In the End

Resting against the side of his car, Gerard quietly shook his head to himself, trying to get rid of the all too familiar knot which twitched in the pit of his stomach. He was used to the sensation, even before Adrian had arrived in Ariella’s life, the knot in his stomach had appeared whenever he was around her following their breakup, but he was irked that he couldn’t shift it, even if he had always been aware that it was going to take him a while to get over what had happened between the two of them. He had thought that, after six months, he would have been a little closer to getting over her than he was. He knew that it shouldn’t have irked him as much as it did, for a few weeks, he had known about Ariella and Adrian, and the idea that Adrian was calling her shouldn’t have bothered him like it had, but he couldn’t help it.

Squeezing his eyes closed, he allowed a small frustrated sigh to slip out of his mouth before he stuck his hand into his pocket, collecting the set of car keys which sat inside.

“Are you OK?”

Gerard, who’d turned to unlock his car, stilled a little at the sound of Lionel’s voice before he let out a soft sigh, sparing the argentine a glance over his shoulder. “What do you think?” he mumbled, resting his weight against the car once more.

Lionel, who’d stepped a little closer to him, shook his head. “Gerard...”

“You’d think I’d be over it by now” the defender mumbled, cutting Lionel off “I mean, it’s been six months since she ended things, and you think I’d be a little more over it by now, but I am not. It’s stupid but...” he trailed off, his voice rising in frustration.

Lionel blinked a couple of times, surprised by the strength of the defender’s voice, before he shook his head. “It’s not stupid” he mused.

“Isn’t it?” Gerard countered, his voice still clearly frustrated.

Lionel shook his head. “You were really in love with her, Gerard” he mused “It was obvious how much you liked her, and how much she liked you, for a long time, and you’re not just going to forget it in a few months, especially since the two of you insist that you can still be friends after what happened” he explained gently.

Gerard glanced at him, briefly contemplating pointing out just how quickly Ariella had moved on, before he shook his head, something which caused Lionel to reach his hand up, offering his shoulder a reassuring pat. “Have you thought about talking to Ariella?” he mused after a moment of quiet.

Gerard, who’d returned his stare towards the ground, blinked at the sound of his voice before he turned, offering him a curious look. “What?” he posed.

“Have you thought about talking to her?” Lionel repeated cautiously “I mean, I know you’ve spoken a little since things...ended, but I think it could do you some good. You’re struggling, Gerard, you’re struggling to be the friend to her that you were before, and I think you might need to talk to her about the two of you taking a break from each other for a while. I know that you wanted to be friends with her, but I am not quite sure that that is something which is working for you. You might need some time away from her” he added, his voice quiet and uncertain.

He didn’t want to upset Gerard, after he and Ariella had broken up, they’d both quickly insisted that they were more than capable of being friends, but it was clearly something that the defender was struggling with, even if he did keep trying to put a brave face on it. Lionel didn’t believe it for a moment.

Gerard stared at him for a moment before he shook his head. “Leo...”

“She broke up with you, Gerard” Lionel interrupted “You loved her, and she broke up with you, and I think you need some time to wrap your head around that before you can even think about being friends with her. You need some time, Gerard, even if it is only a couple of months, and I think you ought to ask Ariella for it. You can’t keep pretending that she, and her being with Adrian, doesn’t bother you when it is very clear that it does” he insisted firmly.

Gerard flinched a little at the mention of Adrian’s name before he leant his head back, resting it against the car as a soft sigh fell out of his mouth.

“You can admit that you don’t like him” Lionel quipped “No one would be surprised. Besides, given the way you looked at him when we went to dinner, I don’t think you’re fooling that many people when you keep saying that you’re fine” he added.

Gerard merely shrugged, something which caused Lionel to reach his hand up, offering his shoulder another reassuring squeeze. “Talk to her” he noted “It’s the best thing for you. For both of you” he added before he reached across, offering the defender a swift hug before he padded away, mumbling a soft goodnight.

Gerard watched him across the carpark before he turned back towards his own car, unlocking it before he slipped into the driver’s seat. He knew that Lionel had a point, despite their best efforts, it was clear to anyone that saw them together that he and Ariella weren’t capable of being friends, and he knew that it was something that needed addressing, even if he didn’t quite want to let her slip from his life entirely. He knew that they couldn’t keep going in the way that they were.

It didn’t work, when he and Ariella were in the same room at the same time, it was clearly forced and uncomfortable, and it needed to be changed, even if it did mean pulling away from one another. It was something that he needed to do for himself so that he could have the opportunity to get over the end of their relationship. Shaking his head, he mulled over Lionel’s words for a few seconds longer before he slipped his phone out of his pocket, quickly pulling Ariella’s number onto the screen. Swallowing a little, he hesitated for a few seconds before he typed a quick message, asking her if they could get together the following day to talk.