Worth Waiting For

Part 22

Phil's POV

People carrying multiple bags and dragging colourful suitcases rush past me, almost knocking me over. Everyone is in a hurry here; I can almost feel the undertones of stress in the building. Families rifle through travel documents, couples argue. Unseen by their parents, children cause chaos, blocking the way for others.

Uniformed air hostesses slice through the confusion, their air of authority parting the crowd in front of them. Their heeled shoes create a regular rhythm as they march towards their destination.

I watch these people; all these lives in one place. Middle-aged men and women in suits, young families trying to keep their children in check, pensioners ambling slowly around, getting in the way of everyone else.

The airport is a constant hum of energy. Multitudes of people arriving and departing, planes rumbling overhead. This is a place where everyone comes together, but no-one acknowledges each other. Here, I can slip into anonymity.

I need to disappear, to have some time to myself. To think. And this is the perfect place to do it.

My flight is in three hours; I needed to leave enough time to come here via the apartment to get my passport, which I left in my drawer there. It was strange being back there; it felt like it belonged to someone else. I remembered everything that happened when I was last there, and that was enough for me to get what I needed and leave quickly.

No doubt PJ has found my letter by now. Maybe he's also found the texts I sent to Dan to make sure he was out of the house while I got my passport. Maybe PJ's on his way to find me right now. That means I'd probably better get going.

I approach the departure board, trying to make sense of the stream of numbers and letters. These boards are so difficult to understand; by the time you've worked out which flight is yours on the numerous pages of random characters, the boards switch over so you have to wait a full minute before your flight appears again. And there's always a huddle of confused people standing beneath it, trying to make sense of the information.

When I finally manage to locate my flight and the check-in desk number, I set off in search of the queue. When I see my check-in desk and start towards it, I hear a voice call out behind me:

"Phil, PHIL"

I freeze as I recognise the voice, then quicken my pace. I just wanted to get away, if I'd been a few minutes earlier I could have gone through security by now and he wouldn't be able to follow me.

"PHIL" a hand grabs my arm, turning me round to face the last person I wanted to see.

"Leave me alone, Dan. I'm going." I turn and try to pull myself out of his grip, but he's too strong.

"Leave me ALONE" I yell, feeling Dan recoil slightly at my harsh tone. I blink back the tears forming in the corners of my eyes. He can't see me like this.

"Look at me" Dan demands. I turn and stare defiantly into his eyes; I won't let him hurt me again; I've moved on.

"Phil, I'm really sorry for what I put you through. I'm sorry about how I reacted when you told me how you felt, it must have been really hard for you." I give a sarcastic laugh and begin to leave "but I'm really sorry about what I did to you, and I understand if you hate me for it. You have every right to." Dan looks down at the floor, his shoulders turning in. "I know you'll probably never trust me again, but I just wanted to apologise." Something in my heart shudders at the broken boy before me. "And I wanted to tell you that... that I love you."

I don't bother to contain my shock.

"I don't think I realised at first, that's why I was with Victoria. But then I realised how similar she was to you, and I realised who I'd been in love with all along." It feels as though my heart has been blown apart, pieced back together and destroyed again. "So... I love you, Phil, with all of my heart."

Language seems to have escaped me at this point. It's taking all of my brain power to remember how to remain upright.

"So – I wondered if we could try... something. If you want to. I wondered if... we could be..."

My heart has turned to mush, but my brain seems to remember just enough words to put together a sentence.

"Dan, of course. I'd love to."

"R... really?" Dan grins at me as his cheeks turn crimson, I can see the childish excitement in his eyes. "just go easy on me. It might take me a while to get used to all-" he waves his arms around emphatically "-this."

I smile – the smile of someone who has just seen their future laid out in front of them.

"It's ok Dan, you're worth waiting for."

My smile is reflected in Dan's face, and he is still smiling as our lips collide, Dan winding his fingers into my hair.

All I can see in my future is Dan, and Dan is all I could ever want.