Chapter Text
AN: in my head it was much better. The lack of time is really showing haha, but I really wanted to give this an opportunity to see the light. Enjoy :)
It’s a slow awakening for Gaston. The first rays of sun hit his closed eyes and make him shift slightly in his place, but do not interrupt his dream completely. Reality starts to bleed into his mind, though, and a couple of minutes later he’s waking up completely. Something seems off to his still numb mind. His routine-loving self immediately knows it. First, it’s the sun: he always shuts his blinds before going to bed. That’s like his way to say goodnight to the world outside and he never fails to do so. Then it’s the weight he feels on his arm: something’s resting on it and it must have been there the whole night, because his limb now tingles.
The last feeling that hits him is the heat. Now that he notices it, it is absolutely unbearable. He really doesn’t want to move, though. He feels like he shouldn’t. Honestly, he just knows he’s in somebody else’s room. Also because he doesn’t sleep with a duvet on. Come on, who does in May? London’s cold, way colder than Buenos Aires, but he doesn’t know a single person who would be crazy enough to still slip with a duvet. Except for…
Suddenly his head is flooded by memories. It’s a party, a green dress, hazel eyes. It’s alcohol, tiredness, or maybe lust. Or love. But it would be scary to admit it. Gaston now knows what’s laying on his arm - who, he should actually say. The boy now cannot wait to open his eyes, but he decides to let the feeling linger for two seconds longer. Everything he’s longed for in the past years and a half happened last night. She’s there and he’s scared to look at her, because what if he just dreamed of last night, what if it’s all a trick his mind played on him and nothing really happened? What if it’s another girl there, not her, and he’s just messed everything up once again?
She looked so beautiful last night. He didn’t even want to go, he was too busy, too himself for college party. When her text came, however, he didn’t have any other options. “You won’t let me go alone, right?”. That question had made him fold completely. He was aware it was quite pathetic after the ridiculous amount of time he had known her for and the even more ridiculous amount of time they had been broken up for to surrender that way, but last night he did not care. Not even this morning, he thinks. He can’t really be bothered to feel embarrassed. Not when he’s got her in his arms right now.
December to May. He recalls the months that passed between their first British encounter and last night. His friend James was dating a girl who happened to have a cousin, who apparently studied creative writing and was best friends with an Argentinian girl. His lonely holidays on campus were the topic of the week and it only seemed natural to James to suggest he spent at least a couple of days with that sweet south american girl who was going to do the same over Christmas break. He perfectly remembers the shock he felt once he found out the girl was the one and only Nina Simonetti, the girl he had once shared a school, a friend group, and his entire heart with.
He thinks about the last few months. The need to get closer and the feeling he wasn’t welcome in her life anymore. The small waves at the beginning, the chats that became longer as the weeks passed, the simple joy of being in each other’s company. He doesn’t recall a single minute he spent with her where he hasn’t regretted his stupid words on that day. It wasn’t necessary to let her go. It could’ve worked. They could have made it work. As he thinks about it now, though, he knows he did the right thing. The time apart changed her, made her more confident, more mature, more independent. He used to think that trusting destiny was useless and that he had simply made the biggest mistake of his life, but right now, with the girl in his arms, almost two years after leaving her, six months after meeting her again, he somehow knew it wasn’t a casualty.
He opens his eyes. The white ceiling is hit by the light that comes from the outside. The window is closed, but the blinds aren’t. His gaze inspects the room. The white walls are empty, except for a science fair poster. Everything is tidy: the stationary is well organised on the desk, the dresser looks untouched and a literature book is placed on the nightstand. It’s all so her, the polka dots on the rug, the green dress draped on the chair, the roller skates carefully placed in a corner and, of course, the duvet that covers both of them. How could it be anybody else?
He lets his gaze fall on her head, which is placed on his arm. Her brown hair, now much shorter than they once were, fall messily on the pillow. She’s facing the other side, but he can easily lift his head and look at her face. Once he does, everything seems to fall into place. He didn’t really have the time to do so last night. Everything felt urgent and rushed. They missed each other too much to simply slow down. It felt like they didn’t have any time, like it was their last chance to be together, to touch each other. Now that he looks at her, however, he suddenly knows they’ve got all the time in the world, because what she told him last night is exactly that. He feels butterflies in his stomach just thinking about her words. She said she was happy to see him at a party. She said yes when he asked her to dance. She told him she had missed him the whole time. Then later in the night she told him she loves him. Years after telling her for the first time, Gaston couldn’t help but say it back once more, because it was the truth and because he had been keeping for himself the realization that he didn’t have any other options for too long.
She looks peaceful as she sleeps in his arms. He just knows she’s about to wake up, so he allows himself to have one last look at her before she does. The scene before his eyes is going to be stuck in his mind for a long time.
Her body starts waking up. She stretches lightly before opening her eyes. Before even seeing him, just like he did, she knows who is in the bed with her. She turns around, her face extremely closed to his and smiles. Once her eyes are open, they both take their time to just enjoy each other’s presence there. - Hey - she whispers after a few seconds. - Hey - he responds immediately. She frowns slightly. - What? - he asks. She smiles fondly once again. - You stayed.
He’s stunned. - Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I? -.
Nina shrugs. That’s not enough of an exèplanation for him, though. - Hey. What are you thinking about? -. He can tell there is something that she’s not telling him. Perks of knowing each other for years, he thinks. She’s hesitant, though, so he reaches for her hand under the cover. - I - she takes a deep breath before speaking again - I thought you wouldn’t stay the night. I thought you didn’t want to. I thought you were just drunk and nothing else. - she says quickly, as if she was ashamed of her own words.
Gaston doesn’t really know what to say. He’s never even considered the idea of fleeing in the morning. He was tipsy last night, but he was well aware of what he was doing. It breaks his heart to know that she has this image of him in her mind. - I’ve never ever not wanted to stay the night, Nina. I’ve never not wanted you. Like, in the past four years of my life there hasn’t been a single day that I haven’t wanted to be by your side, let alone after last night. - he takes a deep breath, because he knows what he is about to say is going to change something. - When I said I love you, I meant it. I still do. No amount of wine or lack of it will ever be able to make me change my mind about that. Or to lie about that - her eyes have a different sparkle in them right now. The fondness that was there before is still there, but there’s also something less soft. Something greater. Something he knows is in his eyes, too.
That’s enough to convince him to say it. - I love you.
He finally says it. He’s already said it, but it’s different right now. It’s even deeper. It means the same thing and has a completely different meaning at the same time. She catches it. And she says it back.
Then it's giggling and laughing and just making the most of a slow morning together. Just them. Two lovesick idiots who happen to have found each other once again after years. - I've looked for you everywhere - she whispers when everything is quiet again. - In every person I've met - he answers. She pretends to be offended. - So you looked at other girls? - she gasps exaggeratedly. He folllows along. - I've been caught. But I swear it was just to see whether it was you! -. HSe chuckles. - I'll give you the benefit of doubt. You'll have to pay for it, though!
He chuckles as well, then shakes his head. - I have already served my sentence! - he exclaims. She looks confused. - Baby, I love you - she blushes at his world - but you know what kind of sufference it is for a normal person to sleep under a duvet in May?