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It all started on a particularly busy day. Dan was deep in his work when he heard the alarm on his phone ring, announcing that it was time for a lunch break. He had enough time to go to his favorite cafe, so he quickly packed his belongings into his bag and went out. The winter air was fresh and the ground was not slippery, thanks to all the snow that has fallen while Dan was at work. He walked fast, silently praying that there was a free table for one. His head was down, staring at the crispy white snow crunching underneath his feet, so he couldn’t see all the snowflakes falling all around and onto him, landing on Dan’s nose but melting almost immediately.
It didn’t take long until he was standing in front of the busy cafe. Couples, singles, families of four and more were going in and out, making Dan feel nervous. He was giddy to get the best oat flat white in the city, and as he watched the rush hour entangle in front of him he decided to test his luck. Dan walked in, got accompanied to a table by the friendly hostess, Elizabeth, but when he walked up to it, he was stunned. There was already a man sitting on the other side of the table. And, unfortunately for Dan’s heart, he was beautiful. Before the man could notice Dan’s flushed cheeks, he turned around facing the hostess.
“There must’ve been a mistake. I’ve asked a table for one and there’s a man at my table,” Dan whispered to her.
“Unfortunately, we are full. The only available table is this and the man gave his consent to have another person at his table. If you want, sir, you can wait for another free table. The wait time is.. fifty minutes.” She smiled politely at him. Dan looked back at the beautiful man, who was now staring at him, turned to her and announced:
“Alright, I’m sitting here.”
“Splendid. Here’s your menu. Enjoy,” Elizabeth put the menus onto the clear plate and walked away. Dan sat down, not daring to look up at meet the blue eyes that were staring at him. He started reading the appetisers, hoping that the look of ‘it’s my first time here’ will scare the beautiful man off.
“The pepperoni pizza here is amazing,” he heard a velvety voice say. Dan looked up to meet the mesmerizing gray blue eyes. The beautiful man had sharp features, short hair dyed platinum blonde and a black turtleneck on that suited him wonderfully. Dan couldn’t see what he was wearing under the table, but what he could see was that the man was his type. He shook the buggering thoughts out of his mind and focused on the words that the man said. Holy shit. The pepperoni pizza was his favorite at this cafe. It was either fate or the man in front of him could read minds.
“Really? Then I should try it,” Dan exclaimed, his acting skills a bit rusty, since he wasn’t twenty and making YouTube videos anymore. The gorgeous man smiled, making the butterflies in Dan’s stomach flutter their wings, dancing up to his throat so that he couldn’t say anything.
“I’m Phil,” the man said.
“I’m Dan,” he smiled. The winter sun shone through the panorama window, falling right onto Phil’s face, bathing him in the sunlight and taking Dan’s breath away. Under such natural light, his eyes were a kaleidoscope of colors, in which the main one was sky blue. Dan found himself thinking about how nice it would be to have Phil as his friend. Or maybe just somebody who he could call. He decided to leave his overthinking mind to be, focusing on the man in front of him rather than the thoughts of the future they could have.
“Do you come here often?” Phil asked, sipping on his ice-cold lemonade. Dan, for the first time in a while, laughed out loud. Phil’s eyes widen as his cheeks bloomed with color. “Wait, no! I meant like, if you come to this-”
“Mate, it’s all good,” Dan cut him off. He smiled, understanding that Phil was just as nervous as Dan. This was their ice-breaker. After the food was served, and the drinks poured, they started talking about everything. Their work, past relationships and Dan told him things he never said to anyone else. Words slipped out of his mouth, and Phil listened attentively, either acting or actually being interested in what Dan had to say. The blond man also talked, but not as much as Dan. After an hour of non-stop talking, he looked at his phone and found himself unwillingly devastated to go. He didn’t want to fall back into the routine of work, eat, sleep. And so they exchanged phone numbers, agreeing on meeting at the same place the next day. They texted all evening long after they bid their adieus.
…
On the next day, Dan walked into the cafe at 1:30 pm sharp. Elizabeth politely remarked that somebody was already waiting at his table. And Dan grinned, saying thank you and making his way through the crowded place to the shining platinum blonde beacon. There was only an echo of Elizabeth putting the menus onto the table and then walking away. Dan’s eyes were on Phil. The blond man stood up to say hello to him, or so Dan thought, because the next thing he knew was warm hands on his back, pulling him into a tight hug. Shockingly to Dan, it didn’t feel uncomfortable or forced, the hug was enjoyable, for the first time since he was little, he actually felt relaxed in the arms of somebody who he barely knew.
…
After two months of talking and friendly dates, the waiters knew them by their names and they learned much about each other. But Dan couldn’t understand what he felt whenever Phil’s fingers ghosted over his, whenever his hand grabbed Dan’s shoulder for him to stop and not get hit by a car whenever they crossed the streets. Phil’s grin, still on his lips, when Dan talked about how silly their first date was and how bad his morning was before that. And Dan tried his best not to overthink it. He just couldn’t lose a friendship like this. Whenever they had days off, they would walk in the snowy park until they couldn’t feel their fingers so they would go to the nearest coffee shop in hopes that they would warm up. Spending the days together grew into a somewhat normal routine for Dan, and he was the furthest away from complaining about his life. Dan was the happiest he’s ever been.
It was their day off and they agreed to meet up at their cafe. And for the first time Dan wasn’t nervous. Maybe it was all of the other dates they’ve been on together, or it was the way that they were so comfortable with each other now, but Dan’s heart wasn’t thumping, trying to escape the cage of his skin, his mind wasn’t overthinking everything that he said before to Phil, wondering anxiously if Phil will even come to the cafe. No, his mind was silent, his pulse steady and he was relaxed in his chair, waiting for his friend.
Phil was late. And Dan was okay with that, hugging him tight, as if it was the last time they would ever see each other. They ordered the food and drinks, and started talking. About everything and nothing in particular, letting the time slip away. When they walked out, the comfort of warm place started creep on Dan, the chill air sending goosebumps down his skin, making him pull his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and Phil saw that, as he tends to notice the small details about Dan. He extended his hand out for Dan to take it. And the doe-eyed man intertwined their fingers, warmness spreading inside their palms, making Dan’s heart start pounding inside his chest as they started walking down the street, Phil going on with his rant about the game he was playing at the moment.
In an hour they were sitting on a bench together, hot chocolates in their hands, the paper cup warm and nice to Dan’s ice-cold palms. He couldn’t stop thinking about how his hand fit so well into Phil’s, almost like they were made for each other. It was the optimistic sight on life that Phil gave Dan whenever they met up.
“Why do I feel like you’re not listening to me?” Phil turned his head to face Dan, whose eyes were almost teary from how much he didn’t blink, zoning out, staring at the white snow. He looked up to gaze at Phil, two pale sapphires staring at him back, and wondered how the blond man would react if he kissed him right there and now. “Hey? Are you all right?”
I like you, was in Dan’s thoughts, ringing in his ears until he couldn’t take it anymore. He could see Phil’s wide eyes and felt his cheeks bloom with color. He didn’t understand what was happening. It was all in his thoughts, right? Realisation hit him like a wave, sucking him into the ocean of despair.
“I said that out loud, didn’t I?” Dan heard his own voice in his ears, quiet and frightened it spoke. Phil nodded silently, the corner’s of his mouth shaking to break into a smile, making Dan feel like a small animal, open in the wild and in front of a predator. Was Phil about to stand up and leave him? Or would Phil talk him through and out of liking him?
And then, something unexpected happened, something that made Dan’s heart jump out of his skin. Phil sat up closer to Dan and then… kissed him. There were butterflies fluttering in Dan’s stomach when Phil intertwined his fingers with his short curls, tilting his head, their tongues dancing with each other. Dan tried to put everything that he felt for Phil into the kiss. It felt like coming home, kissing Phil. His lips tasted like strawberries and were soft and Dan was in heaven. He didn’t want to stop, he didn’t need to breathe. He wanted to keep kissing Phil. Their mouths moved against each other delicately, leisurely. Until Phil pulled away, panting softly. Dan opened his eyes, and he wasn’t sure if they were full of tears because of the cold weather or his feelings.
“I like you too, Dan,” Phil’s voice broke through softly. Dan, flustered, closed his eyes and buried his head in Phil’s shoulder, making the man giggle.
The End.