If You Love Me

Wrinkling his nose slightly, Gerard blinked his eyes open, his ears doused by the soft sound of Alba’s stirring which emanated away from the crib which sat at the foot of the bed. It wasn’t the first time, since they had arrived home the previous evening, Alba had proved a little difficult to settle, but Gerard didn’t mind the disturbance, even if he had only gotten a little sleep. He simply adored seeing the little girl.

Laying still for a moment, he tried to wake himself up slightly before he sat up, his eyes settling on Nora who sat at the foot of the bed, watching Alba as she slept. Smiling, he admired her briefly before he shuffled towards foot of the bed, his hand lightly brushing against her back.

Nora, who’d been contently watching Alba, startled at the feel of his hand before she looked up at him. “Did I wake you?” she asked quietly.

Gerard shook his head. “You didn’t” he noted “I heard her stirring and I thought I’d check on her. I thought you were still sleeping” he mumbled, pressing a soft kiss against her shoulder.

Nora smiled sleepily at the feel of his lips against her shoulder before she rested back against him, something which caused Gerard to wrap his arm around her, holding her close. It was rare, between Alba arriving and their relatives buzzing around them, the opportunities for the two of them to enjoy a moment alone had been few and far between, and Gerard wanted to make the most of them, even if it was something as small as a hug and a kiss, he wanted to make the most of the moments he got with his girlfriend.

Leaning his head down, he pressed another soft kiss against her shoulder before drew back slightly, his blue eyes shifting towards Alba who slept happily. “Is she OK?” he murmured.

Nora smiled fondly at his fussing before she nodded her head. “She’s fine” she confirmed “She had a feed a little while ago when I last got up with her and you changed her nappy the last time you were up, so she’s fine. Although, I don’t think it will be too much longer before she wakes up again” she added, playing with the hand of his which rested on her thigh.

Gerard watched the movement of her fingers for a moment before he dipped down, pressing another light kiss against her shoulder. “I can take her” he noted “If you want to go back to sleep, I am sure that I can handle her” he added, his voice low and soft.

Nora was quiet for a moment, considering his offer, before she shook her head. “You need to get some sleep” she countered “I’m not the one who’s got training this morning” she added, offering him a small sleepy smile over her shoulder.

Gerard let out a soft groan before he shook his head. “Don’t remind me” he grumbled, moving to lay down against the mattress.

Nora giggled gently before she carefully laid down at his side, her hand resting against his cheek as she turned his face to look at her. “Are you pouting?” she teased impishly, brushing his hair off of his forehead.

Gerard simply offered her a pointed look, something which made Nora giggle again before she leant towards him, kissing the end of his nose gently. “You’ll be fine” she mused “It’s what, a couple of hours?” she added.

Gerard nodded his head quietly, causing Nora to smile before she reached up, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. “You’ll be fine” she repeated, an encouraging smile on her face.

Gerard studied her expression, briefly contemplating arguing with her, before he let out a soft sigh. He knew that it was slightly silly, eventually, he knew that he was going to have to be away from Alba and Nora for a period of time, but a part of him wanted to put it off, even if it was only going to be a couple of hours, he wanted to duck away from it for a little while longer.

Nora smiled a little at the sound of his sigh before she gently nudged his shoulder, directing him back towards his pillow. “Come on” she noted “You should get some sleep” she added, her voice soft and encouraging.

Gerard nodded his head before he shuffled back towards his pillow, something which made Nora grin gently. It hadn’t been long, Alba had only just arrived, but Nora had to admit that she was pleased with how things were going. Things felt comfortable, both she and Gerard seemed to be at ease with the baby and around one another, and she was confident in them, even if the ‘m’ word had yet to arise in a conversation, she doubted that it would be too much longer before it was a thought they had.

~#~
Resting back against the seat of his car, Gerard let out a sigh, trying to work up the motivation to climb out of it. He knew that he couldn’t shy away from it, with the season having just begun, Barcelona’s matches were coming thick and fast, and he knew that he had to get back into the swing of it, even if a large part of him would have rather stayed home with Alba and Nora. He knew that it was something that he had to get used to.

Shaking his head, he let out another sigh before he pushed the door open, quickly making his way across the car park and into the training centre. Moving quickly, he padded through the training centre before he stepped towards the locker room, nudging the door open before he stepped across it, making his way quickly towards his locker.

“You look happy” Lionel quipped, his voice slightly sarcastic.

Gerard, who’d moved to open his locker, jumped in surprise at the argentine’s voice before he shook his head. “Lo siento” he mused “It’s just been a tough morning” he added.

Lionel, who moved to take a seat on the bench, quirked a small smile before he shook his head. “It’s alright” he noted “This is the first time you’ve been away from the baby for more than a few minutes, you’re allowed to be a little grumpy” he teased.

Gerard spared a small laugh before he shook his head. “I know I am being silly” he noted “Nora and Alba, they’re going to be there when I get home, but a large part of me didn’t want to leave. It’s amazing, Leo, Alba’s so…amazing” he babbled, a faint blush on his cheeks.

Lionel admired the expression on his friend’s face before he shook his head, nudging his side gently. “You look made up” he enthused.

Gerard nodded, agreeing that he was still ecstatic, before he leant down, fishing a photograph out of his bag and offering it out towards the argentine. “Alba Maria Piqué Hernandez” he noted, smiling as the name fell out of his mouth.

Lionel took the picture out of his hand and admired it for a few seconds before he quirked a warm smile. “She’s beautiful, Gerard” he noted “She looks a lot like Nora” he added.

Gerard nodded his head, a wide grin on his face that made Lionel shake his head, chuckling gently. It had been sudden, the news of Nora’s pregnancy had come out of the blue and had surprised more than a few people, but Lionel was thrilled for her and Gerard. They had wasted a lot of time, for a long time, neither one of them had wanted to admit that there was something between them, but Lionel was thrilled that they’d taken the plunge eventually. They were good together, as many people had suspected that they would be, and Lionel hoped that they kept it together, wanting to see both of his friends find what they were looking for.