Give Me Your Heart

27: Don’t Let It Go Again

Closing down the laptop that sat ahead of her, Riley spared a relieved sigh, her hand gently rubbing against her bump in an attempt to soothe the kicks which tapped against it. It had been a long morning, with the baby being particularly active, Riley had barely been able to focus, but she was glad that she was done with work for the day, even if she was due to head out to lunch with Gerard and his friends, she was merely looking forwards to relaxing a little. Shuffling the laptop into her bag, she pushed herself away from the desk before she turned, startling a little at the sight of Gerard who stood in the door way, an amused grin on his face.

“You promised that you’d stop doing that” she grumbled, lifting her bag onto her shoulder.

Gerard offered her an impish smile before he stepped into the room, lifting the bag off of her shoulder. “You ready to go?” he posed gently.

“I am” Riley confirmed “You’re still sure about wanting to head out?” she posed.

Gerard nodded. “Of course I am” he enthused softly “You’re not backing out on me, are you?” he added as he moved to take her hand, offering it a slight squeeze.

Riley shook her head. “No” she noted “But if you wanted to cancel, I’d get it. It’s been what, 6 weeks since you and Alexa ended things?” she posed softly, her blue eyes peeking up at him shyly.

“Riley” Gerard mumbled, his tone a little warning. He knew what she was getting at, the period of time between his break up with Alexa and his reconciliation with Riley had been minimal, but he didn’t want her worrying about it. Despite being a little irked about their breakup, Alexa had been particularly quiet and he didn’t want Riley worrying about something which hadn’t even happened. Chances were that Alexa had already found someone else and had little intention of causing them an issue.

“You can’t tell me that it hasn’t crossed your mind” Riley countered as she moved to lead him out of her office, locking the door behind them.

Gerard nodded. “Of course it has” he mumbled gently “But right now, there is nothing to be worried about. We’re good, Riley, really good” he insisted with a warm smile.

Riley offered him a slightly dubious look, something which caused the defender to duck down, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. “We’re fine, nena” he murmured softly.

“You sure?” Riley posed, her blue eyes mirroring his.

Gerard quirked a small smile before he nodded. “I’m certain” he enthused gently.

~#~
“You’re sure that you want to do this?” Gerard posed as he took a hold of Riley’s hand, leading her towards the restaurant that he had chosen for their lunch. It had been a while, even before their breakup, Riley had been reluctant to spend a lot of time around his friends and their partners, but a part of him was a little glad that she had agreed to have lunch with Lionel and Antonella. It was a step forwards for their new relationship and he was excited by the idea that she felt ready to take it.

“I want to do this” Riley enthused “It will be nice to spend time with someone that isn’t you or Cass” she teased, offering him an impish grin.

Gerard scoffed playfully “You don’t like spending time with me?” he quipped, a playful pout on his face.

Riley shrugged. “You’re alright I guess” she played along.

Gerard offered her a mock glare, something which made her giggle a little. It was still a little new, despite having been dating for a couple of weeks, things still felt new and a little unfamiliar, but Riley kind of liked it, even if she knew that it would only last for a little longer, she was determined to enjoy the early stages of their new relationship for as long as she could. “You know I love it really” she teased as he pushed the door ahead of him open.

“You’d better” Gerard quipped, a grin on his face.

Riley offered him a soft smile before she felt a hand on her back, something which caused her to wheel around, her eyes landing on Antonella who grinned at her, her eyes briefly scanning the bump which was clearly noticeable beneath her shirt. “Wow” she squeaked.

Riley shook her head. “It’s pretty huge right?” she quipped, a small hint of pink on her cheeks.

Antonella shook her head, a soft smile on her face. “Not even slightly” she quipped “You look amazing, Riley” she added.

Riley offered her a slightly dubious look before Lionel appeared, a warm grin on his face. “Riley, it’s been a long time” he grinned kindly.

Riley returned his smile gently, but shifted a little, something which made Gerard shake his head slightly. It was a trait of hers, when she was around people she didn’t know too well, she tended to get a little shy, and he had to admit that it was a sight that he had missed. He liked the shy side of her. “It has been” he confirmed softly “And you can all catch up in second, but first, let’s go and find somewhere to sit” he enthused as he offered Riley’s hand a small squeeze.

Lionel nodded. “I’ve got us a table” he enthused.

Gerard offered the smaller man a warm smile before he followed him across the restaurant, his hand gently squeezing Riley’s in attempt to reassure her.

~#~
Sipping on the glass of water that sat in his hand, Gerard rested back in his seat, his blue eyes watching Riley who sat across from him, talking animatedly with Antonella. It had been a pleasant afternoon, despite Riley’s original hesitancy, she had warmed quickly to spending time with Lionel and Antonella, and Gerard was pleased to see it. He had little doubt that Antonella would prove a good friend to Riley throughout the latter stages of her pregnancy.

“You know” Lionel peeped “You’ve not stopped looking at her since we sat down” he teased.

Gerard shrugged. “She’s very beautiful” he noted softly “Even more so with that bump” he added, watching as Antonella gently rested her hand on Riley’s bump.

Lionel, who was sat in the seat beside him, shook his head, an amused smile on his face. It was a pleasant change, after watching him with Alexa, it was nice to see a genuine smile on Gerard’s face, and the argentine had to admit that he was pleased for him, even if he was a little nervous about the idea of Gerard and Riley making the same mistake, he doubted he had seen him happier in a while. “You’re going to make it work this time, aren’t you?” he posed quietly, his eyes glancing towards Riley who smiled at Antonella, chattering excitedly about the idea of baby shopping.

Gerard, who was watching the two women too, nodded. “I am” he confirmed softly “It’s going to take a little work, especially with her parents and with bump being due in a couple of months, but I am going to try my hardest, Leo” he insisted, peeking at the argentine.

Lionel quirked a small smile and patted his shoulder. “Don’t let her go again, amigo” he noted gently “She’s a keeper” he added.

Gerard offered him a small smile and nodded, knowing that he was right.
♠ ♠ ♠
Thanks to Jayme112234 and FootieJo for the comments :)