Artie lays in bed, squinting at the unnaturally bright phone in his hand. They broke up, he thinks. But they seemed so happy, so perfect. He wants to laugh and cry and shout for joy, but at the same time he knows Tina must be devastated. He quickly texts her, and stares at the ceiling while waiting for a reply. His phone vibrates, startling him from his thoughts.
He stares at the message for a minute before it sinks in. She wants to come over? He agrees, and within minutes she is quietly knocking at his window.
"Hey," Tina whispers, looking sheepishly down at the floor. "Thank you for letting me come."
"Of course, Tina," he says. He pauses to let her climb inside the room, noticing that she is refusing to meet his eyes. He quietly beckons her over. "Are you ok?
Still avoiding eye contact, she sits on the edge of his bed, smiling slightly at the worn, familiar Star Wars sheets. "Yeah, I am," she says, looking up at him. "I am."
"Good," he says, smiling at her. "Look, Tina... I know... I know things haven't been exactly perfect between us, but I'm here for you if you want to talk."
She slowly slides across the bed, sitting next to him. "Yeah.. I guess I was expecting it," she says sadly.
"You guys seemed so happy," he whispers. "Happier then we were, I guess."
"We were.. But he wanted me to change, and be someone I wasn't." Laughing sadly at his comment, she reaches over and gently grasps his hand. "Oh, Artie... I'm so sorry."
Artie breathes in sharply at the feeling of her hand. "Tina.." He glances over at her, blinking to hold back the tears threatening to fall. He hesitantly glances over at her, unsure whether or not to voice his feelings. "Tina, I.. I never really got over you."
"Artie, please.." Tina begins, but is silenced when Artie quickly shakes his head.
"Please, just let me finish," Artie says. "I'm sorry about you and Mike, Tina. And I don't want to ruin what we have. I never want to ruin what we have." Tina nods quietly, staring wide-eyed at Artie as he speaks. "And even if you don't feel the same, I just.. I just want you to know I love you."
Artie stares at the bed, refusing to look at Tina. She sits speechless, trying to frantically sort through the emotions coursing through her. Knowing that anything she manages to say will likely turn out completely incomprehensible, she instead decides to gently pull Artie's head up and kiss him.
Artie sits for a moment, overwhelmed by the feeling of Tina's lips against his own. Eventually, he leans into her embrace and slowly deepens the kiss.
"Wow," Tina sighs, leaning her forehead against his.
"Tina," Artie starts hesitantly, "What does this mean for.. us?"
Smiling, Tina places a quick kiss upon his lips before answering. "You free Friday night?"
Unable to contain his grin, Artie nods enthusiastically. He lays down on the pillows and yanks her down on top of him. Laughing, Tina turns and smiles at him before resting her head on his chest.
"I could stay here forever," she sighs.
"Yeah, me too," Artie says, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Me too."