pretty boy // phan

two

Dodie's been my best friend for as long as I can remember, we're really close. So close in fact everyone always asks if we're dating, which we laugh at every time. I love her but we couldn't be more platonic, we're friends. Just friends. She's also the only person who knows i'm gay, which makes people thinking we're together even funnier, to us at least.

We walk in near silence to the coffee place, with Dodie asking the occasional 'what about him?' or, 'she's cute! ask her!', along the way, followed by me shaking my head every time. None of them are quite right. I don't know exactly what i'm looking for in a model, I guess i'll know when I see it, and I know I haven't seen it yet.

We split directions as we step into the noisy cafe, with me finding a place to sit, and Dodie ordering our drinks. I slide into the booth in the far corner of the store, that's where we always sit. Away from all the noise and shuffling, tucked away in the dark corner by ourselves. Or at least that's how it usually is.

I sit there for a few minutes by myself, waiting for Dodie to finish getting our drinks, before a boy in a black hoodie slides into the booth across from me. A curl of brown hair is poking out of his hood and I notice his fingernails have glittery polish on them. It take him a while to realise i'm there, but when he eventually looks up, rather than talk to him, I take the opportunity to study him further. His eyes are a chocolaty brown colour and his cheeks are scattered with freckles. Beautiful.

It quickly becomes apparent to me that he'd be perfect to model for me, and then suddenly that he's a stranger and I couldn't ask that. Could I?

"I uh.. sorry", he mumbles as he starts to shuffle awkwardly out of the booth.

"Wait!" I blurt right as he's about to walk away, deciding to ignore any doubts and just go for it. What's the worst that could happen, right? He turns to me with a questioning and expecting look on his face. That's the moment I realise I don't really know what i'm about to say to this stranger.

"Um I.. I know we don't really know each other -"

"At all"

"Ok, we don't know each other at all, and this will seem weird for a stranger to ask but uh, i'm a photography major -"

"and?" He says, raising his eyebrows and sounding kind of annoyed i'm holding him up, which is something I'd normally stop talking for, but holy shit this boy is pretty, I need him to be my model.

"And, I have a portraiture project that I need a model for? You can totally say no, but your face, I mean, uh, you, you're perfect", I rush, stumbling over my words a little.

I watch his expression turn from annoyed to kind of surprised as I ask him.

"You want me to model for you?", He asks kind of sheepishly. I notice his cheeks turn a bright red.

"If you want to? you don't have to"

"No I-", he starts before taking a deep breath. "I'll do it"

"Really? Thank you! I'm Phil, here's my number maybe we can meet up sometime in the week?", I say handing him a scrap of paper with my phone number on it.

"Ok yeah, see you then Phil", He says, starting to walk away.

"What's your name!" I shout after him.

He turns around to face me again and I can't help but notice how pretty he is from that angle.

"Dan".

♡♡♡

did u know that Phil Lester is a whole grown ass man and when yall baby him and call him an 'innocent smol bean' i cry, let him swear, let him have a dark sense of humour, he's 30 years old k,, this has been a psa thanks for listening