As humans we learn to appreciate the good stuff when the worst has happened, It's more like we can't see beyond the pain and suffering we felt at that moment until it's over and our wounds are healed.
Only a handful people can withstand the storm, with most people giving up and looking for the other easy way out, as they should!
Well, for Philip it felt like his time was up with the world since, it wasn't even humanly possible to be that happy. A perfect boyfriend, sailing career, amazing friends... What more can he wish for now?
"Did you just leave me hanging, Phi phi?" Came Jake's upset tone from the other side of the call, "That's very infuriating"
"Give a girl some space to wander in her head" Excused Philip with an attitude, making Jake curse under his breath.
"So, you are in or not?" Asked Jake once again expectantly. He might not look it but, he doesn't know how to work with anybody else except for Philip. He gets him.
"Of course, I'm in!" Said Philip breathlessly balancing a blank picture frame on the bedroom wall, "I love playing snips with you"
"Okay, I didn't want to know but now that I do, did you pick up my call while you were screwing your boy toy?" Asked Jake taking offense, earning silence from Philip before laughter erupted from the empty room creating echoes.
The thing about Philip is that he wears his heart on the sleeve. You can always know his feelings even when you try not to? He speaks his mind.
"That's the dream my boy. I'm already naked and wet for that... So, see you then?" Asked Philip in a dismissive tone making Jake sigh in resignation.
Philip didn't want to entertain the idea but, he was already naked,hot and bothered. So, he went to hunt Aiden down.
The guy who was awfully busy placing the TV set on the wall, looking so yummy than an ice cream cake on any day.
"Need a pair of hands?" Asked Philip seductively making Aiden look up from his work and freeze. The sight was conflicting with everything Aiden planned to be doing that day.
"You are not wearing anything" Said Aiden putting his tools down and just gape at Philip, reading him intently.
"I'm not a fan of rules and norms but, I know that staring is bad" Said Philip walking too close to Aiden that he can even feel the warmth from him. Breathing him in that moment was his sin.
"Wher... Uhm, where are your clothes?" Asked Aiden again, failing to control his greed but, he still didn't want to grab Philip by his waist and just fuck him senseless right then and there. Was it normal to be thinking like that?
"Drenched" Replied Philip as a matter of fact, "Making an old gay man work should be illegal"
"You are not playing fair here" Whined Aiden so torn inside, "I didn't bring any condoms nor lube"
"Lucky for us I always walk prepared. I even got dildos!" Said Philip excitedly not giving Aiden a chance to make any more excuses. Well, truth be told? Aiden didn't plan to make any. He just needed a tug from Philip.
Aiden loved it all. How much Philip was having fun playing the interior designer in their home, spending his money, initiating sex... That day was fun.
"How come I don't know anything about you? It's like the more I get to know you the more questions arise" Said Aiden distracted, while they were in their bathtub, just soaking up.
"It's called taking interest" Informed Philip casually, lying comfortably on Aiden's chest, "What would you like to know?"
"Everything!" Said Aiden without missing a beat.
"That'd be a lot so, if you could just pick a time and situation to speed this date along that'd be very helpful" Suggested Philip simply, playing with the water lazily.
"What's your family like?" Asked Aiden nervously.
"I'm not sure really... Didn't keep tabs on them for fifteen years now. Let's just say that they are better off without me" Explained Philip with a shrug.
"You don't know that" Said Aiden tracing a finger on Philip's abs making him shudder in reply.
"That's a fact but, I know I'm better off without them" Said Philip raising his legs up and opened wide for Aiden's easy access.
"What happened?" Asked Aiden curiously.
"It started when I had a crush on a boy and that's when I knew I was friends with satan" Started Philip sarcastically, reminiscing with a chuckle, "My mother introduced me to the term when she found out"
"And the boy?" Asked Aiden willing his head to stay focused on Philip's voice and not the thing begging for attention between his legs.
"He was my uncle. A good boy and my mother's only sibling" Replied Philip muffling a moan. Aiden would be the death of him.
"Did you have to hit home?" Asked Aiden with a laugh. That was incest and all kinds of wrong!
"It's not like I had a choice" Replied Philip squirming at Aiden's kiss and touch.
"You were raped or you loved him?" Asked Aiden seriously.
"I was in love and I still do in a way but, it wasn't like that with us. Romance wasn't in our stars. He just piqued my interest with his wild and bold ideas, plus, he was handsome and older. I didn't know we were different until my sister caught us and he beat me up pretty badly" Said Philip breathlessly and on the verge of losing his sanity.
"That must have stung" Said Aiden breathlessly when he saw to it that Philip came and was too weak to stand.
"It did but, just like everything with time, it became a mere memory" Said Philip tired and barely awake.
"So, what happened next?" Urged Aiden patiently.
"It was a week before everything was out to the public" Said Philip with a sigh. He hated that memory the most because, everytime he remembers? The story gets a different feeling.
"Your sister outed you?" Asked Aiden invested.
"No, I did that myself. She was only using that to torment me and I don't do well with blackmail" Said Philip with a fond smile, "You should have seen her eyes budge when I brought it up"
"I don't know if that was brave or just plain stupid" Said Aiden with a laugh.
"Do we have to name every feeling?" Asked Philip on second thought.
"Makes it easier to navigate, don't you agree?" Retorted Aiden with a shrug.
"I highly doubt that but, there I was telling my parents how much gay I was and my mother just blamed it on Satan with my father playing the dissapointed card on me" Reminisced Philip with a sad smile.
"It didn't work?" Asked Aiden.
"Clearly!" Said Philip with a scoff, pointing at himself, "Have you met me? I gotta a pretty much thick a skin to let somebody's opinion break me"
"Not even of family?" Asked Aiden doubtful.
"That's when I realized that I got no emotions whatsoever. For so long I believed I was a psychopath until I met you" Said Philip sincerely turning to Aiden.
"That's a very scary confession" Admitted Aiden.
"What? You think you can outrun me?" Teased Philip with a wicked smile.
"I don't think I can even walk away at this rate" Confessed Aiden truthfully.
"Well, I'm glad. At least one good boy stayed in my life" Said Philip kissing Aiden with everything he got. Which was a whirlwind of emotions.
"So that's when you decided to leave?" Asked Aiden getting them back on the track.
"I left because, I was drowning in my own self pity, I was breaking up a loving family, I felt suffocated and I needed to take breather but..." Trailed off Philip closing his eyes as if he was in actual pain.
"But with the distance, you didn't see yourself fitting that family portrait puzzle anymore" Finished Aiden for Philip.
"Exactly! You do get it!" Said Philip relieved to find the word to it. He always felt like an outcast, a mistake, a burden, a hindrance or whatever you might call it but, what Aiden said made a lot more sense than anything he came up with.
"Yeah, I had my fair share of feeling like I don't belong" Said Aiden turning Philip to him, "You think you can ever forgive your sister?"
"What's there to forgive. She was just following our brother's orders" Replied Philip simply
"You have a brother?" Asked Aiden surprised.
"I got two of them and then my sister and lastly there's me who ate his twin in the womb" Said Philip dryly.
"That's awful" Said Aiden feeling sorry for Philip.
"I call it a life and I'm done being nostalgic for the day" Said Philip going out of the tub.