quixotic. ↣ d.h.

xviii: tea

after the next meeting, dan followed zoe outside again. he was quieter than usual that day, and his eyes looked as if they were in a galaxy of their own. zoe understood that. sometimes she daydreamed herself away, so much so that she when she forced herself back into reality, it felt like someone else's life, a twisted nightmare that couldn't possibly be real. but then she would sigh and rub at her eyes and realize that the nightmare was real and her dreams were just that: dreams.

"hey, guys!"

they both looked up to see a bright-eyed phil running towards them. the sketchbook in his hand flapped in the wind, and he was out of breath by the time he caught up with them at the street corner.

"hey, phil," dan said softly. that was almost alarming to zoe. dan always acted overly amicable towards phil. they would loudly discuss their favorite video games or these people they both watched called youtubers while zoe sat to the side studying her words. the arrangement the three of them had before the beginning of every club meeting had come to feel like a comfortable routine.

"are you alright?" phil asked.

dan coughed and stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets with too much force for the relaxed look he was attempting to portray. "i'm fine."

zoe had worn too many masks herself to not recognize when someone else was wearing one. and today dan was dressed up for a masquerade.

could she get him to talk to her, maybe? talking was not her activity of choice, but didn't she owe him that much at least? after the way he'd opened up to her? he was a good guy. it felt like the right thing to do.

"hey."

dan and phil looked up with traces of shock. zoe hardly ever spoke when she hadn't first been spoken to.

"why don't we go get some drinks? that one coffee shop we went to, dan. it was quite lovely, don't you think?"

dan's eyes were empty as they caught hers, but he nodded.

"that sounds great!" phil smiled wide and led them across the street. his green sneakers slopped through puddles of melted snow, the water licking up at the drawings he'd covered them with.

phil was another enigma she'd have to commit more time to figuring out. he was very smiley, invariably armed with a helpful attitude and no shortage of toothy grins. but he walked alone in the stone hallways of their school and ate lunch by himself on an outside bench no matter the weather. zoe suspected that even phil wore a mask, and that made her horribly sad. phil was a beautiful person, and no one appreciated him like he deserved.

before long the cozy little shop came into view, and zoe breathed a sigh of relief. she felt strangely at peace tucked between those gray walls, the smell of freshly ground coffee overtaking her senses. if they could make it inside that glass door, this ragtag group would be okay.

"what a cute place," phil said as they stepped into the warmth.

dan left them at the ordering counter and slumped to the same booth he and zoe had sat at just a couple of weeks ago. his shoes dragged and his arms hung limply at his sides.

when zoe ordered her usual coffee, she bought dan a tea.

"here," she said a moment later, sliding the steaming mug in his direction. the bench creaked as she sat next to him.

it took him a second to register what was going on. then he looked up at her with confused yet sincere eyes. "thank you." there might've been the teeniest hint of a smile at the corners of his lips as he dumped sugar into the tea.

"you're welcome."

a/n: i try my best to keep my promises :)) please vote/comment/share and check out my other works!