uncontrollable (completed)

babysitter

"You don't need to babysit me." I said, staring Dan down and doing my best to appear sane. So, maybe it wasn't the entire truth, considering the past couple hours, but I certainly didn't need Dan to help me."I wouldn't want you to waste your time." I was honestly a little mad at Phil, he knew I didn't do well with new people, and he still handed me off to this boy like I was a dog to be taken care of. We were outside of the restaurant by now, and I could easily go back to my apartment by myself, if Phil hadn't asked Dan to take care of me.

Meeting new people meant talking about myself, something I loathed. God, if I couldn't even make small talk without it dredging up the past, how was I supposed to make a lasting friendship? Relationships involved trust, and I wasn't ready to trust anyone so easily. Not anymore.

"No," Dan said, shaking his head. "You really don't need a babysitter." I wanted to jump for joy in that moment, or maybe even hug him. That was, until he spoke again. "But Phil told me to look out for you, so let's just call it friends." He smiled at me, and when I didn't respond, added to the statement. "Unless you'd prefer a babysitter?"

"What's the difference?" I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that if we were going to be friends, I was going to have to tell him eventually. He was nice, funny even, but I didn't need another pair of judging eyes on me, especially ones as beautiful as his.

I expected Dan to be put off, even hoped he would be at least a little bit discouraged, but his grin persisted. "Friends get to have fun with each other."

"And what do you suggest for 'fun'?" I said, finally giving up the cold front. This guy wasn't going to be scared off easily, and if he was such a big part of Phil's life, I guess we'd end being friends eventually anyways, for Phil's sake. "Want to flee the country?" I joked weakly, poking fun at him.

"Or we could do something a little more laid back.." He suggested, catching my joke, but choosing to ignore it.

"Okay, what are you thinking?" I asked, starting to walk slowly, towards the underground. Almost anything we did would involve getting on the tube to go somewhere.

"How about getting bubble tea and watching the tourists in trafalgar square?" Dan said, his long legs catching up with me quickly, despite my head start. I was surprised by how... pleasant that actually sounded. It sounded like something I would suggest, and I was a little disappointed in myself, for not coming up with the idea.

"That actually sounds great." I admitted, realizing that I might actually end up enjoying myself, and that maybe being alone with Dan wasn't so bad. "I know a place near the Liecester square station, and we could walk to trafalgar from there." I offered, trying to be helpful.

"Alright," Dan smiled. "Let's do it."

....

"Which one are you getting?" I asked, waiting in line at the bubble tea place. I'd been here before, and discovered I liked the honeydew milk tea, but I had no idea what Dan would like.

"I'm thinking the caramel milk tea?" He smiled, phrasing it like a question. "Is it good?"

I shrugged. "I haven't tried it, but if you like caramel, I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Well then what are you getting?" He asked, shuffling a little closer to the front of the line as another couple ordered their tea. The place was filled with couples, and it made me uncomfortable to realize that they probably assumed Dan and I were one too, despite the safe distance we kept from eachother.

"I'm getting the honeydew." I said, confident in my bubble tea choice. I tapped my foot impatiently on the tiled floor of the shop as we waited, feeling a little restless in the small shop. Thankfully, it didn't take long for Dan and I to order our teas, and the wait to order turned out to be longer than it took to actually make the teas.