If It Gave Us Time

Smiling gently to himself, Gerard perched himself on the side of Isla’s bed, his blue eyes staring up at the board of pictures which was stuck on her wall. It hadn’t been long, after they’d shared their first kiss, Isla had been quick to babble something about them needing some privacy to talk, but with Luna having arrived home, she’d disappeared to talk to the other woman, something Gerard was confident would take her a while, even if she had insisted that she wouldn’t be gone for long. He was pretty confident that she would want to fuss and fret about what had happened between them for a while. It hadn’t been a flawless moment, the talk that they’d had had been awkward and the kiss slightly more rushed than he’d been hoping for, but it was enough to make him smile, no matter how much he attempted to stifle it. The idea that he and Isla had kissed had left him slightly giddy.

Shaking his head, he let out a slightly breathy laugh to himself before he stood up again, moving to scan over the array of pictures which were tacked to the board on the wall. Smiling to himself, he admired a few shots of Isla with her friends and family before the sound of footsteps reached his ears, causing him to turn slightly, smirking slightly as Isla slipped into the bedroom, gently pushing the door closed behind herself. “I was starting to wonder if you’d forgotten about me” he quipped, turning back towards the pictures.

Isla, who’d been focused on the bedroom door, felt her cheeks warm a little before she shook her head, shuffling towards him. “Sorry” she mumbled “Luna just...” she trailed off as Gerard looked down at her, smirking slightly.

Shaking her head, she wrinkled her nose slightly in embarrassment, something which made Gerard shake his head, his hand gently taking a hold of hers. “It’s OK” he noted “I mean, I remember when you had your first ever kiss with what’s his name? You gushed about it for five minutes, and then spent the next hour wondering what it meant, whether you two were going to get together or not...you really got yourself worked up” he added, his voice warm and teasing.

Isla, who’d been looking down at their hands, let out a soft laugh, allowing her head to gently fall against his shoulder. “I remember that” she muttered “I got so nervous the next time that he tried to talk to me, I ran away from him and didn’t speak to him for almost two weeks” she added.

“That sounds pretty familiar” Gerard teased amusedly.

Isla let out a quiet scoff before she lifted her head slightly, her eyes still looking down at their hands. “I’ve had two boyfriends” she mumbled quietly.

Gerard tilted his head so that their eyes met, a small frown on his lips. “What?” he asked.

“I’ve had two serious boyfriends” Isla repeated quietly, her fingers timidly messing with Gerard’s “I was with both of them for over two years, and, if you spoke to them, they’d both tell you the same thing. I am not very good at talking, I’d much rather run away from a situation than face it. I talk too much when I am nervous, and I giggle too when I am not sure what else I can say. You’ve already seen it, but the first few times that you try to...” her words trailed off as Gerard leant forwards slightly, brushing a soft kiss against her lips.

Isla stilled, caught off guard by the soft kiss, before she pulled out of it, looking up at Gerard with a small crease in her forehead.

Gerard’s lips quirked upwards at the sight of the frown on her lips. “Are you done?” he asked amusedly.

Isla shook her head. “Geri...”

“You’re talking to me like I’m someone else” Gerard interrupted “Like I am not the same guy who comforted you when your first boyfriend dumped you, or when you got into fights with your mother. I know what you’re like, Isla” he added, a boyish smile on his face.

Isla blinked a couple of times, surprised by the interruption, before she shook her head, smiling gently down at their hands. “You do know that I am not exactly like I was when you left, right?” she pressed “I mean, I like to think that I’ve not changed too much, but there are things about me that are different” she added, hesitantly looking up at him.

Gerard nodded. “I know” he confirmed “But you know what? I still kind of like you anyway” he added impishly.

Isla let out a laugh before she flinched, realizing that it was a little too loud.

Gerard marveled at the way her face flinched, admiring the way her nose wrinkled slightly, before he lifted his spare hand, gently brushing fingertips through her soft blonde hair. “I don’t care if we’re not good at this right away” he mused “I don’t care if we get nervous, or have a few petty fights at the start when we’re trying to figure things out, I just want to figure things out with you. I like you, this you” he insisted gently, his thumb lightly brushing against her cheek.

Isla chewed on her lip for a moment, allowing his words to hang around them, before she quirked a small smile. “No maybe this time?” she teased uncertainly.

Gerard shook his head, smiling gently. “No maybe” he quipped “I like you, Lala” he added.

Isla closed her eyes, letting out a playful groan. “You still can’t call me that” she noted “Whether we’re doing this or not, it’s Isla, not Lala. You know how much I hate it” she added with a small giggle.

Gerard took a second to admire her face before he leant forwards slightly, pressing a feather light kiss against her forehead before he trailed downwards, kissing her nose softly before he pressed a soft kiss the corner of her lips. “Are we doing this?” he mumbled.

Isla held him close for a few seconds, allowing him to lightly ghost his lips over hers, before she quirked a small smile, subtly nodding her head.

Gerard caught the barely noticeable movement of her head before he leant forwards, kissing the other corner of her lips. “You’re going to take me on a date?” he mumbled teasingly.

Isla rolled her eyes, gently resting forehead against his.

Gerard gently wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her closer to him. “We could got out to dinner” he mumbled “Then I could walk you home and kiss you on your doorstep, providing, of course, that you don’t freak out or Luna doesn’t open a door” he added, grinning.

Isla pushed his shoulder playfully and pulled out of his embrace, something which made Gerard laugh before he followed after her, capturing her hand in his. “I’m teasing” he quipped, gently tugging her back towards him “I’m sure that whatever we do, it’ll be a lot of fun. I mean, I’m pretty fun...”

“You’re an idiot” Isla interrupted with a giggle.

Gerard let out another soft laugh before he pulled her into a soft hug, gently rocking her from side to side. Isla gripped onto his shirt, holding him close to her before she lifted her head slightly, her lips just below his ear. “I can’t wait” she whispered softly.