piano lessons // phan ((being rewritten))

lesson eight

"Hey, are you going to be home tonight?" Phil asked, placing his glass of water down on the counter.

Dan looked up from his spot on the couch. "Yeah, why?"

"I was thinking of having another lesson, if that's alright with you."

Dan nodded, getting up from his sofa crease and stretching. "Yeah, that should be fine."

Phil started walking towards Dan's bedroom. He was halfway down the hall when he stopped, noticing Dan wasn't following him. "Are you coming?"

A look of confusion took over Dan's face. "Oh, you meant now?"

"Well, yeah."

Phil playfully rolled his eyes as he heard Dan fall into step behind him. When they sat down at the piano—a routine Phil had gotten used to over the past few days—Phil couldn't help but smile. It was nice having his best friend with him again. Sure, their conversations were still a bit awkward, but Dan's presence in general was comforting.

"Do you remember the first part of the song?" Dan asked, nudging Phil and grinning.

Phil smirked. "Actually, I do." Without looking at the music in front of him, he began playing the first part of the song. The entire time he played, his eyes were locked with Dan's. He had been practicing this part of the song so much that he no longer needed the music in front of him; it was as if the notes had been engraved into his brain.

Dan nodded, pleased with Phil's progress. "Impressive—I don't understand how you managed to memorize the notes so quickly though.

"Well I've had a lot of time to practice."

Phil didn't mention that every night Dan wasn't home, he was almost always at the piano. And Dan wasn't home often anymore, which gave him plenty of time to play on his own. He never played more than Dan had taught him, so he continued practicing the same parts over and over again.

Dan scanned the music in front of them, stopping to look down. He rested his hands atop the keys, then turned to Phil. "You know, I'm beginning to think you spend more time at the piano than I do."

"You're probably right. I don't really have anything better to do. Piano is fun though, you have to admit."

Dan laughed, feeling more comfortable now than he had felt in a while. "Yeah, you're right."

"When am I not?"

---

"No, you spork! You're playing this all wrong!"

"I am not!"

"Phil, you are nowhere near playing those measures correctly."

"It's the effort that counts."

Phil rested his head on Dan's shoulder, an action he did more frequently now. He didn't know why he kept doing it, it just happened. It was like second nature to him, and whenever he did do it, he felt butterflies in his stomach. Little did he know, Dan felt like he was on fire whenever he placed his head there. Something about Phil being so close to him made his heart beat quicker than usual, and it made him feel alive.

Dan shook his head, leaning towards Phil's touch. "Play it again."

Without lifting his head, Phil replayed the measures. It was quite difficult with his head tilted, but he still managed to hit a few of the notes.

"Phil,' Dan said, 'that was absolutely atrocious."

Lifting his head up, Phil repeatedly pressed a few random keys. "This song is difficult."

"Great observation, Phil. Now play it again."

"We should play it at the same time."

"Why? I already know how to play it."

"Well I hope you do, otherwise you're not qualified to be teaching me," Phil stated sarcastically.

Looking up, Dan gave Phil a look. "Oh shush, you know what I meant."

Phil grazed his hands over the keys. "I want to hear what it sounds like when we play at the same time." Noticing the exasperated expression on Dan's face, he sighed. "At least try it. It's probably going to sound really cool."

"Fineee," Dan said, dragging out the word.

Once they were ready to begin, Dan began a countdown. "One, two, three."

On three they both started playing at the same time. Phil began a few beats ahead of Dan, but he played slower. Dan tried to slow down, attempting to match Phil's tempo. He also watched Phil's hands, observing how he played better with his right hand and slower with his left. They gradually started playing in synch, the notes melting together. Dan played on the lower keys while Phil played the higher, creating a beautiful rendition in the process.

Their hands would occasionally bump into each other's, Phil's left hand hitting Dan's right. They wouldn't say anything about it, just blush and continue to play.

When they got to the part Phil didn't know, they stopped. They were almost afraid to break the silence, to hear anything other than music.

"See," Phil spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, 'that sounded amazing."

"It wasn't half bad," Dan said, laughing lightly.

Giggling, Phil turned to face Dan. "I still hate you, you know."

Dan laughed. "Yeah, I know."

a/n: I always want to update this book but I feel like I'm annoying y'all with notifications ya know