Bad Words | phan

9-The Word

When Phil drove home, his mother was sitting in a chair with perfect posture. As soon as the door opened, a smirk formed on her lips. "Were you planning on telling me that you were leaving?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Phil felt his eyes widen, realizing he had been caught. Frantically, he turned to Tyler with accusatory eyes, but his friend only shrugged and looked down. Phil began, "I-I... Well, uh, I..." Phil looked down, feeling his cheeks tingle as he flushed. "Have I told you how much I love you today, Mum?" he asked, uncomfortably scratching the back of his neck. "Because I love you a lot."

His mother's smirk grew, and she winked at Tyler. "Where were you, Philip?" she demanded teasingly.

Phil looked at his mum, moved his gaze towards his feet, then returned his eyes to his mother. "I-I... Uh, I went to drive a friend home," he admitted, feeling his cheeks heat up even more. Then, he turned towards Tyler, who was obviously holding in his laughter, and grabbed his hand, insisting, "Mother, please excuse us for a moment!"

As soon as he had dragged Tyler to the kitchen, Tyler burst into laughter. He laughed so deeply, bringing tears to the corners of his dark blue eyes. "I'm sorry," he wheezed, but his laughter made his voice so inaudible that Phil forced him to repeat it four times. If you couldn't tell, the apology was very genuine...

Phil knew his cheeks held the red color, even after if he wasn't around his mum. "I can't believe you told her!" Phil exclaimed, though he knew very well that his mother would eventually learn all of his secrets.

Tyler laughed harder, teasing Phil about his embarrassment. As he tried to calm down, he managed, "Who were you driving?" When he saw Phil's face, he began laughing again, falling on the floor and rolling from side to side on his back.

Despite the happiness radiating from Tyler, Phil hesitated before telling his friend about Dan. If he told Tyler, he would be disappointed and probably upset. "It's not important," he quickly dismissed, offering a hand to pull Tyler off the ground.

Tyler eventually stopped laughing with a sigh, accepting Phil's hand to stand and balance himself. "Come on, Phil," he smirked, winking at his friend and nudging him with an elbow. "Who was it?" When Phil shook his head, Tyler's face fell and Phil immediately felt guilty. "Phil, you can trust me," he insisted. "Who is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Phil looked into Tyler's eyes. "Promise you won't be mad?" he requested.

Without promising anything, Tyler demanded, "Tell me who you drove home." Phil looked down, guilt and regret filling his entire body. "Phil, who was it?"

Returning his eyes to Tyler's gaze, Phil quietly admitted, "Dan Howell." At these two, simple words, Tyler frowned deeply. Phil knew Tyler wouldn't want anything to do with Dan. He knew Tyler hated Phil hanging out with Dan because he knew Dan was a bad influence.

Tyler shook his head, waiting for Phil to announce a joke. "Are you serious?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Phil made no indication to reply, and Tyler immediately knew he had been driving Phil. "Philip Michael Lester!" he exclaimed. "What are you thinking? You can't like Dan Howell! He's awful and rude and not even that cute!"

Phil shook his head, claiming, "I don't like Dan!" Even if Phil, quite like Dan, denied his feelings, Tyler knew Phil inside and out; he could tell that Phil was quickly falling for Dan.