Philip was flustered.
He was unable to look at Fletcher straight in the eyes because whenever he looked at him, he couldn't maintain a straight face.
Fletcher only thought it make the other boy look more cute. He stared at the boy seated next to him with a twinkle in his eyes, leaning against the tree branch behind him.
Soon, the boys were lying on the ground, absorbing the twilight sky and the night life of their small town.
"Fletcher, do you have a dog?" Philip asked, looking into the distance, absentmindedly playing with the hem of the taller boy's sleeve.
"No, I have a cat."
Philip looked surprised.
He glanced at Fletcher and spoke.
"I didn't peg you for the type to have a cat."
The blonde haired boy clicked his tongue, smiling bashfully at Philip, drawing him closer by tugging his hand.
"Judgmental now are we?"
Philip shrugged, trying very hard to control his emotions around Fletcher, and he didn't fail to notice that the taller boy seemed more relaxed around him.
He'd never personally witnessed Fletcher laugh or joke around, and he felt somewhat special.
"Philip."
The blue-eyed boy was dragged from his chain of thoughts when the other boy called his name.
"You told me you've been running away from something, what is it?"
Philip's heart raced.
He had never openly spoken to anyone about this, and he was not about to start now.
Fletcher noticed his reluctance and spoke.
"You don't have to tell me okay, I was just curious," he grabbed Philip's hand and held it tight.
"I will tell you, just... I'm not ready to talk about it now." Philip reasoned softly, smiling a small smile, squeezing Fletcher's hand.
The taller boy leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the other boy's forehead, making him blush.
"Tell me about your cat."
Philip blurted.
"Well for starters, she's fat."
Philip stared at Fletcher for a full second before he burst out laughing.
"Fletcher! You can't say that!"
"I can! I feed her, bathe her, clean out her poop, and even take her out for walks! I didn't even get mad at her when the dumpster cat knocked her up! I didn't confront her about her low ass standards."
Philip continued laughing, making Fletcher beam ear to ear.
"You're body shaming your cat!"
"I'm not, I'm just describing her physically." The taller boy defended.
"You could've started with her name!" Philip cackled.
"You can't laugh at her name okay, I was six when I got her." Fletcher warned.
Philip didn't think he'd ever see Fletcher Handerson being cute, but here he was, describing his cat, and defending himself.
"I'll try, depends on her name." Philip giggled.
"Her name is Princess Claws-"
Philip couldn't control his laughter when he heard the name.
He was doubling over in laughter, clutching his stomach, and his laugh was so contagious that Fletcher couldn't help the bubble of laughter that erupted from his mouth.
"I-I ca-can't."
Philip wheezed.
"I'm good, I-I'm good now," he chuckled lightly, pushing at Fletcher's chest.
"You said you wouldn't laugh!" Fletcher flicked his forehead.
"I said I'll try!" Philip palmed Fletcher's forehead in a soft hit, collapsing against him lazily.
"You make no sense sometimes," the taller boy commented, holding Philip's arm so he didn't slide against his leg.
"I do, you're just too dense most of the times."
Philip retorted.
"Okay now, tell me about your Princess Claws."
Fletcher groaned hitting his head against Philip's.
"You have to shut up about it, you've no idea what Cedric named his turtle," Fletcher snorted. "That shit keeps getting out of its tank and dirties my carpet."
"You and Cedric live together?" Philip asked curiously, tilting his head up to look at the other boy.
"Yes, he's family," Fletcher said fondly.
Philip was confused.
"You guys are related?"
"Yeah, my sister is married to his brother." Fletcher explained, rubbing Philip's forehead with his forefinger to erase the frown he'd created unconsciously.
"That's so cool!"
Philip realized that there was so much more to Fletcher Handerson than just the fact that he plays cricket and has quite a number of lady fans.
Fletcher dug through the bag of snacks that he'd bought from Joe earlier, after Philip announced that he craved some snacks.
Philip watched him as he brought out a lollipop and stuck it inside his mouth.
"Mangoes are just," Fletcher paused. "Indescribable."
Philip chuckled, leaning against him, feeling a lot more comfortable and confident than he was at the beginning of their date.
The blue-eyed boy didn't imagine being comfortable with anybody else other than his friends, but he seemed to be learning a lot through experience.
He thought about Jade and imagined how she'd react when he tells her that he's going out with Fletcher, while he absentmindedly reached for the bag and felt around its contents until he found himself a chocolate bar.
He thought about his brother's reaction while he slowly unwrapped the chocolate and took a bite.
He didn't want any of his loved ones to be upset with the decisions he made for himself.
Philip looked up when a flashlight went off.
Fletcher smiled wolfishly with the lollipop stick sticking out from his mouth and tilted his head.
"That's going on my Instagram tonight."
YOU ARE READING
The grand life of Philip | ✓
Teen Fiction"I think you have internalized homophobia." Philip looked at her, his mouth slightly curved. "Jokes on you." -- Philip is a seventeen year-old teenager who just wants to try to live. Severely affected by a fatal accident that he deems himself to be...
