Waiting for You // Phan

--- 20 ---

Dan's POV

Dan held onto Phil like he was his lifeline, burying his face in Phil's shoulder. He could feel a heartbeat, and he couldn't tell whether it was his or Phil's, but he didn't care.

"Do you really forgive me?" Phil asked quietly.

"Of course I forgive you. I can't hold grudges. Especially not against you."

Phil stood back and smiled. Dan could see a flicker of hope, of the old Phil, in his eyes.

"Why," he laughed "does no one ever come in here apart from us?"

Well, at least it was a less awkward thing to talk about.

"Because this is the worst bathroom on site and probably the most far away from anywhere important." Dan said, grateful that he and Phil were speaking like normal friends again.

"Well we should probably leave then." Phil said, and opened the door. Dan stepped outside, Phil right behind him.

"Your earphone's falling out your pocket Dan." Phil pointed at one of Dan's back pockets.

"Oh, yeah." Dan took the earphones out of his pocket and felt the faint hum indicating they were still on.

Dan sighed and turned off the music.

"What were you listening to?" Phil asked curiously, walking beside him now rather than behind him.

"Nothing, just the usual sad, emo teen music I guess some people would say. To match my sad, emo personality." Dan replied, lifting the arms of his baggy black jumper.

"I don't see you as a 'sad' person." Phil told him matter-of-factly, picking a loose thread of his jeans.

Dan tilted his head and said sarcastically "Oh yes, because I'm the world's biggest ray of sunshine aren't I?"

"No." said Phil, staring around as they continued to walk down the corridor. "I just think you're... that your mood changes very easily around different people."

Dan bit his lip. Surely he hadn't been acting so obviously in love around Phil?

"Like, when I saw you for the first time, in the canteen, I mean, you were just sat there, not talking, like you just went around with a little rain cloud over your head all the time. But then, I see you with your friends, and you completely change. It's as if they help you with whatever you're dealing with, even if they don't know it."

"Yeah, well one of my friends isn't being too friendly right now." Dan said flatly, thinking of what PJ had said to him, the things he had said about Phil.

Phil hung his head. "It's my fault. PJ hates me, and now he's angry because I'm your friend."

Dan walked in front of Phil, turned around and stared at him. He could see the mix of emotions swirling in his blue eyes, like they really were an ocean, tides turning, waves crashing down upon other waves...

"Dan?" Phil's confused voice broke him out of his daydream.

Dan straightened up again and grabbed Phil's wrist. "I am going to tell you right now, that none of this is your fault, never was your fault, and will never be your fault. Ok?"

Phil blushed and didn't meet his eye. "Yeah, ok, I'm just being stupid." Dan let go of Phil and they carried on walking.

When they finally got outside, Dan's eyes immediately found PJ. It appeared that Phil's had done the same, because he had suddenly become nervous and trembly.

"Come on." Dan said, pulling Phil along with him toward PJ, who was sitting with Louise and Tyler.

"D...Dan I really don't want-" Phil stammered, trying to turn around. Phil was pale enough to begin with, but it seemed he could go even paler as they got closer and closer to PJ.

"You'll be fine. I promise." Dan said, took Phil's hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze, let go, and silently cursed himself.

Friends don't hold hands. You are friends. You are not what you want to be. So stop acting like you are.

Dan could feel colour creeping up his face and thought maybe not going over to PJ was a good idea after all.

But Phil, who had looked stunned when Dan had touched his hand, now looked confident and ready to face just about anything, although it seemed he had blushed a bit too.

"Come on Dan." he said, striding forward.

How quickly the tables are turned, Dan thought dryly, as he reluctantly headed towards PJ and his friends.

They were about five metres away when PJ looked up. A look of guilt, shock and possibly embarrassment took over PJ's face.

"Hi Phiiiiil." Louise said, looking at Dan and raising her eyebrows.
"Hi Daaaan." Tyler said, looking at Phil and raising his eyebrows, before grinning stupidly at Louise, who grinned and winked at him.

Phil looked a bit baffled by this, Dan just felt butterflies in his stomach. Did Louise and Tyler... did they think they were...

Stop. F-R-I-E-N-D-S. Friends.

PJ stood up and faced Dan. "Dan, I just want to say I'm really sorry and that-"

"It's not me you have to say sorry to." Dan said, looking over at Phil, who had immediately become interested in the ground, apparently.

PJ took a deep breath, closed his eyes, looked at Dan quickly, and turned to Phil.

"Phil, I am so so sorry for the things I said to you. I had no- it was wrong. I was in no place to threaten you like I did."

Dan looked over sharply when PJ said the word 'threatened' but stayed quiet.

"I guess, I guess I was just looking out for Dan. He's been my best friend for years and I didn't like the idea of him being with other people I didn't really know that well." PJ carried on, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm sorry Phil. I'm sorry Dan. I understand if you don't forgive me, if you're still angry..." PJ trailed off, looking at them both.

"It's ok. I'm alright now." Phil said, awkwardly patting PJ on the back.

"Bro." Tyler whispered. "You need to call him bro, Phil." Louise nodded and put her thumbs up jokingly.

PJ rolled his eyes. "Nobody is calling me 'bro'. But thanks Phil." PJ smiled shyly and Phil smiled back.

"There's a hope for a bromance there yet." Louise whispered loudly to Tyler, deliberately so they could all hear.

"Shut up Louise." PJ half-grinned, before turning to Dan and looking serious again. "Dan... I..."

Dan hugged him. Why was there so much hugging? "It's cool. It was obviously just your time of the month. I understand."

PJ shoved him and shook his head as Tyler, Louise, Dan and Phil all laughed, before laughing himself.

Dan looked over at Phil, and saw how the laughter lit up his face, his smile wide, and Dan had never wanted to kiss somebody more.

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I'm getting the feeling this story is slowly spiralling off in some direction (not one direction) and it isn't really going anywhere.

Ah, the art of self-doubt. One of my many talents. Another one is that I can eat about five boxes of chocolate fingers in one sitting.

This was a short-ish chapter compared to some of the others but oh well.

I've got a new book published, it's not a story it's just where I'm going to write stuff about the stories I am writing that I don't put here.

I'm also going to just say some general stuff about my life and why it's going nowhere and other trash stuff like that.

Fun days lie ahead.

🎉Happy 20 Chapters🎉
~ (not including the intro)~

GOODBYE GALE