You Would't Think This Is How It Would Have Happened

You Wouldn't Think This Is How It Would Happened

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Dan can feel his palms start to sweat as he anxiously bounces his leg up and down. The lump in his pocket makes it hard to concentrate on his dinner date. His black tie feels a little too tight and his suit too warm in the private space of the restaurant.

"Dan, are you okay?"

He looks across the table to see Phil watching him, curious about what was going on in Dan's overwhelmed mind. Phil has a black suit on with a white collared shirt and snowflake and baby blue coloured tie. Even though it wasn't Christmas anymore, Dan still felt that Phil's tie was perfect for the occasion.

"Nothing, I'm fine," he manages to say without sounding too nervous. Phil just smiles at him and finishes up his plate of sushi. Dan had finished his sushi about ten minutes ago because of his nerves, which he now regretted. Somehow Phil hadn't caught on to his erratic behaviour until now.

"You sure? You seem anxious? Are you afraid that we won't get to the party on time?"

"Yeah, I am, actually," Dan admits. That was true, but it wasn't the only thing he was nervous about. Phil didn't have to know that, though. Yet.

"We'll make it, don't worry," Phil says, smiling across the table at Dan. "And so what if we're late? I'm with you, aren't I?"

"I just want it to be perfect," he mutters, ignoring Phil's attempt at being romantic. His leg begins to bounce up and down again. He breathes out heavily and looks away from Phil.

"Dan, it's okay. The party doesn't have to be perfect. This dinner is wonderful enough," Phil says. He reaches across the table and gently grabs Dan hand, filling him with the same butterflies he's had since the day they met. "It'll be okay."

"It's not the party I'm worried about, actually," Dan says. He turns his eyes to Phil and looks at him thoughtfully. Phil cocks his head slightly, wondering what Dan is about to say to him. "Phil, I-"

"Here are your desserts, gentlemen," a voice suddenly calls. Dan jerks his hand away from Phil's and watches the waiter step into the private room and set fancy looking sweets in front of them. Phil give him a polite thank you while Dan mumbles something that sounds like a "Yeah, thanks." in the waiter's general direction.

"Dan, look at this ice cream!" Phil exclaims, picking up a spoon to try a bite. "And this looks like some kind of strawberry shortcake-"

"Phil, wait, before you eat."

He sets his fork down. "What's up, Dan?"

Dan swallows hard, gripping the black box that was still in his jeans. "Remember the time we first skyped?"

Phil smiles. "Of course I do. How could I forget?"

Dan laughs and nods. "I was, um, I had already been in love with you for a long time, even before you knew I existed."

"I know."

"You know?"

"It's kind of hard not to notice every comment of yours on every video of mine and respond to all of my tweets. It was obvious, Dan."

He blushes. "I didn't respond to everything-"

"You responded to everything."

Dan rolls his eyes. "Anyways, the first we skyped I was the most nervous I have ever been. I didn't know what you thought of me. I was a weird emo kid who has stalked you and messaged you too many times. I think I made twenty sarcastic comments during those first four hours, but I said them only because I really liked you."

"I really liked you too. That's the only reason why I skyped you." Phil rubs his leg against Dan's underneath the table, sending shivers down his spine.

He nervously laughs and blushes. "Well, on the day we skyped, I realised that you were the only person I ever wanted to skype every day. You were the only person I wanted to talk to."

"Aww, Dan-"

"Shush, I'm not done," Dan says firmly. Phil chuckles slightly and leans back in his chair, crossing his arms to watch Dan speak. "Like I said, you were the only person I really wanted to talk to. People said that you were a rebound because I had just gotten out of a three year relationship, but I knew you weren't. I knew were going to be at least friends for a long time."

"You got this all out of one skype call?" Phil teases, nudging Dan with his foot again.

He rolls his eyes a second time. "I'm serious, Phil. This is leading towards something."  Phil shuts his mouth for good and gestures for him to continue. "But I got more than a friendship from you. I got something I had never even dreamed was possible. You made me feel something completely new. It was definitely scary at first, and we've had rough patches, but as time went on I became more comfortable with myself. And here we are now, seven years later, and our relationship is stronger than ever. I'm the happiest I have ever been in my whole life, Phil Lester."

He looks at Phil, seeing his eyes glowing with happiness and admiration. A smile plays on his lips as he studies Dan's face.  All of his nerves came flooding back as he pulls the black box from his pocket for Phil to see.

A barely audible gasp escapes Phil's lips. "Bear-"

"I have loved you since I was eighteen and I will love you until I die." He takes a shaky breath. "Please marry me?" Dan whispers. "I want to go swimming in your eyes every day for the rest of my life."

Phil looks at Dan like he's the only person that matters in the world. "Of course I will, Bear."

Dan laughs and begins to cry. He takes the ring out of the box and slides it onto Phil's finger. "It's beautiful," Phil comments, matching Dan's quiet whisper. Tears roll down both of their cheeks.

"I didn't know what to get you, so I just bought a simple silver band. Did you see the engravings?" Dan says excitedly.

Phil shakes his head. Dan grabs his hand and turns it palm up. "Look," he says, pointing at a small engraving on the underside of the ring. "Do you like it?"

djh x pml - 25/10/09

Phil's cheeks were soon flooded with tears of happiness. "Dan, I love it." His smiled lit up the whole room and Dan still couldn't believe Phil was his home.

"I pulled a Yuuri and bought one for me too," Dan says, grinning. He takes the same ring out of his other pocket and begins to put it on.

"You nerd. Wait! Let me do it!" Phil says, grabbing the ring from Dan. He blushes and lets Phil slide the ring onto his left hand. "I love you."

"I love you more."

Dan grabs Phil's hand and holds it, arms laying across the table. They don't kiss, they don't hug. Although Phil does kiss Dan's left hand, once again flooding Dan's body with excited butterflies. But they just sit there, staring into each other's eyes. They are each other's world and more.

Phil breaks the silence. "I have to post a picture of this dessert!" He retracts his hand from Dan's and pulls out his phone.

"You're killing the mood here, Phil," Dan says, rolling his eyes again.

Phil just laughs. He takes a couple arty photos and shows them to Dan. "Which one?"

He studies the photos. One of them is simple; just a photo of the dessert with Dan's water glass barely visible. The other one is almost the same except Phil's hand was slightly visible, meaning so was his engagement ring.

"Post the one without your hand," Dan says. Phil nods. He posts the picture on all of his social media and Dan retweets it, just because.

"When are we going to tell them about the engagement, Phil?" Dan says.

"Monday," Phil replies firmly. "A birthday present for me and for them." Dan nods in agreement, taking Phil's hand again. "I love you, Phil."

"I love you, Bear."