Diclaimer: I don't own anything, except this computer, and an assortment of random stuff.
"Daine, can you come over to my house," Numair asked. "I want to talk to you about something."
"We're talking now. Just tell me."
"I can't. It has to be in person."
"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes." Daine hung up. She knew that Numair was finally going to propose. She had saved his life yesterday. And he had realized that they should be together forever. Daine looked in the mirror. She wanted to look perfect. What she was wearing wasn't perfect. She ended up changing her clothes a total of 23 times before she felt ready to go to Numair's house.
When she got there, she could tell he had been waiting for her. He opened the door almost immediatly after she had rung the bell. They sat down in the living room. Numair looked serious, they way he always did before saying soemething important.
"Daine, I'm not really sure how to say this," he said hesitantly. "You've been a very important part of my life for the past few years. I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. But yesterday I realized," he paused here, and looked at Daine, who looked strangely excited, given the situation. "I realized that, maybe we weren't meant to be together after all. And...and...and," he stopped here, not knowing what to say next. But Daine understood.
"Do you mean you're breaking up with me?" she asked, surprised, almost sarcastic.
"Yeah."
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What Daine didn't know was that that morning, Fabio and Numair had discussed Valentine's day over toast, scrambled eggs, and, in Fabio's case, pickles with mango chutney. (For some reason, they were on speaking terms.) After summarizing the various events of the day, Fabio and Numair realized that someone had saved both of their lives.
"Hey...wait...We were both in life threatening situations and were suddenly rescued by a girl yesterday?" Numair said after taking a sip of coffee.
"Yeah, what a weird coincidence," Fabio replied. "What I want to know, is what was Thayet doing in our house?"
"That's weird...I wonder if she likes you or something."
"I dunno. It was Valentine's Day."
"Yeah, but maybe she's just, a good person, or something."
"But Daine saved you, and everyone knows that she loves you."
"How do they know that?"
"Because you've been going out forever."
"Oh yeah, well, just because you're going out with someone doesn't necessarily mean you love them." Their was an awkward pause while Fabio pondered what Numair had just said.
"Wait..." he started slowly. "Are you saying...that...you don't love Daine?"
"Uhh...maybe?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Well...mumble mumble Alanna... mumble mumble"
"Can I have her?"
"WHAT!"
"If you don't love her, then why do you care?"
"One, because I can't just 'give' her to you, and two, because even though I don't love her, I wouldn't want anyone to be stuck with you."
"But maybe she likes me..."
"Believe me, she doesn't"
"I have a deal for you. You break up with her so that I can have a chance, and I'll -"
"- Will you let me use the computer again?"
"Yeah. Deal?"
"Deal."
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Later that evening, Daine received a phone call. She jumped when she saw "Numair-Home" on the caller ID, hoping he was calling to say that it was all a mistake. She let it ring two more times (she didn't want him to think she was just sitting by the phone, even though she was) then picked up.
"Hey Daine." It was Fabio's voice.
"What do you want, Fabio?"
"Oh just calling to say hi"
"You already did."
"Well actually I wanted to know if you wanted to see a movie or something sometime?"
"Sure," Daine said. "But not with you."
"Oh, ok then, see you later." He hung up. This is when Daine realized that she needed to get a new boyfriend as soon as possible.
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Daine went outside and sat on her front porch. She decided that she would ask out the next person who walked by her house. She heard "Think of Me," from Phantom of the Opera, which was her ring tone. She reminded herself to change it; it had been "their song." She knew this time that it would be Fabio. After the call went to voicemail, Daine opened her phone to change the ring tone. When she got to the page, however, she couldn't bear to change the song. She remembered...they were going to get married. A tear came to her eye. Soon she was sobbing.
"What's wrong, Daine?" Aly said, appearing out of nowhere.
"You wouldn't understand, Aly..."
"I'm thirteen, Daine. I'm not a baby. I'll understand." Daine remembered meeting Numair for the first time when she was thirteen.
"Yesterday, when I saved Numair from Alanna, I thought he would finally ask me to marry him...but...he broke up with me...and now Fabio won't stop calling me-" Her phone started to ring again. Daine threw it into the bushes. "-and I need to find a new boyfriend...before I run out of excuses for Fabio...but why would Numair break up with me...Does he like Alanna or something?" Daine relized that she had made a mistake as soon as she saw the look on Aly's face.
"Well...I mean I'm sure he doesn't...your mum's married anyway...I'm sure there was nothing going on between them...I mean-"
"I can help you, y'know."
"What?"
"I can help you. Find a new boyfriend, I mean."
"Oh, Aly, that's okay..." Her phone rang again, from the bushes. "Well...on second thought..."
"Don't worry I know someone perfect. I'll introduce him to you if you go to Panera tomorrow and buy me two lemon poppyseed muffins and a cinnamon raisin bagel."
"Well, okay..."
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That afternoon, Neal delivered Aly's math book.
"Sorry I couldn't have gotten it to you sooner, but yesterday was Valentine's Day, and I was sort of busy."
"Doing what?" Aly asked innocently.
"Not like that!" Neal was shocked that Aly would think of such things at such a young age. But then he thought of himself at thirteen... " I tried to talk to Thayet, but it didn't go so well. Kel wouldn't stop following me. I didn't know she still liked me. I thought she realized a long time ago that I didn't like her. What about Cleon?"
"That ended a long time ago, Neal. You never know any gossip. I bet you don't even know that Daine and Numair broke up."
"How do you know that?"
"Facebook. Anyway, even if you don't know gossip, you should at least know about Kel. I thought you were friends..."
"Well, we don't talk that much anymore. It's a little awkward to talk to a 'friend' who won't stop staring at you. If only she had a boyfriend..." There was one of those awkward silences. Aly was trying to find a way to get Neal to go home so she could start doing math, and Neal was trying to find a boyfriend for Kel.
"I've got an idea!" Neal shouted. "Dom! Kel would probably like him. You know, some people say we look alike...But I'm not sure if Dom would be interested..." At this moment, Aly had an idea. And she knew that she could make it work. But she had to pretend to go along with Neal...
"Well, then don't tell him who it is." Neal gave her a confused look. "Tell him to go to Panera tomorrow. You can tell him to look for that girl who buys...two lemon poppyseed muffins and a cinnamon raisin bagel."
"That's not a bad idea..."
"Here," Aly said, while quickly writing on a scrap of paper. "You can give these directions to Kel. So she doesn't get lost."
Neal forgot that he had sworn not to trust Aly's directions. And this time she had written in code, of a sort. She had switched every 'right' with a 'left' and vice versa.
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Daine followed Aly's directions. The next morning at 10:00, she walked into Panera. She waited in line, then bought two lemon poppyseed muffins and a cinnamon raisin bagel. When she was about to leave, a guy who kind of looked like Neal walked up to her.
"Hi, I'm Dom."
"I know. I remember you from Neal's party. I'm Daine"
"I know. I read those books about you."
"Oh...those aren't true at all...my ex-boyfriend's little brother wrote them...it's kind of a joke."
"Oh, they were good. I thought you were very brave."
"Oh, well maybe that's true...the only part that isn't true is...nevermind."
"Ummm...Do you want some coffee, or something?" Daine let Dom buy her a coffee, and they sat down at a table.
After they had been talking for awhile, Daine asked the question that she had been wondering about since Dom had first started talking to her.
"So, Dom," she asked. "Why did you start talking to me today?" Dom had been instructed by Neal not to tell her that Neal set them up, so Dom came up with a quick excuse. Which happened to be a song from a musical.
(This is from Wicked, if you don't know. And if you haven't seen/heard Wicked, I'm sorry, because I know its really annoying to read a song you don't know)
"Its because...It's because you are so beautiful." Somehow, Daine knew exactley what came next, even though she had never heard the song before, and joined the singing.
"Oh Dom, I think you're wonderful. And we deserve each other don't you see this is our chance. We deserve each other-"
"Let's dance." Daine thought it might look a little weird to start dancing in the middle of a Panera.
"What!" Then random stage hands came and moved all the tables and chairs to the edge the restaurant. Daine decided it would be okay after all, since a band had also come, playing the same song that Dom was singing.
"Let's dance!" Daine began to dance with Dom, and then all the other people in Panera started dancing, with the same choreography. And then they started to sing, too.
"Dancing through life, Down at Panera, only because crumbs are what we come to! Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters, it's just life, so keep dancing through."
When the music stopped, all the tables came back, and everyone returned to normal, or as normal as they ever were, and acted like nothing had happened. Daine remembered Aly, waiting at home for her muffins and bagel, so she told Dom she had to go. Just as she was leaving, Dom shouted at her, "Do you want to meet me at Borders later tonight?" Daine shouted back. "Yes."
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Daine went to Aly's house to deliver her pastries. She rang the doorbell 18 times, then figured that Aly probably wouldn't come to the door if she was doing math, so she walked right in. She was right, Aly was doing math. Since Daine didn't want to interrupt her, she left the bag of pastries on the kitchen table, with a note that said, "Thanks for trying to help me, but I don't need you to find me a boyfriend anymore. I think I found one myself."
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Neal called Dom later that afternoon.
"So," he asked, "How was your date?"
"Surprisingly, it was pretty good. I'm meeting her again tonight at Borders."
"Wow...I wasn't sure you would like Kel."
"Kel?"
"Yeah. You can't even remember her name?"
"I can remember her name. It was Daine."
"What! What happened to Kel! Did you find the wrong girl, Dom?"
"No! I waited for someone to buy two lemon poppyseed muffins and a cinnamon raisin bagel."
"Dom! You idiot! You were supposed to wait for someone who ordered a cinnamon raisin muffin and two lemon poppyseed bagels!"
"Neal, there's no such thing as a lemon poppyseed bagel!"
"Well...there should be!"
He hung up. Then he realized that he didn't solve his problem with Kel. He didn't even know what had happened to her. He didn't really want to call Kel, because she might get the wrong idea, but how else was he supposed to find out... His phone rang. It was Kel.
"Neal! I'm so sorry I wasn't there today! I got lost!" Then Neal remembered what had happened to him when Aly had given him directions. But Kel didn't give him time to tell her that if she had flipped over the directions, she might have been able to get to Panera.
"Neal! Neal! Are you listening to me?" She didn't give him time to say that he wasn't listening. "I'm still lost! Can you come pick me up?"
"How can I pick you up unless I know where you are?"
"Ummm...You can follow Aly's directions. I'll read them to you."
"I don't know Kel... Maybe you should call Merric or Seaver or Cleon."
"But Neal..."
"Okay fine!
When Neal finally found Kel (she was by a random gas station, the complete opposite direction from Panera), she got into the car.
"I'm sorry I couldn't make it today Neal. I was really looking forward to it." Neal drove with one hand on the wheel. Kel tried to grab the other one, but Neal squaked and decided that it would be a good time to start driving with both hands on the wheel.
"Kel, I told...Cleon that I would give him a ride, too." He picked up his phone and called Cleon, although it was illegal in Tortall to talk on a cell phone and drive at the same time. He thought that this situation would be considered an emergency.
"Hey, Cleon, where are you?"
"I'm at my house, why?"
"Oh, Okay, I'll be there to pick you up in a minute."
"What? I don't need to be picked up! What-" Neal hung up before Cleon had a chance to finish.
When Neal pulled up at Cleon's house, he told Kel to wait in the car while he got Cleon. He rang the doorbell, and Cleon opened the door, looking confused and annoyed.
"Neal, I don't know what you're talking about but-"
"Okay, I can explain. I had to pick up Kel, and now-"
"Wait! Kel's there! Why didn't you tell me. Of course I'll go!" He ran towards the car. Kel didn't seem very happy to see Cleon. Cleon sat in the backseat, behind Neal, so he could see Kel. Neal was driving as fast as possible. He pulled up at Kel's house.
"Neal, thank you so much for giving me a ride home. I means a lot to me that you-"
"Uh...Kel, I have to go. I uhh...left some chicken in the oven."
"I love chicken. I wish I had something good to eat for dinner tonight. I'll probably just eat leftovers, because I can't cook, not even-"
"Well, I also ummm left my jeans in the dryer and if I don't take them out, they'll shrink."
"Well, I can help you if you want."
"That's okay, Kel, I think I can handle my own jeans." At this point, Cleon burst into the conversation.
"You can help me with my jeans, Kel." Kel ignored him.
"Are you sure you do't need any help Neal?"
"I'm completely sure Kel."
"Oh, well, I'll come anyway. I would love to spend the evening with you." Neal could only think of one way to get out of that situation.
"Kel, I would love to, but I don't think...I don't think Daine would like it."
"What does Daine have to do with this."
"Well, Kel, I didn't mean to tell you this way, but...we're engaged. We'll be married in June." Kel burst from the car, sobbing, and ran into her house. Cleon just stared at Neal.
When Neal thought about the situation later that night, he realized what a mess he had made. But then he considered the alternative, and decided that he had made the right decision. Anyway, Aly had mentioned that Daine and Numair had just broken up. Surely Daine would be looking for a new boyfriend to make Numair jealous, or at least to keep Fabio away from her. Either way, she had gotten the new boyfriend she was looking for. Well, fiance, to be exact.
AN: Please review! Any suggestions for future chapters would be appreciated.