Burn Us Down

“I’m going to go up now”

Olivia, who’d been staring at the screen of her tablet, jumped a little before tilted her head back, looking up at Gerard who’d stopped behind her. “Hm?” she asked.

Gerard smiled down at her before he threw a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing vaguely towards the stairs. “I’m going to go to bed” he replied “Are you going to be far behind?” he prodded, his fingertips gently brushing her hair off of her forehead. Things felt good. With the two of them having gotten a lot of stuff they’d not said before off of their chests, things between the two of them felt better than they had in a while, and Gerard was keen to make the most of it, wanting to enjoy the good times even if they weren’t more bad times to follow. It was still a delicate balance, both he and Olivia knew it, but they were good and for Gerard, that was the most important thing.

Olivia closed her eyes, relishing his light touch, before she nodded her head. “I shouldn’t be too far behind you” she replied “I’ve just got a couple of things I want to finish looking at” she added.

Gerard’s eyebrow lifted in curiosity. “Oh?” he prodded impishly.

Olivia lifted her head before she shook it, the tops of her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. “It’s nothing” she replied.

“I don’t believe you” Gerard chirped as he wandered around the couch, plopping onto the end nearest her feet “Come on, Livy, what are you looking at?” he added.

Olivia hesitated for a second, her gaze flitting between Gerard and the tablet she held in her hands, before she lifted it up, offering it out towards him. Gerard’s forehead creased in confusion, but he took the tablet regardless, unlocking it easily before his eyes surveyed the screen.

“I’m just…looking” Olivia spluttered out, a little desperate to fill the silence which, for her, had lingered a little too long.

Gerard didn’t look up, his eyes still scanning the screen. “Why?” he asked.

Olivia’s expression softened into a shy smile as she lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Paige showed me the dress she bought” she replied “When me and the girls were over there this afternoon, she was desperate to show it to me and it just…I don’t know, it got me thinking I guess. I mean, it was just some dress, but it sort of turned the conversation to her wedding to Stefan and then towards…towards ours. I was just looking over what we’d had before, but I wasn’t going to do anything, not until I’d spoken to you” she insisted.

She could guess where his head was, the look on his face practically screamed it, and she wanted to reassure him that there was no need for him to worry. She didn’t want to make the same mistakes she’d made before. She didn’t want to run into wedding planning again, leaving him standing on the side-lines, and she wanted him to know that she knew where she’d gone wrong before. It was something for the both of them.

Gerard nodded his head slowly before he looked up, his blue eyes mirroring hers. “Are you sure that you want to start talking about this?” he asked “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d like to talk about it, but I just want to make sure that you’re not feeling pushed into it or anything. It wasn’t that long ago that you were telling me that you had trouble thinking about our future” he added, his voice soft and his words chosen carefully.

Olivia’s lips quirked upwards into a soft smile. “I know” she said “And I am not suggesting that we start laying concrete plans, but I think I would like to…to talk about it a little more” she added.

Gerard’s expression brightened before he could stop it. “Yeah?” he prodded, trying, and failing, to rein his smile in.

Olivia laughed softly before she gently nodded her head. “Yeah” she confirmed.

Gerard’s eyes surveyed her face, searching for any sign of uncertainty, before he reached over, gently folding one of her hands in his. “You’ll tell me if it gets too overwhelming?” he asked.

Olivia twined their fingers together before she nodded her head.

“And I want to be involved in every decision, Livy” Gerard added “Promise me?” he asked.

Olivia nodded without hesitation. “Of course. I promise” she replied “I kind of want these plans to actually come to fruition” she added, letting out a feeble laugh.

Gerard’s smile was soft, rueful. “Yeah, me too” he said.

For a moment, the two of them just sat there, a slightly heavy silence hanging between them, but it was broken when Gerard’s smile grew warmer and more excited, dissolving thoughts of the previous, broken engagement. “I was thinking about maybe Paris” he announced “I mean, maybe the logistics aren’t as easy as having it here in Barcelona, but it just…I don’t know, I think it’s something we should at least look into” he enthused.

Olivia’s eyes traced his features, marvelling at the way his eyes had lit up and his smile had warmed. “Why Paris?” she asked.

Gerard lifted his shoulder in a shrug. “It’s a special place for us” he answered “A couple of our best moments were there. I know you’re probably going to want to do it here, but at least take it under consideration. The hotel we stayed in was beautiful, the views are too, and if I remember rightly, there’s a beautiful garden outside that would look pretty amazing in our wedding pictures” he added, offering her a cheeky smile.

Olivia smiled back at him. “I’ll think about it” she chirped.

“Like you thought about letting me choose Melissa’s birthday present?” Gerard quipped impishly.

Olivia shook her head, rolling her eyes. “I’ll really think about it” she replied “That hotel is beautiful and the gardens, in the summer when all of the flowers are out, it’d be really beautiful. It’s definitely something I’d like to look into” she insisted.

Gerard’s teasing smile softened into one of genuine happiness before he looked down at their hands which were still clasped in Olivia’s. “Tell me if it gets too much” he repeated gently “I don’t care how far in we are, even if it is the night before, just tell me and I will slow it all down. I’d do anything to make sure that this is moving at a pace which you find comfortable” he insisted, his thumb brushing the back of her hand.

Olivia watched his thumb before she picked his hand up, allowing her to press a gentle kiss against his palm, mumbling a quiet ‘thank you’ which caused Gerard to lean over, kissing her temple softly.