True Beauty lies Beneath the Skin (Phan)

Ain't It Fun

Ain't it fun...
Living in the real world?
Ain't it good...
Being all alone?

Runaway Exorcist left for tour again a short time later. It was actually two tours that they were on the road for, and that they wouldn't get a break for in between. They were doing a short, east coast tour in the U.S. and then another short tour in the UK. Phil was already excited for the London show that Dan would be attending with Bella. He'd had such a fun time with them around the Halloween season, and he was excited to be making better friends with Dan.

Just as with the previous tours, Phil didn't go out after the concerts anymore. He would go back to the bus with Iesha, get changed into something comfortable and clean up, then he'd play a video game or read a book or something else to get him relaxed. He was sleeping better, he was beginning to feel more energetic; all of this work was finally seeming to pay off.

However, the holidays were approaching. It would soon be Christmas and New Years - Phil's first Christmas and New Years without alcohol, to be exact. The holidays had been a difficult season for Phil the past couple years. However, Halloween had been a success, so maybe the rest of the holidays would be too. The past couple of years, Phil had spent Halloween partying and getting blackout drunk, and this year he'd spent it taking a little kid trick-or-treating. If that wasn't progress, what was? Maybe he didn't have so much to worry about after all.

Since the band was in the East Coast on the American tour, they did a couple of Florida shows, which was also hard for Phil. He and his family used to holiday in Florida every year, and Phil hadn't gone with them since the bad things started happening. He wondered if they even went anymore, if his parents and Martyn and Cornelia continued to go without him or if they'd stopped going all together. Phil wasn't sure he wanted to know.

During one of his nights alone on the bus with Iesha, Phil had been playing video games, but wasn't able to focus much, so he eventually decided to shut the game off. Iesha, who had simply been watching Phil play, looks to him with concern in her eyes.

"You've never really liked doing shows in Florida much," She states.

"I thought I might be over it now, but..."

"It's okay to have some bad memories associated with this place."

"They're not even bad memories; they're good memories that I wish I could get back."

"Maybe you can."

Phil snorts, "No, they made it very clear that they wanted nothing to do with me."

"Maybe that's changed..."

"Then why haven't I heard from them?"

There's a pause.

"How much of an influence has the fact that Dan has a daughter had on your interest in him?" Iesha blurts out.

Phil rolls his eyes, "I'm not interested in Dan anymore. We're just friends. And sure the single dad thing is sweet and even endearing, but it's not...like that. Being around Bella was therapeutic for you too, and you know it."

Iesha nods, "It was," She admits, "Are you excited to see them again?"

A smile tugs at the corner of Phil's lips slightly, "Yeah..."

"I hope you keep them around; I think they'd be good for you."

"You think?"

Iesha nods, "Dan's a good guy, and Bella brings out the little kid in you. Not to mention that being around a child forces you to behave."

Phil laughs, "Shut up! I'm not that bad."

Iesha smiles, "Not anymore you're not."

Phil smiles as well, actually content with where his life was at the moment.