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Chapter 19

Helga pressed send on her last email of the evening. She'd been super focused on finishing up everything she needed to tackle for the next few days since she would be out of the office. It was tough, considering the morning she'd had. George actually allowed her to work undisturbed for most of the day, so she was able to hunker down. Now it was time to face Arnold again and she wasn't ready. So much had happened and so much was said, but there was still so much left to talk about.

Helga sighed as she pushed away from her desk and walked towards a small hidden closet in the wall. She always kept a change of clothes just in case she needed it. She reached down and replaced her flats with her Giuseppe strappy heels. They were very impractical, even for her. She reserved them for when her powerwalk needed a little boost. Today was one of those days.

She buckled the black strap around her heel and stood 5 ½ inches taller. Helga walked over to her mirror and looked at her reflection. Her eyes were no longer puffy and red, but clear and blue. Her white pencil skirt hugged her body just enough to suggest sexy without trying too hard. She didn't feel confident but she looked the part and for now, that would have to do.

"Alright, Helga, let's do this," She said before heading towards the door.

About an hour later, Helga's Uber dropped her off at the terminal she was meeting Arnold. The guy tried and failed to hit on her the entire ride. He would not be getting a tip. She stepped into the hustle and bustle of travelers frantically trying to get to their flights on time. Helga had arrived an hour early, so didn't need to rush

As she walked through the airport, she kept replaying the events over the last few days in her mind. What was she to make of it all? She gave up on being with Arnold so long ago that entertaining the thought now just seemed silly. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Arnold sitting in front of their gate until he called her name.

"Helga?" Helga's head snapped up in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Arnold chuckled as he took her luggage from her and led her towards where he was sitting.

"We're both going on this trip, remember? You asked me to meet you here?" Helga laughed uncomfortably and waved off Arnold.

"I know that, dufus." Old habits die hard. "I meant, why are you here so early? It's not even 7:00 yet, we agreed on 7:30." she looked at him expectantly as she sat one seat away from him. Arnold raised an eyebrow at her distance but said nothing.

"I came right after work, actually. I packed up last night after I left your place." Helga blushed. "I couldn't sleep right away, so I started packing and loaded my stuff into my car. So I just headed over." Helga nodded her head and turned away from him. She didn't know what else to say. Their dynamic had shifted and she didn't know how to be around him.

Arnold watched Helga for a second. She had her cool, calm, and collected face on. He didn't buy it for a second. He'd seen that face so many times. It was like a veil had been lifted and he could see everything clearly. Every time when they were kids and Helga would slip and say something romantic, Helga would put on the face she wore now and play it off. Of course, Arnold was too dense to notice and bought her stories.

"What are you smirking at, bucko?" She asked as she folded her arms across her chest. Arnold hadn't realized he was smiling, but he didn't drop it when he answered her.

"I was just thinking about our childhood. You were so obvious and I just was so blind." He smiled and shook his head. "But, I won't divulge more of what I was thinking because I promised you time and I am a man of my word." Arnold winked and crossed his heart. Helga wanted to melt. He was being sweet and she hated how much she loved it. So instead, she growled and turned away from him.

"Phoebe, I don't think I can keep up like this," a very exhausted Gerald said through pants. Phoebe kissed him hungerly and smiled.

"Come on, Gerald, we gotta make up for the lost time." She whined as she straddled him. Gerald placed his hands on her exposed thighs as she tried to go in for another kiss.

"No, Phoebe, baby. I need a break." Phoebe pouted but reluctantly climbed from atop him. Gerald sighed with relief. They had been 'making up for lost time' since last night and Gerald was exhausted. He'd called off work, at Phoebe's request. The two made it home a few hours after Arnold. Gerald saw that his bags were packed for his trip at the door.

"How long are they going to be gone?" He asked Phoebe once he caught his breath. Phoebe thought for a second then shrugged.

"I'm not sure. It's on my phone, though. Let me check. Where did you put my phone anyway?" She asked him.

"In my top drawer," Gerald answered absently. His eyes were closed and his arm was resting on his forehead. He missed Phoebe, but she'd worn him out. Gerald was no quitter, but he had no choice but to tap out. Just as his mind was beginning to succumb to sleep, he heard Phoebe gasp.

"What! What's wrong?" His eyes popped open in panic. He looked over to Phoebe and she had tears in her eyes and a little black box in her hand. Gerald swallowed and froze.

"Gerald, what's this," she whispered. Gerald sat up and took a deep breath. Phoebe had found the ring. It was painful to look at it in her hand. He knew she didn't want to be married, so what was he supposed to say.

"Gerald?" she placed her hand on his leg encouragingly. He sighed again.

"It's an engagement ring." Phoebe's hand shot up to her mouth to try and catch a sob. She started crying uncontrollably. Gerald felt terrible. He pulled her shaking body into him and held her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He kept repeating as he rocked her. Phoebe laughed and it confused him. He pushed her away enough to look at her smiling face. 'Why the hell is she smiling' he thought.

"Why are you sorry, Gerald?" Phoebe asked as she wiped the tears from her face. She sniffed and waited for him to respond.

"I thought you would be upset about this?" He was clearly confused.

"Why? Why wouldn't I want to marry you?" Gerald frowned at her question.

"You said the other day that you wanted to be on your own. To have your own stuff or whatever." Gerald looked at the bed confused. He'd heard her say it. He was sure. Phoebe laughed again.

"Oh, Gerald, I do love you"

"What's funny about this? I'm so confused." He held his head.

"I said I wanted to establish myself in Hillwood without the help of someone else. I never said I don't want to get married." Gerald's mouth was set in a tight frown. He now understood why Arnold called him an overreacter. He slowly shook his head and a small smile crept across his face.

"Well, damn." he mused. Phoebe laughed again at his lost face.

"Now, Gerald." He looked up at her. She handed him the box.

"Can you ask me already? I'm dying!" Gerald took the box from her and opened it to reveal a small silver band and a single equally small diamond. Phoebe began to cry again at the sight of it.

"Phoebe Heyerdahl, you make my everyday worth living. Without you, there is no me. I wake up every day and smile because I know I will get to see your face. My love for you is eternal and no one and nothing can replace you. Ever since we were kids, I knew you and I would be here right now, with me asking you to marry me. I love you and I will always love you. I want you to be the mother of my children. I want you to be the reason my heartbeats each day. You are the only woman I can ever imagine spending forever with. I'm just wondering if you want to spend forever with me too?"

Phoebe's face was a balled mess of tears. It was not pretty. She lunged forward and pulled Gerald into a tight hug. He hugged her back.

"Oh Gerald," she said between sobs.

"Is that a yes," he said unsure. Phoebe smiled and hugged him again.

"Of course it's a yes. Yes, yes, yes." Gerald visibly sighed with relief and placed the ring on her small finger. He hated to admit it, but Helga was right. This ring fitted her perfectly. He smiled to himself and kissed his soon to be wife.

Arnold smiled as he witnessed Helga and Phoebe screaming like school girls for a second time. They had landed in Seattle about 2 hours ago and were at the hotel waiting on their room when Phoebe faced time Helga. The two girls had been screaming loudly for over 30 seconds and people were looking and laughing as they passed.

"Look, Helga." Phoebe thrust her hand towards the camera to show off the ring Helga chose for her. Helga smiled and pretended to be surprised when she saw it. Helga was always a good friend to Phoebe.

"It's perfect, Pheebs," she cooed.

"I know," Phoebe touched Gerald's face affectionately. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"What can I say? I know what you like, baby." They kissed to Arnold and Helga's disgust.

"I bet you do," Helga said. Gerald gave her the middle finger while Phoebe was distracted. Arnold chuckled at the two. He was happy for them. He looked at Helga and wondered what that might be like if she ever came around. He shook away the thought.

"I'm super happy for you guys," Arnold said. He tapped Helga and pointed towards the front desk. The, clearly, overworked clerk was waving at them.

"Ok, Phoebe, I love you and I'm so happy for you. Call me in the morning, ok?" Phoebe nodded as Helga ended the call.

The two walked over to the counter. Helga was all business now. The hotel had messed up their reservation and only booked one room with a single bed. Obviously, this was a problem.

"Have you corrected the problem yet?" Helga asserted. The woman gulped and frantically typed on her computer.

"I"m really sorry about this. We are short-staffed and someone made a mistake with your reservation, Ms. Pataki."

"I'm not interested in your excuses, Helen." She said after reading the woman's name tag. Helen nodded repeatedly.

"You're right. I'm sorry. Just give me a few seconds." Helga sighed and got ready to berate poor Helen again when Arnold grabbed her and began to pull her away.

"No problem, Helen." He flashed her his million dollars smile. "Just let us know when you figure this out." Helga looked down at his hands as if it burned and Helen look at him like he was the savior.

"What are you doing, football head?" She asked once he led her back to the seating area.

"You breathing down her neck is not helping. She's a mess." Arnold gestured towards Helen, who'd disappeared in the back.

"Please, she needs a little fire under that fat ass to get this fixed." Helga scoffed. Arnold smiled and shook his head at her aggression.

"Helga calm down. This will get figured out. We don't have our meeting until tomorrow evening anyway. So there is no rush." Helga sighed. He was saving this lady. Helga hadn't even sunk her teeth in yet.

"Just you wait." She pointed her manicured finger in his face. "If jiggle arms don't have this figured out, I'm ripping her a new one and you and your annoying kind heart can't do nothing to stop me." Arnold nodded his head and held his hands up defensively.

A few moments later, a very nervous looking Helen called them to the desk again.

"Well, I hope for your sake, you have good news," Helga said. The tips of Helen's ears grew red with anxiety.

"Um, no," she said sheepishly. Helga rolled her eyes in frustration. Just as she got ready to fulfill her promise, she felt Arnold place his hand on the small of her back. His action surprised her so that she forgot all about incompetent Helen and looked to Arnold. He was smiling at Helen and listening to something she couldn't hear. His green eyes squinted a little as he laughed at some joke. His pink lips seemed to move in slow motion as he spoke words she didn't understand. He turned his head and she watched as his blond hair swayed as he did so. His mouth was moving and he was looking at her. Her eyes zoomed into those luscious lips. She licked her own.

"Helga?" Arnold moved his hand up her back to her shoulder. The action snapped her out of her trance.

"Huh, what?" She sputtered. Arnold smiled and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"Are you ok?" Helga stepped out of his reach and squared her shoulders.

"Peachy,"

"Ok," He said slowly before taking the room keys from Helen. "Come on Helga. Let's get some rest. Thank you, Helen." Helen gave him a big smile and waved at him.

"Anytime, Mr. Shortman." As Arnold moved Helga away from the woman, she turned to face her again and Helen dropped her smile and gulped. Helga slowly dragged her thumb across her throat as Helen grabbed her own nervously. Helga turned and smiled to herself as Arnold loaded their luggage onto the elevator.

"So, did you hear anything Helen said or were you too busy drooling to hear?" Arnold smirked as the elevator doors closed.

"Shut up," Helga hit him in the arm. Arnold chuckled again.

"Anyway, just in case. There is some huge concert here this week and every room in the city, pretty much, is booked. Even Air B&Bs are all booked up. We either share this room or sleep at the airport." Helga sighed and pouted like a 5-year-old.

"Don't worry, I'll be good." He promised. "After that look you gave me downstairs, I'm the one that should be worried." Helga hit him again.

"I'm just joking," He rubbed his arm. The elevator dinged and Helga bolted out of the small box towards their room.

"Thanks for the help," Arnold called after her. Helga gave him the middle finger as she pushed their door open. Luckily for Arnold, it was right off the elevator. He lugged all their bags into the small room and sighed.

"For as much money you make that company, they could have sprung for better digs." Arnold looked around the room unimpressed. His eyes landed on the single bed in the middle of the room. Could he be good as he promised Helga? 'Sure I can,' He thought.

Helga moved towards the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Arnold heard the shower turn on. Helga reemerged and snatched her bag that Arnold still held in his hand. He sighed and threw himself back on the bed. It seemed bigger before he sat in it.

"I'll be good," he sighed once more not so sure this time.

Please Review!

A/N: Hey guys, sorry this was a shorter chapter. I'm so happy Gerald and Phoebe are engaged now! We are winding down and it's bittersweet. I am so appreciative to those of you who have been here from the beginning and review every chapter. It really means a lot. As always review, review, review!