* Flashback *
Arnold's POV:
"Hey Trix." I placed a chaste kiss upon my girlfriend's cheek as I pulled up a chair next to hers. She had several books stacked at the library table she was sitting at, and another one being held in front of her nose. "Sorry I'm late. My class ran a little longer than usual. I hope you weren't waiting long?"
Her eyes left the words on the page and finally looked at me. Without blinking she closed the book and set it back on the table, "You show up at my apartment at nearly 5 in the morning after promising you'd only be a little late, and now your class ran late too… Arnold, how do you expect me to-"
"I already told you I was sorry about last night, Trix! It was the frat houses end of spring break party. Things were a little crazy. And as for class, I had to stay-"
"Because you missed a test that was scheduled earlier today! That's why Arnold… because you were too busy hanging out with that miscreant Helga and those keg-happy boys." she blew out a stream of air and caused her light blonde bangs to shift against her forehead. "Look… we need to talk, Arnold."
I tried not to visibly cringe when the words left her mouth. Nothing good usually ever came after the words 'we need to talk'. I considered my response for several seconds before speaking, "What's… on your mind, sweetie?"
She scooted her chair away from me so she could face me fully with her arms resting on the table, her fingers laced together in a very businesslike fashion. This was very much like Trixie when it came to anything important, she became a businesswoman. Straight to the point and blunt… there were no fun and games with Trixie Roberts. The thing is, Trixie wasn't always like this. When we first met, she was a sweet, soft spoken girl in my high school calculus class. Over time it seemed like things changed within her. Far too many details of my life were suddenly being analyzed by her, and she wanted to spend every waking and now sleeping moment together. Things only became worse once we lost our virginities to each other. Every problem in our relationship suddenly became put on display under a metaphorical microscope for evaluation.
"I'm worried about you Arnold." I raised my eyebrow at her in question. "You're staying out late, missing classes… all because of the people you've been hanging out with."
"I make my own choices Trixie. They don't keep me from doing anything." I pointed out.
"They've become an influence! And a terrible one at that… I like Gerald, but now he's become one of… them." her lips fell into a flat line, grimacing slightly.
"Them?" my eyes narrowed.
She broke her business lady persona and lovingly grasped my hand to stroke it with her thumb, "He's become a pig-headed frat boy, Arnold."
"You're talking about my best friend Trixie! And he's been nothing but amazing to me my whole life. How could you say something like that about him?" I pulled my hand harshly away from hers.
"Are you telling me he hasn't changed at all, Arnold? Remember the guy who was so enamored with Phoebe he would do anything for her? The guy who didn't screw girls on a whim and then brag about it to a house full of Neanderthals that he 'scored' with a C-cup brunette?" She waited for me to respond but I found myself lacking a proper rebuttal. "… Gerald isn't the same guy he used to be." she finished softly, almost on the border line of condescending.
"Who Gerald sleeps with has nothing to do with how I behave." My hands balled into tight fists in my lap. The last thing I needed was to make a scene in front of the scholars who hung out in the library. "I'm just trying to hang out with my friends and have a good time-"
"-Arnold. Stop." she wagged her index finger in the air, shushing me from continuing the argument that she started. "I'm gonna cut to the chase; I don't think you should spend so much time with them anymore. It's taking a toll on you and our relationship." both of us watched each other with our eyes narrowed, waiting. She opened her mouth a few times to add something else to the conversation but always backed out at the last second.
After another moment I wordlessly stood up and left without so much as a look back at her. There was no way Trixie was seriously asking me to not hang out with Gerald, Helga and the guys. They're my friends! What right did she have to ask me to spend less time with them? For weeks now I've been contemplating my relationship with Trixie, and after this ordeal I was really contemplating if this was what I wanted. Were we just going through a rough patch? Or were we heading down a doomed road with no escape? There was only one person I trusted enough to give me advice about this…
"Gerald!" I wildly pounded my fist on the frat house door. I knew they were all still at home resting after the crazy party last night. Normally I'd be kinder towards their probable hangovers, but right now I didn't care. I was in the middle of a crisis! "GERALD! GER-"
The front door opened, revealing a shirtless and disheveled Danny. His usually kempt hair was sticking up all over the place and his normally crystal blue eyes were half lidded and completely bloodshot. "GOOD GOD, WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH ALL THE DOOR POUNDING?"
"I'm sorry… kinda." I rushed past him. "Thanks for opening the door!" I called over my shoulder as I made my way towards Gerald's room.
"FUCK YOU." he called back.
"WOULD EVERYONE SHUT THEIR FUCKING MOUTHS? FUCK!" Gerald's head was hanging out of his doorway, eyelids drooping haphazardly.
"Gerald!" I shoved him back into his room and followed closely behind him. "I'm having a major crisis here…" I began pacing back and forth across the hardwood floor of his bedroom.
"Man, can this wait until I've slept… and possibly put pants on?" he grumbled. Both of us looked down at his boxer-clad lower half. Despite his hangover he jokingly gyrated his hips, "I know. It's mesmerizing." he smirked.
"Put pants on." I rolled my eyes.
He grumbled something else under his breath as he searched for a pair of pants in his dresser, wobbly slipping them on and landing on his bed afterwards. "Now what is so damn important that you're making me miss my beauty sleep?"
I began pacing back and forth again as my thoughts continued to race. "Trixie." I tossed her name out in hopes that Gerald would catch my drift that my problems were currently female.
"Okay… lady troubles." he yawned, slinking across his mattress until he landed with his head on the pillow. "Lay it on me."
It suddenly dawned on me that I would have to tell him Trixie thought he was a bad influence and a 'changed' person. I stopped pacing when I noticed he was already dozing off and not paying attention to me at all. "Gerald!" I lightly slapped his cheek, jolting him awake again. I grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a shake, "This is serious! Trixie doesn't think I should spend so much time with you or the frat anymore! She thinks you've become some macho meat headed jerk that's been tainting my mind!"
After my confession Gerald seemed much more awake. "So… Did she give you an ultimatum over this? Or…?"
"There was no verbal ultimatum, no… But look, things have been going downhill for me and her, Gerald. It started out with her telling me what to have for breakfast every morning and then making sure I ate breakfast, then she wouldn't let me visit my grandparents unless she came with me… and now she's laying this on me! I can't deal with it anymore! I don't know what to do!" I plopped down next to him on the bed with my head in my hands.
"Do you love her?" Gerald asked after a long moment of silence so I could collect myself.
I lifted my head from my hands and blankly stared at the gigantic poster on his wall of some supermodel in a sultry pose. "We've been dating for two years… of course I love her."
"Yeah, and you love your grandparents too, so let me rephrase… are you in love with Trixie?" I opened my mouth to give my immediate response, which would have been a loud 'YES!'… but the fact that I just hesitated shook me to my core. Was I in love with Trixie? "Look man…" Gerald clapped my shoulder, resting his hand there momentarily. "Relationships are never easy… it's always challenging and oftentimes more complicated than we're prepared to deal with. Every relationship you'll ever be in, whether it's romantic or not, has its trials and tribulations. It's the way you deal with your problems that defines the road you're heading down. Now man, real love is the very definition of complicated… it challenges you in every way. All obstacles are met with compromise and a level head. If you truly love someone nothing can break you apart; no number of fights or arguments, nothing. EVERYTHING is resolvable… But…" he paused, thinking out his next words carefully, "If you're not willing to at least try and work together… what's the point? It's like being on opposite football teams, man! If you aren't working together then you're just one man standing alone in the field waiting to be tackled into oblivion." he grabbed my arm and gave me a shake, "You either gotta find balance in your relationship so both of you can be satisfied, or… walk away- But you aren't the type of person to give up, right buddy?" he gripped me a little tighter, eyes becoming a little frantic.
My hands were fidgeting in my lap, my mind still racing with far too many thoughts about the future of my relationship with Trixie. "… Right."
"Then everything will be alright Arnold. Just talk things out with Trixie and try to find a compromise somehow-"
"Even if that means compromising my friendship with you?" I stared at him incredulously.
"You're my best friend, my brother…" his arm slung over my shoulders, "No matter what happens, at the end of the day you'll still be my family. Sometimes a problem like the one you're having right now with Trixie just takes a little time to smooth things over. And when that time comes, I'll still be here. I'll always be here for you Arnold. Remember that."
"I will Gerald." our fists connected for our handshake. "Thank you for calming me down, really… you're the only person I trust when it comes to this stuff."
"Anytime man… I know the ways of love! I'm here to help!" His smile seemed to falter a little but he played it off into a yawn.
I excused myself from the frat house so Gerald could finally catch up on his much-needed sleep, and so I could muddle over all the thoughts that were currently plaguing my mind. No matter what choice I made was bound to hurt someone in the end… Gerald had basically just given me his blessing to pursue a relationship with Trixie without his interference. But if I wasn't in love with Trixie, why would I do that to Gerald?
"Relationships..." I muttered.
*Present Day* - (May)
"Well, this has been 30 minutes of my life I wish I could get back." I droned, flipping through a page of one of Eugene's artsy magazines while also focusing on not glaring at Danny on the other side of my room. "If I would have known you'd model in front of my mirror I would have left already." Danny only scoffed at my mild irritation towards his metrosexual tendencies. He had showed up at my dorm room desperately seeking to borrow my dark blue sport coat for his date with Liz tonight. Apparently, Louis had borrowed Danny's for a date with Rhonda at some fancy hotel restaurant last week and still hadn't given it back to him.
"Laugh at my primping all you want buddy," he adjusted his tie while simultaneously checking his pearly white teeth, "Tonight needs to be perfect! It's me and Liz's anniversary. If I've learned anything over the years, it's that a little bit of pseudo-romance goes a long way in a relationship. Chicks dig that bullshit!"
"I never pegged you for much of a romantic, honestly." I chuckled. But then I slowly realized maybe he did know a thing or two. After all, several years is a long time to be with one person in this day and age. Especially during college. Maybe he could help shed some light on my current dilemma with Helga. "So, Danny… How do you keep your relationship with Liz so… Peaceful?"
He turned away from the mirror to look at me with an eyebrow raised curiously. "Are you seriously asking me for romance advice?"
"Well… not exactly-" I stumbled over my own words, suddenly feeling stupid for even trying to ask someone like Danny about the ways of love. It's not a secret that Danny's definition of romance was to be distant and selfish.
"Hey, there's no shame in asking." he shrugged. "I've asked plenty of people along the way when I hit snags with the ladies. But the question is, what's the problem between you and Helga that has you seeking advice in the first place?"
"This whole Gerald thing is putting a rift between us. It's like this giant elephant in the room… we know the issue is there, but we don't speak of it. And now I feel like we aren't connecting the way we were before all of this started-"
"You aren't breaking up with her, are you?" his face was showing genuine concern, "As much as I like and respect you bro, I'd have to kick your ass if you break her heart. She's become something like a very… very… very hot sister to me- OW!" my fist connected with his shoulder with a quick, warning jab.
"I'm not breaking up with her Danny! I'm just a little lost right now… I don't know what to do."
His hand subconsciously rubbed his shoulder while he stared off in the distance in obvious contemplation over something, "Why don't you do something fun together? Something special! A date or… Something! Girls love a false sense of romance."
"A date?" my brow furrowed, "Me and Helga have never even been on a real date with each other before." I murmured under my breath. The realization had me reeling. How have we been boyfriend and girlfriend for a month now and we still haven't gone on our first date? What kind of boyfriend did that make me?
"Good LORD. You need to get on that one Arnold. Helga may be a 'tough girl' but that doesn't mean she wouldn't like some romance every now and again. Take her out for a night on the town! You'll both loosen up, and then maybe you can work out whatever issues you're having. If all else fails, your dick can do all the talking." he checked himself in the mirror one last time before gripping the door handle, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date with a sexy redhead- Thanks for letting me borrow the jacket!" The door slammed shut behind him.
Maybe Danny had a point about this whole date thing. Maybe we did need a little more romance in our relationship, what could it really hurt if I tried? I admit I haven't exactly been the picture-perfect boyfriend lately towards Helga. I've been outright cold to her since the night she left me to go look for Gerald. But how was I supposed to pretend I was alright with Helga befriending him after everything he put us through?
The more I dwelled on my relationship issues the louder a voice in the back of my head kept repeating; "All obstacles are met with compromise and a level head. If you truly love someone nothing can break you apart; no number of fights or arguments, nothing. EVERYTHING is resolvable." Maybe I was still upset with Gerald, but it didn't make his former advice any less relevant… as much as I hated to admit it to myself. But was I really willing to compromise with Helga over this? Was Gerald's advice worth following after everything he put me and Helga through? The mere thought of Gerald lately made my skin crawl! Everyone around me says I'm being far too harsh on him, especially since he apologized. But the thing is, nobody saw things the way I did. To find out one of the people you trust the most has been deceiving you for his own selfish reasons while claiming he 'has your back'… it's made me question everything I've come to know-
The sound of the front door opening broke me from my thoughts. As per usual Eugene came limping inside with a new ailment. "Hey Arnold." he smiled brightly, hobbling his way over to his bed.
"You okay?" I motioned towards the leg he was currently elevating on a pillow.
"Potholes are not my friend." he chuckled. "Hey, where's Helga?" he glanced at his wristwatch, "She's usually always here around dinner time."
He was right. Helga usually always showed up for dinner a little after five. In fact, I hadn't heard from her all day, which rarely happens. "You're right. Um… Anyway, I think I'm gonna go for a walk." I stood up and made a hasty exit from our dorm. It wasn't that I was uncomfortable talking with Eugene about my life, I just didn't see the point in dragging another person into this madness. He inadvertently knew far too much about my relationship already. Right after Helga and I started dating Eugene walked in on Helga and I having sex in my bed, he didn't see anything due to Helga's positioning on top of me under the covers, but it didn't make the situation any less mortifying. It became a rule of ours after that to engage in all sexual activities at Helga's place… not counting the completely unsatisfying experience the night Danny interrupted us two weeks ago.
I found myself standing outside her dorm room awkwardly shifting my weight from foot to foot, wondering what exactly I was going to say to her when I finally got the nerve to knock. With all the awkwardness surrounding this situation I didn't know what to do or say anymore- "You either gotta find balance in your relationship so both of you can be satisfied, or… walk away"
"Shut up, Gerald." my palm collided with my temple in a meager attempt to silence his voice. With a shake of my shoulders and crack of my neck I finally knocked on her door- only to be met by silence on the other side. "Helga?" I knocked again to receive the same result. I made sure nobody in the hall was watching before getting on my tiptoes to get the key stored on the top of her doorway. Louis and I were the only ones who knew about it, and it was only supposed to be used if we were bringing Helga home after a long night of drinking and she didn't have her keys. "Helga?… You in here baby?" I poked my head inside. The breath I had been holding was released in relief when I saw her curled up in a ball under her covers and snoring softly. My guess was she had had a long day and had just fallen asleep after class.
I quietly closed the door behind me and tiptoed over to her queen-sized bed. Her golden blonde hair was splayed out across her pillow with a few stragglers falling across her face, her mouth was slightly ajar and exhaling softly. One of her hands was tucked under her pillow while the other one was haphazardly laying across the mattress. I removed my shoes and carefully crawled onto the bed and underneath the covers, moving her deadweight hand so I could lay down next to her. After sensing me in her sleep she instinctually flung her arm across my midsection and shimmied closer, slipping her leg between mine and burying her face in my chest, nuzzling me. My hand crept inside the back of her shirt, rubbing the smooth skin of her back in slow soothing circles. This seemed to wake her up a little, her eyes opened to small slits revealing a portion of her stunning blue eyes. "Arnold?"
"Hey…" my fingers slid down to her hip and gave her a gentle squeeze. I slowly leaned forward and connected our lips, pouring every ounce of feeling I could into it. After a moment of hesitation on her part her tongue finally flicked out to meet mine, followed by a deep satiated sigh as her fingers raked through my hair to pull me closer. Before things could become clouded by lust, I pulled away from the kiss so I could see her face.
"I wouldn't mind waking up like that every day for the rest of my life." a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth but faded away quickly when our eyes met. "You're not mad at me anymore?" her voice was so small, timid… so unlike her.
Both of my arms snaked around her waist and pulled her flush against me in a tight hug, "I was never angry at you." I murmured against the skin of her neck, peppering kisses all the way down to her collarbone before coming back up and gently nipping at her earlobe and eliciting a breathy sigh from her. I admit it was tempting to forget why I came here to see her and give in to my desires, but my relationship with Helga needed to be more than physical. I wanted the lines of communication to be opened, "I want to ask you a question…" I pulled back a little when she hummed in response, her fingers were already toying with me through my jeans and coercing me into hardness. I had to stay focused! I reached between us and took her hand off me to link our fingers together, smiling softly at her. "Helga… Would you like to go on a date with me?"
Helga sat up on her right elbow so she could get a better look at me. "A date?" her brow furrowed. "You get me all hot and bothered for the first time in two weeks and all you want from me is a date?"
"I take that as a no?" my face fell into a pout. "I was just hoping we could- AH!" in the blink of an eye Helga shot up and pressed me down on my back, straddling my hips while her hands restrained my wrists above my head. Her eyes looked down at me in amusement as I awkwardly tried to shift myself away from the intentional pressure she was applying against my groin, her hips began gyrating in slow circles. I was painfully aware she was only wearing a thin pair of sweatpants that left nothing to my imagination.
She released my wrists and skated her hands across the skin of my forearms and biceps before resting them on my chest, leaning in until I could feel her breath on my lips. "I'd love to go out with you football head." her mouth collided with mine in a flurry of tongues and teeth. I sat myself up against the headboard with Helga still in my lap so my hands could grasp her thrusting hips and steady her movements to a slow rocking motion. She let out a little whimper when I started thrusting my hips along with her, rubbing her in just the right spot. Both of us were becoming breathless from the stimulation, "You know Arnold," she panted against my cheek "Most good dates end in bed. Maybe if you're lucky, after our date I'll consider- OH!" Her fingers tightened against the material of my shirt as my hand found its way inside the front of her sweatpants. I was quickly losing my battle with self-control as I often do with her. We haven't had sex recently considering all this Gerald related drama and it was very apparent we both missed this aspect of our relationship. "Fuck- Arnold…" her hips thrust along with the movement of my fingers at her core, "Please, oh god… I need you." my breath caught in my throat when her lips brushed against my ear, "Make love to me…"
What am I DOING? I shouldn't be doing this… I need to work things out with Helga before I even THINK about going to bed with her! I'm doing exactly what I said I wouldn't do…
With all the strength I could muster I retracted my hand from her warmth despite the loud growl of protest escaping Helga's lips. Her hips desperately grinded against mine in an attempt to rile me up again, "Dammit Arnold! UGH! Work with me here!"
"Helga…" I whispered, cupping her face in my hands until she stopped grinding against me and looked me in the eye. "We both know that now isn't the right time for this." I gestured towards the obvious bulge she was sitting on, "I want to be close to you other ways too… not just physically. I want everything. Can we please just try?" Knowing she was defeated and that I wasn't going to give in she fell heavily into my arms with a groan. I pulled her into another hug, running my hands across the planes of her back and humming against her neck. "Since tomorrow is Saturday… why don't we have our date then? A nice dinner… and a moonlit walk through the park. Just you and me."
She slowly lifted her chin from its spot on my shoulder, "Do I have to wear a dress?" she grimaced.
"You can wear whatever you're most comfortable in." our noses playfully rubbed together.
"Naked it is." she smirked.
A hearty chuckle erupted from my chest, "Oh baby…" my hands grabbed her rear and gave it a squeeze, "I look forward to it."
"You're looking spiffy tonight, Arnold. Are you going out?" Eugene was studying me over the top of whatever novel he was reading. My outfit consisted of a dark blue button-up shirt and a pair of slacks.
"I'm going on my first official date with Helga tonight." I turned towards him with my arms held out to the sides, "How do I look?"
"Like a million bucks!" he offered me a thumbs up. "Where are you taking her?"
"Out to dinner at that fancy Italian bistro that overlooks the river, then we'll probably walk through the park if we're feeling up to it. I wanted to keep it simple since it's only our first date."
"I think that sounds like it'll be right up her alley. The flowers are a nice touch too!" he gestured towards the bouquet of roses on the end of my bed. "I'm sure you two will have a wonderful time tonight." after a moment his mouth quirked to the side, seemingly contemplating something else "Arnold… um… Did… you need the room tonight?"
Oh my GOD.
"No! No… thanks Eugene, but that won't be necessary." My cheeks were burning a bright shade of red and there was no way to hide it. "Anyway, I should probably go pick her up." I grabbed the bouquet off my bed and opened the front door, "I'll be back late tonight. See ya Eugene!"
"Good luck!" he chirped.
I'll admit I was a little nervous about tonight. I haven't been on a 'date' in quite a while, and I felt like I was out of practice. Helga was already my girlfriend, so that layer of pressure had been alleviated, but I still wanted tonight to be memorable for her. Danny seemed convinced that this date could help our situation, or at least lessen the tension and animosity between us. All I could do was hope he was right, and that Helga and I could finally talk things out soon. The last thing Helga and I needed was more stress on our relationship.
I stopped dead in my tracks as I approached the front steps of Brennan Hall. A familiar attractive Japanese girl was coming out the front door with a bag slung over her shoulder, "Phoebe?" I tentatively called out.
"Konnichiwa Arnold!" She waved enthusiastically and ran down the stairs to greet me with a hug.
"It's good to see you! It's been a while." I squeezed her shoulders and grinned down at her, "What brings you to Hillwood?"
"It's my father's birthday this week so I figured I would come down to Hillwood and see everyone during my month-long break. I spent all day with Helga today." she smiled coyly at me, "She's very excited about tonight."
"She is?" my grin widened momentarily. It suddenly dawned on me that they spent the whole day together, talking. Which only meant one thing… "Have you seen Gerald yet?"
Her facial expression immediately hardened, "No. And I'm not going to… not yet. I haven't even begun to think of what I'm going to say to him." she placed her hand on my forearm and sighed "I had no idea he was capable of causing so much turmoil. He never gave me any reason to believe he disliked Helga so much… I'm so sorry Arnold."
"Don't." I firmly grabbed her hand, "You had no idea. None of us did…"
Her small hands balled up into fists, "Rest assured that I will give him hell for what he's done." a ding from her phone momentarily distracted her from her rage, "That's probably my mom wondering where I am." she sighed, "I better get going."
"And I better go get Helga." I pointed towards the dorms. "See you around?"
"Of course." She grabbed my arm to tug me to her level and placed a kiss on my cheek before she left. "-And Arnold?" she called out over her shoulder as she began walking further away, a devilish grin spread across her face, "… You're welcome."
"Wait… what?" my brow furrowed, "You're welcome for what?- Phoebe!" I called out to no avail. "Well, that was weird-" My phone chimed in my pocket, I pulled it out and saw the screen lit up with one new text from Helga; 'Not getting any younger here Arnoldo. Get your ass over here!' After Phoebe said Helga was excited for our date, I couldn't help but laugh at her text. She really was excited. I practically broke my neck rushing up the stairs to her floor. When I finally reached her dorm room, I paused to adjust my clothes and hair before knocking on the door. "Here goes nothing." I held the bouquet of roses in front of me and let out a deep sigh. A few moments later the door opened. Helga came to stand in the doorway, leaning on its metal frame. My mouth suddenly went dry, "Sweet… Jesus… Helga?" She was wearing a light pink strapless dress with a dark pink belt anchored around her waist and her hair was let loose from its normal ponytail and flowing freely down her back in light waves. Even her eyes were adorned with makeup to enhance her already beautiful cerulean eyes. It took me a minute to stop staring at her attractively muscled thighs and calves that were on display and accentuated by a pair of heels. "Uh…" my hands shakily held out the roses for her, "Flowers… You-" I cleared my throat, "I mean; these are for you."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were feeling a little speechless football head." her hand brushed mine as she accepted the flowers with a slight blush on her cheeks. "Red roses, eh? Nothing on the cheap… good boy." She motioned for me to wait while she took the flowers in her dorm room, when she remerged, she had a purse in her hand. Since when did Helga start carrying a PURSE? "Let's get this show on the road lover boy!" her fingers grazed my stomach as she walked past me. She was purposely sashaying her hips from side to side in that curve accentuating dress, it was an obvious attempt at flustering me. I had to literally force myself to ignore the flutter in my stomach and the heat pooling near my groin- focus Arnold! I pulled myself together enough to jog after my gorgeous date with a dreamy sigh and a skip in my step.
Thank you, Phoebe!
"I gotta say… you look absolutely amazing tonight, Helga." I eyed my dinner companion across the table from me. We managed to get one of the tables on the deck that overlooked the river, the moonlight shone off the water and made a very nice backdrop for our romantic evening. A single candlestick was lit in the middle of our table, next to it was a bucket of ice that contained a bottle of champagne to accompany our dinner.
"Phoebe talked me in to buying the dress when we went shopping today." her teeth nervously scraped across her bottom lip. I was silently wishing it was my teeth instead- "She insisted I dolled up to knock your socks off tonight." She bit her lip a little harder to contain her smirk.
My hand reached across the table to cover hers, the moment her skin came into contact with mine, my heart began to race. "You always knock my socks off, Helga. I find you stunning with or without all the bells and whistles." her hand rotated beneath mine until our palms touched, both of us smiled.
The look on her face went from sweet to mischievous, "Let's try something… Tell me something about you that nobody knows."
"Um…" I cleared my throat a few times, "Alright..." I pondered my answer for a moment, "No freaking out, okay?"
Her eyes narrowed apprehensively as she took a sip of her champagne, "Okay. Lay it on me football head."
"We sort of… made out once while you were drunk… on Saint Patrick's Day." A gasp escaped her lips as her hands slapped against the table and gripped the tablecloth. My hands raised defensively before she flipped her lid and started screeching, "Nothing happened… but we did kiss. I never told anyone before, not even Gerald."
She took a few calming breaths before releasing the tablecloth and setting her elbows on the table and resting her hands under her chin. "Since we're sharing crazy secrets there's something I think you should know." My heart began thumping against my ribcage, but I nodded my consent for her to continue. "This isn't exactly our first date."
"Huh?" I stared at her dumbly.
She took a deep breath, wordlessly fluffing her hair and shaking her bangs loose from behind her ears and letting the strip of hair fall over her left eye. "Bonjour Arnold." her voice came out in a terrible French accent.
The sound of her voice and the look on her face instantly resonated in my mind. "Cecile? YOU'RE Cecile?- NO! No way… no!" my hand clutched against my chest when she didn't deny her identity. Helga was Cecile the whole time? How did I not see it sooner? Helga refused to look at me while I tried to process this new information, she seemed uncharacteristically nervous about the whole thing. I thought Helga enjoyed pranking people. "That was a lot of effort to put into one practical joke-"
"It wasn't a prank, Arnold." she idly poked at one of the raviolis on her plate, she didn't clarify her statement any further.
"Helga…" Everything suddenly clicked in my mind. It made perfect sense the more I thought about everything that transpired between us when we were kids. Every moment I found her randomly in alleyways and sighing to herself, every time we ran into each other, and she would stare at me adoringly before letting her face fall into a scowl… "You-… You really meant what you said on top of the FTI building… didn't you?"
Her eyes slowly lifted to meet my gaze, "Yes."
For some reason my heart began pounding again. The longer we stared at each other the clammier I felt. "Did you ever… stop feeling that way about me as we grew up?"
"Does it really matter?" she dismissively flicked her wrist in the air, "It's all in the past. Ancient history bucko!" That was the typical attitude I was accustomed to when it came to Helga. She was avoiding the subject entirely.
What could I possibly tell her to make her feel less embarrassed? I wanted Helga to feel free to be open with me about everything- "I had a wet dream about you once when I was 14!" my hand slapped over my mouth in surprise. Oh my god. The people at the table across from us had clearly heard my confession and began snickering at me. My cheeks turned a deep shade of red and it suddenly felt 100 degrees hotter outside. Helga simply stared at me completely slack jawed with the beginnings of a blush clearly visible on her too. "I'm sorry… that was-"
"Wait, wait!" she held her hand up, "You had a legitimate sex dream about me when we were teenagers?" I nodded in response, and to my surprise she began grinning like a fool. "What did we do, exactly?"
"Helga!" my blush intensified. "I don't remember the specifics… it was a long time ago!" she gave me a glare that said, 'I don't buy it bucko'. "Look, all I really remember was… well, we did stuff… in the boys locker room."
"Holy shit football head! You're a kinky little sexual deviant!" she hooted with laughter. I felt myself sinking lower in my seat and willing myself to disappear. What the heck possessed me to tell her about that? I really am a moron- "So was 'dream me' any good?" her eyes were sparkling with excitement. I suppose the utter embarrassment was worth it to see her so entertained.
"I finished all over my sheets. Is that proof enough?" I muttered under my breath. My hand instantly slapped over my mouth again. What ever happened to my mental filtering system?
"Wow…" her teeth bit on her bottom lip once again, only this time I was pretty sure it wasn't because of nervousness. She began twirling a strand of hair around her index finger, keeping her eyes locked on mine. "So… Were you attracted to me? What prompted you to dream about me? We were hardly best friends."
The level of embarrassment I was feeling had reached an all-time high, even beating the time I had to wear those bunny footie pajamas in front of the whole neighborhood. "I can still remember the first time I really saw you as a… um … woman." I shifted awkwardly in my seat, "We had just finished running a mile for PE. Everyone was gathered around and cooling off, stretching and stuff… I was sitting on the ground stretching my legs, and I remember seeing you a few feet away leaning against the fence. I remember noticing your gym shorts had ridden up your thighs and you were using the hem of your shirt to wipe the sweat off your forehead. From my spot on the ground, I could see directly up your shirt-"
"You pervert!" she chuckled. If anything she seemed unbothered by my confession, amused even. "Go on, go on! You're making my night here Arnoldo!" she enthusiastically stuck another ravioli in her mouth and watched me, completely enthralled as she chewed.
"Before that moment I never thought about you as more than Helga before… beyond the name, beyond your persona. After seeing your bra I was slapped with the reality that you were an attractive teenage girl, and for the first time in my life I reacted like a teenage boy. I admit I had some impure thoughts once or twice… but it never went beyond a fleeting thought. It was really hard for me to admit how strongly I felt towards you, and to validate my feelings beyond the point of just a physical attraction. Sure, it's a little embarrassing to rehash about my former wet dream, but that one moment of teenaged hormonal desire changed everything." I reached out and cupped her cheek, "It opened my eyes to everything I was too blind to see before, and from that moment on I never stopped seeing you."
When Helga turned her head away from my touch, to say I was surprised would be an understatement. I thought we were taking nice and steady baby steps towards a breakthrough! "How about that walk?" she mumbled.
I didn't bother to ask her why asking personal questions had set her off again. Instead, I did what she wanted, I paid for our dinner and we went to the park. She allowed me to hold her hand as we walked side by side down the cobblestone pathway that was currently bathed in the moonlight. Needless to say, it was a beautiful spring night here in Hillwood. Everything about tonight was supposed to be perfect. It's what I had planned on… I didn't plan on making Helga so tense, and I certainly didn't want this lingering tension floating between us anymore. I tried backing into this situation from a romantic standpoint, but it obviously hadn't worked out the way I had wanted it to.
"Oh look, the playground!" Helga's other hand thrashed around and pointed excitedly towards the blue and white children's playground that was built long after we were little kids. She released my hand and ran over towards a bench to remove her heels and carry them in her hand. "Come on football head!" She didn't wait for me to respond before she was taking off towards the sandbox with an excited giggle. At least she wasn't so tense anymore, and I was only happy to oblige.
Helga hiked her dress up even higher up her thighs so she could hop up on the large metal carousel that immediately began spinning under her weight. Her head fell back in the breeze, her eyes closed, and she let out a sigh.
"Any room up there for me?"
The wheel made several more passes by me before it started slowing down. She opened her eyes and gave me a once over, "Gimme a push and maybe I'll consider it football head." she smirked. I grasped one of the bars and pulled the metal carousel as I ran next to it. When it gained enough speed, I hopped in front of Helga and wrapped my fingers around the metal bar to steady myself. After a few moments of spinning in silence, she let out a tentative laugh, "I haven't done this since I was 11."
"I honestly can't remember the last time I played at any playground. It's been a while." My hand subconsciously crept closer towards hers, but I decided right then and there that I wasn't going to try and be romantic in this scenario. I wasn't going to give any lingering or longing glances, or loving caresses. Most of my attempts tonight have done nothing but put her on edge for some reason. Discussing feelings, conflict, and the subject of our past tended to have a damning effect upon our budding relationship. If she found some sort of comfort in reliving our childhood on a carousel in the middle of Hillwood Park at 10:30 at night, I was going to let her have this moment. I knew Helga would talk to me when she was good and ready… she always does.
After running back and forth and playing on the various playground equipment we wound up sprawled out shoulder to shoulder on the grass and staring up at the (somewhat) visible stars through the thick layer of city smog, the most prominent thing visible being the crescent shaped moon. Every once and a while Helga's hand would brush up against mine but would quickly retreat, or her foot would gently tap my shoe and she would pretend she hadn't done it. I knew she was trying to open the doors of communication by means of physicality, but I didn't want to solely communicate that way anymore. It obviously wasn't working for us. I wanted her to speak to me, to tell me what she's feeling without me having to literally force it out of her during a moment of sheer frustration.
I turned my head towards hers and studied her profile for several moments, "Let's try something," I parroted her words from earlier "… Tell me something about you that nobody knows." her head slowly rotated to the right until we were practically nose to nose. This was physically the closest we had been the entire night. I prepared myself for whatever she was about to strike back with, I wasn't about to let her break my focus with her sexual prowess. I made a show out of clearing my throat and moving my head further away from her, I wanted her to answer the question!
"You know Arnold, it's not very nice to scoot away from your date like she has the plague." she looked back towards the sky with a huff.
"I just want you to be able to talk to me Helga," I finally gave in and grasped her hand in my own. "It's been so crazy lately between us and I don't want our relationship to crash and burn because we can't communicate."
"We're communicating right now, aren't we?" she glared at me from the corner of her eye.
I sat up on my elbow and stared at her incredulously, "You keep avoiding certain subjects, you act cold towards me when I try and get you to open up, and you-"
"OKAY! Geez Arnoldo… I get it. I understand why you're frustrated with me, because I'm frustrated with me too! Communicating with other human beings has never really been my forte and I'm willing to fully admit that. As much as I care about you, I'm equally afraid to completely let my guard down and tell you everything. I spent so long keeping everything locked away inside that I forgot what it was like to be open and honest, to tell people how I feel… It's not easy for me to even admit that to you. My family is so emotionally detached and screwed up… I always thought I would be above their freakish behavior when I finally broke away from them and started my own life… but I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the emotionally stunted tree." her fingers had tightened considerably around my hand during her self-reflective monologue, "You want me to verbally express my feelings, right?"
"I do." my other hand reached out to gently touch the side of her face.
Her face looked pained as her bottom lip trembled at my touch, I knew she was struggling with this. "Arnold, I've been in love with you from the moment I first heard your voice. No matter how much I wished those feelings would dissipate over the years, my thoughts always came back to you. There's nobody in the world that could take your place in my heart… So, to answer your question from before; no, I never stopped loving you." I could feel her body nervously shivering next to mine, "Was that enough communication to satisfy you, football head?"
My heart swelled a little at her confession. Hearing the words come from her mouth left me feeling a little ardent, "Thank you for telling me the truth Helga." I leaned down and pressed my lips to her forehead. "It takes more strength and courage to feel something and express it than to hide it." I shifted my body in the grass until I was pressed to her side, "You've never really been given the chance to express yourself, especially with your family history. But I want you to understand that you are not like them, do you hear me?" my hand grasped her chin, so she was looking at me. "You're not like them. I know you're not."
Her hand covered mine as she smiled softly, "Thank you." she rolled over on to her side and cuddled up against my chest. "I love you, Arnold."
Maybe things didn't go exactly the way I had planned tonight, but I couldn't complain about what transpired. Every step we took to communicate like a normal couple was another step in the right direction. There was always time in the near future to talk about the whole Gerald issue, and all that mattered to me right now was this. Helga was mine, here in my arms and willing to make an effort to be with me. And for the first time in weeks, I felt close to her again… "I love you too."
*One week later*
"A studio apartment downtown with a half bathroom for nine hundred a month… is that even legal?" I folded my newspaper in half and tossed it back down on the table we were occupying at the campus diner. "How the heck is a guy supposed to find a place to live after graduation? Everything I've come across lately has been either ridiculously unlivable or outrageously expensive!"
"Roommates-" Louis pointed his index finger at me like a gun and pretended to shoot, making a clicking sound with his tongue. "Less money from your pocket!"
"Uh, NO! I've been living with Eugene as my roommate for far too long. I'd rather live all by myself in a studio apartment with no windows or shower! Finding other people I could tolerate to live with would take forever… and I've only got a little over a month before I graduate. I have to move out of the dorms right after graduation!"
"What about your grandparents, Arnold? They live in a boarding house." Rhonda glanced away from her manicured nails she was currently filing to make eye contact with me.
"I need to get out on my own after graduation. My grandparents deserve their space. They did their job raising me, and now it's my time to experience life without them holding my hand the entire way. Living on campus was the first step, but now comes the real world! I've already got a possible job lined up, so long as everything goes well-"
"Where are you gonna work?" Louis' head shot up from his plate of pancakes, his cheeks were partially puffed out like a chipmunk.
"Ugh… Really… swallow, darling." Rhonda grimaced.
"My professor from my Biocultural Anthropology class got promoted to the head of the Anthropology department at Hillwood U, and he asked me to interview for a job as some type of assistant. Apparently, he interviewed another guy too and he's supposed to let me know today who he's chosen." I scooted towards the edge of the booth and stood up, tossing some money on the table, "Anyway, thanks for inviting me to breakfast guys, but I should probably be getting back to the dorms. I've still gotta check into some more apartments. But we should all get together sometime this week to hang out, it would be fun!"
"Sure thing Arnold," Louis took another bite out of his stack of pancakes and wrapped his other arm around Rhonda's shoulders, "and good luck with that job thingy!"
"Thanks!" I offered them a small wave and took off toward the exit. Off in the distance I could vaguely hear Rhonda yelling at Louis yet again about his table etiquette. I don't know what exactly attracted Rhonda to Louis of all people, but if they were happy, I was happy for them… even if they were one of the weirdest pairs of all time. Helga on the other hand was completely opposed to Louis' new and strange romance. She was convinced Rhonda was solely out to annoy her and had no interest in Louis. Even that was a little farfetched for me.
Instead of heading back to my dorm room I found myself gravitating towards Brennan Hall. Helga had several hours before her first class and I knew she would be home. We were still taking tentative steps with communication, but things were getting exponentially better. Up until this point we haven't talked about Gerald despite her starting to spend time with him recently. She assumed I didn't notice when she said she had plans with 'a friend', then later I heard from Danny and Louis that they had gone bowling with Helga and Gerald. I wasn't mad at Helga for spending time with him, I had no right to be… but it didn't mean I had to be happy about it either. We had to compromise and meet somewhere in the middle when it came to him. I knew she wanted me to try and talk with Gerald, but I just wasn't ready to do it yet. I needed her to understand that… and maybe it was about time we bit the bullet and talked about it.
"Baby?" my fist rapped against her door.
"Just a sec!" her voice came out muffled on the other side. I could vaguely hear her sheets rustling and her feet paddling across the floor before the door swung open. She was wearing nothing but a thin white shirt and a pair of underwear, "Hey there tiger." she grinned. "What are you doing here? I thought you had plans today?"
Look away from her legs- LOOK AWAY!
My hands grasped at her waist and pushed her backwards into her dorm so I could close the door and prevent anyone from seeing Helga in nothing but her boyish, form fitting underwear. "I wanted to see you." I wrapped my arms loosely around her waist and smiled at her before my lips sought out hers for a quick peck, "Good morning."
"You came by to see me huh football head? That's all you wanted; to say hello?" our bodies disconnected suddenly, "You came here for something else bucko, I can tell." her eyebrow raised inquisitively, "But what is it?"
"Very intuitive," I complimented. "Anyway, since you mentioned it, I think we need to discuss some stuff… That's if you're feeling up to it."
Her eyes narrowed briefly before her face fell back into a mutual position, "Uh… okay? Discuss away Arnoldo." she plopped down on her bed and pulled the covers over her exposed legs. I didn't really know how to start this conversation with her, I've spent so long thinking about it and yet now here I am with nothing to say. "Is everything alright Arnold? You're kinda freaking me out here…"
I sat down in front of her and took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge and hope for the best, "We need to talk about what's been going on with you, me and Gerald." her eyes widened in surprise, "I know you've been spending some time with him lately, and I want you to understand that I'm not angry or hurt by it. In fact, I want to commend you for being the better person in this situation. It takes a lot more effort to make amends than it does to feel angry and spiteful. I know I've been putting an extra burden on us lately by having such mixed emotions when it comes to Gerald. I'm sorry if I've hurt you along the way because of that. But I need you to understand that I can't jump right back into a friendship with Gerald… His betrayal made me question my faith in the people closest to me, and it scared me. I'm still afraid sometimes. I'll always be here for you, and you'll always be someone I need in my life… but your venture with Gerald is something I'm just not ready to be a part of yet. We need to compromise on this… You don't have to hide your friendship with him from me, and all I ask in return is that you respect my personal space when it comes to this."
Her warm hand suddenly came into contact with mine and gave it a squeeze, "I can do that. It's not a problem… Why were you so freaked out to talk about this of all things? It's not like I would have refused and told you to get lost! Crimeny Arnold… I'm willing to do pretty much anything to make this work. I thought I made it clear that I'm crazy about you. Giving you some time and space with this whole Gerald thing isn't a ludicrous request." she pulled the covers from her legs and crawled into my lap, placing her hands on my shoulders. "And I'm sorry if I make communication between us difficult sometimes… I know I tend to shut people out, but I'm working on it. I promise you that I'll keep trying." My left hand wove into her hair and pulled her mouth to mine while my other hand caressed the soft skin of her thigh. She whimpered a little in my mouth and began to squirm in my lap. Her fingers were making quick work on the buttons of my shirt, but my hands reached out to stop her before she could reach the bottom. Her mouth pulled away from mine with a whine, "Damn it, Arnold! Seriously? It's almost been a whole month! Don't you dare think I'm above tying you to the bedposts and having my way with you- OH!"
My hand blatantly cupped her breast to accommodate the nip I gave her neck, "I want you too Helga… you have no idea." I pulled back a little, "But as much as I want spend all day in bed with you… I can't stay here for very long. I have to meet with Professor Marsden in thirty minutes. He finally came to his decision about who gets the job."
"That's exciting! Are you nervous?" She lovingly stroked my cheek with her thumb and gave me a genuine smile.
"A little… I need this job, or else I really will have to stay with my grandparents for a while until I can find a source of steady income."
"Marsden would be an idiot to not hire you, Arnold. You're one of the hardest workers out there! Everything will be alright… If you don't get the job, we'll figure it out together." she snuggled against me with a reassuring hug, sighing contentedly.
Together… I loved it when Helga said things like that. It always reminds me of how committed she is, and how much I really mean to her. She didn't want to see me fail. After everything that has happened lately it felt nice to know someone was there for me, and now that we've talked about this whole Gerald ordeal I felt even better about the future of our relationship. Things were looking up!
Unfortunately, I didn't get to stay long with Helga at her dorm. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she would make good of her promise about 'jumping my bones' at some point. As I was leaving her room she knelt in front of me and gave my package a sensuous squeeze through my jeans and promised it that they would have a play date soon. Her deviously playful words continued to taunt me in the back of my mind all the way to Professor Marsden's office and I continuously had to pray that I could get my stupid hormones in check so I wouldn't find myself hard in the middle of this stuffy waiting room all because I couldn't stop imagining my girlfriend keeping her… promise. The last thing I needed was another public erection!
Think about something else, quick! … Harold without a shirt on a hot summer day… Grandma and grandpa having old people sex-
"Arnold, Mr. Marsden will see you now." His secretary Roxanne stood a few feet away and motioned for me to follow her. I silently walked behind her and nervously played with the ends of my shirt; I suddenly didn't feel all that aroused anymore. We stopped in front of a fancy oak door, and she knocked rhythmically against it before poking her head inside to announce our presence. "Right this way" she opened the door all the way and ushered me into the office.
Professor Marsden sat behind a fancy wooden desk with several stacks of paperwork cluttering the workspace. After he finished writing something down, he finally lifted his head to look at us. "Arnold! Come inside and take a seat my boy. Thank you, Roxanne, that will be all. And please hold all my calls for now."
"Yes sir." she nodded respectfully and left, closing the door behind her on the way out.
"Take a seat," he repeated, gesturing to the chair across from his desk. I took a deep breath and shakily sat down. "So how are you this morning?"
"I-… I'm well, Sir. Thank you." I stuttered.
Professor Marsden let out a hearty laugh and smiled at me, "Don't look so nervous! I have both good news and bad news for you… well I also suppose that depends on your definition of bad- anyway… The good news is I am hiring you to work for me if you choose to accept my offer. The thing is Mr. Fox, my other applicant, will also be hired as well. I want you two to work together."
"Together?" my brow furrowed. "How so, sir? You said something about this being a job as an assistant of some sort."
"Arnold, I'm the head of the board at the museum here in Hillwood, and recently there has been a great opportunity given to us. We're getting a new exhibit pertaining to the elusive 'Green Eye' civilization of San Lorenzo. Many of the artifacts still require archiving and further study, and I know for a fact that you have a special interest in this particular civilization. Your impressive thesis on their culture further swayed me to choose you for this. As for Mr. Fox, he is also highly educated about the customs of the Green Eyed people and has extensive knowledge of their cultural history. You two were both my star pupils and I have full confidence in your ability to work together on this. And after the archiving is completed, it would only be fitting to permanently hire you both at the museum as the curators for the exhibit."
Everything Professor Marsden said was a lot to take in all at once. He was giving me an incredibly rare opportunity to inadvertently follow the same path my parents had taken so long ago… to continue their work. How could I possibly say no to something like this? "This is incredible sir, truly incredible! I would be honored to be a part of this! My answer is yes!" my smile widened to a full-on grin.
He reached out to shake my hand. "Excellent! Now all I'm waiting for is Mr. Fox to show up. He had the appointment directly after yours so he should be along shortly." not even 5 seconds later there was another knock on the door followed by the sound of Roxanne opening the door. I stayed facing forward and watched Professor Marsden, "Bring him in, please." he clasped his hands in front of himself. I heard the sound of footsteps behind me, and the sound of the door closing again. "Arnold, I would like you to meet Mr. Fox." I stood up from my chair and turned to shake hands. Standing less than five feet away from me was a tall, athletic looking brunette man with blue eyes, broad shoulders and a pearly white smile…
God dammit.
"… Jason?"