Winters Tale

Phil's Coffee (Chai Tea) Date

There was something about her…. Something different. If only he could place his finger on it….

No. Phil shook his head. He had Dan. His adorable, nerdy, clumsy best friend Dan. He really didn’t need anyone else like that in his life.

So why did he bring up a coffee date with Anna, then? He knew he hadn’t been thinking at the time, that the words had just sort of spewed out of his mouth. At least that what he kept telling himself anyway.

And yet… he knew he had never really been good around girls, especially pretty ones like Anna. Whenever he was around one he would always make a fool of himself by saying something stupid or doing something that would really put the said girl off. But his meeting with Anna had been different. In fact it had been very different compared to the experiences he had had in the past. It wasn’t completely awkward and Phil hadn’t really done anything or said anything stupid.

Except for inviting Anna to get coffee.

It wasn’t that Phil was filled with dread about going out with Anna, she seemed like a nice girl and everything… it was just that he hadn’t ever really been out that often without Dan by his side. He had other friends that he talked too and such but most of his days were spent alongside Dan. They shared an apartment after all so it was to be expected.

But something about Anna caused a spark in him. The only other time he had ever felt a spark like that was when he was around Dan. But he dare not say anything to Dan about it. They were just friends, best friends and nothing more. Phil knew that, even though there were times when he would get lost in his own daydreams and would imagine them as something more… Only then to be brought back to the disappointment of reality to realize that his daydreams were only daydreams and anything more than a friendship with Dan would never happen. Not in this lifetime anyway…

Phil felt torn. On one hand all he had ever wanted was to be around Dan… and yet… something about Anna drew him in.

And that left him feeling completely confused.               

It was a few days later, Phil had been texting back and forth with Anna for a little while now and today was the day that they had planned to meet up for some coffee and go for a stroll around the town.

Anna had seemed excited, from what Phil had gathered, but Phil himself still felt unsure. It was like he was finally reaching out for the first time in a long time to someone brand new and the feeling felt odd. Now Phil wasn’t a hermit or anything like that but his work and travels had often taken up most of his time and usually he went everywhere with Dan, there were exceptions of course, Like when he would spend time with some of his older friends whom he had known for quite a while but he had never really thought about meeting new people until his bumping into Anna yesterday. That was when he had felt the spark inside him. The same one he had felt ever since he had met Dan for the first time.

And now he had met Anna…. funny, beautiful, bubbly Anna. Anna who made him feel something.

But Dan… Dan had made him feel something too. However Phil hadn’t ever felt that he should ever tell Dan about how he felt in fear of rejection or disgust. He simply couldn’t imagine being rejected by his best friend.

No. He wouldn’t let that happen. He had to forget those feelings and focus solely on Anna instead.

So here he was.

Standing in front of his bathroom mirror making sure his hair was in place and that his face was cleared of any visible spots. Wearing a pair of skinny jeans and an oversized winter jacket complete with a hat and a pair of fluffy gloves, he felt ready.