Celadon

Chapter 5

"Come on, Charlie, talk to me," I plead, attempting to not sound as deadpan as I feel. She crosses her arms in the cold of the city, giving a pouty shiver.

"Your friend was rude," she mutters. "I don't get it. Why would he say those things?"

"That's just how he is. He jokes a lot." I'm lying straight through my teeth. I don't fucking know if that's how Phil is all the time. I know next to nothing about him.

Charlie seethes at my shit excuse, but I refuse to promise her I won't see him anymore because she was offended by him. The silence settles again and I pull out my phone when it buzzes with a sigh.

Phil Lester:
Doing anything tonight?

You:
Other than trying to convince my girlfriend you weren't out to get her, no

Phil Lester:
I wasn't out to get her

You:
Right

Phil Lester:
I'm sorry, I'm just easily jealous. I stg I wasn't trying to fuck anything up

You:
I know. It's alright

Phil Lester:
Though the whole occasion was kinda unexpected and it did ruin any chance to get to know each other better tbh

You:
Are you leading up to something?

Phil Lester:
Do you want to come to my apartment tonight?

You:
How? I'm pretty sure Charlie would kill me

Phil Lester:
Sneak out

You:
I haven't snuck out of the house since I was 17 to get drunk and have sex

Phil Lester:
Yeah and then you met Charlie and all the joy in your life was sucked away

You:
Rude but true

Phil Lester:
So you'll come?

You:
Yeah. Sure. We can have a movie marathon or something, since you're the film snob.

Phil Lester:
Is that all? ;)

You:
Don't be a gross fuckboy

I answer in my usual sarcastic manner, but a blush travels up my neck.

Phil Lester:
No promises

I stifle my laugh, but Charlie glances back at me anyway.

"You know," she mumbles, "instead of being on your phone, you could be trying to reconcile things with me."
We turn the last corner and come to a halt in front of my family's house.

"I've been trying for a half hour, Charlie. I don't know what else to say." My eyes feel tired, and I mindlessly flick some lint off my shirt with a sigh. My mind is preoccupied, and I don't really notice the hurt in Charlie's eyes.

I try to place myself in her shoes and see things from her confused perspective, but all I can think of is Phil, how his lips felt on mine, his deep voice, with a faintly Geordie accent, his unnaturally black hair.

His fucking radioactively blue eyes.

I fumble for my keys, but Charlie twists the knob and pushes the door open, an indication that my parents are already home.

"Dan? Charlie? Is that you?" my mum calls from the kitchen, the clatter of dishes resonating.

"Yeah," we call back in unison.
"Where've you been?" She appears on the threshold between the kitchen and the open lounge we're standing in, leaning an arm against the door frame.

"We went to meet a friend of mine for coffee," I mumble.
"How was it?"

I turn my head to throw Charlie a please don't make a huge fucking deal glance, but she's already opened her mouth.