If You Love Me

Brushing a few loose hairs off of her face, Nora allowed a soft yawn to fall out of her mouth, pulling her attention away from the screen of her laptop which sat on the counter. It had been a little while, after she and Gerard had said those three words to one another, they’d headed back to her apartment, and with the defender having opted to take a nap, Nora had been quick to busy herself with some work, something which had led to her getting a little tired. Sparing the screen another look, she scanned over the information before she moved to close the laptop down, allowing her the opportunity to rest back into her seat slightly, another soft yawn tumbling out of her mouth.

“Do you want me to go?”

Nora, who’d closed her eyes, startled at the sound of Gerard’s voice, almost falling out of her seat before she lifted her head, offering him a small glare. “I thought you were still asleep” she noted “You scared me” she added.

Gerard, who’d just about managed to stifle his laughter, shook his head. “I didn’t mean to” he noted softly “I woke up and I thought I would come and see what you were up to. I’m sorry for startling you” he added gently as he stepped towards her, wrapping his arms loosely around her.

Nora smiled a little at the feel of his arms before she gently tilted her head up, pressing a light kiss against his cheek. “It’s OK” she mused softly.

Gerard smiled a little at the feel of her lips against his skin before he tightened his arms around her slightly, offering her a brief tight hug before he pulled back, moving to collect a bottle of water from the fridge. “Do you mind me staying again tonight?” he posed, sipping on his drink.

Nora, who’d moved to pull her blonde hair up into a ponytail, shook her head. “Of course not” she noted “But you might have to entertain yourself. It’s been a long day and a small part of me is looking forwards to getting an early night” she added, sparing another small yawn into her hand.

Gerard watched her for a moment, smiling a little at the yawn which had fallen out of her mouth, before he nodded his head. “We’ve not eaten yet” he noted gently “Why don’t you go and pick out a film or something whilst I make us something to eat. Then you can think about heading to bed” he suggested softly.

Nora offered him a soft look, mulling over his offer, before she nodded, sparing him a small sleepy smile. “I think that sounds like a plan” she mused softly.

Gerard returned her smile lightly before he ushered her out of the room, moving to prepare them something to eat. It felt a little strange, the idea that he and Nora had said those three words to one another was something which was likely to take a little while to settle in, but he was pleased that he had said it to her, even if he had been slightly concerned that he would scare her slightly, he knew it had only been a matter of time before the words fell out of his mouth.

~#~
“You know, if you’re really that tired, you could just go to bed”

Nora, who was cuddled up against his side, startled a little at the sound of Gerard’s voice before she lightly shook her head, sparing a light yawn into her hand. It had been a quiet night, with Nora feeling tired, Gerard had opted to keep things simple and calm, but still he had to admit that he had enjoyed himself. He liked spending time around her, even if they weren’t doing all that much, and he wanted to make the most of it, wanting to enjoy the honeymoon period of their relationship whilst it lasted.

“I’m OK” she noted softly.

Gerard scoffed playfully. “Nora, you’ve fallen asleep twice since we sat down here” he pointed out “If you want to go to sleep, it’s fine, I’m not going to hold it against you” he added, his voice warm and teasing.

Nora offered him a soft look, briefly mulling over his offer, before she let out a soft sigh. “I should probably go to sleep” she noted softly.

“You probably should” Gerard agreed, nudging her shoulder lightly.

Nora nodded her head lightly and moved to shuffle back to her feet before she gently reached her hand out, offering it towards Gerard. “You coming?” she posed softly.

Gerard glanced at her hand briefly before he tilted his head. “Nora” he noted softly.

Nora shook her head a little at the tone of his voice before she quirked a small smile. “I am not suggesting that” she noted softly “But, I think it is probably about time that you stayed in my room rather than the spare room. I mean, we’ve been together for a little while now and I thought…I thought maybe you’d want to” she babbled softly, her cheeks tinting a soft shade of pink.

Gerard watched her for a couple of seconds, admiring her blush which had appeared on her cheeks, before he quirked a small smile. “You know, you’re pretty cute when you get nervous” he teased, knotting their fingers together.

Nora rolled her eyes slightly before she shook her head. “Are you coming or not?” she quipped, offering him a feigned pout.

Gerard let out a small laugh before he pushed himself up, moving to follow her towards her bedroom before she pulled away from him, musing about getting herself ready for bed before she ducked into the bathroom. Gerard watched after her for a couple of seconds before he lightly shuffled out of his jeans, neatly stowing them on top of her dresser before he stepped back towards the bed, settling at the foot of it as the bathroom door swung open, allowing Nora to step back into the room. Quirking a small smile, he watched her step around the bed to her side before he shuffled up towards the pillows, settling in at her side.

Nora offered him a small smile before she gently moved to lay on her side, something which encouraged Gerard to wrap an arm around her waist, cuddling her close to him. “You know” he murmured softly “I love you” he added gently, pressing a soft kiss against her shoulder.

Nora smiled quietly, allowing the words to hang around them for a couple of seconds before she turned over, pressing a brief kiss against his lips before she cuddled against her pillow, mumbling a soft ‘I love you’ in return before she fell asleep, something which made Gerard smile gently, wordlessly musing that he could get used to things between them.