Keeping the Secret

14: The Outing

Two days later, Dan woke up in Phil's room to a faint buzzing sound. He rolled over, confused at first by his surroundings. He then remembered how he had been sleeping with Phil lately because he was starting to feel depressed.

Every waking moment since his breakup with Tom, Dan was thinking about what went wrong. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that it was his fault. He would re-live the past in his mind, but dream up different scenarios where the breakup was thwarted.

Dan found his iPhone buzzing on the nightstand next to the bed. He picked up the screen and saw the time. It was 11:47, which would explain why Phil was already up. However, there was something else much more prominent on the screen that was grabbing his attention. Incoming Call: Thomas <3

Dan's heart rate picked up as his finger hovered over the accept button. He stood up from the bed, pressed accept, and held the phone to his head. Dan cleared his throat, "Hello?" Dan tried to keep all emotion out of his voice, even though his heart was racing.

"Dan? Oh thank God you answered!" Tom started.

Dan felt something inside him wrench at the familiar voice. "What do you want?" Dan spat with malice. He hadn't meant to be so harsh, but he still had pent up emotions from a few days ago.

"Listen, I was a prick, and I know I don't deserve you in any lifetime. I don't know what compelled me to do what I did, but I'm just so sorry, Dan. I'll do anything to make up for my unforgivable actions. I just feel so horrible, and I-I was wondering if you'd forgive me and we could put it behind us. What do you say Dan?" Tom rushed out. There was a silence over the line while Dan tried to string a few words together to speak. "Dan? You still there?"

"I-I... Tom, I don't know," Dan finally spoke. Part of him had imagined a situation where he forgave Tom and they went on happily as ever, but part of him held a deep feeling of anxiety at the notion of such.

"Come on, Dan. I swear, I'll do anything. I won't ever cheat on you again, I promise! I just need one more chance to prove it to you. Please, just give me one more chance," Tom practically begged.

Dan shook his head. After a brief silence, Dan remembered Tom couldn't see him, "No, Tom. I can't do this right now. I don't know... Bye." Dan hung up the phone without waiting for a response. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and walked out of Phil's room to the lounge.

Phil was sitting on the couch watching the Great British Bake-Off on the TV while he ate from a cereal box. "Dan!" Phil exclaimed as he tried to hide the box from view. "Good morning!"

Dan looked up. "Yeah," he answered dully. Phil instantly noticed Dan's bothered demeanor and questioned him about it.

"What's wrong?" Phil asked sincerely. Dan met Phil's gaze and smiled at his friend's concern.

"Nothing," Dan started, "Except for that fact you're eating my cereal!" Phil saw right through Dan's attempt to avert the conversation from his question. He knew something was clearly bothering Dan.

"Dan, seriously. What's bothering you?" Phil pressed. Dan sighed, and walked around Phil to sit on the other side of him on the couch.

Dan grabbed a handful of cereal and spoke, "Tom called me." He tossed the cereal into his mouth.

Phil's eyes widened in surprise, but he knew by Dan's tone, this wasn't all there was to the story. "What'd he want?"

Dan finished chewing the cereal before he continued. "He basically apologised 100 times, then asked to get back together."

Phil felt that familiar sinking feeling in his chest as he dreaded the answer to his next question, "What did you tell him?"

"I-I didn't... I mean, I just told him 'I don't know' and then hung up..." Dan looked at the ground and studied the lines in the wood flooring. "Phil, I... I don't know what to do."