Oblivious Hearts (Phan)

Chapter Thirty Three

Word count: 1117

A few weeks had passed and Dan and Phil had settled back into normal life. They rarely woke to nightmares anymore, spending each night together, comfortable and safe in each other's embrace. Despite Craig appearing in the record store and in the library they hadn't come across him again, nor were they looking for him. Life was at last going smoothly. Dan had found himself wanting to complete his assignments from the night school and Phil even started guitar lessons in the evening. Sometimes Phil would learn the chords to a song Dan knew on the piano and they'd play along together when he got home. They'd been on a few more dates, just for fun, even though they practically lived together now. It was in preparation for their next date that had Phil wondering around the town centre.

The air was slightly warmer now, as it was almost spring, and Phil was searching for a bunch of flowers for Dan. He'd already traipsed around four flower shops in the area, but none had the perfect flowers he had in mind. It was as he was walking out of this final flower shop, sniffling slightly at the excessive amount of pollen he'd breathed in over the past few hours that he saw something that made his heart drop.

Craig was walking out of a shop across the road from Phil. Craig hadn't spotted him but Phil turned his head away and darted into the nearest shop just in case he happened to look up.

That must mean he lives around here then, Phil thought.

It was surely too much of a coincidence for Craig to be hanging around here on three separate occasions and not have somewhere to stay.

Phil was in a convenience store, a cold one at that. He paced up and down the aisles of magazines, sweets and bread, trying to calm his breathing and his heart beat. He gripped a shelf for support as he thought about what he'd seen. He didn't know whether to tell Dan, he might react badly and begin to panic again and retreat back into his shell, which Phil had taken such a long time to coax him out of. But he also didn't want Dan to go around by himself and bump into Craig not realising he was still hanging around for some reason.

It had only been a few minutes since Phil had seen Craig but he'd already decided what he was going to do. He rushed back out of the shop and pulled his hood up despite it not raining, so he could hide a bit more. He walked straight down the road, peering through all the shop windows until he spotted Craig again. Craig was drawing some money from an ATM so Phil stood pretending to look in a shop window a few shops over from him. When Craig started to walk away Phil followed.

Craig walked all the way down the high street, stopping occasionally to look at something through a window or on a stall outside a charity shop, but he eventually found his way to the bus stop. Phil pulled his hood further down his forehead as he stood a few meters behind Craig, trying to hide himself, but Craig seemed too busy on his phone to notice anyway. Phil listened to where Craig was buying a ticket to, hoping that he was going home, and when Phil stepped on the bus a couple of people behind him he asked for the same. Phil sat right at the front of the bus, so he could be sure to get off when Craig did, and so that there was less chance of Craig seeing his face. Just being so close to him made Phil's skin crawl with fear and anger, but he held it in. Phil got his phone out and scrolled through the photos he'd taken of him and Dan, he was doing this for Dan. He was going to find out where Craig lived and he'd figure out what to do with that information later.

Phil had been on the bus for about 15 minutes and was beginning to worry he'd missed Craig getting off, but he didn't dare turn around in case Craig saw his face. Then the bus stopped outside a greying council estate, one Phil recognised as the area a friend he used to know lived in. Craig brushed past him as he got off the bus, still not noticing Phil. Phil jumped up, and keeping his head down, stepped off he bus only a moment after Craig. Phil's blood was pulsing with adrenaline, this was so dangerous. Craig could turn around at any second and see him. But he didn't.

Phil followed Craig, always keeping a large distance between them and occasionally stopping to check his phone or fiddle with his zip in the hope that he'd look inconspicuous were Craig to turn around. Phil stopped next to a large grey block of flats as Craig walked up to the entrance of a similar looking building across the road. Craig buzzed himself in to the building and pulled the door shut behind him. Phil waited for about three minutes before going up to the door. He raked his eyes over the list of names and buzzers until he found the one he was looking for.

3b 'C.Hunt.'

Thank God, Phil thought, breathing a sigh of relief that this was actually Craig's flat and not a friend of his. As much as he was glad his journey wasn't wasted Phil also felt sick knowing how close Craig was to him and, more importantly, Dan. He couldn't understand why Craig had moved somewhere so close to them, it couldn't be a coincidence.

Phil made his way back to the town centre, stopping off in one last flower shop to pick up the biggest bunch of flowers he could find. With a massive bunch of flowers Phil got into his car and turned the radio on, trying to decide whether he should tell Dan or not. If he did tell him tonight then Dan would be prepared, but it would also ruin the date... Just then Phil received a text from Dan, which he read, his eyes flicking from the text to the road, trying not to swerve too much and crash.

Dan: Do you fancy having a film and takeaway night instead tonight?

Phil chuckled at this, locking his phone and putting both hands back on the wheel as he drove, he'd reply to that when he got home. He'd feel more comfortable talking to Dan about Craig at home rather than in a restaurant so he was grateful for the suggestion.

Awh, it was all going so well for them! Why did Craig have to show up again ;)

Next chapter up in a few minutes...

T x