PREVIOUSLY…
(In the Big Idea viewing room)
Pa: So, what do you think of the new sequel so far?
Khalil: I think it's going to be even better than the first one! More romance, more action, and even more twists…man, I can't wait.
Mr. Lunt: One thing I'm not looking forward to is the return of those two jerks from before. Plus, they get help from some other guy as well.
Pa: Until we get more info on this, I think we should wait and see how everything's going to go.
Khalil: I hope I'll get a bigger role in the show.
(He gets blank stares from everyone else.)
Khalil: Hey! I can dream, can't I?
Hugs and Kisses: A Love Story
Created: January 25th, 2013
Published: January 28th, 2013
Rated: K+ (For the romantic stuff and drama.)
This Chapter: February 24, 2014
Plot: A new episode parodying Casablanca is being filmed, and the producers have decided to throw in some romantic scenes. Bob, who is the head producer of this episode, isn't at all fazed by this...until he learns that said romantic scenes are going to feature him and Madame Blueberry, who are playing the main characters! Since he's never had any experience in the romantic field, he's a nervous wreck about the whole thing; Madame Blueberry, however, is delighted, being that she has quite the crush on the tomato. It's not long before romance happens behind the scenes...Bob/Madame Blueberry, with some Larry/Petunia and minor Archie/Lovey.
Author's Note: After four months, I have returned with my main Veggie Tales feature. Alright, that's enough of all that melancholy stuff we've been reading for the last few chapters. Now, we get back to the more light-hearted romantic fluff. The main pairings in this chapter will be mostly Larry/Petunia (finally!) and Bob/Madame Blue. This is going to be the last super romantic chapter, because next chapter is going to be the "work" chapter.
Disclaimer: As much as I love Veggie Tales, I never will own them. The series belongs to Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki, the creators. If they decided to suddenly drop the company into my hands, then this story would be real. Other than that, don't count on it.
Chapter 14: The Date
When Bob came back home, he was surprised that Madame Blueberry wasn't back yet. Then he remembered that she and Petunia would talk for hours on end about all sorts of things. It reminded him of himself and Larry, but on a different scale.
No sooner had he sat at his computer than he heard a knock at the door. Surprised, he got up to go answer it. Pa, Mr. Nezzer and Archie were standing at his doorstep. The grape was smiling, so Bob knew something was up.
"Uh, hi guys," Bob said. "What's going on?"
"Well, I just came over to congratulate you on your relationship with Madame Blue, Bob. I mean, you two are perfect for each other, only it's taken you so long to realize that!" Pa started.
"Uh, thanks…I guess," Bob replied. He knew the grape well enough to know that whenever he gave out compliments, it meant one of two things:
He was going to ask him for a favor.
He was going to tell him to do something.
"But the problem is, you're being too much of a busybody, and you won't even stop to have fun! I understand that the workload is overwhelming, but you've got to stop and cut loose every once in a while right?"
Bob sighed. "Yes. I admit that this work is keeping me from doing something that I've wanted to do for a while…"
"And that would be what?" Mr. Nezzer asked.
Bob's cheeks reddened slightly. "I was, uh, planning on taking Madame Blue out this weekend," he said.
Pa brightened; his plans were going better than he hoped. "Well, whaddya know! That's exactly what I was thinking!" he said. "I was going to tell you to go and take her out! I mean, it's been a week since you two got together!"
"So, where exactly are you taking her?" Archie asked.
"Well, I was thinking of taking her to that fancy Italian restaurant that everyone's talking about," Bob started, only to be met with lots of rejection from both Pa and Mr. Nezzer.
"Are you kidding? That place is overrated. I heard they had to lower their prices just to get more customers!" Pa said.
"I heard that several customers had bad service there," Mr. Nezzer added.
"…I've actually been to the restaurant with Lovey, and it's not bad at all," Archie stated, but neither of them paid him any attention.
"Bob, you're going to have to choose another place to go. Who knows? Madame Blue could have already gone to Andolini's!" Pa replied.
"Well….that's the only good restaurant that I know around here," the tomato replied.
"I'm sure that there are some other upscale restaurants around here, Bob. You've just got to keep looking!" Before the tomato could say anything, Pa marched straight into the house and went to Bob's computer. Archie and Mr. Nezzer followed suit.
Bob groaned. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this….?"
Petunia was in the chair reading when there was a knock on her door. Putting her book down, she got up to answer it. Her face brightened when she saw who it was.
It was Larry, dressed in a new shirt and looking much better than he had last week. He saw how happy she looked, and smiled brightly.
"Hey Petunia," Larry said, and the two leaned in to kiss each other. This lasted for about a few seconds before they broke it. The two stood there for a few moments, just enjoying each other's presence.
"Sorry for being so depressed for the last few days," he apologized.
"Larry, it's not your fault. If I were in your position I'm pretty sure I'd be just as guilty," Petunia said. "I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to see you upbeat again. I guess Bob managed to snap you out of that depression, huh?"
"Yeah, and I'm really grateful for that," Larry replied. "But that's not the real reason why I'm here. I figured that since we've been so busy with all that happened, I was going to take you out today."
"That would be wonderful, Larry! But…where are we going on such short notice?" she asked.
"I was thinking we could head downtown and try out that new café that Mr. Lunt recommended. I heard they had an awesome lunch menu," Larry replied.
"Well, shall we be on our way?" Petunia asked teasingly.
For the second time that day, a wide grin broke across Larry's face. "After you, milady."
Archie slammed his head against the computer desk. "I'm not finding anything at all…"
"Neither am I," Mr. Nezzer replied. He turned to Pa Grape, who was staring at the computer screen. "Hey Pa, have you found anything?"
The grape snapped to attention, looking utterly confused. "Oh, huh? Oh! Sorry. Nope, I haven't found anything at all," he said.
"What have you been doing the whole time, Pa?" Mr. Nezzer asked.
"Playing this game called Brussels. It's a really neat matching game where you have to line up four vegetables in a row and clear the board! I'm already on level 25!" Pa said proudly.
"That's great, except we have a little problem: we're all getting distracted!" Archie said. "How are we going to find the perfect place for Bob and Madame Blue when we can't even stay focused?"
"It's alright, Archie. It's not that big of a deal," Bob said. He came into the living room with a tray of drinks for the three.
"Not a big deal?! Bob, the key to having a successful relationship is having a successful first date!" Pa Grape said.
"Indeed. Everyone ought to know that," Archie said. "Even though Lovey and I knew how we felt about each other, we still had to have a date in order to talk about many things."
"You're right…well, what am I supposed to do?" Bob looked at each of his guests. "Since I've never dated anyone before, I don't really know how to set one up and all that!"
"I had a feeling something like this would come up. That's why I started coming up with a plan B," Archie said. "Do you have any extra furniture in your house?"
"I have a spare table and a couple of chairs. Why?" Bob said, confused.
"Simple: we're going to have a romantic candlelight dinner for two, and I know the perfect spot for this!" he said.
I'm getting the feeling he's more into this than Pa is, Bob thought, but didn't vocalize it, and decided to go along with the asparagus' plan.
It wasn't long before Bob pulled the remaining furniture from the upstairs attic. The pieces hadn't been used in years, and each one had accumulated a layer of thick dust. After they had dusted and shined the table and chairs, they set up the table with a spare white tablecloth that Bob had.
The next step was fixing dinner. Archie and Mr. Nezzer got into a heated argument about what to fix; Mr. Nezzer suggested on going casual, while Archie wanted to go full-on Parisian cuisine. Pa made a remark about how Archie was more into the project than he was, and Bob had to get involved then, as it would have turned into a big blowout.
"How…how about we just choose something from one of my cookbooks? I'd like to make a dinner that's not emptying my wallet," Bob said. Everyone agreed on that, although Mr. Nezzer and Archie were glaring at each other as they went into the kitchen.
As they set out to prepare the food, he couldn't help but wonder where Madame Blueberry had gone off to…
When Larry and Petunia walked into the café, they were greeted by a chorus of "Welcome to Jason's! Enjoy your meal!" After thanking them, the two vegetables made their way over to the table on the farthest side. Larry pulled out a chair for Petunia, and after she was seated he went to his.
"Gosh, we haven't been out on a lunch date in a long time," Petunia noted.
"That was because we had bad customer service the last time we went out," Larry said. "Remind me to never pick The Flying Biscuit ever again."
Petunia giggled. "Don't worry, I won't. Besides, I'm not a real fan of breakfast food for lunch," she replied.
"Either way, I'm just happy that I'm spending time with you, Petunia, instead of going off and doing more work. While I love moviemaking, it often takes my time away from the most important things in my life," he said, giving her a knowing look.
Petunia blushed. She knew exactly what he was talking about, as their various schedules and personal lives got in the way of spending actual time with each other.
Soon, their waiter, a small carrot with black hair came over to their table. "Hello! My name's Jason, and I'll be your waiter today," he said.
Larry's eyes widened. "Wait, you're the owner of this restaurant?" he asked.
"The one and only. I like to greet my customers, and I sometimes take their orders," Jason said. He held out a notepad and pen. "So, what can I get you?"
"Hmm…I'll have the single cheeseburger with no onions," Larry said. "And for the side, I'll have tater tots."
"I think I'll have the chicken salad, with lots of croutons and Italian dressing," Petunia said.
"Alrighty. I'll make sure that these orders are made quickly as possible," he said. "Thanks!"
As Jason left to fetch their orders, Larry said, "You know, my granddad used to own a restaurant like this when he was younger."
"Really?" Petunia was surprised. "When was that?"
"He said it was way back in the fifties when he opened up a drive-thru. I think he called it 'Carl's Old-Fashioned Burgers' or something. I'm not sure. I'll just have to ask him later."
"Does Bob know about this?" Petunia asked.
"Nope. Most of the time, I never bring it up," Larry said.
"Hopefully, he won't chase you halfway across the studio like he did the last time," Petunia chuckled.
"Yeah. That reminds me, there's so much about my family that I haven't told him about yet," he said. "Mainly the fact that I'm a silent millionaire…"
Petunia stared at him in utter shock. "You're a silent millionaire, Larry? Really?"
"Honest to goodness," he said. "Archie's one as well, you know."
"Geez, and I thought Bob would be overreacting whenever he goes on one of those 'Larry, we've gotta talk!' rants," Petunia replied.
Larry laughed. "Yeah, there's a lot of stuff that I haven't told Bob yet. I plan to, as long as he promises to not freak out about it later on," he said.
"So, what other plans do we have for tonight?" Petunia asked.
"I was thinking about a nice, quiet evening stroll through the city park," Larry said. "There's nothing good at the movies this weekend anyway."
Petunia giggled. "Sounds good," she replied.
Madame Blue walked out of Lucy's with yet another shopping bag. She had wandered into the store, needing something to do until she decided to go home, and saw a beautiful evening dress the moment she walked in. After making her purchases, the blueberry made her way across the street, hopping to her car.
Just as she was about to pull out her keys, her left pocket started vibrating. It took her a few seconds to realize that it was her cell phone, and she pulled it out to see just who it was.
The face was all she needed to see. She quickly hit the answer button and held the phone up to her ear. "Hello, Bob!" she greeted cheerfully.
"Hi, Madame Blue! Uh, if you don't mind my asking, where are you?"
"I'm at Lucy's, dear. I just picked up a beautiful evening gown that I hope to try on later this week," she said.
"Well, you don't have to wait that long to try it on, Madame Blue. In fact, I was planning on, uh…you know, having a fancy dinner date tonight," Bob replied.
Madame Blue's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great! Where are we going for tonight, Bob?"
"Oh, it's a surprise. It took me a while to choose, but I got some help, and I think you'll be pretty pleased with what I've chosen," he said.
"Well, I guess I'll come over around…say, seven thirty?" she said.
"Yeah, that'll be great! I'll be waiting for you by then. That reminds me-I've got to get ready!" he exclaimed.
After saying goodbye, Madame Blue hopped into her car, and started the ignition. The sluggishness from earlier that day was replaced with renewed energy, as she was very excited for what Bob had planned for their first real date.
With only an hour and a half to get ready, Madame Blue drove home much faster than usual.
"Uh…don't you think he's a little overdressed?" Pa asked.
"No, he'll be fine! I told you the suit fits him well!" Archie argued.
"He looks like he's going to a parent-teacher conference," Mr. Nezzer muttered.
"Guys, you're not helping here!" Bob sighed.
"I agree with Mr. Nezzer, though," Pa said. "You don't want Madame Blue thinking that you're treating this like some sort of meeting, do ya?"
Bob sighed. "I guess I can't argue with you there, Pa," he said as he looked down at himself. The gray suit that he wore for that one meeting did make him look uptight. No matter how hard he tried, the result was always the same.
"Well, throw that thing off, and find something good to wear. We don't have forever!" Pa admonished.
"Oh, alright. But this is going to be the last time I have to go through with this," he groaned. He then headed off to the bathroom so he could change his clothes.
After Bob had gone inside, Pa started to go through his closet to see if there was anything else that Bob could wear that didn't make him look like an executive. After tossing everything onto the floor, it was then that he found something far off in the back that looked like it hadn't been touched for years. It was a black suit with a small matching tie, and behind it was a crisp, white dress shirt. Both items were kept in a special plastic jacket meant to keep out dust.
Immediately, Pa knew that this would definitely make a good impression on Madame Blueberry. He went right over and took the suit out, removing its plastic covering. The collar of the dress shirt had a small stain on it, but not to where it would overtly stand out. The jacket itself seemed to be in flawless condition.
Bob then came out of the bathroom, his suit back on its hangars. He gaped when he saw the massive pile of clothes sitting on the ground.
"Pa! What did you do?" he gasped. "I just cleaned up not too-"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. What you need to do, Bob, is get ready for your date. One thing that a lady hates is to be stood up on a date," Pa said.
"Sure thing, Pa," Bob replied. He turned to head into the bathroom, but stopped as something occurred to him. "I wonder if Madame Blue will be impressed by me…"
"She certainly was for the last fifteen years, Bob," Pa said.
"I never told anybody about this, Pa, but…you know when I said that I hadn't been much for romance, and that I wasn't interested in dating anybody?" Bob turned to face the older grape. "Well, I had actually tried online dating before."
Pa's mouth dropped open. "You did?"
"Yeah, and it didn't exactly work out the way I thought it would. Most of them were just interested in my money, or they thought I was boring, or…they just weren't what I wanted in a woman," Bob admitted. "After a while, I decided it would be better to just focus on my job instead of my romantic life, because it was just that unsatisfying."
"And you're afraid that the same thing could happen again, right?" Pa asked.
"What I'm really afraid of is that Madame Blue might change her mind on me," Bob said. "That's what happened with the girls online…"
"Bob. Madame Blue isn't like the girls you met online. She's your co-star in the movie, and one of your closest friends! She stayed with you to work on Veggie Tales, even when you didn't return her feelings for the last fifteen years! She's not gonna change her mind on ya!" Pa's voice was stern. "I seriously doubt she'd just up and leave ya after all that she's been through."
"I don't think you have to remind me," Bob said, fighting the memories back.
"But it's not like I can't understand where you're coming from. Everyone gets nervous about a first date," Pa said. "Especially the girls. They want to make sure they look perfect and all for their first date."
"Yeah. Compared to Madame Blueberry, I don't really have that to worry about," Bob smirked.
"No, but you do have to worry about where you're going to take her, and what all you have planned," Pa said.
Bob gave the grape a confused look. "I thought you, Mr. Nezzer and Archie had that figured out," he said.
"Yeah…well, we kind of ran into a problem," Pa said.
Before Bob could react, they heard Archie yell, "You don't put a metal tray in the microwave, especially for THAT long!" He and Mr. Nezzer yelled in shock, and a loud hissing noise hit the air like steam being released from a kettle.
"What in the world?" Bob started, and then he screamed as an explosion resounded through the kitchen, shaking his room and throwing him into the dresser. Various items started falling from the top, and Bob raced to catch it. A series of clangs followed the boom that resounded through the house, and then Archie cried out in utter terror.
Bob and Pa raced down the hall to see what was going on, only to be met with a smoky haze that filled the living room and the dining room…and the kitchen. The two men stared in utter shock at the sight in front of them.
Archie and Mr. Nezzer stood in the center of the room, looking like they'd been front and center at a demolition site. Soot covered their faces and clothes, and Archie's monocle had been blown completely off his face. The microwave door was wide open, letting even more smoke into the room. A pan filled with a burned black…thing was in between the microwave and fridge, thin trails of smoke rising from it. Black spots were all over the wall, the countertops and the table.
After a moment of standing there in utter shock, Bob finally managed to ask, "What happened in here?"
Archie drew in a breath to speak, but that was when the alarms went off in the house, and the emergency sprinklers came on, showering the veggies and fruit with cold, smelly water. Everyone yelled in shock and ran away from the sprinklers.
It took some time, but Bob finally managed to turn off the sprinklers. By that time, he and the others were soaked through, as was most of Bob's furniture and some of his items. To his dismay, Bob also remembered that his room had the largest sprinkler and the outfit that Pa had given him was in there.
"Well, this is just great," he muttered. Out in the hall, he could hear the other three start to argue.
"I thought you were making a fancy French meal, Archie!" Pa yelled.
"I was! I had to ask Mr. Nezzer to get the meat prepared, and I told him to heat it up in the microwave for a minute! When I came back from getting the ingredients, the room was washed with smoke, and the microwave looked ready to explode!" Archie argued.
"How did that happen anyway?!"
"I forgot to take the meat out of the pan, and I was also in the middle of watching General Store," Mr. Nezzer said.
His three friends were too gobsmacked to even reply to that. Archie turned around and hit his head against the wall.
"Now what are we going to do? We won't have time to clean this mess up before Madame Blueberry arrives!" he cried.
"Simple: we change our plans," Bob said simply. This earned him a look of shock from the three in front of him. "If we can't have dinner here, I know another place where Madame Blue and I could go. But first things first, we need to call the fire department and make sure that nothing else is burning."
"Thank goodness I remembered to take out my phone," Archie said, dialing 911. Bob also took out his phone and started dialing Madame Blue's number. It didn't take long before she picked up.
"Oh, hello Bob. Is it time to go already? Right now, I'm in the middle of fixing my hair…"
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Madame Blue," Bob replied. "I've actually called to tell you that I won't be coming to pick you up at seven."
"Why? Did something come up?" There was a hint of concern in her voice.
Bob took a moment to survey the damage done to his kitchen, Archie on the phone, and Pa and Mr. Nezzer checking out the rest of General Store. He sighed.
"You could say that."
(Three hours later)
Bob's heart was aflutter as he pulled into the driveway of Madame Blue's house. The last few hours had been a chaotic blur as he rushed to get his house in order and find another change of clothes for his date tonight. The firefighters had assured him that his house wasn't going to burn down, but now he had to renovate his home and repair the damages. That meant that he'd have to stay out of his house for the next few weeks and find another place to stay until the repairs were complete. Archie offered to pay for the damages, and that was when Bob learned that the asparagus was a silent millionaire for at least three years or so.
He allowed the asparagus to have his way…after he expressed his shock at not having learned more about Archie, of course.
Now dressed in a semiformal suit and tie, Bob walked up to the steps of Madame Blue's house with a small bouquet of flowers. He did his best to keep his head cool as he rang the doorbell. It certainly wouldn't do to have a massive freak out before his date.
"Coming!" Madame Blue called from inside. The door opened, and Bob found himself staring in utter surprise when he saw Madame Blueberry.
As she had told him over the phone, the dress she had bought was brand new, but this one had beautiful gold accents that resembled flames if one looked closely. She was also wearing a gold necklace with a red pendant on the end. Her lips were painted the same fiery red to match the dress she was wearing. And to top it all off, her blond hair was arranged atop of her head in an elegant updo held in place with a small, rose shaped pin.
It took all of Bob's self-control to not drop his mouth open. "W-Wow, Madame Blue…you look amazing tonight," he said finally.
A light blush came on Madame Blue's cheeks. "Thank you, Bob," she said. "You look quite good yourself."
"Ah…thank you," he replied nervously. "Oh, before I forget!" He pulled out the bouquet he'd bought for her. "These are for you."
"Oh, thank you, Bob!" She took a moment to enjoy the smell of the tulips he'd bought. "This is so sweet."
Bob smiled as she quickly placed the flowers inside her house. "So, where are we going for tonight, Bob? You told me that you had a change of plans…"
"I have a very special dinner planned, one where we'll sit under the stars and enjoy ourselves," he said. "It was a last minute job, but I got some help, and now everything's ready to go."
"Ooh, that sounds exciting!" Madame Blue exclaimed. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Bob barely got a sound out before she practically dragged him off the steps and headed for his car. He knew that what he would say would get her excited, but not by this much. Thankfully, she didn't offer to drive, and Bob set about driving to their destination: the park.
Surprisingly, neither of them said much on the way to the park, both occupied with their own thoughts. Madame Blue was thinking of just what Bob had planned, while Bob was mulling over his conversation with Pa from earlier that afternoon. The old grape was right; he really did need to stop worrying about that Madame Blue would just get up and leave him.
He pulled into the parking lot, and turned to Madame Blue. "Well, this is the place. Our table is right down that path," he said, inclining his head towards the bridge over the lake.
Madame Blue's face was a mixture of surprise and utter joy. "Would you mind leading the way?" she asked.
Bob's mouth formed a soft smile. "Of course," he said. He then took the opportunity to get out of his car, come over to her side, and open the door for her. He helped her down, and then they started walking down the candlelit dirt path.
"Wow, this is so romantic," Madame Blue gasped as Bob led her across the bridge. She found herself gasping again in delight as she looked at the arrangements in front of her.
The table in front of them wouldn't look out of place in any restaurant no less than five stars. The table was set with a well-pressed white tablecloth, and the chairs had bright velvet plush. On the table sat a very elegant arrangement of red, white and yellow roses, and there was a basket with a bottle of sparkling cider in front. Soft violin music resounded from the other side of the park.
"So, what do you think?" Bob asked.
"What do I think? I think it's wonderful!" she exclaimed.
"I'm glad you like it," he replied as he led her over to her seat. As she took her seat, Madame Blue couldn't help but think that someone other than Bob was watching her. She attributed it to her own nervousness and quickly shrugged it off.
"I hope you don't mind, but I already ordered for us," Bob started. "Our waiter can bring you whatever you'd like to drink."
Madame Blueberry was surprised, but that was when a movement in the far off corner caught her eye. When she saw the figure, her mouth formed into a small "o" of surprise.
"M-Mr. Lunt?" she said finally, once she'd regained enough composure to speak.
The well-dressed gourd came from the shadows of the trees, holding a tray with a variety of beverages, and a teasing smirk on his face. He nodded towards Bob, and then turned towards Madame Blueberry.
"Good evening," he started, the smirk never leaving his face. "I'll be your server tonight. As the gentleman stated, dinner has already been ordered and it consists of cheese stuffed ravioli as well as garden salad. We also have fresh breadsticks if you'd like some." Bob could tell he was having way too much fun with this. "May I start you off with something to drink, my lady? I would recommend the strawberry lemonade for tonight's meal."
"I would like to try the strawberry lemonade, please," she replied.
"And what can I get you, sir?" Mr. Lunt asked, turning to Bob.
"I'll have the same thing if you don't mind," Bob said.
"As you wish," Mr. Lunt replied, and took the pitcher of lemonade from the tray. He poured the drink into the two glasses on the table. He worked with such professionalism Bob had to wonder if he'd done this kind of thing before.
Madame Blueberry was equally stunned. "Thank you," she said.
"Indeed, thank you," Bob added.
"No problem. Dinner will be ready in a little while. The chef is making some last minute preparations," Mr. Lunt said.
"Well, who's our chef?" Madame Blue asked.
Bob was just about to answer when he saw the figure walk across the line, carrying two trays of food. Madame Blue followed his vision and gasped.
"Isn't that…Pa Grape?" she asked. The grape walked up to them, dressed in chef's whites and wearing an expression similar to Mr. Lunt's.
"Dinner is served," he said, and placed the plates in front of the two. "I hope you two enjoy your evening together." There was a teasing smile to his words.
"Thank you, Pa, and thanks, Mr. Lunt. I don't think I could have pulled this off without your help," Bob said.
"Hey, what are friends for, man?" Mr. Lunt replied.
"My sentiments exactly," Pa said. Then he walked over to Mr. Lunt and started to push the all too amused gourd away from the table. "We'll come back later to bring dessert and all!" he shouted as they moved farther away.
After they were gone, Madame Blueberry turned to Bob in utter astonishment. "I…wasn't expecting such hospitality, Bob. How in the world did you get Pa and Mr. Lunt to help you with dinner tonight?" she said.
"Aha, you see, it's kind of a funny story," Bob replied. "It wasn't just them who decided to help out tonight. Did you hear the violin music when we walked in?"
"Oh yes. It's quite lovely if I do say so myself," she said.
"Well, Archie offered to play some classical music for tonight. And Mr. Nezzer helped with the table arrangements," he responded.
"Wow. The way you made it sound, I thought we were going out to eat for dinner," she said.
"I was considering that, and I was even going to go to Andolini's tonight. But Pa and Mr. Nezzer talked me out of the idea. Eventually, I decided to do a home cooked meal," he said. "But then…things didn't go so well with that."
"Well, what happened?" Madame Blue paused only to take another bite out of her ravioli.
Bob then began to tell her of all the craziness that had happened while they were trying to set everything up, including the part where Mr. Nezzer almost set his kitchen on fire while he was watching General Store. After they had cleared the place of smoke, Bob decided to go with a romantic date to the park, and Archie, Pa and Mr. Nezzer helped in setting up everything. Mr. Lunt had come into the picture when Pa called him for extra help, and the gourd immediately agreed after hearing what they were doing.
He also mentioned that were it not for Pa, he would have worn an old suit that made him look like a stuck-up CEO. Madame Blueberry found the whole thing very amusing. She herself would've thought that something was wrong with him if he'd chosen that.
In turn, Madame Blue explained all that she'd done during her day. She had gone to see Petunia around the same time Bob had left to see Larry, and they had talked about last week for a little bit before switching over to talking about her and Bob. She also said that she was planning on getting Bob to take her out on their first date, but as he already beat her to it, she would have to put that plan on hold. Bob said that she could do whatever she wanted the next time they went out, much to her delight.
It would be less than an hour before a more relaxed mood fell over the pair. They talked about friends, family, work and their other activities. Things had been mostly peaceful after the…unexpected events from last week, which had put everyone on edge.
For once, it felt good to relax.
Mr. Lunt returned later to deliver their dessert. It was a New York style cheesecake drizzled with strawberry syrup and topped with two strawberries. It was a sweet, satisfying end to an otherwise enjoyable meal, Bob had to admit.
Afterwards, the gourd left to take the empty plates and eat some cheesecake. He hadn't eaten anything in the past hour and he was starving.
Once they were finished, Bob asked, "Would you like to take a stroll with me?"
"That would lovely. I am feeling a bit stiff, to tell you the truth," she replied. The two got out of their seats, and Bob led her down the path leading to the lake. A full moon illuminated the way as the two walked on.
"Wow…it sure is beautiful tonight," Madame Blueberry noted.
"It sure is," Bob said, "although I can think of something else that's prettier."
"And what would that be?" Madame Blue asked.
The reply was said without hesitation. "You, for instance."
Madame Blueberry's face was a few shades lighter than her dress. She looked shyly down at the ground and then at Bob. "Aw…thank you, Bob," she replied.
"You're welcome," he said. There was a moment of silence between them, and then he started to speak again. "Madame Blue?"
"Yes, Bob?"
"Do you think that I'd make, well, a good boyfriend?" Bob asked.
"Of course you would, Bob! You've already proven that last week, when you protected me from Julian and Eddie," Madame Blue said. "I never knew you could get into a fight with anybody if provoked…"
"To be honest, I was just going to find you and get you out of there. But when I saw Julian about to shoot you and Larry, I…I had to do something."
"I'm glad you did, Bob. Who knows what would've happened if you didn't?" she replied.
"I kind of don't want to think about that," he said.
"But still, why do you ask?" she said, focusing on the question at hand.
"Well, the reason is because I've never been in a real relationship with a girl before. In high school, I was a nervous wreck around girls," he said. "And before I met you…well, I had tried online dating before and that didn't work."
Madame Blue's eyes widened in surprise. He had gone out with girls before? She always assumed that he was just waiting for the right person to show up, which would explain why he always said that he never dated anybody.
"But Bob…I thought you said that you never dated anyone," she said cautiously.
The tomato looked down at the ground forlornly, as though he were regretting having told her this. "Well, I said that because I was embarrassed…and I was really unsatisfied with my romantic life," he replied. "Also, I had some pretty low self -esteem back then, and I used to think that nobody would ever like me."
At that point, Madame Blue stopped walking and spun Bob around to face her. The tomato was quite shocked with this reaction.
"That's where you're wrong, Bob. I like you. I always have ever since my first show. A few bad experiences in love is not the end of the world. There's always a chance to start over and find the person who makes you happy," she replied. "Believe me, I know."
"I think that's when you told me about your first boyfriend, right?" he asked cautiously. Madame Blue nodded.
"He was a very nice blueberry, cute and had a lot of money as well. But before I came to America to work on Veggie Tales, his father said I couldn't date him anymore. We broke up a day before I left for Illinois," she said. She sighed as she looked down at the ground. "I was devastated. I thought that I would never be able to find love or happiness again."
She looked up at him, and her face colored a light pink. "But then I met you, Bob…and that's where everything started to turn around," she said.
"The same was for me as well, Madame Blue…even if it took me fifteen years to return your feelings," Bob replied, and the two laughed. "So…are you okay with this?"
"Well…I'm not that happy that you didn't tell me about this sooner," Madame Blue replied. "But I'm certainly not going to walk out on you because of it. I doubt I would after all we've been through. I mean, this is our first proper date."
Bob was relieved. His biggest secret was revealed, a secret so tucked away that he'd forgotten about it. Thankfully, it was one that Madame Blueberry wouldn't hold against him.
"It is, isn't it? And it was a very eventful one at that," he replied.
"You're telling me," Madame Blue replied.
"I'm just glad that you're not going to hold my love life against me," he said. "I can think of more than a few who would…"
Madame Blue giggled. "Well, you won't have to worry about that, Bob. I know you would do the same thing for me as well." She then gently leaned into his face. "I love you, Bob."
"I love you, too, Madame Blueberry," he said before deciding to close the distance between them with his lips. And as she came closer to him while returning the kiss, he would say that in this moment he had never felt happier.
On the other side of the park, Larry looked over at Petunia, who was sleeping contentedly on his shoulder. He smiled softly and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. The dinner they'd had not even an hour before consisted of turkey and gravy, and he'd forgotten that turkey dinners tended to make her sleepy.
He gazed up at the stars and the beautiful white moon that hung in the sky. It felt so nice to be outside, with the person he loved the most, without having to feel incredibly guilty for his actions or pushing away anybody.
"This was just the break I needed," he said contentedly.
"Mmm…what was that, Larry?" Petunia sat up, opened her eyes and yawned.
"Oh, I was just saying something to myself, Petunia," he said. "As much as I would like to sleep under the stars, it is getting a little cooler out here."
"So I noticed," Petunia replied, shivering a little. "Remind me the next time we go out to eat to get something that won't make me sleepy the minute after we get to the park."
Larry chuckled. "Sure thing, Petunia," he replied, standing up. He then helped the rhubarb up and they walked down the hill together towards the parking lot.
"This was the best date I've had in a very long time, Larry," Petunia said replied. "I had a really great time."
Larry smiled as he opened the door to his car. "Yeah. Me too."
TO BE CONTINUED…
Next time on Hugs and Kisses:
Scallion 1: These piano lessons are harder than I thought it would be. I want to be able to play well in order to really impress the directors.
Scallion 2: Them, and Miss Acmetha.
Scallion 1: Right. (He does a double take) Wait, WHAT?!
Bob: It's about time we get started on actually filming the rest of the scenes. We do have a deadline to keep up with, folks!
Larry: Sound?
Jean-Claude: Speed!
Larry: Camera?
Philippe: Rolling!
Bob: Okay…ACTION!
Stay Tuned for Chapter 15: The Final Scenes
Yes! After four months of leaving this story to sit here, I present to you the fourteenth chapter. Two more chapters after this, and then I'll be DONE.
This chapter did get really romantic around the end part. I wanted to end it with just Bob and Madame Blue kissing under the stars (which to me is the most heartwarming thing ever), but then I remembered that I didn't really add much Larry/Petunia to this chapter. I also had to save the Scallions' scene for the next chapter, as it would've been weird for romantic stuff, and then right back into movie making. Don't worry everyone; there will be more Larry/Petunia in Very Veggie Romance.
Sorry about keeping you guys waiting for an update LONG overdue. My next priority will be updating The Ferret Who Knew Too Much, followed by Sodor Magic Crusaders. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
God Bless, iheartgod175