Somebody Like Me

Gently pulling a pair of socks onto Noah’s feet, Sergio quirked a bright smile, his dark eyes trained on the little boy who laid on the changing mat ahead of him, his face lit with an adorable smile as his big blue eyes scanned the room around him curiously. It wasn’t the first one, a few days previous, Noah had quirked his first smile whilst Cassie had been giving him a bath, but still it amazed Sergio, even if it was only a small milestone, he couldn’t help but marvel at the tiny smile that the baby wore on his face.

Offering Noah another soft smile, he gently he moved to straighten out of the tufts of dark hair which sat on the top of the baby’s head before he gently lifted him into his arms, allowing him to press a soft kiss against the top of his head. “You look pretty adorable, Noah” he fussed softly “I mean, even if I do say so myself. I think I did a pretty good job” he added quietly, his fingers lightly tickling Noah’s stomach, causing a small smile to appear on the infant’s face.

“He does look pretty cute”

Sergio, who’d been quietly fussing over Noah, startled a little at the sound of Cassie’s voice before he lifted his head, peeking towards where she stood, rested against the door frame which led into Noah’s nursery. It had been a little while, after they’d discussed the possibility of introducing Noah to his teammates, a couple of days had passed, but with the team having a light recovery session after the match they had played the previous night, the small family were due to head to the training ground, something which Sergio slightly excited. It wasn’t the biggest deal, introducing Noah to his teammates was only a small step, but still Sergio was excited. He liked the idea of showing off the little family that he was more than proud of.

“You think so?” he asked “Because normally after I get him dressed, you tend to change something. I think yesterday you changed the pair of socks I had chosen for him because you didn’t like them” he added, offering her a playful smirk.

Cassie, who’d moved to step a little deeper into the room, offered him a mildly unimpressed look before she stepped towards him, greeting Noah with a soft kiss on the head. “Are you sure that your coach doesn’t mind the two of us tagging along with you this morning?” she posed softly, her green eyes peeking up towards Sergio slightly.

Sergio smiled a little at the tone of her voice before he shook his head softly. He knew that she was still a little apprehensive, one look at her face whenever he mentioned her trip to the training ground confided it, but he wanted to encourage her to go, even if it was a little outside of her comfort zone, he knew that people were looking forwards to seeing her and Noah. “He said that it would be fine” he mused softly “It’s only a light session today seeing as we played last night, and he said that it would be fine. Besides, the guys are looking forwards to see the two of you” he added softly, one of his hand gently moving to take a hold of hers, offering it a light squeeze.

Cassie offered him a soft look, wordlessly asking if he was sure, before she nodded her head, something which made Sergio chuckle a little before he leant towards her, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. “You don’t have to stay for long” he mused as he ducked back slightly “If you want, you and Noah can drop in, say hola, and then come home. I promise, I won’t let the guys keep you there any longer than you want” he added, his voice caught between teasing and sincere.

Cassie mulled his words over briefly before she quirked a soft smile, her hand lightly squeezing his. “You’re a pretty great boyfriend, aren’t you?” she fussed softly.

“I do my best” Sergio retorted impishly.

Cassie spared a soft giggle before she leant into him, pressing a soft kiss against his lips before she gently moved to lift Noah into her arms. “Are you ready to get moving?” she posed as she ducked back slightly, her green eyes mirroring his darker ones.

Sergio held her stare for a brief second, his eyes searching hers, before he ducked into her, sneaking another quick kiss. Smiling, he held her close for a brief second before he ducked back slightly, his fingers gently brushing a loose strand of dark hair away from her eyes. “Now I am ready to go” he quipped playfully. Cassie rolled her eyes gently before she moved to take a hold of his hand, leading him out of the room.

~#~
Gently adjusting the material of the shirt she wore, Cassie spared a soft glance towards the building which stood ahead of her, her stomach twisting a little at the thought of heading inside. She knew that it wasn’t the first time, she had met Sergio’s friends more than once, but still she felt a little nervous, even if she was a little silly, she couldn’t quite shake the nerves which twitched in the pit of her stomach.

Sparing another look towards the building, she briefly contemplated the idea of climbing back into her car before she felt a hand come to rest on her lower back, causing her to lift her head, her green eyes settling on Sergio who stood beside her, Noah’s car seat held in his hand. “You alright?” he posed softly.

Cassie shrugged. “Nervous” she noted softly “I mean, I know it’s silly…”

“It’s not silly” Sergio interrupted softly “I mean, I know I still get nervous around Mia and your other friends, so I get it, but this is something you’re going to have to get used to. You’re a big part of my life, nena, and they are too, and that means you’re going to have to get used to each other” he added, offering her another soft reassuring smile.

Cassie admired the soft look on his face for a moment before she leant into him, pressing a soft kiss against his lips before the sound of someone clearing their throat reached her ears, causing her to lean back slightly, her green eyes settling on Gareth and Cristiano who stood a little away from them, slightly amused grins on their faces. “Gareth, Cristiano” she breathed softly “It’s good to see you again” she added shyly.

“It’s good to see you too, Cassie” Gareth mused “You look amazing” he added as he stepped towards, greeting her with a small kiss on the cheek.

Sergio, who was stood beside his girlfriend, frowned a little at the small interaction, something which didn’t go unnoticed by Cristiano who shook his head, a small amused laugh falling out of his mouth. It wasn’t a surprise, the slightly jealous look which had passed over Sergio’s face, but Cristiano couldn’t help but smile at it. He knew that it was a small indication of how serious Sergio was about Cassie.

“Are you two coming inside?” Gareth posed.

“We are” Cassie confirmed “We’ve got someone we’d like to introduce to the rest of you” she added, sparing a glance towards Noah who stirred in his car seat, his blue eyes looking around him curiously.

Gareth followed the line of her stare before he quirked a small smile. “This must be Noah” he mused gently “He’s even cuter in person” he added, offering Cassie a small smile.

Cassie returned his smile softly before she stepped towards Sergio, collecting the car seat out of his hand. “Do you think you could show us inside?” she posed softly “It’s a little cold out here” she added gently.

Gareth nodded his head gently before he offered his arm out towards Cassie. “I am sure I can handle giving you and Noah the guided tour” he mused playfully “You don’t mind me borrowing her for a second, do you, Sergio?” he posed, offering a small look towards the defender.

Sergio shook his softly. “Of course not” he mused “I’ll see you in a bit, Cass?” he posed, offering a soft glance towards his girlfriend.

Cassie nodded her head before she wrapped her arm around Gareth’s, allowing him to guide her into the building which stood ahead of them. Sergio watched after them for a couple of seconds before he felt a hand hit his shoulder, causing him to turn slightly, his dark eyes settling on Cristiano who stood behind him, a wide smirk on his face. Sergio noted the smirk he wore before he rolled his eyes, moving to step away from Cristiano who chuckled, glad to see that things between Sergio and Cassie were still going so well.

~#~
“What’ve you done with Sergio and Noah?”

Cassie, who was quietly scrolling through the text messages on her phone, flinched slightly at the sound of Cristiano’s voice before she lifted her head, offering him a small shrug. “They’re around here somewhere” she mused softly “The last time I saw them, they were with Marcelo, but that was about 10 minutes ago” she added, her voice soft and a little uncertain.

Cristiano noted the nervousness in her voice, but opted not to comment on it, instead flashing her a small smile. “You know” he noted softly ”Sergio’s been pretty happy for the last few months” he added gently.

Cassie, who’d moved to fiddle with her phone, tilted her head, a slightly curious look appearing on her features. “You think so?” she posed softly.

Cristiano admired the soft expression on her face before he nodded his head softly. “He’s smiling more” he enthused softly “He’s brighter and more cheerful, and I think a lot of that has to do with Noah and with you, Cassie” he added gently. He knew that it wasn’t his place, whatever happened between Cassie and Sergio was between the two of them, but Cristiano wanted to assure Cassie that she was onto a good thing, even if it was still early days between her and Sergio.

Cassie’s cheeks warmed a little, but she didn’t say anything, something which caused Cristiano to shake his head, his hand gently patting hers which fiddled shyly in her lap. “You’re good for him, Cassie” he mused softly “And I would like to ask you to stick around. I think you’re onto a good thing. You and Sergio, it works, and I’d like you to try and keep it up. We all much prefer this happy Sergio” he added gently before he spotted Sergio out of the corner of his eye, causing him to excuse himself.

Cassie watched after him for a couple of seconds, his words whirring in her head, before she quirked a small smile, slightly impressed by the idea that she had made Sergio happier.