Love Will Find A Way

Part One - Chapter Five: Friday Night Dinner

Nicole sighed as she moved to help her sister-in-law prepare dinner while her niece coloured at the table; she had been telling Evelyn about what had happened at work that day.

“That reminds me, Sergio’s bring a guest to dinner,” Evelyn said making Nicole raise an eyebrow, wondering who her cousin would be bring to family dinner night; she couldn’t remember the last time that the footballer had brought someone to Friday night dinner.

“It’s not a new girlfriend… it’s one of his team mates,” she explained as the doorbell rang making Joseph shout that he would get it; Nicole sighed as she turned back to the desert that she was making while Evelyn hummed a soft tune before Sergio strolled into the kitchen followed by a grinning Cristiano.

Evelyn rolled her eyes and looked at Nicole, who groaned as she continued to prepare the dessert; she couldn’t believe that the Portuguese had managed to get an invite for dinner.

“Gracias for letting him come,” Sergio said letting a smile grace his face as he looked at Nicole; Cristiano watched as Sergio pulled Nicole into a hug and the two greeted each other in Italian.

There was a pang in his chest made him feel sick as he watched Nicole talk closely with her cousin while Evelyn talked to Isabel who nodded; he didn’t know what it was about the brunette but he had never left like this about anyone before.

Nicole looked at Cristiano after a few minutes and glared at him, she doubted that the footballer had told Sergio that he had tracked her down at work and tried to get her to have dinner with him especially considering how protective Sergio was of her.

“Are you stalking me?” Nicole asked as she stared at Cristiano, who grinned at her innocently, it had taken some persuading on his part to get Sergio to agree but he wanted to see her again and this was the only way he could get close to her.

Sergio sighed before slipping into Italian making Nicole smile while Evelyn rolled her eyes; she knew that Nicole wasn’t going to like his way of doing things but it had been a long time since a man had took any interest in the brunette especially to the level that the forward was taking it.

“Don’t mind them, they’ve forgotten their manners,” Evelyn said making the pair look at her innocently, Joseph quickly entered the room and grinned looking at Cristiano.

Evelyn looked at her husband then back at Nicole and Sergio who were now talking about the desert that Nicole was making; she had a feeling that she knew where this was going and she worried what the men would do with the footballer.

“So you visited Nicole at work today?” Joseph said making Evelyn’s eyes snap to Cristiano’s and shook her head as she turned back to cutting up some vegetables; now she understood what her husband had planned for the footballer.

Cristiano cleared his throat and smirked at Joseph who sat next to his daughter at the kitchen table waiting for the footballer to answer.

“Well she is a beautiful woman, why wouldn’t I visit her?” Cristiano said making Sergio and Joseph glare at him and Nicole snort, she knew what he was after and she wasn’t falling for it.

Evelyn looked at her sister-in-law and glanced reassuringly at her as she continued to prepare dinner; it never ended well for men who took an interest in Nicole.

“I’m sure Irma would love to hear you say that,” Nicole said turning to glance at Cristiano as Sergio laughed at what she had called the Russian model.

Joseph stood and kissed Evelyn on her cheek and looked at Sergio, he knew that they needed to stop Cristiano before he hurt Nicole.

“Us men will head to the lounge and have a beer or two while you two hermonsa ladies finish here,” Joseph said making Sergio smirk before they dragged Cristiano out of the room.

Nicole and Evelyn shook their heads; Cristiano was in for a rough night if he thought he could come here and woo Nicole.

***

Sergio let go of Cristiano when they reached the lounge and looked at his cousin who leant against the doorway, he couldn’t believe that Cristiano had played him like that just so he could get close with Nicole.

“I don’t know what you’re playing at Ronaldo but stay the hell away from my little sister,” Joseph hissed making the Portuguese man smirked before noticing the look Sergio was giving him; he didn’t know why they were being so protective of Nicole and his mind replayed the words that Arthur had said to him.

“This infatuation with Nicole has to stop, I wouldn’t have agreed to let you come if I’d have known you’d visited her at work today,” Sergio said sitting in front of Cristiano; Joseph watched the Portuguese wondering what had gotten into him, it didn’t seem his style to follow women around, not like this at least.

Cristiano sat down and ran a hand through his hair, he didn’t know what it was about Nicole and he needed to get closer with her while he had the chance.

“She’s like nothing I have ever met; she’s beautiful, intelligent and a mystery to me,” Cristiano said making Sergio roll his eyes; he didn’t care what the other footballer said, he wasn’t going to allow the forward anywhere near his cousin after what she was had been through.

Joseph sighed and sat on the coffee table in front of Cristiano, he wanted to push the footballer away from her before she had the chance to get attached to him in anyway.

“I know but as soon as she’s no longer mysterious; you’ll find a new play thing,” he said not noticing the hurt that flashed through Cristiano’s eyes; he watched the footballer confused about why he was hurt by what he said, he knew all about the Portuguese and he was the last person that his sister would be caught dating.

***

“So how is training?” Evelyn asked as she tried to get rid of the awkwardness that seemed to hover over the dinner table; she glanced at Nicole, who shrugged knowing that the talk had left things a little awkward for the men.

Sergio shrugged as he glanced at Cristiano, he had nearly thrown him out of the house after their talk and he would have if Evelyn hadn’t stopped him; she was insistent that the forward stay at least for dinner.

“Training is going well,” Cristiano said as he looked at Nicole, he knew it was wrong but he wasn’t going to end like this; he couldn’t just ignore her now, she was something that he wanted and he was going to try and win her around.

Nicole glanced at him, she knew her brother and cousin had tried to scare him away and she hoped that he would listen; she couldn’t deal with another man in her life right now not after what Jesse had done to her.

“Okay…” Evelyn said as she rolled her eyes and glared at her husband, she knew that this wasn’t going to be easy but she hadn’t expected it to be completely awkward after their chat with Cristiano.

The red head sighed knowing that her sister-in-law deserved to be happy, she hadn’t had a boyfriend in a year and she hoped that maybe this could be her chance.