*Author's Note* Thanks for the couple of reviews I got on the last chapter. This is chapter 20! Hope you all enjoy this one as well.
Phineas didn't like this feeling he kept getting. He knew what it was, and he did not like having it. The blush that painted his cheeks a deep crimson, the flip flops in his stomach… he knew what it was. It had to be the most cliche description in all of the romance and adventure books he had ever read. How could such a strong hero be so oblivious? He would often wonder why this powerful protagonist was brought to his or her knees by a minor flip flop in their stomach. The description always remained the same, so bland, so overused. And yet, it was so accurate.
She would dance over to his house daily, chirping a cheerful greeting in the form of her favorite catchphrase. He could feel her eyes on him, and he wondered how long she had been looking at him; not just that day, but for all the years before it. He didn't understand why she looked at him so much. Was his hair a mess? Was he a mess? Did he just look ridiculous?
One day, he had turned and made eye contact during one of those occasions. Isabella had stared back at first, before flushing wildly and almost dropping what Phineas had given her to hold. He had darted his eyes back to his work, rooting himself in his position as he counted how many times he hammered each nail in a pitiful effort to distract himself from her now flustered gaze.
One.
Two.
He knew she was still looking at him.
Three.
Four.
Phineas wanted to look back and smile. It was stupid, she knew he could smile. Why would she care?
Five.
Six.
He decided to turn and smile, not looking at what he was doing. Grinning awkwardly at her, he felt the mind numbing pain from his crushed thumb as he realized his mistake.
Maybe she didn't notice! She'll notice if you blurt out in pain. Just keep it together.
Seven.
Eight.
This hurts so much! Why don't you scream? Does it really matter that much? Why do you even care?
Nine.
She's looking at me again. She seems worried. I wonder if…
The hammer once again smashed into his thumb, crushing it with a resounding smash.
"Um, Phineas?" Isabella gaped at him. "Are you okay?"
He couldn't feel his thumb anymore. Phineas turned to her and gave Isabella a lopsided grin.
"I'll go get you a band-aid," she proclaimed, hopping up. "And, maybe a new thumb."
When she returned, she grasped his hand and began wrapping a Fireside Girl band-aid around his numb, useless thumb.
"You showed an awful lot of dedication hammering a single plank of wood, Phineas." Isabella continued to wrap the first-aid around his wrecked finger. "You normally would have built a whole rollercoaster by now."
He smiled at her nervously. "I guess I was distracted."
She stood up, her task complete. A sly smile danced along her mouth.
"And what exactly could distract the great Phineas Flynn from his work?"
Phineas felt heat rush up to his face once more.
As he opened his mouth to answer, he saw her already walking over to the others to chat.
Keep it contained, Phineas. She's your best friend.
He repeated that to himself for the rest of the day, the rest of the summer. But even that couldn't stop him from watching Isabella grin and laugh from the corner of his eye.
A soft smile adorned itself on his lips, and he continued to hammer down the nails as soft laughter danced around him, and into his thoughts as he daydreamed about a very particular young lady.
Please leave a review if you get the chance, gives me motivation to put out more. Hope you enjoyed the twentieth chapter, and thank you for your continued support.