Daniel Howell wiped the sleep from his eyes.
It was early in the morning and only he had only just awoken from a weird dream about YouTubers and roller coasters and swing boats.
Phil was still fast asleep in bed, probably curled up under a thick duvet with his head buried in cushions – so Dan had taken it upon himself to do something nice to surprise him when he woke up.
So a cooked breakfast seemed like a good idea. After all, Phil would always get pretty angry in the mornings without food and a full English would hopefully put him in good spirits for a while.
Dan really hoped he hadn't woken Phil from the clatter of pots and pans as he searched the cupboards. He was also currently deciding what else he could do for his housemate today to help him relax.
There was always the spa, he supposed, and it was quite a nice walk up to it so that might not be a bad idea.
After setting the oven timer, laying out two plates ready and switching the tea machine on, Dan made his way across the room to the bedroom door.
It wasn't completely closed, so he gently pushed it open a crack and peered in.
He saw his friend curled up with the dark green duvet pulled up so far that it covered everything under his eyes. There was no sound except the occasional gentle sigh, muffled by the bed sheets.
Dan gave a soft smile and closed the door again, heading over to the sofa to fold up the blanket and place it down, neatly, on the armchair beside him.
Everything was very tranquil and Dan couldn't help but think back to last night at the dance.
Phil sure had been clever to fool him for that long.
Dan smiled to himself and straightened out his fleece pyjama trousers as he walked back to the kitchen.
Maybe Phil felt the need to go anonymously so that Dan wouldn't point him out to Summer – Phil certainly seemed determined not to dance with her. So determined, in fact, that he left soon after his and Dan's dance lesson.
What did he have against Summer so much, anyway? Was it her exasperating attempts to flirt with him?
Because that was certainly the reason Dan didn't like her much. He'd always been very protective of Phil. All his old friends always ended up liking someone else better than him and he was determined to keep the best friend he'd had for almost 9 years.
And he definitely wasn't going to lose him to some 'virtual' girl who more-or-less tried to enchant anyone who she liked the look of.
It wasn't that she was a bad person, only a little bit annoying.
She seemed persistent about Phil, though. Maybe it was his accent.
It's always about the accent.
Dan frowned and tapped his fingers on the breakfast bar, his back hunched as he awaited the ring of the oven timer or the click of the tea machine finishing.
But instead, he heard the creak of the bedroom door.
"Philly!" He called, cheerily, to his sleepy-eyed companion, "Good morning! Sleep well?"
"As well as ever…" Phil yawned back, "Do I smell bacon?"
"I thought I'd cook us both breakfast!" Dan grinned.
"I'm not really that hungry," Phil quietly chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck and leaning on the doorframe.
"You're not?" Dan hummed, slightly surprised, "Who are you kidding? You're always hungry."
"Not today, Dan," Phil replied, shaking his head, "All the more for you, though, right?"
Dan smiled back but averted his eyes to pour the tea instead. It was a shame they didn't have any crumpets, really; that would have made them feel more at home.
"I was thinking of ways we could relax more," Dan said, "Now that Dab's at the Pancakes' until tomorrow, you know?"
"Oh, really?" Phil breathed - to himself, it seemed, "What were you thinking of doing?"
"The spa sounded nice," Dan replied, strolling over to hand him a mug of tea, "Don't you think? Just a calming, peaceful spa day?"
"It's a small world, Dan-" Phil huffed, "Wherever we go, it's almost certain that we'll run into someone or other."
"Is that really a bad thing?" Dan asked, "I mean, wasn't one of our goals this week to fix up our repute? We can't do that by avoiding everyone."
Phil gave a sigh and shrugged his shoulders,
"I suppose you're right," he admitted, "And I could do with the fresh air, I guess… the spa sounds nice, thanks, Dan."
Dan grinned and patted his shoulder, reassuringly,
"I promise it'll be fine," he avowed, "I think we just both need to lighten up, don't you?"
Phil nodded and smiled at last.
He certainly agreed. What was he so worried about, really? Running into Erica? And what would that possibly do to harm him?
He supposed that seeing Summer or Erica would probably help him, actually. His reputation wouldn't mend itself if he acted like he didn't want to do anything to make ends meet.
For Summer, he was sure it wouldn't be too hard, but in Erica's case, it might be a bit more difficult to make friends. After all, Erica had the 'evil' trait – she definitely wouldn't just accept an apology and forgive and forget as quickly as most people.
However, Phil's naturally polite and courteous British nature could surely melt at least some of the ice that surrounded Miss Pendleton's cold heart…. Couldn't it?
He supposed he'd just have to wait to find out, but right now, he focused his attention on perking up and having a light-hearted conversation with Dan over breakfast.
After all, he didn't want to sacrifice his friendship just for the sake of not going outside.
Phil always liked the spa. No matter how out-of-place he sometimes felt, the smell of the eucalyptus drifting around the air was so calming that he forgot all about being in a social situation.
He was currently looking forward to being surrounded by the tranquil warmth, still and smells that accompanied the Willow Creek Spa, but before that, he had to walk to it.
He didn't much mind the walk, really – he needed the fresh air, the slight chill woke him up and he still had Dan beside him to talk to – but it was who he saw on this walk that put him more on edge.
Of course, he'd made his decision to fix his standing, so he felt that he should say hello.
He went over – with Dan's permission – whilst Dan himself carried on down the road.
"Hey, Summer!"