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Even standing in the overcrowded subway car, Phillip felt like all eyes were on him. In reality, he knew that nobody recognized him, that nobody here knew his life was coming apart at the seams. That still didn't stop him from wanting to jump off at the next station and have a quick nap on the tracks. Nobody but Theodosia had said anything about it to him. He couldn't blame them, though. After all, who liked to be the bearer of bad news? He seriously considered, for a moment, just calling his father, asking him what the fuck it was, exactly, that he thought he was doing. That could wait until later, though. For now, Phillip contented himself to scroll through the link Theo had sent him.
I owe, perhaps, to my friends, an apology for condescending a public explanation. A just pride, with reluctance, stoops to a formal vindication against so despicable a contrivance and is inclined, rather, to oppose it to the uniform evidence of an upright character.
Oh, and wasn't that just so Pops! If he had to admit he was wrong, he'd say it in a way that no one would understand. If Phillip had been speaking his thoughts right now, well, he'd have been snarling. It's hard to imagine, him snarling at his father. But he'd sure like to have done it right now. He read on.
The charge against me-
Less than half a sentence in, Phillip had to stop again. There had been no charges against his father, as far as he'd known. He could be so paranoid, sometimes, though. For all the good it did him, he may as well have made said charges up. The post continued.
-is a connection with one James Reynolds, for purposes of improper pecuniary speculation. My real crime is an amorous connection with his wife, for a considerable time with his privity and connivance, if not originally brought on by a combination between husband and wife with the design to extort money from me.
Phillip's mind rushed, moving at a mile a minute, to make sense of what he was reading. That his dad had had an affair, that, maybe, he could wrap his head around. But that his father had gone ahead and continued and affairr, and that he'd presumably paid to do so. Phillip felt like he might be sick if he looked at the damn page any longer.
Turns out, he didn't have to. The train lurched to a stop and Phillip practically jumped onto the platform. He looked around nervously, assessing his dilemma. Being barely eighteen and attending college in the city, he hadn't moved out yet. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that the house was going to be a complete shit-show for the foreseeable future. A thousand thoughts ran through his head at once. He couldn't just not go home, could he? The more he thought about it, the more appealing the option became. Finally, he shot a text as he mounted the stairs and climbed to the street.
To: theoBROsia Hey, mind if I come over? Wanna talk.
His phone buzzed several times in the next minute. Mostly, it was news outlets advertising the newly-broken scandal (as if he needed reminding), a few missed calls from his dad (he ought to calm down a bit before he answered those), and a few sales notifications from random numbers offering fifty percent off on tortoiseshell glasses. But there, underneath everything else on the screen, sat Theo's reply, a saving grace in the mess that was his day.
From: theoBROsia Yeah, of course.
That was all it took. Within ten minutes, he was knocking at her door.
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Now, usually, Theodosia wasn't all-in on celebrity drama. She didn't see what good it would do her to have her nose stuck into other people's business like that. But, when when said person was the father of her best friend (and, her mind reminded her unhelpfully, crush of three years), she gave herself a free pass. The article had seemed like clickbait at first- Treasury Secretary Admits to Torrid Affair- but she'd opened it, and there it was. All ninety-five goddamn pages of it.
Naturally, her first thought had of Phillip. There was no way he'd take this lightly. The guy idolized his father. And yet, despite that, he was still the ultimate momma's boy. There was really no telling how he'd handle this. Panicked, but wanting to avoid drama for as long as possible, Theo sent Phillip and Angie a private text.
To: PipperPupper and The Angelicopter Oh guys, I'm so sorry, shit, I'm so sorry, are you guys okay?
Her nails made a sharp tapping sound on the screen of her phone as she sent the text. Biting her lips, she waited for a response.
From: The Angelicopter Theo, b, of course we're okay! Is something wrong?
Theodosia felt her heart fall into her stomach. Angie didn't know. But, surely, Phillip would have-
From: PipperPupper Theo, seriously. Just tell us before we die of worry.
She froze. Did she really want to be the one to tell them? She had to admit, a tiny part of her wanted them to find out through the news instead. Would they hate her for being the one to deliver the news?
No, she decided, they wouldn't. She knew that if that had happened to her, she'd want to find out from someone close. With a bit of trepidation, she let the pin fall.
To: PipperPupper and The Angelicopter Okay, guys, there's no really no easy way to say this, so I'm sorry if I'm too frank.
To: PipperPupper and The Angelicopter Youer father's published a fucking 95-page article on his affair.
There. the cat was out of the bag. Almost immediately, Phillip had replied.
From: PipperPupperYou've got to be fucking kidding. Please, please, please, tell me you're joking.
The Angelicopter Oh, shit, she's not. Theo, have you read this?
Yes. The first seven or so pages, at least. She'd gotten the gist of it by then.
From: PipperPupper Holy shit, slow down. What's it called?
To: PipperPupper and The Angelicopter The Reynolds Pamphlet.
She sent a link to the chat, and the two fell silent for several minutes. Great thinking, Theo thought. You just had to be the one to tell them that their dad had an affair. Ten outta ten, best friend. Eventually, however, her phone lit up again. This one was a single text from Phillip.
From: PipperPupper Hey, mind if I come over? Wanna talk.
That, she didn't have to think about. She doesn't entirely look forward to the conversation, but she was glad to comfort her friend.
To: PipperPupper Yeah, of course.
It was about ten minutes until she heard three hesitant knocks on her door. Upon opening it, she found Phillip on her doorstep, practically shaking and on the verge of tears. Theo greeted him with a warm, enveloping hug, cooing and hushing him as tiny sobs began to wrack his body. Wordlessly, she lead him to the couch and gently pulled him down to sit next to her, nestling into his side. Several minutes passed in a heavy silence before anyone spoke.
"Phillip?" she asked softly, trying not to be too touchy.
Phillip hiccuped. "Yeah?"
"You wanna talk about it?"
Phillip let out a sigh. "Not really. I mean, I do want to talk about it, but I don't want to, you know," he shrugged at Theo and she raised her eyebrows, beckoning for him to continue. He restarted, "I want to talk about it, but I don't really want to think about the whole, 'dad cheating' thing."
Theo nodded, wanting to understand but not wanting to pry. "Just tell me how you feel, then?" she asked, leaning closer to him.
The young man stared at her for a minute. Then, like a floodgate opening, he started talking non-stop. "It's just that, like, I don't get how my dad could have had an affair, and then, you know, kept having it? Like, my mom, she loves him with all of her heart! And he had five kids while he was doing this shit! Did he forget about that or something?" Phillip's voice broke, and tears were beginning to slip down his cheeks, again. "Does he just not care about-"
Looking back, Theo realized it was probably a stupid thing to do. She should have let him finish. Should have comforted him like a good friend should. But she hated to see Phillip so upset, and she thought that she might cry, too, if she had to listen any longer. It sounds selfish, but she just needed him to shut up. So, she did the only thing one can do in such a dilemma.
She kissed him.
And, well, it didn't solve the problem at hand, but it's nice, anyway. Phillip went tense for a moment, before relaxing and leaning into the kiss. One of his hands found its way down to her waist, while the other came up to rest behind her head, anchoring Theo to him as he sighed into her mouth. The room was silent for a few minutes, save for the soft sounds of dancing lips and quiet sighs. It was, quite literally, a dream come true for both of them. Eventually, Theo pulled back, breathless.
"Listen," she began, not quite meeting Phillip' eyes as she busied herself by smoothing down his now-rumpled shirt. "Your dad fucked up, yeah. He fucked up big-time. But I know he cares about your family. I think that sometimes, though, he doesn't know what is and isn't right for him. 'Kay?" she finished. Phillip nodded but didn't say anything. Theo cocked her head at him. "You gonna say anything, Pip?" she asked, half joking.
He cracked a teary smile. "I was wondering if I'd be a dick for asking for another kiss." Theo, apparently, didn't think so, because in seconds, she was pressed up against him again, securing her arms around his neck. Once again, she was the first to pull away, but kept her lips pressed to the corner of Phillip's.
"You can stay the night, if you want," she offered quietly. She doubted he'd want to go back to his house tonight. "I don't think going home would be such a great idea, is all. And my dad's away on business for the weekend, , so you don't have to worry about him getting too... presumptious." Phillip nodded and gently nudged her out of his lap, moving to get fish his phone from his pocket. He typed for a minute before silencing it and placing it on the table.
"Just texted Angie. I'm all yours for tonight." As soon as he'd said it, Theo simpered and moved back next to him, letting out a giggle as he began to pepper her face with butterfly kisses.
They didn't leave that spot for the rest of the night.