It was nearly 9 at The Dot with only Eli and Imogen still there. Eli was finishing up his last few duties before locking up. Imogen stared at the green dot on her computer. Only one person on her list was available for video chat and coincidentally enough, it was the person she most wanted to call.
Fiona hadn't changed her picture in over a year, something very unlike Fiona Coyne. Imogen knew and understood that her ex girlfriend was busy, heck she was extremely busy. Now however, was a rare moment where Fiona was free. And Imogen wanted to badly ask for her advice. Eli and Clare were great, but they wouldn't fully understand. Same with Becky.
Imogen sighed and leaned further on her elbows, prompting Eli's attention from the cupcakes he was frosting.
"Immy what's wrong?" Eli asked, eyebrows arching with concern. "Still stuck on Jack?"
"Yeah," Imogen answered with a slight huff. "Fiona's free and I kinda wanna talk to her, but I kinda don't at the same time."
Eli let out a slight chuckle before asking, "Fiona? Our Fiona? Immy if she's free you gotta ask her. Who knows when the both of you are going to be free again? Besides, she's probably the best person to get some advice from. Call her!"
"But I can't!" Imogen exclaimed, hands flailing in the air. "She's my ex Eli! Not only will this be extremely awkward but also rude! She knows nothing about Jack."
"So?"
"So…" Imogen dragged. Imogen leaned further, pushing her shoulders back, hoping Eli would catch her drift.
Eli nodded and asked, "You think she might still have feelings for you?"
Imogen nodded solemnly. "I mean, she knows nothing about Jack and I know nothing about her dating life. Maybe she's too busy to date and I don't want to make her uncomfortable or anything…"
As Eli listened, a flashbulb suddenly flickered in his brain and he had a wistful smile.
"Eli, what's wrong? You're smiling."
"Imogen you still have feelings for her."
Imogen shook her vehemently and said, "Eli, she was my best friend and first real relationship. I'll always love her but I don't have feelings for her!"
"Really?" Eli said with a doubtful smile. He leaned toward her and said, " 'Cause everything you're saying points to you being scared of calling her because you're worried that she'll have moved on. Face it Ims, you still have feelings for her. No matter how small, they're still there."
"What about Jack?" Imogen questioned, pushing up her glasses before crossing her arms. She scowled and added, "She and I are a thing. I can't worry about how I feel about Fiona. I miss her Eli, but she's in Italy. There's nothing I can do!"
Eli bit his lip and gave a sorry sigh. "Immy, I kinda hate to break it to you but you just admitted to still having feelings for Fiona. And you and Jack aren't technically a thing right now."
Imogen gulped, her face full of fear and gasped when Eli grabbed her computer and requested a video chat with Fiona Coyne. She gave Eli an angry look as he aimed the computer's camera toward himself and Imogen. He put on his most charming smile and was not disappointed when the beautiful face of Fiona Coyne appeared.
Imogen felt her breath leave and her stomach felt weighted by what felt like a pound of lead. Small butterflies fluttered in her stomach and her heartbeat increased marginally.
"Imogen? Eli?" Fiona asked with a smile on her face.
Imogen was glad to see that Fiona looked mostly the same since their break up. Her blue-grey eyes contained their usual sparkle though not as bright. Her smile was just as breathtaking as usual but not as wide. Her wavy brown tresses were pulled into an uncharacteristic ponytail, something Imogen had only seen once in her whole life since knowing Fiona.
"How are you doing Ms. Coyne?" Eli asked in a teasing tone.
Imogen didn't note her response and instead focused on Fiona's background. She was wearing a stylish yet simple blue blouse. She sat at a wooden desk full of papers of what looked to be rough sketches of designs. In the background was a sofa set with coffee table surrounded by walls with a few pieces of art.
Imogen would have kept watching the background had Eli not subtly elbowed her lightly, garnering her attention.
"Hmm, what?" Imogen asked, head craning and looking for the source of what broke her stupor.
Fiona let out a slight giggle as Eli exasperatedly said with a smile, "I've sort of caught Fiona up to speed. Now it's your turn to talk. Have fun guys." He leaned toward Imogen's ear and softly whispered, "Tell her what you want Imogen. Just tell her the truth, she deserves that much." He looked at her with a reassuring smile before sliding his batch of cupcakes down to the end of the counter on the other side.
"So Immy," Fiona said, leaning on her elbows, angling her head closer to the screen. "What would you like to talk about?"
"Well I guess two things," Imogen replied hesitantly. "I need some advice on helping someone come out and I need to know why your hair is in a pony tail?"
Fiona's face was completely serious until Imogen's question. She let out a raspy laugh and brought her hands up to her face. She undid the pony, letting her beautiful hair fall down in waves. She arched an eyebrow and asked, "Better?"
Imogen's stomach exploded with butterflies and her heart reminded her of a hummingbird. She nodded, mumbling, "Mmhmm," as she felt her cheeks turn red from blush.
Imogen took a deep breath, quelling her rosy cheeks and butterflies temporarily. She looked at Fiona, who had a smile on her face but a serious look in her eyes.
"My girlfriend," Imogen started nervously. She noticed Fiona's lack of reaction and went on, "My ex-girlfriend I guess, technically," Imogen let out a breath. "we broke up because she wasn't out to her parents and we were nominated for best couple and had a good chance of winning and she didn't want to come out and we fought and broke up."
Hearing how that sounded made Imogen feel guilty for pushing Jack and Fiona's frown didn't help things.
"Immy," Damn the butterflies were back. "You can't push her to come out if she isn't ready."
"I know Fiones," Imogen replied, using Fiona's nickname with ease. "But if you knew her you'd totally understand what I mean. Jack's a badass, I mean she throws axes for fun!"
"Wow," Fiona replied, trying to keep her doubts at bay. Her eyes had widened when she heard how strong Jack was and couldn't help but frown when hearing Imogen's praise for her current beau. As she went through Imogen's words though, she couldn't help but scrunch her face in confusion.
"Something wrong Fiona?" Imogen asked concernedly, bring her phone closer to her face. "You look confused."
"I kind of am," Fiona replied, trying to process what Imogen told her. "Immy, I know you're a strong believer in equality and representation but this doesn't sound like you. Are you really this concerned about being pictured together in a yearbook?"
Imogen noted the small amount of skepticism and disgust in Fiona's voice at her question and looked down at her shoes, unsure of how to respond. She looked over to Eli who was mouthing, 'Tell her!' repeatedly.
"It's just," Imogen struggled to find the right words. "This is the first time anything like this has happened to me. I would've preferred being the best couple with you but that didn't happen and now I can do it with Jack, and man! I sound so selfish!" Imogen moaned putting her head in her arms, giving Fiona a full view of her hair.
"Imogen. Imogen." Fiona demanded softly, trying to garner her attention. Imogen lifted her head, eyes watery and starting to turn red. "Look, if you really care about Jack, then you have to respect her terms of how she plans or thinks about coming out. If you really love her, then the yearbook shouldn't even matter."
"Im, just tell her!" Eli exclaimed. "Stop beating around the bush."
Imogen ignored Fiona's question of "what?" and said, "Fiones, I think I might still have some feelings for you. They're kind of small but they're there."
Imogen turned her head to the side, fully aware of how she put her heart out there. She doesn't hear a sound from Fiona and can feel Eli's eyes on her. The silence seemed to last forever when in reality it only lasted for a minute. Imogen peeked at Fiona's face which was shocked but she noted the corners of Fiona's mouth slightly turned up.
"Immy. I still love you. Whether we're girlfriends or friends, I will always love you. I want you happy and if that means being with Jack and fixing things up with her, then I'll do what I can to make it happen. If you want to be with me, then I certainly have no objections to that either." Fiona paused, letting her words sink in. "I'm always going to be there for you. I don't want to rush you or get my hopes up but wait until graduation and see what happens. I'm okay with just being friends, but you need to follow your heart."
Eli smiled at Imogen's sparkling eyes. He wasn't sure if he had seen them shine so brightly since he and Fiona graduated.
"Okay Fiones," Imogen answered, a smile in place, nodding at all her points. "I can do that."
"I'm glad Imogen," Fiona said with a smile of her own. "Give me a call when you're free. I've got a lot of down time."
Imogen hesitated, but asked, "Can I call you when I get home? We have some catching up to do."
Fiona nodded with a grin and ended the conversation, promising to be ready for Imogen's next call.
Imogen closed her computer and grabbed it in her hand. She went over to Eli, who was standing in front of the counter and kissed his cheek. She walked toward the door, giving him a little wave before leaving, a weight finally being lifted off her shoulders.