Rain. Huge, fat drops of it fell from the clouds overhead and hit the pavement at Dan's feet. Dan, having not anticipated such weather, had not brought an umbrella with him, and so was trying his best to shield his meticulously straightened hair with his jacket. The thin denim was no match for the heavy raindrops, however, and soon the icy water was seeping through. He could feel his hair starting to curl from the moisture. He only had one more street to go before he reached his house, maybe if he walked a bit quicker he could make it...
A growl of thunder echoed around him and the rain grew even heavier. Dan swore to himself, quickening his pace and veering course towards the nearest source of shelter: a small shop on the corner of the street. Dan could just make out the words 'gift shop' on the faded sign. He shoved the door open violently and hurried inside.
'Hi!' A bright voice greeted him as he passed through the doorway. Dan's gaze reached the tall boy standing at the register. The boy had jet black hair, messy and swept to the side just like Dan's. His eyes were the brightest blue, yet somehow looked incredibly warm too, and as they met Dan's gaze, Dan felt his cheeks grow hot. He looked away quickly.
'Are you looking for a gift for someone?' The boy's voice was deep and gentle, and tinged with a northern accent. It seemed to suit him somehow.
'Huh?' Dan looked up, confused, then remembered where he was. 'Oh, uh, yeah. For my mum.' He sounded so lame. Why didn't he just tell the truth? Well, it was too late now.
'Do you need any help looking?' The boy's genuine kindness was evident in his expression. Dan hesitated. He knew he had to get home soon. It was already getting dark and he had a mountain of university work to do. But something about the boy behind the counter, with his eyes like the clear sky and stupid emo fringe just like Dan's, made Dan want to stay, just to be in his presence.
'Um, sure,' said Dan. As the boy came over from behind the counter Dan found himself unable to look away from his striking form.
'I'm Phil, by the way,' the boy said, smiling warmly at Dan who blinked twice before replying.
'Oh, er, I'm Dan.' God he sounded so dumb. He desperately wanted to seem cool in front of this boy, Phil, but that only made him, already a socially awkward person, even more unable to speak normally. He could feel his mouth growing dry, his face growing hot. But Phil only smiled kindly at him.
'Nice to meet you Dan. So, what sort of gift did you have in mind?'
Dan got back to his apartment two hours later than usual. He had ended up staying at the gift shop until closing hours, stalling for time by pretending to be indecisive about what to buy, just so he could spend more time with the gorgeous boy from behind the counter. Phil. The name seemed to suit him, though Dan wasn't sure why. Even after Dan had made his purchase (a teapot shaped like a hippopotamus, which he decided he would actually give to his mum) they had spent the next thirty minutes talking, until Phil finally had to close up shop and they awkwardly exchanged phone numbers. Then they both left, and went in different directions, and now Dan was left standing numbly on the doorstep of his apartment. In that time, Dan had felt unlike he'd felt in a long time. Happy, and unafraid to be himself. Somehow, despite barely knowing him, he trusted Phil more than he trusted anyone else, and he felt that he could share anything with him. Alone in his tiny apartment, or at his job at the local McDonalds (the only work he could find), Dan rarely found anything to be happy about. But Phil had given him something, and for the first time in the four months Dan had been living there, he found himself truly smiling.