"The One" – Part 24

Summary and additional notes in part 1.

Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! Hearing opinions on Kristine has been interesting! Wonder what the consensus will be after this chapter…

Here's the second update of the day!

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

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Degrassi!

-oOo-

Adam was deep into concentration as his eyes focused on the dartboard. He lined up his hand to throw, and swayed back and forth a few times before letting go. He jumped up when he saw it landed inside the triple ring.

"Booyah!" he exclaimed as he turned to Gregory. His roommate shook his head in defeat. Adam continued to pump his arms in the air.

"That was a lucky shot!" Gregory dismissed him.

Adam laughed heartily. "You my friend, owe me twenty bucks! Cash only!" he boasted.

Gregory suddenly threw him a warning look. "Dude…" He wasn't able to say more before a third party joined them.

"Hey Adam. Can we talk?" Kristine asked him.

Adam nervously glanced around. Fiona was sitting at the table talking to Meg and Isaac. He sighed and turned back to her. "Uh, about what?"

Gregory took a sip of his beer and inconspicuously moved a few steps back. He didn't want to abandon his friend, but he didn't want it to be obvious that he was eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Last week you didn't have a girlfriend," she stated. He nodded. "This week you do?" she questioned.

"As I told you, it's recent," he insisted. He was beginning to feel awkward standing here with her.

"Right…" she said unconvinced. She stepped closer. "Let's just call this what it is."

He peered at her curiously. "What?"

"Cancelling on lunch hurt your feelings and now you're trying to make me jealous. You don't have to do that," she said, giving him a knowing look.

Adam furrowed his brows, wondering where she was going with this.

She smiled wickedly. "Take me home and you can get back at me all night," she told him seductively.

Gregory raised his eyebrows to the roof. Honestly, it was like senior year of college all over again. He didn't know how his friend did it, but once he reeled a girl in they would come back again and again. Adam once joked about it, calling it 'the rule of threes' because more than one of his one night stands turned into three-night-stands. Once again, Gregory found himself jealous of Adam's luck with girls. However, at the moment it looked like it was coming back to haunt him. Fiona was walking towards them and he didn't have enough time to warn him.

Adam blinked. "No, that's not what this is," he firmly told her. He wasn't one to play hard to get! If a girl wasn't feeling him, he'd move on – not pretend to be with someone else to make her jealous!

Kristine giggled. "Somehow I don't believe you." She reached out and ran her hand down his chest.

"What are you doing?" Fiona yelled at the other girl.

Kristine froze and Adam took the opportunity to remove her hand. They had been very hands on when they flirted in the past, so it wasn't shocking that Kristine would touch him. He was annoyed that she was ignoring all his signs of disinterest, including when he directly told her he was dating someone.

"I'm not trying to get back at you. I'm really dating her!" Adam insisted. Kristine seemed to be paying him no mind, as her eyes were narrowed at Fiona.

"What does it look like?" Kristine retorted haughtily.

"It looks like you're desperately chasing after a guy who's already taken," Fiona responded.

Adam blinked. Sure he had seen her go off on people before, but seeing this side of her was rare. Gregory looked at him stunned and Adam was sure his expression was the same.

"He wasn't taken last week!" Kristine fired back. They hooked last Monday and Wednesday. Both nights they had long sack sessions and she stayed over. She didn't see any evidence of a girlfriend – no keepsakes or photos.

"Well, he is now so you can stop trying so hard!" Fiona asserted. Adam told this chick more than once tonight that he was in a relationship, yet she was still hanging on!

"Hey, let's just all calm down," Adam interjected. Both girls ignored him.

"I find it hard to believe he'd fall for such an obvious downgrade," Kristine spat at her. Fiona was fuming.

Adam instantly frowned. "Fiona isn't a downgrade!" he protested.

He didn't know in what world she would be considered one! He added more quietly, "Look, I'm sorry things didn't work out between us. We were casual and I found someone who I want to be serious with. Very serious."

He looked up at Fiona and she smiled at him. He smiled back, feeling instantly lighter and hopeful that this evening wouldn't mar things between them.

"Well you can have him!" Kristine huffed. She felt like a fool for putting herself out there. "He has a small penis anyway!" she yelled loudly.

Adam looked after her, stunned as she stomped off. He was certain at least half the bar heard her outburst. He thought it was low after she had been trying to get with him all night. She went for the jugular, attacking him where she thought it would hurt. He rolled his eyes because it was rather absurd. She had no complaints with his size when they were hooking up. And he certainly didn't have a complex about it. As a guy born without male equipment, he was thrilled at how much growth he had on hormones and was actually on the larger side for trans guys.

Gregory sent him a sympathetic look. "Dude, that was brutal!" It was scary how quickly seemingly nice, normal girls could flip out on a moment's notice.

Adam glared at him. "Thanks Captain Obvious," he deadpanned. He then looked at Fiona, worried about her reaction.

"Well, that was interesting end to a pleasant evening," she quipped with an irritated expression on her face.

"Fiona, I am so sorry–"

She held up a hand. "Don't."

He fidgeted and rubbed the back of his neck as he waited for her to continue.

Fiona was annoyed that Adam ever hooked up with such a witch, but she understood it happened before they started dating. He had no idea that he was going to run into her and get back together. Neither did she. If someone had told her last week that she was going to break up with Beth she would have been shocked.

"You have nothing to apologize for," she declared as she looked into his eyes. "Obviously that chick is having issues letting go, but that's her problem."

Adam let out a huge sigh of relief. He pulled Fiona into his arms. "Thank you."

She raised an eyebrow. "What are you thanking me for?"

He grinned. "For being you," he said simply. "And being understanding."

Gregory looked on with a smirk. Adam was one lucky son-a-bitch.

.

tbc

A/N: Wow… New York girls have sharp elbows apparently! (haha, I say that as a born and bred New Yorker!) Hmm... Fiona's coming across as quite understanding, but I'm not sure if I buy that…

Review! You know you want to! :D

Off topic: FYI, I'm going to update my fic "Long Weekend" tomorrow :D