I saw the Phil at the end of a long corridor of bright yellow. All the yellow. It was overwhelming. This looked so familiar. So familiar.
Phil raised his hand and waved. I felt drawn to him, his wave beckoning me forward.
This has happened before.
I turned around to look for the other Dan, like last time, but nobody else was here. It was just me and Phil.
I turned back to see him waving faster. I started forward again. His face was becoming clearer; his eyes were bright and he was flashing a big toothy grin.
He opened his arms, and I walked into them slowly. They closed around me, and he left a small kiss on my nose, making me giggle. Last time, this happened to someone who looked like me. Now it was happening to me.
"I'm sorry," I muttered.
"For what?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing.
"For ruining everything today," I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek.
"Nothing was ruined," he smiled. "I got to kiss you today."
"Did you do it on purpose?" I asked, voicing my worries before I fainted. Saying it out loud made me realize how stupid it sounded.
"Of course, silly," he chuckled. "How can I kiss you on accident?"
I shrugged. He pulled me into him in a tight embrace. It felt almost real. It had to be real.
He let go and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. "Stop worrying so much."
"What happened to me?" I asked, hoping that he knew.
"The doctors think it was a severe panic attack," he answered. "They found nothing wrong with you anywhere else."
"But that didn't feel like a panic attack," I retorted.
"They can vary in how they feel," he shrugged. "But you need to wake up, because I'm waiting for you."
"Okay," I whispered. He left another kiss on my opposite cheek, and turned around, facing his back toward me. He stalked off down the bright yellow corridor, leaving me to be alone.
---
Bright lights filled my eyes as they fluttered open. Everything was white. The walls, the ceiling.
"Am I dead?" I mumbled to myself, my throat sore and dry.
"Oh my god, Dan," Phil yelled, standing up in my line of vision.
"Danny!" My mom's voice filled the room.
"Are you dead too?" I asked, my voice getting a little stronger.
"No, nobody's dead," my dad laughed. "Are you okay?"
I turned my head towards Phil, who had tear stains running down his cheek. The Phil in my dream was right: he was waiting for me. I smiled weakly at him, making him give me a croaky laugh.
"Good morning, Dan," a woman's voice spoke. I looked toward the source and found her standing in a white coat.
"It's morning?" I asked, trying to locate a window but not finding one.
"Technically, it's 4 AM," my mom answered.
"So Dan, if you don't mind, will you tell me what happened before you fainted?" The doctor inquired, sitting in a rolling chair next to me.
"I just couldn't stand anymore, and I couldn't breath," I muttered.
"Before that?"
"Uh," I tried to remember before then. "I got really paranoid."
"Interesting," she wrote something down on her clipboard. "About what, if I might ask?"
About Phil. "I don't remember."
"Okay, well I believe you had a very chronic panic attack," the doctor started to explain. "Your friend informed me that you cannot be touched without having one?"
"Uh, yeah," I responded, looking at my parents. I couldn't tell them that I could touch Phil but not them. That would break their hearts.
"And there were a lot of people at this concert, correct?"
"Yeah, there was a lot," Phil answered for me. "I told him we didn't have to go, but he insisted."
"Well, I think you might've reacted to being in such close-quarters with other people," the doctor concluded. "I think you need to start seeing a psychiatrist about this, because that wasn't an ordinary panic attack."
"But we've tried," my mom interjected. "They say there's nothing we can do without heavily medicating Dan."
"I don't need a specialist," I snapped. "I'm not crazy."
"Psychiatrists aren't just for crazy people," the doctor retorted. "Please, consider it, because I think it might help."
"When can I leave?" I questioned, sitting up. I've always hated hospitals.
"Well, we want to--"
"Please, I want to go home," I begged.
She sighed. "Okay, let me unhook you." I flinched as she got closer to me. "I won't touch you."
She stayed true to her word, pulling out all the needles and the suction cups without her skin making contact with mine. I could see Phil out of the corner of my eye, watching intently, ready to jump at the moment she accidentally does touch me.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Morales," my dad shook her hand.
"Of course," she returned, and walked out of the room.
"Your car," I muttered, remembering the Honda still sitting in the stadium parking lot.
"Phil drove it behind the ambulance," my mom smiled.
"Phil insists that he drives you home," my dad added. "So he's going to drive you home in your mom's car."
I snuck a glance over at Phil, who was staring down at his feet.
"Okay," I responded finally. "I'll see you at home."
They nodded and walked out of the hospital room, closing the door softly behind them. As soon as the door clicked shut, I launched myself at Phil, wrapping him in a hug. My feet landed unsteadily on the floor, but Phil caught me.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered in his ear.
"No, I'm sorry," he countered. I pulled out of his embrace, and cupped his cheek gently. "Can I kiss you again?" He asked.
I nodded, and he pressed his lips to mine softly. I hummed into the kiss approvingly, my hands running through his hair. He pushed closer to me, so that our chests were touching. He worked his mouth gently against mine, and I could feel his chest rise and fall. He stopped kissing me, but kept our faces close together.
"We need to go home," he said against my lips. I nodded, but kissed him again. He giggled into my lips, and kissed back.
"Okay, we really need to go," he murmured, but his lips connected with mine again anyways.
A knock on the door made us jump apart quickly. "Yes?" Phil called, his voice much stronger than mine would've been.
The door opened to reveal a nurse. "I'm just coming to see you guys out," he said with a grin. I nodded and started toward the door.
"Could you give us just a second? Dan needs to gather his things," Phil requested. The nurse nodded and stepped back out of the room. I turned around and Phil grabbed me and kissed me yet again, this time more forceful. I gasped in surprise, but enjoyed it nonetheless.
"Very persistent," I mumbled between kisses. "But the nurse is waiting."
He smiled as he let go of me. "Alright."
With a last peck on the lips, we left the bright room.
---
"Drive safely!" The nurse called as we pulled away. I waved to him as we left the parking lot of the ginormous hospital.
As soon as we were out of sight, Phil laced his fingers through mine. I smiled over at him happily, feeling the same warmth I had at the concert.
"So, I don't know if it's too soon to ask this," Phil started, "seeing as you just got out of the hospital, but my friends from my old school are throwing a New Years party. And I'd like to introduce you to them."
"Sounds fun," I beamed.
"Really?" He asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Yeah, I'd love to. Where is it?"
"Well, it's in Oregon," he muttered guiltily. "South Oregon, so we'd probably have to get a hotel room or something."
"Even better," I purred, making him blush. I don't think I'd ever been able to make anyone blush like that before. It was nice.
"Will it be okay with your parents?" He questioned, ignoring my reply.
"I'm sure it will be," I responded confidently.
---
"In Oregon?" My mom asked, bewildered.
"Southern Oregon, yes," I mumbled.
"But Phil will be with you?" My dad inquired. I nodded, looking over at the boy standing next to me. He had his fake-polite-smile plastered on his face, the one he used to get strangers to melt in front of him. I like to think that the smile doesn't work on me, but honestly, anything Phil does works on me.
"Then I don't see a problem," my dad concluded. "Just, don't get into trouble or anything."
"Of course," Phil chuckled.
It was 6:30 AM, and we just got home. Phil looked exhausted, with bags under his eyes, but he still insisted on being here when I asked my parents. "Alright, I'm going home," Phil whispered to me.
"I'll walk you out," I offered, probably too enthusiastically. I led him out the front door and closed it behind us. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's fine," he replied with a wave of his hand. He kissed me lightly, barely brushing his lips against mine. "I'll see you in a few days."
"Alright," I smirked. I wrapped my arms around my body, protecting myself against the cold. He stepped off the porch and dissolved into the dark early morning sky.
---
Text me NOW.
I rolled my eyes. My mom must've told Cat.
I'm fine.
Cat's face appeared on my screen, telling me that she was trying to FaceTime me. I answered reluctantly.
"Oh my god, you look like shit," Cat gasped as soon as her face showed up.
"Wow, thanks," I murmured.
"What happened?" She asked. I recalled everything that happened, leaving out the kissing. Cat could wait to find out about that.
"Jesus, you never fail to scare the fuck out of me," Cat whispered.
"Sorry," I smirked.
"Why are your lips so swollen?" She asked. My eyes fell onto my own face on my screen to see that my lips were indeed very pink and swollen.
"I don't know," I grumbled unconvincingly.
"Oh my god, no you didn't," she squealed.
"What?" I yelled, feigning innocence.
"You kissed Phil! Or, Phil kissed you because your a giant pus--"
"Shh!" I warned. "Okay, yes, that happened."
"I knew it," she giggled. "I knew it. All along. I knew it."
"Shut up, pretentious asshole," I growled.
"You and Phil have finally realized that you two are perfect for each other!" She cheered. "Oh, poor Zoe is going to be so devastated."
"Nothing is set in stone," I told her. "We aren't together or anything."
"Oh yeah," she rolled her eyes. "Kissing each other and going on dates but you aren't together."
"We haven't gone on a date," I corrected.
"The concert was so a date," she muttered. "Okay, well now that I know that you're okay, I'm going to sleep."
"Have you been up all night?" I asked.
"Yes, I've been concerned for you!"
I couldn't help but grin. It's nice to know that she actually does care about me.
"Goodnight, Cat."
"Goodnight, lover boy."
Hello there friends, it's nice to see you again (:
So, like I said, I'm going to try and post weekly but please don't murder me if it comes later. I have two stories that I'm currently writing, and the fact that my brain even works after school is astonishing to me.
So, here's my *hopefully* weekly chapter for you. I'm going to try to get a chapter up on my other story soon, so if you're reading that one as well, I'm working on it. If you aren't reading it, then you should be.
(I'm just kidding, you don't have to read it)
In other news, my first story, "Hunter of the Night" is almost at 2k reads! :o can I just say how incredibly amazed I am at that? I remember when I first got fifty, and I was so excited, but 2k???
Goodness, I'm rambling, aren't I? Well, anyways, thanks for reading this far, and unfortunately, there will be only a few more chapters after this *cries* i am hoping to have it completely finished by October, and I'm so excited, yet so sad. I've kinda fallen in love with my own characters (whoops)
I LOVE YOU GUYS AND HOPE YOU HAVE A GR8 DAY!!!
(Just editing again my b)