A month had passed since Dan got engaged.

And then it happened.

After a year, a year without contact and then he got the text.

Phil- Hey, we've been stupid. It's stupid, you're my best friend and I'm happy for you. You and Jason should meet me for dinner sometime this week.

Dan stared at the message on his screen. It had been a year since they last talked, and Phil just seemed so cool about it. Phil should've been upset, mad even at Dan, but he wasn't. He was sweet and cool, and that's why Dan loved him.

He bit his lip as he responded; "Yeah, sure of course. I'm free any day you are." He wrote simply

Dan shook as he sent the text, not noticing that Jason had come home from the hospital.

"Everything okay?" His fiancée asked, walking over to him.

Dan nodded as he tried to stop the shaking, "Yeah, we're going to meet Phil for dinner sometime this week."

"Like Phil Lester?" Jason asked , crossing his arms.

"Yes, like Phil Lester. Y'know, we should invite your sister, she'd enjoy it."

"We're not inviting Lexi, and we're not going." He said firmly.

"Yes, we are." Dan argued, "Phil was my best friend for the longest time, and I haven't talked to him in a year. We owe this to him."

"No, Daniel, we're not going. Okay? This is the same Phil that you said you were in love with, the same that was in love with you. And, I don't want you seeing him."

"This is the same Phil I owe my entire career to. This is the Phil that helped me realize I hated studying law. Sometimes I think this is the same Phil that is the reason I'm alive. Okay? And, you can't control what I do. I'm going whether you like it or not. And, I'm taking your sister too. With or without you." Dan said, grabbing a jacket and his phone and leaving the apartment, fuming.

Phil- Okay, great. Does Thursday work for you?

Dan sat on a park bench, shaking as he replied, "Yeah, that's fine. Is it okay with you if I bring Jason's sister instead of him? She's a huge fan."

"That's fine, but they can both come." Phil replied as short time after.

"Eh. Probably won't happen. But, I'll definitely be there with Lex."

"Is everything okay with Jason?" Phil asked, but Dan didn't respond.

"Daniel."

"Dan."

"Dan. Please."

"Daniel James Howell, get over to our apartment right now and tell me about it."

Dan took a deep breath as he stood. He knew the way to their apartment by heart, no matter where he was in the city. He had left his keys whenever he had left, so he stood in front of the door, hesitating before knocking slowly.

Phil opened the door, standing in the doorway.

"Hey..." Dan said in a quiet voice.

"Hey." Phil responded, biting his lip slightly.

The boys sat in an awkward silence until there was pair of arms around Dan's neck.

"I'm so sorry, Phil." Dan muttered, wrapping his arms around Phil's torso.

"No, it's okay." Phil reassured him as he pulled Dan into their apartment, "Now what's wrong with your engagement?" He asked gently, pulling Dan onto the couch next to him.

"Nothing." Dan lied, shaking his head, "We haven't talked in a year, we shouldn't talk about my relationship problems."

"No. We do. You're not happy, and you more than anything deserve to be.. So tell."

"He's just being stupid. Nothing big."

"Dan, don't lie to me. I'm not stupid."

"Ugh. I guess I was kinda shaky when I replied to you the first time and hadn't noticed he had come home from the hospital, and he asked if I was alright. I told him that we were gonna meet up with you sometime and then we just got into this huge argument." He muttered, turning his gaze to the ground.

"Argument, over me?" Phil asked, biting his lip softly.

"Well, he said he didn't want to see you, and he wasn't going to let me see you, and I told him I was going to either way. Because y'know, you're my best friend, and yeah.. So, I told him I was taking sister with me whether he wanted me to or not and then I left and now we're here." Dan explained, running his words together.

"So, you're not suppose to be here right now?" Phil questioned, running his hand through his fringe.

"Well, he wouldn't want me to be, but he doesn't control me."

Phil nodded, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fuel an argument."

Dan shook his head, "You did nothing wrong."

"I know, but-"

"But nothing." Dan interrupted, "You did nothing wrong. It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."

Phil sighed, "Fine."

"Now, I'm gonna invite Lex. If Jason doesn't come, then so be it. But remember, you did nothing wrong."

Phil stood, "I'm going to make tea. I'll be back." He muttered, exiting the room.

Dan took out his phone, hesitating before texting his future sister-in-law

"Hey, I'm going to dinner with some friends on Thursday, wanna come?" He texted the girl simply.

Her reply came almost immediately "Is my brother coming?"

"Maybe. Don't know yet."

"And who else is going to be there?"

"Just an old friend that I thought you might like."

"Daniel, are you saying what I think you are?!"

"Maybe..."

"OMG! DANIEL HOWELL, YOU'RE THE BEST ALMOST BROTHER-IN-LAW!"

Dan chuckled as he responded, "So. That's a yes?"

"Um, yeah. Of course it is!"

"Okay, great. See you then."

"Omg, thank you so much, Dan."

Phil re-entered the room, examining the grinning Dan, "You guys make up then?"

Dan shook his head, putting his phone back in his lap, "No. But, Lexi's definitely in."

Phil nodded, sitting back down, "She seems sweet."

"Oh she is. Jase went to his parents before me the day I met them, and Lex, she's fourteen, he didn't tell her who he was dating. More or less I opened the door, and she ended up like hitting Jase and then crying." Dan said with a small laugh, "She's the best."

Phil grinned, "I can't wait to meet her then."

Dan glanced down at his phone, "I-It's kind of late, do you mind if I crash here tonight? I don't wanna go back home."

Phil tried not to let his smile fall as Dan referred to his new apartment as home, "Yeah, yeah sure. Your bedroom hasn't been touched since you left."

Dan nodded, "Okay.. Thanks." He said, standing and going to his old room, "Oh, it really hasn't changed. Well, thanks, Phil." He said, retreating into the room.

Phil sighed as he watched Dan, "Night." He muttered, going to his own room, laying face down on his bed.

A little over two hours later, there was a knock on the door.

Phil checked his clock, seeing it was almost two, he trudged to the front door, opening it slowly, "Wha-" He started, but was soon pushed against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing with my fiancé?" Jason growled, holding Phil against a wall.

"What?" Phil grumbled, still mostly asleep.

"Don't what me. You know exactly what I mean."

"Okay, look, it's like two. Come back in like eight hours, then maybe we can talk." Phil muttered, as he tried to push past the other person, just to be pushed back to the wall.

"Jase, what the hell?" Dan yelled, walking to the front dogor.

"Oh, gosh, Dan." Jason said, letting go of Phil and kissing his fiancé, "I'm sorry, I was stupid, and-"

Dan cut him off, kissing him again, "Stop. It's okay."

Jason nodded, "Come back home?"

"Of course." Dan muttered as he opened the door, leaving Phil for Jason for the second time.

Phil watched the couple leave, "Bye.." He whispered, going back to his room. His eyes started to get moist, but he refused to let any tears fall. He had promised himself he was over Dan. Over him, over crying over him. Both of those things were lies. He still loved him, he still cried over him.

"You can still come." Dan told Jason that Thursday as he was straightening his fringe.

"Frankly, I still don't want you to go." Jason responded, his tone flat, as he flopped onto the bed.

"C'mon, it'll be fun. And Lex is coming.."

"No. Okay?"

Dan huffed as he stood, grabbing a jacket, "Okay, fine. I still love you." He said as he left the apartment.

A half an hour later, Dan was standing outside of some restaurant with Lexi, who was continually messing with the bottom of her ponytail.

"Don't be so nervous. It's just Phil." Dan told her with a small laugh, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, Phil Lester." She muttered to herself.

"Oh stop." Dan rolled his eyes.

"You know what it's like. You met Phil Lester once too."

Dan sighed, "True, true, but he'll love you, I promise."

Lexi nodded as she opened the door, grabbing Dan's arm when she caught sight of a black fringe.

"Lexi, honey." Dan laughed, pulling her closer to him.

Phil turned at the sound of Dan's familiar voice, giving him and Lexi a wide smile, causing Lexi to hit Dan multiple times.

Dan just laughed, "Is this what your brother felt like when you met me for the first time?"

She nodded vigorously, looking at a loss for words.

"Well then." Dan laughed again.

Phil got up from the table he was sitting at, and walked up to the pair.

"Phil!" Dan said with a happy smile.

"Dan!" Phil responded with a smile.

Lexi hit Dan's arm lightly, "It's Phil Lester." She muttered over and over again, "Like actual Phil Lester."

"And I assume your the fiancee's sister?" Phil asked Lexi, raising his eyebrow with a happy smile.

She nodded, once again looking as if she couldn't make a proper sentence.

"Was I like this when we met?" Dan asked Phil, looking down at his future sister-in-law.

Phil nodded slightly, "A little. Except you had a much worse haircut."

Dan rolled his eyes, "Your's wasn't that amazing either. Anyway, lead us the way."

Phil nodded as he led the pair back to the table where none other than Hazel Hayes was sitting alone.

"Hazel?" Dan asked, slightly confused as he took a seat.

"Oh, we were hoping you didn't mind." Phil told Dan as he sat back down, kissing Hazel's cheek, causing Dan's stomach jump slightly.

"I-It's fine." Dan muttered, looking at the wall closest to him.

"You alright?" Lexi muttered to him, putting a hand on his arm.

Dan nodded, trying not only to convince her, but also himself.

The rest of the dinner was a blur for Dan.

Hazel and Phil were dating.

She had, in the couple of days since he had been there, taken over Dan's room.

The couple were going to make a channel together.

Phil had thrown the Sims away in an attempt to make room for new things.

Along with a lot of other Dan and Phil memories.

"Hey, you should come over sometime." Phil told Dan as they exited the restaurant.

"Yeah, sure." Dan muttered as he kept his gaze focused on the ground.

"So, we'll see you later." Phil said as he departed with Hazel one way.

"There's a park nearby, we should go." Dan told Lexi, his voice still quiet as he started to walk in the direction.

She just shrugged and followed him.

Once at the park, Dan sat on a bench.

"Daniel, what's wrong?" Lexi asked him, sitting next to him.

"I'm fine." Dan insisted, as he fixed his gaze on the ground.

"Dan." Lexi pleaded, "Please."

"Lex, it's nothing." Dan said, his voice cracking on the last word, his eyes filling with tears.

"It's Phil, isn't it?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder, "You can't stand to see him with her."

"No, I've got Jason. I love him more than anything."

"You still love Phil. I can see it, the way you look at him. It pains you to see him so happy. You love Jason, but not the same way you love Phil. Jason was just a fill in when you couldn't have Phil. And y'know what. Phil still loves you. He never looked at Hazel once the way he looked at you. He's only with her to get you off his mind. I know, I'm fourteen, but I do know things."

"You can't tell Jason, ever. Okay? We're going to get married and adopt kids. Just like we always talked about. He can't know about this." Dan finally turned to face her, tears slowly dripping down his pale face.

"Why do you do this to yourself? Don't marry Jason just because you think if you don't he'll never recover from it. Marry the person you love. I watched that liveshow, y'know. The one where you left. And it broke me, because I knew both of you wanted each other, you were just scared." Lexi said, "Dan. You can do this."

And Dan cried that night.

He cried at the park.

At home.

He just cried.

Lexi was right.

He needed Phil Lester.

And he was going to get him back.