Louis' house.
18 hours.
Dan came.
And the inevitable happened.
Oh alright, I shouldn't be so ridiculous about it. It sounds terrible, the way I put it, but I promise, it wasn't half bad.
I had been invited to my friend Louis' house. Louis typically throws house parties, with lots of food and drinks and loud music. Not really my scene, but he's a close friend and I thought, eh, why the hell not? I was also allowed to bring +1. Naturally, I brought Dan along. There's not one person I'd rather bring.
"This... this is the place," I said. Dan and I were standing in front of a front door, muffling the sound of bumping beats from the other side.
Dan brought my hand to his mouth, pressing a light kiss onto the back of it. "Mon chéri..."
I blushed. "Oh Dan... are you ready?" "Ready for what? A night of snack foods, awkward small talk, and a probable hangover the next morning?" he asked bleakly. "Yes, exactly... but in a positive way! It'll be fun, I promise."
I pushed open the door, getting a facefull of B.O., Ribena, and noise. Dan immediately went tense, but I patted his arm. "Don't worry, Dan, it'll be good, I'm sure of it. He smiled a bit, and looked over at me, pressing a kiss on my temple. "Alright... let's go into the lounge, see if there's any Doritos we can munch on."
About an hour later was when it began.
"Oi, mate!" I heard Louis say. I stopped and turned around. Hopefully Dan wasn't anywhere close by... the last I saw, he was making himself a margarita. "Hey, Louis!" I said, giving him a quick hug. I've known Louis for a long time, he's always been a close friend. "It's crazy we ran into each other in this position!" "Yeah; a house party! Who'da thunk it?" he shouted back over the music. I took a sip of my Ribena as Louis talked about how he had gotten a position working for the EuroStar. "I'm a teller! Pays acceptably, with the only downside being I have to listen to rush hour's shit!" he said, and we laughed. Suddenly I felt an arm snake around my waist. I turned: it was Danisnotonfire, of course. "Hey Philly," he said, leaning into my ear. I blushed and my face felt like the Sahara Desert, but I quickly turned back to Louis to introduce Dan to him. "Louis, this is my friend Dan; Dan, meet Louis." The two men exchanged a firm handshake and a smile. "It's nice to meet you! Phil's told me a lot about this incredible young man named Dan... finally, I can put a face to the name!" Louis said, words slurring. Dan's turn to blush. He squeezed my waist lovingly. "Really? Phil's said good things about me? That's so sweet," he said. I nodded. "The conversation always seems to come back to you, in the best of ways," I replied. Dan looked down at my beer. "You look a bit empty, want me to get you another?" he asked, taking my beer bottle. "Uh, yeah, sure, that'd be great! But put only half a bottle in a cup, I don't want to be too drunk for when we go home," I explained. Dan nodded, squeezed my waist once more, and walked away to bring me another drink.I turned back to Louis, who was smirking. "Are you... and Dan... dating?" he asked slowly, putting two and two together. I shrugged. "I don't really know..." I said. Anything but a direct answer..."Then why did I see you and that handsome guy holding hands earlier?" Louis asked. Oh shit. "Uh... well... I guess Dan and I have a mutual platonic thing going on... but it's no big deal. I'm still as single as ever," I replied. Louis took a small sip of his drink. "Why don't you make a move? Ask him to be your boyfriend?" Why didn't I?
"I don't know."
***
Skip to the next day. I was nursing Dan's hangover, which was severe. The alcohol limited the amount he could recall from what happened last night."What happened after I went into the kitchen to make some drinks?" he asked me groggily. Dan was sprawled out on our couch, and I was seated at the table, typing away furiously on my Mac. Prepping for the book took a bit of time. "Well," I started, not looking up from the screen, "I was in the lounge talking to an old friend, and then you came in, but then left to go get me some more Ribena."Dan scratched his head as if trying to recall. First he sneezed, and then he shook his fringe. "Yeah, I remember that a little bit. Not too, too much of it-" pause for a wide yawn with the ferocity of a thousand lions "-but I do remember leaving to get you some more. What did you and the friend talk about?"
Oh no.
"Oh, y'know, just stuff."
"What kind of stuff, love?"
No no no!
"Um..."
"You alright Phil?"
Just. Say. It.
"Louis, my friend, asked if we were dating. That's all," I said shortly, speed walking out of there to collect myself in the kitchen. "Phil, wait!" I heard Dan call from the other room. "Oof!"
A giggle and a pause. Dan stumbled into the kitchen with the duvet wrapped around him. "Come here," he said, arms outstretched. I fell slowly into his comforting arms, soaking in his warmth. Finally, after a few long moments of an embrace, Dan pulled me back to look at me. "Phil Lester," he said softly, analysing my face. Then a small boop on the nose. I giggled. "Oh Phil... do you want to make things official? Would it be easier if you had just told your friend we were in a relationship? Boyfriends?" he asked sincerely. I thought for a moment, but quickly nodded. Of course I wanted to make things serious with Dan! "Yes, please," I said. Dan beamed, and pulled me in for a kiss.It was exactly what I had wanted... what we had wanted.
