Chapter 37 Acquaintances
Philip pulled into the Titan parking lot, getting out of his Dad's car because his SUV was still being worked on. He looked up at the sunny skies and blanket of snow on the ground, thinking it didn't really reflect his mood lately. Overcast, now that would have been the right type of weather. Sighing wearily, he thought about the unexpected circumstances of a few nights ago as he walked through the front doors of the tall building.
He hadn't talked to Mimi since their fight, since the night they hurt each other so much. After leaving the park that night, after hearing the song that soothed his spirits a little, he had gone straight home, thankful that his exhausted body had taken over for his mind. He had quickly fallen into a dreamless sleep once his head hit his pillow. The next day few days he had pretty much stuck close to home, sleeping in, riding Poseidon and playing video games. But it was hard to keep his mind off everything that had happened with Mimi.
He got into the elevator and as he rode up, he thought of how wonderful it had been when they kissed. It was so nice to be alone together and not have any outside interferences. Then, when they had spent time together the next day, playing in the snow.
~*~
Philip felt Mimi's head against his chest as they sat in the snow and he held her in his arms, reassuring her that they would be alright once they got back to Salem. It felt so fantastic, holding her and feeling the warmth of her body against his. After a while, he felt her move her face away from his chest. She looked up at him.
"Sorry I get so paranoid."
He looked down at her, noticing her eyes looked now almost like the color of the evergreen trees. "Ah, that's okay. I just don't want you to worry about it so much. Nothing's going to change." He stood up with her in his arms and then smiled down at her, pushing back some of her wavy auburn tresses from her face. "So, what do you think about going to see a movie tonight once we get back to Salem?"
"Just us?"
"Just us." Philip answered with a grin, rubbing her back, then taking her hand as they started walking again, the snow decorated trees making everything look like a winter oasis.
"Sounds amazing."
Philip laughed a little at the way she dreamily spoke. "So what kind of movie: action, romance, drama, comedy? What do you think we should go see?"
"Hmmm. You pick."
Philip looked at her with surprise. "You want me to pick?"
"Yes."
"And what if I disappoint?"
"You won't. I trust your judgment."
Philip gave her an irresistible smile, smiling even more as she stopped walking and reached up for him, holding onto his face and bringing it down to hers. He sighed contentedly as her warm lips met his and he lost himself in the feel of her.
~*~
Philip sighed as he got out of the elevator, the flashback ending. He walked to his Dad's office, forcing himself to get his mind off his problems as he opened the door.
"There you are Philip. Come in Son. There are some people I would like you to meet."
Philip looked from his dad to the two strangers, one an older man, though visibly a little younger than his father and the other, a young woman, he guessed around his age. And she was absolutely gorgeous.
****
"Connor, don't go too much in front of me!" Mimi called out to her little brother as she walked with him to the park. Actually, she was the one walking, he was practically skipping.
"Ah Mimi!" He called back with irritation, not liking it when she treated him like a baby.
Mimi laughed a little at his reaction and then sighed. Since she didn't have much else to do, she had agreed to take her little brother to the park when he had asked. She looked around at the snowy ground and the clear skies above. It did little to lighten her dark mood that she had been in since a couple of nights ago.
Why did things have to be so awful between her and Philip now? That night, after hearing the song, she finally, wearily got up off the snow and went to bed, grateful that her sleepiness took away the pain as she slumbered without thought. The next few days she spent at the center or at home, resting, catching up on the latest trends in her magazines, and playing around with her computer.
But she couldn't stop thinking of Philip's face, the pain in his eyes as she said all those awful things, the anger in his eyes as he told her he didn't want to be friends with her anymore.
She looked ahead, making sure she could still see Connor heading up the path towards the park and thought about when they had danced together, in that adorable little cabin, to their own music, how he had snuck in a few kisses, making her feel warm all over. Then the next day, he asked her to go to the movies with him, just them.
~*~
She finished kissing him, reluctant to leave the sunny feel of his lips.
"I like being with you here, just us."
Mimi smiled back up at Philip, wrapping her arms around his waist, letting her hands move up and down his back. "I do too. Isn't it just so beautiful here Philip?" She could feel his hands move down to around her waist also, his fingers moving against her coat.
"Well, I don't think you thought that last night, did you?"
She responded to his amused expression. "No, but now that it's daylight, it's just so wonderful! Oh, and that adorable little cabin." She noticed his golden-almost brownish hair, his highlights shining in the sun.
"Adorable?! That place is tiny, has no heater, no working lights, a broken window (thanks to me) and not enough food even for a visiting mouse."
Mimi hit him playfully on the arm. "You spoiled, arrogant, vain-"
"Hey!"
Mimi laughed at his protests. "You are spoiled, but you're also gentle and kind." She smiled at him warmly, noticing his annoyed expression turning softer as he pulled her even closer against him.
"That's better. And you make one mean can of beanie weenies."
Mimi laughed as his lips moved down towards hers, and she kissed him back, still half giggling. She looked up into his eyes as Philip pulled back from her, dimples and all, then started to kiss her more seriously, taking away any trace of laughter from her face as she luxuriated in the heat of his kiss.
~*~
Mimi pulled away from her thoughts as she noticed Connor, not looking where he was going, running right into someone. Oh-oh! She ran over.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Connor, you should look where you're going. Oh no, he knocked down all your stuff! Here let me help you pick it up!" Mimi started to help, finally noticing what the person looked like as he looked right at her.
Tall (at least he seemed tall, even though he wasn't standing up to his full height, now probably in shock at the unexpected collision) chestnut colored wavy hair, and breathtaking smoky colored eyes.
****
"Philip, I would like you to meet Mr. William Forbes and his lovely daughter, Allison."
Philip offered his hand to the man in front of him and then to the young woman. He noticed the assuredness with which she shook hands with him. "Nice to meet you both." Phillip said the words politely with a slight courteous smile as they both responded in kind. He had been taught at an early age how to be poised and mannerly, even when he was in a less than good mood. He looked at the man, noticing how meticulously dressed he was in a designer suit, no cheap imitation, and that like his daughter, he seemed very self assured. But that was who really got his attention, the daughter. She was dressed in a calf length dark colored skirt with boots, topped off with a silk blouse, clothes that could obviously be found only in the most exclusive shops. They enhanced her slim model-like figure, receiving a helping from her light blonde long champagne colored hair and her hazel eyes.
"Mr. Forbes has been working for years at the Titan Branch on the west coast, but now he has relocated here to Salem. He is one of our top executives and I am very happy that he will be relocating. Now Philip, I called you because I thought it would be beneficial for you to meet Allison, since the two of you will be attending the same school together."
Philip looked at his father with some surprise.
Victor reacted to his son's response. It would be fantastic if Philip and Allison could get to know each other better. She would be so much better for him than Chloe was. That girl had just caused him grief, the way Victor saw it. Now she was with his grandson, which also didn't please him, but, well, Brady was an adult. There was nothing he could do about that. He knew that Philip was becoming even closer friends with that girl Mimi, but it probably wasn't anything serious. She was just too loudmouthed for Victor's taste. Allison: she would suit his son fine, or if worse came to worse, at least they could become friends. "Yes, she will be starting at Salem High very soon, since your winter break is almost over. I was hoping Son you could do your best to make her feel welcome."
Philip smiled inwardly at the his father's implied command. He knew his father well enough to know it wasn't a request. Victor Kiriakis rarely asked for anything. "Sure Dad, I could do that." Philip glanced at Allison, then directed his attention back to his father.
Victor smiled, pleased. "Very well then. Mr. Forbes and I have some business to discuss that we can talk about in his new office. You two enjoy getting acquainted with each other." With that his dad and her dad left.
Philip and Allison just looked at each other quietly.
****
The young man stood up, nearly laughing at Mimi's haphazard reaction. Mimi looked up at him. Boy, he really was tall and dark and.Mama mia! "Uh, Connor help me with this!" She continued to pick up his things nervously.
"No, no, it all right. I can do it. No worry."
Mimi couldn't help but notice his thick accent, his thick Latin accent. "I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh, a painting! You were painting! He knocked down your painting. I'm so-"
He cut her off, lightly grabbing her hands with a chuckle, his smoky eyes shining in the sun. "Stop please. I can, uh." He searched for the right words. "I got it." He let go of Mimi's hands and started picking up his things.
Mimi looked at him nervously as Connor stood there annoyed. He just saw one of his best friends and he wanted to go play. "Mimi, can I go now? Matthew's here!"
Mimi gave Connor a chastising look. "Connor you apologize right now."
"I'm sorry. Now can I go?"
Mimi rolled her eyes and the smoky eyed young man smiled. "Yes, you can go. Just stay where I can see you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know!" With that, Connor ran off to see his friend.
Mimi tried to help the young man with the rest of his things, but he gently took them from her and reassembled his easel and painting. Mimi looked at it, noticing that it was now ruined probably from the wet snow. "Oh, I am sooooo sorry! He ruined your painting! What can I do? Is there any way I can make it up to you?"
The young man looked down at the whirlwind in front of him, trying to make heads and tails of what she was saying.
****
Allison took in the blond, somewhat very light brownish haired young man in front of her. He seemed well mannered, well groomed in dark blue jeans, a wool sweater, and black boots. He was obviously well to do (being Victor Kiriakis's son was just one obvious indication of that) and used to the finest things in life. He was exactly the kind of guy she hated. She smiled at him coolly.
Philip looked at her inquisitively, not able to tell what she was feeling. "Uh, you want to sit down?" Philip gestured to some chairs in his Dad's office.
"Not really, no. Look, why don't we just settle this right now, okay? Your father is the one who asked you to show me around and all that and knowing your type you will do anything to make Daddy happy as long as he buys you everything your heart desires. Also, if you're getting any ideas of anything happening between us, you can just forget it. I absolutely despise people like you."
Philip noticed that during this entire tirade she hadn't lost eye contact with him once, never looking away shyly. This girl was extremely confident, self-sufficient, un-daunted, and a major pain in the-
"You despise people like me? How interesting, considering you're standing there talking to me in what is obviously one expensive designer outfit. And I don't do everything my 'Daddy' tells me to. I was just trying to be polite, but obviously you don't even understand the meaning of that word. And for your information, I'm going to be working here in a starting position, you know, errand boy, most likely, to help pay off my car and get some experience. You may think I'm some rich snob that likes to have everything handed to him on a silver platter, but that is not true at all." Philip turned to leave with disgust. He was in a bad enough mood already. But before he left he turned back around to speak to her one more time. "Oh, and by the way, you may be physically attractive and think you're such a hot ticket, but I wasn't even remotely interested in you that way. I'm sure you'll be able to find your own way around Salem High."
Allison watched him with shock and then called out as he started to walk out the door. This guy wasn't at all what she thought he would be like. Maybe he wasn't your typical rich snob that she had had to deal with so much of her life, or the type that just looked at a girl and was in 'love' because of her outward appearance.
"Philip!"
Philip stopped and turned around to face her.
"I'm sorry. Can we start again?"
****
He just looked at her, having a hard time understanding what she was going on and on about. Ah, this English was sometimes so hard to understand, but especially with someone who spoke as quickly as her. He had been painting, something he loved to do, when all of the sudden something crashed into him and all of his stuff went into the air and landed on the ground as he was knocked off of his chair. He later realized it was a running little boy, but then he looked up to see a very pretty young woman, who amused him with her zealous and frantic behavior. At first he had been so angry that his painting was ruined, but after meeting the little auburn haired whirlwind his mood had softened.
He finally figured out what she was saying. "Tell me su nombre."
Mimi looked at him blankly, wishing she had paid more attention in Spanish class. Let's see, nombre, nombre..uh, number? No, that couldn't be it!
"Ay. I forget me English. Uh, tell me your name, si?" He questioned. "Eh, Mimi?"
Mimi smiled. "Yes. Well actually, it's Miriam. But everyone just calls me Mimi."
"Miriam, que bonita! Very uh, unusual, that right?"
"Yes, yes. It is unusual, kind of old-fashioned, but what can I say, my parents liked it." Did he just say that her name was pretty? "I'm so sorry about your painting." She faced him apologetically.
"No, it all right."
"Uh, you know my name. But I don't know yours." She smiled up at him a little.
"Ay, si. Ramon. I come from Spain, but I come to live here with, uh, mi tia, ay, no, me aunt. I want to come to America to learn. I read and write good in English, but I, I still not speak too well. My aunt live in Salem and give me place to stay."
"Oh my, Salem's such a small town. Who is your aunt? Maybe I know her."
Her name is Veronica Ruiz. She work at, uh, the hospital."
"Oh, that name sounds familiar. I used to volunteer there. So are you going to go to Salem University and study art?"
"No, I go to Salem High School for rest of year-"
"Oh my gosh, I go there!" Mimi answered excitedly.
****
Philip looked at Allison's now apologetic face, making her features look softer.
"I'm really sorry for acting like such a, well you know, rhymes with witch!"
Philip smiled a little. "I wouldn't have put it that way, but, uh. Look, I probably wasn't being that friendly either. I really don't like it when my dad does these kinds of things. No offense."
Allison shook it off. "No, no, it's alright. It's just I used to live in Palo Alto, a town that could be kind of snobby in some areas, and the guys there liked me for one reason."
"Because you looked good and were rich, right?" Philip asked knowingly.
"Yeah." Allison smiled in response. "I bet you get a lot of that too."
"Yeah, not that I'm bragging, mind you."
"No, I understand. After that, we moved to San Francisco and I was really happy there, but now, well, we moved here."
"And you're just so excited to be in thrilling Salem, the land of witches aren't you?" Philip joked.
Allison laughed. "Sorry, if I made that sound insulting."
"Nah, that's okay. Look, you were right. We should just start over again. I'm Philip Kiriakis. It's nice to meet you." He smiled at her genuinely, holding out his hand for her to shake.
"I'm Allison Forbes and it's nice to meet you too Philip." They shook and she thought, maybe living in this small little town wouldn't be so bad after all.
****
"I could show you all around and everything!" Mimi spoke excitedly.
Ramon laughed again, enjoying her infectious spirit. "Thank you. I would, uh, like that."
Mimi smiled up at him. "Once again, I'm really sorry about your painting. I take pictures, you know, photography and I know it's horrible when something happens to something you worked so hard on."
She was into taking pictures! Ah, how wonderful this was! "No, I, I not find good, uh, inspir-uh.que dice?"
"Inspiration?" Mimi added helpfully.
"Si, inspiration, for my painting today."
"Oh, well maybe you can find it again soon."
"Yes." Ramon simply responded thinking he had already found it, by meeting her.
****
Philip stroked Poseidon's forehead, feeding him a carrot. "There you go boy." He said softly, as outside the stables the afternoon started to fade away. It had been an interesting day, meeting Allison. She would definitely be a force to recon with at Salem High, he thought. He smiled. But at least they were on more friendly terms now. Actually, once they started talking civilly to each other they discovered just how much they had in common.
But still, he couldn't get his mind off one girl. He missed her so much. He missed their friendship. The one thing he hadn't wanted to lose was that and now.
He reached into his coat pocket, taking out a group of black and white pictures, the only ones he had of them together, alone. He had pulled her with him into one of those tiny photo booths in Boston. She had seemed a little shaky at first..
"Philip, what are you doing?"
Philip looked up at her in the tiny booth, from where he sat, grabbing her so she was sitting on his lap. "I want some pictures of us. Now smile and act goofy!" She laughed as he made some absolutely ridiculous expressions.
But now, as he looked at the last of the four pictures, he saw how in that one they both had smiled genuinely at each other, their arms around one another, and he thought how much they looked like a couple, even before they had kissed for the first time.
He let his head rest against Poseidon's, sighing.
****
Mimi walked over to a bench near Salem Place, taking out her newly developed pictures from her purse, thinking a little about the good looking guy she had met earlier today. Wait till the girls at Salem High met him. They're going to go nuts! And unbelievably, Mimi was already on her way to becoming friends with him. They had talked about their passions for art and photography so easily, enjoying each other's company, despite the small language barrier.
But she knew she would be kidding herself if she said now she wasn't sad anymore at all. How she longed to see Philip. She missed the sound of his sweet soft voice, how gentle he was, how kind.
She sighed, continuing to look at her pictures, stopping at a couple of them. They were all from Boston, but the last ones were from the cabin, and the very last one was a picture of them together. Philip had asked one of the law enforcement officials to take it.
"Uh, you probably don't get this request everyday, but, uh, would you take a picture of us?"
"Excuse me sir?" Mimi laughed at the man's response to Philip's request.
"Yeah, uh, here's the camera. We'll just sit right here and go ahead and snap one."
Then he wrapped his arm around her and they smiled for the camera as the law enforcement official bemusedly took the picture.
She looked at it now, seeing how happy they were, how close he held her to him. She closed her eyes, wishing she could have just held onto those happy expressions of the two of them in that picture, forever.
Chapter 38: Twenty Questions
Philip walked into his American Government class, looking around for a minute, then sat down. Where was she? Maybe she was running late. He took out his book and binder from his backpack and then exchanged greetings with some of his classmates. A hush fell over the room, and he smiled as he noticed Allison entering it, displaying the same confidence he had seen when he met her. He waved her over from where he was sitting in the corner. She smiled, ignoring the stares and hushed whispers of the other students, then walked over to where he was sitting.
"Hey, how's it going? I see you found the room on your own." Philip grinned at her.
"Well, considering this school is somewhere near half the size of my old one, it wasn't too difficult. Gosh, do they ever stop staring?" Allison was referring to the way some of the students kept looking at her, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Yeah, once they get to know you they'll get over it. You have to remember, you're living in a small town now and it's exciting when there's someone new." He noticed she was wearing jeans with a faux fur lined black sweater, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, and just a touch of makeup on her face.
Allison started to sit down across from Philip, catching his facial expression. "Is something wrong?"
Philip spoke a little uncertainly as their teacher walked into the room. Boy, she was REALLY late. "No, uh."
"Yes?" Allison questioned, looking straight at him with her hazel eyes.
"It's just there's someone who normally sits there, but I don't know she might not-"
Allison turned to face the door as she noticed him staring at the girl who came through it, who also stared at Philip, noticing him, and kind of just stood there.
"Well Miss. Lockhart, thank you for joining us today. Now, will you please take your seat so I can conduct class?"
Mimi looked a little shakily at her teacher Mr. Carter, a middle aged man wearing glasses, then started to walk to the corner of the room.
Allison quickly caught on, sitting down in a seat behind the one she had previously attempted to sit down in, smiling courteously at Mimi, noticing Philip had pretty much buried his nose in his book.
Hmmm, very interesting.
Mimi sat in her seat, not sure how to react to the girl now sitting behind her, who she had noticed Philip talking to when she had come in. Who was she and how did he know her? She was tall and looked almost like a model, with a slim figure. Mimi looked over at Philip, noticing his gray pants, black and gray sweater, and the fact that he seemed to be ignoring her. She took out her textbook and binder, ready to take notes.
After a while of taking down detailed notes, a supreme necessity in Carter's tough Government class, Philip looked over at Mimi as she kept her attention on their teacher. She was wearing maroon colored pants, with a matching patterned sweater, her hair back in a barrette, though some of the strands had fallen out and were framing her face.
He hadn't realized how long he had been looking at her when she suddenly turned her face to look back at him, her jade eyes uncertain. Philip quickly looked away.
Allison, in between taking down notes, watched them silently.
Very interesting, indeed.
****
Mimi closed her locker and then walked down the hallway to her next class, noticing a confused looking Ramon. "Ramon!" She called out.
Ramon noticed her, looking very relieved. "Ay, Miriam, help!"
She laughed and smiled, walking over to him, observing that he was trying to understand his class schedule, wearing black jeans and a gray sweater. "Here, let me help you with that." She started to explain the schedule to him, barely noticing the girls standing around, staring at the very good looking new guy.
Philip walked over to his locker, doing a double take when he saw Mimi talking to a tall guy, about Brady's height, that had a slight athletic build. Philip continued to watch, struggling with getting his locker open, barely paying attention to what he was doing.
Mimi laughed at Ramon's bemused face as she tried to help him. He laughed back.
"DAMN!"
"Well, look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!"
Philip looked over at Shawn with annoyance. "Ha, ha, ha, Brady. I can't get this damn locker to open!"
"Well Phil, maybe if you paid more attention to your combo than Mimi over there talking to that new guy, you wouldn't be having so much difficulty." Shawn laughed.
Philip gave him another annoyed look, finally managing to get his locker open. "I wasn't paying attention to them. Who is the new Enrique Iglesias anyway?"
"His name is Ramon, Ramon Machado and isn't he absolutely gorgeous?" Belle appeared from behind her boyfriend with a smile.
"I resent that!" Shawn protested.
"That is if I wasn't already so much in love with you Baby, I would think he's gorgeous." Belle quickly amended.
"That's better." Shawn replied with a smile, then looked past her at someone else new. "Well, well, well, talk about gorgeous!"
"Shawn Douglas Brady!" Belle warned.
Philip laughed, noticing Allison walking down the hallway to her locker, across from his. She saw him and Belle and said "hi" with a friendly smile. After responding, Belle forgot her temporary anger at her boyfriend and spoke to Philip. "You know Allison? Isn't she really nice?"
"Yeah, she's alright. I know her because her dad works at Titan and my dad introduced us. She used to live in San Francisco." Philip closed his locker, leaning against it, still watching from time to time a giggling Mimi, speaking to this, uh, Ramon.
Shawn and Belle watched him watching her, watched how Mimi looked back at him when she noticed him, watching how they looked away from each other when they noticed the other staring. The couple exchanged glances, wondering why their two friends seemed to be avoiding each other.
"So your next class is over there, right past that sign." Mimi pointed out the direction for Ramon, tired of playing the staring game with Philip.
Ramon smiled, thanking her, but also noticing how she kept looking over at the blond-light brownish haired guy and how he kept looking over at her. It made him wonder. "I better go now. I, uh, I'm excited, it my first art class today and I'm look, uh I'm looking forward to it. Thank you Miriam for help me."
Mimi noticed with a smile how he was struggling to speak better. Actually, he was doing pretty good and she liked his accent. It added character. "My pleasure Ramon. Uh, your welcome." She added to her response, wanting to say something that he would understand better. Then she watched as he left on his way to class.
Mimi looked over, noticing Shawn and Belle had left and that Philip was talking to that new super model girl, Allison Forbes. Mimi knew her name now, but close to nothing else about her. She frowned as she noticed them laughing and smiling with each other. Then she walked off to her next class.
****
Shawn and Belle sat down in the crowded cafeteria together, starting to eat their lunches. "Shawn, why do you think they're not speaking to each other?"
Shawn took a sip of his soda. "Belle, are you sure they're not? Maybe they were just too much in a hurry or something."
Belle put down her sandwich. "Shawn, you saw it too, they just kept staring at each other, but said nothing to one another. That's not how someone looks when they're in a rush to get to class."
"I know Belle, but, look, we tried the club thing and that turned out to be a huge fiasco-"
Belle interrupted her boyfriend. "No it didn't. By the end of the night they were dancing so close to each other they looked like they forgot the rest of the world. And how can we forget they almost kissed!"
Shawn responded to his girlfriend's excitement hesitantly. "Belle, are you sure they were going to kiss? Maybe it just looked like it at first."
"Believe me Shawn, they were going to kiss, but unfortunately I interrupted them."
Shawn sighed. She wasn't going to give this up. "Well, maybe if you talk to Mimi. I mean she likes to brag about everything, right? I'm sure she'll be more than happy to tell you what's going on."
But that's it Shawn, ever since a couple of months ago, since she seemed to be getting closer to Philip, she's been so secretive. She won't talk that much about him."
Shawn noticed his girlfriend's frustration as he started to realize something. "Maybe because Philip isn't just some bragging right. Maybe she really cares about him a lot."
"I think you're right Shawn. I think this is really serious, so what happened? Why are they avoiding each other and though they seem to be trying immensely to cover it up, why do they seem upset too?"
Shawn had nothing to say about that, until. "Well, this might be your chance to find out. Look who's coming over." He pointed to Mimi making her way through the crowded cafeteria.
"Meems over here!" Belle waved her best friend over.
Mimi looked at Belle, sitting there with Shawn and was grateful no one else was sitting with them today. Chloe must be hanging out with her choir friends and Philip. She looked over, noticing Ramon making his way through the crowded cafeteria also, looking lost. She called out to him. "Ramon, come sit with me and my friends!" He smiled and followed her.
Belle was happy to see Ramon, but also was a little let down. She really wanted to talk to Mimi about what was going on. Oh well, she supposed they'd have to talk about it later. She didn't want anyone to feel left out.
Mimi came over with Ramon, introducing him to Shawn and Belle, finding out they had already met each other in a previous class. "So Ramon, how you liking Salem High?" She asked with a smile as she started taking out her lunch.
"It different, but it nice too. I like a lot my art classes and everyone friendly." Ramon smiled back at all of them and then started to eat his salad.
"Yeah, I like to think Salem High is pretty friendly and we're glad you're here." Belle added with enthusiasm. Then she noticed Allison making her way through the tables. She called her over. "Allison, come have a seat!"
Allison smiled over at Belle. She liked the bubbly cheerleader she had met in one of her previous classes. She had a lot of spirit and was very gracious. She headed over.
Belle started introductions once Allison started to sit down at the table. "Allison, this is my boyfriend Shawn, this is my best friend Mimi and this is another new student Ramon, who came from Spain."
Allison smiled and said hi to everyone. "Thanks Belle for calling me over. I'm starting to meet people, but I really had no idea where to sit. And you've just been so nice to me."
Mimi chimed in. "Oh Belle's our official welcome wagon here at Salem High."
"Yeah Belle would just die if she didn't get a chance to welcome every new person." Shawn teased, then noticed Philip. "Hey Phil, over here!"
Belle hit her boyfriend on the arm for his remark, then came back with: "Oh you guys stop!" She turned to Philip. "Come on over Philip, plenty of room!"
Philip smiled at his friends, but noticed the company they were in and sighed a little. Living in a small town was never easy. A part of him wanted to talk to Mimi, but the other part of him was just so upset with her. Oh well, he better grin and bear it. Maybe, he could find out a little more about this Ramon character. And Allison was sitting with them. That was cool.
Shawn started to move over for his friend, but Belle stopped him with a curious look. Now, what was she up to? Then Belle grinned at Philip as he came over. "There Phil, you can sit right next to Meems. She doesn't mind, right Meems?"
Philip noticed Mimi's somewhat shaky appearance. "That's alright Belle, I'll just sit on the other side." He sat down on the opposite side, joining the group. The new seating arrangement was: Shawn, Belle, Mimi on one side and Allison, Ramon and Philip on the other.
Shawn and Belle once again exchanged glances. Then Belle spoke up as Philip started to take out his lunch. "So Phil, I know you know Allison, but do you know Ramon?"
Philip smiled politely, shaking his head. "No, I don't think we met yet. Hi, I'm Philip Kiriakis."
Ramon smiled courteously. "I am Ramon Machado. Excuse my English. It still not too good because I just move from Spain."
Philip looked over encouragingly, noticing that the guy had wavy hair and dark colored eyes. "No, no you're doing fine."
"I agree with Philip. You're doing great Ramon. And if you want someone to talk Spanish too, I speak it a little bit." Allison smiled over at him.
"Muy bien." Ramon said with his own smile.
"So Ramon, how did you and Mimi meet?"
Philip was glad Belle was asking this question. He would really like to know the answer. He took a sip of his soda.
Ramon laughed, catching Mimi's eye. "It funny. We meet in the park while I was painting. Her brother run into me."
Mimi continued. "Connor was running, not looking where he was going like usual, and he ran right into Ramon, knocking over his painting and everything. Ramon was such a good sport about it though and we started talking about how I'm into photography and he's into painting."
Philip listened quietly, trying to read Ramon's feelings about Mimi.
"It okay that he ran into me. I not find good inspiration that day, but after I meet Miriam I feel better."
Philip started choking on his soda.
Miriam?! What the heck was up with that?!
He noticed the concerned glances of Shawn and Belle and how Allison moved closer to him. "Oh my gosh Philip, are you okay?"
Mimi nearly smirked at the attentions of Allison, though she wondered about Philip's reaction. That had to be it right, he was reacting to what Ramon said?
Philip waved Allison off, like it was no big deal as he got control over himself quickly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just took too big of a sip or something."
Allison moved a little as Belle spoke up again, now that the excitement had worn down. "And Allison, you used to live in San Francisco, right? Salem must seem so foreign too you."
"Well, it's definitely not anything like San Francisco, but I think I'll adjust."
"And your Dad works at Titan?"
It was Mimi's turn now to listen silently.
"Yeah, Philip and I actually met just a couple of days ago, when his father introduced me to him. It was quite an interesting meeting." Allison chuckled and Philip smiled in response.
Mimi accidentally dropped her fork.
Interesting, huh?!
"Oops."
Philip looked at her curiously as Belle reacted. "Oh-oh Meems, you dropped your fork. Shawn go get her a new one." Shawn started to get up as Ramon protested.
"No, I can go get it for Miriam."
Miriam.grrr.
Philip was getting sick to his stomach. "Yeah, Allison thought at first I was one of those snobby types, even though she's probably as rich as me, but you guys know better, right?"
Belle waited for Mimi to add a little teasing remark, but there was nothing. She exchanged a glance with Shawn again. Something was definitely wrong.
****
Philip walked out to the basketball court in the gym, noticing Ramon. Wonders of wonders, they must have P.E. together. Oh boy. Be civil. Actually, maybe he could find out more. Time to lay out the welcome mat Philly boy.
"Hey Ramon! How's it going?"
Ramon looked over, seeing Philip. He seemed friendly enough, but something told him that he didn't understand the whole picture.yet.
"Hi Philip. We have same class together, si?"
Philip laughed. "Si, Ramon. Hey, so how you liking Salem High, must be different from Spain, right?"
"Very different, but nice too."
Philip was glad the teacher was late as usual, so they could talk. "So you're a painter?"
"I like to say artist. But I'm just start, ay, starting. I enjoy it though. It very relaxing."
"Artist, yeah, that's a much better way to say it. I've heard before that artists can be temperamental, but not you huh? You didn't mind that your painting was knocked down?"
Okay, he was totally fishing, but he wanted to know more about this guy's encounter with Mimi.
"Temp-" Ramon looked at Philip with a confused expression, not understanding the word. If only he could speak English as well as he could write it. He supposed it would take time.
"Uh, moody (still looked confused) upset, that they get upset.". ding, ding, ding! That rang a bell!
"I see now. Si, I would be most times. But I meet Mimi and she funny and nice and bonita, ay."
Bonita, bonita, let's see, in his limited Spanish vocabulary that word meant.
The teacher came in.
That meant.Pretty, no actually it meant.
Beautiful!
Philip looked over at Ramon who was now paying attention to the teacher. He called her beautiful.
****
"Mimi, I'd like you to show Allison all the equipment please."
"Sure Miss. Thomson." Mimi said in response to her teacher. Mimi had just found out that she and Allison had P.E together. They were taking an aerobic/weight room type class. Some days they did aerobics to music while on other days they worked out in the weight room. She wasn't sure how she felt about Allison yet. She seemed kind of intimidating, yet friendly enough, but what was going on with her and Philip, Mimi wondered.
"Uh, well here let me show you everything." Mimi showed Allison around, which didn't take too long since the room wasn't that big. "I bet your other school was a lot bigger."
Allison smiled, still not sure about how Mimi was reacting to her. "Yeah, it definitely was, but I'm starting to get used to it a little here."
"So, uh, your dad knows Philip's dad?" Mimi wanted to know more.
"Yeah, my dad's been working for Titan for awhile, as one of the top brass, but now he's thrilled that he's working at the main headquarters. So tell me about Philip. He must have a girlfriend with those looks, right?"
Mimi swallowed hard. "Uh, no, not that I know of. He was going out with one of the girls from the senior class, but they broke up."
Why was Allison so curious about Philip?
"Oh really. Who? Maybe I've already met her."
"I doubt it. She keeps to herself a lot. Her name's Chloe Lane."
Allison responded enthusiastically. "Oh I know her! She's in my English honors class. We've already started to become friends. I like how she's kind of different."
Great, she already liked Chloe, Mimi thought sarcastically. Was there anyone who didn't? "Oh, that's great."
Allison noticed Mimi's flat response. She looked at her questioningly. "I take it you and her don't get along that well?"
Mimi hadn't realized how obvious she was being. Or maybe Allison was just very good at reading people. She would have to be careful about her reactions. "We're not friends, no."
"Oh, that's too bad. Oh well, not everyone can get along, right? But I hope we can be friends Mimi."
"Yeah, sure." Mimi spoke a little uncertainly.
****
Allison and Mimi came out of the weight room and crossed through the back part of the gym. Mimi immediately noticed Philip running down the basketball court, dribbling the ball with such grace, then shooting, the ball falling into the hoop effortlessly. He slapped hands with another guy, grinning, then went to go get his water bottle, taking a drink from it. She watched him silently, remembering when he held her in his arms, when they kissed.
Philip continued to take a drink, feeling thirsty from the exertion of playing with his classmates. Suddenly though, he felt like he was being watched. He looked over and saw Mimi with Allison, but his eyes stayed on just Mimi as he wiped his forehead with his towel. He remembered holding her as she slept.
Allison and Ramon watched quietly the way the two of them just kept looking at each other, seeing just a tiny glimpse of remorse on both of their faces, wondering what was the connection between these two.
Philip and Mimi just kept watching each other, remembering better times.
Chapter 39: Intensity
Mimi walked out of one of her favorite clothing stores in Salem Place, wearing her chocolate colored coat, a coffee skirt and a matching sweater in a lighter shade. In her grasp, she carried one shopping bag. She had just treated herself to some new school apparel, with some of the money she had received from the babysitting she had done during the break. Now, it wasn't as much clothing as she or Belle usually got when they went on one of their infamous shopping sprees, but it was enough. She sat down on a nearby bench, thinking of the past week.
It was strange, not talking to Philip, not walking home with him on the nights she had to stay late. She missed him, but she was also determined to not wallow in her misery. She was keeping herself busy with the center, babysitting, doing her janitorial duties and spending time with her friends, well her other friends.
She had gotten to know Allison a little better, but was still not completely sure how she felt about her. She would often see her talking to Philip, both of them laughing and smiling. The truth was Allison seemed pretty friendly, with most of the people, yet could be quiet at times too, almost like she was trying to figure things out. Mimi wondered if she was interested in Philip. Since that first time, they hadn't talked about him that much again. Allison just told her stories about living in San Francisco, which Mimi found pretty interesting. It was a lot different than Salem.
Another place that sounded different than Salem was Spain. Mimi and Ramon had been talking about it quite a bit. She was completely used to his accent now and was even getting better at helping him with his English, noticing he was improving day by day. They had one class together so they got a chance to see each other then and it was nice how they seemed to get along so easily. Maybe it was good this was happening. Maybe it would help her stop thinking about Philip, since he didn't seem to want to be friends with her anymore, let alone anything. Maybe.
"Miriam?"
****
Philip, dressed in jeans, a blue sweatshirt and a blue jacket, walked out of the sporting goods store in Salem place. Would wonders ever cease? Philip Kiriakis was shopping! Well sort of. He had just gone in there to get something for basketball. Shopping was definitely still one of his least favorite activities He walked over to a bench and sat down.
Thank goodness, he had basketball to keep him occupied. Most of his time was spent on practices. Then the remainder of his time was spent on keeping his grades up and working at Titan. He was right. It was a low standing starting position he was given as mainly errand boy, though he did get to file from time to time. Whoopee! Oh well, at least it was a start and already he was learning things about his dad's business he had never known before. It was kind of exciting to see how it worked from the inside.
Another bulk of his time was spent with his friends. He had broken things off with Chloe completely, except for friendship, which they seemed to be succeeding at, the little they saw each other. He was also getting to know Ramon a little better. He had decided that the guy was alright, except for the fact that he seemed pretty close to Mimi. At least he saw them together quite a bit. If it wasn't for that fact he'd probably like the guy a whole lot. He was good at basketball, had a good attitude about his limited English and was pretty cool.
As for Mimi, they just didn't talk to each other. One thing Philip had made sure of though. That first Tuesday, he had gotten out of basketball practice early, wanting to know how Mimi planned on getting home. He was relieved to see her mom pick her up, though Mimi hadn't known he was watching for her. They may not be talking to one another, but he would always be concerned about her well- being.
Now, he spoke mostly to Allison. It was nice having someone who understood a lot of things he had gone through, living in such a wealthy family. She was also friendly, able to get along with just about everyone.
Maybe this was just how it was. Mimi had made it clear she didn't want to go out with him and now he saw her laughing and smiling with Ramon from time to time. Why pine away for something that just wasn't.
"Hi Philip."
****
Mimi looked up with a grin at the tall chestnut haired young man standing in front of her. He was wearing jeans with a blue dark blue sweater and his eyes looked more brownish in the little bit of sunlight that was shining down from the sky that day. She had known who it was before she had even looked up. Only one person called her that, other than her mom and dad once in a while. "Hi Ramon. Have a seat."
"Thank you." Ramon sat down next to Mimi. "You go shopping today?"
Mimi noticed with an inward grin how he still made the 'th' in thank sound like 't' so it sounded like tank and how he made his 'sh' sound almost like 'ch' making it sound more like chopping. But hey, at least he was trying. "Yeah, I got some new clothes."
"Ah, I see. He gestured with his hands as he spoke. "I come to look around. I'm still getting used to everything."
"Yeah, well no better place to go window shopping than Salem Place. Hey, how about I show you to one of the big hang-outs we have here in Salem."
Ramon looked at her with a confused expression. Hang-out, what is that?"
Mimi laughed a little. "I just meant it's this place where a lot of the kids from school go to. Want to come with me?"
"Si." He replied with an enthusiastic look, then got up and offered her his arm which she took as they walked off together.
****
"Hey Allison. Take a load off." Philip said good naturedly, noticing that she had some bags with her and that she was wearing lavender jeans with a matching striped sweater, topped off with a black coat.
"Don't mind if I do." Allison started to sit down, noticing how Philip got up, helping her with her bags. "Thank you." She said as he finished helping her and sat down beside her.
"No problem. So, I see you've been shopping. That's great. You'll fit right on in here."
Allison grinned at him. "Why? Do you like to shop?"
Philip gave her a look of distaste. "Nah, I hate it. But Belle enjoys it and when Chloe first came here Belle made sure she got her into it too and Mi- Well, just about all the girls enjoy it."
Allison had noticed his slip, but she said nothing, deciding to act like she hadn't noticed it. "How male chauvinistic of you, but I see you have a bag there. So what can that possibly mean?"
Philip laughed. "You caught me! But it's for basketball only. Hey, I was thinking of going to one of the Salem High haunts, no pun intended. Want to join me?"
"Wow, what a sense of humor you have Philip. You and your witch cracks! But yeah, sounds cool."
"All right. Let's go then." Philip reached for one of her bags, helping her out, and they were off.
****
Mimi and Ramon ordered a mocha and then went to go sit down in some comfortable looking chairs over by the cd listening station.
"So, you said this place, it's name is?"
Mimi took a sip of her mocha and responded. "Dot Com. Just about everyone comes here. It's got a little bit of everything: music, computers, books, food and drinks. Did you have anything like this in Spain?"
"No, not all in one place. My friends and I go to this place that had music and we go there to sit and listen. It served food too, but the walls were very bright color, more than here." He looked around taking in his surroundings with a smile. "I like this place."
"Yeah. I do too. So, how are you liking Salem so far?"
Ramon took a sip of his mocha, enjoying the taste. "I like it. The people at school are nice. I enjoy my art classes and I like the way everything looks with the snow."
"Yeah, winter's pretty nice, but I think my favorite season is fall." Thinking about fall made Mimi think about when the leaves changed colors, a time she absolutely loved. She started remembering when Philip and her were playing in the leaves that day at the park when Brady found them together. She had so much fun that day with him, laughing and goofing around together. She shook away her thoughts, reaching for her mocha.
****
"How about over here?" Philip led Allison over to one of the empty booths in Dot Com.
"Great." Allison smiled, sitting down as Philip sat across from her. "What did you say this place is called?"
"Dot Com. What do you think? Probably not very impressive after living in San Francisco?" Philip took a drink of his mocha.
Allison shook her head. "No, actually it's pretty cool. There were a lot of fun places to hang out in San Francisco, but I like this too."
"Yeah, it's a cool place to hang out. So, now that you've been here for about a week what do you think of Salem High? Is it as bad as you thought it would be?"
Allison chuckled, putting her mocha down. "Hey, I didn't say I hated it before or anything. I just wasn't sure what it would be like. But I'm getting used to it now."
"Good."
****
"You okay?" Ramon looked at Mimi inquisitively.
Mimi looked at him a little sheepishly. "Yeah, I was just thinking about something, but enough of that. So, have you found the right inspiration yet, Ramon, for your painting?"
"I think maybe I have. Yesterday I paint over by the water. It nice there, very, ay, uh, mysterious, si?"
"Oh, you must mean by the docks. Yeah, it is pretty mysterious over there, especially when the fog comes in. I bet you'll find a lot of inspiration there. In Spain you must have had so many places you could go to, to paint."
"Si, many places, but it nice to be somewhere new and I always want to come to America, because so much here."
"Not here in Salem." Mimi added dryly.
Ramon laughed. "Well, in Spain I live in small town too. Here it's nice, it not too big, because then it not too, uh, scary." He looked at her a little tentatively. "Miriam, can I ask you question."
"Sure."
"Can I paint you?"
****
"I enjoyed the basketball game the other night too. You always play that well Philip?"
Philip smiled a little mildly. "I consider myself a pretty good player. I'm not going to lie about that. But I've had my off days too."
Allison smirked. "Pretty good, yeah! You just about ruled the court, you and Shawn!"
Philip chuckled. "Yeah, and Belle was the queen of the cheerleaders!"
"I like her a lot. She's so peppy, but she's also really nice. You've known her and Shawn for a long time haven't you?"
"Yeah, we go all the way back to kindergarten. The four of us."
"The four of you?" Allison questioned with a somewhat confused look.
"Yeah. Shawn, Belle, myself and.well."
"Mimi?" Allison questioned quietly.
Philip looked at her with some surprise, but nodded in the affirmative. "Yeah, Mimi."
****
Mimi nearly choked on her mocha, looking at Ramon with shock. "You want to paint me?"
Ramon looked at her a little regretfully. "Yes, oh no, I offend you?"
"No. you didn't offend me. I'm just surprised you would want to do that. I mean, of all people, why me? I'm sure you could find better subject matter."
Ramon didn't understand everything she had just said, but he got the bulk of it, and wondered about her answer. Why did she seem to doubt herself? "I think you be good to paint and I like spend time with you. We getting to be friends, no?"
Mimi wasn't sure how to answer. No guy had ever paid this much attention to her, except Philip. But that was just so different. That was like some wonderful fantasy world that she had been forced to wake up from. Now, Ramon wanted to paint her.her! She wasn't sure how to feel about that, but she did agree with him about the friendship part. "Yes, we are getting to be friends Ramon and I'm happy about that."
"Me too. So, I can paint you, yes or no?"
"Yes."
****
Allison went on delicately. "So you guys are friends..."
Philip sighed. "What do you know about Mimi?"
Allison wasn't ready for that almost defensive reaction. "Uh, I know her some from my P.E. class, but other than that not much, other than she's pretty good friends with Belle and doesn't get along with Chloe."
It was Philip's turn to show surprise. "You know Chloe?"
"Yeah, I met her in my English Honors class. I really like her."
"And so now you don't like Mimi, is that it?"
Allison reacted with a taken aback expression. "Hey Philip, why so defensive? I've barely talked to her, and Chloe and I don't talk about her at all. I don't get it. Are you guys friends or not?"
"I didn't mean to get defensive. I'm just tired, that's it. Let's talk about something else."
"Philip-"
Philip answered in a way that left no room for argument. "I said to drop it Allison."
Allison answered, annoyed. "Fine. It's dropped. I think I'll leave you alone with your foul temper for awhile and go listen to some music." She got up hurriedly, heading for one of the music listening stations, but Philip stopped her with a touch of his hand before she could go.
"Hey, I'm sorry. It's just a sensitive subject with me, okay?"
Allison wondered why it was so sensitive, but didn't push. "That's cool. Want to go listen to some cd's with me?" She smiled at him.
Philip smiled in response. "Sure."
****
Philip headed over for the listening station with Allison, deep in thought.
Mimi grabbed a handful of cd's and made her way to a listening station with Ramon, barely paying attention to where she was going.
A distracted Philip kept walking, not noticing someone rushing from the other side.
She didn't see the other person as she made her way back to Ramon with the cd's, rushing a little.
He finally raised his head as he noticed he had just collided into someone, knocking the poor person down to the ground with a bunch of cd's.
Mimi felt herself fall, after crashing into the other person. She watched the cd's scatter all over the floor.
"Oh no, I'm sorry! I was barely paying attention to where I was going!"
"No, I was practically running, like usual! It's my fault!"
Philip looked down at Mimi with shock as she looked up at him with equal shock. He knew that excited voice anywhere. He started to bend down.
Mimi looked up at Philip in disbelief. Oh, of course it was him. Who else had that voice? She watched silently as he started to crouch down.
"Ay, Miriam, let me help you!" Ramon rushed over to Mimi.
Philip stopped, looking at Ramon with surprise. Then he simply watched as Ramon helped Mimi to stand, though he did manage to pick up the scattered cd's. "Here." He handed them to Mimi who was now standing, thanks to Ramon's help. The two estranged friends, who for too short a time had started to become more, just stared at each other silently, unable to look away.
"Thank you." Mimi spoke quietly, looking up into Philip's sea foam blue eyes, her fingers touching Philip's for a second, making her visibly shake.
Philip felt it too, an intensity, from just the touch of her skin as those jade eyes looked into his.
Ramon and Allison watched, feeling completely forgotten by these two people that obviously had some connection, though what it was they still didn't understand. Allison caught Ramon's eye, seeing that he saw it too.
Mimi and Philip gave away nothing with words, but that stare had said it all.
Philip pulled into the Titan parking lot, getting out of his Dad's car because his SUV was still being worked on. He looked up at the sunny skies and blanket of snow on the ground, thinking it didn't really reflect his mood lately. Overcast, now that would have been the right type of weather. Sighing wearily, he thought about the unexpected circumstances of a few nights ago as he walked through the front doors of the tall building.
He hadn't talked to Mimi since their fight, since the night they hurt each other so much. After leaving the park that night, after hearing the song that soothed his spirits a little, he had gone straight home, thankful that his exhausted body had taken over for his mind. He had quickly fallen into a dreamless sleep once his head hit his pillow. The next day few days he had pretty much stuck close to home, sleeping in, riding Poseidon and playing video games. But it was hard to keep his mind off everything that had happened with Mimi.
He got into the elevator and as he rode up, he thought of how wonderful it had been when they kissed. It was so nice to be alone together and not have any outside interferences. Then, when they had spent time together the next day, playing in the snow.
~*~
Philip felt Mimi's head against his chest as they sat in the snow and he held her in his arms, reassuring her that they would be alright once they got back to Salem. It felt so fantastic, holding her and feeling the warmth of her body against his. After a while, he felt her move her face away from his chest. She looked up at him.
"Sorry I get so paranoid."
He looked down at her, noticing her eyes looked now almost like the color of the evergreen trees. "Ah, that's okay. I just don't want you to worry about it so much. Nothing's going to change." He stood up with her in his arms and then smiled down at her, pushing back some of her wavy auburn tresses from her face. "So, what do you think about going to see a movie tonight once we get back to Salem?"
"Just us?"
"Just us." Philip answered with a grin, rubbing her back, then taking her hand as they started walking again, the snow decorated trees making everything look like a winter oasis.
"Sounds amazing."
Philip laughed a little at the way she dreamily spoke. "So what kind of movie: action, romance, drama, comedy? What do you think we should go see?"
"Hmmm. You pick."
Philip looked at her with surprise. "You want me to pick?"
"Yes."
"And what if I disappoint?"
"You won't. I trust your judgment."
Philip gave her an irresistible smile, smiling even more as she stopped walking and reached up for him, holding onto his face and bringing it down to hers. He sighed contentedly as her warm lips met his and he lost himself in the feel of her.
~*~
Philip sighed as he got out of the elevator, the flashback ending. He walked to his Dad's office, forcing himself to get his mind off his problems as he opened the door.
"There you are Philip. Come in Son. There are some people I would like you to meet."
Philip looked from his dad to the two strangers, one an older man, though visibly a little younger than his father and the other, a young woman, he guessed around his age. And she was absolutely gorgeous.
****
"Connor, don't go too much in front of me!" Mimi called out to her little brother as she walked with him to the park. Actually, she was the one walking, he was practically skipping.
"Ah Mimi!" He called back with irritation, not liking it when she treated him like a baby.
Mimi laughed a little at his reaction and then sighed. Since she didn't have much else to do, she had agreed to take her little brother to the park when he had asked. She looked around at the snowy ground and the clear skies above. It did little to lighten her dark mood that she had been in since a couple of nights ago.
Why did things have to be so awful between her and Philip now? That night, after hearing the song, she finally, wearily got up off the snow and went to bed, grateful that her sleepiness took away the pain as she slumbered without thought. The next few days she spent at the center or at home, resting, catching up on the latest trends in her magazines, and playing around with her computer.
But she couldn't stop thinking of Philip's face, the pain in his eyes as she said all those awful things, the anger in his eyes as he told her he didn't want to be friends with her anymore.
She looked ahead, making sure she could still see Connor heading up the path towards the park and thought about when they had danced together, in that adorable little cabin, to their own music, how he had snuck in a few kisses, making her feel warm all over. Then the next day, he asked her to go to the movies with him, just them.
~*~
She finished kissing him, reluctant to leave the sunny feel of his lips.
"I like being with you here, just us."
Mimi smiled back up at Philip, wrapping her arms around his waist, letting her hands move up and down his back. "I do too. Isn't it just so beautiful here Philip?" She could feel his hands move down to around her waist also, his fingers moving against her coat.
"Well, I don't think you thought that last night, did you?"
She responded to his amused expression. "No, but now that it's daylight, it's just so wonderful! Oh, and that adorable little cabin." She noticed his golden-almost brownish hair, his highlights shining in the sun.
"Adorable?! That place is tiny, has no heater, no working lights, a broken window (thanks to me) and not enough food even for a visiting mouse."
Mimi hit him playfully on the arm. "You spoiled, arrogant, vain-"
"Hey!"
Mimi laughed at his protests. "You are spoiled, but you're also gentle and kind." She smiled at him warmly, noticing his annoyed expression turning softer as he pulled her even closer against him.
"That's better. And you make one mean can of beanie weenies."
Mimi laughed as his lips moved down towards hers, and she kissed him back, still half giggling. She looked up into his eyes as Philip pulled back from her, dimples and all, then started to kiss her more seriously, taking away any trace of laughter from her face as she luxuriated in the heat of his kiss.
~*~
Mimi pulled away from her thoughts as she noticed Connor, not looking where he was going, running right into someone. Oh-oh! She ran over.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Connor, you should look where you're going. Oh no, he knocked down all your stuff! Here let me help you pick it up!" Mimi started to help, finally noticing what the person looked like as he looked right at her.
Tall (at least he seemed tall, even though he wasn't standing up to his full height, now probably in shock at the unexpected collision) chestnut colored wavy hair, and breathtaking smoky colored eyes.
****
"Philip, I would like you to meet Mr. William Forbes and his lovely daughter, Allison."
Philip offered his hand to the man in front of him and then to the young woman. He noticed the assuredness with which she shook hands with him. "Nice to meet you both." Phillip said the words politely with a slight courteous smile as they both responded in kind. He had been taught at an early age how to be poised and mannerly, even when he was in a less than good mood. He looked at the man, noticing how meticulously dressed he was in a designer suit, no cheap imitation, and that like his daughter, he seemed very self assured. But that was who really got his attention, the daughter. She was dressed in a calf length dark colored skirt with boots, topped off with a silk blouse, clothes that could obviously be found only in the most exclusive shops. They enhanced her slim model-like figure, receiving a helping from her light blonde long champagne colored hair and her hazel eyes.
"Mr. Forbes has been working for years at the Titan Branch on the west coast, but now he has relocated here to Salem. He is one of our top executives and I am very happy that he will be relocating. Now Philip, I called you because I thought it would be beneficial for you to meet Allison, since the two of you will be attending the same school together."
Philip looked at his father with some surprise.
Victor reacted to his son's response. It would be fantastic if Philip and Allison could get to know each other better. She would be so much better for him than Chloe was. That girl had just caused him grief, the way Victor saw it. Now she was with his grandson, which also didn't please him, but, well, Brady was an adult. There was nothing he could do about that. He knew that Philip was becoming even closer friends with that girl Mimi, but it probably wasn't anything serious. She was just too loudmouthed for Victor's taste. Allison: she would suit his son fine, or if worse came to worse, at least they could become friends. "Yes, she will be starting at Salem High very soon, since your winter break is almost over. I was hoping Son you could do your best to make her feel welcome."
Philip smiled inwardly at the his father's implied command. He knew his father well enough to know it wasn't a request. Victor Kiriakis rarely asked for anything. "Sure Dad, I could do that." Philip glanced at Allison, then directed his attention back to his father.
Victor smiled, pleased. "Very well then. Mr. Forbes and I have some business to discuss that we can talk about in his new office. You two enjoy getting acquainted with each other." With that his dad and her dad left.
Philip and Allison just looked at each other quietly.
****
The young man stood up, nearly laughing at Mimi's haphazard reaction. Mimi looked up at him. Boy, he really was tall and dark and.Mama mia! "Uh, Connor help me with this!" She continued to pick up his things nervously.
"No, no, it all right. I can do it. No worry."
Mimi couldn't help but notice his thick accent, his thick Latin accent. "I'm so sorry. Oh my gosh, a painting! You were painting! He knocked down your painting. I'm so-"
He cut her off, lightly grabbing her hands with a chuckle, his smoky eyes shining in the sun. "Stop please. I can, uh." He searched for the right words. "I got it." He let go of Mimi's hands and started picking up his things.
Mimi looked at him nervously as Connor stood there annoyed. He just saw one of his best friends and he wanted to go play. "Mimi, can I go now? Matthew's here!"
Mimi gave Connor a chastising look. "Connor you apologize right now."
"I'm sorry. Now can I go?"
Mimi rolled her eyes and the smoky eyed young man smiled. "Yes, you can go. Just stay where I can see you."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know!" With that, Connor ran off to see his friend.
Mimi tried to help the young man with the rest of his things, but he gently took them from her and reassembled his easel and painting. Mimi looked at it, noticing that it was now ruined probably from the wet snow. "Oh, I am sooooo sorry! He ruined your painting! What can I do? Is there any way I can make it up to you?"
The young man looked down at the whirlwind in front of him, trying to make heads and tails of what she was saying.
****
Allison took in the blond, somewhat very light brownish haired young man in front of her. He seemed well mannered, well groomed in dark blue jeans, a wool sweater, and black boots. He was obviously well to do (being Victor Kiriakis's son was just one obvious indication of that) and used to the finest things in life. He was exactly the kind of guy she hated. She smiled at him coolly.
Philip looked at her inquisitively, not able to tell what she was feeling. "Uh, you want to sit down?" Philip gestured to some chairs in his Dad's office.
"Not really, no. Look, why don't we just settle this right now, okay? Your father is the one who asked you to show me around and all that and knowing your type you will do anything to make Daddy happy as long as he buys you everything your heart desires. Also, if you're getting any ideas of anything happening between us, you can just forget it. I absolutely despise people like you."
Philip noticed that during this entire tirade she hadn't lost eye contact with him once, never looking away shyly. This girl was extremely confident, self-sufficient, un-daunted, and a major pain in the-
"You despise people like me? How interesting, considering you're standing there talking to me in what is obviously one expensive designer outfit. And I don't do everything my 'Daddy' tells me to. I was just trying to be polite, but obviously you don't even understand the meaning of that word. And for your information, I'm going to be working here in a starting position, you know, errand boy, most likely, to help pay off my car and get some experience. You may think I'm some rich snob that likes to have everything handed to him on a silver platter, but that is not true at all." Philip turned to leave with disgust. He was in a bad enough mood already. But before he left he turned back around to speak to her one more time. "Oh, and by the way, you may be physically attractive and think you're such a hot ticket, but I wasn't even remotely interested in you that way. I'm sure you'll be able to find your own way around Salem High."
Allison watched him with shock and then called out as he started to walk out the door. This guy wasn't at all what she thought he would be like. Maybe he wasn't your typical rich snob that she had had to deal with so much of her life, or the type that just looked at a girl and was in 'love' because of her outward appearance.
"Philip!"
Philip stopped and turned around to face her.
"I'm sorry. Can we start again?"
****
He just looked at her, having a hard time understanding what she was going on and on about. Ah, this English was sometimes so hard to understand, but especially with someone who spoke as quickly as her. He had been painting, something he loved to do, when all of the sudden something crashed into him and all of his stuff went into the air and landed on the ground as he was knocked off of his chair. He later realized it was a running little boy, but then he looked up to see a very pretty young woman, who amused him with her zealous and frantic behavior. At first he had been so angry that his painting was ruined, but after meeting the little auburn haired whirlwind his mood had softened.
He finally figured out what she was saying. "Tell me su nombre."
Mimi looked at him blankly, wishing she had paid more attention in Spanish class. Let's see, nombre, nombre..uh, number? No, that couldn't be it!
"Ay. I forget me English. Uh, tell me your name, si?" He questioned. "Eh, Mimi?"
Mimi smiled. "Yes. Well actually, it's Miriam. But everyone just calls me Mimi."
"Miriam, que bonita! Very uh, unusual, that right?"
"Yes, yes. It is unusual, kind of old-fashioned, but what can I say, my parents liked it." Did he just say that her name was pretty? "I'm so sorry about your painting." She faced him apologetically.
"No, it all right."
"Uh, you know my name. But I don't know yours." She smiled up at him a little.
"Ay, si. Ramon. I come from Spain, but I come to live here with, uh, mi tia, ay, no, me aunt. I want to come to America to learn. I read and write good in English, but I, I still not speak too well. My aunt live in Salem and give me place to stay."
"Oh my, Salem's such a small town. Who is your aunt? Maybe I know her."
Her name is Veronica Ruiz. She work at, uh, the hospital."
"Oh, that name sounds familiar. I used to volunteer there. So are you going to go to Salem University and study art?"
"No, I go to Salem High School for rest of year-"
"Oh my gosh, I go there!" Mimi answered excitedly.
****
Philip looked at Allison's now apologetic face, making her features look softer.
"I'm really sorry for acting like such a, well you know, rhymes with witch!"
Philip smiled a little. "I wouldn't have put it that way, but, uh. Look, I probably wasn't being that friendly either. I really don't like it when my dad does these kinds of things. No offense."
Allison shook it off. "No, no, it's alright. It's just I used to live in Palo Alto, a town that could be kind of snobby in some areas, and the guys there liked me for one reason."
"Because you looked good and were rich, right?" Philip asked knowingly.
"Yeah." Allison smiled in response. "I bet you get a lot of that too."
"Yeah, not that I'm bragging, mind you."
"No, I understand. After that, we moved to San Francisco and I was really happy there, but now, well, we moved here."
"And you're just so excited to be in thrilling Salem, the land of witches aren't you?" Philip joked.
Allison laughed. "Sorry, if I made that sound insulting."
"Nah, that's okay. Look, you were right. We should just start over again. I'm Philip Kiriakis. It's nice to meet you." He smiled at her genuinely, holding out his hand for her to shake.
"I'm Allison Forbes and it's nice to meet you too Philip." They shook and she thought, maybe living in this small little town wouldn't be so bad after all.
****
"I could show you all around and everything!" Mimi spoke excitedly.
Ramon laughed again, enjoying her infectious spirit. "Thank you. I would, uh, like that."
Mimi smiled up at him. "Once again, I'm really sorry about your painting. I take pictures, you know, photography and I know it's horrible when something happens to something you worked so hard on."
She was into taking pictures! Ah, how wonderful this was! "No, I, I not find good, uh, inspir-uh.que dice?"
"Inspiration?" Mimi added helpfully.
"Si, inspiration, for my painting today."
"Oh, well maybe you can find it again soon."
"Yes." Ramon simply responded thinking he had already found it, by meeting her.
****
Philip stroked Poseidon's forehead, feeding him a carrot. "There you go boy." He said softly, as outside the stables the afternoon started to fade away. It had been an interesting day, meeting Allison. She would definitely be a force to recon with at Salem High, he thought. He smiled. But at least they were on more friendly terms now. Actually, once they started talking civilly to each other they discovered just how much they had in common.
But still, he couldn't get his mind off one girl. He missed her so much. He missed their friendship. The one thing he hadn't wanted to lose was that and now.
He reached into his coat pocket, taking out a group of black and white pictures, the only ones he had of them together, alone. He had pulled her with him into one of those tiny photo booths in Boston. She had seemed a little shaky at first..
"Philip, what are you doing?"
Philip looked up at her in the tiny booth, from where he sat, grabbing her so she was sitting on his lap. "I want some pictures of us. Now smile and act goofy!" She laughed as he made some absolutely ridiculous expressions.
But now, as he looked at the last of the four pictures, he saw how in that one they both had smiled genuinely at each other, their arms around one another, and he thought how much they looked like a couple, even before they had kissed for the first time.
He let his head rest against Poseidon's, sighing.
****
Mimi walked over to a bench near Salem Place, taking out her newly developed pictures from her purse, thinking a little about the good looking guy she had met earlier today. Wait till the girls at Salem High met him. They're going to go nuts! And unbelievably, Mimi was already on her way to becoming friends with him. They had talked about their passions for art and photography so easily, enjoying each other's company, despite the small language barrier.
But she knew she would be kidding herself if she said now she wasn't sad anymore at all. How she longed to see Philip. She missed the sound of his sweet soft voice, how gentle he was, how kind.
She sighed, continuing to look at her pictures, stopping at a couple of them. They were all from Boston, but the last ones were from the cabin, and the very last one was a picture of them together. Philip had asked one of the law enforcement officials to take it.
"Uh, you probably don't get this request everyday, but, uh, would you take a picture of us?"
"Excuse me sir?" Mimi laughed at the man's response to Philip's request.
"Yeah, uh, here's the camera. We'll just sit right here and go ahead and snap one."
Then he wrapped his arm around her and they smiled for the camera as the law enforcement official bemusedly took the picture.
She looked at it now, seeing how happy they were, how close he held her to him. She closed her eyes, wishing she could have just held onto those happy expressions of the two of them in that picture, forever.
Chapter 38: Twenty Questions
Philip walked into his American Government class, looking around for a minute, then sat down. Where was she? Maybe she was running late. He took out his book and binder from his backpack and then exchanged greetings with some of his classmates. A hush fell over the room, and he smiled as he noticed Allison entering it, displaying the same confidence he had seen when he met her. He waved her over from where he was sitting in the corner. She smiled, ignoring the stares and hushed whispers of the other students, then walked over to where he was sitting.
"Hey, how's it going? I see you found the room on your own." Philip grinned at her.
"Well, considering this school is somewhere near half the size of my old one, it wasn't too difficult. Gosh, do they ever stop staring?" Allison was referring to the way some of the students kept looking at her, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Yeah, once they get to know you they'll get over it. You have to remember, you're living in a small town now and it's exciting when there's someone new." He noticed she was wearing jeans with a faux fur lined black sweater, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail, and just a touch of makeup on her face.
Allison started to sit down across from Philip, catching his facial expression. "Is something wrong?"
Philip spoke a little uncertainly as their teacher walked into the room. Boy, she was REALLY late. "No, uh."
"Yes?" Allison questioned, looking straight at him with her hazel eyes.
"It's just there's someone who normally sits there, but I don't know she might not-"
Allison turned to face the door as she noticed him staring at the girl who came through it, who also stared at Philip, noticing him, and kind of just stood there.
"Well Miss. Lockhart, thank you for joining us today. Now, will you please take your seat so I can conduct class?"
Mimi looked a little shakily at her teacher Mr. Carter, a middle aged man wearing glasses, then started to walk to the corner of the room.
Allison quickly caught on, sitting down in a seat behind the one she had previously attempted to sit down in, smiling courteously at Mimi, noticing Philip had pretty much buried his nose in his book.
Hmmm, very interesting.
Mimi sat in her seat, not sure how to react to the girl now sitting behind her, who she had noticed Philip talking to when she had come in. Who was she and how did he know her? She was tall and looked almost like a model, with a slim figure. Mimi looked over at Philip, noticing his gray pants, black and gray sweater, and the fact that he seemed to be ignoring her. She took out her textbook and binder, ready to take notes.
After a while of taking down detailed notes, a supreme necessity in Carter's tough Government class, Philip looked over at Mimi as she kept her attention on their teacher. She was wearing maroon colored pants, with a matching patterned sweater, her hair back in a barrette, though some of the strands had fallen out and were framing her face.
He hadn't realized how long he had been looking at her when she suddenly turned her face to look back at him, her jade eyes uncertain. Philip quickly looked away.
Allison, in between taking down notes, watched them silently.
Very interesting, indeed.
****
Mimi closed her locker and then walked down the hallway to her next class, noticing a confused looking Ramon. "Ramon!" She called out.
Ramon noticed her, looking very relieved. "Ay, Miriam, help!"
She laughed and smiled, walking over to him, observing that he was trying to understand his class schedule, wearing black jeans and a gray sweater. "Here, let me help you with that." She started to explain the schedule to him, barely noticing the girls standing around, staring at the very good looking new guy.
Philip walked over to his locker, doing a double take when he saw Mimi talking to a tall guy, about Brady's height, that had a slight athletic build. Philip continued to watch, struggling with getting his locker open, barely paying attention to what he was doing.
Mimi laughed at Ramon's bemused face as she tried to help him. He laughed back.
"DAMN!"
"Well, look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!"
Philip looked over at Shawn with annoyance. "Ha, ha, ha, Brady. I can't get this damn locker to open!"
"Well Phil, maybe if you paid more attention to your combo than Mimi over there talking to that new guy, you wouldn't be having so much difficulty." Shawn laughed.
Philip gave him another annoyed look, finally managing to get his locker open. "I wasn't paying attention to them. Who is the new Enrique Iglesias anyway?"
"His name is Ramon, Ramon Machado and isn't he absolutely gorgeous?" Belle appeared from behind her boyfriend with a smile.
"I resent that!" Shawn protested.
"That is if I wasn't already so much in love with you Baby, I would think he's gorgeous." Belle quickly amended.
"That's better." Shawn replied with a smile, then looked past her at someone else new. "Well, well, well, talk about gorgeous!"
"Shawn Douglas Brady!" Belle warned.
Philip laughed, noticing Allison walking down the hallway to her locker, across from his. She saw him and Belle and said "hi" with a friendly smile. After responding, Belle forgot her temporary anger at her boyfriend and spoke to Philip. "You know Allison? Isn't she really nice?"
"Yeah, she's alright. I know her because her dad works at Titan and my dad introduced us. She used to live in San Francisco." Philip closed his locker, leaning against it, still watching from time to time a giggling Mimi, speaking to this, uh, Ramon.
Shawn and Belle watched him watching her, watched how Mimi looked back at him when she noticed him, watching how they looked away from each other when they noticed the other staring. The couple exchanged glances, wondering why their two friends seemed to be avoiding each other.
"So your next class is over there, right past that sign." Mimi pointed out the direction for Ramon, tired of playing the staring game with Philip.
Ramon smiled, thanking her, but also noticing how she kept looking over at the blond-light brownish haired guy and how he kept looking over at her. It made him wonder. "I better go now. I, uh, I'm excited, it my first art class today and I'm look, uh I'm looking forward to it. Thank you Miriam for help me."
Mimi noticed with a smile how he was struggling to speak better. Actually, he was doing pretty good and she liked his accent. It added character. "My pleasure Ramon. Uh, your welcome." She added to her response, wanting to say something that he would understand better. Then she watched as he left on his way to class.
Mimi looked over, noticing Shawn and Belle had left and that Philip was talking to that new super model girl, Allison Forbes. Mimi knew her name now, but close to nothing else about her. She frowned as she noticed them laughing and smiling with each other. Then she walked off to her next class.
****
Shawn and Belle sat down in the crowded cafeteria together, starting to eat their lunches. "Shawn, why do you think they're not speaking to each other?"
Shawn took a sip of his soda. "Belle, are you sure they're not? Maybe they were just too much in a hurry or something."
Belle put down her sandwich. "Shawn, you saw it too, they just kept staring at each other, but said nothing to one another. That's not how someone looks when they're in a rush to get to class."
"I know Belle, but, look, we tried the club thing and that turned out to be a huge fiasco-"
Belle interrupted her boyfriend. "No it didn't. By the end of the night they were dancing so close to each other they looked like they forgot the rest of the world. And how can we forget they almost kissed!"
Shawn responded to his girlfriend's excitement hesitantly. "Belle, are you sure they were going to kiss? Maybe it just looked like it at first."
"Believe me Shawn, they were going to kiss, but unfortunately I interrupted them."
Shawn sighed. She wasn't going to give this up. "Well, maybe if you talk to Mimi. I mean she likes to brag about everything, right? I'm sure she'll be more than happy to tell you what's going on."
But that's it Shawn, ever since a couple of months ago, since she seemed to be getting closer to Philip, she's been so secretive. She won't talk that much about him."
Shawn noticed his girlfriend's frustration as he started to realize something. "Maybe because Philip isn't just some bragging right. Maybe she really cares about him a lot."
"I think you're right Shawn. I think this is really serious, so what happened? Why are they avoiding each other and though they seem to be trying immensely to cover it up, why do they seem upset too?"
Shawn had nothing to say about that, until. "Well, this might be your chance to find out. Look who's coming over." He pointed to Mimi making her way through the crowded cafeteria.
"Meems over here!" Belle waved her best friend over.
Mimi looked at Belle, sitting there with Shawn and was grateful no one else was sitting with them today. Chloe must be hanging out with her choir friends and Philip. She looked over, noticing Ramon making his way through the crowded cafeteria also, looking lost. She called out to him. "Ramon, come sit with me and my friends!" He smiled and followed her.
Belle was happy to see Ramon, but also was a little let down. She really wanted to talk to Mimi about what was going on. Oh well, she supposed they'd have to talk about it later. She didn't want anyone to feel left out.
Mimi came over with Ramon, introducing him to Shawn and Belle, finding out they had already met each other in a previous class. "So Ramon, how you liking Salem High?" She asked with a smile as she started taking out her lunch.
"It different, but it nice too. I like a lot my art classes and everyone friendly." Ramon smiled back at all of them and then started to eat his salad.
"Yeah, I like to think Salem High is pretty friendly and we're glad you're here." Belle added with enthusiasm. Then she noticed Allison making her way through the tables. She called her over. "Allison, come have a seat!"
Allison smiled over at Belle. She liked the bubbly cheerleader she had met in one of her previous classes. She had a lot of spirit and was very gracious. She headed over.
Belle started introductions once Allison started to sit down at the table. "Allison, this is my boyfriend Shawn, this is my best friend Mimi and this is another new student Ramon, who came from Spain."
Allison smiled and said hi to everyone. "Thanks Belle for calling me over. I'm starting to meet people, but I really had no idea where to sit. And you've just been so nice to me."
Mimi chimed in. "Oh Belle's our official welcome wagon here at Salem High."
"Yeah Belle would just die if she didn't get a chance to welcome every new person." Shawn teased, then noticed Philip. "Hey Phil, over here!"
Belle hit her boyfriend on the arm for his remark, then came back with: "Oh you guys stop!" She turned to Philip. "Come on over Philip, plenty of room!"
Philip smiled at his friends, but noticed the company they were in and sighed a little. Living in a small town was never easy. A part of him wanted to talk to Mimi, but the other part of him was just so upset with her. Oh well, he better grin and bear it. Maybe, he could find out a little more about this Ramon character. And Allison was sitting with them. That was cool.
Shawn started to move over for his friend, but Belle stopped him with a curious look. Now, what was she up to? Then Belle grinned at Philip as he came over. "There Phil, you can sit right next to Meems. She doesn't mind, right Meems?"
Philip noticed Mimi's somewhat shaky appearance. "That's alright Belle, I'll just sit on the other side." He sat down on the opposite side, joining the group. The new seating arrangement was: Shawn, Belle, Mimi on one side and Allison, Ramon and Philip on the other.
Shawn and Belle once again exchanged glances. Then Belle spoke up as Philip started to take out his lunch. "So Phil, I know you know Allison, but do you know Ramon?"
Philip smiled politely, shaking his head. "No, I don't think we met yet. Hi, I'm Philip Kiriakis."
Ramon smiled courteously. "I am Ramon Machado. Excuse my English. It still not too good because I just move from Spain."
Philip looked over encouragingly, noticing that the guy had wavy hair and dark colored eyes. "No, no you're doing fine."
"I agree with Philip. You're doing great Ramon. And if you want someone to talk Spanish too, I speak it a little bit." Allison smiled over at him.
"Muy bien." Ramon said with his own smile.
"So Ramon, how did you and Mimi meet?"
Philip was glad Belle was asking this question. He would really like to know the answer. He took a sip of his soda.
Ramon laughed, catching Mimi's eye. "It funny. We meet in the park while I was painting. Her brother run into me."
Mimi continued. "Connor was running, not looking where he was going like usual, and he ran right into Ramon, knocking over his painting and everything. Ramon was such a good sport about it though and we started talking about how I'm into photography and he's into painting."
Philip listened quietly, trying to read Ramon's feelings about Mimi.
"It okay that he ran into me. I not find good inspiration that day, but after I meet Miriam I feel better."
Philip started choking on his soda.
Miriam?! What the heck was up with that?!
He noticed the concerned glances of Shawn and Belle and how Allison moved closer to him. "Oh my gosh Philip, are you okay?"
Mimi nearly smirked at the attentions of Allison, though she wondered about Philip's reaction. That had to be it right, he was reacting to what Ramon said?
Philip waved Allison off, like it was no big deal as he got control over himself quickly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just took too big of a sip or something."
Allison moved a little as Belle spoke up again, now that the excitement had worn down. "And Allison, you used to live in San Francisco, right? Salem must seem so foreign too you."
"Well, it's definitely not anything like San Francisco, but I think I'll adjust."
"And your Dad works at Titan?"
It was Mimi's turn now to listen silently.
"Yeah, Philip and I actually met just a couple of days ago, when his father introduced me to him. It was quite an interesting meeting." Allison chuckled and Philip smiled in response.
Mimi accidentally dropped her fork.
Interesting, huh?!
"Oops."
Philip looked at her curiously as Belle reacted. "Oh-oh Meems, you dropped your fork. Shawn go get her a new one." Shawn started to get up as Ramon protested.
"No, I can go get it for Miriam."
Miriam.grrr.
Philip was getting sick to his stomach. "Yeah, Allison thought at first I was one of those snobby types, even though she's probably as rich as me, but you guys know better, right?"
Belle waited for Mimi to add a little teasing remark, but there was nothing. She exchanged a glance with Shawn again. Something was definitely wrong.
****
Philip walked out to the basketball court in the gym, noticing Ramon. Wonders of wonders, they must have P.E. together. Oh boy. Be civil. Actually, maybe he could find out more. Time to lay out the welcome mat Philly boy.
"Hey Ramon! How's it going?"
Ramon looked over, seeing Philip. He seemed friendly enough, but something told him that he didn't understand the whole picture.yet.
"Hi Philip. We have same class together, si?"
Philip laughed. "Si, Ramon. Hey, so how you liking Salem High, must be different from Spain, right?"
"Very different, but nice too."
Philip was glad the teacher was late as usual, so they could talk. "So you're a painter?"
"I like to say artist. But I'm just start, ay, starting. I enjoy it though. It very relaxing."
"Artist, yeah, that's a much better way to say it. I've heard before that artists can be temperamental, but not you huh? You didn't mind that your painting was knocked down?"
Okay, he was totally fishing, but he wanted to know more about this guy's encounter with Mimi.
"Temp-" Ramon looked at Philip with a confused expression, not understanding the word. If only he could speak English as well as he could write it. He supposed it would take time.
"Uh, moody (still looked confused) upset, that they get upset.". ding, ding, ding! That rang a bell!
"I see now. Si, I would be most times. But I meet Mimi and she funny and nice and bonita, ay."
Bonita, bonita, let's see, in his limited Spanish vocabulary that word meant.
The teacher came in.
That meant.Pretty, no actually it meant.
Beautiful!
Philip looked over at Ramon who was now paying attention to the teacher. He called her beautiful.
****
"Mimi, I'd like you to show Allison all the equipment please."
"Sure Miss. Thomson." Mimi said in response to her teacher. Mimi had just found out that she and Allison had P.E together. They were taking an aerobic/weight room type class. Some days they did aerobics to music while on other days they worked out in the weight room. She wasn't sure how she felt about Allison yet. She seemed kind of intimidating, yet friendly enough, but what was going on with her and Philip, Mimi wondered.
"Uh, well here let me show you everything." Mimi showed Allison around, which didn't take too long since the room wasn't that big. "I bet your other school was a lot bigger."
Allison smiled, still not sure about how Mimi was reacting to her. "Yeah, it definitely was, but I'm starting to get used to it a little here."
"So, uh, your dad knows Philip's dad?" Mimi wanted to know more.
"Yeah, my dad's been working for Titan for awhile, as one of the top brass, but now he's thrilled that he's working at the main headquarters. So tell me about Philip. He must have a girlfriend with those looks, right?"
Mimi swallowed hard. "Uh, no, not that I know of. He was going out with one of the girls from the senior class, but they broke up."
Why was Allison so curious about Philip?
"Oh really. Who? Maybe I've already met her."
"I doubt it. She keeps to herself a lot. Her name's Chloe Lane."
Allison responded enthusiastically. "Oh I know her! She's in my English honors class. We've already started to become friends. I like how she's kind of different."
Great, she already liked Chloe, Mimi thought sarcastically. Was there anyone who didn't? "Oh, that's great."
Allison noticed Mimi's flat response. She looked at her questioningly. "I take it you and her don't get along that well?"
Mimi hadn't realized how obvious she was being. Or maybe Allison was just very good at reading people. She would have to be careful about her reactions. "We're not friends, no."
"Oh, that's too bad. Oh well, not everyone can get along, right? But I hope we can be friends Mimi."
"Yeah, sure." Mimi spoke a little uncertainly.
****
Allison and Mimi came out of the weight room and crossed through the back part of the gym. Mimi immediately noticed Philip running down the basketball court, dribbling the ball with such grace, then shooting, the ball falling into the hoop effortlessly. He slapped hands with another guy, grinning, then went to go get his water bottle, taking a drink from it. She watched him silently, remembering when he held her in his arms, when they kissed.
Philip continued to take a drink, feeling thirsty from the exertion of playing with his classmates. Suddenly though, he felt like he was being watched. He looked over and saw Mimi with Allison, but his eyes stayed on just Mimi as he wiped his forehead with his towel. He remembered holding her as she slept.
Allison and Ramon watched quietly the way the two of them just kept looking at each other, seeing just a tiny glimpse of remorse on both of their faces, wondering what was the connection between these two.
Philip and Mimi just kept watching each other, remembering better times.
Chapter 39: Intensity
Mimi walked out of one of her favorite clothing stores in Salem Place, wearing her chocolate colored coat, a coffee skirt and a matching sweater in a lighter shade. In her grasp, she carried one shopping bag. She had just treated herself to some new school apparel, with some of the money she had received from the babysitting she had done during the break. Now, it wasn't as much clothing as she or Belle usually got when they went on one of their infamous shopping sprees, but it was enough. She sat down on a nearby bench, thinking of the past week.
It was strange, not talking to Philip, not walking home with him on the nights she had to stay late. She missed him, but she was also determined to not wallow in her misery. She was keeping herself busy with the center, babysitting, doing her janitorial duties and spending time with her friends, well her other friends.
She had gotten to know Allison a little better, but was still not completely sure how she felt about her. She would often see her talking to Philip, both of them laughing and smiling. The truth was Allison seemed pretty friendly, with most of the people, yet could be quiet at times too, almost like she was trying to figure things out. Mimi wondered if she was interested in Philip. Since that first time, they hadn't talked about him that much again. Allison just told her stories about living in San Francisco, which Mimi found pretty interesting. It was a lot different than Salem.
Another place that sounded different than Salem was Spain. Mimi and Ramon had been talking about it quite a bit. She was completely used to his accent now and was even getting better at helping him with his English, noticing he was improving day by day. They had one class together so they got a chance to see each other then and it was nice how they seemed to get along so easily. Maybe it was good this was happening. Maybe it would help her stop thinking about Philip, since he didn't seem to want to be friends with her anymore, let alone anything. Maybe.
"Miriam?"
****
Philip, dressed in jeans, a blue sweatshirt and a blue jacket, walked out of the sporting goods store in Salem place. Would wonders ever cease? Philip Kiriakis was shopping! Well sort of. He had just gone in there to get something for basketball. Shopping was definitely still one of his least favorite activities He walked over to a bench and sat down.
Thank goodness, he had basketball to keep him occupied. Most of his time was spent on practices. Then the remainder of his time was spent on keeping his grades up and working at Titan. He was right. It was a low standing starting position he was given as mainly errand boy, though he did get to file from time to time. Whoopee! Oh well, at least it was a start and already he was learning things about his dad's business he had never known before. It was kind of exciting to see how it worked from the inside.
Another bulk of his time was spent with his friends. He had broken things off with Chloe completely, except for friendship, which they seemed to be succeeding at, the little they saw each other. He was also getting to know Ramon a little better. He had decided that the guy was alright, except for the fact that he seemed pretty close to Mimi. At least he saw them together quite a bit. If it wasn't for that fact he'd probably like the guy a whole lot. He was good at basketball, had a good attitude about his limited English and was pretty cool.
As for Mimi, they just didn't talk to each other. One thing Philip had made sure of though. That first Tuesday, he had gotten out of basketball practice early, wanting to know how Mimi planned on getting home. He was relieved to see her mom pick her up, though Mimi hadn't known he was watching for her. They may not be talking to one another, but he would always be concerned about her well- being.
Now, he spoke mostly to Allison. It was nice having someone who understood a lot of things he had gone through, living in such a wealthy family. She was also friendly, able to get along with just about everyone.
Maybe this was just how it was. Mimi had made it clear she didn't want to go out with him and now he saw her laughing and smiling with Ramon from time to time. Why pine away for something that just wasn't.
"Hi Philip."
****
Mimi looked up with a grin at the tall chestnut haired young man standing in front of her. He was wearing jeans with a blue dark blue sweater and his eyes looked more brownish in the little bit of sunlight that was shining down from the sky that day. She had known who it was before she had even looked up. Only one person called her that, other than her mom and dad once in a while. "Hi Ramon. Have a seat."
"Thank you." Ramon sat down next to Mimi. "You go shopping today?"
Mimi noticed with an inward grin how he still made the 'th' in thank sound like 't' so it sounded like tank and how he made his 'sh' sound almost like 'ch' making it sound more like chopping. But hey, at least he was trying. "Yeah, I got some new clothes."
"Ah, I see. He gestured with his hands as he spoke. "I come to look around. I'm still getting used to everything."
"Yeah, well no better place to go window shopping than Salem Place. Hey, how about I show you to one of the big hang-outs we have here in Salem."
Ramon looked at her with a confused expression. Hang-out, what is that?"
Mimi laughed a little. "I just meant it's this place where a lot of the kids from school go to. Want to come with me?"
"Si." He replied with an enthusiastic look, then got up and offered her his arm which she took as they walked off together.
****
"Hey Allison. Take a load off." Philip said good naturedly, noticing that she had some bags with her and that she was wearing lavender jeans with a matching striped sweater, topped off with a black coat.
"Don't mind if I do." Allison started to sit down, noticing how Philip got up, helping her with her bags. "Thank you." She said as he finished helping her and sat down beside her.
"No problem. So, I see you've been shopping. That's great. You'll fit right on in here."
Allison grinned at him. "Why? Do you like to shop?"
Philip gave her a look of distaste. "Nah, I hate it. But Belle enjoys it and when Chloe first came here Belle made sure she got her into it too and Mi- Well, just about all the girls enjoy it."
Allison had noticed his slip, but she said nothing, deciding to act like she hadn't noticed it. "How male chauvinistic of you, but I see you have a bag there. So what can that possibly mean?"
Philip laughed. "You caught me! But it's for basketball only. Hey, I was thinking of going to one of the Salem High haunts, no pun intended. Want to join me?"
"Wow, what a sense of humor you have Philip. You and your witch cracks! But yeah, sounds cool."
"All right. Let's go then." Philip reached for one of her bags, helping her out, and they were off.
****
Mimi and Ramon ordered a mocha and then went to go sit down in some comfortable looking chairs over by the cd listening station.
"So, you said this place, it's name is?"
Mimi took a sip of her mocha and responded. "Dot Com. Just about everyone comes here. It's got a little bit of everything: music, computers, books, food and drinks. Did you have anything like this in Spain?"
"No, not all in one place. My friends and I go to this place that had music and we go there to sit and listen. It served food too, but the walls were very bright color, more than here." He looked around taking in his surroundings with a smile. "I like this place."
"Yeah. I do too. So, how are you liking Salem so far?"
Ramon took a sip of his mocha, enjoying the taste. "I like it. The people at school are nice. I enjoy my art classes and I like the way everything looks with the snow."
"Yeah, winter's pretty nice, but I think my favorite season is fall." Thinking about fall made Mimi think about when the leaves changed colors, a time she absolutely loved. She started remembering when Philip and her were playing in the leaves that day at the park when Brady found them together. She had so much fun that day with him, laughing and goofing around together. She shook away her thoughts, reaching for her mocha.
****
"How about over here?" Philip led Allison over to one of the empty booths in Dot Com.
"Great." Allison smiled, sitting down as Philip sat across from her. "What did you say this place is called?"
"Dot Com. What do you think? Probably not very impressive after living in San Francisco?" Philip took a drink of his mocha.
Allison shook her head. "No, actually it's pretty cool. There were a lot of fun places to hang out in San Francisco, but I like this too."
"Yeah, it's a cool place to hang out. So, now that you've been here for about a week what do you think of Salem High? Is it as bad as you thought it would be?"
Allison chuckled, putting her mocha down. "Hey, I didn't say I hated it before or anything. I just wasn't sure what it would be like. But I'm getting used to it now."
"Good."
****
"You okay?" Ramon looked at Mimi inquisitively.
Mimi looked at him a little sheepishly. "Yeah, I was just thinking about something, but enough of that. So, have you found the right inspiration yet, Ramon, for your painting?"
"I think maybe I have. Yesterday I paint over by the water. It nice there, very, ay, uh, mysterious, si?"
"Oh, you must mean by the docks. Yeah, it is pretty mysterious over there, especially when the fog comes in. I bet you'll find a lot of inspiration there. In Spain you must have had so many places you could go to, to paint."
"Si, many places, but it nice to be somewhere new and I always want to come to America, because so much here."
"Not here in Salem." Mimi added dryly.
Ramon laughed. "Well, in Spain I live in small town too. Here it's nice, it not too big, because then it not too, uh, scary." He looked at her a little tentatively. "Miriam, can I ask you question."
"Sure."
"Can I paint you?"
****
"I enjoyed the basketball game the other night too. You always play that well Philip?"
Philip smiled a little mildly. "I consider myself a pretty good player. I'm not going to lie about that. But I've had my off days too."
Allison smirked. "Pretty good, yeah! You just about ruled the court, you and Shawn!"
Philip chuckled. "Yeah, and Belle was the queen of the cheerleaders!"
"I like her a lot. She's so peppy, but she's also really nice. You've known her and Shawn for a long time haven't you?"
"Yeah, we go all the way back to kindergarten. The four of us."
"The four of you?" Allison questioned with a somewhat confused look.
"Yeah. Shawn, Belle, myself and.well."
"Mimi?" Allison questioned quietly.
Philip looked at her with some surprise, but nodded in the affirmative. "Yeah, Mimi."
****
Mimi nearly choked on her mocha, looking at Ramon with shock. "You want to paint me?"
Ramon looked at her a little regretfully. "Yes, oh no, I offend you?"
"No. you didn't offend me. I'm just surprised you would want to do that. I mean, of all people, why me? I'm sure you could find better subject matter."
Ramon didn't understand everything she had just said, but he got the bulk of it, and wondered about her answer. Why did she seem to doubt herself? "I think you be good to paint and I like spend time with you. We getting to be friends, no?"
Mimi wasn't sure how to answer. No guy had ever paid this much attention to her, except Philip. But that was just so different. That was like some wonderful fantasy world that she had been forced to wake up from. Now, Ramon wanted to paint her.her! She wasn't sure how to feel about that, but she did agree with him about the friendship part. "Yes, we are getting to be friends Ramon and I'm happy about that."
"Me too. So, I can paint you, yes or no?"
"Yes."
****
Allison went on delicately. "So you guys are friends..."
Philip sighed. "What do you know about Mimi?"
Allison wasn't ready for that almost defensive reaction. "Uh, I know her some from my P.E. class, but other than that not much, other than she's pretty good friends with Belle and doesn't get along with Chloe."
It was Philip's turn to show surprise. "You know Chloe?"
"Yeah, I met her in my English Honors class. I really like her."
"And so now you don't like Mimi, is that it?"
Allison reacted with a taken aback expression. "Hey Philip, why so defensive? I've barely talked to her, and Chloe and I don't talk about her at all. I don't get it. Are you guys friends or not?"
"I didn't mean to get defensive. I'm just tired, that's it. Let's talk about something else."
"Philip-"
Philip answered in a way that left no room for argument. "I said to drop it Allison."
Allison answered, annoyed. "Fine. It's dropped. I think I'll leave you alone with your foul temper for awhile and go listen to some music." She got up hurriedly, heading for one of the music listening stations, but Philip stopped her with a touch of his hand before she could go.
"Hey, I'm sorry. It's just a sensitive subject with me, okay?"
Allison wondered why it was so sensitive, but didn't push. "That's cool. Want to go listen to some cd's with me?" She smiled at him.
Philip smiled in response. "Sure."
****
Philip headed over for the listening station with Allison, deep in thought.
Mimi grabbed a handful of cd's and made her way to a listening station with Ramon, barely paying attention to where she was going.
A distracted Philip kept walking, not noticing someone rushing from the other side.
She didn't see the other person as she made her way back to Ramon with the cd's, rushing a little.
He finally raised his head as he noticed he had just collided into someone, knocking the poor person down to the ground with a bunch of cd's.
Mimi felt herself fall, after crashing into the other person. She watched the cd's scatter all over the floor.
"Oh no, I'm sorry! I was barely paying attention to where I was going!"
"No, I was practically running, like usual! It's my fault!"
Philip looked down at Mimi with shock as she looked up at him with equal shock. He knew that excited voice anywhere. He started to bend down.
Mimi looked up at Philip in disbelief. Oh, of course it was him. Who else had that voice? She watched silently as he started to crouch down.
"Ay, Miriam, let me help you!" Ramon rushed over to Mimi.
Philip stopped, looking at Ramon with surprise. Then he simply watched as Ramon helped Mimi to stand, though he did manage to pick up the scattered cd's. "Here." He handed them to Mimi who was now standing, thanks to Ramon's help. The two estranged friends, who for too short a time had started to become more, just stared at each other silently, unable to look away.
"Thank you." Mimi spoke quietly, looking up into Philip's sea foam blue eyes, her fingers touching Philip's for a second, making her visibly shake.
Philip felt it too, an intensity, from just the touch of her skin as those jade eyes looked into his.
Ramon and Allison watched, feeling completely forgotten by these two people that obviously had some connection, though what it was they still didn't understand. Allison caught Ramon's eye, seeing that he saw it too.
Mimi and Philip gave away nothing with words, but that stare had said it all.