If It Gave Us Time

“What are you up to for lunch?” Gerard asked from his spot in Isla’s bedroom doorway, watching as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun. It had been a good morning, after he’d overheard Isla and Luna talking, he’d enjoyed having breakfast with the two of them, but with Isla having an early meeting, they were due to part ways, something Gerard was reluctant to do for long, even if he knew that he ran the risk of appearing a little clingy. A small part of him wanted to keep spending time with her, hoping that the more that they spent together, the clearer Isla’s feelings would become.

Isla, who’d been poking a few hairclips into her hair, shrugged, glancing back at him via the mirror she stood in front of. “I haven’t really given it much thought” she mused “I mean, I’ve got a meeting with a couple this morning to go over their wedding timeline, and then another meeting with a couple who I was recommended to, but I should be free about 1:30. Why?” she asked.

Gerard shrugged, a slightly sheepish look on his face. “I’m free this afternoon” he quipped.

Isla smiled a little to herself, not missing the slight hint of nervousness of his face, before she turned around to look at him, gently pushing her glasses up her nose. “You’re not bored of me yet?” she quipped.

“Having lunch with you beats having it alone” Gerard quipped, his voice caught between soft and teasing.

Isla shook her head. “You were so close to just being nice to me then” she teased as she stepped around him, collecting the jacket that she had hung on the back of her door.

Gerard smiled a little at her joke before he stepped towards her slightly. “Seriously” he noted as he reached his hand out, gently flattening out the collar of her jacket “If you’re free for lunch, we should meet up. I could...uh...I could pick you up” he added, his voice faltering slightly as Isla lifted her head, her blue eyes mirroring his.

Isla stared up at him for a second, her eyes searching his, before she quickly ducked her head, shaking it slightly to try and hide the soft blush which had spread across it. “That sounds nice” she mused “I’ll...uh...I’ll text you later to let you know where to pick me up from” she added before she stepped back past him, collecting her bag quickly.

Slipping the bag onto her shoulder, she offered him a slightly shy smile before she attempted to duck out of the door, something Gerard was quick to stop, gently grabbing a hold of her hand before he guided her into a soft hug. Isla stilled for a fraction of a second, surprised that he’d opted to hug her, but she quickly grew into it, hugging him tightly for a couple of seconds longer than she normally would before she pulled away. “I’ll see you later, Piqué” she mused, offering him a small over her shoulder as she stepped past him.

“I’m looking forwards to it, Vasquez” Gerard mused as he waved after her, unable to stifle his own smile.

~#~
Folding his arms across his chest, Gerard quirked a small amused grin, admiring the way that Isla’s forehead furrowed as she stared down at the menu in her hands. It was something she’d always done, whenever she was focused, her eyebrows knitted together slightly and created a small wrinkle in her forehead, and he couldn’t help but marvel at it, still finding it as cute as he had when they were children.

“I know you’re staring at me”

Gerard, who’d drifted off slightly, startled a little at the sound of her voice before he shook his head, a lazy smile spreading across his lips. “I’m just noticing how focused you look” he quipped “I mean, it’s a menu, Lala, it’s not rocket science” he added cheekily.

Isla glared at him over the top of her menu, causing Gerard to let out a laugh. “Isla” he corrected himself sarcastically.

Isla rolled her eyes, diverting her attention back down towards her menu. “How was your morning?” she asked, breaking the silence which had settled over them.

Gerard, who’d returned to watching her quietly, shrugged. “It was OK” he noted “I mean, it’s still relatively early in the season, but we’re playing two matches most weeks, so it’s a lot of training right now, but it’s good. With me having retired from the national team, I’ve got a few days off coming up. I’m looking forwards to them. What about you? How were your meetings?” he pressed.

“They went well” Isla replied, settling her menu back down onto the table “The first meeting was just to finalize a few things with a couple who are getting married this weekend and the second one...they’ve decided to hire me” she added, her face lighting up with a proud smile.

Seeing the grin on Isla’s face made Gerard grin too, something which made the blonde woman shake her head. “What are you smiling at?” she quipped, hoping that he wouldn’t notice the slight pink hue which had grown across her cheeks.

Gerard shrugged, grinning. “You” he replied “You look so proud of yourself, so excited, and I like seeing you like that. I mean, I didn’t exactly picture you going into wedding photography when we were kids, but...” he trailed off, letting out a slightly bashful laugh.

Isla rolled her eyes playfully. “You can blame Rodrigo and my mother” she mused “The wedding photographer that he and Cara had booked for their wedding cancelled day of, and they needed someone to fill in at the last minute. My mother suggested that I do it, insisting that if it didn’t pan out, they could always have them redone, but they...they turned out pretty well. Rodrigo shared a bunch of them with his friends, and before I knew it, people were booking me to take the photographs at their weddings” she added sheepishly.

“I’m glad that you found something that you love” Gerard enthused warmly “You were never sure of what you wanted to do when we were kids, and I’m glad that you found something that makes you happy. That smiles of yours is something I really love seeing” he added, his grin softening slightly.

Isla let out a small sound, but didn’t say anything, her eyes fixed on the table ahead of her.

Gerard watched her for a second, smiling gently to himself, before he reached across the table, gently brushing a few hairs which had snuck out of her bun back off of her face. Isla flinched a little, surprised by the touch, before she looked up, her eyes watching as Gerard’s flicked between her eyes and her lips. Swallowing a little, she allowed his touch to linger, something which encouraged Gerard to lean a little closer to her, their noses practically touching. Flicking his stare back up to her eyes, he searched them for a few long seconds before he leant a little closer, preparing to press a soft kiss against Isla’s lips.

Isla, however, was slightly quicker, turning her face downwards so that her forehead lightly bumped against his nose. “Gerard” she mumbled, squeezing her eyes closed.

Gerard held his position for a second before he pulled away, nodding his head slightly. “I’m sorry” he murmured “I...uh...” he stumbled out, not quite sure what to say to her.

“I’m going to go” Isla murmured “I’ll...I’ll see you, Piqué” she added with the best smile she could push onto her face before she pushed her chair back, rushing away.

Gerard closed his eyes, listening to the sound of her footsteps walking away for him, before he cursed lowly beneath his breath, knowing that he’d only gone and made things between them awkward again.