In the End

Smirking amusedly to himself, Gerard stepped into the kitchen doorway, his blue eyes settled on Ariella who stood ahead of him, carefully preparing dinner for them and her mother. It had been a few days, after he had run into Estella, a little over a week had passed, and with Ariella having mentioned that he had a gap in schedule that evening, Estella had been quick to suggest that they have dinner together, something he knew made Ariella slightly nervous.

It always had, even before they’d started to date, the prospect of them spending time with her mother had made her apprehensive, and he doubted that he could ease her nerves, even if he was safe in the knowledge that Estella adored him. He doubted that his pointing that out would have any bearing on how nervous Ariella was.

Resting his weight against the door frame, he watched her around the kitchen for a few seconds before he cleared his throat, something which caused Ariella to jump slightly before she wheeled around to look up at him, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “You can see that I am busy, right?” she remarked as she padded towards the stove, stirring the pot which sat on the top of it.

Gerard watched her before he nodded, smirking a little. “I had noticed that” he played along “But I thought I would come in here and see if I matched up to your standards. I know how much of a perfectionist you are, so I’ve got another couple of outfits in the car if you need me to change” he added, playfully gesturing to the outfit that he wore.

Ariella scoffed and shook her head, trying to stifle the smile which itched to spread across her face. “I’m not that bad” she quipped.

“Of course not” Gerard replied, rolling his eyes playfully “I mean, it’s not like you actually made me change the tie and shoes I wore the first time I met your papa” he added, his voice warm and teasing.

He wanted to try and distract her, he wanted to try and make her laugh, and he wanted to pull her attention away from the nerves which he knew that she had, allowing her to relax into an evening that he was almost certain would go off without a hitch. It wasn’t the first time that he had met Estella and Stefan, he’d met them countless times, and he was safe in the knowledge that they liked him, something he was confident would mean that the evening ahead of them would be a comfortable experience for him and Ariella.

Ariella let out a small laugh before she shook her head. “Your shoes were falling apart” she pointed out.

“They were” Gerard conceded “And it was probably best that I did change them. Your papa wasn’t prepared to take it easy on me” he added.

Ariella smiled softly. “He came around on you” she noted.

Gerard admired the soft smile on her lips for a second before he stepped towards her, his arms gently settling around her waist. “I can pretty charming when I want to be” he mused, his thumb gently brushing up and down the small of her back.

Ariella’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink, something which made Gerard chuckle softly before he leant forwards, pressing a light kiss against her cheek. “I look Ok?” he asked as he leant back slightly, his blue eyes mirroring hers.

Ariella hesitated for a second, looking him up and down, before she gently lifted her hand, smoothing out a couple of wayward hairs on the top of his head. “You look Ok” she mused “I mean, you look good...nice” she babbled, the soft pink colour on her cheeks darkening slightly.

Gerard smirked, amused by her blushing, before he leant forwards, pressing a soft against her lips. Ariella smiled into the kiss, something which caused Gerard’s own grin to widen fractionally before the sound of someone clearing their throat filled the air, causing him to jerk back, his blue eyes quickly settling on Estella and Stefan who stood in the doorway, amused smiles on their faces. “You didn’t hear us come in?” Estella quipped playfully.

Ariella, who’d quickly pulled out of Gerard’s embrace, scoffed. “I would have heard it if you’d knocked” she mumbled.

Estella smirked. “You told me to use the key” she retorted.

Ariella, who was still blushing, merely rolled her eyes, something which made Gerard chuckle before he gestured over Estella’s shoulder. “We should go through” he quipped “Dinner ought to be ready shortly” he added, guiding the older couple out of the kitchen.

~#~
“So, Stefan, how are Imogen’s wedding plans coming?” Gerard posed as he sipped on his glass of wine, his blue eyes glancing across the table towards the older man. It had been a pleasant evening, despite Ariella’s earlier apprehension, the conversation had flowed easily and comfortably, and whilst Gerard wasn’t surprised by how straightforward the night had been, he was slightly relieved. He hadn’t been overly concerned, with him having spent more than one evening in Estella and Stefan’s company, he hadn’t been overly worried about things being awkward, but he pleased that they’d proved not to be.

Stefan, who’d been finishing up the last of his meal, grinned at the mention of his daughter. “They’re coming along nicely” he mused “The date is set for next month and most things appear to be in place, though, we might have to make an adjustment to the seating plan if your girlfriend is planning on bringing a plus one. Are you bringing a guest, Ella?” he added, sparing a brief look towards Ariella who sat beside her boyfriend, fiddling aimlessly with her napkin.

Ariella looked up at the sound of her name. “Huh?” she spluttered.

“Your step-sister’s wedding” Gerard quipped, trying, and failing, to hide his amused grin “Stefan was wondering if you planned on bringing a date. If you are, I might know a guy who’s interested in going with you” he added playfully.

Ariella quirked an eyebrow. “Leo’s available?” she countered with a grin.

Gerard snorted. “You’d want to take him?” he retorted “You know that he’s no fun” he added.

“And you are?” Ariella quipped.

Gerard smirked. “You know that I am the most fun person you’ve ever met” he boasted.

Ariella offered him a skeptical look, something which made Gerard roll his eyes playfully, mumbling something underneath his breath.

Stefan, who’d been watching the two of them, shook his head amusedly. “How did the two of you ever break up?” he breathed softly.

Ariella, who’d been teasingly mumbling to Gerard, stilled a little at the sound of Stefan’s comment before she lifted her head, her blue eyes meeting Gerard’s for a fraction of a second before she let out a soft sigh. “That’s a good question” she mumbled, breathing out a feeble laugh.

Gerard shook his head. “Ella...”

“There...there’s dessert” Ariella interrupted “I...I should go and serve it up” she added as she quickly gathered herself up to her feet, padding out of the dining room.

Gerard watched her out of the room before he shook his head, a soft sigh falling out of his mouth.

“I didn’t mean to put my foot in it” Stefan apologized gently “I just...the two of you are so wonderful together. I can’t quite believe that there was a point where it looked like it wasn’t going to happen for you. I should have said it differently. I’m sorry” he added.

Gerard merely waved a hand, insisting that the older man didn’t have anything to apologise for. It was always going to be a touchy subject, the idea that Ariella had broken up with him wasn’t one which was just going to go away, and he knew that they couldn’t avoid mention of it forever. Whether they liked it or not, it was a part of their story, a big part of it, and it was likely to come up every now and again, something they’d have to get better at handling.