Regina was finishing up her homework for her Shakespeare class while sipping some coffee. It was her final for the class and once she submitted it, she could go and watch all the Doctor Who episodes she'd missed to finish her finals. After submitting her paper on Moodle, Regina decided to check Twitter and Facebook before curling up with Netflix for the next three hours. That's where she saw it:
Phil Lester amazingphil
In LA for two weeks for a YouTube gathering. If you're in the area, come hang out with me and danisnotonfire at Olivera Street in dwn town.
Regina sat there for a moment, just staring at the screen…Phil Lester was literally lest than fifteen minutes away from her. Her internship was for a record company in Hollywood so Regina had rented an apartment in LA. She'd rather make the morning and afternoon commute to school in Whittier than the nightly commute to LA every day. Regina looked at the clock, eight PM, Phil had tweeted this only ten minutes ago.
Victoria looked up as her roommate, Regina, rushed for the door. Victoria was barely starting her finals week and had set up her work in the kitchen to at least be with Regina while she watched Doctor Who. "Where are you going?" Victoria called. Regina turned around, she was dressed in her cutest skirt, a light purple top with a leather jacket that would be ridiculously hot in the LA summer night but made the outfit look kick ass. Regina's hair was done in loose curls from sleeping and working with it in a braid.
"I'm going out…don't wait up." Regina smiled deviously and rushed out the door.
Regina slid into her car and plugged her iPhone into the stereo. Carrie Hope Fletcher's "Poison" blasted through the speakers. Regina rolled down her windows and drove into Down Town LA. Reaching the car park across the street from Olivera Street, Regina paid the valet and parked her car. She rushed across the street to the first few shops and restaurants on the street. She kept her eyes open, looking into every one's face and keeping a mental image of what Phil and Dan looked like in her mind. Regina knew she was being irrational with how desperately she was looking for the two YouTubers. Her chances of actually finding them were next to none. Just as she was about to give up, she turned and walked into a man.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Regina quickly apologized.
"It's fine, I should have been looking where I was going." A Northern English accent smiled at her. Regina could place it exactly, Manchester…with a hint of London.
"Oh my god…you did NOT just walk into that girl…you could LITERALLY not be having a more awkward day." Another voice chimed in.
Regina snapped her eyes up to see a six foot two man looking over his shoulder at his friend. Phil and Dan stood beside her, arguing over who was at fault for the collision. "Oh my god…" she breathed.
"It's not like I purposely walked into her." Phil laughed.
"That's what makes it awkward…" Dan shook his head.
"Oh my GOD!" Regina finally smiled. Both Dan and Phil looked at her. "You're Phil and Dan!"
Dan smiled brightly while Phil softly let a smile creep onto his face. "No way, you're a fan?" Dan asked.
"Yeah, I saw the tweet Phil posted and I figured, I only live ten minutes away, I'd try my luck at finding you!" Regina mentally face palmed herself, how stalkerish did that sound!
"I'm glad you did! You're the only one cool enough to have come out so far." Phil wrapped a tentative arm around her.
"If you only live a few minutes away, you must know this part of town pretty well." Dan pulled out a camera.
"Well enough." Regina nodded.
"Care to give us a tour?" Dan flipped open the camera and pressed record.
"I'd love to!"
Regina spent the next two hours with Dan and Phil, showing them the local hot spots rather than the touristy stuff they'd get on traditional tours. Dan asked that their last stop be a club. Regina and Victoria had just been to one a few weeks back that Regina thought Dan would like so she happily obliged. Dan got a bit tipsy, not outright drunk, but tipsy enough that Phil and Regina thought it time to take him back to the hotel. After flopping Dan down on his bed, Phil and Regina laughed as he walked her back to her car. "It was so much fun meeting you." Phil smiled and leaned against Regina's car.
Regina couldn't help but look him over. He wore black skinny jeans with trainers, a purple plaid shirt with one button open. If anyone was passing by and saw him cool-ly leaning up against her car, they'd think he was the coolest guy in the world. Only she and Phil would know just how much he loved Pokémon and all his video games and just how awkward he really was. "I'm really happy I came out tonight." Regina finally said.
"I wish this night wasn't over." Phil ran a hand across his hair and pouted.
"It doesn't have to be…" Regina almost covered her mouth. She couldn't believe she just said that. Phil looked down at her, "We could go back to mine…" the invitation was already half made, Regina didn't want to back out now.
Phil gazed at her. Regina met his eyes and was struck again by just how wonderfully blue they were. "I'd like that."
When Phil and Regina got back to her apartment, Victoria had already gone to bed. Regina quietly led Phil to her room. He tilted her head back and softly kissed her. Regina smiled and started laughing. "What?" he smiled into her lips.
"I was just thinking about the story you told about your first kiss." Regina bit her lip sheepishly.
Phil laughed. "Don't worry, you're just better than my first kiss." He kissed her again. Regina slowly unbuttoned and removed his shirt. She glanced at his chest and briefly thought how misleading his awkward personality was. Phil mimicked her and removed her shirt and jacket, followed by her skirt and his jeans. Regina gently laid him on her bed and straddled him. She bent down and met his lips and softly kissed him.
The next morning, Phil heard a soft music break the silence. "Good morning sunshine, I hope that you're well, honey I missed you last night when I fell, you should know sunshine, you brighten my day, the world gets so dark love, when you go away" Regina stirred beside him. Her head and hand were resting on his chest. She lifted her head, ran a hand through her hair and reached past him to her bedside table to turn off her phone alarm. She curled back into the cuddle they'd originally been in. "You set an alarm for the morning after?" Phil smiled. Regina laughed softly, "That sounds like something I'd do." Phil toyed with her hair.
"I have work to do today." Regina explained with a groan. "I need to get up and get ready, but I'd love it if you could stay and I'll give you a ride back on my way to work." Regina smiled as she lay on her stomach to be able to see Phil while she talked. Phil nodded sleepily. Regina smiled and kissed him briefly before getting up and taking a fast shower. Phil listened to the shower turn on then off five minutes later. He glanced over as Regina came back in in only her bra and panties. He smiled at how comfortable she was around him already. She glanced at him and smiled, "Can you pass my phone to me?" she asked.
Phil turned over and handed her phone to her. Regina plugged it into her radio and softly played "She Walks Right Through Me". She stood at her mirror and worked to get her curls into a high pony tail while Phil watched. Regina saw Phil watching her, "What is it?" She smiled.
When I'm alone she appears from no-where, It's so surreal, makes me feel I don't wanna care. "Nothing, I just like this." Phil smiled at her. "I like being like this with you." Phil pulled out his phone, "Can I take some pictures?" Regina quirked an eye brow, "In a totally noncreepy way. I think you just look really pretty right now." Phil quickly amended. Regina chuckled and nodded. This girl, she's so incredible, When she takes off her clothes, Then I know that it's only me that knows. Phil took about five pictures, one of her fixing her hair, two of her applying makeup, one of her choosing her outfit and one of her straddling him fully clothed. "I want to see you again." He whispered and brushed his fingers against her hair again.
"Me too." Regina whispered.
"When?"
"Tonight?"
"I can't tonight…" Phil wanted to slap himself for already flaking on her.
"Ok then, when?"
"I can tomorrow all day and any time after five the rest of the time I'm here." Phil smiled at the fact that she didn't flip out on him for not being able to spend every second with her.
"Ok, tomorrow then, after three. We'll go have lunch/dinner and then we'll walk around the Fashion District?"
"Sounds perfect." Phil smiled up at her. I love it when she walks right through me, I wanna feel, her cold touch on my skin, she doesn't mind if I can't see her tonight.
Regina and Phil continued to see each other for the next two weeks. By the time Phil had to return to England, they'd already agreed to a long distance relationship. At the end of the summer, Regina was going to be leaving LA for two months. Her internship had turned into an actual job after she graduated from school and she was being sent to London to cover a story on the latest Britain's Got Talent winner. Victoria got an email one night from Regina with a link to one of Phil's videos. 'You've got to watch this, there's a special guest.' The email said. Victoria clicked on the link.
"Hey guys! So this is just an update video to let you know I'm still alive. I know it's been a while since my last video, I'm sorry. Dan and I have been working overtime on our radio show and we've been filming skits with the Fantastic Foursome. But I'm back and I'll be posting regularly again. Also, I've got a special guest with me for the next two months. As you'll recall, I went to LA a few months ago and met a lot of interesting people. Well, now you'll get the meet the most interesting one," Phil motioned to the left of the screen and Regina suddenly appeared.
"Hello!" she smiled into the camera.
"This is Regina, she showed me and Dan the time of our lives in LA and now she's visiting for her job." Regina's smile was practically blinding. Victoria was pleased to see her friend so happy. "So Regina will be making guest appearances every now and again I both mine and Dan's videos. I just thought it'd be cool for you all to meet one of the best people in my life." Phil smiled. "Thanks for coming, Regina!"
"Happy to be here. Thanks for having me!"
Regina was suddenly gone and Phil resumed his video, "And today's 'Draw Phil Naked is…'" Phil showed the picture then signed off. As Phil turned the camera off and turned to pull Regina into a kiss, Regina joyfully kissed him back. She was so happy and she knew that she'd finally found what she'd been looking for all this time: Her Knight in Video Game Pixilated Armor. Phil smiled as he held Regina and kissed her. He still couldn't listen to "She Walks Right Through Me" without thinking of their first morning together and how perfectly that song captures how he felt that day and how he's felt every single day since then…
I love it when she walks right through me!
SONG: She Walks Right Through Me
ARTIST: Alex Day
SONG: Poison
ARTIST: Carrie Hope Fletcher