In the End

Carefully pushing her fingers back through Gerard’s dark hair, Ariella quirked a sleepy smile to herself, her ears filled with the soft sound of his snores which filled the quiet hotel room. It was early, after the team’s victory the previous night, their flight back Barcelona had been scheduled for early that afternoon, and Ariella was relieved, even if she knew that there were a lot of people waiting to celebrate the team’s triumph. A small part of her couldn’t help but be pleased by the idea that they had a couple of hours to relax before they headed to the airport.

It still hadn’t quite sunk in, the idea that they’d agreed to move in together still seemed a little surreal to Ariella, but whenever it crossed her mind it bought a faint smile to her lips, something which pleased her. Gerard had caught her off guard, his asking her had been sudden and had surprised her, but after a little thought, she had warmed to the idea, slightly excited by the idea of the two of them making a small step forwards.

Quietly pulling her hand back to her side, she watched him sleep for a couple of seconds before she gently pushed herself up, moving to pull on the pajama shirt that Gerard had been quick to discard the previous night. Brushing a few kinks out of her hair with her fingers, she gently pushed herself up to her feet and moved to step away from the bed, only to pause as she felt a hand on her wrist, something which caused her to quirk small amused smile before she turned, looking down at Gerard who grinned up at her sleepily.

“I thought you were still asleep” she murmured “You know that we’ve still got a couple of hours before we need to leave, right?” she asked.

Gerard nodded before he gently tugged on her wrist, encouraging her to sit back down on the bed. Ariella followed his lead, folding her legs beneath herself, before she gently pushed her hair behind her ear, something which made Gerard chuckle softly. “You know, I’ve always thought that you look beautiful when you get all shy on me” he mused.

Ariella’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink but she didn’t say anything, something which made Gerard smile before he shuffled a little closer to her, gently coaxing her into a soft embrace. “You OK?” he murmured, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

Ariella, who’d tucked herself into his side, nodded, offering him a soft smile.

Gerard admired her smile, taking a moment to admire how her whole face lit up with it, before he offered her waist a soft squeeze. “No regrets?” he posed quietly.

Ariella, who’d moved to trace her finger over his chest, shook her head. “None” she replied “You?” she quipped, tilting her head so that her blue eyes mirrored his.

Gerard held her stare for a couple of moments before he shook his head, a slow smile spreading across his face. “None whatsoever” he breathed.

Ariella mirrored his grin, allowing a comfortable silence to pass between them, before the sound of a knocking at their door filled the air, something which caused the brunette to let out a small groan. “Who is that going to be?” she grumbled as she pushed herself up to her feet, moving to wrap her dressing gown around her shoulders.

Gerard, who’d moved to pull on a t-shirt, shrugged. “I don’t know” he mumbled “I mean, I vaguely remember Leo mentioning something about breakfast last night, but I wasn’t really paying that much attention. I was too busy thinking about talking to you” he added.

Ariella, who’d moved to pull her dark hair into a loose ponytail, turned back to look at him before she lifted an eyebrow. “I was on your mind that much?” she quipped, a slight smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

Gerard scoffed. “You don’t have to look so smug about it” he played along as he stepped past her, sneaking a brief kiss before he padded through the hotel room towards the door. Ariella watched him go, listening as he shared a quick conversation with Lionel, before she quietly shook her head, grinning giddily to herself.

~#~
Gently skimming his thumb along the back of Ariella’s hand, Gerard quirked a small smile, his blue eyes briefly catching hers before she moved to speak to Antonella again. It had been a pleasant breakfast, despite the fact that both he and Ariella had been slightly reluctant to leave their hotel room, they had agreed to meet Antonella and Lionel for breakfast, and whilst it didn’t quite compare to another couple of hours alone with his girlfriend, he had enjoyed himself.

Tracing his thumb over her warm skin, he grinned to himself for a moment before he lifted his head, his blue eyes meeting Lionel’s curious stare. “What?” he quipped impishly.

Lionel rolled his eyes. “You” he retorted.

“Me?” Gerard replied “What about me?” he posed innocently.

“You keep smiling” Lionel noted.

“That’s a bad thing?” Gerard quipped.

Lionel rolled his eyes again, something which made Gerard laugh softly before he caught Ariella’s eye, something which made the brunette flush before she nodded her head, wordlessly telling him that it was alright with her that he share their news. Squeezing her hand gently, he nodded his head in agreement before he took in a soft breath. “We...uh...we actually have some news” he breathed “We got to talking last night and we decided that...that it was about time that we moved in together” he added.

Antonella tilted her head. “Really?” she asked, trying, and failing, to hide the soft smile which was quick to spread across her face.

Ariella nodded, a shy smile on her face. “We know it’s a little soon” she murmured, her voice a little self-conscious.

Lionel smiled, not missing the slightly nervous edge to her voice, before he shook his head. “It makes sense” he quipped, his voice warm and reassuring.

Ariella smiled at him shyly, something which caused Lionel to grin back at her for a moment before he flicked his attention towards Gerard, not missing the doting look that sat on his face, clearly directed at his girlfriend. It wasn’t a new thing, from almost the moment that they’d met, Gerard had worn the same expression whenever he was around Ariella, but still Lionel was glad to see it, and to see that Ariella wore a similar one whenever she looked back at him. They were good together, only a few minutes around them was enough to show that to anybody, and Lionel was pleased to see that things were working out for the two of them. He liked seeing them happy and together.

“Congratulations” he breathed warmly “I’m happy for the two of you” he added.

Gerard grinned. “Gracias” he enthused “Although, I don’t know how happy for us you will be when Ella convinces you to help with her packing” he added, gently squeezing Ariella’s shoulders with the arm that he had settled around them.

Lionel scoffed, mumbling a comment beneath his breath, before he offered them another warm smile, wordlessly noting how happy he was for the two of them.