Closets~ an original phanfiction

Part 3~ Listen, Friend

"Hey." I began.

"Hi." Dan replied.

"How was it?"

"The restaurant was crazy busy, and then all this rain decided to show up, sooo... great!"

Aww. He has changed so much. Even his sarcastic smile was infectious, so I couldn't help but grin back. I took the bags from his hands and set them on the table while he unzipped his coat. Getting the plates and utensils gave me time to run through my plan in my head. I will wait for us to be deep into our food. No conversation at the time. Just work up the courage to tell him, "Dan, I think you're cute." Not that hard, right, Phil?

I sure hoped not.

Meanwhile, Dan was taking the food out of the bag. "I swear, that place smelled like all of China's best food had a baby. You HAVE to come with me to get it sometime."

"Yeah, definitely." I said obliviously. Taking the seat across from him, I began to place all sorts of delicious food onto my plate.

"Thanks for getting dinner," I told Dan.

"You're welcome." he replied.

See? Just make it as smooth as that. Smooth as Delia Smith's pancake batter. Mmm... pancakes.

We spent about ten minutes eating in silence. I would occasionally find myself staring at Dan, until he looked back and I turned away out of sheer awkwardness. Dear gosh, this might be impossible.

It's love, Phil, I thought to myself. There is no denying you love him. If he's not okay with it, that's alright. Don't be afraid. You can do this. YOU. CAN. DO. THIS!

Then I broke the silence.

"So... there's been something I've been meaning to tell you," I said to him.

He looked up from his phone to acknowledge me.

"Could you please... put your phone away?" I asked.

Dan sighed. "You sound like my mum." He put his phone on the opposite end of the table and looked me in the eyes. "What's up?"

I stared back into his dark brown eyes, trying to work up that last bit of confidence I needed. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

Just tell him.

"Dan, I-"

"I love you."

He lurched backward into his chair and covered his mouth with his hand in shock. I was shocked too. This was unexpected. I couldn't comprehend it. We have the same feelings of love... for each other? And never said a word about it??

He regained his composure and sighed. "Listen, friend. I have been wanting to tell you this since we first shared an apartment. Maybe even sooner. I just... love you. A lot. You are so kind, and funny, and crazy, and handsome, and all the things I'm not. You are perfect, Phil Lester, and I wouldn't have you any other way."

I sat in silence. Wow. I wasn't sure what to say next.

"Who said you weren't handsome?" I finally replied.

He gasped, and then smiled. Out of pure love.

"That was all exactly what I wanted to say." I began, "but you said it all so much better than I ever could. You- well, I think-" I stuttered, not knowing what to say. So I came clean.

"If you're saying this just for views, please tell me. I understand."

Dan looked shocked and kind of sad. "No. This - this is all true. There isn't even a camera nearby."

I still wasn't buying it. "Are you sure?"

He could take no more. Dan stood up, walked over to my seat, and pulled me up out of my seat. "Come on, you!" he snickered.

I laughed. Dan was crazy.

What was even crazier was when he kissed me.

It was indescribable. We had gone all this time keeping our love locked up. Now it was coming out with a bang. It was magical. Nothing seemed to matter in the mere time we stood there. In fact, it wasn't just a feeling. It was an emotion in itself. Something that kind of lit up inside of me, making this moment even more special. When he let go for air, I finally realized what it was.

True love. At its finest.

Who cared that we were boys? Who would hate the truth? We loved each other. There was no denying it.

After all, some friendships go deeper than others.