Love is a word that trips easily off the tongue for Fiona when it comes to clothes and purses and friends and almond milk lattes.
It is not something that she has ever said to someone that she's dating.
Looking back now at when she was a little girl and she imagined growing up and meeting her perfect man (what a joke that turned out to be), she's not the least bit surprised to be unable to recall ever saying the words 'I love you' to her imaginary suitor during their fictitious wedding.
She can usually shove the idea to the back of her mind since she never sees her relationships going far enough in a direction that she'll have to think the words, let alone say them, but it's getting harder and harder with Imogen.
Imogen, who sees nothing wrong with shouting 'I love you!' at people that she's known for ten minutes, or murmuring the same thing sleepily into Fiona's neck as they're laying on the couch and watching the same romantic comedy for the fifth time. It never bothers her that Fiona hasn't said it back, never bothers her that Fiona always stiffens with panic for a brief moment before settling back into the cushions and tries to slow down her breathing. Imogen is understanding and patient and holds on to just enough hope to stick around and wait things out.
Fiona expects the feeling to gently settle over her one day, for her to wake up one morning, roll over and look at her alarm clock, and decide that, yes, today is the day that she'll fall in love with Imogen Moreno, but that's not how it happens.
Imogen waits and Fiona waits and they wait together, but the words don't come. It's not commitment issues, because no one is more committed to another human being than Fiona Coyne is to Imogen Moreno, but she just can't get over whatever mental block she has. The feelings are there, she thinks, but she never gets to the point where the words string themselves together and come out of her mouth, and even though she'd give anything to see that smile on Imogen's face, that look of pure joy, that final sigh of relief, she can't do it.
So Imogen keeps whispering it in the hopes that someday Fiona will turn to her and repeat it back, even if she's just parroting and doesn't mean it, and Fiona keeps losing her breath and fighting tears and feeling guilty.
The DVD menu plays in the background on an endless loop.