Give Me Your Heart

“Have you stopped staring at that thing since you got home two days ago?”

Riley, who was curled up in the corner of the couch, startled a little, her blue eyes flashing up towards Cassidy who stood ahead of her, a slightly amused grin on her face. It had been a couple of days, after the talk that she and Gerard had had about their relationship, they’d agreed to take a couple of days to think things through, but it hadn’t stopped the defender texting her, something which Cassidy found more than a little amusing.

Riley hadn’t said anything, from the second she had returned home from dinner with the two sets of parents, she had been particularly quiet, and it hadn’t taken Cassidy long to figure out why. As soon as she had spotted the loved up smile that Riley wore whenever she looked at her phone, it had clicked into place.

Riley rolled her eyes a little. “How do you know that I am not texting someone from work?” she quipped.

“Because you’ve got that dumb smile on your face” Cassidy quipped, plopping into the seat at her side “That’s your ‘isn’t my new boyfriend the cutest’ smile” she teased, poking Riley’s cheek gently.

“I do not have a smile like that” Riley countered “And I don’t have a new boyfriend either” she added.

Cassidy snorted. “No, you have an old boyfriend who you got back together with and seemed to think no one would notice” she quipped with a smile.

Riley rolled her eyes a little before she tilted her head back, closing her eyes quietly. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?” she posed softly. She knew that there was no denying it, if there was one person who knew when she was lying, it was Cassidy, but she wanted her word. It was a work in progress, Riley and Gerard had agreed to take their time over their reconciled relationship, and the last thing she wanted was to draw attention to it whilst it was still in its early stages. For a little while, she merely wanted to enjoy it.

Cassidy shook her head. “Of course I won’t” she noted “It’s your relationship not mine” she added.

Riley nodded quietly before she peeked at her phone once more, smiling a little at the short message which lit up the lock screen.

Cassidy, who was sat beside her, smiled a little. “You look happier” she quipped, pulling the phone out of Riley’s hand and settling it on the coffee table.

Riley shook her head. “It’s a work in progress” she noted “We’ve agreed to start seeing one another again, but I made sure that he knew that I wasn’t messing around. I don’t want to mess this up again, Cass” she mumbled, her hand gently brushing over her bump.

Cassidy offered her a small smile before she took her hand, squeezing it gently. “You two are good together, Ry” she noted softly “You always were and I have no doubt that if two people can make it work, it’s the two of you. I know it didn’t exactly go to plan last time, but I am that it will be different. He loves you, Ry, I know it” she mused with a soft smile.

“You do?” Riley quipped, a slightly dubious expression on her face.

Cassidy nodded. “I do” she confirmed “Come on, Ry, you must have seen the way he looks at you? It’s adorable” she fussed.

Riley shook her head, a hint of pink playing on her cheeks.

Cassidy rolled her eyes. “Riley, you’re sure about this, aren’t you?” she posed softly. She didn’t want to get involved, Riley was a grown woman and was more than capable of taking care of herself, but she wanted to make sure. The last thing she wanted was to watch Gerard and Riley fall apart again, especially when their son was due in only a matter of months.

Riley chewed on her lip for a moment, something which made Cassidy sigh. “Riley…”

“What if it doesn’t work, Cass?” Riley squeaked softly “What if, in a few months…”

“Riley Cortez, that man loves you” Cassidy interjected, her expression firm. It wasn’t the first time, when Riley had gotten with Gerard the first time, she had had moments when she had appeared uncertain, and Cassidy knew better than to let her get into her own head, even if it did mean being a little firmer than she usually was. The last thing she wanted was for Riley to ruin things for no reason.

Riley shook her head. “I know that” she murmured softly “And I know that I still have feelings for him, I have no doubt about that, but it fell apart before, Cassidy, and quickly, and that’s not something I can afford this time around” she added with a soft look down towards her bump. She knew that she wanted to be with Gerard, as much as she had tried to deny it, she did still have a depth of feeling towards him, but still she was worried. She had thought that it would work out the first time and had been proved wrong, something which concerned her, even despite Gerard’s insistence that they could make it work, she was still worried that things could go wrong.

Cassidy, who shifted a little in her seat, shook her head. “You have no reason to be concerned, Riley” she noted softly.

“Cass…”

“I’ve seen him around you and bump, Ry” Cassidy interjected gently “He dumped his girlfriend for you. There’s no doubt in my mind that Gerard cares for you, and you need to just accept that before you screw up something which I think has the potential to be really good, not just for you, but for that little boy too. I know it went wrong before, but now there is a reason to work at it, and I have no doubt that that is what Gerard wants. You’re onto a good thing, Riley, and I think you’d be an idiot to wreck it by worrying about something which may or may not happen” she added before she flicked her attention towards the coffee table, her ears doused by the sound of Riley’s phone which vibrated against the wood.

Riley offered it a dubious look before she picked it up, her cheeks turning a little pink at the sight of Gerard’s name on the screen.

“Go for it” Cassidy mused with a comforting smile on her face “I think you’d regret it more if you didn’t at least try and make it work” she added before she padded away.

Riley watched after her for a moment before she flicked her attention to the short message that Gerard had sent. Reading it, she quirked a soft smile before she nodded to herself, texting back confirmation that she would join him for dinner. She knew that Cassidy had a point, Gerard had ended his relationship with Alexa for her, but still it concerned her a little, something she was hoping that she could get over the more time she spent with him.