Illusive (phan)

Chapter XII - Dispirited

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Chapter XII - Dispirited

[The Coffee Lounge, Central London, 3:04 pm, TH 20/10/16]

PHIL: (stands up when he sees dan entering) "Do you always show up to work 45 minutes late?"

DAN: (shocked to see him, pretends like nothing is wrong, puts on his apron) "Only when I'm avoiding you. Why are you still here?"

PHIL: (follows dan to the counter) "Because I wanted to talk to you."

DAN: (under his breath) "Oh joy."

PHIL: "And you won't answer my texts or calls."

DAN: (stacks cups) "Take a hint."

PHIL: (rolls his eyes) "Why are you avoiding me?"

DAN: "Because you're annoying."

PHIL: (leans against the counter) "I want an honest answer."

DAN: "And I want you to leave me alone."

PHIL: "I will once you tell me."

DAN: "I already told you."

PHIL: "All of sudden I'm annoying?"

DAN: "No, you were always annoying, but more so, recently."

PHIL: "Dan, can you please tell me, so I can go?"

DAN: "I haven't chained you to the floor. You can go now."

PHIL: "Dan. Be serious."

DAN: "What the fuck do you want, Phil? I'm trying to do my job, so can you leave?"

PHIL: "The way you showed up almost an hour late suggests you don't care much about your job. And there are no customers so..."

DAN: "Oh my fucking God."

PHIL: "Tell me, and I'll leave."

DAN: (moves to a random table, phil follows) "What are you expecting?"

PHIL: "We had a good thing going and suddenly you don't want to talk to me. I'm expecting a valid reason why."

DAN: (clearing the table) "I wouldn't call what we had 'a good thing'."

PHIL: (sighs) "I would."

DAN: (moves back behind the counter, shrugs) "I wouldn't."

PHIL: "We were friends before you suddenly decided to ignore me."

DAN: (scoffs, voice dripping with sarcasm) "When were we friends?"

PHIL: "24 days ago. When we went shopping together and I brought up a topic you didn't like and you got annoyed."

DAN: (turns on the coffee machine) "25 actually." (freezes for a moment, quickly recovers when he realises phil didn't hear over the whirring of the coffee machine, turns off the machine) "You know exactly how long it's been? That's got to be number one on your list of pathetic things."

PHIL: (frowns) "I--"

DAN: "Actually number two. Right after your weird grammar thing."

PHIL: (sighs) "Back to the main point."

DAN: "Yeah?"

PHIL: "Are you avoiding me because I said you drink a lot? Because isn't that a really small thing to hold a month long grudge over?"