Yawn {Phan}

fourteen

phil

Dan and I lay in bed together (what else do we ever do) after we eat breakfast the following day. I'm laying normally, my head on a pillow and my body stretched out the way it's meant to, and my arms are crossed under my head, my eyes on the ceiling. Dan, however, rests his head sideways on my stomach, facing me, his hand tracing patterns on my chest. 

"What are you going to do about work?" he asks me. "I mean, it'd be awfully tricky to work in London living all the way over here."

"Called them yesterday," I say, "told them about what happened with my apartment. They decided to give me two weeks of paid leave while I figure everything out."

"Oh. Alright." I feel him shrink into himself a little at the prospect of me not living here for good.

"Hey." I frown, pulling myself up into a half-seated position so I can look him in the eye. He gets up so that we're at eye level. "I don't want to leave here. The last thing I want is to live far away from you again. I didn't realize until I got here how unhappy I would be without you. We're going to figure this out somehow, and we're going to find a solution that keeps us together, okay?"

Dan smiles a little and nods, and I lean in to plant a short kiss on his lips. We return to our original position.

"I don't know if you absolutely love working where you do, but there's an opening at the company I write for. It's not really writing like I do, you'd have to go to their headquarters which is a few minutes' drive from here and do some filing and such. I'm sure if you just worked there a few weeks and showed them you're capable I could swindle someone into giving you a better position."

I shut my eyes and grin at having possibly found a solution to our problem. "That would be lovely, Dan. I'll think it over, yeah?"

"Sounds good."

"In the meantime, I need some fresh air. Would you like to take a walk with me, darling?"

Dan screws up his face. "I... don't think that's such a good idea..."

"Why not, baby?" I smile. "You did fine walking around London. I'll bet anything you can make it around your neighborhood."

"But..."

"No buts. You've been cooped up in this house for days, and I know I sound like your mother but you're getting out of the house whether you like it or not."

"Yes, mum. Just please stay with me."

"Always."

It is hard for me to sit up as Dan pretends he is asleep and refuses to move. Once I do, I lean down and whisper in his ear that if he doesn't get up, I won't kiss him for the rest of the day. At this, he springs up faster than I can move away, hitting my nose with his head. Holding my throbbing nose, I chase Dan down the stairs while he giggles wildly.

"I've got you now!" I laugh as I corner Dan against the refrigerator. I suddenly have an idea, and so I get close to him, looking devilishly into his eyes as I gently grab his waist, pushing him softly against the fridge. "What am I going to do to you?" I ask him.

He looks somewhat scared, and so I yell "I'm going to tickle you!" before I tickle his stomach, making him fall to the floor in fits of laughter. He swats away at my hands and so I stop, but because I'm sitting between his knees already anyway I lean in and kiss him, as he has gotten out of bed.

"Let's go," Dan mumbles as we break apart.

-

dan

A half hour later, we're a little over halfway through with our walk. Phil and I talk about anything and everything we haven't talked about yet, just enjoying our little bubble of good relationship. Something tells me we won't have much more of this left.