Broken Windows // Phan AU

Chapter Six: Black and White

At first, Louise dropped a few hints about Nuki by asking subtle questions such as whether or not 'Derek' is much of a dog person, then it led to her practically begging me to keep dropping Nuki off at her house in the mornings despite having someone else around to care for him. Louise has always been attached to my dog since she met him, and he absolutely adores her, so I had no problem agreeing to continue taking him over. I can tell Dan is still a bit disappointed, however.

I begin to regret lying to Louise about Dan's name, as I now have to constantly remember to use his alias around her. It was a good idea at the time, keeping Dan's confidentiality, lessening suspicion in case his name is floating around police reports anywhere. But I just have this feeling that I'm going to mess it up somehow just like I messed up his name before and drove him into a fit of panic.

The remaining days of the week all play out essentially the same. I drop off Nuki, go to work, pick him up, and then come home to find out that Dan has done my laundry, watered my dying house plants, or even taken out the trash. Then I make dinner while showing him some basic cooking skills, and we watch TV or play video games until we get droopy-eyed and head upstairs to shower and go to bed, he in the guest room and I in my bedroom.

I've stopped worrying so much about how long Dan will stay. After all, his presence has not exactly been a burden to me other than some emotional distress from time to time. It's actually more of a benefit having him around. He does my chores without even being asked, and all he wants in return is some old clothes, the guest bed, and food on his plate, which I'm financially stable enough to provide for him. We haven't exactly discussed the next step, but he doesn't seem quite ready for that conversation just yet. He really just seems to need a sort of mental recovery period after all he's been through, to which I am still completely oblivious.

My parents call. They want me to go visit them after work on Friday. Apparently their cat gave birth recently, and they want me to see the kittens. I know that's just their excuse, of course. They can't stand not seeing me for more than a few weeks.

I feel bad for leaving Dan alone on Friday evening, so I give him some cash to order a pizza. He'll get to spend some time with Nuki as well, so he won't be completely alone.

The drive to my parents' house takes about half an hour. I had to move a bit farther away from them when I got the job at the paper company, which has always been difficult for them since they're such family-oriented people, so I always make sure to visit them often.

I pull into their driveway and shut the car off. I get out and start rubbing my hands together in an attempt to warm them from the biting cold. I wish I'd remembered my gloves.

My father opens the door after my first knock. His face lights up in a smile the moment he sees me. "Hey, Phil! How've you been?" he exclaims enthusiastically, beckoning me inside.

"Not too bad," I reply, cracking a slight smile, which suddenly turns stiff the moment I walk through the doorway.

My mother is sitting in the living room with two women I've never seen before. One of them looks to be about the same age as her, and the other is younger, probably late twenties if I had to guess. When my mum sees me, her face lights up just like my dad's, and she stands up to introduce me to the two guests.

"Hello, Phil! It's lovely to see you, dear. This is my coworker, Anne, and her daughter, Catherine."

"Nice to meet you, Phil," Anne says, standing and putting out her hand to shake mine. "Your mother has said some great things about you."

"Thank you..." I reply politely, still caught off guard by their presence. "It's nice to meet you too."

Her daughter stands to shake my hand as well. "You can call me Cat," she smiles. "We came to see the... cats."