Isabella sent Phineas a quick text message on Sunday morning before heading off to Abuela's.
How'd the date with Alyssa go?
The response came back quickly.
Pretty well. How'd the girls' night go?
The usual. Talked about boys and school and boys and more boys. Did you get a second date?
Please say no...
Maybe, in a couple weeks.
Isabella sighed. Maybe? He's never gotten a maybe. Should I back off?
Why can't this be easy?
Phineas waited in the hallway, hoping he'd remembered her schedule properly. Isabella had been off with her grandmother the day before, and he hadn't gotten up the courage to talk to her all day; they'd just finished their last classes, and she should be going from Spanish class to volleyball practice now.
Besides, staying here meant he didn't have to look at Ferb and the infuriatingly smug expression he'd had on his face ever since he got back from his visit with Vanessa.
The crowd of students heading through the hallway flowed past. As the torrent of students slowed to a trickle, he saw Isabella and fell in step beside her.
"Hi, Phineas," Isabella greeted him. "What's up?"
"Can we talk for a minute?" he asked.
"Sure," she said, stopping to one side of the hall. "I was about to ask you the same question. You go first."
"I need to apologize," Phineas said. "I haven't been completely honest with you."
She looked at him, puzzled.
"You asked why I hadn't managed a second date. I said I didn't know. That wasn't true. The real answer is..." He took a deep breath. "They weren't you. You were the one I wanted to be with. I just hadn't really realized it yet."
She blinked at him, wide-eyed, as if she didn't believe what she'd just heard.
"I'm sorry. I need to come clean on this. Better to get my feelings for you out in the open so we can move on. I know you don't love me back the same way - like kissing your brother, you said. I -" He was silenced as she placed her finger on his lips.
"Phineas, I don't have a brother," she said, stepping forward until their bodies almost touched. "And even if I did, I don't really think kissing him would be anything like kissing my best friend, whom I've finally realized I've been in love with all along." Her hand slid back along his cheek to the back of his neck, where it pulled him into a kiss.
It was like nothing he'd ever experienced. He'd had dates end in polite kisses at the front door before, but this was pure sensory overload. His arms slid around her as if on autopilot as all of his attention was arrested by the beautiful girl pressing herself against him, her warm, soft lips locked to his. It seemed to last an eternity in the blink of an eye.
Alyssa loudly said, "About time, you two!" to them as she walked past on her way to the gym. Startled, Phineas and Isabella broke the kiss and looked at each other with embarrassed smiles.
"Maybe we should continue this conversation somewhere a bit more private," he murmured.
She smiled at him, and said, "I have volleyball practice. But I'd really like to see you afterwards."
"Sounds good. I'll walk you over. Was this what you wanted to talk to me about?"
She nodded and took his hand as they walked toward the gym. "I don't think that was like kissing my hypothetical brother, but we may need more testing to confirm that theory," she said.
"Sounds like dangerous research, but I think I'm game to try."
Many thanks to my readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters for your support. Your attention is a gift, and I thank you for it.
This started with the idea of Isabella getting over her crush, which led to the first and last scenes; I tried a couple other ideas for filling in the middle, but they became too dark and a bit too hurt/comforty.
My next story is almost done, and should get posted next weekend. Title is "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes," it's flirty Phinbella, and involves Phineas and Ferb coming up with an interesting invention to help Isabella as she recuperates from appendicitis.
