If You Love Me

Resting his weight against the doorframe which led into the bedroom, Gerard quirked a faint smile, his blue eyes trained on Nora who sat at the foot of their bed, quietly soothing Alba to sleep. It had been a little while, after his conversation with Antonella, Gerard had opted to leave Nora to it for a little while, but with their guests having departed he had opted to venture upstairs, knowing that they couldn’t avoid the conversation for much longer. It wasn’t what he wanted, if anything, he simply wanted to let the topic drop, but he knew that his not telling Nora was bothering her, something which meant that he simply had to bite the bullet, even if it was a topic he had hoped to put off for a while. He didn’t want her thinking that he was hiding anything from her.

Standing quietly, he watched Nora fuss over Alba for a moment before he took a step forwards, something which made Nora shake her head, a small laugh falling out of her mouth. “I was wondering if you were going to come in here or just stand there” she quipped, offering him a small smirk over her shoulder.

Gerard, who’d moved to sit down at her side, rolled his eyes. “I can go if you want” he offered, his voice caught between sincere and teasing.

Nora offered him a small look before she shook her head. “You don’t have to that” she replied.

Gerard glanced at her dubiously, asking her if she was sure, before he moved towards the head of the bed, allowing a small silence to settle over the two of them.

Nora shifted a little, not liking the silence, before she quietly leant forwards, settling Alba down into her crib before she turned around, peeking softly towards Gerard who sat away from her, fiddling aimlessly with his phone. “Gerard...”

“I know that we need to talk” Gerard interrupted, stowing his phone back into his pocket.

Nora blinked, slightly surprised by his interruption, before she shook her head, a soft sigh falling out of her mouth. “I just want to know what it is that’s on your mind” she mused quietly “I mean, I know you told me not to worry about it, but you’ve been a little off for a few days now and I just...I just want to know what is going on up here. You never know, I might be able to help you” she added, gently nudging the side of his head as she flashed him a small smile.

Gerard admired her smile for a second before he took a hold of her hand, knotting their fingers together. “You madre asked me something the other day and it’s been stuck on my mind” he explained “It wasn’t something I’d given lot of thought to, I mean, we’ve just had Alba and things have moved pretty quickly for us in the last year...”

“Gerard, what are you talking about?” Nora interrupted, cutting off his babbling.

Gerard startled in surprise at the sudden interruption before he shook his head, allowing a soft sigh to fall out of his mouth. “Your madre asked me if...if I had thought about proposing to you” he stumbled out.

Nora, who’d been staring at their hands, stilled a little before she lifted her head, her blue eyes mirroring his. “She asked you that?” she asked quietly.

Gerard nodded. “She did” he confirmed “And I thought that it was best that I just let it go for now. Things have happened quickly for us, Nora. In the last year, we’ve started to date, we’ve moved in together and we’ve just had a beautiful little girl, and I didn’t want to bring it up right now. It’s too soon for that, no?” he posed, his blue eyes searching hers. He knew that it was a conversation that they’d have to have eventually, if he had his way, then things between him and Nora would last for a long time, but he didn’t want to put too much on her too soon, not wanting her to feel pressured into taking another step forwards so soon.

Nora stared at him for a moment, quietly mulling over his words, before she dropped her stare, fixing it on her hand which fiddled shyly with the bedspread. “Have you thought about it?” she murmured.

Gerard, who’d been watching her, paused slightly at the sound of her voice before he tilted his head. “Huh?” he mumbled.

“Have you thought about it?” Nora repeated gently, her eyes briefly looking up at him before they dropped back towards her hand.

Gerard lifted an eyebrow, allowing her question to hang around them for a second, before he tentatively nodded his head. “I’ve given it a little thought” he admitted “I mean, I know what I want, Nora. I’ve been pretty sure about us for a while now and I have thought about, eventually, getting down on one knee and asking you a certain question, but I am more than prepared to wait for it. We wasted time, both of us were too stubborn for too long and then when we were done with being stubborn, things moved quickly and I don’t think it would do us any harm to slow things down. Things are good, Nora, me and you are in a good place and we’ve just welcomed the most beautiful little girl into the world. There’s no need for us to run into the next thing” he added, his voice slightly uncertain.

It was something he had thought about, even if his thoughts had been fleeting, and whilst he wanted her to know that it was something which had crossed his mind, he also wanted to reassure her that he didn’t plan on asking soon.

Nora, who’d been quietly fiddling with the bedspread, smiled softly at the uncertain tone of his voice before she lifted her head, peeking up at him shyly. “I’ve thought about it too” she admitted tentatively.

Gerard tilted his head. “You have?” he pressed, his voice caught between excited and curious.

Nora offered him a small smile before she nodded. “It’s crossed my mind” she rephrased softly “But I think you’re right. We have moved quickly and I don’t think waiting is the worst idea. We’re in a good place and right now, I just want to enjoy that. Do you think we can handle that?” she posed, chewing on her lip gently.

Gerard let out a small chuckle before he nodded his head. “I think I can probably manage that” he noted “But you know, one day, I will ask you and I will be hoping for a certain answer” he added, a boyish smile on his face.

Nora’s cheeks warmed a little before she let out a soft giggle. “Give me some time and you probably won’t be disappointed with the answer I give you” she played along.

Gerard offered her a playful look before he nodded his head. “That sounds like a plan” he mused warmly.

“It does” Nora agreed “And the next time you get into your head, why don’t you just talk to me? I mean, I get why you didn’t, after all, it’s a pretty huge deal and I don’t blame you for being wary of my reaction, but I think we’re pretty good at talking when we want to be” she added, nudging his side gently.

Gerard nodded. “We are” he agreed “And I am sorry for not just talking to you. I should have done” he added earnestly.

“You should have” Nora quipped with a smile “And I will talk with my mama. I don’t need her sticking her oar into this” she added.

Gerard shook his head. “Don’t be too mad at her” he noted “She’s just happy. I think she likes me” he added, flashing her another impish grin.

Nora rolled her eyes playfully, something which made Gerard chuckle before he leant towards her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. “Te amo” he mumbled, lightly brushing his nose against hers. Nora smiled, still not quite used to hearing those words from him, before she leant into him, kissing him softly as she repeated the same words back to him. It was still a work in progress, despite the fact they’d been dating for a little over a year, things between the two of them were still being figured out, but Nora was hopeful that they’d work out, even if she did want them to take their time.