Disclaimer: I own… well, nothing. But if anyone knows where I can find a Gordo for sale, please let me know as I am always on the market for cute, short, curly haired guys. J
A/N: Okay, I know this one's late, but I couldn't decide exactly where to go with this chapter. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I didn't want it to be too short.
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"What if I told you, what if I said,
That I love you?
How would you feel, what would you think,
What would we do?
Do we dare to cross that line,
Between your heart and mine?
I've always wondered,
From the day that we met.
What if I said, what if I said?
What if I said?"
-Anita Cochran and Steve Warner, What If I Said?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sound of the doorknob jiggling as her parents tried to unlock it caused the couple to break apart. Lizzie couldn't bring herself to chance a glance at Gordo.
"Lizzie," her mom called, stepping into the house, followed closely behind by Matt and Mr. McGuire, who instantly went upstairs to change their clothes. They'd had to park FAR away from the restaurant and had gotten drenched on the way returning to the car.
"I'm here," Lizzie answered, slowly getting to her feet. She heard Gordo do the same.
Her mother smiled at the boy and thanked him for staying. "Gordo, if you'll just let me change out of these soaked shoes I'll go ahead and give you a ride home."
Gordo shook his head and opened the front door. He gestured to the black umbrella resting on the porch. "Don't worry about it, Mrs. McGuire, I can walk."
"It's really no trouble."
"I know, but it's okay." He paused and flicked his eyes at Lizzie. "I'd RATHER walk, I think."
Mrs. McGuire stared silently at them, a small puddle gathering in the living room. Then she shrugged. "If you're sure."
"I am," he said quickly. He began to take a step outside.
"I'll walk you out," Lizzie volunteered, and fell into a step behind him. Once they were both outside, shielded from the rain by the porch ceiling, she shut the door.
"Lizzie-" he began.
"Gordo-" she started. She chuckled but he did not.
"Can I go first," he asked quietly. A cold shadow of fear traveled up her spine as she replied, "Sure."
"Look, Lizzie…" His voice trailed away as he allowed his gaze to meet hers. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Lizzie, I'm really sorry."
*WHAT?!?!*
"What?"
He wrung his hands nervously. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you. It was just so beautiful, your eyes were shining, and I thought… Well, it doesn't matter what I thought. Anyway, the point is that I take complete responsibility for the whole thing and I would understand if you never wanted to speak to me again." He dropped his eyes to where they were silently watching his feet.
*Okay, that's it. I've tried being nice, but obviously this guy isn't a master at deciphering subtlety.*
Gathering all her anger, all her frustration, all the love she had been carrying heavy on her heart for the last few weeks she said the words she'd been aching to say for what felt like eternity. "What do you want?"
He blinked and looked up, his expression speaking volumes of the confusion he was feeling.
"What?"
She breathed in once more. "What do you want? From me, us, whatever. What is it that you want? Because, you see, I want you."
He froze, unable to move.
"You know, I thought I was being clear. I thought that right before we kissed-" She paused for emphasis. "…WE KISSED, that my feelings for you were clear as glass, but apparently not. You know, or maybe they are and you don't feel the same. But whatever the case, I cannot take it. I can't take not knowing how you feel." She took a step closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Look, I know that I act really shallow, and I know that for the last two years you have listened to me whine and complain and practically beg for Ethan, and there was no reason for you to believe that there was room in my heart for anyone else. But that's not true. Because Ethan never made to my heart. YOU did." Tears were streaming down her cheeks but she didn't care. "I know that you liked me."
His eyebrows shot up but he couldn't seem to bring himself to comment.
"It doesn't matter how. The fact is I know. And I hoped that maybe you still felt the same way. And when we had that fight, I thought you were talking about me, the girl that you loved." She began to tremble. "I love you, Gordo. I love the way you are so concerned about grades, about how you care for others. I love how you've always been there for me, even when it was hurting you. I love the way you can forgive, and how you are so driven. I love it all. I know this may destroy our friendship, but I had to tell you."
Hesitatingly, she sought to catch his eyes with hers. "How do you feel about me?"
For a full minute, he stood there not saying a word. The fear she had been feeling intensified until her entire stomach was in knots. Then finally he sighed.
"I don't know."
*Okay, there are really only two appropriate answers here. 'I love you too,' or 'get lost.' 'I don't know' just doesn't cut it.'*
"You…don't know?"
He reached for the umbrella, and she could see his hand was shaking. "I need to think about it."
*What's to think about? You either love me or you don't.*
"Think about it," she repeated, as though testing the words to see if they would leave any perminate physical damage. Nope, just the breaking of a heart.
"It's just sort of coming out of no where." He opened the umbrella.
Finally a small part of her snapped. "Out of nowhere. Newsflash, Gordo, this has been 14 years in the making. 'Out of nowhere' isn't a phrase I would use to describe my feelings for you."
"You're serious?" he questioned.
"I'm serious."
With that, he was gone. She watched his retreating back until he was out of sight. With a strangled moan, she stepped back into the house.
"Lizzie and Gordo. How quaint."
Matt was standing right in front of her, his eyes bright with the hope of embarrassing his sister. Shock slid through his body when Lizzie simply smiled down at him and patted his head. "Isn't it?"
Anger darkened his face. "Mom," he screamed.
Mrs. McGuire poked her head downstairs at her children. "Yes, Matt?"
"Lizzie's being nice to me!" he shrieked.
Mrs. McGuire sighed. "Lizzie stop-" She halted as though suddenly realizing what she had been about to say.
"Matt," she chastised, placing her hands on her hips in typical mom-mode. "I think you can handle some kindness." With that, she returned to her bedroom to change.
"Don't worry," Lizzie assured her brother, "it'll be over by tomorrow night."
He glowered at her. "Yeah well, until then, just stay away." And he too went to his room.
"I don't know." Gordo's words haunted her thoughts. He didn't know? She wondered what he was doing, and if he missed her. Yes, he'd been gone for only 5 minutes, but, really, he'd been gone from her since Rome. Except for tonight. For one brief hour she'd had him back and for that she would have been nice to her brother for the rest of her life.
Luckily, she'd only promised one day.
A/N: Okay, I know, I know, disappointing, but once I finish the last chapter ya'll will love me again. Trust me.
A/N: Okay, I know this one's late, but I couldn't decide exactly where to go with this chapter. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I didn't want it to be too short.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What if I told you, what if I said,
That I love you?
How would you feel, what would you think,
What would we do?
Do we dare to cross that line,
Between your heart and mine?
I've always wondered,
From the day that we met.
What if I said, what if I said?
What if I said?"
-Anita Cochran and Steve Warner, What If I Said?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sound of the doorknob jiggling as her parents tried to unlock it caused the couple to break apart. Lizzie couldn't bring herself to chance a glance at Gordo.
"Lizzie," her mom called, stepping into the house, followed closely behind by Matt and Mr. McGuire, who instantly went upstairs to change their clothes. They'd had to park FAR away from the restaurant and had gotten drenched on the way returning to the car.
"I'm here," Lizzie answered, slowly getting to her feet. She heard Gordo do the same.
Her mother smiled at the boy and thanked him for staying. "Gordo, if you'll just let me change out of these soaked shoes I'll go ahead and give you a ride home."
Gordo shook his head and opened the front door. He gestured to the black umbrella resting on the porch. "Don't worry about it, Mrs. McGuire, I can walk."
"It's really no trouble."
"I know, but it's okay." He paused and flicked his eyes at Lizzie. "I'd RATHER walk, I think."
Mrs. McGuire stared silently at them, a small puddle gathering in the living room. Then she shrugged. "If you're sure."
"I am," he said quickly. He began to take a step outside.
"I'll walk you out," Lizzie volunteered, and fell into a step behind him. Once they were both outside, shielded from the rain by the porch ceiling, she shut the door.
"Lizzie-" he began.
"Gordo-" she started. She chuckled but he did not.
"Can I go first," he asked quietly. A cold shadow of fear traveled up her spine as she replied, "Sure."
"Look, Lizzie…" His voice trailed away as he allowed his gaze to meet hers. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Lizzie, I'm really sorry."
*WHAT?!?!*
"What?"
He wrung his hands nervously. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you. It was just so beautiful, your eyes were shining, and I thought… Well, it doesn't matter what I thought. Anyway, the point is that I take complete responsibility for the whole thing and I would understand if you never wanted to speak to me again." He dropped his eyes to where they were silently watching his feet.
*Okay, that's it. I've tried being nice, but obviously this guy isn't a master at deciphering subtlety.*
Gathering all her anger, all her frustration, all the love she had been carrying heavy on her heart for the last few weeks she said the words she'd been aching to say for what felt like eternity. "What do you want?"
He blinked and looked up, his expression speaking volumes of the confusion he was feeling.
"What?"
She breathed in once more. "What do you want? From me, us, whatever. What is it that you want? Because, you see, I want you."
He froze, unable to move.
"You know, I thought I was being clear. I thought that right before we kissed-" She paused for emphasis. "…WE KISSED, that my feelings for you were clear as glass, but apparently not. You know, or maybe they are and you don't feel the same. But whatever the case, I cannot take it. I can't take not knowing how you feel." She took a step closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Look, I know that I act really shallow, and I know that for the last two years you have listened to me whine and complain and practically beg for Ethan, and there was no reason for you to believe that there was room in my heart for anyone else. But that's not true. Because Ethan never made to my heart. YOU did." Tears were streaming down her cheeks but she didn't care. "I know that you liked me."
His eyebrows shot up but he couldn't seem to bring himself to comment.
"It doesn't matter how. The fact is I know. And I hoped that maybe you still felt the same way. And when we had that fight, I thought you were talking about me, the girl that you loved." She began to tremble. "I love you, Gordo. I love the way you are so concerned about grades, about how you care for others. I love how you've always been there for me, even when it was hurting you. I love the way you can forgive, and how you are so driven. I love it all. I know this may destroy our friendship, but I had to tell you."
Hesitatingly, she sought to catch his eyes with hers. "How do you feel about me?"
For a full minute, he stood there not saying a word. The fear she had been feeling intensified until her entire stomach was in knots. Then finally he sighed.
"I don't know."
*Okay, there are really only two appropriate answers here. 'I love you too,' or 'get lost.' 'I don't know' just doesn't cut it.'*
"You…don't know?"
He reached for the umbrella, and she could see his hand was shaking. "I need to think about it."
*What's to think about? You either love me or you don't.*
"Think about it," she repeated, as though testing the words to see if they would leave any perminate physical damage. Nope, just the breaking of a heart.
"It's just sort of coming out of no where." He opened the umbrella.
Finally a small part of her snapped. "Out of nowhere. Newsflash, Gordo, this has been 14 years in the making. 'Out of nowhere' isn't a phrase I would use to describe my feelings for you."
"You're serious?" he questioned.
"I'm serious."
With that, he was gone. She watched his retreating back until he was out of sight. With a strangled moan, she stepped back into the house.
"Lizzie and Gordo. How quaint."
Matt was standing right in front of her, his eyes bright with the hope of embarrassing his sister. Shock slid through his body when Lizzie simply smiled down at him and patted his head. "Isn't it?"
Anger darkened his face. "Mom," he screamed.
Mrs. McGuire poked her head downstairs at her children. "Yes, Matt?"
"Lizzie's being nice to me!" he shrieked.
Mrs. McGuire sighed. "Lizzie stop-" She halted as though suddenly realizing what she had been about to say.
"Matt," she chastised, placing her hands on her hips in typical mom-mode. "I think you can handle some kindness." With that, she returned to her bedroom to change.
"Don't worry," Lizzie assured her brother, "it'll be over by tomorrow night."
He glowered at her. "Yeah well, until then, just stay away." And he too went to his room.
"I don't know." Gordo's words haunted her thoughts. He didn't know? She wondered what he was doing, and if he missed her. Yes, he'd been gone for only 5 minutes, but, really, he'd been gone from her since Rome. Except for tonight. For one brief hour she'd had him back and for that she would have been nice to her brother for the rest of her life.
Luckily, she'd only promised one day.
A/N: Okay, I know, I know, disappointing, but once I finish the last chapter ya'll will love me again. Trust me.
