Somebody Like Me

Resting against the frame of the bedroom door, Sergio quirked a soft smile, his dark eyes settled on Cassie who was still curled up against her pillow, her soft and even breaths still filling the quiet bedroom. It was early, usually, it was a little too early for Sergio, but when he had heard Noah stirring, he had quickly opted to climb out of bed, wanting to afford Cassie the opportunity to lay in for a little while before he disturbed her. It had been a little while, after their dinner with Javier, a few weeks had passed, and with their 1st anniversary having arrived, Sergio was keen to make a fuss, even if Cassie had insisted that she didn’t want to do anything over the top. He wanted to make a fuss of the idea that he and Cassie had made it work for a year.

Watching her sleep for a couple of seconds, he briefly contemplated leaving her to it, before he gently shook his head. Quirking a small smile, he moved to pad a little deeper into the room before he carefully sat down on the side of the mattress, his hand moving to rest against her shoulder, nudging it softly. “Cassie?” he murmured softly.

Cassie stirred a little, but didn’t wake up, something which made Sergio chuckle softly before he ducked down, pressing a soft kiss against her cheek. “Come on, Cass” he mumbled softly “It is our first anniversary after all. Can’t you wake up for that?” he added, his tone bright and teasing as he pressed a couple of warm kisses against her cheek.

Cassie stirred a little at the feel of his lips before her green eyes gently fluttered open, peeking up at him. “What are you doing?” she mumbled softly “It’s still early and I was asleep” she added as she tossed onto her side, her fingers lightly straightening out a few strands of her dark hair.

Sergio offered her an impish smile before he gently moved to take a hold of her hand, gently pressing a kiss against her palm. “You know what today’s date is?” he posed softly as he knotted their fingers together.

Cassie watched their hands for a couple of seconds before she lifted her head, offering him a small smile. “I think I might do” she quipped teasingly “I think it might be a year to the day since we decided to give us a shot” she added, her cheeks tinting a soft shade of pink. It was a little odd, the idea that she and Sergio had made it a year was one which felt a little surreal to her, but she was thrilled by it. A large part of her had thought that they would manage to mess it up somehow.

Sergio’s grin widened a fraction before he nodded his head. “It is” he confirmed softly “Can you quite believe that? A year, Cass” he added, a small awed laugh falling out of his mouth.

“I can’t believe that we made it a month, let alone 12 of them” Cassie returned, her tone caught between teasing and soft “But it has been a pretty good 12 months, hasn’t it?” she added gently, her green eyes briefly mirroring his darker ones.

Sergio admired the soft expression on her features before he carefully ducked forwards, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. “It’s been a great 12 months, Cass” he insisted gently “I mean, we had Noah, we started to date, we moved in together…it’s been a hectic time, but it’s been pretty amazing too” he added warmly.

Cassie allowed his words to hang around them for a couple of seconds before she carefully tilted her head, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. “You know that I love you, don’t you?” she mumbled as she pulled away slightly, her fingertips gently brushing over his cheek.

Sergio nodded. “Of course I do” he mumbled softly “And you know that, even if you can be a pain from time to time, I love you too, right?” he added, offering her a slightly boyish smile.

Cassie scoffed playfully before she pressed another light kiss against his lips. “Way to ruin a moment, Sese” she teased brightly.

Sergio flashed her another boyish smile before the sound of Noah’s babbling emanated away from the monitor which stood on the nightstand, something which caused Cassie to duck into him, sneaking another soft kiss before she pushed herself up to her feet, mumbling about getting Noah ready for the day.

Sergio watched her out of the room for a couple of seconds before he pushed himself up to his feet, making his way across towards his dresser. Checking that Cassie was clear of the room, he carefully pulled the top drawer open before he moved to pull out the small velvet box which resided inside of it, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. He knew that it was soon, he and Cassie had only been together for a year, but still he wanted to ask, even if he couldn’t be certain that she would give him the answer that he wanted, he wanted to take the chance and ask the question that he had been itching to ask for months.

~#~
“Remind me why you felt it was necessary to blindfold me to walk through our own house?” Cassie quipped as she held onto Sergio’s hand, allowing him to guide her through their house. It had been a small surprise, when she had gotten home from dropping Noah with Fernando for a couple of hours, Sergio had been quick to greet her with a blindfold, and Cassie had to admit that she was a little excited to see what he had planned, even if she wasn’t the biggest fan of surprises. She was curious to see what he had come up with.

Sergio, who’d been steering her out towards the garden, shook his head. “It’s supposed to be a surprise” he mused gently as he guided her through a couple more steps, gently pulling her to a stop. Sparing a brief look around the garden, he ensured that everything was in place before he carefully stepped towards her, guiding the blindfold up and off of her eyes.

Cassie blinked a couple of times, trying to adjust to the light, before she allowed her green eyes to survey the scene which sat ahead of her, a small squeak falling out of her mouth. “Sergio” she squeaked softly.

Sergio quirked a small smile before he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing a gentle kiss against the side of her neck. “I thought about finding us a dinner reservation, but I thought, for tonight, we could just stay here. It’s a pretty nice night out and I thought that a picnic under the stars was a pretty romantic way to celebrate our 1st anniversary” he mused gently, his nose gently nudging against her jaw.

Cassie’s eyes closed at the soft contact before she carefully turned around, wrapping him a soft hug. “It’s perfect, Sergio” she mumbled softly “Who knew you were so romantic?” she added, poking his side playfully.

Sergio let out a laugh before he captured her hand, gently pressing a soft kiss against the warm skin. “I have my moments” he quipped “Now, why don’t you come and sit down? We’ve only got a couple of hours before Fernando drops Noah off and I’d like to make the most of them” he added as he stepped ahead of her, gently sitting down on the blanket that he had settled on the patio.

Cassie offered him a small look, a small smile playing at the corner of mouth, before she moved to sit down beside him, slightly amazed by what he had put together.

~#~
“You know, you really didn’t have to clear up. We could have easily left it until the morning”

Cassie, who’d been washing over the last plate, startled a little at the sound of Sergio’s voice before she lifted her head, offering him a soft smile. It had been a lovely evening, with it being just the two of them, it had been intimate and romantic, and Cassie had to admit that she had loved it, even if she did adore having Noah around, it had been nice to have a little time for just the two of them. “I know” she mused softly “But you were busy getting Noah settled and so I thought I would get it done. Did he go off alright?” she posed softly.

Sergio, who’d stepped a little deeper into the kitchen, nodded his head. “He was a little cranky” he mused softly “But he gets that from his mama. We both know what a pain you can be when you’re over-tired” he added, offering her an impish smile.

Cassie, who’d moved to pour herself a glass of juice, offered him a pointed look, something which made Sergio chuckle softly before he took a couple of paces towards her, his arms softly wrapping around her waist as his dark eyes scanned her face.

“You know that you’re staring, right?”

Sergio, who’d drifted off slightly, jumped at the sound of Cassie’s voice before he nodded his head, offering her a small smile as she pulled out of his arms, moving to sit down beside the counter.

“You know, I’ve been thinking recently” he mused.

“What’ve you been thinking about?” Cassie quipped, flicking open the magazine which rested on the surface.

“Us” Sergio replied.

Cassie, who’d been reading her magazine, furrowed her forehead slightly before she turned, her green eyes settling on him. “Us?” she posed.

Sergio nodded his head. “I was thinking about how good this year had been for us” he mused gently “And how happy I am that we bumped into each other like we did. I like us, Cassie” he added, his voice warm and soft.

Cassie quirked a small smile before she nodded her head. “I like us too, Sergio” she agreed “Even if you can be a pain. You’re my pain” she added, offering him an impish smile.

Sergio rolled his eyes playfully before he carefully stepped towards her, taking one of her hands in his before he gently knelt down on the ground ahead of her.

Cassie blinked a couple of times. “Sergio” she breathed softly “Wha…what are you doing?” she added.

“What does it look like, Cass?” Sergio retorted, his voice obviously nervous “I know that this is soon, I mean, a year ago, we were just messing around, but this last year…it’s been amazing, Cass, and it is something that I want to continue. I am in love with you, Cass, I have been for a while now, and I feel like now is the right time to take the next step forwards. Cassie, mi amor, will you marry me?” he posed, his words babbled and nervous.

Cassie blinked a couple of times, his words hanging around her, before she sniffled, trying to force some kind of word out of her mouth.