Dan has to distract himself. He is thinking about what he wants to tell Phil. He can't focus on his homework. Dan gets up off his bed and paces his bedroom. His heart is pounding loudly against his rib cage. Dan decides to call Phil.
"Hello?" Phil picks up his phone. He is sitting in his room, doing his assignments. Phil sets his work on the table beside his half filled coffee mug.
"Hey Phil.
"Hello, Dan. What's going on? Are you doing your assignments?"
"Not much, and I'm taking a quick break to talk to you. Can I ask you something?" Dan shakes nervously.
"You can ask me anything."
"Would, would you like to like to go on a date?" Dan stutters. Phil's eyes widen a little. He turns red as a tomato. Dan blushes too. They remain silent for a while. "Are you there?"
"Yes, I will go on a date with you. What do you have in mind?"
"Well, I know this beautiful art gallery. Maybe we can get dinner later? What time works for you?"
"Seven. Should I pick you up?"
"Yes," Dan gives a timid smile. Phil grins, then hangs up after they say goodbye to each other. Dan and Phil work on finishing their homework. A few hours pass. Dan checks his phone. The phone reads 6:50 pm. Panic washes over him. Dan quickly gets dressed into nicer clothes, sprays cologne, and runs downstairs. His parents are in the lounge, when they see him running towards the front door. They exchange strange glances at each other.
"Where's the fire, son?" Dan's father asks.
"I have a date."
"With who?" Dan's mother chimes in. He gulps. Dan knew that he couldn't tell the truth, but he is talking to his parents, so he has to.
"A girl," Dan doesn't tell the truth, because he knows that his parents would not react well to the fact that he is going with a boy.
"Be back by nine," his father demands. Dan waves to them and walks out of the house. He steps down the front stairs when he sees Phil pull up in his car. He gets out of his car. A blush forms on Dan's face. Phil's hair is in a quiff. He is wearing black skinny jeans, and a blue long sleeve button up shirt with black hearts all over it. His black sneakers glisten in the streetlight. Dan's heart is hammering.
"You look, amazing," Dan says his thoughts out loud. He realises what he has said and covers his face in embarrassment. Phil chuckles and walks up to Dan. His face is still covered with both of his hands. Phil moves them away. Dan gets flustered. He kisses Dan on the cheek.
"Let's go. Would you mind leading me to the art gallery?" Phil asks.
"Not at all," he replies. He opens the door for Dan. Dan climbs into the car. Phil shuts the door gently and gets into the car as well. Dan instructs him where to go. Phil drives there. His eyes are focused on the road, while Dan's eyes are fixed on Phil's round face. He couldn't help but to admire Phil. Dan's pupils are dilated. Without knowing it, he is mirroring Phil's body language. He takes a gander at Dan and has a incandescent smile.
They arrive to the art gallery. Phil climbs out to open the door for Dan and offers his hand to him. 'What a gentleman.' Dan thought. He takes Phil's hand. They walk up and pay for tickets. They enter the building. They get glances of disapproval from everyone when Dan and Phil enter, because they are holding hands. Dan let's go of Phil's hand; feeling shame. Phil is upset at everyone, because Dan shouldn't have to feel ashamed to hold his hand.
Dan is admiring a painting, but Phil is staring at Dan in awe. Phil is in love with Dan. He knows this, but Dan isn't sure if he loves Phil. He knows that his heart races every time he sees Phil. 'What if I do love Phil? What would my parents say? What would Phil say?' These questions scream and echo inside Dan's mind. Without realising it, Dan is rubbing the back of his neck.
"Are you okay, Dan? You're rubbing the back of your neck. Is everything alright?" Phil worriedly asks. Dan stops rubbing his neck.
"Yeah," Dan rubs his eyes. Phil crosses his arms. "What?"
"You're lying. Look, you can tell me anything. You know this," he sighs and uncrosses his arms. Dan gets baffled by his emotions. He wants to tell Phil everything, but in his heart he knows that would be a terrible idea, so he remains silent.
After the date, Phil drives Dan home. Dan's heart is beating loudly. He's hoping Phil can't hear it. What Dan doesn't know, is that Phil is thinking the same thing. They get out of the car simultaneously when Phil arrives at Dan's house. Dan walks up to the front steps. He follows and takes Dan's hands.
"I had a great time," Phil pulls Dan closer. He doesn't have a choice and goes along with it. Their noses are touching. Heat radiates from Dan's cheeks. Phil softly giggles. There is an awkward silence between them. Dan desperately wants to make the first move, to count for the times Phil has kissed him on the cheek, but his body is frozen. His eyes are staring at Phil's vibrant blue eyes. Dan licks his lips. Phil smirks at him.
For a moment, Dan thinks maybe he isn't going to kiss him, but before he could ponder it further, Phil yanked Dan to him and covered his mouth with his in a hungry kiss. He responds immediately, surprising himself. His mouth is so warm, the caress of his lips softer than he could have imagined. He tastes tentatively with his tongue, and Dan opens his mouth with a low moan.
"Daniel James Howell! What are you doing? You come inside right now!" Dan's mother exclaims from the open lounge window.
"Are your parents, you know?" Phil whispers quietly. Dan couldn't get the words out, so he nods. "I'll be back, I promise," he pulls away and waves goodbye to him. Dan is devastated and petrified. He trudges to the door. Dan is hesitant to open the door, but before he can, his mother yanks the door open and pulls Dan inside. He is feeling frantic.
"What were you doing? You were kissing a man! A man! Why?" she loudly whispers, because Dan's father is sleeping upstairs in his parents' bedroom. She is repulsed by Dan's actions. She slaps him hard. He is shocked, but does nothing about this. Dan knows that he deserves this. "Go to your room, young man. Your father will take care of you when you get home from school. You will come straight home tomorrow," Dan hangs his head in burden. He clumps upstairs to his room.
He is dreading today. Dan decides to skip breakfast, because his stomach is crumbling inside. He avoids Louise on the school bus. She gives him a confused glance, but he doesn't return the look. Louise senses that something is wrong, so she joins him.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," he replies, and she sighs. The ride to school is awkward, but the silence is filled with chatter of other students. They arrive to school ten minutes later. Taylor, Charlotte and Samantha are talking and waiting by the front door. Dan lumbers off the bus. He trudges past his friends. Taylor notice this and follows him.
"Dude, what's wrong? You look down. Is everything alright?" Taylor questions him, but he ignores Taylor. Dan goes into his locker and gets his textbooks. He shoves them in his backpack. Taylor grabs Dan by his shoulders and pins him against the lockers. Dan gasps, while Taylor clenches his teeth. Dan has never seen Taylor so angry.
"Okay, I'll tell you what's going on. I went out with Phil, and after the date, we kissed, but my mother saw us, and I know I'm going to be punished for it," Dan confesses. Taylor relaxes and let's go of Dan. Dan looks down, and Taylor pulls him into a hug. He returns the hug. Dan doesn't want to let go, because he feels defeated.
When Dan's parents come home from work, Dan's heart sinks. His mother is telling his father everything. Dan's father clenches his fist and turns red in the face. He storms up to Dan and punches him in the jaw. He grabs Dan by his collar of his shirt, and throws him against the wall. Dan feels tears streaming down his face.
"You're a fucking disgrace to this family! I hope you burn in Hell for your actions! You're no longer my son!" he screams as he bashes Dan's face in. He tries to deflect his father's kicks, but he couldn't. Dan begins blubbering. "He's crying like the pussy he is!" his father laughs. He is about to stomp on his face, but his mother rushes to him. She yanks him away from Dan. Tears and snot are rushing down his bloody face.
"I think he has learned his lesson," she spits her venom at Dan. Her husband steps away from Dan.
"Get your stuff and get out of my house, faggot," he commands. Dan hobbles upstairs to pack a bag. He has never felt so unwanted. He shoves some clothes into a duffel bag, then goes to the bathroom to clean his face. Dan limps downstairs, then falters out the house. He wants to call Phil and tell him to pick him up, but he knows that he could never do that to Phil. Dan ambles around the city.
The long shadows of the evening dissolve into the gathering darkness of the nighttime. The air cools and the crickets sing. People are tuck snugly in their homes, while Dan is sleeping in an alley, alone. The autumn air bites at Dan. He shivers in his sleep. Phil and his friends are walking to the bar. They march by the alley Dan is sleeping in, and Phil notices him. He stops and stares at Dan.
"You guys go without me," Phil demands, and his friends don't object. When they are out of sight, Phil hurries to Dan. "Dan, wake up, please," he shakes Dan's shoulder. Dan jolts upright in surprise. he grabs Phil and holds him closely. Enthusiasm washes over Dan. Phil helps Dan to his feet, and gathers his things. Dan treads beside Phil as their head to Phil's place.
He unlocks the front door for Dan. Dan scuffs inside, and Phil follows. He admires the dorm room. On the left side of the room, lies a bed with a bookshelf hanging at least a meter above the headboard. The shelf is littered with books. On the right side of the room, is a brown, Lawson-style sofa. The television is sitting on a television unit across the sofa. A glass coffee table separates the distance between the television unit and the sofa.
"You have a nice setup," Dan speaks up. Phil thanks him. He sets Dan's duffel bag on the floor by the sofa.
"Well, since there is only one bed, you can sleep in the bed, and I'll sleep on the sofa," Phil suggests.
Dan pauses, but chimes in, "Wait."
"Yes?"
"Would you, would you sleep with me? Not sexually, but, you know," he mutters, but Phil hears him. He strides closer to Dan. He gets flustered by Phil's actions. He grabs Dan's face gently, and stares into his glistening, brown eyes. Phil has never been so madly in love with someone before. "Can I ask you something?" Dan breaks the silence.
"Of course," Phil let's go of Dan's face.
"How old were you when, you know, kissed a boy?"
"I was fourteen. I was at my best friend's swimming pool party, and when we went to his house, I kissed him," he responds. Dan tilts his head and kisses Phil. Their lips glide smoothly with each other's. Their eyes study each other lovingly, before closing in pleasure. Phil's fingers creep up to Dan's cheek. His hands grip Phil's waist and he pulls him closer. They never have felt more exuberant. Dan has tears in his eyes which roll down his face. He finally has found a romantic connection that satisfies his body and his emotions.