Secrets to Keep (Phan)

Chapter 15

Paul sat across from me at the small cafe, my laptop's screen facing him as he typed in some addresses to show me. The first few flats I had already looked at were kind of crappy, and not really in the best parts of town, making me feel uneasy about them instantly. I hated house hunting.

I was trying not to be too picky, I really was, it was just that I wanted someplace nice for Dan, somewhere we could settle down in until he finished school. I didn't want to have to move again in a couple of months because our neighbor's Meth lab exploded.

Paul turned the laptop to face me for the fourth time, showing another flat that looked a lot nicer than the last few, with smudge-less white walls and carpeting that wasn't covered in piss stains.

"Where's this one at?" I asked, and Paul pointed to the map on the side of the screen, it was only a couple blocks away from Dan's school, he wouldn't even have to take the tube.

"Owner says rent's negotiable." Paul added, while I scribbled the address onto a sticky-note.

"I'll go take a look at it later." I replied, folding up the paper and sliding it into my pocket. Paul shut the laptop, taking a sip from the steaming mug in front of him.

"Oh, I almost forgot." he muttered, grabbing his jacket from the chair beside him and digging around in the pockets. He pulled out two cheaper brand cell phones, one black and one grey, giving me a half-smile and setting them on the table.

"They not traceable." he assured, as I picked up the grey one and turned it on. "And my number's already in both of them." he added, and I smiled up at him.

"You should work in the witness protection program." I joked, hearing Paul chuckle as I slid both phones into my pocket.

"I would be pretty good at it wouldn't I?" he replied, taking another sip of coffee. "You got a job yet?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I've got an interview with the bookstore down on Charings Cross Roads on Wednesday." I replied, knowing that if I ever wanted to afford a place to live I'd need a job.

"Is Dan gonna work?" he asked, turning to discreetly stare at a petite blonde woman who had just walked into the small shop.

"I told him he didn't have to, but he insisted on applying for some stacking job at Tesco." I replied, holding my own empty mug just to feel the warmth of it on my hands.

"You look a little rough." Paul commented after a few minutes of silence, and I knew what he had said was true.

"I haven't exactly been sleeping soundly after what the boss said when he came to town." I deadpanned, watching Paul shift a bit uncomfortably in his seat.

"Sorry." he murmured, his blond head facing down a little.

"Don't be, you've been a really big help, thank you... for everything." I replied, huffing out a little in annoyance. "I just wish he'd leave us alone... I don't understand why he wants me back so badly." I added, seeing Paul shrug from across the table.

"I should've just let him die." he muttered, looking into his now empty mug with this resenting look in his eyes.

"What?"

"That night in the fire... I should've just left Wesley there... I thought about it, but I didn't want Shawn dead too... now look how things turned out." he replied with a laugh that didn't seem at all humourous.

"You couldn't have known what would happen, don't blame yourself." I told him, thinking of what the outcome might've been if things had flowed that way. I could see Paul looking down at his phone while he tapped away at the screen.

"I have to go." he muttered, sliding his phone back in his pocket. "I'll give my cousin your new number though so you can arrange when you want to go look at the flat." he added, setting a couple of notes down on the table to pay for his coffee.

"Okay... see you around I guess." I replied, watching the tall man who I had come to call a friend leave the cafe. I ran my thumb over the smooth glass of the coffee mug in my hands, until it became cold beneath my touch, and I also stood up, thanking the barista before leaving the small shop.

There wasn't much to do around town, so I went back to the new hotel, dragging my tired feet along the pavement. New snow fell from the late January sky, the flurries ranging from the brightest whites to light greys as they drifted through the sky. People all around walked along with a destination engraved in their minds, traveling at different speeds depending on their urgency to get there.

I lumbered into the lobby, shaking the snow from my hair, and only now realizing that it was nearing time for Dan to get home. A smile played on my lips at the thought of finally getting to hold him close after a long day of being away from him. The idea made a warm feeling spread throughout my chest, despite the cold outside air that I had only just stepped out of, and I couldn't get rid of that stupid smile all the way up the stairs.

I collapsed on the couch in our room, reaching over to the remote and turning the TV on with a click of the power button. After searching through the hotels very limited amount of channels, I settled on Adventure Time.

Somewhere throughout the episode, my tired eyes and previous sleepless night had gotten the best of me. I drifted off unexpectedly into a dreamland that wasn't as pleasant as it could've been, sharp voices threatening my happiness and cold eyes slicing through the dream like a frozen blade.

I awoke with a shout, my heart racing before I quickly realized it was only a dream, an unnerving one at that.

"Dan?" my groggy voice muttered, looking around the empty room, panic rising in my throat as I saw the time, it was 7:30.

I had been asleep for over four hours.

And Dan still wasn't home.

My pulse was hammering in my ears, my mind instantly thinking the worst, and I could feel the color being washed from my face.

The grey phone buzzed on the coffee table, causing me to jump, and snap out of the daze, as I hastily reached for it. I opened the message with shaky fingers, dreading whatever Paul would have to say, and seeing the words on the glowing screen only brought my worst fears into reality.

I had woken into a worse nightmare than the one I experienced while sleeping, because on the screen, were words that didn't even form a complete sentence, but yet brought tears to my eyes.

wesley got dan
come here

Attached to the message was a picture of an old, run down building, but I recognized it instantly. It was the old place where I used to deal; same ivy growing through the shattered windows, and same graffiti etched across the walls.

I nearly dropped the phone as I jumped up, and ran out the door.

A/n

This is reeeaally short, sorry.
And a cliff hanger, sorry again. (Actually not so sorry for that one)
I was wondering if you guys could maybe go check out my other Phan story? It's called Untamed, and it's a distopian thing... I'm working on a third part. You don't have to, but it would make me smile if you did.
:)
Goodbye little nuggets :)