If You Love Me

“You know, we’re going to have to go back inside eventually”

Nora, who’d been contently cuddled into Gerard’s side, sighed a little at his comment before she lifted her head, her blue eyes peeking up at him softly. It had been a quiet few minutes, with Nora’s ‘yes’ still ringing in both of their ears, they’d opted to take a few quiet minutes to attempt to wrap their heads around the idea that they were engaged, and Nora was relieved that they’d not been interrupted, even if she knew that it was only a matter of time before their families figured out where they’d gotten to, she wanted to bask in the notion of being newly engaged for a moment.

“Do we have to?” she posed, a small pout on her face.

Gerard smiled at the look on her face before he nodded. “We have guests” he noted “And I am pretty sure that it’s only a matter of time before Alba starts to get fussy because neither of us is around. You know that she’s not too fond of being away from us for too long” he added, his hand gently brushing up and down her side.

“I know” Nora mumbled, leaning into side “But a small part of me doesn’t want to move. I kind of want to enjoy the moment for a little longer” she added, resting her head against his shoulder. She knew that he was right, eventually, someone was going to come looking for them and they were going to have to go back inside, but part of her wanted to put it off for a little while, not wanting to disturb their moment.

Gerard watched her rest her head against his shoulder before he leant down, kissing her temple softly. “I know the feeling” he mumbled “But I still don’t think we can avoid it for too much longer. We can’t exactly stay out here for the rest of the day” he added, resting his head against hers.

Nora closed her eyes, enjoying their embrace for another few seconds before she gently pulled herself away, moving to push herself up to her feet before she offered her hand out towards him. “Come on” she mused “Let’s get it over with” she added, a playful smile on her face.

Gerard rolled his eyes gently before he took a hold of her hand, pulling himself up to his feet before he leant into her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. Nora stumbled, not quite expecting the soft kiss, before she wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him for a few seconds before the sound of the sliding door reached their ears, causing her to duck back, her eyes settling on her sister who stood away from them, an apologetic look on her face.

“I’m sorry for intruding” Emilia mused “But Alba’s starting to get a little grumpy and the two mothers are getting ready to serve dinner. Do you two think you could come back inside?” she asked gently. She felt bad for interrupting, it was clear from just one look at the two of them that they were enjoying a moment, but she knew she couldn’t leave them to it, even if she was tempted to, she knew that she had to encourage them to come back inside.

Gerard, who’d turned to look at her, offered her a small smile before he nodded. “Of course” he noted “We’ll be right with you” he added.

Emilia smiled at him apologetically before she ducked back inside, leaving the two of them alone.

Gerard watched her back into the house before he flicked his attention back towards Nora, offering her a soft smile. “We should probably go” he noted.

“We probably should” Nora agreed, offering him a small smirk “But that means actually moving from this spot” she added teasingly.

Gerard chuckled gently at her comment before he leant forwards, lightly kissing her forehead before he took a hold of her hand, leading her back towards the house.

~#~
Brushing a few loose blonde hairs off of her face, Nora spared a glance towards the mirror which stood ahead of her, checking her appearance for any sign that she had been crying. It hadn’t been long, after Emilia had asked her and Gerard to come inside, only a couple of minutes had passed, but with Gerard occupied with Alba, she had opted to check in on their mothers, wanting to offer them a hand when it came to serving dinner.

She knew that it would be obvious, the moment that she and Gerard were in the same room, the smiles on their faces would give the game away, but still Nora wanted to attempt to put it off briefly, even if she doubted that it would last too long, she wanted a little longer to wrap her head around it before they shared the news. It had surprised her, the moment that Gerard had pulled the ring box out of her pocket had knocked her for six, but she was thrilled that he had asked, even if he had surprised her. Part of her couldn’t quite believe that he had asked.

Offering her face a brief glance, she lightly brushed her hair behind her ear before she stepped into the kitchen. “Is there anything I can help with?” she posed.

Maria, who was placing some vegetables into a serving dish, lifted her head at the sound of Nora’s voice before she tilted it, a small frown on her lips as she searched her daughter’s face. “Have you been crying?” she asked.

Nora blinked. “What?” she spluttered, surprised by the question.

“Your eyes are red” Maria pointed out.

Nora scoffed, but didn’t say anything, something which made Maria shake her head. “Something’s made you cry, Nora” she noted “I can see it, so why don’t you just tell me what it is?” she asked, her voice softening slightly.

Nora opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off as Gerard stepped into the room, Alba balanced on his hip. “I think that that would be me” he noted gently.

Maria frowned. “You made her cry?” she posed, her voice caught between angry and confused.

Gerard noted the tone of her voice before he nodded his head, a soft smile appearing on his face. “I did” he confirmed “But not in the way that you’re thinking. You see, I kind of asked Nora something” he added, his voice bright and teasing.

Maria offered him a confused look before she flicked her attention towards Nora, something which made the blonde girl blush before she gently lifted her hand, showing off the ring that Gerard had placed onto her finger. “He sort of asked me to marry him” she babbled, failing to stifle the smile which itched to spread across her face.

“He did?” Montserrat, who was stood beside Maria, squeaked.

Nora nodded. “He did” she confirmed “And I said yes” she added with a small smile.

“We’re engaged” Gerard contributed brightly.

The room was quiet for a few seconds, allowing the announcement to hang in the air, before Maria let out a small sound, quickly moving to pull her daughter into a soft hug. Nora startled, not expecting the sudden hug, before she tossed her arms around her mother, holding her close for a few seconds before she ducked back, a tearful smile on her face. Maria smiled softly at the tearful look on her face before she pressed a soft kiss against her forehead, mumbling a soft ‘congratulations’ before she stepped back, allowing Nora to embrace Montserrat who was keen to fuss over her.

Gerard watched the interaction between Nora and their mothers for a moment before he caught Maria’s eye, something which made the older woman offer him a soft smile, a sight which reassure him. He knew that it wasn’t going to be quick, if he had learnt anything about Nora during the duration of their relationship, it was that she tended to prefer to take her time, but he was still pleased that he had asked, and even more pleased that he had gotten the answer he had been hoping for.