Would You Fall Too?

Placing his bag onto his shoulder, Sergio turned, his feet padding towards the exit. It had been another promising game, Real Madrid had managed to get past Real Sociedad with relative ease, and Sergio doubted he could have been happier. He had been apprehensive, when Iker had made his move to Porto, Sergio had worried about taking the reins of the Real Madrid captaincy, but with the early season form showing promising signs, he was slowly growing more and more accustomed to the role he had doubted he would hold. He didn’t like the way that Iker had been ousted, the keeper had been a club legend and had seemingly been pushed aside for little to no reason, but he knew that he couldn’t let it get at him. His personal grievances were irrelevant when he pulled on the white shirt of Real and he was pleased with how the season had started.

“Joining us for dinner, Captain?” Gareth Bale posed as he looked at the defender, offering him a slight smile. He could already tell what the answer was, for weeks, the answer had been the same, but still the Welshman asked. He found it amusing to watch Sergio blush when someone brought up Emilie.

Sergio shook his head. “You know that I am not” he murmured, moving towards the door.

“And why would that be?” Isco chirped, joining in.

“You know why” Sergio noted, shaking his head a little.

“Another date?” Gareth teased, snickering a little.

“You know that they’re not dates” Sergio muttered. It had become a routine, the team would offer him a night out after a game, Sergio would decline, and then his teammates would tease him, finding great amusement in Sergio’s complicated relationship with Emilie. They weren’t dating, even if they did spend an inordinate amount of time together, and he knew the team knew it too. He’d explained it more than once.

“Oh right” Cristiano noted “You’re just going to sit in her home, eat dinner together again and pretend that there is nothing going on. Come on, Ramos, we’re a lot of things, but idiots isn’t one them” he quipped.

“Nothing is going on” Sergio quipped.

“But you want there to be” Gareth noted, offering the defender a small smile.

Sergio rolled his eyes. “It’s irrelevant” he muttered “I might want to have something with her, I might want to make a go of things, but Emilie doesn’t. She’s not the type of girl that wants to be in a relationship” he explained. He didn’t know what it was, Emilie kept her cards close to her chest with regards to her tentative nature and uncertainty with him, but he knew that she didn’t want him to start making moves on her. Emilie still couldn’t hold a conversation with him, she still stuttered and was nervous with him and he didn’t want to push it. He didn’t want to lose her before he even really got her.

“She doesn’t want to be in a relationship?” Cristiano posed.

“She doesn’t do well with people” Sergio commented “She’s got this little group of friends that she adores, but other people, people like me, she’s not comfortable with them and I don’t want to start pushing her” he explained before he spared a small gander down at his watch “I need to go” he mused before he stepped out of the room.

The team watched after him. “I’ll bet that he gets with her before the end of the year” Cristiano mused.

Gareth grinned. “I’ll take that” he enthused.

~#~
“You really didn’t have to come here, Sergio” Emilie noted as she set a plate of food down in front of the footballer, offering him a tentative smile.

“You say that every time” the defender returned, flicking through the TV channels before he settled on highlights from that night’s match “Yet every time, you get me a plate and pour me a drink. I think you like having me here” he teased, gently nudging her side as she sat down beside him.

Emilie snorted. “You’re not the worst person” she teased, playing along with him.

Sergio smiled. “Aww, I am almost touched by that, Emilie” he joked, earning a small giggle from the ginger girl as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She liked his visits, they tended to break up otherwise dull nights, and it unnerved her a little. She wasn’t fully on board with letting him get to know her properly and kept her guard up.

“Call me Emmy” she noted gently “Only my mother calls me Emilie and she usually does it when she is pissed with me. Em, or Emmy, would be just fine” she commented as she placed a forkful of food into her mouth.

Sergio nodded. “Emmy” he repeated thoughtfully “I kind of like it” he added.

“You know it means I get to call you Sese, don’t you?” Emilie teased, a small blush on her cheeks.

“I’ll take it” the defender smiled, his dark eyes admiring her pale cheeks “Sese is what my friends call me, that or Captain” he joked.

Emilie tilted her head. “Are we friends?” she posed.

Sergio nodded. “I like to think that we are” he commented, sipping on his glass of water thoughtfully “I know I am not in the exclusive group that you keep around yourself, but I think we’ve progressed to that point. You’re more than just the neighbour girl now” he clarified.

Emilie nodded, her expression still thoughtful.

Sergio smiled. “Are you not OK with being my friend?” he posed, leaning forwards to catch the stare of her eyes.

“It’s not that” Emilie mused “It’s just a little strange for me to have made a new friend. I haven’t done it for a while” she noted.

“It’s strange for me too” Sergio commented “I am not exactly used to having friends which are girls unless they’re dating my male friends” he reasoned.

Emilie smiled. “Your friends let you near their girlfriends?” she teased gently.

“I control myself very well” he grinned.

“I am glad you’re my friend, Sese” she mused after a moment of silence.

Sergio grinned. “I am glad you’re my friend, Emmy” he enthused. It was a start, he knew it, but he couldn’t help but hope their somewhat awkward friendship flourished into something slightly more. Emilie was on his mind, even when he didn’t want to be, and it was only a matter of time before he felt ready to take another step with her, something he didn’t want to scare her off.