Hey everybody. Another chapter. Thanks for the great reviews from last week's installment of the Pheely story that has turned out to be kind of, I don't know, all about sex. But isn't all TV these days? (as my mother would say.) This wasn't my original intention. Just worked out that way. These stories write themselves. I'm just a girl with a computer… Anyway, hope it's enjoyed by all. Have a great weekend.

Chapter 12

"Sexual Interface"

Phil wondered what would possibly make Keely so upset. He considered using the Giggle again but he decided against it. The Giggle would cause more problems. He just hated seeing her cry like that. Although, the scene that followed looked pretty good. Phil's evil twin told him not to meddle. That if he didn't, he might get laid. Phil pushed that thought as far back into his mind as possible. The Diffys' phone rang, snapping Phil out of his daydream.

"Hello?" said Phil.

"Diff, it's O-Dog," Owen said. " 'Sup?" He was on his cell, in traffic from the sound of it.

"Oh hey, Owen," Phil said. "Nothing's up."

"I bet," said Owen. "So you slept at Keely's?"

"Huh? Where'd you hear that?" Phil asked.

"Just ran into Pim and Lil Danny at Starbucks," Owen said. "How was she?"

"How was who?" Phil said.

"Keely," Owen said. "You get her clothes off? Damn, I bet she's hot. Come on Diffy. Spill it."

Phil was silent. He figured the less said the better.

"You did! Shirt? Pants? Bra and panties? Diffy, you dog," Owen said.

Phil still said nothing.

"Come on, Diffy," Owen said. "The less you say, the more I'm gonna assume."

"Owen—" said Phil.

"You guys did it, didn't you? I think you did. Holy shit," said Owen. He sounded genuinely surprised.

"Whatever," said Phil.

"No that's good, Philly Cheese," Owen said. "I think I have it figured out. God, I can't believe it. Damn. I wish I had your stones when I first hooked up with Via. Wow. Your first date and you loose it to Keely Teslow. This one's for the books."

"So, Owen," Phil said. "Did you call just to hassle me over my sex life?"

"Oh, right," said Owen. "I'm calling to say there's a pool party at my house tonight. Parents still in San Francisco. My brother's getting like twenty cases of beer." Owen had three brothers, all older. Phil had no idea which brother this was because they were all at least 21. He also had a sister, but she wasn't in the business of contributing to the delinquency of minors, unless you counted the case of champagne from her wedding that Owen had stolen already.

"Okay, uh, maybe we'll come over," Phil said.

"Yeah, if you're not too busy doin' it, huh?" Owen laughed. "Requests?"

"Requests?" Phil asked.

"What do you want Robert to get for you and Keely?" Owen said. Robert was the oldest brother at 28. He was an actor in Hollywood. His biggest-paying role to date was as a corpse on CSI.

"Oh, I don't know," said Phil. "What do you think Keely'd want? She's not much of a drinker." Phil had a hard time not getting drunk at Owen's parties. Everything was alcoholic, it seemed. Even the tap water. The last few parties at Owen's, he'd spent the evening moping about his unrequited love for Keely. Now that they were together, it should be pretty fun, even though they were trying to keep a low profile. And it was a good way to keep an eye on her. Phil figured that he should be with her as much as possible to prevent whatever the bad thing was that made her cry in the Giggle from happening.

"Girls like sweet stuff," Owen said. "So I'll arrange for some punch. Beer okay for you?"

"Yeah, fine," Phil said. He glanced at his watch and wished Keely would hurry up and get there. He was worried he might have already missed his chance… What if it was something at home?

"All right, Diffster. Come over around nine. Gives you and Keely plenty of time to get in a little lovin'," Owen said. "A little afternoon delight."

"Okay, Owen, see you then," Phil said, hanging up the phone. "Thank God," he said, as Keely walked through the back door. She looked normal. No tears.

"Thank God for what?" Keely asked, shutting the door behind her.

"For you," Phil said, smiling. He felt bashful around her suddenly. "I just got off the phone with Owen."

"What's going on?" Keely asked.

"Party tonight, if you're interested," Phil said. "You look really pretty, by the way. I like those kicks," he added, pointing to her pink Converse low tops. He was still unsure of how to talk to her, Keely of all people, his best friend. His girlfriend.

"Thanks," Keely said, looking down at her denim mini skirt and pink t-shirt. Nothing fancy. Pigtails. She put on the sneakers just because she was sure Phil would like them. She stared at the floor. Keely didn't know exactly how to greet Phil-as-boyfriend. She walked up to him and they both kind of hesitated and avoided eye contact. Then Keely glanced around the kitchen, and, deciding it was safe, stood on her toes and kissed Phil lightly on the lips. Her mouth warmed as though she had taken a sip of hot chocolate. "Hey," she whispered. "Your parents aren't here, are they?"

"No," Phil said, his cheeks blushing from Keely's kiss. It was very weird kissing in the kitchen. In the daylight. "They took the time machine out for a spin."

Keely's smile evaporated. "What?" she asked weakly.

"Oh, God, Keels, sorry," Phil said. "No, I mean they took the RV for a spin… See, it still works as a regular RV… It's just the time engine part that's broken…" He hugged her.

"Phil, you really almost made me cry," Keely said. "For a second I thought—"

"I know, I'm sorry," Phil said. Was this when she was going to cry? he thought. No. In the Giggle it was night. False alarm. That would have been too easy. "You forgive me?" he asked, poking out his bottom lip.

Keely stepped back and looked at him. "Yeah," she said. "If you'll give me something to eat. I'm starved."

"Well," Phil said rubbing his chin. "We have cereal. Cap'n Crunch or Cocoa Puffs."

"Cap'n Crunch, please," Keely said, sitting down at the kitchen counter. She noticed the Giggle lying there. "So, you been Giggling?"

Phil set the milk carton on the counter. "Yeah. Pim and I couldn't find Mom and Dad earlier, so we Giggled them to see what they were up to." Phil remembered what he'd seen his parents doing at Make-Out Point. "And Keels?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Um, let's never, ever, ever go to Make-Out Point," Phil said.

"Okay, why?" Keely asked with a laugh.

"I don't want to go into a lot of detail," Phil said. "It's just that I kind of saw Lloyd and Barb there on the Giggle, you know, undressed—"

"Oh my God, Phil, stop right there," Keely said. "That's disgusting."

"You're telling me," Phil said. He brought the box of cereal and a bowl and spoon to Keely. She poured some cereal and Phil poured some milk. Keely gave Phil the first bite, milk dribbling down his chin.

"You're the cutest thing I've ever seen," Keely said to him as he wiped off his chin with a napkin.

"Come on Keels, cute?" Phil asked. "Kittens are cute. Don't you mean dashing? Debonair? At the very least, handsome?"

"No. Cute," Keely said, smiling at him. Phil rolled his eyes.

As they sat there sharing the bowl of cereal, Phil thought about telling her how Pim and Owen knew he'd spent the night with her. He knew it would make her anxious if she thought everyone would be talking about it, and he hadn't exactly told either of them anything… But he hadn't denied it... Well, people will find out soon enough, he reasoned. Surely she had told Via already. Once Via new, you might as well call the Pickford Times.

"So, Keels, what did Via say?" Phil asked.

"You mean about us?" Keel asked. Phil nodded. "Well, I haven't told her. She called, but I must have been in the shower. I haven't called her back yet." As soon as she said that, her phone buzzed and rang again. "It's Via," Keely said, looking at the number.

"Go ahead," Phil said, putting the cereal bowl in the dishwasher.

"You know what?" Keely said. "I'm just gonna let it go. In fact, I'm turning it off."

"She'll keep calling," Phil said.

"We'll see her later," Keely said, turning off her phone and putting it back in her purse. "What do want to do?"

"Hmm," Phil said. Lie around in bed with you? he thought. "Tennis? Backgammon? Hot dog eating contest? Fishing?"

"No, too hot. No, too dull. No, too full. No, too slimy," Keely responded to each of Phil's suggestions.

"Well, what about the Virtu Goggles?" Phil suggested.

"Really? I love those," Keely said, smiling.

"Where do you want to go?" Phil asked as they walked upstairs to Phil's room to get the goggles.

"Is there anyway you can show me like where you used to live? Your house and stuff?" Keely asked. She'd always been curious about where Phil came from.

"Um, yeah, I think we can arrange that," Phil said. "But, you know, it's just virtual… Nothing there is real. Nothing you do is real… Although it can bring out real emotion… even after you take the goggles off."

Phil was remembering the last Virtu Goggle experience the two of them had together. Keely attracted the affections of a robot waiter, Robby, causing Phil to get jealous.

"Don't remind me…" Keely said. "But like, you could rob a bank in the Virtu Goggles and then take them off and it's like it never happened?"

"Yeah," Phil said, nodding. "Exactly."

"Have you ever tried that?" Keely asked, eyes wide.

"No, I mean, I did put myself into a Laser Squash All-Star Game once, and I even made myself President, but I never did anything like rob a bank…" Phil said.

"So you could like murder someone?" Keely asked.

"Keels, you're scaring me," Phil said, handing her a pair of goggles. "But, yeah, I guess you could…"

"I'm just curious," Keely said. "It's just so weird."

They both put on their goggles and were instantly transported to the virtual future.

"Welcome to the Diffy pod," Phil said.

Keely couldn't believe her eyes. The house was just like in the movies. "I can't believe the way you are at science fiction movies, Phil. 'Cause this looks exactly like something from Star Wars," Keely said, gazing at the pod. Everything was made of steel and glass. The front yard wasn't covered in grass, but something similar to Astroturf instead. "Where's the door, Phil?" Keel asked.

Phil pointed to a wall. "That way, Keels. Follow me," he said. She followed him right up to the wall, which slid apart when they were close enough. "The sensors recognize me," Phil said, laughing. "The house can be programmed to only let certain people in."

"Wow," said Keely. Phil led her inside and the wall slid shut behind them.

Phil gave her the grand tour. Kitchen (no oven or refrigerator); living room (tv the size of a billboard); garage (a family-sized Skyak for 5 passengers). She saw a few baby pictures of Phil on his first day of school, at various Nird Day parties, on Unification Day. He was just as adorable then as now. "Oh my gosh, Phil," Keely said again and again. "You were so cute! I would have had the biggest crush on you."

Phil showed her his bedroom last. The bed was round. "A round bed?" Keely asked. "What's that about?"

"Well, I don't really know. All beds are round in 2121," Phil said. "I never even thought about it." He turned and opened up a closet, revealing several dozen different colored jumpsuits.

"What's with the future and jumpsuits, Phil?" Keely asked. She didn't understand future fashion any better than future furniture.

"Well, it's not really a jumpsuit. It's two pieces that fasten together…" Phil said.

"Um, I think this calls for a style show, Phil," Keely said, smiling. "Strip down, Diffy."

Phil laughed and pulled up his t-shirt. Keely stared at his body. "Phil, you're hot," she said, immediately covering her mouth and blushing.

"Glad you think so, Keels," Phil said. He was a little embarrassed as well, so as quickly as he could he took a purple and silver future shirt from the closet and put it on. It was tight. "Gosh, it's a little snug," he said.

"Well it's been like four years, kid," Keely said. "And, um, you've, you know, filled out a little." Phil pulled the shirt off and turned toward the closet, giving Keely a moment to gaze at his back. She noticed the way his jeans hung on his hips, a tiny strip of boxer shorts peeking over the waistband. She all of a sudden had a thought about Phil Diffy; a thought that surprised her. Her heart thumped and she felt a little shaky. As Phil turned toward her she looked away.

"What?" Phil asked.

"It's nothing," Keely said. Um, you're not just hot, you're sexy, she thought.

"Keels," Phil said. He put his t-shirt back on. "You can't fool me."

Keely pretended to study the books on Phil's "antique" bookshelf. "So, Phil, everything we do here is pretend?" Keely asked, glancing quickly at him. Her heart was racing. She couldn't believe what had crossed her mind, what she was about to do.

"Everything," Phil said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Everything?" Keely said, walking toward Phil. "What about this?" Keely grabbed Phil's belt buckle and pulled him toward her. Phil gulped and smiled. He was amazed at Keely's sudden enthusiasm. She unhooked the buckle and moved to the button on Phil's jeans. "That was a snap," Keely said, easily pushing the button through the hole.

"Actually," Phil whispered, "that was a button." He was getting more and more excited by the second. He thought he might burst from the tension. He shut his eyes and concentrated with every ounce of energy in his body to hold on. Just try and relax, Phil, he thought to himself. This is very, very interesting… Let's see where Keely's going with this.

Keely laughed. "Why are your eyes shut, Philly Willy?" she cooed at him.

"Who are you?" Phil asked. "Are you an imposter dressed in a Keely suit?" He tried to laugh but he was afraid to move. Moving might cause him to accidentally end this little adventure all too soon.

"It's just me, Phil," Keely whispered. She unzipped his jeans. I wish he'd look at me, she thought. "Phil?" she asked.

"Mmm, hmm?" he responded, eyes still shut.

"Open your eyes. I want to look at you," she said. Phil opened his eyes and looked into Keely's. Keely reached into the fly of Phil's boxers. When she made contact, he inhaled sharply. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Huh? No hurt," he murmured. "But I have to shut my eyes Keely…"

"Why?" Keely asked. She just stood there, sort of resting her hand inside Phil's pants, her fingertips barely touching what was there.

Phil swallowed hard. "You don't understand," he whispered. "I have to concentrate or… it'll… something… you know… might happen." Phil clenched his fists at his sides. He knew if he touched her or kissed her or even looked at her he might completely combust.

"Do I just pull it out?" Keely asked. She was beginning to panic slightly. She hadn't really thought about how she was supposed to go about actually doing it.

"I don't know, I mean, that depends… yeah, I guess…" Phil said. His heart was out of control. If I don't explode, I'll probably have a heart attack at this rate, he thought. Oh Keely if you don't do something soon I—

His thoughts were interrupted by Keely quickly jerking his jeans down to his knees. She tucked her fingers underneath the waistband of his boxers and gently slid them down. Phil was fully exposed. Keely didn't look down. She pushed Phil onto the bed on his back and stood between his knees where they bent over the edge. Phil took a chance and finally opened his eyes. "Keely," he squeaked and watched as she reached under her skirt and stepped out of her panties. Then he couldn't take it any more. Just as she lifted one leg to climb up on him, Phil tore off his Virtual Goggles and vanished from the bedroom.

"Oh no," Keely said. She took off her goggles. "Phil?" she called when she arrived back in Phil's 21st-century bedroom. He wasn't there. "Phil?" she yelled into the hallway. The bathroom door was closed. She put her ear to the door and heard water running. "I guess I'll, uh, wait in your room," she called through the door and went and lay down on Phil's bed.

"Hey, Keel," Phil said when he walked into his bedroom a few minutes later, a towel around his waist, hair wet. "Sorry about that, um, back there. I didn't mean for that—this is really, really embarrassing…"

"Oh God, Phil, don't be embarrassed. I'm the one who should be embarrassed," Keely said, not making eye contact with him and heading downstairs. "I'll, um, leave you alone to get dressed…"

Phil came down a minute later, dressed and grinning. "Keels," he said. "Maybe we should consider an activity where there are no bedrooms and where you don't take off your panties and I don't have to take a cold shower afterward," he said, blushing. "It seems like every minute we have alone leads to… you know."

"Yeah, about that," Keely said, wincing, "I didn't plan it. It just sort of happened. I really don't known what came over me… I don't even know what I was gonna do, you know, with it."

"Well, you were great, Keel," Phil said, smiling. "I've never seen that, uh, side of you." He sat down next to her on the couch. "I think you've got pretty good instincts." He raised his eyebrows and chuckled awkwardly.

"But it wasn't real," Keely said.

"I know… it sure felt like it, though," Phil said.

"Yeah, it did," Keely said. "I mean, if we had, you know, with the goggles, would I still technically be a virgin?"

"Technically, yeah, I guess so," Phil said. "That's a tough one. We probably would have blown a fuse on the goggles, though."

Keely laughed. "I think the reason why I was so, um, into it with the goggles on was that I knew it wasn't really me…" Keely said, looking at Phil. "You know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Phil said.

"It's like I want to know what it feels like before we do it for real," she said. "Like if it hurts."

Phil turned to face Keely, and held her hands and looked deep into her eyes. "Look Keels, it might hurt. I've heard that it does for the girl on the first time. But I will do everything I can to make it feel good. Not bad. I would never want you to hurt. Especially doing something that should—and will—mean so much to us. I promise."

"Okay," Keely said. She took a deep breath.

"Okay?" Phil asked. He smiled and pulled her to his chest in a hug.

"It's just so weird," Keely said

"What?" Phil asked.

"Most couples would still be in the whole getting-to-know-you stage. I guess we did that already," she said.

"Yeah, I think we know each other pretty well," Phil said.

"Maybe that's why I mean all this physical stuff is coming in such a rush," Keely said. "Maybe that's why I was weird about it this morning…"

"Well, Keel, it's all up to you. I want it to be perfect for you," Phil said.

"Thanks, Phil," Keely said. She kissed his cheek.

"So, now, we have all day to spend together before Owne's shindig. What about canoeing? Rock climbing? Swimming? Sailing? Dog walking?" Phil suggested.

Keely shook her head.

"What then?" Phil asked. "I have lots of energy to burn."

"Shopping? Facials? Manicures? Pedicures?" Keely asked brightly.

"Okay," Phil said.

"Okay?" Keely asked.

"For you, Keels. Just this once. Let's go," Phil said, somewhat grudgingly.

"Wow. My first trip to the mall with my brand-new boyfriend," Keely said, grabbing her purse and heading out the door. Phil followed along behind her, smiling.

Hey everyone. We should find out what made Keely cry in the last chapter in the next one. Plus, they go to Owen's raging pool party. Should be fun. Are y'all getting sick of almost-having-sex scenes? I am. Laters.