**A/N -Thanks especially go out to PianZoe and ItzJustme-2 of my loyal
readers! Your reviews keep me going and encourage me to keep the story
alive. Without further ado, Chapter 11 (although it will say chapter 10,
since chap one is a separate fan fic) Does anyone know how I can combine
them?? Please let me know!!
Ch.11 Rude Awakening
Arnold kissed Helga with all the passion a 14 yr old boy could muster (which is quite a lot by today's standards) His arms were wrapped around her slender body in a protective embrace, as though he were frightened that she would bolt at any minute. He thought that just for a moment, that he felt her kiss back. He smiled and took one step back, giving her room to recuperate.
"Helga? Say something. Anything," he asked, slightly amused at her expression.
Helga was nailed to the spot. She couldn't move, couldn't think. She didn't even swoon as she thought she might if this impossible event ever took place. The action and the reality of the situation did not connect in her brain as she stared stupidly at him, her mouth slightly agape.
" You-you can't do that to your friends?" she muttered almost incoherently. "No..no kissing of the friends," she seemed to be talking to someone other than Arnold.
"That's right Helga. I don't kiss my friends, at least not like that anyways. I don't just want to be your friend. I think-I know-that I really like you." Arnold put his hands on her shoulders and faced her towards him, leaning slightly closer to her. "Helga? Do you understand? I think that I LOVE you."
Helga's eyes brimmed with unshed tears of the past 14 years of her young life. Did her ears deceive her, or did he just say both the L words in one sentence? I really like you -make that LOVE you?? Her heart overflowed with joy and felt as though it may burst from her chest if he took one step closer. She finally looked into his face and searched his eyes. They held genuine interest and understanding. Warmth and compassion. But now they held that half-lidded, sweet and sexy look of attraction, of wanting and yes, maybe the beginnings of love. Helga knew she wasn't being teased.
"Aren't you going to say anything, anything at all?" Arnold seemed nervous and slightly agitated.
": I love you Arnold. I always have," was all she could say as she fell into his arms and hugged him, tears flowing freely with years lifted off of her shoulders at the relief of those words.
"I hoped you did, Helga. I think I knew it, back when the whole Fti thing took place, but I was so scared. I didn't know if I was ready for that, from you back then. You were so intense. But damn you, that's all I've thought about whenever I've looked at you for the past 4 yrs I kept thinking oh my god, there's someone who loves me. Really and truly does. I just couldn't face it."
"Why the sudden revelation then? The dress? " Helga joked, but only partially. She knew the dress made her look fabulous.
"Helga, I speak this from my heart, not my pants,"Arnold smiled slyly as he blushed at the comment. " I began to love you that night on the roof of the fti building, when I figured out all the other times you must of helped me."
"You never mentioned that you thought I had helped you before," Helga as she walked back toward her door. "Just a minute, Arnold. It's just about 10:30, Bob will freak if I'm late," Helga opened the door and yelled in "Hey Bob! I'm home, I'm going to bed!"
"What? Oh okay Olga. Just pipe down, will ya girl? I'm watchin' the wheel," Bob bellowed from the den distractedly. She clicked the front door shut quietly and grabbed the forgotten newspaper in its box. She spread two pages out on the stoop. "Pop a squat, Arnoldo. We should talk," Helga said matter of factly, trying to sound like they were going to discuss baseball or something instead of what had just been revealed.
"Sure Helga," Arnold sat down carefully, turning his body toward her and taking her hand. He smiled sweetly. "What's there to talk about?"
"You know what I mean," Helga answered uneasily. "I don't know what everyone at school is going to say, and frankly I don't want to cause a big problem for you," she managed to get out. It was happening all so quickly. It seemed very surreal to her that Arnold had just admitted he liked her, possibly loved her. She had always dreamed of this day, but now that it was upon her it seemed like she was outside her body watching all of this.
Arnold looked a little perplexed, but smiled nonetheless. He was so excited that Helga hadn't punched him or told him to get lost. It had to mean that she still had feelings for him, which is exactly what he had been hoping for. He breathed a sigh of relief 'til he saw the raw emotion in her eyes as she said she didn't want to cause a problem for him.
"Helga, you have been a problem for me since we were three years old. If anything it would be a bigger problem to me if you don't return the sentiment," he smiled softly, stroking her fingers with his thumbs.
Helga shivered at the sensation. " I'm just sayin', uh football head, I mean Arnold, that well don't you think everyone will freak if they- "' she stopped for a moment, her face coloring in embarrassment.
"If they see us together?"finished Arnold, his eyes searching hers. "Helga, I really don't care. I have been trying and trying to figure out what this bond between us is, and for the longest time it seemed like a nightmare, I couldn't figure you out."
"I guess this must be like some kind of rude awakening then," Helga muttered, withdrawing her hand from his. She was his nightmare?
"No, Helga, this is more of a dream come true, of a realization. I guess what I am really worried about, " he asked, taking her hand once more," Is if you still like-love me?"
Helga looked into his sea green eyes, filled with caring and compassion, and this time something else. She knew it was love, for he had never looked at her that way before. She could see the unfamiliar uneasiness in his gaze, as though he was desperately trying to figure her out still. She squeezed his hand in response.
"Arnold, if you really want to know, I guess you better keep on dreaming, " she answered, tilting he head towards his and kissing him gently. He grinned as she pulled away. "I'm not awake yet, Helga. I plan on staying asleep for a very long time." He kissed her more fully and the two of them sat on the stoop half the night, kissing, talking, holding hands and laughing the way that people in love do.
**Whew! I know that was a sappy read but I am a romantic like that. Should I stop here or add the drama of what everyone thinks?? Hmmm, I will have to give this some thought. I will try to get the next chapter up tomorrow if I plan on adding on! Happy Easter everyone!!
Ch.11 Rude Awakening
Arnold kissed Helga with all the passion a 14 yr old boy could muster (which is quite a lot by today's standards) His arms were wrapped around her slender body in a protective embrace, as though he were frightened that she would bolt at any minute. He thought that just for a moment, that he felt her kiss back. He smiled and took one step back, giving her room to recuperate.
"Helga? Say something. Anything," he asked, slightly amused at her expression.
Helga was nailed to the spot. She couldn't move, couldn't think. She didn't even swoon as she thought she might if this impossible event ever took place. The action and the reality of the situation did not connect in her brain as she stared stupidly at him, her mouth slightly agape.
" You-you can't do that to your friends?" she muttered almost incoherently. "No..no kissing of the friends," she seemed to be talking to someone other than Arnold.
"That's right Helga. I don't kiss my friends, at least not like that anyways. I don't just want to be your friend. I think-I know-that I really like you." Arnold put his hands on her shoulders and faced her towards him, leaning slightly closer to her. "Helga? Do you understand? I think that I LOVE you."
Helga's eyes brimmed with unshed tears of the past 14 years of her young life. Did her ears deceive her, or did he just say both the L words in one sentence? I really like you -make that LOVE you?? Her heart overflowed with joy and felt as though it may burst from her chest if he took one step closer. She finally looked into his face and searched his eyes. They held genuine interest and understanding. Warmth and compassion. But now they held that half-lidded, sweet and sexy look of attraction, of wanting and yes, maybe the beginnings of love. Helga knew she wasn't being teased.
"Aren't you going to say anything, anything at all?" Arnold seemed nervous and slightly agitated.
": I love you Arnold. I always have," was all she could say as she fell into his arms and hugged him, tears flowing freely with years lifted off of her shoulders at the relief of those words.
"I hoped you did, Helga. I think I knew it, back when the whole Fti thing took place, but I was so scared. I didn't know if I was ready for that, from you back then. You were so intense. But damn you, that's all I've thought about whenever I've looked at you for the past 4 yrs I kept thinking oh my god, there's someone who loves me. Really and truly does. I just couldn't face it."
"Why the sudden revelation then? The dress? " Helga joked, but only partially. She knew the dress made her look fabulous.
"Helga, I speak this from my heart, not my pants,"Arnold smiled slyly as he blushed at the comment. " I began to love you that night on the roof of the fti building, when I figured out all the other times you must of helped me."
"You never mentioned that you thought I had helped you before," Helga as she walked back toward her door. "Just a minute, Arnold. It's just about 10:30, Bob will freak if I'm late," Helga opened the door and yelled in "Hey Bob! I'm home, I'm going to bed!"
"What? Oh okay Olga. Just pipe down, will ya girl? I'm watchin' the wheel," Bob bellowed from the den distractedly. She clicked the front door shut quietly and grabbed the forgotten newspaper in its box. She spread two pages out on the stoop. "Pop a squat, Arnoldo. We should talk," Helga said matter of factly, trying to sound like they were going to discuss baseball or something instead of what had just been revealed.
"Sure Helga," Arnold sat down carefully, turning his body toward her and taking her hand. He smiled sweetly. "What's there to talk about?"
"You know what I mean," Helga answered uneasily. "I don't know what everyone at school is going to say, and frankly I don't want to cause a big problem for you," she managed to get out. It was happening all so quickly. It seemed very surreal to her that Arnold had just admitted he liked her, possibly loved her. She had always dreamed of this day, but now that it was upon her it seemed like she was outside her body watching all of this.
Arnold looked a little perplexed, but smiled nonetheless. He was so excited that Helga hadn't punched him or told him to get lost. It had to mean that she still had feelings for him, which is exactly what he had been hoping for. He breathed a sigh of relief 'til he saw the raw emotion in her eyes as she said she didn't want to cause a problem for him.
"Helga, you have been a problem for me since we were three years old. If anything it would be a bigger problem to me if you don't return the sentiment," he smiled softly, stroking her fingers with his thumbs.
Helga shivered at the sensation. " I'm just sayin', uh football head, I mean Arnold, that well don't you think everyone will freak if they- "' she stopped for a moment, her face coloring in embarrassment.
"If they see us together?"finished Arnold, his eyes searching hers. "Helga, I really don't care. I have been trying and trying to figure out what this bond between us is, and for the longest time it seemed like a nightmare, I couldn't figure you out."
"I guess this must be like some kind of rude awakening then," Helga muttered, withdrawing her hand from his. She was his nightmare?
"No, Helga, this is more of a dream come true, of a realization. I guess what I am really worried about, " he asked, taking her hand once more," Is if you still like-love me?"
Helga looked into his sea green eyes, filled with caring and compassion, and this time something else. She knew it was love, for he had never looked at her that way before. She could see the unfamiliar uneasiness in his gaze, as though he was desperately trying to figure her out still. She squeezed his hand in response.
"Arnold, if you really want to know, I guess you better keep on dreaming, " she answered, tilting he head towards his and kissing him gently. He grinned as she pulled away. "I'm not awake yet, Helga. I plan on staying asleep for a very long time." He kissed her more fully and the two of them sat on the stoop half the night, kissing, talking, holding hands and laughing the way that people in love do.
**Whew! I know that was a sappy read but I am a romantic like that. Should I stop here or add the drama of what everyone thinks?? Hmmm, I will have to give this some thought. I will try to get the next chapter up tomorrow if I plan on adding on! Happy Easter everyone!!