New To Me (Phan)

Chapter 9

I felt like crap. My head was throbbing dully and my muscles screamed in agony. I had to blink several times before my eyes even began to focus on anything around me. And even then it was all a bit blurry.

The first thing I noted was that I wasn't lying on the ground like I'd expected. Instead I was propped up on a couch with pillows. The house was eerily silent, the opposite of lively. It seemed the party was well and truly over.

A million questions began flitting around my brain causing the pressure to build up and the pain to intensify. What happened after I blacked out? How did I get to the couch? Where was Charlie? Was Phil okay?

That last one was answered almost immediately when I saw that Phil was sat beside me, his anxious eyes looking down at me. Aside from a bandage wrapped around his left forearm he seemed perfectly fine. But I asked anyway.

"Are you okay?" was the first thing out of my mouth. My voice sounded small and strained even to my own ears.

Phil raised his eyebrows. "Am I okay? Are you okay?" he asked incredulously.

I tried to nod but winced. I supposed that answered the question for me. I could read the sympathy clearly painted on Phil's face and decided to change the topic. "What happened? After I – you know..." I trailed off. Got my ass handed to me.

He filled me in on what happened. Pretty soon after I blacked out Stephen managed to restrain Charlie, to everyone's dismay. Apparently the fight drew in quite an excited crowd of people, not that I had time to notice in the moment.

Together Stephen and Phil brought me downstairs. Apparently Charlie had stormed off but Phil was very vague on the reason why. I had a sneaky suspicion that there was more that he wasn't telling me. He also conveniently left out the biggest mystery of the night which was why Charlie shoved him in the first place.

But I didn't question him. Not just yet. I'd sensed that he wasn't really in the mood to talk about it. And besides, I didn't think my head would be able to withstand any more influx of information.

My body ached, groaning in protest at the slightest movement. I attempted to sit up properly and winced, prompting Phil to place his hands on my shoulders and gently, but firmly, push me back down again.

He didn't say anything for a while. Just looked at me, contemplating. I didn't say anything either, but only because it required too much effort to think. So instead I looked back at him.

It wasn't difficult keeping eye contact with Phil. I'd never been good at it with anyone else, but with Phil it just didn't feel awkward. I realised, with surprise, that his eyes weren't all blue. There was hints of yellow and green flaked through them. Huh. I had never noticed that before.

"You shouldn't have done that, Dan." Phil said sadly, snapping me out of my trance immediately.

Seriously? He was siding with Charlie? Was he freaking kidding me? After I got my ass kicked trying to defend him? Apparently my incredulity read plainly upon my face, as Phil hurried to clarify what he meant.

"I mean thank you for doing what you did. I've never had anyone stand up for me like that. I appreciate it, I really do." Phil insisted. "But you didn't have to do it. You didn't have to get hurt on my behalf. It was my fight, not yours."

Phil's face was only a metre away from mine and I could clearly identify the conflicting emotions that danced across it: worry, relief, anger, sadness. Ever since he opened up to me that night about his best friend I no longer saw the mask of happiness, and could easily read his emotions like a book.

"But he hurt you." I said simply, as if that explained everything. As if it explained the way I jumped into it without thinking, without knowing the full story of what happened. As if it explained the uncontrollable tidal wave of rage that had swelled up inside of me.

I had considered saying more, to elaborate on what I meant. But I never got the chance.

In seconds Phil closed the gap between us, his lips pressing softly against mine. Holy shit. Phil was kissing me. Phil was kissing me. Although I'd like to think that the reason I didn't pull back or push him away was because I was too sore to move, I'm not sure that was true.

I'd kissed girls before and it was okay I guess. I never saw what all the hype was about but I enjoyed it enough. But this. This was a whole new level of pleasure that I had never before experienced.

My heart started beating faster and harder, not so much as to be painful but enough to send the adrenaline racing to every fibre of my being, to every cell in my body. Every ache and pain that I'd felt momentarily subsided. Oh my god, this was amazing.

But it ended all too quickly. All of a sudden Phil drew back from me, slightly red faced and out of breath. Surely I wasn't alone in that experience. Tell me that wasn't just me that felt that.

While all I wanted to do in my dazed and light headed state was pull Phil in again, feel that high that the sensation of his lips against mine gave me, Phil apparently had no such plans.

"Oh my god." Phil suddenly shot up off of the couch. His hand came up to cover his mouth, his eyes widened with shock. "Oh my god. Dan, I'm so sorry. I – I don't know why I did that. I - why did I do that?"

Phil seemed to be in a state of panic. His face was flushed a deep scarlet. I wanted to say something but was too stunned to speak. Too busy trying to wrap my head around the fact that Phil just kissed me.

Phil shook his head slightly. "I'm so sorry." He mumbled almost incoherently before bolting out of the room.

Leaving me to sit there like an idiot wondering what the fuck just happened.