We Took the Fall

“Catalina?” Fernando mumbled, blinking his eyes sleepily. It was early, a little too early for the striker, but with Catalina’s alarm bleeping somewhere in the middle distance, he had little hope of ignoring it. It had been a wonderful weekend, even if he had had to leave her for most of Sunday in order to play for Atletico, but he had enjoyed every little detail of it, something which merely confirmed his decision to break up with Alicia to be the right one. He’d liked her, but the feelings that he had had towards the older De Marcos sister bore little comparison to the ones that he had towards the younger. Catalina was special and just one look at her lazy smile made him increasingly sure that he had made the right call. Spending time with her was fun, he’d felt giddy since they’d agreed to give their relationship another shot, and that was something he’d never felt with Alicia. He’d merely settled for her to shut people up.

“No” Catalina mumbled, snuggling deeper into her quilt.

“You have to” Fernando replied “You have a class to teach and I doubt the head teacher is going to take the ‘I don’t want to leave my bed’ excused too well” he teased, gently poking her stomach, causing her to squeak.

“Don’t poke my stomach” she mumbled.

Fernando tilted his head. “And why not?” he teased, his lips nipping at the side of her jaw.

“You know why” Catalina muttered, her little feet lightly kicking his shins.

Fernando smirked against her skin. “You’re still that ticklish?” he teased, his voice just above a whisper which trickled into her ear, earning a small shiver.

“N…No” she muttered “I just don’t like people touching my stomach” she mumbled.

Fernando chuckled and snuck his hand down, slipping it beneath the material of the pajama shirt she had donned to sleep in.

“Fernando” she warned feeling his hand on her stomach.

“You said you weren’t ticklish, Lina” he teased “I’m just testing to see if you’re lying” he quipped, running his finger along the skin of her stomach.

Catalina made a small noise, something which made him smirk. “You’re a terrible liar” he chuckled, trailing another finger across the same line, drawing the same high pitched squeak that made him grin. “And you’re still as ticklish as I remember” he added.

Catalina rolled her eyes. “I am not that different from the girl you left behind you know” she commented as she pulled his arm away from her, affording her the chance to climb to her feet. She knew if she didn’t get up then, then she probably wouldn’t at all.

“I can see that” Fernando noted.

“You can?” she posed, moving to collect some clothes from her dresser, neatly placing them in a small pile beside her.

“There are some things that I picked up on right away” he mused, sitting up against the headboard of the bed “Like the way you bite your lip when you’re nervous or the way you don’t look at people when you’re talking to them unless you’re 100% comfortable, but there were things I picked up on this weekend, like the fact that you still sleep in a pair of boy shorts and a t-shirt which is 2 sizes too big or the way you have to switch out every light in the house before you can even contemplate going to sleep” he enthused.

“You aren’t saying it like those are good things” Catalina mused as she padded towards the bathroom, flicking the light on.

Fernando smiled to himself. “They’re wonderful things” he mumbled, hearing her switch on the shower.

~#~
“Do you want me to come and pick you up later?” Fernando posed as he helped Catalina carry her stuff towards her classroom.

“You really don’t have to do that” Catalina replied, settling her bag on the desk “It is enough that you got out of bed at 6am for me” she teased.

“If we’re going to spend nights together, we’re seriously going to have to discuss the alarm situation” he teased.

“I have to wake up for work, that’s just something you’re going to have to get used if we’re going to be an item” she mused, hanging her coat up beside the door.

“An item? What the heck happened to just being a couple?” Fernando chuckled, perching himself on her desk.

“Is that what we are?” Catalina posed, moving to place the class’ notepads onto their desks. It was early, they’d only been together for a matter of days, but she wanted to have the conversation, even if it was a little obvious. The selfish, teenage part of her wanted him to look her in the eye and call her his girlfriend.

Fernando lifted his eyebrow. “What else would we be?” he posed, a little smile on his face.

Catalina shrugged. “I don’t know, but as you said the other day, we didn’t exactly discuss labels and I kind of want to do it, even if it is largely symbolic” she mused, stopping to look at him for a second.

Fernando shook his head. “I forgot you’re the girl who needs to be remind that I love her everyday” he chuckled gently. He’d never seen the reason for it, as far as he could see, Catalina had absolutely no reason to be insecure, but part of him loved that she was. He loved the way her face used to light up when he’d said he loved her.

“I am not still like that” Catalina mused, padding back to the front of the classroom and standing between his legs.

“From where I am standing, you are a little bit like that” Fernando mused, placing his hands on her waist.

Catalina sighed and rested her forehead on his chest.

Fernando smiled and kissed the top of her head. “You know, I always liked that you need me to reassure you” he mused, holding her close “I liked that you needed to hear me say I loved you, even though there was never a need to worry. After we got together, I only ever had eyes for you” he mumbled into her hair.

Catalina hugged him close.

“If it means that much, Catalina De Marcos, will you be my girlfriend?” he mused, gently pushing the blonde hair that had escaped from her ponytail off of her face.

Catalina peeked up at him shyly, something with made him shake his head. “You’re seriously still shy with me?” he teased, playing with their hands.

“I can’t help it” Catalina replied.

Fernando smiled and pressed an amorous kiss to her forehead. “I like it” he teased.

Catalina blushed gently. “Yes” she murmured.

“Huh?” he posed.

“I will be your girlfriend, Fernando” Catalina smiled “And I will see you later. I have a lesson plan to get done before the children arrive and if I let you stay, I will never get it done” she explained, unwillingly pulling herself out of what had quickly become a comfortable embrace.

“I will pick you up” Fernando enthused.

“You don’t…”

“Yes, I do” Fernando interjected “It is all a part of being your boyfriend” he smirked.

Catalina rolled her eyes, but smiled nevertheless.

The word ‘boyfriend’ was the perfect description of him.