Give Me Your Heart

62: What I Need To Hear

“I can’t quite believe how big he has gotten, Ry” Cassidy quipped as she shifted her hold on Alexander, ensuring that the little boy was comfortable before she sat down. It had been a while, since Alexander had come along, Cassidy hadn’t seen much of her friend, but with Gerard away for the evening, she had taken advantage of the opportunity, wanting to catch up with Riley. It had become rare, with Alexander in the picture, girly nights in had become few and far between, but Cassidy wanted to make the most of them, even if they were a little infrequent, she missed living with Riley and wanted to spend a little time with her.

Riley, who was stood ahead of the stove, shook her head a little. “He’s getting bigger by the day” she quipped “I’ve already got a feeling that he’ll be tall like his papa, yet another thing he inherited for Gerard” she quipped with a playful eye roll.

Cassidy shook her head. “He looks like the two of you” she quipped, pressing a kiss to the side Alexander’s head “He’s got Gerard’s lighter hair but he’s your eyes and your cute little nose. He’s adorable, Ry, and that’s on both of you” she added with a small smile.

Riley spared her a friend a soft look before Alexander let out a small whimper, pulling her attention towards him. “I think someone is looking for his next feed” she mused.

Cassidy smiled and carefully placed the little boy into her friend’s arms before she sat back in her seat, her eyes watching Riley and Alexander interestedly. It was still a little odd, the idea that Riley had a baby, but Cassidy was proud of her, even if she had been a little concerned when Riley had first discovered that she was expecting, she was pleased that her friend had adapted so well to having Alexander around. “Has anyone ever told you that you two are adorable together?” she teased.

Riley, who had moved to make up a bottle, shook her head a little, a small smile on her face. “It’s been mentioned” she quipped “But it’s always nice to hear” she added with a nonchalant shrug.

Cassidy rolled her eyes a little before she moved to sip on her drink. “How are things, Ry?” she posed after a moment of quiet.

“Things?” Riley quipped, her eyebrow cocked.

“How are things with you and Gerard?” Cassidy clarified. It wasn’t something that Riley talked a lot about, even when she and Gerard had been together the first time around, she had been reluctant to talk about their relationship, but Cassidy wanted to ensure that things between them were still good. They had been for a while, since they’d returned from France, things between the two of them seemed relaxed and comfortable, and Cassidy merely wanted to check in. The last thing she wanted was for things to fall apart between the two of them again.

Riley, who’d moved to sit beside her friend, smiled a little, a small hint of pink playing on her cheeks, something which made Cassidy grin. “That good?” she posed amusedly.

“It’s been pretty good” Riley mused softly “I mean, we still have our moments, but since we got back here after the Euros, things between us have been pretty amazing. We’re good right now, Cass, and I like that” she enthused brightly. It had been good, for a while, things between her and Gerard had felt better than they had before, and for a while, Riley merely wanted to enjoy it.

Cassidy admired the smile on her face before she shook her head, a grin playing at the corner of her mouth. “I am happy for you, Ry” she enthused brightly “I mean, I was worried that the two of you would find a way to mess up, but I am so glad that you didn’t. You’re good together” she insisted kindly.

“Gracias” Riley quipped gently “But you didn’t come here to talk about me and Gerard, did you?” she added, her eyes darting towards her friend’s hand which sat on the counter.

Cassidy offered her a sheepish look before she shook her head, a small nervous laugh falling out of her mouth. “You noticed that, did you?” she quipped.

“It’s pretty hard not to” Riley quipped as she moved to wipe Alexander’s face softly “That’s one hell of an engagement ring, Cass” she teased.

Cassidy rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing compared to the one you’ll get when Gerard finally proposes” she noted.

Riley’s cheeks warmed a little before she shook her head, something which caused Cassidy to tilt her head. “Ry?” she posed softly.

Riley shook her head. “It’s fine, Cass” she quipped softly “I mean, we’ve talked about it, but it’s still a little bit of a sticking point. He’s determined to do it soon and I am…”

“Waiting for the right moment” Cassidy finished for her, a knowing look on her face.

Riley offered her a slightly shy look before she nodded. “Things are good” she noted softly “I mean, they’re really good, Cass, but I am still a little nervy. We’ve been back together for almost 7 months, and I just think…”

“Ry, it’s OK to wait a while” Cassidy interjected softly.

Riley offered her a slightly dubious look, something which caused Cassidy to lean towards her, gently squeezing her hand. “You and Gerard, it’s a wonderful thing, Ry, but it is OK to want to wait around a little more before you take the next step with him. You two have had a bit of a rollercoaster in the last year and it’s more than Ok to want to wait, but just tell me, you do want to marry the guy, don’t you?” she posed softly. She knew that it wasn’t her place, Riley’s feelings were her business and her business alone, but she merely wanted to make sure that her friend was on the same wavelength as her boyfriend. She knew how Gerard felt, one look at him when he was around Riley made it clear, and the last thing Cassidy wanted was to watch him get hurt when Riley told him that she didn’t quite feel the same way as him.

Riley offered her a look before she nodded, a shy smile on her face. “I do” she confirmed softly “I don’t know that I want to do it right now, but I do know that I want to do it eventually. He’s pretty amazing, Cass, and I think I would regret letting him go” she insisted softly.

Cassidy admired the loved-up smile on her friend’s face before she shook her head. “You two are good together, Ry” she noted softly “And you should remember that more often instead of focusing on the fact that it didn’t work out first time around. You’re onto a good thing here, and it would be a shame if you let it go” she insisted.

Riley mulled her friend’s words over for a moment before she nodded. “Gracias, Cass, I needed to hear that” she quipped softly.

“It’s not a problem” Cassidy enthused “But now we’ve sorted out your relationship, can we please fuss a little over my engagement?” she teased.

Riley teasingly rolled her eyes a little before she nodded. “Of course we can” she grinned brightly.
♠ ♠ ♠
Thanks to FootieJo for the comment :)