Suburbs of Manchester
Phil's POV
Bryony called for a cab after lunch, and took us back to her place. I couldn't stop shaking, and my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest.
Bryony took out her key and unlocked the front door. "Phil, your hand is shaking terribly."
"I know," I said, my voice breaking.
She patted me on the back and led me into the parlor. "Bry?" I heard someone ask.
It was Dan. On the couch, wrapped in a blanket, clutching a box of strepsils. He was shaking as well, looking as terrified as I felt. "P-phil?" I heard him stutter. "Yeah?"
Dan got up slowly from the couch. "It's been s-so long." I nodded: "Yes, it's been too long."
"Why do you still hang around with him? He's always hanging out with the weird kids. You don't want to be seen as a weird kid, do you?" Charlie had asked me at school. I shrugged. I didn't know what I wanted. I did want to be with Dan, but I kept getting bullied every day.
Dan saw me. He stood up from bending over to tie his shoe, and waved to me, beaming. I waved back, but Charlie started to pull me away. "Don't hang out with losers."
What I should have said was that Dan wasn't a loser. Dan was my friend. Dan was the only friend I could ever want. He needed to know that.
I pulled the Dan standing in front of me into a hug. "I'm so sorry," I said as I began to cry. Dan was tearing up as well. "I never wanted to leave you. I wanted to always be by your side."
"Then why weren't you?" Dan asked in a small voice. I stopped. "Because I was wrong and succumbed to other people's crap. People would make fun of me for hanging out with you. Why I listened to them, I will never know, and I will never forgive myself for it."
Dan pulled away, and I turned to Bryony. "I'll get you two some tea."
***
It was quarter past eleven, and Dan had come back to my flat with me. I let him sleep in my bed with me, like old times, when we'd have sleepovers in primary school and play on our Gameboys together.
"Phil?" Dan asked in a sleepy voice. I rolled over on my other side to face him. "Yes?"
"Do you... do you remember, back in school... when we were on the swings?"
I nodded in the dark. "Yes, I do remember it. It's actually been on my mind for the past few days."
"Same here," Dan replied. "I'm so sorry," I said. Dan chuckled. "It's okay. We're here now, and that's all that matters."
I took a deep breath and leaned in for a kiss. I felt Dan's hands wrap up around my waist. "You're here now," he whispered. I nodded. "I'm here now, for you. And I don't ever want to leave."
Then Phil woke up, and remembered his best friend sleeping in the other room.
