My Neighbors the YouTubers (A danisnotonfire and AmazingPhil fanfiction)

Chapter 51: Miscommunication and Speculation

*Rachel POV*

The crowds were ridiculous. My motive for seeing Dan was stronger than my anxiety of crowds. However if I was just a fan, I would've probably given up, even though Dan and Phil still meant a great deal to me then.

Cat continued forward, and we reached the end of a line. She then continued walking, squeezing between people. "Shouldn't we wait?" I asked nervously, feeling terrible at the idea of cutting in lines, no matter the circumstance.

"Nope. Your reason to see him is much more important than theirs. And they'll be okay with it eventually."

I nervously nodded, pushing through the people in line to see Dan and Phil. I apologized frequently. My heart started beating quickly. I dug my nails into my palms nervously. This was the moment. I couldn't go back now.

People began noticing me, and I heard people stop talking to their friends and then turn to me and Cat and then start talking about us. I wasn't focussing enough to hear what they were saying. One time, someone closely to me said, "Hey, it's Rachel! And Cat! But Rachel?" I gulped and continued walking through.

The line was ginormous, but I felt myself getting closer to Dan and Phil. Soon fans were excitedly looking forward. At that moment, I knew they were looking at Dan and Phil, forward, excited, as I would be if I was a fan and Dan and Phil were never my neighbors. But they were, and all that happened, and now I was terrified.

Suddenly, I looked up from my feet, I was at the front of the line. Cat was smiling and me patiently. I looked straight up. There Dan was, looking speechless. His mouth was dropped open and he just stared blankly at me, but I couldn't remember much more. My heart beat wildly inside of my chest. I looked over to Phil, who was equally surprised. It took us all about 30 seconds to sink it in. And then, I didn't know what to do.

I heard cameras flash and videos start recording. Hurried whispers and voices chattered through the crowd.

I tried to open my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. It was even worse, knowing I was on camera.

"Is that really you?" Phil was the first to speak.

In moments of pressure like this, I almost always responded with some sort of sass, "Well, I don't look too different do I?"

Dan smiled slightly at that.

I walked up to Dan cautiously, just trying to figure out how comfortable this was for us both, and how maybe I could bring it to be what I wanted. I panicked, wondering why he hadn't said anything, and wondering if he didn't like me anymore.

Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. I felt his chest, his arms, and felt the warmness of his body against mine. I felt myself exhale in relief. It was like I came home.

Happy and terrified screams erupted from the audience, but I tried to ignore them and just be happy in the moment.

"I'll talk to you later, okay? I'll tell the hotel your name, and you can get, the one directly next door." He whispered in my ear.

I tensed up, wondering exactly what that could mean, and why it was the first thing he said to me. "Okay," I responded.

He let go of me, and I went over to Phil, giving him a hug as well.

I heard Dan say, "Sorry about that guys." I smiled and the smile in his voice, but then bit my lip in nervousness.

I looked over at Cat, who was smiling politely at me, standing near the exit. I got the hint. It was time to go.

...

*Dan POV*

Okay, that was very unexpected. I didn't exactly know what to do there, and so I was pretty sure I screwed up the whole thing. I think I needed some time to think about how I felt about all of this, and what to do with those feelings. I didn't have time, however, so I tried my best to shut off any feelings and just continue taking pictures with fans, greeting them as nicely as I could, smiling as much as I could, and receiving gifts gratefully without having an emotional breakdown of confusion in the middle of one of the most important things I was going to do at VidCon.

...

Phil and I always stayed longer than the usual amount of time - as long as we could till someone else needed the space. Even now it confused me why so many people wanted to watch a fail-at-life-Internet-dork like me. I felt myself accidentally rushing now and then, wanting to resolve and figure out what the recent event that happened in my life was all about. I felt bad for my fans. I genuinely wanted to be around them and be my best, but the truth was that I wasn't at my best at all.

My stomach growled like a walrus that has just been stabbed. Looks like I'd be missing lunch. Eh, that was fine.

...

*Rachel POV*

The cafeteria in the hotel was surprisingly good. The food didn't taste like it was made of powder and water, despite most of the hotels I had ever been in. I instantly wondered just how much it cost to stay there, and then my mind wondered what the hotel rooms were like upstairs.

And thank God the hotel had Mexican food. Mexican food was probably the only thing I truly adored that existed in California.

Cat looked at me curiously as I ate. I always ate like the food on my plate would disappear if I didn't eat it constantly. I was horrible, and messy, okay? I just didn't like it when people stared.

"So, have any thoughts on the mystery letter?"

I shook my head, swallowing my food. I pulled it out from my pocket, unfolding it from the million times I folded it so it could fit in my useless tiny pockets. I stared at it for a while, and shook my head again.

I handed it to her. "Sorry for the folds. But, I don't know. This is it."

She scanned the paper with her eyes, making little expression as to what she was reading. I watched her read nervously, wondering what she could be thinking.

"The person doesn't talk like anyone I know. Does the handwriting look familiar at all?" She handed it back to me.

I took it between my fingertips and laid it flat on the table underneath the light. I looked at every letter, the shapes, the wording. Somehow, I felt like I had seen the writing before, but the wording wasn't a match to the person I was thinking of.

"What is it?" Cat asked.

"What is what?" I looked up.

"You realized something."

"It's stupid, no."

"Just tell me."

"Well, the writing looks very similar to mine. Obviously it wasn't written by me," I laughed, but then I looked down and the paper, and felt my fingers curl around it nervously, "But it did remind me of writing very similar to mine. But it couldn't be. The person with this writing doesn't speak like that. It's all too casual."

"Just say who you're thinking?"

I hesitated in opening my mouth. My hands clenched on the paper, "My mother."