The brown haired, brown eyed boy sat in the window seat of the fast moving train, passing the pleasant scenery of northern England, anxiously awaiting his arrival at the Manchester train station. He leaned against the windowsill, earphones in, listening to music from his iPod, thinking about the very person he had been talking to for months now, and was finally going to meet. Phil. The older, good-looking, internet-famous AmazingPhil, whose videos he would watch the moment they showed up in his YouTube subscription box, whose tweets he would respond to almost immediately, wanting desperately to be noticed.
He often couldn't believe it actually happened, but after numerous direct messages, countless several hour long Skype sessions, and other questionably flirty social media exchanges, the two had grown very close. Still, a part of him couldn't help but wonder if they could ever be more than just mates.
The boy smiled to himself when on his iPod, the song "Toxic" by Britney Spears began playing, as it immediately reminded him of the black-haired, blue-eyed Phil Lester, one of his closest friends, who never failed to make him happy, who he was about to meet for the first time in a matter of minutes.
Phil stepped out of his car in the train station parking lot, drawing his black coat close to his torso against the harsh Manchester winds, since the city was generally cold, even when it was only October. He was attempting to contain his excitement, which proved to be quite difficult, as he was equally looking forward to meeting Dan as Dan was for Phil.
He twirled his Pokemon key chain around his finger as he strolled inside the dimly lit train station, glancing around for a place to wait. He decided on a Starbucks located close to where Dan's train was expected to stop. He found a table with a couple chairs to sit at, pulling out his cell phone to check the time. 4:40 pm.
Dan would arrive in 20 minutes, and for Phil it might as well have been 20 years; time seemed to pass so slow when there was something to look forward to. Absentmindedly playing a game on his phone as he waited, Phil found his eyes flicking to check the time every two minutes or so. Finally, when there was 10 minutes left until Dan's scheduled arrival, Phil went to wait outside so he could be there, right when Dan stepped out. He was barely able to contain the stupid smile on his face that formed as he saw the train arriving in the distance.
The train came to a slow halt, which was when Dan suddenly became aware of the knot in his stomach that had been growing as he got closer and closer to Manchester. He was excited to no end, so he questioned the unexplainable nervousness. It was, of course, because he was about to meet the AmazingPhil, who, although now a close friend, had been a huge idol for him for years.
He reached below and brought out his black duffel bag from underneath the seat, fumbling and feeling jittery. He flipped his hair, running a hand over his chocolate colored fringe, out of habit. Cursing every slow walking person in his head, he finally maneuvered his way to the exit.
The knot in his stomach untied and slowly turned into butterflies as he slung the bag over his shoulder, joy overcoming any other emotion he was feeling. He stepped out of the train, walking a few feet toward a Starbucks to his right, breathing in the crisp air, ready for the very moment he had been waiting for all this time.
His bright eyes scanned the crowd of chattering, energetic people, searching intently for a very familiar tall boy with the jet black fringe. People weaved in and out around each other, but out of all of them, Phil was nowhere to be seen. Dan's face slowly fell, disappointment creeping in. Phil had to be there; he couldn't just not turn up. Dan was sure he knew Phil better than that, or did he really? he questioned himself, staring at the ground, unsure of what to think.
Then, out of the blue, he heard a voice above the others. "Dan!" It was saying, "Dan! Over here!" His brown eyes darted up in recognition and there he was, the tall, black haired, blue eyed young man. The deep voice with a northern accent was unmistakably Phil's, and seeing him was a flood of relief, happiness, and many other indescribable emotions. Phil stood there, with a smile identical to the one on Dan's face, his arms open for a hug. The butterflies disappeared as Dan broke into a speed walk, which turned into a light jog, his duffel bag bouncing against his leg.
He dropped the bag instantly, embracing Phil with a tight grip, tipping him back. Phil let out a chuckle, holding Dan close, his eyes shut. The hug lingered for a while, and both boys knew what they were feeling inside wasn't the way just friends should feel. Neither wanted to let go first, but Phil gently pulled back, the smile on his face bright as ever.
"So, Dan Howell, you made it," he said, though really, he never doubted that Dan would come, since they had been planning this trip months in advance. Dan smiled almost shyly, revealing a dimple on his right cheek, "Phil, the new episode of Glee was on at the same time I was on the train, so this had better be worth it," he said, with mock seriousness.
Multiple thoughts raced in Phil's head, as nervousness caught up with all the excitement, and what he said next, although jokingly, wasn't entirely untrue, "Oh god, now the pressure to entertain you is real! I'm sure Quinn's baby has more excitement in her life than me."
Seeing the young, doe-eyed, and undoubtedly lovable Dan Howell in front of them was enough to make anyone's heart race, but Phil really did like him, and didn't want to do anything wrong at their first meeting.
Dan laughed at the joke, probably a bit too loudly, but it was nevertheless genuine. "Don't worry, I'm just glad we're here together, like, in real life." he said, inwardly cringing at his own tendency to say and do awkward things. For Dan, it was nothing short of surreal meeting Phil, him being a popular YouTuber with tens of thousands of subscribers. Not only had he adored the older boy more or less since the first time he'd logged onto the website, but it was Phil who persuaded him to start posting videos in the first place and was his biggest supporter. He frequently wondered why someone as interesting and funny as Phil would like someone as dull as how he saw himself.
"Me too," Phil said, genuinely agreeing with Dan's statement. He leaned down to pick up the dropped black duffel bag, handing it to his friend, "Dropped this, I think," Dan chuckled softly, taking the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "Yeah, I was just so excited that you were… Actually, like, here." he said, adjusting his fringe absentmindedly. A small smile played on Phil's lips as he watched Dan, who was clueless as to why he was being looked at like that, responding with a confused "What?"
Phil shook his head slightly, amazed at how forever clueless the boy was about how charming he was, even with his awkward tendencies, which actually made him more lovable. "Nothing." Phil said, his voice soft and his expression still full of adoration. "Well, we should probably get going then?" His eyes scanned the train station around them, "Actually, d'you want to get some coffee? On me," he offered, nodding his head toward the Starbucks near them. Dan gave him another small, dimpled smile, "Yeah. Yeah sure."
Dan's eyes then widened a bit as he leaned in closer to Phil, looking around as he whispered dramatically, "I've got to tell you a story about this literally psychotic woman from the train." Phil giggled, his face scrunching up. "Can't wait to hear it, Danny," he said, as both of them, still in a fit of giggles, walked together toward the brightly lit coffee shop, excited to see what fun the coming weekend in Manchester would bring for them.
