That Boy

Then I stop and realize it's not the first time I've heard this.

“Why does everyone think that?” I ask him seriously, as I rest my chin on my fist. “I mean, I've done way more with Da

“Um, well, could it be the fact that I always seem to run out on my dates to rescue you, and he never does?”

“You've never done that, have you?”

“Princess…”

“No, I'm serious.” I put my hand on my chest. “I always take care of myself. I never needed to be rescued.”

“Oh, really?” Phillip chuckles. “What about all the times you've had flat tires? Who has come and changed them? What about when you hit the deer, or the time you ditched Richie Rich at winter formal, or the time you had the huge fever and I had to take you to the hospital?”

He pauses, giving me his eat shit grin. “Shall I continue?”

Okay, so he might be right.

And there is nothing I hate more than not being exactly right.

In fact, I'm getting a bit irritated right now.

“You didn't have to come and do those things. I could have figured it out on my own. And I didn't know you like, left dates to do them. You didn't have to do that. You could've been like Da

“I know I didn't have to do it. I wanted to. I guess,” he states, looking at me sweetly with his adorable brown eyes, “like you,” he pauses and stares intently at me, “I haven't met anyone that made me want to stay with them, more than I wanted to go and rescue you. What can I say,” he rolls his eyes at me, “you made me play your knight in shining armor for so long, I just can't seem to get it out of my system.”

God, he is adorable.

He laughs lightly and looks at me. I can tell by the intensity in his eyes what he is about to say is important. He puts his hand on my knee and leans towards me. “Seriously, you are kinda special to me.” Then he adds sneakily, “Now, speaking of spin the bottle, should I start?”

“Would you really kiss me, Phillip?” I ask, scrunching up my nose.

“I think I might be able to be persuaded.” He grins, grabs my arm and throws it up over his shoulder. “Wa

My face is so close to his. I could easily start kissing him. I'd only have to lean forward just a bit.

“No, I mean really? What if we kissed, and then we dated, and then you got mad at me and ended up hating me like most of my other boyfriends? I couldn't stand to lose my best friend.”

“I'm going to bed,” I decide suddenly, getting up off the couch and walking quickly toward my room.

“So you want to play the game in there, huh?” Phillip asks with laughter in his voice, as he tilts his head toward my bedroom.

“No!”

Then I hear him chuckling behind me and it makes me mad because that boy knows all too well how to get under my skin.

This morning, Phillip brings me coffee in bed.

It's 6:30am.

Way early for me, but for Phillip, it's the perfect time to get your day started.

He and Lori are both the kind of people who sign up for 8am classes. Da

“Thanks,” I say, taking the cup from him. “Coffee in bed. You must want something.”

“I do.” He looks squarely at me.

He is sitting on the edge of my bed. I fight the temptation to just grab him and pull him in with me.

“So, what do you want?”

“You.”

“What?”

“I want you,” he repeats. “Go out with me for real, Princess.”

“I can't.”

“Really? So what was last night all about?”

“Oh, nothing really. Well, Lori and I had been talking. She just asked if you and I ever, you know, dated or kissed or anything. I told her not since eighth grade. Remember spin the bottle?”

“Yeah, so you thought you might want to play it with me again?” His head is cocked slightly sideways, like a puppy that is trying to understand me.

I hope he can. I'm not sure I do.

I shake my head sideways. “Maybe. Yes,”

“Well, at least that's progress,” he laughs.

“Progress? What kind of progress?”

“Don't tell me you can't see it. God, Princess, I swear everyone sees it but you.” He shakes his head at me like I'm completely clueless.

I may be. But in this case, I know exactly what he is talking about it.

“I see it Phillip. I even feel it, but I choose not to cross the line. I care too much about you to throw our friendship away on a fling.” I cross my arms in front of my chest, indicating that my word on this is final.

“Who said anything about a fling? And you crossed WAY over that line with Da

“True, we probably would've fought like crazy.” It surprises me that the thought of Da

“Probably? You do fight like crazy.”

He can't seem to get off the Da

Then I stop.

I realize what I was about to say and think back to yesterday's conversation with Da

The kite thing.

Shit.

Does Phillip fly me?

Is he just like Lori, hanging on and letting me do my thing, all the while keeping me safe and close by? Is he perfect for me?

Phillip interrupts my thoughts by saying, “Finish your sentence.”

“Um. No.” I shake my head.

I can't.

“JJ,” he warns.

“FINE. I was going to say, um, she's just like you.”

“And?” he prods.

“And you're probably perfect for me.” I sigh big. “See? See the problem? I have a major conflict of interest here.”

“A conflict of interest?” He looks at me like I'm nuts.

“Yes.”

“What exactly do you mean?” Phillip needs to know this because he is so exact about everything.

“Well, everyone thinks you and I belong together. Part of me agrees. We get along great. I love to be around you, but the conflicting side of me thinks I shouldn't risk it. And besides, I really don't think we should worry about what other people think.”

“Fine. So what do you think?”

“No fair. You go first. What do you think?”

Phillip takes a moment, gathers his thoughts and says carefully, “Well, I do think we have a fair amount of chemistry.”

“Chemistry,” I laugh. “Are you serious? You treat me like your sister.”

“No, I do not. I'm much nicer to you, than I am to my sister. Trust me when I say I have feelings for you that are probably illegal to have about a sister.”

I laugh nervously. I did not know this at all.

“I know in your mind,” he says, poking me on my forehead, “you think of me as a brother.” He switches his line of thought and says, “Do you ever feel tingly when I hold your hand?”

“Um.”

“Do you get excited to hear my voice at the end of the day? Do you like to be with me?”

“Uh.”

“People are right. You and I definitely have a thing. What they don't understand is that we've never acted on it. I'm thinking we should,” he says confidently.

“You do?” I'm surprised.

“Well, what have we got to lose?”

“Uh, duh. Each other. And I really like you, Phillip.”

“No Princess, you don't like me, you are totally in love with me. You're just too stubborn to admit it.”