"The One" – Part 21

Summary and additional notes in part 1.

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! We'll definitely learn more about bar girl all in good time... Here's fluffy chapter with Fadam and friends :D

This is not related to my Degrassi timeline fics. (See my Author's Profile for details!)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Degrassi!

-oOo-

Fiona heard voices from the other side of the door. She took a deep breath as she readied herself to meet Adam's friends. She was always shy when meeting new people but she tried her best to shake off nerves. He hadn't hesitated to join her at happy hour yesterday, where he hung out with her co-workers. It was only fair that she was willing to do the same. Besides these were Adam's friends, so she reminded herself they had to be nice. She didn't know any of his friends from college, aside from his current roommate, Gregory. She had only visited him at school a handful of times before they broke up midway through his Freshman year.

She knocked on the door.

Inside they all paused. Meg grinned at Adam excitedly. He shook his head and moved towards the door. He quickly unlocked and opened it. Standing on the other side was the woman who had been in his thoughts all day.

"Fiona," he smiled broadly. He pulled her into a hug. She quickly hugged back. He whispered into her ear, "I missed you."

Fiona smiled. "I missed you, too."

When they pulled away they shared a quick kiss.

"I have some people I want you to meet," he grinned.

Adam led her further inside. She spotted Gregory and waved. Next to him stood three people. A tall guy with brown hair and glasses, a much shorter woman with chestnut hair, and a blond guy who was holding the woman's hand.

"Fiona, this is Allen, Meg, and Isaac," he introduced them. "Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Fiona."

"Hi Fiona!" they all said at once. They then shook hands.

"Now that everyone is here, can we eat?" Meg questioned. She was starving!

Adam chuckled. "Of course. Since I'm new here and Gregory still thinks Domino's rates as fine cuisine, I'm going to defer to Fiona's vast New York City dining knowledge."

Fiona smiled at him. "Why thank you for this prestigious honor!"

They laughed.

"You're in luck. I know just the place," she told them.

-oOo-

Tapas were perfect for groups. They were a series of Spanish appetizers that the whole table shared instead of individual dishes. It facilitated social interaction, which was great when eating with people you just met.

"Wow, my mouth is watering just reading the menu!" Meg quipped. "Excellent choice, Fiona!" she complimented her. Isaac, who had his arm around his fiancé, smiled in agreement.

Fiona grinned. "Thank you."

Adam sent her a loving look. He was sitting next to her and squeezed her hand. "Do you have any recommendations?" he asked her.

She nodded and pointed out 5 dishes she really liked.

"I trust your judgment," Allen laughed. He wasn't a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination.

Gregory shrugged. He would have preferred takeout, but he figured this place wasn't so bad.

Ten minutes later the servers brought out their first dish, Chopitos. They all dug in.

"What are these?" Gregory asked curiously as he dipped one into the sauce provided.

Fiona looked at Adam. She was certain he knew as well.

"They're fried squid," he informed his friend.

Gregory made a face. "Squid?" he questioned alarmed.

The rest of them chuckled amused.

"Don't be such a big baby! Try it," Meg insisted.

Adam shrugged. "He's just hesitant because it's not part of his major four food groups."

Fiona raised an eyebrow. "This I want to hear!"

Adam grinned. "You know, pizza, Chinese, burgers, and fries," he teased.

Allen clapped a hand on Gregory's shoulder. "Burn!"

Gregory huffed and took a bite of the squid. "See! I'm not that rigid."

They all clapped.

"Wow, I'm half expecting to see pigs fly now," Isaac quipped.

Everyone laughed.

-oOo-

Dinner was going exceedingly well! Conversation flowed easily as they chatted about their everyday lives. Fiona learned quite a bit about Adam's friends, and vice versa. Meg was impressed with what Fiona did for a living. It struck her that the couple were very much opposites attract.

"So do you present your collection at Fashion Week?" Meg asked her. She fascinated by the prospect.

Fiona nodded. "Yes, every year at Bryant Park, for the past four years," she told her.

Isaac chuckled at the look of amazement on his fiancé's face. He and Adam exchanged amused smiles.

"So much preparation goes into it beforehand. It's the culmination of all the work we've done over entire year. It's the most important show because all the major buyers are there, as well as titans of the fashion industry and celebrities," Fiona continued.

"That's incredible!" Meg exclaimed.

Fiona grinned. "When I was a kid my mom would take me to the shows and they just blew me away. I dreamed of one day showing my own collection, so the day we actually did was pretty surreal. Each year still is, but it's very different from the other side. There's tons of pressure to get everything right. It's hands down the most stressful week of the year," she laughed. "I need like a two weeks vacation to recover, but of course there so much to do after the show it doesn't let up for weeks."

"I can imagine," Meg stated.

Fiona chuckled. "I love it though. I'm very happy that we've gotten as far as we have! Hanna and I started out working out of our dorm rooms and now we have an international brand! We've been lucky with the support we received from my family and Hanna's in-laws." The Sailing family had connections in the textile industry. "We push ourselves to keep moving forward and dream bigger, but really I design clothes I'd want to wear. Thankfully a lot of other people want to wear them too!"

Meg and Fiona laughed. Gregory didn't have anything to add to the conversation. He wasn't a fashion buff by any stretch of the imagination, but like the other guys he thought what Fiona had to say about her business was pretty amazing. He had no idea so much work went into running a fashion line!

"I trust your fashion sense," Allen told her. He generally stuck to wearing plaid and jeans but he recognized she had a flare for style. She was more dressed up than anyone else as the table, for sure. Only Adam came close, and that was because he dressed business casual for work!

"Thanks Allen," Fiona smiled.

"Yeah, the rest of us look like schlubs next to you," Gregory joked. He was a jeans and t-shirt guy. Preferably Metallica or Dead Hand ones.

Meg frowned at him. "Hey, speak for yourself!" She was no fashion model, but she thought she looked nice in her floral print skirt and simple white top. Isaac didn't have the most sophisticated style either, but he stuck with khaki pants and button down shirts. She thought he looked rather handsome in the ensemble.

Adam laughed. They were a group of Computer Science majors and here they were critiquing their personal style! "We all have our strengths, right?" he said in a light tone.

Fiona nodded. "I'm in awe of what you guys do. I mean, Isaac you're going to teach Computer Theory at the UPenn in the Fall! I have no idea what that entails, but it sounds impressive!"

The whole table laughed.

.

tbc

A/N: Haha! Fi's bringing out everyone's inner Fashionista! Btw, UPenn stands for the University of Pennsylvania.

Their night out continues in the next chapter, and there's major drama up ahead… :-x

Reviews are cool! :D