A Daydream Away (A danisnotonfire fanfic)

A Lack Of Color

"It's literally been seven months since we started dating," Thomas says, looking up at the clock in the cafe.

"You actually remembered the time we started dating?" I laugh, sipping from my cup. He nods seriously.

"It was when the world stopped turning," He says, grabbing my hand and smiling.

"Wow. And I thought I was hopeless romantic," I smile, squeezing his hand.

"Sorry, I'm just more hopeless and more romantic," He says, winking. I laugh as I shake my head.

"So, Mr.CreepyStalkerDude," I smile. He grins. "What's up? What did you want to ask me?"

His face turns very serious.

"Well Nicole, we've only known each other for almost eight months, been dating for seven, but I really want to ask you this," He says, reaching into his pocket and begins to draw something out.

"Oh god. Thomas, look, you are super sweet and super amazing, and I do love you, but this is too soon," I say, my heart racing. Thomas laughs.

"I'm not proposing, yet," He winks. I sigh in relief but smile weakly.

"Go on."

"I have two tickets to Paris. The most romantic city in the world. I'm going just to tour, and it only made sense to invite the most beautiful girl ever, who also happens to be the girl of my dreams," He smiles, holding out two airplane tickets.

"Oh Thomas," I smile.

"But she had to cancel on me, so I'm asking you," He grins.

"Jackass," I grin, slapping him playfully on the shoulder.

"No but in all seriousness, would you come with me?"

"I don't see why not? When is it?"

"In a few weeks. We'd stay for forever."

"What?"

"Yeah, I got a nice little flat in the downtown, but nice, area of Paris. I want you to come live with me there, and hopefully one day we can live there as more than boyfriend and girlfriend."

"....... Okay," I smile, grabbing his hands in mine.

"Are you serious? I thought you'd say no," He says.

"......I'm quiet serious. I want to come live with you in Paris.... I love you Thomas."

He grins like a toddler in a sweets shop.

"I love you too, Nicole."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three and a half weeks leading up to the move were filled with lots of excitement, and yet I felt like Dan was holding something back. But I pushed those thoughts aside and focused and getting ready to go to Paris with my boyfriend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Night of the flight*

I gave Thomas a kiss as he took my bags down the steps and to the cab. I turn back to Dan and Phil, and feel a terrible ache in my chest.

"I love you guys. So very much....... And I'm gonna miss you, more than my heart can probably handle," I smile, giving a shaky laugh as my eyes sting with tears.

"I love you too Nicole. I'm gonna miss one of my bestfriends in the entire universe," Phil says, tears slipping down his cheeks. I hug him tightly, breathing in the scent of chocolate and Wheaties. I feel a few tears on my shoulder and I know a few of mine fall onto his.

I pull away, and he scurries off, and my heart breaks as his muffled sobs echo down the hall. I turn to Dan and try to smile. He cups my face in his hands and wipes away my tears with his thumbs, and fresh tears pool his eyes.

"You're too pretty to cry over two silly guys," Dan smiles sadly. I scoff.

"So I guess this is goodbye, Dan," I say.

"Yeah..... I guess so."

Dan pulls me into a hug and I breathe in the scent of his Axe and the smell of Malteasers. His lanky arms wrap tightly around my waist, and I burry my head into his chest.

I pull away, when he grabs my wrist.

"Don't go..... Please, stay here. Don't leave for Paris with Thomas........ Please," he whispers.

".... W-Why?" I ask. "I..... I love Thomas and I want to go to Paris with him...... And he loves me back."

I see the hurt on Dan's face, but I continue.

".... Give me a reason to stay Dan......" I say, an almost incoherent 'please' following. But Dan just stands there, crying silently as he holds onto my wrist.

"Goodbye Dan."

And I jerk my arm away from him, running down the stairs and out of the flat before my heart can shatter into a million ungluable pieces.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm gonna hit the loo before the plane starts, okay love?" Thomas asks, standing up.

"Yeah," I smile. I give him a quick kiss and he makes his way towards the end of the plane to the loo.

Before we're told to turn off our phones, I check mine. A missed call and one new voicemail.

I call my voicemail.

"Please enter your password, then press pound."

I punch it in, the press the pound key softly.

"You have one new message."

I wonder breifly who it is, perhaps Phil telling me I left something. Or Mr. David, telling me a final goodbye.

But it's none of the above.

"Nicole?" Dan's weary voice says through the speaker. My heart falters momentarily.

"Nicole....... You told me to give you a reason to stay, right? One reason was all..... But I could give you a million. Phil and I need your smart-ass remarks. We need your Delia Smith pancakes and we need your innuendos....... Phil needs his other bestfriend, and the girl who is practically his sister..........."

A few tears slip down my cheeks.

"..... I need you....... Nicole, you are smart. Brilliant, wither it's actual brain work, or cooking, or just being witty...... You are beautiful, in the fact that even if it ment you had no clothes and had to walk home naked, you would give you're winter clothes to a homeless person in a fraction of a second, and you're beautiful. You're eyes shine like emeralds when you're happy and the one dimple you have when you smile........"

He's noticed those things? Why?

"Nicole, you asked for a reason. So i'm going to give you one. Yeah, I gave you lots before, but this is the reason I wanted to give you....."

I press the mobile closer to my ear. What's the reason Dan?

"I love you..... I don't know why it took me this long to say it, or this long to realize it, but I do. And I know I shouldn't tell you this when you're getting ready to go to  move to Paris with your boyfriend....... But I needed to say it. Goodbye Nicole."

I wipe the tears off my cheeks that can't seem to stop coming.

"End of message. To return the call, dial one now. To erase this mesage, dial seven."

I pull the phone away from my ear and sigh shakily as a few more tears slip down my cheeks. I touch the number lightly and hold the phone back to my ear.

"Message erased."