Petunia had been walking down the hallway, innocently minding her own business, when she felt herself being forcefully yanked into a small crevasse created by the corridor's walls. She'd let out a yelp – as anyone in that situation would've been prone to do – only to have Larry shush her.
In a harsh whisper she asked "What's going on?"
"She'll hear you." Came the panicked whisper of his voice. There was a terror in his eyes that'd she'd never seen, making her stomach twist in knots.
"Who?" she asked, her voice now a little louder. She was trying to remain quiet, but the sudden panic was causing her words to rise.
Larry looked past Petunia, sticking his head out into the corridor once again, checking the coast to see if it was clear. With a slight sigh of relief, he turned back to the redhead. "Vicki's here. We aren't exactly on the best of terms."
To this, Petunia's expression changed from one of shock to one of confusion. "I thought everything between you two was…"
"I lied okay?" he interrupted, checking the hallway compulsively yet again. "Because it made her happy to hear that I had nothing but good things to say about her! But she started dating Jimmy five days after we broke up. First of all, that's not a coincidence, second of all, she's treating it like she moved on and I haven't."
"Have you?" Petunia questioned. "I mean, you're hiding from her in a hallway."
With a dejected sigh, he tried to explain "I just don't want to see her because it's so awkward. She has the upperhand and makes me feel so…so…"
"Inferior?" the redhead supplied.
And for the first time in the conversation, he smiled. His eyes lit back up, once again showing her the Larry she knew and loved. "Exactly!"
There was a pause, suddenly, as he looked to Petunia, like he was about to say something, but didn't. He blinked, shook his head, and Petunia wondered just what was running through his mind. He opened his mouth again, ready to speak, when he heard someone coming down the hallway. With a quick glance, he mumbled. "Oh no."
Suddenly, an idea sparked in Petunia's mind. There was a new found determination in her voice as she asked Larry "You want her to get the idea that you moved on, right? That she's not superior in that aspect?"
"Well yeah…"
"Do you trust me?"
This perplexed Larry. He had no idea what Petunia was talking about, but he heard Vicki getting closer and he knew he didn't have much time. Besides, it was Petunia. She was smart, and she was kind, and whatever it was she was planning would be in good conscious. "Of course."
And without another word, Larry was suddenly lifted from the hallway. He was somewhere else entirely, as his mind marveled at the feeling of Petunia's lips moving against his. She was aggressive with the kiss, a word he would've never used to describe the redhead previously. The two only parted at the sound of Vicki letting out a very surprised "Oh! My…"
"Sorry," Petunia apologized bashfully. "Didn't think anyone would be coming this way…"
"Don't apologize!" Vicki found herself almost shouting, for some reason. "So, um, Larry, you've seemed to have finally moved on…"
Had Vicki not been so focused on her ex, she might have noticed the triumphant smirk gracing Petunia's lips.
"Y-yeah." Larry stuttered out, still flustered from the kiss, and now even more disoriented by the conversation. "I-I mean, it's been a while, actually."
"Oh." Vicki sounded less surprised than before, and for some reason it made both Larry and Petunia slightly uneasy. That was, until, she spoke again. Her voice warm, her tone genuine. "Well, I'm happy for you. It's been a long time coming, and I'm glad you two are happy together." There was another short pause, before she awkwardly posed "Would it be overstepping to ask how long…this…has been…?"
Larry was entirely taken aback by the question, but Petunia was quick to respond "It's still really, really new actually. I mean," she looked up to Larry, her cheeks flushing a light pink as she admitted "I've had feelings for him for years, but I didn't act on those feelings until very, very recently."
"Well better late than never, right?" Vicki smiled. "I really am happy for you. You make a cute couple. Maybe the four of us could do something sometime."
"I'd like that." Larry replied without really thinking about what he saying. He wasn't actually dating Petunia, he needed to remind himself. No matter how desperately he wished that he was.
"I'll see you around then?" Vicki smiled, before receiving a nod from both Larry and Petunia before heading off.
Waiting for the blonde to be out of earshot, Petunia spoke up "So, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Are you kidding?" Larry asked, eyes wide with wondrous excitement "It was a million times better than anything that would've happened if I'd talked to her alone. Thank you, so, so much, Petunia. I really mean it."
"I'm happy to help." She admitted honestly. She was quiet, for a moment, and then, a soft murmur, so light that she wasn't even sure if Larry would be able to hear, "and that kiss was something else."
"Good something else?" Larry found himself asking again, his voice getting panicky "Or bad something else?"
"Good. Good, of course good." Petunia found herself babbling "Why, was it good for you, too? Or…?"
Larry never did answer her. He felt like bending down and kissing her – in a softer, more tender kiss than their first – would suffice. "Does that answer your question?" he asked breathlessly, grinning like a small child who'd been told they can pick out a new toy.
"I dunno," she giggled, "I think you should repeat yourself. Just to be sure."
"You're something else," he chuckled, before swooping the woman he'd been in love with for years into his arms to finally, finally, kiss her again. "Maybe we really should go to dinner with them sometime." He mumbled as he broke the kiss after a few more blissful moments "But maybe we should go out alone first. To practice."
"I'd like that."
