He was bored as heck......tired of finding ways to kill time, to kill his boredom...for all Phil could do was think of her....think ABOUT her! He had tried and given up....tried again...but had lost all the guts to do so...to ring her up...ring Shirley up!!!

'One more failure won't hurt much'

And as the thought supplied him a bit of encouragement he picked up his cell. But before he could precede any further, her name flashed on the screen. Nervousness took over him that very moment. Swallowing hard he pressed the answer button...

"Heya..." he almost choked.

"Its Shirley" she answered.

"I know....like...I mean....hmmm...I have your number saved" he stumbled. If only anyone had seen him....he was redder than the strawberries.

And then the 'oh-so-old' silence interjected....Neither of them could find words....neither of them could find a reason to keep the conversation from dying.....neither.....but at the same time....none out of two willed to hung up!...

And it becomes hard when heart contradicts mind!.....feelings contradict thoughts.......

"So" he, thankfully, broke the mutism.

"You know what....I was trying to complete my assignment...but then suddenly...this awful dizziness obstructed" She continued the conversation.

"Crap! you're dizzy...ask me.....I'm so damn bored right now" he spoke, regretting it the moment he did so. 'Holy! That must have been rude' the thought banged his mind. However, the regret was of no use....she didn't notice.

"So...how are you planning to overcome this boredness????" she asked.

"BOREDNESS.....eccentric vocabulary missy" he commented playfully.

"Anything" she snapped almost immediately. And with that the quietness returned with all its glory.

'It's about time'....he finally made up his mind.

"Shirley...?" he asked.

"Yes Phil..." she replied.

"Do I have the permission to take you out somewhere....like on a picnic" he stopped dead right away.

"PHIL.....like...you're asking me out?" She asked, dazed.

"Hmmmm...kinda'...I guess" He replied hesitantly.

"I'll go...but where????" She asked.

"Leave it upon me...it will be good...trust me" He said gleefully.

"I do" she replied before she hung up.

***

"Mum I'll be gone for time while" Shirley declared, coming out of her room...dressed in a blue summer dress.

"But where are you going honey????" Her mother, too busy to look up, asked.

"A picnic" She answered, smiling smugly to herself.

"K'...but come back soon....I'm baking cookies" She said as Shirley closed the door behind her.

And as expected, his car was parked in the drive-way already with him waiting outside. He was in a very casual green-T and a pair of jeans....which made her feel stupid for selecting a DRESS for the occasion!

"Hey" She greeted him shyly.

"Hello" he said instantly, as he gestured for her to sit in the car.

The drive was too silent...too perplexing....for Shirley had no idea where he was driving to...for she trusted him too much that if seemed awkward asking...for Phil, as she believed, was a guy of silence...!

"Here we go" he mumbled with the objective to inform her, before pulling the brakes. And then, bestowing all courtesy possible, he rushed to the other side, to open the door for her.

"Thanks" she said, stunned by his formal behavior...which was way too formal! He smiled slightly and started walking...but she did not move.

"Phil..." she called for him very softly, causing him to turn around.

"What?" he asked

"Ease out...it's just me" She tried to calm him.

But this time, without much-a-do...he walked to her. Looking straight into her eyes, he finally took her hand in his own....and the warm strength of it...almost melted her inside.

"Can we walk?" he smiled at her. She smiled in return and nodded.

"But what place is this?" She asked, as she walked along with him.

"Well…it happens to be my secret hideout.....my place in times of agony and confusion" he replied like a child caught red-handed as he lead her to the most beautiful, most exotic cliff of all times.

"Oh boy..." was all she could utter. His choice left her speechless.

"Fishy ain't it....a guy with a secret hide-out and all" He commented.

"It isn't" She replied automatically, causing him to look up. It was then when he noticed her eyes. There was something in them that caught his attention....let alone the beauty of them....they were pure...sacred. There was some sort of imprisonment in them....some sort of hold that kept him from looking away. To sum it up....her eyes were captive....ultimate destination...pure heaven.

"You look so pretty today" he uttered out of nowhere, too caught up in the moment.

"Really! Phil...c'mon, stop kidding me" She said trying hard to distract herself from the perfection his aura so smoothly shed.

"Believe me....I'll be glad if you do so" he smiled slightly and started walking again, hand-in hand with her.

God knows what struck her mind at that moment when she decided to surrender walking and sat on the grass-covered ground. The abrupt and sudden commotion made Phil stumble onto the ground too....

"Forgive me" he said, as she laughed.

"Dun worry...m fine!" She said.

"In that case....why such a mood swing????" He asked

"Told ya' I was dizzy" She said yawning, making him laugh.

"You could've told me earlier....I wouldn't have made you walk so much" he said, sounding sorry. But she didn't respond this time.

Instead, as soon as he finally settled on the ground stably, she laid down with her head on his lap. Her eyes closed automatically as everything around went from being numb to number.....and then out of the blues...she felt him....felt his warm hand caressing her head soothingly, his fingers entwined with her curls ...and with the satisfaction of having him there.....the somber took over.....she fell asleep.

Heavens and the almighty residing there were the only one who knew what feelings Phil was bombarded with as Shirley slept on his lap. Maybe the caressing part was a reflex, with the kind of guy he was.....but what he expected least was the wetness of his eyes....was it so irresistible that he lost all sense of control?....Maybe it was.....for it was the serenity of their relationship that did this to him....for it was that invisible connection that beautified the understanding between the two of the,...for it was the irrevocable compatibility between PHIL & SHIRLEY…that made the world feel lonely!