Modern Family: New Life-Chapter 84: Valentine’s Day II

"Hey, Dylan," Andrew greeted without much enthusiasm.

It wasn't that he had anything against Dylan, but the situation he was in wasn't exactly to his liking. He was only doing this because Haley would get him the comic he needed in a few days, and he couldn't do it himself because he'd be grounded.

"Hey, Captain!" Dylan responded with his usual enthusiasm.

Andrew blinked, 'I'm not your captain,' he thought, but he just nodded without correcting him.

"Hi," Pippa greeted with a polite smile.

Dylan looked at her for a second, trying to remember something. "You're..."

"Pippa," she completed patiently.

"Yes, that! I knew it!" Dylan said, snapping his fingers as if he was just about to remember it himself.

Andrew rolled his eyes, but at that moment, he noticed Dylan was holding a large object wrapped in red gift paper with a flashy bow. Its rectangular shape made it look like a painting or something similar.

"Wow, I see you really went all out with the gift," Andrew commented, raising an eyebrow.

Dylan smiled dreamily. "Oh, yes. This is the ultimate proof of my affection, admiration, and eternal love for Haley."

Andrew stared at him silently for a moment and then, unable to resist, joked, "Or to make sure you two stop fighting for at least five minutes?"

"What?" Dylan blinked, not understanding the comment.

Pippa laughed but quickly covered her mouth to contain it. She then gave Andrew a light elbow nudge and whispered, "Don't tease him."

"I didn't mean to," Andrew murmured, looking at Pippa, then back at Dylan. "Nothing, nothing. Just wait here, your Valentine will be here soon," he added before walking with Pippa to the house and ringing the doorbell.

Just a few seconds later, the door swung open.

"Andy? Pippa?" Phil said, surprised to see his nephew and his nephew's girlfriend at the door.

"Hey, Uncle," Andrew greeted with a smile. Pippa also smiled and waved.

"I wasn't expecting you here! Come in, come in!" Phil said enthusiastically, stepping aside to let them in.

Andrew and Pippa walked into the living room, where they found Alex sitting on the couch, reading a book. She barely lifted her gaze and squinted at them. She knew exactly why they were there.

Still, Alex had decided to help Haley... in exchange for a considerable payment, of course. If her sister wanted to sneak out, she had to compensate her properly.

"Andrew, Pippa," Alex greeted with feigned indifference, though deep down, she was amused by the whole situation.

"Alex," Andrew replied, matching her calculating look.

Without another word, Alex stood up with her book in hand and headed for the stairs.

She wanted to witness the spectacle of Haley clumsily sneaking out through the window.

"So, what brings you here on this beautiful Valentine's Day?" Phil asked with a friendly smile, looking at both of them.

Andrew was about to come up with a lie when Phil suddenly snapped his fingers excitedly.

"Wait! Don't tell me... Is this a top-secret romantic rescue mission? A 'Mission: Cupid' in action?" Phil asked, his eyes gleaming.

Andrew and Pippa exchanged a wary glance. They hadn't expected to be caught so quickly—let alone by Phil.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Andrew said, trying his best to keep a poker face.

"I came here to..." he added, but his voice trailed off as he looked at Pippa for support.

"To... strengthen family bonds on this beautiful day of love and friendship?" Pippa improvised, her tone more questioning than assertive. She wasn't exactly an expert at lying, especially on the spot.

"Haley is lucky to have such a dedicated tactical team in the name of love," Phil said, clicking his tongue and shaking his head in feigned disapproval.

"Relax, I'll let Haley see Dylan. Of course, Claire doesn't know," he added with a smile.

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[Phil's Comment]

"I'm the cool dad," Phil said, grinning at the camera with his hands clasped together as if he were the best dad in the world.

"Haley has learned her lesson. Thirteen days without leaving the house except for school. I think she's earned her Valentine's Day, and I'd feel bad taking this day away from her," Phil added. As a true defender of love, he simply couldn't allow such a thing.

[End of Comment]

"Really?" Andrew asked, surprised.

"Yes, but if Haley is going to sneak out, she'll do it like a civilized and responsible person—through the front door. No dangerous maneuvers out the second-floor window," Phil said, raising a finger.

Andrew opened his mouth to protest, he liked risky maneuvers, but Pippa cut him off.

"Yes, of course, you're right," Pippa said quickly. "No unnecessary risks."

Phil nodded, satisfied, but then lowered his voice and leaned slightly toward them. "But there's one condition... I can't know anything about this. Officially, I have no idea what's happening. If Claire finds out I let Haley escape, my life is in danger."

'Isn't that a bit exaggerated?' Andrew thought, but then, remembering his Aunt Claire, he realized Phil had a point.

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "So...?"

"I need to be distracted," Phil explained in a conspiratorial tone. "Haley can't know that I let her escape," he added, looking at Andrew, who immediately understood what he meant.

If Haley knew her father had let her sneak out, she might accidentally blurt it out during an argument with Claire, so it was best she remained unaware of Phil's involvement.

"Hmm, so someone needs to keep you busy so Haley thinks you're unaware of the escape," Andrew said.

"I'll handle it," Pippa volunteered. After sorting out a few more details, Andrew headed upstairs.

He reached his cousins' room and knocked twice before entering.

"Is it time?" Haley asked, setting her phone aside. She was already dressed and had her makeup done.

"Yeah, but there's a change of plans. We're going down the stairs," Andrew said, closing the door behind him.

"The stairs? Ugh, how boring," Alex complained.

"Pippa is keeping your dad busy showing him the Valentine's gifts in the kitchen. He won't see us," Andrew explained.

"Perfect! My dad loves looking at gifts! Let's go," Haley said, relieved she wouldn't have to jump and risk ruining her hair, makeup, or outfit.

Alex clicked her tongue and went back to her book.

A few minutes later, Andrew, Pippa, and Haley were outside, where they met up with Dylan.

"Hi, baby!" Haley exclaimed excitedly, throwing herself into Dylan's arms and giving him a surprisingly long kiss. Longer than Andrew and Pippa would have liked to witness.

After Dylan pulled away from Haley, he took the enormous gift and extended it toward her with solemnity.

"Accept this gift as a token of my affection, my love, and endless admiration..."

"Oh my God, it's huge!" Haley interrupted excitedly, snatching the package and tearing the wrapping paper open without waiting another second.

When she finally saw what it was, her mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"Oh my God, I love it! It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Haley said.

Andrew and Pippa leaned in to see the gift and found themselves looking at a painting...

In it, Dylan and Haley were lying down, cuddling. Dylan was shirtless, wearing only jean shorts, while Haley wore an oversized shirt that clearly belonged to him, paired with regular jeans.

Andrew and Pippa exchanged a quick glance. There was no need to say anything—they both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

A small smirk escaped Andrew as he opened his mouth to make a sarcastic comment, but before he could say anything, Pippa, anticipating him, gave him a light elbow to the ribs to stop him from teasing.

"Wow, Dylan, I didn't know you could paint," Pippa said, deciding to take another approach.

"Oh, I didn't paint it," Dylan replied casually. "I took a photo and ran it through a program that turns it into a painting."

Pippa blinked in surprise. "Oh... so you two actually did that?" she asked, pointing at the image with a strange expression.

"Yep," Haley answered with a big smile, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Oh, that's... fabulous," Pippa said, not quite sure what else to say. "Well, we have to go," she added, grabbing Andrew's hand.

"And where are you going on your date?" Haley asked curiously, wrapping her arms around Dylan's waist.

Andrew and Pippa glanced at each other. They both had the same thought instantly, if they answered directly, Haley might suggest a double date... and that was the last thing they wanted.

"You guys? Where are you going?" Andrew asked instead.

"Oh, we're going on a picnic in the park with live music," Dylan replied excitedly. "It's super romantic. I even brought a blanket and everything."

Pippa put on her best fake pity face, "Oh, what a shame, we're not going there. We have an itinerary to follow," she said quickly.

Before Haley could respond, Pippa grabbed Andrew's hand and dragged him away, "Have fun! Bye!" she added hastily as they walked off.

Once they were at a safe distance, Andrew let out a sigh of relief, "That was close," he murmured.

Pippa nodded.

"So, after seeing that masterpiece, do you appreciate the bracelet I gave you more?" Pippa asked with amusement.

"Much more. Thanks for not giving me a painting of us," Andrew said, smiling.

"Although, of course, if you like, I can have one made for your room. What do you say? Me shirtless, holding you dramatically like that?" Andrew added, pretending to consider the idea.

Pippa made an exaggerated grimace, "God, no. It would be so weird to have something like that hanging in my room."

Then she looked Andrew up and down and added in a thoughtful tone, "Although, to be fair, unlike Dylan, who looks like a lanky noodle, you have a lot more muscle. Our painting would be better."

"Well, thanks for noticing my hard work," Andrew said with satisfaction, flexing an arm.

They both stayed silent for a second before bursting into laughter.

"We're terrible," Pippa said, covering her mouth to keep from laughing too loudly.

"Maybe, but someone has to speak the truth. Besides, we helped them have their Valentine's Day," Andrew said with a slight smile.

"Help in exchange for another favor, remember?" Pippa said.

"Yeah, yeah, but I still helped, right?" Andrew said, raising his hands in surrender.

Pippa and Andrew's Valentine's Day continued without any trouble, following the itinerary Pippa had meticulously planned. She was very organized and had arranged everything so they could enjoy the day to the fullest.

First, they went to the movies to watch a film they had both been looking forward to. Then, they headed to an ice cream shop, where they treated themselves to their favorite flavors—Andrew even allowing himself to break his strict diet for the occasion.

And finally, they went to an arcade in the mall. There were plenty of cooperative games to play, and they had a blast together.

It was almost time to head back; the clock read 5 PM. They were sitting in a small café in the mall, relaxing and enjoying the last moments of the day, when Pippa, visibly reluctant for it to end, sighed.

"Is it over already? I don't want it to end," Pippa said, checking the time on her phone.

"I know, it's been great. But I have to go home and serve my sentence..." Andrew said, taking her hand.

Just then, Andrew's phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw it was a call from Gloria.

"Gloria?" Andrew said quietly, glancing at Pippa before answering.

Pippa raised her eyebrows, curious, wondering what Andrew's grandmother wanted on Valentine's Day,though calling her "grandmother" felt strange, considering she was the same age as Andrew's parents.

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