Pest//phan au

Twenty-Two

I woke to someone gently nudging me. "Dan," a voice cooed, pulling me out of my slumber. I opened my eyes to see Phil smiling over at me. "We're here."

I glanced at the radio clock to see that it was noon, meaning I'd slept the whole five hours it took to get to the hotel.

"Oh, I didn't mean to sleep so long," I apologized, rubbing my eyes and sitting up.

"It's fine," he chuckled. "Come on, we can lie down in the hotel room."

I grabbed my bag from his backseat and stepped out of the car groggily. I trudged into the hotel behind Phil, and stood awkwardly to the side as he got the key to our room.

"Have a good day!" The clerk called with a large smile. Phil waved and walked over to me with the key in his hand.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded and he used his unoccupied hand to hold mine.

The room was on the third floor, so the elevator ride was short. I had to refrain  from just immediately jumping into the cozy-looking bed.

"I hope you don't mind that we're sharing a bed," he mumbled.

I glanced over to see him looking at his feet, his face pink. "Of course I don't," I giggled. "Now let's take a nap." I grabbed his hands and pulled him onto the bed with me. We nestled into the covers happily.

"Thanks for coming with me," Phil whispered, his eyes drooping slightly.

"Of course."

My eyes closed, and I heard his breathing start to even out, telling me he was probably asleep. I rolled over, trying to give him a bit of space.

I felt an arm drape over me and pull me closer to him. I smiled as his arms wrapped around me, his chest against my back, rising and falling easily.

I fell asleep for the second time that day with Phil holding me.

---

The sound of running water filled the familiar yellow hall. I'm here again. I immediately looked around for Phil, who's visited here twice already, but there was no sign of him. The sound of water got progressively louder as I tried to find him.

"Phil?" I called, starting to get scared.

"Phil isn't here," a voice answered. The voice was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Who are you?" I asked.

Cat came into view. "Can I touch you here?"

"I don't know," I mumbled. "What is here?"

"This is your dream, dumbass," she scoffed.

"Why do I keep dreaming of this place?"

"You seem to dream of this room when your mind is occupied by Phil," she giggled. "I totally called this, you know."

"Now really isn't the time," I snapped, remembering the increasingly louder running water. "Do you hear that?"

"The water? Don't worry about it," she shrugged.

"Why is it getting louder?" I questioned, my voice rising in panic.

Cat rolled her eyes. "You ask too many questions."

"Because I don't know what the fuck is going on," I spat.

She walked toward me, her mouth drawn in a tight line. I didn't know what she planned to do.

"Phil loves you," she murmured, her face inches away from my chest, her eyes watching me through her lashes. "He loves you so much."