Discovering Love // phan

Sixteen

  "Phil?" Dan asked, looking over at him a bit nervously. They were both sitting on his bed, and they hadn't said a word to each other for the last hour or so.

  "Yeah?" Phil said, still looking down at the papers in his hands. Dan sighed; he was going to be difficult.

  "Are you going to stay mad at me forever?"

  "I'm not mad at you."

  "Well you sure have a funny way of showing it."

  "Dan...." Phil said tightly, running his finger through his hair.

  "Can you even tell me why you're so mad right now?" Dan challenged.

  "I told you I'm not mad."

  "Well then, what are you? Because I'm trying to make you forgive me, and you can barely look at me without-"

  "I'm just tired!" Phil suddenly yelled, and Dan stared at him, eyes wide. It wasn't everyday that Phil got worked up enough to actually yell at someone, especially not Dan.

   "Tired?" Dan said.

  "Yeah." Phil sighed, rubbing his face harshly.  "I just hate having to go through this. All the arguing and the stress." He said.

  "Well, we wouldn't have to argue so much if you weren't so over protective." Dan said.

  "What do you mean 'over protective'?"

  "It's just...ever since me and Jace started hanging out, you've been a lot more possessive about me."

  "So, what, you think I'm jealous  of you guys?"

  "Your words, not mine."

  Phil laughed, but there wasn't any emotion behind it. "Oh, that's just rich." He said. "That's the best you could come up with, is that I'm jealous of you two? Well, trust me, that's the last thing I'm feeling right now."

  "Well then how come you're always asking about him? Like he's just gonna steal me away from you or something?" Dan asked, glaring at him. "You've never done it before, with anyone else. Why now?"

  "In case you haven't noticed, Dan, there aren't too many other people I can do it to. You're not exactly the most popular person."

  Dan didn't say anything. and he heard Phil sigh loudly. "I didn't mean it like that."

  "There's no other possible way you could have meant it, Phil." Dan said angrily. He was practically shaking, from the anger building up inside him, and from the efforts of trying not to let any tears fall from Phil's words.

  "I just hate it." Phil said. "I hate that he's taking you away from me. It was always just you and me, and now I have to make room for one more, and I don't like it. I'm not jealous, I just miss you."

  "Okay, but all of this, arguing with me constantly and instigating things, isn't doing anything to help that."

  "What am I supposed to do then?" Phil asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I'm sure as hell not just gonna stand by and watch him pull you away."

  "He's not pulling me away from anywhere."

  "Dan, we barely even talk to each other these days. This is probably the longest we've been together, alone, in the last two weeks."

  "That doesn't mean I'm just gonna leave you."

  "Not yet."

  Dan shook his head. "I can't believe you think I would do something like that."