Pest//phan au

Twenty-Three

A/N
The last few chapters were a little short but hopefully this chapter makes up for it (:

Another TW(idk if it's a trigger but I want to make sure just in case) is alcohol.

He rang the doorbell, excitement gleaming in his eyes. I, on the other hand, was shaking with nervousness. I wasn't going to ruin this for Phil. I ruined the concert; I ruined Zoe's party; I ruined our ice cream hang out with friends. I can't ruin this.

The door opened and a face appeared. "Phillip Michael Lester!" He yelled, pulling Phil into a bear hug.

Phil laughed as he pulled out of the hug. "Josh, this is the special friend, Dan."

He smiled cheerfully at me, which I returned the best I could. "Come in," he insisted, opening the door wider so that we could enter. Phil grabbed my hand and pulled me into the warm, colorful house.

"Phil!" A girl shrieked, and almost tackled Phil. He let go of my hand briefly to catch the girl. "Oh my god, I haven't seen you in forever."

"It's only been a few months," he chuckled. "This is Dan," he added, pointing to me.

"Hey, I'm Cathy, and you are as hot as Phil told me you were," she giggled, giving me a wink.

Phil blushed bright pink, but didn't deny it. I flashed a smile at him, trying to withhold any sarcastic comments until later, so I didn't seem like an asshole to his friends.

"So how's California?" Josh asked. "Is it hot there?"

"God, no, it's probably colder there than here," Phil replied.

"I've always heard that Cali was warm and pretty," he murmured.

"It is in Southern California," Phil responded. He turned to me. "Maybe we'll go to Los Angeles for our next vacation."

"Okay, I've never been," I beamed.

"Aw, he's so cute," Cathy exclaimed. "Are you available for both teams, or are you just into boys?"

"Actually, I'm just into Phil," I retorted, my mouth moving faster than my brain. I was about to apologize for the remark when Phil wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Thank god," he giggled, and everyone else laughed.

Why was I going to apologize in the first place?

"Hey, Philly," a boy rounded the corner and approached us. He was slightly rounder than the other two, with wispy blonde hair.

"Hey Christian," Phil said with noticeably less enthusiasm than when he greeted his other friends. "This is Dan." Phil pulled me tighter to his side, letting me know he was being serious about Christian being an asshole. I enjoyed the protectiveness, though.

"Dan, you seem like someone who knows how to arm-wrestle," Christian smirked. "How about we battle for champion?"

"No thank you," I mumbled, sinking into Phil.

"What a wimp," he laughed. "I'm just kidding, man."

I chuckled awkwardly, unsure of what to say. I looked over to Phil for a hint, but he was just watching Christian.

"Why don't you all actually come inside and meet some of my other friends," Josh suggested, giving me an apologetic smile. Phil nodded and pulled me with him. Josh led us into what looked like the living room. Eight people were sitting around a coffee table; five people standing by the television that had the New Year's Eve special on; three more in the kitchen adjacent; and us five, waltzing in casually.