Nervousness

Sunday, three days until move-in.

I own nothing!

Slowly stretching awake, Isabella found her arms constrained to her sides. Still in a drowsy haze she began trying to free herself until she recalled what she had initially thought was a dream - Phineas joining her in bed and cuddling up to her in the early morning light. Falling still, she carefully reached a hand around to the weight resting along her side, finding that it was indeed his arm around her waist. Pulling them tighter around herself, she snuggled into him as she felt him gently stir, letting out a small sigh as he gave her a slight squeeze. After a few minutes spent together, softly running her hand along his arm as he held her close, she then whispered, "Good morning."

"Good morning, love," he quietly replied, shifting forward to kiss her cheek. After another minute she then heard him whisper, "Shoot," under his breath.

"What?"

"I think breakfast's probably gone cold by now."

"Oh," she responded with a giggle, carefully rolling over to face him as she began to grin, "well I guess we'll just have to stay here then." Resting a hand on the back of his neck, she scooted closer, wrapping a leg around him as his hand found the small of her back, pulling them together. Leaning in, she could feel his breath on her lips as he closed his eyes, their noses brushing as she stopped short, watching him. After a few seconds of breathless anticipation he peeked at her in surprise, his eyes widening at the sultry look she gave him before pushing herself against him and kissing him deeply.

As they made out, Isabella slowly worked her way forwards, eventually forcing him on his back as she followed, ending up on top of him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her tightly to him, running a warm hand under her shirt and up her back as he rubbed his fingertips in firm circles. Collapsing on him she let out an appreciative groan, trailing further kisses along his neck as he began kneading into her back with both hands. After a while spent together she propped herself up on an elbow, kissing him before pulling back slightly with a smile.

"So what's this about breakfast?"

"Oh, I-" he started with a smile, only to be interrupted by a kiss.

"I made some-" he then tried with a laugh, again interrupted as she pressed her mouth to his. When they separated this time he pursed his lips, eyeing her cautiously - her own expression a determined grin, as if daring him to respond. After a couple seconds he gave her a squeeze and a small grin of his own before letting his hands drop to her sides. Continuing to watch her, he opened his mouth, but this time when she leaned forward he reacted first, tickling her sides. Collapsing next to him on the pillow amidst peals of laughter, he stopped the tickling after only a second as he again wrapped his arms around her.

"So I made some breakfast," he quietly resumed after a moment, nuzzling into her hair, "but then I fell asleep. Sorry."

As her giggles tapered off she softly replied, "Oh. You know you don't have to do that. I like cooking with you."

"I know," he agreed, "but I wanted to surprise you while I can, since it'll be harder to do once we're living together."

"You know you surprise me every day just by being yourself," she replied, chuckling against his neck. "But that's fine." After relaxing together for a few more minutes she propped herself up, giving him a lingering kiss before carefully rolling off of him.

Standing up, he offered her his hand as they made their way out of the bedroom. When she stopped in the hallway he released her hand with a squeeze, going to check on breakfast while she entered the bathroom. Exiting a minute later, she had taken a couple of steps into the small living area when she stopped, her breath catching in her throat.

"Phineas," she asked unsteadily, "what is this?" as she glanced between him cooking and the items resting on the coffee table.

"Breakfast, and…" he glanced at her questioningly, "flowers? Pink's still your favorite, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," she agreed, cautiously making her way over to the futon as she examined the large pink bouquet sitting in a vase in the middle of the table. As she sat down, leaning forward to smell one of the roses mixed in with the other flowers, Phineas appeared beside her, offering her a cup of coffee. Taking the cup, her heart leapt when he sat down next to her, taking her free hand as he watched her with a smile.

"So," he began, her eyes widening as he leaned forward with a faint grin, "how's the coffee?"

Taking a quick sip to cover her surprise, she made a bit of a face at the overly-sweet blend.

"Sorry," he immediately reacted, "is it too strong? I couldn't really tell."

"No, the sugar's just a bit much," she offered with a small grin, "but it's okay," she continued as she took another sip, appreciating the gesture. After watching her for a moment he got back up, returning to the kitchen where he then spent a minute on a couple plates before returning with them both in hand, sitting down beside her. Handing her a plate of pancakes decorated with strawberries and whipped cream in the shape of a heart, he caught another flicker of something cross her face before her usual smile replaced it as she took a bite. After eating a few bites of his own, giving himself time to think, he set his fork down and turned to face her.

"Isabella, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, her tone unconvincing.

"You seem a bit jumpy today," he responded, resting his hand on her leg as he watched her carefully. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she agreed with a small smile, taking another moment before admitting, "I'm just a bit nervous."

"About what? Can I help?" he immediately asked, continuing quietly with, "Is it my fault?" when he saw her look down and start to blush. Glancing between her and the various items he had brought, he then began to grin when he realized what was different from their prior dates - he had now done everything necessary to propose to her, and they both knew it. "Oh," he managed with the beginnings of a blush, as he took a moment to try and find the right words. "Relax, love," he eventually ventured, "it's just breakfast."

"And later?" she asked hopefully.

"We'll see," he smiled tenderly, unwilling to give too much away. After a minute spent quietly watching each other he leaned forward, kissing her softly before pulling back with a half-whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too," she replied quietly with a further blush, watching him for a moment before leaning in for a quick kiss that ended up leading to a few more. Eventually separating, they returned to their breakfast as they quietly continued eating. Finishing their food, they spent a few minutes cleaning up the kitchen together before he turned to her with a grin, taking her hands.

"So, what are we doing today?"

"You'll see when we get there," she smiled at his enthusiasm before glancing at the clock. "We should probably leave soon."

"Oh," he considered, "do we have time to stop by the lot first? I'd like to check on the trees."

"Sure," she agreed with a nod, "we're not really on a specific schedule." Giving his hands a squeeze, she then continued with, "Let me go get dressed." Making her way into the bedroom, she returned to the living area a few minutes later having changed out of his shirt and into an outfit of purple and white. "Ready?" she asked as he straightened up from where he was crouched next to his backpack, slipping a few things in his pockets.

"Yeah," he responded brightly with a smile, taking her proffered hand as they walked to the door.

Stopping there, she pulled him into a hug, resting her head on his shoulder with a sigh as he held her loosely against him. After a moment she then gave him a squeeze with a proclamation of, "Alright," as she leaned back and kissed him before heading out the door.

Arriving at the lot a few minutes later, Phineas took her hand as they walked over to the site of their project from a few days ago. As he had mentioned, the trees had indeed grown quite rapidly; the trunks multiple inches thick and going upward for about ten feet before they angled inwards, their branches beginning to intertwine and form a leafy canopy overhead. Crouching down, he patted the springy moss that had now spread to cover the ground in a large area around both the pavilion and the pool.

"What happened to the pool?" she asked, now noticing the makeshift structure set up around it.

"Oh, it's just a temporary fence," he shrugged. "Wouldn't want anyone falling in while we're not around." As she nodded he glanced around before continuing, "Do you want to plant the honeysuckle while we're here?"

"Sure," she happily agreed, walking with him over to the shed. Each of them taking a handful of seeds, they made their way back to the trees, planting a few near the base of each one. After taking a minute to water them he then surveyed the lot for another moment with a satisfied expression before turning to her.

"Okay, I think that's good for now. Thanks, love," he offered with a squeeze of her hand. Walking back to the car, he opened the door for her before bounding over to his side, settling in with a contented smile as he watched her. As she started the car she glanced over, enjoying and returning his attention for a moment with a smile, before pulling out onto the road and heading further away from Tri-State State.

The first few minutes were spent quietly together - Isabella was focused on navigating, so Phineas let her concentrate since she wouldn't tell him where they were going. After she merged onto the highway, she glanced over at him with a pleased grin. "So, any ideas yet?"

"Nope," he laughed, "I have no idea what's even out here."

"Oh," she giggled, "and you didn't try and figure it out?"

"Not really, I was pretty preoccupied yesterday," he bashfully admitted, as he watched her glance over at him with the start of a blush before returning her eyes to the road. "Oh, that reminds me though," he continued a moment later. "Ferb seems to think that we'll be waiting until summer to get married."

"Really? How'd that come up?" she asked with a surprised laugh.

"Oh, he was telling Mom and Dad that he and Vanessa are probably going to get married before us," he explained.

Shooting him a surprised look, she asked, "Wait, are they engaged?"

"Not just yet," he shook his head with a grin, "but apparently he's been planning on asking her for a while. From what he said to our parents, it sounds like they may get married pretty soon, actually."

"Oh," she replied, considering for a moment. "So was he right? Do you want a summer wedding?"

"Well, I do like summer," he easily replied, gauging her reaction, "and if we want a big outdoor wedding, that might be best."

"Yeah," she agreed, "and that'd give us enough time to plan it properly. Maybe this time without Candace going crazy," she smirked.

"I don't know about that," he laughed, "but with all the people we'll be inviting, the earlier we start planning the better. Assuming you want a big wedding?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely," she agreed, beaming. "We only get to do this once, so we should make it our biggest, best summer adventure yet!"

"Oh, well I'm sure it'll be that, regardless," he chuckled.

"Yeah," she happily agreed, "but having everyone there will make it even better."

"True," he nodded, thinking for a moment. "I know my plans were for an outdoor wedding, but is that what you want?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, shooting him a smile, "when I said it was perfect, I really meant it."

"Well in that case," he grinned, "how do you feel about the middle of June? Maybe the second...is it Saturday or Sunday that's better?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"Sunday usually," she offered, "although I'm not really sure I want a Jewish wedding."

"Oh?" he looked surprised. "Won't your parents be disappointed?"

"Not really," she grinned at his further surprise. "Mom's known this was coming for years. I think at this point she's just thrilled it's finally happening so she can stop hearing about it," she laughed. "She just wants us to be happy. I don't think she's worried about how we get there."

"Well," he nodded, "I don't mind either way, but it sounds like it might be good to make sure before we pick a date."

"Sure," she agreed, remaining focused on the road, "but really, all we have to do to keep my mom happy is to eventually have kids," she chuckled, turning faintly pink.

"Mmm," he nodded with a grin, reaching out and resting a hand on her leg as he watched her in amazement. After a while longer spent in contented quiet, she pulled off the highway at an exit that was about halfway between Tri-State State and the outskirts of Danville.

"So, any idea yet?"

"Are we going to the fair?" he asked, chortling at the confused glance she shot his way. "There was a billboard for it a while back, although I don't think it was this exit. So I guess that's a no?"

"Not even close," she teased, as they drove through a small town, passing by various fast food options and a couple gas stations. Continuing for a few further miles, he began noticing signs indicating that they were heading towards JSM Tech, a local college. Pulling onto campus, he continued looking around in confusion as she slowly navigated through the surprisingly-crowded streets. Eventually arriving at a large single-story building, she parked before glancing over at him with a grin, pleased that she had actually managed to surprise him.

"This is what you wanted to do?" he asked her skeptically, glancing between her and the large banner draped above the entrance.

"Yeah," she agreed. "You're always doing things for me, so I thought this'd be nice," she offered with a gentle smile.

Watching her for another moment, he then nodded with a big smile of his own, "Thanks love, it's a great idea!" Taking her hand as they exited the car, they then proceeded to enter the 12th Annual Tri-State Area Robotics Symposium.

And so begins a completely different type of date! Part of what I've been enjoying so much while writing this is getting to explore a variety of activities, so hopefully this will be as fun as the rest. As usual, please let me know what you thought!

fangirlwriting - Isabella's dad is actually in the background of a few episodes according to the wiki, but it was rather odd trying to write a character with no established name or personality, so I'm glad you enjoyed him!

Roan Cox - Yeah, this story's going to remain unerringly happy. Maybe I'll write something more dramatic next. I'm glad you're enjoying it anyways!