Act Your Age Part 2

Wednesday, two weeks until move-in.

Takes place immediately after the episode Act Your Age.

I own nothing!

Phineas and Isabella separated from their second kiss in as many minutes, Isabella's eyes widened as she realized that they were still standing in the middle of the road. As she pulled back she felt his hands trail down her arms, taking her hands in his. Trying not to lose herself again she glanced around, along with a quick tilt of her head to look past Phineas' massive grin to the other side of the intersection. Having confirmed they weren't about to get run over, she turned her attention back to the boy in front of her just in time to see his eyes widen slightly, his grin beginning to falter as he bit his lip and glanced from her to her car, door still open and faintly beeping.

"Isabella, I…" he started before looking into her eyes and trailing off as she earnestly looked back. She gave him a small grin, squeezing his hands in assurance as he hesitated, glancing between her face and their hands. "I uh…" he chuckled, then his eyes lit up and he pulled her into a big hug, grin back on his face. Before she could react he kissed her forehead and then let her go, bounding around her car and hopping into the passenger seat.

"Phineas, what are you doing?" Isabella questioned, failing to look concerned as she climbed back into the car.

"Coming with you," he answered, "I mean, uh...at least for a bit, if that's okay?" He glanced from his hands back to her face before quietly finishing with, "I'd really like to talk with you some more."

"Talk?" Isabella asked with a raised eyebrow and smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth, prompting a fresh blush to creep up his face as he glanced to the side.

"Yeah, actually," he said a moment later, again able to meet her eyes with a nod, "is that alright?" Nodding back, Isabella let out a small sound of affirmation, giving him a reassuring smile before she buckled up and focused on the light in front of her.

It's cute, she thought, seeing the always-confident Phineas Flynn this cautious around her. It hadn't sunk in yet that he knew about her crush, and she wasn't really sure if that or his own confession would take longer to get used to, but with a blink she realized that for now she needed to focus on driving, as the light had been green for some time while she was lost in thought.

"So, uh..." Phineas started after a minute. "So, I know that I'm pretty good at nonverbal communication, growing up with Ferb and all, but, I feel like I need to say this out loud, so...girlfriend?"

Isabella wasn't sure whether to laugh or squee, and it came out as a bit of a snort. "You're asking me that after you chased me down and kissed me?" But then seeing the trepidation clear on his face, she continued. "Yes, of course I'll be your girlfriend," while giving his hands a quick squeeze before returning her hand to the wheel.

Phineas let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and looked back at Isabella, "So I guess that means you still like me."

"Oh Phineas, of course I like you." Thinking back on her words, Isabella realized where this was coming from. She had told him that she had had a big crush on him when they were younger, but hadn't said anything about her current feelings, or even given him a real response to his confession. "It's funny, really," she started hesitantly before finding her voice, "all through grade school I thought I was in love with you. I had even planned out the rest of our lives together; our wedding, home, jobs, kids. Looking back, I don't know what I expected; if you had noticed how I felt then it probably would've just made it awkward for both of us, so," she gave him a quick sidelong smile, "it's hard to admit, but I think I'm actually glad you didn't. We had so many amazing times together as best friends, and I wouldn't trade those for anything."

"Yeah, me too...I'm still sorry I put you through all that, though-" Phineas started before she cut him off.

"No, it's not your fault. I mean, yeah, you were really oblivious, but if you weren't, then what? Would you have ditched the rest of our friends to spend time with me? Would you have excluded Ferb? We both know that wouldn't have worked, you care about all of your friends too much to avoid anyone, that's part of what I've always loved about you," she finished quietly with a blush.

Phineas had been listening with a contemplative expression, half lost in thought. While the kiss had been one of his usual rash plans, depending entirely on him having read the mood right, he was having a much harder time getting his own thoughts in order with all these new revelations that Isabella had just shared. After a couple of minutes of warm silence he gave a small chuckle and decided it was his turn to come clean. "You know, thinking back on it, I think I've probably liked you almost as long as you've liked me."

"What?" Isabella questioned, not sure if she had heard correctly, "I thought you started liking me in high school?" She looked over at Phineas in the passenger seat, seemingly investigating his own hands.

"Yeah," he replied, "I think that's when I realized it at least. Thinking back, though, I think I just didn't understand what love was before, other than in abstract," with a little wave of his hand. "I didn't have anything to compare my feelings to, so I just assumed that's how everyone felt around their best friends. High school was quite a shock," he chuckled, "both in seeing all the couples and then never hearing the end of it when Baljeet finally got together with Ginger...I think that's what finally made me look at my own feelings." He gave himself a minute to collect his thoughts, Isabella waiting patiently, as he then continued, "I had always just shrugged it off before, that giddiness when you were around. I'd throw myself into whatever we were doing at the time, convinced that that was the best way to make you happy...but, I think I had started to notice that it only happened with you, and that it was a completely different feeling from hanging out with the rest of our friends. I..." he took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "It scared me a little, I think. I didn't know what it would do to our friendship, so I kept trying to push it away and just enjoy what we had."

Hearing a sniffle broke him out of his contemplation, as he looked at Isabella trying to maintain her composure and drive, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Isabella, I'm so sorry-" he began again, as she waved him to stop and tried to wipe off the tears that had begun to escape.

"Please, just...give me a minute," she requested with a wan smile, and they rode on in silence until she was able to pull off at a small rest stop. As she parked the car, Phineas leaned over, putting an arm around her and letting her cry into his shoulder. After a few minutes her breathing calmed and she sat back up, taking his right hand in hers. "So, then, what happened to seizing the day in high school?" She kept her tone light and gave him a sincere smile, hoping he wouldn't take her words the wrong way. "I understand being afraid," she said, brushing her hand along his cheek, "but once you did realize, I'm surprised you didn't blast it from the rooftops. Subtlety really has never been your strong suit," she finished with a grin, lowering her hand from his cheek to his shoulder and thinking back on their many outrageous adventures.

With a little shake of his head he responded, "Oh, I wanted to at times. I actually designed this whole," she felt his arm around her wave vaguely in the air, "well, kinda like the giant scrapbook we built for Candace. It has to be the most pink thing I've ever sketched out," as they both chuckled a little, "but I couldn't even bring myself to show it to Ferb, much less build it. I actually kept adding to it for over a year before I couldn't take it any longer...it's probably still locked up in my desk drawer."

"I'd like to see that if you can find it," Isabella smiled.

"Of course," he responded, then added, "although, it's pretty out of date now and, well…" as a grin flitted across his face, "I guess it doesn't seem that important now that I have you. Still," he added, seeing her expression, "you're welcome to see it. Actually, maybe if I…" he trailed off for a minute, before pulling out his phone and starting to sketch something out. Isabella couldn't help but watch with an amused smile, no matter what happened he was definitely still Phineas Flynn. After a couple minutes he finished to find Isabella still watching him and felt his face getting warm. "Sorry," he started before she leaned over, resting her hand on his leg, and kissing him gently.

"You know I don't mind," she whispered, before slowly pulling back.

Phineas watched her for another moment before glancing down at the phone still in his hand. "Oh, right. I guess I should let Mom know where I am," as he fired off a quick text.

Isabella started the car and merged back on to the highway. After a few miles of silence Phineas cleared his throat and cautiously asked, "So...what happened when we got to high school? Was it something that I did?" He saw her tense up a little and instinctively started to reach out, an apology on his lips, but then stopped himself, not wanting to interrupt the internal debate that was clearly playing out on her face.

Isabella's heart raced as she braced for the flood of emotions she knew was coming. As the memories came back she blinked a couple times, trying to hold back the tears that...weren't coming? She frowned, not upset at the revelation but clearly confused; then it hit her, "Oh…" she mouthed, her eyes getting wider before she looked over at Phineas and exclaimed incredulously, "You...asked me to prom!" The corners of her mouth twitching up at his stunned reaction as she tried to contain her sudden giddiness.

"I, what?" was all Phineas managed to get out before she burst into uncontrollable giggles, his evident confusion only further adding to her mirth.

"Sorry," she tried again a minute later, "I just…" she knew this was entirely the wrong tone for this discussion, but she couldn't help the big grin still plastered across her face. Clearing her throat, she continued, "What I think I was always most afraid of wasn't your obliviousness, but that maybe you weren't actually as oblivious as I thought," the grin still playing on her mouth, "because what if you knew about my crush, and I was the one who couldn't take the hint that you weren't interested?" She held up a finger when she saw him opening his mouth in protest; while her mood was light, this was still very important to her. "After middle school I decided that you were either never going to notice me, or you already had. So I tried to back off, keep myself busy, and just be your best friend." Isabella glanced over at Phineas and had to stifle another giggle at his concerned look.

After a moment he prompted her with, "Okay, but I'm still not sure how that's so funny...or what it has to do with prom?"

"Oh, no, it's just...growing up, I kept seeing romantic gestures where there weren't any, and even drifting into Phineas-land," at this point she put up a finger again, her cheeks pink, "I'll...tell you about that sometime I'm sure," to which he nodded, one eyebrow raised, and she continued, "but once they were real, I was so determined to just be friends that I refused to acknowledge any of them...sorry."

"It's okay," Phineas replied, "it did kind of all work out. Honestly, it seems more stressful than funny though."

"Yeah, I mean it was at the time," she agreed, "and before today I would've been a wreck talking about this, but now...well, I mean…" she trailed off again, her grin returning, "I guess I just can't believe I was the oblivious one," with another little chuckle. "I mean...prom stands out, but there was a lot more...you waiting at my locker, the compliments," Isabella saw him blush, "I'm guessing those roses were from you? Not to mention how different my last couple birthday surprises were…" She trailed off again, before glancing his way questioningly, "Actually, that's a lot of flirting for someone who's more worried about their friendship," she said in mock accusation as he held his hands up and gave her a grin.

"Okay, yeah, you might be right about me and subtlety. But hey, I had plausible deniability, I could always feign romantic ignorance if you got upset about any of those." He settled back into his seat with a contented grin, color still touching his cheeks as he watched his girlfriend. This was going to take some getting used to, he realized. After a few minutes he noticed her blush and furtive glances and realized he had been staring. He instinctively began to turn away, trying to act nonchalant, when it hit him. She knew his secret. She liked him back. They were actually together. He had logically understood their conversation, but this wasn't about logic. She wanted to be with him. They were actually together. Suddenly overcome with emotion, he took a quick breath before giving in, knowing he couldn't contain these feelings even if he wanted to.

Hearing a faint sound, Isabella glanced over, surprised to see Phineas looking at her quietly, tears starting down his cheeks. He blinked a couple times, but then just shook his head and gave her a small smile that she returned with a nod. "It's okay, I just…" he managed to choke out before gesturing at the road ahead and settling back into his seat, seemingly intent on her hands on the steering wheel.

As they passed the miles in silence, punctuated only by the occasional sniffle from Phineas, Isabella couldn't help but feel her smile creeping back. This was a completely new side to Phineas for her; he was always so confident and enthusiastic that she could probably count the number of times she'd seen him lose his cool on one hand, and she had never seen him break down crying like this before. As she was lost in this thought, she became aware that Phineas was once again focused on her. Glancing over, she was surprised at his expression, his mouth was in a faint smile but his eyes showed a roiling of emotions; concern, admiration, surprise, and longing all jumbled up as he nervously licked his lips. "So, Phineas…" she started, surprised at how quietly it came out, "What'cha thinkin?"

"I…" he took a deep breath and let it out, "actually, I...well, I feel...I just…" he then exhaled sharply. Isabella glanced over, putting as much assurance as she could in her gaze as she gave him a small nod. "Sorry, I...didn't think it would be this hard," he paused for a minute before continuing with a smile. "You just mean so much to me, really, you have for years...and you're so amazing…" as her blush intensified he pushed ahead, "and I guess it just hit me that we're actually together now, and...well, that's part of it, but...I think I might need a little more time before I can put the rest of," as he waved his hand vaguely towards his own chest, "this...into words, but it's...it's okay, I'm just a bit overwhelmed…" he trailed off again as he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile before turning to collect his thoughts and watch the landscape roll by.

As Isabella watched him out of the corner of her eye he seemed to slowly relax, settling in with a languid smile. As his calm spread over her she exhaled softly, returning her focus to the road. After what could've been a minute or an hour Phineas broke the shared calm. "Isabella," he asked with a hint of amusement, "wasn't that our exit?"

"Yes, yes it was," she responded with a chuckle, "can you GPS it for me? Fortunately, we're not in a real hurry." A minute later he directed her to an exit and, after fifteen minutes worth of back roads and a couple jokes about getting them more lost, she was surprised to find that they had arrived at the back of the campus. "Huh, I didn't realize you could get in this way...good to know," she commented. "So, Phineas, have you been on campus yet?"

"No," he replied, "maybe you can show me around?" With a nod and a smile she began pointing out the various buildings as they slowly made their way to the administrative building. There was very little traffic, either vehicular or on foot, and when they arrived Phineas observed that there were only a couple other cars in the large parking lot.

As Isabella finished parking Phineas jumped out, all but running over to open her door, offering her his hand. Taking the proffered hand Isabella gave him a big smile, entwining their fingers as they began walking towards the building. As they reached the large glass doors Phineas held one open for her, causing Isabella to grin and give his hand a little squeeze in appreciation. He shot her a questioning look and she responded with a grin before playfully bumping into him as they walked through the door. As he pulled her back towards him, she answered his puzzled expression with, "Just enjoying you being you."

"Of course," Phineas replied while returning her smile and admiring her for a moment before pulling her into a big hug, his face in her hair as he gave her a squeeze before letting her go. As they looked around the empty reception area Phineas' hand found hers again and they made their way to early admissions, their steps echoing down the hall. While Isabella completed her check-in Phineas talked with the woman at the desk for a minute before sitting down with his phone. As Isabella came back, sitting next to him, he gestured with the phone, "So, turns out you have to register online. Actually," he continued, "you've got your schedule, right?" As she nodded he grinned before continuing, "We should probably look at mine together then...might as well try and coordinate them as much as possible. So, are you good to go?" As she nodded he took her hand and they walked back out to her car.

Isabella decided to take the scenic route back to her dorm; it had actually been close to where they had entered the campus, but she decided to give Phineas a bit more of a tour as they looped around, eventually arriving back at the dorms. As she parked she glanced over, expecting him to have already leapt out again, but was instead surprised to find him looking back at her seriously. Giving her a hesitant grin, he took her hands and leaned forward, tenderly pressing his lips to hers. Closing her eyes, her mind starting to drift, she was surprised to feel him pull back slightly and rest his forehead on hers. She could feel his warm breath on her lips as he whispered, "Thank you," giving her another chaste kiss before pulling back. She opened her eyes, giving a very red Phineas a questioning look that he only returned with a smile. After a minute he gave her hands a squeeze before letting them go with an, "Alright, let's get you moved in."

They found her room easily enough; being an RA it was nearest the door, although up on the third floor. As they scouted out the room she gestured to the small living area, "Let's just get everything in here for now, I can unpack it later." Phineas nodded and was off, bounding down the stairs two and three at a time before she could remind him that the car was locked. She took her time down the stairs, not in any real hurry, simply lost in today's events.

When she got out to the car she was surprised to not see Phineas, when suddenly a pair of arms encircled her waist, lifting and spinning her around as she let out a squeal followed by a stream of laughter. After a couple rotations he let her back down, hands still around her waist, as she leaned back into his chest, her giggles tapering off into a contented sigh. "So, Ms. Garcia-Shapiro," he started after a minute, breaking her out of her reverie, "will you join me for dinner tonight?"

"Why, Mr. Flynn, I would be delighted," she replied contentedly, leaning into him further. As they enjoyed a quiet moment warmed by the evening sun, a thought resurfaced from earlier. "Phineas, how are you going to get back?" she asked, earning her a small laugh as he turned her to face him.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her with a smile, "I'm sure I'll think of something." As she nodded in agreement she saw him glance towards her car, his smile growing as he returned his gaze to hers. "You know, I think we should start unloading, I'd hate to be late for our first date," he finished with a wry grin.

Going over to her car, Phineas started untying and removing the items on the roof while Isabella began unloading the back seats. After a few minutes they had a neat stack of bags and boxes resting next to the stairwell door. Picking up a couple boxes with a bag balanced on top he nodded towards the door, "Isabella, can you get the doors for me?"

She nodded, "Sure, but you'd better not be thinking of trying to do all the unloading yourself. I may be your girlfriend, but that doesn't mean you have to baby me."

"Well, what if I want to?" he responded, smile peeking out from behind the boxes as they made their way up the stairs.

"Well, okay...maybe sometimes," she conceded, "but for now, let's just get this done together; I'm starting to get hungry." As they reached her room she propped the door open and Phineas put the armful of boxes down in the middle of the small living area. They made a few more trips up and down the stairs, Phineas seemingly filled with boundless energy, and quickly the pile had taken up new residence in the middle of her room. As he slid down against a wall, breathing heavily, Isabella took a moment to locate some plastic cups and offered him a glass of water. Lowering herself down next to him she handed him a cup, giving him a moment before leaning against him.

"So," he started after a couple of minutes, cup now empty, "know anywhere good to eat around here?" He tried to give her an apologetic smile before realizing that she was still resting on his shoulder with eyes closed, and hadn't seemed to hear him. Not wanting to dislodge her, he carefully reached out and entwined his fingers with hers, causing her to start slightly and look around before nuzzling closer with a contented sigh. Grinning down at her, he gave her hand a small squeeze before pulling out his phone with his free hand and searching for a nearby restaurant. After finding a couple options he put his phone back and, with a glance and a blush at the girl on his shoulder, he gently rested his head on hers and closed his eyes, lost in their simple contact.

Phineas jolted awake from a pink haze, remnants of Isabella floating away as he tried to place where he was. The room was now dark, light from a street lamp outlined the pile of boxes before him in faint monochrome, as he looked down at the girl now resting on his chest and tried to convince himself that he wasn't still dreaming. Simply watching her drew him in, flooding his chest with a new swell of emotions as he inhaled shakily, trying not to wake her. With the day's events still echoing in his head he watched her for another moment until, unable to contain himself any longer, he wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers.

Isabella woke to Phineas' embrace but didn't move; the floor was surprisingly comfortable with him as her pillow and she had no intent to ruin this perfect moment. She felt him shift slightly and move his right arm; she wanted to look at him but was afraid he would stop if he knew she was awake. After a moment his hand came to rest on her head; she felt him hesitantly begin to run his fingers through her hair, holding her even closer as she melted into him with a sigh. After a couple minutes of this she felt him inhale deeply and kiss the top of her head before whispering something into her hair so faintly that she was convinced she had misheard. When he shifted, leaning his head back against the wall, her hope won out and she opened her eyes, searching for his face in the gloom. The faint light glinted off of fresh tears from his closed eyes, and as he opened them to her concerned look he froze with the start of a grin on his face, his countenance giving her all the confirmation that she needed.

Phineas' wide eyes were captured by hers as he froze; had she heard? He saw the glimmer of new tears in her eyes as mixed emotions played with the corners of her mouth.

"Phineas…?"

No, he had barely whispered it, surely that was quiet enough. She was just reacting to waking up on him, right? He hadn't just done something monumentally stupid, right?

"Phineas."

But maybe he had. Maybe she had heard. What should he do?

"Phineas," she said with a smile breaking through her tears, putting her hand on his cheek, "I love you too."

Or maybe she…

As his thought process ground to a halt all he could do was stare at her, his mouth ajar, as she continued. "But," her blush deepening, "don't you think it's a little early to be calling me Isabella Flynn?"

"Well, that's...I mean," he floundered, face ablaze as he looked anywhere but at her, "I didn't...well, that's not...not that I don't like the idea, I do, but I...I didn't mean to say that...yet, at least…" he trailed off before giving her a sheepish grin, "Sorry…"

After watching him for another moment, Isabella wrapped her arms around his waist, burrowing her head back in his chest before looking up at him, her eyes shining. "You don't have to apologize, I liked it, I was just...surprised." She licked her lips before returning her gaze to his. "Besides, you know you're not the only one who's had thoughts like that."

"Yeah, but it's...well," he attempted with a chuckle, "it's one thing to think it, I guess...but I really wanted to see how it felt to actually say, even if I thought you were, you know, asleep at the time..."

"And…?" she prompted after a moment of silence with a sly grin.

"Well, I do like the sound of it, and I...I…" as he stammered on nervously she couldn't help but giggle, causing him to furrow his brow. "Wait, you're teasing me aren't you?" which propelled her into a full-blown giggle fit.

When she was able to breathe again she gave him a reassuring smile, "Maybe a little...you're actually really cute when you're flustered." As his blush deepened she curled back up on his chest, facing away from him as she almost-whispered, "You know, if you want to, you can call me that whenever you want...I don't mind. Although…" she thought for a moment, "probably not with anyone else around for now."

As warm silence enveloped them Phineas was grateful for the reprieve. He wasn't sure if it was possible to die from elation, but it certainly felt like Isabella was determined to test that theory out. As his eyes roamed the room Isabella's phone began ringing; with another squeeze of his waist she untangled her arms from around him and stood up, taking the call.

"Hello? Oh, hi Mom," he heard her start as she wandered idly into the kitchen, running a finger across a bare countertop. "I'm okay Mom, I got here just fine, we've just been unloading…"

Phineas stretched as he heard her apologize for not calling, his mind drifting back to their prior conversation. "Isabella Flynn," he mouthed, the shapes foreign to his lips, as he felt his heart accelerate. He looked over at the kitchen with a grin, watching her talking animatedly on the phone, and half-whispered, "This is my wife, Isabella Flynn," to an imagined guest. As she looked at him inquiringly from across the room he merely gave her a big smile and a small shrug, his mind already racing ahead, filling in the pieces to that particular puzzle.

"Mom!" Isabella exclaimed with an audible huff, snapping him back to the present. Phineas looked around, surprised to find that she must have wandered past him into the bedroom while he was distracted. After a couple more minutes she came back into the small living area while putting away her phone, her face beet-red. He looked at her inquiringly while she avoided his gaze, until with an exhalation she met his eyes. "My Mom wanted me to remind you that she doesn't...want grandchildren...yet."

With a little laugh Phineas pushed off the ground, pulling her stiff frame into a hug, one hand on her back while the other rested lightly on her shoulder. As he started gently rubbing her back he felt her relax into him. "Of course not," he whispered comfortingly into her hair, "at least not until you actually are Isabella Flynn, right?" As she immediately tensed back up he silently panicked; it was the obvious response in his head, but for the second time tonight he was terrified that he had said too much. After a further moment of stifling silence, his hand frozen above her back, he felt Isabella lean into him and draw a ragged breath. As she began to quietly sob into his shoulder he cautiously placed his arms around her, holding her close.

It only took Isabella a minute to recompose herself; she supposed she was getting better at this with all of today's practice. After giving Phineas a squeeze and a smile she went and splashed some water on her face; her eyes were still quite red, but with a grin she decided she didn't care. Returning to the living area she was met with a hesitant smile. "I'm okay now," she assured him, "although I am starving."

"Okay, well," he began with a nod, pulling out his phone, "we can do Mexican or Italian, any preference?"

"Italian sounds good," she responded as they left her room, taking a moment to lock the door.

As they exited the stairwell Phineas took her hand, leading her towards the sidewalk instead of the expected car. "It's only a couple blocks away," he grinned at her, "is it okay if we walk there?"

"Sure," she replied as they made their way down the sidewalk through the orange pools of the street lights. True to his word, they arrived at one of the few open establishments only minutes later. The brick facade looked old but well-maintained, with specials freshly painted across the front window brightly proclaiming the best pizza and pasta in the tri-state area. Opening the door for her with a jingle, Phineas followed her into the welcoming glow.

They were quickly seated and waited upon; one other table was occupied by a few younger teens, but otherwise the restaurant was empty. As they waited for their food, holding hands across the table, Isabella became increasingly aware of Phineas' concerned gaze on her. As the silence extended into awkwardness Isabella was the first to speak. "Phineas," she broached, "what's wrong?"

He contemplated for another moment before meeting her gaze. "Isabella, earlier, did I upset you?" As she looked at him, seemingly puzzled, he continued, "I mean, I know you said I could call you...well, you know," he blushed but managed to hold her gaze, "but we haven't been together very long, and-"

With a smile Isabella put up a finger. "Phineas, I wasn't upset, I was just a bit overwhelmed." As he started to say something she shook her head, "No, not by that; it's this whole day, and...you." As he looked at her in wonder and confusion she continued, "Phineas, you know how I said before that I had our lives planned out back when we were in grade school?" as he nodded in encouragement. "Well, as I grew up I started to realize how childish those plans were, but even then they didn't go away, they just...changed, I think, as my feelings grew," she gave him a shy smile, "and so I figured that, if we did eventually get together, that I'd need to give you time...possibly years...before we could talk like this." She looked down at their hands, speaking softly, "So to find out that you've been thinking the same things…" she blinked back tears, trailing off as she met his gaze, "it means an awful lot to me."

Having dispelled any remaining anxiety, the rest of dinner was a pleasant, if surprisingly quiet, affair. After Phineas had paid they slowly made their way back towards the dorm, hand in hand, simply enjoying their newfound closeness in the warm night air. Arriving at the stairwell door she gave him a little smile, "Thanks Phineas, I had a great time."

"So did I," he began, his grin growing, "when should I come up next?" At her surprised look he simply chuckled, "What? You didn't think I'd wait two weeks to see my girlfriend again, did you?"

"Well, no, I...I guess not." With a grin she pulled out her phone, swiping through before giving him a nod. "Saturday's good, I actually don't have anything going on that day."

"Three days," he contemplated with a nod, "okay, I think I can manage. It's a date, then!" he exclaimed, brightening. "Meet you here at ten?" She nodded eagerly with a sound of affirmation, caught up in his boundless enthusiasm. "Great, then I know what we're going to do Saturday." As she looked at him questioningly he merely grinned, "It's a secret." She gave him a little pout, pushing out her bottom lip and fluttering her eyelashes, which only earned her a laugh as he shook his head, "Nope, you're going to have to wait."

"Fine," she replied with a theatrical sigh, grin back on her face.

"Oh, and Isabella," he said, taking her hands in his and holding her gaze for a moment, "I love you." Before she could respond he kissed her, arms around her shoulder and waist, as he pulled her against him. As she responded back in kind he felt her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as she deepened the kiss.

Isabella was the first to relax, hesitantly drawing back just enough to catch her breath. "I love you too, Phineas," she breathed as she leaned her forehead against his.

After a few more minutes spent quietly enjoying their embrace Phineas pulled back a bit, "So, should I walk you to your door?"

She responded with a smile, but shook her head, "No, it's late and I still need to unpack, so let's call it a night. Let me know when you get home?"

"Of course," he nodded, before entering something into his phone, "looks like it'll take about fifteen minutes." Seeing her incredulous smirk he merely smiled, "What? Compared to some of our inventions, this is the slow way home."

Taking his hands once more she gave him a hesitant smile, "I'll call you tomorrow after my RA duties?"

"Sure, I'll be looking forward to it." He gave her hands a last squeeze before letting go as they echoed goodbyes and she went into the dorm. After a quick round of stretching he set off towards the front of the campus at a brisk jog.

Twelve minutes later Isabella's phone vibrated with a new text. "Got home just fine. Thanks for the best day ever. I love you. -Phineas"