Simply Meant To Be ||Dan x Reader||

Chapter 5 - Tours

Dan swiped the oyster card through the machine that granted us access into the subway.

"A subway? I've never used one before." I admitted, following closely behind as we went deeper underground. I gazed in awe around the subway that was teeming with business women and men, parents with small children, and teenagers looking for a good time.

"Really? I use this stupid thing almost everyday." I strained to listen to him over all of the background noise and I slowly started to lag behind. As peopled cut between us, I started to lose him. Even with him being 6'3, I couldn't catch sight of him anymore.

"Dan? Dan??" I called out desperately, but no one answered. I started to panic at the idea of being lonely and lost in London. Especially in something as dirty and busy as a subway. I tried to weasel my way through the tumultuous crowd, but I was pushed around.

"Hey, watch it!" One man shouted, red faced and sweating, obviously frustrated and in a hurry. He shoved me over and I fell down flat on the ground. I instantly became a human blockade and people trampled me, yelling at me to get up in irritation. Right when I tried to stand I felt a large hand grab mine and pull me up with ease.

"I forgot you're not used to London subways, I should've figured you'd get lost," Dan helped me and smiled shyly, not yet had he let go of my hand, "I need to keep track of you better." He intertwined his fingers with my own.

"O-okay.." I stammered. He led me around with our hands still laced together.

"So, what do you wanna see first?" He called to me over his shoulder. But his words were nothing but fuzzy mutters because I was still staring at our hands.

"I 'unno, anywhere I guess?" I replied in a daze.

"Alright, I've got a few places I think you'd like." We caught the first subway since we arrived. Inside it was so full I was touching shoulders with at least 3 people besides Dan. He apologized for being compact in a cluster of random people.

"It's totally fine." I lied and forced a smile. I hated being in a small space full of random people. I could practically feel a mans breath running down my neck as he breathed. Before I reached my breaking point the subway slowed to a stop and the doors opened. I found Dan entwining his fingers with my own before he spoke.

"Let's go, and try not to get lost this time." He winked.

After strolling through London for about 20 minutes Dan and I had stopped, standing under the shadow of a large clock.

"What's this?" I stared up in amazement at the intricate designs and etches in the building.

"Big Ben, or as it's called now, the Elizabeth Tower."

"It's beautiful." I beamed. Dan squeezed my hand.

"Isn't it?" We both stood there for a minute, absorbing the tranquility and peace of mind we shared for that brief moment.

The entire day was spent going to London monuments, visiting famed places like the Tower of London, Admirality Arch, the City Hall, and the last place we visited was the Trafalgar Square. Dan and I stopped holding hands long ago, but I missed it. The two of us leisurely strolled through side by side. Though we didn't speak much and just let the background noise of tourists fill in.

"Thanks for taking me around London.." I spoke up. Dan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"It's no problem, really," he started, but before he could continue his phone erupted. He retrieved it out of his pocket and read the text.

"Oh god.." He whispered, looking down. I cocked my head sideways.

"Is something wrong?"

"We have to get home. I'll tell you what happened later." Before I could ask any questions he grabbed my hand and yanked me unintentionally hard.

He dragged me to the subway and we pushed ourselves inside regardless of how cramped it already was. We stood there pressing against strangers causing me to mentally retched. I tried to get my mind off of the people around me and tugged at Dan's shirt.

"So what happened?" He leaned down and I whispered into his ear. He frowned.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how bad it is. We'll have to go see for ourselves." I gulped. Never in my life had I been in a situation like this unless it involved my family. I completely forgot that outside forces are just as capable as inside ones.

We got back to the flat in no time, but by the time we reached the door to our apartment the deadbolt was broken, leaving the door slightly cracked open for anyone curious enough to enter. I looked up at Dan and we traded expressions of perturbation. Slowly, Dan pushed open the door. Revealed before us was a mess of an apartment. The entrance was trashed, peppered with crumpled paper, broken glass, toppled over furniture, and things that once hung on the walls taken down. Gaping holes were smashing into the walls, exposing wires and beams and other skeleton parts of a modern apartment.

"Oh my god..." Dan muttered, pushing things around with his shoe. It literally looked like a tornado had torn through it. We waded through the debris to the lounge, which was pretty much indistinguishable from what we first saw walking in. Fabric furniture was slashed, leaving stuffing to push through. We went to Phil's room to see Phil sitting on his bed that had been stripped of it's covers. The mattress too was also slashed. Springs jetted up in all directions.

"Phil, what happened?!" Dan sat next to him.

"Ugh. What does it look like?" He replied flatly in dismay.

"Is it who I think it is?" Phil handed him a letter he had balled in his fist. I peered over his shoulder to catch what some of it said. The handwriting was small but very neat. The only words I could actually catch a glimpse of were 'coming back', 'hurt', 'cops', and a few others that weren't relevant. Dan threw the letter to the ground. "Fuck.. What are we going to do? What can we do?"

"I'm not sure..." Phil said. He scanned the room. "It'd cost a fortune to fix what was broken and stolen." Dan nodded in agreement. I just stood there in silence, because I didn't really know how I was supposed to contribute to their situation. Then an idea popped into my head.

"Hey," I interposed, "what if we moved?"