Chapter Four – Secret Confessions and Misconceptions
Fry left a confused Leela sitting at the kitchen table, wondering what it was that had just happened. Thankfully, Amy arrived shortly after Fry left the room, distracting Leela from his strange behavior.
Amy walked in the room to find Bender standing among a pile of beer bottles and gave him a strange look as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"What happened to you?" she asked Bender, on the verge of laughing.
"Fry went postal on my ass, that's what happened."
Amy sat down next to Leela, laughing, "Fry go postal? That's not possible. He couldn't hurt a fly, even if he put all his brains into it. Actually, come to think of it...that's not much brain power is it?"
Leela sat quietly next to Amy with her arms crossed on the table in front of her, gazing again into her own coffee cup. It had grown cold and she knew that she wouldn't be drinking it, but started stirring the dark liquid absent-mindedly. Her hands needed something to do.
"Maybe not," Bender said, checking each of the bottles for any last drop of alcohol, "but jealousy can turn even the biggest idiot into a madman."
"Jealousy?" Amy had a momentary look of confusion and then a sense of comprehension quickly came over her, "I thought Fry was okay with you dating Rodney. You guys seemed fine a few days ago, what happened?"
Without saying a word, Leela held up her hand, showing Amy the diamond on her finger. The young girl gasped, standing up and nearly knocking over the chair to get a better look at the ring. Leela kept looking down at the table, a slight blush coming over. She couldn't help but let loose a little smile though at the reaction the ring brought from Amy.
"He...he proposed to you?!?" Amy asked in shock.
Leela glared at her, "Well don't act so surprised. We've been together for six months now. Besides, you little slut, at least I didn't have to knock up my boyfriend to get him to propose to me."
Amy looked at Leela in stoned silence.
"Ooooohhhh....she got you!" Bender taunted.
Silenced, Amy sat back down next to Leela for a moment. She then held out her own hand to show a stone not even half the size of Leela's and certainly not a diamond. Her smile was evil.
"It may not be a diamond," she said evily, "but at least I didn't have to sleep with a blow hard to meet my fiancee."
"Nope, I already called that one this morning, Amy" Bender said as he put the beer bottles in the trash.
"Damn!" Amy turned and pouted, cursing under her breath in Chinese.
Leela looked at them both in shock. It was disheartening how much they loved to berate her about her one night stand with Zapp Brannigan.
"From the looks of Bender, I'm guessing Fry didn't take it well," Amy said, stirring sugar into her mug.
"Actually," Leela said finally, "I haven't really talked to him about it yet."
"You really should, Leela. I mean, you owe at least that to him. He's liked you a really long time and he was relly hurt when you started dating Rodney out of the blue like that. Imagine how he feels now, when you haven't even talked to him about it. Isn't he supposed to be your best friend?" Amy took a sip of her coffee and then started to add more sugar.
"Yeah, I know," Leela said. It's just that I'm not really even sure if Rodney proposed to me or not. He promised himelf to me, but what all does that really mean? she asked herself.
She stood up and started walking to the door. Glancing at her wrist communicator, she noted that it was 8:25. Time to begin the day and time to talk to Fry.
---------------------------------------------------------------- --- ----- Fry sat on a set of crates at the loading dock. He had left the Planet Express kitchen over 45 minutes ago and hadn't even lifted a single crate. Leela would probably be angry and start to yell at him again, but he didn't really care. He needed time to think right now.
Leela watched him from the entry to the loading dock. He didn't see her or hear her enter, but she watched his every move. Or, rather, lack of movement. A cold feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach and she reasoned with herself that it wasn't the time. He was hurt right now and upset and trying to explain things to him now would only make things worse. What he needed was a friend and that's what she was determined to give him. If he wanted to talk about it, then she would, but not until he was ready. She shook her head. It was getting hard for even her to buy her own bull anymore.
She walked down the ramp to the crate beside Fry.
"Is this crate taken?" she asked, grinning at her friend.
He returned the smile and patted the crate, motioning for her to sit down. She was the last person that he wanted to see right now, but he concealed his emotions so as not to upset Leela.
She took the seat beside Fry and suddenly realized that she had nothing to say. There was an awkward moment between them that she knew shouldn't have been there. She knew that he still had feelings for her and Amy had just reaffirmed that information, but that had never stopped her from shooting down his aspirations at a relationship before. Now, sitting with him in the silence, she didn't even know how to talk to her best friend.
"Congratulations," Fry finally said quietly.
"Thanks," Leela said, trying her best to sound upbeat. She looked around the loading dock, hoping to find something that could inspire some conversation between the two of them. She found nothing. She was loosing what little courage she had quickly, so she decided to just spit something out and hoped it came out making sense.
"Fry....I.." she stammered, "I..." She looked at his face, so innocent. She could see the sadness in his eyes that he was so desperately trying to hide. "Fry...I...I wanted to thank you. For everything." A smile spread across Fry's face and Leela returned it, exhaling a sigh of relief.
Getting off his crate, Fry stood in front of her. Looking into her eye, Fry knew that he had lost his chance at this beautiful creature. She was going to marry someone who obviously made her happier than he ever could...and whom she loved more than she could ever love him. He smiled a gentle smile and decided at that moment that he would have to let go of the past three years of his life. Leela was out of his grasp, had been from the day he met her. He had only been too stupid see it.
I loved you from the day I met you, Leela, he told her mentally, there isn't a thing in this world that I wouldn't do for you and I wish that you could see that. I wish that when you look at me, you could see in me what I see in you. I know you're marrying Rodney, but to me this changes nothing. I know that I won't be able to follow you around anymore or pester you for dates, but Leela, I will always love you. Until the day I die, I will love you.
"I'm happy for you, Leela, and...I...uh...I'll always be here...if you know, you need someone...or something..." Fry said, trying desperately to keep his voice steady. He leaned in to hug Leela, and she surprisingly relaxed in his arms.
She feels so good in my arms. If only I could hold her like this forever. Just like this, he thought. He held her tight for a few moments and then released, backing away and flashing her a smile.
"I'm..uh...I'm gonna start...er...finish loading the ship. Send Bender out when ya see him, will you? I'll talk to you later.." He turned to leave, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to come until he was safe out of sight from Leela.
Leela watched him turn to go, her mind urging her to do something. She knew she couldn't tell him that it wasn't an engagement ring. He'd take it that she wanted him and he'd come on stronger than ever. But seeing him walk away the way he did, without a wink or a funny gesture, seeing him like that filled her with a fear that she couldn't explain. For some reason, she felt like she was loosing her best friend.
Fry left a confused Leela sitting at the kitchen table, wondering what it was that had just happened. Thankfully, Amy arrived shortly after Fry left the room, distracting Leela from his strange behavior.
Amy walked in the room to find Bender standing among a pile of beer bottles and gave him a strange look as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"What happened to you?" she asked Bender, on the verge of laughing.
"Fry went postal on my ass, that's what happened."
Amy sat down next to Leela, laughing, "Fry go postal? That's not possible. He couldn't hurt a fly, even if he put all his brains into it. Actually, come to think of it...that's not much brain power is it?"
Leela sat quietly next to Amy with her arms crossed on the table in front of her, gazing again into her own coffee cup. It had grown cold and she knew that she wouldn't be drinking it, but started stirring the dark liquid absent-mindedly. Her hands needed something to do.
"Maybe not," Bender said, checking each of the bottles for any last drop of alcohol, "but jealousy can turn even the biggest idiot into a madman."
"Jealousy?" Amy had a momentary look of confusion and then a sense of comprehension quickly came over her, "I thought Fry was okay with you dating Rodney. You guys seemed fine a few days ago, what happened?"
Without saying a word, Leela held up her hand, showing Amy the diamond on her finger. The young girl gasped, standing up and nearly knocking over the chair to get a better look at the ring. Leela kept looking down at the table, a slight blush coming over. She couldn't help but let loose a little smile though at the reaction the ring brought from Amy.
"He...he proposed to you?!?" Amy asked in shock.
Leela glared at her, "Well don't act so surprised. We've been together for six months now. Besides, you little slut, at least I didn't have to knock up my boyfriend to get him to propose to me."
Amy looked at Leela in stoned silence.
"Ooooohhhh....she got you!" Bender taunted.
Silenced, Amy sat back down next to Leela for a moment. She then held out her own hand to show a stone not even half the size of Leela's and certainly not a diamond. Her smile was evil.
"It may not be a diamond," she said evily, "but at least I didn't have to sleep with a blow hard to meet my fiancee."
"Nope, I already called that one this morning, Amy" Bender said as he put the beer bottles in the trash.
"Damn!" Amy turned and pouted, cursing under her breath in Chinese.
Leela looked at them both in shock. It was disheartening how much they loved to berate her about her one night stand with Zapp Brannigan.
"From the looks of Bender, I'm guessing Fry didn't take it well," Amy said, stirring sugar into her mug.
"Actually," Leela said finally, "I haven't really talked to him about it yet."
"You really should, Leela. I mean, you owe at least that to him. He's liked you a really long time and he was relly hurt when you started dating Rodney out of the blue like that. Imagine how he feels now, when you haven't even talked to him about it. Isn't he supposed to be your best friend?" Amy took a sip of her coffee and then started to add more sugar.
"Yeah, I know," Leela said. It's just that I'm not really even sure if Rodney proposed to me or not. He promised himelf to me, but what all does that really mean? she asked herself.
She stood up and started walking to the door. Glancing at her wrist communicator, she noted that it was 8:25. Time to begin the day and time to talk to Fry.
---------------------------------------------------------------- --- ----- Fry sat on a set of crates at the loading dock. He had left the Planet Express kitchen over 45 minutes ago and hadn't even lifted a single crate. Leela would probably be angry and start to yell at him again, but he didn't really care. He needed time to think right now.
Leela watched him from the entry to the loading dock. He didn't see her or hear her enter, but she watched his every move. Or, rather, lack of movement. A cold feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach and she reasoned with herself that it wasn't the time. He was hurt right now and upset and trying to explain things to him now would only make things worse. What he needed was a friend and that's what she was determined to give him. If he wanted to talk about it, then she would, but not until he was ready. She shook her head. It was getting hard for even her to buy her own bull anymore.
She walked down the ramp to the crate beside Fry.
"Is this crate taken?" she asked, grinning at her friend.
He returned the smile and patted the crate, motioning for her to sit down. She was the last person that he wanted to see right now, but he concealed his emotions so as not to upset Leela.
She took the seat beside Fry and suddenly realized that she had nothing to say. There was an awkward moment between them that she knew shouldn't have been there. She knew that he still had feelings for her and Amy had just reaffirmed that information, but that had never stopped her from shooting down his aspirations at a relationship before. Now, sitting with him in the silence, she didn't even know how to talk to her best friend.
"Congratulations," Fry finally said quietly.
"Thanks," Leela said, trying her best to sound upbeat. She looked around the loading dock, hoping to find something that could inspire some conversation between the two of them. She found nothing. She was loosing what little courage she had quickly, so she decided to just spit something out and hoped it came out making sense.
"Fry....I.." she stammered, "I..." She looked at his face, so innocent. She could see the sadness in his eyes that he was so desperately trying to hide. "Fry...I...I wanted to thank you. For everything." A smile spread across Fry's face and Leela returned it, exhaling a sigh of relief.
Getting off his crate, Fry stood in front of her. Looking into her eye, Fry knew that he had lost his chance at this beautiful creature. She was going to marry someone who obviously made her happier than he ever could...and whom she loved more than she could ever love him. He smiled a gentle smile and decided at that moment that he would have to let go of the past three years of his life. Leela was out of his grasp, had been from the day he met her. He had only been too stupid see it.
I loved you from the day I met you, Leela, he told her mentally, there isn't a thing in this world that I wouldn't do for you and I wish that you could see that. I wish that when you look at me, you could see in me what I see in you. I know you're marrying Rodney, but to me this changes nothing. I know that I won't be able to follow you around anymore or pester you for dates, but Leela, I will always love you. Until the day I die, I will love you.
"I'm happy for you, Leela, and...I...uh...I'll always be here...if you know, you need someone...or something..." Fry said, trying desperately to keep his voice steady. He leaned in to hug Leela, and she surprisingly relaxed in his arms.
She feels so good in my arms. If only I could hold her like this forever. Just like this, he thought. He held her tight for a few moments and then released, backing away and flashing her a smile.
"I'm..uh...I'm gonna start...er...finish loading the ship. Send Bender out when ya see him, will you? I'll talk to you later.." He turned to leave, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to come until he was safe out of sight from Leela.
Leela watched him turn to go, her mind urging her to do something. She knew she couldn't tell him that it wasn't an engagement ring. He'd take it that she wanted him and he'd come on stronger than ever. But seeing him walk away the way he did, without a wink or a funny gesture, seeing him like that filled her with a fear that she couldn't explain. For some reason, she felt like she was loosing her best friend.