Playing With Fire || d.h

54. Stash

You're POV

"It's not my fault, right? Like, it's not my fault I don't want him getting his ass beat. Right?"

Dodie paces around the lounge, and has been doing it so long, I'm surprised she hasn't worn footprints into my floor. I'm sitting on the edge of the couch, scratching my forearm raw. I know it's normal for couples to get into fights, even if it's over stupid stuff. But not Phil and Dodie. They might not have been together for that long, but anyone could tell they were the ultimate power couple. Or at least, thought they were. If they broke up, especially over something this minuscule...I don't know what I would do.

"No, Dodie, it's not your fault. But it's not his fault, either. It's just a misunderstanding," I reply. "You don't want him to be hurt, but he doesn't want you hurt, either. I guess he might just feel..useless," I stumble, not quite sure how to express what I'm thinking.

Dodie stops pacing for a second, staring at me, and I start to worry she's going to blow up at me now. However, she just says, "Yeah, you're probably right."

I smile jokingly. "Aren't I always?"

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, but...I dunno. I don't think he's useless, I just...he's kind of a teddy bear, you know? He's not exactly a tough guy."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," I reply. "But he's a guy. And guys just need that ego boost some of the time." Now that I think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense. Maybe Phil's sick of being perceived as innocent, or weak. Dan's made it quite obvious with his rebranding that just the mention of a llama or the expression "XD" makes him fall into a cringe attack. And now that I think about it, it seems like Phil's been subtly trying to change his theme, from his new haircut, to snapping outside of the pub. So is it really unreasonable to think Phil might be feeling the same way?

I express this all to Dodie, and as her eyebrows crease together, I'm worried that I've completely lost her. However, she nods in agreement, and says, "Yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense."

I smile, thinking I've at least calmed her down, but her expression drops as she starts pacing all over again. "Okay, but how am I going to apologize? I can't just walk up to him and be like, 'hey, sorry for invalidating your feelings. I didn't realize how fragile your masculinity is at this moment."

I can't help but laugh. "Yeah, maybe that's not the best route. But you just have to explain to him that you understand, I guess. Phil's a good guy, he'll know where you're coming from," I explain. "That being said, however, don't make it feel like some sort of intervention. That'll only make him defensive, which is probably not what you want."

"Yeah, you're right." She sighs heavily, plopping into the chair. "I'll apologize to him tomorrow morning, though. He probably needs some time to cool off." Part of me believes Dodie's just procrastinating, but I leave it be. It's not like I'm any different.

"I think I'm just gonna go to bed," she says, yawning. "In my new room!" She adds dramatically. I give her a small smile as she walks out of the living room. "See you tomorrow!" She waves goodnight, and closes the door behind her. About five seconds later, I'm about to stand up and head to bed myself, when I feel my phone vibrate against my hip. I pull it out, and see I have a text from Dan.

Come over

I stare at the screen for a few seconds, trying to figure it out. However, when I can't think of a reasonable solution, I just shrug to myself, and leave the apartment. I knock on his door, and it swings open immediately. I think for a split second that he must've been waiting on the other side of the door, and am about to question him about it, when he whisks me into the room.