How to Help Howell?

Part 15

Dan's POV

I sat there awkwardly trying not to throw up as Phil and Bella got to know each other. Bella eventually asked Phil if he actually wanted food, to which he agreed. Bella finally got up from our table and disappeared into the doors that no doubt led to the kitchen for a second time.

"Man, Bella's something else, isn't she, Dan?" Phil sighed looking longingly at the doors with his head rested on his arm, propped up by his elbow on the clean white tablecloth.

I looked up at him. "Oh, you know I'm still here?" I asked confused.

Phil rolled his eyes and shot me a disgusted look. "Don't have to be a brat about it, I'm paying for you, you know," he shot back, eyes narrowing at me.

I had never seen Phil act like this towards me. Whether it was Bella who made him act this way or not, Dan still couldn't help that feeling in his gut that said Bella was bad news.

Suddenly, Phil's head perked up from his arm and he looked over my head behind me, smiling and nodding his head.

"I'll be right back," he announced then walked with a fast pace over toward the other side of the room.

I couldn't help but turn around to see Bella beckoning Phil to go into the kitchen with her.

After about 15 minutes, they came back. Phil was raving about the amazing food Bella had served him. My stomach made a weird noise and Phil shot me an annoyed look while the voices scolded me, saying I didn't need food and I had enough fat stored on me to feed an army.

Bella resumed her position on Phil's lap and they sat there talking for another ten minutes or so. Somewhere during their conversation, Phil pulled his keys out of his back pocket and seemed relieved to have the sharp objects no longer stabbing him as he sat.

Bella whispered something in his ear, which made my stomach churn, and got up, blew him a kiss and walked back towards the doors.

"I...uh...have to use the restroom!" Phil quickly excused himself and ran after her. I didn't even bother to look behind me, knowing they were probably disappearing into the kitchen once more, maybe for dessert?

Finally, my curiosity got the better of me and I turned around to find Phil with his back turned to me in front of Bella, up against the wall near the kitchen doors.

They were kissing.

The teeny tiny optimistic part of my brain said that they weren't actually kissing, it just looked like it because of their position. I saw Bella whisper to Phil once more and a sneaky smile played across her lips. Phil nodded enthusiastically, but Bella suddenly looked a little skeptical.

She nodded her head in gesture to the table I was sitting at. I couldn't read lips very well, especially not from this far away, but it looked like she said, "What about him?"

Phil shook his head and waved his hand excusing the idea. Bella smiled and bit her bottom lip while grabbing Phil's hand and running into the kitchen doors with him.

Feeling absolutely drained of any happy emotion that could possibly still exist, I walked up to Bella's abandoned job - the empty podium. I grabbed a pen and wrote a note on a piece of scrap paper, left it on the table for Phil, grabbed his keys and ran out of the restaurant and to the car as fast as my weak legs would carry me.

Phil-

I took the keys and went home. I'm sure you can get a ride back from Bella.

-Dan