Oᴄᴛᴏʙᴇʀ 15. 2024
Phillípe calls the police using his phone after returning from the lake with Alessia. A representative picks up and as she sits, she listens to him talk on the device onesided-ly.
"Well, it's not much of an emergency, but please dispatch a vehicle to make an arrest. I have someone here who'd like to turn themselves in." — "No ma'am, this is not a prank call." — "With the amount of crime they committed , they're basically a most wanted criminal." — "I can assure you I'm not an accomplice. I only found this out moments ago." — "I'll be right here, so if you want to take me in for questioning as well, go ahead." — "Are the cops on their way? Do you need an address?" — "Can't you just track the call? I doubt she wants to open her mouth right now since she's just staring at me." — "No, I'm not in any danger. I'm her friend and this is my first time at her place." — "My name's Phillípe Manchester." — "She's..." Alessia shakes her head, telling him not to say her name. "She's the Phantom." — "I said, the Phantom." — "I swear, this isn't a prank call." — "I know I'll get in trouble if it's a lie, just send the damn cops, it's not your job to judge." — "Thank you." — "Yes, I'm not hanging up." — "She's unarmed. She's turning herself in, she isn't armed." — "Why?" He stops pacing and looks up from the floor at her.
Her arms are folded over her chest and she's leaning back with a leg over the other, in her couch. Her face is dull and her eyes are staring up at the ceiling, enervated to the point of nothingness.
He says, "From what I can tell, she seems to have exerted herself too much. She's filled with sorrow, she's tired, and if she doesn't do this, she'll fall deeper into a heinous darkness. I mean, I'm not trying to be a poet, it's what I see and understand, and I know we all think the Phantom is just a murderer that should be put behind bars or even maybe put to death, but only after knowing her story can you judge her for yourself."
Alessia is looking at him now and he meets her gaze accidentally, then looks away, blushing insanely.
"Sorry, sorry, I got carried away. She's sitting right before me." — "Hey, if you want to know anything about her, you're going to have to ask her yourself somehow. It's not my story to tell." — "Who? I'm not playing around, you're playing around." — "How far are the cops?" — "That's what you said last time." — "You know, there are no crime scenes here, so I don't need to be talking to you...." — "I won't hang up, I'm just putting you on hold."
As soon as Phillípe removes the phone from his ear, Alessia pops, "Pfft!" She spits unintentionally, before cackling, "Oh my God! I didn't know you were like this!" Her giggles bring a comforting joy to him in the spur of the moment, forgetting about his sadness.
He doesn't want to see her go, but he has to respect her decision. He smiles ever-so-slightly, "What am I like?"
"I knew you were bold, but I see you can be rude too." She lifts an eyebrow, comparing the first time they met versus what just happened with him and the representative on the phone.
He smirks, "I can be gentle."
"Yeah, I know that, and you're goofy as hell. Is there anything else I need to know?" She asks jokingly and he shrugs, shaking his head negatively. After a few seconds of silence pass through their conversation, she exhales, going back to the situation at hand, "Thank you, Phil. This means a lot to me." Rising, she moves toward where he stands after pacing with his phone and she embraces him, mumbling, "And, I'm sorry I'm not what you expected. It must be a real disappointment..." She trails off, but Phillípe hasn't thought about being disappointed once.
"Lessi..." He pries.
She doesn't mind the nickname this time and hums in response.
"Can I kiss you?"
She eases away from him. A nervous chuckle bubbles up her throat, "What...?"
"I want to kiss you." He states with his eyes gleaming and fixated on hers.
She doesn't know how to reply and ends up flailing her arms. "Um, then..." She shrugs in an unsure manner, frowning.
He grasps her firmly, pulling her flush against him by her waist, then a hand cups the side of her face and his head dips to hers. She closes her eyes with her arms hesitating, hovering by her sides, but the feel of his soft lips pressing to hers, wills them around his neck. Sirens begin to sound in the distance, causing him to hold her tighter, kiss her more desperately, and she kisses back, falling into a soundless trance. His hand touches her skin beneath her blouse and hers are gripping strands of his hair. Their tongues slide over each other in a bliss, but eventually, they have to break away when heavy boots start heading up to the front door. A series of banging follows and Phillípe goes to open up.
Alessia brushes a finger over her lips, preparing for what's to come next. This is it. She believes, watching a cop handcuff the boy and another coming to cuff her. She buried her emotions in a mental grave, staring blankly ahead of her and she thinks more clearly, this is really it.