‹ Prequel: Would You Fall Too?

You Took My Heart by Surprise

13: You Will Screw It Up

“So, where is the handsome neighbour man taking you tonight, Em?” Isla posed as she ran a brush through Emilie’s ginger hair, her eyes looking down at her friend via the mirror which sat ahead of them. She had been a little surprised, she had assumed that it would take Emilie longer to admit the feelings she still had towards Sergio, but she was pleased that she had. There was little doubt in the minds of anyone who knew Emilie or Sergio that there was something unfinished between them and Isla, who adored the way Sergio was around her friend, was sure that with a lot of talking and effort they could piece something back together before the birth of the twins in 6 months’ time.

“He didn’t exactly say” Emilie replied “All he said was that he didn’t want to have dinner here” she added. She was excited, the idea of a date with Sergio gave her butterflies, but she knew that she couldn’t get ahead of herself. Even despite their agreement that they still had some sort of feelings towards one another, it was going to take a lot of work to get back to somewhere comfortable and she wanted to put it in. She wanted their relationship to be comfortable again, she wanted to be able to talk to him without stuttering or trying to avoid his eyes, and she knew it wasn’t just going to happen overnight. Too much water had passed under the bridge for that.

“You must be excited” Isla mused.

“I am” Emilie admitted “Terrified too” she added, shifting a little in her seat.

Isla rolled her eyes. “You know that there is no need to be nervous, don’t you?” she posed.

Emilie merely offered a non-committal shrug, something which made Isla shake her head. “You have nothing to be scared of, Em” she noted softly “This is the guy you’re crazy about, the guy you used to have cute little secret dinners with. He’s not just some stranger. He’s your Sese” she enthused gently.

Emilie’s cheeks warmed a little. “He’s also the guy I hurt” she murmured.

“But he doesn’t see it like that, Emmy” Isla countered “and neither should you anymore. You both messed up, you both said things you didn’t really mean, and now you’ve got a second shot at it, something you could quite easily ruin if that’s all you think about. He’s easily the best thing that’s happened to you in a while, and I am sure that you’d much rather be with him when the twins come along than apart” she added, her hand gently gesturing to the bump which was becoming more and more pronounced beneath her shirt.

Emilie looked at her hesitantly.

“I know you’re scared, Emmy” Isla assured her softly “But you know this man and you know that if all you see is the mistake you both made, you’re going to mess up again, something I know you don’t want. I am sure that you’d rather go back to snuggling up to him than avoiding him at all costs” she added gently.

“I do miss him” Emilie admitted “He’s the best at hugs” she added.

Isla smiled. “Then go get him” she encouraged gently.

“You really think this is a good idea?” Emilie posed as she moved to collect her jacket, wrapping it carefully around her.

“Emmy, I think it is the best idea you’ve had in a while. You two, as much as you are a pain in the backside, are wonderful together and it is just going to take you both a little time to get back to where you were before France. You two are good together and I am sure that everyone who knows the both of you would say the same thing” Isla insisted before a tap at the door sounded, something which made Emilie’s stomach flip a little.

“You’re going to be fine” Isla grinned before she offered Emilie a tight hug, moving to leave the apartment which afforded Sergio the chance to step inside, brushing past Isla who placed a hand on his arm “Look after her” she murmured.

“I intend to” Sergio assured her quietly.

Isla offered him a soft nod before she let him go, affording him the chance to move towards Emilie who shifted sheepishly ahead of him, her teeth gently chewing on the soft pink flesh of her lip. “You know” he noted gently, his hand carefully brushing up and down one of her arms “Part of the beauty of this is that you and I have done this before and therefore you shouldn’t be worried. I’ve seen you at your worst, Em” he reasoned gently. He could see that she was a little unsure, the way she bit her lip and hid her face confided that she wasn’t feeling overly confident, but he wanted to reassure her. The night he had thought out for them consisted of things he knew that Emilie would favour and involved little risk of them being interrupted or of him pushing things too far.

“I don’t look stupid, do I?” she posed, her hand subconsciously brushing over her bump.

“You look beautiful” Sergio insisted softy “Especially with this little thing” he smiled, his hand settling on the front of her dress.

Emilie eyed his hand for a second before she nodded. “Are we ready to go?” she posed.

Sergio nodded his head and moved to step away from her, offering his hand back to her.

Emilie eyed it warily, something which made him smile. He had always liked that she was shy. “Come on” he noted as he took a step back, lacing their fingers together “I’ve convinced the owner of that café you love to stay open for a couple of hours and he’s not going to be best pleased if we’re late” he teased gently.

“That’s where you taking me?” Emilie commented as she moved to collect her keys, slipping them into the pocket of her jacket.

“You’re not the biggest fan of fancy restaurants” Sergio commented as he led her out into the hall “And I figured you’d rather go somewhere that was comfortable and familiar to you. You don’t tend to do out of your comfort zone” he smiled.

Emilie’s cheeks warmed a little before she carefully padded towards him, leaning up to place an innocent kiss against his cheek.

Sergio smiled at the slight contact and slipped his arm around her waist, holding her a little closer to him. He wasn’t naïve, it was going to take a while for things to get back to where they’d been before, but he wanted to give it his best shot. They were good together, he knew it, and he wanted a shot at showing it to Emilie too. He wanted to prove that they could make things work and that she was the one he wanted to spend his time with.
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Thanks to FootieJo, Jayme112234 and Luuuc_19 for the comments :)