Talk To Me

Chapter 11: Triple Date

A/N Thank you all for 2.5K! So this chapter was originally going to be Coming Out Part 2 but I've had an awesome weekend and I'm sick and my brain just doesn't feel like writing angst so I figured I'd do that next weekend and just load you with some more fluff. So without further a due enjoy!

PJ and Chris had wanted to do a relationship thing with all of us, or "triple date" as they called it, since we hadn't done that since we (me and Dan, and Chris and PJ) had started dating. So here we were, six weirdly tall, gay men casually walking down the streets of London at around 7 at night to some mystery destination. PJ and Chris were walking in front, Tyler and Troye were in the middle, and finally Dan and I were bringing up the rear. I smiled at how differently we all were in terms of our relationships. PJ and Chris had the "best friend" relationship, the one where you'd never know they were dating until they kissed, which was evident from their laughter and occasional shoving. Tyler and Troye had the "intimate relationship", given Tyler's arm around Troye's shoulders and him occasionally leaning down and whispering to him, which either made him blush or laugh. Dan and I, well... we had the "high school relationship", the one were we're both nervous and shy, which was evident from us simply holding hands. Dan was understandable, given his past and the fact that I was his first relationship. I'd been in several relationships, most before I met Dan and both with men and women, but I'd never felt more nervous then right now. And that was because I was never 100% sure with Dan. The more nervous or scared he got, the quieter he got, and I was worried that if he was ever uncomfortable with anything, he wouldn't tell me. It seemed kind of silly- we were in a relationship, I was meant to trust him- but I cared about Dan too much to hurt him.

"Hey," he quietly whispered, nudging my shoulder gently and brining me out of my pondering. "Are y-you ok-kay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking." I replied, giving him a smile. He seemed satisfied and turned his attention back to our destination.

"H-how much f-farther do y-you think?" he asked. 

"Don't know," I replied. Turning to the pair at the front I asked, "How much farther, you guys?"

"Wait and see," Chris said mischievously. "It's not far."  I rolled my eyes at his dramatic keeping of this secret. Sketch comedians.

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We arrived around half an hour later at this big fancy restaurant. PJ and Chris lead us up to the front desk and gave their name. We were whisked through the doors into the packed bar area. I heard Dan let out a quiet whimper at the sudden loud noise and crush of people. I intertwined my fingers with his and pulled him closer to me. He shot me a grateful look as we were lead away from the bar and onto the restaurant floor. We were taken to a secluded booth on the far side of the restaurant from the bar and given menus. PJ and Chris sat on one side, Troye and Tyler sat on the other, and Dan and I sat in the middle, me still holding his hand.

"This place is awesome." Tyler commented from his position of almost lying on Troye's chest. 

"We figured you guys would like it." PJ replied.

"Hope no one minds if I hit the bar afterwards." Tyler continued. Troye groaned.

"We're catching a taxi back then." he stated. 

"Excuse me?" Tyler asked offendedly, sitting up.

"Babe, you're so uncoordinated when you're drunk." Troye laughed. By now the rest of us were struggling not to join him.

"Fine," Tyler mumbled, leaning on Troye once again. The waitress came and we got our food, and the conversation drifted off. I hate to say it but I sort of tuned everyone out, more focused on the boy next to me, who was eating his pasta with gusto. It made me so happy to see him normal. He still had bad days but he was eating almost all the time now. Then the conversation took a turn that made me perk up in curiosity.

"You know," PJ said, addressing Tyler and Troye. "You guys never did tell us how you started dating." Chris and I chimed in our agreement and the two looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well," Troye started. "I moved out from Australia, about a year before we met you guys. I was in a bunch of Tyler's classes."

"I'd moved over from America a year before," Tyler continued. "By then I knew my sexuality and I was interested in Troye. I tried to do some "ninja" investigation into his before I did anything, though."

"And by "ninja" Tyler means I found out about two days after he started. I'd figured mine out , though, when I was around fourteen, but I hadn't told anyone."

"We got talking one day and it stemmed from there."

"Tyler was so nervous when he asked me out."

"Shut up." Tyler exclaimed, laughing and blushing. He turned to Chris and PJ. "What about you guys?" 

"Well we've been friends since we were eleven," PJ began.

"But it wasn't until a few weeks before we told you that we thought there might be something else." Chris continued.

"So what happened?" Tyler asked curiously.

"Well we were having a sort of deep talk about everything and, without meaning to, I kind of told him I liked him." Chris said.

"It took me nearly an hour to calm him down enough to tell him I liked him back." Both couples then turned to me and Dan. 

"What about you two?" Troye asked.

"Well I'd liked Dan since high school. I finally got up the nerve to tell him that about  two weeks before we told you."

I didn't realise that I liked him like that until he told me. Dan wrote. He still wasn't comfortable talking around the guys too much and definitely not in public.

"I actually properly asked him out just after we told you guys." I finished. They must have seen how hard Dan and I were blushing, though, because the conversation drifted off again. Dan rested his head on my shoulder and whispered;

"I'm r-really glad you d-did."

"So am I." I whispered back. We want back to watching our friends and it was a good night. The six of us ended up walking home because, although Tyler did hit the bar, he only had a few drinks. It was enough that he was a little louder and a little less coordinated than normal but Troye kept a firm grip around his waist so he was fine. We made it back to our apartment, after saying good bye to the guys, and crashed on the couch. It was only just gone 10 so I suggested we watch a movie. Half way through our third one Dan fell asleep and woke up as I was trying to get him off the couch.

"I-is this g-going to be our th-thing now?" he asked sleepily. "Go out w-with the guys and f-fall asle-ep on the c-couch?" 

"I hope not." I said as I helped him to his feet. "Sleeping on the couch isn't comfortable, even if I do get to fall asleep with you leaning on me." He blushed a furious red at this.

"W-well if y-you l-like it s-so m-much I c-could sle-ep with y-you m-more? I-if y-you want." he suggested, his stutter getting worse from his nervousness.

"Do you want to?" I asked, surprised. He nodded, not meeting my eyes. I oped my door in an invitation and he smiled at me. Three minutes later we were snuggled up in my bed. 

"Dan?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I l-love you t-to, Phil."