Lean on Me

Part One - Chapter Seventeen: Overstepping and Jealously

“Thanks for doing this Juan,” Cassidy said smiling at Juan, she was gratefully for everything that he had been doing for her in the last two weeks since he discovered her affair with Fernando and offered to help them.

Cassidy was nine weeks pregnant now and she was slowly starting to think about how she would cope with a baby in her life; she knew that she was going to be raising the baby alone since Fernando could barely find time away from Olalla as it was.

“It’s not a problem,” Juan said with a smile, he liked spending time with Cassidy and he could see why Fernando liked her so much; she wasn’t like the women that seemed to flock to them because they were footballers.

“I’ve tried everything and I have no idea what I’m doing,” Cassidy said fanning herself, she was roasting and her heating had broken so it was stuck on; she had considered calling Fernando to help but she knew that Olalla was with him and decided against it.

“Okay I will see what I can do,” Juan said as he rolled up his sleeves and smiled at Cassidy, he hated that Fernando was still spending a lot of his time with Olalla even though he said that he wanted to divorce her.

Cassidy smiled at him running her fingers through her hair, Fernando was really trying to be there for her but she was aware that while he was married that it wasn’t going to work.

“So how have you been?” Juan asked looking at Cassidy, she had been enjoying a week off since the office’s at Chelsea were being redecorated; he hadn’t seen her in a couple of days and was curious about her life.

***

Unlocking the door to the apartment, Fernando sighed relieved that he had managed to slip away from Olalla for a couple of hours; she was driving him up the wall with all of her insane demands now that she was fifteen weeks pregnant.

Fernando was looking forward to spending some time with Cassidy, he wanted to spend more time with her and he needed to make more time for her; he needed to think of the child that she was carrying.

However Fernando frowned when he noticed that Juan was already inside the apartment, he carefully moved forward as he listened to the two joking around together; he felt jealously bubble in his stomach as he peeked around the corner into the reception where the two were having dinner together.

“Thanks again,” Cassidy said as a smile lit up her face, she didn’t know what she would have done if Juan hadn’t come around to fix her heating for her; she brushed some hair from her face completely unaware that Fernando was watching her.

“So I was wondering what you were doing on Thursday night?” Juan asked making Cassidy look at him, she had ordered take out for the two of them as a thank you since Juan had fixed her heating for her.

Cassidy stared at him for a moment before Fernando walked into the room, she swallowed nervously spotting the look on Fernando’s face.

“She’ll be busy with me sorry Juan,” Fernando said making Juan frown at him while Cassidy shifted nervously; she didn’t like the tension that filled the room and she could see that this wasn’t going to be easy.

“Fernando what are you doing here?” Cassidy asked turning her full attention to the father of her unborn child, she wasn’t sure what it was but she could see a strong emotion in his brown eyes and it made her feel a little guilty.

Juan turned his attention away from Fernando and looked down at his meal, he didn’t think that his friend deserved Cassidy and he could see that Cassidy was the only one that would be hurt when this all came to ahead.

“I managed to escape from Olalla and thought that I could have dinner with you, but I can see you already ate,” Fernando said bitterly, he glared at Juan hating that he seemed to be getting even closer to Cassidy and he knew that he had to talk to him about it; he didn’t want Juan getting the wrong idea.

Cassidy shifted nervously looking at Fernando, she knew that he wanted to spend more time with her and that with the fact that she was now pregnant it raised a lot of questions about what would happen now.

***

“I’ll see you on Thursday,” Cassidy said with a smile on her face as Juan and Fernando prepared to head home, it was getting late and the two had to head home now while Cassidy was getting tired.

Fernando nodded his head stepping closer to Cassidy making Juan duck his head as he started to pull on his coat; Fernando had spent the entire evening making it clear that he wasn’t happy about the amount of time that Juan was spending with Cassidy alone.

“I’ll be around about seven,” Fernando said brushing some hair from Cassidy’s face, he ignored the look from Juan as he pressed a kiss to her head; he felt like he was marking his territory for the other man to see, he didn’t want Juan getting attached to Cassidy.

Cassidy pulled back from Fernando and gave him a small smile before she turned to hug Juan goodnight; Fernando smiled at her as he held her close and looked at Fernando who was staring at him in jealously.

“Goodnight and thank you again Juan,” Cassidy said trying to ignore the awkward tension that filled the air, she swallowed as she pulled back from Juan so that him and Fernando could leave.

As soon as the two of them had left and Cassidy had closed the door behind them, Fernando had turned on Juan as they waited for the elevator; he glared at the younger Spaniard who seemed unaware that he had done something wrong.

“I don’t want you spending any more time with Cass alone,” Fernando hissed trying to wrap his head around what he had seen and how the two had interacted; Juan was only trying to be nice but he didn’t want him getting to close with the woman that he loved.

Juan frowned as he looked at his friend, he knew why Fernando was upset but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Cassidy is just a friend and I’m only looking out for her… where have you been when she needed help?” Juan asked making Fernando glare at him dangerously before he grabbed hold of the collar of Juan’s coat and slammed him into the wall.

A thud echoed around the hallway as the two men glared at one another, Fernando didn’t like what Juan was suggesting and he knew that it was because he was right.

“You need to make a choice Nando… Cassidy or Olalla?” Juan said pushing his friend away, Fernando cared for Cassidy and he loved her to some level but he was married to Olalla and it wasn’t fair to led Cassidy on like this.

“If you want Cass then end your marriage with Olalla… if its Olalla then do the right thing and let Cassidy go, she deserves better,” Juan said looking at his friend and shook his head, he knew that there was nothing that he could do to help his friend make the decision.

Juan liked Cassidy and it didn’t want to see her hurt when Fernando choose his wife over her and left her alone with a baby to raise.

Fernando stared at Juan as the younger man stepped into the elevator and left him behind, Juan was right but that didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t going to let her go.