A/N: I need to get better at writing longer chapters lmao. I probably would add a bit to this chapter but I'm gonna be on vacation for a while and I wont have wi-fi or my laptop… sorry guys!

April 19th

Dan closed up the bookstore a bit earlier than he usually did that evening and made it to Lou's by 7:26.

He spotted Phil before he even walked into the little diner. His friend was sitting alone in the same spot that they had lunch the other day, fiddling with a sugar packet.

Letting out a deep breath, Dan pushed the door open, the small bell ringing to alert the staff. Phil looked up as Dan approached the table, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Dan, hey!" Phil smiled up at the brunet as he took a seat, "How are you?"

"Definitely better than I was last night," Dan laughed nervously, still abashed by the memory.

"I'd hope so," Phil picked up a menu and slid it towards Dan, "Here, order whatever you want, it's on me."

"Are you sure? I mean I can pay for my own meal, it's no problem," The reality of the situation at hand was that it actually was a problem; though Dan could afford the food here, he was in too much debt to spend money on luxuries like this.

"Dan, I asked you on the date, I'm gonna pay," Phil smiled kindly, but what really struck Dan was that he had called this a date.

The young author glanced up at Phil. "D-date?"

"Oh um, yeah…But I mean if you don't want it to be it can just be a friend thing! The flowers too, think of them as a…broquet?"

"No, no, date is fine! Then again, after that pun maybe I'd rather it be a friend thing…"

Phil laughed guiltily. "My deepest apologizes."

Dan shook his head dismissively, averting his attention to the menu. Although Phil had given him the go-ahead to get what he pleased, he still tried to stick to the cheaper items. He eventually decided on a reasonably priced salad.

"Do you know what you're getting?" Phil inquired, setting down his flimsy, paper menu.

"Uh yeah, the summer field salad." Dan read off the carte.

Phil bit his lip before asking, "And it's what you want, right? Because I'd rather you get something expensive that you loved than something cheap you didn't like that much."

The young man's silence was an answer in itself.

"Okay," Phil slid the menu towards his date, "let's try this again."

By the time a waitress came by Dan had decided on the Mediterranean veggie wrap. Phil chose a philly cheese steak.

"So, did you just choose the philly cheese steak because you share a name?" Dan teased.

Phil rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his lemonade. "You wouldn't believe how much I get that. Any time someone asks my favorite food I have to lie to avoid that comment."

A feeling of guilt twisted in Dan's stomach; he hoped he hadn't annoyed Phil. "Sorry for bringing it up again, I didn't mean to be irritating."

"It's fine," Phil bushed off Dan's apology, "And besides, I don't mind when you do it."

Dan could feel a rosy tint spreading across his cheeks. "Oh."

Phil, on the other hand, seemed unabashed. "So, how was your day?"

"Well, after the hangover wore off, it was okay. I think I might be on the verge of a new story idea."

"Really? What's it about?"

"Well…" Dan hesitated, "When I say, 'on the verge' I mean I think I'm going to have a good idea, but I haven't yet."

Phil laughed mirthfully. "I understand, I feel that way about painting sometimes. How about this, what's something you have wanted to write about, but you just never fully developed a plot?"

The writer thought for a moment. "I've always wanted to write a fiction novel about a small town mystery or something like that."

"Nice, I love mystery books," Phil grinned. "So, do you have any favorite books or authors?"

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Dan exclaimed, his voice going unusually high, "Well I love Stephen King, he's always been a favorite, then there's John green—"

Dan went off on a long-winded speech about the various authors and books he admired, a spark of passion burning in his eyes. The young painter had a similar glint in his eyes as he listened intently to Dan's rambling.

The young man was in the midsts of describing the brilliance of William Shakespere's Hamlet when Phil interrupted him.

"I want to paint you," The minute the words left his lips, a flustered look arose on his face, "Sorry I um, didn't mean to interrupt I just thought of that and it kinda slipped out and um, sorry…"

"It's fine," Dan assured him, bewildered, "Um, why do you want to paint me?"

"You have a nice bone structure, and pretty eyes…" A light blush crept up onto Phil's high cheekbones.

"Oh. Um, thank you," Dan muttered.

"Gosh, sorry that was a weird thing to say!"

"No, no! It was…sweet," Dan grinned, fiddling nervously with the end of his sleeve, "I'd be happy to model for you."

"Really?" Phil instantly perked up, "I've been looking for someone for quite a while."

Dan was about to respond when the waitress returned with their food. The two muttered polite thanks as the waitress set their plates in front of them.

"Oh my gosh, this is amazing," Phil moaned through a mouthful of sandwich.

Dan nodded in agreement, digging into his food.

There was little conversation the rest of the meal as the two men were too engrossed in their sandwich to think of anything to talk about.

…

"As someone who lives off one pound instant noodles, this was the best meal I've had in a while," Dan laughed, wiping his mouth.

"Well in that case, I'll be sure to ask you out again," Phil grinned, winking at Dan.

Dan only smiled softly, a warm feeling growing in the pit of his stomach, "Thank you for dinner."

"Thank you for not turning me down," Phil slid his credit card into the checkbook and handed it to a nearby waiter, "That would have been incredibly awkward."

"I could never do that to you," Dan jokingly placed a hand on top of Phil's, and was taken aback when Phil moved his hand quickly, interlacing their fingers.

"I'm glad."

The two were interrupted when the waiter returned with Phil's card.

"Thank you," Phil released Dan's hand to take the checkbook. He put his credit card back into his wallet, leaving a generous tip on the table, "Shall we go?"

Dan nodded, standing up. Phil made sure to walk in front of Dan, holding the door open for him.

"Thank you," Dan laughed as Phil bowed in a dramatic manner.

Dan was overly aware of Phil's hand brushing his own as they walked back to his flat. Finally, after a few minutes of consideration, he mustered up the courage to grab it.

"I had fun tonight, thank you again for dinner," Dan said as they approached his front door.

"The pleasure is all mine," Phil held Dan's hand up, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it.

Dan blushed, "I'll see you tomorrow, maybe?"

"If not you can always text me," Phil said.

"Definitely," With a grin, Dan turned and stepped inside. He glanced back briefly at Phil, who smiled and waved, and then closed the door.