In the End

28: Of Course I Did, It Was From You

Lightly brushing a few dark hairs away from Ariella’s closed eyes, Gerard quirked a sleepy smile to himself, watching her as she slept quietly at his side. It was still early, the fact that neither Jacob or Sabrina had knocked on the bedroom door to tell them that it was time to get up confided it to him, and he was hopeful that they’d hold off for a little longer, even if he knew that Christmas eve was a big deal for Ariella’s family. A selfish part of him couldn’t help but hope that he would have her to himself for a little longer.

Lightly tucking her hair behind her ear, he gently brushed his thumb along her cheekbone, something which caused Ariella to slowly open her eyes, a sleepy smile spearing across her lips. “Are you watching me sleep?” she posed, a soft yawn tumbling out of her mouth.

Gerard, who’d moved to slip his arm around her waist, smirked. “Not anymore” he quipped “Your waking up kind of ruined it for me” he added impishly.

Ariella rolled her eyes playfully before she shuffled a little closer to him, settling her head against his chest as another soft yawn tumbled out of her mouth. “What time did you say your flight back to Barcelona was?” she mumbled, squeezing her eyes closed.

“It’s not until this evening” Gerard replied softly, not wanting to disturb the comfortable quiet which sat over the two of them “So that means you’re going to have to put up with me for most of the day before I head to the airport” he added, his thumb lightly skimming over a slither of her back which had been exposed by her pajama shirt riding up slightly.

Ariella’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink before she tilted her head, pressing a soft kiss against his chest. “Somehow, I don’t think I will mind that too much” she mumbled, smiling against the material of his t-shirt.

Gerard looked down at her, marveling at the soft smile that she wore on her face for a few seconds before he lifted his hand to her chin, tilting her head up so that he could press a sweet kiss against her lips. Ariella stilled for a moment, slightly caught off guard by the tender kiss, but she warmed to it quickly, kissing him back softly for a few long seconds before the sound of a knock against the bedroom door reached her ears, causing her to let out a quiet groan as she pulled away from him. “What?” she called.

“It’s time for the two of you to get out of bed” Jacob called back “Sabrina’s cooked breakfast. So make yourselves decent and get downstairs” he added.

Ariella’s already pink cheeks flushed a shade darker, something which made Gerard chuckle before he leant up, pressing a soft kiss against the reddened skin. “You’re adorable” he fussed teasingly.

Ariella rolled her eyes softly before she pulled away from him, moving to push herself up to her feet. “Come on” she mused “We should get down there before he comes back. Next time, he’s likely to just stroll in” she added, shaking her head.

Gerard, who’d to pull on a pair of shorts, smirked. “I remember” he quipped “He almost caught us...you know, the first time I stayed here” he added.

“I did warn you” Ariella countered with a smirk, pulling a sweater around her shoulders before she padded out of the room, leaving Gerard laughing to himself behind her.

~#~
Stuffing the last of his clothes into the bag which he had placed onto the bed, Gerard pulled the zip around before he moved to sit on the edge of the bed, slipping his feet into the trainers which he had left beside it. It had been a good day, with Jacob and Sabrina keen to make the most of the build to Christmas, he had spent a lot of it enjoying the various holiday traditions of Ariella’s family, but with most of the family having fallen asleep in front of a Christmas film, he had slipped upstairs, wanting to make sure that everything was in order for his trip back to Barcelona.

It had always been the plan, with his mother and father keen on him being home for the holidays, he had always planned on spending Christmas eve with Ariella and her family before he travelled back, but still a small part of him dreaded leaving, even if he knew that it would only be a couple of days before Ariella made her own way back to Barcelona. As stupid as it was, he knew he’d miss her.

Leaning forwards, he moved to tie the laces of his shoes before the sound of someone clearing their throat reached his ears, causing him to look towards the door, a small grin spreading across his face at the sight of Ariella. “I thought you were still asleep” he quipped.

Ariella, who’d been trying to straighten out her hair slightly, shrugged. “I woke up” she replied “And I thought I’d come and see what you were up to. Are you trying to leave without saying goodbye?” she posed, gesturing towards his bag.

Gerard scoffed. “Of course not” he quipped “I just thought I’d come and make sure that I have everything. I need to get going pretty soon” he added.

Ariella nodded. “You sure that you don’t want me to drive you to the airport?” she posed.

“I’m sure I can make my own way there” Gerard replied.

Ariella merely offered him another nod before she padded across the room, retrieving a neatly wrapped parcel from the top drawer of the desk. “I have something for you” she quipped “You can either open it now or you can keep it until tomorrow. It’s up to you” she added as she offered it out towards him, a slightly timid expression passing over her features.

Gerard smiled a little at the shy look on her face before he reached up, taking the parcel out of her hand. “You didn’t have to” he quipped.

“You didn’t get me something?” Ariella retorted, her eyebrow raised.

“Well, yeah, I did” Gerard replied “But still” he quipped playfully.

Ariella merely rolled her eyes, something which made Gerard laugh before he reached over towards his bag, collecting a small, neatly wrapped gift. “Merry Christmas, Ella” he mused.

Ariella offered him a small bashful smile before she took the gift out of his hand, gently moving to peel the paper off of it at the same as he pulled the paper off of the gift that she’d bought for him. Balling up the wrapping paper, she allowed it to drop onto the floor before she shook her head, her blue eyes settled on the gift which sat in her hand. “Geri, what is this?” she posed softly, her fingertips gingerly unfolding the piece of paper that she had pulled out of the box he had wrapped.

Gerard, who’d been admiring the photo frame filled with pictures of the two of them that she had bought for him, looked up at the sound of her voice before he quirked a proud smile. “You like it?” he posed “I mean, it took me a little while to find, but I found it in the end. You remember it, right?” he posed.

Ariella nodded her head slowly. “I drew it” she breathed, a smile flitting around her lips.

“You did” Gerard confirmed “It was about six months after Cesc introduced the two of us, and you told that you wanted to work on sketching something other than wedding dresses, so I suggested that you drew me. It was a pretty long afternoon, and you yelled at me more than once, but the end result was worth it” he added, gently tapping the piece of paper in her hands.

Ariella merely smiled at him, stuck for anything else to say.

Gerard marveled at her soft smile before he pushed himself up to his feet, his hands settling on her hips. “Your silence is a good thing, right?” he posed.

Ariella nodded. “It is” she confirmed “I mean, this...this is adorable. I didn’t know that you’d even kept it” she fussed.

“Of course I did” Gerard retorted “I mean, you drew it. Of course I kept it. I had a pretty huge crush on you” he insisted.

Ariella’s cheeks flushed pink before she dropped her eyes, admiring the sketch that she held in her hand for a few long seconds before the sound of a light tap at the bedroom door reached her ears, causing her to peek over her shoulder towards Sabrina who stood in the doorway. “Your taxi is outside, Gerard” she mused.

Gerard nodded. “Tell him I’ll be right with him” he replied.

Sabrina nodded her head before she stepped out of the doorway, allowing Ariella to return her attention towards Gerard who grinned at her. “That’s my cue” he quipped “You still sure that you can’t skip things here and come back with me?” he posed.

Ariella shook her head. “My papa would kill me” she mused “That, and, I...I don’t quite know that I ready to see your parents yet” she added, her voice softening slightly. She knew that it couldn’t be avoided, with things between her and Gerard evidently going from strength to strength, she knew that spending time with his parents was something she was eventually going to have to do, but she wanted to put it off for a little longer, even if it was unavoidable. She merely wanted to wait a little longer.

Gerard’s expression softened for a moment before he nodded his head, offering her a small smile. “Alright” he mused.

Ariella flashed him a thankful smile in return before she stepped towards him, pressing a quick kiss against his lips. “Gracias for the present” she murmured “You’ll call me when you get home?” she posed.

“Of course I will” Gerard replied “Merry Christmas, Ella” he added, kissing her cheek softly.

“Merry Christmas” Ariella replied.

Gerard flashed her another soft grin before he pulled his bag over his shoulder, moving to duck out of the room. Ariella watched him out of the door before she shook her head, her eyes settling on the piece of paper which sat in her hand, a little amazed that he had kept it for as long as he had.
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Thanks to Jayme112234 and mslou1 for the comments :)