letters to dan // dan smith

Chapter 6

"Dan! Hurry up you little shit!" Yells Beth, grabbing Dan's car keys and opening the front door to his apartment.

"There's no need to bloody swear Beth!" He yells back, pulling on his worn Converse.

"Well maybe if you took a little less time in front of the mirror we wouldn't need to hurry and I wouldn't need to rush to get to work!"

"Well maybe if you learned to drive you could get yourself to work!"

"Shut up!"

They bicker continuously as Dan drives Beth to her earliest guitar lesson, which is on the other side of town, near Beth's place. Beth had slept over at Dan's the previous night, so Dan had offered to drive her. They'd spent the night watching Disney movies (Beth's choice. Dan was against the idea, but still cried like a baby during the Lion King) and Beth had fallen asleep on the couch, so Dan didn't bother waking her.

She doesn't have her guitar either, so Dan has to drive past her house first.

"Daaannn..." Beth whines.

"Whaaaat?" He whines back.

"Nothing. I just feel like annoying you," she says, smirking.

"Fine," he humphs, staring ahead, a slight smile on his lips.

Beth's phone dings.

"Who's texting you? Your boyfriend?" Dan teases.

"No he's driving," Beth says. After a moment both her and Dan realise what she said, and Beth turns a bright red. "Oh god, I didn't mean that, it just slipped out and I just said and now it's just awkward and god dammit why don't I think before I speak I'm so done right now and--"

"Beth. It's fine, seriously. Calm down," Dan soothes, although he's a little red still.

Beth glances down at her phone awkwardly.

"beth, sorry for the short notice but jess is sick, so we'll have to cancel today's lesson."

"Oh hey, my lesson's cancelled. Let's go get breakfast, my treat." Beth offers, looking over at Dan, to see his reaction.

"Sure," he grins, "Where were you thinking?"

He sees Beth's smirk and groans. "Oh no, not Maccas, please not Maccas," he pleads.

"But their breakfasts are the best thing ever! Come on! Don't be a poop."

"Urgh."

As they drive to McDonalds, Beth cranks up the radio. One song ends and another one starts.

Walking out into the dark

Cutting out a different path

Led by a beating--

"Change the station!" Dan demands, looking mildly uncomfortable.

"Why? I like this song," Beth smirks, and starts singing along obnoxiously loud.

"Jesus," Dan mutters, "Why am I friends with you?"

"Because I'm hot?" Suggests Beth.

"Definitely not."

"Ouch, Dan. That hurt right here," she says, gesturing at her chest.

"What? Your boob?"

"No! My heart you perv!"

The rest of the drive is spent in silence (Dan got his way, the radio was turned of by a disgruntled Beth).

As Dan pulls in at McDonalds, he questions Beth.

"Why do you love this place so much?"

"I only love the breakfasts, everything else is crap. Except the fries. And the milkshakes. And the burgers. I don't know Dan, I just really love maccas."

"That was deep and inspiring," he says sarcastically.

Beth hits him lightly on the arm.

"Let's go order."

Ten minutes later a very happy Beth and a slightly less happy Dan sit in a booth in a the far corner of the cafe. Dan sticks with a coffee, whereas Beth orders pancakes, a McMuffin, hash brown and hot chocolate, and sits there eating away like there's no tomorrow.

"Beth... Can I ask you something?" Says Dan slowly.

"Yeah..." She answers suspiciously.

"What are we?"

Beth is silent for a moment, not sure what to reply, and Dan takes this as a sign that she doesn't really want to talk about this.

"God, I sound like a teenage girl," he mutters, looking down at his coffee.

"No, it's fine. We should talk about this sooner or later," she replies cautiously, stirring her hot chocolate.

"So... What are we?" He repeats his previous questions.

"I don't know... I think we're just friends at the moment, but..." Beth trails off.

"But what?" Prompts Dan.

"If you feel the same way about me as I do you, maybe we could be more?" She wonders out loud.

"Beth. Look. If I don't say this now, I don't think I ever will. Basically since the day I've met you, I knew you were special. The way you talk, the way you lean in when you laugh, all your little quirks and habits make me love you more. I genuinely think you're as close to flawless as they get. I really, really like you and I would do anything to get you to feel the same way." He takes a deep breath and looks down at his drink, waiting for Beth's reaction.

"I feel the same Dan, I always have, but I never said anything because I didn't think you'd like me like that. Especially since you read those letters. You're special Dan, you really are," she says, blushing.

"Aw, don't be shy," he says, gently poking her nose. "So are we a couple now? Is it official?" He asks.

"Yeah... Boyfriend," says Beth, grinning. "Wow, I never thought I'd be saying that to you..." She murmurs dreamily.

"Can we get out of here? Go to the park or something?" Dan asks.

"Sure," Beth agrees.