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“He said he’s still hung up on someone - that’s why we ended it.” Bella tells the group at book club.
“Ughh, I’m so sorry.” Bloom squeezes the younger fairies hand, “I know me going to the realm of darkness was traumatic for everyone, but it’s been two years - I thought he would be over it by now or else I wouldn’t have set you guys up.”
Flora rolls her eyes at that and gets up to refill her glass.
“It’s not your fault.” Bella says before they turn back to discussing the book at hand.
Of course everyone assumes Sky is talking about Bloom. Hell, Flora wishes she could pretend Sky’s hung up on Bloom too.
But she can’t - can’t pretend that she wasn’t the one that held Sky during his nightmares or made him tea after he threw up from the anxiety and pressure of trying to find and save Bloom.
She can’t forget that she was the first person he had told about going sober because he didn’t like where his mind went when he drank.
But they don’t know that - none of the girls realize because for some stupid reason their relationship developed over the phone when he’s on assignment or in the dead of night when everyone is sleeping.
She had thought that their friendship would end once Bloom came back, but it didn’t. Bloom and Sky were no longer Bloom and Sky and they had bigger things to worry about like saving the realm. Bloom had started seeing Craig and everything had just kind of fallen back into place.
The girls were now living off campus in their final year at Alfea. The specialists were on rotation at different stations throughout the realm. Life had finally slowed down and they were trying to do normal young adult activities like going to trivia at bars, hosting parties, and book clubs.
Trying to take a deep breath, she tells herself it’s fine, everything is fine. Sky deserves to date whomever he wants, in the same way she does. It was no one’s business that she wasn’t interested in dating anyone but him.
It was also no one’s business that they had cut communication for the past 6 weeks. They both needed a break and Flora had tried to tell Sky how she felt but he didn’t want to hear it.
She was the one that hung up on him when he didn’t respond.
“Interesting book, huh?” Stella slides up to where she’s been zoning out looking at different wine bottles.
“Hmm?”
“Two friends who secretly start dating behind everyone’s back.”
Flora turns to look at the princess, noting the scheming look.
“What was that Stell?” Musa calls over to them. Stella takes the opportunity to put her arm around Flora and usher her back to the group.
“I was just saying that two people, creating a relationship behind their friends’ backs is interesting. I mean why would you want to hide someone who’s important to you?” Stella squeezes Flora’s shoulder at that.
“Maybe they were scared.” Aisha offers up looking at Flora.
“Scared of what?” Bloom asks obliviously.
“Disrupting the group? Having to put themselves out there?” Terra tips her head towards Flora.
What the fuck?
“Disrupting the group?” Bella squints at the girls.
“I think it’s difficult when you grow within a group of people. I mean, people change and grow over time based on internal and external circumstances.” Aisha tells her.
“Change is normal.” Bloom frowns at her roommate.
“Change is scary.” Terra chimes in, “Especially when everything you want is within reach.”
“Babe.” Kat nudges her girlfriend.
“I’m just saying it’s scary to put yourself out there and let yourself be happy. It’s even scarier for kids like me or Flora - or I don’t know, Sky - who were constantly compared to their parents and have no real example of healthy or stable relationships.” Terra is staring directly at her now.
“And what usually happens to people like that?” Stella asks almost mockingly.
“We self sabotage. We push people away. We think we’re not enough for the people we love. We want them to have better than what we have to offer.” Terra explains as Kat threads their fingers together.
The door bell rings before anyone can respond.
“Must be the food, I’ll get it!” Bella jumps up, seemingly unaware of the heaviness of the conversation.
“I’ll help.” Bloom looks at the girls, furrowing her brow, confused about what’s happening, but following Bella out of the room anyway.
Flora refuses to say anything as they all stare at her.
“Were we direct enough or do we need to go over it again?” Aisha asks.
“No, I think I got it.” Flora pinches the bridge of her nose and squeezes her eyes shut. “How did you know?”
“You’re really not that sneaky.” Terra tells her.
“Mind fairy.” Musa points at herself.
“I hacked his phone records.” Kat shrugs.
“He’s happier when you’re around.” Stella tells her.
“Ok, well why aren’t you having this conversation with him then? Because I tried and he very much does not feel the same way.”
“He’s been a little bitch on missions, moping around. I’ve seen him pick up the phone intending to call or text someone, only for him to immediately put it back down.” Kat explains. “So what happened?”
—-----------------
She answers on the first ring, like always. She would call herself pathetic if he also stopped answering on the first ring, but it had been long enough now that she felt like she didn’t have to hide her eagerness to talk to him.
“I have a date tomorrow night.” Sky blurts out before she can even say hello.
“What? Who?” This is uncharted territory for the two of them.
“Bella? She’s a year below us - she’s in Bloom’s classes since she’s trying to catch up on credits to you guys, and Bloom said she likes me and that we should meet up…”
“And you agreed?” Flora swears she can hear her heart breaking.
“Yes.” He says with no hesitation.
“I didn’t even know you were interested in dating…”
“Don’t you think it’s time Flora?”
“If that’s what you want.” She swallows trying to keep the emotions out of her voice.
“I think it’s what I need.”
“I just thought - I mean, you’ve never said anything before about - “
“You know why I didn’t.”
Yeah, she does know.
“So you don’t?” She has to know.
“That’s not what I’m saying.” She can hear his frustration, it’s clear to her - the way his voice hardens. He’s probably running his hands through his hair too, messing it up in every which direction while he paces - silently of course.
“So you do?”
“Flora.”
“Sky.” She says in the same tone.
“You know that I can’t.” is all he says.
“Then let me -” This is where it had all been going anyway, right? “I love you, I don’t want you to date another person. I mean, what the hell have we been doing these past two years?”
“Flora - you know that I can’t - not with you.”
Of course not with her - because she’s the type of girl that you fuck, not that you date.
Not bothering to respond, she hangs up the phone.
He doesn’t try to call her again.
—-----------------
“I’ll kill him.” Stella says.
“It’s fine he doesn’t want me-” She tries to placate.
“Bullshit.” Musa cuts her off.
“Listen, it’s fine -” She tries again.
“It would be fine if it was the truth.” This time it’s Aisha that interrupts her.
“You love him?” This time the voice comes from behind her and she swears her heart starts beating twice as fast.
Turning she sees Bloom in the doorway to the loft.
“No! I just - it’s not what you think - I would never -” She’s grasping at straws trying to explain herself to the other woman in his life.
“You should.”
“What?”
“Flora, it’s ok - we’re all ok.” Bloom approaches her like she’s a wounded animal. “I had wondered who had him all in a tizzy - but I get it now.”
“A tizzy?” Now she’s the one confused.
“A few weeks after I came back Sky and I got drunk together and he was going on and on about how he didn’t deserve to be loved - that he was just like Andreas and Silva - that all he brings is pain to people - at the time I had thought it was because of all the bullshit we accidentally unleashed from the realm of darkness - but then he stopped drinking - I had wondered if maybe there was someone else - but I never thought…”
“We didn’t do anything! I swear he was always a gentleman when you were gone and when you came back - “
“Flora, it is ok. I trust you - both of you. But he’s better now - a better man than I could have ever made him and I think that’s due to you.”
She didn’t want to accept that type of praise. Sky was a good man - is a good man.
“He also happens to be downstairs - brooding - if that matters too.” Musa chimes in with her eyes tinged with purple.
“I thought it was the food?”
“The boys picked it up on their way here.”
“What do I even say to him?” Flora looked down at the hem of her shirt and picked at the thread that was fraying.
“Maybe this isn’t about what you need to say to him - but what he has to say to you.” Bloom squeezed her knee before heading back downstairs. The rest followed until it was just her and Terra.
Five to ten minutes must have gone by before there was a little knock on the wall indicating someone had just come up the stairs.
“I can stay?” Terra offered, but Flora just waved her off. Apparently this was happening and their whole friend group was in on it.
“I brought you some pizza.” He says as a greeting, putting the slice on the coffee table before tucking his hands in his pockets.
“Ok.” She’s definitely not going to be the one to start. She’s already told him how she feels and the ball is in his court.
“You haven’t called.” He says.
“Neither have you.” She retorts.
“I didn’t know what to say.” Sky settles himself on the coffee table, bracketing her with his legs.
“Look, you don’t feel the same way - it sucks, but I get it - really - I just think that maybe we need to stop-” Gods she wishes he wasn’t so close to her, this is so embarrassing already.
“I never said that I didn’t feel the same way.”
“Sky.” She huffs.
“Flora.” He mimics her tone.
“I told you I’m in love with you and you said you don’t feel that way about me-”
“I said I can’t feel that way about you.” He cuts her off. “That’s different and you know it.” He lays his hands on her thighs and squeezes.
Rolling her eyes, “Well, either way you don’t want to change anything about our relationship and I think I have to - I deserve to. I don’t want to spend anymore time as a dirty little secret - I won’t. Frankly, we're both too old for this shit -” She could go on and on about her disdain for their relationship staying the same if not for the fact that Sky’s now leaning into her space.
She can feel his breath on her lips and his one hand comes up to cup the back of her head.
“You do deserve better - better than me.”
“There is no one better than you.” She whispers.
Sky snorts, “That’s a lie, but I’m trying to be better, for you and for me too.” His one hand is tugging on a curl, as he brings their foreheads together.
“So…” She gulps, wanting so badly to close the tiny gap between them.
Not answering, Sky brings her mouth to his and it’s better than she could have imagined. Two years of getting to know each other, pushing each other, and being there for each other had led to this.
It’s a little awkward, but what first kiss isn’t? Until it's not awkward and he’s pulling her to straddle his lap and she’s gasping for air and then they’re tumbling to the ground.
Looking around she sees the leg of the coffee table bent at a weird angle - unable to take their combined force. She looks over at Sky before they both start cracking up.
“Breaking furniture already? Seems like more of a third date activity.” Stella steps into the loft and goes to grab the open wine bottles to bring down stairs.
Flora starts giggling again and Sky’s smiling down at her, fighting his own laughter.
It’s a completely ridiculous situation, but it makes her happy and she can’t find any fault in that.