sorry for the long wait. heres the next chapter! hopefully its not too short...anyways, this chapter is entirely on phil, so if you were hoping for some keely-time, im sorry to disappoint you. she might be in the next chapter…i think.

Disclaimer: i just own the creativity of the story. not the plot, not the characters (haha...i wish)...eh. you get the point. -shrug-

If Only You Knew

Chapter Fifteen: Apprehension

"So you're coming tonight, right?"

"Obviously, Owen. It's Pickford's New Year tradition, the whole town's going to be there."

"And you're gonna talk to her, right?"

"I probably have to anyway, with you practically chewing my butt off abou---"

"And you're not gonna chicken out?"

"Why would I chicken out? Owen, we talked about this yesterday, remem---"

"Cause you're gonna tell her you love her, right?"

"OWEN!" Phil nearly shouted in exasperation, smashing on the buttons of his controller furiously as the two boys stared transfixed at the t.v screen in front of them. "Shut up, already! You've been asking me the same question the entire---wait, WHAT?" He abruptly cut himself off and turned to look at Owen, whose last question had finally registered in his brain.

The sound of an explosion attracted Phil's attention back to the television, and Owen whooped as his character on the screen struck a winning pose. "And the O-dawg wins again! Dude, you can't beat the master of the X-box!" He suddenly jumped to his feet and broke out in one of his strange dances, Phil staring up at him with a mixture of amusement and slight fear.

"Uh…" Phil carefully stood up and backed away towards the door, making sure to stay out of Owen's reach in case the teen accidentally toppled over and knocked him unconscious. "Well, Owen, it's been fun hanging out at your house, but…I'm just…gonna head home now, alright? See you tonight."

Owen nodded feverishly before going into what seemed to be a 70's style break dance, and Phil quickly rushed out the door before anything potentially dangerous had the chance to take place.

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The wind howled in his ears as he strolled along, and Phil glanced up at the dark, threatening clouds in the sky above. With an inward groan he quickened his pace, not wanting to be in the midst of the upcoming storm.

'Good thing that New Year's Eve party is indoors,' he thought with relief, inhaling the thick, damp scent lingering in the air. All of a sudden, though, an involuntary shiver ran down his spine, causing him to stop abruptly, confused. Strange…even with the bad weather, it wasn't the slightest bit cold at the moment…

Deciding to shrug it off, Phil continued to make his way along the sidewalk with his hands shoved in the large pocket of his hooded jacket. Still, that eerie chill continued to seep into his skin, and within a few minutes he began to shiver.

He didn't know why.

As he came upon the Teslow residence as a part of his usual route home, Phil gazed at her window on the second floor, hoping to see even the slightest bit of her figure if she happened to be in her room. Unfortunately, no matter how slowly he walked by, Keely never appeared. Maybe she was out shopping with Via, or maybe she was just doing something else with her time.

Either way, he didn't know. He hadn't seen her during the entire Christmas Break, aside from Owen's Christmas Party. They'd been avoiding each other for a reason, that much was certain to Phil.

But he missed her. No matter how awkward it had been after that kiss, no matter how good the reason was to stay away from her, he missed Keely. A lot.

And yet, the next time he would see her…he'd have to confront his feelings to her as well, whether he liked it or not. Because unless he cleared things up, all that awkwardness, all the tension…it would only get worse. And as much as he missed her, Phil couldn't help but hesitate about the entire situation itself. Was it because he was afraid of her reaction, of what could happen to their friendship if he said the slightest thing wrong?

Or…was it something else?

He couldn't comprehend it, even as he walked up the steps to the place he had called home for so long. The rain was starting to fall, heavy drops that drenched the ground around him almost instantly, the sounds of water hitting the pavement echoing loudly throughout the quiet street.

Phil gazed out at the rain silently for a few moments, hoping to clear out the crowded thoughts consuming his mind. But instead, for some strange reason, it only brought back memories…

- - -

They were sitting on his porch steps, side by side, staring out at the sheets of rain just as the sun began to set below the horizon far off in the west. The rays of light reflected off the falling raindrops, causing them to sparkle and glitter before quickly splattering on the ground, untouched from the clouds above. It was a rare sight to see, to have sunlight on a rainy day like this…and the two witnesses gazed at the sight before them in complete and silent awe.

"Hey, Phil?" Keely asked softly, turning her gaze slightly in his direction as he nodded in acknowledgement. "Back home, d' you get to see all of this? I mean…is everything still the same like it is right now?"

He turned to face her, confused at why she would ask such a question, but answered nonetheless. "Well…not really. In 2121, we've advanced so much with technology that we really don't see the natural things in life anymore. Or at least stuff like this." He motioned towards the rain and the beautiful sunset, and she gave a small, almost sad smile.

"But do you miss it?"

No longer looking at or thinking of the rain, Phil turned to look at Keely completely, wondering where this was going as his brow furrowed in uncertainty.

She let out a tiny sigh before continuing hesitantly, "The future, I mean. I know you and your family have been stuck here for like, ever…so don't you kind of miss it?"

He looked out at the rain again, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. We do, actually. It is our true home, so I guess it's expected." He glanced at Keely, whose head was now bent over and staring at her lap. "Keel, you okay?"

She quickly pulled her head up and nodded, though still averting her eyes away from his. "Yeah, yeah…I'm fine. But…" she hesitated again, as if she were unsure of how to say it. "Wouldn't you…

"…Wouldn't you miss this place too?"

- - -

He didn't know why and how that memory found its way into his mind like that, but it only caused more confusing thoughts to enter his already cluttered brain. He had to stop thinking so much…he had to go and get ready for that party. And he had to get ready to face her.

Clutching onto the doorknob, Phil slowly began to open the door when another chill suddenly shot up his spine without warning. Something just didn't feel right…

But just what was it?

He was surprised to find his entire family quietly waiting for him on the other side of the door, including Curtis. Certainly an unusual site, especially since the family was barely ever found to be all together at one time during this time of day. It of course, probably meant only one thing…the one thing that right now, he refused to believe, no matter how many signs were pointing straight to it.

"Honey…" Barb began softly, walking towards her only son as he stared at them with apprehension in his eyes. "Your father, he was working on the time machine this morning, we didn't think it was actually going to happen…"

He wasn't listening to her. He couldn't. He already knew. But it was too soon, this shouldn't be happening, not now, of all times…

He was supposed to tell Keely everything. He was supposed to finally find the truth, for both himself and her, before it was too late. Before he lost her. So what was he supposed to do now?

Suddenly, all he wanted was to be back outside, back in the rain, lost in his memories…forever.

"…We're going home, Phil."

And suddenly, the rain looked like tears.

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ehehe...sorry for making it so dramatic. anyways, these next few chapters might be a bit difficult for me, especially since its sort of nearing towards the end…so please bear with me. as always, ill try my best to update as fast as i can! much love and appreciation!

as for now, that review button looks very tempting…-hint hint-