Rain Boy (phan)

Chapter 2

As was to be expected, what with Phil's luck, the new two weeks were practically cloudless. A couple families came to stay at the hotel and he was busy working. There was no time to write or draw and Phil found himself sucked into the routine. When he stopped paying attention to what day it was and just worked. When there was barely time to think.

Luckily it was still the middle of winter and the clouds came back. They were dark, but not too much, and Phil was sure that today would be perfect for walking on the beach, once the rain started of course. He just hoped that Dan would call (and that Dan didn't have to work, which Phil found himself only thinking of later, he had forgotten that most people couldn't leave whatever they were doing at the first drops on the ground).

Phil was just gathering his things to leave when his phone began to ring. At that Phil felt his heart skip a beat, which he then felt incredibly foolish for, before he moved, not too quickly, across the room to grab his phone.

"Hello?" Phil said, so unsure it sounded more like a question than a greeting.

"I think this qualifies as the next rain," Dan answered, his voice crackly but unmistakable over the phone.

"Meet me at the beach entrance near the big tree," Phil responded, keeping the theme of only saying what was necessary going. It felt right for the moment and he didn't want to be the one to ruin it. "You don't need to bring an umbrella."

"See you in a few minutes." Even over the phone Phil could hear the excitement in Dan's voice at those words.

"Yeah," Phil quickly said before hanging up. He felt breathless already, though Dan always seemed to have the effect on him. Phil was beginning to think that Dan made him feel even more alive than the rain.

Phil finished gathering up everything for his backpack, a waterproof one that his parents had gotten him for Christmas a few years ago. The items that he put inside included, in no particular order: a towel, his notebook, a thermos full of hot chocolate, a couple of pens, two hoodies (one for him and one for Dan), and a few other various things thrown into the bottom. He had decided that for this occasion it made more sense for him to bring enough stuff for the both of them. Phil wanted to make sure that Dan was simply able to enjoy himself. Because this was the first time Phil had anybody to share the rain with in a long time, and he wanted it to be perfect.

So the backpack was thrown over a shoulder and Phil walked out into the rain that had started a few minutes before their phone call. It was light enough to feel like sprinkles on his face, but heavy enough that it was hard to see from the water already falling into his eyes. It was cool and refreshing; with one breath of the sweet air Phil already felt better.

He began to walk to the spot he had told Dan they would meet. It was one of the main entrances to the beach the town was so well known for, so during the summer it was always quite crowded. Not in the winter though. And it was the perfect starting point for the walk Phil liked to take along the beach to another one of his favourite places to watch the rain.

It only took a few minutes to walk there from his house, though by that point Phil's hair was already sticking to his forehead - something which had never concerned him before, but now that there was a cute boy involved it became slightly annoying. Phil just pushed it off his forehead, hoping the resulting wet quiff wasn't too horrible and walked up to greet Dan.

Dan who had been standing there waiting. He had dutifully not brought an umbrella, yet his hunched posture made it obvious that he was uncomfortable. Not used to this whole water falling from the sky and lack of hiding from it. His hair was pushed back too, looking far better, Phil was sure, than his had any hope of looking. But when he saw Phil, Dan smiled, his whole face lighting up. And all the rain suddenly seemed very out of place.