I couldn't stand her helpless cries over the receiver. She had called me, her quiet sniffles filling my ears. It was as displeasing as listening to puppies being slowly tortured. I had to comfort her somehow, and since she happened to be my neighbor, I asked her to come over for hot chocolate and video games: the ultimate comfort pastimes for the both of us. I heard the doorbell ring, and I opened it to see my best friend, her beautiful blue eyes bloodshot from her endless hours of crying. I immediately pulled her into my arms, her sniffles muffled into my chest. I swear,
I could've stayed there forever protecting her from the outside dangers to prevent her from weeping. I let go to see her looking up at me, her weak smile forming on her lips.
"Why don't we get you some hot cocoa?" I ask. She nods, and we head into the kitchen. She starts getting the ingredients out, but I tend to stop her. "Izzy, no. This is my treat for you. You must sit patiently until yours truly creates the best drink ever." I heard her soft giggle as I prepared our sweet winter treat. It was one of the few things I liked to prepare like an average person: no extravagant contraptions of some sort, just chocolate, milk, and heat. After a while, I handed Isabella a mug of my famous hot chocolate as we sat on the floor of the living room on a blanket.
"Alright, Isabella, I've kept you quiet long enough. What's wrong?" I ask, sipping my beverage. Her face suddenly dropped, but as usual, she remained strong and proceeded to tell me.
"Ethan. He-He broke up with me this morning." Her voice barely audible, and overtaken by silent tears again. I swear, she was going to make /me/ start crying. Ethan Juergens was arguably the biggest jerk in the world. He was MVP of the varsity basketball team, and went through girls practically everyday. The day he met Isabella however, he changed his player-like ways to get her (who could blame him?), and sure enough she fell for him. At first, I thought about telling her that it was all an act, but Isabella seemed genuinely happy, and I wasn't about to shatter her happiness. What kind of best friend would I be if I did that?
"Oh, Izzy, c'mere." I say, putting my mug down to hug her once again. This time, she put her arms around me as well and her head dug into my chest comfortably. Her small sniffles were back, so I decided to calm her down by stroking her silky black hair. At this point in our relationship, there were no need for words. We could literally look at each other from across the room and know what the other was thinking of. She finally let go and we were looking straight into each other's eyes, hers still forming teardrops.
"No guy deserves your tears. You should know that." I say, wiping the lone tear traveling down her cheek. She smiled halfheartedly, as she looked down at the blanket we were sitting on. She finally sighed before talking, still looking down. "I just don't understand what went wrong, Phineas. I thought we were going pretty well as a couple..." She explains, then trailing off, her voice becoming more shaky as her sentence ended. I pulled her chin up lightly so she could look at me.
"You know what went wrong? He didn't realize how good he had it when he was with you. You're beautiful, smart, funny, bubbly, independent, and outgoing. You're bound to find someone else very soon. That Ethan guy is just a big jerk who doesn't deserve anyone as amazing as you." And I sincerely meant every word. Isabella meant the world to me, and I happened to be truly, madly, and deeply in love with her. But being in love with someone means you have to do whatever makes them happy, even if it means you can't have them to yourself. I saw her lips curve upward into a smile, which automatically made me smile back at her. She then slid over to my side and leaned back on the bottom of the couch like I was. The silence was back, but I didn't mind. Sometimes silence was bliss. Her head then started leaning on my shoulder until it was fully rested. We stayed in that position in more silence for a while until Isabella broke the silence.
"You know Phineas, I could probably spend a million years with you and I could still spend another million with you." She said, not moving from our position.
"You really mean that, Izzy?" I ask, and I felt her head nodding. After a short while however, she suddenly got up from my shoulder and looked straight at me.
"Phineas, I can tell you anything right?" She asks, a somewhat worried look in her eyes.
"Yes, of course Isabella. Whatever is said in this room, stays in this room." I reply. It takes her a while to respond, but after taking a deep breath, she finally starts.
"When we were kids back then, I used to have the biggest crush on you. It was pretty massive. I guess you were just too into your big inventions to actually notice my tiny hints everyday." My mind jogged back to the summer when we were 10 years old, and right there I got absolutely everything: the cute "what'cha doin?" greetings everyday, her willingness to share something with me. It all hit me just now. How could I have been so stupid? She wasn't done with her confession though. "By the time we were in 8th grade, my optimism had pretty much died out and I set out look for someone else." I looked at her, stunned.
"A-And how do you feel about me now?" I asked hesitantly.
"Honestly, I've always still had feelings for you. They were a bit faded, but they were still there, even if I kept telling myself I didn't." I couldn't help but fully smile, which caused her to smile back at me. Without even thinking, I took her hand in mine.
"How faded are your feelings now?" I asked right before I leaned in softly to kiss her soft plump lips lightly.
"I'd say...they're crystal clear." She said, a giggle in her answer as she kissed me again.