fashion blogger, book one // phan (EDITING)

Forty Six

When I opened the door, my parents walked in quietly, only muttering quick hellos before stepping into the living room.

Phil sat on the sofa already, now wearing one of my black scarves. He looked at my parents but they more or less ignored him.

"So?" I said, and Mum turned her head to look at me. She smiled a bit but didn't say anything. Instead, she looked at Phil, then Dad, and then me.

"Can we talk to you for a second?" she then asked, and I nodded.

"Sure, uh, go ahead."

"Can we talk just to you?"

I looked at Dad. This was the first time he spoke since they'd come back. I looked at Phil who already rose from the sofa. "I... I'll go to the bedroom while you're talking."

I attempted to smile at him, though I really wished he could stay here with me. If they wanted to talk to me alone, that couldn't be a good sign, right?

I watched Phil leave the room, and when I saw my parent's faces, I longed for the comfort of holding his hand already.

I felt my cheeks go red when I thought of what had happened in this room not even five minutes earlier.

"Let's go sit down in the kitchen, shall we?" I said nervously, and my parents nodded before they followed me.

I bit my lip, an annoying habit I had when I was nervous. We all sat down around the table and then, I looked at them and no one said anything for a while.

"So?"

Silence. A sigh escaping my father's lips.

More silence.

It was Dad who decided to break it. "How can you be so sure he's not lying?"

I stared at him for what felt like forever, hesitating to answer.

My parents let me think.

"Because... what he said made sense, as stupid as that sounds. And I met his father, you know? He..." I was about to tell them what he threatened but refrained from doing so. "If you guys had been there..." I sighed and stopped. And then, I waited for a reaction.

Again, it was my father who spoke. "But when he told you he cheated on you? You obviously believed him as well."

"Because I had no reason not to." I sighed. "If Mum just told you out of nowhere she cheated on you, you would believe it, too, right? There was no reason for me not to believe him, you know how little I thought of myself, I thought I didn't deserve any better."

Dad remained silent this time.

"Daniel..." Mum took my hand. "Does he... Does Phil make you happy?" she asked quietly and looked me in the eyes.

"Yes. Yes, he does."

"And you're sure about him? I... I don't want to go through all of these... things again," she mumbled.

"Yes, I really am. Please, just trust me. It's not like it used to be." I tried to smile.

Dad just nodded. "Well, you're an adult. We can't tell you what to do, I guess."

I was tired. "Dad..."

"I just don't understand, Dan. After all he did to you?"

I sighed. "All my life you two taught me how important it is to forgive, and that's what I did. All Phil did is trying to protect me, and I believe him when he says it wasn't his intention to hurt me. And honestly, if I just left Phil right now, do you really think I'd feel any better?"