Chapter 1

He pressed her back against the bed. If any remnant of logical thought was left in his head, her sweet perfume consumed it. There was something about a girl's skin that made a guy want to sink right into it. When her nails lightly grazed his scalp, he almost groaned.

His fingertips had just skimmed her midriff, when a knock sounded on the door.

"Chloe, honey?"

They scrambled apart. Her eyes were frantic, while she mouthed, "My mother. What do we do?"

Stifling a sudden urge to laugh, he gave a timid shrug. He could try leaping out the window, but knew what a two-story drop felt like, if the tree wasn't cooperative.

Throwing up her hands at his oh-so-helpful response, she yanked him by the arm and pushed him into the closet. She pulled the doors shut. He watched her bare feet walk away to answer the door. Damn, even her toenails turned him on at this point. Chuckling at himself, Philip listened to Chloe talk with her high-pitched mother. Hmmm, he thought, when his hand grazed something silky. His eyes adjusted to the dim light and realized he was scrunched in between a dark cotton blouse and a slinky red teddy. Nope, he decided, as he felt the fluid, siren red fabric, this definitely was not going to help him sleep at night. He was about to run it across his cheek, when the bedroom door closed, and the stereo suddenly played an operatic solo.

She pulled open the closet doors and shook her head. How ridiculous was a pair of bone-melting Kiriakis eyes, peeking out from under girls' clothing? First, he'd snuck into the Barron's ladies' dressing room and now he was practically wearing her clothes. Very strange progression. Giggling, she moved the hangers apart to help him, when he reached out and pulled her into the closet with him.

"Philip! What are you doing?" laughed Chloe.

"Exploring my feminine side," he grinned, running his lips along her neck, while his hands explored his favorite feminine sides.

Breathless, she pulled him out of the closet and laid a restraining finger on his lips, before he could kiss her. "Get a grip on your hormones, Kiriakis."

He kissed her finger and let his dimples do the talking.

She fixed her eyes on his chin to strengthen her resolve. God knew how brain cells deteriorated to mush, when she saw those dimples. "That was too close, Philip. A-And," she managed, when he ran a warm hand down her back, "I really think we're moving too fast."

"Mmm-hmmm," he murmured, fascinated again by the feel of her thick, soft hair.

She laid a hand on his cheek, so their eyes met. "I'm serious, Philip."

He sighed. She said that they were going too fast. But for him, they weren't moving fast enough. He'd never been so sure of anything in his life. He loved Chloe and wanted her in every way possible. According to the young male brain, such intense feelings equated somewhere inevitably and naturally to sex. He'd already exceeded many of his buddies, in that he was emotionally committed to her and openly communicated his love in word and action. But, as he looked into those big blue eyes, he knew that he'd give her whatever she needed. For now, that was time.

Man, he thought, before running a hand through his already mussed hair, this love thing was rough. He sighed again, before tenderly kissing her forehead in deference.

She smiled softly. "Thank you for understanding."

When she hugged him, he closed his eyes and was grateful. They'd both come so far, since they first met. He found someone to confide in, whom he trusted without equivocation. And now, she could jump into his arms, trusting he'd catch her. This love thing was amazing.

"I'm going to lose my mind," groaned Mimi. She rifled through the array of papers, strewn around her. "Damn, where is it?"

Belle, twirling a cherry-flavored lollipop in her mouth, looked up from her Salem U. application. "What are you looking for, Meems?"

"My stupid report cards. NYU wants my GPA for-" Irritated beyond belief, Mimi foraged and found the instructions. "-My junior year and last semester. God, I'm screwed."

"Relax, Mimi," said Belle, as she helped her friend search the mound of papers. "Here, junior year, spring semester… and… fall semester, senior year," she piped, as she passed the papers over to Mimi, while she continued to search. "I'm sure that other one is in here somewhere…"

"It's no use, Belle," wailed Mimi. "It's due next week and I haven't even started the application." Hopeless, she grabbed a throw pillow and buried her face in it.

"Oh, Mimi, you have a whole week and you're already giving up. Remember, when you wrote that twenty-page history paper the night before and got a B-?" reminded Belle. She plucked the pillow from Mimi and playfully bopped her friend's side. "Now, pull yourself together and start on the NYU one. They all basically ask for the same thing anyway."

"How come I feel like I'm the only one going through this?" asked Mimi.

"Well, Chloe knew since forever that she wanted Juilliard, so she sent in everything before fall even started. With Chloe set on New York and his family on Ivy, Philip applied to Columbia before Christmas. Then, he sent in for Princeton, since it's close enough to New York and it's got football. You know, Philip - jock to the end," smirked Belle. "Then, Shawn gave up the merchant marine thing and went ahead and applied to Salem U. without even telling me - I mean - us." To hide her blush, she pretended to inspect a random piece of paper. "Anyhow, it's not that hard. You already took the SATs and the school sends the grades. Just fill out the application, pump out a gooey essay about saving the world, and ta-da, you're done."

"Easy for you to say, Miss 3.5 GPA with two-thousand volunteer hours. Where else are you applying to? Because we all know now you're going for Salem U."

Ignoring Mimi's knowing smirk, Belle looked down her nose to the documents before her and pointed, "University of Michigan, University of Illinois, and UCLA just for fun."

Her friend let out a laugh. "Uh-huh, fun, right… Why do things have to change, anyway?" Mimi crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "This sucks. You'll have Shawn at Salem U., Chloe'll have Phil in New York or where ever, and I'll be all alone."

"Oh, Mimi, NYU's in New York, so you won't be alone," assured Belle, paying no heed to Mimi's indignant sniff. "Plus, you're applying to Salem U. as a safety, right? And it'll be so exciting. New places, new experiences, new people. Then, we come back home during the holidays to share all of that. It'll be great."

"Uh-huh," mumbled Mimi, noncommittally. Belle - Miss Perfect, whom everyone loved - was telling her - Miss Nobody, whom nobody cared about or even noticed - that everything was going to be alright. Uh-huh, right… for typical Belle, but not for her. At least, Mimi had her friends and her family in Salem. In college, she'd have to start all over again. Still Miss Nobody, but all alone.

"SCORE!"

"Son of bitch! That's it. Three out of five. Come on, Shawn," coaxed Jason. He pushed off on his skates and skidded to a flurrying halt before a victorious Shawn.

"Naw, buddy," laughed Shawn and slapped an easy hand on Jason's back. "Later, dudes," he waved to their departing friends. "Some of us gotta eat, you know?" He skated away to pick up his hockey stick and puck.

Jason hung his head and sighed. Nothing was more disappointing to a competitive guy than admitting defeat. "Man, if Phil were here, we would've whooped all of you, easy."

"Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Didn't," grinned Shawn, skating an infuriating circle around Jason. "Besides, our old pal Phil had to 'study,' remember?"

Jason scoffed, "Uh-huh, sounds like the girlfriend strikes again. Man, she's turning him into one sorry individual. Can't leave the K-Man alone for one freaking hockey game." He gave a bitter kick to the ice.

Shawn shook his head. "As I remember it, Chloe's always ok with him doing his own thing. He just digs spending time with her. Face it, man, she gives him things we can't," grinned Shawn.

"Whatever. He just wants to make sure she's not messing around with some other dude. There's this rumor-"

"Don't even go there, man. I don't want to hear it, and you can bet that Phil and his temper won't want to hear it either. Look, man, all I'm saying is, when you get hooked on a girl, you'll be doing plenty of 'studying,' too."

"Whatever. I'm never gonna let some girl get her claws in me again," Jason said, thinking of Jan and the manipulating girls that came after.

Shawn shook his head in pity. "Come on, man. I told Belle that we'd meet for some dinner. We'll pick her up from Mimi's and head over to the Pub for burgers. Hey," grinned Shawn, "Maybe you can convince Mimi to come along."

Jason gave a nonchalant shrug, as the boys gathered their things and walked toward the Lockhart home. Mimi's family finally moved into the Habitat home a couple of weeks ago, after most of Salem pitched in the summer and fall to build the house. Jason remembered that bright sparkle in her eyes, when all the volunteers came together to celebrate a job well done. He hadn't dedicated as much time as the others did, but one or two of those rafters had his name on it. A lush body in a pretty lilac suit came to mind, before he grinned to himself. Giving his hair a quick finger-comb, he trotted with Shawn through the snow to the Lockhart house.

"We're supposed to be studying, Philip," chastised Chloe, when he pulled her backside against him and settled on the carpet.

"Hey, calculus can be a whole lot more fun this way," smiled Philip. "See, the maximum of this function…" With a long wavy tress, he traced a figure on paper. "…Is 9, right?"

Pleasantly surprised how fast her jock boyfriend had caught on, she gave him a congratulatory peck on the cheek. "You have been paying attention. Princeton, here you come."

His arms tightened slightly around her, as he resisted a sigh. More than willing to put off discussions about the future, he reached to flip to the next assigned page. "I practiced a couple of these problems at home. Pretty cut and dry, especially with the Chloe Lane cliff notes to becoming a genius." He kissed her, before she could comment. "You hungry? Because I'm starving."

Feeling perfectly at home in his embrace, she turned to rest her cheek against his chest. "You're a walking appetite, you know that?"

"Hey, who ate a whole pan of Cook's vegetable lasagna all by herself, huh?" He gave her a teasing poke in the ribs.

"He said, 'Eat.' So, I ate. I was just trying to be polite," explained Chloe, batting her eyes in guileless innocence.

"Now, Cook asks me day after day, 'Monsieur Philippe,'" imitated Philip in a heavy French accent, "'When Mademoiselle Chloe come see me again? I have new zucchini soufflé, light like the clouds, only Mademoiselle can appreciate.'"

She smiled into his shirt, as he stroked her hair.

"Come on, beautiful. A Pub burger calls." And being alone with a delectable Chloe in forbidden territory was making him antsy. He pulled her to her feet. "Bundle up and I'll be outside waiting." With a quick kiss, he shrugged on his jacket and climbed out the window to the tree outside.

Chloe watched from her window with some apprehension. Though she was a closet hopeless romantic, she let out a sigh of relief, when his feet safely touched the ground. After a cocky salute, he snuck out of the yard to wait.

She pulled on thick socks and boots and hurriedly slipped into a heavy coat. A diluted winter storm from the north covered Salem in a thick blanket of snow. Foreseeing the possibilities, when one combined limitless snow and Philip Kiriakis, she chose water-resistant gloves over her wool mittens. With a warm hat in hand, she reached the downstairs landing, when Nancy called from the kitchen.

"Chloe! Dinner's ready!"

"I can't, Mother! I'm meeting Philip at the Pub. I'll be back later." With that, Chloe left the house to meet a snow-covered Philip outside.

Before she could laugh, he hurled a snowball. She shrieked but quickly engaged in counterattack. The mini-war continued all the way to Pub.

The severely drenched couple reached the Brady Pub.

"Thank God. I'm freezing!" exclaimed a shivering Chloe.

"Come on, beautiful. I'll treat you to a hot cocoa. As the winner, it's the least I can do."

She shook a sopping wet glove at him. "You did not win. You cheated."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," grinned Philip, as he peeled off his jacket and gloves.

"You distracted me," she sniffed, pulling off her hat.

"How exactly did I distract you?" His dimples flashed.

She blushed. "You know exactly how."

"Hey, Phil, Chloe!"

They turned to see Shawn D. waving to them from behind the counter.

"Hey, man! Working today?" asked Philip, as they walked up to greet their friend.

"Naw, just putting together some burgers and drinks for everybody," he replied, pointing to the table in the far corner, where Mimi, Jason, and Belle were chatting away. They watched, as Jason placed a casual arm around Mimi's chair. Mimi, meanwhile, seemed to be trying her level best to ignore him.

Shawn and Chloe exchanged knowing smiles, while oblivious Philip waved to the gang.

"Hi, Chloe! Hi, Philip!" called out Belle, waving for them to join them.

Philip turned to Shawn. "Throw on another cow burger and veggie burger, will you? And we'll help ourselves to the hot cocoa," said Philip, giving Chloe a sidelong wink.

They helped Shawn carry the whopping order to the table and sat down to chat about the day.

"So, Mimi, how are those applications coming along?" asked Shawn, before he took a monstrous chomp out of his burger. Feigning disgust, Belle took napkin and lightly slapped his nose with it.

Mimi sighed, "I've got NYU kinda done. I still got Salem U. and the other schools to start though."

"Man, Mimi, when you procrastinate, you procrastinate," commented Philip.

"Leave Mimi alone, Kiriakis. You'd be in the same situation, if your dad and Henderson hadn't hounded you," chided Chloe with twinkle in her eye.

Philip placed a hand over his heart in mock offense, then grinned.

Mimi nearly rolled her eyes at another Philip/Chloe sappy moment but contained herself, since Chloe had surprisingly defended her.

"So, Meems," began Jason, as his fingers toyed with the loose strands falling down her back, "Why do you want to go all the way to New York, anyways?"

She gritted her teeth but resisted shrugging away his hand that was basically rubbing her back. "They've got a great journalism and acting program. I kinda haven't decided on which major yet," she answered, as she made a point to address everyone else at the table, "And it's in the middle of Greenwich Village. It sounds like tons of fun for four years, especially when you guys come to visit."

Belle reached excitedly across the table and held her friend's hands. "Totally. I've been to the Big Apple once to see a show and I've been dying to go back. It'll be perfect with you and Chloe there."

The boys rolled their eyes at the girls' sentimental display.

"So, Jase, you done with the application for Notre Dame?" asked Philip, before he sipped his root beer.

Jason sighed with some irritation and leaned back in his chair. "My dad sent it off last week. He practically filled it out for me for Christ's sake. Still got it in his head that I'll get in with some football scholarship." He pushed away his plate and reached for his drink. "Whatever. Like it matters."

The girls exchanged confused glances.

"You tell him about the writing thing yet?" asked Philip.

Jason intentionally ignored the inquisitive looks from everyone else at the table. What he did with his free time was his business. Only Phil knew about his writing.

He simply shrugged and played with his fries.

Mimi stole a glance and wondered.