Alone

Think

"Look." He said holding up a pan and a spatula. "The first step is getting these."

"I couldn't find them so I didn't think it mattered." I gave him a shrug.

"From the looks of your pancakes, it apparently does definitely matter."

"Alright." I sighed.

"We're going to make American pancakes."

"American pancakes? Are pancakes something different where you're from?" I asked feeling baffled by his terminology, I thought pancakes were the same everywhere.

"Yeah, they're like thinner. But as of now you can't pancake your way out of a paper bag, let alone make thin pancakes so let's stick to your country's own version."

"Sure." I said and watched him skillfully walk me through the steps to come out with really perfect looking, golden pancakes.

We brought them back up to my room and sat on my bed as he looked at the pile of brand new clothes that I had just tossed into the corner.

"You know, I think we're the opposite kinds of people." He said as he sat across from me on my bed. "And that's okay. I don't know if I'd want the other last person on the planet to be like me. We balance each other out I guess." He said making me immediately pause my eating and look up from my plate at him, but he was just looking down at his.

What was that about? We balance each other out? I couldn't help but imagine us together from that sentence, maybe he was too, maybe that's why he'd said it, or maybe he was just telling me I was a messy, childish, teenager in the nicest way possible.

"Am I everything you thought I'd be?" He asked me suddenly.

"No, but it's not a bad thing. I didn't think anyone could smile like that and make witty jokes all the time, and I haven't once heard you use that over exaggerated ecstatic tone that you use in videos. You're actually kind of quiet, and you mumble a little, I can see how hard of a worker you are and how you plan everything out so carefully. I used to admire you and I still do." I admitted.

"Thank you, but there's no real point idolizing anyone anymore, not that you have much of a choice, given that we're the only two people that exist. I still don't feel like you see the real me yet, your words say that you do I suppose, but I don't think it's really set in in your brain how I really am."

"Why do you think that?" I asked

"Because you still want to be around me, and I'm not sure if it's because I'm literally the last person on earth or because you still haven't gotten it yet. I'm a disappointment, I'm a sham." He said and I gave him a confused look.
"I've always been so scared for people to get to know me after watching my videos first because I don't speak that eccentrically all the time, and I'm not with Phil, I feel like I just made up whoever I am in my videos."

"No, I still see that person in you, I just think it's much more toned down in real life. I honestly expected it, you're an entertainer, you're supposed to do that. I like real life you with or without Phil... But I also like Phil, I really like Phil. Being stuck with Phil would have been really cool too." I said and thought about it. I shouldn't be talking about Phil, I could tell from the look on Dan's face that he missed him more than anyone.
"I'm sorry." I told him.

"You shouldn't be. It's not your fault." He said quietly.

"It could be, I don't know."

"Don't blame yourself for the apocalypse." He gave a small laugh. "Don't be that cruel to yourself."

"If my family was here, they'd probably blame me for the apocalypse." I said.

"Were they really that hard on you?" He asked.

"Yeah. They expected me to be something great and important, something that I couldn't be, they wanted a level of success that's only meant for people like you."

"I don't think there's any certain type of people who can or can't be successful. Anyone who works hard can be successful. You've probably heard that a lot and you really don't put value into it at your age. I was confused when I was your age as well, I just studied law simply because I thought it was just the next step in life and I thought law would look good on a resume. Also, I didn't want my parents harassing me about it. I didn't realize that there's so much more to life than that, life isn't a series of steps. Your life can be anything you want it to be about. Just find something you love and put your entire self into it and I promise you'll love life. What do you like to do?" He asked.

"I just like the Internet." I said.

"Maybe we aren't so different after all." He gave a genuine laugh. "There's plenty of things you could be that involve the internet, you could be a YouTuber like me, you could work for somewhere like buzzfeed, your possibilities are endless when it comes to the internet. Who knows, you could be the creator of the next Tumblr."

His words made me smile because my parents didn't see what he did, they didn't think anything involving the internet could be a real job.

"I don't think my parents believe that a job involving the internet could be an actual real, like, job."

"Educate them. Show them. And if they still don't believe you then who cares what they want you to do with your life. If you're happy that's all that matters."

"You say that like we get to go back." I felt the sadness creep it's way back into the room. It was hard to hold a normal conversation when you forget and then are suddenly reminded that there's no one else out there.

"Just stay optimistic Amelia. If we can suddenly wake up without them, then there's a chance we can suddenly wake up with them." He said and began to pick at what was left of his pancakes with his fork. "Do you want to come with me today?"

"To do what?" I asked.

"To pillage for food."

"Don't we have enough?"

"For the possible rest of our lives, no. We have to get things now and freeze them while they're still good." He pointed out.

"And what happens if we run out of storage here?" I asked.

"We just store it in the other hotel across town with solar powered backup generators, there are like four around here. I've done my research."

"So all that is what you've been taking off and doing everyday?"

"Mmmhmm." He replied. "You've got to try to think of everything."