Save Her (Daniel Howell)

Chapter 8; What If...

(P.O.V. Third Person)

Hours later, Dan shut off his camera, and opened his bedroom door. He heard loud music coming from the lounge, along with laughter from both Bailey and Phil. He raised an eyebrow to himself, wondering what in the world they could be playing.

After hooking his camera up to his computer to move over his latest video, he began his cautious walk downstairs.

"You are sooo going down Phil!" Bailey said, laughing.

"Yea right! I have the moves of a God!" Phil hollered back.

Bailey laughed again, "Hey! Get out of my zone!"

Dan walked around the corner, seeing both of them holding Wii remotes, and play Just Dance 2015. It took all his strength not to facepalm. Instead he just smiled, and laughed at his friends flailing limbs. They were dancing to, of course, Toxic by Brittany Spears, and Dan couldn't be exactly sure which one of them picked the song.

In the end, Bailey, who was playing on Dan's account, won. She raised both her arms in a collective 'Whoop!" before collapsing on the couch. Phil just laid on the floor, both of them sweaty and breathing heavy. When they noticed Dan was watching them, Bailey blushed scarlet, and Phil just gave Dan a smile.

There was a ding, and Bailey pulled up her phone. She quickly began to type on it, before standing up.

"It's been fun guys, but mom wants me home for dinner. She and dad have a surprise for me, they said." she smiled.

"Okay, want us to walk with you?" Phil asked.

Bailey shook her head. "I'll be okay. I'll text you guys later, okay? See ya!"

Bailey hugged them both, and left. Dan went into the kitchen, making himself some hot coco. He sat on the sofa in the lounge, and pulled his laptop off the coffee tablet, shuttering at the fact that they were next to Phil's 'evening socks'.

Phil plopped next to him, smiling like mad. Dan looked over to his friend, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Dan asked his companion.

"Did you tell her?" Phil asked, Dan huffed.

"Tell her what?" he asked.

"Oh come on, Dan. You know what! Bailey told me what happened, did you tell her how you feel?" Phil asked.

____Weeks Ago, the Night After the Carnival___

Dan and Phil sat in their lounge, with their bowls of Dan's Stir Fry, watching Game of Thrones. They ate in silence, but Phil had trouble paying much attention to the show. It wasn't because he'd seen this episode a hundred time, it was something else entirely.

To put it simply, it was Dan that was bothering him. He had been getting a weird vibe from Dan for a couple of weeks, since they had found out some of Bailey's dark past. He knew how much Dan cared for others, especially fans. But there was something about Dan and Bailey, something Phil couldn't quite put his finger on.

Phil looked over at Dan, who's eyes were fixated on the screen, but Phil could tell Dan was anywhere but into the show at the moment. He looked lost in thought, but not in his usual existential way.

Phil couldn't hold his curiosity in any longer. "Dan?"

Dan looked over at Phil, swallowing his last bit of food. "Yea?"

"You okay? You seem...distracted." he said, trying to find the right words without making any allegations. Knowing Dan, he could be thinking about anything, though Phil was willing to bet it was Bailey.

"Just, I don't know, thinking I guess." Dan said with a shrug.

Phil gave him a 'come on, spill' look, and Dan just grunted. Dan set his empty bowl on the coffee table, and looked at Phil. He looked as though he wanted to talk about whatever it was, the only issue was he wasn't sure what he was feeling himself.

"Does this have anything to do with a certain neighbor of ours?" Phil asked, smiling.

Dan nodded, knowing he had no choice but to tell Phil. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell his best friend, it was just that he didn't like being unsure of himself, especially out loud. But he also knew that Phil wasn't going to let him worry forever, so he had no choice but to talk.

"Fine, yes. It's Bailey. I just...I don't know Phil." Dan said.

Phil chuckled under his breathe. "Do you like her, Dan?"

"I mean, I think so. But I also know she is going through a lot right now, and the last thing she needs is to freak out about something little as me liking her. I don't want to cause her stress, or even a panic attack. I couldn't live with that, Phil. She's still a good friend." Dan rambled, blushing.

Phil smiled. "Dan, having feelings for her isn't a bad thing. And who knows, Bailey may even like you back. And even if she doesn't, I'm sure she'll be fine. If she starts to freak out, you are fully capable of calming her down, Dan. She trusts you."

Dan nodded, mulling over what Phil said quickly. "I guess."

Phil was silent for a moment, turning back to the tv. He wasn't sure how Dan was feeling at this point, but he felt the air around them lift a little bit.

"For what it's worth, Dan, I think you and Bailey would be good for each other." Phil said suddenly, before taking his, and Dan's, empty bowls to the kitchen and washing them.

_____

Dan rubbed his hands over his face, sighing heavily. "No Phil, I didn't tell her. I wanted too, but...there was just something in her eyes that stopped me."

Phil tipped his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I don't know. I just...as I was about to tell her kiss her, she stopped me. She told me she had never been romantic with someone before, and didn't want me to hate her if she messed things up. I, of course, told her none of that mattered, blah blah blah. I kissed her after that, I couldn't help myself. But I just had a thought that if...She becomes so reliant on me as her happiness, and then we flight or something doesn't work out. It would just crush her, Phil. I didn't tell her, I just couldn't." Dan rambled to his friend.

Phil smiled lightly at Dan. "Do you think, just maybe, that you are over thinking things a bit? I know Bailey had it rough, Dan, but she is a smart girl. Besides, you guys can take things slow, and make sure she is healthy and happy before you get too far in a relationship."

Dan nodded slowly, thinking. "I guess you're right, Phil. I just worry to much about her. I can't help it."

Phil laughed. "I think that's called being human, Dan."

Dan shoved Phil's shoulder, and rolled his eyes. "Come on you spork, we have a gaming video to film."

But while they filmed their video, Phil knew that Dan was thinking about everything they had just talked about, and maybe something else too. Either way, Phil was glad to see Dan a little less stressed out.