Set Up •●• phan

IX

"Hey, Phil, I was wondering if you wanted to-" he stopped. "Damn it feels stupid."

"Why?" PJ asked.

"It's just, we've already been for coffee, so I can't ask that, and it feels a bit middle-schoolish to ask of he wants to 'go out with me'," Dan said, making air quotes.

The two were sat together in PJ's room, trying to work out how Dan could go about 'asking Phil out', as Dan so disdainfully put it.

"Well, why don't you just go along with things as friends?" PJ asked.

"What if nothing ever happened? I want to ask him now so if he rejects me it'll be less painful."

Dan heard a knock on the door. "I'll get it," PJ said.
Dan heard the now familiar sound of Chris's voice. He flashed a quick smile at him as the two walked in and sat down.

"We were just talking about how Dan could proclaim his love to Phil," PJ said dramatically.

"Ooh, sounds fun. Can I join?" Chris asked.

"The more the  merrier," PJ told him.

Chris sat down on the bed next to PJ.

"What do you think about it?" PJ asked.

Chris thought for a second and then turned to Dan.

"You two would make the perfect couple," Chris told him. "You're the same height, which is clearly essential, you like the same things, have the same haircuts... It's a match made in heaven!"

"Ok, thanks, but how do I tell him?"

"Just let it flow naturally into the conversation," Chris advised. "If it's too forced it'll feel awkward."

"What time are you supposed to be meeting him, anyhow?" PJ interrupted.

"Eleven, why?"

"It's quarter past."

"Shit!" Dan cursed. "Ok guys, thanks for your unhelpful comments."

He grabbed his coat and phone, and almost sprinted out of the door. Chris watched him in amusement.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how this pans out."

*****

Dan would've run all the way to reception, but he didn't want Phil to see him bright red and panting, so he took the lift, which gave him the opportunity to fix his hair as it descended. When it arrived at the ground floor he found Phil pacing the lounge nervously.

"You alright there?" he asked as he approached.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" Phil said.

"Why? Has something happened?"

"No, it's just if you didn't turn up I didn't know whether to wait here, or to go up to your room, or to try and find you, and I was going to text you but then I realised I don't have your number, and I don't know your room number, so-"

"Wow. Sounds like quite the dilemma you had down here while I was asking PJ and Chris about-" he stopped.

"About what?" Phil inquired innocently.

"Never mind."

Dan suggested hailing a taxi to get them to the cafe but Phil just laughed and told him that if he couldn't even walk round the corner he definitely couldn't get up to the roof garden that night. That convinced Dan to shut up and get walking.

A few times at the cafe, Dan considered telling telling Phil about 'feelings' and all that crap, but he never had the courage to.

On the walk back, Phil was tempted to take Dan's hand, just to see how he'd react, but he wasn't brave enough.

When they got back to the hotel, they went their separate ways, and neither said anything they really wanted to to the other.

The only result of the morning was that Dan now had a new phone number saved in his contacts.