A/N: My second Hey Arnold story. I hope you like it :)
Never before had Phoebe seen her best friend act like this. Despite that Helga refused to show her affection for Arnold when others were around, Phoebe knew her best friend had finally the chance to be happy. However there was still one thing that the black-haired girl wanted to get off of her chest before she would let her best friend fall even deeper in love with Arnold. Sure, he was known to be the guy with a heart of gold, but there were still things that Phoebe wanted to discuss with him.
A few days after they all came back from San Lorenzo Phoebe finally got the opportunity to talk to him in private. It was Saturday and she was grocery shopping for her mom when she saw Arnold doing the same thing. This was her chance to talk to him about what was bothering her since Helga had told her about her and Arnold's kiss in the jungle.
After a polite greeting Phoebe asked Arnold if he had a minute to talk. Arnold looked surprised for a moment, but agreed to go to the park with her.
Phoebe knew that this wasn't going to be another friendly conversation like she usually had with him. She was dating his best friend and Arnold was her friend, but she had to be completely honest with him, even if it mean that she had to go out of her comfort zone. When she remembered how Helga told her with dreamy eyes and a lovesick smile about her kiss with Arnold and that she thought that he finally returned her feeling, Phoebe knew that she had to do it.
"Thank you for giving me a minute of your time."
"Of course." Arnold smiled friendly at her.
"I want to talk to you about your relationship with Helga. You two got closer during our time in San Lorenzo." It was more a statement than a question, but Arnold answered none the less.
"Yeah." Arnold's eyes went half-lidded and a dreamy look appeared in them, clearly remembering the kiss.
That look was clearly a good sign, but Phoebe knew that he had that expression often when he had a crush on someone. Helga deserved the best and if Arnold's feelings for her didn't go beyond a crush, he wasn't worth her best friend's dreams and love. Maybe Arnold didn't realize how happy he was to have Helga, so the black-haired girl spoke it out of him, after all he had been rather dense when it came to Helga.
"You're very lucky, Arnold. Helga really has a heart of gold. She might not show it a lot, but she is the most kindhearted person I know. Back in preschool she stood up for me when no one else cared and when I need her help or someone to listen to me, she is always there. I know for a fact that she has always done that for you too and even more. She won the trip to San Lorenzo for you, so you could find your parents and Gerald told me what dangerous situation she got herself into for you."
"What she did for me was really amazing." Arnold nodded slowly with a thoughtful look on his face, surely remembering the moments in which Helga had let her kindness shown.
So maybe he was now aware of Helga's good deeds for him, but that was still not enough. He was the reason her best friend made herself more vulnerable than she had ever been and for him, she was willing to open her heart. Knowing that Phoebe continued.
"I don't want to seem rude and maybe everything happening between you and her is none of my business, but Helga is my best friend and I want to see her happy." Taking a deep breath, Phoebe finally said what bothered her about the situation.
"Please don't be offended by my next words, but you had a lot of crushes in the past, Arnold. I just want to make sure that you're serious about your feelings for Helga. She cares deeply for you." Phoebe purposely didn't tell him that Helga loved him, because that was a confession Arnold needed to hear from her best friend and not from her. "She has for a while and I know that what happened in the jungle between you two means a lot to her. If you have second thoughts about everything or if this is just another one of your crushes I want you to tell her this now, before it's too late, because you're one of the few people who is able to hurt her."
With her worries out in the open Phoebe felt better. Confronting people was always something Helga did for her. She was the one who stood up for her, be it in preschool or even now when they were older, but this time it was on her to protect her best friend. There were only a few people Helga let close to her heart and with Arnold being one of them, Phoebe wanted for him to be worth it. Her best friend deserved the best and so far life hadn't treated her too well, so this time Phoebe wanted to make sure she got her happy ending.
After waiting patiently for Arnold to process her words, Phoebe finally got the answer she had hoped she would hear.
"I really like-like Helga." The boy in front of her blushed deeply, but he still looked seriously at her with all the confidence he had. "I don't know if my feelings for her are as strong as her feelings for me, but I care deeply for her and I would never hurt her."
"I'm glad to hear that. She deserves the best." Phoebe smiled gently at Arnold. She knew that he meant every word that he had said to her, but now he had to prove it.
A week later when Gerald, Arnold, Helga and her went all to the cinema together she got the proof she had hoped for. It was the first time her best friend let Arnold hold her hand. Phoebe knew it was a big step for her to show affection in public, but it only confirmed how serious she was about this relationship. It was obvious to the black-haired girl how nervous Helga was and Arnold seemed to realize this too, because he gently stroked her knuckles with his thumb and leaned over to whisper reassuring words to her. It was sweet to see the two like this and Phoebe saw Helga slowly relax and enjoy just being with him and her friends. Phoebe knew that she was the closest to family Helga had, seeing that her real family didn't care at all, so she wanted to make sure that Helga was happy.
True to his words Arnold made her happy and now Helga finally got the love she had dreamed about all those years. Phoebe smiled at the couple in front of her, Arnold was the right one for her best friend and with a look to Gerald, who was holding her hand, Phoebe knew that their futures looked bright.
A/N: Please review and tell me what you think :)