Friends and Lovers
By Misha

Chapter Twenty-Two

Author's Notes- Okay, this one is short and is completely centred around Phloe. I got inspired which is why it's out so quickly. I hope you like it. Oh, there's some suggestive material in this, but nothing too awful. I hope you like it! Monday, December 25th 2000, Christmas Day

Chloe woke up to the sound of something being thrown against her window and realized after a moment that it was Phillip.

She took a quick glance at the alarm clock and saw that it was 6:00 in the morning. After a moment, she got out of bed and opened the window.

"Phillip?" She called out softly. "I'll be down in a minute to let you in."

"Alright." He called back.

She smiled to herself as she grabbed her robe and hurried down the stairs. There was something about Phillip that always made her happy to see him, no matter how early in the morning it was.

"Merry Christmas." He told her after she let him in.

"Merry Christmas." She told him with a smile as they walked back to her bedroom and locked the door behind him.

"So, what was so important that we had to meet at six A.M?" She asked with a slight yawn.

Phillip took a seat on her bed and then handed her the larger of the two packages he carried. "I didn't really want an audience when I gave you these."

Chloe eyed the package curiously as she sat down next to Phillip and began to unwrap it.

She smiled when she saw his varsity jacket in the box. She understood the meaning behind it and knew that by giving it to her he was laying claim. It was a high school tradition that she had never particularly cared for, she had rolled her eyes when Mimi had shown off Jason's jacket which he had given to her on their three month anniversary, but now she saw a different meaning behind it. Phillip was showing everybody how much he cared for her by giving her the jacket and she was touched.

She looked up at her boyfriend and smiled. "Thank you." She whispered.

"I'd hoped you'd like it." Phillip told her tenderly. "Now, go ahead, open your other gift."

Chloe looked at him for a moment before doing just that. Once she had opened it she gasped. Inside a blue velvet jewellers box was a beautiful sapphire heart on a silver chain.

"It's gorgeous." She whispered.

"It's a symbol of the fact that you've won my heart." Phillip told her softly.

"Oh, Phillip, thank you, it's so beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you." Phillip told her sincerely.

"Thank you." Chloe whispered again with a blush as she stood up to get Phillip's gifts from her closet. Once she had retrieved them, she sat down on the bed again and handed it to him.

Phillip smiled at Chloe when he took opened his gifts, a cassette tape of Chloe singing and a beautiful sweater.

"Thank you, darling." He whispered. "These will definitely be used often. I'll play the tape every time I'm in the car, so I can think about you."

"I'm glad you like them." Chloe whispered, reaching up to kiss him.

Phillip pushed their gifts out of the way as the kiss grew more and more passionate, after a few minutes they had fallen back on the bed.

"We should stop." Phillip whispered, his breathing heaving.

"We should." Chloe agreed, running one hand across Phillip's lips. "But I don't want to."

"You don't." Phillip asked in surprise.

"No." Chloe told him, slightly surprised herself.

But she knew that it was what she wanted. She and Phillip might not have been dating very long, but she knew that she loved him and he loved her and he was the one she wanted her first time to be with. She loved and trusted him completely and knew that she was ready for this step.

To show how ready she was, she kissed him again.

Phillip responded passionately, sliding her robe off and deepening the kiss until neither one of them were aware of anything but each other.

When they finally broke away for air, Phillip sat up and pulled Chloe onto his lap. She straddled him as he slipped his hands under her nightgown and began to caress her breasts. As his hands began to move lower, his lips claimed hers again and Chloe welcomed them eagerly.

All her doubts evaporated as she forgot about everything except Phillip and what he made her feel. Maybe it wouldn't last forever, though she hoped that it would, maybe what they had would fade, but they'd always share this moment and was that all matter right now.

Life was short, she knew that she had to enjoy it while it lasted, and right now this was what she wanted more than anything else. To be in Phillip's arms and to give into the feelings that had consumed her for so long.

And now that moment had finally come, she pushed everything else out of her mind and gave into the oblivion that was Phillip.
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