Burn Us Down

30: Is It Everything You Remember It Being?

Pulling her knees up towards her chest, Olivia quirked a sleepy smile, her eyes gazing out of the balcony door to admire the Parisian skyline. The trip had been a sudden one. Gerard’s suggestion had seemingly come out of nowhere, and it had happened quickly, but Olivia couldn’t stop herself from smiling, glad to be back in a place that had meant so much to them both. She wasn’t under any illusions. A weekend away in a city that held so many good memories for the two of them wasn’t going to magically fix everything, but she had to admit that she had been looking forwards to it. It wasn’t like they hadn’t had a lot of time alone together. Since the pictures had come to light, they’d taken a lot of time to be alone together as a couple, but something about being out of Barcelona had relaxed Olivia a little more. People weren’t going to bother them. For a couple of days, they could just relax into their little bubble, and Olivia adored the idea, no matter how suddenly it had come about.

Adjusting the pillow behind her, Olivia rested her head against the headboard for a moment before she felt Gerard’s arm sneak across her waist, something which caused her to look down, shaking her head amusedly. “What are you doing?” she asked.

Gerard slipped his hand beneath her pyjama shirt, his cool hand settling against the warm skin of her stomach. “It’s too early to be awake” he mumbled sleepily “And I know you. If I don’t find a way to keep you from getting up, you’re going to pull me out of bed so that we can go and do something, and I am not ready for that yet” he added, gently tugging her towards him.

Olivia laid down next to him, allowing him to cuddle her close as she slipped her hand over his, toying with his fingers. “You know that we’re only here for a couple of days, right?” she posed, sparing him a playful smile over her shoulder.

Gerard had closed his eyes, so missed seeing her smile, but he could hear it in her voice, causing his own grin to appear. “I did book the tickets and the hotel room” he replied “So I am pretty familiar with itinerary, but that doesn’t mean I am in a hurry to get up. I’m pretty comfortable” he added.

Olivia let out a laugh, but didn’t do anything to move away from him, allowing a comfortable silence to flow between them for a moment before Gerard’s stomach grumbled, something which made Olivia laugh. “You know we could order room service” she pointed out “There’s a lovely balcony and it’s not the cold. It’s not too far from the bed, either” she added impishly.

Gerard huffed, playing along. “Fine, you win” he quipped.

Olivia turned over, pressing a kiss against his lips, before she pulled back, offering him a small smile which caught between soft and playful.

Gerard’s eyes searched her face, a gentle smile lighting his own features, before he lifted a hand, gently tucking her messy hair off of her face. “You OK?” he asked softly.

Olivia nodded. “Yeah” she replied gently “Just…I don’t know, glad to be here?” she asked more than stated.

Gerard’s hand cupped the back of her head, gently guiding it downwards so that he could press a soft kiss against her forehead. “I’m glad you’re here too” he murmured against her skin.

~#~
“Why are we not cuddled up inside right now?”

Olivia, who’d been wrapping Gerard’s jacket around her shoulders, rolled her eyes before she reached across the table, collecting the mug of coffee that she had left behind when she had ducked inside to collect a pair of socks. She knew that he was teasing. Aside from a slightly brisk breeze which had blown across the two of them a couple of times, the setting was beautiful, and Olivia knew that Gerard knew it. She had caught him a few times, when he thought that she wasn’t looking, glancing across the skyline with a soft, happy smile on his face.

Gerard watched her out of the corner of his eye, a soft smile on his lips, before he shook his head. “Is it everything you remember it being?” he asked, breaking the momentary silence which had settled over the two of them.

Olivia smiled around the top of her cup. “I’ve really only seen the inside of this hotel room” she pointed out.

“And that differs from last time how?” Gerard retorted, his eyebrow lifted suggestively.

Olivia squeaked out a giggle, her cheeks glowing pink. Their first trip had come fairly early on in their relationship and had very much been in a phase where the two of them couldn’t quite get enough of one another. “Was it really that bad last time?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t say bad” Gerard replied impishly “But surely you remember why you ordered room service every morning?” he added, smirking.

Olivia covered her face with her hands, trying, and failing, to hide how pink her cheeks had turned. “Gerard” she complained softly.

Gerard laughed, a warm sound which lasted a few seconds, before he turned to look back out over the skyline, losing himself in the memories for a moment.

Olivia sat and watched him quietly, marvelling at the smile on his lips, before she shuffled out of her seat. She didn’t hesitate as she stood up and walked over to his side, her hand gently taking a hold of his. Gerard did jump slightly at the contact, not having heard her stand up, but he let her take his hand and guide him up to his feet, tugging him back into their room through the open balcony door. Following her lead, he watched her back up towards the bed before she gently pulled him closer, her fingers gently tugging at the bottom of his t-shirt.

Gerard looked between her hands and her face a couple of times, wordlessly asking if she was sure, something Olivia responded to with a shy smile and a little nod. Blinking a couple of times, he gently gripped the bottom of his t-shirt in his hand before he tugged it off over his head, offering Olivia his own slightly timid smile before his hand cupped the back of her head, drawing her into a soft kiss that she returned eagerly. Encouraged by her reaction, Gerard gently pushed his jacket back off of her shoulders, her own t-shirt quickly following suit before he drew back, his eyes studying her intently from head to toe.

Olivia blushed, fiddling with her hair nervously. “What?” she asked gently.

Gerard shook his head, his eyes moving up to meet hers as a tender grin appeared on his lips. “I just love you” he announced.

Olivia’s face lit up like it had done so many times before. “I love you too” she replied.

Gerard took a moment to absorb the words, basking in them, before he closed the gap between them with a kiss as he carefully helping Olivia back onto their bed, the rest of their clothes following after the others.
♠ ♠ ♠
Thanks to Twisted;;Symphony for the comment :)