Remember Phil?

Chapter 14 - The truth for Phil

The truth hurt, but it was the truth. Life isn't like one of those romance stories where there's some kind of event and one person runs off to find who they love to help and support them and they're there waiting there and both end up loving each other that same day. The truth is, that an event may happen, and one person runs off to find the one they love, but the whole romance love stuff doesn't happen. Movies and stories give us extremely high expectations so maybe it's better not to have any expectations at all.
"Dan, this is this is the sweetest thing ever!" Phil squeezed me but I felt almost emotionless. It was like every active cell had drain from my body.
"I had told myself I would see you in five days, and here we are. The fifth day, Phil," I grinned. It's hard to grin cheerfully when you're not feeling cheerful at all.
"Hey, Dan," he grabbed my shoulders. "I was just about to go out my my girlfriend, Julie, but I'm sure you can come too."
He looked over his shoulder to Julie who began to walk towards us. This was a typical Phil thing. He hated leaving anyone out which is another thing I could add to reasons why I loved Phil. I guess it was also another reason he had never had much luck with his love life.
"Hey! Julie!" Phil called. Is it 'Kay if Dan comes?"
Julie made an odd face. It was a mixture between 'ugh really' and 'ugh okay, if it makes you happy'.
"Sure," she sighed, 25% willing and the other 75% quite peeved.
"Uh, thanks," I grinned. I think Phil was the only one that was truly happy with this situation.

Phil had booked a table for two and couldn't swap tables as the restaurant was completely full. However, they did have spare chairs so I was sat at a cramped table for two in between Julie and Phil.
"So, Julie, this is Dan," Phil began as he handed over our menus to the waitress. "He shares an apartment with me, don't you, Dan?"
"Uh, yeah, " I looked up from the table and grinned. Phil tried so hard to be a good person but in some cases, it just doesn't work. Instead, it creates awkwardness.
As we sat through our meal, I got more and more desperate to get out. Phil had tried many conversation starters, Julie replying in long, bragging answers which I could see that she was trying to make me jealous and I replied in various tones of pleasant grunts, trying no to communicate with the monster at all.
"Dessert anyone?" Phil asked.
Julie was just as desperate as I was to get out. "No thank you, Phil. It's kind of you to offer." She replied, trying to act sweet towards Phil. I still hated her soul however sweet she acted towards my Philip.
"I'm okay thanks, Phil," I said, smiling like I had been my whole way through the evening.
"Okay then." Phil grinned back to us, only his grin was real, not fake. "I said I'd drop Julie off at her apartment after the meal. Hope that's okay with you, Dan?"
I nodded. I wanted to get her out of my sight as soon as possible in case I accidentally stabbed her.

"Byeeee!" Phil yelled out the car window as Julie hurried up the steps to her apartment, sheltering her head from the rain.
Phil did the window up and drove away from her house. The further away we got, the less tense I felt.
"How's your mother?" I asked, trying to bring up a fairly relevant topic of why I was here.
"Good as she can be," Phil sighed.
I didn't reply because there was no other reason I was here. Apart from my second reason. Phil didn't need to know what my second reason was. But I desperately wanted him to know.
"I said I'd take Julie out for a quick coffee tomorrow morning before I saw my mum. Would you like to come?"
We had just reached the hotel parking lot when Phil's phone rang.
"It's Julie," Phil said. "I'll ask her now."
Phil put the phone to his ear and I tried to listen to what Julie was saying but it came out in just mumbles.
"You okay? I only just dropped you off? ...okay, good. And yeah, tomorrow is still happening... Well I was just about to ask you...."
Then I heard Julie. It was like a grumble of Phone and voice noises. "Listen! You're like a married couple! You don't leave each other's side! Forget tomorrow! Spend it with your boyfriend! Okay?"
"But he's not my boyfriend, Julie! We're not it love with each other. I don't love him in any kind of romantic relationship and I he feels the same about me."
Every word made heart crack a tiny bit more like a chisel, chiselling its way through the centre.
"Dan, tell her. Please. She doesn't believe me." Phil handed the Phone at me. I took it and held it to my ear and stayed silent for a few seconds. I could lie and Phil would go on as normal. Or I could tell the truth, and Phil would know how I felt about him.
"Hey Julie." I said and she babbled on. "No, Julie. You're right. I love Phil. And I don't just love him as friend. I love him as in I fancy him. I want him to be my boyfriend. I love Phil."
Phil turned and looked at me, his face like it belonged to a vampire. I handed the phone back over to him and weakly smiled. Now to wait for his words.