Author's Note: This one, to me, is particularly cute. I enjoyed writing it.
4) Stop Right There
"Dan!" I greeted brightly as I strolled into the lounge behind Phil. Dan was in his browsing position on the sofa, looking curious about something on his screen. He looked up when we came in and gave us a little wave. Phil flopped onto the other end of the sofa while I sat across the small room on the slightly-too-big armchair. I went back to telling Phil the story I'd been telling him right before we walked in. "So, anyway, I'm walking down the road right after I tripped over the flower pot, all by myself and I had my phone out so I could see where the heck I was going and I totally walked right into this random guy." Phil started laughing. "And oh my word—he was hot. Like I was totally speechless for two seconds instead of apologizing because I was too busy staring."
Phil chuckled. "Wow, Starry-Lee. You sure manage to get yourself into the same kind of awkward situations that Dan and I end up in," he remarked. I laughed and nodded—although I was seriously starting to regret telling them what I had named my favorite old dragon plushie because that was what they started calling me instead of my name.
"I know. But this was ridiculous. He just stared at me for like twenty silent seconds while I tried to get some sort of sound out of my throat but I was staring at him so blankly and the only thought that was going through my head was how attractive he was and I was trying to not say that and—"
"Okay I'm going to stop you right there," Dan snapped, shutting his laptop with a loud click and standing up from the sofa. I jumped, startled. He looked a few levels past angry—which freaked me out for a moment because I didn't think he was even listening to what I was telling Phil—who also looked confused at his flatmate's heated outburst. Phil and I looked at each other before turning our gazes to Dan in a very synchronized fashion.
"What's wrong?" Phil asked.
"What's wrong is I've heard Star blabbering for weeks about all the cute guys she's almost literally run into since she's been in London and I am through with listening to it!"
"Is it because I'm sounding insensitive by using words like 'hot'?" I inquired.
"No," Dan retorted curtly.
"Then what is it?" I demanded, finally standing up indignantly from the armchair.
Phil started laughing.
"What?!" Dan and I both asked at the same time.
Phil slowed down just long enough to make me blush the shade of a Pikachu's cheeks with what he said. "You like her, don't you Dan?"
My jaw dropped as I slowly turned my eyes to the taller YouTuber. His anger had pulled to a full stop—and so had his brain apparently, because he stared at Phil blankly for several long moments with his mouth hanging open. I looked back at Phil—who had resumed chuckling under his breath—and then Dan again. Is that true? I wanted to ask gently, maybe taking a comforting step forward.
Sure I'd had a crush on Dan before he'd even known I existed—but I had always just sort of labelled him as unattainable and squelched my feelings because there was no way in heck that he'd ever feel the same way about me. The notion that someone as well-known as him would have any interest in a very underground online-personality like me was like trying to hit the moon with a bullet from a handgun—it just wasn't going to happen! I was too "conservative", too not into anime, too not into coffee and tea, too fearful and anxious, too different in too many ways. I liked to think that my friendship with Dan was one of balance—we levelled each other out and kept the other's extremes in check. I told him off for swearing if he got excessive—he encouraged me to socialize with people even if I didn't want to—we both teased Phil when he made terrible puns.
There was no way my unrequited pining was mutual—was there?
"Dan?" Phil pressed.
Dan was staring at my eyes with his lips slightly parted so he could breathe.
I cleared my throat and took a comforting step forward. "Whether you like me or not, I'm sorry for angering you. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again," I offered quietly, looking from the intense glare of his eyes down to the toes of his shoes. "I'm sorry." I moved to leave the apartment. I'd call Phil later to see if Dan had calmed down enough for me to properly apologize.
Dan's long arm lashed out and caught mine just above my elbow. I stopped and turned to look at him. "It's me who should say sorry," he told me quietly. "I didn't mean to explode like that."
I shrugged. "It's okay. I forgive you. We're both the kind of person that bottles everything up until it all bursts out."
Dan shook his head. "No, Star. It's not okay."
"Sure it is. I've already forgotten it happened." I moved to tug my arm out of his grip and leave, but his fingers tightened. "Dan?" I asked curiously.
He sighed and let my arm go.
But before I could leave, he stooped down and gave me a kiss. It was quick and over in one second. Phil was trying his best not to laugh somewhere in the background but my mind was so far away from him I almost didn't realize he was still in the lounge.
Startled, I froze in place and just stood there for several long moments.
Deciding, What the heck?, I grabbed his shoulders—from very high above mine—pulled him down to my height, and gave him a kiss of my own—that lasted longer. I let out all of that unrequited pining in those moments of keeping my mouth on his.
When I let him go, I took off out of their lounge, down the corridor, grabbed my bag, and then went down a lot of stairs until I burst out onto the street. I stood on the pavement and stared blankly for quite a long time, wondering if I'd really just done that. I wasn't usually so reckless—I was one of those people that always tried to make sure my friends liked me by being funny but understanding or some other sappy crap like that. What I had done back there was so unlike me that I was genuinely questioning if that had been another one of my elaborate daydreams or if it had actually happened. I mean, I knew it had, but part of me was like, What on Earth is wrong with you?!
"Star!" a voice shouted from behind me. Panting, Dan closed the front door to the apartment building and stood just outside of it, trying to catch his breath. "Did you mean that? Back there?"
I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Did you?" I retorted.
After a moment of contemplative silence from the both of us he nodded. "Yes. I meant it."
I grinned slightly. "So did I."
I would end this tale with some cheesy thing about a kiss in the sunset and fireworks exploding in the background, but that's not how it ended. In a very typical Dan-and-Phil fashion, Dan and I had just leaned closer together—after he caught his breath and took a few steps closer to me—when the door to the building opened again to reveal Phil.
"Do you guys want to order a pizza?"
End Note: Way to ruin the moment, Phil. Tsk, tsk.
To "RussianAssassin": Glad you liked the Hobbit Hair Dan! I love his curly hair! Wish he wore it like that more!
Love y'all! Thanks for reading! Questions? Comments? Feel free to say anything!
~Cass
