100 Themes PART ONE: PHINBELLA
Flowers
Phineas stood outside of Isabella's' bedroom. He was hiding something behind his back, and his face was slightly tinted with a blush. The eleven year old shifted restlessly while he waited to be admitted inside.
"Phineas," her voice sounded hoarse "Come in"
He went inside and sat at the edge of her bed, she was bundled up in blankets; cheeks flushed with fever and looked tired.
"Hey Isabella, I, um heard you were sick" he managed "And I wondered if you'd like some company"
"I'd like that, thanks Phineas" Isabella told him, smiling at her lifelong friend
They started talking about normal things, after a while her eyes closed and she fell asleep.
Phineas pulled a bouquet of red roses from behind him and put them next to her. Not caring about catching her cold; he kissed his sleeping friend on her temple.
"Get better soon Isabella" he whispered.
When he left, he could've sworn there was a small content smile on her sleeping face.
Stirring of the Wind
Phineas didn't know when it had started. Maybe it was after making a haunted house just to cure her hiccups and holding her hand all through it; maybe it was earlier than that. Maybe it had always been like that, but he'd just never thought about it.
But Phineas knew now when he saw her, he felt something tugging at him, a playful breeze moving him to where she was, for no other reason than to be near her, no matter where that was. Whenever she was near, he had to make a conscious effort to concentrate on what he was doing, before his brain turned useless and he was caught staring at her. Ever since he'd gotten that feeling when he was just ten, it hadn't dissipated during the years, if anything it had grown stronger and stronger until now, at fifteen, he knew he had to do something about it.
He turned and saw the object of his affection walking back to her house after another great summer adventure. He ran to catch up with her. When she saw him, she immediately smiled, Phineas felt his heartbeat quicken, that strange wind he always felt when he was near her got stronger, propelling him to her side. This was the moment of truth for him.
"Hey Phineas, what is it?" she asked him
"I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me, Isabella" he asked, he hoped he looked more confident than how he felt; if she said no…
Her smile brightened even more, blue eyes shining happily "I'd love to Phineas!"
He let out a relieved breath "Great, I'll pick you up at lunch time"
"It's a date, see you then" before she could resume her walk home, Phineas took her hand
"I'll walk you home, it's getting cold, wouldn't want you to get sick"
A Moment in Time
Isabella remembered that while reading a million stories, she had always wondered why authors always used cheesy phrases like 'time stood still' 'an eternity and a half', among others. Now, as she and Phineas sat alone on a sturdy branch overlooking Danville's Suburbs, she thought she might finally understand.
When a playful breeze tugged at her clothes, she grabbed hold of Phineas. He put an arm around her waist and smiled at her.
She though she finally understood the phrase time stood still, because it certainly felt like it when she looked into the blue pool of Phineas' eyes. Isabella felt herself forget everything else around them, the fact that they were high up, the possibility of a deadly fall, even the beautiful sunset, when Phineas leaned in and kissed her for the first time.
She melted into his embrace, wrapping her arms securely around his neck and responded to his kiss. It honestly felt like an eternity and a half when they separated and that moment ended.
It certainly seemed like a while had passed, the sun was nearly gone.
And it felt as if that brief moment in time just belonged to her and Phineas.
Excuses
When he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as kids, he'd always told her,
"You look cold Isabella"
When she had always gone to help him and his step brother she'd always mentioned how she and the fireside girls were trying to win a particular badge
As children, both had always looked for the minutest excuse to see, talk, and hold each other. Now, Isabella stood on her tip toes and kissed her boyfriend sweetly
"What was that for?" he whispered in her ear
Isabella linked their fingers and leaned against him
"I don't know" she told him, smiling at him lovingly "I just see you, and I have to"
Games
"It's easy" he told his girlfriend "You just hold it like this, put this hand here, and this one there"
He stood behind her, his large callused hands over her slender ones, his mouth next to her ear.
"Now, you aim, remember, you have to hit one of those balls with the white one"
A tired sigh came from the object of his affection
"I know how to play pool, Phineas, I just can't"
"Yes you can, or you will once I'm finished, now pull back this arm and now hit it"
The white ball rolled fast ahead to its designed target, a solid yellow ball.
"See, a hole in one!"
He reluctantly let go of her and gestured to the pool table
"Now, you try it"
She rolled her eyes, but obliged him, she missed horribly
Phineas smiled lovingly
"You did that on purpose"
She blinked innocently at him
"No I didn't, maybe you could show me again?"
He went behind her, turned her around and kissed sweetly, before turning her back around and putting his hands on her, showing her the right position to hold the pool stick.
"You put your hands like this…"
Innocence
As ten year olds, they had no idea what love was, what it meant, when it was real and when it wasn't.
Phineas looked at Isabella, she was wearing an elegant blue dress, they were dining al fresco in a fancy restaurant and the moon light made her skin glow. A waiter came by and served their food. Phineas set himself to his meal, he'd thought that now, at sixteen he wouldn't feel nervous about saying something to the woman of his dreams, but what he was about to say made him feel like the innocent kid he'd been at ten. Once they finished, he moved his chair so he was next to her.
"Isabella" he said taking her hands "I want to tell you that I"
He stopped and looked into her eyes
"I love you, Isabella"
Her smile could've outshined all the stars in the universe combines, and Phineas felt his breath leaving him at the beautiful sight of it. She wrapped her arms around him,
"I love you too" she whispered
As Phineas bent down and kissed her, several people clapping and cheering them on. The two teens in love were oblivious to all around them.
Cooking
"Mami, is the steak done yet?" Isabella called from the kitchen
Her mom rushed in, checked the temperature "needs three more minutes"
She saw her daughter's worried face "relax, it's not the first time they have dinner over"
"But it's the first time since Phineas and I got together"
Her mother sighed and left. Only a minute had passed when someone else came in.
"Hey Isabella, what ya cookin'?" her boyfriend asked, wrapping his arms around her wais
"Steak, mashed potatoes, and garlic bread. Did you bring the bread?"
Phineas picked up a bag and put it in the counter "I'll help out, you do the potatoes, I'll make the bread" Isabella nodded gratefully, giving him a quick kiss as thank you
They moved around the kitchen without crashing into each other, giving each other a utensil or ingredient without the other having even asked. They didn't drop any plates or rush at the same time to check on something.
When Isabella's and Phineas' families saw them working in such perfect harmony, they were all speechless, for they had never seen something like that. At dinner when their parents asked the two teens how they had learned to work together so well, they just shrugged, it was just something that came naturally to them.
Colors
Phineas took one last look around, the food was set on the table, two glasses of wine, two chairs, a single red rose on the table, and a pink one on her chair. He felt his pocket and relaxed when he felt the present in there. Just then, he heard a knock on his door. He opened it and took a moment to look at Isabella in an amazing pink and purple dress. He took her hand and kissed it, she always liked it when he did things like that.
"You look beautiful, Isabella"
He led her to the table, and helped her sit down; she looked around his apartment in wonder.
"Wow, Phineas, it looks amazing!"
Phineas smiled "I took the time to do some cleaning"
Once the meal was finished, Phineas took the plates to the sink. He turned back to Isabella, who was still sitting, watching him with a small smile and holding the two roses.
"You might want to put down today's date" he advised her
She let out a small laugh "Why?"
He smiled mischievously, "You'll see" he took her hand "But first, we're going to the park"
Outside it was a clear night, the moon was shining, there were fireflies everywhere, and an empty park bench without bird poop.
"I'll be right back" he told her
He went down to a familiar shop at the edge of the park. The old lady managing the store walked over with a bouquet.
"Hello there Phineas, the usual?"
Phineas nodded "And one of those firefly traps"
The old lady smiled "Special night?"
Phineas stammered and handed over the cash
"Now Phineas, make sure you do it right, it's something she can never forget!"
He thanked her; then half walked-half ran back to Isabella. Isabella saw the colorful firefly container and smiled
"Aren't we a little old to be catching fireflies?" she teased
"You're never too old for that!"
After a while, he put the container on the bench. He looked seriously at Isabella
"Isabella, I have to ask you something"
Isabella gasped in surprise when he knelt on the wet grass, he dug out a box from his pocket and held it in one hand, while in the other, he held the bouquet, it had flowers of every kind and every color, Phineas liked to call it a rainbow bouquet.
"We've been dating for some years now, I love you Isabella, and I don't want to spend my life with anybody else" He looked at her in the eyes "Isabella, would you do me the greatest honor anybody has ever done, will you marry me?" he popped open the lid of the box in a practiced move. Inside was a beautiful golden ring with small diamonds that looked like stars.
She had knelt in the ground next to him, hugged him, kissed him and whispered
"Yes, yes, yes!" Over and over again as he held her close
Perfection
"You'll have to wait a moment, sir" a doctor said
"Why?"
"No unauthorized personnel in there" the doctor explained "hospital rule"
"I'm her husband; I should hope I was authorized in there!"
"Well why didn't you say so! Come on, she's been threatening you life for the past half hour, Phineas" Phineas was unsurprised to see the doctor still smiling pleasantly
Once inside the room, he rushed to her side, taking her hand. She gripped it with incredible pressure, and he immediately felt it go numb.
"You're doing good, breathe, breathe" he kissed her quickly
"Alright, this is it, when I say push, you push ok?" the doctor told her
She nodded "Phineas?" she panted
"I'm here Isabella; it's going to be alright" he pushed a straying lock from her face
"Ready? Push!" the doctor told her
Phineas felt himself swept into an event he'd never expected. At the end of it, he was sure his right hand and ear would never be quite the same again, but when he looked at the small bundle of joy nestled against Isabella, he knew it was worth it. Isabella looked at him with a tired smile adorning her angelic face.
"Look, baby, it's your daddy" she whispered
Phineas hugged his wife and newborn daughter
"She's perfect" he whispered "Just like you"
This is Home
Home was waking up each morning next to him. Home was playing with their kids, the two most beautiful children in the world, in their opinion. Home was breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the whole family. Home was hearing her husband's voice, and seeing her children smile. Home was feeling the love that shone from him all the time.
She sighed happily as she cuddled up to her husband. An arm immediately went around her waist and pulled her closer.
"What is it?" he asked huskily
She looked down at the raven-haired and blue-eyed two-year-old and his red-haired and blue-eyed three-year-old sister; then smiled at her husband.
"I was just thinking" she said "On how happy we are and how perfect our lives have been"
He kissed her sweetly "so was I, Isabella"
She smiled again "I have good news, Phineas"
He looked at her expectantly
"We're having another baby, a girl"
He kissed her deeper this time, stopping only because he noticed his children had stopped playing and were staring.
"Daddy, what happened?" his son asked
Phineas smiled brightly at his children
"Our home's going to get bigger; you're going to have a new baby sister"
The kids cheered happily and Phineas resumed kissing his wife.