The Space Between Us

Quietly pushing a drawer closed, Amelia turned and looked around the quiet bedroom, a slightly awed smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She had spent a lot of nights there. Even though her preference had always been to spend nights with Lionel in her apartment, they had spent countless nights in his too, and it meant that looking around the place, and seeing her little touches in his room, felt a little surreal.

She hadn’t had much of a chance to enjoy it before. Almost as soon as they had made the decision to move her things into his place, they had been on their way to Paris, and they hadn’t been back in his home since, but Amelia had to admit that it was something she liked. She had been scared that it would overwhelm her. It had been a long time since she had shared her space with anyone, and the last time that she had, it had gone spectacularly wrong, but she had adapted to it easily. She liked that the space that had once just been his had become theirs.

Shaking her head a little, she padded towards the bed and drew the covers back, only looking up again when she heard Lionel shuffle out of the bathroom.

Lionel caught her eye and flashed her a faint, amused smile. “What are you smiling about?” he asked.

Amelia huffed out a laugh as climbed into bed, answering him with a little shrug. “I’m just happy” she quipped “Is that alright with you?” she teased.

Lionel made a show of holding his hands up, something which made Amelia roll her eyes as she reached out to pick up her tablet. For a few minutes, the two of them were quiet, both busy with their own night-time routines, before Lionel leant over, pressing a soft kiss against Amelia’s bare shoulder. “Was today everything you thought it would be?” he asked quietly.

It had been everything he had been expecting. As soon as Amelia had lifted her hand, showing off the engagement ring that had been previously tucked into her pocket, the room had exploded in congratulations and hugs, and it had enough to drown out all of the anxiety he had had about being in Barcelona, only to have to leave again. The thought had still intruded on his mind. When Felicity and Alexa had started to talk about making wedding plans, and Amelia had had to point out that most of it would probably be done over video calls, he had felt his stomach twist, but it had passed quickly when Felicity had announced that she and Albert already had plans to visit Paris, something that had caused Amelia, who had spent most of the day grinning, to light up even more.

Amelia, who’d been staring at something on the screen of her tablet, blinked a couple of times, surprised by his question, before she quirked a soft smile. “It was” she confirmed “I mean, I knew that they’d be excited, but I don’t think I was really prepared for how excited” she added.

Lionel scoffed playfully. “You’ve met your mother, right?” he quipped “I mean, she practically threw a party the first time you bought me home to her. Did you really think that her reaction to us getting engaged was going to be understated?” he prodded.

Amelia made a show of rolling her eyes as she scrolled down on her tablet, but it wasn’t enough to mask the slight frown that had pulled at her lips momentarily, something which caused Lionel’s warm smile to dim ever so slightly. He knew what she was thinking. Even without Amelia saying a word, the expression on her face was familiar, and he knew that it was about Fernando. She had been expecting a slightly more muted response to their engagement because it wasn’t the first time she had gone home and told her family that she had found the person that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

Lionel watched her face for a moment, giving her a beat to say something, but when she didn’t, he diverted his stare towards her tablet, his expression softening a little when he saw what filled the screen. He didn’t want to fight about Fernando, and what she was looking at provided the perfect excuse to change the subject. “Those are adorable” he quipped.

Amelia smiled, shifting the screen so that he could see it a little better. “I bought one when Alexa was pregnant with Charlie” she mused “I figured I should buy one for my new little niece” she added.

Lionel moved the page up and down a few times, something Amelia watched with a soft smile, before she leant over, pressing a soft kiss against his jaw. “Can I ask you something?” she asked quietly.

“Is is whether you should get the penguin or the dinosaur, because I have some pretty strong opinions” Lionel quipped impishly.

Amelia smiled against his jaw. “I’d love to hear those” she mused “But I had something else in mind” she added.

Lionel turned his head, pressing a kiss to the crown of hers. “Ask away” he said.

Amelia opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, trying to find the right words, before she tipped her head towards the screen. “Do you want that someday?” she asked.

Lionel, who’d still been scrolling down the webpage, stilled at the question before he pulled back slightly, allowing him to search Amelia’s face for a moment before he spoke. “Do I want what?” he asked.

Again, Amelia nodded at the screen. “That” she said.

“Do I want a dinosaur mobile?” Lionel’s reply was part teasing, part frustrated.

He knew exactly what she was asking, but he was irked that she wouldn’t just ask the question she really wanted to ask. It was something they both did too easily. When something was complicated, or serious, they both opted to skirt around it, rather than confront it, and it was something that Lionel knew they needed to change. If they were going to have a successful marriage, then they both needed to get better at talking about the big things, even if it was difficult. They were never going to get anywhere if they kept just avoiding talking about them.

Amelia’s lips quirked upwards into a slightly rueful smile. “Sorry” she mumbled.

“Just ask me” Lionel’s voice was soft and reassuring “We’re engaged, Lia. We’re going to get married. It’s not exactly surprising that you’re thinking about what comes after that. So ask me what you really want to ask me” he added.

Amelia stared down at her fidgeting hands for a moment before she looked up at him. “Do you think about us having children someday?” she asked.

Lionel’s face brightened with a soft smile. “Yeah” he confirmed “I do” he added.

Amelia nodded her head slowly, taking in his answer, before she gently twisted her fingers through his. “Do you think we’d be good at it?” she asked “Being parents?” she clarified.

Lionel pressed his lips to the top of her head again. “I hope so” he murmured “I think we would be. You’ve got so much warmth, so much love to give, and I think that any baby of ours would be lucky to have you at their mother” he added.

“They’d be lucky to have you, too” Amelia cooed.

“Yeah?” Lionel prodded, smiling into her hair.

“You’re amazing” Amelia insisted “You’re so supportive, and kind, and fun, and I think...no, I know that you’d be an amazing papa” she added.

Lionel pressed a kiss against her temple. “Thank you” he murmured.

Amelia leant into him, allowing a moment of quiet to pass between them, before she tilted her head back to look up at his face.

Lionel’s lips quirked amusedly as he studied the dreamy look on her face. “What are you smiling at?” he asked.

Amelia just smile bashfully before she shook her head, returning her stare to the tablet that was still propped up in her lap.

Lionel watched her, still admiring the soft grin on her face, before he pressed his lips to her shoulder again, mumbling that he loved her. Amelia leant into him, pressing her lips to his briefly, before she mumbled the same words in reply.