Philip skillfully climbed the tree and let himself into the house through
Chloe's unlatched window. As promised, she'd left it open just for him.
Escaping the beautiful, star-filled night, Philip entered the dimly lit
bedroom.
On her bed, Chloe silently watched her boyfriend make his graceful entrance. As he moved to join her on the bed, Chloe found herself almost fascinated by everything about him - all the little things that would eventually cause the right woman to fall in love with him. Not even realizing that she was glumly staring at Philip, Chloe paid special attention to the way he walked to the bed and softly sat beside her. He was forever displaying his confidence - even when he didn't feel it.
Gazing cheerlessly at her boyfriend, Chloe wondered why she had never been able to take that leap from caring about Philip to being madly in love with him. God only knew how often she had wished to wake up as dawn crept over the horizon and realize that Philip was her soul mate. That morning had never arrived. Instead, the night had come for her to tell him that things were over.
Somehow, Philip knew before Chloe even made the first move of her mouth. Her eyes told him. Her eyes had always spoken to him. He just hadn't always been able to understand what they were saying. This time, he did know, and he wished more than anything that he didn't.
Never breaking eye contact with Philip, Chloe quietly stated, "It's a beautiful night. I can't remember the last time I saw so many stars in the sky."
"Yeah, it's a nice night."
A highly uncomfortable silence overtook the bedroom. Chloe couldn't find the words to express what she was feeling, and Philip knew that there was nothing that he could say to change things. He had seen this night coming for so long.
Every little thing had only been leading to one final encounter. All the pointless arguments and petty disagreements had been shoving Philip and Chloe toward a destiny both were scared to face. The two young adults had simply pushed each other too far away. Now that the damage was done, there was no turning back. Philip and Chloe had chosen their own paths in life. Those paths had led them to be sitting on Chloe's soft bed at midnight with only her lamp adding to small amount of light provided by the moon.
Gathering all her strength, Chloe lowly said, "We've had a lot of good times together, Philip."
"You're right, we have," simply responded Philip as he looked away from Chloe and began to merely glance around the darkness of her bedroom.
Chloe barely kept her breathing steady as she whispered, "I would never want to hurt you. You know that, don't you? Please, Philip, tell me that you understand that I could never purposely cause you pain if I didn't have to do it."
"I know, Chloe." Releasing a ragged breath, Philip quietly added, "I know."
Nervously biting her lip, Chloe continued, "You're an amazing person, Philip. Somehow, you managed to see not only my outer beauty, but my inner beauty as well. No matter how ugly I tried to both look and act, you eventually saw past it all and brought the real me into the world. I'll always owe you for that."
Philip shook his head and insisted, "No, you don't owe me anything. You're the one that's always making me be a better person. I could never be who I am if it wasn't for you." When Chloe only remained silent, Philip sadly stated, "I love you, Chloe. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else."
Chloe was not able to meet Philip's eyes as she responded, "I've never doubted that. Not ever."
His eyes lightly misted over with unshed tears, Philip stated, "This is the end, isn't it?"
Slowly, Chloe turned her face to admire Philip once more. He looked so handsome with the mixture of artificial and natural light dimly illuminating his face. And, Chloe knew that he was just as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside. Sure, he had his faults, but that far from made him a bad person. He was merely mortal.
And, like all mortals, Philip was being forced to experience pain. Of course, he had hurt before, but never so intensely. Not once in his young life had Philip ever felt so wounded and defenseless.
"I am so sorry, Philip," apologized Chloe as her unrevealed sobs threatened to steal away her words.
As was his usual habit when feeling unhappiness or frustration, Philip ran a hand through his blond hair. Softly, he replied, "Don't be sorry. Don't you ever be sorry." Pointing in the direction of the window, Philip continued, "You know those gorgeous stars out there in the sky? Well, you're one them. I was lucky to hold onto you for as long as I did. But, God, Chloe, I wish I could hold onto you for just a little while longer."
Chloe's heart broke just a little bit more as she saw a single tear slip down Philip's cheek. It wasn't until she felt his hand rise up and graze her face that she realized she, too, was crying.
His desperation winning over his logical thinking, Philip pleaded, "Please, Chloe, let's give it one more try. We don't have to do this - not tonight. Maybe if we worked a little harder, you could always be my star. Chloe, I don't want to let go of you. I'm not even sure if I can."
"We're through, Philip. We have been for a long time," replied Chloe, her voice expressing almost no feeling.
The great Philip Kiriakis sat helplessly after being brought to his knees by just a few words from someone so very close. Deep down, he knew that Chloe was right. Their relationship had ended long ago. For the past few weeks, they had simply been going through the motions and refusing to see that the end was upon them. They only wanted to avoid the pain that had now assaulted them.
Chloe, her voice broadcasting much more of the pain she felt, continued, "I don't mean to sound cold, but it just hurts so much to let go that I'm not sure how to express myself. You may never understand, but I always felt something for you. But, it wasn't what you needed. Yes, we feel some type of love for each other, but it isn't what we need to build a life together.
Feeling completely powerless, Philip watched the tears continue to build in Chloe's beautiful eyes. Every fiber of his body yearned to reach out and pull her close to him. To keep her body pressed against his and make all the pain fade away with a beautiful kiss. Yet, Philip knew that it was no longer his right to do such things. As of that moment, there was no Philip and Chloe. A year of naive love, at least on his side, had been ended. However, Philip would not trade that year for anything, and he knew Chloe wouldn't either. Even though he knew that Chloe was right, that the love they shared wasn't the love needed to build a future, Philip still hurt more than he had in his entire life.
Before she had Philip, Chloe had been empty, painfully empty. It was Philip who had made her almost complete. Almost, but not quite close enough. Chloe was also vaguely aware of the fact that she had never been what Philip needed. She had only been the one that put him on the right path. Smiling just a little, Chloe realized that she and Philip weren't leaving their relationship with nothing but broken hearts and tainted memories. They were each a better person for their time spent together. It had truly been a life-altering year. And, though she would trade it for nothing, Chloe refused to hang on to something she knew wasn't meant to be.
She could have continued to cling to Philip if she'd thought that she was the only woman he would ever love, that she was the only one sacrificing a happier future. But, Chloe knew that, in the end, she couldn't be the one to make Philip happy, and she refused to keep him from finding his own destiny. She cared for him too much, and he was far too good of a friend, for her to just let him throw his own happiness away. Chloe had a feeling that someday Philip would find the one who would make the life he had with Chloe seem trivial and terribly ill-thought.
As the familiar silence regained control of the room, Philip could feel his mood changing once more. First, the despair had pulled at his heart, threatening him with tears he could not control. Now, however, his anger and hatred were breaking free. It wasn't his hatred toward Chloe, because he knew that he could never hate her. After all, she was simply voicing the fears that had been plaguing him for longer than he cared to admit. No, all of his hatred was directed to the situation at hand. He hated feeling powerless. He hated not knowing the words to fix this. He hated having his future look so uncertain. And, most of all, he hated that he had lost Chloe and would never again have her back in the same way.
His anger exploding, Philip yelled, "Why can't we just go on like we were? Why? Don't you care about me?"
Chloe shook her head and slowly responded in a tone that somehow calmed Philip slightly, "You know why. We can't be together anymore because I do care for you. I care for you so much that it hurts, Philip."
Finishing her thought, Philip softly said, "But, you're not in love with me."
"No, I'm not. And, I think that someday you are going to meet someone who will make our love pale in comparison. You won't just love her, you'll be in love with her with all of your heart and soul." Giving a weak smile, Chloe added, "And, she better be good to you, because if she isn't, she'll have to deal with me."
"So, we can still be friends?"
Pulling Philip into a hug, Chloe replied, "I don't think that I could bear it if we weren't friends. I always want to have you in my life, Philip. We jumped into our relationship so fast that we never even bothered to build a friendship. I'm glad that we have that chance now."
Holding his first love tightly, Philip whispered, "Me, too."
For a moment, the two sat there holding each other, neither sure how to let go. Finally, Philip forced himself to move away from Chloe. Though tempted to give her a kiss on the cheek, Philip restrained from doing so and simply walked to the window.
Before climbing out the window, Philip kept his back to Chloe and stated, "I honestly want you to be happy, Chloe. I'm always going to love you, but I want you to find the person who makes you complete. I only wish that could have been me, but I know that it's not. Goodnight, my love."
As Philip disappeared into the night, Chloe was finally able to release the sobs that had been threatening to free themselves from the moment Philip entered her bedroom. Resting her face against her pillow, Chloe crawled into a ball and allowed all the tears to escape.
There seemed to be a million different reasons for crying. After more than a year together, she and Philip had finally said goodbye to their labored attempt at true love. And, that left Chloe alone in the world again. However, this time was different - much different. Though she was not quite ready to even admit it to herself, Chloe was already beginning to fall in love with someone else. Still, it would take time for Chloe to be ready to acknowledge her developing feelings for Brady Black. In fact, she refused to even acknowledge those feelings to herself. Only time, and Brady's love, could bring her to his side. Well, that's what Chloe believed. But, like so many of her friends, Chloe would soon learn that love holds no regard for its victims' hearts - or their time lines.
Her thoughts drifting from the love Philip gave her to the love she secretly wished Brady would show her, Chloe eventually succumbed to the powerful grasp of sleep. Just as her eyes fell shut, Chloe silently wondered just what the coming dawn would bring.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The bright rays from the early morning sun gently roused Jason from his sleep. Glancing at his digital clock, Jason realized that it was much earlier than he usually awoke. However, he was more than ready to jump out of bed and prepare for his day.
A gentle grin on his face, Jason sat up in bed and tossed his covers aside. As he threw his legs over the side of the bed, Jason began to feel quite happy. After all, he was in control - for the day at least. Not only would he have a great time laughing at Mimi's discomfort, but he would also be helping her - even if she didn't see things that way. It was definitely time for Jason to bring Mimi out of her shell and let her shine in a light completely separate from Belle's.
Before entering the bathroom, Jason paused and decided to grab the clothing he would be wearing for the day. After that incident with Mimi and the towel, Jason was much more careful about where he got dressed. In fact, Jason felt that a lot of things had changed in his life since he had starting growing closer to Mimi.
Smiling uncontrollably to himself, Jason shut the bathroom door. He could hardly wait to get showered and dressed so he could go to Mimi's house and force her to hold up her end of their little bet.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Mimi buried her head under her pillow after yelling at Connor to let her sleep for five more minutes. Releasing a mock scream from under the plush object, Mimi wondered why she had ever made that bet with Jason. After what had happened when Jason convinced Philip and Shawn to make that infamous bet concerning Chloe, Mimi should have known better than to try and teach Jason a lesson about mistreating outcasts.
Keeping her head under her pillow, Mimi tried to ignore the soft sounds of her family beginning their day downstairs. At that moment, Mimi did not ever want her day to begin. No matter what, she knew that it would be a day she never forgot.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After a night of nearly no sleep partially due to a certain series of kisses invading his every thought, Brady lay awake in his bed and simply stared at the ceiling. At the moment, he wasn't quite sure what he should be feeling.
A large part of him wanted to jump with joy. If Chloe had gone through with her plans, Brady knew that she had already broken up with Philip. That left her completely free to help him with his plan to get back at his grandfather for the secret he had been keeping. However, Brady's joy was unable to make a full appearance because of the words that Chloe had said to Jason following his entrance into the bedroom, "I swear to you that Brady and I have not been seeing each other behind Philip's back. And, I would never hurt Philip just so I could be with Brady. In fact, there has never been anything going on between me and Brady, and there never will be."
Closing his eyes and instinctively picturing Chloe's face, Brady whispered, "Never say never."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Just down the hall from Brady, Belle was still snuggled in her bed, but her mind was already contemplating just how she would spend her second day of school.
On one hand, Salem's newest hunk Zach Wesley really seemed to like her. No matter what was going on, Zach continually found ways to flirt with her. She had only known him for a single day, and Zach was already showing more interest in her than Shawn had in seventeen years.
Shawn. It seemed that Belle's mind always went back to him. Whether she was shopping for clothes or eating dinner, there was always something there to remind her of her secret crush. Belle only wished that Shawn would wake up and realize how much she liked him.
Then again, Belle wasn't sure what she would do if Shawn discovered her feelings for him but didn't feel the same way.
Dramatically throwing her blankets away from her petite body, Belle declared, "Shawn Brady, if you don't want me, then I'll just have to find someone who does."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Shawn was already dressed and eating breakfast by the time his mother came downstairs. J.T. had awoken him just after five o'clock in the morning with a fitful round of cries. Unable to go back to sleep, Shawn had decided to just get out of bed and get ready for school.
He knew that Belle was still going to be a little mad about the way he had shoved Zach into the pool, especially since Erin had gotten caught in the middle of everything. But, he felt certain that her kind heart would soon forgive him since he had truly meant no harm.
Staring intently at his bowl of cereal, Shawn made a vow to himself. He would give Belle one month to show interest in him. If she didn't do so by that time, he would make his move. In his heart, Shawn realized that he had been in love with Belle before he was even old enough to understand the feeling. Now, he did understand. And, he wanted to Belle to know it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dressed only from the waist down, Philip stared sadly out into the garden below him. On most mornings, he would have opened the doors and stepped outside on his spacious balcony to greet the coming day. However, knowing that it would be the first day in over a year that he would not have Chloe at his side, Philip opted to stay on the inside of the glass doors and merely observe nature from a distance.
He wished that he could stay home from school and avoid the gossip of Salem High for just another day. However, Philip knew that his strict father would never allow him to miss school without a very good reason. Somehow, Philip didn't think that Victor would ever consider Chloe Lane a good reason for anything.
Crossing his bedroom with slow steps, Philip reached his closet and grabbed a random shirt. Though he was usually the best dressed guy at school, Philip didn't really care how he looked. He was only concerned with the pain he felt.
As he passed by his mirror, he stopped to stare at his tired face. It hardly seemed possible that only twenty-four hours had passed since he had stood in front of that0 very mirror and reflected his relationship with Chloe. Now, there was nothing left to reflect.
Philip continued to stare at himself as he remembered the promise he and Chloe made to remain friends. It was a promise he intended to keep. Though he had lost Chloe as his girlfriend, Philip had gained her as his best friend.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Having been sent upstairs to make sure Chloe was getting ready for school, Zach found her curled up in a ball clutching one of her pillows. She was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the previous day and Zach was almost afraid to wake her from her peaceful slumber.
He quietly crossed the room and approached Chloe as she remained asleep. Placing a hand on Chloe's arm, Zach softly shook her until her eyes fluttered open. Smiling brightly, Zach said, "Good morning, sleepyhead. I've already taken my shower and gotten dressed, so you had better hurry up and get ready before we have to leave to pick up Jason's sister."
Allowing her eyes to gently close, Chloe responded, "Actually, I don't think that I'm riding with you this morning, so you can leave to pick up Erin whenever you want."
Shrugging, Zach stood and prepared to leave the room. As he reached the door he stated, "If you want to ride with Philip, that's cool. Just make sure you're not late for first period, because from what Jason told me, that Woods guy gets cranky about tardiness."
Chloe managed a weak smile and chose to not tell Zach that she would be walking and not riding with Philip. After he left her alone, Chloe sat up in bed and realized just how uncomfortable of a position she had been sleeping in during the night.
Hoping that a hot shower would help ease the tension from her shoulders and neck, Chloe quickly retrieved her clothes from her dresser and made her way to the bathroom. Even if the water did manage to soothe her aching body, Chloe realized that there was nothing that could ease the confusion created by her break-up with Philip and her hidden desires for Brady Black.
Little did she know that things would soon become more confusing than ever - for everyone.
On her bed, Chloe silently watched her boyfriend make his graceful entrance. As he moved to join her on the bed, Chloe found herself almost fascinated by everything about him - all the little things that would eventually cause the right woman to fall in love with him. Not even realizing that she was glumly staring at Philip, Chloe paid special attention to the way he walked to the bed and softly sat beside her. He was forever displaying his confidence - even when he didn't feel it.
Gazing cheerlessly at her boyfriend, Chloe wondered why she had never been able to take that leap from caring about Philip to being madly in love with him. God only knew how often she had wished to wake up as dawn crept over the horizon and realize that Philip was her soul mate. That morning had never arrived. Instead, the night had come for her to tell him that things were over.
Somehow, Philip knew before Chloe even made the first move of her mouth. Her eyes told him. Her eyes had always spoken to him. He just hadn't always been able to understand what they were saying. This time, he did know, and he wished more than anything that he didn't.
Never breaking eye contact with Philip, Chloe quietly stated, "It's a beautiful night. I can't remember the last time I saw so many stars in the sky."
"Yeah, it's a nice night."
A highly uncomfortable silence overtook the bedroom. Chloe couldn't find the words to express what she was feeling, and Philip knew that there was nothing that he could say to change things. He had seen this night coming for so long.
Every little thing had only been leading to one final encounter. All the pointless arguments and petty disagreements had been shoving Philip and Chloe toward a destiny both were scared to face. The two young adults had simply pushed each other too far away. Now that the damage was done, there was no turning back. Philip and Chloe had chosen their own paths in life. Those paths had led them to be sitting on Chloe's soft bed at midnight with only her lamp adding to small amount of light provided by the moon.
Gathering all her strength, Chloe lowly said, "We've had a lot of good times together, Philip."
"You're right, we have," simply responded Philip as he looked away from Chloe and began to merely glance around the darkness of her bedroom.
Chloe barely kept her breathing steady as she whispered, "I would never want to hurt you. You know that, don't you? Please, Philip, tell me that you understand that I could never purposely cause you pain if I didn't have to do it."
"I know, Chloe." Releasing a ragged breath, Philip quietly added, "I know."
Nervously biting her lip, Chloe continued, "You're an amazing person, Philip. Somehow, you managed to see not only my outer beauty, but my inner beauty as well. No matter how ugly I tried to both look and act, you eventually saw past it all and brought the real me into the world. I'll always owe you for that."
Philip shook his head and insisted, "No, you don't owe me anything. You're the one that's always making me be a better person. I could never be who I am if it wasn't for you." When Chloe only remained silent, Philip sadly stated, "I love you, Chloe. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else."
Chloe was not able to meet Philip's eyes as she responded, "I've never doubted that. Not ever."
His eyes lightly misted over with unshed tears, Philip stated, "This is the end, isn't it?"
Slowly, Chloe turned her face to admire Philip once more. He looked so handsome with the mixture of artificial and natural light dimly illuminating his face. And, Chloe knew that he was just as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside. Sure, he had his faults, but that far from made him a bad person. He was merely mortal.
And, like all mortals, Philip was being forced to experience pain. Of course, he had hurt before, but never so intensely. Not once in his young life had Philip ever felt so wounded and defenseless.
"I am so sorry, Philip," apologized Chloe as her unrevealed sobs threatened to steal away her words.
As was his usual habit when feeling unhappiness or frustration, Philip ran a hand through his blond hair. Softly, he replied, "Don't be sorry. Don't you ever be sorry." Pointing in the direction of the window, Philip continued, "You know those gorgeous stars out there in the sky? Well, you're one them. I was lucky to hold onto you for as long as I did. But, God, Chloe, I wish I could hold onto you for just a little while longer."
Chloe's heart broke just a little bit more as she saw a single tear slip down Philip's cheek. It wasn't until she felt his hand rise up and graze her face that she realized she, too, was crying.
His desperation winning over his logical thinking, Philip pleaded, "Please, Chloe, let's give it one more try. We don't have to do this - not tonight. Maybe if we worked a little harder, you could always be my star. Chloe, I don't want to let go of you. I'm not even sure if I can."
"We're through, Philip. We have been for a long time," replied Chloe, her voice expressing almost no feeling.
The great Philip Kiriakis sat helplessly after being brought to his knees by just a few words from someone so very close. Deep down, he knew that Chloe was right. Their relationship had ended long ago. For the past few weeks, they had simply been going through the motions and refusing to see that the end was upon them. They only wanted to avoid the pain that had now assaulted them.
Chloe, her voice broadcasting much more of the pain she felt, continued, "I don't mean to sound cold, but it just hurts so much to let go that I'm not sure how to express myself. You may never understand, but I always felt something for you. But, it wasn't what you needed. Yes, we feel some type of love for each other, but it isn't what we need to build a life together.
Feeling completely powerless, Philip watched the tears continue to build in Chloe's beautiful eyes. Every fiber of his body yearned to reach out and pull her close to him. To keep her body pressed against his and make all the pain fade away with a beautiful kiss. Yet, Philip knew that it was no longer his right to do such things. As of that moment, there was no Philip and Chloe. A year of naive love, at least on his side, had been ended. However, Philip would not trade that year for anything, and he knew Chloe wouldn't either. Even though he knew that Chloe was right, that the love they shared wasn't the love needed to build a future, Philip still hurt more than he had in his entire life.
Before she had Philip, Chloe had been empty, painfully empty. It was Philip who had made her almost complete. Almost, but not quite close enough. Chloe was also vaguely aware of the fact that she had never been what Philip needed. She had only been the one that put him on the right path. Smiling just a little, Chloe realized that she and Philip weren't leaving their relationship with nothing but broken hearts and tainted memories. They were each a better person for their time spent together. It had truly been a life-altering year. And, though she would trade it for nothing, Chloe refused to hang on to something she knew wasn't meant to be.
She could have continued to cling to Philip if she'd thought that she was the only woman he would ever love, that she was the only one sacrificing a happier future. But, Chloe knew that, in the end, she couldn't be the one to make Philip happy, and she refused to keep him from finding his own destiny. She cared for him too much, and he was far too good of a friend, for her to just let him throw his own happiness away. Chloe had a feeling that someday Philip would find the one who would make the life he had with Chloe seem trivial and terribly ill-thought.
As the familiar silence regained control of the room, Philip could feel his mood changing once more. First, the despair had pulled at his heart, threatening him with tears he could not control. Now, however, his anger and hatred were breaking free. It wasn't his hatred toward Chloe, because he knew that he could never hate her. After all, she was simply voicing the fears that had been plaguing him for longer than he cared to admit. No, all of his hatred was directed to the situation at hand. He hated feeling powerless. He hated not knowing the words to fix this. He hated having his future look so uncertain. And, most of all, he hated that he had lost Chloe and would never again have her back in the same way.
His anger exploding, Philip yelled, "Why can't we just go on like we were? Why? Don't you care about me?"
Chloe shook her head and slowly responded in a tone that somehow calmed Philip slightly, "You know why. We can't be together anymore because I do care for you. I care for you so much that it hurts, Philip."
Finishing her thought, Philip softly said, "But, you're not in love with me."
"No, I'm not. And, I think that someday you are going to meet someone who will make our love pale in comparison. You won't just love her, you'll be in love with her with all of your heart and soul." Giving a weak smile, Chloe added, "And, she better be good to you, because if she isn't, she'll have to deal with me."
"So, we can still be friends?"
Pulling Philip into a hug, Chloe replied, "I don't think that I could bear it if we weren't friends. I always want to have you in my life, Philip. We jumped into our relationship so fast that we never even bothered to build a friendship. I'm glad that we have that chance now."
Holding his first love tightly, Philip whispered, "Me, too."
For a moment, the two sat there holding each other, neither sure how to let go. Finally, Philip forced himself to move away from Chloe. Though tempted to give her a kiss on the cheek, Philip restrained from doing so and simply walked to the window.
Before climbing out the window, Philip kept his back to Chloe and stated, "I honestly want you to be happy, Chloe. I'm always going to love you, but I want you to find the person who makes you complete. I only wish that could have been me, but I know that it's not. Goodnight, my love."
As Philip disappeared into the night, Chloe was finally able to release the sobs that had been threatening to free themselves from the moment Philip entered her bedroom. Resting her face against her pillow, Chloe crawled into a ball and allowed all the tears to escape.
There seemed to be a million different reasons for crying. After more than a year together, she and Philip had finally said goodbye to their labored attempt at true love. And, that left Chloe alone in the world again. However, this time was different - much different. Though she was not quite ready to even admit it to herself, Chloe was already beginning to fall in love with someone else. Still, it would take time for Chloe to be ready to acknowledge her developing feelings for Brady Black. In fact, she refused to even acknowledge those feelings to herself. Only time, and Brady's love, could bring her to his side. Well, that's what Chloe believed. But, like so many of her friends, Chloe would soon learn that love holds no regard for its victims' hearts - or their time lines.
Her thoughts drifting from the love Philip gave her to the love she secretly wished Brady would show her, Chloe eventually succumbed to the powerful grasp of sleep. Just as her eyes fell shut, Chloe silently wondered just what the coming dawn would bring.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The bright rays from the early morning sun gently roused Jason from his sleep. Glancing at his digital clock, Jason realized that it was much earlier than he usually awoke. However, he was more than ready to jump out of bed and prepare for his day.
A gentle grin on his face, Jason sat up in bed and tossed his covers aside. As he threw his legs over the side of the bed, Jason began to feel quite happy. After all, he was in control - for the day at least. Not only would he have a great time laughing at Mimi's discomfort, but he would also be helping her - even if she didn't see things that way. It was definitely time for Jason to bring Mimi out of her shell and let her shine in a light completely separate from Belle's.
Before entering the bathroom, Jason paused and decided to grab the clothing he would be wearing for the day. After that incident with Mimi and the towel, Jason was much more careful about where he got dressed. In fact, Jason felt that a lot of things had changed in his life since he had starting growing closer to Mimi.
Smiling uncontrollably to himself, Jason shut the bathroom door. He could hardly wait to get showered and dressed so he could go to Mimi's house and force her to hold up her end of their little bet.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Mimi buried her head under her pillow after yelling at Connor to let her sleep for five more minutes. Releasing a mock scream from under the plush object, Mimi wondered why she had ever made that bet with Jason. After what had happened when Jason convinced Philip and Shawn to make that infamous bet concerning Chloe, Mimi should have known better than to try and teach Jason a lesson about mistreating outcasts.
Keeping her head under her pillow, Mimi tried to ignore the soft sounds of her family beginning their day downstairs. At that moment, Mimi did not ever want her day to begin. No matter what, she knew that it would be a day she never forgot.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After a night of nearly no sleep partially due to a certain series of kisses invading his every thought, Brady lay awake in his bed and simply stared at the ceiling. At the moment, he wasn't quite sure what he should be feeling.
A large part of him wanted to jump with joy. If Chloe had gone through with her plans, Brady knew that she had already broken up with Philip. That left her completely free to help him with his plan to get back at his grandfather for the secret he had been keeping. However, Brady's joy was unable to make a full appearance because of the words that Chloe had said to Jason following his entrance into the bedroom, "I swear to you that Brady and I have not been seeing each other behind Philip's back. And, I would never hurt Philip just so I could be with Brady. In fact, there has never been anything going on between me and Brady, and there never will be."
Closing his eyes and instinctively picturing Chloe's face, Brady whispered, "Never say never."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Just down the hall from Brady, Belle was still snuggled in her bed, but her mind was already contemplating just how she would spend her second day of school.
On one hand, Salem's newest hunk Zach Wesley really seemed to like her. No matter what was going on, Zach continually found ways to flirt with her. She had only known him for a single day, and Zach was already showing more interest in her than Shawn had in seventeen years.
Shawn. It seemed that Belle's mind always went back to him. Whether she was shopping for clothes or eating dinner, there was always something there to remind her of her secret crush. Belle only wished that Shawn would wake up and realize how much she liked him.
Then again, Belle wasn't sure what she would do if Shawn discovered her feelings for him but didn't feel the same way.
Dramatically throwing her blankets away from her petite body, Belle declared, "Shawn Brady, if you don't want me, then I'll just have to find someone who does."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Shawn was already dressed and eating breakfast by the time his mother came downstairs. J.T. had awoken him just after five o'clock in the morning with a fitful round of cries. Unable to go back to sleep, Shawn had decided to just get out of bed and get ready for school.
He knew that Belle was still going to be a little mad about the way he had shoved Zach into the pool, especially since Erin had gotten caught in the middle of everything. But, he felt certain that her kind heart would soon forgive him since he had truly meant no harm.
Staring intently at his bowl of cereal, Shawn made a vow to himself. He would give Belle one month to show interest in him. If she didn't do so by that time, he would make his move. In his heart, Shawn realized that he had been in love with Belle before he was even old enough to understand the feeling. Now, he did understand. And, he wanted to Belle to know it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Dressed only from the waist down, Philip stared sadly out into the garden below him. On most mornings, he would have opened the doors and stepped outside on his spacious balcony to greet the coming day. However, knowing that it would be the first day in over a year that he would not have Chloe at his side, Philip opted to stay on the inside of the glass doors and merely observe nature from a distance.
He wished that he could stay home from school and avoid the gossip of Salem High for just another day. However, Philip knew that his strict father would never allow him to miss school without a very good reason. Somehow, Philip didn't think that Victor would ever consider Chloe Lane a good reason for anything.
Crossing his bedroom with slow steps, Philip reached his closet and grabbed a random shirt. Though he was usually the best dressed guy at school, Philip didn't really care how he looked. He was only concerned with the pain he felt.
As he passed by his mirror, he stopped to stare at his tired face. It hardly seemed possible that only twenty-four hours had passed since he had stood in front of that0 very mirror and reflected his relationship with Chloe. Now, there was nothing left to reflect.
Philip continued to stare at himself as he remembered the promise he and Chloe made to remain friends. It was a promise he intended to keep. Though he had lost Chloe as his girlfriend, Philip had gained her as his best friend.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Having been sent upstairs to make sure Chloe was getting ready for school, Zach found her curled up in a ball clutching one of her pillows. She was wearing the same clothes she had been wearing the previous day and Zach was almost afraid to wake her from her peaceful slumber.
He quietly crossed the room and approached Chloe as she remained asleep. Placing a hand on Chloe's arm, Zach softly shook her until her eyes fluttered open. Smiling brightly, Zach said, "Good morning, sleepyhead. I've already taken my shower and gotten dressed, so you had better hurry up and get ready before we have to leave to pick up Jason's sister."
Allowing her eyes to gently close, Chloe responded, "Actually, I don't think that I'm riding with you this morning, so you can leave to pick up Erin whenever you want."
Shrugging, Zach stood and prepared to leave the room. As he reached the door he stated, "If you want to ride with Philip, that's cool. Just make sure you're not late for first period, because from what Jason told me, that Woods guy gets cranky about tardiness."
Chloe managed a weak smile and chose to not tell Zach that she would be walking and not riding with Philip. After he left her alone, Chloe sat up in bed and realized just how uncomfortable of a position she had been sleeping in during the night.
Hoping that a hot shower would help ease the tension from her shoulders and neck, Chloe quickly retrieved her clothes from her dresser and made her way to the bathroom. Even if the water did manage to soothe her aching body, Chloe realized that there was nothing that could ease the confusion created by her break-up with Philip and her hidden desires for Brady Black.
Little did she know that things would soon become more confusing than ever - for everyone.