Burn Us Down

Pushing the front door closed with a soft click, Gerard quirked a soft smile at the quiet that filled the house. He wasn’t overly late back. Dinner with Enzo and Max had perhaps lasted slightly longer than he’d expected that it would, but he was pleased by the quiet. Olivia needed the rest. On days when he wasn’t around, he knew how easily the twins could run her down and he was glad that she had listened to his advice and taken advantage of the twins early bed time, even if did mean the two of them missed out on a little time together. He knew that they’d get used to the routine eventually and was confident that their little moments would come with time.

Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the quiet for a few seconds before he dropped his bag, making his way through towards the living room. Collecting the television remote, he flicked it on before he fell into the couch, pulling the shoes off of his feet. Neatly placing the shoes by the end of the sofa, he reclined into it, absently watching the television until he felt something against the top of his head. Gently, he leant his head back, his expression brightening into a gentle smile as he looked up at Olivia. “I thought you were asleep” he mused.

Olivia shrugged as she padded around the couch, plopping into the seat next him. “I took a nap when the twins did earlier” she mused “But I’ve only just settled them down properly. Aria was fussy again” she added as she leant against him, coaxing his arm around her.

Gerard smiled and leant over, kissing the top of her head. “She’s got a strong personality” he chirped “One of them had to take after me” he added.

Olivia smiled at his comment, but didn’t say anything in reply, allowing a moment of comfortable silence to pass between the two of them. Gently, Olivia threaded her fingers through Gerard’s, something which made the defender chuckle as he lifted their hands to his lips, allowing him to touch a soft kiss against her palm. “You didn’t have to come down and check on me, you know” he chirped “You could have gotten in your pyjamas and fallen asleep. I’d have seen you at some point in the night” he added.

Olivia played with his fingers as she spoke. “I like coming to check on you” she mused “I mean, you might not have noticed, but I do enjoy your presence, Geri” she added, turning to offer him a grin over her shoulder.

Gerard lifted an eyebrow, a teasing smirk on his lips. “Oh, really?” he quipped.

Olivia laughed, falling back against him. “Yeah” she mused “I don’t really know why, but I do” she added impishly as she glanced at the screen.

Gerard followed her stare back towards the television, allowing an easy silence to fall between them as match highlights came on, starting with a shot of him walking out onto the pitch, Max clasping his hand. Gerard smiled at the image, and he could tell, even though she wasn’t looking up at him, that Olivia was smiling too. There was just something about the way she’d relaxed against him that told him. “Did you know that Max could draw?” he asked.

Olivia didn’t look away from the television as she nodded. “He’s talented” she mused “It’s a family thing. My madre was an artist” she added.

Gerard messed with her fingers quietly for a moment. “I told Enzo we’re engaged” he announced.

That caused Olivia to turn around, her hazel eyes wide as they looked up at him.

Gerard’s easy smile faltered a little. “I know we said that we were going to wait, but I think he needed to hear it” he said “He was worried about us, you specifically, and I think he needed to hear that this…us…it’s for keeps” he explained.

Olivia’s expression softened. “He’s worried about me?” she asked gently.

Gerard gently pushed her hair back. “You’re his little sister” he quipped “Maybe not by blood, but that’s how he thinks of you. He was worried that I was…that I could be like your sister and he needed to hear me say that I wasn’t, so I told him the truth. I’m crazy about you, Livy, and I am going to marry you because I can’t imagine being this in love with anyone but you” he added.

Olivia’s stomach dropped a little. His words were ones that she had heard from him before. He’d professed, time and time again when they’d first gotten engaged, that he couldn’t wait for them to make it up the aisle, but it turned out to be hollow. Behind his smile, which Olivia had bought into each time it had appeared on his face, had been doubts. Doubts that had caused fights, fights which had caused almost-breakups.

Blinking, she searched Gerard’s earnest face, but was saved from having to say anything when the monitor in her pocket began to crackle with the sounds of one of the twins crying. Pulling it out of her pocket, she held it up with a sheepish smile, something which caused Gerard to roll his eyes playfully. “Is that your way of asking me to go and check on our beautiful daughters?” he chirped, plucking the monitor out of her hand.

“I thought you’d be dying to say goodnight to them” Olivia quipped, forcing her voice to be more cheerful than she felt.

If Gerard heard the strain in her voice, he didn’t let it show. He just grinned. “I might be” he teased.

“Go then” Olivia prodded.

Gerard offered her a playful little salute before he padded out of the room.

Olivia waited until she heard him reach the top of the stairs before she deflated, a soft sigh falling out of her mouth. She wanted to believe what he’d said, part of her did believe it, but there was now a voice at the back of her head, one that she was having a hard time shaking. She had believed him the first time around. The proposal had felt right to her then, and she had thought it’d felt right to him too, but it was clear that it hadn’t, something which made her slightly more hesitant second time around. She wanted to marry him, the yes that she had given him in the hospital, whilst slightly knee jerk, had been real and she didn’t doubt that, but she couldn’t quite silence the voice at the back of her head that told her that she’d been swept away by a proposal before and that that had ended badly.