Disclaimer: No rights to Winx Club. Believe me, you would know if I did. ;D I also happen to own nothing else except for this plot line. Go me, huh?
Soooo... Generally, this is where I announce if Sarah is with me. And – if I am being entirely honest – she actually would have been here if I had chosen to wait until this weekend to post this. But I really think that you guys deserve this now. Not to mention, I just finished this chapter last night and I really would like to get it out while I actually feel like posting.
Alright, I guess I will quickly explain my situation. Like, in one sentence, because I don't want to get into any nitty gritty details. Those of you who seriously care or whatever, PM me, and I'll try to explain what happened, but don't count on it. I've told only one person on Fanfiction that I don't know in real life, and it will most likely stay that way.
So, within these past... ten and a half months (wow, it's been so long!), I have been hospitalized due to something unknown, Sarah has been hospitalized with kidney stones, my family has fallen apart because my parents are getting a divorce, my mom had a heart attack (because of genetics and stress [from said divorce]), my mom's boss had a stroke, my brother had a car wreck, and I suffered a dangerous bout of depression that caused me to almost fail an online Lit. course, which ultimately would have caused me to fail Senior year and not allow me to graduate high school.
Nice, sentence, huh? If you're wondering, my mom is okay – her heart attack was actually back right before Christmas, and now I'm the owner of a dog (she's adorable – a Yorkie puppy ^^). Sometimes the dog is more bad than good. And my brother was okay from his very recent wreck – no one was badly hurt, and the worst part is he has to get a new car. But yeah. If anyone was angry with me about my lengthy absence, I hope you forgive me. I know it's almost been two years since I started this, but maybe I'll actually finish it and move onto better ideas, hm?
So, for those of you who actually read this and care, I am (almost) officially a high school graduate! Isn't it exciting~? Today was my very last day of high school. Ever. I'm kinda bummed, but my excitement wins out over it all. :) Anyway, I graduate this weekend, so that's why it's likely that, even though Sarah would have been here, this wouldn't have gotten out. So, I chose to do it my last day of high school. That's fun, too, no?
So, this is dedicated to any 2011 Graduate – be it high school or college! I hope you guys enjoy!
Oh, one last thing: Every couple has a "kiss" scene. Just felt the urge with the whole Valentine's theme. :)
So, let the story continue~ ;D
Chapter ix: Je T'aime
"Okay, girls, we have less than two hours to make Tecna and Flora presentable for their dates tonight! Bloom, do Flora's hair and makeup, and Musa, you do Tecna's. I'm going to go find them some clothes," Stella ordered, tossing her stuff on the couch. She then darted out of the room to head up the stairs.
"Did she just assign us jobs? She could've asked," Musa scowled.
"It's Stell. She doesn't do the asking all that much. Be glad you aren't her project. She'd try to get rid of your pigtails first thing," Bloom sighed, setting her stuff down a lot more gently than Stella had.
Musa snorted. "That wouldn't be happening in a million years." She, too, set her stuff down, glancing at Bloom's items. "Huh. So he gave it to you?"
Bloom blinked confusedly before she looked down. "Oh, yeah. I went and got it from him at lunch since he wasn't in phys. ed. this morning," she answered, smiling slyly.
"Who gave you what?" Tecna inquired.
"Uhm..." Bloom hesitated.
"Bloom, don't lie to us," Flora headed that option off immediately.
Bloom released a frustrated sigh. "Let's go upstairs so that I can get this out and not have to repeat myself," the redhead told her friends, knowing they would ask plenty of questions. She heard Musa's snicker and shot her a dark look before grabbing the package and leading the way up the stairs.
Since she and Flora had been there so often, they saw nothing odd about the kitchen and lounge on the second floor that they all had to go through to get to the area of the house where the rooms were. They also saw nothing odd about having to go into a small hallway (it was roughly the size of the maid's closet, actually) with another set of stairs. It was after they went up those stairs that they finally entered Stella's room.
Bloom sighed and set her item down on Stella's bed. "Hey, Stell, we're up here!" she exclaimed.
"All right! Give me a few more minutes. I want to give them a selection," Stella replied, though her voice sounded faint.
Bloom sighed and turned to look at Flora and Tecna to get them into their chairs, but she stopped at the look on Tecna's and Musa's faces. "What?"
"You were complaining about Sky's house, but he doesn't have a third floor or a very obscure route to his room," Musa answered almost immediately. "And he doesn't have a kitchen on the second floor."
"Okay, first, Sky's family doesn't live in a house. That thing is a mansion with iron gates and thirty-feet-high walls surrounding the entire property, which is out in the middle of nowhere. And he has three kitchens on the first floor, as well as a full staff who gets every third Sunday off. And you're asking me about Stella's obscure room and second kitchen on the second floor." Bloom quirked a brow. "Doesn't that seem a bit insane? Not to mention all the acres of land they have. A small college or university could be started in his back yard," Bloom retorted. "Oh, and don't let me forget this: all the furniture and utilities he has in his room, bathroom, closet, and just his clothes cost more than Stella's entire first floor, which you have yet to see all of, but trust me, that's saying something."
Flora's brows shot up. "You've been in Sky's room?"
"And his bathroom?" Stella asked, which made Bloom wonder how long the blonde girl had been there.
"Hm. Well, you answered my question in your rant, but I'm curious about how his clothes factor in," Tecna added.
"I'm curious about the clothes, and I was there the whole night," Musa agreed.
Stella gasped. "Oh, my goodness, you were in his room that night of Savannah's birthday party, weren't you?" She shook the clothes in her hand at Bloom for only a couple of seconds before she realized she needed to spread them out on her bed. She moved to do such as Bloom started explaining.
"First, yes, it was on the thirty-first, Savannah's birthday. As for the clothes, I had to wear something the next day. Do you not remember Sky and Savannah ganging up on me about not wearing dirty clothes? Because that was when I got to see his closet," Bloom stated, answering Musa's question directly.
Musa snapped her fingers and nodded. "Yeah, I remember that now. I would've been laughing at you if I hadn't had that pesky little girl complaining about every little thing."
"At least yours didn't hate you. Tiffany made my job difficult because of Sky. No one gave me a heads-up about her ten-year-old crush on her friend's brother," Bloom retorted, shaking her head.
Musa grinned. "Well, I don't think any of us knew before she gave you such a hard time and then hung all over him. I've known Tiffany for years, and she's never done that."
"Yeah, well, I'm sure my answer to that stupid question didn't help," Bloom muttered, folding her arms across her chest.
"This is the second time you've said something about a question. I want to know!" Stella demanded.
"Okay, okay, calm down. We'll tell you, but don't forget that we need to work on Flora and Tecna. If we go by what you usually do, though, we need to choose their clothes first. So, if you can do that while listening, I'll talk," Bloom agreed. The three girls who were curious spurred into action.
"So, we were playing Truth, and the way they do it is where if you pass the first two questions, you must answer the third one. I got the smart girl who wanted to ask her question she really wanted last and made sure to word her first two questions to where none of them were the same. I ended up having to answer the question of whether or not I liked Sky, as in enough to agree to being his girlfriend if he were to ask me."
Bloom paused for a second, sighing as the three girls who hadn't been there to hear the answer before stopped and stared at her. She shook her head and continued, "And after she reminded me I had to answer that question truthfully, I thought it over and said... yes."
Stella was the first to react. She squealed and clapped her hands together. "Oh, my goodness! Bloom, this is great! And – oh, we've got to tell him!"
"No!" the redhead exclaimed immediately, her eyes wide and fearful. "Please, Stella, don't," she pleaded.
"Why not? He likes you, Bloom," Tecna pointed out, confused.
"But he also likes his girlfriend," Bloom stressed.
"Like he wouldn't drop her on her ass if he knew you liked him?" Stella queried, quirking a brow. "I don't understand, Bloom."
"Just forget about telling him, please. I'll do it when I want to," Bloom protested.
"Guys, I really think we shouldn't interfere with her and Sky, especially if she doesn't want us to," Flora sided with her red-haired friend.
"Yo, you're losing your valuable time to get these two prepared for tonight. We barely have an hour now," Musa brought their attention back to the task at hand.
"You're right. Now that we've chosen the outfits, you and Bloom can get them ready while I get shoes, handbags, and jewelry," Stella nodded, ushering Tecna and Flora into chairs in front of a mirror. "So, continue with that explanation about Sky's room and his bathroom."
Bloom shook her head at Stella. "First, Flora and Tecna, get up and change into those clothes since Miss Gossip doesn't remember how to do her own makeovers," Bloom teased with a smile. It took only a few minutes before the two girls were seated again, and then Bloom continued speaking. "Well, there's not much else to tell. The night of Savannah's party, I hadn't been informed it was a sleepover, so I had no clothes and hadn't been planning on staying," Bloom obliged Stella's wishes as she picked up a brush and stated untangling Flora's long hair.
"And she freaked on me when I told her we would be staying in Sky's room. He wasn't going to be in there, anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered. Savannah pulled her sad face and talked Bloom into it, and then it took ten seconds to get Sky's approval about wearing some of his clothes to sleep in," Musa finished. "So she changed in his bathroom." She put down the brush she'd been using and started searching for base for Tecna.
There was silence as three girls stared at Bloom in shock.
"You don't waste time, do you (1)?" Tecna teased, causing the redhead to blush darkly.
"I'm sure he died seeing you in his clothes (2)," Stella gushed, grinning. "Oh, I'm so happy!"
"Stella, nothing's going to happen," Bloom mumbled, embarrassed.
Stella waved her hand, showing she obviously wasn't going to listen to the protests. She turned, gathering the outfits the two girls hadn't liked, and then she stopped short at the sight of the package on her bed (3). "What's that?"
Four girls turned to look. ––– One winced, another grinned, and two blinked in surprise.
"Oh, yeah. Bloom, you didn't tell us what it was," Flora remembered.
Said girl grimaced and headed to the bed. Picking it up, she unwrapped it and blinked, obviously surprised. "Wow. He went all out."
Musa burst out laughing as she came to see what was in Bloom's hands. "That boy is totally smitten. How much do you wanna bet he got all the cast to sign it?"
"But all I wanted was one picture. I mean, having them all would be amazing, but..." She trailed off as she opened the photo album and started flipping through it. "Oh, my God. This is way too much! I... I have to give it back."
Musa frowned. "No, you don't. Because if you do, he'll take it as rejection, and you are not going to toy with my cousin."
"Whoa! Sky got you this? And on Valentine's Day?" Stella was becoming excited again.
"Well, Sky must really think you're something, Bloom," Tecna gave her input. "I mean, Timmy's given me some high-end items, but we've been together for over eight months now."
This statement immediately shifted the focus, and Bloom dropped the photo album with pictures and signatures from The Little Mermaid cast on the bed. "Uh, Tecna, did you just say you and Timmy have been together for over eight months?" Bloom queried, both her brows raising.
Tecna blinked. "Well, yes."
"You're together? Like boyfriend and girlfriend together?" Stella confirmed.
Tecna sighed. "Yes."
"This isn't your first date, then?"
"Stella, how many times do I have to say yes?" Tecna snapped.
"Then what the hell are we doing this makeover for?" Stella retorted, throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"You wanted to do it, not me," Tecna scowled.
"Because I thought it was your first date and that you would want to impress him!" Stella exclaimed, like it was obvious.
Tecna frowned and suddenly looked insecure.
Bloom shot Stella a dark look and turned to the overly-intelligent girl. "Tec, Stella doesn't mean what she says when she gets heated. She's just upset that none of us knew you and Timmy were together. She likes to play match-maker."
Tecna shook her head. "Stella's tantrum isn't the problem."
"Then what is it, sweetie?" Flora asked, easily taking on her motherly tone as she put a hand on Tecna's shoulder.
Tecna looked uncomfortable, and a blush tinted her cheeks as she muttered an unintelligible response. When the four girls just waited, she spoke louder, "I wanted to impress him."
Musa smiled. "Yeah, I think we got that from your agreeing to let Stella do this," she teased lightly, winking.
"Why did you want to impress him, Tecna?" Flora asked gently, ignoring Musa.
"Because we don't really talk about anything personal, and, well, we... we haven't had our first kiss, yet." There was silence as they waited patiently for Tecna to get everything out. "He was the first friend I made the start of my Freshman year, and... well, not only have we not kissed, but he doesn't always treat me like a girl, and I wanted... I just wanted tonight to be different."
It was silent for all of five seconds before Stella spoke up with orders. "Change in plans, girls." Tossing the clothes back on the bed, she looked at Musa. "You, go pick out their shoes, handbags, and accessories. I am going to take care of Tecna's makeup."
Musa didn't argue (though she did make a face to show her irritation) and headed through the door she'd seen Stella enter through earlier.
Stella turned to Tecna and pushed her into a chair again. "Let's get you ready for your first kiss!"
Timmy was worried. Tecna, for the first time since he'd met her, was late. Granted it was only about ten or fifteen minutes, and he'd known some guys who'd waited over thirty minutes for their dates before. But he was used to Tecna being there thirty minutes early, if not directly on time.
Checking his phone to make sure his watch hadn't somehow been messed with because of his father's work and all the machinery in it, he decided he'd call Tecna and make sure nothing had happened to her if she didn't show up in the next ten minutes.
But Timmy needn't have worried because the pink-haired girl had shown up less than five minutes later, and he completely forgot she was late when he saw her.
Her face looked softer, and her teal eyes were accented with her long lashes, which, he realized, had been thickened with mascara. She had a light coating of soft pink eye shadow, and the cheekbones beneath her eyes were more rose-colored than he remembered. The next thing he noticed was that the clothes she was wearing were not hers because he would've remembered if she'd bought (or worn) anything short enough to show off her lean, shapely legs. Face flushing, he dragged his eyes up to note that she was wearing a blue jean skirt that hit a few inches above her knee and a long-sleeved lavender, V-cut blouse with a white tank beneath it.
The first thought Timmy had was that she was beautiful. But, of course, what actually came out of his mouth was the unintelligible stammer, "Aren't you co—Isn't it too cold to be wearing that skirt?" The moment the words came from his mouth, Timmy winced because he could clearly see Tecna's disappointment. However, she smiled awkwardly at him.
Timmy watched as she walked past him, and he stumbled to catch up so he could at least hold the door open for her. After she walked into the restaurant, he looked up at the sky, muttering, "Why? Why?" He then promptly followed her into the restaurant, taking note Tecna had already gotten their table. However, he was surprised when they were led to a table outside. He winced inwardly as he sat down across from his girlfriend, feeling rather awkward since he'd already managed to screw up the beginning of their date.
It wasn't long before the waiter came out and asked them what they wanted to drink before heading back inside, leaving the couple in an awkward silence. Timmy watched Tecna glance over at the trees a few yards away before he cleared his throat. "So, uhm, about earlier... I was kind of flustered, so I'm sorry about what I said. I really wanted to, uhm... to tell you that you looked..." Here, he paused to swallow, rubbing his now-sweaty palms on his pants. "That you looked beautiful."
Even though he'd felt like a fool as he tried to speak to Tecna and say what he really thought, it was worth it to see her face glow in pleasure, to see her lips curve in happiness. Her teal eyes even lit up, and Timmy could feel his heart starting to race. Tecna was the only person who had ever been capable of disorienting him, which was why he always managed to say or do the wrong things; he was always so worried about not screwing up that he effectively managed to screw up. It wasn't like he didn't want to tell her when he thought she looked particularly beautiful or when he thought she was exceptionally brilliant – his mind just stopped sending the right syllables to his mouth. Thus the result of him spending time alone with Tecna was him making their relationship worse than it had been when one of their friends – Leon (who was, unfortunately, in the musical with them) – decided he was going to flirt with Tecna and try to split them up. Though Tecna hadn't shown any interest in Leon, Timmy didn't want to take any chances, and therefore tried to spend more time with Tecna, hoping that increased exposure would help him become more controlled around her.
It hadn't taken him long to realize that his reaction to Tecna wasn't a science experiment he could regulate, nor was it some piece of technology he could reset, like it had malfunctioned or something. It made him even more out of his element, and that was something he really didn't need, as he was already having problems with their relationship as it was. Failing was not something he was familiar with and he didn't like it. At all.
The arrival of their waiter caused Timmy to look up, and for the next few moments he was glad to be pulled from his thoughts. However, unfailingly, a silence settled over him and Tecna after their waiter left, and they sat like that for a long few minutes.
And then Timmy noticed the shivering. He stood abruptly and took off his coat, walking around the table and draping it over her shoulders, smiling down at her as she looked at him. "That better?"
Tecna's eyes brightened as she nodded, and Timmy reached out to brush her bangs out of her eyes. "Yes. Thank you, Timmy." His smile only widened as he moved back to his seat and sat down.
Tecna beamed at him, her eyes expressing everything he felt, and he found himself reaching across the table to hold her hand. This was one of the first times he'd gone so long without screwing up with Tecna. Now he only had to hope it would last.
He was, surprisingly, hanging out on his own when it happened.
Diaspro had already left to do goodness-knows-what when he felt the urge to head down the block to The Diner (4). It was a favorite of the teens because of its old-fashioned milkshakes, which was exactly what Sky wanted at that moment.
He had gone back outside after getting his milkshake and was about to head to his car when he looked up and stopped short, blinking in surprise. He shook his head, blinked a few times, and then looked again.
And a smile quirked his lips.
Shaking his head, he took another sip of his milkshake and, after glancing both ways to make sure no cars were coming, strolled across the street diagonally to the outerim of the park. As he came to a stop behind them, he spoke, "What on earth are you three doing, and why?"
The reaction Sky received was not one he expected.
Bloom was the first to react as her hand shot up, grabbed his wrist, and tugged him down into a kneeling position beside her. He barely kept hold of his milkshake and frowned before she hissed against his ear, "We're spying on Flora and Helia because it's their first official date and because Riven has trust issues. Keep your voice down."
Sky swallowed and (barely suppressing a shudder) nodded, taking a sip of his milkshake to hide his reaction to her. Though he was coming to terms with his feelings for her, he still wasn't comfortable with his physical response to her, and he had the feeling that if he wasn't okay with it, she wouldn't be okay with it.
After a long moment of uncomfortable silence (at least for Sky), Bloom sighed in relief and relaxed as she sat back before flashing a smile at Sky.
His cousin, however, wasn't so lenient, and she whirled around to glare at him as she growled, "Do you think you could have, for once, looked around before speaking? I mean, I know the only thing you even noticed over here was Bloom, but come on! Do we not obviously look like we are creeping someone?"
Sky felt his face burn darkly, and he couldn't look at any of them as he mumbled, "I'm sorry. Jeez."
"Come on, Muse, it's not that big of a deal. We weren't caught. Flora and Helia didn't even blink, they were so engrossed with each other. That's a good sign," Bloom explained with a smile.
"I'm going to pretend like you did not just defend him so that I can keep my peace of mind," Riven muttered darkly, causing his sister to roll her eyes and causing Sky to shift awkwardly.
"Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Party Pooper, why don't you go creep Flora and Helia some more so I can have a break from your weird and annoying intensity. You two take this way too seriously," Bloom sighed, rubbing her temples.
Surprisingly, the two in question actually got up and left, but not before Riven sent a warning glare to Sky while Musa gave Bloom a look Sky couldn't even begin to understand. But he didn't puzzle over it too long, as Bloom snatched his milkshake out of his hand.
It was only after she'd caught herself before drinking the "unknown" milkshake that she paused and asked, "What flavor is this?"
Sky couldn't help but smile as he shook his head. "What flavor do you not like?" he teased, and Bloom scowled at him before sticking out her tongue at him. His smile widened into a grin as he reached out and tapped her nose, stating, "No need for that. It's chocolate."
A mixture of something warm and something unidentifiable sparked in Bloom's eyes, and Sky's breath caught in his throat at the same time he heard Bloom's breath catch. His mouth went dry and his heart started pounding, and he found himself leaning forward.
However, that was when Bloom snapped out of it and took a sip of the milkshake as she leaned back against a tree. After a couple of sips, she handed the milkshake back to Sky, flashing him another smile. "Thanks. I've been thirsty, and I've been in that crouched position for over an hour. Muse and Riv are a bit overkill with this stuff."
"It's not a problem. I'm glad I could make your night at least a little better," Sky answered, shrugging as he finally opted to sit down instead of kneel.
Bloom nodded, and Sky noted that she was nervous since she was chewing on her lower lip. He didn't say anything and she finally spoke up. "Uhm, I wanted to thank you for the gift... Even though I think you spent too much money on that, and I would have definitely settled for an autographed picture of Jodi Benson and Christopher Daniel Barnes, but... It was really nice of you to get a kind of photo album made..." She trailed off slightly, and Sky noticed she was blushing.
Grinning, he looked at her sidelong. "You know, if you want to thank me, a kiss on the cheek would do," he teased, trying to dispel the tension by making such a ridiculous statement.
He didn't actually expect her to do it.
Bloom laughed and shook her head before she leaned forward and brushed her lips lightly against his cheek before she leaned back. Sky stilled, feeling his face heat up and his eyes widen. He barely registered Bloom's stifled giggle, and he found he couldn't really care how stupid he looked at that moment.
She had kissed him. Sure, it was only on the cheek, but it had been voluntarily done on her part. And damn if it didn't make his heart race as a slight giddiness built in him.
He finally looked over at her, glowing, and his eyes said everything. Bloom only laughed and shook her head, a light blush tinting her cheeks.
However, at the same moment she felt relieved for two different reasons. One was that the look she had received from Sky was more than she had ever thought to hope for during her "crushing" phase, and the other...
The other relief was that he'd been in his own little world when she'd been watching him with her heart in her eyes, so her secret was still safe. From everyone. But it was definitely safe from Sky, and she wanted it to stay that way until she was sure it was fully reciprocated.
Because there were several things Bloom didn't enjoy, and unrequited love from her crush of nearly two years was one of those things.
"I'm going to freshen up." The statement was made out of the blue, and it was Stella's cue to go to the restroom.
"I'll be back shortly. That's my signal," Stella sighed as she stood from her stakeout spot behind the tree. She stretched before she smiled at Brandon and walked to the entrance of the restaurant.
Shortly after she entered the bathroom, she was met with a pacing Tecna. "Whoa, girl, calm down. I thought things were going really well."
"They are. I just don't know what to do about the kiss. He's been stumbling over his words all night, and I highly doubt a kiss is going to happen," Tecna sighed, placing her hands flat on the bathroom counter. She frowned at herself in the mirror, and that was when Stella sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
"Tecna, has no one ever told you that the guy doesn't always have to initiate the first kiss?" Stella queried. She knew it was more standard for the guy to make the "First Kiss" move, but with how Timmy was acting, it would be a looong wait. "I know it's not really conventional, but Timmy's too worried that he'll screw up, and it's obvious he can't read the signals you're giving him, so... it's all on you now. Get him to take you home and walk you to your door, and then stall him long enough to kiss him."
Tecna's frown deepened as she considered Stella's words, and she picked at stray strings on Timmy's coat as she thought. "But what if I can't do it?"
"Well, with an attitude like that, you won't, but either way, there will be more dates. And if not tonight, then maybe next time. Besides, who knows, maybe Brandon could have a talk with Timmy about your relationship (5)," Stella answered, shrugging. "All I know is – you get to decide what happens tonight. Your choice." After that, Stella started out the door. "Make sure he knows to drive you home. I'm off, so you won't get a ride from me. Good luck!" With one last encouraging smile, Stella was gone.
Tecna sighed softly, looking at her reflection. "My choice, huh?" A wry smile quirked her lips. "Too bad I don't know what that is."
Things had been going great for Helia. He and Flora had gone the whole night without any embarrassing mishaps, and he'd even snuck a few slightly intimate touches into the mix and received an enchanting blush from Flora each time.
And then he'd started noticing they weren't really alone.
The first time he'd noticed it, he'd mostly ignored it because, even though he'd sworn he'd heard Sky's voice, since it was Sky, it didn't worry him since the blonde was likely on a date.
However, the more the night progressed, the more paranoid he became and the more he started to notice things. Eventually it got to the point where he couldn't stand it anymore. Stopping in his tracks, Helia turned around, glaring at the surrounding area. "Okay, whichever ones of you are following us, you need to come out here this instant." His voice was deathly calm and under-toned by a slight hint of anger.
The two people who revealed themselves weren't a surprise. What was surprising was that they were alone.
Musa registered his look quickly. "Bloom ditched us to flirt with Sky," was her simple explanation – one Riven didn't seem too happy about.
"How long have you been spying on us?" Flora gasped, her eyes wide and her face flushed.
"However long your date has been," Riven answered, shrugging. "I told Helia I'd be watching (6)."
Helia smiled slightly. "I thought that was what you said, but I wasn't sure," he admitted. Flora looked stricken for a moment, still surprised that Riven, Musa, and Bloom had originally been following her and Helia – and she hadn't even thought anything out of the ordinary was happening. Didn't most people feel it when they were being watched?
But since Helia seemed okay with it and had (apparently) been kind of expecting it, and since he had realized it before now, she supposed it was okay and it shouldn't have surprised her. This was Riven and Bloom she was dealing with – and Musa just naturally fit in with their group.
"So it looks to me like you two have been having an excellent night," Musa stated, grinning at Flora, who immediately blushed.
"We have, thank you. Have I passed your inspection yet, Riven?" Helia queried, a brow quirked.
Riven didn't answer for a long moment. Then he shrugged. "You passed when you made the first move and initiated the first kiss in one day without scaring Flora off. This is just me being close at hand if Flora tries to push you away or something and needs backup." If anyone was surprised by what Riven said, they didn't show it.
"Okay, so, we're going to go back to creeping on you two, and you can go back to your date. See you at school on Monday!" Musa told them both as she and Riven disappeared into the surrounding trees.
"I think they like each other," Helia murmured after a long pause.
Flora studied the tree they'd disappeared behind. "Maybe..." Turning to him, she smiled. "So, now that we know they're watching, what're we going to do?"
Helia grinned, eyes glinting. "We're going to act like they aren't," he answered simply, lowering his head to kiss her softly.
"Wow. Helia sure got lucky there near the end. I never thought Flora would be okay with being kissed in public – I was willing to bet she would freak," Musa told Riven as he drover her home. Flora and Helia's date had ended recently, and since Bloom had gone to Flora's, they had told Riven to take Musa home. Thus, they were in Riven's car, and she had just ventured to break the silence that had fallen over them.
It didn't work. Riven merely grunted to show he heard, and a few minutes later he was pulling into her driveway. Musa and her father lived in a fair-sized home – probably a little bigger than the house he, his sister, and his parents lived in. Though it wasn't a mansion, the fact that two people lived in a house bigger than his four-person-family was enough to remind him of the stark contrast between him and Musa. It also reminded Riven that, for him, Musa was not available.
"Well," the pig-tailed girl sighed as the car came to a stop. "Thank you for driving me home." She unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car. She had made it almost to the edge of her driveway when she turned around and headed back to the car. The driver's window rolled down, revealing the burgundy-haired boy looking at her questioningly.
Musa reached into her bag and pulled out something. "I almost forgot," she told him, a smile curving her lips. She reached for Riven's hand and placed something in it before closing his hand into a loose fist. "Happy Valentine's Day~" With that farewell, she turned and headed for her front door.
Riven uncurled his fingers and found a smirk forming on his face at the sight of the item.
In his hand, wrapped in silver foil, was a Hershey Kiss (7).
"I can't believe you dragged me out here," Brandon stated with a shake of his head. "Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?"
Stella frowned, daring to peek over the hedge at the two who were standing on the front porch bidding each other farewell. "I wanted to witness her decision. Is that so wrong?"
"No, but it's not really nice to intrude on their private time." Brandon had a point, Stella knew, but she really did mean well.
"You're right," she sighed after a long moment, "but – oh. My. God! That's my girl!" Stella exclaimed, and she almost jumped up, but Brandon's hand caught her wrist, and he yanked her into a kiss. She knew it was mainly meant to keep her quiet, but she couldn't bring herself to care as she kissed him back. It was an excellent choice of distraction on his part, and she couldn't blame him for not wanting to get caught.
So instead of worrying over his motives, Stella sank into the kiss to enjoy it.
Ten yards away, a few minutes earlier, Tecna and Timmy came to a stop on Tecna's porch at her front door. After a short moment of awkward silence, Timmy spoke up, "I really enjoyed tonight."
Tecna smiled up at him, nodding. "I did, too. Excellent choice for dinner and for the movie," she complimented him.
Timmy shifted awkwardly at the praise and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess this is when we say our parting words and go our separate ways."
Tecna smiled and shook her head lightly, trying to stall a little to see if she was ready to make the, as Stella put it, "First Kiss Move." She had tried no to really think about the situation, and thus she still didn't know what she really wanted. It was hard to follow her heart when it was giving mixed signals.
"So, uh, good night, Tecna. I will see you on Monday," Timmy said awkwardly, making to move off the porch.
Instinctively, Tecna reached out a hand and stopped him. When Timmy blinked at her, she swallowed nervously before rocking onto her toes to press her lips against his. She felt him stiffen in surprise, and she lingered there as she waited for him to respond.
And then he was kissing her back, and everything was thrown to the wind. She couldn't help herself as her arms slid easily and comfortably around his neck, and she rejoiced inside as he shifted closer, his arms circling her waist.
The kiss was rather chaste, of course, but it was more than enough for the two to gain a high from it. They parted only to rest their foreheads against each other's, both of them relishing the moment. Both of them wondering why it had taken so long, and both of them knowing it wouldn't have felt right if it had been any earlier. Smiles graced both their faces as they looked at each other.
After a long silence, Tecna spoke the words that had been long coming – but as she couldn't make herself speak English, she resorted to her grandparents' heritage (8). "Je t'aime (9)." The words were whispered, but they easily carried their full weight and intent.
Timmy felt warmth envelope him, a feeling he commonly felt with Tecna growing bigger. It welled up inside him until he had not choice but to voice it. "Je t'aime, Tecna," he whispered – warmly, adoringly – before he lowered his head to kiss her – softly, sweetly, and so full of love that they were flying too high to care they weren't alone.
All that mattered at that moment was their long moment of shared bliss.
1 - I know, I know, this is probably so not Tecna, but I really want to keep her character from being too "techy" like they make her in the show. It just throws it all off. Besides, if anyone was going to say that, it'd be Tecna, and you guys all know it. Lol.
2 - Stella's just so intuitive when it comes to guys, isn't she? I mean, she was spot-on with that statement. I didn't notice it until after I typed up the chapter.
3 - Haha. Yes, if you couldn't tell this was like the Helia thing from the last chapter - I totally forgot about the package. So I made Stell notice it and the other girls forget it because of the scoop they were getting on Bloom and Sky. ;)
4 - So original, no? It's basically Steak 'n Shake. I just felt like calling it The Diner since I didn't want any copyright stuff in this (minus WC characters).
5 - Strain of the original WC. I'm amazing with that stuff, right? If you don't remember, Timmy did ask Brandon for advice on dating in (I think, and Sarah, correct me if I'm wrong) Season Two, somewhere.
6 - This is a reference to Chapter Eight. If you don't remember, maybe you should read it again.
7 - Sorry, guys, but I hope you didn't think there'd be a real kiss in there. I felt bad for leaving them out at first, and then it hit me to do that. Hope you liked the twist there. ^^
8 - As you may have guessed, I made this up, but I totally think Tecna could have some French genes (and in this she does). Just sayin'. ;o
9 - "Je t'aime," if you can't guess, means "I love you" in French (look at above A/N). It's pronounced "joo tem" with the "j" making a soft "g" sound, like in "mirage," and then the "oo" like "food." Then "t'aime" is pronounced like "them" without the "h," obviously. Lol.
So, that's it for this installment, guys! If I had time, I'd get in some review responses, but I'll try to edit this and do that tomorrow. It's 12:30 am right now, and I need to get up early in the morning so my friends and I can go attack some of our middle school teachers, just to show them how much we love them (by interrupting their classes). We hope it will work, but if not, we can always sneak around the back and go in through the band room. ;D But you guys didn't see that because that's a horrible thing to do. -Coughcough.-
Well, maybe next time Sarah will be with me when I update since I got past the devil chapter (this thing took me way too long to plan, seriously - I couldn't get anything to work the way I wanted to and had to reinvent Timmy's and Tecna's characters several times). Next up is going to be...
Actually, I'm not going to tell you because I want it to be a complete surprise. Sorry, you guys~ :)
THE DYNAMIC DUO IS SIGNING OUT!
(I don't remember our signature, so this is the new one, Sarah. Fyi. Hope you like~ XD)