In the End

48: I Guess I’ve Missed You Too

Quietly locking the front door behind himself, Gerard sloped up the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible as he made his way towards his bedroom. It was late, after Spain’s quarter final defeat at the hands of Argentina, the squad had grabbed the first flight back to Madrid that they could find, and whilst it had taken Gerard a few more hours to get back to Barcelona, he was glad to be back, more than prepared to climb into bed in the spare room and sleep for a few hours. It stung, with him already in his thirties, he knew that that year’s tournament was likely to be one of his last shots, and he was disappointed that it had ended early. A small part of him had been expecting that they’d make it further than they had.

Carefully stepping up the last few stairs, he quietly nudged his bedroom door open before he padded towards the dresser, tentatively pulling the top drawer open, something which caused it to let out a squeak, disturbing the otherwise silent bedroom. Grimacing, he spared a glance over his shoulder towards the bed, his expression softening as his eyes landed on Ariella who was curled up beneath the duvet. Watching her for a couple of seconds, he ensured that he’d not woken her up before he turned back towards the drawer, collecting a clean t-shirt before he pushed it closed.

“Geri?”

Gerard, who’d taken a couple of steps back towards the door, stilled at the sound of Ariella’s voice before he turned around, a small smile appearing on his lips. “It’s me” he breathed “I only came in to grab a clean t-shirt. You should get back to sleep. I’ll crash in the spare room” he added.

Ariella stirred for a couple of seconds before she pushed herself up slightly, moving to flick on the bedside lamp. “What are you doing here?” she posed “I thought you’d not be back until tomorrow. That’s what you texted me earlier” she added, trying to smooth her messy hair out slightly.

Gerard shrugged. “We found an earlier flight back to Madrid” he replied “And I found a connection back to Barcelona pretty easily. It’s been a pretty long day, but here I am” he added, trying to force a smile onto his lips.

Ariella stared up at him for a few seconds before she gently shook her head, lifting up the other side of the duvet. “I saw the game” she mumbled.

Gerard rubbed the back of his neck. “You did?” he asked as he stepped towards the bed, sitting down with his back towards her.

Ariella nodded. “My madre and Stefan had come over for dinner and they insisted that we watch it” she explained “I’m sorry about the result” she added, her voice softening slightly.

Gerard merely let out a soft sigh, something which caused Ariella to shuffle towards him before she lifted her hand, gently rubbing his back as a silence settled between the two of them. Gerard jumped at the feel of her hand, but didn’t pull away, something which made Ariella smile softly before she leant down, placing a soft kiss just below his ear. She didn’t know what else to say to him, after the result, she was certain that he would be disappointed, and she didn’t want to say the wrong thing, even if it did mean saying nothing at all. The last thing she wanted was to stick her foot in it and upset him.

Gerard smiled a little at the feel of her lips against his skin before he gently shook his head, turning to look at her over his shoulder. “You really should get back to sleep” he mused “I mean, it’s nearly four in the morning and I don’t want to spend all day listening to you complain about being tired. Get some sleep, Ella” he added.

Ariella offered him a soft look, briefly contemplating fighting him, before she nodded her head, gently pressing a kiss against the back of his shoulder. “You’re probably right” she mused “But you should go and get changed and come back here. It’s been three weeks since I saw you and as dorky as it sounds, I don’t really want you to go and sleep in the spare room. I’ve missed having you around” she added, a shy smile passing over her features.

Gerard smiled at her words before he pushed himself up to his feet, moving to press a soft kiss against the top of her head. “I’ll be right back” he mumbled.

Ariella grinned up at him. “I convinced you that easily?” she posed.

Gerard shrugged. “I guess I’ve missed you too” he quipped over his shoulder as he padded into the bathroom.

~#~
“Are you asleep yet?”

Ariella, who was quietly readjusting the ponytail that she wore her hair in, smirked a little at Gerard’s question before she lifted her head, settling her stare on where he stood in the doorway, a playful smirk spread across his features. “What does it look like?” she posed.

Gerard, who’d moved to step towards his side of the bed, shook his head. “I really am sorry” he mused as he climbed into bed beside her, pulling the duvet around himself “I didn’t mean to wake you up” he added.

“It’s fine” Ariella replied “Besides, it makes good practice. In a few months, we’re going to be up at all hours doing night feeds and nappy changes” she added, sparing a brief glance down towards her stomach.

Gerard followed the line of her stare, his face breaking into a soft smile at the slight bump which was highlighted by her vest top. “You’ve got a bump” he breathed gently.

“A little one” Ariella mused, her cheeks a soft shade of pink “And it’s only noticeable if I am wearing something tight, but it’s there” she added.

Gerard nodded his head quietly before he shuffled a little closer to her, his hand taking up its familiar position against her stomach.

Ariella watched him for a few seconds, admiring the soft smile which had quickly spread over his features, before she gently cleared her throat, something which caused Gerard to glance up at her, a curious expression on his face. “Cesc’s in town” she breathed.

Gerard quirked an eyebrow. “You’re thinking about Cesc right now?” he quipped, his voice caught between curious and teasing “I mean, I know you guys are close and everything, but it’s kind of weird that you’re thinking about him when I, your amazing boyfriend, have just gotten home after three weeks away” he added impishly.

Ariella rolled her eyes, something which made Gerard laugh softly before he sat up slightly, nudging her side gently. “What are you thinking about?” he asked.

Ariella shrugged. “I haven’t told them about the baby yet” she mused.

“You haven’t?” Gerard asked. It surprised him, with both of their families knowing about the pregnancy, he had assumed that Ariella would be quick to share the news with Antonella and Daniella at the very least, and it surprised him that she hadn’t. He had assumed that, with her pregnancy progressing quickly, she would turn to the other two women for advice.

Ariella shook her head. “I’ve had chances” she admitted “But I kind of wanted to wait for you, something which now sounds a little...”

“I’m glad you waited” Gerard interrupted “I mean, it wouldn’t have been the end of the world if you had, but I kind of like that you haven’t. I’d like to be there when you tell them” he noted.

Ariella smiled. “Really?” she asked.

Gerard nodded. “Of course” he noted “Besides, if you think Cesc gloats about setting us up now, imagine how much worse it will be when he finds out about bump” he added with a boyish grin.

Ariella scoffed playfully, mumbling something about the midfielder being insufferable, before a soft yawn fell out of her mouth, something which made Gerard nudge her side. “Get some sleep” he mumbled.

Ariella hesitated for a second before she nodded her head, moving to curl up against her pillow. “I’m glad you’re home” she mumbled sleepily.

Gerard smiled before he leant over, kissing her head softly, musing that he was glad to be back.
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