Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, Disney owns everything, and I don't own Disney, I don't even work for Disney, if I did own Disney, I'd probably be living a lot more comfortably then I do right now and wouldn't be doing things like writing fanfictions at 4 a.m.

Chapter 10 - Truth or Consequences

"Hi Lizzie, it's me."

"Gordo? What are you doing here? I'm so glad to see you, it's been so long, wait a minute, you wrote the letter?"

"Yeah, I did."

"You are my stalker who never took my advice?"

"No.. Yes.. Yes and no, No I'm not a stalker, yes I never took your advice, although it was good advice." Gordo answered, his tension building so much he could feel the temperature in his face rising to the point that it was painful.

"But then... the advice...."

Gordo inhaled again, this was the point where he had to say the truth, the truth he had held inside him for years now. "Lizzie, you were the best friend, I've liked you as more then a friend for a very long time. For as long as I can remember, you were always the most important person in the world to me.

"I tried to tell you so many times, there was sitting in the library after Ronnie dumped you, there was Ethan's mystery party, there especially was when I wrote that letter to your advice column, there was when I was signing your yearbook, that moment on the roof in Rome, and the day I moved away from Hillridge, but for whatever reason, my doubt would build up, and I would end up just saying something else.

"Lizzie your friendship means more to me then almost anything else in the universe, second only to your happiness. I want more then anything else for you to be happy, that'd be great if it was with me, but if you are happy with someone else, I'm just happy that you are happy. Secondly, I want your friendship, you are the only one in the world I feel like I can talk to, and if I were to make you angry and lose your friendship, I don't know how I would survive.

"I like you a lot, no, more then that, I love you Lizzie McGuire, I love you more then life itself, and after all this time, I have to know, did you ever feel anything for me?"

Gordo said all of this rather fast, but he couldn't break it up or he would lose his nerve and stop talking. Now that he was done he inhaled again and held his breath as he gazed into Lizzie's eyes. He felt that he could lose himself in her eyes, no, more then that, he had already lost himself to her. But would she take what he had lost to her?

Lizzie was silent for several minutes, just staring back into Gordo's hungry, longing eyes. She knew he was waiting for her answer, but she was still taking in all he had said.

"Y...you....you love me?" she asked back at him, wanting the confirmation, she had thought that Gordo had liked her ever since Kate had told her that he did, but she wasn't expecting the Love word.

"With all my heart and then some Lizzie. But if you don't feel the same, please don't stop being my friend, I don't know what I would do without you."

"I.....I.....," now that it had come up, Lizzie was finding it difficult to say how she felt, for the first time she understood how Gordo had been having trouble saying how he felt, it was so hard to say, even though she already knew how Gordo felt.

Gordo was having a real hard time waiting for her to say something, did she like him at all, was she trying to find a tactful way of saying that she didn't like him? He saw that whatever Lizzie was going to say was difficult for her, and he hated causing her pain even more then not knowing how she felt. "Lizzie, you don't have to answer me right away if you are having a hard time with this, I just had to tell you, I was boiling up inside, I've been trying to say that for several years and it couldn't stay in any longer."

Lizzie was really relieved, Gordo was giving her an out and she needed it, she smiled to show her appreciation. "Thank you Gordo, I just need a little time to sort out my feelings."

In a last ditch effort to sound romantic, Gordo answered, "For you McGuire, I will wait all of eternity." Her smile started welling up at that sentiment, and Gordo was feeling lightheaded, it was amazing to him how much a simple smile could effect him, it was if his entire sense of well being hinged on how Lizzie was feeling, when she was sad, he ached with sorrow, when she was happy, he felt as if he was full of bubbles. He smiled back at her and said, "I'll leave you alone now Lizzie, till I see you again." Then he turned and left the room, still high on her smile. He went back to his room, content that even if she didn't love him back, at least she wasn't mad.