Phoebe's time! Thank you all who have reviewed so far =)

Do I have fun with him? Yes. Do I like him? Sure. Do I want to be with him forever? Debatable. Should I feel guilty about this? Absolutely. Do I? Not at all.

I used to feel so guilty about what I do with Arnold, but now that she knows part of me doesn't care, and the part that does is buried too deep. The first anniversary where he chose me over her had me in tears. Helga is…was…my best friend. Not anymore though, not since he's told her.

I'm glad for it really. Whenever she would call me crying I would come so close to confessing. Now she doesn't call me at all. Gerald can be a romantic guy, but only when he feels like it. We've been together so gone that the excitement just isn't there anymore for me. He'd stopped being interested in anniversaries after the first couple years of us being together.

Arnold and I….we have a special connection and one that I'm not willing to give up-and neither is he. I feel like a teenager again when we're together. We've been together for about 6 years…just after high school. We want to get married someday, but it's not the right time for either of us.

We have our own apartment that is between my home and his. Today is his 8th anniversary with Helga, but tonight he's lying in bed with me. I curl up to him a little more and he holds me closer. We're both wide awake, and have to leave soon. I'm looking forward to the day when we don't need to wait.

I've always been on okay terms with Arnold during school. Better terms then he was on with Helga. I was surprised when she called me all excited saying that he had asked her out. We hardly saw each other anymore because we were in two different worlds during high school. I was happy for her though.

Arnold was the captain of the football team-every girl's dream boy- but he was also a pothead, actually he still smokes every once in a while when he gets stressed out. He confessed something interesting to me a few years ago. We had been sitting on the couch watching a movie and suddenly he said that we had to talk and he shut the TV off. At first I was worried he was going to break up with me, but instead he told me the truth.

He had asked Helga out on a dare, on a bet. He found that he had fun with her though and so decided to keep her around and not tell her about why he had asked her out. When they broke up the first time he did miss her. Now though, it just seemed so routine, but part of him is still that nice guy from grade school. He knows how hopelessly in love with him she is, and he doesn't want her to do something stupid and hurt herself if he left for good.

I told him that Brainy wouldn't let that happen but Arnold just shrugged it off. I look up at him as he starts to talk. "We should get going." His voice is deep, and there's almost a reluctant tone to it. Looking over at the time I know he's right. He showers and leaves first, back to Helga, back to a shouting match with Brainy before he goes in to the apartment.

I pick myself up and take a shower before redressing. We both have our own little wardrobes here, and it's come in handy. I walk back to the apartment I share with Gerald, already missing Arnold's touch. I open the door, Gerald works late on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Today just so happens to fall on a Friday.

I flick the lights on and I'm startled. He's sitting on the couch, wide-awake. In the kitchen I can see the faint glow of dimming candles and it smells very good, maybe chicken with rosemary? Today is our anniversary too. It was funny how our anniversaries landed on the same day…but I never expected anything for mine anymore.

"Hello Phoebe." I work from home, so unless I tell him I'm going to be out with friends, I'm usually always home-especially at this time.

"Hi Gerald." I say softly and close the door. I've kept the relationship from him for so long, but one look in his eyes and I know he knows, but he wants to hear me say it.

"How was your evening?"

"Good…"

"Who were you with."

"Oh Helga and I-"

"Don't lie to me Phoebe. I know full well you and Helga don't speak anymore. Could it, perhaps, having something to do with Arnold?" His eyes are accusing.

"Yes." I manage to take a breath. He waits silently until I come clean about everything. About how we met a few months after high school and how we started talking and then somehow it evolved to a 6 year long affair.

After I finish talking I'm in tears and he has nothing at all to say. His eyes are cold and his features are emotionless. Like he already knew about it all and just needed to make sure. Half an hour later he has a duffel bag on his shoulder. "Good bye Phoebe." And then he's gone. A 10 year relationship down the drain. He's asked me to marry him many times but I always told him I wasn't ready and now he knows why. I lay down right there on the couch and close my eyes. Maybe it's all a horrible dream and when I wake up everything will be better.