A party seemed to be in full blast. All of the people that were there were there to celebrate the fact that they managed to survive high school. To them, it was all the reason that they needed to party until the early hours of the morning. They were determined to make it the party of the century.
The music blared from several speakers placed all over the place. All the people that were dancing were already very sweaty and many were drunk almost as soon as the party again. It was definitely one that the students would remember for years to come.
A small group of four had yet to even arrive at the party. The night was still young so they didn't seem to find the need to hurry. The party had long since started before the even arrived. All four of them were pleased with all they saw as they walked in with the boyfriend or girlfriend wrapped around each other's arms.
"I must say that they definitely went all out for this party. Mine was definitely better though," a spiky haired boy said remembering a party that he held a few months prior. It may not have been at night but it was still one that he was still being congratulated about.
"Perhaps but lets see what happens before the end of the night Van," a blonde haired woman said as she clutched onto her boyfriend as she watched all the people who had only a few hours before thought that the man next to her and herself were mortal enemies.
Van grinned as he leaned in a whispered something into Fiona's ear so that the two behind them wouldn't be able to hear them. "I already know what's going to happen by the end of the night Fiona," he said and he knew she got the picture since she turned a really bright red the next moment.
The next moment they were pushed apart slightly as a tall man with messy hair busted in-between the two of them and wrapped his arms around both of their shoulders. "Well now that we're finally here, we should get partying," he said since he always was one to party whenever given the chance.
Fiona was slightly surprised at him for bursting in-between them but smiled at him anyways. "By all means, no need to wait for us Irvine," Fiona said but couldn't help the fit of laughter that was threatening to burst forth.
The second woman, a woman with tanned skin and dark hair that was done up in four small ponytails, from behind them scoffed a bit at her boyfriend's actions. "Better go make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," she said before she too followed after him at a rather fast pace.
"See ya later then Moonbay," Van said as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist and led her through the crowds looking for some place in which they can be alone for a little while.
The two of them seemed to attract quite a bit of attention as they weaved their way through the dense crowds. Van couldn't blame them for how weird it must seem to them since until a few hours ago they acted like nothing but enemies.
That was the way that the two of them had to act for years. Up until graduation they had to keep their friendship and love hidden from everyone just because of Van's old girlfriend. She hated Fiona but Van had no other choice but to stay with her.
Hiltz always gave his daughter what she wanted and when the two of them first started going out, he blackmailed Van into staying with his daughter or else he would fire his father who happened to work for Hiltz at the time. His mother tended to get sick easily so Van had no other choice but to stay with Amy so that they wouldn't lose the only source of income Van thought they had.
That was before he learned the startling truth of his family, his father was actually the owner of a multi-billion dollar company which up till that point he left in the charge of his vice-president ever since he first took it over from his own father. He did it on the side but wanted to keep his family hidden until he thought that Van would be old enough to handle all that came with it without it going to his head.
Van thought he found a way out of the predicament he was in when he heard this but to his surprise, Hiltz already seemed to know about it all. He then counteracted with it with something new. Thanks to the vice-president of his father's company, there was dirt that could bring the company down. The way it was set up though, his father would be the one to be blamed for the events.
Once again, Van was stuck in Hiltz's web of deceit. There were many times that he always thought of telling his father or going to the cops about it but it would still mean that his family would be ruined and he didn't want to be the one that was the cause of it all.
Later he found himself falling in love with Fiona, a friend that he had for over four years but forced to keep it a secret for the sake of his family. The two of them didn't care and continued to fall more and more in love.
The worst thing possible eventually happened, Hiltz found out about Fiona. Using even more dirt about his father, Hiltz forced Van to end things with Fiona and never see her again, and then tried to make him get married to his daughter. It was something that neither of them could really handle in the time they had to put up with it.
They had to suffer up until graduation. Without Van knowing about it until the last moment, his father managed to pull something off. Van was freed once again without the worry that Hiltz would try anything unless he felt like being on the end of one of his own threats.
After graduation, Van broke up with Amy in what he thought of as the easy way. He felt bad for doing it in front of everyone but he didn't have a choice since Amy wouldn't go anywhere private to talk it over. He was still unsure why she didn't care if everyone heard what Van had to say.
After he broke up with Amy, Van wasted no time in going up to Fiona and finally giving her what they both wanted for a long time, showing everyone that they loved each other by kissing her in front of the entire senior class and their families as well as the teachers.
Van looked at Fiona with a soft look in his eyes. They had been through so much and he was glad that he was finally able to share moments like these wither. They no longer had to hide what they felt for each other from everyone. They were finally free to be together without interference.
The two of them took a seat on a couch and Van wasted no time in grabbing Fiona and pulling her onto his lap making sure that everyone saw that she was his and he wasn't letting any of them have her, especially not Thomas.
Thomas was a person that had the biggest crush on Fiona ever since he saw her on her first day here. Van was always closer to Fiona though and was the one who won her heart in the end. When he learned, he was saddened but seemed to back off a bit so that Fiona could be happy.
"I can definitely get used to this Fiona," Van whispered in her ear with a grin on his face. "Now I can just kiss you and front of everyone without having to worry about the consequences," he said and he intended to make full use of that privilege whenever he could. He'd been denied from being with her too much up till then.
Fiona blushed but smiled none the less. It would take some getting use to but she was extremely happy that they didn't have to hide anymore. She then captured his lips quickly so that she'd be able to show everyone the truth between them since some still didn't seem to be able to understand.
They looked like they were going to remain connected at the lips forever had the two of them not been so suddenly interrupted by Moonbay. "Man, the two of you need to get a room," she said pulling Irvine right along with her.
Van pulled away from Fiona and pulled her close. "Where can we find one?" bursting out in laughter as Fiona turned beat red and the slapped him on the arm. He could tell that Irvine and Moonbay were just as amused since their faces were becoming contorted while trying to hold in their laughter. "You're too innocent sometimes Fiona," Van said with a chuckle.
Moonbay leaned back in her seat and just relaxed. Her foot tapped in beat with the music as she hummed the tune. "A whole summer off before we go to college. I hope that neither of you've dropped out because of what happened last week," she said turning her gaze towards the two lovers.
Van took a sip of a drink in front of him before deciding to answer. "It was kind of the last thing on my mind at the time so I'm still in. I was just trying to get out of Hiltz's blackmail, didn't have time to do that," Van said before turning his gaze towards Fiona. "What about you?" he asked with a worried tone.
Fiona sighed and leaned her head on Van's shoulder. "No, like you, I was still a little too preoccupied with things. Not the same as you but it just wasn't the first thing on my mind. Thankfully, I'm glad I forgot all about it," she said kissing Van on the cheek while still sitting comfortably on his lap.
"Good, that means that we'll all still be going to the same school," Irvine said placing his arms behind his head and leaning back in his seat. "This is going to be great. No Amy, no Prozen, and no Hiltz. We can finally relax again," he said with a deep breath.
Van just smiled and nodded. "We'll see what happens though. Amy mentioned about trying to change colleges. I hope she changed her mind about it," Van said looking a bit upset at remembering it. He just didn't want to face her after what happened earlier that day. He loved Fiona, which was why he broke up with her in the first place, but it still didn't stop him about feeling bad about it.
Moonbay groaned but knew there was nothing she could do about it right then. She just hoped that Amy learned her lesson from today and would stay away from Van and Fiona from now on. Somehow, she had some doubts about that actually happening. She just hoped those doubts don't come true.
Hiltz just sat in his office in almost the exact same position that he was in after Dan left. He hadn't done anything all day. 'All my plans failed and most likely Van's with his whore right now,' he thought angrily slamming his fist down on his desk.
Him and his daughter were so close to gaining everything they'd ever wanted. They were rich but not nearly as much as the Flyheights, which the main reason he wanted his daughter to marry Van Flyheight. He did everything he could to push it along and yet it still failed in the end.
The door to the office swung open quickly and Amy came running into the room with tears coming down her face. She was beyond angry and was probably looking for anyone to vent her anger and frustration on.
She came to a stop at his desk and he looked up to see her furious eyes which were red from tears glaring down at him. "What happened? Why is it that he broke up with me rather than ask me to marry him like he was supposed to?" she yelled out at the man in front of her. She was angry at him for giving Van the opportunity to do such a thing.
Hiltz looked at his daughter and then back down at the desk in front of him. "I had no choice. If I didn't we would've lost everything. All the hard work was turned against us because of Van's father interfering," he said in a defeated tone. It was the first time that he ever felt so humiliated and defeated in his life.
"Aren't you going to do something about it? Who cares what happens! If I was to still get married to Van, we'd still have even more to gain then by just giving up!" she yelled at him as she slammed her hands down on the table.
Hiltz looked up at his daughter for a second before placing his head back in his hands. "There would still be nothing. If we were to lose everything, then my word would be nothing compared to Flyheights. We'd lose everything anyways," he said with a deep sigh. He didn't know how he could get out of the mess he'd put himself through.
"I have been humiliated and you're just going to give up!" she yelled at him as her face contorted even more in rage. "You may've given up, but I'm not," she said before she ran out of the room not leaving him any say in things.
Weeks seemed to pass in the summer quickly. Van and Fiona were taking full advantage of their new found freedom and spent as much time together as possible. There was rarely a moment you could see the two of them separated.
Van however, had a great deal on his mind for the few weeks before they were scheduled to move out and head off to college. Sometimes when he had time, he would be seen with a look of deep thought on his face. It seemed to mainly in the few times that he's not with Fiona or a few times when he is.
Right now was one of the few times, not to mention the longest, that he wasn't with Fiona. She was away on a trip to see her father, whom she hadn't seen and barely talked to in four years, and he couldn't come along because of business of his own.
His father had started to train him a bit so that he'd be able to take over when Dan decided to retire. It actually just started just after Fiona left a week before. Van guessed that was the reason that his father chose that time. He knew he wouldn't get any other chance since his son spent more time with his girlfriend than he did with his family in the weeks following graduation.
Van sighed and collapsed on his bed after a very long day. He stared up at this ceiling. It was times like these that he was starting to hate. Yet it also gave him some time to think over something important.
'Should I or shouldn't I?' Van asked himself thinking over the question that had been on his mind for the last few weeks. 'What would Fiona think if I talked to her about it?' Van asked himself as he rubbed his head where a headache was forming from all his thinking.
Van was taken from his thoughts when the phone suddenly rang. He was quick and grabbed it before anyone else would've been able to. "Hello," he said thankful for the distraction from his thinking. It was starting to be a constant headache trying to make a decision that would definitely affect his relationship with Fiona.
The voice on the other line of the phone made Van instantly sit up in his bed. "Hey there Van," Fiona's voice said from the other end of the phone. She sounded really happy when she heard his voice answer the phone.
"Fiona!" Van said happily. Since she left, the two of them just didn't have the time to talk to each other even if it was just over the phone. "Great to finally hear from you," Van said leaning against the wall in his room. "How's things down there with your father?" he asked eager to hear what she was up to.
When Fiona spoke it wasn't as enthusiastic. "Fine I guess. My father's the same as always in that he never really tries to take much time off of work," she said with a sigh. "Then when he is home, he doesn't talk much. And when he does, he tried to set me up with one of the neighboring boys. Not much of a trip," she said sadly wishing that she could just get home. She heard a something that sounded like a growl of jealousy and couldn't help but giggle.
Van didn't like how her father was trying to set her up. He had faith in Fiona but that didn't stop him from being jealous that others were after his woman. "Better behave yourself then Fiona or I might have to punish you when you get back," he said with a laugh. He just knew that Fiona knew what he meant and was blushing. He liked that about her, no matter what happened between them, she was always a bit modest.
"I'll have to remember that," she said with a chuckle. 'Not that it's a real punishment,' she couldn't help but think. "How are things going down there? You sound a bit tired. Would you prefer that I just call back some other time?" she asked in a soft voice. She didn't want to disturb Van if he was sleeping.
"No" Van said quickly. "I'm fine. My dad's just started to train me so that I'll be ready to take over when he retires. It just a lot of work and I just got home. Hearing your voice makes it a lot easier though," he said with a soft smile. 'Maybe I should ask her,' he thought but then thought against it. He didn't want to talk to her about it over the phone.
The two of them talked for what seemed like hours before they were finally forced off by Fiona's father. Van could practically hear him through the phone yelling that he needed to make an important business call. So they were forced to say their goodbye's and then hang up.
Van didn't like having to hang up. He was just glad that she would be back in a few days. 'Maybe then I can talk to her about it. There's one person that I have to talk about it to first,' he thought before he turned over in his bed and fell asleep just wishing that he could sleep until Fiona came back.
Van woke up the morning of Fiona's return feeling not too enthusiastic about what he was going to do. Fiona's mother was an understanding woman but he still had no idea how she was going to react to what Van wanted to ask her.
Van wanted to ask Fiona if maybe she would consider moving in with him when they left for college. It was always too tough to have to be apart from her when they had to go home alone. He thought that if Fiona moved in with him that maybe both would be much happier.
The real problem for him wasn't asking Fiona but rather asking her mother if it was ok. The woman loved Van like a son but was far more protective of her daughter than that. Van always took care of Fiona so Tricia always liked their relationship and trusted Van. Van wasn't sure if he'd be pushing it by asking that.
His parents didn't appear to be against the idea when he mentioned it to them but they also told him that it was also up it Tricia and Fiona. Van was most worried about their reactions.
He sat up on his bed and walked to the bathroom where he went to take a quick shower. He then came out and got dressed quickly. He knew that Fiona's mom would be up that early in the morning so he decided that he'd go and talk to her about it before Fiona got back. That way, she'd only need to decide and then it could happen.
Since his dad didn't have to work that day, the house was silent since they were still sleeping. He just wanted to get this off his chest and ask so that way he'd be able to sleep a little better at night. Ever since he thought of it, it had been on his mind night and day and caused him to lose out on sleep.
Van didn't even wait to tell his parents since he just wanted to get this over with. He knew his mother would freak to see him out of bed before her but he had to do this. So he left the house and got in his car and drove away.
It only took him around five minutes to get there before he pulled in front of the house. He took a deep breath before he stepped out of the car and started to walk to the door. He could tell that she was already up because he could see her walking around the house through the windows.
Van walked to the door and raised a hand to the door but hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. He heard her walking through the house before she opened the door and smiled at the sight of Van. "Good morning Mrs. Lynette," Van said referring to the way he did when he was nervous. She always wanted him to call her by her name.
"Van what a surprise to see you here. Fiona doesn't come in for a few more hours," she said with a smile choosing to ignore the name she tried to discourage Van from using. "Why don't you come inside? You obviously came here for a reason," she said with a smile as she moved out of the way.
She led the way into the house and the two of them took a seat across from each other at a table. "Now what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked Van with a smile as she stirred a cup of hot coffee that she poured just as the doorbell rang.
Van scratched the back of his head as he tried to think quickly on how he was going to put this. He saw Tricia giggle a bit at this but he took a deep breath and turned to her. "There was something that I wanted to ask you," he said still trying to figuring out how to put it.
"Well that's pretty obvious," she said with a smile. "By the way, would you like a cup of coffee?" she asked him and he just nodded figuring that it would give him some time to sort out what it was that he was obviously trying really hard to ask her. She didn't know what it could possibly be to make Van act that way.
He watched her leave the room thankful for the small interruption. 'Just ask her!' he mind berated him and he decided that he would just get to the point since he was basically just wasting time.
He saw her walk back into the room with a cup mug and placed it before her. "Now, what is it that you're obviously having a hard asking me about?" she asked as she picked up her coffee and took a sip.
Van took a deep breath before he said what he came to ask. "I was… kinda wondering… if maybe…" he said but found it harder to ask than he thought. "Well, what would you say if I asked you if maybe you'd consider letting Fiona and me move in with each other?" Van asked before taking a big breath at Fiona getting it out.
Tricia seemed to freeze in mid air as she brought the mug of hot coffee up for a quick sip. The sudden stop sent some of the scalding hot coffee suddenly falling into her lap. "Shoot!" she yelled as she tried to make sure she didn't burn herself. She got to her feet and quickly ran into the kitchen.
Van sighed as he stood up and walked into the kitchen as well. She was in there wiping her apron off with a towel while mumbling things to herself that Van couldn't quite understand. He wasn't sure that he wanted to either.
Tricia finally stopped patting herself and took a quick look at Van before walking around and took her seat at the table once more. It was obvious that she was really thinking this over. She would take a few looks at Van before looking at the table again.
Van took his seat across from her and stared at her waiting for some sort of answer. "I'm sorry if I just sprung it on you like that," Van said as he leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling. He was just waiting for her to just say no because of the way she acted. It was the way Van thought she would act without the whole coffee spilling thing.
Tricia took a look at Van with a look of extreme thought on her face. "Let me get this straight, you're asking if it's ok if Fiona moves in with you when you go off to college?" she asked watching him as he slowly nodded his head. Tricia sighed as she slid down in her chair a bit. "I guess so," she said doing what Van was doing a few moments prior.
Van head immediately snapped towards the woman. He was surprised that she actually said yes so easily. He thought he would have to resort to begging before he'd be able to get it. "What'd you say?" he asked in a surprised voice that came a in a bit of a high pitched voice.
"I said yes," she said looking at him with a smile. "I was thinking of maybe making you beg first but thought against it. It would've shown how much you wanted it though," she said picking up her coffee and taking another sip of it being extra careful not to spill it on herself this time.
Van looked at her for a second before a hint of a smile crossed his face. "If you had said no then I probably would have," Van said with a big breath. "This isn't something that I just thought of. I've been thinking about it for a while now," Van said with a small laugh.
"Fiona did say you have been out of it as if in deep thought these past few weeks. Are you sure that this is what you want Van? This is a big step," she said and he just nodded his head enthusiastically. "It came so sudden early that I was surprised. Even if I wanted to say no, you two probably wouldn't have listened anyways," she said and he just shrugged at that. "Have you asked her yet?" she asked rubbing her forehead.
"No, actually I wanted to ask you first and get your permission before I asked her. I was thinking of asking her when she gets back later today or tomorrow," he said feeling happy that he had her mother's blessing.
"Probably not a bad idea," she said before a thought came to her. "Van… although I'm allowing with you and my daughter to move in together, I don't want any funny business," she said in all seriousness. "I mean it Van, no hanky-panky," she said and saw Van face contort as if holding in his laughter at the word. "I mean it!"
Van couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He was actually chuckling of nervousness and not of laughter at the way she phrased it. She was allowing him and Fiona to move in under the circumstance that they don't have sex. 'What would she do if she learned that Fiona and I already have?' Van asked himself as a bit of sweat fell down his forehead. "Um… sure," he managed to squeak out.
"Good, I think of you as a son Van. But please respect my wishes even if you and Fiona already have," she said and almost burst out in laughter as she saw Van immediately fall back in his seat and a thud on the floor. She hoped that he hadn't hurt himself.
'She knows!' he thought to himself as he picked himself off the and watched her as if he was expecting her to suddenly pounce on him. Then again, she would've already have done so if that was the case. She had plenty of opportunities up till that point and hadn't as of yet.
"Judging by your reaction, I guess I was right in my assumption," she said with a disapproving glance. "I know that you and Fiona are in love Van but I plead with you, no more of that," she said although there was a soft look on her face.
"I'm sorry," Van muttered and she just nodded her head. "I have every intention of proposing to Fiona at some point but I just don't feel that it's the right time yet. Not after the close encounter I had of almost having to propose to someone that I never really loved in the first place," she said leaning against the table.
"I realize that must've been tough. If it makes it any better, you have by blessing for whenever you plan to do so," she said and saw a smile cross his face. She would've loved to see her daughter married to the man that was in front of her.
Van couldn't help but feel relieved at her words. He wasn't sure when but he would feel better proposing to Fiona when the time was right knowing that he had everyone's backing. "You aren't angry about me and Fiona you know…" not really feeling like talking about it in front of Fiona's mother.
"I must admit that I'm a little upset at the two of you for not waiting but there's nothing I can do about it now. I just hope I can trust the two of you to respect my wishes from now on," she said and saw Van just nod his head. "I see how much Fiona loves you Van. She's happier than ever when she's with you but she's miserable when you're gone. I just don't want to see how miserable she would be if something like that disaster before graduation ever happens again."
"Nothing like that will happen again, at least I hope not. I was miserable when I couldn't be with her and Moonbay said that she was just the same. That's in the past now so I don't have to worry about that happening anymore now," Van said glad that the ordeal with Hiltz was finally over.
Tricia looked towards a clock and noticed how long the two of them had been talking. "Oh my! Fiona's plane will be in an hour and a half from now. Shall we go grab her?" she asked as she slipped on her shoes and walked to the door.
This was the moment Van had been waiting for. It had been a long two weeks but he was glad that she was finally coming back. He would make sure that he met her at the airport when he flight came in. That meant that he had to leave then if he planned on making it there before it got in. it would take about an hour to get to the airport and then another twenty just to navigate himself to the right gate. It didn't leave him much time to get there.
A thought then struck Van. Something eh would've expected from Fiona's mother but it never happened. "Um… why weren't you as mad as I thought you would be for what I did with Fiona?" he asked a bit timidly because he was a bit afraid to hear the answer.
Tricia stopped when she was just about to get into the car. She looked up at Van and did something her didn't expect, she smiled. "Because at one time I did the exact same thing as Fiona. I know what it's like to be young and in love. You have a better relationship with Fiona than I did with her father but I don't want what happened to me to happen to her if that becomes the case," she said before getting into her car and driving out of her driveway.
Van was slightly stunned to hear what she said. It made him feel better about it though. He knew that he wouldn't make the same mistakes that Fiona's father made with her mother and her. He wanted to be like his own father, a man that was capable of finding time for both his work and his family.
Van smiled as he got into his own car and drove out following Fiona's mother as they drove to the city. He was more excited now about picking up Fiona and more confident about asking her the question that had been on his mind for such a long time.
It had taken about as long as Van had expected to make it to the airport. The place was packed and the fact that the corridors had so many different twists and turns made it hard for them to navigate it quick always making sure that they didn't miss the right turn.
What made Van most aggravated when they got to the metal detectors and saw that there was a huge crowd there already. It took them a good amount of time to get through it just like Van had suspected.
Van breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the right gate. He saw that the plane had yet to arrive and he looked at his watch and saw that they just barely made it on time. He was surprised though when he saw that the plane had yet to at least land. He wondered where it was.
He walked over to one of the screens that listed the times of the arrivals and departures and saw that the plane that Fiona had been on was running a bit late and would still take a few more minutes before it landed. "So I was in a hurry for nothing?" he asked no one in particular.
"Not for nothing. It shows that you're completely devoted to my daughter," Tricia said as she finally managed to catch up to Van. "Looks like we'll have to wait a little longer than I thought," she said walking over and taking a seat.
Fiona sat and looked out the window of her plane as it began it's descent back to her home. She'd have to say that her trip wasn't worth being away from Van for as long as she was. Her father wasn't home a great deal of the time which was normal even when her parents were still together.
Fiona said as the plane bumped a bit like normal as it made it's landing. 'What was the point of even making me come down if he wasn't going to be there a quarter of the time?' she asked her as she looked at the place she'd called home for the past four years.
Fiona had a huge smile on her face. 'I hope you're there waiting for me when I get off this plane,' she thought as the plane started to pull into it's gate. She knew she shouldn't put it past Van to make sure that he was there for when she stepped out. She'd be sure to give him a big hug and kiss then.
Van was glad when the plane finally stopped moving and she was finally able to get up. She grabbed her things and waited to get up since she was stuck in the middle of the plane with many people in front of her waiting to get out as well.
It seemed to take longer than it actually did but Fiona finally managed to get through and got off the plane. It was only a short walk before she finally came to the exit and she beamed when she saw her mother and Van already there waiting for her.
Fiona rushed past everyone and pretty much flung herself into Van's arms while dropping her bag in the process. She felt herself being swung around for a little before she was brought to her feet and her lips were claimed by Van. She'd been waiting for this for the last two weeks.
A coughing sound was heard and they separated and Fiona saw her mother trying to get their attention. She laughed but still kept a rather tight hold on Van. Those two weeks were hard with her not being able to be close to Van.
Tricia rolled her eyes but still had a small smile on her face. The two of them were too in love for their own good. She knew that she could trust Van to take of her daughter when they moved in together. She had no doubt that Fiona would be more than anxious to say yes to it. "As moving as this is, we should get going. I'll give you the same warning as Van, behave yourself from now on," she said before grabbing Fiona's bag and started to walk away.
Van saw Fiona's eyes widen and couldn't blame her because he had a similar reaction. "Don't ask me how she knows, she's scary sometimes," he whispered in her ear and Fiona couldn't help but laugh.
Fiona giggled a little more before she buried her face in Van's chest. "That's my mother for you. I swear, sometimes it's almost like she has spy cameras everywhere or something," she said and this time it was Van's turn to burst out in laughter. Fiona had to admit that it was good to be home.
Van pulled away from Fiona as they followed after her mother but he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her as close to him as possible without having either of them tripping over each other. "How was the trip?" he asked keeping his eyes on her more than on the area in front of him.
Fiona sighed as if she was annoyed. "Almost the same as the first half of the trip. He spent most of it away at work and then the rest pointing out my flaws. I don't blame my mother for divorcing him," Fiona said in a dejected voice. Even when her parents weren't divorced, it never bugged her that her father was gone since he got on both her and her mother's nerves.
Van just tightened his hold on Fiona. He didn't really like the sound of Fiona's father and didn't feel like ever meeting the man. If he had his way, he didn't think he'd ever have to. "Cheer up though, you're home now," he said happily and she just nodded in return.
The three of them walked down to the baggage claim and picked up the luggage. It took a while bit they got them and then helped drag them to Fiona's mother's car. It didn't take long to load it before Van was pulling Fiona to his own car.
"Don't worry about me, you two should go and have fun," Tricia said as she walked to her car door. It won't be much work," she said hoping to give them some time. She knew Van wanted to be alone when he asked Fiona so she figured that she'd give them some space.
"Are you sure mom?" Fiona asked and she just nodded her head and got into the car and drove away. "So where are we going to go to Van?" Fiona asked as she stepped into the car through the door that Van opened for her.
"Oh I don't know. So many things we can do now that we couldn't do before. We'll just think of something. Why don't I take you out to a nice restaurant?" Fiona asked her and then suddenly felt like he said the wrong thing when he saw the frown on Fiona's face.
This was a thing that Fiona liked to call damage control. Van knew that she hated those types of places. He was just so used to Amy insisting that he take her to this nice restaurant that it seemed to be the first thing that jumped to his mind. "I say just get me a cheeseburger and that'll be fine," she said smiling brightly in his direction.
Van really didn't know what he did to get such a great woman. He didn't know how he could've forgotten that Fiona hated to go to fancy places like that. Amy insisted on going there. She wouldn't want to eat anything that was cheap like that. She preferred things that were expensive, even before Van knew of his fortune.
He was glad that Fiona preferred the simple things because he didn't know if he could stand going to anymore fancy restaurants. "Cheeseburger it is then!" he said pulling himself out of his parking space and then headed out of the airport.
Van and Fiona ended up just going to a fast food restaurant and then under Fiona's request, the two of them went to the mall. Van figured that one of the main reasons she wanted this was because the place was packed. He also liked the idea of showing everyone that him and Fiona were together.
While there, Van insisted on getting Fiona something. She seemed to be against the idea but he was insistent and in the end ended up buying her a nice necklace. Fiona didn't like the idea of wasting his money like that on her but he was insistent and just took the gift graciously.
"I'm telling you Van, you really didn't have to buy me anything as expensive as this," Fiona said as she examined the gift that was now dangling from her neck. It had a silver chain that matched the ring that was still on Fiona's finger. It was shaped like a heart that had this beautiful blue gem on the inside of it.
Van just smirked and wrapped his arm around her. "Oh don't worry. I just wanted to get you something beautiful," he said giving her a quick kiss. He was making sure that the day went great. He wanted Fiona to be in a good mood when he asked her.
Fiona just sighed as she locked at the necklace and to Van. "Yeah well you didn't need to buy me anything beautiful," she said but gave him a kiss on the cheek anyways. It was still the thought of it that counted. She wasn't sure that Van ever bought Amy stuff like this before.
"Fiona, Fiona, Fiona. I wanted to buy you something but I was calling you beautiful," he said and laughed when he saw her blush. "Consider this a gift for all those years that you had to wait for me," he said kissing her forehead and then they headed out to the car.
Van then drove and then came up to a familiar park. It was one that was only a few blocks away from their old school and was that place that Fiona ran to after Amy's horrible Valentines Day prank. Van still found himself growing angry to this day when he thought of what happened that day.
"Remember what happened here. Besides in the mountains, this was the place of our first intentional kiss Fiona," Van said wrapping his arms around Fiona's waist and lightly pulled her towards the tree.
Fiona looked up at Van and just knew that he was up to something. "What are you up to Van? The necklace, bringing me here. I know you're up to something," she said as she eyed him closely as he leaned against the very tree that they had the wonderful kiss in.
Van just grinned and didn't say anything as he started to climb the tree. He got to a sturdy branch and held out his hand for Fiona and helped to pull her up. He leaned back and held her close to him as he leaned against the trunk of the tree with his legs on both sides of the branch and Fiona sitting right in front of him.
Van turned her head and saw Van looking up. She looked up and through a few branches saw that the sun was already setting. "Wow! I didn't know we were out that long," she said breathlessly as they watched the sunset through the branches.
"Time sure does seem to pass quickly," he said holding her tightly to him so that she wouldn't fall. "I did do all of this for a reason Fiona. There's something that's been on my mind for a while and I wanted to talk to you about it," he said laying feather light kisses down her neck.
Fiona groaned at the feeling of it. "Sure, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked as her eyes closed and she just enjoyed the feel of his lips on her skin. She missed the feeling he could make her feel while she was away visiting her father.
"I've been thinking about it for a while and I was wondering if maybe you'd consider moving in the me," he said finding it a lot easier to ask Fiona than it was to ask her mom. "I want you to live with me when we head off to college Fiona."
Fiona froze when those words left Vans mouth. 'Did he just ask me what I think her asked me?' she asked herself but felt excited when she knew that he really did. "It has been too hard to not have you around me sometimes Van. I'd love to but what would my mom say about that. She probably won't agree," Fiona said sad that it might not actually happen the way she wanted it.
Van was glad that Fiona wanted to. "Don't worry about her Fiona. I've actually already talked to her and she's already agreed that we could," Van said and he saw the shocked look in Fiona's eyes. "She didn't put up much of a fight but she did make me promise that we'd behave ourselves," Van said as he took Fiona's hand in his and gave it a slight squeeze.
Fiona couldn't believe her mother was actually allowing it. "Well then, I'd love to move in with you. That way I can always be with you no matter what," she said kissing him before she relaxed in his embrace.
Van was jumping for joy, on the inside, that they were going to be moving in with each other. "Ok then, I'll start looking for a nice place tomorrow," he said kissing her before pulling her as close to him as possible. "Hope you can stand living with me from now on," Van said with a smirk on his face.
Fiona smiled and looked up at him. She raised a hand and caressed his cheek affectionately. "I think I can handle it. We've basically already been living together since we always seem to be at my house or yours together," she said leaning her head on his shoulder finding it very comfortable.
Van smiled and kissed her cheek holding her to him tightly. He knew that he had a lot to make up for but he also knew that this was great start for making up for all the years that he was forced to ignore her even when his heart longed to be with her. "I guess we have, and it will only get better."