Euphoric but Empty

Dan

Dan and Phil hung out many times since Phil came over. Almost twice a week. Dan doesn't even notice that his mom hasn't been home before 12 a.m. in weeks. All he thought about was the next time he and Phil were to hang out. They met up everywhere, the movies, Dan's house, even the park. The only place they hadn't been was Phil's house. Dan thought nothing of it until Phil brought it up during one of their late night text conversations.
Phil: Dan?
Dan: Yes Phil?
Phil: Is it weird that we've never hung out at my house?
Dan: Huh. I hadn't really noticed
Dan: I guess I hadn't thought about it until now
Phil: Do you want to hang out at my house?
Dan: Well I guess that depends on if you want me to hang out at your house.
Phil: I do.
Phil: Are you free Saturday? That way we have all day and you can sleep over if you want.
Dan: That sounds perfect! What time should I be there?
Phil: How about you just come over after lunch?
Dan: Great! See you then!
Phil: See you then.
Dan puts his phone down tenderly on the bedside table. He stares at the ceiling and sighs because he realizes it's Thursday night and he has to wait a whole fucking day to see Phil. He closes his eyes after 10 minutes of mindless staring. He dreamed of Phil.
Dan was anxiously tapping his desk. He couldn't even wait for tomorrow. His friends and other people he didn't really know were shooting him concerned looks. He didn't care. They could think whatever they wanted because all Dan really needs is Phil.
"Oh my fucking god Danielle, if you don't shut the fuck up I'll shut you up myself." Pj says.
"May I ask just why you hate me so much Pjackass?" Dan says confidently. Pj doesn't scare him. He was just mad.
"Because you're a fucking bitchy asshole." Pj said.
"Oooooo real clever Pjackass. What's your next comeback? 'Fuck off'?" Dan said with a chuckle.
"Fuck o... oh screw you. Your an ass." Pj said turning around and accepting defeat. Dan smiled at the small victory but returned to his tapping. He was still anxious. The bell rang and he ran to his car. He spent the whole day scrolling through social media, only taking breaks for dinner and sleep. He found a friend request on Facebook from someone named Phillip Michael Lester. He smiled and happily accepted it. He then stalked his Facebook. He learned a lot about Phil. He hates cheese, was born on January 30th, is bisexual, and single.
      Dan found this to be useful information. He stayed up on Tumblr until 12:00 am before he realized that tomorrow was the big day and hurried to bed.
Dan woke up around 11:59. That left him with about an hour to get dressed, eat lunch, and pack before leaving. In his typical 40 minute late fashion, Dan runs out of the house with his overnight bag. He drives to the address Phil gave him bubbling with excitement. He arrived at 1:50. He hoped Phil wasn't mad that he was late. Dan knocked on the door and it swung open to reveal an uncharacteristically enthusiastic face.
"Welcome to my humble abode. Please make yourself comfortable, refreshments will be served shortly." Phil gestures for Dan to come in. Dan looks around a cheerfully rainbow colored lounge. Dan felt out of place in his solid black outfit. He was sat on the couch when Phil emerged from the kitchen with two glasses of Ribena and a plate of chocolate chip cookies. The boys devour the snack and talk about video games, classes, friends, and just about anything else they could think of. They talked for hours on end.
      "Do you want to play a game?" Phil asked. "It's called the 7 second challenge."
      "Honestly Phil, I swear you are the King of Ice Breakers and Games. But, the game sounds like fun! How does one play it?" Dan replies excitedly.
      " I'm going to give you a task like, touching every wall in the room and you have to do it in 7 seconds."
      "Ooooo kinky." Dan exclaims with a wink. Phil blushed.
      "Oh. My. God. Dan, no. No no no. No. No."
"Ok. Let's play!" Dan said chuckling at Phil.
"Dan, your challenge is... name 5 bands that broke up."
"MCR, The Beatles, Panic! At The Disco..."
"TIME!!!!!!! That sucked."
"Oh like you could've done better"
"I so could've!!!"
"Uh huh" Dan nodded skeptically but chuckled. "Alright, your challenge is to... make a PB&J and take one bite."
"What?! That's so hard!"
"I'll let you get the materials out beforehand."
"Ok fine I'll do it" Phil went to the kitchen and got everything ready. The timer started and Phil scooped peanut butter out of the jar and dumped it on the bread. He realized he forgot to grab a second knife for the jelly so he used his bare hands. He was taking a bite right as the timer went off. Dan was on the side having a fit.
"Oh my fucking God I'm dying!" Dan said between laughs and through tears.
"IT TASTES LIKE VICTORY!" Phil exclaimed raising his hands over his head triumphantly. When they calmed down they played a few more rounds before they broke for dinner. They had PB&J sandwiches. After dinner they watched the newest episode of Doctor Who and went upstairs to go to bed. Of course, as any sleepover goes, they did NOT go to bed. They stayed up talking and browsing Tumblr until they became drowsy.
Dan went home the next afternoon feeling happy and refreshed. He pulled into the driveway to hear a most unusual sound, yelling. It was coming from his house. Dan walked inside to find his parents yelling loudly. His mom was in a bathrobe and his dad was in his casual clothes, obviously having just finished grocery shopping. But, there was a third person in the room. Besides Dan and his father there was one more male in the room. He looked about Dan's mom's age. He was also in a bathrobe.
Dan's blood turned to ice. He drops his bags and runs out the door. He doesn't even look back to see his mom's horrified expression. He ran to the end of his street and stopped to catch his breath then he just kept running. He can't remember when he decided where to go but he ran so fast he was blinded by the wind.
He knocked on the door. Not two seconds later the door swung open to reveal a smiling face. His smile was immediately replaced with concern.
Dan collapsed into Phil's loving arms.