Love Me Until My Heart Stops

Smiling, Gerard stared at the brunette who was curled up at his side, her skin just visible beneath the thick blanket that she had wrapped around herself before she had fallen asleep just a few hours previous. She looked so peaceful, her eyes were squeezed shut and her snores were small and wispy, and Gerard couldn’t stop looking at her. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It had been an unexpected turn of events, Gerard had half expected that Esmé would toss him out of her room when she found him there, but he was pleased that she hadn’t. It wasn’t a definite thing, Esmé had made it clear to him that she was still hesitant about moving on with him, but it was a good step in the right direction and he couldn’t help but be hopeful for them. They were compatible, anyone could see it, and he wanted a shot at showing her that he could make her happy, something that he was certain of.

Offering her another look, he shook his head and slowly climbed to his feet, collecting his clothes from the ground.

“You’d best not be leaving” Esmé’s voice was sleepy, but still it made him grin. The slightly teasing comment was something he had missed, even if it had only been days.

“I was not” Gerard clarified, pulling his boxers back on “I was merely making myself decent” he added, sitting down beside her.

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before” Esmé commented, a small blush on her cheeks.

Gerard chuckled and leant towards her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. It was strange, the idea that he had the opportunity to do it without resistance from her, but he wasn’t going to turn his back on it. He liked kissing her and had intentions of being able to do it for a while yet. Esmé smiled into the kiss, her hands burying themselves in his hair. “I could get used to that” she murmured as he pulled back, trying to catch his breath.

“You’re going to get used to it” the defender grinned, tucking her hair behind her ear “But at your own pace, of course” he added, knowing that there was nothing official between them. He didn’t want to rush her, getting over things was going to take time, but he wanted her to know that that was where they were heading. One night was never going to be enough for him.

Esmé smiled at him shyly, her hands fiddling with the bedspread. “Gracias” she murmured.

Gerard shook his head. “I’ve seen you naked, and you’re getting shy on me now?” he teased.

Esmé rolled her eyes and nudged his ribs, her cheeks still pink. “You know that you can’t tell people about this, don’t you?” she murmured.

“I know” Gerard noted “And I won’t. We don’t have to do anything until you want to” he assured her.

“Who were you supposed to be rooming with last night?” she posed, snuggling into her pillow contently.

“Leo” Gerard commented, lying beside her “But as far as he knows, we were perfectly fine. It won’t come as a shock for him to find out that I spent the night here” he added. He had thought it through, having Lionel as a roommate had been by design, and he knew that the argentine wouldn’t question it. As far as he was concerned, Esmé and Gerard had been fine even before the previous night.

“You’re Ok with lying to them?” Esmé posed, rolling onto her side.

“I am not lying” Gerard returned, his hand moving to find hers in the mountain of sheets that was around them “I am just not telling them, it’s different” he reasoned.

“They’re your friends, Gerard” Esmé murmured.

“And I can be awfully tactful when I want to be. They won’t be finding out from me, Esmé. If you want to tell them, then feel free” he noted, laying on his back and looking up at the ceiling, a dumb grin stretched across his face.

“You’ve not stopped grinning yet” Esmé commented, leaning a little closer to him.

“That’s because I haven’t left yet. Right now, I am still in the post-sex haze” he quipped crudely, causing Esmé to wrinkle her nose. Gerard chuckled at the sight and pressed a kiss to her nose, making it scrunch up further. “I may not have mentioned it before, but you’re freaking adorable” he chuckled before a small silence fell over them, his arms wrapping around her tightly. Esmé snuggled into the embrace, her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. It felt strange to her, waking up beside her best friend, but it was a welcome kind of strange. For the first time in a little while, she felt good about herself, and she owed a lot to the man who laid with her, mumbling sweetly to her.

Twisting a little, she pressed a kiss against his chin, causing him to look down at her, his reassuring grin on his face. “Gerard, thank you” she whispered gently, not wanting to disturb the peace which was around them.

Gerard shook his head. “You don’t have to say that” he mumbled, his fingers drawing patterns against the skin of her bare back.

“I know” she mused “But still” she added.

Gerard chuckled. “You’re never going to have to thank me for caring about you, Esmé” he mused, kissing the top of her head.

Esmé cuddled into him, relaxing for a second before a knock at the door resonated, causing her to curse. Gerard let her climb away from him, his blue eyes keenly watching as she sped around the room, dressing herself in the first things she could lay her hands on before she pulled the door open. “Lionel” she announced, earning a smirk on Gerard’s face. He could practically picture the blush on her cheeks. “What can I do for you this morning?” she posed.

Lionel, who stood in the hall, smirked. There was no missing the glow that was around Esmé that morning. “You can tell Romeo to put his pants back on” the argentine quipped.

Esmé stiffened. “R…Romeo, what on earth are you talking about?” she stammered.

Lionel chuckled. “Gerard didn’t come back to our room last night, I can only assumed he stayed here and given the fact that your shirt’s on backwards, I would guess that he’s not wearing that much right now” he grinned, chuckling a little as Esmé checked the front of her shirt.

Esmé’s cheeks were beet red as Gerard appeared behind her, his arm wrapping around her waist. “Can I help you with something, Leo?” he posed.

“I just wanted to make sure you were up” the argentine commented “We’re due on the bus in a little while. I didn’t mean to interrupt” he smirked, eyeing Esmé in a way that made her turn away, hiding herself in Gerard’s chest. The defender wrapped his arm around her shoulder and smiled, noting the wink that Lionel sent in his direction. “I will see the pair of you downstairs” Lionel quipped before he stepped away, allowing Gerard to knock the door shut.

“I cannot tell you how mortified I am right now” Esmé murmured.

“I can see it on your face” Gerard replied “But be grateful, it could have been Enrique” he grinned.

Esmé tossed a pillow at him. “Don’t joke about that. God knows what he would do if he found out about you and me” she muttered.

Gerard tilted his head. “There’s a ‘You and Me’?” he posed.

“A tentative one, yes. Do you think I was going to let you get away with sleeping with me?” Esmé posed, sitting on the bed.

Gerard smiled. “You’re not joking with me now, are you?” he quipped, stepping towards her.

Esmé lifted an eyebrow. “Would I do that to you?” she posed.

Gerard smirked. “I sincerely hope not” he teased.

“Gerard” Esmé murmured “This is very tentative, I don’t want to run around making a big deal about it. I need you to promise that you can keep it to yourself for a little while” she mused gently.

Gerard nodded. “Of course I can” he promised softly “But I can’t promise the same for Leo. He’s not keeping that to himself for long” he smiled.

“Then just try and keep calm. Don’t get ahead of us” she mused, pulling him close with the material of the shirt he had put back on. Gerard smiled down at her tenderly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, wordlessly promising to take his time with her.