A/N: Helllllloooooo all! So, after weeks of writer's block, I FINALLY came down with this chapter. Again, I must apologize for my wait time, like I do all the time now, but it is a combination of school and writer's block. At this point, I really can't promise anything except that this story WILL get done. And actually, There should only be 1 or 2 more chapters left after this, depending on whether I decide to write an epilogue on it. I'll see about it.

Anyways, back to the story itself. So, to recap, we were at the point where Andre just got a call from Tori. Well, let's see what has become of that call, and whether it helped, or hindered their relationship (or what is left of it). Let's get on with it!

Disclaimer: I have no rights to our favorite show (which is unfortunately over). :(

Chapter 3 - Apologies and Confessions

"Andre? Are you there?" Tori managed to get out, knowing very well that Andre could hang up on her any second (if he hasn't already) once he realized that it was her, and not Robbie. Tori had been glad that Robbie had taken time to find her again and catch up with her. It was such a perfect time too – just merely seeing a long-missed familiar face had made her feel for the first time in four years, not so alone. Finally, she had someone she could trust and talk to. Someone who could understand her pain, and help her cope with it. And, even though she wouldn't admit it out loud – someone who would loan her their identity.

Tori nervously paced back and forth in the room, as she desperately waited for Andre's reply. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. A minute, and nothing but dead silence from the other end. Tori began to get a little worried. Andre never took this long to reply to a phone call before.

"T-Tori? Is-is that you?" The voice on the other end stuttered. Yep, it was Andre alright. That was good to hear, even though it came out as a stutter.

Tori took a deep breath. If there was a contest for having the fastest nervous heartbeat, Tori was certain she'd win gold, silver, AND bronze at that moment. "Hi Andre," she managed to get out, surprising herself when she managed to not stutter.

"H-hi, Tori. H-how are y-you?" Andre, on the other hand, was having a very hard time controlling his tongue. It was as if it had suddenly grown a mind of its own, and was intentionally messing up his speech, and at the worst time possible out of all times. Andre was surprised at how much trouble he had at speaking at the moment. His throat felt as if it were knotted in twenty different places, his breathing was abnormally fast, his heart felt as if it would burst out of his chest, and his tongue was like a wild fish caught at sea, randomly flopping about.

Still, it may have been one of the last times he could talk to Tori, if not the last. And for those very reasons, Andre tried his best to keep his cool, and to not completely let his anxiety get the best of him. Why Tori had phoned him in the first place was way beyond him.

"Andre," she began. Tori bit her lip, to keep herself from saying anything that might have been stupid or ignorant. Here he was, right on the other end of the line, fully paying attention. How could she say it to him? She only had one chance. One, and that's it. If she messed this up, this would probably be the last time she would ever hear from him.

"Just say it, Tori," her optimistic inner voice told her. "Tell him you're sorry, and then confess your love. Don't be afraid, just say it! If he was really your best friend, he'd completely understand."

"Do you really think it'll be that easy?" countered her pessimistic inner voice. "You messed this up big time, left his side, and now you expect him to just understand? Girl, you're lucky that he stayed on the phone with you for more than a minute!"

"Don't listen to her, Tori. You know that's not true. Since when has Andre let you down before?" argued optimistic conscience. "Besides, you don't even hold all the blame here. Since when does a best friend not take time to consider your decisions? He holds half the blame here. Both of you can forgive for the past and move on together."

"That's crazy talk! She's the one who's messed up in the noggin. Girl, just give up now. You made him hate you. You don't deserve a second chance. Not at all."

"Be quiet!" Tori shouted out loud, startling both Robbie, who was sitting beside her on her request, and Andre, who was on the other end of the phone.

"Oh. You don't want to talk to me. Okay, I'll leave you alone then. I don't blame you one bit-" Andre began, forgetting that it was Tori who had phoned him in the first place.

"No! Andre, wait!" Tori called out, hoping that she wasn't too late. "I-I'm sorry, Andre. I didn't mean you."

Andre furrowed an eyebrow kin confusion. Who else was there?

"O-okay, Tori. So, what did you want to talk about then?" Andre asked, still uncertain as to the whole phone call. It just seemed so unlikely that the girl who he was unbelievably rude to four years ago (and head-over-heels in love with) and never contacted during that time called him today, just when he had been thinking so much about her. And yet, she seemed like she wanted to talk. About what? Was this simply a casual conversation? Had she forgiven him already? Had she forgotten?

Tori took a deep breath. It was now or never. Meanwhile, she could still hear her pessimistic inner voice mocking her: "Look who's about to mess up more than they already have. Look who didn't learn her lesson the first time."

"Andre," she began, pausing yet again. "I-I…" Tori bit her lip. What should she say?

Andre, having a good idea of what she wanted to say, decided to just fill in for her and save her the grief. It was always good to admit to your mistakes, right? And since he had nothing to lose at the moment, he decided, that even if this is the last talk he ever has with Tori Vega, the girl of his dreams, he would make the best of it, and at least try to fix everything he had broken.

"I-I'm sorry Tori. I really am. I just didn't have the guts to call you about it. But since we're here, I just want you to know, that I am sorry...for everything. I shouldn't have been so adamant on insisting that you stayed with us and went to the same school, because I know you had your reasons to not. I know that you would never do something like that without a good reason. The mere thought of it makes me wonder what I was thinking that day, and how bad of a friend I was. I never for a second took time to consider your reasons, and we all should have respected your decision when you told us the news, not try to hold you back. Tori, I know you probably don't like me very much anymore because of that, and I don't blame you one bit. I don't blame you if you don't want to forgive me after this either. But since this is probably the last time you'll want to talk to me, I just wanted you to know, that I really mean it. You are important to me. No matter what happens between us, no matter which direction either one of us is headed later on, there will always be this one area in my heart, reserved just for you and the memories of us. And that is to remain forever. I just wish there was a way to show you how sorry I am. I just wish I showed you how much you meant to me earlier – before it was too late."

It took a moment for Tori to regain her senses. Did Andre just say he was sorry? But what for?

"You see? I knew you could do it, Tori! And he doesn't even blame you. Your friendship isn't broken at all. There's no way such a strong friendship couldn't have been broken as easily as this. Now go and get him, girl! He's all yours!"

"Pshht, there she goes again, forever the cocky one. Girl, he's only saying that to make you feel better. See, he feels so bad for what you did that he can't even think straight! My, you have made a mess."

Tori hesitated, as she waited for her conscience to settle and stop its mental debate, while trying to compose her reply. What should she say as a response?

"Andre," she began after a moment, but this time not hesitating in between, "I should be the one apologizing. I snapped at you that day; I left your side. We all promised each other that we would never separate. But I did. I broke a best friend promise. Hearing you apologizing for something that I did only adds to my guilt. Andre, don't criticize yourself like that, because you are not that type of a person. In my eyes, there's no one more perfect. I was the fool for leaving someone as perfect as you. And I promise you, that from now on, I'm willing to make that right, and change, just for you. Please don't hate me Andre, because – I love you. I really do. More than you would expect a best friend to. I have for as long as I can remember now."

"There you go, Tori. It's done. Now both of you can make up, forgive each other, and move on. I promise you, you will not regret this. In a moment, this will pay off. Just you wait."

"You're pathetic, Tori. In a second, he's gonna really give it to you. Just watch. You're gonna regret you ever attempted it again."

Andre's heart leaped, and his mind buzzed with thoughts and questions, as he tried to gather himself together. Did Tori seriously just say that she loved him? Or did he let his hopes get too high? She wasn't mad at him AT ALL? Why was she blaming herself even? This was a dream, right?

Well, Andre thought to himself, if this is a dream, then I never want to wake up!

"T-Tori, did you just say that you…you…" Andre hesitated. What if he heard wrong? That would surely make things really awkward between them if he asked the question, especially at a time like this.

"I meant every word I said Andre. You are perfect, and the absolute most amazing friend I or anyone else could ever ask for. You made me fall for you, Andre Harris." Tori said carefully. A part of her mind was happy that Andre hadn't hung up on her. That was very good. But another part recognized that Andre might not even return these feelings she poured her heart out to him about. If that was the case, then she had just made things extremely awkward between them. And as much as she wanted Andre to return her feelings, she didn't want to guilt or pressure him into it. If their ultimate fate was to either just be friends or never see each other again, Tori would definitely have preferred the former.

A deafening silence settled into the conversation, neither one of them daring to speak. Time seemed to slow down as each one of them tried to process their thoughts.

Oh no, did I just mess up? I really hope I didn't just make things awkward by saying that! Oh, what will Andre respond? I hope I didn't ruin what was left of our friendship!

Tori loves me. She just said it herself. And she isn't even blaming me for what I did. Things can't be even more perfect. Should I confess too? What am I gonna say?

"Tori," Andre began meticulously, after what felt like hours (it was in fact, a minute), "I feel the exact same way. I've loved you since I first laid my eyes on you back in grade 10. The reason why I volunteered you to do Trina's part for her when she couldn't was because I knew you'd be offered a spot in Hollywood Arts. I knew you had the potential, and I wanted you to see it. But a lot of it was also because I wanted you to stay. Ever since that day, I've never stopped thinking about you, and wanting to be with you, even after we were best friends. But I just couldn't find a way to approach you that seemed special enough. Just this morning before you called, I was thinking about you, and regretting not staying in touch with you these few years. Don't blame yourself Tori, because I know that you didn't mean any harm. You are by far, the nicest person I've ever met in my entire life. But I completely regret not telling you any of this earlier, and accusing you of breaking a promise. So don't think low of yourself. I love you, Tori Vega. I always have since day one, and I always will. You can always count on that. So, a-are we still friends?"

"Best friends," Tori replied, with no hesitation, and not wanting to debate who was at fault any further. She didn't care anymore about the past. She cared about the present. And about Andre. "A better question would be, were we ever anything less?"

Andre could almost hear the smile in her voice. "I've missed you too much, Tori," he said, genuinely meaning it. "Four years without your best friend? Now that's just crazy."

"I know, me too," Tori admitted. "We can't have that now, can we?"

Andre smiled. "No, we can't. What do you suggest doing about it?"

"Well, what do you want to do?" Tori asked, after a minute of thinking.

"How about we meet up tonight?" Andre suggested. "You know, just you and me, and we'll hang out. It'll be just like old times. We'll meet up, and just, you know, talk and hang out."

"Okay, sounds great!" Tori replied enthusiastically. "I'll see you tonight at seven? You still remember where my parents' house is? I'll be hanging out there."

"Alright, I got it. Seven it is then. Bye."

"Bye Andre," Tori said, happy that the whole situation was resolved so easily and peacefully, and had ended so well. She couldn't wait for tonight.

"Here's your phone back," Tori said, as she handed the phone back to Robbie. "Thanks."

"Well, that went better than you expected, didn't it?" Robbie asked, as he pocketed the device. "From what I heard anyways."

Tori smiled. "Let's just say, I've got a reunion with him to attend tonight!"

Robbie smiled back. "See? I knew you could do it, Tori. I have never seen a friendship as healthy as you and Andre's. There is no way it could be ruined over something like this!"

"Thanks Robbie. I couldn't have done it without your support. Thanks for finding me again. And for being here for me for ten hours straight," Tori said, making a note of how Robbie had shown up around midnight, when it was now 10 a.m.

"Anything for my friends, Tori. Anything at all." Robbie gave Tori a friendly pat on her shoulder. "Well, you've got something to prepare for, right? I'll leave you to it."

"Okay, bye Robbie," Tori called after him, as she watched Robbie recede out her door. Then, she turned around, as she looked at her reflection in the mirrored closet door. Well, she thought, tonight's ought to be fun.

A/N: Alright, so what did you guys think of this chapter? Loved it? Hated it? Lemme know! Review please! :)