unchained

eight

Phil
2:45pm

Dripping from the storm, our clothes sticking to our skin, we ran up to Dan's hotel room desperate to dry off.
"Here, have these," Dan said after he had rooted inside his drawer, throwing a pair of spare clothes my way. "Put your wet clothes in the dryer or something. You can take a shower if you want."
"Thanks. You have a dryer in your hotel room?" I said, baffled.
"Yeah, and a washing machine."
"You're rich."
He laughed heartily, and began to take off his wet jacket and shirt.
I inhaled sharply, and turned my head not wanting to invade his privacy, but to my surprise, he saw me and we shared a moment of awkward intimacy.
Instead, I pretended I was looking at the raging storm through the large panelled window, but I couldn't help peek at him as he walked into his laundry room with nothing but his jeans on.
I was in awe. I had to physically slap myself to stop looking.

"Uh, I'm just gonna get changed in the bathroom," I announced, and I saw him wave his hand dismissively to signal my authority.
I was lucky Dan and I were the same size in clothes. The t-shirt he had handed me fit almost perfectly, although a little baggier on the arms. His sweat pants fit me perfectly, too, and when I arrived back into the living room (which was also his bedroom) he was engaged in a conversation on the phone. He pulled away for a brief moment, placing his hand over the mic secretively, "what do you want on your pizza?"
I grinned gratefully, he knew me so well.
"Just pepperoni," I whispered.

Thirty seconds later, the call had ended, and no sooner was Dan throwing me a towel for my hair which I thanked him for.
"Only you would drag the pizza man out in a storm like this," I giggled.
"Oh, shit. I didn't even think about that! They don't do pizza downstairs, what kind of a hotel is this?"
I laughed a little and suddenly I had broken out into a full-blown hysterical laugh. Dan, completely clueless, started to laugh hysterically at me until we were both clutching our aching stomachs. Neither of us had any idea what was so funny as to merit laughs like these, but that's the best kind of laugher.

Outside the wrathful storm was protesting entry against the windows and rattling the trees. The phone lines were swaying back and forth in the whirlwind of nature. We were startled by another rumble of thunder, followed by a strike of lightning, which appeared too close for comfort. Then, as we tilted our heads to get a better view, the lights in Dan's room cut out, and the clanking of my jeans in the tumble dryer came to a halt.
"A power cut? Seriously?" Dan marvelled, as he left to check the hallway to see if the power had been cut there, too. Sure enough, the lights on the hallway were out, and several other people had shuffled out from their rooms to see what was going on.

"You don't have any board games in this hotel room, do you?" I asked sarcastically.
"Oh, shit, I left my monopoly on the plane." Dan joked. "They do sell a pack of cards in the lobby though..." He cajoled.
"Sounds like a plan," I said.

We made our way to the lobby, in which groups of people had huddled together to fret over the power outage. The receptionists, teamed with the security, were handing out emergency flashlights, but Dan and I by-passed them all and headed straight to the cafe downstairs.
We mooched around downstairs for a while waiting for the arrival of the pizza man, and half an hour later, with our pack of cards and pizzas in hand, we slipped secretively passed the crowd and returned to the hotel room.

I had surely hoped that by now, Dan would've forgotten all of his troubles. Of course, he was bound to remember them again tomororw, but for now, at least he was happy and that's all I wanted. He placed the pizzas on the coffee table, and sat down on the couch.
I sat down on the floor with my feet tucked underneath the table, and I tapped the spot opposite me beckoning him to sit. He shot me a look of confusion and disapproval, but rolled his eyes and joined me on the floor anyway, a slice of pizza in his hand.
I smiled to myself.
He had forgotten how to loosen up, especially around me, since I taught him to do just that in high school. He had always said there was no changing him, he would always be terrified of change and being pushed out of his comfort zone, but I still disagree to this day. It was the little things, once again, that would bring him out of his shell. Driving the open-top car at 80 down the motorway, dancing in the storm - you don't realise how much the little things can enrich your life until you experience them yourself.
Amelia would be coming back soon, and I wanted what little time we had left with each other to be special, since we both knew he'd be gone again soon. He was gone whether I liked it or not. Even if he and Amelia decided to stay in England, he would married, settling down in the life they had made. And even if he decided not to stay, he would be flying back to America a week later.

Little did I know, my actions were merely a repeat of what happened seven years ago, when Dan told me he had to leave, and I wanted every moment we spent together to be worthwhile. Just like those seven years ago, Dan had no idea I was totally in love with him. Except this time, he was getting married, and I couldn't take that away from him. I could never tell him I was still in love with him.

***
5:07pm

We spent the rest of our evening returning to individual pieces of pizza and forcing them down, and playing card games across the table while we joked over the stupidest things.
We were just about to shuffle the cards one more time, when we were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Are you expecting anybody?" I asked, and Dan shook his head confusedly.

Whoever it was already had access to the room, as they walked straight in without permission from either me or Dan. A flustered young woman emerged with light brown, curly hair, carrying suitcases and a bag. I had no idea who she was, but Dan seemed to recognise her immediately, judging by the look of surprise on his face.
"Amelia? You're back so soon..."

***
a/n
oh, fuck😂😂