Never Told A Lie (Phan fiction)

Chapter 28

Dan is woken up the next morning by the annoying ringing of a telephone somewhere in the house. Groaning, he tries to roll over and catch a few more hours of sleep, but is stopped by a pair of arms, tightly holding him in place. It takes Dan a few moments to locate where he is, but as soon as his eyes have got used to the dim light in the room, he can actually make out shapes and forms and realizes that he is still in Phil’s room, with said boy almost suffocating him, he’s hugging him that tightly.

Panicking slightly, Dan goes about prying Phil’s arms away and leaving, so that neither of them is in fear of getting into trouble with their parents. He only manages to do as much as sit up though, before he can hear Mrs Lester’s calm, quiet voice through the thin wall separating Phil’s room and the living room.

“Hello? Who’s this? … Oh, Mrs Howell, I don’t think we have spoken yet, have we? … Ah, yes. That’s our boys, isn’t it? Always keeping secrets and sneaking around.”

Dan’s heart picks up pace, beating furiously in his chest. The only reason why his mum would possibly call Phil’s, is if she found out that Dan isn’t sleeping in his room and then just decided to try the most obvious possibility.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Dan mutters under his breath, quickly moving back into his previous sleeping position when he hears Phil’s mum leaving the living room and walking towards Phil’s bedroom. He would rather not have to explain to her what’s going on without Phil’s support, so he decides to just fake sleep and hope for the best. He doesn’t think Phil’s mother would actually be that cruel and wake his son from his slumber if she sees how peacefully he sleeps.

“… I can see where you would get this idea from. It seems rather logical that he would come here. Do you really have no idea what could have made him run away?”

Dan can hear Mrs Lester talking into the phone clearly enough even with the door still between them, and he can’t help but feel really awful as he listens to her words. Because that’s exactly the reason why he wanted to leave last night rather than stay with Phil despite his own wishes. He knew his mum would start worrying and wondering what she has done wrong to make Dan run away, and that’s not something Dan ever wants his mum to think about, because no matter how bad things were, Dan doesn’t think he could ever break his mother’s heart this much again and run away like he did the last time they fought. It’s just- after talking things over with her a little bit, Dan just can’t find it in himself to feel any sort of hatred towards her. He might have tried to hurt her on purpose before but now- now things are just a hell lot different and Dan actually loves his parents quite a bit and he doesn’t want them to be hurt at all.

Suddenly, the door to Phil’s room opens and Dan quickly buries his head in Phil’s black mop of hair to prevent Mrs Lester from seeing the expression on his face, which isn’t half as relaxed and peaceful as it would be if he were actually asleep.

“Oh, dear,” Mrs Lester says quietly, shaking her head slightly. “You were right, of course you were. They are both asleep in Phil’s bed. … No, they are wearing clothes, as far as I can see. … Yes, they look quite cosy, to be honest.”

Dan can feel the blood rush to his face as the words register in his head, and he wonders what the hell his mother is asking. He really wishes he were asleep for real now, because listening to his and Phil’s mother gossiping absolutely isn’t something he has wished for. It’s embarrassing as fuck.

Mrs Lester giggles quietly as she retreats from the door and closes it again. It doesn’t matter though, Dan can still hear her as crystal-clear as before.

“I know what you mean, I wish they were more honest with us. I mean, it’s just so obvious that they like each other from the way they act around each other … Oh, did you actually? What did Dan say? … Well, of course he denied it. Phil is the same. I’ve asked him countless times about Dan and all he ever says is that they are ‘friends’ … Yeah, it’s just ridiculous. … I must say, I quite agree. They make an extremely adorable couple. … Yes, it’s all quite new to Phil too. I mean, I’ve known that he was gay for ages but he has never actually had a boyfriend before. … Oh, really? On Friday? Well, maybe he will be ready to tell you about his and Phil’s relationship soon enough too. … Yes, I hope so too. You and your husband need to come over for dinner really soon. Maybe if they see how well their families get on, they will muster up the courage to tell us. … Oh yes, this Friday sounds lovely. I will make sure that Phil doesn’t have other plans. … It was really nice talking to you, too. I will see you and your husband on Friday. Good bye! … You too!”