Muse. The best band in the universe. Both mine's and Dan favorite band OF ALL TIME. And we had tickets to a show!!
It felt like a dream.
"Phil, have you seen my nice cologne?"
I scoffed. "Your fancy, expensive nonsense?"
Dan's head appeared, the rest of his body concealed by the door, "Okay, one, it's a quality product," he said, half-offended, half-panicked, "And I need it, Phil. I
need it. Muse is tonight, and I have to smell like the perfect combination of blood orange, cinnamon, spice, mint, and grapefruit with a hint of spice! Only that cologne will do it. I have to
smell amazing for Muse."
He was in full rambling mode, which was usually quite amusing, but we had to leave in a half-hour. There was no time to watch him tear the house upside-down, unfortunately, because he was adorable when he did that, "It's on the counter. Left side."
Dan tore into the bathroom, breathing hard. It took him a moment to locate the cologne and delicately spray a perfect amount on his wrists and neck. I ran my hand through my hair, making sure not to mess up my finally-controlled fringe. Dan's
eyes flickered over to me, and I saw him lick his lips slightly.
He was attractive.
How had I never noticed how attractive he was? God, if he weren't straight, and my best friend, man i would definitly fu-...But I shook those sudden, invasive thoughts off. Dan is not your focus right now, I reminded myself sternly, tearing my eyes away from him. Concert. Muse. Priorities, Philip. Dan took a deep breath. "I'm going to check that we have everything. How's my hair? Be
honest."
I tried to smile, but my heart was pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it. My favorite band would be in the same place as I in 3 hours. I wasn't okay. "It's great."
He appeared to be dissatisfied with my answer, but ran off anyway.
"Phil?"
I sighed, checking my teeth in the mirror. "What?"
"Where are the tickets?" His voice was rising higher and higher with every word.
I closed my eyes. "You don't know where the tickets are?"
"Found them, never mind!"
I shook my head, relieved, and walked out of the bathroom to the kitchen. Dan was clutching the tickets tightly, tapping his foot nervously.
"Okay, we have to go," he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the door. "Can't be late."
"Absolutely."
We didn't risk taking the tube, but hailed a cab instead. The ride there was raucous, as Dan and I fended off nerves with loud conversation. And selfies. Lots of selfies. Before we knew it, the cab had stopped at the concert venue. I saw loads of cool-looking people walking towards the entrance, and my stomach dropped. Dan saw me swallow, and took my hand. I tensed, surprised, and he quickly dropped it, wiping his hand on his jeans.
"Sorry," he said awkwardly.
"It's, uh, all good."
We got out of the cab, paid the driver, and started towards the door.
I looked over at Dan. "You have the tickets, right?"
He checked his pockets, and swore. "I forgot them on the kitchen counter."
Panic rose in my stomach, and I turned to hail the cab again, but he was already gone.
"Are you fucking serious, Dan?" I grabbed his shoulder. "I thought you had them!"
~CUE BREAKDOWN~
And then I saw a glimmer of mischief in his eyes as he waved the tickets in front of my face.
~ABORT BREAKDOWN~
"You can't joke about stuff like that!" I shouted, relieved but angry.
"It was funny, so I'm completely justified."
I shoved him. "I hate you."
He smiled. "I know."
...
We had such good seats. I'd spent a fortune on them, but it was completely worth it. When we found our seats, Dan could barely contain himself, spinning around to beam so widely at me that it looked like his face was splitting open.
"Phil," he whispered, which I could barely hear over the clamor of the crowd, "This is amazing."
I grinned back. "I know."
We'd each taken a shot in the cab, to calm our nerves, so there was a pleasantly warm feeling in my stomach and a slight buzz running through my body. We sat back, waiting for Muse to come on. Unfortunately, we had to sit through the opening band
first. They weren't bad, but I could sense Dan getting twitchy beside me. I put a hand on his thigh for a moment, just to calm him down. His leg was warm under my hand, and I could feel him tense. For a moment, I had a wild urge to press down, to squeeze, to feel the give and muscle of his thigh. I quickly took my hand away, taking a deep breath and focusing on the band. And then Muse came on. I don't much remember the whole show, just snapshots. The coloured strobe lights, so bright my eyes hurt when they hit me.
Muse being AWESOME! Of course.
Screaming my throat raw, abandoning any dignity I'd previously held. And Dan, turning every so often to flash me a dazzling grin, face lit by the ambiance.
It was the best night of my life.
...
Dan and I stumbled into the cab, buzzed and hyped and giggly.
"Oh... my GOD! That. Was. Amazing," Dan said matter-of-factly, his eyes glassy and wide. I smiled lazily, leaning back and stretching out in the seat. "I know! It was great. So glad I bought those. Happy birthday, Dan."
Dan caught my eyes and held my gaze. "Thank you," he said, serious now. "You're the best friend I've ever had."
I felt a flush creeping up my neck. "You too. I mean, you're my best friend. As well." To cover up my awkwardness, I lurched over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"You're awesome," I mumbled into his neck. I could feel him laughing, a shaking of his shoulders and his body heating even more.
"So are you."
I pulled away, suddenly self-conscious.
We didn't talk for the rest of the ride home, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I went to sleep with an unusually good feeling in my chest.
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A/N:
*YOU ARE IN LOVE PHILLY!!
