Knots: A Fab Moretti Fanfiction

The Art Institute of California

2005 – PRESENT TIME

A young man shifts nervously around in his place as he stands in an airport, waiting for something. He is of extremely short stature for someone his age, and noticeably skinny. He has curly hair and, despite his build, he possesses dark, attractive features, with piercing light-brown eyes that stand out due to his darker complexion. His eyes rapidly dart back and forth between his watch and the double-doors several feet away from him.

"Come on," he mutters in a frustrated tone as he taps his foot nervously on the floor. He had been waiting for this day for years, and now that it was finally here, he could hardly contain his nerves, or his excitement.

After a few minutes, the doors open and a crowd of people carrying their luggage filter out into the room. The young man stands on his tippy-toes and scans the crowd intently. He spots a young woman holding a carry-on and rolling her suitcase behind her, looking around for someone. A huge, uncontrollable smile spreads across his face despite the jolt of nerves he receives once he beholds her.

"Ana!" He shouts excitedly, waving his skinny arms in the air to attract her attention. Her face immediately snaps over to him, and once she recognizes him, she smiles as widely as him. She rushes over to him as fast as she can.

"Fab!" She slams into him, hugging him tightly. He hugs her back and, overwhelmed with emotion, picks her up and spins her around. She laughs gleefully and he sets her down, then plants a kiss on her head. He pulls away and they look at each other tearfully. He studies her face, which he hadn't seen in years. He didn't think it was possible, but she had become even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. She had long, black hair, olive skin, and light-green eyes. He notices that her face had become more mature and that she had begun to straighten her hair, making it appear even longer than when she let it run free in its naturally wavy state. 

They look at each other meaningfully, the way Fab had looked at her many times in the past, as if he were contemplating kissing her. She had never returned this look, until now.

"Uh, hey," she looks down, ruining the moment.

"Hey. God, I missed you so much!" He shouts and pulls her into another hug, squeezing her tightly.

"I missed you too," she whispers, smiling.

"Thanks for picking me up."

"Well, it's alright, but it's gonna cost you. I charge $50 for here to Brooklyn," He kids her, though in reality he was more than happy to pick her up. He had dreamt of her return since the day he dropped her off at this very airport, and he hadn't caught a wink of sleep the night before for all of the excitement and nerves about seeing her again for the first time in years. She had been away at college for over four years, pursuing an art degree in one of the nation's best art colleges, the Art Institute of California. She decided to stay a year after graduating and couldn't really afford to fly back and forth every year, so she hadn't seen Fab-- or any of her other friends and family, for that matter-- for a very long time.

She chuckles at him, "I see you're still the same after all these years, cracking jokes all the time."

As she says this, she goes to grab her luggage she had left behind when she ran to hug him, but he stops her.

"Hey, let me get that."

"Oh, no, it's okay. I got it."

"I see you're still the same after all these years, still stubborn as hell," he teases her.

She rolls her eyes and smiles, "come on."

______________

Fab's car pulls up to a small, old, two-story house with a red-brick exterior and stairs leading up to the front door. There is no front yard, but a small gated area in front of the house, which contains a grassy area, a few shrubs, and a trashcan. The house Fab grew up in stands across the street and a few houses down. It looks very similar to Ana's, but with slightly darker brick and an attic atop the second floor. As they drive up, Ana's gaze fixes on her childhood home. A wave of nostalgia comes over her, beholding the home she had been away from for so many years.