In the End

65: What Gave It Away?

Pulling his jacket a little more around himself, Gerard took a sip of the glass of champagne which he held in his hand, his blue eyes looking through the patio door towards Ariella who stood inside, fussing excitedly over the engagement ring which sat proudly on her finger. It had been a little while, after he had proposed and she had said yes, a couple of hours had passed, but with Toby needing to be put down to bed for the night, he and Ariella had been quick to invite their friends and her family back to their home, not wanting the celebration of their engagement to be cut short. He knew that it was a big deal, the idea that Ariella had actually said yes to him seemed foreign to him and slightly surreal, but he was over the moon, even if he hadn’t quite wrapped his head around the idea that they were actually engaged to be married yet. Even thinking about the ring which now proudly sat on her finger was enough to earn a wide grin on his face.

Taking another sip of his drink, he watched Ariella smile for a few more seconds before he turned away, staring out over the quiet garden as another smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

“You know that you’re hosting, right?”

Gerard startled, surprised by the sound of Cesc’s voiced, before he turned around, offering the other Spaniard a small nod of his head. “I had noticed that there were a lot of people in my house” he joked “I just wanted to take a couple of minutes. Is Ella asking for me?” he added, his voice softening slightly.

Cesc, who’d moved to pull the patio door to, shook his head. “I think she’s a little distracted” he quipped “I mean, we’ve been back here for a couple of hours now, and she’s still practically jumping for joy” he added with a smile.

Gerard caught the midfielder’s smile before he shook his head, grinning bashfully. “She does seem pretty excited” he mused.

Cesc snorted. “Pretty excited?” he quipped “She’s ecstatic, Geri” he added.

Gerard merely smiled, taking another sip of his drink.

Cesc watched the defender for a couple of seconds, admiring the seemingly immovable smile which was spread across his face, before shook his head, breathing out a small amused laugh. “You’re really serious about her, aren’t you?” he quipped.

Gerard arched an eyebrow. “What gave it away?” he quipped playfully “I mean, we live together, we have a son together, I’ve just asked her to marry me...which part was the biggest hint for you?” he teased.

Cesc rolled his eyes, but couldn’t keep the small smile off of his face, something which caused Gerard to grin triumphantly. “You know what I mean” he quipped “It wasn’t that long ago that she was walking into a restaurant with another guy and the two of you were hardly even talking, and now look at you. You’re crazy about one another, it’s so obvious to anyone who’s ever been around you how good you are together, and I, as both your friend and hers, am trying to congratulate you. I know you can’t have done much better, but Ella’s not exactly settling either. You’re not the worst guy she could marry” he quipped, his voice lighthearted and teasing.

Gerard rolled his eyes, but smiled nevertheless, something which caused Cesc to shake his head amusedly. “You can’t stop smiling” he quipped.

Gerard shrugged, trying to distract from the slight flush which had spread over his cheeks. “I’m happy” he quipped “I mean, I’ve not quite got my head around the idea that she said yes yet, but I know that I am happy that she did. I love her, Cesc, I really do, and I am pretty ecstatic that she’s going to be my wife” he explained sheepishly.

“I’m pretty excited too”

Gerard and Cesc startled, sharing a little surprised look, before they both turned around, their stares settling on Ariella who stood in the doorway, a slight amused smirk on her features. “Am I interrupting a moment?” she posed, gently tucking her dark hair behind her ear.

Cesc shook his head. “I just came out here to tease him a little” he quipped “But I am sure that that can wait. I mean, a best man’s toast is a pretty good excuse to make fun of him” he added jovially.

Gerard scoffed. “To give that toast, I’d have to ask you to be my best man” he quipped.

Cesc grinned. “We both know you will” he quipped “I mean, I’m the man who introduced you to your future wife. How could it be anyone else?” he added.

Gerard rolled his eyes, something which made Cesc laugh before he turned towards Ariella, offering her a brief congratulatory hug before he ducked into the house, leaving the couple alone. Ariella watched the midfielder walk away before she turned back towards Gerard, her expression brightening with a soft smile. “You OK?” she asked as she stepped towards him, gently wrapping her arms around his neck “I mean, you’ve be out here for a little while. Is everything alright?” she added.

Gerard, who’d moved to slip his arms around her waist, nodded before he dipped his head forwards slightly, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. “It’s been a pretty nerve wracking couple of hours for me” he mumbled as he leant back ever so slightly “I mean, I’ve spent a lot of tonight trying to convince myself not to freak out, and I thought I could take a couple of minutes of quiet to try and relax a little. You need me for something?” he asked.

Ariella shook her head. “No” she mused “I just...I wanted to see you, which sounds stupid because we’ve been together all night, but I...we...”

“We’re engaged” Gerard finished for her, smiling tenderly.

Ariella breathed out a shaky giggle, awed by the sound of those words, before she nodded her head. “We are” she agreed “And whilst I’ve loved fussing over the ring with Antonella and Daniella, and listening to both my mother and my father start making plans for a wedding which we’ve not even talked about yet, I kind of wanted to see you. You’re my fiancé after all” she added, her voice a little giddy.

Gerard marveled at the excitement in her voice, relieved to hear it, before he dipped down, pressing a kiss against her forehead and nose before he leant back slightly. “I love you” he mumbled before he leant into her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips.

Ariella smiled at the feel of his lips against hers, kissing him back softly for a few second before she pulled away, mumbling a soft ‘I love you’ in return before the sound of the patio door sliding open reached her ears, causing her to turn, her eyes settling on Estella who apologetically held out Toby’s baby monitor. Ariella let out a slightly muted sigh before she took the monitor out of her mother’s hand, trailing the older woman back into the house. Gerard watched after her for a few seconds before he quietly shook his head, grinning to himself as he tried to get his head around the idea that Ariella had said yes. He knew that it wasn’t the biggest surprise, after the last conversation that they’d had about the topic, there had been little doubt that Ariella would give him the answer that he had been looking for, but still he was in awe of it, even if he had seen it coming. He doubted that he would ever quite match the feeling of relief and happiness which had filled him as soon as she had tentatively nodded her head.
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Thanks to FootieJo, mslou1 and Twisted;;Symphony for the comments :)