"The One" – Part 95
Summary and additional notes in part 1.
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Here's the next part! Enjoy :D
This is not related to my Degrassi timeline fics. (See my Author's profile for details!)
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Degrassi!
-oOo-
Sure enough, in the photo Adam was smiling with his left arm wrapped around Emily's waist. She wore a tight fitting black dress and rested her hand affectionately on his chest. Fiona couldn't help narrowing her eyes a little in distaste.
"The married folks were okay, of course, but the only singleton that was spared was Alli, and probably because she was behind the camera," Eli deadpanned. "He's not pictured, but she was there with her boyfriend, Chris."
Fiona smiled, amused. "Good for her!"
Eli slightly shrugged. "Yeah, they've been together for almost a year." Both of them travelled quite a bit for work, so he estimated they spent about half of that time apart. "Anyway, after Jeanine and I split up a couple of months ago, Adam declared this photo was a bad omen! Clare refused to get rid of it though, claiming it's one of the few photos where she doesn't look like 'a whale' while pregnant." Eli shook his head at her logic.
Fiona laughed heartily. "Wow. One photo, so many failed relationships," she lightly remarked in awe.
Eli nodded as he laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty sad."
"What happened with you and Jeanine?" Fiona asked curiously. Eli grimaced. "Nevermind," she quickly backtracked, sensing it was a touchy subject.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "We just weren't on the same page," he responded diplomatically.
"Right," Fiona said awkwardly. Now she regretted bringing this topic up!
"I mean, she's not a bad person or anything. We ended things on amicable terms," Eli explained. He glanced at Fiona and could tell she was still uncomfortable, so he resolved to move onto lighter fare. "I mean that. Obviously I can get along with my Exes," he remarked in an upbeat tone.
Fiona smiled. "That's true." She was amazed that Eli and Clare were on such good terms! There was no weirdness between them, nor any between Eli and Dave.
Eli grinned.
"I'm the same way with my Exes," Fiona told him. "Well, generally," she added, thinking about Beth.
He raised an eyebrow. "Every relationship is different. Sometimes you need space, whether it's months or years apart before you can try for friendship," he said knowingly. Adam had previously filled him in about her Ex drama!
Fiona slowly nodded. She glanced around the room. Seeing that it was still just the two of them, she forged ahead with a question she was dying to ask. "How did you and Clare get to the point you are now?"
Eli let out a deep breath as he contemplated the past. "Well, as you probably know, Clare and I were engaged. I asked her to marry me during my senior year at university."
"I heard," Fiona affirmed.
Eli continued, "Our problems started before then, but I was confident we could overcome them. We both were." He paused. "But as Clare finished her final year of studies, I felt her slipping away and I just didn't handle it the way I should have. I'm not proud of it. I should have given her space, but instead I got possessive and controlling…"
After a brief pause he turned to her. "You know, the thing I really admired about you and Adam is when things started to unravel, you guys let go. I know it was really painful for you to do so, but you didn't let it get to the point where what you had was forever damaged."
Fiona looked at him with sad eyes. She hated thinking of her break up with Adam. It was a mutual one, but it devastated her all the same.
"Anyway, I didn't handle our break up so well. I was kind of lost for awhile, trying to figure out my next move. I focused on work and threw myself back into the dating scene. As Adam mentioned earlier, I left town for a bit. I took a temporary assignment in Calgary and extended it after I learned about Clare and Dave." He ran a hand through his hair. He hated how that sounded, but it was his truth. "When I finally came back I realized this place was truly home. I missed everyone, and I didn't want to be this bitter, self-isolating person, you know? Clare and I met up for coffee–"
He smirked at the irony of his words. "Just coffee!" he added with a laugh.
Fiona shot him an annoyed look. That joke was getting old!
"We realized that we both missed our friendship and decided to repair it. After that, everything else seemed to fall into place. I reached an understanding with Dave and it was all cool," he finished.
"I'm happy it worked out for you guys," Fiona genuinely expressed.
"Thanks." Eli hoped his story would provide her with some perspective on her own situation. "It is tricky when you share mutual friends, but if you both are committed to making it work, you can," he asserted.
She looked at him and smiled.
"Hey guys," Clare said as she entered the room. "She's finally sleeping!" she informed them. "I think she was riled up from all the extra attention today."
Fiona and Eli turned to her. "That's great," he commented.
"So, we have a bit of time before Dave gets back with his Uncle and Aunt," Clare excitedly told them. The older couple was going to watch Sierra while she, Dave, Eli, and Fiona headed to Simpson's party. "Do you guys want more food?"
The budget the Alumni Association had for the party was rather limited. There were only going to be party snacks available - chips, pretzels, assorted drinks.
Eli shrugged. "Why not?"
-oOo-
Taylor smiled as she glanced over at Adam.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"
She softly laughed and shrugged her shoulders. Taylor was a slender woman of average height, though with her purple streaked light blonde hair, she looked every bit the part of a rock singer!
"It's been awhile, you know? Us singing together on stage, not doing karaoke!" she noted. Her hazel eyes twinkled with amusement.
Adam chuckled. "Yeah, true."
Their group formally disbanded after Adam and Taylor graduated from high school, however the two played a few gigs together over the years. Taylor was always in band and had invited him to join her on stage before, but this time was different. The band was literally back together and they were doing a full set their old songs. It was exciting!
Sav glanced at them from the rear view mirror. Having loaded their gear, the four of them along with Farrah and Abby had piled into his van and were en route to Degrassi Community School.
"I just want my money!" Sav ribbed Adam. Drew nodded and laughed.
"Same here!" Taylor grinned.
Adam frowned at them. "Oh ye of little faith!" he declared in jest.
Everyone laughed.
During rehearsal they were practicing a song that called for Adam to hit some rather high notes in his backing vocals at the end. Before he transitioned this was no problem because his singing range had been higher than Taylor's. They spent time this afternoon reworking their harmonies, so that Adam could sing along in a lower key, but he claimed he could still manage this part in a falsetto. They all had been skeptical.
"I stand corrected!" Drew proclaimed when Adam proved that he could. "But I still don't think you'll actually sing it on stage!" Though he thought it would be a sight to see!
"Try me," Adam had replied, agreeing to the challenge and a bet was born!
Sav made a left turn at the corner. "We're gonna pull up at the student parking lot," he reminded everyone. They had made decent time, but the party was already underway.
"Guess we're one step closer!" Abby playfully noted. Drew had boasted quite a bit about his 'glory days' with football and playing in the band. It would be fun to see him in his element.
Drew glanced at Adam. "Let's do this!" he said in an exaggerated tone, recalling a rather enthusiastic former band mate from their pre-Taylor days!
The two brothers laughed.
.
tbc
A/N: Haha! Emily's in the past y'all! Though Eli's past revisited was quite interesting, no?
Yay! Looks like we're almost at Simpson's party. And, we've finally met Taylor, the often referenced fourth band member and lead singer. It's about time to rock and roll...
Review! You know you wanna! :D
Up next… Familiar faces and plenty of flashbacks ;-)
Off-topic: Am glad I was able to get this part up before the storm hits, because I'm pretty sure we're gonna lose internet at some point! But I think the phones might be alright, if so I've got my droid :D
To the folks I cannot PM:
AAe – It was crazy, right? But I'm very glad it turned out fine, with no real damage. But what a week we're having! First earthquakes, now a hurricane! Not sure if you're near the coast, but either way stay safe! Thanks for the review!