Always a Frog, Never a Prince
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Kimberly was stunned
At first she thought she'd misunderstood what Adam had said, but that didn't seem likely; not many words rhymed with love.
The black ranger was standing a few feet away from her. Just staring, waiting for a reaction. "What?" she finally managed to stammer out after the prolonged silence.
"You heard me," he replied rather bluntly, seemingly not caring about what he'd said, in fact, the way he was acting told Kimberly that he didn't care about anything anymore. "I'm in love with," he finally repeated.
The words came out crystal clear this time, there was no yelling, just a normal tone, a confession. Kimberly took a seat on the edge of the bed, her face wearing a mask of confusion as she desperately tried to figure out the million reactions flowing through her mind.
"Um…when?" now it was Adam's turn to look confused, "When did you…"
"Realize?" Kimberly nodded, "I guess during the past couple of days, I mean I've always found you attractive and used to hope that someday we may become more than just friends. But I never thought it'd actually happen, first you got together with Tommy, and then you left, so I kinda pushed it out of my mind. Then…"
"I came back," Kimberly almost whispered.
"Yeah," Adam took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall, letting himself slide down until he was seated firmly on the floor. Kimberly remained quiet, which was torture for him; all he was left with now was the sound of his racing heart. Eventually he decided to break the agonizing silence, "I'm sorry."
This actually brought about a small smile from the pink ranger, "Don't be sorry Adam, it's not your fault. You can't help what you feel. Trust me…I know." She glanced over at him, "Besides, I was the one who pushed you." More silence followed her words, Adam tried to think of something to say but couldn't. He wanted to run from the room, find someway to take what he'd said back, but deep down he knew he had to stay and face Kimberly. It was the only decent thing to do. "And that's the reason why you never told me about you."
Adam once again stiffened at the mention of his scarred body, "One of the reasons," he whispered quietly, "Even if I didn't feel this way, I doubt I would've told you anyways."
All of a sudden Kimberly was confused, she looked up and turned her head to look at the black ranger, "The other night, when I tried to kiss you. If you feel like this how come you never…" she trailed off.
"You were upset, it wouldn't have been right," he could see her eyes studying his face for any signs of lies or deceit, he didn't blame her; for all she knew this entire week could've have been one big ploy to get her into bed. "Everything I've said to you over these past few days, I meant it all," he stated honestly, "I wasn't trying to trick you into liking me, I was just telling you what was the truth, what is the truth."
Kimberly nodded slowly, "I know that Adam," she sighed, "I mean you were practically forced into this situation by Trini, so it's pretty obvious that you didn't exactly plan any of this," she gave him a kind smile, "Plus I don't think you exactly wrote down on a pad, Get hit in the face with china object and Have a fight with Tommy."
The black ranger groaned remembering the encounter between himself and the white ranger, "I've really fucked things up haven't I," it was a statement rather than a question.
The pink ranger shook her head, "Of course not Adam. It's just been…" she paused for a moment trying to find the right words, "a really strange week."
The room fell silent again, Adam was the next person to speak, "When you tried to kiss me that night," Kimberly turned slightly red, "What was it all about? What I mean is…did you try to kiss me because you wanted to, or was it because you felt you had too."
Kimberly was quiet, sighing she brought her head up and stared into the vacant space in front of her, "I don't know," Adam braced himself for what was coming next, "I do have feelings for you Adam. I'm just not sure whether those feelings involve being just friends, or something more."
That was all Adam needed to hear, getting to his feet he glanced down at the plasters covering his knuckles. The discomfort they were causing him paled in comparison to what he was feeling inside. He needed to escape. Walking over to the chair he grabbed his jacket and slipped it on, Kimberly watched him, slightly confused, "I'm going to go crash at Rocky's," he said, not daring make eye contact.
"Why?"
He shrugged, "I guess I've just had enough of being humiliated tonight, you know?" the pink ranger remained silent, "I'll stay out of your way till Sunday. That's when you're flight leaves right?"
"Yeah."
Grabbing the key to Rocky's that was resting on the bedside table he slipped it into his pocket and turned to look at Kimberly. He felt like his heart was being ripped out by a very vicious mutant created in Finsters lab, bypassing her he approached the door and stalled. Standing there, staring at the smooth wood he lifted his head, "Goodbye Kimberly," not giving her a chance to respond he opened the door and closed it behind him.
Stepping out of the room the bright lights of the passageway almost seemed to mock him. He stood completely stationary for a few minutes. Feeling the searing pain of a broken heart, suffice to say he didn't find it a very pleasant experience. Beginning a slow walk to the adjacent dorm he thought about everything that had happened to him that week, he fingered the cuts on his knuckles and then the ones on his forehead.
Had it all been worth it?
Just for it to end like this
He was still deliberating that question in his mind as he slipped the key into Rocky's lock and entered the pitch-black dorm. Seeing Rocky's shape asleep on the bed he closed the door with a quiet click and took a seat on the stool in front of Rocky's dresser. He didn't see much point in trying to get any sleep, what was the point? There was no way things were going to be better in the morning. He went back to the question running through his mind, had it all been worth it?
Had it?
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Kimberly heard the door click shut, grabbing a tissue from the bedside stand she started to dab it against her eyes. The soft paper immediately soaked up all of the tears that she'd manage to conceal from the black ranger.
She couldn't believe herself sometimes
Why was she such a coward?
Adam was one of the most incredible people she'd ever met, funny, handsome, kind, caring, generous, she could list his good points all night if she wanted to. And deep down she knew that when he said that he loved her, he really meant it. So what was stopping her? What was preventing her from staring straight into Adams eyes and kissing him, instead of ripping his heart out and stamping on it. Why couldn't she tell him that she cared about him and wanted to be more than just friends, instead of fabricating some bullshit excuse about not being sure. The pink ranger could think of only one reason.
Fear
It was true she cared about Adam, she had the same sort of feeling in her stomach and her heart every time she was near him, it was the same feeling she'd had when she'd been with Tommy. But what if that all changed, like it had with Tommy. She couldn't bare the thought of losing Adam as a friend; they'd come way too far for that to happen now.
But if she said nothing then there was a distinct possibility that she'd lose him as a friend anyway. Adam had put himself out there when he'd told her that he was in love with her. And what had she done? Nothing. Part of the reason had been shock; she'd never expected him to be in love with her, he didn't act as if he was.
She'd almost immediately known that Tommy had been attracted to her, he was always finding reasons to touch or hug her, always giving her compliments and lavishing her with his undivided attention. But Adam was completely different.
'Exactly' her mind commented harshly.
The thought occurred to her that she had been comparing black ranger and white ranger way too much. They were completely separate people, both in body and in mind. Why would she think that the kind of love they showed would be the same?
That was it
It all made sense, that was the kind of love Adam offered. Not the fiery, passionate way Tommy had loved her. Even though the pink ranger had in a sense loved Tommy, how could she have left him if they had been in love? That couldn't have been real love, could it?
So what was real love?
Adam could always make her laugh with his slightly sarcastic sense of humor, he was down to earth and had a different kind of outlook on life. He was fun to be around. But when she was sad he flip reversed, becoming gentle and caring, one hug from him made her feel so safe and protected it was almost scary.
Kimberly suddenly realized that it wasn't about the way he acted, it was the way he reacted to whatever she was feeling. Like he could almost sense her pain. That was what she loved about him.
Loved?
"Oh my god," she whispered to herself, "I am in love with him."
Kimberly didn't really know why it was quite a big surprise to her; deep down she'd known that already. But it had taken Adam's brave confession to bring the realization of what she felt to the surface.
Not wanting to waste another moment she stood up and opened the door, exiting the dorm and entering the hall. Not bothering to lock the door behind her she walked down to Rocky's dorm. She had to tell him, he deserved to know. There were butterflies in her stomach, and her hands were shaking she was so nervous, but Kimberly was determined and ignored both.
Coming to a stop in front of Rocky's door she raised her fist and rapped gently on it, there was a small pause before the door opened. Kimberly took a deep breath and braced herself.
To Be Continued
By Boulder
Authors Notes
Was watching the rugby world cup today, Wales got hammered by England which I am not best pleased about. So to calm me down I decided to write the next chapter. I'm honestly not sure about this one, I've been writing and revising it over the past few days to try and make it worthy of all the fans of the story and I hope I did it justice. Anyways if you like it please let me know, and if you dislike it please let me know. Just tell me what you think.
Regards,
Boulder
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Kimberly was stunned
At first she thought she'd misunderstood what Adam had said, but that didn't seem likely; not many words rhymed with love.
The black ranger was standing a few feet away from her. Just staring, waiting for a reaction. "What?" she finally managed to stammer out after the prolonged silence.
"You heard me," he replied rather bluntly, seemingly not caring about what he'd said, in fact, the way he was acting told Kimberly that he didn't care about anything anymore. "I'm in love with," he finally repeated.
The words came out crystal clear this time, there was no yelling, just a normal tone, a confession. Kimberly took a seat on the edge of the bed, her face wearing a mask of confusion as she desperately tried to figure out the million reactions flowing through her mind.
"Um…when?" now it was Adam's turn to look confused, "When did you…"
"Realize?" Kimberly nodded, "I guess during the past couple of days, I mean I've always found you attractive and used to hope that someday we may become more than just friends. But I never thought it'd actually happen, first you got together with Tommy, and then you left, so I kinda pushed it out of my mind. Then…"
"I came back," Kimberly almost whispered.
"Yeah," Adam took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall, letting himself slide down until he was seated firmly on the floor. Kimberly remained quiet, which was torture for him; all he was left with now was the sound of his racing heart. Eventually he decided to break the agonizing silence, "I'm sorry."
This actually brought about a small smile from the pink ranger, "Don't be sorry Adam, it's not your fault. You can't help what you feel. Trust me…I know." She glanced over at him, "Besides, I was the one who pushed you." More silence followed her words, Adam tried to think of something to say but couldn't. He wanted to run from the room, find someway to take what he'd said back, but deep down he knew he had to stay and face Kimberly. It was the only decent thing to do. "And that's the reason why you never told me about you."
Adam once again stiffened at the mention of his scarred body, "One of the reasons," he whispered quietly, "Even if I didn't feel this way, I doubt I would've told you anyways."
All of a sudden Kimberly was confused, she looked up and turned her head to look at the black ranger, "The other night, when I tried to kiss you. If you feel like this how come you never…" she trailed off.
"You were upset, it wouldn't have been right," he could see her eyes studying his face for any signs of lies or deceit, he didn't blame her; for all she knew this entire week could've have been one big ploy to get her into bed. "Everything I've said to you over these past few days, I meant it all," he stated honestly, "I wasn't trying to trick you into liking me, I was just telling you what was the truth, what is the truth."
Kimberly nodded slowly, "I know that Adam," she sighed, "I mean you were practically forced into this situation by Trini, so it's pretty obvious that you didn't exactly plan any of this," she gave him a kind smile, "Plus I don't think you exactly wrote down on a pad, Get hit in the face with china object and Have a fight with Tommy."
The black ranger groaned remembering the encounter between himself and the white ranger, "I've really fucked things up haven't I," it was a statement rather than a question.
The pink ranger shook her head, "Of course not Adam. It's just been…" she paused for a moment trying to find the right words, "a really strange week."
The room fell silent again, Adam was the next person to speak, "When you tried to kiss me that night," Kimberly turned slightly red, "What was it all about? What I mean is…did you try to kiss me because you wanted to, or was it because you felt you had too."
Kimberly was quiet, sighing she brought her head up and stared into the vacant space in front of her, "I don't know," Adam braced himself for what was coming next, "I do have feelings for you Adam. I'm just not sure whether those feelings involve being just friends, or something more."
That was all Adam needed to hear, getting to his feet he glanced down at the plasters covering his knuckles. The discomfort they were causing him paled in comparison to what he was feeling inside. He needed to escape. Walking over to the chair he grabbed his jacket and slipped it on, Kimberly watched him, slightly confused, "I'm going to go crash at Rocky's," he said, not daring make eye contact.
"Why?"
He shrugged, "I guess I've just had enough of being humiliated tonight, you know?" the pink ranger remained silent, "I'll stay out of your way till Sunday. That's when you're flight leaves right?"
"Yeah."
Grabbing the key to Rocky's that was resting on the bedside table he slipped it into his pocket and turned to look at Kimberly. He felt like his heart was being ripped out by a very vicious mutant created in Finsters lab, bypassing her he approached the door and stalled. Standing there, staring at the smooth wood he lifted his head, "Goodbye Kimberly," not giving her a chance to respond he opened the door and closed it behind him.
Stepping out of the room the bright lights of the passageway almost seemed to mock him. He stood completely stationary for a few minutes. Feeling the searing pain of a broken heart, suffice to say he didn't find it a very pleasant experience. Beginning a slow walk to the adjacent dorm he thought about everything that had happened to him that week, he fingered the cuts on his knuckles and then the ones on his forehead.
Had it all been worth it?
Just for it to end like this
He was still deliberating that question in his mind as he slipped the key into Rocky's lock and entered the pitch-black dorm. Seeing Rocky's shape asleep on the bed he closed the door with a quiet click and took a seat on the stool in front of Rocky's dresser. He didn't see much point in trying to get any sleep, what was the point? There was no way things were going to be better in the morning. He went back to the question running through his mind, had it all been worth it?
Had it?
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Kimberly heard the door click shut, grabbing a tissue from the bedside stand she started to dab it against her eyes. The soft paper immediately soaked up all of the tears that she'd manage to conceal from the black ranger.
She couldn't believe herself sometimes
Why was she such a coward?
Adam was one of the most incredible people she'd ever met, funny, handsome, kind, caring, generous, she could list his good points all night if she wanted to. And deep down she knew that when he said that he loved her, he really meant it. So what was stopping her? What was preventing her from staring straight into Adams eyes and kissing him, instead of ripping his heart out and stamping on it. Why couldn't she tell him that she cared about him and wanted to be more than just friends, instead of fabricating some bullshit excuse about not being sure. The pink ranger could think of only one reason.
Fear
It was true she cared about Adam, she had the same sort of feeling in her stomach and her heart every time she was near him, it was the same feeling she'd had when she'd been with Tommy. But what if that all changed, like it had with Tommy. She couldn't bare the thought of losing Adam as a friend; they'd come way too far for that to happen now.
But if she said nothing then there was a distinct possibility that she'd lose him as a friend anyway. Adam had put himself out there when he'd told her that he was in love with her. And what had she done? Nothing. Part of the reason had been shock; she'd never expected him to be in love with her, he didn't act as if he was.
She'd almost immediately known that Tommy had been attracted to her, he was always finding reasons to touch or hug her, always giving her compliments and lavishing her with his undivided attention. But Adam was completely different.
'Exactly' her mind commented harshly.
The thought occurred to her that she had been comparing black ranger and white ranger way too much. They were completely separate people, both in body and in mind. Why would she think that the kind of love they showed would be the same?
That was it
It all made sense, that was the kind of love Adam offered. Not the fiery, passionate way Tommy had loved her. Even though the pink ranger had in a sense loved Tommy, how could she have left him if they had been in love? That couldn't have been real love, could it?
So what was real love?
Adam could always make her laugh with his slightly sarcastic sense of humor, he was down to earth and had a different kind of outlook on life. He was fun to be around. But when she was sad he flip reversed, becoming gentle and caring, one hug from him made her feel so safe and protected it was almost scary.
Kimberly suddenly realized that it wasn't about the way he acted, it was the way he reacted to whatever she was feeling. Like he could almost sense her pain. That was what she loved about him.
Loved?
"Oh my god," she whispered to herself, "I am in love with him."
Kimberly didn't really know why it was quite a big surprise to her; deep down she'd known that already. But it had taken Adam's brave confession to bring the realization of what she felt to the surface.
Not wanting to waste another moment she stood up and opened the door, exiting the dorm and entering the hall. Not bothering to lock the door behind her she walked down to Rocky's dorm. She had to tell him, he deserved to know. There were butterflies in her stomach, and her hands were shaking she was so nervous, but Kimberly was determined and ignored both.
Coming to a stop in front of Rocky's door she raised her fist and rapped gently on it, there was a small pause before the door opened. Kimberly took a deep breath and braced herself.
To Be Continued
By Boulder
Authors Notes
Was watching the rugby world cup today, Wales got hammered by England which I am not best pleased about. So to calm me down I decided to write the next chapter. I'm honestly not sure about this one, I've been writing and revising it over the past few days to try and make it worthy of all the fans of the story and I hope I did it justice. Anyways if you like it please let me know, and if you dislike it please let me know. Just tell me what you think.
Regards,
Boulder