phil

After a long, sleepless train ride, I finally arrive in Manchester. While it feels good to be back where I used to live, I'm still a little on edge. I didn't leave this place on the best terms with everyone here, and so I'll be in constant fear that I will have to confront someone I left here angry at. 

There's plenty of people here who bullied me in school, as somehow my constant sunshine-y happiness was offensive to some people, but the worst of all might just be my family. I don't want to go into it at the moment, as it was not a good time in my life. Besides, perhaps they've changed. 

The train has deposited me in the downtown area of the city, and I might as well stay for now as I left home late at night and so the sun has just risen about an hour ago. I pass familiar buildings as I roam the streets of the city I once knew, and my signature smile creeps onto my face despite my crippling exhaustion. The scent of a melting pot of different neurocategories enters my brain when I breathe in, but this scent is much different from downtown London. While it may seem like all cities would smell the same, there's a big difference if you're observant enough.

My stomach growls at me, and it's then I realize I didn't eat on the train and am therefore starving. I think about where I should go for a moment, and my mind instantly goes to one place - a little bistro I used to visit called Piccolo. I'd go when I got a poor mark on an exam and Scarlett would go when she got teased particularly badly, and neither of us would go without the other. I silently hope to myself that the manager still works there, as he was the kindest soul I'd ever met.

As I start toward the bistro, though, my phone starts to vibrate violently in my pocket. I take it out and see that Lotus is calling me, and so I answer.

"Hello?" I say into the receiver.

"Hey, Philly, long time no see!"

"Technically I can't see you right now, so-"

"Don't pull that shit with me. Anyway, Alaska and I were wondering if you would like to come with Dan over to our new flat for a few days. We're finally out of hotels and moved in and we miss you."

"Lotus, I totally would, except I just arrived in Manchester for a week to visit family. I'd love to visit soon after I get home, though, and I'll keep you posted. I might need you to entertain me, though, depending on how boring this trip is."

"Alright, I will. Is Dan with you? How is he?"

"Dan, he's... back at home. I'm worried about him, too. He doesn't seem to like the idea of being away from me, and I'm scared as to what he might do. Can you check on him, maybe? Just call him in a few days."

"Will he know it's me?"

"I put your number into his phone."

"Alright, I'll try. What're you up to, then?"

"About to walk into a little bistro I used to go to up here. Me and Scarlett would sit in here a lot when we had bad days, and hopefully this place will help me take my mind off Dan a minute. Can I call you back later?"

"Course, Philly. Have fun!"

"You too. Love you, babe." I press the end button just as I get to the front door and push the handle of the modest, traditional French bistro just the way I used to when I was a teenager, pulling my rolling suitcase behind me. A blast of warm air hits me in the face in contrast to the nippy March air, and I can already smell the pastries and savoury meals I once so loved. The look of the place, just the same as it was the day I left, brings a smile to my face. 

I approach the counter and am greeted by a pretty female face, happiness evident in her dark brown eyes. A subtle sense of familiarity hits me, and so I try to take her in and try to recognize her without being too obvious. The woman is shorter than me, although she seems to be at the average height for a female. She is well built, with beautiful curves on her hips as well as the part of her thighs I can see. When I see her, I swear I saw her sepia brown skin tone once before and thought it complimented her very well. The woman smiles and welcomes me to the restaurant, and her black hair curled into ringlets bounces as she moves her head.

"Hello, welcome to Piccolo!" she exclaims, rich Northern accent prevalent. "What can I get for you today?"

"Can I get two chocolate ganache tarts and a lemon tea, please?" I ask, smiling back at her.

"Sure thing, dear." She starts to get my order together, but noticing that a few more people have queued up in this short time, she stops a moment. "Can I get your name for that?"

"Yeah, it's Phil." I say casually.

"Phil, huh?" she asks. "Lester, by any chance?"

"Yes, wh-" A whiff of lavender and vanilla wafts into my nose and I'm finally enlightened as to who this woman is. "Oh my god, Scarlett!"

"Hey, Phil! How have you been lately, love? Oh, dear, I shouldn't - just stick around here for another twenty minutes until my shift is over and we can catch up. I've got your order in less than five."

"You bet."

I sit in the same booth Scarlett and I sat in ten years ago and think about what life used to be like back here. Not long into that thought process, though, I think about Dan. I'm so worried about him that I decide I'll send him a text that he won't see until hours later. 

Hey, hope you're doing ok. Sat in a bistro thinking about you. Let me know if you need me. I love you, baby, remember that.

As I hit send, Scarlett comes to my table with my order. "Fifteen minutes, dear, I'll be back," she says.

"Sure thing!"

When she comes back fifteen minutes later, after having hung up her silver apron and greeted the man whose shift has just started, she plops down in the booth, the side she always sat on, and sighs. "So. It's been ten years. How have you been?"

 I shrug, not knowing where to start. "Well, as soon as I left, I attended uni in London for photography, which, as you know, had always been a dream of mine. There, I met a girl called Lotus who is simultaneously the most annoying and most wonderful girl I've ever met - besides you, of course. We became best friends, and I graduated before she did, but when she graduated, we decided to share a flat downtown. As a photography major doesn't have a lot of options as far as careers go, I'd been working at a little game shop down there for about a year or so."

"Any love interests? You know I always love the juicy details, Lester." she smiles suggestively and leans in closer to me, her hand supporting her head.

"Scarlett James, you perv," I feign offense, "if you insist. You'll love this. I was working one day about a month ago, and it had been a particularly rough day for me, and so I wasn't in the highest spirits. Then, this guy walks in, and I swear I about died, he was so stunning. I helped him get his game and then he left, and I thought I would never see him again. The next week I was in Oxford visiting my grandparents, and we got in a fight and I took a walk, and lo and behold I saw him outside his house. He asked me in for tea, and we became friends, and then soon after we started dating, but I'll tell you that story another time."

"What's he like?" she asks, genuinely interested.

"He's tall, about my height. Twenty four years old. He has this milky pale skin that's so even and beautiful, and then he has deep brown eyes and soft brown hair to match. Cut kind of like mine, except it faces the other way. He's slim and a little bit gangly, but it's endearing. His voice sounds like music and his mind is stunning. Honestly, he's drop dead gorgeous. I'll have to introduce you some time. Oh, and he's a lavender too, just like you. Thanks to you, I know how he operates and so it's so much easier to love him."

"You're welcome. I know I'm your favourite."

"Forever and always."

"What's his name?"

I sigh dreamily as I breathe the three letter word. "Dan."

"You're so in love, Phil, it honestly hurts. Let me tell you about my life." she grins.

"Go ahead, I'm curious!"

"Well, once you left it wasn't really the same around here. Nobody was as happy without your cheeriness here. Still, though, I went to uni, and I started studying forensic sciences, just like I told you I wanted to do. I'm still studying that, actually, as I want to work in the forensic field someday. I work here to support my education for now. Anyway, after I finished my first two years of uni I moved into a house near the school with my cousin, and I still live there. I took up music as a hobby at some point, and now I'm obsessed with it. I self taught myself guitar and ukulele, and I'm learning piano currently. As far as romantic interests go, as I know you'll ask, I tried dating a couple guys, and even a couple girls, but I'm just not into it. I took some time to think about it, and turns out I'm aromantic. That's fine with me, though, because I don't really need to rely on anyone in that sense."

"Good for you! On a lower note, has the... situation gotten any better?" I ask cautiously.

"Actually, yes. As you get older, people tend to stop connecting racial stereotypes and neurocategory stereotypes. Sure, I still get picked on because I'm a lavender, and the odd bit from old people because I'm not white, but at least they don't cross the two."

"Glad to hear it. Kind of."

She laughs, and I laugh with her. It is now I realize how much I've missed her.

-

When I finally pull myself away from Scarlett and check my phone, it's already a few minutes past midday. I told my mum I would be there by half past twelve, and I'm already going to be late. I tell Scarlett, but she just shakes her head.

"You aren't going to walk, are you?"

"Yeah, I am, why?"

"Oh, no. I'm not allowing that. You've got that suitcase, that would be a nightmare! Let me drive you, I still remember where you used to live."

"Fine."

We pile into Scarlett's expensive looking car and ease out into the trafficky Manchester roads. As we drive to my old house, just a few minutes outside of the city, my eyes well up slightly at the nostalgia of seeing all these old places.

Scarlett finally pulls into the driveway of a picturesque house, painted a pastel yellow with white shutters beside the windows and a door to match. Memories, both good and bad, instantly come flooding back into my brain, and I am launched into a reimagining of my childhood. 

"Here we are," Scarlett says, putting her hand on my shoulder, "I probably shouldn't go in, knowing your parents, but you have my number. Call me if it gets bad and I'll come get you and take you somewhere."

"Thank you, Scarlett. Take care, babe." I say, opening the car door and flashing a smile at her.

When I get to the door, my heart is racing. My parents haven't seen me in ten years. I knock on the door, and within seconds, it starts to open. Stood in front of me is my mum, looking just like she did ten years ago with just hints of age visible on her face. The skin around her eyes crinkles as she realizes it's me and she envelops me in a tight embrace, crying slightly.

"Mom, I'm home," I say quietly to her, and she laughs.

"Welcome home, dear." she murmurs happily. "We've got your old room just the way you left it when you left. Even put the sheets back on your bed for you. Go ahead up and drop your stuff off and then join us in the garden for tea."

I bound up the stairs two at a time like I used to, turn right at the top, and go to the end of the hallway to where my room is. Opening the door reveals the same blue and green striped walls I used to have, the same old posters, and the same chequered duvet. I park my suitcase next to the door and flop onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before taking out my phone and dialing Dan's number. Surprisingly, after a few rings, he answers.

"Hello?" he croaks, sleep lacing his voice.

"Hello, darling." I say quietly as not to hurt his ears. "How are you? Is everything okay?"

"Just peachy." I hear a smile in his voice, and that leads me to believe everything is really okay. "You?"

"I've been here only a few hours and already reconnected with old friends, but I miss you like crazy."

"Me too. It's real lonely without you here."

"Just hang in there, okay? I'll be home before you know it. Skype me tonight if you're feeling up to it, yeah?"

"Sure. Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes, little dove?"

A pause.

"Did you just call me... little dove?"

"Yeah. Is that alright? I can think of something else i-"

"No, no, that's quite alright. You're cute. Really cute."

"You even more so. I have to go have tea with my family, but I'll try and sneak you texts. Take care of yourself, baby. I love you more than you can even imagine."

"I love you too. Talk to you later."

I press the end call button and sigh loudly, curling up into the sheets. However nostalgic these are, they don't smell like Dan, and it makes me miss home even more. However, I've got to go outside with my family who I came here to see, and so I pry myself from my bed and head down the stairs.

I wonder how Dan is really doing?

ok but why do I like that Phil calls his friends like Lotus "babe" and stuff but he calls Dan "baby" when he's serious like that is so endlessly adorable to me and I can't place why

but i also really like "little dove" i came across that by accident and i nearly died

let me get more creative and i'll have more cute nicknames for him soon