hers, before, eventually, a slow, warm grin brightened his features. “I love us, too” he said.

Sasha nodded. “I know you do” she mused “I’ve always known” she added.

Lionel took a step forwards, capturing her hand in his before he allowed his thumb to brush over the spot where her engagement ring ought to have been. “Where is it?” he asked.

“My bedside table” Sasha replied.

“Get it” Lionel mused “You’re going to have to have it to show your mama when we go and get Arlo” he added.

Sasha let out a slightly surprised noise. “You want to tell them?” she asked.

Lionel pressed a tender kiss to her forehead before he smiled. “Why wait?” he mumbled against her skin.
♠ ♠ ♠
Thanks to Jayme112234 for the comment :)