"like sands through the hourglass... so are the...Days of our Lives"

Christyne's "The Teens"  
Fan Fiction Site

"I’m waiting," Chloe said expectantly when Philip didn’t immediately tell her where they were going.

"I’ll tell you once we get there," Philip smiled while watching the road. "Let’s just say that I think it probably isn’t what you’re expecting."

Chloe wasn’t sure what to say next. She brushed some invisible lint off of her skirt and started to look around the car. She brushed up against a button and accidentally opened a compartment in between her and Philip’s seats. "I’m sorry," she apologized. How embarrassing. Chloe didn’t want Philip to think she was nosy.

"Don’t worry about it. You can look around if you want. Help yourself to whatever you find," he told her.

Inside the compartment there were some CD cases, some loose change, a couple of pens, a lollipop, some gum and a Magic 8 Ball keychain. She pulled the keychain out, closed the compartment and began toying with the keychain absentmindedly. Several minutes passed and neither of them said anything. The silence was beginning to be a little uncomfortable. She looked out the passenger window and studied the neighborhood they were driving through.

Philip cleared his throat. "I just wanted to tell you that I really like what you’re wearing. I think it’s cool that you got dressed up for me."

Chloe’s head whipped back around to face him. "I did NOT get dressed up for you. I got dressed up for me."

Whoa, big mistake, Philip thought, raising his eyebrows. Note to self: do not say that Chloe got dressed up for you ever again. "Well, whoever you got dressed up for, you look beautiful."

After snapping at him, Chloe didn’t know how to gracefully accept his compliment. A silence again fell over the car, and Chloe started shaking the 8 ball, playing with it. She noticed that Philip kept drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He was acting anxious. She wondered if it was possible that he felt as nervous as she did. A couple more minutes passed in complete quiet until Chloe finally spoke.

"Philip?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you nervous?"

"Me? What? No," Philip quickly denied. He sighed and then said, "Yeah, a little. What about you? Are you nervous?" He turned his head to look at her briefly before looking back to the front.

"Only in a terrified sort of way," Chloe replied quietly. Philip furrowed a dimple with a half-smile at her admission.

"Wait - why are you nervous?" she asked him. "Don’t you do this sort of thing all the time?"

"I’ve never done it with you, Chloe." His husky voice filled the space around her. Chloe wanted to sigh. She loved to listen to him talk, loved the phrases he used and the way that he sounded. "And I don’t want to screw it up so that the next time I ask you out, you’ll say yes."

Chloe smiled to herself, watching his profile. She felt more relaxed once Philip had admitted he was nervous too. Now it was just exciting to think about Philip wanting to ask her for another date before this date had even really started. Philip sensed her looking at him, and turned to smile a dazzling grin. "Think you’ll go out with me again if I ask you?" he queried.

Chloe shook the 8 ball, turned it over, and then smiled back at Philip, her eyes dancing. "All signs point to yes."

**************************************************

Mimi was trying to stay angry. Trying to be upset. But it was awfully hard to do with Brady in such close proximity. Sometimes when she was around him she felt like a puppet that moved according to his whim, to what strings he pulled. She didn’t like that feeling, but she didn’t seem able to cut the ties between them. Mimi shifted her position a little, and she moved her right hand from her lap to rest on the couch cushion. Brady had folded his arms but when Mimi moved her hand so did Brady. His hand slid across his leg and down to the couch as well.

Their fingers were nearly touching, just a hair’s breadth apart. Brady closed the distance with his pinky finger. He began imperceptibly rubbing his finger against hers. Mimi’s breath caught in her throat and she had to force herself to breathe. If he had the power to make her melt with just his pinky finger, Mimi had to wonder what he could do with his whole body. And she wondered if she was ready to find out. Would she take him up on his offer? Should she take him up on his offer? Mimi’s eyes widened at the decision she suddenly made, and then she had to stifle a laugh. Mimi knew right then that this was going to be her last night as a virgin. She realized that she did want to be with Brady. There was of course fear of the unknown, but Mimi knew that despite Brady acting like an ass lately she was still in love with him. She wanted to be with him, in every way possible. He’d had so many unguarded moments of tenderness and kindness when he was with her. She had to admit that a lot of Brady’s attitude was in response to her own. Maybe if she stopped being such a witch to him all the time, things between them could change for the better. Maybe she could make them change for the better tonight.

Mimi stole a glance at Brady out of the corner of her eye. Did Brady have feelings for her? Guys didn’t act the way Brady did with her if they didn’t have feelings for the girl, did they? Mimi cursed her inexperience, her lack of knowledge that kept her from knowing what Brady’s motivations were. Why bring her the flower at school if his only goal was to get her into bed? Why did he call and talk to her for so long? Mimi had never given him any indication that he had to woo her. She’d been all too willing. Why would he try and butter her up? Or was there something more there? Some feminine instinct told Mimi that Brady actually returned her feelings. One corner of her mouth tugged into a smile. What if Brady loved her? The prospect was almost overwhelming. Could it be possible that he felt that way towards her?

The credits started rolling on the screen, and Mimi and the Blacks all began moving and stretching. Brady had to swallow hard when Mimi reached both arms up, arching her back. Her eyes were closed and she lowered her arms, and began rolling her head from side to side. Brady had to fight to resist the urge to offer to rub her neck for her. And any other place on her body that felt tense. He was ready to retract his statement that she had to come to him. Right then he would have been willing to do anything she told him to.

"It’s still early," John commented as he looked at his watch. "What would guys think about playing a board game? Like say Monopoly?"

"Actually, I…" Mimi began until Brady cut her off. "She’d love to."

"You know, I dislike being interrupted before I can even punctuate my own sentences. And I really can talk for myself," Mimi told him, momentarily forgetting her resolution to be nicer to him. Brady smiled, seeming to take it all in stride while John and Marlena exchanged glances.

"Well, I’ll just go and get the game out," John said, and walked to the hall closet and pulled it off the top shelf. Marlena went over to the table in the dining room and began moving the centerpiece aside.

"You know, you remind me a lot of Brad Pitt in that movie," Mimi commented to Brady.

"Why? Because we’re both so good-looking?" Brady said back smartly.

"No, he thinks he’s God’s gift to women, too."

"I resent that comparison," Brady said in an insulted tone. "He only thinks he’s God’s gift."

"And you know for certain," Mimi continued, picking up on the insinuation in Brady’s voice. They both stood and started walking towards the table where John and Marlena were busy setting up the board.

"Hey, if the shoe fits…" Brady responded. With a wicked grin he added, "And you know what they say about shoe size, don’t you?" Mimi couldn’t help herself as her eyes traveled down to Brady’s large feet. He laughed at her reddened face as she sat down at the table.

Brady began mentally calculating how much time it would take to finish this game, to get John and Marlena off to bed, for Belle to come home, and fall asleep.

He didn’t know if he was going to make it.

**************************************************

"This is where you’re taking me for our first date," Chloe said disbelievingly as Philip gave her his hand to help her from the car.

"Why not?" Philip smiled, closing the car door once she was out. "Told you it wouldn’t be what you were expecting."

"Miniature golf?" Chloe tried to clarify. Was he serious? This wasn’t at all what she’d been envisioning.

"What, you were expecting Tuscany?" Philip teased. He had definitely surprised her, that much was certain.

Well, yes, she was. But she didn’t want to tell him that. It would probably make her sound like she expected him to take her expensive places, and Chloe didn’t want to sound that shallow. They began walking up to the rental booth to get a couple of golf balls and two clubs. "I guess I was expecting something different because Mimi said something about you being a great date."

Philip pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet and paid the attendant. He handed Chloe a club and a ball. "I am a great date. That’s ‘cause I’m into having a good time. You know…fun? You might want to look it up in that dictionary of yours sometime."

Chloe gave him a withering look, and Philip laughed at her expression. "You know, Chloe, it honestly doesn’t matter what you’re doing as long as you’re with the right person. We could be picking up trash on the side of the freeway and we’d still have a good time together." Philip reached out to push an errant strand of Chloe’s hair away from her face. "Because I’d be with you."

"But miniature golf?" Chloe half-heartedly protested, ignoring the twirling butterflies in her stomach that began the moment Philip touched her.

"Have you played before?"

"No," Chloe responded as Philip picked up a couple of scorecards and some small pencils.

"Well, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it," he smiled, offering her his hand. "Come on. It’ll be fun. I promise."

**************************************************

"Here, give me your hand," Shawn instructed. He was already onboard the boat and was trying to assist Belle. "Why did you wear platform heels, Belle?"

"Because I wanted to look pretty for our first date," an exasperated Belle responded. How could he ask her something like that? Those shoes were the only ones that matched her dress. They may not have been practical, but she knew they looked good.

"You do look pretty," Shawn said as Belle managed to climb down next to him. "Except for your hair. Whatever look you were going for with it, I think you missed."

Belle saw the glimmer of amusement in Shawn’s eyes and smacked his arm. "Love me, love my hair." She cautiously stepped over a pile of rope. "You’re not supposed to tease me about my hair anymore now that we’re dating."

"Making up rules now, are we?"

"Yes. I’ll tell them to you as we go along. You know, like when you screw up I’ll tell you which rule you’ve broken," Belle smiled as they walked along the starboard bow. "The rules are subject to change without any prior notification. And then you’ll have to make it up to me somehow."

Shawn let out a hearty laugh. "I think I know just how to make it up to you."

"I bet you think you do," Belle said, arching one eyebrow. Shawn led her into the cabin of the boat and they began exploring their plush and luxurious surroundings.

"Shawn? There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for awhile."

Shawn’s heart leapt into his throat and a sick feeling settled into his stomach. Not now. He didn’t want her to ask about it now. "What?" he asked hesitantly.

"How did you know to do what you did? You know, when you yelled at school that you loved me. How did you know that’s exactly what I needed you to do?"

"I heard you saying that you wanted the guy you liked to make a fool of himself," Shawn replied. Belle began racking her brain – when had she ever said that where Shawn could hear it? "When did I say that?"

"The next time you go to a party," Shawn said as he walked through the small dining area into the bedroom, "Check behind the couch before you sit down."

"What?" Belle gasped in outrage. "You were spying on me?"

"Technically I was there first. You were disturbing me and invading my space," Shawn retorted. He pulled Belle against him, and closed his arms tightly around her waist. "But that’s okay. I like it when you invade my space."

"And with a straight face you said that," Belle said, shaking her head. Sometimes Shawn Douglas Brady was impossible. But she wouldn’t have him any other way. She stood on her tiptoes to plant soft kisses on his lips, which he eagerly returned. They became aware that people were walking into the cabin to look around. Shawn released her and taking her by the hand said, "Come on, let’s go up front. I want to check out the view. And maybe we can do our Titanic impersonation."

"I’ll be Rose and you’ll be Jack?"

"Sure. But without the dying in the end part."

"Or the naked drawing or sex in the car part," Belle reprimanded him. From the slightly guilty look Shawn got, Belle knew that’s exactly the direction his thoughts were headed. Shawn sighed. It wasn’t fair. She knew him too well.

They reached the front, and Shawn looked around to see that no one was looking. "Come on, stand on the edge. I’ll stand behind you."

"I don’t know, Shawn," Belle said worriedly. "You know I can’t swim."

"Nothing’s going to happen. It’ll be a neat memory. I’ll be right here the whole time."

"Okay," Belle replied, swinging her leg over the rail to climb onto the front.

"There’s something else I wanted to ask you, Shawn," Belle said, trying to carefully climb over. "Why did you take Chloe to the Last Blast and not me?" She held onto a nearby pole and as she went to swing her other leg over a gust of wind combined with slippery footing made Belle lose her balance and she fell backwards, splashing into the water.

Shawn’s stomach dropped to his knees. "Belle!" he yelled, climbing over the rail and diving in after her.

to be continued...