True Love Always Finds Its Way // Phan

Chapter 4: Surprise!

I spent another lonely, depressing week in our apartment. It was Monday night and Phil was supposed to come home from Chicago after meeting his new girlfriend, Sarah.

After I found out about Sarah, I was expecting my feelings for Phil to just shut off and disappear. But they didn't. I knew that now I could never tell him the truth because he's dating someone else and that would obviously ruin everything. But I just could not stop thinking about how perfect I thought the two of us would be together. As I was sitting in the living room, watching anime, I must've dozed off and started dreaming.

I dreamt that Phil and I started dating and we made a YouTube video about it and let the whole world know how we both truly felt. There were headlines on newspapers that read, "Breaking News! Dan and Phil just confirm that PHAN IS REAL!" It felt amazing to live in that kind of world. There were no secrets, no more hiding, just peace.

I was suddenly awoken from my slumber by someone shaking me and saying, "Dan! Dan, wake up! There's someone here who wants to meet you!"

I opened my eyes and saw Phil standing in front of me with hope in his eyes and joy in his smile. I looked over to my right and saw a girl standing next to him.

"Dan," Phil enthusiastically said. "This is Sarah!"

I got up and saw her. Sarah was a pretty girl and looked about the same age as me. She had long, straight black hair, with bangs covering her entire forehead. She had green eyes, black nerdy glasses, and she was about 5"5' tall. She had a great shape and was wearing a short skirt with a long sleeved black and white striped shirt. However, I couldn't help but wonder why on earth she was here. Wasn't she supossed to stay in Chicago? Hasn't she ruined enough for Phil and I?

"Hi," she said. She had a very sweet and warm voice. "You must be Dan! Phil has told me so much about you! It's great to have finally met you!"

"Hi!" I said still waking up and trying to come back to reality. "Phil has told me quite a bit about you as well. It's nice to meet you too." I shook her hand and walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Phil followed me.

"So?" he asked as hyper as a teenage girl who just met her favorite band. "What do you think of Sarah?"

In my head, I wanted to tell him that I thought she was sweet and everything, but he should be with me not her! But what I actually said was, "She seems like a really great person."

"Oh that's great!" Phil said ecstatically. "I have a surprise for you!"

Oh no. I hated surprises. But after everything that has been happening lately, I didn't think that things could get any worse. Boy, was I wrong.

"Sarah is going to move in with us!" he shouted.

"What?!" I screamed, slightly cracking my voice.

"Yes!" Phil exclaimed. "It's getting really dangerous in Chicago. The crime rate is rising higher and higher, and I hate leaving you alone all the time while I go fly to visit her, so she's just going to move in! Surprise!"

No. This couldn't be happening. Phil just met this girl, and now he wants her to move in? She is stealing my place! Why would Phil want to replace me? He just said I was his best friend! We are supposed to be together! Why was the universe torturing me like this?

"Um," I started to say. I knew there was only one way to get out of this: lie. "That's wonderful!" I said with actual tears in my eyes. This hurt me more than anything.

"Aw Dan," Phil said laughing from his overwhelmed happiness. "I'm excited too, but you don't have to cry!"

He hugged me and went back into the living room to inform Sarah that it was okay for her to move in. I didn't even realize that the tears in my eyes were actually streaming down my face like a leaking faucet. Sarah joined me in the kitchen and said,

"Thank you! See you in the morning roomie!" She hugged me too, but it didn't feel as warm or as comforting as Phil's. She took her luggage into Phil's room, and he joined her with his bags too.

I stood there in the kitchen for hours. I was speechless, shocked, and hurt. I didn't want to move. I didn't want to think. I didn't want to feel. I felt empty and lost. I felt like there was no hope for me, and my world was just crumbling down on me and there was no way for me to escape. I was very unhappy and I felt like running away from everything: Phil, YouTube, and especially Sarah.

After finally deciding to go to bed at about 1:30a.m., I walked like a zombie to my room. I didn't feel alive. I just wanted to go back to my fantasy world with Phil. So I crawled into bed and as I shut my eyes, I realized something.

I never got my glass of water.