If It Gave Us Time

Letting a contented sigh fall out of his mouth, Gerard happily laid back onto the bed, stretching his arms above his head. It had been a long evening, after the game had finished, he and Isla had headed over to Rodrigo’s home for dinner before they’d made their way home, and whilst he had enjoyed spending time with Isla’s family, he was more than glad to be home, looking forwards to having more than a few minutes alone with his girlfriend.

It had been a busy time for them both, with Barcelona having reached the latter stages of all of the competitions that they’d played in, and Isla having been busy with work herself, it’d seemed as though they’d kept missing one another for a little while, and he was keen to start making the most of the season being over, not wanting things between him and Isla to slip. They were good, despite them only having been together for a matter of months, they felt like they’d been together for years, and Gerard wanted to keep it that way.

Pushing a hand back through his hair, he glanced up at the ceiling for a few seconds before the sound of movement reached his ears, causing him to sit up slightly, his eyes settling on Isla who stood in the bathroom, quietly fixing her hair before bed. Quirking a small smile, he watched her tuck the last of her blonde hair into her ponytail before he shuffled back to his feet, quietly stepping into the room behind her before he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Isla, who’d been distracted by checking her reflection, jumped at the feel of his embrace before she shook her head, glancing at him via the mirror ahead of her. “I didn’t know you’d come up” she mused.

Gerard shrugged, squeezing her softly. “It’s been a long day” he mused, turning his head so that he could press a soft kiss against her neck.

Isla grinned goofily, her cheeks glowing a familiar shade of pink. “You know, you could have said no to Rodrigo’s offer of dinner” she pointed out.

“I know” Gerard replied “But he was pretty insistent and Arthur and Jacob weren’t exactly keen on letting me go either” he added.

Isla’s smile softened a little. “They like you” she mused “And certainly for Jacob, that’s a big deal. He’s never really been good with new people, but you...you’re great with him, and with Arthur” she fussed, timidly messing with his fingers which were settled on his stomach.

Gerard watched her via the mirror, not missing the gentle smile which danced around her lips, before he dipped forwards, kissing the top of her head softly. “You Ok?” he mumbled gently.

Isla nodded. “Why do you ask?” she posed.

Gerard shrugged. “You’ve been a bit quiet” he noted “I mean, I know I’ve not seen much of you today, but you’ve seemed a little distracted. I just thought I’d make sure that there’s nothing for me to be worried about” he added, tenderly kissing the side of her face.

Isla closed her eyes, relishing the soft feel of his lips against her skin, before she gently shook her head, meeting his stare in the mirror. “I...uh...I kind of have something I need to tell you” she stumbled out.

Gerard nodded. “OK” he noted “What’s up?” he asked.

Isla kept her eyes on the mirror for a few seconds, trying to think of the right thing to say, before she turned around, glancing up at him. “I’m late” she breathed quietly “And I am never, ever late” she added firmly.

“Late?” Gerard posed, a furrow in his forehead.

Isla swallowed before she shook her head, gently tugging herself out of his arms. “I’ll be right back” she mused before she stepped out of the room.

Gerard stared after her, momentarily perplexed, before he slowly followed, watching as Isla sped across their bedroom, rooting through one of the drawers in her dresser. Frowning slightly, he stepped across the room after her before he plopped down onto the bed, watching her for a few seconds before she turned around, something clutched in her hands.

“I know you’re probably going to be upset that I didn’t wait” Isla mused “But that wasn’t my intention. I just...I didn’t want to say anything, just in case there was nothing to talk about. I’d have hated getting your hopes up for no reason, so I thought...” she trailed off as she caught the confused expression on his face, something which caused her to shake her, a nervous laugh tumbling out of her mouth.

“You have no idea what I am talking about, do you?” Isla prodded.

Gerard offered her a boyish smile. “You’re speaking too fast” he quipped “And you’re not really completing full sentences. Why don’t you try slowing things down for me?” he encouraged gently.

Isla shook her head, carefully reaching one of her hands up to push a few hairs away from her eyes. “I knew I’d be terrible at this” she mumbled “I mean, I thought if I took a couple of days to get my thoughts together, I’d be fine when I tried to talk to you, but I kind of just want to keep throwing words at you, hoping you’ll just catch onto what I am trying to say” she added.

Gerard just offered her a small smile, trying to encourage her to take a breath and try explaining things again.

Isla glanced down at him, studying the tender smile that he wore, before she shook her head, taking in a slightly shaky breath. “I was late” she murmured “My...my time of the month, it didn’t arrive on schedule, and that’s never happened to me before, so...” she trailed off as she looked at him, seeing the surprise in his eyes.

Gerard swallowed a little. “So...So what?” he pressed quietly.

Isla’s lips twitched upwards into a brief amused smile before she shook her head, gently nudging her hands against his. Gerard blinked a couple of times before he looked down at her hands, his eyes widening a little as his gaze landed on the three pregnancy tests that she clutched. “What?” he spat out hoarsely.

Isla shook her head before she shuffled a little closer to him, carefully crouching down in front of him as she settled the tests down onto the mattress beside him. Offering him a tearful smile, she gently took a hold of one of his hands and placed it against her stomach, her forehead resting against his. “You’re going to be a papa” she breathed out quietly.

Gerard’s breathing stuttered slightly before he leant back, his eyes mirroring Isla’s. “What?” he repeated.

Isla sniffled, giggling a little at the expression on his face. “Is this all it takes to make you speechless?” she teased as she reached a hand up, tenderly guiding her fingers through his hair.

Gerard closed his eyes, allowing himself to take a couple of calming breaths, before he lifted his hand slightly, delicately passing his fingertips over the front of her t-shirt. “You’re sure?” he asked quietly.

Isla nodded. “All three were positive” she confirmed.

Gerard nodded his head slowly. “How...how long’ve you known?” he asked.

“Two days” Isla replied “I just...I wanted to be sure before I told you, and then I wanted to try and think of the right thing to say. You can see how well that worked out” she rambled, nervously rolling her eyes.

Gerard breathed out a laugh, something which made Isla shake her head, nervously tugging at her shirt. “I know we said we’d wait” she murmured “And I...” she stopped talking as Gerard carefully took her face in his hands, pulling her into a soft kiss that lasted for a few long seconds before he pulled away, one hand ghosting over the front of her shirt.

“I don’t care about that” Gerard murmured “Whether it’s months from now, or years, I don’t care. You’re pregnant, Isla. We’re having a baby together” he added, the smile on his face the brightest that Isla had ever seen it.

Chewing her lip, she allowed a beat of silence to pass between them before she tossed her arms around him, something Gerard was quick to mimic, hugging her tightly as a couple of loose tears tumbled down his cheeks.