Accidental Fiancé

3: Catching Up

Three: Catching Up.

The not-date was going far better than Astrid could ever have dreamed. Hiccup had ordered sparkling water and they had both had salads to start-him the feta and pine nut while she had the crayfish. And as they chatted, she was reminded of the person she had forsaken in her ruthless determination to pursue her career. Hiccup's voice was calming, slightly nasal and animated, his shoulders moved and arms whirled as he talked, mimicking his huge father who was still disappointed in his son on occasion. She learned that he had passed his degree in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering in only two years and had secured a staff job at Berk Aero, working on designing aircraft and engines-which he loved. He had attended Berk U because it was close to home and done a little running and remained in contact with his friends from school-but what he didn't say concerned her.

He didn't say anything about a relationship and he was fairly quiet about his father, making her concerned about one thing he kept asking her:

What happened?

"I mean, you're big news around here," he reminded her. "Local girl made good-in fact, you're always the headline on the sports page, even when the Berk Vikings Football team plays. I mean, everywhere else, it would be unthinkable that Soccer knocks Football off the sports page!"

"Actually, almost everywhere else, soccer is called football!" she reminded him. "The Governing body is called FIFA, there's a Football World Cup...all the game we call soccer but pretty much no one else does!" He grinned.

"Colour me corrected," he smiled at her and she felt another flutter at his genuine grin. He had certainly done well out of the tail end of adolescence and had become a handsome-though self-conscious-young man. But she flicked her braid in her characteristic Astrid way.

"Stickler for accuracy," she commented.

"Wouldn't be much of a striker if your weren't, to be honest," he reminded her and she chuckled.

"So no one in your life?" she probed. He stiffened and lowered his eyes. "No one you love?"

"No," he sighed. "I mean, I have friends but...no one that special, no." And he felt an inwards cringe that he was betraying Bella by the words but when he said them, he knew they were the truth. He was grateful she was with him, that she was kind enough to have him as a boyfriend...but he didn't love her. He did everything he could to be a good boyfriend-attentive, polite, generous but he always felt inferior...and a small part of him nagged that gratitude wasn't the best basis for an equal relationship. And though he did appreciate Bella's efforts in putting up with his uselessness that small nagging part of him treacherously reminded him that...she wasn't Astrid. And then he sighed. "How about you?" he replied. "I mean, I saw when you broke up with that Football player...boy, Snotlout was upset about that..."

Astrid burst out laughing.

"Really? Why? It wasn't like I would ever consider going out with him-even if he was the last man in Midgard. I thought I had made that clear over our entire school career!" she giggled and he cracked a smile.

"Well, maybe he's had one too many punches to the head..." he suggested. She raised her hands in surrender.

"I take no credit for that," she said quickly. He sipped his water.

"Someone's gotta-and it certainly isn't me," he commented. "Are you okay? You didn't look too happy on the news when it happened. It didn't look especially mutual..."

You know, only my parents noticed...and you, my former best friend. Damn.

"You noticed, huh?" she challenged him with a wry smile. "Unfortunately, I said I wouldn't tell the reporters exactly why we split up." He leaned forward, his eyes concerned.