My Neighbors the YouTubers (A danisnotonfire and AmazingPhil fanfiction)

Chapter 52: Reunited

*Rachel POV*

I laced and unlaced my fingers together in nervousness, staring at them intently. Occasionally, I looked down at my feet, where I fidgeted my balance between the left and the right. I made myself breathe.

I looked up and down the hall, and then slid my phone out of my pocket. Dan and Phil were supposed to arrive any minute. My phone was pretty ancient - the cheapest phone I could buy which offered minimal minutes of calling a month. Guess this is what happens when you live off of Starbucks money and your mom doesn't support you. I guess. Except, maybe now.

I breathed again, looking back and forth in the hallway, leaning up against the wall near Dan and Phil's hotel room. "You didn't have to come with me, you know. I don't want to take up your time here."

"It's completely okay," she said, "I want to help."

I couldn't fully look at her, being nervous and all, but I feel like she smiled, so I half smiled back.

There was a moment of silence, and then from the left came two tall guys with matching haircuts that I instantly noticed.

Phil skipped down the hallway while Dan scolded him, telling the people downstairs probably didn't appreciate his dance moves. Phil frowned, and then Dan and Phil looked to their hotel room, noticing Cat and me.

"Oh hey," Dan said awkwardly, looking between Cat and me, but mostly avoiding looking at me at all. "Is it possible that Rachel and I could..."

"Of course," Cat said, standing up straight, and then looking at Phil. "Phil, want to hang out at my hotel room for a bit?"

Phil smiled, "Yeah, sure!"

Cat smiled at me as she left, walking beside Phil.

Strangely enough, it felt like Cat and I were close, even though we only met a few hours back. I guess that's what happens when crisis happens and someone is supportive of you.

I looked back at Dan, who stood uncomfortably far from me. "Alright, let's go inside, or something."

I nodded, "Yeah."

Dan slid the card key into the slot, and a light above the doorknob glowed green for a split second. He opened the door, and motioned with his head for me to enter.

"Thanks," I said uncomfortably.

He didn't respond, closed the door behind us, and faced me, looking into my eyes.

...

His discomfort made it difficult for me to be any more comfortable. I walked up to the desk of the hotel room, which was in the main room, and ended up tapping on the surface nervously.

I looked up at him, slouched to the point of almost being curled up, against the wall where he hadn't moved from moments before.

"You don't look very comfortable," I decided to speak.

He looked up at me, meeting my eyes for a less than a second, and then soon looking to the side out the window. "Well, I guess so."

I didn't speak, trying to find words to lighten the mood and figure this all out easily if easily was possible. I looked out the window, and wondered if he didn't want to be in this situation. I guess I didn't want to either, but I wanted to solve this. It was very important to me.

"So... you wanted to talk to me?" Rachel spoke softly, but her tone being somewhat definite for a question.

I stressed my brain for words. I knew what had to be said, but I didn't know how to say it. Hardly was I ever good at expressing deep feelings out of nowhere, especially when I didn't know how the other person would react. It's not like I could change my feelings to react to how others felt, to match them and become neutral, but I really wanted to sometimes.

"Um, yes. Just, I'm not very good at explaining..." I mumbled the half truth, feeling pretty awful, like verbally expressing emotions were dangerous, like my feelings were fire that could burn down this whole building and I had to contain the flames in my hands.

"I'll give it a shot," he stood up a bit straighter, and looked into my eyes. His eyes were filled with fear, panic. They returned to the outside.

"Dan, what even are we? I at least need to know that. It's important to me that we're on the same page before I say something stupid," I blurted out, and then bit my tongue in recoil.

He moved his feet and supported himself with his hands, sliding down the wall comfortably to sit up against the wall.

I moved to crouch down on my knees and then slid into a sitting position, matching his sitting on the floor.

He looked at me for a bit, narrowing his eyes, and then looking at his hands, "I don't know."

It's like everything in me suddenly dropped to the floor. I found it impossible to breathe. I just stared directly down. My stomach dropped.

"Alright," I hardly said, still finding it hard to breathe. I swallowed. "Well, I guess I should say how I feel."

I suddenly saw him flinch across the room, my eyes flickering up. He caught my eyes in his. I couldn't look away, "I still really like you. Things have really changed. I'm far from ever having enough money to even go to things like VidCon. I just... I don't know. I'm happy to see you, and I wish things were different." I felt tears slip out of my eyes, my voice getting shaky on the last words.

"But things haven't changed then," he said.

I focused my eyes on him, blinking in confusion, "What?"

"I still really care about you. I know you have to be here, I know you can't come back with me and Phil. But my feelings haven't changed. I was worried yours would."

I shook my head, and I felt my lips form into a smile, "My feelings rarely change when it comes to people I care about."

Dan stood up, looking like a million feet tall from the ground. He came over to me, offering me a hand. I took it, standing up. Then he pulled me into a hug. Yes, I was home.

I felt the remainder of tears slip down my face, and Dan said it was okay for me to be his person tissue - for tears, that it.

"Jesus," he said into my hair, "I thought I lost you."

I shook my head, "I'm still here. Always am. Always will be."

He bent down and kissed me, and it felt like my whole world was so much brighter.