Chapter 1
They hadn't spoken in almost 2 years but Fabian needed to see her and find out if it really always was his fault.
That was what Mara had said.
She'd blamed him for his shyness, his reluctance to talk about the future and for the fact she knew his heart would always belong to that American girl who'd taken it back home with her and had forgotten to return it to him.
Fabian hadn't agreed at first but after copious amounts of alcohol and a lot of crying he had started to.
Maybe Mara was right. Maybe he did still love Nina.
"I think this is a terrible idea you know," said KT.
Eddie echoed that sentiment. "So do I."
"Then why did you come with me?" asked Fabian sounding angry but at the same time, nervous.
"Because we care about you stupid," grinned KT, "And we didn't want to leave you on your own again, since the last time we did you got drunk, rang Mara and cried."
Fabian scowled at her. "Thanks for reminding me."
"It was a bit crazy Fabian, we just don't want you to go through this alone because we know you're hurting."
KT looked surprised at Eddie expressing his concern for his best friend, he wasn't usually very good when it came to things like feelings and crying.
"Plus we were both in the country anyway visiting our families, once we heard from Patricia what you were planning on doing we couldn't let you do it alone."
The three friends had very recently completed their first year of college. A few days after summer started Mara dumped Fabian while KT and Eddie were away, staying with their families for most of the summer.
Suddenly the taxi they were in came to a stop and they got out.
KT and Eddie knew this was a terrible idea but they hadn't managed to talk Fabian out of it. Fabian knew it was too. However that knowledge still wasn't enough to stop him.
"So this is where they live?" asked Eddie.
Fabian nodded and started walking towards the door of the apartment building.
"Nice area," commented KT.
It was. Amber and Nina had moved in together after they both graduated. Amber continued to study fashion in New York whilst Nina moved there to study law.
"Will you guys wait here?" asked Fabian.
KT and Eddie looked nervously at each other both thinking this was a terrible idea. They tried to persuade Fabian to let them come with him but he was adamant he wanted to do this alone. Eventually they gave in and let him go off while they waited at the bottom of the stairs for him to return.
"I really hope she isn't in," sighed KT sitting down on the bottom step.
Eddie sat down next to her. "Is that because you know this will all end badly for Fabian or because you're worried that they might get back together?"
KT was too tired for Eddie's long questions. "What?"
"You love him."
She repeated. "What?"
"KT I'm your best friend." He put his arm around her. "You can't hide these things from me."
KT said very slowly, "I don't love him."
"Yes you do."
Nothing irritated KT more than the casual, flippant way the word love was used in these days because she knew love was meant to be more than that. Her feelings for Fabian were undeniable but she wasn't too sure she could call it love. They weren't together. They never had been together. They probably would never be together. How could she love him?
And yet still when she thought about him she felt something in the pit of her stomach that she'd never felt before. When he smiled at her she was happier than ever before. Everything about him made her feel something she didn't quite understand. Maybe it was love.
KT glared at him. "Patricia told you, that bitch."
"She didn't tell me!" protested Eddie, "She just confirmed my suspicions."
"Bitch."
Eddie laughed at her and squeezed her arm. "You should've told me."
"I'm not even sure if I do though. I mean, besides you, he's my closest friend and he always comes to me when he and Mara are having problems and we spend loads of time together because we live so close to each other and we talk about Sibuna and I don't know, I just feel like I'm stuck being the best friend in every chick flick who loves the person who falls in love with someone else but in the end still has to be there for that person and somehow has to get over them."
"So you're Duckie from Pretty in Pink rather than Sally in When Harry Met Sally?"
KT giggled at his knowledge of girly movies.
"I have a girlfriend!"
"Whatever," she laughed whilst thinking that girly movies weren't really Patricia's thing, "But yeah, I'm Duckie. I love Fabian but it is a doomed and unrequited love. He loves Mara or Nina, I'm never really sure."
Eddie said, "I don't think he loves either of them to be honest."
"Yeah, I know he never loved Mara but I don't know about Nina. Mara seems pretty sure that he stills loves her, which is why she dumps him every other month and then he has to do some big gesture to get her back."
Eddie asked, "Why doesn't he just do something romantic to win her back again?"
"He doesn't want her back this time."
"I don't blame him, I can't believe a girl who made such a big deal about being cheated on before would cheat on someone else."
KT said, "She thinks it's okay because she knows Fabian doesn't love her but it obviously isn't okay."
"Obviously," frowned Eddie, "Fabian's an idiot, he doesn't see what's right in front of him, he just goes after his first love or the girl that keeps breaking his heart."
"He blames himself for his failed relationships. He always thinks that he'll do it better the next time, so he never stops believing in a next time."
"Idiot."
KT frowned, "He is an idiot, why do I even care?"
"You like that he's a hopeless romantic because you aren't one."
"Well I'm stupid," she groaned, "Fabian's different when it's just him and me though. He's… I don't know how to explain it, it's just when we're together, he's my Fabian, I don't know, I'm stupid."
Eddie laughed because he wasn't use to the confident KT beating herself up so much.
"You're so in love with him."
"Shut up."
Chapter 2
Fabian looked at the piece of paper he'd wrote their address down on again for the nth time, checking he was about to knock on the right door. He looked behind him and wondered whether he should turn back and walk back down the stairs. Get on the next plane back to England, go home to his parents and try to move on.
Try to move on.
Right.
He almost started to laugh at that thought. How could he try to move on again? Obviously he couldn't. It hadn't worked with Mara had it?
"Maybe Mara was the wrong person?" Fabian was a hopeless romantic. He couldn't help but believe there must be someone out there for him, despite all the evidence that suggested there wasn't.
Fabian whispered to himself, "Then who was the right person?"
A thought appeared in his mind: her name, her face. He shook his head. No. She was his best friend, he only thought of her because of their close friendship.
KT would never feel that way about him anyway.
Things with Mara had started well. They had a mutual respect for each other and they had a lot in common. In theory they should have been perfect for each other but after dating for a few months this appeared not to be true. Thinking this Fabian didn't understand why they had been dating for almost a year if after a few months things had gone sour. Mara and Fabian had gotten themselves into a routine. They'd be happy, they'd argue, they'd break up, they'd get back together and then they'd do it again. The routine became almost comfortable to them. Both of them did love routines. It was pretty depressing to think about but their relationship hadn't all been bad. A lot of it was fun and both had thought it had helped them to get over their ex's. The problem was they didn't share this thought about each other. Fabian thought she still liked Jerome and Mara believed he still loved Nina and always would. Each of them had a lot of insecurities from their past relationships and their other general mistakes which their new relationship wasn't at all helping them to get over. Only reinforcing it.
That was the problem.
"I still need to know," he decided and so he knocked on the door.
Amber opened it and screamed. He'd been preparing himself to see Nina, even though he knew Amber lived there, so he was surprised to see her.
"Fabian! What are you doing here?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Thought I'd surprise you."
"You just crossed the Atlantic Ocean for a quick visit then?" she laughed.
"I'm here with KT and Eddie," he said.
"Oh, where are they?"
Fabian answered, "Downstairs, waiting, actually, I kind of came here specifically to see Nina."
"Oh."
Suddenly they both realised that Fabian was still standing outside the door still and Amber stepped backwards, pulling him into their apartment.
He found himself in a very nice, large room which contained a kitchen, dining and living area to his left and to his right were doors to two other rooms he assumed were bedrooms.
There was a boy sitting on the sofa watching TV.
"Wes, this is Fabian," said Amber, "Fabian, this is my boyfriend Wes."
Fabian nodded at him, the nervous feeling he'd felt before was starting to overwhelm him.
"She's in here." Amber walked towards one of the doors and knocked on it, moments later Nina opened it.
"Fabian? Fabian!"
She hugged him. Fabian hadn't been expecting that.
"What are you doing here?"
He was really surprised by her excited response. "I'm here with KT and Eddie, their downstairs right now, but I… I needed to talk to you."
"Oh."
Nina decided it would be better to talk in private so she led Fabian into her room. She sat down and he followed her lead. There was an awkward silence for a few moments while both tried to figure out what to say.
"I'm sorry," began Nina, "For leaving and for leaving without even saying goodbye. It was ridiculous and I know I should have done it in a better way but everything happened so quickly. My grandma got sick and I started having visions after I visited Eddie about how he was meant to protect me from evil, but how our strong bond would only attract more evil. I thought I was protecting everyone by staying away."
Fabian smiled at her. "Nina, I know you left for a good reason, I never doubted that."
"But?"
"Mara dumped me," he admitted, "Because she thinks that I still love you and that I always will and that no one will be able to take your place in my heart."
Nina frowned and paused for a moment. "Do you still love me?"
"Yes but no."
Despite everything Nina smiled. "I think I know what you mean."
"I'm glad you do because I'm not sure I do," he laughed.
Being with Nina was making him relax, he still felt comfortable around her even after all this time. Maybe he did still love her.
"First loves are forever," she grinned, "But that doesn't mean we have to be together forever, it just means I'll always love you. We went through a lot together Fabian and those feelings and memories don't just disappear. They'll always be with us and I will always care about you, I just don't want to be with you."
Nina had finally put everything he'd been feelings into words he could understand. The feelings he still had for her, she still had for him: they didn't mean that he hadn't moved on. They meant that he still cared. And after everything they'd been through how could he not still care?
"I feel the same," he said, "I just didn't really understand that I did until now."
"You aren't great at understanding your feelings are you?" she asked.
Fabian chuckled, "Like your any better."
Even after two years and very little contact, they were still best friends.
"So, have you dated anyone else besides Mara? You guys were together for about a year weren't you?"
"Just Mara, we dated on and off since graduation."
Nina wondered, "Do you think you'll get back together when you get back to England?"
"No," he said, "She cheated on me, I don't think I could ever forgive that."
"Wow. I didn't see that coming. I'm so sorry."
He took her hand and squeezed it. Fabian felt strangely comforted talking to Nina, which was good really because that was what he'd been after. That wasn't all he'd been after though…
"Thanks Nina. I didn't see it coming either to be honest." After all it had happened to Mara before. "She admitted that it was her fault at first but then she tried to get me to accept some of the blame. Apparently I break everything I touch." He said that in a sarcastic tone.
Nina frowned. "You don't Fabian. The reason we broke up is because of us being on different continents Fabian. If I could have had it my way I would have stayed with you because I loved you. You were a great boyfriend and even more, you were my best friend. Nothing was your fault, it was just life that got in the way."
Fabian actually sighed with relief, he'd been feeling so tense and sad since Mara had broken up with him. Blaming himself for it all even though he knew that was stupid. All he'd needed was to hear it from someone.
"Thanks Nina. I needed to hear that." He smiled and there was a long moment of silence. "I've been kind of selfish haven't I? How have you been? How's your gran? Have you been seeing anyone?"
She grinned, typical Fabian firing questions at her like that. "I've been fine, especially since I moved here. Gran is a lot better than she was. She moved in with my aunt and uncle so she is never alone these days and they take really good care of her. Um, what was the… oh yeah. I did date this one guy for a bit but it didn't really last. There is someone I kind of like at the moment but nothing will probably happen. What about you? I know things only recently ended with Mara but it sounds like they were never that great. Is there someone else?"
"No, well, no."
"You don't sound so sure."
Chapter 3
"He's been up there a long time, maybe we should go check on him."
Eddie shook his head. "The pizza is almost here!"
"I can't actually believe you ordered pizza." KT was much too stressed to eat anyway but she knew Eddie was always hungry. "Fabian is probably having a break down upstairs."
"You don't know that, maybe it's going really well, maybe they're…"
Eddie stopped before he said something he might regret.
KT finished. "Back together?"
"When I stopped speaking you weren't meant to finish that sentence you know." Eddie took KT's hand, wanted to comfort her but not really knowing what to say.
"I couldn't help it," she frowned, "It's what I was thinking anyway."
He squeezed her hand again. "It won't happen though, they broke up for a reason."
"He never chose to break up with her though did he?"
"No," replied Eddie, "But he accepted it and he moved on. You know he did. Anything he feels towards her now is probably only out of sentimentality."
KT thought everything Eddie said was probably true but it still didn't stop her from worrying.
"Even if he doesn't still love her, he still might love Mara, they only broke up last week."
Eddie laughed and KT glared at him.
"You know he never loved Mara. You're the one person that's always been convinced of that."
She shrugged. "Maybe I was just trying to comfort myself."
"Shut up."
"Why?" KT felt like crying. "I'm sad and pathetic and I spent the last year trying to convince myself that Fabian didn't love Mara and would eventually realise that and that he actually loves me."
Eddie moaned, "You listen to too much Taylor Swift."
KT kicked him. "I need a new best friend."
"Pizza!"
A pizza delivery car had pulled up outside the building and Eddie jumped up excitedly. KT felt very irritated as she watched him get the pizza, stopping to even chat to the man for a couple minutes, because she was in crisis mode and he was so relaxed.
"Want a slice?"
He knew the answer when he turned to look at her face.
"You need to stop stressing KT. He's not going to get back with Nina and he's definitely not going to get back with Mara. Either Nina is up there making him feel better or making him feel much worse. Whatever the case is, if she makes him feel better he should be ready to move on to someone else. And if she makes him feel worse then he will need someone else to comfort him."
This only annoyed KT further. "That sounds like I'm going to use him or something."
Eddie shrugged and chewed his pizza. "No, not using him, it's not like you'll act any different to usual. You're always together anyway and you always have to comfort him when Mara dumps him. Nothing will change, at first."
"Seriously Eddie, stop it, it's never going to happen, ever."
"Why not?" Eddie was talking with his mouth full.
KT grimaced at him. "We've been friends for 2 years, why would anything change now?"
"You've only been really close since he's been dating Mara so you haven't really had a chance with him."
"I guess," She said, "We only got really close she we started college together, before that, even when we were in Sibuna, we weren't friends in the way we are now."
Eddie swallowed some more pizza. "No because you had me then."
She poked him. "I still have you stupid, no one could ever replace you."
"You're cute." He laughed.
"Don't let Patricia hear you say that." She reprimanded him.
Eddie actually looked scared for a moment at the thought of facing his angry girlfriend but he wasn't worried for long. "She doesn't get jealous of you anymore, especially since now she knows you love Fabian."
A sad look appeared on KT's face again.
Eddie groaned, "KT, come on, you're no fun when you're like this."
"Thanks," she said, sounding annoyed but then she teased him, "Now you know how difficult it's been dealing with you for the past two years."
"Fair enough."
She laughed at him, "All I do is look after my friends and their relationship problems. It is pretty sad to think about."
"That's not all you do," he argued, "You helped save the world twice, remember? And you did date two guys this year didn't you? Ashton and Oakley right?"
KT nodded. "Yeah, for like a couple months each, it wasn't exactly long term."
"You did date though, despite your undying love for Fabian."
"The fact that you mention I love him every 5 seconds doesn't make me feel better you know Eddie," snapped KT, "As soon as we get back to England I am getting a new best friend."
He chuckled, "Why do you end up saying that at least 10 times every time we talk?"
"Why do you think?"
"You don't get my humour."
KT smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I don't get how you go from serious to stupid in seconds."
"It's my defence mechanism," he replied, "You should take my example, you care about people too much, your loyalty only ends up getting you hurt rather than protecting them."
She grinned. "There you go again, funny too deep in 0.01 seconds."
"I'm being serious. You are too good."
She sighed and wondered whether agreeing with him made her really arrogant.
Chapter 4
"You definitely love her," grinned Nina who felt pretty surprised at how happy Fabian being in love with someone else made her feel, "This is weird really, the one thing that worried me most when KT replaced me was that you'd end up with her and she'd really replace me but now it's actually happening I'm happy for you."
"It's not actually happening though, she probably doesn't feel the same way and even if she did, I just got dumped, nobody wants to date someone that just got dumped. Trust me, I know it's true because that's how Mara felt about me."
Nina gave him a look of disbelief. "We broke up a year after you two started dating."
He shrugged in response. "It was a doomed relationship. I sort of felt that way about her too."
"Well I hope KT hasn't been dumped recently then." Nina felt pretty confused about Fabian, he was talking really strangely.
"No, I mean, well she hasn't but I don't mean that I wouldn't date a girl that's been dumped, it's just, Mara and I had way too many insecurities, we couldn't deal with our own, never mind each other's. KT isn't like that. She's a glass half full kind of person. We're both glass half empty."
She squeezed his hand in response.
Fabian started chuckling. "I just realised KT and Eddie have been waiting for me downstairs for almost an hour."
They shared a look and then both started laughing hysterically.
Then they left Nina's bedroom and went to sit with Amber and Wes. Fabian called KT and Eddie and told them to meet them upstairs.
Amber answered the door and saw Eddie carrying a pizza box. "Did you order pizza?"
"He gets hungry," laughed KT.
Eddie and KT both hugged Amber, then Eddie hugged Nina. Fabian introduced KT to Nina and Amber introduced Wes to Eddie and KT. Once the greetings, hugs and introductions were over everyone sat down and Amber decided to give everyone drinks and snacks.
Nina grinned. "I've had an idea."
Everyone looked at her expectantly.
"Well two actually, firstly Fabian told me you're trip here was pretty spur of the moment so I was thinking you should stay here tonight." Nina turned to Amber for approval who grinned in response. "My second idea was that you should stay here for a few days and we can go sightseeing and stuff."
Amber squealed, "Yes, stay, that's great, yes!"
Eddie said, "That would be pretty awesome, we've got our bags with us anyway and KT and I are in the states for a while, I don't think I'll families will be too upset if we aren't there for a few days."
KT smiled even though she was dying inside watching Fabian and Nina sit next to each other, sharing looks and secret smiles.
They ended up ordering more pizza and staying up late watching TV and catching up. The next morning Amber woke them all up just before lunch time; so they went out for lunch before going sightseeing.
Nina and Amber made drinks for everyone before they went out. Amber finally had a chance to ask Nina about last night in private. Nina quickly filled her in, telling her about Mara cheating on Fabian, about her comforting him and making it very clear that she was not getting back together with Fabian because he was in love with KT.
"But he only just split up with Mara and now he's in love with someone else? That doesn't sound like our Fabian."
"I think he has liked KT for a while and he just stayed with Mara because he didn't want to dump her. It wasn't really a happy relationship."
"Oh Fabian, that does sound like him, too nervous to say how he feels."
Nina nodded, feeling sad for him, but then she remembered KT and she felt excited.
"I know." Nina grinned. "So we need to help him… with KT."
It wasn't much of a surprise to Amber that Nina wanted to set Fabian and KT up. Other people probably would be surprised since she was his ex-girlfriend but Amber knew Nina better than anyone and she knew that all she'd wanted since she'd left Anubis House was for him to be happy without her and for her to be happy without him. Amber knew Nina would always love Fabian but she also knew that they were never getting back together, like ever.
"I am pretty good with that sort of thing, let's take them out for lunch and get started, we can go to that coffee shop you like so much. Will Ross be there yet? Does he work this shift?"
"Sssh!" hissed Nina, "I don't have his shifts memorised anyway!"
Amber just laughed at her.
It turned out Ross was working that day. Nina went to order some lunch for everyone at the counter and she spent a little longer over there than necessary.
"What a flirt," commented Amber turning the heads of her friends towards Nina.
"So that's the guy Nina likes?" asked Fabian.
KT said, "What?"
"Nina said she liked someone," he answered, "She also said she thought nothing was going to happen between them but that looks like it isn't the case."
Trying to be subtle, KT wondered, "And you're okay with that?"
"Sure, I love Nina but we definitely aren't getting back together, ever."
"But you love her?"
"Yeah." He wasn't as eloquent as Nina and was having trouble finding the words to explain how he felt about her. He didn't want KT to think he loved Nina either because obviously, he loved KT.
Amber and Eddie laughed at him. KT just stared.
After a moment Fabian regained the power of speech. "I love her, I care about her, but I don't want to go out with her because we've both moved on and now we're just friends."
"Okay." KT couldn't stop. "And things only ended with Mara last week, you probably still have feelings for her."
Fabian shook his head. "No, not at all, that bitch cheated on me."
Everyone started laughing at him once he said that which dragged Nina back over to them to see what was going on.
Eddie looked at KT and winked at her, she responded with a hopeful smile.
Over the next few days they went to all the main sights like the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Metropolitan Art Museum and a few more. Nina, Amber and Eddie spent those days trying to make Fabian and KT realise their feelings for each other. Fabian spent them trying to make sure KT knew that his heart didn't belong to Nina or Mara. KT wasn't optimistic about his feelings though and tried to only think of him as her best friend.
However, the sights and their friends didn't do much to help them realise their feelings. The only thing that could help them realise their feelings was each other in the end.
It was the morning of their fifth day in New York, Eddie was showering while KT and Fabian were watching TV together. Nina and Amber were both in their rooms.
"My mum called me yesterday wondering when I'd be going back home. I think she misses me, I did leave pretty quickly."
"I didn't ask you to come." He was teasing her.
"No, Patricia did, or at least Eddie did, since she thought you were having a breakdown."
He laughed. "I was."
"Don't joke about it," she frowned at him, "I was so scared, without thinking I got on the next train to New York, met Eddie at the station and we rushed to meet you at the airport."
"Pretty romantic really."
KT giggled and blushed. "I guess, and then you remember you were having a breakdown because you're girlfriend cheated on you and you were coming here to see your old girlfriend."
"If you'd told me a few years ago I'd be experiencing this much romantic drama I would never have believed you, no one would have."
She wondered, "Is all this experience a good or a bad thing?"
"All experience is a good thing, eventually."
KT rolled her eyes, when she didn't say anything Fabian said, "We should go home soon though, everyone in England thinks I'm still having a breakdown, they probably think I'm dead."
"Probably." They grinned at each other for a moment. "We'll talk about it with the others, I think we should stay a few more days though, there's still so much to do, we haven't even been to central park zoo yet."
"We haven't even been to central park!"
KT giggled. "Lots of trees there."
This was there thing, the tree thing, but they hadn't made that joke since before Mara cheated on Fabian. Sharing a laugh over their joke made them both feel like everything was going back to the way it was before. Which is what they both wanted… wasn't it?
Fabian was happy.
KT was happy.
But they still wanted more than that.
They wanted to be happy together.
Fabian and KT told the others that they wanted to go to central park that morning to look at trees but Eddie decided that he'd rather go shopping for a present for Patricia because he knew she was expecting one.
"We can go to central park another day if you want to do that today." Fabian was being considerate.
Eddie replied, "Nah, you two go have fun, Amber and Nina will taking me shopping for girly things while you climb trees."
"Well if you're sure."
"I'm sure." Eddie gave KT a cheeky smile.
Chapter 5
It was a warm, summer's day in New York, a good day for walking. Amber and Nina didn't live too far from Central Park so Fabian and KT walked there. Taking pictures and stopping for frozen yoghurt on the way. They avoided talking about anything too emotional because they weren't really in the mood for serious conversations. They were too happy.
Once they reached the park Fabian took KT's hand, in a friendly way that he'd done hundreds of times before, and dragged her to find a tree that looked easy to climb.
"That one!" exclaimed KT pointing excitedly at a huge tree.
Letting go of his hand she ran to the tree and started to climb upwards.
Fabian watched her for a moment before deciding to follow her up the tree, this was the most childish thing Fabian ever allowed himself to do. For the longest time he'd been obsessed with being mature and a large part of him still was, however a small part of him decided it was okay to sometimes act like a kid and climbs trees.
Only when he was with KT.
KT was much better at this than he was. She was a tree climbing expert. Fabian tried not to get too jealous. He gave up climbing before she did after his arms started to ache. KT could have stayed up there for hours but she followed him down, not wanting to be alone.
"Did you get tired?" she asked with a teasing smile.
"My arms hurt," he admitted, pouting like a little kid.
"Poor you," smirked KT jumping down next to him. They sat down on the grass to rest for a minute, leaning up against the tree they'd just been climing.
KT couldn't help but ask, now that she'd got him alone, "So, have you changed your mind about Nina or Mara? I know you said a few days ago that you didn't want to be with either of them anymore but you could have fallen for Nina again after spending all this time with her or have thought about it realised you still love Mara."
"You know I never loved Mara," he responded, "And no, I haven't changed my mind, I don't love either of them."
"Good."
"Good?"
KT blushed and mumbled, "I know they aren't right for you." It was true but that wasn't the reason she'd thought it was good.
"I wonder if anyone is," he frowned.
"Don't say that," said KT feeling a mixture of pity, annoyance and a sliver of hope that she could never seem to get away from no matter how foolish it made her feel, "You're meant to the hopeless romantic, if you give up on that then what do you have left?" She was teasing him.
Fabian pretended to look offended. "My charming personality, my good looks, my wits, my sense humour..."
KT smirked at him in response but didn't say anything. Instead she just looked at him. They sat in silence for a while, both wanting to speak about how they felt but not doing so because they don't believe the other one liked them.
"We should go," said KT.
"Yeah," agreed Fabian but he didn't want to. "I…uh…" He trailed off. Not knowing what to say.
"You okay?"
He felt like an idiot, stood there with his mouth wide open, staring. Fabian played back his mind how his past relationships had started. With Nina it had been after they saved the world, he'd called her beautiful and they'd kiss. Mara had given him her medal and then they'd kissed; a kiss that KT had interrupted, weird.
KT frowned. "Earth to Fabian, what is wrong with you?"
"KT I love you."
"What?"
"Shit."
"Shit?"
"No. What?"
KT asked, "You love me?"
"Yeah. Yes. I do."
"Oh good."
"Good?"
"Yeah good," answered KT with a huge smile on her face which Fabian took as a good sign. They grinned at each other. Admittedly it was slightly awkward. KT laughed and soon Fabian did too.
Fabian asked her, "So when we both get back to England do you want to go on a date or something?"
"Maybe," she replied, "On one condition."
"What condition?"
KT had a mischievous look on her face when she answered, "We get to climb some trees on our date."
He laughed. "Yeah, of course, what kind of date wouldn't have tree climbing in it?"
"A horrible one," she exclaimed, grinning.
He knew he loved KT but she hadn't said it back. Fabian didn't want to rush into things because a part of him just knew it would work out between them. He didn't need to worry. They could take this slow, things would be fine. Thinking this, Fabian took her hand in his. She gave him a small smile and he grinned back. Yeah, things would be fine.