"The One" – Part 78
Summary and additional notes in part 1.
Author's Note: I'm back ;-) Had a busy but super awesome weekend! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! The line about Fiona's most embarrassing moment was definitely an Easter egg, and I'm surprised that so many of you picked up on it (that's very cool though!). I know I'm evil, but it will come up in due course! Believe me when I say, it's epically bad, and um… Yeah, don't wanna give anything away yet! But it's bad! Haha!
Okay, here's a brand new lengthy chapter! I revised it a few times, but decided to leave the ending as is…
Author's Note #2: This is not related to my Degrassi timeline fics. (See my Author's profile for details!)
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Degrassi!
-oOo-
"I always come up with the best conversations in my head, but when I see her… My mind goes blank. All I can do is smile," Gregory lamented.
Adam frowned as he stirred the eggs.
It was Tuesday morning. The two of them were in the kitchen talking about Gregory's crush. They called her 'Deli girl' because he had yet to get her name. He saw her nearly every day at his usual lunch spot, by his job. They exchanged "Excuse me" a few times. And once, when he was bold, he commented that her meal looked good. Deli girl smiled shyly in response, and he was too nervous to follow up.
Adam looked at him. "That's not good. Smile too hard and you'll come off as creepy."
Gregory sent him an annoyed look. "Thanks for that gem of wisdom!"
Adam chuckled. "Sorry! I'm done with jokes!"
Gregory shook his head unconvinced.
"Really!" Adam insisted. He turned down the flame on the stove burner. "You've got to get the words out somehow. If you don't speak to her, you can't ask her out."
"I know. Believe me, I know." Gregory was pretty good with girls when he was at the club or a bar. There he was armed with liquid courage. However, when it came to pursuing a girl outside of that environment he got tongue-tied! Most of his girlfriends had been the ones to make the first move. Without their boldness, it's likely the relationships wouldn't have started at all! This was something he definitely wanted to change about himself.
Adam smiled at him. "So what do you think is holding you up? Fear of rejection?"
Gregory shrugged. "More like fear I miscalculated. Or fear that I'll make a fool of myself."
Adam nodded with understanding. "When it comes to dating, I think everyone wrestles with that. The thing is, you have to be willing to take a chance. There's risk, but the reward is bigger! I mean, would you rather hang back because you don't want to risk looking like a fool, or have sex?"
Gregory snorted. "What do you think!"
"I think you're actions aren't matching up with your words," Adam noted.
"Well, approaching a girl isn't that easy for all of us," Gregory fired back. He had seen Adam in action and not only was the guy a hunter, but he drew girls to him a moth to a flame. It was really unfair!
"You're right," Adam acknowledged. "But the key is your mindset. If you believe you can do it, you will. If you believe you're going to trip up, you will."
Gregory sighed as he considered his roommate's words. He picked up his empty plate from the table and walked over to the stove.
"I think, instead of scripting the whole conversation, you should hold onto a couple of starters. The next time you see her, push through the feelings of butterflies and go for it! You have much more to gain than to lose," Adam told him. He placed some scrambled eggs on Gregory's plate.
"Thanks, man!" Gregory said. "For the food. The advice isn't half bad either."
"Har har!" Adam said with a grin. He followed him to the table. "So what time did you get back last night?"
"The café closed early last night, so they kicked me out around 11:30PM," Gregory laughed. "You guys were finishing up when I got back," he added with a smirk.
"Thin walls," Adam griped.
They both laughed heartily.
Fiona entered the kitchen. "Morning!" she said brightly. Her eyes fell on their plates. "Ooh, that looks good."
Adam chuckled. "There's more on the stove, and coffee," he informed her. She smiled and walked over to the table. They shared a quick kiss. She then grabbed an empty plate.
-oOo-
"So what are you going to do?"
Fiona sighed heavily. "I haven't decided yet."
She and Holly J were on their lunch break. They had picked up gourmet sandwiches and walked over to Central Park. They were currently sitting on a bench outside the park wall, along Fifth Avenue. The two were catching up. She had already filled in Holly J about her weekend with Adam and their activities yesterday. Now they were talking about last night's dinner with friends, more specifically the talk of Gretchen's upcoming book party at the end.
Holly J gave her a look. "Well, you know what my opinion is on the matter."
Fiona groaned. Holly J wanted her to go and support Gretchen. If she ran into Beth, Holly J proposed that she pull her aside so that they could quietly talk. Fiona wasn't a fan of that plan. It assumed Beth wouldn't make a scene. Fiona was pretty sure they would be serving alcohol, so she couldn't say for sure what would happen! She knew Beth well, but heartbroken Beth was a stranger to her.
"Maybe it would be better if you go on your own?" Holly J suggested.
Fiona shook her head. "Adam is the love of my life. I'm not leaving him behind because it might make some people more comfortable."
Holly J winced. She detected stubbornness and a hint of smugness in that statement. "I know, but you can't expect people to 'get with the program' practically overnight," she said delicately.
Fiona narrowed her eyes a little. Four weeks was a large chunk of time in her opinion! "I'm not budging on this. If I go, he goes," she insisted.
"And if he goes, the chances for drama increase," Holly J countered.
Fiona bristled. "Who's side are you on?"
Holly J laughed. Was it even a question? "I'm not attacking you here. You're being overly sensitive."
Fiona scoffed. "Your words make me even more inclined to see your point of view," she quipped sarcastically.
Holly J sighed. This was getting them nowhere! She decided to change tactics. "If this was a perfect world, what would you like the outcome to be?"
Fiona paused to consider her question. "I would like for Beth and I to be civil. It's a big night for Gretchen. We both know that, and we're both happy for her."
Holly J smiled. "Well then, you just have to figure out how to make it a reality."
Fiona nodded and took a sip of her water.
"So, yesterday… You really got away with your extended lunch break?" Holly J smirked.
Fiona giggled. "Yeah. They were all none the wiser, except Hanna. When I got back to my desk she raised an eyebrow at me but didn't comment. About a half hour later she sent a message to my smart phone saying, 'I would say hope you had a good lunch, but you're still practically glowing…'"
They both laughed.
"I've always liked her," Holly J remarked. Fiona and Hanna had been friends since their college days at FIT, so she had known her for quite awhile.
"The sentiment is mutual," Fiona informed her. She and Hanna had created the bridesmaid dresses for Holly J and Declan's wedding. They were still students at the time, so it was their first major project!
Holly J smiled. "So, are you and Adam going to take regular lunch breaks?" she teased.
"He took comp time yesterday, so I'm going to say 'no'," Fiona pointed out. "But as long as morning and night go well, it should be okay," she shrugged.
Holly J laughed heartily. "Twice a day? You guys are definitely in the new couple phase!"
Fiona smirked. "Any less and we're antsy!"
Holly J raised an eyebrow in amusement. "So this morning?"
Fiona nodded. "We kept the noise down while we went at it, doggie style."
Holly J nearly choked on her water. Now she had that visual in her head! "Thanks for that!"
"Whoops! I guess that's TMI?" Fiona said sheepishly.
Holly J gave her a scolding look, but couldn't hold it for long before laughing. "It is, but yay for three inches of love," she said playfully. From what Fiona told her, he definitely knew how to work what he had!
Fiona smiled a little before turning to her friend. "You can't make any kind of reference to that, from here on out. Adam would kill me!"
-oOo-
When she got back to work, Fiona thought about what Holly J said regarding Beth. As much as she didn't want to hear it, her sister-in-law had a point. If she wanted to make things better, it would require action on her part to make it a reality.
She sighed and turned her head to the side. Her eyes fell on the photo of her and Adam, taken at his sixteenth birthday party. They were young, and so completely in love. She loved that picture and wouldn't trade it for anything. But she was acutely aware that a photo of her and Beth used to be on her desk not too long ago. She had no desire to go back, but the past was something she couldn't ignore. No matter how much she'd rather do just that.
She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She selected 'Beth' and went to open a new text message.
** Hey. I think we should talk. – Fiona C. **
She felt anxious after sending that message. She experienced a hint of regret as she wondered if she had just awoken a sleeping giant… She quickly admonished herself for the thought. Beth was a person, just like her. A good person, who had been hurt. They were lovers for two years. She knew her intimately. She reminded herself she had nothing to fear.
Finally after twenty minutes, she got a reply.
** Why? – Beth L. **
Fiona inhaled sharply at the one word response. She quickly wrote back.
** Meet me tomorrow at the park. You know where. – Fiona C. **
.
tbc
A/N: Wow! It looks like Fiona and Beth may be meeting after all… Wonder how that will go? And what will Adam think of this?
As for the rest… Yay for Adam's advice to Gregory. Hopefully he takes it to heart, and makes a move with Deli girl! And, wow Fi! Major TMI with Holly J! *shakes head*
Review! You know you want to! :D
For the next chapter... I changed my mind. Am going to post one more chapter before moving on to the day of Gretchen's party. There's no Fadam in it, but it should still be interesting for sure. It's called "The Otherside"...
To the folks I cannot directly PM:
FadamFTW - For the answer to your question, see the note at the top. Thanks for the review!
AAe - Haha! Glad you already think so ;-) I guess I'm mean too for hinting about it. Well, it'll be epic for sure! Thank you for review!