(Old Version) Tuca and Bertie: Saga of a Songthrush

Meeting

Characters: Bertie Songthrush, Speckle Robin, Muriel Nocturna

Warning: None

Note: This one is a short chapter, but only because the next one is extra long
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The closer they got to Muriel's home, Bertie's anxiety only increased. It had settled in her stomach and she felt like she was going to throw up. She knew Speckle was willing to try this, but she still had worries. What if they didn't get along? What if they both thought the other was bad for her? What if Speckle would have less respect for her?
Too many what if's, too many thoughts racing through her mind. She could feel her stomach clench. She slowed the car and pulled over on the shoulder, then quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and got out, barely making it to the ditch before she expelled what little she'd had for breakfast.
She'd been like this for the past two weeks, every day adding more and more anxiety. It could go right, or it could all come crashing around her and leave her with no one.
But yet she had been throwing up almost every day since she got back from the road trip over a month ago.

She got back in the car and was relieved to see that Speckle was still asleep, occasionally muttering along to the architecture podcast that was playing.
He looked so peaceful and it helped relax her.
Like she'd told him; His face always made her feel like everything was going to be okay.
She took a few deep breaths and unwrapped a piece of gum to chew on. It wasn't as good as brushing and rinsing, but it was better than nothing.

She pulled away from the shoulder and back onto the road. She was glad there wasn't a lot of traffic on the two-lane highway this early in the morning.

The trees were vibrant shades of green, the wildflowers were in full bloom, and the sun was now beginning to shine through the branches and leaves, dappling the ground and road with light. It really was a beautiful spring morning and she smiled, feeling a bit better now.

Around an hour later, she turned onto the private lane and slowed the car.
She glanced at the clock on the dash. 9:00 am.
They were late by a few minutes, but it couldn't be helped that she'd had to stop for a herd of deer and then the wave of nausea.
"Speckle, wake up. We're here." She patted his shoulder.

She had wanted to bring Tuca, and Tuca had wanted to come, but she had family issues to deal with regarding her aunt, so she'd opted out of the trip.
Her best friend's absence only made her feel more anxious about today. She could always count on Tuca to cut the tension with a joke or a 'ka-kaww', but now she was on her own to work out the complexities of her relationship.
She knew that she wouldn't be able to hide the turmoil of emotions from Speckle, which was a positive and a negative at times.
She felt his hand slip into hers and he entwined their fingers.

"It's gonna be okay, Bertie. I believe in you. You're even stronger than I could ever be for even pulling up to this house." He rubbed her hand. "You don't need to worry."

"But what if you don't like each other? I finally have her back in my life, and if this goes wrong, I'll end up alone." She gently squeezed his hand. "I'm just afraid you'll not want me talking to her or hanging out with her, or you'll think I'm cheating and-."

"Bertie! Please! I'd never think you're cheating on me, because I know you would never do that to your best friend and love of your life. I know I'm the love of your life because that's why you're the love of mine. Now let's go on in there and make this happen."

She took a deep breath and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, honey." She felt relaxed now. "Okay, so she's goth, like really, really goth, please don't be..." She made a noise. "Judgy about her clothes. She hates that. In high school we had a lot of bullies and it's still a point of annoyance for her." She pulled into the driveway and turned the car off, unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door and got out. She closed her eyes and relaxed as the pine scented air filled her lungs.
She kept her eyes on the gravel driveway, then the door when she stepped onto the sidewalk. She tried to stop her hand from shaking when she rang the doorbell, but she knew that Speckle would see it, which made her more anxious.
She plucked a feather from the side of her neck and winced, wishing she could stop that particular anxious tic. She felt like her heart was in her throat and she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. "I'm close to an anxiety attack." She whispered.