Dan: You and Dan were laying on the ground in your back yard, where the trees cleared and you could see the stars. Every now and then, you two would lay here and just talk about life. “Can I tell you something?” you asked softly. “Of course.” You sighed before you began. “I probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you,” you quietly confessed. Dan turned his head to look at you, his eyes full of concern. You had a pretty difficult past couple of months, and you were still fighting, but Dan was always there when you needed him, sometimes staying with you until 4AM. You always felt bad for relying on him like that, but he was really the only one you could turn to and he always said he didn’t mind. “C’mere,” Dan motioned for you to scoot closer to him. You rested your head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around your waist. “You’re my best friend, you know that right?” You nodded and he continued. “All of those late nights made me realize that I want nothing more than for you to be happy. You deserve it. You are the kindest, most selfless person I know. And seeing your beautiful smile falter due to your own thoughts kills me inside. I’m not sure how long this battle will last, but I’ll always be right next to you.” You really didn’t know what to say. That was the nicest thing he had ever said to you. “Dan?” “Hmm?” You hesitated. You weren’t sure what saying this would do to your friendship, but you went for it anyway. “I love you,” you said quietly. He held you tighter and kissed the top of your head. “And I love you.”
Phil: This was driving you insane, so much so it was keeping you from sleeping. You felt bad for always brushing it off, but he had a right to know. “Phil?” you asked, hoping he was still awake. You had your head on his chest and you looked up slightly to see if he moved. “Hmm?” he mumbled. “You know how I keep brushing off the idea of you meeting my parents?” you began. “Yeah,” Phil trailed off. “Well, there’s a reason for that,” you paused. “I, uh, I don’t really have parents,” you said slowly and quietly. You knew he was probably curious so you continued. “They were in a car accident a few years ago during a snow storm, not too long after I moved out, really.” He hugged you tighter. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” he whispered while kissing the top of your head. A stray tear ran down your cheek, but you quickly wiped it away. He held you like that for a few minutes. “I’d still like to meet them, though. Would you be okay with visiting?” he asked quietly. “Their graves?” you asked. He nodded. You visited their graves a few times a year, but it never got easier. You missed them terribly and you knew they would have really loved Phil. “Sure,” you responded as the two of you drifted off to sleep. The next day, the two of you visited the cemetery. Phil was knelt before both graves and said how wonderful of a person you turned out to be, how well they both did in raising you, and how he wouldn’t let anything happen to you. Needless to say, you did not leave there with dry eyes.