Friends and Lovers
By Misha

Author's Notes- This chapter is kind of weird, it's mostly what's going through the heads of the four of them after the evening is over. Oh, as you'll learn in this chapter. Chloe is completely clueless to how Shawn feels and she sees him as only a friend and nothing more. Also, it's probably obvious but Shawn and Phillip really don't like one another. Enjoy.

Chapter Two

Thursday, October 5th 2000

Phillip dropped Belle and Shawn off first, giving him some time alone with Chloe. "You know Blue Eyes, it might be a bad idea."

"What might be?" Chloe asked innocently.

Phillip smiled and captured her chin in his hands. "This plan to set Belle up with Shawn."

"Why? They'd be perfect for one another."

Phillip knew he couldn't tell Chloe that it wouldn't work because Shawn was in love with her. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Always." Chloe answered, leaning forward to give him a good night kiss.

Phillip felt his heart race as they kissed. There was something about Chloe...

He knew he had a pretty awful track record when it came to dating, but what he felt for Chloe was real. He was falling head over heels in love with her and couldn't imagine feeling this way about anyone else.

He pulled away and stared into her beautiful blue eyes. "You're so beautiful." He whispered.

Chloe blushed at the compliment, but looked happy.

She kissed him again and then got out of the car. "I should get inside, Mom and Dad will be worried."

"Alright." Phillip said, watching as she walked up the steps into the house, then started the car to drive home.

He couldn't believe his luck. Chloe was actually his girlfriend. He had been interested in her for months, but he thought that there was something going on between her and Brady, but...

He had finally asked her friend Mimi whether or not Chloe and Shawn were a couple and learnt that they decidedly were not and that Chloe was free.

Still, Phillip had the feeling that Shawn was just waiting for the right time to make a move on Chloe.

"That's not going to happen." Phillip thought outloud. "It took me this long to find the girl of my dreams and I'm certainly not going her up to Shawn Brady."

He hoped that Chloe's plan worked and that Shawn transferred his affections to Belle Black.

After all she was pretty enough and under any other circumstances Phillip would purse her himself, but... He had found the only girl he wanted, now he just had to make sure he kept her.
* * * * *

Belle lay on her bed and closed her eyes, picturing Shawn Brady in her mind. He was definitely cute and he seemed sweet and funny, the only problem was that he was also crazy about Chloe Wesley.

"Well, that can change." Belle whispered, opening her eyes. "After all, Chloe's crazy about Phillip and he's crazy about her. Maybe Shawn will realize that they really care for one another and..."

Belle bit her lip. She knew that it wasn't likely. But she was praying that if she spent enough time with him Shawn would see her in the same way she saw him.

She smiled suddenly. There was always the fact that it looked like Chloe was trying to set them up. Maybe, with Chloe's help she could win his heart.

She closed her eyes again and started to fall asleep and began to dream about Shawn Brady...
* * * * *

Chloe sat in her room listening to music. She was thinking about Belle and Shawn and her plan to get them together.

"I hope it works." She whispered. "They could be great for one another and Shawn needs a girlfriend."

She frowned slightly, thinking about Shawn's odd behaviour lately. It seemed like he was jealous, but that was impossible, wasn't it? After all, what would Shawn be jealous of?

Then it came to her.

"He's jealous of how much time I spend with Phillip." She realized. "After all I barely see him anymore, while we used to hang out every day. No wonder he's a little jealous. I'll have to talk to him and tell him that just because I'm dating Phillip it doesn't mean that he's no longer my best friend."

Chloe looked around the room at all the pictures she had of her and Shawn growing up together.

There were other pictures of course. Pictures of her family, of her other friends, and...

Chloe's eyes darted over to her night table and the framed picture of Phillip she kept there. She walked over and picked it up before sitting on the bed.

She gazed at the picture, forgetting both Shawn and Belle as she began to think about Phillip.

She had had a crush on him for months, but she never thought anything would come of it. Then suddenly one day he was asking her out. She was still wondering why then, why that specific moment.

"Oh, well." She whispered. "I'll find out someday."

She lay back on her bed and fell asleep, her last conscious thought being of Phillip.
* * * * *

Shawn slammed his school books shut.

He was trying to finish homework, but he couldn't think of anything other than Phillip and Chloe and how cozy they had been that night.

He closed his eyes and replayed the scene of when Phillip arrived at the Wesley's house. Of the way she had run to the door and of the kiss the two had shared.

"Why can't it be me?" Shawn muttered. "Why can't I be the one to kiss her and hold her hand? Why do I have to be the good friend, the guy she's trying to set up with another girl?"

He glanced over at the picture of Chloe he kept on his night table. She was laughing, her head tossed back and her beautiful blue eyes sparkling.

He thought suddenly of the way she had looked at Kiriakis, the same sparkle had been in her eyes.

"I should be the one to make her eyes sparkle!" Shawn said jealously, taking a deep breath. "I need to calm down."

But the stress of the evening was getting to him. He wondered how he had managed to stay sane with Kiriakis hanging all over Chloe and Chloe being determined to fix him up with Belle Black.

It had not been his ideal evening.

"I hope I won't have to do that again any time soon." He said with a shudder. "Because if I do I think I'll go insane."
* * * * *