Phil's face burned a bright crimson as he followed Dan out of the alley. Dan turned to him, a soft smile on his face.
"So where do you want to go?" Dan asked, brushing his hair out of his face. A light rain had begun to fall, and his hair had started to curl, much to his annoyance. "We could go to your house, or my apartment." He continued, biting his lip. "Of course, it's up to you."
Phil thought for a moment. Dan's house was closer, and with the rain falling faster and thicker than before, they wouldn't want to stay out long.
"Your apartment is closer, so let's head there." Dan nodded, slipping his hand into Phil's with ease. The tall men followed the crowd of people down the sidewalk as the rain splattered around them. With each passing moment, the sky became darker, and the rain fell more freely. Soon, Dan and Phil were the only people left in the rain, aside from the few people who ran haphazardly to the nearest shelter. Phil shivered as a guest of wind blew past them. Dan seemed to notice, as he pulled Phil closer to him.
"If you'd like, I could give you my sweater." Dan said, stepping under an overhanging roof as he began to tug the garment off. Phil shook his head quickly, standing next to him.
"I couldn't do that! You'd be soaked!"
"Phil, I've got a jumper underneath. I'll be fine. You, on the other hand, are in a pastel t-shirt," he replied, pulling it over his head and handing it over. "Please?"
Finally, Phil took the sweater, thanking Dan profusely. It was the same sweater he'd been wearing on their coffee date, and Phil could faintly smell the scent of their coffee on it as he slipped it on. Besides the scent of coffee was a soft, musky smell that he recognized as Dan. His face reddened again as the tingly feeling from their date returned.
He followed Dan down the streets, ignoring the rain that continued to pelt the ground around them. They walked for a few minutes without speaking, before Dan broke the silence again.
"I'm not sure if you'd want to talk about this, but back in the alley, you said 'not again'." He began, glancing towards Phil quickly, before looking ahead. Phil blushed, recalling the passionate moment between them. It had felt so good, even though he didn't want to love anyone. He had felt safe. He had felt happy.
"Hello?" Dan asked again, tearing him from his thoughts.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just-" he bit his lip, trying to will himself to stay strong. "My last relationship didn't end well," he explained. Dan nodded sympathetically, reaching his hand hesitantly towards him. Phil took his hand gratefully, pulling the two closer together.
"Break-ups are always tough; I should know, I'm trying to go through one," Dan chuckled dryly. Phil scoffed.
"They're a bit easier after you catch your significant other in bed with a stranger," he drew a deep breath. "I thought he cared about me. I thought-" his voice cracked. "I thought he loved me." Dan pulled him closer, embracing him in a warm hug.
"I promise I'll never cheat on you like that, Phil." He whispered, before pulling them apart. "C'mon, my apartment is just up the street."
The taller man broke off into a run, and Phil followed, a wide grin on his face as he hurried to catch up with his friend, nay, his boyfriend.
They made quite a commotion as they entered the quiet lobby of the building, red faced and drenched in rain and sweat. The clerk stared at them when they burst through the door, panting and dripping water onto the carpet. The two men, who simultaneously looked up and into the eyes of the shocked clerk, laughed, before hitting the elevator button, and entering it.
"Did you see the look on her face?" Dan snickered, wiping his forehead. Phil laughed, before imitating the clerk's startled expression, sending both of them into another laughing fit.
The elevator brought them up to the sixth floor, where the two lads got off. Dan lead them to his apartment door, reaching into his pocket to pull out his keys.
"You've got to be kidding me. Out of all of the days to forget my keys, it's today." He mumbled, fumbling through his pockets. Phil stuck a hand into the pocket of the hoodie, his fingers curling around a small metal ring.
"Are these your keys?" He asked, flourishing them out dramatically. Dan laughed and took them, unlocking the small apartment. Inside, stood something neither man wanted to see.
Tess, Dan's soon-to-be ex-girlfriend.
Dun dun dun! I'm so sorry for the wait! I've had some mental issues going on lately, and it's been really hard finding time to write. Plus, my computer is broken, so i actually typed this all up on my shitty tablet, so I'm sorry for any typos! I'm also starting high school next week, which is extremely stressful! Hopefully, it won't take me another two months to write another chapter!
As always, leave reviews! i love reading them!