Fighter-A Phan Story

Chapter Two

Phil stirred his caramel macchiato as he listened to Alex talking about his encounter on the underground as Carrie added in little details that Alex forgot. 

Alex laughed. "And then this guy-"

All of a sudden, Phil's phone started ringing. He gave an apologetic smile to Alex and took his phone out of his pocket. He figured that whoever was calling could call him back later, but he just wanted to make sure. When he saw that the call was from Dan, he felt his heart drop to his stomach.

"Sorry, guys. I gotta take this call," Phil managed to say before standing up rapidly and walking outside.

"Dan."

"Phil? I don't want to be alone."

Phil's mind raced. Dan sounded like he'd been crying. He hoped that he hadn't found his razors. 

"Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can." Phil said walking back in the Starbucks. He walked back to his booth that Carrie and Alex were at. "Stay on the phone, Dan. I want you to stay on the phone with me," he said, concerned. He didn't want to take the chance of Dan doing something in between him leaving Starbucks and arriving home.

The two sitting in the booth gave Phil a concerned look. "What's going on?" asked Carrie. 

Phil put his hand on the bottom part of his iPhone and told them "It's Dan."

Carrie grabbed Alex's hand. "What? Is he all right?" They both knew about what happened to Dan a month previously and that he was struggling. 

Phil nodded slightly. "He told me that he doesn't want to be alone." He held the phone away from him. "I'm worried that he found his razors. He said he wasn't feeling good today. He needs me." Phil held the phone back on his ear.

Phil grabbed his coat and mouthed "I'm sorry" to the couple. Alex nodded in return like he understood. He turned around and walked out.

"I'm leaving right now. Just talk to me," Phil said into his phone.

There was a moment of silence on the line. "I just..." Dan trailed off. Phil could hear that he was about to break down in tears.

"You just what?" Phil walked quickly along the pavement, pushing past people. He was deathly afraid of Dan cutting again. 

"Why do you care so much about me?" the brunette asked suddenly.

"You're my best friend," Phil answered simply.

"But no one else has a best friend who cares this much; no one has a friend who'd run home for them like you are right now."

 "I really care about you."

Phil heard Dan sigh. He wasn't sure if his friend was relaxing or getting more upset. He kept pushing past people. It was something that he wouldn't typically do. Phil would normally just walk along and try to avoid getting trampled, but he wasn't sure if Dan hurt himself again or not. Phil didn't want to ask and cause him to do something stupid. There were other ways that Dan could hurt himself without the razors.

"My wrists are itchy. I don't know how long I can wait anymore, Phil. It hurts."