Love Me Until My Heart Stops

“Remind me how I let you talk me into this?” Esmé murmured as she sat down in the seat that had been placed out of her, her brown eyes peeking over at Gerard who sat at her side. It had been a couple of days, almost a week since the image of Shakira and Gerard had gotten out, and still the rumors circled around them. There was no truth to it, people were speculating that it was only a matter of time before Gerard revealed that he and Esmé had gone their separate ways, and Gerard wanted to put a stop to it.

It didn’t bother him, people were always going to ask questions and it was something he had gotten used to over the years, but he knew that it bothered Esmé, even if she was doing her best not to let it show. She was good at it, nodding and smiling to pretend that the rumours didn’t bother her, but he knew her better than that. Every question that was asked about them hurt her, she took it to heart, and it was only a matter of time before she started to question herself, a trait of hers that had always worried Gerard.

“Because you know that it is a good idea” Gerard reasoned gently.

“We could have come up with something else” Esmé replied, kicking her feet gently “Something that didn’t involve a camera” she added.

Gerard smiled and reached his hand out, taking hers gently. “It’s a couple of pictures, nena. They just want a couple of shots to go with the article and I promise it won’t take long. All you have to do is look at me” he enthused, his thumb gently brushing over the back of her hand.

“That’s easy for you to say” Esmé mumbled “You’re ridiculously photogenic” she added.

“Well, gracias, but it shouldn’t bother you either, Esmé” Gerard noted, squeezing her hand gently.

Esmé opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off as an enthusiastic blonde woman skittered into the room, flashing the pair a smile. “Miss Silva” she announced, her voice a little false “My name is Cassie and I will be your stylist for today” she added. Esmé offered her an odd look before she quietly nodded her head, mumbling a small hello. Gerard watched her for a second, wishing he could give her just a glimpse of herself through his eyes, before he quietly excused himself, making his way towards the director who waited impatiently outside.

Esmé watched Gerard go before she turned to Cassie who had started twittering on about how she wanted to fix the brunette’s hair. “Does this usually take very long?” she posed, her feet kicking the ground shyly.

Cassie shook her head. “Not at all” she mused “We just have a little work to do” she added.

Esmé nodded her head and rested back into her seat, hoping that it would help to put a stop to the rumours which sat around them.

~#~
Running her fingertips through her hair, Esmé peeked at the mirror, her brown eyes a little wide as she stared at the reflection.

“You look great” Cassie assured her gently, brushing the last of Esmé’s hair away from her shoulders.

“I feel a little like a hooker” Esmé mumbled, her hands tugging at the bottom of the shirt that they had dressed her in. It wasn’t what she would have done, she would have wanted any picture of her and Gerard to be simple and sweet, but the director had had a very different idea. She wore makeup, something she tended to shy away from most of the time, and the only clothing they had her in was a Barcelona shirt, Gerard’s name placed on her shoulders. It wasn’t comfortable, she didn’t like the amount of skin that was on show, but she didn’t want to fight it.

She hadn’t want to let it get to her, after all, she had been perfectly aware of what had happened between Gerard and his ex, but that didn’t mean it didn’t play on her mind. People were asking questions, they were having doubts about them, and Esmé couldn’t help but take them to heart. The insecure side of her worried that it was only a matter of time before Gerard realized what else he could have and ended up hurting her all over again.

“You really look nice, Esmé” Cassie assured her gently before she ushered her onto the set, something which made Esmé shift a little.

Gerard, who’d been talking with the director, looked up, his blue eyes widening a little as he spotted his girlfriend. “Wow” he squeaked.

The director shook his head and padded away, affording Gerard the chance to pad towards Esmé, a grin lighting up his face. “Don’t smile like that” Esmé muttered as she shook her head gently “That’s the smile you had when we first slept together” she added, a small blush on her cheeks.

Gerard shook his head. “You look beautiful, Esmé” he murmured as he placed his hands on her hips, warding off a few stares from staff which milled around them “I have never actually seen you in a Barca shirt” he added.

“I stopped wearing them when I was 10” she mumbled “Though, from the size of this one, I think they may have got it from my mother’s loft” she muttered.

Gerard smiled. “You’re taking that home with you” he mused, his fingers grazing against the skin of her thighs which was left exposed.

“Really?” Esmé squeaked, her eyebrow raised a little.

Gerard shrugged. “What can I say?” he teased gently.

Esmé shook her head. “You’re odd” she mumbled.

Gerard smiled gently and took her hand, leading her towards the spot where the director wanted them to stand. “You’re sure about this, aren’t you?” Esmé mumbled as the director padded over towards them, his hands moving to place Gerard’s on Esmé’s hips before he stormed back over to his camera.

“United front” Gerard replied “If we show people that we’re not bothered, then maybe they’ll stop being bothered too. It’s not foolproof, but it’s something” he reasoned gently.

Esmé nodded her head softly, offering him a shy smile.

“You look wonderful, querida” he promised her gently.

“I want to see love” the director mused “I want you to look at one another as though you could not breathe without the other” he added.

Gerard smiled gently and shuffled his feet a little closer to Esmé, ducking his head down to place his forehead against hers, their noses touching lightly. He knew that it wasn’t foolproof, even with pictures and a magazine article stressing that they were committed to one another, things were still not going to be perfect, but he hoped it could cover them for a while. He knew what Esmé was like, he knew that it was starting to get at her, and he wanted to take away the doubts she was having. He didn’t doubt them, he hadn’t done for months, and he wanted her to know it. He wanted her to know that there was nothing to be concerned about.