A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter! I would really appreciate any more input you have for this chapter as well! I have most of it outlined, but if you have any suggestions for scenes you would like to see in the story, I'm open to suggestions. I'm also in the process of writing a one-shot phan fic (like actually Phan with lots of fluffy goodness) and I'm thinking about posting it if you guys would be interested in reading it, so let me know!

MARLENA POV:

Ring.

I wasn't breathing.

Ring.

I could hear my own heart beat.

Ring.

Why was I so nervous?

Ring.

Come on, Dan. Answer the phone.

Ring.

I hadn't realized how much I needed to hear his voice.

"Hello"

"Dan! I—"

"You have reached Dan Howell. I'm probably sleeping, so leave a message."

Beeeeeep.

I slowly hung up.

I wasn't disappointed. I was determined. Hearing his voice—the voice of the real Dan, not the personality he was on YouTube—made me realize just how much I needed to see him.

And suddenly a title wave of emotions hit me. Screw the fact that I wasn't good enough for him. Screw the fact that I barely knew him. He was beautiful, and sweet: my knight in shining armor. He had saved me. And he had taken care of me. I needed him. I had been resisting calling him because I had been resisting this reality: that even in those few hours we were together, I had felt something. And that was what scared me the most. My mom had done her best to shield me from the worst of my parent's divorce, but looking back on it, she had only saved me from the immediate emotional damage. I could see now that I had always pushed people who cared about me away and my subconscious had restrained my ability to truly care about others. With Jake, I never really loved him and he obviously didn't truly care about me. That's why I had stayed with him. Because he was within my comfort zone; I knew I would not get hurt. Perhaps that was why it was so easy to leave him, and my feelings for him, behind—because there were no real feelings to leave.

But now I was terrified; I was about to take a giant leap out of that comfort zone. I was going to go to Dan's house.

It didn't take me long to find his apartment complex as he did not live too far away from Rachel. I parked and got out of the car, but could not move any farther. I was petrified. I had never let myself feel this way about anyone before. These new emotions made me feel extremely exposed and vulnerable. But suddenly, I heard Dan's voice in my head: "Now it's your turn."

I began to walk, focusing on moving one foot then the other. Almost too soon, I found myself outside of Dan's apartment door. I stood there for a moment then raised my hand to knock when suddenly, the chorus to "Plug in Baby" by Muse blared from my phone. Startled, I looked at it and saw "Dan Howell" written across the screen. He must have been returning my call; I wondered if he had any idea that it was my number. Hitting answer, I said, "There's a surprise for you outside your front door." The line disconnected. A second later, I heard footsteps, then the lock clicked and the door flew open to reveal a very flustered Dan Howell.

"Marley," he breathed, his face splitting into a huge smile when he saw me. I just walked through the door and wrapped my arms around him in the biggest hug I could give. He reciprocated, sliding his arms around my waist and pulling me closer. With my short height, I fit perfectly under his chin. I felt his lips press against my hair and I could hear his heart beat.

After some time, we pulled apart and he promptly grabbed my hand and led me over to the sofa where I had spent the night just over a week ago. I could remember exactly how it felt to have him cuddling me from behind, his warm, almost naked body pressed up against mine. He easily could have taken advantage of me that night; I was an emotional wreck. But he had remained very respectful, for which I was very grateful. Now, I sat sideways on his lap, our arms wrapped around each other. "Thank you for the video and… everything" I said, looking into his deep brown eyes. I could see that he understood that I was not just thanking him for the video but also for rescuing me from my insane ex-boyfriend, and for what he had done for me that night, and for helping me break free of the depression I had spiraled into over the last week.

"I'm just glad you saw it. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't."

"I'm sorry I didn't call you. I just didn't know that you wanted to see me as much as I wanted to see you. Did you enjoy your surprise by the way?" I asked.

"Most definitely," he responded, trailing his large hand down my calf to my ankle where his long fingers began to trance patterns lightly on my skin. "So you like Muse?" asked Dan. I looked at him confused. "Your ring tone," he explained.

"Oh, yeah. They're my favorite."

"Mine too. Most girls I've met don't like them that much."

"Most girls didn't have a big brother who was obsessed with them when they were growing up."

He laughed. "You have a brother? What does he do?"

"He's in America studying abroad right now, actually. He's finishing up his law degree. What about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah, a younger brother. He still lives with my parents and all…." He looked down at me, his deep brown eyes locking with my blue ones. The strength of the connection between us was amazing to me. We had really just met but it felt like we had known each other for a lifetime. "I'm so glad you are here," he said, wrapping his arms more tightly around me.

"Me too." Before sitting there in his arms, I had not realized how much I craved his touch. It sounded silly even in my own thoughts, but it was as though his touch were a drug. I had gotten a little taste when we first met and now I desperately needed more. As I looked up into his eyes, I felt my face lift closer to his. All I could think about was the idea of his full lips moving against mine.

"Whoa there," he whispered, placing a single finger on my hungry lips.

I froze, shocked at what I had been about to do. I normally would never be the kind of girl to make the first move, especially with someone whom I had just met. It was as though Dan had cast some magical spell over me, making my mind forget what it was used to. The shock wore off quickly, however, and was replaced with a feeling of disappointment and embarrassment. I looked down at my hands.

"Hey," he said quietly, lifting my chin up with his hand. "Don't look like that. You know I like you. It's just that we barely know each other. I'm old school. I don't want to rush things too much." With the fingers that were holding my chin, he stroked my cheek. "Look at me," he said. I looked up into his eyes. "You are so beautiful."

His words and the look in his eyes took my breath away. The feelings of disappointment were replaced with ones of wonderment. I had never felt cherished before. But here I was, sitting in Dan's lap, feeling as though I was the only girl in the world. I suddenly understood what he meant in his video when he said he didn't feel whole. Being in his arms, I felt more whole than I could ever remember. I suppressed the thought that this was just my masochism—I was just setting myself up to get hurt.

Repressing these thoughts, I asked playfully, "So, how do you suggest we get to know each other better?"
"Well, I was just about to ask actually. Do you want to go on a date Friday night? Maybe dinner and a movie?"

"That sounds amazing. I would love to," I said, smiling.

Suddenly, I heard a lock click and a door slam open. "Who wants pizza?!" I looked up to find that the source of the racket was Phil, who had just walked into the lounge carrying a rather large and delicious smelling box.

"Oh, my god! Marley!" Phil stopped in his tracks, his face splitting into a huge grin. "You're back! Dan! Marley's back!" Phil said extremely enthusiastically.

"Yes, Phil. She's back," Dan said with exasperated sarcasm that poorly masked his own joy at the fact.

"Have you asked her to stay for dinner yet?"

"No, I wasn't aware that you were going to be coming back with food any time soon," Dan said, rolling his eyes. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" he asked me politely.

"I don't want to be an imposition."

"Don't even think that! We want you here!" said Phil immediately.

I looked at Phil's eager face and then at Dan who's face was an almost comical combination of chagrin and excitement. "Okay," I agreed.

"Great," said Dan, his face relaxing into an expression of happiness and relief.

I got up from his lap and walked into the kitchen where Phil had placed the pizza on the breakfast bar. "So what kind of pizza did you get for dinner?"

"Veggie lovers with stuffed crust from Pizza Hut," said Phil, opening the box.

"Yum! My favorite!" I said as I heard Dan groan.

"Phil," he whined, "sometimes I think llamas should be your thing and lions should be mine. We aren't herbivores! We need some meat!" he teased.

"You get the pizza next time then," said Phil, unconcerned. He handed me a slice of pizza and I bit into it. It was still warm and very delicious.

After we finished the pizza—an amazing feat considering its size—we sat on the couch and played guitar hero for a few hours. I wasn't very good, but with some help from Dan, I was able to beat Phil. The three of us had a great time. It was amazing how close Dan and Phil were. I had seen them in their videos together, but seeing them interact in person was an entirely different thing. They were relentless with their teasing and it was clear Phil was having fun even though Dan won almost every game. And I myself felt as though I fit right in. They teased me about my terrible guitar hero skills and I threw a few gibes back at them. I did not want to leave but it was getting late and I did not want Rachel sitting up for too long if she was waiting for me.

Dan walked me to my car. "See you on Friday," he said, giving me a hug. "Text me your address and I'll pick you up around 6:30."

"Cant wait." I got in my car and drove off. I was so happy I felt light headed and I had to watch my speed because I was a little too excited.