gabriella

she was sitting on the floor of their flat, working on a current piece for her art gallery. she furrowed her brow, scratching at her hair to think of another pattern to add to her work. she flung black paint across the canvas, letting it absorb the painting and blend into her design. she smiled sadly, only partially happy with how it came out. it needed more. 

their apartment was covered in old blankets pressed on the hard wood to protect the floor from the messy paint. her boyfriend’s old oversized shirt was draped over her body, and she had a messy ponytail on her head.

she stood in her lacy sleepshorts, trying her best not to stain them with paint. bottles of paint and equipment lined their apartment, along with wooden stands and canvases placed by the window. 

all of a sudden, the door opened, but she didn’t hear it, being too caught up in her painting to even realize it. it clicked shut, and her ears perked up, twisting her head around to see her boyfriend removing his sneakers.

“i’m home,” bobby called out to her, placing his coat on the hanger and dropping his sunglasses in the ring dish on their front table. 

her eyes lit up, a big grin growing on her face by the second. bobby was always in the studio out late, and he surprisingly was home early today.

“hi, babe. what are you doing home early?” she kissed his cheek, pulling him into a big hug. 

“they let us out early today. it’s better if we don’t fry our brains in the studio- eli would rather start fresh tomorrow.” he explained, flashing a smile. 

she giggled, nuzzling her nose in the crook of his neck. “you’re never home. i’m so happy.” she admitted, nearly bouncing on her toes with excitement. 

he chuckled, gently grabbing her face in his hands, his cold rings pressing against her plump cheeks as he placed a soft kiss on her lips. 

“i missed you. what have you been doing?” he cradled her head against his chest, looking further into the living room to see what she was working on.

“just workin’ on my final piece to showcase at the gallery tomorrow.” she explained. 

“well, lemme see.” he offered.

she giggled excitedly, grabbing him by his wrist and dragging bobby into the living room. his eyes widened at the sight, paint splattered on the worn out blankets, canvases distributed everywhere in front of their big window looking over all of dublin. 

“whoa.” he giggled, rubbing his hand along her back. “our living room really had a makeover.” he nodded, checking out each nook and cranny of their flat that was covered with a piece of wood or a bottle of paint. 

“i was actually thinking about that.” she blushed.

his eyebrow shot up. “thinking about what?” 

“well, since we’re living together now, i wanted to make a mural on this wall by the window. y’know, something that says this is ours. maybe a nice design. but it’s up to you, if you don’t want to, i'd totally understand.” she explained.

he froze, a small smile growing on his lips. 

“rob?” she asked slowly, unsure of why he wasn’t saying anything.

he slowly walked towards her with a big smile and a twinkle in his eyes. he pulled her towards him by her waist, and her cheeks became even redder by the simple gesture. 

“i love it, baby.” he placed his chin on her head.

“really?” she grinned. “i wasn’t really sure you’d want that.” she laughed.

he chuckled, the warmth of his body making her feel more relaxed and she nuzzled closer to him. “of course i’d want that. i love your artwork.” he praised.

“c’mere.” she laced his fingers in hers, walking bobby over to her last piece she thought still needed work on. 

“i’ve been stuck on this all day. i want to add a pattern, but nothing comes out great in my head.” she complained. 

he pursed his lips in thought, tilting his head to get a better look at the painting. 

“looks perfect to me, love.” bobby confessed.

she smiled, patting his chest. “i appreciate that, baby. but i think it’s not.” she squinted her eyes, trying to figure it out. what was missing?

“oh! i got it!” a light struck in her head, finally giving herself an idea. she dropped to the ground, hovering over the painting and grabbing a vibrant teal color of spray paint and slightly shook the bottle. when the liquid was mixed, she slowly sprayed it across all four corners of her painting. 

bobby’s jaw dropped. “holy sh-”

she looked back at him, wiping the specks of  radiant spray paint off her hands. 

“i told you.” she interrupted his loud thought. 

“how did you do that? it brought it all together,” he looked so surprised. 

she smiled softly. “i’m an artist.” 

“and you’re also a genius.” he pointed a finger at her chest, walking into the bedroom to take a shower. 

she continued her work, adding a final white flick of paint to the piece, and she grinned, proud of herself. it was perfect. 

bobby came out of the bedroom with a new change of clothes, his favorite black hoodie and dark blue jeans. he fisted a towel in his wet hair, trying to ring it out. he dropped the towel on the arm of the couch, taking a seat next to her on the floor.

“you finished?” he asked, sitting back on his hands like a toddler watching her paint. 

“mhm.” she nodded, focusing on sharpening the way a flower looked with white paint as a final touch. he kissed her shoulder softly, and that immediately distracted her.

“all clean?” she looked back at bobby, kissing his cheek.

“yep. it's safe to hug me now.” he referred to how he looked when he first came in, all sweaty and exhausted. 

she laughed loudly, a sound that always made him smile. 

“you like it?” she held up the canvas for his approval. 

he didn’t even hesitate. “beautiful.” 

she shook her head in disbelief. he was so cute. 

he shook his dripping hair out, whipping his head back and forth. she shrieked, her mouth falling open in surprise.

“rob!” she yelled playfully. 

“what” he giggled.

wet drops of water from his hair now coated her skin. 

“if you get that on my painting i swear-” she scolded, moving her canvas to the other side of the floor so he wouldn't get it wet. 

he shook his hair again, this time nuzzling his head in the crook of her neck.

“rob!” she shouted as he grabbed her waist, peppering kisses all over her face and wetting her neck.

“shhh” he said through laughs, pulling her into a big bear hug.

“why didn't you use my blow dryer?” she wiped at the drops on her skin, but continued to cradle his head as he laid on her shoulder. she ran her fingers through his wet strands, something that always made him fall asleep in her arms. 

“i don't know how to use that.” he shook his head.

she burst out laughing. “it’s like, three buttons baby.” 

“it burns sometimes and then other times it's too cold.” he shrugged.

she continued to giggle, throwing her head back in laughter. “that’s why there's a heat level on the blow dryer.” she said softly. 

he stayed silent, which made her want to laugh even more. 

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

“ready, love?” bobby knocked on the bathroom door, all dressed up in a suit and a messy tie. she looked at his outfit, loving his attempts to dress fancy, even knowing it wasn't his style. 

“nice tie.” she nodded towards the way it messily hung from his neck.

“don't judge. i tried.” he pointed a finger at her with a ‘totally convincing’ look on his face.

“let me fix it.” she offered, slightly adjusting his crooked tie. it was a dark maroon shade, matching her dress. they were getting ready to attend her art showcasing. she had prepared months for this moment, ready to showcase her art. all their friends were coming, so she was excited for them to finally see her pieces. 

“there. all better.” she smiled, letting him look at the tie in the mirror.

“thanks babe.” bobby kissed her forehead, pulling gently at his fixed tie. 

“i'm almost ready.” she patted his shoulder.

he took a step back to finally look at her, the sight making his eyes twinkle.

“you look beautiful.” he breathed out.

she instantly blushed, and it was visible even under her light makeup.

when she finished in the bathroom, she walked out into the living room, and his eyes immediately lifted at the sound of her clacking heels. 

“my, oh my.” bobby joked, shaking his head and scoffing.

“stop.” she smiled, kissing his cheek, leaving a light red mark. 

“ready to go, beautiful?” he placed one hand on her lower back.

she nodded her head, letting him lock the door and let her out. 

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

“y/n!” grace jumped to her feet, nearly spilling her champagne. grace ran over to her, her radiant smile immediately brightening the room. 

“i've seen some of your work, you're so talented.” grace praised, giving her a nice hug.

“hey, rob.” she smiled, giving bobby a warm hug, and eli walked over with a beer in his hand. 

“great job, y/n. this is great. and there's free beer.” eli gave her a tight hug.

she clicked her tongue, pointing to the bottle in his hand. “where did you get that?” she asked firmly. 

he froze. “over there.”

she sighed. “you'll regret telling me that.” she patted his shoulder, scurrying over to the bar.

“oh God.” bobby shook his head. “she's just nervous, you know?” 

the couple nodded their heads. 

“well, i'm gonna go make sure she doesn't get too drunk before she has to make her speech.” bobby concludes their conversation, walking over to her, sweating bullets at the bar, a beer bottle clutched in her hand.

his hands came up around her waist, and the gesture immediately soothed her. 

“calm down, baby. everyone loves it.” he whispered in her ear from behind. though she couldn't see him, his soft voice over the loud music soothed her. 

“i know. it's just hard to get comfortable with my pieces everywhere. i feel like people are judging.” she admitted, her palms sweating.

bobby noticed her discomfort, immediately grabbing her hands and placing them in his.

“don't worry, love. no one's thinking anything except for how talented you are. if anything, i'm here for you.” he kissed her temple, rubbing the back of her hands with his thumbs.

“okay.” she closed her eyes, and he quickly kissed her forehead. 

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

after her speech, she caught sight of some of her friends from uni, rob’s mother giving her lots of hugs and kisses, and ryan and josh. 

ryan gave her a big high five, and josh endlessly praised her designs and patterns on each individual piece of work. she thanked them more than enough, unable to stop blushing from all the applause in the room for her and the praise from all her friends.

she thanked everyone for coming, and got more than enough sales on her pieces. she was delighted, buzzing with excitement on the car ride home. 

“you look happy.” bobby looked over at her, averting his eyes from the road ahead of him.

“i am.” she sighed softly, resting her head on the glass window. 

he placed a tender hand on her thigh, keeping her steady and silently congratulating her. she looked so beautiful as the moonlight highlighted her eyes, and he couldn’t look away.

“eyes on the road, mister.” she patted his thigh in return. he chuckled, shaking his head as he swiveled around an approaching car. 

she gently laid her head on his shoulder, drifting off to sleep.