phil had never been more captivated by anything in the world than he was by dan; eyes fixed on the smiley boy as he laughed along with their friends while they had dinner. phil was holding a fond look accompanied by a loving smile, his hand clutching dan's in the younger's lap. he seemed to be oblivious to everything around him, mind hyper-focused on his lover.
he didn't feel embarrassed when dan's gaze connected with his even though dan's cheeks were visibly redder, it only made the moment more sentimental. something to cherish for the rest of his life.
"stop looking at me like that," dan whined quietly (even though he wanted phil to continue looking at him like that). phil didn't care what their friends thought of the moment because he was in love with the man sitting next him and nothing could stifle how he felt, no matter how many fake gags he heard.
"like what?" it wasn't hard to tell that dan was a little embarrassed by the newfound attention brought to them. he tried to hide it, but phil knew better. it was cute. dan's first reaction was to groan and bury his face in phil's neck; phil had never felt his heart swell more than it did in that moment.
"i love you." dan's fingers gripped at phil's shirt collar. "i was going to say that i hate you but you and i both know that's not true."