The Bus
Chapter 4: DECEMBER
"Morning! I see you've wrapped up warm; very wise." Jemma said happily as Fitz sat next to her on the way to work on a freezing December morning.
"Quite. It's absolutely bloody freezing." Fitz moaned as he got himself comfortable.
"That's winter for you." Jemma said. Fitz looked at her.
"Are you okay, Jem?"
"Of course, Fitz. Why?"
"You've just been a bit funny with me for the past few weeks, that's all." Fitz said.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Fitz. I'm just tired, really." Jemma said softly, rubbing Fitz's arm. She normally told Fitz everything, but hadn't mentioned her conversation with the woman who thought Fitz was her boyfriend.
"Oh, okay. Well, at least we've only got a few days left till the Christmas break." Fitz smiled.
"That's true. Though I'm embarrassed to see anyone after the work party on Saturday." Jemma said and Fitz started laughing.
"Don't laugh!" Jemma said, playfully hitting Fitz as he carried on chuckling.
"You have to admit, you falling into the chocolate fountain was nothing short of glorious. I'll hold that memory dearly for the rest of my days." Fitz grinned.
"It was humiliating; I'm NEVER drinking that much again. You have to make sure it never happens to me ever again. You'll be my guardian angel." Jemma said sternly. Fitz nodded through his tears of laughter.
"My pleasure, Jemma." Fitz replied softly, bringing out Jemma's beautiful smile. Jemma had been realising more and more recently just how often he made her smile, laugh and even just feel good about herself. She loved having him around. She was, however, still deciding whether she loved having him around for the reasons in her head or for the reasons the woman had assumed were in her heart.
"Anyway, about Christmas…what do your parents like? I need gift ideas." Fitz said.
"Fitz, you don't need to get them anything."
"Yes I do, I'm crashing a family Christmas. I want to show my appreciation." Fitz commented.
"Alcohol." Jemma said.
"Anything else?"
"More alcohol."
"I see. Anything in particular?"
"Oh no, they'll drink anything. Fitz, this is very sweet of you; they aren't expecting you to get them anything." Jemma said.
"No problem. They deserve praise for raising a wonderful daughter, don't they?" Fitz said kindly. Jemma smiled again, and could've sworn she blushed a little.
"I think I might buy you a chocolate fountain." Fitz said cheekily. Jemma laughed but still hit him over the head.
…
On a very rare and sad occasion, Fitz had to take the bus home alone as Jemma decided to stay at work to finish some extra marking. Fitz hated travelling by bus anyway, but having Jemma by his side made it all okay. He really had hit the jackpot by meeting Jemma; she was his best friend and he loved having her in his life. She was by far the most interesting person he'd ever met and she'd turned his life upside down in so many wonderful ways. Honestly, he couldn't wait to spend Christmas with her and her family.
"It's you!"
The voice startled Fitz, even more so when the source of the noise, the woman Jemma met on the bus weeks ago, plopped herself on the empty seat next to him.
"Fitz, right? That's a pretty weird name." The woman said.
"That's my surname. Sorry, do I know you?" Fitz asked.
"Oh, sorry! I'm Bobbi, I was talking to your girlfriend the other day, the beautiful one." The woman revealed.
"Jemma isn't my girlfriend. We're just friends."
"But you didn't object to her being the 'beautiful one'. Interesting." Bobbi said.
"Not really." Fitz said, irritated.
"She's not your girlfriend, but you think she's beautiful?"
"I think Emma Stone is beautiful; she's not my girlfriend either." Fitz snapped.
"Fair point. Sorry, I don't mean to bug you. Your friend said the same. I saw you two on the bus a few weeks back and I thought you were a couple, that's all. She corrected me, but I hoped that had changed." Bobbi said softly.
"I don't like change."
"But you'd like that change, right?" Bobbi teased.
"Look, Jemma is beautiful, kind, warm, charming, smart, funny and all sorts of incredible things. But she's JUST my friend and nothing else. I'm sorry, but it's really none of your business."
"You sound like my husband."
"I like your husband."
"Okay, I'm sorry. I just think you two obviously have feelings for each other and you'd be a cute couple. I like seeing people happy." Bobbi said.
"If you want to see me happy there's a seat at the back of the bus with your name on."
"Okay. I see. Sorry."
With that, Bobbi got up and moved away from Fitz, who huffed and put in his earphones to drown out the noise. He just wanted to focus on Christmas, where he's finally celebrate it how he'd always wanted to with his dear friend and her family.
His dear friend. JUST his dear friend.
He felt bad about how he spoke to Bobbi, but he was only angry because he was torn. He liked things being simple and clear and concise, like the science he teaches every day, but Jemma was always the outlier to him. She was the one thing in his life that really stood out. When Fitz was honest with himself, he genuinely wasn't sure if he liked Jemma as more than a friend or not. He felt as if their relationship was right on the edge of being one or the other; a friend or more than a friend. He had no idea which side he wanted to fall on.
His thoughts ceased with a vibration from his phone; a Snapchat from Jemma. He'd sworn he'd never sink to downloading the app, but Jemma had somehow convinced him to. He spent the next ten glorious seconds looking at a picture of Jemma frowning into the camera, with 'Help me Fitz!' written below her face. Fitz grinned at the photo before realising something. Jemma had written 'Fitz' in the message.
She only sent this to me.
Fitz would normally shake something like that off, but now he was confused.
"Buggar." He whispered.