Stories
"And then what happened?" murmured Samantha lazily. Her head was pressed up against Phil's bare chest. He stroked her back, a bit sweaty from exertion and glistening in the flickering light of the lone candle.
"And then, that's it. Nothing else happened."
"Nothing?"
"Well, obviously some things… You can't possibly find the details of our flight back from Vidcon that exciting," Phil teased, smiling down at the girl resting on top of him.
"No, I just like feeling your voice rumble in your chest. It's really sexy." She eyed him with a coy smile.
"Ah, the truth comes out. You just want me for my body," Phil joked.
"Mmm yeah, you caught me," she hummed, snuggling against him and sighing contentedly.
It dawned on him that he couldn't remember the exact moment he had fallen in love, but he was aware that he had been for some time. After chickening out the first time they met, Phil had gone to the bar where Sam worked every day for a week until he finally worked up the nerve to ask her out. It had been well worth the effort. She was smart, funny, pretty, and a devoted friend and lover. Dan even seemed to like her despite the amount of time Phil now spent away from him. It helped that she had quickly identified the cereal as a point of tension in their friendship and started bringing a peace offering of Lucky Charms every weekend.
Since he'd been seeing Samantha, Phil hardly ever watched Dan when he wasn't looking, and he could make videos without the magnetic pull of Dan's skin driving him crazy. Maybe he'd finally moved on. Dan had done that months ago, after all; why couldn't he? Phil stroked the base of Sam's neck, admiring the wrinkle of her forehead. He could marry her. They could live together for the rest of their lives and be perfectly happy. Maybe it wasn't the fantasy he'd always had about Dan, but dreams can change over time. Dan had Amber, or possibly didn't anymore, it was really hard to tell with those two. But Phil could have Samantha, and he could still be best friends with Dan. Everything would work out.
The candle flickered out, leaving Phil in sudden darkness. Sam was breathing slowly and deeply. "You're a strange, wonderful, perfect little dream," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
"And I have a sweet ass, don't forget that," she mumbled, apparently not asleep.
"And you're so romantic," came the reply, dripping with sarcasm and punctuated by a dramatic roll of Phil's eyes.
"Said the guy who can't think of anything better to talk about after sex than turbulence and his carry-on getting checked at the gate?"
"I thought you liked my stories?"