If It Gave Us Time

Peeking over the top of her laptop, Isla quirked an amused smile, her blue eyes settling on Gerard who sat a little away from her, sneaking a glance over at her from time to time. It was quiet, with both of them having things that they needed to get done, they’d been settled in his living room without so much as a word passing between them, but whilst they hadn’t spoken a lot, Isla liked that he was there, feeling better just for his company. It’d always been the case, even when they’d been children, Isla had always appeared more relaxed whenever the defender was around, and it amazed her that it was still the same, even after years apart. She merely liked being in the same place as him.

Smirking a little to herself, she caught him sparing another look over towards her before she shook her head, letting a soft laugh fall out of her mouth. “Am I distracting you?” she asked, her voice warm and amused.

Gerard, who’d diverted his stare back down towards the papers that he was reading, smirked a little at her question before he offered her a nonchalant shrug. “A little” he mused “But I could ask you the same thing. I mean, you must keep looking at me to notice that I keep looking at you” he pointed out smugly.

Isla rolled her eyes, but couldn’t stifle her smile, something which made Gerard grin triumphantly before he shuffled to his feet, offering her his hand. “Come on” he mused.

Isla glanced at his hand before she looked up at him, her amused smile still dancing across her features “Where are we going?” she asked.

“I was thinking about making some dinner” Gerard replied “And I could always use the help. You think you could lend me a hand without accidently burning my kitchen down?” he teased.

Isla scoffed before she placed her hand in his, allowing him to gently pull her back up to her feet. “I’ve gotten better” she protested.

Gerard merely let out a laugh, something which made Isla push his shoulder playfully before she pulled her hand out of his, padding away towards the kitchen. Gerard let out another laugh before he followed after her, catching up to her with ease before he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Isla let out a small squeak, surprised by the sudden hug, before she giggled, something which made Gerard smile gently before he leant forwards, pressing a soft kiss against her cheek. “I like your laugh, you know that?” he mumbled.

Isla wrinkled her nose. “You do?” she asked.

Gerard smiled a little, marveling at the way her nose crinkled before he nodded, offering her waist a soft squeeze. “I think it’s cute” he mumbled softly.

Isla felt her cheeks warm a little before she shook her head, smiling shyly down at her feet.

Gerard held her close for a second, quietly admiring her smile, before he pressed another kiss against her cheek, smiling against her warm skin. “What are you doing Sunday night?” he asked suddenly, disturbing the pleasant silence which had settled between the two of them.

Isla, who’d started to mess with his hands, frowned a little at his question. “Sunday night?” she asked “It’s family dinner night. Rodrigo’s coming over with Cara and the boys and my mother’s already planning out what she’s going to be serving. Why?” she asked.

Gerard shrugged nonchantly. “You think you can get out of it?” he asked.

“It depends” Isla replied as she turned around, her blue eyes looking up at him curiously “What do you want?” she added, her voice caught between teasing and questioning.

Gerard drummed his fingers against the small of her back for a moment, grinning down at her, before he offered her another nonchalant shrug. “I’ve got a match this Sunday” he mused “We’re playing at home and I thought, maybe it was about time that you came to one. You can come and watch the match and then maybe...maybe we could have dinner with my parents?” he suggested gently.

Isla’s eyes widened a little, something which made Gerard chuckle quietly. “I knew you’d give me that look” he mumbled.

Isla shook her head. “You want to do both of them?” she asked “In one night?” she added.

“Why not?” Gerard replied “I mean, it’s not like it’s something you’ve never done before. You used to come to all of my matches, and my parents, they’re more than excited about seeing you. I think it could be a great night” he added.

“You don’t think it’s a lot?” Isla countered, chewing on her lip nervously.

Gerard watched her for a second, not missing the nervousness in her expression, before he nodded his head, letting out a soft sigh. “You’re right” he mumbled “That was...that was a stupid thing to suggest” he added.

“I didn’t say that” Isla replied gently “I just...we’re not on some time limit. I think we could probably afford to have me meet your teammates and have dinner with your parents on two different nights” she added with a small nervous laugh.

She knew that they were things that they were going to do, with both her and Gerard appearing to be serious about one another, she knew that they were going to work their way through the milestones of a relationship, but she didn’t want to rush them, even if she knew that she was just postponing what she hoped would be inevitable. She wanted to enjoy the little moments that showed the progress that their relationship was making.

Gerard smiled halfheartedly. “Sorry” he mumbled “I guess I just...I’m being stupid” he added.

Isla smirked. “Tell me something I don’t know” she teased.

Gerard laughed despite himself, something which made Isla’s smile soften slightly before she pushed herself up onto her toes, brushing a soft kiss over his lips. “You do know that I am not going anywhere, right?” she asked.

Gerard opened his mouth to reply, but Isla was quicker, kissing him again. “We don’t need to rush this” she murmured “I’ve not got enough money to get out of living with my parents, I’ve hardly got enough to run away from you” she joked, smirking against his lips.

Gerard let out another laugh before he gently reached his hand up, cupping her cheek gently. “I lost out on my chance with you before” he mumbled “I mean, I don’t regret leaving, it was a good thing for me, but I do regret things between you and me. I regret not telling you that I was crazy about you before I left. I regret just letting you drift out of my life. I regret all sorts of things, and I guess I am worried about things going wrong, so I am trying to force them along too quickly, wanting to make the most of the time we have before they do. I want to do all the things couples do. I want to spend time with your family. I want you to spend time with mine. I want you to meet my friends. I want...” his voice trailed off as Isla pushed herself onto her toes again, smothering his words with a tender kiss.

Gently slipping his fingers into her hair, he allowed the kiss to last for a few long seconds before he pulled back, smiling goofily. “What was that for?” he breathed.

“To stop you talking” Isla mumbled, lightly brushing their noses “I mean, when you get going, it’s pretty hard to shut you up any other way” she teased.

Gerard breathed out a soft laugh. “Lala...”

“We’re good” Isla interrupted softly “Like, really, really good, and you don’t need to be worried about some ticking clock on us running out. I’m going nowhere, I hope you’re not either, and I think we’ve probably got time to slow down and enjoy it. We’re still in the ‘getting to know each other’ phase, and I am quite enjoying it. Don’t you want to enjoy it too?” she added, her voice warm and reassuring.

Gerard searched her eyes for a moment, quietly thinking over her question, before he nodded. “You know I do” he mused, gently tracing her cheekbone with his thumb.

Isla smiled, leaning into his hand. “Then relax” she mused “We’re doing OK” she added, pressing a quick kiss against his palm before she pulled away from him, padding into the kitchen.

Gerard watched her, his eyes admiring her as she walked, before he followed after her, knowing that she was right. There wasn’t a clock on their relationship, things between them were going well and were comfortable, and he knew that he needed to stop trying to push things along too quickly, not wanting to miss the little moments of a new relationship which were new and exciting.