It's Nice To Have A Friend

42) A Second Chance At Love?

The rainy smell of the woods seemed to have calmed FP down more than it usually did. After nights of barely sleeping, of constantly feeling as if someone was punching him in the gut, it felt nice to be outdoors for a little while.

Fortunately, the sun had started shining too, which made it the perfect weather to go fishing today. FP had never been one to be very patient, but he was with his best friend, which made it a good day.

"It's been some time since it was just the two of us, huh?" Fred chirped, looking away from the lake to smile at his best friend.

"We work together every single day, you're lucky I can still look at your face." FP teased, grinning at him.

"You know what I mean, we never hang out anymore. It's always work." He said, still smiling.

Working together was nice, but it would be good for them to talk about real stuff, and not just about business all the damn time.

"How are things between you and Poppy?" FP wondered, genuinely curious.

He saw the slight panic written over Fred's face upon hearing that question, and it made him laugh a little.

"Relax, man. I'm truly on board. You're making my little sis smile." FP said, and Fred breathed out in relief.

He still hadn't been sure where they were standing on the whole 'dating his sister' situation, but he was glad to know that things were truly fine.

"I'm very in love with her, FP." Fred said softly, his cheeks blushing and his eyes twinkling.

"I sense there's a but?" He asked, seeing some kind of doubt in Fred's eyes.

"It's kind of hard accepting that she might love me too. I've always wondered what there really is to love about me, y'know?" Fred looked at the lake with a sadness twinkling in his eyes, that FP still managed to see.

"Fred, you are the most lovable person I know. You're the glue of this group, we would be lost without you." He told him honestly, sensing that it wasn't time for jokes anymore. Fred really needed to know that Poppy loved him for all his great qualities, that he himself didn't manage to see.

"You're honest, you always look at everything from the bright side, you always have a shoulder to cry on, you're smart, and on the very rare occasion you're funny. What's not to love about you?" FP smiled at him, hoping it would cheer him up just a little bit. His words came from the heart, Fred knew that.

"And maybe you're a little handsome too." He teased, making the air around them less thick. Fred chuckled.

"Sounds like I started to date the wrong Jones sibling." He said, still laughing.

Fred was truly grateful to have a friend like FP. He wasn't great with words, but when needed he seemed to know what to say to his best friend.

"Thanks, man. It's just my mind messing with me, I guess." Fred finally exhaled, and a bit of the tension in his body slowly faded.

"I mean, we haven't dated for long, is it crazy that I think it's going to be forever?" He looked at FP with insecure eyes. He wasn't sure if he was going way too fast, if these thoughts even made sense.

"Nah, I get what you mean." FP said, assuring him slightly.

"I had that with Alice when we first started going out." He smiled sadly.

"Really? At the age of seventeen?" Fred questioned, surprised to hear his confession.

He knew that FP had been all over Alice as a teenager, but he had never known that he could see himself ending up with her at such a young age.