Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2018 02:36:35 +0000 (UTC) From: Tidus Steinbeck Subject: Stories of an Old Boy: Matty?s Turn Chapter 2 Stories of an Old Boy: Matty's Turn Written by: NeverAnywhere (neveranywhere86@yahoo.com) Disclaimer: This story mentions sexual acts between minors. You have been warned. This story is also a fan-written sequel of "Stories of an Old Boy," written by XPud and will contain characters from that story as well direct references to the story. If you haven't read it yet, do yourself a favor and give it a read. You won't regret it. Thanks to XPud for help with fomatting, editing, and suggestions. Remember to support Nifty so that stories like this and more can continue to have a home. Chapter 2: After I get up from the bleachers, I head over to where some of the kids in the class are setting up to play four square. I know these guys, of course...but they think we just met. Man! It's so hard to keep that a secret sometimes! Anyway, I make my way over to them. Viktor and Kasha are standing next to each other in the king and queen squares--it's kinda appropriate, since they're twins and all. I'm pretty sure that's Kasha in the king square, since he's trying to be all cool with the ball and stuff. It's funny how some people don't change much from one life to another. Well, I guess they wouldn't if they would make the same choices or whatever--unless someone like me were to make things different, right? Argh! This stuff is so confusing. They're still Vik and Kasha. The other boy is Kyle. He's pretty cool. I mostly remember that milk would always shoot out of his nose when he laughed or was really surprised. Phillip used to be pretty good about getting him to do it. Anyway, since I'm in choir with Vik and Kasha, we just kinda hit it off and started hanging out at lunch and in gym class. I mean, they can be a handful sometimes, but they were good friends to me before, so why would I not hang out with them? Plus, they make me laugh. "Hi guys!" I say as I wave at them. "Matty!" Kasha says as he tries to spin the ball on his finger. "You're just in time to be dominated by me in four square! I will make you cry tears of the defeat!" "Oh, please," Vik says with a bit of an eye roll, "Don't you remember what happened the last time we played? You lost the king square to me and couldn't get back to it. Before that, Kyle got you out at the queen's square and you stayed in the first square for five minutes." "Exactly!" Kasha has this stupid grin on his face. "I've gotten better every time! My victory is certain!" The three of us groan at Kasha, but I can't help but giggle a little at him. "Well, let's see if you can back up all that talk," I say, giving him my most confident game face. I can be pretty competitive when I want to be. The game turns out to be pretty fun. Kasha does survive a few rounds and even makes some pretty awesome plays; then, of course, everybody teams up on him. Just one fast return from Vik and he gets bumped back to the beginning while the rest of us move up a square. Now, I don't usually cheat...but playing a game like four square is even more fun when you can rewind time! One time, Vik knocked it right on the edge of the far corner of my square--seriously, he loves doing that--but all I had to do was rewind it a couple of times so I could return it with a bit of a spin to the far corner of his square and watch him miss it as he dived for it. I mean, if you could do stuff that cool, you'd do it once in a while too, right? Anyway, the game eventually kinda settles down a bit and everybody gets to talking. While the others talk, I look around to see if I can find Phillip. I look where the kids are all playing the, like, five or six games going on in the gym, but he doesn't catch my eye. I finally do notice him just kind of walking around the gym. Funny, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he did when we first met. He kinda seems different from then, though. Like, he seems more...argh! I don't know, more sad? I mean, I remember he used to, like, walk like he was more confident--probably because he was the time-traveling, thousand-year-old kid. Now he just walks like somebody who gets yelled at and talked down to all the time. At least that's how I feel when I watch him. Whatever, I start focusing on the group again in time to catch Kasha say something to me. "I can't believe you would talk to Rod like that, Matty" he says with a shake of his head, hitting the ball over to Kyle. "You want him to make pulp out of you?" "Yeah, man," Kyle says. "That seems like a death wish to me. Guy's a big jerk. Mama always says, `There's a reason the biggest rooster always runs the henhouse.'" "What?" Kasha says. "What does this have to do with roosters? Nobody was talking about roosters!" Kyle looks a little irritated, saying in his southern drawl, "I told you, it's something my mom always says when I talk to her about big bullies. I don't know, just use your imagination or something, lord!" "Relax, guys. I'll be fine," I say with a smile. "I'm not looking to make enemies or whatever, but I'm not gonna just let him make fun of me for helping someone or just because I'm short or because Phillip is a little clumsy. I mean, guys like that just make me angry...you know?" I realize I'm actually getting a little angry here. Whatever--guys like Rod really piss me off. But I'm not going to let things get out of control or start a fight with him or whatever. Phillip did that before and it ended up being a lot of trouble. I mean, he could handle it, I guess, but he'd sometimes make it worse and he wouldn't rewind, like all the time...Argh! I'm just not gonna bother Rod if I can help it. "Don't worry, though," I say as I come back to reality. "I'm not going to make a habit out of it if I can help it." As long as he doesn't make me do something. Vik kind of looks at me, then to Phillip and back to me and asks, "So, do you and Phillip know each other or something?" I shrug. "Not really. We just met." I mean, that's not entirely a lie. Not like I can just say, `Oh yeah, we met in my last life but he doesn't remember me.' I mean, duh! Not like I can go around telling everybody, I'd just end up rewinding all the time. "Why do you ask?" Vik shrugs this time and says, "No reason. I just don't know many people who would protect somebody they don't know from someone like Rod." I guess he has a point. Most people would try their best to ignore it or maybe even laugh at the kid being bullied. I've been bullied enough in my life--er, lives I guess--that I'd hate for it happen to someone else if I could do something about it. "I just don't like bullies," I say seriously. At this point Kasha chimes in, "Okay, enough talk about that. What sort of fun is everyone doing this weekend?" Oh yeah! It's Friday and I almost forgot! I actually do have big plans, but I just kinda play it off like I'm not sure yet. Vik and Kasha are apparently going camping with their dad in a nearby park, which sounds like a lot of fun. Makes me wish I could still do something like that with my dad...oh, and Kyle is apparently going to visit a cousin of his who lives, like an hour away from here or something; they're going surfing or something--I guess I don't remember Kyle being into surfing, but that's pretty cool. We bounce the ball around for a few more minutes before the coach blows the whistle and signals for us to go change out. The class heads to the locker room kinda in groups as the equipment gets put away. I excuse myself from the group so I can go use the restroom. Like I said, I have a hard time telling when I have to pee, but I figure it's been long enough that I should probably go. So, I head into the locker room bathrooms, past the few kids that are already in there, find a urinal kinda near the door and go. It ends up being a lot, considering I didn't feel like I needed to go that bad. I finish up and leave the restroom, I catch Phillip stealing a glance at me, but trying to look away quickly and act like I didn't see him. I smile and laugh a little to myself as I keep walking out. I guess some things never change, even if Phillip is a little different. Anyway, I make my way back over to Phillip and start changing back into my school clothes. Rod doesn't try anything while we're changing out, thankfully. Just because I've got these time-travel powers doesn't mean I want to use them all the time, especially if I have to keep rewinding because of bullies. It's just a headache. I mean, I totally would, especially if they were bullying Phillip...but I'm glad I don't have to. After I finish dressing, I notice that Phillip has started to leave the locker room without saying anything to me. Crap! I need to catch him or I'll...wait! Duh! Rewind powers! Not the most exciting way to use them, but we don't have the same classes together, so I need to make the most of the time we have. I tried to work it out so we'd share the same classes, but the cancer kind of screwed that up. I was ahead at my old school, but that year I lost got me stuck in remedial classes. Of course, that made it so I could meet Phillip at all, so I guess it's not that bad. It's weird, though. Last time I knew Phillip, he was in remedial math and science with me and now he's in, like, all honors classes or something. I guess he messed around a bit with that so he could--argh! Focus, Matty, he's leaving. Rewind! I think back to a few minutes ago, right to the moment where I got back to the bench next to Phillip, and when I open my eyes, that's where I end up. I'm even back in my gym uniform. I start changing out again and l look over to Phillip. He looks down as he changes out, trying really hard to avoid looking at me. I kinda thought introducing myself would be enough to make him comfortable with at least talking to me...I guess I just have to try harder. "Phillip, are you sure you're okay?" I ask. He looks up at me a little startled. I'm smiling to try and make him feel better. God, who would've thought getting Phillip to talk would be so stinking hard! "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Sorry...I-I guess I was just thinking about stuff--it's not important," he laughs a little nervously at the end as he rubs the back of his neck. That's new. I don't think he's ever done that before. But he's finally talking, so I keep going. "That's good," I reply. "It's just I saw you kind of walking around the gym and I was wondering if you were upset or something. Like, with me for earlier or whatever." He goes wide-eyed and looks at me quickly saying, "Oh! N-no, it's not that." Then he goes back to kinda looking at the floor. "I'm just...not really big into sports. Everyone's usually much more coordinated than I am, so I...I just don't really like to play." I feel a little sad for him. I don't want him to be all alone all the time. "Well, you could always play foursquare with me and my friends," I say. "I mean, if you want to. You could always just watch and hang out, so long as the coach doesn't keep a close eye on us. Better than walking around by yourself all the time, right?" He looks up at me with little blush in his cheeks, his eyes kinda moving around from my face to his hands and to the floor. "Y-yeah! I mean...yeah, sure. That could be fun, I guess." I know I have a big smile on my face right now and I don't care. I think it's cute he gets this flustered and I'm just happy I can be there for him--even if it is just trying to get him to make friends. "Good," I say. Now I just have to get to the next stage of the plan. "Hey, do you want to come over to my house after school? We can just hang out and play video games and stuff." At this point, we've both finished changing out and are grabbing our bags, heading out the door to our next class. "Um...why?" he asks. I laugh and he blushes some more. I'm not sure if he's embarrassed that I'm laughing or whatever, but I finally reply, "Why? Maybe because video games are fun?" I smile. Still blushing, he says, "N-no, not like that. I mean, I just don't usually get invited to hang out with people...besides, we only just met." "Well," I say, "now you're invited. I'm new to the school, remember? It's not a lot of fun to start a new school until you get to meet people you want to be friends with. I want to be friends with you and I want to get to know you better. You seem pretty cool." He gives me this look--like, an `Are you serious?' Kind of look--and says, "I seem cool to you? So far, all I've done since we met is almost bust my face open and stutter and spend all of class walking around avoiding people. How could you possibly think I'm cool?" I'm not going to let him bait me or catch me off guard here. I know I can get him to come over; and I'm going to do it without rewinding once! Well, except for that for first time. Argh! Anyway, moving on. "I've got pretty good instincts," I say, still smiling. "Like, I mean, really good instincts. It's almost like I'm psychic, sometimes. Look, just trust me---I can tell," I say with a wink. He looks at me like he's confused, but also like he wants to laugh. "Oh, and I don't think we have any classes together, so I wanted to figure out some way to do it. Besides, I'd rather hang out somewhere other than school. Wouldn't you?" He think about it for a second then says. "Yeah...I guess that could be fun. Sorry--er, about just now--I just don't have many friends here at school." He trails off at the end. Man, I just don't know what to say. "Well," I say slowly, "you've got me. That's a start, right?" He smiles, "Y-yeah. I guess so. Thanks." He blushes again. "Oh! I'll have to call my mom after school to make sure, but i think she'll be okay with it," he says. I'm sure she will be. If she's anything like she was last time, she'll be grateful Phillip is even making friends with people. "Great!" I say excitedly. "I can't wait! I guess I'll see you after school, then?" He smiles again, "Yeah. See you later." I smile and we go our separate ways to our own classes. Honestly, I'm so excited that the rest of the day seems to just drag on, even if it's only two classes. Well, there's also lunch, I guess, but that doesn't count. It doesn't help that the first class is math. I hate math! I have a hard time making sense of all the numbers and stuff, so I find it boring. It's worse that it's remedial math, which makes me feel dumb that I can't get it all. But, this is also technically my second time taking it and, weirdly, some of it I kind of remember better than I thought I would have. I mean, it still kind of confuses me, but it's kinda like playing a song you learned a long time ago but haven't played since you first learned it. Like, I don't remember all of it, but I remember some. Whatever, the point is math is boring, but if I could remember stuff from last time, I might have been able to get out of remedial classes altogether and at least take a standard class. I guess my mom wanted to make sure I'd do okay in my grade. Just part of the fun of being out of school for a year because of cancer. Yay. Anyway, after what seems like forever, math class ends and I move on to science. I love science! I mean, when I was testing for it before transferring here, I got a really good score the first time in this universe--like, I could've probably been in honors classes for it. I thought about it, though, and realized I was okay with slowing down a bit to try and enjoy school without getting crazy busy with school work. So, I made it so I tested good enough for a standard seventh grade science class. The work is still at least exciting enough to keep things interesting, so it gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day. Besides, we get to dissect a frog at the end of the year and I'm totally looking forward to that! Finally, the bell rings and school ends! I practically rush back to home room to grab my phone and head out in front of the school to wait for Phillip. I realize I'm pacing a bit. Argh! I'm so nervous! I mean, I'm not gonna let Phillip see how nervous I am if I can help it, but it's finally here! The day I've been waiting for since I got these time-travel powers! Well, it's one of the days I've been waiting for...one step at a time, Matty. At last, I see Phillip walking out of the front doors of the school. He's on his phone, talking to his mom, I'm sure. He walks up to me and sounds like he's about finish his phone call. He smiles and says, "Mom says I can go to your place." "Awesome!" I shout. He smiles even bigger--I guess my excitement is finally starting to get through to him. "We're going to have a blast, man! You ever play any Black Ops?" "Er, n-no," he says, kinda looking away, "I mean, I guess I have at a friend's house before, but that was a while ago. I'm not really good at shooters anyway." "Eh, don't worry," I say. "You'll get the hang of it. Besides, I bet with enough practice you could probably be as good as me," I laugh and nudge him a bit and he smiles and I swear to god, I actually get a laugh out of him! Oh, and there's no way he'll actually ever beat me at Black Ops. He never has before and unless something really weird happens, I'm pretty sure he never will. But I'll be nice to him. "Of course, we don't have to just play Black Ops," I say. "We'll have the whole afternoon ahead of us!" "Y-yeah," he smiles his small smile again, "I can't wait." I smile back and laugh a little. The rest of the walk to my house is pretty quiet for the most part. It's the same walk through the woods to the back of the fence with the loose board that I've taken hundreds of time in my two lives. It's still weird for me to think that is the first time Phillip's taken it, even though it's not. We go through the fence and walk through the backyard of my house. We make our way through the back door that opens right into the kitchen. I take a quick look around, throwing my backpack on the kitchen counter and see my mom sitting on the couch in the living room, watching her soap operas. "Mom! I have a friend over!" I yell, trying to talk over the tv. "Who is it?" Mom asks. She gets up from the couch (after pausing the show) and makes her way over to me and Phillip. I'm not gonna lie, this meeting is kind of important to me. Mom's going to be seeing a lot more of Phillip, so she needs to start liking having him around. "Mom, this is Phillip. We just met today in gym class," I say with a smile. "Well, that certainly sounds like my son," she smiles, "making so many friends at a new school and only just two weeks in. It's good to meet you, Phillip." She holds out her hand so Phillip can shake it. Phillip slowly sticks out his hand in response (well, slower than he would have before) and shakes hands. "He-hello, ma'am," he says, "It's nice to meet you. Thanks--for letting me come over, I mean." Okay, two things. That's the first time I've ever seen Phillip be so polite. Well...polite like that, I guess. More importantly, he's just turned back into the puddle I met earlier and I can't get enough of how cute it is. Funnily enough, I see a similar reaction cross my mom's face. I mean, Phillip wouldn't know that look, but I do. "Oh, it's no trouble. Matty has had a lot of friends over, so I'm used to playing hostess around here," she smiles and winks at him. I roll my eyes and sigh a little, "Alright, mom," I say, "that's enough. We're going to go play video games for a bit." "Okay," she says, making he way back to the couch. "Just holler if you need anything." "Got it," I say. I start to head over to my room, Phillip right behind me. As we walk in, I look at Phillip, who's totally gawking at how decorated the room is, mouth hanging open just a bit. The room's basically decorated the same as it was in my last life, so lots of video game posters, action figures, and comic books. The comic books are kind of a new thing, I guess? I just decided to give them more of a try than I have before and I really like to read them! I even have some framed and hanging up on the wall--but those are too valuable to read. Anyway, Phillip's reaction is priceless. I like to think I know how to surprise him every once in a while. Actually, it's probably even easier to do now that he doesn't really remember me or anything. Whatever. I used to know how to surprise him, I guess. But I realize there's a bit of an awkward silence here, so I try and pick things up a bit. "So...Black Ops?" Phillip stammers, "Uh, y-yeah. Let's do it." I start up the X-Box and hand Phillip a controller and, for the first time, he actually starts a conversation. "So...your mom seems, p-pretty cool." I smile as I select Black Ops from the menu screen, "Yeah, she's pretty cool. It's just the two of us, so she kinda lets me do whatever. Y'know, as long as I don't burn the house down or whatever." Phillip sighs, "Man, that makes me so jealous. I've got two older sisters, so I never have that kind of freedom. It makes everything like a family activity, or whatever." He sounds kind of annoyed by the time he's done. I guess that's true of anyone with siblings. I mean, it was true of Phillip when I first knew him--he never wanted to spend much time at his place because we'd always have to worry about his big family getting in the way or...walking in on us. But things are different now and I know Phillip doesn't really hate his sisters or anything. Besides, if I'm going to spending a lot of time with Phillip, he's gotta get used to having me over. "I don't know," I say, "I think it would be nice sometimes to have siblings. Maybe I could come over to your house sometime. Y'know, see what it's like?" I say, looking at Phillip to see his reaction. He hesitates and stammers a bit, "W-well...it's not all that bad, I guess...but I'm sure it's not that exciting at my place." I laugh a little, "I don't know, I'm pretty sure we'd find ways to keep from getting too bored," I smile. Phillip looks at me with a blush. If he thought I was flirting with him...I guess I kinda was. Hey, I've never really done it before, so I'm not that good at it yet! Of course, I want to prove I'm his friend first...but I also want to get back to being boyfriends again. Argh! I may have time-travel powers, but I'm still learning that some stuff needs a lot of patience. Whatever. I'm not rewinding it. But, like I said, I'm not a great flirt (maybe it's just too early for that), so I decided to just play it off instead. "Uh," I say, "that didn't come out the way I wanted it to." I laugh at myself, which prompts Phillip to give me a weird look before he giggles, amused at my goof up. Anyway, after that, we start playing Black Ops. I'm totally kicking his butt--and maybe enjoying it a bit too much, but Phillip seems to be enjoying it. He even starts to get a little better the longer we play, but I start to get focused and get my game face on. Phillip told me in my last life that my face would get all scrunched up when I get focused; he said he always got distracted when I made that face. I only bring it up because I notice out of the corner of my eye that Phillip is staring at me. He's got this smile on his face, like he's lost in a dream. I try my best not to smile. I guess he wasn't lying; he finds that face I make pretty cute. But that doesn't mean I don't take advantage of him being distracted. I told you, I'm competitive! After a little while, I hear mom yell that she's about to start dinner. This is it. It's time to take a big chance. "Hey, mom? Can Phillip spend the night here?" Phillip gives me this look, like he's about to panic a bit. I just smile really friendly in response. "Sure, honey," Mom says, "Just make sure it's okay with his parents. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour." At this point, it's all up to Phillip. I know I'm kinda pressuring him a bit, but I know he wants to take me up on the invitation. "Well?" I ask, still smiling, "Do you want to stay the night? I really want you to." Phillip hesitates for a second, but takes out his phone and says, "Uh...yeah! I-I mean, sure. Let me just check to make sure my mom's okay with it." I sit and stare at him while he makes the call. Okay so, I might be pushing too hard right now. I mean, just because he stayed over in my last life doesn't mean he will this time. But he wants to, so that's a good sign, right? What do I do after that? Have I seriously not thought that far ahead? There's no way we'll go as far as we did that first time, right? Argh! Why is this part so stressful?! Okay, just relax. You're only trying to spend time with Phillip right now. You know you don't want to push him to do anything he's not ready to do. It's just nice to be next to him again--to spend time with him again. "Hi, mom? I'm still at my friend's house...I'm okay. Can...can I spend the night here?" There's a long pause on both sides of the call. I'm holding my breath and I feel like I'm about to suffocate. His mom starts up again. I can't really hear what she's saying, but I think she sounds...surprised, maybe? "Yes, ma'am," Phillip says, sounding a little excited, "I will. Uh...what time?" He looks at me and says,"Uh, she wants to know when I want to be picked up." I go for it, "Tomorrow afternoon?" He pauses then repeats what I just said to his mom. Another pause while his mom talks. "Yes, ma'am. That's fine. I understand. I love you too, bye." He hangs up the phone. I look at him, waiting for an update. "Mom says I can stay the night." "Yes!" I shout and pump my fist. He smiles and chuckles a tiny bit, "But I have a family thing in the afternoon, so I can only stay until, like, noon." Okay, so not what I was hoping for entirely, but we have the night to ourselves. "That's cool," I say, "I'm just glad you get to spend the night here so we can hang out all night. Now I've got all night to beat you in Black Ops!" He laughs and says, "Come on, it can't be that fun to keep beating me." I smile, "Hey, you're such a good sport about it that it's always fun. Besides, you almost got me a couple of times." He blushes a tiny bit and rubs his neck, "Oh, come on," he laughs, "I just got lucky is all." We play a few more rounds while we wait for dinner. He actually is getting a little better, weirdly. I mean, he's nowhere close to beating me, but he's not as terrible at this game as he used to be. Anyway, after a few more rounds, we all sit down for dinner. It's Friday and mom always does tacos on a Friday. She always says that tacos are much better at the end of the week than at the beginning because they're like a reward for making it to the weekend. She even says it tonight. Phillip smiles (he's probably being polite) and I roll my eyes (because I've heard her say it a hundred times), but I still laugh. Mom tries to get a little conversation going while we eat. "Phillip, I'm glad you could join us for dinner," she says. "Th-thank you, ma'am. I appreciate the dinner, it's really good," he says, taking a bite out of the taco shell. I'm just sitting and watching, seeing how different this dinner is from the first one he had with us. "Thank you, Phillip. I think cooking for guests makes me a better cook," she smiles. "So, how exactly did you two meet?" Phillip shoots me a quick look, like, `What do I say?', so I decide to answer. "It was gym class," I start, "No real big story there, I just kind of introduced myself and we hit it off," I finish with a smile. I'm not trying to lie to my mom, but I'm also trying not to embarrass Phillip too much. I mean, I'm pretty sure he doesn't want the first thing my mom hears about him is that he's some kind of charity case or whatever. He smiles and says, "Y-yeah, we just...hit it off." Mom looks at the both of us, smiles and says, "Well, that's nice." Then she looks at Phillip and says, "That sounds like my Matty. I swear, that boy has never met a stranger; makes friends with just about everybody he meets." I roll my eyes, "Ugh! Mom, c'mon..." "I'm not allowed to be proud of my son for being such a good friend?" She smiles, but lets up once I give her this sort of, `Seriously? Right now?', look. After that, dinner kind of goes like it did before. She asks me questions about my day, how classes are going and all that. Any time she's talking, I glance over at Phillip; he's just sitting and eating his tacos, but he's also really paying attention to the conversation. I'm sure he's happy to not be the focus of the dinner anymore. So, we all finish our dinners and I'm about to get up and leave with Phillip, but then mom says, "Ah-ah, you know the rules, young man." I pause for a second and raise my eyebrow. Then it hits me: I haven't drank my stupid tall glass of water. I guess I just forgot. "Oh yeah," I say and gulp down the water as fast as I can. It's part of my post-cancer routine. I have to keep my kidney healthy with plenty of water to help flush out any bad stuff so it can actually keep working properly. It's a pain to remember this stuff, but it's not like I haven't had practice at it before. Anyway, mom finishes clearing the table while me and Phillip head back to my room. So, this is where things get confusing for me. I mean, the first time Phillip spent the night here we, uh...fooled around a bit. I don't want to try and make that happen here...I mean, I do, but not yet. Argh! Why did I have to have the boyfriend who forgets everything from his past life? For that matter, why did I have to get the boyfriend who has a past life? Wait...didn't he kinda remember me a bit today? I wonder if I can get him to remember more...I think he remembers more when I say or do something that reminds him of his last life. What if I... "Are...you alright?" Phillip asks, giving me a weird look. Oh crap! I must've just really zoned out. Play it cool. I laugh, "Yeah, sorry about that. I was just thinking." Phillip stares at me, still with the weird look, "About?" I guess I'll just go for it and see what happens. "I was thinking we could play something other than Black Ops." Phillip looks at me with a smile, like he's about to laugh, "Finally get tired of killing me all the time?" "Pssh! No way, that will never get boring," we both laugh and my heart beat goes nuts. I keep going, "I was thinking we'd play something else. Some kind of game where we could get to know each other better." He looks at me, not catching on yet, "Like what?" "Truth Or Dare. Ever play it?" I look at his face which has a small blush forming and his eyes start to do that shifty thing they always do. That's a yes...of course, he said he had played it before in our last life, so I'm not too surprised. "Y-yeah...I mean...I've heard--er, played it before." I try to calm him down, "Hey, we don't have to play it if you don't want to. I promise not to let things get too crazy, though. Like, no crazy dares unless you give me one first. Sound good?" I mean, as much as I enjoy making Phillip uncomfortable, I don't want to push him away. I'm just testing a theory. Actually, it's a hypothesis. People confuse those all the time and it really drives me crazy. Like, study the scientific method people, jeez...Argh! Not important right now, Matty. Anyway, Phillip thinks about for a second and says, "N-no, it's okay. It does sound like fun," he smiles a bit. I'm hesitant to keep going, but I have to know. "Okay so, I'll start: Truth or Dare?" "Truth," he says. Let's see. "Umm...what's your favorite subject in school?" He raises his eyebrow, "Really?" I laugh, "I said I wanted to get to know you." It's lame because that's the first question he asked me, but whatever. He smiles and answers, "English, I guess. I like to read and write and stuff, so the work is more fun than other classes--especially on creative writing type stuff." Interesting. I guess a lot of classes are different this time. "Huh...it's weird, but I thought you would've said Drama or something," I say. He blanks for a second, then gives me a weird look, "Huh? I don't take Drama! What made you think I take Drama?" I shrug and give him a smile, "Instincts." He raises his eyebrow and smirks, "You know, for all your `psychic power' talk," he says--he even does those little air quotes when he says psychic powers, "you were way off on that one." He laughs. I just roll my eyes, "Whatever," I say. "Sometimes even psychics get it wrong." I stick out my tongue and giggle at him. Phillip laughs again, "Very wrong. I can't even get on stage like that in front of people. I'd totally freeze, I'd be so nervous." I guess it makes sense, since he's not the same, confident Phillip he was before. It's just weird I guess. "Okay then," I say. "Your turn." "Okay: Truth or Dare?" "Truth," I say. I bet he's got a lot of questions to ask me, so I'll cooperate for now. "So...why did you stand up to Rod for me?" Seriously? Is he still thinking about that? I sigh, "Because I've been dealing with guys like Rod my whole life. I mean, look at me. I'm, like, the shortest seventh grader at school," I laugh a bit here, which makes Phillip laugh, but kinda uncomfortably. "I've just got a lot of experience with bullies, so I decided a while ago I wasn't gonna let them say whatever and be jerks all the time...especially if someone else is being picked on," I give him a look and he blushes a little bit. "I don't know, I guess I did it because Rod makes me mad." He shakes his head, "I just don't get it. How do you know he's not going to clobber you?" "Hey, I told you," I say with a smile, "I'm psychic sometimes. Sometimes I just know," I say this last part and put my fingers up to my head, y'know, like those psychics on tv. This gets Phillip to laugh. Like, really laugh. I like when he laughs like this. Like, he feels okay enough to laugh without being made fun of. Not that his laugh is silly...just big and...happy. Argh! I don't know. "Anyway, it's my turn, so," I do my fake-microphone thing here, "Truth or Dare?" He giggles, "Truth." Fine by me. I kinda figured it'd take a while to get to the dares. "Okay, hmm...," I pause for a second, then I decide to make the next question a bit tougher. "Why does Rod call you Phillip the Fuckup?" He looks down a little ashamed before rolling his eyes and explaining, "I-I have a reputation for being...clumsy, sometimes. It's like...like I've got two left feet and they're trying to go in opposite directions, sometimes--I mean, I guess you saw for yourself today. Anyway, last year in gym, I was trying to play a friendly game of basketball with some friends, when my feet tripped over each other. I fell down, of course, but I also managed to land my face flat on the basketball--I mean, I have no idea how it got there, but there it was--and gave myself a bloody nose in the process. I was okay, but Rod happened to see it and started making fun of me pretty hard. Heck, even the people trying not to laugh were laughing at me. Ever since then, he's been calling me Phillip the Fuckup every chance he gets--which considering how clumsy I am, is a lot." He shrugs, but I can see his eyes are a little watery, "I mean, it doesn't bother me that much anymore, mostly because I'm careful, but yeah I've got a lot more problems that could make my life hell," he stops suddenly, "but, uh...I guess that answers your question, huh?" Man. I feel awful. It's like, history just repeated itself even with me trying to do things differently. Am I gonna make his life miserable because of that? No, Matty, stop. Rod's a jerk. Him being a jerk isn't your fault. But do I rewind this? No. Phillip owned up to his mistakes and I'll own up to mine when the time is right. But for now... "I'm sorry," I say quietly as I look down. Phillip looks at me confused, "Why? It's not your fault. Rod's a jerk." I look him in the eye and say, "I mean, I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm even more sorry that I brought it up. But, also...thanks," he looks at with a raised eyebrow. "Thanks for telling me about that...for being brave enough to tell me, I guess." Phillip shrugs and rubs his neck, "It's embarrassing, yeah, but...I don't know. It doesn't feel so bad telling you all that." He pauses and gets a faraway look in his eye. "It's weird...talking to you like this makes me feel like we've been friends forever." Then he laughs and says, "God, I really need more friends; listen to me just confessing my life to someone I just met." I raise my eyebrows. Is he starting to remember? What did I say to make him remember? Can I get more out of him? "Anyway, I guess it's my turn," Phillip says and then smirks at me, "Truth or Dare?" There goes my chance, I guess. If he wants to keep playing, I'll keep playing. But it's time to make things more interesting. "Dare," I say with my most confident smile. Phillip pauses for a long few seconds, then says, "I dare you to do a handstand for a full minute," smiling back at me. So, I give it my best try, but I'm not exactly that athletic. I do manage an okay handstand for like 15 seconds, but then the blood really hits my head. Pretty soon, I start swaying and shaking a little bit. Phillip scrambles up, saying he'll grab my legs and hold on to me. But I guess he really is as clumsy as he says he is because before he can even stand up, his knees trip over each other--yeah, seriously--and he ends up kinda lunging forward, accidentally tackling me to the ground. He tries his best to climb off of me--we somehow got pretty tangled up on the way down. Then he looks at me, about to freak out, "Shit! Are you okay?!" I can't help it. I just start laughing. Like, laughing like I used to with Phillip--just a big old giggle fit. Phillip blushes, then smiles as he starts laughing hard--like the laugh only I ever got to hear. We keep laughing like idiots for a few minutes. I mean, we're starting to gasp for air. I'm getting lightheaded from all the blood rushing to it. Suddenly, I feel the sudden urge to pee. Crap! I forgot about this earlier! I run out of the bedroom in a hurry and make a mad dash to the bathroom. Luckily, I make it in time without causing a major accident. Not that I'd have a problem doing that around Phillip, but I don't want to get used to it, you know? I'll just have to remember to diaper up before hanging out with Phillip is all. I make my way back to the bedroom quickly, so I don't leave Phillip too confused. I open the door and he looks at me, "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" I smile and laugh a little, "No. You're good. I just laughed so hard I almost peed myself." He snorts and giggles a bit before stopping himself, "I'm sorry." I shrug it off, "No biggie. Anyway, I think it's my turn. Truth or Dare?" "Truth." I roll my eyes and smile, "Oh come on! I almost peed myself doing that dare! Do a dare!" I look at him and wink to let him know I'm teasing him. He just smiles at me, "Not right now. Truth, please." So he still wants to talk? Man, I've got to start thinking of better questions. "So...if English is your favorite subject, what's your least favorite subject? Y'know, besides gym." He blushes a bit, "Gym's not so bad...well, not anymore, I guess. Especially since there's this psychic kid I just made friends with," he gives me this classic Phillip grin and I just smile and giggle. A few seconds later, he answers, "I guess it's math. Typical English nerd, right?" He smiles and I giggle. He blushes again and keeps going, "Like, I don't know, I get good grades and stuff, but I don't really like it that much. I mean, half the time I feel like I don't understand it, but I always ace the tests." He takes a long pause. I see him space out like he has before. After a long moment, he comes back to reality and says, "It's weird, but it's like I...nah, forget it," he laughs nervously, "You'll just think I'm weird." "No, I won't," I say gently, "why's it weird?" He pauses again and stares down. I can see he's trying really hard to think about how to say it. "It's like I already know this stuff, for some reason, even though I've never taken the class before." Holy shit! That's gotta prove it right? I mean, between gym class and the drama class thing and just now, that's gotta prove it! Phillip's old memories are buried somewhere in his brain, but they're like--oh, what was it called?--deja vu? That's it! But, it's not like he's looking at me any differently, so it's not like he's got them all back or whatever. I mean, I'm not even sure if could ever get those memories out of him...but I still feel like I have to try. He looks nervously at me. I realize I've been quiet for too long and say, "Huh...do you get that feeling a lot? You kinda said you felt like you knew a Matty before, so is it anything like that?" I see him think about it. "U-um, every once in a while, I guess? It doesn't usually happen where I can pay attention to it. Sometimes, it's like I'll have weird dreams of specific stuff, but I never really remember them--I just remember I had them. I mean, except for my sei--a-actually, that's it." He's not telling me something. I mean, I'm sure he's being honest with me. I don't know...I just feel like I'm not getting the whole story. "Okay...well, it's your turn, if you still feel like playing?" He gets this mischievous look in his eye. I know that look pretty well. "Truth or Dare?" He asks, smirking like nothing happened. He's up to something, so I'll take his challenge. "Dare," I say, game face on. "I dare you not to laugh for 30 seconds." I just stare at him and raise my eyebrow. Before I know it, he lunges at me and starts tickling me. I squeal as he jabs and wriggles his fingers around my chest, stomach, and armpits. Of course, I lose almost immediately, giggling like a crazy person. It's a good thing I just peed, otherwise I'd be doing it again. I beg him to stop, tears coming out of my eyes, gasping between laughs. I'm doing my best to wriggle out from under him, but I can't get free. I notice that my shirt has started to ride up a little bit. He's still got that grin on as he takes advantage of my shirt being half pushed up and goes in for another attack on my bare stomach. I'm howling at this point. However bad the tickling was before, it's, like, ten times worse here. Finally he stops and we're both just laughing. I can't remember the last time I was this happy. We're both crying from laughing too hard. Then something scary happens. I'm looking at Phillip. Suddenly, he gets a confused look on his face that quickly morphs into shock and his body just jerks and freezes as he falls over, now on the ground on his back. Oh man! What's going on? What do I do? I quickly move over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He's super tensed up. I'm starting to freak out a little bit. "Phillip," I say, trying to keep calm, "are you okay?" He doesn't move like he hears me. Suddenly, he starts to, like, jerk around a lot. Shit! He's having a seizure! What do I do? I'm so freaked out, that I don't even move. I mean, I remember when he started getting seizures in my last life, but I didn't think he'd still have to deal with them in this life. Something's definitely gotta be going on here. I've never seen his seizures up close, though. I know it's not helpful at all, but I just keep staring, tearing up a little bit. He's unconscious, jerking on the ground and grunting quietly. It goes on for a long few moments. About halfway through, I notice a dark stain on the crotch of his pants start to grow. I blush in spite of my own freaked-out state. Finally, his spasms stop. He blinks slowly, making weird faces. I guess it's a slow recovery out of seizure. I mean, he's lying there and just making some weird noises like he's trying to talk. He just kind of burbles for a minute as he tries to come to. If I weren't so freaked out, I'd probably be laughing. Finally, his eyes blink a couple of times, then snap open. Then he looks at me, blushing as he kinda realizes what just happened. "Uh...hey. Sorry about that. Was I out for long?" Man, it sure felt like a while. I think back for a second and realize the whole thing only lasted for like a minute. "N-not long," I say, my voice shaking a bit, "Just about a minute. I'm sorry I--I just froze." He sits up slowly and shrugs, "There's not much you could've done but keep an eye on me. You seemed to do that just fine, so no worries." I try my best to lighten the mood; something Phillip would've done before. "Well, you helped me calm down a bit. Before you woke back up, you were making some weird faces. Plus, you were also trying to talk, but it was mostly just gibberish." I giggle as he blushes. "Ah shit, really?" "Yep. Don't worry, though. Your brain seems to be working fine now." He sighs and shrugs, "Well, as fine as it does work anyway." I laugh a little, not sure if he was trying to make a joke or not. He looks down, finally, at his pants. He blushes even deeper, "C-can...can you go get my backpack? I`ve got my gym clothes, so I can just change into those. They shouldn't be too smelly." "Yeah. Yeah, no problem. I'll be right back." I start to leave the room and look back at Phillip. He runs his fingers through his hair as he sighs. I walk over across the living room, heading to the kitchen. Mom is still there. Funny, I thought she would've been in bed by now. Mom looks at me, "Is everything okay?" "Yeah," I say, trying to sound natural, "Just needed to get our bags. Why?" Mom just shakes her head and smiles, "Just making sure you didn't need anything. I heard you boys laughing from out here, you must be having a lot of fun." I smile. I mean, I'm still freaked out because of the seizure. I was having a lot of fun before that...just being able to laugh with Phillip again. "Yeah, we are," I say. "I can tell," she smiles. "Well, I'm going to bed soon, so you two have a good night and don't stay up too late, okay?" "Got it," I say. I open the door to my bedroom and Phillip is still sitting where I left him. He's got his hands up to his eyes and he's gritting his teeth trying to keep from crying too loudly. I feel really bad for him, but it's not his fault. He needs to know that. I walk over and hand him his backpack. "Here you go," I say quietly. He looks up, a little surprised, and sniffles, wiping the tears out of his eyes. "Thanks," he says, grabbing his bag. He's trying his best to not make a big deal out of it, but it's clear he's bothered by it. I'm not sure what to do or say, but I know I need to say something. I move so I'm face to face with him. He's digging through his bag for the change of clothes he brought, but he looks up at me. He gives me a look, like, `What?' "Are you okay?" I ask. He laughs and looks away, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just can't believe I went full-on tonic clonic on you there." He looks back at me quickly, "Sorry for scaring you, by the way. I just, uh...well, it's something I live with. I usually take medicine for it, but I think I missed my lunch dosage. I'm usually more careful about that." There's a long pause after he finishes. He's just kind of sitting there, staring at the clean clothes in his hand. I'm still looking at him, not knowing exactly what to do. Suddenly, he breaks down a little bit and he goes back to a quiet cry--but he's not covering his face this time. I do nothing. "I just can't believe it," he finally says, still sounding like he's in control. "I finally make a friend and you get to see me have an entire day of making a fool out of myself and having a seizure in your bedroom." He breaks off and cries for a few seconds before continuing, "I'm sorry. This kind of thing is more than most people want to deal with. If you don't want to hang out anymore, I'll under--" I practically lunge forward, giving him a big hug. This shuts him up, except for the confused noises he makes. After a few seconds, I let go of my hug. I move back, hands still on his shoulders, and look him in the eyes again. "Last year, I was getting treated for really bad kidney cancer," I pause here for a second to let him start to process. "I went through all kinds of treatment for it--I mean, like, months of chemo and stuff--before they finally decided to remove the bad kidney." I lift up my shirt a little here to show him the scar. "They got the kidney out, but there was a complication to the surgery." I pause again, looking back at him. "Remember when I almost peed myself from all the laughing earlier?" He nods quietly, mouth hanging open a bit. "Well, stuff like that happens all the time even when I'm not laughing. See, the surgery kinda messed up a bit and now I have a really hard time telling when I have to pee--until it's too late." His eyes are a bit wider now than before. "I mean, yeah it sucks, but...a good friend helped me realize that I was still healthy, so it wasn't the end of the world. I mean, for the most part, I've got it under control. Sometimes, though, I wear diapers to help me, like, with long car rides and stuff. There were a few other setbacks from the cancer, too. My growth was a little, uh...stunted...and I lost a year from school--I mean, I did, but not really. I transferred from a private school, so I'm technically ahead a year. So I got to dodge a lot of make up work," I laugh a little as I finish. There's a super long pause. Phillip is just trying to take it all in--probably a bit harder since he's still stressed out. Finally, he looks at me and makes this confused face. "Why would you tell me this?" he asks. I smile, but I feel really sad while I do. I guess it's been a long time since anyone has ever, like, talked to him like this. I mean, he's more, I don't know...cautious than he was in my last life. I guess he's got a good reason. I remember being like that. "Because I want you to know that your seizure doesn't scare me away. I've lived through a lot of scary stuff already. I mean, if I stopped hanging out with you because of a seizure, I'd be a pretty shitty person," I laugh a little and continue. "You know what my friend taught me?" He shakes his head. "You are more than the bad stuff. I'm not just a kid who had cancer and has trouble telling when he has to pee; you're not just a kid who gets seizures sometimes. I'm Matty. You're Phillip. So, let's just be ourselves, okay?" I pause and I blush a little, "Sorry, I'm not that great with words, so I'm not sure if that made much sense," I laugh at myself. "No, no," he says, smiling again, "It helps. Thanks...for telling me all that, I mean." I just smile, "I couldn't just leave you hanging there." He smiles again, then he thinks for a second, "Sounds like you had a good friend. He sounds pretty smart." He doesn't look like he knows I meant him (I mean, one bombshell at a time, right?). So, I can't help myself as I say, "He had his moments...but he could be a real pain in the butt sometimes." I laugh and Phillip just looks at me funny. Then he moves to stand up, "Well, I guess I should go change...which way's the bathroom?" I finish laughing and say, "Just down the hall. You'll see it when you open the door." He says thanks and leaves my bedroom. Man. This is not the way I thought this night would go. I had to watch my boyfriend have a seizure and try to comfort him after AND tell him about my cancer stuff again. Well, I mean, my mom did that the first time, but whatever. Tonight is still weird. But...was it the game and the questions that caused his seizure? Like, I know I was trying to ask questions that would bring up other memories and stuff. Did his brain just reach its limit? But he had the seizure after the tickling, so maybe it wasn't just the questions. But the tickling did seem pretty sudden...was that the old Phillip coming out a bit? But he also said he forgot to take his lunch dosage so was it as simple as all that? Argh! Man, this stuff feels, like, way over my head. This whole night has been way more stress than I signed up for, but I'm not gonna rewind. I mean, he mostly seems okay. Maybe the more we hang out the more I can try and figure out this whole thing. Who knows? All I know is, I'm tired and just about ready to call it a night. Phillip comes back in then, looking a little better, but still stressed. He's changed into his gym clothes now. He looks at me and I can see he wants to ask me something. "So," he starts, "I figured I would try to wash out my clothes. I can do that in the bathtub, but do you mind if I use your dryer after that?" "Uh, sure," I say, "But I don't really know how to work it. Mom does the laundry and she went to bed." "I can figure out the dryer. I've done my laundry at home a few times. Besides, I don't really want to explain to your mom what happened. Or my mom, for that matter," he rolls his eyes a bit. I definitely understand where he's coming from, though. "No problem," I say, "I'll show you how to work the bathroom stuff at least." He smiles, "Thanks." We both make our way into the bathroom, and I show him how to get the hot water going. I watch as he runs his urine-soaked jeans and underwear under the hot water. Then, he wrings out the clothes and runs them under the hot water again. I can't believe he's being so calm about it. I guess if he's done his own laundry before, though, this part is not a big deal. After a few tries are rinsing and wringing out his clothes (even using a little soap to help with the smell), I take him to the laundry room and show him the dryer. I have no clue how it works, but Phillip kinda studies it for a minute and figures out how to get it working. He turns to me with a smile, "We'll give that a little time and it should be dry. I just hope your mom doesn't wake up," he says with a slight frown at the end. I just wave it off and say, "Nah, you'll be fine. She's a pretty heavy sleeper." He giggles a bit and says, "I guess it helps the dryer isn't noisy or anything. So...back to your room? No sense waiting around for it to finish." "Sure," I smile. We make our way back to my bedroom. As we walk in, Phillip tries to work a kink out of his neck. "Man, those seizures really wear me out. I'll probably be aching tomorrow from it." I smile to myself as I get a great idea. "How about I give you a massage?" He looks at me, smiling with a raised eyebrow, "You? You know how to do a massage? Like a proper massage?" I just keep smiling, "Hey, I'm full of surprises. You might actually like it." He just smirks and says, "I might actually end up paralyzed or something." I roll my eyes, "Ha. Ha. Do you want the massage or not?" I ask with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. He thinks about it for a few seconds. He finally shrugs and says, "Alright, I'll give you a shot. So...just on your bed?" "Yup," I smile. I tell Phillip to lay down. I figure the seizure, like, really stressed out his muscles, so this will make it easier to work them all. He shrugs and lays face down on my bed. Now, one thing I learned from Phillip in my last life: I learned how to give a pretty good massage. Like, a really good massage. I mean, mostly from him giving them to me, but I guess the memories stuck. I've had some practice on my mom and stuff, but this is the first time I've ever gotten to give one to Phillip. I'm going to make it a good one, too. I climb on top of him, stretching my hands and fingers. I start out at his shoulders and dig my thumbs in. He moans at the pressure. I giggle a little bit, but I think he's already really enjoying it, because he doesn't react. I work on the shoulders for a little until slowly moving down his back. I'm going slowly, making sure that I work a good bit of the tension out before I continue. Phillip is still groaning, but not as loud as the first time. I smile. So this is what this feels like? I make it to his lower back. He tenses up more than before, but doesn't say anything. I keep working my thumbs in, being careful not to hurt him. After a minute or so, I realize it's time to go lower. I don't want to freak him out, so I lean forward, moving my hands back up to work on his shoulders. "How do you like it?" I ask. He moans a little, "Mmm...feels good." I fight the urge to laugh and say, "I can go lower. Is that okay with you?" A small pause. "Yes," he says quietly. I move my head around a bit and ask again, "Are you sure?" He moves his head a bit, still looking kinda zoned out. "Yeah. Whatever. Just don't stop," he says, sounding a little insistent. I giggle a little bit and nod, "Okay," and I move back to down to where I left off. I have to take a few breaths to cool myself down. Something about this massage is making me feel really hot. I also need to calm down so I don't get too carried away or whatever. Anyway, I work his lower back a little before finally moving to his butt. I mean, he still has his gym shorts on and stuff, but still...I slowly work my thumbs into his muscles here and WOW! Phillip's muscles here are super firm. I actually shudder a bit, because I've never gotten to handle him like this before. I guess all the riding around he does on his bike has paid off. Phillip's still moaning from the sensation, but it doesn't feel like he hates it. I mean, I doubt I would either, in his position. I spend a little bit more time here. I guess I'm a little stuck on this super firm butt. Soon enough though, I move to work the back of his legs. Man! Even his legs are super firm! I mean, it's not like he's got a lot of extra bulk or whatever, but his muscles are....well, I really like them. After a minute or so of that, I turn around and sit on his legs so I can work his feet. He even really likes that. I mean, he almost hasn't stopped moaning since I got started. I think I might be better at this than Phillip was. After I finish his feet, I turn back around and go back to work on his shoulders. It's been a long time and I want to make this moment last as long as I can--without rewinding. I work his shoulders and he's still moaning like crazy. I realize in the middle of all this that I've popped a boner. And it's also pressing right on Phillip's butt. Oh man! I bet he can feel that. But the heat is starting to get to me, so I just keep going. Phillip is moaning and grunting more as I work his shoulders. I'm starting to breathe really heavy and my heart feels like it's going 100 miles per hour. My head feels like it's swimming. I had forgotten what it could be like, being this close to Phillip. I start to feel myself getting close to cumming. I can seriously feel this good just giving this kind of treatment to Phillip? Whoa...but I force myself back to reality and start to slow down. Finally, I stop the massage and climb off. I take a few deep breaths and turn to took at Phillip. He starts to snap out of it and sits up on the bed. I smile, "Well, how was it?" He's blushing, "Th-that was really good. Like, really good." Still smiling, I say, "I'm glad I could help." There's a long pause, and my eyes happen to drift down to Phillip's gym shorts. I guess he really liked the massage, because he's got a boner too. It's really tenting out his shorts. I look back up and I see his eyes glued to my own boner, pushing out a little against my khakis. He starts to look back up and gets this look on his face, like he got caught. He also looks down and blushes as he realizes I was staring at his boner. I don't mind though, so I just laugh it off and say, "I guess we both really liked the massage." I wink at him just to see what he does. He blushes a lot. Then he laughs nervously and says, "Yeah, it did feel really good. I should have you do that again." He gets a panicked look on his face, "I'm not trying to be like--I mean, I didn't mean to--" I just giggle and say, "Fine with me," and just smile. He stops trying to explain and just blushes harder. I laugh again, and start to yawn. Phillip yawns too, probably because he saw me. "Man, I'm really tired," I say. "Tell me about it," Phillip says. "Between the laughing, the seizure, and the massages, I could probably pass out right now." I giggle and Phillip smiles. We start getting ready for bed. Phillip leaves to go check on his clothes in the dryer. While he's grabbing his clothes, I get Phillip set up on the floor with some comfy sheets and pillows. I mean, I tried to get him to sleep on my bed so I can sleep on the floor if he wants, but he says he'll be fine. Honestly, I'm tired so I don't put up a big fight. A minute or so later, Phillip comes back with his pants and underwear. "They're just a little damp," he says, making his way over to his spot, "But they'll be dry enough to change into tomorrow." We don't waste too much time talking after that. I strip to my underwear and get ready for bed--it's still pretty warm out and my room can get a little hot sometimes, even with the ac. I look over at Phillip, who's standing there shirtless, but still in his gym shorts. He looks at me and I raise my eyebrow, pointing to his gym shorts. "Oh," he blushes, "I forgot. No underwear on." He pulls at the elastic in his waistband to emphasize his point. I snort and giggle a little bit, "Sorry," I say with a smile. But then it occurs to me, so I ask him, "But your underwear is dry, right? Why not change into them?" He just shrugs and says, "Eh...after all that work to get them clean, I'll just change into them in the morning." I shake my head a bit and smile, "If you say so," I reply, "You should be comfortable enough for tonight, though." He just smiles and sits down in his bed, getting himself set up. After a minute or so, I turn off the light by my bed. Eventually, we're both lying in our beds in the dark bedroom. We say goodnight and it stays quiet for a minute. Then Phillip says, "Hey...Matty?" "Yeah?" I say. A long pause. I just wait until he's ready to talk. "Thanks. For everything." I smile, "For you? Anytime." Wait. Did I just say that? That's way too much for where we are now! Shit! Do I rewind? I wait and see what Phillip says. I wait for a minute, but it's still quiet. "Phillip?" Still quiet. Man, why did I have to say that? He's probably all weirded out now. That's it, I'm just going to rewind and-- My panic is interrupted by the sound of steady breathing. Did he fall asleep? I wait a few seconds, hearing the steady rhythm of his breathing start to get a little louder. I guess he really is asleep. That's a load off my mind. I settle back in bed, head swimming from everything that just happened tonight. I also start to think about how far we have to go to even get close to where we before. But, I'm not worried about taking my time. Not just because I can rewind; but because I found the person who makes the waiting not seem so bad. I smile and I drift off to sleep. For the first time in a long time, I'm going to sleep the happiest I've ever been.