AN: Here it is, the last installment! I hope you've all enjoyed this story - I had a blast writing it. Thanks again to troubadette for organizing the ArTina ficathon, and to ellatrobbie for giving me such an awesome prompt!
Please review! I love getting feedback :)
May 26th, 2012. 2:10 pm.
Dearest Tina,
Before sophomore year, I didn't know what it felt like to have a friend – to have someone who would always have my back, someone who would always care. Thanks, for the weekends spent in the park listening to our iPods and talking about nothing in particular; for the mornings spent passing notes in English class; for the afternoons spent singing together in Glee; and for the nights spent watching movies and eating way too much junk food.
I know we grew apart – but I want you to know there wasn't a single day I didn't wish we could somehow overcome the chasm, and close that gap. It might have taken us until the last day of Senior year to take the first step, but I hope this is just the beginning. I'm not going to say goodbye, or keep in touch, or any of the classic yearbook clichés, because I know we won't be saying goodbye, and that we will keep in touch.
Let's be friends again, Tina. And if I play my cards right, maybe more?
All my love,
Artie
Tears are brimming in Tina's eyes as she finishes reading the message that Artie's written to her in her yearbook. He'd chosen a new, crisp page – unsullied by Mercedes' sparkly purple pen, or Rachel's gold star stickers. She runs her fingers lightly over his signature. All my love. She can feel the indents that his pen made, and her heart beats quicker.
She quickly blinks the tears away and lifts her gaze from her yearbook. Tina meets his eyes, and he's looking at her – expectantly, but a little hesitant.
May 26th, 2012. 2:14 pm.
Artie feels a warmth wash over him as she gives him the widest, most brilliant smile he's ever seen grace Tina's face.
What he'd written in her yearbook – it needed to be said, but he wasn't sure how she'd take it.
Her smile is all he needs, and he bravely covers her small hand with his larger one.
May 26th, 2012. 2:16 pm.
He's facing her, hand over hers. They've been staring at each other, grinning at each other like fools for maybe two minutes, and Tina decides it's time to break the silence – it's getting a little ridiculous.
"I'm scared."
Tina winces and mentally berates herself. Seriously? You haven't so much as spoken a word to him in months, and this is the first thing that comes out of your mouth? You couldn't say something sweet instead? He just poured his heart out to you in your yearbook, he's holding your hand for crying out loud and you just say "I'm scared?"
If Artie's caught off guard by her first words, he doesn't let it show. He lets go of her hand momentarily, and in one smooth movement, he lifts himself out of his wheelchair and onto the bench next to her.
"Scared of what, Tee?"
Artie's got one hand on her knee now, and his brow is furrowed in a way that really makes him look…sexy. Tina's full-on distracted by the way he's staring intently at her. She wishes she hadn't said anything because now they're going to have this conversation, when really all she wants to do is kiss him.
May 26th, 2012. 2:33 pm.
Artie's on top of the world. For the last 15 minutes, he and Tina have been chatting – just chatting. And even though the way her hair is falling around her face, and the way she smiles at him tentatively, and the way she chews on her bottom lip until it's slightly swollen makes him want to do nothing but kiss her silly, Artie stops himself.
Tina's telling him all about how scared she is to go off to a whole new place, and have to make new friends and find a new niche to fit into. He's nodding and reassuring her, and it just feels right.
After all, not talking and not listening is what got them into trouble in the first place, and Artie is determined not to make that mistake this time around.
His train of thought is broken though, when Tina gasps and claps a hand over her mouth. "Oh god, Artie! I've been so self-centered…I haven't even asked you where you're going for college! Where are you going?"
He can't help but chuckle at the horrified expression on Tina's face.
May 26th, 2012. 2:35 pm.
He's full-on laughing at her, and she's not quite sure what to make of this.
Artie stops laughing and jokingly pokes her in the side "Geez Tina, constantly dominating the conversation. I know it's been a while since we've hung out, but I didn't think Rachel Berry had taken over your brain."
At this, she sticks her tongue out at him and crosses her arms in mock anger – but Tina can't keep it up for long, and she dissolves into giggles.
"So? Where are you going? Or are you going to make me torture it out of you? I can do my best Rachel Berry talk-a-mile-a-minute impression again."
Artie looks at her, and Tina's not quite sure, but she thinks maybe there's something significant about the way he's looking at her.
"M.I.T., actually. I'm finally proving my parents wrong – all the time I "wasted" building models and robots does pay off."
Tina squeals and throws her arms around him. She can't stop herself from blabbing about how thrilled and proud she is of him. M.I.T. It's a perfect fit, and Tina's getting a little weepy and sappy just thinking about it. She refuses to start crying again, so she reins herself in and settles for teasing him about how he's probably relieved that he's no longer going to be the nerdiest guy around.
May 26th, 2012. 2:38 pm.
Artie's blushing at all her taunting, but he's still staring at her as if he's waiting for something to sink in.
And suddenly, it hits her. M.I.T.
"Boston? You'll be in Boston, then?"
May 26th, 2012. 2:39 pm.
Artie feels like his throat is constricting. He's been waiting for her to just get it for a few minutes now, but Tina's always been a little slow at cottoning on to jokes and other things — it's one of the things he finds so adorable about her.
She finally does though, and when she says 'Boston? You'll be in Boston, then?" he can hear the hope in her voice, and the lilt at the end of her question makes his heart sing.
Artie nods slowly. "Yeah, Boston. So…not so far from Rhode Island."
The grip that she has on his hand tightens, and her eyes are shining. He's pretty sure that he's got the same dopey look on his face that she does on hers.
May 26th, 2012. 2:40 pm.
It feels like they've just been staring at each other for hours, but sensibly, Tina knows it hasn't been nearly that long.
I'm going to be at the Rhode Island Institute of Design. RISD. In Providence, Rhode Island. And Artie's going to be at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. M.I.T. In Boston, Massachusetts.
Tina's not quite sure why her brain is spelling everything out painstakingly, as if she was a child, but at least it's giving her time to think and process what this means. What it means is that they'll be an hour or so apart.
"No…not so far from Rhode Island."
June 7th, 2012. 2:40 pm.
They're at an afternoon show of the latest summer blockbuster gore-fest, because Tina, as obsessed with death and darkness as she is, refuses to watch horror movies when it's dark out.
Artie had almost forgotten that small detail – it had been awhile since they'd seen a movie together – but he hadn't forgotten her love of Swedish Fish. He sensibly bought two bags, because he knew that would be the only way he'd ever get any.
June 7th, 2012. 3:30 pm.
Artie is full-on hogging the popcorn, but it's OK, because every time she gets scared, she buries her head in his shoulder and the way he rubs circles into her back comfortingly feels like home.
Tina's pretty sure she'd give up popcorn forever, if she gets to have Artie by her side for every scary movie.
July 19th, 2012. 4:00 pm.
It's the hottest day of the year, and he and Tina are lying out in his backyard. His parents are visiting his aunt out in San Francisco, so he has the house to himself for a full week.
The sight of Tina dressed only in a black bikini top and the tiniest of denim shorts, fanning herself with a piece of junk mail, is completely distracting him.
Their relationship has been pretty chaste up until now – practically the way it was before they broke up the first time. It's like they mutually decided, without having a conversation about it, that they would take it slow, for fear of crashing and burning.
But now, in this heat, Artie can't help but think what it might be like to suck on the skin right under her jaw. How she'd taste, how she'd react.
July 19th, 2012. 4:05 pm.
A spray of ice-cold water hits him in the side of the face. Artie looks up, and Tina's standing over him, holding a garden hose, grinning mischievously.
"You looked like you needed a cooling off there, mister."
Artie feels his face flush, but decides she needs a taste of her own medicine.
"You know it isn't fair, Tee – I can't get up and chase after you, so—"
In one swift movement, Artie grabs Tina's hand, the one that's holding the garden hose and pulls her down on top of him and drenching them both in water.
"– you're going down."
July 19th, 2012. 4:08 pm.
Tina's suddenly very aware that neither of them is wearing very much at all. Although they're both soaking wet, the places where his skin touches hers feels searing hot.
Tina lets go of the hose, and wraps her arms around Artie's neck. She kisses him gently, but Artie clearly has other ideas. He loops an arm around her waist and pulls her even closer. His lips overtake hers, demandingly, and he plants kisses all along her jawline, sucking and releasing the flesh.
Tina's breath catches in her throat and she feels dizzy and light-headed. She lets out a little moan, and every fiber in her body is telling her to just go with it and enjoy it, but her stupid mouth says the words anyway:
"This is different. From before."
July 19th, 2012. 4:10 pm.
Artie stops what he's doing at the sound of Tina's tentative voice. She might not have come right out and said it, but Artie knows what she really means.
What she really means is: "You learned how to do all that without me. With Sarah."
July 19th, 2012. 4:11 pm.
Tina can feel the tears slide down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Artie. I shouldn't have said anything – it's not –not you, or what you were doing – that was all good. I just…my stupid mouth…"
She's rambling but she can't bring herself to stop. Now I've ruined it. "I'm such a ridiculous hypocrite – it's not like I didn't…do anything…with Mike…and I don't have a right to be jealous or anything, because—because we were both with someone else…and it's only natural—"
July 19th, 2012. 4:13 pm.
Artie watches as she self-combusts. And he can't just let her twist and ramble anymore. He grasps both her hands in his and interrupts her with a strong, "Tina."
She stops shaking and looks up at him, her eyes full of shock at his firmness.
"Tee. We always knew it was going to be weird at first, this second time around. You were with Mike, and I was with Sarah. There's no point pretending otherwise and beating around the bush about that. Neither of us can change that."
He softens his tone, and draws her close to him. "Hey, we sucked at being a couple the first time around. We should see it as Mike and Sarah making us better, not keeping us apart – they made us better for each other, ready for this second chance."
July 19th, 2012. 4:15 pm.
Tina is a little flabbergasted by his calmness. Who is this new Artie?
Tina sits up abruptly and stares at him. "I feel like I'm discovering new things about you everyday. You still hog the popcorn at movies, insist on cutting everything up on your plate before you take a first bite, and your favorite thing to do is still to lie on the couch and watch a marathon of Arrested Development, but…there's so much different too. I like this new, firmer, rational Artie."
Tina grins and traces a finger lightly down Artie's side. "I won't lie. I didn't get to see the abs and arms last time. They're new to me, and I like those too."
He grins a little at her playful touch, but Tina can tell that his eyes are still serious. He's looking up at her, and the next thing he says to her makes her heart feel so full she's sure it's going to burst.
"I'm not giving up on us this time, Tee. I don't care how bumpy it is as we discover new things about each other, I don't care how many fights we have. I'm not giving up on us this time."
August 16th, 2012. 10:00 am.
Tina sighs as she looks in her mostly-empty closet. She's packed. And leaving for college. She literally can't fit another thing in her suitcases. Her orientation begins in a few days, and she's scared shitless.
She's starting anew, and Tina hates change. And even though Artie'll be an hour away, they both agreed that they shouldn't lean on each other too much, shouldn't spend all their free time with each other – at least not at first.
Rationally, Tina knows this is right. They should both make new friends, and those first months at college are crucial for that. Irrationally, Tina thinks to herself, Dammit, Artie's my best friend and my boyfriend – I should be able to call him and see him whenever I damn well please.
The doorbell rings repeatedly, and she can hear her mother hollering at her to please get the door – so Tina dashes down the hall, and flings the door open.
She's unsurprised to find that it's Artie. He beckons her out onto the front porch and she follows. She finds it a little strange that he's not saying anything, but she goes with it.
All of a sudden, he's pulling her down by the waist and she tumbles into his lap. His lips are covering hers, and he's using his tongue to part her lips. His fingers are tangled in her hair, and she's exploring the skin right under the hem of his shirt. He moves his mouth to her ear and down to her neck. Tina moans softly as Artie sucks on the skin right behind her ear, gentle but firm.
When they finally come up for air, she looks at him curiously.
He's smiling at her, his eyes a little sad. "I just wanted to make sure you wouldn't forget me, Tee. I know you'll be meeting a lot of guys – all these artsy, hot guys…and I didn't want you to forget your nerd, here."
She puts a finger to his lips to stop him, and then replaces her finger with her lips to silence him.
August 16th, 2012. 10:45 am.
Artie hears someone banging at the front door incessantly. Their doorbell is broken, and his parents are both out, so he's grumbling to himself about rude, impatient people and wheeling himself to the door as fast as he can.
He throws open the door and he's surprised to see Tina, her hair tangled and blowing about her. She had clearly run here at full-speed.
She swoops in, kicks the door closed behind her. Without a word, she bends forward and plants a sweet kiss on his lips. She's climbs into his lap and she deepens the kiss, and his head feels a little light even as his hands find their natural place around her waist. She's raking her fingers through his hair and he can feel her sucking at his neck, and he knows she's leaving her mark.
She's smiling at him, her eyes shining brightly. "Just a little something to remember me by, until I see you in two weeks."
Artie lets out the breath he doesn't even remember holding. Two weeks. Two weeks isn't so bad.
May 30th, 2042. 8:00 pm.
Artie thinks to himself, this is the life.
He's sitting on the couch in their house in Chappaqua, New York reading the newspaper and relaxing with a glass of scotch. His wife, the love of his life, is dishing up Chinese takeout onto plates because even though no one had the time to cook tonight, she refuses to let them eat out of paper cartons.
His daughter, Ella, is lying on the couch next to him, her long black hair dangling of the end of the couch and her legs draped over the arm of the couch. She's deep in a teenage funk, over her boyfriend. Artie's only paying half-attention to whatever it is she's whining about, but her insistent "Dad. Dad! Dad – are you even listening to me?" gets him to put down the paper.
"Dad? Is it possible for high-school sweethearts to even stay together after graduation? I mean…you go off, and you have separate lives in separate colleges…is it even worth trying with Mike? Or should we just break up, and spend the summer nursing our broken hearts?" Ella asks, a tad melodramatic.
Artie smiles at his daughter in a fatherly way that he is sure is completely annoying to his teenage daughter. He looks over at Tina, and she's clearly been eavesdropping on the conversation because she's smirking at him.
"I don't know sweetheart. Some of us get lucky sometimes."
Fin.