We Took the Fall

Fernando’s knuckles were white as he steered his car along the familiar route towards Catalina’s parents’ home. It was rash, the decision to confront Alicia was only bound to cause more trouble than letting it go, but Fernando couldn’t ignore it, no matter how much Catalina asked him to, he couldn’t just let it go. He hated it, the effect that Alicia still had on her little sister, and he couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for the events that had taken place in the past week. If it wasn’t for him, Catalina and Alicia’s relationship wouldn’t have been in tatters around their feet and Catalina wouldn’t have been crying at home where he had left her, a thought which stung him. He knew that she had a point, rushing over to confront Alicia was more than likely what the brunette wanted, but he couldn’t just sit by and let her hurt his girlfriend. Catalina hadn’t been the one who had broken up with Alicia and didn’t deserve to be punished for something which was Fernando’s fault.

Pulling the car to a stop outside of Alicia’s parents’ home, Fernando stared at the building for a second before he rested his head back slightly, merely staring. Part of him wanted to rush over, he wanted to pound on the door and cause a scene that was almost certain to end up in a tabloid, but for some reason, he couldn’t quite force himself into it. He knew that something needed to be done, unlike Catalina, he failed to see how the threat of her older sister would just disappear if they pretended it wasn’t happening, but he couldn’t quite find it in him to storm over and make a fuss. It would have only served to make things worse and even if he did feel the need to do something, he knew it wouldn’t be him that things were made worse for.

Sighing, he flicked the engine back on and steered the car away from the curb, wordlessly vowing that he would find a way to stop the brunette before it forced Catalina into something he didn’t want to happen.

~#~
“You’re back” Catalina squeaked as she heard the thump of the front door closing.

Fernando nodded. “I am” he replied simply “I thought you would be asleep by now” he added, offering her a slightly look. She didn’t look like herself, she looked tearful and tired, and that hurt him. He couldn’t help but feel a little responsible, even if Catalina had insisted that it wasn’t his fault, he knew that he had played a bigger role in the problem than she seemed to admit to.

“You thought I could sleep with you out there doing who knows what?” Catalina posed gently “For all I knew, I was going to get a call from the police” she added, her teeth chewing on her lip gently.

Fernando shook his head. “I didn’t do anything, Lina” he murmured.

Catalina tilted her head. “But I thought…”

“I couldn’t” Fernando interjected “I couldn’t make a scene because I realized that you were right. It would make things worse and not for me” he whispered, his dark eyes surveying her face gently.

Catalina sighed. “It’s just something we need to brave out, Fernando” she mused.

“I don’t think I can just brave it out, Catalina” he replied, taking a step towards her so that his hands rested on her waist “I don’t think I can just watch as she tears you to pieces over me” he added gently.

“And what do you propose we do instead? I have no credibility, as far as anyone is aware, I am just a desperate little puta who wormed her way back into your life because I couldn’t bear to see my perfect sister happy, and you’ve been made out to be an idiot that was seduced by me” she explained, shaking her head as the words her sister had had written about her echoed in her mind.

Fernando watched the expression on her face, watching as it moved from anger to sadness, and sighed. “We’ll think of something” he vowed gently “I have lawyers and an agent that will help out and we will get this stopped, I promise” he murmured as he rested his forehead against hers.

“And what if we can’t?” Catalina whispered, her teeth once more gnawing nervously on the tender pink flesh of her lip.

“We will” Fernando promised gently.

“But, what if…”

“Catalina, we will get it sorted” he interjected firmly “I don’t care how it happens, but I will stop this. You don’t deserve this” he insisted, his eyes closing as he tried to calm himself down.

Catalina studied his face for a moment before she hooked her arms around his neck, pulling him gently into a kiss that seemed to catch him off guard. “It’s not your fault” she murmured. It wasn’t the first time she had said it, since the incident at the school, it seemed to be all she ever said to him, but she was prepared to keep repeating it if it meant getting it into his head. It wasn’t his fault, even if the root cause of the issue was his break-up with her sister, and she didn’t want him to blame himself. It wasn’t on him that Alicia was vindictive.

“I’d really love to believe that, Lina” he murmured.

“You should” Catalina replied.

“If I had just…”

“Fernando” Catalina interjected softly “Please, just for now, stop blaming yourself for something which is the fault of my sister. You did the right thing, you weren’t in love with her and it wasn’t fair to let her believe that you were. Anything after that is solely on Cia” she insisted gently.

Fernando sighed and rested into their embrace a little more, holding the blonde against him. “I wish I’d stayed” he murmured.

“No, you don’t” Catalina replied.

“I do” he protested “At least that way I’d have not met your sister and this mess wouldn’t exist” he argued.

Catalina shook her head. “You made the right call in going and you know it. This will go away, Nando” she mused, leaning back to offer him a little smile.

Fernando marvelled at the slight upturning of her lips before he seized her hand, squeezing it gently. “I really hope that you’re right, Lina” he mused, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand “Because I don’t want us to be lost again” he explained, his expression earnest and soft.

Catalina merely offered him another small smile before she pushed herself up onto her toes, kissing him lightly. “We’ll be OK” she mused as she leant away from him.

Fernando nodded. “I hope so” he noted.