Picasso and The Delinquent (Phan)

Side Dish

Phil's POV

I pull up to the park taking deep breaths, reminding myself that Dan was just a guy. That's right, just a guy that every time I'm around, I act like a complete dork. If life wasn't stressful enough, dammit.

I walk around the park aimlessly looking for him, while everyone in London decides to gaze at my aesthetic as if they haven't seen a punk before. Bandwagoners.

Pretty soon, after searching through endless clumps of trees, I find Dan, sketching with all his supplies.
I take a minute to catch my breath, knowing it would be gross to come up to him winded.

I lightly tap him, and he slowly turns around cautiously. "What's up maggot." I joke. He hides his sketches, forcing a smile and gets up. I almost wanted to ask what he was drawing.

"I didn't think you'd actually come." He says laughing, putting his hands in his pockets.

God, am I that unpromising?

"I'd come for you." I said.

Wait what? Fuck, Phil what's the matter with you!

He gives me that famous slight head turn, confused look. "I'm not going to take that as a dirty statement."
"Sorry I didn't mean to make it come out that way, it just sort of happened." I say idiotically.

Bloody GOD, I'm doing it again! (Mental face palm).

Relieved, Dan let's a smirk takeover his face, I do the same. We surrender to bust out laughing. I guess my clumsiness paid off, for once.

An awkward silence fills the air. I wish to break it, but I'm afraid I may say something foolish again.

"So what's up? Did you just want to hang out or..." I ask, leading him on.
Dan circles his mouth. "Well...I was really bored....and I had nothing better to do. And since, I really don't have a lot of nice friends, I just was thinking I could hang out with you for the time being."

I finally let myself go red and look around. "You consider me a friend?" I said.

Dan looks at the grass. "Um...well kind of....if you'd rather not, than I get it, I mean, I'm not much fun anyways." I can see him looking rather upset.

He's getting disappointed, do something Phil.

"No no no. I think your um.....well I don't mean in that way but....you're cool...but not in a serious...but...um...."
Damn, I was terrible at telling people how I felt. He looks at me a little ashamed, starting to get his things.

"I like you as a friend Dan, dammit, your just.....fuck, I don't know, artsy or whatever, a smartass at everything and always being so nice and crap....you know...just...fuck."

He pauses looking at me, please be impressed.

"You really mean that, honestly?" He says.
"Yes, over everything I smoke!"

What. Did. I. Just. Say. I compose myself and take a deep mental breath, like Oli said, just be yourself.

"Look you're really cool, we should just hang today, I'll take you out, what do you want, are you hungry?" I ask him shyly.

He fidgets and looks at his phone time.

"Well yeah but-" He begins to say.
"Then it's settled." I interrupt.
"But I don't want you to-"
"Look, shut up, go get in my car, turn on the heat of your cold, and blast whatever you want. I'll take care of your things and put them in my car."

Dan stares at me reluctantly and begins to walk to my car, I gather all his art supplies, around me, he wouldn't have to touch the floor with his feet.

At Diner........

Me and Dan take a seat at the nearest booth, grabbing our menus along the way.

We sit in silence for a minute as we decide what we want, cause honestly, I was a hungry ass at the moment.

I watch Dan hover over the menu several times. Some of the things he does put me in a place of concern.

"You mates about ready to order?"

I look up and see the waitress, Dan doesn't look at her or me.

"Yeah, I'll have some tea, along with this special shit." I answer. Dan holds back his smile, which was like a drug.

"Alrighty then, how about your dear?"

"Yeah......I'll just have the side dish." He says covering his mouth.

He'll just have what? I don't think so.

"Side dish? Dan, that's just two sides and bread, you cannot be serious." I exclaim.
"But everything else looks so expensive, I'll just eat later if I get hungry." He says.

"Hell no, make that two specials."

Smiling, the waitress scribbles it to her pad and makes her way back to the kitchen.

"I'll have it ready for you both momentarily." She calls back.

Dan looks out the window, avoiding eye contact. He knew I was gonna chew him out for such.

"You know damn well that's not cool Dan, the point of going out to eat is to get full, you can't get full off that." I tell him.

"It's just.... It seemed like too much to pay for, I didn't wanna come off as greedy and inconsiderate of your money, I just really was trying to be selfless, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to-" He says really fast, till I hold his wrist.

"Look, you're here to eat and get full, I'm not going to send you home unsatisfied, you're gonna sit here, and we're gonna eat, and I am gonna drive you home safely."

He let's our eyes finally lock, and let's bliss shower him. There was no need for him to feel like he needed to do less for me...I am as low as anything gets.

------------------------------------------

"So your going into art and theatre?" I ask him.
"Yeah, it kinda runs in the family, I used to do plays all the time when I was a kid."

"What happened?" I ask him.
He shrugs and digs into his macaroni.
"Just can't. I get to anxious on stage. Plus I'm already in so many AP classes, I don't have time for anything else. I've still got applications and part time jobs to do."

I sigh in grief, everything was happening in his life except for some fun.

He was a senior this year, and wanted to go to Juilliard, majoring and dramatic arts and painting. He was taking millions of AP classes, stuff like Astrology, oceanography and calculus. He probably have enough credits to finish college without even going to be honest.

"Do you ever like, go out?" I ask.
"What do you mean?" He asks.
"Like, party or go to clubs or anything like that. Drink maybe?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "Nah, that's not really my scene, I'm way to awkward." He says laughing.
"Not as awkward as me, I think your pretty chill actually."

He rolls his eyes and slightly smiles

It was getting late, he was getting comfortable, and I no longer wanna take him home.