The Search

Chapter 1

It's just another day, Dan thought.
There is nothing to worry about.

Dan Howell was walking quickly towards the small coffee shop at the end of the street.

"Great, it's my first day and I'm already late," he whispered.

It was a very cold day, unusually cold for the time of year. People were walking around wearing scarfs and hats, the wind blowing their long coats.

Dan was wearing, as usual, nothing to keep him from the cold. He shivered as he took the last few steps before reaching the coffee shop.

He opened to door to find a very packed place. Every chair was filled with laughing and chatting people with a cup at hand.

Dan's new boss approached him with a frown.

"You're late," he said angrily. "Go back there, with Tiffany, over at the counter. She'll tell you what to do."

Dan nodded and quietly hurried over to the girl behind the counter.

"Hi, my name is Dan. I'm the new employee. Um, Mike told me to come over here, he said you will tell me what to do..?"

"Ah, yes, the new guy! I knew you were coming. So, okay, I'll explain what will be going on here at the shop. As you can see it's pretty packed, so I'll help you out at the beginning, but then you'll go on from there."

"Okay. Thanks."

Tiffany told Dan how to make everything on the menu, and when they were done, she helped him out with his first few costumers. After that, she left him to attend the remaining people on the shop. Most people had already left to go to work.

After a few hours, Dan noticed a boy about his age come in and sit down at the stool in front of Dan.

"Um, can I have a Caramel Pumpkin Spice Frappucino, uh, please."

Dan nodded and quickly served the boy. The boy gave him a warm smile and took a sip.

"I'm Phil," he said after a while.

"Uh, hi. I-I'm Dan."

"Nice to meet you," Phil said.

Dan smiled, which was unusual.

"So, is this your first day? I come here a lot and I've never seen you..."

"Yes, actually. I guess I needed to earn a few extra bucks. I'm trying to save up for a bicycle," he said.

"Oh, that's cool. I've never had one. Don't even know how to ride one," Phil said, but his cheeks quickly turned red.

Dan giggled softly. "It's okay, there's no need to be embarrassed. Maybe I can teach you."

Phil looked up at Dan with his eyes open wide.

"Seriously?! That would be great, I've always wanted to learn!"

"How about you meet me at the park after my shift? I can rent a bike there and I can teach you the basics."

Dan felt some confidence rise up in his stomach. He had never asked anyone out, specially a boy. But he felt that Phil was different.

Would he consider this a date? He thought to himself.

"Sure, that would be fantastic," he said excitedly.

"I'll meet you at 7. My shift ends at 6:30 but I'll have to get ready. You know, rent the bike and stuff..."

"It's a date then. I'll you there," Phil said with a grin. Before Dan could say anything, Phil got up and walked out of the small shop, leaving Dan with a very red face.