The Phan in Our Stars

Part One

"I can't believe I'm actually going to do this." Dan thought to himself as the cab pulled up in front of his flat. He'd spent the past three days at his mum's thinking of all the ways he could tell Phil the truth when he got back, and, after hours of running over scenarios in his mind, he'd finally worked it out.

"Did you miss me?" He would call as he entered the apartment at roughly 11:45. Phil would be relieved and happy to see him (or, at least, he hoped he would.) He would tell Phil that he had an awesome new idea for a video, but he needed Phil's opinion on it first, and, when Phil agreed, he would take him to his room and play him his favorite Muse song on the piano. Then, he would do it.

While at his mum's, Dan had memorized the entire monologue from The Fault in Our Stars when Augustus admits his love for Hazel at the restaurant in Amsterdam and had changed the names and details to make it about Phil. Dan was particularly proud of this idea because

1. This monologue was a perfect description of loving someone even when it looks like the worst is inevitable, which is exactly how he felt for Phil, and

2. It was when Phil had started crying in the movie

"Okay, Dan, just keep your cool" he mumbled to himself as he swung the door open. "DID YOU MISS M--" Dan eyes the presumably the empty flat for a moment, "Phil?"

No reply.

"PHIL?"

Nothing.

Dan felt his heart rate begin to speed up as panic set in, "PHIL?? Where are you?" He ran toward Phil's room, "PHIL? Phil!! PHI--" he swung the bedroom door open.

But he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Oh, hey, Dan.. You're home!" Phil said nicely but awkwardly, but Dan couldn't focus on Phil's words. He was distracted by the figure lying in his bed with him, head on his chest. He stood in the doorway, stunned and staring.

"Oh, um, Rosie, this is Dan. Dan, this is Rosie." Phil smiled, putting his arm around the girl lying next to him.

Rosie?

Dan couldn't believe what he was seeing. Yet, there it was, plain as day. A stalky girl, probably 22ish, with freckles and long blonde hair lay cuddled up in Phil's bed, her head resting lovingly on his chest.

"Nice to meet you," Rosie said, sitting up. She had a strong Scottish accent.

Dan couldn't think if anything to say, so he just mumbled, "Um, hey," and then, "Er, Phil, could I talk to you in private for a moment?"

"Yeah sure," he said, getting up from the bed and joining Dan in the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Dan asked, in a hushed, but extremely irritated tone.

"What do you mean?" Phil asked, as if it was totally normal for him to have a Scottish girl in his bed.

"I'm gone for three days and when I come home there's a girl in your bed!" Dan said, outraged, but confused.

"She wasn't in my bed!" Phil said, earning him a dirty look from Dan. "Okay technically she was in my bed, but not like that! We just--"

"What? WHAT? Is she like your girlfriend or something now??" Dan exploded in a fit of jealously and anger.

"Um, kind of, yeah, actually," Phil said with a small, cheeky smile.

Dan felt his stomach tie itself in a knot. Then, his heart lit a match and set his entire chest on fire. His face burned red with anger and embarrassment. He was upset. He was confused. He was... He didn't even know what he was.