If Only My Date Really Was Blind...

In the grand tradition of Lucy Ricardo, Laura Petrie and other icons of great sitcom, Shawn did what was known as a double take. He and Belle had done more than their share since the dance, as they watched the way Chloe looked at Philip and most unusually, the way Philip looked at Chloe.

"I never thought I'd see the day."

"What?" Belle said.

"Philip, god. A mighty warrior, fallen. Look at him. He's like a sick puppy."

Belle answered Shawn with a swift elbow to the chest to which Shawn simply replied "Ouch."

"Where are you going?" Belle asked as Shawn got up and walked over to Philip and Chloe's table with a smug but mostly good natured smile on his face. Belle followed immediately.

"Hey Phil. Looking good man. We do seem to be in a good mood these days. Better be careful, wouldn't want to strain those precious dimples. "

"Cut it out."

"You do seem to be pretty cheerful these days, not that I'm complaining mind you. " Shawn leaned in a bit, put his hand on Philips’s back and gave a nice traveling smack that landed around Philips’s neck. "Ah Phil, you look positively radiant. Still basking in the glow of the dance" he went on as he shook Philips’s shoulder, or was that the shine of chicken blood?"

"Hey man, if you don't quit it you're going down...." Philip said,

"Whoa. Just kidding."

"I know." Philip said as he looked over at Chloe and grinned. Chloe on the other hand seemed uncomfortable at the attention.

"Hey I just came over to say hi."

"Yeah. Actually Chloe and I were just getting ready to leave. See you later guys."

"Later." Belle added as she and Shawn shared a good-natured laugh at the expense of their enamored friends. "You know you really shouldn't do that Belle said." When Philip and Chloe were no longer in hearing distance.

"I know but with Philip - it's just so irresistible..."

"Not Philip, Chloe."

Shawn's expression suddenly became very serious but then neither he nor Belle were built for painful thoughts, open and easygoing that they were. They chatted away about the Habitat house for Mimi until the latest possible hour they could hope to stay up and still be conscious for tomorrow's project.

"Hey that really bothered you back there, the teasing." Philip said to Chloe as they left the pub.

"Me? You were the one who was bothered by it."

"What? "

"Belle and Shawn teasing you back there. It really bothered you didn't it?"

"Come on. They were joking. I can take a joke."

"You should, but then Mr. quarterback, just because you can throw the ball doesn't mean you can catch it. And I know this for a fact. I've seen you play. Look all the stuff about the dress and you suddenly wanting to dance with me...it makes it sound like the only reason you were interested was..."

"That's not true."

"I know." she said not completely confident. " But you don't like that they think that..."

"It's not important."

"Belle and Shawn know you. They just having fun with you and you do make it tempting. Though..." A funny smile flashed across Chloe's face. " I guess it is partly true.

"What?"

"I know you weren't thrilled about going to the dance with me. It was pretty obvious. I was wearing the so called shroud but you were the one who looked like you were going to a funeral."

" I wanted you to be my date."

"Uh huh. Right. Look, I know that you didn't really want to take me. You pretty much said so."

"When did I do that?"

"Come on Philip. You admitted it was out of the blue. You said you wanted to tell me the truth about why you asked me. That you hoped I'd still want to go out with you afterwards. Now silly me I got the impression that truth wasn't going to be very flattering. So...My turn question. Your turn answer. See how nicely that works?"

"I wanted to go with you, Chloe. I wanted to go with you and that's why I went." and it did sound as though Philip meant it. That was the scary part.

"Ah, that was so full of sound and fury I'm almost inclined to believe it signifies something. All right, say you wanted to go with me. Question is, did you want to ask me? Because there is a difference."

This time Philip didn't answer right away. Finally he said, "What's the point of this?"

"No point...." She stood with her hands at her hips waiting.

"I'd been giving you a hard time and I wanted to make up for it."

"So you said when you asked me out in the first place. Not much of a startling revelation of truth now is it? Besides, guilt doesn't drive you Philip. You're not the type."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yeah, what is that supposed to mean?

"Okay, okay." said Philip. "I was going to tell you the truth about how I felt, that I really enjoyed being with you only I pretended that I didn't, you know because of what the other kids would think." Philip said as he clasped and unclasped his fingers and stared at his feet shuffling back and forth on the floor.

"Uh huh. And that would have made me so upset I might not want to go out with you."

God, Philip thought, that girl doesn't miss a thing. It's like dating the staff of Sixty Minutes.

"Oh relax." she continued. " I know why you did it. You wanted to impress Belle. You thought if you took poor Chloe to the dance Belle would just fall all over you 'Oh how heroic you are Philip.' Then you'd have dumped me after five minutes and the rest would be Philip Kiriakis history."

"That's not true Chloe."

"Say it again I might believe you. It's all right Philip. It's what I expected."

"I wanted to go with you, not Belle..."

"Which is why you told everyone within a hundred mile radius of Salem High that you wanted to take Belle. Don't deny it."

"I said that, yes...but ...Look I'm quarterback and Belle's a cheerleader and people expect us to..."

"Fine. I've had enough for one night..."

"Chloe, wait." Philip said catching hold of her arm. "I don't understand. What's changed? "

Chloe found herself looking directly at Philip. His eyes looked almost as large as her own, wide and wondering. Chloe stared down at the ground and kicked at the dirt. She said nothing for several seconds.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly. A moment ago Chloe's face had been calm and composed and now it was absolute sadness. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For this. For...I haven't made things easy for you...Whenever you tried to say anything....anything feeling....that's a bad word...."

Chloe was struggling and Philip found it difficult to watch her.

"Chloe, you don't have to do this...."

"Yes I do. When we talked, on the pier, at my house, at school...I knew what was happening but I wouldn't let it..." Her voice was controlled, overly controlled as though it took every muscle in her body to hold it steady.

"No...""

"Please, if I don't say it now I probably never will. I know that I'm not an easy person and when you tried to be nice I shot you down and that must have hurt you. And I did know when you were trying...I...It will happen again...this is going to sound so stupid...when it happens again, hang in there okay?"

If Philip had any guess as to what Chloe would say it wasn't even close to this.

"Hanging in there has never been my strong point. "

Philip looked so uncomfortable. Chloe immediately worried that she'd misread Philip scared him off, but she couldn't stop herself now.

"Philip" she said earnestly "You're the first guy I know who's even tried."

"Yeah right. I'm one in a million," he said with an unconvincing laugh.

"Boy you do have a healthy ego. One in a thousand is more like it. You know like people with eleven toes."

Philip was grateful to hear Chloe back in form, though her voice was still a bit shaky.

"One in ten thousand all right?"

"All right."

The night Philip asked her to the dance Chloe remembered thinking how strangely his buddies acted, like he'd won the lottery or something. One in a million. That's how Philip was looking at her right now, as though she was...Chloe, snap out of it, she told herself, you are losing your stride ...but as these thoughts were running through her mind her there was a sweet, shy smile on her face. Philip put his arm around her shoulder, led her to the sidewalk and she didn't even flinch.

They walked along the quiet, empty sidewalks – Salem being one of those towns where car was king. Chloe looked at the neat, well-groomed hedges, the summer violets, the peach and cherry blossoms anywhere but at Philip. He hadn't said a word since they'd left the pub. Then again, she hadn't either. She could hear the sound of her shoes hitting the pavement. They sounded like thunder claps to her yet Philip didn't seem to notice. Why did she say those things? She was so intense and serious and Philip the way he'd looked at her. She couldn't believe she'd said those things ‘Hang in there. Hang in there' My god. They'd gone out to get a soda for goodness sake. Why did I do that? She thought. What's the matter with me?

Philip and Chloe stood on the steps of her front porch, neither one sure what to do. "Good night." Philip said though he made no move to leave. He moved closer to Chloe who suddenly stepped away and looked out to the trees lining the front yard. She stood with her hands stiffly by her sides, her frame locked. Philip say anything, didn't try to soothe her, didn't try to make her smile or laugh, did nothing that would let her know he saw her nervousness.

"Thank you." She said. "Thanks...for tonight."

Philip who hadn't thought Chloe particularly well entertained this evening, seemed a little bewildered but only said "You're welcome." He left the porch and Chloe went inside dreading the Nancy moment she knew was waiting for her.

Sure enough Nancy was waiting at the door, head leaned in, chest forward, hands out in front or her, ready to pounce. She opened the door so quickly she must have been standing there for a while.

"You're home early. Everything okay?"

"Sure. See Philip wanted to leave the pub early. He took me to a dark alley, attacked me and left me for dead. Then a brilliant plastic surgeon came along, stitched me up and here I am good as new. " Then Chloe headed straight for the stairs without even noticing Craig who'd just gotten to the bottom step. He managed to get an elbow in the arm.

"Doesn't this warm the heart, a sweet mother daughter talk."

"Can it Craig."

"You putting down Philip isn't going to get you on Chloe's A list. You're a smart woman Nancy. You should know better."

"What I know is that Philip can't be trusted and I'm going to protect my daughter whether she likes it or not."

"Well she doesn't and that's what you should be worrying about right now. Chloe did not look unhappy when she came in that door."

"She will be grateful. When the truth comes out she'll thank me."

"Yeah. You know I'm worried about this Philip thing too. He likes her. I think he like her alot. And they're both sixteen. They have alot ahead of them, school, careers before they can think of anything else. That's a long time to be in ...but that's not what you're worried about is it?"

"I don't know why she doesn't see that I'm just trying to help, to save her from being hurt."

"I guess she doesn't have your wisdom yet. Nancy, things were getting better between you and Chloe after the dance....what happened?"

"I interrupted her and Philip. You know that. She was pretty mad but then she told me it was a good thing, because she wasn't really ready. "

"Yeah."

"See I told you she'd thank me later."

"What did you say to her?"

"I pulled her aside and told Philip to get away."

"Great."

"Like you didn't give Philip the strict dad routine."

"Then what?"

"Then nothing."

"Nancy....what else?"

"I told her I wouldn't let her humiliate herself, which she was, I mean that Philip was..."

"You said what?"

"She understood."

"Oh I'm sure she did. Where was Philip when you said that?"

"I don't know."

"Was he still there?"

"I suppose."

"My god Nancy. You said that to Chloe, in front of Philip."

"She needed to hear it."

"Nancy. What is the matter with you? That wasn't protective it was mean."

"Are you saying that I don't want her to be happy?"

Craig hesitated a bit too long for Nancy's comfort. "No but...Nancy you want to mother her and that may not be what she needs."

"Of course she needs her mother."

"But not that way."

"Nobody came to my rescue when I was a girl." Nancy said sharply and then more quietly "Not even daddy, though he did try. Well I will not leave my baby when she needs me. I just won't do it." and then she rushed up the stairs. Craig watched her go and went into the kitchen. Just about now a fine cup of caffeinated coffee was just the thing.

On Philips’s way home he passed by the pub again and there was Shawn.

"Hey bro." he yelled out to Shawn. He needed to talk to someone, get his mind to stop overworking.

"Hey Phil" Shawn said with that 'I'm about to kid you to death about Chloe' smile that had grown attached to his face though he didn't. "Did you have a nice time tonight?" Shawn asked sincerely.

"No thanks to you?"

"Hey what did I do?"

"Never mind. You know sometimes I just don't get Chloe." Philip said rather baffled.

"And this is news?"

Philip almost laughed at himself. "One minute she's having a great time and the next and then she's... I don't know."

"No bruises." Shawn said shaking his head as he looked thoroughly over Philip. "I guess you survived."

"Guess I did." he said and the satisfaction that appeared on his face told the story. "I better get home," he said looking at his watch. Early day tomorrow."

"Night."

Philip walked towards the door in the still crowded Brady pub and stopped short.

"Jason, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice way to greet an old friend." though there was nothing friendly in the way Jason spoke. "Hey man, I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn for some project."

"Like you had a choice. " Philip was enjoying this way too much. "See you. No actually I won't. I don't have to go to summer school."

Philip knew he had to stop soon. Jason had that lion with a thorn in its paw look, ready to roar. "Chill okay."

"You owe me man. You messed up everything. Nah, actually it was that stupid girlfriend of yours."

"She's not my..." Philip began and then cut short.

"Stupid chem notes."

"Hey I passed that class. Don't blame Chloe because you didn't study."

"Just get the hell out of here."

"Hey it's a free country, but I gotta go anyways. You see I have to be at a construction site tomorrow."

Jason climbed out of the booth and Philip wisely decided not to push his luck and headed for the hills, or rather the house on the hill, the Kiriakis home. He started walking when he heard a voice call out.

"Yo Phil." It was Shawn. Not too dangerous.

"What's up?"

"Hey that thing with Jason. You were a bit rough on him. I mean kicking a man when he's down."

"He deserves everything he gets."

"You're probably right about that but this is for you. I don't think you want to antagonize him. "

"I know. I just couldn't help it. The way he treats Chloe...." There was a pained expression on Philips’s face as he remembered a few things he'd said. Though he hoped he'd never been ...like that. He turned back to see Jason still sitting at his table now joined by Jan.

"I know. Hey see you bright and early."

"Bright and ..." oh man he thought "Early." and Philip was on his way.