Day sixteen of MerMay prompt month.

No comments today. There's some flirty Ferbella towards the end, so enjoy that.

Peace - Isabella

Isabella grinned as she passed by the table where her friends were sitting, surprised to see them. She was almost on break and she felt a warmth well up inside when she realized they arrived at that time purposefully to coincide with her free time. She set some plates down at a nearby table, smiling at the customers there. Then she stopped by her friends' table, tugging out her notepad and raising an eyebrow.

"Hey guys," she greeted. "Lets see…" Pointing around the table, she named off their preferred drinks. "Jamaica," her pencil starting at Ginger, moving on to Gretchen with a "Lift." She made a face at Buford. "Mountain Dew," she scoffed. He simply grinned back, unashamed. "Pineapple," she said and Phineas nodded. "Sprite," at Katie. "And for you…"

Isabella trailed off, hoping Ferb would answer with what he'd want. He blinked at her, but when she didn't even try, he pouted. Isabella rolled her eyes while Phineas and Buford snorted.

With a very dramatic sigh, Ferb finally requested, "Mango, please."

Isabella nodded, making a note in her book. But before she could turn away, Katie raised a hand. "Actually! Could I get the Mango one too?" she asked, her eyes blinking rapidly at Ferb, who leaned slightly away from her while the other girls looked at the blonde curiously.

Isabella bit her lip to hide her smile. "Sure," she said, turning away while making another mark on the page. Katie wanted the mango soda again… Isabella barely withheld shaking her head—Katie's crush on Ferb was getting in the way of her taste buds. The last time Katie had some of the Mexican sodas they sold at the restaurant, she couldn't finish it—the flavors too sweet for her.

"Mama!" she called into the kitchen. "Some of my friends are here for my break. Could I get the appetizer platter for the table?"

"Of course Mija!" her mother called back, moving to get it started even as she did so.

Isabella set the bottles of soda onto a tray, balancing it along with the next table's orders that had just finished. Setting the tray of soda on an empty table, she passed out the food first. Moving on to her friends, she handed everyone their sodas. "I'll be right back," she said, turning back towards the kitchen with a hop in her step.

As her gaze moved over him, she saw a pleading look in Ferb's eyes and she grinned at him reassuringly.

Within a few minutes, the appetizer platter was finished and Isabella hung up her apron. Grabbing just the plate, not bothering with a serving tray, and a soda for herself, she left the kitchen. When she put the platter down onto the table, Ferb casually stood up from his spot. Isabella easily slid in next to Katie, Ferb sitting back down on the outside.

It was done so smoothly that only Katie and Buford really noticed what had happened. One glowered at Isabella for ruining her closeness with Ferb, while the other painfully snorted his soda onto the table.

Isabella didn't acknowledge the glare she was getting, looking instead at Buford with a disgusted expression. "Gross dude. I have to clean that," she told him, adjusting her glasses.

"Sorry," he choked out, still coughing. Gretchen patted him on the back even as she watched him with curious eyes.

Phineas looked from Buford to Isabella to Ferb, who gave him a half-hearted shrug while sipping at his drink. Deciding he didn't need to know, Phineas grabbed a Matzo Nacho bite.

Ginger reached out for a crostini, commenting that, "I tried making these at home, but they weren't near as good as your moms." Her eyes closed happily as she bit the sliced baguette.

Isabella smirked. "Well, you can't just use any old goat cheese from the store." She grabbed her own. "Nothing but the best for Nosh Olé."

Ginger stuck her tongue out at her, because they were mature eighteen years olds.

Isabella grinned, looking around the group. It was nice to have these guys together again. Granted, it wasn't everyone (everyone wouldn't be able to fit around a booth at the café), but having even these guys together at once was great. It had been a while...

She snuck a quick glance at Ferb as he snacked on a mini-latke. It wasn't until the green-haired Brit had returned that their group seemed to stabilize. She stuck a nacho bite into her mouth to distract her from giggling.

If only thirteen-year-old Isabella could see it now—how would she have felt to learn then that Ferb was the glue that held their little group together? The boy who was most often passed over for his brash brother. The boy who one could easily forget about because he didn't speak with words. It seemed ridiculous that Ferb was the reason their group worked as well as it had. If any one of them had been asked five years ago who the glue was, every single one of them would have said Phineas.

Except maybe Phineas. He probably would have named Ferb.

Isabella studied the redhead as he tried to argue with Buford about the newest Space Adventure movie. She made a face. They're still making those? At least the Stumbleberry Finkbat movies are entertaining. Isabella shared a look with Gretchen, who she knew was a Finkie at heart herself. Granted, Isabella knew she was likely biased due to her fascination with mythology, but the Space Adventures were, at least in her opinion, becoming too predictable.

"Which do you prefer now, Ferb?" she asked, turning to look at him.

Ferb blinked, coming out of his thoughts. He looked at her, a question in his eyes.

She gave him an apologetic smile, sorry that she had interrupted whatever he had been thinking about, but answered him. "Stumbleberry or Space?"

He blinked, thinking about it. "I'm not sure. I haven't seen any of the new movies."

You could almost hear the record scratch as everyone at the table turned their amazed eyes on him. He didn't even act bothered, not moving his gaze from her. She was the one he was talking to, after all. It would be rude to look away.

Buford burst out a "What?!" catching Ferb's attention. He leaned forward, his brows furrowed. "What do you mean you haven't seen the new stuff? Like, what are we talking about? Just the last year's movies? Or are you really going to tell me you missed out on the last five years?!"

Ferb grinned mischievously. "I missed out on the last five years." His tone was flat, but his eyes sparked with humor and Isabella covered her mouth to hide her chuckles.

Buford pointed at Ferb's nose. "You suck."

"I'm serious."

Silence reigned over the table once again. The former bully ground his teeth before turning to Phineas. "Alright shrimpy. I don't care if he's joking or not—you better plan a movie marathon this next week. If he's joking..." he glared at Ferb, who didn't react, making Buford lose track of what he was going to say next. He shook his head. "If he's serious, he's gotta catch up, man!"

Phineas smiled brightly. "I'll get right on that! We could have an outdoor drive up or campout, with the movies playing all night!" Ferb raised an eyebrow at Phineas, who faltered for a second. "O-or maybe we could start in the morning and spend all day watching the movies! Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner!"

Ginger clapped her hands. "Oh! That sounds like fun!"

Isabella's eyes snapped to Phineas, hoping to catch some proof of the theory that had been percolating in the back of her mind for a few years. Yes! There! Phineas blushed. Isabella's toes danced under the table.

In the middle of high school, when she was still caught up in the excitement of dating Balathzar Horowitz, she had thought herself an expert of romance.

She wasn't.

But she had started noticing something odd about Phineas. He seemed… off every time he was around Ginger. But nothing really came of it, and she eventually realized it could have easily meant nothing.

"I don't care what we do! We just gotta do it!" Buford exclaimed, interrupting Isabella's thoughts and attracting the notice of everyone in the restaurant.

Gretchen leaned forward. "When's your next few days' off, Isabella? We wouldn't want to plan anything without you."

That touched her and she clenched a fist, focusing on the nails digging into her palm to keep from tearing up. After a moment, she asked, "Today's Wednesday, right?" Gretchen nodded. "Okay, so my next day off is Friday, then I have the next Monday and Tuesday free."

Buford immediately perked up. "Let's do Tuesday then! I can switch my shift with someone else!"

Phineas glanced at Ferb, who nodded in agreement, and he smiled at everyone around the table. "Tuesday then. Spread the word. Come over whenever you are free that day—we will be there all day long!"

Everyone around the table cheered, catching everyone's attention again. Even Katie seemed excited, though she hadn't said much of anything. She was torn between pouting that Isabella was blocking her from Ferb, and making a face at her still full soda bottle. Isabella, as covertly as she could, switched her soda with Katie's. Mango wasn't Isabella's favorite flavor of the mexican sodas her family's restaurant carried—not even in her top five—but she liked it alright. And the lemon one she brought with her wasn't near as strong.

Katie gave her a quick glance as thanks as she took a gulp of the new drink to wash away the taste of the last one. Isabella sipped at the fruity drink, leaning back in the booth, listening as the other side of the table began their planning.

This is nice…

When Isabella had to go back to work, the group paid for their food and began heading out. Before Isabella could go through the back door to grab her apron, she was stopped by Ferb. "What's up?" she asked him when he didn't immediately ask her something.

"You're off Friday," he said, more as a statement than a question. She nodded and he grinned at her. "Phineas has a therapy appointment that day, so I'm going to be all by myself."

She smirked. "So you're wanting to latch onto me since he's going to be unavailable, is that it?"

Ferb's eyes twinkled while he gave her a pleading pout. "Please?"

She couldn't hold in the snort. "Okay, yeah sure. That sounds like fun."

He brightened. "Great! I have been wanting to see the path you supposedly take to the beach every day!"

Her eyes widened. "What?" she laughed and he nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, I see! An ulterior motive!" She raised a finger, shaking it at Ferb. "You're a villain."

His grin didn't budge. "You've caught me." He tilted his head slightly. "What are you going to do with me now?"

Isabella raised an eyebrow, her smile becoming more devious. "I assure you, I will think of a fitting punishment for you."

Ferb held his hands out in a placating gesture, but it was ruined by his laughter. "I'll text you," he said, heading towards the exit.

"You better!" she called after him.

She was still chuckling while putting on her apron, even after he was well out of sight. As nice as it was to be around everyone in the group again, there was something about being with just Ferb that made everything feel calm and peaceful.

She shook her head, never losing her smile. He was such a goofball.

Apsara

A female spirit of the clouds and water in Hindu and Buddhist culture, Apsaras are beautiful beings, looking youthful and elegant. They are talented dancers, dancing to the music made by the Gandharvas (whom they are often shown as married to) in the palaces of the gods. They entertain and sometimes seduce both gods and men.

As ethereal beings who inhabit the skies, they are often depicted as flying or in the service of the gods. They are sometimes compared to angels or to the Muses of ancient Greece. There are 26 Apsaras at Indra's court, each representing a different aspect of the performing arts.