pause // dan howell x reader

Chapter 27 - Masterpiece

Your POV

Purple and green. The colours swirled next to your eye; the red of your cheek contrasting with them. Your attachment to the past now frayed - none of the memories with him mean anything anymore.

Swallowing your upset and anger, you stare at yourself in the bathroom mirror. Dark circles under your red puffy eyes from a week of little sleep.

Sighing, you pick up the nearby glass tube of foundation and pump some onto your hand, then spreading it across the base of your cheek and up near your eye, like painting over graffiti so the public can't see.

In fact, this is the first time you've covered up the bruise. You left it exposed as a reminder. A reminder of what Nick did.

After finishing the last few touches to your makeup, you pick out a dark blue knitted sweater and grey jeans to wear for the radio show. You slide on some short black boots and make your way to the door.

A buzz echoes through your partly empty apartment and you turn towards it. It's your phone lying face up on the kitchen table you go pick it up with your frozen fingers.

"Meet at the coffee shop?" Dan texts and you quickly reply before shutting it and waltzing out the door.

-

Dan sat lonely in the same corner as always. His eyes bored and dull until they scan over to your face, which makes them light up and wrinkle at the ends.

"What took you so long?" He whines with a smile as you sit down in the red booth.

"Just a rough morning." You rest your chin on your hand and look out the window.

"Oh, what happened?" Dan asks concerned and you divert your attention back to him.

"Nothing, no- nothing like that." You insist and his widened eyes relax.

"I thought someone died." He chuckles lightly and loosely scratches at the table. Parts of the white paint flying off in small chunks and revealing wood underneath.

"I ordered your drink for you." Dan states bluntly, still focused on chipping the table and you murmur a thank you before continuing the conversation.

"You've been posting a lot of videos." You smirk and he exhales a small laugh.

"That's because all these embarrassing things have happened to me over the past week. I wish you were there for them." He sighs and a smile creeps onto your lips.

"Same, especially the 'park incident'." You snicker and he rolls his eyes.

"I swear I'm becoming like Phil, a clumsy human who trips over everything." He shakes his head whilst laughing and quickly glances over to the main counter of the shop.

"I think our order's up." He says pushing himself off his seat and easily walking across the room to collect your drinks. You notice his black cast is off and he doesn't limp anymore, which is good.

"Careful, they're hot." He warns as he reaches your table again.

"Thanks." You mutter and warm your hands over the steam drifting out of the cup.

"Speaking of videos, why haven't you been uploading?" Dan wonders, tilting his head. Surprise catches up in your tongue and you rack your thoughts for a lie.

"I guess I have no ideas at the moment." You shrug, trying to act casual.

"Yeah, I have phases like that." He agrees cluelessly and lifts his coffee to his mouth, softly breathing into it to cool it down. As he gazes out the misty window, you see he has dark circles under his eyes as well, they've always been there but you never noticed it as much.