If You Love Me

Resting his weight back against the kitchen counter, Gerard sipped on the mug of tea which sat in his hand, his blue eyes fixed on the picture which had been stuck to the front of Nora’s fridge. It had been a few days, after their first visit to Lucia, Nora had been keen to insist that they tried to keep things as normal as they could, but still he couldn’t quite stifle his excitement, even if he knew that Nora wanted to keep things calm and relaxed for a while. He couldn’t seem to stop himself from smiling every time she stepped into his vision. It was still settling in, the news of Nora’s pregnancy still felt a little strange to him, but there was no denying that he was excited, even if the timing wasn’t perfect. He was already counting down the days until Nora’s due date.

Taking another sip of his drink, he admired the picture for a couple of seconds before the sound of footsteps reached his ears, causing him to lift his head slightly, his blue eyes settling on Nora who had stopped in the doorway, a soft sleepy smile playing on her lips. “What are you grinning at?” he quipped playfully.

Nora shook her head. “You” she quipped “I mean, I don’t think you’ve stopped looking at that picture since we saw Lucia. It’s pretty cute” she mused warmly as she stepped towards the fridge, moving to pull out a carton of juice.

Gerard rolled his eyes playfully before he stepped towards her, settling his arms around her waist. “I know that you don’t want too much fuss right now” he mumbled softly “But, for a little while, I’m going to be pretty excited. It’s a pretty big deal, nena” he added, pressing a soft kiss against her shoulder.

Nora leant into him slightly, enjoying their embrace, before she nodded her head. “It is a big deal” she agreed softly “And you know that I am excited too, right?” she posed softly.

Gerard simply nodded his head, pressing another soft kiss against her shoulder.

Nora smiled softly at the contact before she gently turned around, her hand cupping his cheek so that she could pull him into a soft kiss. Gerard stilled, not quite expecting the soft kiss, but he responded quickly, kissing her happily for a few moments before she leant back, her nose lightly brushing against his.

“I’m excited about this” she fussed softly “Of course I am, but for a little while, I just want to keep this as a secret. I’m only six weeks in, Geri, and I want to make it to at least twelve weeks before we even think about telling other people. Do you think we can manage that?” she posed, smoothing out a few wayward hairs on his head. She knew that he was excited, from the moment the word ‘pregnant’ had fallen out of her mouth, she doubted that he had stopped smiling, and whilst she found it sweet, she wanted to calm him down slightly, not wanting people to catch on before they were ready to share the news.

Gerard ducked into her, sneaking a couple of quick kisses, before he nodded his head. “I can keep it to myself until we’re ready” he noted softly “But if someone guesses, I am not going to deny it” he added, lightly brushing his hand over her stomach.

Nora, who was watching the movement of his hand, scoffed playfully. “You couldn’t deny it if you tried” she quipped “You’re the worst liar” she added, offering him a teasing smile.

Gerard offered her a playful glare, something which made Nora giggle softly before she gently leant into him, kissing him gently for a few seconds before she jerked away from him, something which caused Gerard to lift an eyebrow. “Nora?” he posed softly.

Nora stood still for a second before she quickly ducked away from him, mumbling the word ‘bathroom’ before she sped out of the room. Gerard watched after her for a moment before he followed her into the bathroom, perching himself on the edge of the bath before he reached his hand out, rubbing her back gently.

Nora startled, more than a little surprised by his touch, before she looked up at him, a feeble smile on her lips. “Blob clearly doesn’t want to go easy on his or her madre” she teased weakly.

Gerard, who’d been focused on rubbing comforting circles into her back, quirked a soft smile at her joke before he leant forwards, kissing her head softly. “You need me to get you anything?” he posed, brushing a few hairs off of her face.

Nora leant into his touch slightly, her eyes closing, before she shook her head. “I just need a couple of minutes” she mumbled softly.

Gerard nodded his head gently before he gently slipped into the spot on the floor beside her, allowing her to cuddle into his body. Gently settling his arm around her shoulder, he offered her a soft squeeze before he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. “You know” he mumbled softly, disturbing the comfortable silence which had settled around the two of them “I’d like a girl” he added softly.

Nora, who’d been happily resting against his shoulder, lifted her head slightly. “You would?” she posed softly.

Gerard nodded his head. “I’d be happy either way, just as long as they’re happy and healthy, but I’d like a little girl” he enthused softly, a warm smile on his face.

Nora marveled at his smile, not for the first time, before she gently pressed her lips to his cheek, mumbling something about him being sweet before she dropped her head back onto his shoulder, closing her eyes contently.

Gerard watched her for a moment, a few more words on the tip of his tongue, before he shook his head, instead offering her shoulder a light squeeze. He didn’t want to push things, even despite the fact that Nora was pregnant, their relationship was still in its fledgling stages, but still the thought of asking her to move in with him was one which had occurred to him more than once. He knew that it made sense, with the baby on the way, it was a logical step for the two of them to make, but still he was wary about broaching the topic, not having forgotten the way Nora had reacted the last time that they had broached the topic.

Sparing a soft look down towards her, he shook his head quietly before he rested it against hers, wordlessly reminding himself not to push things too far too quickly.