You Are My Sunshine

Chapter Three

It was cold by the docks. Dan had arrived an hour early, so he sat with his sketchpad and pencil, drawing a quick sketch of the flower he had picked out for Phil on the way to the beach. He had picked out a daffodil, feeling as if its brightness and positivity mirrored Phil's presence in Dan's life. He could only hope that it meant something positive.

He drew the daffodil laying on the log beside him, making the woodgrain background a bit blurred so the sharpness of the flower itself stood out. He was so focused on his drawing, he didn't even realize when the earpiece he now kept in his pocket started beeping to tell him he had a message. Two minutes later he was still so zoned in on his drawing that he missed the sound of the footsteps behind him, jumping when he felt Phil's hand on his shoulder, and heard a whispered "Boo!" by his ear. His hand flinched when he jumped, and made a dark line through the daffodil on his paper.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry! Holy shit, wait, you draw? That's incredible!" Dan laughed, scratching out the drawing.

"Don't be sorry, it was just a quick doodle. Something to pass the time. Here." Dan reached out for the real daffodil, handing it to his friend who took a seat on the log next to him. "Did I pick a good one?" Dan asked, hopeful.

"You picked a great one, Dan. Daffodils represent..." Phil stopped there, seeming to think better of what he was saying. "They say 'The sun is always shining when I'm with you'." Phil stated, smiling up at Dan.

"Oh... we'll I guess I just had to share some of that sunshine from your yellow Tulip. My smile's not the only thing that brings sunshine." Dan joked, nudging Phil with his shoulder. "But what else does it mean?" Phil sighed, seemingly accepting that Dan had seen there was something more Phil was going to say before deciding against it. He spoke softly as he explained,

"Daffodils mean 'You're the only one.'" Dan looked at him, smiling, and he thought it was true. Phil was the only one he could relax and be himself with. Phil was one of a kind, he treated Dan in a way no one else ever had. He was so happy he had met this strange florist.

"Come on, let's go to the boat." Dan nodded and followed Phil to the boat, where the older boy threw in a few bags he had with him, then steadied the small paddleboat for Dan to get in behind him. The waves were calm, thank god. They usually were, actually, since the shape of the land they were on created a natural block from the sea, forming a large bay with only a small entrance to the sea itself. It made this bay more like a lake, honestly, just a very very large one. Phil grabbed the oars and began to move the boat after untying it from the dock, and Dan grabbed onto the sides, unnerved by the strange motion it made on the water.

"So... you draw." Phil began, indicating with a head nod to Dan's sketchpad that he had laid next to him on the seat.

"Yeah, a bit. It passes the time, and it's one thing I'm not shit at." Phil chuckled.

"You're certainly not shit at it. Hey, would you ever want to design a tattoo for me?" Dan raised his eyebrows, surprised. Phil had already gotten two tattoos in just a little over a week, and he was already planning on more?

"Yeah, sure. I mean I can't say it'll be good, but I'll give you a drawing to look at. Are you really thinking of getting another?"

"Didn't I tell you I wanted a whole garden on my back?" The corner of Phil's mouth twitched up into a side smile that Dan couldn't help grinning back at.

"Alright then, what do you want?"

"Well, you know I'm going with the watercolor theme, so something loose and flowing. And the flowers I'm getting next will be a White Lily and a Yellow Daffodil." Dan blushed a bit, and nodded.