I Will Love You Endlessly (Sequel to i dare you to love me)

Part 5

The next morning, Dan and Phil are rudely awaken from their comfortable slumber by the World's Most Obnoxious Ringtone, courtesy of Dan's phone and Phil grumbles, "Haven't you ever heard of vibrate?"

"Sorry, sorry," Dan says with a yawn, forcing himself up into a sitting position as he reaches for his cell phone and he groans, "Hello?"

"Hey, are you coming in today?" It's Louise, and Dan's confused for a moment until he checks the time and realizes that he was meant to turn up at work two hours ago.

"Oh shit - sorry," he apologizes, but Phil's arms are wrapped around him, keeping him in bed for the time being and as much as he loves work, he is certainly not complaining. "Something came up last night and I must've just slept in."

"Everything alright?" Louise asks.

Almost immediately, Dan starts beaming. "Everything is incredible, actually," he says.

"Incredible? Well, please do tell," she says.

He looks over at Phil, covering the mouthpiece of his phone so he can ask, "Can I tell Louise abous us?" and when Phil nods, he moves his hand - taking a moment to look at his engagement ring once more - before saying, "Phil proposed last night."

Louise screams when she hears that and Dan pull his phone away from his ear to prevent any damage to his eardrums.

"Did he really?!" she exclaims. "Did he actually propose?"

"I'll send you a picture of the ring as soon as we hang up," Dan tells her, and he absolutely cannot stop smiling right now.

"Oh my god!" Louise cries, and Dan can practically see the smile on her face right now. He imagines she's probably bouncing up and down with excitement, her hand clenched together in a fist because she can't contain her elation at the moment. He just hopes she went to the back office to call him and that she isn't on the shop floor, screaming in front of the customers - but then again, it is Louise and he wouldn't put it past her.

"I'm sorry I hadn't called you earlier," he apologizes. "But I need to take the day off; Phil and I are travelling up North to tell his parents the news, then we've got to tell mine."

"Of course, take all the time you need," Louise tells him. "I can definitely hold down the fort while you're away - plus, I could use the overtime."

Dan chuckles. "Always with the overtime, Lou," he says.

"When you're married you'll understand," Louise replies, and Dan covers his face with his free hand because his smile is stupidly wide and he just can't stop smiling. "I need to get back to work but show me that ring immediately and let me know how the rest of your day goes."

"Of course, of course," Dan says and they say their goodbyes before hanging up, and Dan drops back down on top of his pillows next to Phil. He turns his head to look at his fiancé and he smiles. "Hi."

"Hi." Phil leans over to kiss his lips.

"So, ready to go tell the parents?" Dan asks.

"Let's go," Phil says cheerfully, and Dan takes his hand, pulling him out of bed. The two of them quickly shower - separately, because there's no such thing as a quick shower when they shower together - and then set out on their day long journey to tell their parents about their upcoming nuptials.

They go to Dan's parents' house first, which makes sense since it's closer to their flat, and Dan's knees bounce at top speed the entire cab ride there. It doesn't make sense for him to be nervous, since his parents have known about his and Phil's relationship since the start, but there's still a part of him that's drenched in anxiety and he can't shake the feeling. Phil grabs his hand and gives it a comforting squeeze, and the simple action is enough to calm Dan down, even if it's just slightly so.

Dan's mum answers the door once they've arrived, and Dan makes sure to wave at her with his left hand, subtly showing off the engagement ring. She notices it right away and all but bursts into tears, pulling her oldest son and then soon to be son in law into a tight hug. She calls his dad over, ushering the two of them inside, and Dan repeats his subtle-but-not-very-subtle 'look at my engagement ring!' process yet again. Like his mom, his dad catches on immediately, and hugs and congratulations go around - as well does a bottle of Chardonnay.

They don't stay at the Howells' house for long, since their trip up North is going to take at least an hour, and Dan promises to Skype with his mum later that night to talk about the engagement at length. "But please don't cry again," he teases her, and all she says, "Oh you!" before giving him yet another hug. She hugs Phil once more while Dan hugs his dad goodbye, and then the two of them set out to Phil's parents' house.

The scene that unfolds there is similar; instead of telling them at the door, Dan and Phil sit down for tea with Phil's mum and dad and when asked about what they wanted to meet with them about, Dan simply shows them the ring. Almost immediately Phil's mum starts to cry and his dad's jaw simply drops in shock, but they're just as happy for the two of them as Dan's parents were. Mrs. Lester hugs them both and demands all of the details of the engagement, and she teasingly scolds Phil for keeping her in the dark about all of this. Phil's dad calls Dan "son" for the rest of the evening and it takes all Dan has in him to keep from tearing up.

It's a wonderful feeling, having their parents know that the two of them have taken the next big step in their relationship, having their undying support and love. And in just a couple of months, the rest of the world is going to know as well.