Pest//phan au

Twenty

I saw the Phil at the end of a long corridor of bright yellow. All the yellow. It was overwhelming. This looked so familiar. So familiar.

Phil raised his hand and waved. I felt drawn to him, his wave beckoning me forward.

This has happened before.

I turned around to look for the other Dan, like last time, but nobody else was here. It was just me and Phil.

I turned back to see him waving faster. I started forward again. His face was becoming clearer; his eyes were bright and he was flashing a big toothy grin.

He opened his arms, and I walked into them slowly. They closed around me, and he left a small kiss on my nose, making me giggle. Last time, this happened to someone who looked like me. Now it was happening to me.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"For what?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"For ruining everything today," I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek.

"Nothing was ruined," he smiled. "I got to kiss you today."

"Did you do it on purpose?" I asked, voicing my worries before I fainted. Saying it out loud made me realize how stupid it sounded.

"Of course, silly," he chuckled. "How can I kiss you on accident?"

I shrugged. He pulled me into him in a tight embrace. It felt almost real. It had to be real.

He let go and placed a soft kiss on my cheek. "Stop worrying so much."

"What happened to me?" I asked, hoping that he knew.

"The doctors think it was a severe panic attack," he answered. "They found nothing wrong with you anywhere else."

"But that didn't feel like a panic attack," I retorted.

"They can vary in how they feel," he shrugged. "But you need to wake up, because I'm waiting for you."

"Okay," I whispered. He left another kiss on my opposite cheek, and turned around, facing his back toward me. He stalked off down the bright yellow corridor, leaving me to be alone.

---

Bright lights filled my eyes as they fluttered open. Everything was white. The walls, the ceiling.

"Am I dead?" I mumbled to myself, my throat sore and dry.

"Oh my god, Dan," Phil yelled, standing up in my line of vision.

"Danny!" My mom's voice filled the room.

"Are you dead too?" I asked, my voice getting a little stronger.

"No, nobody's dead," my dad laughed. "Are you okay?"

I turned my head towards Phil, who had tear stains running down his cheek. The Phil in my dream was right: he was waiting for me. I smiled weakly at him, making him give me a croaky laugh.

"Good morning, Dan," a woman's voice spoke. I looked toward the source and found her standing in a white coat.

"It's morning?" I asked, trying to locate a window but not finding one.

"Technically, it's 4 AM," my mom answered.

"So Dan, if you don't mind, will you tell me what happened before you fainted?" The doctor inquired, sitting in a rolling chair next to me.