FicWad

Gerard sat, uncomfortably, at one end of the table as he looked on at Rose; Who sat at the other end. He couldn't stop comparing them together -- She had the upper hand. She looked so elegant and beautiful in her blue silk dress with the white ruffle fringe at the bottom, while he looked so shaggy and plain in his black suit with the red napkin peeking out of his left upper pocket.
She looked gorgeous with her brown hair piled up on top of her head with a couple of random curls falling around her face, while he looked so plain with his black hair swooped down across his forehead. She looked so angelic with her painted red lips, while he looked dead with his pale, cracked lips. He couldn't seem to find a balance.

"Gerard?" Her sweet, silk voice spoke up after nearly an hour of silence. "Are you alright?"

"Uhm," He cleared his throat, nodding. "I-I'm fine." He clenched his fist around his fork after the feeling left him. It angered him that he could feel so weak, so insignificant, from so much as a glance from her. It wasn't always like that. No. Not before he knew her.

"Are you sure? You look a little pale."

"I'm always pale." He laughed.

"Well," Rose smiled, pushing her chair out a little to get up. "Are you finished?"

Gerard swallowed the lump in his throat and stood from his seat. He nodded, walking towards Rose, and held his arm out to her. She flushed from his gesture and lowered her head to hide the faint blush. Linking her arm through his, she flashed him a smile and waited for him to lead the way.
Gerard kept his chin high as he led them into a very large room with a mural painted out on the ceiling of angels and clouds. It was lovely; Quaint and Peaceful. Not what she had expected to be in this particular mansion.

Gerard shifted nervously from foot to foot when they made their way to the center of the room. "I, uhm, don't have any music to play."

"It's alright." Rose murmured, taking his hand. "We don't need it."

Gerard sucked in a well-needed breath when she stepped closer, closing any space between them. He bit his bottom lip and placed his other hand on her hip, squeezing gently. Rose smiled reassuringly and positioned their arms correctly.

Gerard smiled crookedly. "I thought you didn't know how to dance?"

"Well," Rose blushed. "I may have lied."

"Well, then." Gerard smirked. "I guess I did, too."

Rose was about to question him further but he swiftly slid his feet underneath hers, leading them gracefully around the room. Rose laughed freely as he spun her out and then back in to him. The way her body molded into his sent an electric shock through his body, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He knew then that tonight would have to be it. No matter what the consequences were, he'd fight them all to have an eternity with the brunette beauty in his arms. That much, he knew.

Rose sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm getting dizzy, Gerard."

"Yeah," Gerard whispered. He slowed their pace and settled on a slow swaying motion. Slowly, he unlinked their hands and brought both of hers around his neck while his wound around her waist. "Is this what you wanted?"

"Hm?" Rose mumbled.

"Was this what you expected it to be?"

"No," Rose laughed. "It was much better. Thank you."

"Well, I'll be honest. I didn't think you'd enjoy yourself with me."

"Why not?"

"Well," He shrugged. "Look at me."

"What about you?"

"Nothing." He shook his head, frowning. "Just forget it."

"But--"

"Rose, please. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."

Rose brought her head back to get a better view of his face. She smiled coyly and nestled her head back into the crook of his neck. "You apologized."

"What?"

"You apologized to me."

"I know," Gerard smiled. "I don't want to mess this up with something stupid."

"You're not stupid, Gerard."

"Well, thanks." Gerard laughed, his face showing mock hurt. "But, I wasn't talking about myself directly."

"Oh... "

"I just... Wanted to tell you something."

"And?" Rose held her breath as he fumbled over his tongue. "What is it?"

"I... "

"What?"

"I think... "

"Gerard, please?"

Gerard sighed, stopping their movement. He placed his hands on either side of her face. "I think... I think I like you."

"You think?"

Gerard nodded, frowning. "Rose, I can't give you any guarantees." He grabbed her chin with his index finger and thumb when he saw the frown slip onto her mouth. "But, I do like you, cara mia."

"Really?" She whispered.

"Yeah," He leaned down, slowly, and placed his mouth over hers. He was trying to be more gentle than what he normally was with her. Their lips moved at a slow pace, careful not to take it any further than that sensual kiss. He pulled away slowly and rested his forehead against hers. "Is this what you want, Rose?"

"Can I?"

"Rose," He murmured, kissing her lips once more. "Anything."

"Then, yes. I want this." Rose smiled, feeling the sense of pride that washed over her. "I want you, Gerard."



A/N - Okay, I realize this chapter might be a bit sappy, but I was just going off this part in the book, because I happen to like it. And yes, it is sappy in the book. I just toned it down a bit. I wanna say thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Thank you so much! As promised, Mansion Wars will be coming up next. A fun little scene with Rose and the boys. I hope you all enjoyed this update. Thank you for reading and, please, don't forget to R&R! xoxo - Esther Rose.

P.S. - I realize this is a little short, but, honestly, there wasn't much I could put in this update. This was all that was meant to be in here. Mansion Wars will be longer, though. Trust me on that one. Thank you!