Love Consequences (Season 2 of Nata & Phillip's Romance)

13. Another?

Nata

A week into my suspension, and my side of the duplex is spotless. I offered Phillip to clean his as well, but he only looked at me in horror. Employing the cleaning service is not something he has to stop because even though he thinks without the Van der Heuvel Industries, he has no money, that is only true for the people who care how many hundreds of millions they are worth.

While Phillip was at work or meeting with his lawyers or the private investigator firm he hired, I unpacked all the boxes I brought from my and Samson's apartment. I texted my ex to bring the rest of my stuff over and leave it on the porch. This is the first time in my life I haven't been to work for a week not because I'm visiting my parents but because I have nothing better to do with my life. Even with daily runs, sorting, cleaning, and watching copious amounts of TV, I am bored.

Resting is boring.

Maybe I should brush up on Spanish? I could look for an intensive class I could enroll in for a week? I plop onto the couch. Or I could pick up watercolors. There must be a class that I can find somewhere in Chicago that would take me on short notice. I've always been imagining that if I ever had time for a new hobby, I'll try watercolors. It looks so effortless.

I pick up my phone and enter "watercolor classes" into the search engine.

The sliding door to my kitchen opens. "Are you home?" Phillip shouts through.

I gave Phillip the combination to the lock of my front door, but coming through the back yard somehow became our thing.

"Where else would I be?" I shove my phone between the cushions.

"A spa? Shopping?"

I scoff.

His lanky figure barely squeezes through the door because of the three giant paper bags with fancy designs on them.

"What are those?" I scoot back on the couch and pull the blanket around me. "And did you forget? I hate shopping."

"I didn't forget that." His smile is warm, but he keeps his distance. The six feet he's been keeping between us after our conversation on the deck. Phillip cocks an eyebrow. "Did you forget what today is?"

A flicker of panic licks my sternum. I'm not 100% sure what day of the week it is, never mind the date. "What if I did?"

"I'm here to remind you." Phillip deposits the bags by my feet, like an offering, still not touching me. "Take a look."

I want to reach for his hand, to wrap his arms around me, but instead I grab the smallest bag, turquoise with white. 

"That one better be last." He snatches it out of my hand, and our fingers brush. A zing of electric charge runs across my wrist. Not static electricity, but the coiled desire for Phillip's touch. If it weren't for the contract, if we weren't supposed to wait until my ovulation, I'd shove the bags to the side and pull him over the couch. Instead, I ball my hands and wait. For what? I'm not sure.

Phillip turns away and comes back with a bag that has a black velvety handle. "Start with this one." He steps to the edge of the couch and sets the fancy bag on my knees.

This is the closest we've been this week. The heat from his body seeps through his clothes and mine. My fists are clenched, but I can't not touch him. I move my leg just enough for it to brush his knee. The tiny contact is not enough, but even though I'd like to wrap my legs around his and my arms around his body, I'm not going to. I'm not in the ovulation time. And he is not almost crying.

I slide a box out. It's heavy. Not full of a brick type of heavy, but it most definitely has something substantial in it. "What am I looking at?"

"A box. But if you open it, you might just remember what's going on today."

I pop the lid and move a layer of tissue off the top. Something made of red silk shimmers at me. "Is it clothes?" I tug the sleeve of my sweatshirt that I've been wearing most of the week.

"Warmer."

I lift the garment into the air. "It's a dress," I half-say half-ask. Warmth spreads in my chest.

"It is."

"It's beautiful. Reminds me of Kate's dress I wore to the reunion."

"That's sort of what I gave instructions for." Phillip steps away and breaks the contact of our legs. I feel colder. He unlocks the screen on his phone and shows me the photo that the department posted on the website after the reunion. Me next to Samson at the bar. Smiling with my lips but not my eyes. Kate's dress hugging my hips. Phillip puts the phone away. "I like you in red."

I stand and lay the smooth red material against my sweats. Looks like it's going to be a perfect fit. I narrow my eyes at Phillip. "How did you know my size?"

"Kate." He shrugs.

"Should I regret giving her your number?"

"She's worried about you."

 "I'm fine." I twirl with the dress presses to me. The shimmering skirt flutters. My heart does as well. "Bored but fine."

"We can cure boredom." Phillip nods to the other bag. "Check this one out."

I repeat the process and extract one more dress, this one a dark blue, shorter and with a deep V is inside.

Phillip gives me the last big bag.

"Another?"

 He tilts his head and waves for me to open.

Number three is a classic Audrey Hepburn-style little black dress with a scoop neck. "Hopefully one of them fits but we can call the store for different sizing."

"Can I open the little turquoise bag now?" I lift it by its ribbon handles.

He tugs on the bag, not letting me take it. "How about you try the first dress on, and I'll go get the rest? I couldn't carry everything and make a graceful entrance."

I tug back. "I can come to your side."

"No." He unwraps my fingers from the handle one by one, and I pretend fight, just to prolong the feel of his fingers on mine.

Am I back at high school? Even then I didn't play these games to just touch the guy. I let go of the small bag with a sigh. "You're spoiling the fun."

"Trust me, I'm not. How about you start trying the dresses on and I will be right back." He sets the small bag on the counter and disappears through the sliding doors.

I eye the tiny bag I'm dying to open. Boredom and curiosity is not the combination that's good for self-control. I tiptoe to the counter. I'll l just take a peak. I've recognized Tiffany's colors, but the size doesn't tell me what it is. My cheeks heat. Could be a necklace. Or earrings. Or a ring. No. I bite my lip. A ring would make no sense. I bend and peek into the bag.

"No peeking." Phillip shouts through the crack in the sliding door, as if he was waiting for me to do just that.

I jump away from the counter, stick a tongue at the smiling Phillip, gather the three dresses, and stomp up the stairs in mock indignation.

Author's Note

March 1st, 2024

An unintended cliffhanger. This chapter is longer, but I'm redoing it to better fit with what's happening after, so I'm not quite happy with the rest to post it today. I rewrote it multiple times! I though of skipping this week and posting the full chapter later, when I'm happy with it, but decided it's better to just break it into two! Hopefully there's enough here for you to have a quick hit of Nata and Phillip.

I figured out the ending for the story, thus all the changes to the parts I've already written (that you haven't seen yet). I was so excited this week, thinking through how I'll be tying all the story threads up and I absolutley can't wait for your reactions.

More drama, angst, and a happy ending coming your way.

Any predictions for the ending of this story?

On the personal side, I've been swimming a lot and it's been helping with my anxiety and with my physical well-beeing now that I can't really go on walks or hikes anymore. I miss my walks though.

How is everyone doing?

Love,

GR