- Aslynn's PoV -

It was finally Friday: the day Raine was flying to Doncaster. I had gotten the house all ready for her yesterday so this morning all I had to do was drive to the airport to pick her up. My phone started to ring on my way there so I put it on speaker and answered.

"Hello," I said.

"Hey," I heard Phil's voice and smiled.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Nothing. Dan has a meeting right now so I'm trying to keep myself busy."

"So you called me?"

"Of course." That actually made me feel really great. "So, what are you doing right now? Isn't Raine supposed to be staying with you?"

"Good memory from literally last night," I said, chuckling. "I'm actually on my way to pick her up at the airport right now."

"So you're in the car?"

"Yes I am."

"No wonder you sounded kind of weird."

"Yeah. You're on speaker."

"Good girl. Being a safe driver."

"Well, I need to stay alive so I can see you next week."

"What are you and Raine going to do?" he said, trying to act casual.

"I haven't told her about you if that's what your asking."

"No. That's not what I was asking. I just wanted to know what your plans were."

"I'm going to tell her all about how Dan and I are so in love and how I can't wait to meet his parents and spend every second with him," I said dramatically, rolling my eyes.

"Don't say that. It's not true and you know it."

"I know, but she'd kill me if I was like, 'Oh yeah. I'm really with Phil and we text like every second and call each other all the time. Dan means nothing to me romantically.'"

"I'm sure she's not going to kill you for telling the truth."

"She made it very clear that despite her jokes about us, she really thinks it's a bad idea. Plus, she likes Dan better than you since she thinks he's hot or whatever."

"Why don't you set up her and Dan so that telling her about me won't be so bad?"

"Because I don't think her and Dan would be good together."

"Why not?"

"I don't know! I just don't!"

"You're not trying to keep Dan to yourself, are you?"

"Of course not. He just doesn't need any distractions from his job."

"Just like your distraction."

"That's not fair. You know what, I'm almost there. I should just go."

"No, Aslynn. Come on. I'm sorry, okay? You can just continue lying to your friend about us all you want. And if you say Dan and Raine wouldn't be good together then I trust you."

"Thank you."

"Alright. I'll you go then. Just remember how much I care about you okay?"

"Yeah. Bye," I said and hung up. I drove the lest ten minutes in my own silence and then when I parked, waiting for Raine to walk out, I turned on some music so I could lift my spirits. Although, even after she came out and got in the car, I was still a little down about everything. I felt bad getting mad at Phil. She got in with a big smile and gave me a hug from across the seats.

"Oh, it is so good to see you again. I've missed you," she said and I drove off.

"I've missed you too."

"So what have you been up to? You hardly answer my texts so you must be busy."

"Oh, um," I mumbled, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Yeah. I've been busy. It's a lot of work trying to find things to do for vlogs when you're with two boys that don't ever wanna leave the house."

"Yeah. How is Dan anyway?"

"Um, he's good I guess. I haven't talked to him since Tuesday."

"Oh, really? I would imagine you guys would text all the time and call every day."

"You do know that we're not actually in a relationship, right?"

"Right. It's just that when I call you, you hardly ever pick up and it says that your inbox is full."

"Right. I do need to clean that out," I said, thinking about all the silly and cute voicemails Phil is always leaving me when I don't answer.

"Yeah. You do. So, what's on our agenda today?"

"Um, I don't know. We can go to the store on our way back and pick up some sweets and then watch a movie back at the house."

"Um, the house? You're finally calling it that?"

"Oh, uh. I've just been so used to calling the boy's house 'home.' You know?"

"Aslynn, darling, I think there is something else going on that you're not telling me or that you don't know."

"No there isn't," I said, trying to stay collected.

"I'm going to believe you this time, but when I see Dan next week, I'm definitely going to ask him."

"And he'll say that exact same thing I did. There is nothing going on between us."

"Good. I'm counting on that, but one other thing. Can we not watch a movie and eat sweets tonight? I've been doing that all week and I'm ready for some fun!"

"Alright," I said, laughing. "We'll have to figure something out then after we get you settled."

"I'm gunna google things we can do right now," she said and then went onto her phone. We got closer to the house when she finally squealed in delight.

"What did you find?" I asked, laughing.

"There is a spa just twenty minutes from your house. We should go," she said excitedly.

"Yeah. Sure. If you want to," I said and then pulled up my flat. We walked inside and I carried her bag in. I set it down in my room and then met her on the couch. I decided to pull out my vlogging camera. "Do you mind? I haven't even started my vlog."

"Yeah. Go for it as long as we can go to that spa after."

"Of course. You set the appointment while I vlog," I told her and then turned on my camera. "Good morning guys! So finally the day has come and Raine has arrived. Yeah, if you haven't watched any of my pervious vlogs, Raine is staying with me for a week while she is on a school holiday. Yay! Today-" My phone buzzed and I looked down for a second to see Phil's name. "Sorry. Text again. Um, today we decided we would go to a spa. Raine is here right now setting up our appointments. What have you decided for us, Raine," I said, pointing the camera towards her.

"I thought we could start with an afternoon tea and then spend some time at their pool and then after get the fifty minute massages."

"Should we do facials after that to get refreshed?"

"Yeah. That sounds perfect."

"Alright. When's the tea?"

"Its in an hour from now and the place is twenty minutes away."

"Alright. Its about twelve now so we've got till one to be there."

"Yes," she confirmed, typing more things into her phone.

"Ooh! I totally forgot since my house is completely Christmas void. I have an advent calendar to open today!" I said and got up to get it. I brought it back and Raine made a big gasp.

"Your Yankee Candle Calendar!"

"Yeah. I need to open today's," I said, opening the little flap that said 14. "Blue! Mmh, smells amazing."

"Where did you get that by the way?"

"Oh, Dan and Phil bought it for me. Phil said it was his favourite and they know how much I love the holiday candle scents so they got this for me."

"That's so nice of them," she said and I smiled, remembering the actual way I received it. Phil had come home one day with advent calendars for the three of us and later he said that he had bought the same one so that every time we were apart, we know we would be lighting the same candle and sort of be connected. It was really romantic in a weird, awkward kind of way but every time I lit the daily candles I would automatically think of Phil and every holiday, wintery sent would automatically make me think of him. The thought of the very gesture made my heart melt and when I lit the candle, I just got all warm and fuzzy.

"I am going to get changed. See you in a bit," I said after lighting the candle and then turned off the camera. I set it on the table and then went to change.

"Wait," Raine said, "shouldn't you get that text?"

"Oh right," I said and picked up my phone.

Phil: i rly am sorry about what i said. Pls just forget this happened. Call me?

I felt really bad about what I said, but I couldn't call him now.

"Uh, yeah. It's nothing. I'll get it in a minute," I said and took my phone to my room so I could change into my swim suit and a sun dress. When I looked at myself on the mirror, I felt like a little anime girl so I decided to put up my hair into pigtails for now and got my small beach bag to carry my stuff. When I got back out to the lounge, I slipped in my vlogging camera and Raine went off to change too. I went to my phone and took a cute selfie for Snapchat. I drew on some anime eyes and then put it on my story and sent it to Phil and Raine too.

"Aw, that's so cute," I heard Raine shout after a few seconds and then she walked back out in her suit, a top, and jean shorts. "You do look like a cute anime girl."

"Right? I just felt really in the mood," I said, laughing.

"Well then. Shall we go?"

"Absolutely," I said and we walked out the door. I was actually getting quite hungry as the only thing I had eaten was a coffee. When we got there, I tried to vlog some cute shots of the place, but everyone was being really quiet and peaceful I tried not to disturb them. Despite me quiet vlogging, Raine was obviously ready for fun as she was making a lot of jokes and talking a bit too loud for a peaceful spa. I actually needed a break from her after tea. I told her while she was in the pool that I was going to get a bit of fresh air out in the spa's garden. I took my phone and put my vlogging camera's wrist strap on my arm. When I got outside, I vlogged a bit of the greenery and then dialed up Phil. He answered almost immediately, but then told me to wait and there was some shuffling.

"Hey. Sorry, I had to find a quiet spot."

"That's fine," I said.

"So what's up? I'm glad you called."

"Yeah. I'm sorry I haven't called you back yet. Raine took me to a spa so there wasn't much time to be calling anyone. I'm outside right now since she is kind of embarrassing me."

"Aw, I'm sorry."

"It's fine but that's not the reason I'm calling. I wanted to let you know that you're not the one that has to be sorry. I'm the one that is too hesitant to tell my best friend about you."

"Well, it's not your fault completely either. I haven't told my best friend either."

"That is true."

"How about we just agree to tell them in our own time?"

"Okay. In our own time."

"So, I'm guessing you're not telling her anytime soon."

"Nope. Not at all. You have a good day, and, oh, I probably can't call you anytime this week since Raine is going to be with me twenty-four seven, but I will call you when I can."

"Alright, I'll see you soon," he said and made a smooching noise. I hung up the phone after giggling at him and went back inside. I was so glad that I had gotten that conversation off of my chest. I didn't want to seem super tense while I had my massage. The week went very well. Raine actually did a very good job of planning actual things to do. Like on Tuesday, we went to the zoo. It was a lot of fun and I got some great footage. By the time Friday came when we had to drive to London, I hadn't spoken to Phil in two days. One night, he sounded completely fine and then the next day dropped off the face of the earth. I was a little shaken up by the unknown whereabouts of my boyfriend and even Raine noticed as I was constantly checking my phone and being a little sulky while we kept ourselves busy. We drove all the way to London, Raine talking most of the time, and I tried to cheer myself up a little. I remembered the candle that I had saved for this afternoon. I couldn't wait to see him and get to light our candles together and finally get to see him again. After the long drive, we pulled up the their flat and walked up the stairs to get inside.

"Welcome," what appeared to be Dan's mum said, answering the door with a cheerful smile. I rolled my suitcase in after Raine and followed the two of them up the stairs.

"Hey, Aslynn," Dan said, giving me a hug,

"Hey Dan. Where should I put this?" I asked, gesturing to my case.

"In the your room."

"The office still?"

"Yeah. I don't know what other room there is," he said, chuckling a bit.

"Right. Sorry. Stupid me. Oh! By the way, this is my best friend, Raine," I said, realising Raine was standing next to me

"Hi," he said, chuckling, "it's nice to meet you."

"No, it's nice meeting you, danisnotonfire. I mean, you're like famous and you're dating my best friend," she said and I awkwardly sort of slipped away. I started to drag my bag up the stairs when Dan's mum interrupted.

"Dan, help your girlfriend with her bag," she said and then Dan came to help me.

"Sorry if my mum is kind of pushy. She's very parental."

"That's fine. I get it. It's just good to be back. Now, do you know where Phil is? I kind of need to talk to him."

"Wait, he didn't tell you?"

"No," I trailed off, confused,

"Two days ago, he went to his parents house to spend a few days there. He said he'd be back soon but never really said when exactly. He was acting a little weird ever since my parents arrived, but I'm a little worried. I thought I might have done something so I just let him alone after he wouldn't return any of my texts, but if he hasn't even told you then there must be something wrong," he explained and I could feel my face go white. I could literally feel the colour like a pile of bricks. "Are you okay? You look kind of pale."

"Yeah. I'm fine. Let's um go back downstairs. Do you think I could get some water too? The drive here was long," I said as we walked down the stairs. He grabbed me a glass of water and I sat between Dan and Raine on the couch. I couldn't believe Phil wouldn't at least tell me where he was going. I had to keep up with conversation that Dan's parents were trying to have with me. Dan wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I tried to make sure that I kept sane throughout the day. I would have to deal with this after I make a good first impression on his parents. We all went out for lunch later and then took them back home and we just talked and talked and talked all day. When the sun started to set, I knew I had to take Raine back to the airport soon. I went upstairs and Dan followed me into my room.

"Here," he said, handing me a piece of paper. "Go find him. I'm worried about him. You can find him after the airport and maybe give him a piece of your mind. You're both good at arguing with each other. Aslynn, I need my best friend this week," Dan said and then left the room. When I opened the piece of paper, there was an address for a house in Manchester. Dan really was going to allow me to go and find Phil to bring him back. I held the piece of paper close to my chest, grabbed my bag, and left with Raine. I took her to the airport and we said our goodbyes.

"I'm really sad I didn't get to meet Phil."

"Yeah. Me too," I said.

"Are you sure you're okay? I know you've been a little weird all day."

"Yeah. It's Dan's parents. This is kind of scary."

"Yeah, but they love you already just like I do. Oh, and I asked Dan about you two and he did say that there was absolutely nothing between you two."

"See? I told you."

"But I'm never gonna give up on that. I think you two would be great together."

"No, not really. What if I set you two up though? You guys could be really cute together."

"No, he's not really my type. I better get going. Goodbye, my love. I will miss you," she said, giving me air kisses and walked off. Once she was inside for a few more minutes, I left and started to make my four hour journey to Manchester. I stopped at a Starbucks to get a coffee and some snacks since it was getting pretty late and it had been a long day. Three hours into the drive, Dan called me up.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hi. What's up?" I asked over speaker.

"My parents are getting a little antsy as to where you are. I'm not really sure what to tell them."

"Tell them Raine's flight has been delayed for awhile due to engine problems and then have them go to bed. I'll try to be back tomorrow before they wake up and I'll bring donuts, okay?"

"Alright. Thank you and good luck," he said and then hung up. I sipped more of my lukewarm coffee and kept driving. I was getting a little nervous once I got off the motorway and actually into Manchester. My hands started to shake and I had to do some breathing exercises just so I could drive properly. My phone's GPS kept telling me directions until I pulled up to a cute little cottage.

"You have reached your destination," it said and I chucked my phone into my purse. It was already eleven at night so they could be asleep already. I munched on some of the crisps I got and then mustered up my strength. I grabbed my bag and walked up to the door. I rang the bell and then knocked. A few seconds later, a woman with short blonde hair answered the door.

"Yes. Hello, may I help you?"

"I'm here to see Phil. I'm his, uh, friend," I said.

"Oh, um. I didn't know Phil was having any friends over tonight."

"Yeah. He wasn't really expecting me."

"Oh alright then. Why don't you come in. I'll get him and make you guys some tea."

"Thank you so much," I said and followed her inside. She gestured for me to sit on their couch and so I did. I heard some noise upstairs and then some more footsteps. I tried to peek my head around the corner but then Phil came around in his pyjamas and his hair all messed up. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. I stood up immediately and he made his way to the couch, plopping himself down.

"Here is some tea," his mum came in and set down some cups of tea.

"Thank you," I smiled to her. He took the tea in his hands and stared at it.

"Phil, is everything okay?" I asked, placing my hand atop his.

"I didn't expect you to come today," he said, still looking at his tea like the universe was in that cup.

"I didn't expect I would. Dan made me come. He's worried about you."

"He is? Oh, gosh. Tell him I'm sorry. I did leave a little abruptly."

"Yeah. He said you left without telling him when you were coming back."

"I didn't know when I was coming back. I thought I would come back after Christmas, but I couldn't decide."

"Why not?"

"I didn't know when I was going to be able to face you, but now I see I have so option."

"What do you mean you couldn't face me?"

"I'm a bad person, Aslynn," he said finally looking up and I wish he hadn't. He had tears starting to come to his eyes. His sentence made me start to tear up as well though. What could he have possibly done that would make him a bad person? I could only think of one reason and that reason seemed almost impossible for Phil. I couldn't ever imagine him cheating on me. I finally took his tea cup from his hands and set it back on the table.

"Phil," I said, taking his hands in mine and moving closer to him, "you could never be a bad person."

"But, I-"

"Never. A person may do bad things sometimes, but that doesn't make you a bad person."

"Aslynn—"

"You can't argue with me even if Dan says we're good at it. Please, just tell me what's wrong."

"When Dan's parents came a few days ago, they kept asking Dan about you." I had a feeling I knew where this was going. "He would say cute things and pretend to go and call you. His parents would awe and talk so fondly of you two and your future and I had to sit to the side and know, just know, that it's all a lie," he said, getting a little angry. The tear that was sitting in my eye rolled down my cheek and I covered my mouth.

"Phil," I muttered, my hands going cold.

"It's not your fault. It's mine. I've never gotten jealous before, but I don't know, I just-"

"Phil," I said, smiling as the tears went down my cheeks. "I'm so glad you said that." I jumped into his lap and gave him a big hug.

"What?" he said, a little shocked at my reaction.

Kissing his cheeks and nose and forehead, I said, "Phil, I thought you had cheated on me."

"What? I would never do that," he said, looking into my eyes. "You mean too much to me." We then heard a small squeak from the doorway. Both of our heads turned to see Phil's mum peeking around the corner.

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself," she said, laughing a little. "You kids continue. We'll talk later."

"That was really awkward. I'm sorry," he said, wiping my tears with his thumbs.

"No, it's fine. Your mum is cute," I smiled.

"You're cute," he said, giving a dorky smile. "You know I would never cheat on you right?"

"Yeah," I said, getting quietly again.

"So, how was the day with Dan's parents?"

"Interesting. I was a little shaken up by it all, mostly worried about you, but it went nicely. Raine did most of the talking," I explained for him.

"Raine was there?"

"Yeah. She came to meet you guys before she left," I said laughing.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wish I could have met her."

"It's no big deal. You'll meet her again someday. She should be coming down for spring break. I'm not sure yet."

"Great. It's a long while away, but I can wait."

"Yeah. So, what should we do now?" I said, wrapping my arm around his chest.

"Just snog already," his mum calls and we both start busting out laughing.

"Well, if she insists," he said, giving me a smirk.

"Um, yeah. We should probably talk about that," I said, rubbing circles into the top of his hand.

"Um, okay," he said, shifting a little in his seat.

"Is there anywhere a little more private?" I whispered, nodded my head towards his mother.

"Right. Come with me," he said and we walked hand in hand into a glass room with plants and some couches. The stars were so beautiful and the moon was glowing so brightly. He lead me to one of the couches and we sat down.

"It's really pretty in here," I said, trying to smile at the sky.

"Yeah. This is our observatory."

"It's nice."

"Okay. Can we talk now? I can't handle the suspense," he said, forcing a laugh.

"Okay. Um, first of all, you know I have no romantic feelings for Dan right?"

"Yes," he trailed off.

"Well this whole not telling Dan thing is making me a little guilty. It's not like I feel like I'm cheating on him, but I feel like I'm just keeping this really big secret from him like if I was cheating."

"Yeah. I understand what you mean kind of, but I mean we're always gunna feel that way until we tell him. Same with Raine."

"Yeah. So, the one thing that would put my mind a little at ease is maybe not actually kissing until we tell him."

"Oh. That's what this is about."

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I know that a big request of me but-"

"No. Aslynn. I completely understand and I will abide by those terms no matter how much I want to kiss you," he said and I just started smiling like an idiot.

"Thank you so much, Phil. I was petrified of telling you."

"You shouldn't be. You're so special to me and if doing something like not kissing makes you feel better, than I will accept that. I'm in this for the long run, you know," he said and I swear my heart skipped a beat. No one has ever, in my entire life, said that to me. Mind you, I've only ever had one other boyfriend my entire life, but still.

"Thank you," I said and kissed his cheek.

"Do you want to sleep now?" he asked.

"I have an idea," I said and then whispered into his ear, "Let's make a fort."

"In my room?" he asked with a big smile on his face.

"Sure!"

"I haven't done that in ages. Let's do it." We both jumped up and went to go find as many blankets and pillows as we could. His mum and dad both looked at us very confused, but soon caught on as we started to assemble it in his room.

"I haven't see you do one of these in years," his mum said.

"Yeah. Aslynn's the one that suggested it," he told her.

"That's such a cute idea, but door stays at least cracked tonight," she warned.

"Of course," I said and went back to building the fort.

"You know, you really have picked out a lovely young lady there, Phil," she said.

"I certainly have, haven't I?" he said and I blushed the hardest I ever had in my entire life. "Um, mum, can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked and she nodded, walking out of the doorway. "I'll be right back." I continued to build the fort and I heard a little bit of raised voices before he came back. He closed the door a little more, still leaving it cracked, and then wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I told her about our, uh, situation," he whispered in my ear.

"Oh. I'm guessing she didn't take it well."

"Not at first, but then she gave in after I told her how I just couldn't let you go."

"That's really sweet," I said and put the finishing touches on the walls. The fort surrounded Phil's bed so we stuffed all the rest of the pillows and blankets inside. I let him in first and we both climbed onto his bed.

"It is amazing," he said, wrapping his arm around me.

"It is. Isn't it?"

"Have I ever told you about the first time I saw you?" he asked and I looked up at him.

"Um, isn't it just when I first came to your flat?"

"No. It was before that. I saw you at Playlist Live when you were playing cards with Dan. I had gone to the restroom and when I came back, you were sitting in my seat. I didn't have the nerves to even come into the room but I couldn't keep my eyes off of you. You were just mesmerizing. It might sound creepy, but I kind of watched you a little and then finally just had to wait outside the room until you left. When I found out you were meeting up with Dan that first day in London, I couldn't hardly function. I really tried to impress you but ended up really dorky."

"Aw. I'm so glad you told me about that. You know, when I got told to research Dan before I met you, I saw a picture of you two online and Raine said my face went completely in awe for a few seconds. I hardly even noticed Dan that's how much I liked you. She laughed at me a lot, but then kept talking about Dan more but now I still have that picture saved on my laptop."

"Which one is it?"

"Um, it was from one of your recent videos together," I said.

"Was it Phil is not on fire 8?"

"Yes! That one," I said and smiled.

"I loved that video."

"Speaking of Dan, we do have to get home tomorrow before his parents wake up and get donuts too since they don't know I'm here."

"So does that mean we should be sleeping since it is one in the morning already?"

"Yeah. We should do that," I said and then snuggled into his chest. I relaxed and then fell asleep after awhile.