Phinbella- Waiting

Isabella sat on her couch as she waited for Phineas to arrive. She absentmindedly flicked through the television channels, wondering where Pinky was.

She and Phineas were supposed to be at Irving's soon. He was throwing a party for the fifth anniversary of when Phineas and Ferb built the rollercoaster in their backyard.

Ferb was taking Vanessa to the party. They'd been dating for a few months and had decided it was time that Vanessa was introduced to their circle of friends. Isabella smirked at the idea of mature, grown up Vanessa, who was in college, hanging out with a bunch of high schoolers. She would have to be pretty tolerant, but judging from the stories she'd told Isabella the few times they'd met, her father had made her far more ready for this encounter than she would ever need to be.

The part Isabella didn't quite understand was the age difference between Ferb and Vanessa. Ferb was so much younger than Vanessa, and yet they seemed to make the ideal couple. They understood each other perfectly, though neither of them spoke that often, at least in public.

Isabella saw the way Ferb looked at Vanessa and wanted nothing more than for Phineas to look at her that very same way. What was worse was that Isabella knew Ferb had had a crush on Vanessa for years, starting back when they were in middle school. Ferb was older than Phineas by a couple of years, and still acted older than his age, so Isabella could see why Vanessa would go for a younger guy. But how could Ferb be so sure of his feelings when he was still so young? Isabella had attributed that to his age and maturity, giving Phineas time to catch up and see the sunshine, but he still didn't have a single clue how much Isabella loved him.

Isabella began debating with herself whether or not it was worth it to wait for Phineas. Of course it is, she told herself. Phineas is the only man you'll ever love. Stop being a pessimist!

Isabella was shaken from her thoughts by the honk of a car horn. She peered out the window and saw Mrs. Fletcher's red station wagon in her driveway. Isabella quickly turned off the TV, grabbed her purse, and headed for the door. She stepped across the threshold, saw Phineas getting out of his mother's car, and waved to him, signaling that she needed just a minute. Isabella turned her back to Phineas and fished her house key out of her purse. When she found it, she jammed it into the lock and turned it until she heard a click! At that, she threw the key back into her purse and strode toward Phineas, a grin on her face.

Isabella couldn't wait to be with Phineas. They were hardly ever all alone, and now she would have a whole car ride with him all to herself. And at the party, they might as well be going as a couple. Ferb would no doubt be spending all of his time with Vanessa, and although Phineas was too nice to ever admit it, Isabella knew that their other friends began to annoy him after a while.

As Isabella neared Phineas, her smile faded. He was staring at her quizzically, as if there was an algebra problem plastered to her forehead.

"Phineas, are you alright?" Isabella asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Yeah, yeah, fine." Phineas replied. His voice had an airy and faraway quality to it.

"Are you sure? Is there something on my blouse?" Isabella looked down at her shirt, searching for any leftovers from her cheese quesadilla lunch.

Phineas continued looking at Isabella with consternation, and didn't reply until Isabella prompted him again, this time referring to her whole ensemble.

"Um," Phineas licked his lips. "What?"

Isabella crossed her arms. Phineas was not normally this slow. What was going on with him today? "Well, what do you think? Does it look okay?"

"Um, uh," Phineas shook his head as if trying to get rid of cobwebs on the inside of his skull. "Oh, yeah! It looks great!" he replied with enthusiasm. Then he continued, in a smaller voice, "What were we talking about again?"

Isabella rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. "My outfit." She said dryly.

"Oh. Your out fit is great! It looks great on you," Phineas swallowed, and Isabella thought she noticed his face turn a darker shade of peach.

Isabella raised her eyebrows. Could Phineas possibly be… nervous? She'd never seen him like this before. He was never unsure of himself, especially around her. She wasn't wearing anything special, just her regular clothes that she wore all the time around him.

Isabella's heart practically leapt out of her chest. Maybe this was it. Maybe Phineas had finally realized that she was more than just the girl across the street. Maybe now they could finally begin working toward their happily ever after. Isabella's eyes widened. This was what she had been waiting for practically her whole life. This was what she had written so much about in her diary. This was what had caused her to cry so many tears into her pillow.

And now… Isabella wasn't sure if she was ready. She had waited so long for Phineas, been always there, always patient, always helpful, always his right-hand woman, that she didn't know how she would handle being treated by Phineas as anything other than a friend.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you saying? Isabella asked herself. This is the boy you've loved for how long even you don't know, he's finally showing some interest, and now you're questioning whether or not you want to be just friends?

Isabella did a mental facepalm. This was stupid. She should have just kissed the stupid inventor right then and there, but a better thought occurred to Isabella. Why not make him go through what she did? She suffered for years, secretly loving Phineas and receiving no love in return. Isabella wasn't normally one for revenge, but she figured in this one case it would at least be entertaining. It couldn't really hurt, could it? After all, Isabella would give up the game soon enough.

So Isabella cocked an eyebrow, stuck her hip out, and pouted slightly.

"Um, yeah." Phineas blinked.

"Well, we'd better be getting to Irving's," Isabella said. "Everyone will be waiting. They can't start the party without the guest of honor." Isabella spun on her heel and headed toward Mrs. Fletcher's car, swaying her hips just a tad as she walked. She tugged on the passenger door, but it was locked. She looked at Phineas expectantly.

"Oh, right." Phineas fumbled with the keys in his hand and hit the unlock button.

Isabella smiled to herself as she buckled her seatbelt. Phineas still had a dumbstruck expression on his face.

Phineas can just be patient, Isabella thought. Goodness knows I've waited long enough for him, now it's his turn.