im so excited for you guys to read this one
Dan returned to his classes on Wednesday. He arrived early to Phil's class, although the door was unlocked and Phil was sitting at his computer desk.
There were a few other students who had arrived early as well, but Phil still said, "Hey," to Dan as he walked passed him.
"Hey," Dan replied.
He found a seat at the back of the class and settled in. He pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through tumblr for a few moments.
He glanced up and found Phil gazing at him from where he sat in front of his computer. Dan looked back at him for a long moment as he felt a sudden tightening of his chest. He tore his eyes away from Phil's and refocused on his phone with a sigh.
More students began to fill the classroom and Dan knew Phil would soon be starting the class, so he put his phone back into his pocket and turned his attention forward.
As soon as the class was full, Phil began his lecture for the day. Dan listened along and they occasionally met with eye contact.
When Phil ended his lecture and set a new assignment, he dismissed the class. Dan slowly packed his things up to ensure that he would be the last person in the class. He slung his bag over his shoulder once he had his things packed and walked towards the front of the classroom where Phil was sitting at his desk.
Phil leaned back in his chair and looked at Dan with a small smile.
Dan returned the small smile.
Phil asked, "How are you?"
"I'm okay."
They fell into an easy conversation, which was a stark, but nice contrast to their previous conversation. Before they realized it, they had been talking for a few long minutes.
Dan stopped mid-laugh when someone walked into the classroom. They were a brunette woman, who appeared to be another professor.
She looked between Dan and Phil.
Phil cleared his throat, tilted his desk chair forward, and said, "Oh, Mary."
Dan gulped as this woman turned her eyes from him to Phil.
"I just came to remind you of the meeting today," she said to Phil.
"Okay, thank you," Phil said.
"I'll see you there, then," she said. She paused, looking between the two men again, then turned and walked out of the room.
Phil leaned back in his chair, and let out a breath as he looked at Dan.
"Erm," Dan began.
"It might be better if we talk somewhere else," Phil said.
"Yeah," Dan agreed.
Phil named a restaurant and asked Dan if he knew where it was.
"No, but I'm sure I can find it," Dan said.
"Would you like to meet there? On… Friday at seven?" Phil asked him.
Dan let out a breath as it occurred to him that Phil was asking him on a date.
"Are you sure we should, you know-," Dan said.
Phil said the restaurant was in the next town over. "It should be fine," he said.
"Okay," Dan said.
"So you'll be there?" Phil asked.
"Erm," Dan said. "Yeah."
"Okay, see you then."
"See you."
Dan reluctantly left the classroom and headed for the cafeteria where Chris, PJ and most likely, John, would be. When he arrived at the cafeteria he found the three of them at a table. Chris and PJ had a tray of food, while John did not. When Dan approached John stood and said, "Hey I was waiting for you before I got lunch."
"Oh, thanks," Dan replied absentmindedly. His conversation with Phil continued to run through his mind.
Chris and PJ looked between each other and then at Dan. The suspicion was clear on their faces. They were wondering why it took so long for Dan to make it to the cafeteria.
"Let's go get some food, then," Dan said and John followed him to the queues.
As they waited in line, slowly moving forward, John asked, "You wanna do something this weekend?"
"Er, sure. I'm free on Saturday," Dan replied.
"Okay, cool. I'll text you on Saturday then and we'll figure something out."
Dan frowned as they moved forward in line. When they collected their lunch, they returned to the table where Chris and PJ were. They were nearly done with their own food so when Dan and John got through a few bites, Chris and PJ began to pack their things up.
"Oh, I'm staying at PJ's tonight, okay?" Chris said after throwing out his trash.
"Okay, but call me or something, okay?" Dan replied.
"Okay," Chris said with his eyebrows knitted slightly. "Talk to you later."
"Later," Dan agreed.
Dan ate his lunch with John, avoiding his eye.
"Are you okay?" John asked him when Dan realized he was eating his lunch furiously fast.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Dan said with a dismissive gesture.
Dan didn't look at John, but knew he would probably be making the raised eyebrow face Dan began to notice that he often made.
They didn't talk like they normally did as they ate.
Dan was done eating before John and quickly excused himself to go the library before heading home for the afternoon.
When Dan returned to his and Chris' flat, he started on his assignments, but constantly checked his phone for Chris' call.
When his phone finally rang, he scrambled to answer it. He got up from the couch where he sat.
"Hey," he answered.
"Hey, you wanted me to call?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, I gotta tell you something…" Dan began, and went through the conversation he had with Phil as he paced the flat. He included their interruption and Phil's invitation to meet with him on Friday.
Chris chimed in with the occasional, appropriate, "No shit!"
"Yeah," Dan would reply and quickly continue.
Chris would occasionally update PJ on what Dan said as well, who Dan could hear, although distantly, had similar reactions to Chris'.
"So what are you gonna do?" Chris asked when Dan finished his story. "You're going right?"
"Well, yeah," Dan said. As if he would ever skip the opportunity of getting to spend time with Phil.
"You guys have to be careful," Chris reminded him.
"I know," Dan agreed, frowning, recalling the suspicious look on the other professor's face. "But this restaurant is out of town, so it's less likely we'll be seen by anyone."
"Okay," Chris said slowly. "I'd hate for you guys to get in trouble."
"I know," Dan said again.
"Anyways, I gotta go," Chris said.
"Okay, see you later."
"Later."
Dan hung up and sighed. He returned to his assignments and when he completed one and made some headway into Phil's assigned paper, he put his things away. He turned to his laptop and found the right bus route to get to the restaurant Phil wanted to meet him at. He had two days to prepare, but he was a worrier.
No matter how long he had to prepare, however, he would always be nervous around Phil.
On Friday, Dan dressed in his favorite black jeans, a navy blue sweater, and grabbed his coat from the hall closet.
"Have fun. Be careful," Chris said to Dan.
"I will," Dan said.
He left the flat and walked a block to the bus stop. He had to switch buses about halfway through the trip. When he got off the bus in the next town over he had to walk for five minutes to the restaurant.
Before entering the restaurant, he took a deep breath and pulled the entrance door open with trembling hands. The restaurant was very busy, but he found Phil sitting off to the side, waiting to be seated, with his own coat sitting next to him on the bench. Dan took off his own coat as he approached Phil, smiling nervously.
Phil looked up from his phone and a smile spread across his face. He stood, said, "Hey," and pulled Dan into a hug, which sent Dan's heart racing. He could feel every muscle of his chest against his own and his large hands against his back.
"Hey," Dan breathed out when Phil released him.
"I think it'll just be a few minutes," Phil said, referring to the wait for seating.
"Okay," Dan said.
He looked around the restaurant, suddenly feeling slightly underdressed. The lighting was gentle and reflected off a dark, stone floor. The host's podium was made of solid wood with a dark finish, and so were the booths. The booth seats were made of dark leather.
Phil wore a button up with a nice pair of jeans.
"This place is nice," Dan said.
"Yeah. I was hoping you'd like it."
"I probably can't afford this, though," he said.
"I'm paying," Phil told him.
"Are you sure?" Dan looked at him, deadpan.
"Yeah. Of course," Phil said. "I never spend money on anyone."
"Okay," Dan said, but knew he would be looking for one of the less expensive menu items.
They waited patiently, and as Phil said, they were brought to a booth in just a few minutes. They were left with their menus and the small, brunette hostess said their waitress would be with them.
"Get anything you want," Phil told him.
"Okay," Dan said, but looked at the prices with wide eyes before he even looked at what was included with each meal.
As Dan looked over everything, they were approached by their waitress, who was a tall, blonde woman. This woman introduced herself and asked what they wanted to start with.
"Water is fine for me," Dan said then looked to Phil, who ordered the same thing.
Everything described on the menu sounded amazing, despite the price, so Dan had no problem choosing a less expensive menu item. When he made his decision he put his menu aside and looked at Phil. Phil looked up and smiled as he put his menu aside as well.
Phil put his hands together on the table, while Dan rested his arms on the table and leaned forward slightly. Phil gazed at Dan gently under the soft lighting of the restaurant. Dan smiled, looked away, and nervously adjusted his fringe.
Their waitress approached them again and laid their water down on the table.
"Are you guys ready to order?" She asked.
"Yeah," Phil said and looked to Dan.
"Oh," Dan said, and gave the waitress his order.
Phil ordered as well.
The waitress thanked them, took their menus, and left them with their water.
"So," Phil said, putting his hands back onto the table and leaning forward.
"So," Dan echoed him.
"Have you had a good week?" Phil asked and they began chatting.
It was a simple conversation, and yet the energy that passed between them was warm and soothing. Dan thought that perhaps the lighting made him feel this way.
Their food came with salad, which was brought to them within a few minutes. As they ate they continued to talk.
"So," Dan began as he finished his last bit of salad. "When did you decide to become a teacher?"
"Well, growing up, I had great teachers that inspired me and helped me. I just thought, I want to do that for someone. But I knew I didn't want to teach teenagers, so I decided on being a college professor," Phil explained. "What about you? What do you want to be?"
"I want to be a writer," Dan said with a smile, feeling as if it was somewhat of a confession.
"That's brilliant," Phil said. "I'm sure you'd make an amazing writer!"
"You think so?" Dan asked.
"Yeah, I've read all your papers," Phil reminded him.
"Oh, yeah," Dan said.
"So what genre would you want to write?"
"Erm, all kinds," Dan said. "Mainly fantasy or science fiction though. With a little bit of romance maybe."
"That's awesome," Phil said. "Have you written anything already?"
"No, I haven't had any ideas that I've worked on yet."
"That you've worked on? So you have ideas?"
"Well, yeah," Dan admitted. "But I don't really have time for writing right now. I just can't wait until my creative writing class next year."
"You'll do great in creative writing, I'm sure," Phil said.
Their waitress approached their table again, carrying a tray of food. She laid down their main course, took their salad bowls, and said, "Enjoy, guys!"
They thanked her and began to eat.
"So can I hear about your ideas?" Phil asked eagerly, before taking a bite of food.
As if he were highly offended, Dan said, "No!"
"Aw, why not?" Phil asked.
"Because. They're probably bad ideas, anyways," he said.
"I'm sure they're not," Phil argued.
"I'm sure they are," Dan retorted.
"Okay, fine," Phil said. "But whatever they are, I know they're probably gonna be amazing."
They continued to talk as they ate.
About halfway through their food, the waitress stopped by and asked how everything was.
"Oh, it's great, thank you," Phil said.
When Dan was almost done with his plate of food, he asked Phil, "We get a small dessert, right?"
"Yeah, I think it's like a small brownie with a bit of ice cream."
"Awesome," Dan said.
"Yeah," Phil agreed.
"I'm so full I don't think I could even eat dessert, though," Dan said, when he finished his last bite of food and laid his fork on his plate. "I'll have like a bite, if anything."
Phil laughed and put his fork down as well. They both push their plates forward slightly and their waitress soon stopped by their table to drop of their dessert and collect their dinner plates. She refilled their water as well with a pitcher of water.
Dan took a sip of his water, before he took a small bit of brownie and ice cream.
"This is amazing," he said to Phil.
"Yeah, it is," Phil agreed, who finished his dessert while Dan only had three small bites.
When they were done they pushed those bowls away from them as well and continued to talk.
Their waitress went by their table again to drop off their bill inside a small black book.
Dan reached for the bill, but Phil pulled it out from beneath Dan's hand, keeping him from seeing the cost of their meal.
"Ah, ah, ah," Phil said. "I told you, I'm paying."
Dan gulped, because Phil's teasing sent his mind straight to the gutter. He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling dry at the mouth. He couldn't help but picture Phil using that soft, scolding tone in an entirely different scenario.
Damn it, he thought to himself. He managed to go until the end of the meal without a dirty thought about Phil.
Phil seemed completely oblivious to Dan's sudden shift in mood as he filled out the receipt and slipped his card into the pocket of the black book.
When Phil looked up again, he asked Dan, "Are you okay?"
Dan cleared his throat again and said, "Yeah, I'm fine."
The waitress passed their table again to grab the black book and thanked them. She returned just a few minutes later to return Phil's card to him. She thanked them again and told them to have a good night.
They stood and walked towards the entrance of the restaurant.
"So did you take the bus here?" Phil asked Dan when they were outside.
"Yeah," Dan answered.
"I'll give you a ride home," He offered.
"Oh, you don't have to," Dan said, waving his hands in a dismissive way.
"No, I insist. I've taken the bus before, I know it sucks. Plus, I want to spend more time with you," Phil admitted.
"Well, I can't argue with that reasoning," Dan said, earning a laugh from Phil.
Phil's laughter was deep and throaty, which sent Dan's mind further into the gutter. Sexy was an odd way to describe laughter, Dan realized, but everything about Phil was sexy.
Still smiling, Phil casually took hold of Dan's hand and said, "C'mon then."
Dan's heart fluttered. He was a mess of emotions at that moment.
When they approached Phil's silver car, he unlocked it. Dan breathed a sigh of relief. He could relax in Phil's car. Phil opened the passenger door for him, so he climbed in and Phil went around to the other side.
As Phil started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, Dan realized how much he enjoyed riding along with Phil. He always felt safe in Phil's car, where no one from the outside world could interrupt, scrutinize, or judge them.
They continued to talk as Phil drove back into the city and towards Dan's building.
Their time together was up before Dan could thoroughly enjoy it. Phil pulled into a space beside the pavement near the apartment building.
They continued to talk for several minutes, before Dan gazed out the window. He said, "I better get inside."
He turned back to Phil, who was leaning much closer to Dan than he was in the previous moment.
Dan gulped and scanned Phil's face.
"Phil-."
"I really want to kiss you," Phil admitted softly. "But I don't think I'd be able to stop if I did."
Dan leaned away slightly. They were really pushing things.
"Thank you for buying me dinner," Dan said, with a hand on the door handle.
"Thank you for meeting me there," Phil said in agreement.
They paused, gazed at one another for a moment before Phil leaned away, looked forward and said with a gesture, "Okay you better get inside."
"Goodnight, Phil," Dan said, and reluctantly climbed out of the car.
im so excited to hear what ppl think of this one
pls let me know what you think ina review!
okay have a lovely day