—recuérdame

Her heart did a funny little flip as he smirked and moved in to kiss her, and she was more than happy to meet him halfway. Once he had pulled back for air, she blinked her eyes open slowly, a little pleasantly dazed from the long kiss. Her own hand came up to cup his jaw, while her thumb brushed softly across his lower lip. “Mmm,” she hummed happily before saying, “I like your methods of persuasion.” Having Desmond in her life was so...foreign. But in the best of ways. She’d never had someone who she could be this relaxed around, someone who she felt this safe with. Izzy giggled again, still somewhat surprised every time the funny little sound dropped from her lips. She hadn’t giggled all that much before meeting Desmond, but he simply made her feel giddy. “Is it insulting if I call you cute? I don’t care, I’m calling you cute. You’re cute,” she said insistently with a smile. As he leaned back, she followed, laying her head on his chest as she looked up at him from the vantage. “It’ll have to be a very covert operation. This is probably life or death.”

Izzy was perpetually smiling in Desmond’s arms, every move of him only making the happiness bubbling within her multiply. Though...she was still concerned about how he felt considering his words on abdicating before. They hadn’t really spoken of it since, and if he truly wanted to make it a reality, Izzy wanted to help. He shouldn’t have to go through something alone. Unless his feelings had changed? It was impossible to know without asking, though. And though she normally didn’t shy away from such things, she was too caught up in him and the wonderful feeling of his lips against her skin at the moment to ask. He and his mouth set her heart to pounding a little faster. “Maybe I’d like to see you try.” So far his method seemed...enjoyable. Another wide smile broke over her lips at his suggestion, and she wondered how she could have gotten so lucky to be paired with someone who seemed to desire similar things that she did. “That actually sounds amazing.” The walls were rather stifling here, and Izzy’d had more than enough of them. “So what’ll we do? Braid a chain out of clothes and hang out the window for our grand escape?” she joked lightly. “I did have plans to stay in the lap of a devastatingly handsome Irish-man for the rest of the day but...I suppose I could reschedule with him.”

To be honest, there had certainly been a part of Izzy that had been worried that Demond’s words and actions after she’d gone to him post secret reveal had simply been a fluke spurred on by alcohol and the sensation of his word crumbling. Needless to say, she was ecstatic to find that it seemed his sentiments hadn’t changed when she’d seen him again. But the wondering of those few hours and made it impossible to ignore just how strong her feelings had become for Desmond, highlighted by the anxiety and fear she’d undergone in that time while wondering whether she’d showed her hand for nothing. But her worries proved to be unfounded, and Izzy rather felt thankful to be a flimsy word for the happiness she felt upon kissing and holding Desmond again. All too eager to be pulled into his lap, she giggled in happiness once more, settling onto him easily as she looped her arms around his shoulders. “Don’t fight me on this,” she said with a playful glint in her eye. “You know I’m far too stubborn to give in.” For a moment she simply basked in him, tucking herself into his neck for a moment with an affectionate little nuzzle of her nose. “Well, thanks for asking me. Even if it’s such a chore to come and see a man that makes me happy, and be kissed by him.”

Her days with Desmond often felt like they were straight from a dream, but the downside of that was the hidden anxiety that she might one day very soon wake up from it. After all, she was going to have to tell him of her identity once she was certain she could care for her family without the help of the King and Queen. And then...she desperately wanted to believe that nothing would change between them, but the reality was— she was lying to Desmond. And she wouldn’t blame him for condemning her for it when she finally broke the truth. But she was trying her best not to think of that day, and instead enjoy what they had now. It was easy to focus on that when he simply made her feel so....happy. This morning was no exception as she gave him a kiss, a giggle for the sake of being joyful emitting from her. Izzy was giggling much more these days than she ever had before, though it was mostly exclusively in Desmond’s company. “Good morning, mi querido.” The flowers were absolutely lovely, and her smile widened greatly at the sight of them, her eyes lighting up. “You’re so cheesy,” she teased lightly, though she adored it when he brought her flowers. More sincerely, she added, “I love them,” as she gave him another kiss, unable to contain it. Every time he gave her flowers, she saved her favorite blooms and pressed them into her journal, so she’d be able to have them forever. “I need to start bringing you presents. You keep making me look like a terrible betrothed.” To be honest, she still wasn’t sure how comfortable Desmond was with her using the word fiancée.