Dream a Little Dream // Daniel Howell x Reader

Chapter 30

You stared at your phone, the sensation of hellfire burning within your chest. You could feel your vision darkening into a narrow tunnel as you tried to make sense of what was happening right now. You felt...what? What did you feel exactly? To be quite honest, what didn't you feel? You felt confused, bewildered, angry and a hint of excitement sprinkled on top? There was no way to describe what you were feeling as your stared at the familiar contact name scrawled across your phone, and the foreboding icon of a missed call.

You blinked, observing the red icon, unsure of what to do next. You just sat still, eyes glued to your device. Beside you, the concerned voice of Phil edged its way towards you. "You... didn't pick it up (Y/N)?" He sounded positively baffled by your actions.

You slowly brought your eyes to Phil, dragging them across to meets Dan's equally perplexed features. "I...I didn't know what to do. I guess I just froze."

Dan suddenly scoffed, "Well, she deserved it. I mean, she left you for a whole month without so much as a 'hello'. Personally, I don't think she deserved to hear your voice." He scowled harshly, his gaze burning into you. "With how she's been treating you, I say good riddens! She has no right to call you up after practically abandoning you."

Silence followed after Dan's outburst, your mouth slightly open as your voice got caught in your throat. Then, words came crashing from your lips, your tongue uncharacteristically sharp and defiant. "This is the first time she's made an effort to contact me in months and you expect me to ignore her phone call? I'm her friend! I'm not just going to leave her on standby!"

"Oh what, like you already did just now?" hissed Dan, bitter sarcasm dripping from his voice. "(Y/N), she deserves to know how it feels! How can you still stick up for her after what she put you through this past month? If you go back to her, you might get hurt again!"

"Oh whatever, Dan! You don't even know her! I'm her friend and I know what she's like! She'd never do anything to purposely hurt me, I'm sure she had a good reason for not calling me; she was probably really busy or someth-"

"So she had time to post on Social Media, but lacked the decency to call you? Sounds like a shit friend to me."

You sat ridgedly, your eyes like daggers as you cut into Dan's own, his chestnut eyes lit aflame. "What the Hell is your problem? It's like you don't want me to reach out to her! What good would that even do, huh? Wouldn't it be better for me to at least talk to her and figure out what's been going on? Did you ever think of that?"

Dan let out a frustrated growl, "I'm just saying that I don't think it's a good idea to-"

"To what, Dan? What's not a good idea?"

"I don't think you should talk to her! Jesus, what kind of person just drops you like that? (Y/N). Phil and I are your friends and we saw how unhappy you were worrying about her and obsessing over the lack of communication. Being busy is one thing, ignoring you is another." Dan took in a deep breath to calm himself and regain control. "(Y/N), I'm not trying to be mean or anything, I'm just worried is all. Wouldn't it be better if you didn't have to worry about Hailey? If you didn't have to worry about her dropping off the face of the earth again?"

You could feel some of the anger washing away as you listened to his explanation, yet unwanted malace managed to slip through at the last moment. "Hailey has been my friend for years; she's irreplaceable, while you've only been here for a month-" You knew you should have bit your tongue, but it was too late, The damage was already done. You felt your heart plummet into your stomach as Dan's eyes went wide, a wave of anguish washing over his features. Just then, your phone buzzed once more; Hailey was calling. You looked down at the contact, thankful for the excuse to look away from what you had done. "I have to take this call..." You mumbled plainly, standing up stiffly as you shuffled towards the kitchen.