Someone Like You -Phillip Altman x Reader-

One More Day

I feel like this is a good moment to mention I have absolutely no idea how businesses/ business meeting/ investing works. So everything on these chapters is most likely ridiculously wrong, but let's all ignore that shall we? Great ✨

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He had gone to bed early, and still it felt like he had only slept like two hours, he had tossed and turned and groaned in frustration as he laid awake with insomnia in the middle of the night. The heavy numbness from the lack of sleep was quick to spark up and turn into nervousness when he woke up to a good morning text from the girl he wished he could've been cuddling last night.

Phillip's decision had him feeling like he was walking a tightrope. He was slowly balancing on the very thin neutral line in between receiving Chelsea's advances and reciprocating them, while at the same trying to close a fucking business deal with the only investor that had been interested in their store.

He woke up that morning, the morning of the second day of this now turned into hell fire trip, and splashed his face with abundant cold water, in contrast with the long hot shower he had taken in order to relax.

Again, trying to find some damn balance in his state.

It was frustrating, he hated this situation, and he couldn't help but blame himself, this felt like pure, heavy karma. Even Wendy's voice was being quickly drowned in his head by his constant worry and uneasiness, and that was a first. He didn't like this, not one bit.

His mind had this sentiment on a loop all throughout the morning as he walked behind Chelsea's dad, with Chelsea stuck to his side, if someone had look a little too close into his eyes maybe they would've seen the sirens blaring inside his head every time Chelsea ran a hand up or down his arm, or every time she squeezed it, or every time she'd smile up at him, forcing him to smile back at her as neutrally as smiling could be.

Basically all the time.

They had met at yet another nice restaurant for brunch (Chelsea's suggestion) and were now in a car on their way to the mall with the promised location for the soon to be store. That was, of course, if Phillip could get his shit together.

-So Phillip...- Richard caught his attention.

Yes. Please. Talk to me, i need to ignore your daughter's leg practically hooking around mine.

But he didn't feel completely at ease in any of his given options, he either sat there in what he felt like the most tense silence while Chelsea moved closer inch by inch, or he was strung into a conversation with her dad and his questions that no matter how big or small always had him feeling like his tongue was shaking.

-Chelsea told me yesterday how you wanted to "run away"- he said with an arched brow- What made you come back? I hope it wasn't failure.-

The question was simple, friendly almost, but the way he sternly and suspiciously finished it had Phillip opening his mouth for a few seconds before actual words came out, something he had done more in the last day and a half than he had done in the last ten years, he looked like a fucking fish, it was irritating.

-I um, I'm sure what she meant was that, I was...excited! To leave for college, see what life had to offer and...become an adult...- he said, nodding to himself.

Maybe if he kept shaking his head it would convince him, or Richard, that that was a good answer, and totally not something he had constructed last  minute, he just hoped he didn't asked...

-Oh really? What's your degree?-

Fucking shit.

Well he set himself up for that one, like a dumbass of course. He took a breath in, straightening his shoulders and clearing his throat and then, there it was, the blubbering again.