'100 letters' - phan

2

—phil lester

walks into a small gas station, noting the three other people shopping inside as he peers through each isle. he has run out of cigarettes.

normally (if any of this was normal to phil) he'd steer clear of smoking, as his granddad died because of it, but he's already fallen so far that there's no going back.

it's been 5 weeks since he left dan.

"can i help you, mate?" a cashier, only a bit shorter than phil, with bright green eyes and curly butterscotch hair smiles at phil.

"oh..um..yeah actually." phil glances at the man's name tag.

it reads "pj" with a small, obviously quick drawing of an astronaut and a smiley face.

"do you sell marlboro, pj?" phil smiles weakly, hugging himself through his thin black jumper.

the cashier giggled slightly and blushed at the use of his name, walking into a small storage room.

he returns with a small black pack of marlboro cigarettes.

"that'll be £10" he smiles, looking up at phil.

phil reaches into his pocket and pulls out a £20 note and slides it across the wooden counter.

"you can keep the change." phil smiles and waves as he walks out with his cigarettes. pj smiles and watches as phil leaves the store.

phil hops in his car and opens the marlboro, pulling one out and putting it in his mouth.

he sighs.

if this is what a broken heart feels like, then phil absolutely hated it.

he rolls down the window and lights it, watching the people in the store. the cashier, pj keeps looking outside.

he was nice, as far as gas station employees go.

dan was nice too.

phil inhales the smoke from the cigarette. it starts to taste better after the first few times, it still burns all the way down his throat though. he closes his eyes and exhales in a cloud of smoke.

he hears coughing and quickly opens his eyes.

"hey!"

it's pj's voice.

phil puts out his cigarette as he walks closer and rests his arms on the open window of phil's car.

"so i don't normally do this," pj scratches the back of his head and smiles. "but being that you're an angel walking, are you free tonight?"

phil is puzzled by the question at first but sighs once he understands.

"like, for a date?" phil looks up at him.

"yeah, well...yeah i guess so. a date." pj laughs.

"i mean–it's fine if you aren't free or-"

"no no no i'll go, it's just that," phil smiles, slightly concerned but slightly excited that he'll have someone to distract him from thinking about dan."we literally just met. you don't even know my name."

"well, i mean..that's how every disney movie goes and they seem to have a lot of happy endings," pj giggles, taking a step back from phil's red car, reaching his hand out for phil to shake it.

"i'm pj liguori" pj smiles and takes phil's hand through the car window.

"phil lester. i'm free tomorrow at 2" phil grins as they shake hands.

phil waves as he drives away, smiling slightly.

he has a date.

(peel the avocado peel the avocado peel the avocado, gUACAMOLE GUAC GUACAMOLE— sry if this is bad+rushed)