felineflash
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Toujours dans mon coeur, Maman.
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Being
Feb 8, 2012 19:04:58 GMT -5
Post by felineflash on Feb 8, 2012 19:04:58 GMT -5
Chapter 87 - Girls’ Night
After dinner at Chez Rouge, Nicole and Chloe arrived at The Cheatin’ Heart, which was remarkably quiet, even for a Sunday evening. “Wow,” Chloe remarked as they sat down at a table, “This is really…exciting. Glad you talked me into this. I almost wish Dune was still open.”
“It wouldn’t matter if it was. Anywhere’s going to be dead. The kids are all worried about their finals,” Nicole explained as the bartender walked up to them. “Ooh, table service? We must be important!” She teased him.
“Ha, ha, Nicole,” he said with a smile, “as you can see, I’m not exactly swamped. I’ve wiped the bar down at least twenty times, mopped the floor an hour ago…I’m going out of my mind with boredom. So whatever I can get you ladies, I’m at your service.”
“Shut up, Ron, you just want a good tip,” Nicole smiled. “You know Chloe, don’t you?”
“We’ve never been introduced. What can I get you?” He asked as he shook Chloe’s hand.
“She’ll have a dirty martini, and a shot of tequila. And I’ll have what you made for me the other night,” Nicole smiled.
“The cherry limeade?” He asked and Nicole nodded. “Gotcha. Be right back.”
“Wait…” Chloe called after him helplessly, “I don’t want tequila.”
“Oh, yes, you do,” Nicole told her.
“Nicole,” Chloe whined as their drinks came. “I really don’t want this.”
“Well, I can’t drink it, and we can’t let it go to waste. So come on,” Nicole handed her the salt shaker, “do your shot.”
“I haven’t done a shot of tequila in years,” Chloe shook her head and slammed the shot and bit the lemon, gasping, “now I remember why. Ugh!”
“Good girl! Now suck that martini down, and let’s get this party started!” Nicole frowned, noticing the far-away look in Chloe’s eyes, “Don’t do that. You’re not allowed to think about Philip tonight.”
“What?” Chloe asked, surprised, “I wasn’t! I was actually thinking about the last time I shot tequila. I had a friend in Austria, he just adored tequila. He’d put it in his coffee. And there was this one night, we all went out after a performance, and we…we drank a lot of tequila that night,” she smiled.
“Oh, yeah? What was this friend’s name?”
“Etienne. He was French. Really great guy,” Chloe told her.
“And was Etienne…hot?” Nicole eyed her.
“Positively dreamy. And so was his boyfriend,” Chloe laughed. “God, that was years ago, I don’t think Brady and I had been married a year yet,” she pursed her lips, “I think I need another shot.”
Three martinis and five shots later, Chloe was entertaining Nicole with stories of Etienne’s backstage antics when Pete walked over to their table. “Hello, ladies. Nice to see you,” he greeted them.
“Pete! It’s Pete from the pub!” Chloe exclaimed.
“You two alone?” He asked.
“We are, why don’t you have a seat, Pete? Ooh, that rhymed,” Nicole laughed. “I’m living vicariously through Chloe, and she’s giving me a buzz. Not working tonight?”
“Nope, Max is on tonight. Oh, hey, Chloe, tell Philip I hope he’s doing better. I can’t believe Melanie…”
“We’re not talking about Philip tonight, Pete,” Nicole warned him.
“Oh…got it,” he replied.
“Nope, he dumped me in lieu of his new love, misery,” Chloe forced a laugh. “So, Pete, how’s life?”
“Much better, now that I’m sitting with two lovely ladies. Can I get you all anything?”
Pete took the drink orders and sauntered off to the bar. “You know what, he’s kinda cute,” Chloe marveled.
Nicole shrugged, “He aint bad, that’s for sure. Pretty eyes.”
“Very pretty eyes,” Chloe agreed.
“But not as pretty as yours,” Pete startled Chloe as he came up behind her, causing her to blush.
Oh, oh. This is bad. Or…maybe not that bad. I should have a little fun. Nothing wrong with that. “Thank you, Pete from the pub,” she smiled.
The three of them talked for a couple of hours about a multitude of different things, until Chloe said, “I think I need to go home,” she stood and wobbled a bit. “Woah. Definitively home.” Pete walked them out, and as they were walking to the car, Chloe stumbled into Pete’s arms. “Whoops,” she laughed, looking up at him, and before she knew it, he was kissing her, and she was responding. Coming to her senses, she pulled away quickly. “I…damn. I’m drunk. I…”
“No worries,” Pete laughed. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long…I apologize for taking advantage of you. I just figured I might as well give it a shot. Take care of yourself, Chloe. I hope you and Philip work things out. And if you do, tell him he’s an idiot for me. If you don’t…you know where to find me,” he winked. “Get her home safe, Nicole.”
“You just kissed Pete,” Nicole said as they got in the car.
“I kissed Pete from the pub,” Chloe agreed.
“How was it?”
Chloe shook her head, “I’ve been way too spoiled.”
Later, back in the suite, Chloe nursed a bottle of water as Nicole ordered French fries from room service. “You know what I love about Philip?” She asked Nicole.
“Tell me,” Nicole smiled as she sat down beside her.
“I love how he looks in the morning, before he’s fixed his hair, and it’s falling in his face. I love how I feel so safe in his arms. I love how I can’t find an uncomfortable position when I’m laying in his arms. You know how with some people, you have to lay with them just right because they’re jabbing you with their elbows, or their knee’s in your side, or…”
“I know, I know,” Nicole nodded.
“I love his confidence…well, I did, until that seemed to take a hike…I love his dog tags. I love…”
“Him. You love him,” Nicole said quietly. There was a knock on the door, and she went to get the food. “We’ve got fries.”
“I love fries. I love fries as much as Philip. No, I love fries more than Philip right now. I hate Philip right now,” Chloe declared.
“He’s clearly being an ass,” Nicole agreed, chewing a fry.
“I hate him, but I love him anyway. When I first came back to town, everyone kept telling me how dangerous he’d become. Especially Shawn,” Chloe slurred.
"Well, Shawn would.”
“Guess so. But he’s not dangerous. He’s just Philip. But he’s such an ass. Why is he being such an ass?”
“Because he’s impulsive. He always has been. He can do some pretty stupid things, Chloe, you know that as well as I do. And he’s just like Victor, he has to be in control. I guess he doesn’t feel like he’s in control right now. I guess he feels…weak?”
“Philip’s never weak, Nicole,” Chloe slurred firmly.
“Maybe he feels weak? We all do stupid things when we feel weak…I mean, you know, you pretended to be dead…”
“Aw,” Chloe threw down a fry, “you have to go and bring that up?”
“Why’d you do that? Why’d you let Brady believe you were dead?” Nicole asked, already knowing the answer.
“Because…I thought it was…best. Yeah. But it was different, Nicole. I didn’t want Brady to settle, I didn’t want to burden him…”
Nicole shrugged, “Stupid reasons. And I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff for stupid reasons. A lot. And like you said, Philip’s really stressed out. And maybe something’s going on with him, you know, in his head, because of the fire. And he doesn’t want to seem weak, because then he might be a burden, so he’s just…being an ass. I mean, Philip is really good at being an ass, and he learned from the best.”
“And I kissed Pete from the pub. God, why’d I do that?” Chloe whined.
“Because you’re drunk and he’s cute?” Nicole suggested.
“That’s not a good reason! I always do this. I get rejected, and I…end up in a freaking elevator or something. What’s wrong with me? Am I a slut?”
“And you’re asking me because it takes one to know one?” Nicole laughed.
“No, Nicole, God, I didn’t mean that,” Chloe said solemnly.
“OK, then, are you a slut? How many guys have you been with? Can you name them all?”
“Of course!” Chloe replied indignantly.
“You’re losing slut points fast, sweetheart. Can you count them?”
“Of course I can!”
“On one hand?”
“Yes! Brady, Philip and Lucas,” Chloe told her.
Nicole shook her head, “Honey, you’re not a slut. Too bad, you’d make a good one, if you loosened up a little,” she grinned.
“I’m loose,” Chloe insisted.
“So loose that you’re feeling bad about a blink and you missed it drunken kiss. Yep, you’re loosey goosey for sure,” Nicole laughed. “Eat your fries. Want to call Philip?”
“Hell no,” Chloe grumbled as she ate.
“That’s my girl,” Nicole nodded.
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Chapter 88 - Back to Gray
While Nicole treated Chloe to a night on the town, Philip was relieved that no one was hunting him down and trying to get him to explain what had happened. Since Chloe had left, he’d been shut up in his office trying to work on a proposal. It was slow going, since his throat was killing him, his head was throbbing and he was pretty sure he was close to coughing up a lung. In short, I feel like dog excrement. But I’m done. He closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. Crap. Just crap. But it’s better this way. Eventually, she’d get sick of putting up with me, worrying about me, worrying about the things I do…eventually, she’d hate me like she hates Dad, and I couldn’t take that. He glanced at the clock, almost ten. Wow. OK, time to face the music. He left his office and went in search of his father.
“Dad, I’ve got that proposal finished. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment in the morning, so I’ll drop it off then. What time are you leaving?” Thank God he’s heading out of town for a couple of days. If I can get through tonight without the third degree, he’ll just act like everything’s right in the world when he gets back.
“9:30,” Victor answered as Philip turned to leave, “Philip, you missed dinner.”
Philip shrugged, “I wasn’t hungry,” and started to leave again.
“Not so fast, I’d like a word with you,” Victor barked.
Great. “What’s up?”
“What’s up?” Victor shook his head, “what’s going on with you, Philip?”
“Nothing. I don’t feel well.”
“I can see that, and I’ve heard you coughing all evening. That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it. Talk to me, son.”
Philip sighed, “There’s nothing to say.”
“Nothing to say? You force me to accept Chloe as part of your life, then you suddenly kick her to the curb. You get in a physical altercation with Brady, in your condition. I know you’re worried about your mother, we all are…but you’re behaving very…erratically,” Victor leveled his eyes at his son. “What is going on? How can I help fix this?”
Philip bit back his anger and answered, “I thought you’d be overjoyed that I broke up with Chloe. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”
“I want you to be happy, Philip.”
“Oh, that’s right. You want to fix me. I’m not broken, Dad.”
“You are putting words in my mouth, and I don’t appreciate it,” Victor growled.
“Sorry,” Philip said sheepishly.
“What is going on with you, Philip?” Victor asked desperately. “Is it your mother? Is it Titan? Did something happen between you and Chloe? Talk to me, Philip. Please.”
“Nothing is wrong!” Philip exclaimed. Nothing you’d understand, anyway. I don’t even understand it myself. “I just don’t feel well, and I am not in the mood for the third degree. The proposal’s done. I did my job. So just…leave me alone,” he huffed.
“If nothing’s wrong, then answer me this: why did you send Chloe away? I’m not blind, Philip, I may not like the woman, but I know she makes you happy, and you do the same for her. So why end it? So that you can mope around and feel sorry for yourself? Is that your plan?” Victor asked angrily. “If it is, I suggest you find somewhere else to do so. You’ve been blessed, and I will not tolerate self pity from you now.”
Philip stared at him for a moment, then shook his head. “It was the right thing to do.”
“You’re a fool,” Victor told him.
“So be it,” Philip replied, and finally wheeled himself out of the door.
He’s right, though. Something is wrong with me. I don’t even know what anymore. I just…everything’s out of control. I feel like I’m sinking, I feel like I’m…damn it. He went into his room and got his wallet, pulling out the card Marlena had given him. It’s Sunday night. It‘s late. This is pointless. He stared at the card, turned it over in his hand, and noticed she’d scribbled a cell phone number on the back. He swallowed hard, feeling the fire in his throat, and took a deep breath, which caused him to cough. Do it, Philip. Just do it. Do it before it gets worse. Do it before you go…there.
He went out onto the terrace and breathed in the cold night air. Just swallow your pride and do it. He’s probably not even going to pick up, poor man’s probably sleeping. That thought gave him the courage to take out his cell phone and dial the number, but as soon as the line started to ring he took the phone away from his ear and his finger hovered over the “end” button.
“This is Dr. Whitfield,” a voice said.
Damn. Alright Philip, take the bull by the horns. “Dr. Whitfield, hello. Um, my name is Philip Kiriakis, Dr. Marlena Evans recommended you to me…I’m sorry for calling at such an odd hour…”
He closed his phone ten minutes later and stared at it. That wasn’t so bad, I guess. Dr. James Whitfield (“Call me Dr. J., everyone does.” Was he serious?) remembered Marlena telling him about Philip, and had been waiting for him to get in touch. And he was willing to see Philip in the morning, after his appointment with Kayla. Dr. J. (seriously?) had told him a little bit about himself, he was a combat veteran as well, he’d been in Vietnam. He cursed a lot and had an easy going manner, and Philip felt that perhaps, just maybe…We’ll see. He headed back into the house, stopping briefly in the kitchen for a glass of orange juice.
“You feeling alright, Philip?” Henderson asked, coming in to find Philip sitting at the table with his juice.
“No,” Philip answered truthfully. “I’m coming down with something, I think. I’ve got an appointment with Kayla in the morning, I’m sure she’ll tell me I’ve got the plague or something.”
“I see we’re hanging on to that positive attitude,” Henderson smirked.
“Don’t start. I’ve already gotten it from Dad. I did what was best.”
“Regarding Chloe? Oh, of course it’s best for you to make her and yourself miserable,” Henderson shrugged, and Philip growled in frustration. “Philip, I know you just about as well as anyone does. I’ve been there for you through the worst, but I’ve never seen you this consumed with self pity,” he sat down at the table across from Philip. “I know it’s not my place to say this, but I care about you as if you were my own son…and I think you should,” he shrugged, “speak to someone.”
“Yeah. I am,” Philip admitted quietly. “But…that’s between you and me, OK?” Henderson agreed, Philip finished his juice and put the glass in the dishwasher and said goodnight.
Getting his clothes from the bedroom, Philip realized that he was completely exhausted. His head felt as though it was full of cotton and his arms were so sore, it was all he could do to make it the Gray Room and into the shower, where he actually nodded off for a moment. He got out, toweled off, got dressed and brushed his teeth all in a sort of trance. So damn tired. So sore. I didn’t work out that much, I shouldn’t be this sore. I’m not out of shape. So tired. So…damn it. Alone. What did I do…why? Why did I do that? He glanced in the mirror quickly, taking in the fresh bruises from his fight with Brady, and the dark circles under his eyes. He couldn’t even bear the thought of wheeling himself back down the hall to his room, his arms hurt so badly, he was so tired.
Never in a million years would he have ever thought he’d choose to sleep in this bed, in this room, ever again. But the exhaustion overtook him, and he flung himself onto the bed, prosthetic and all, pulling the quilt up under his chin. I screwed up again. I screwed up big time. He sobbed as he pictured Chloe’s face, her worried eyes, as he told her it was over, and at some point while he cried, he fell asleep.
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