Finally
Sleepless night
Phil’s POV
Just as I realize I can’t sleep, I hear a door open, followed by footsteps. They get closer and stop when in front of my door. A knock. “Come in,” I say as I hear the door open slowly and I turn on the lamp next to my bed. Then, a head pops out through the door with eyes looking at me and a smile on the same face. I laugh. It’s quite a funny sight, just a head coming from behind the door. “Hey, can we talk?” The mouth speaks, the smile changing into a more serious expression and the eyes looking at the floor in discomfort, finishing it off with a blush on the cheeks that I can hardly even see. “Um, sure.” The door opens further and Dan walks into my room. He closes the door behind him and walks towards my bed where I am lying down, covered in a duvet and 2 blankets since it’s usually cold during the night. “Aren’t you cold?” I ask as I realize Dan is only wearing boxers as pajamas and notice goose bumps on his arms. Dan blushes a bit more: “Kind of, yes.” “You can lie under my duvet next to me, if you want,” I offer. “Um… okay,” he replies after hesitating. “So, what did you want to talk about?” I ask when he’s settled next to me and looking at the ceiling. “Well…” I can hear him swallow nervously. “I… um.” “Would you like me to turn off the light? I know it’s easier for me to talk about stuff when it’s dark…” “Yeah, that would help indeed. Thanks.” I turn off the lamp beside me and get comfy again. Then I hear Dan take a deep breath: “So, I couldn’t sleep… because I’ve had this thing on my mind for a while now and… I realized I just have to talk to you about it.” “Okay” I say, curious about what he’s about to say. “Okay, so the thing is… I’m… um…” “Gay?” I ask, almost whispering, hoping I didn’t just make the biggest fool out of myself by taking a wrong guess. A gasp from Dan’s side. Then silence. I look into the darkness where Dan is lying, not that it helps. “Yes,” he finally replies, sounding kind of shocked about the fact that I guessed what he was about to say. I freeze. Dan’s gay? I continue my gaze into the darkness. “P-phil?” Dan asks silently. “Yes?” I reply. “Do you want me to leave?” “Huh, what? Why would I want you to leave?” “Um… because you’re in bed with a faggot in the middle of the night with the lights turned off?” Dan speaks. “What? But… no! I don’t want you to leave!” “Oh… okay,” Dan replies awkwardly. Silence. Dan coughs. Then it stays silent a while longer. “Dan?” I finally speak again. “Yeah?” “You too.” “What?” Dan asks confused. “Um well, you are lying next to… a gay man… as well.” I can hear Dan’s breathing stop in shock. “W-what? Seriously?” “Well, yeah,” I answer him honestly. “W-wow, what a… coincidence…” Dan speaks, unsure about what he’s supposed to say. “Yeah…” After yet another moment of silence, I turn the small lamp back on and look at Dan. He looks back at me with a questioning expression on his face. “Hi?” he says. I chuckle: “Silly. But hey, why didn’t you tell me before?” I continue, a bit more serious again. “I… I dunno, why didn’t you?” “Um… well, I didn’t think it mattered, I suppose.” “But maybe it does…” Dan says, looking into my eyes. “M-maybe…” I reply, my heart beating faster by the way he just said that. I turn the lamp back off and get comfy lying down. I put my hands beside my body, causing my left one to land on top of Dan’s hand. Both of us hold our breath, feeling the tension rise. But then I feel Dan’s hand turning over. It’s like we’re doing a low five while lying down now. Then, instead of pulling away, our fingers intertwine. I let out my breath and so does Dan. I smile and somehow, I know Dan is, too. We hold hands for a while. This is so not what I expected would happen when I heard those footsteps in the hallway just a moment ago.
Just as I realize I can’t sleep, I hear a door open, followed by footsteps. They get closer and stop when in front of my door. A knock. “Come in,” I say as I hear the door open slowly and I turn on the lamp next to my bed. Then, a head pops out through the door with eyes looking at me and a smile on the same face. I laugh. It’s quite a funny sight, just a head coming from behind the door. “Hey, can we talk?” The mouth speaks, the smile changing into a more serious expression and the eyes looking at the floor in discomfort, finishing it off with a blush on the cheeks that I can hardly even see. “Um, sure.” The door opens further and Dan walks into my room. He closes the door behind him and walks towards my bed where I am lying down, covered in a duvet and 2 blankets since it’s usually cold during the night. “Aren’t you cold?” I ask as I realize Dan is only wearing boxers as pajamas and notice goose bumps on his arms. Dan blushes a bit more: “Kind of, yes.” “You can lie under my duvet next to me, if you want,” I offer. “Um… okay,” he replies after hesitating. “So, what did you want to talk about?” I ask when he’s settled next to me and looking at the ceiling. “Well…” I can hear him swallow nervously. “I… um.” “Would you like me to turn off the light? I know it’s easier for me to talk about stuff when it’s dark…” “Yeah, that would help indeed. Thanks.” I turn off the lamp beside me and get comfy again. Then I hear Dan take a deep breath: “So, I couldn’t sleep… because I’ve had this thing on my mind for a while now and… I realized I just have to talk to you about it.” “Okay” I say, curious about what he’s about to say. “Okay, so the thing is… I’m… um…” “Gay?” I ask, almost whispering, hoping I didn’t just make the biggest fool out of myself by taking a wrong guess. A gasp from Dan’s side. Then silence. I look into the darkness where Dan is lying, not that it helps. “Yes,” he finally replies, sounding kind of shocked about the fact that I guessed what he was about to say. I freeze. Dan’s gay? I continue my gaze into the darkness. “P-phil?” Dan asks silently. “Yes?” I reply. “Do you want me to leave?” “Huh, what? Why would I want you to leave?” “Um… because you’re in bed with a faggot in the middle of the night with the lights turned off?” Dan speaks. “What? But… no! I don’t want you to leave!” “Oh… okay,” Dan replies awkwardly. Silence. Dan coughs. Then it stays silent a while longer. “Dan?” I finally speak again. “Yeah?” “You too.” “What?” Dan asks confused. “Um well, you are lying next to… a gay man… as well.” I can hear Dan’s breathing stop in shock. “W-what? Seriously?” “Well, yeah,” I answer him honestly. “W-wow, what a… coincidence…” Dan speaks, unsure about what he’s supposed to say. “Yeah…” After yet another moment of silence, I turn the small lamp back on and look at Dan. He looks back at me with a questioning expression on his face. “Hi?” he says. I chuckle: “Silly. But hey, why didn’t you tell me before?” I continue, a bit more serious again. “I… I dunno, why didn’t you?” “Um… well, I didn’t think it mattered, I suppose.” “But maybe it does…” Dan says, looking into my eyes. “M-maybe…” I reply, my heart beating faster by the way he just said that. I turn the lamp back off and get comfy lying down. I put my hands beside my body, causing my left one to land on top of Dan’s hand. Both of us hold our breath, feeling the tension rise. But then I feel Dan’s hand turning over. It’s like we’re doing a low five while lying down now. Then, instead of pulling away, our fingers intertwine. I let out my breath and so does Dan. I smile and somehow, I know Dan is, too. We hold hands for a while. This is so not what I expected would happen when I heard those footsteps in the hallway just a moment ago.