let's give 'em somethin' to talk about

we laugh just a little too loud, we stand just a little too close

Hop insists that they spend as much time hanging out as they can before he has to leave. He says that he has to balance time between his family and finishing up last minute work, but that he wants to see Gloria as much as he can as well. When he calls her and tells her this, mentioning that she's one of the people he's going to miss most of all, her heart skips a beat. How on earth did she never notice how important he was to her before now?

Of course she can't say no to something like that, not that she really wants to. There is still that same part of her that wants to avoid him just because being around him suddenly makes her nervous, but she continues to do what she can to ignore that part of her. He's still Hop , and she still likes hanging out with him, even if she now notices how unbearably cute his smile is, and even if she feels more compelled to sit too close to him, to rest her head on his shoulder...

She manages to keep her impulses to herself, and they take the time to all the things they like to do together. It isn't hard to tell why she was able to subconsciously project enough of a relationship onto their friendship to always feel romantically fulfilled, now that she realizes that's exactly what she was doing all these years. When they're out together, just the two of them, she can imagine what it must feel like to have a boyfriend, and can imagine why people make such a big deal out of dating, if this is what a date would feel like.

Hop has always been fun to be around, and everything they do together is fun, be it battling or getting food or just walking around and talking about things. She is able to relax, the more time she spends with him, and steadily take her mind off of her panic regarding her feelings for him. When she isn't as nervous, the fact that she's in love with him and knows it now honestly makes it even better. She feels warm when she's with him, and giddy, never wanting their time together to end. They aren't dating, and they've never been dating, but this feels so close to it that she can't help but enjoy every minute of it.

But in the back of her mind, there's that nagging voice reminding her that he's leaving soon, and she dreads the day that these fun times will come to an end. All the while, she knows that, if she is going to confess before he leaves, she needs to do it soon. So many times when they hang out, it seems to be the perfect moment to stop him and say that she has something important they need to discuss, but every time that she calls out to him, determined to go through with it this time, he turns and smiles and she loses her nerve entirely.

If he were to reject her, that smile would fade and his bright eyes would dull a bit as he gave her a pitying look and said that even though he appreciated it, even though she's very important to him, he has only ever seen her as a friend, and he doesn't think that is ever going to change. When he smiles at her, eager to hear what she has to say, she just makes something up, too afraid of rejection to come out and tell him the truth.

~X~

"Hop actually had to step out," Sonia says, looking up from where she's working. Gloria has just stepped into her lab, coming to see Hop again. The days are passing by quickly, with less and less time for them to spend together, so he had asked her to meet up with him here.

"Oh, did he?" she asks, before pulling out her phone. Sure enough, there's a text from him, apologizing and promising that he will be back as soon as possible, and to just wait for him there. "Well, is it alright if I wait around for him?"

"Of course," says Sonia, "you know I don't mind having you here. He really shouldn't be very long." After a pause, she adds, "You've been hanging around each other a lot lately, huh?"

"Not too much more than usual," Gloria says.

"I don't know. I mean, you two are close, always have been, but normally you're both so busy with everything. Lately, you've been taking whatever time you can to see him, right? I know he's been doing that," she replies, and Gloria looks down. It's true that she's been ducking out more often than normal, turning down potential interviews and exhibition matches, knowing that she can do that sort of thing any time, but her time with Hop is very limited.

"We're just enjoying what time we have before he has to go," she finally says, hoping that Sonia won't look further into it.

But Sonia looks up at her with a smile and says, "You're going to miss him a lot, aren't you?"

"W-well, he's my best friend, and we've always..."

"Come on, Gloria, it's just the two of us. I've been dying to know for years now, ever since we met! You like him, don't you?" What is it with everyone knowing about it except for her? Was it really so obvious? Is she really that stupid about her own feelings?

"I..."

"I always thought you might. Truth be told, I've been waiting with bated breath for one of you to make the first move! I had hoped since you were spending so much time together that maybe you'd finally made some progress after all this time," she teases. "Aren't you going to do something about that before he has to go?"

"I don't know about that," Gloria finally says, deciding not to waste her time denying what Sonia already has completely figured out. "We've always been just friends, I don't know if it's a good idea to try and change that now."

"Why not? You won't know if you don't try, right?"

"And what if it doesn't work out? He's my best friend, I don't want him to stop talking to me or anything like that," she explains, and Sonia shakes her head.

"I doubt Hop would stop talking to you over anything, least of all something like that! But I don't think you'd have to worry about that either way," Sonia says, giving her a knowing grin. "I can't speak for him or anything, but you two are awfully close...don't you think this is the next natural step?"

"I really don't know about that." As much as she wants to believe her, she can't help but think that Sonia is just saying that to make her feel better. It's easy for someone on the outside to look in and say it's no problem for her to confess, but it isn't like Sonia has ever had to confess to any of her best friends.

"I can't make you do anything about it, but promise to think about what I said for a little bit? Even if you don't want to tell him before he leaves, think on it. But, personally, I would say not to wait until he's gone, because then you'll really miss him."

Gloria promises to think about it, but she doesn't need to. She hardly thinks about anything else lately, but thinking is pretty much all she can do. She still hasn't reached a conclusion, and Sonia's urging doesn't do much to sway her.