I know! I haven't updated since last year, feel free to kill me! I just had a bunch of important exams to focus on, and I barely had time  to write! But I'm back now! (And hopefully updates will be more regular)

I hope 2016 is going very well for you!

Anyway, It's the chapter you've all been waiting for(if you haven't already guessed from the title) I'm sorry to make all of you wait so long, but it's finally here!GET EXCITED!!

~~~
PJ comes back into the room, slapping his IPhone into the palm on his hand and biting his lip hard.

"That was a quick phone call.." Clodagh points out.

"That's because he was quick to hang up..." PJ turns to me,looking sympathetic and that's when I know something's up.

"What is it?"

"Look I tried Ashlinn,I really did but maybe I was a bit hard on them considering their busy schedule..."

"What?"

"Dan can't go ahead with the meetup. I'm sorry,Ashlinn."

For a second, I can only stare at PJ in shock. The only sound I can hear is my own heavy breathing, and everything else sounds muffled like I'm underwater.

I'm only brought back to reality when PJ puts a hand on my shoulder,his touch is gentle and his hand barely brushes against my skin,but it's enough to make me snap out of my trance. "Ashlinn?" He asks gently,still staring at me in concern.

"Why not?" I slowly force myself to take deep breaths as I do so. I suppose   in situations like this, this question seems kind of whiny but I have to know.

I have to know why the opportunity to meet the two people whose videos have helped me to get though so much loss and suffering is being so cruelly ripped up from right under my feet. 

PJ just shakes his head at me slightly,looking guilty as hell."Believe me, I tried as hard as I could to arrange going out for a coffee or something like that. But the guys are working on a couple of top secret projects at the moment, which means their schedule is pretty packed."

Of course.

Of course it's packed.

Dan and Phil actually have a life,they have a huge fanbase to satisfy everyday,why would they suddenly just drop their daily routine to  hang out with some random fangirl their friend knew?

After all,even if PJ does like me(platonically),that doesn't make any difference. I was only another subscriber to them, just another person who watched them behind a computer screen. I knew that it was slightly petty to expect them to give me special attention just because we had a friend in common...but it just hurt so damn much.

I suddenly felt like a bloody eejit for even suggesting it in the first place. I mean, I was lucky enough that a quarter of the Fantastic Foursome liked my videos,and even more lucky to make a video with PJ in the first place.

I even met Chris who I thought was a decent guy before meeting him in person. Of course,I knew now all too well that there was a dark side to his witty and cheerful comedian persona.

I should have been content enough with that but of course, I had to push my luck.  I had to push my luck and be greedy, I had to want even more out of my trip to London. Who wouldn't if they were granted with a potential chance to meet their idols?

But of course,I had to waste PJ's precious time in trying to organise something that had a slim chance of happening in the first place.  And that thought sent me even deeper into feeling like total and utter shit about myself.

"PJ,it's fine." I manage to choke out,putting every ounce of sincerity I had into my voice. "It's not your fault they couldn't make it. You tried your best."

"Yeah but-"

"PJ. Just leave it."

PJ still looked unconvinced,but he nodded at me and made his way back to sit on the sofa. It was then that I noticed that Clodagh and Chris were staring over at me from the sofa.Clodagh was biting her lip and staring at me with a concerned expression on her face.  She probably thought I was going to burst into tears or something.

Chris looked like he was ready to punch a wall,his jaw was clenched and his eyes looked dark and stormy as he stared at me. Anyone could tell he was pissed from a mile off. If I didn't know any better, I would say he was ticked off at me. But judging from his tense past history with Dan,I could tell he was ticked off at him, not me.

As PJ sat down with his back slightly turned away from him,Chris mouthed four little words that made my blood boil in anger:"I told you so."

"So is there any chance you could tell  us what Dan is working on with Phil?"  Clodagh asks innocently,looking up at PJ with big Bambi eyes. Oh, I see what she's doing...

However, PJ seems to see right though her innocent act and just shoots a smirk back at her."Nice try. But I'm under strict orders from the Internet Cult Leader not to tell anyone what he's working on."

"Aww...well, at least I tried." Clodagh shrugs. After that, the conversation resumes but I'm barely paying any attention. 

The time is half past two in the afternoon and I decide to slip away quietly from the gang to make myself some lunch. Aunt Niamh has popped out to get some more groceries, but I'm too hungry to wait until she comes back. Chris notices me heading in the direction of the kitchen and calls out "Could you get me a sandwich while you're at it,Ashlinn? I'm starving!"

I turn around on my heel and glare at Chris, he just shoots me an infuriating grin. "What am I, a maid? Get it yourself if you're so bloody hungry!"

To my satisfaction, the grin is wiped off Chris's face. He lets out a groan as he heaves himself to his feet and walks over to where I'm standing.

"Do you guys want anything?" I ask Clodagh and PJ. PJ wants a cup of tea with milk and no sugar, Clodagh wants her tea with two sugars and no milk. I look pointedly at Chris as we walk into the kitchen. "See,that's how you're supposed to ask when you're in someone's home-politely."

"Eh." Chris shrugs. "I was too hungry to ask politely."

"Maybe so, but surely it wouldn't kill you to have some manners!"

By now, Chris is leaning up against the counter watching me as I get to work, buttering slices of bread and putting ham and cheese in between them. He wrinkles his nose in disgust at the cheddar as he states"I don't like cheese."

"Then you'll be pleased to know that this isn't your sandwich Kendall, it's mine. Why don't you make yourself useful and make some tea?"

An irritated huff comes out of Chris's mouth, as he flicks on the kettle and takes out mugs for Clodagh and PJ. I notice him take three extra mugs out of the press,and I frown in confusion. "We only need two mugs."

"I know that,Captain Obvious. I just fancied a cup of tea, and I figured you might want one as well. After all if there's one thing the Irish crave constantly, besides Guinness of course...it's tea right?"

I wanted to throttle Chris for bringing Irish stereotypes into the conversation, but at the same time, I couldn't disagree with him. "Maybe so, but being Irish has nothing to do with it."

We work in silence then, until Chris holds out a pink and white polka dot mug full of tea right under my nose. "Thanks." I mutter, taking the warm mug from him and relishing the way it warms up my freezing hands. I inhale deeply and let the strong scent of tea waft though my nostrils. I'd never admit this to Chris, but the smell of tea is one of my most favourite scents in the world.

"That's not your mug idiot, that's Maeve's. I'm making yours now." With a cheeky grin, he holds out my mug-it's a white ceramic mug dotted with green shamrocks and it says "luck of the Irish" on it.

I mentally curse Aunt Niamh for having such tacky mugs in her cupboard, before hitting Chris across the back of the head lightly. He lets out a small yelp similar to Phil's and he glares at me. "Bugger" he mumbles darkly.

"Eejit." I smirk back at him, taking my mug out of his hands. "I'll be down in a minute, I just need to hand this up to Maeve."

With a grunt in reply, Chris gets to work on his own cup of tea, while I exit the kitchen through the hallway door. I try carefully not to spill a drop,as my feet pad across the carpeted upstairs hallway to the spare bedroom.

When I enter, Maeve is curled up on her bed reading a book. As she hears me enter the room, she puts it down and smiles widely up at me. But it's a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Ah, did ya make me a cup of tea? God bless you, you're a saint." Maeve says in her stage Irish accent, making me smile a little.

What's Maeve doing up here by herself? She's not reading, I can tell from a glance she's only read a few pages of her book. Why didn't she come downstairs? It's not like her to be so anti-social. However, I sense that it's better not to voice my concern out loud. She  doesn't need me nagging at her. After all, I feel like my way of comforting her doesn't do anything to solve the problem she's in.

Instead, I ask her "How's yer mam?" (Yes, this is how we Dubliners speak.)

"Ah, she's grand. Da and the kids are grand too. She told me to say hi to you and she hopes you're having a good time."

I feel a twinge of guilt deep in the pit of my stomach as I take a sip of my tea. Yeah Mrs.Connell, I'm having a good time all right...on your borrowed money. Did I mention I lied? Yeah, sorry about that. "Yeah, it's gone pretty well...mostly." I open my mouth to tell her about the failed meetup, but she beats me to it. "I know."

"Did you overhear us talking?"

"No, but I did hear PJ talking to Dan."

This piques my interest, and I raise an eyebrow slightly at her. "And?"

"Well,I only heard PJ talking from time to time, and Dan's voice was like a faint buzz to my ears but...he sounded stressed. Like, really stressed. Pissed off even. PJ even said to him at one point "She's not just another fangirl, she's different Dan. I'm not even sure why she is, I'm only going on my instincts. And I haven't let you down so far ,have I?"

"...And?"

"It sounded like he wasn't taking any nonsense from him, not even for a second.  His excuse was his "top-secret projects".

"It makes sense. He's getting pretty famous on Youtube after all. He's probably getting tons of offers to do a bunch of cool things he wouldn't be able to do if he wasn't a Youtuber."

"Well,maybe that's true but don't you think he should at least meet his viewers seeing as they're the ones that made it all happen in the first place?"

"That's what Youtube conventions are for."

"But what about the people who can't afford it? We're university students Ashlinn, we're not made from money."

"Technically, you're not a university student."

"I'm not enrolled at a academic university, but that's beside the point. My point is that we're not exactly rich-we're not even adults yet."

"I know that. But PJ could always arrange something another time."

"But that's not fair on PJ either." As much as I hated to admit it, she had a point. We both quietly sipped our teas in silence before Maeve mumbles"Look, I know how you wanted to meet Dan, Ashlinn. And I know you're still disappointed that things fell apart so soon, but we have five days left. Enjoy them. Think of your video with PJ and that number one bestseller you'll write someday."

Maeve's pep talk makes me slightly better, and that's when I'm reminded of the people downstairs currently waiting for me. "Well, I'd better head downstairs." I say, getting to my feet and shuffling over to the doorway. "Are you coming with me?"

"Nah, I'll stay up here. I don't want to get in the way." I know that excuse all too well...

"You do know that I think PJ likes you, right? And not in a platonic way either."

Maeve's face flushes pink."Uhm, I don't think so. He might just like me like he likes you,you know? Tectonically or whatever." So maybe she does have feelings for him, she doesn't normally become flustered over boys. I shrug, turning away from her.

"Suit yourself. I'm just going to hang out with a hot Italian for the next half hour."

In the blink of an eye, Maeve has sprung up from her bed and thrown her book to one side."WellonsecondthoughtIguessIcouldjoinyouguys."

I laugh at her sudden change of heart. "Well, that's more like the Maeve I know. Come on then, eejit."

~~~
"Could you take this out to the kitchen, Ashlinn?" Chris grins cheekily, holding up an empty plate littered with crumbs.

Maeve lets out a "Hmph!" noise of disapproval, as I roll my eyes at him.  "You know what I'm going to say." I nod my head towards the direction of the kitchen, and Chris seems to get the message as he scowls at me and hauls himself to his feet, making a big bloody production out of it. 

Clodagh and PJ hardly notice, they're both staring at PJ's laptop. PJ's eyes seem to be furrowed in concentration, as Clodagh watches the screen with interest.  I quickly scoot over beside her and peer over her shoulder, while Maeve takes Chris's place on the sofa.  I can't help but raise my eyebrows when I see what he's doing.

"You're editing our video!"

PJ turns to look at me, grinning."And I'm almost done too. It normally takes a few tips and tricks to make the KickThePJ magic happen, but because this is a Slurp video the process is slightly quicker."

"It looks good!" I nod in approval, Maeve does the same and she adds "So editing is the hardest part?"

"Definitely." PJ and I say in unison.

"It only takes an hour to film a video like this, but some of my videos are scattered in a couple of different shooting locations, or they have different parts.Some of them require lots of DIY and artwork, so it can often  take me more time to shoot them and then edit them, but editing short films is an absolute nightmare..."

I watch on like a proud mother as PJ explains the process of video-making to Maeve, while she nods shyly and listens attentively. I catch Clodagh's eye with a smirk, Clodagh mouths at me "I ship it." 

I nod in agreement. It's nice to see Maeve infatuated  with someone who's not a total jackass(and who I actually like and trust.)

"I'm telling you, they're gonna start dating." Chris mumbles in my ear, making me jump. I turn around to see him sitting next to me on the arm of the couch. He's almost as close to me  he was on the Tube(but not quite.)

"I know right?" Clodagh leans over me excitedly to face Chris, almost  elbowing my stomach in the process. "I'm trying to come  up with a ship name."

"How about Pave?"  Chris suggests.

Clodagh shakes her head."Noooo that's weird. KickTheMaeve perhaps?"

"That sounds even worse. MJ maybe?"

"Chris, I refuse to have the ship name with the same initials as Michael Jackson."

"...Personally, I think MJ sounds pretty good."

"Seriously, Ashlinn?"

"...Did we just agree on something?"

"Yes,seriously and kind of Kendall, don't get your hopes up."

"Ahem." All three of us turn slowly(and in unison,might I add) to see PJ and Maeve looking at us pointedly.

"Please refrain from discussing our ship name in front of us." PJ states calmly, his cheeks flushed a light pink.

"It's very rude. Also, we can hear you." Maeve adds, her cheeks the same shade as PJ's.

We all try not to laugh. They're probably our new OTP, to be honest.

Soon enough, PJ has finished editing  the video and its thumbnail,  and it's ready to upload to Youtube. "So it's almost time..."I state nervously, as I watch him type out the description of the video and paste his social media links,and links to my channel and social media underneath.  

"Guess so." He shrugs.  Clodagh and Maeve are hunched over him, breathing intently and practically invading his personal space. I can see why, the process behind making a Youtube video seems fascinating to them. But Chris looks unfazed, he looks like he's about to fall asleep from sheer boredom. I guess that's part of his normal "couldn't give a shit"attitude.

"You might want to start letting people know the video is uploading." PJ mutters. As he does so,my phone buzzes with a new notification from Twitter.

@KickthePJ Stay tuned for a new Slurp video featuring the lovely @fanaticfangirl!

I decide to compose a Tweet of my own to back up PJ's one.

So I might have a collab video with @KickThePJ up in a few minutes on his channel?!? ;)

Maeve smiles when she sees my tweet."I like it. Very teasing,all of your viewers will be dying to know what you've filmed."

Chris lets out a "hmph" sound through his nose,muttering "Not much."  As usual, that snarky comment got on my nerves but I refrained from commenting. 

I had quickly learned that was the best way to deal with him. I wish I had realised that sooner.

Soon enough, the video was uploading to Youtube and I was pacing the room nervously. What if people didn't like it? What if his audience didn't like me? What if no one subscribed?

What if-

"It's just uploaded." PJ says,rooting me to the spot.Well, I guess there's no point in thinking about "what if's" now.

It's time to let the viewers control what happens.

"Can we watch it?" Clodagh asks, Maeve nods eagerly in agreement.PJ just nods and goes onto the link for the video.

"I thought you watched the full thing already?" Chris asks.

"Only about half of it. And that bit was cut from the final video."

"Peej, are you seriously going to give your own video a view?"

"Like you don't do it ten times a day."

Chris flinches and then moves down beside me on the couch, trying to get a closer look at PJ's laptop screen. He still smells faintly of oranges.  The video begins to play, and I try not to cringe at seeing myself on the screen. 

You would think that because I've been making videos for a while,that I'd be used to hearing myself talk on screen  but I haven't quite gotten over the weirdness of it yet. I still hate hearing my own voice to be honest. I don't know why, maybe it's just me or maybe it's a normal thing. Regardless, I still hate it.

Chris, Clodagh and Maeve seem to enjoy the video. They laugh at all of the  funny parts of the video, and comment on my cheesy puns. They lose their cool when it gets to the "Single Ladies" part of the video. It's not so much the fact that we're dancing to Beyonce, it's the fact that PJ is in a black leotard and heels.

"I'm not letting you live this one down." He cackles evilly,earning a death glare from PJ. PJ groans and rolls his eyes up to heaven, as Clodagh and Maeve laugh at him on screen. I grab my vlogging camera from where I had left it on the table and state "If there is one person who can make PJ Liguori dress in a black leotard and wear high heels-it's me." 

I quickly mention that my video with PJ is up and that a link will be in the description below-just to add to the vlog . Chris pops his head into the frame and sticks his tongue out at the lens. I sigh dramatically as he does so."I'm also here with Chris. Say hi Chris."

"Top O' the morning to ya!"

I shoot a death glare at him and then sigh back at the lens of the camera. "This is what I've had to be dealing with for the past two days...lovely." I turn the camera off as soon as Chris begins to protest how his "dashing charms" are irresistible to women.

I ignore him,as I peer over Clodagh's shoulder at the laptop. Already, the video had hit 6,000 views and there were mostly positive comments about the video-"OMG I love this" "Nice work you two!" "This made my day"

"Look at what this person said" Maeve points out. "This FanaticFangirl must have insane powers of persuasion to make PJ wear high heels."

"Well, he or she isn't half wrong there mate." PJ shrugs, making us all laugh.

I can't keep the smile off my face as I look at my phone in my lap, looking at the notifications coming in from Youtube-new subscribers and people commenting on my videos.

"PJ." I show him my phone and my subscriber count-ten thousand and one hundred subscribers. Itkeeps going up by the second, but he doesn't seem fazed.

"I'm honestly not surprised-I knew they'd like you."

...This is surely just good luck right?

---
...Oh, this is more than good luck.

I'm still staring at my phone in shock the next morning, as it continues to vibrate and buzz on the kitchen countertop. Last night, I was at ten thousand subscribers.

This morning, the number next to my channel name is at twenty thousand subscribers.

I can't really think of another way to articulate the situation other than mumbling "Holy shit" under my breath every ten seconds or so.

I had hoped that people would subscribe to my channel as a result of the video, but I didn't think that much people would actually like me. The views on my old videos were going up as well-namely my Harry Potter impressions video and my Mortal Instruments sketch. Those were listed as the most popular videos on my channel, which was probably why people were watching those ones first. I couldn't blame them. As a regular viewer of Youtube, I tended to do the same thing myself.

Maeve stumbled into the kitchen yawning loudly, and adjusting her belt on her dressing gown. Her eyelids were crusted with sleep and her hair resembled a bird's nest. As I shoved  my glowing phone screen in her face with excitement, she let out a long groan. "Wha?"

"Ten thousand subscribers,Maeve! Ten thousand subscribers overnight!"

"That's great. Now, please let me have a cup of coffee before I strangle you."

Man, I'd forgotten how cranky she was before having her daily cup of of coffee in the mornings. "Sure, no problem."

Maeve trudged over to the kettle, flicking it on."Are you going to have a cup too?"

"No thanks, I'm good. I'll buy some on the way to RADA."

Maeve nodded, as she grabbed a mug from the cupboard. "So today is Clodagh's big day?"

"Yeah. Aunt Niamh left the house with her an hour ago. I'll need to get up there for half ten ,that's when the auditions start."

Maeve casts a glance at the clock."Well, you don't need to go straight away. You have at least an hour and a half to spare."

"I probably should. I promised Aunt Niamh I would get there on time,and if I arrive even five minutes early, then she'll be thrilled. I also promised Clodagh I'd be there with Aunt Niamh for moral support."

"Obviously." Maeve let out a loud yawn,covering it with her mouth. "Speaking of family, this is the kind of thing Patrick will hear about from Niamh."

A jolt of fear runs through me, but I try to keep my breathing steady and I roll my eyes up to heaven as I do so.

"Yeah, probably. He's always looking for someone else's achievements to boast about ,so that he can rub in the fact that I'm wasting my potential-or so he thinks. It's stupid really." I tried to put as much dismissal into my voice as possible to hide the slight tremors in my voice.

It was vital for her to think I wasn't afraid.

Maeve studied me intently for a few moments, which made my nerves even more evident. Eventually, a hint of a smirk spread on her lips. "Looks like you're finally getting some guts, O'Donnell."

I feel a stab of pain in my stomach, probably anxiety. Or guilt. Or maybe a mixture of both. "Something like that."

I try not to let it get to me. Maeve will know something is up if I'm too obvious. So I dig myself even deeper into this big hole of trouble I've created for myself by trying to act cheerful as I force myself to eat my breakfast, as I slowly watch more notifications from Youtube popping up on my phone and listen to Maeve gossip about celebrities and the like.

When I finally grab my vlogging camera,purse and phone and rush out the door, I can finally attempt to push my anxiety and guilt aside. "Good morning guys! It's my fourth day in London, and I'm heading over to RADA at the moment. Why, you may ask? Well, my talented cousin Clodagh has an audition there today-" I held up two crossed fingers-"hopefully she'll get in. Also, I have a new video up with KickthePJ if you want to see that,we did a Slurp video on his channel which is basically a Q and A, involving a lot of tea. There's no video with him up on my channel as of now but hey, who knows maybe they'll be one up soon. Right now, all that's on my mind is getting a caffeine fix."

I end the clip there, planning to add in a montage of my journey on the way to some relaxing yet generic background music. I've noticed that technique in a lot of vlogs, and I've been doing it a lot this trip so I might as well start now.

And so I try to take artistic shots on my camera. I film my feet walking down the pavement, the hustle and bustle slowly increasing as I walk further into the city, and various buskers I see along the way. I'm not really sure if any of these clips fit together, I'm just trying to make this montage as interesting as possible-like the kind of thing I'd watch. I suppose when it's edited together, it's not going to be the best thing in the world,but I guess that's part of the trials and tribulations of being a Youtuber.

"Lads, I finally found a Starbucks" I point my vlogging camera up at the familiar green and white logo before turning the camera off and heading through the doors. The fresh aroma of coffee beans hits my nostrils as I walk in.

Letting my camera hang on my arm on its strap, I wait in line as I check my phone, tapping out a quick message to Aunt Niamh letting her know I'm on my way and getting coffee when I notice a new text from PJ.

Chris and I want to wish Clodagh good luck today, she'll do great.( Actually, Chris was unusually eager to wish her good luck for today but shhh I never said that if he asks;)

Interesting. I knew PJ would have sent a message wishing Clodagh good luck anyway, he's  just that kind of guy. But Chris, actually eager to be nice for once? That's new.

Awww thanks PJ:) I'll be sure to tell her,she'll be thrilled.

I decided that's all I would say on the topic, I was quickly approaching the top of the line anyways. And five minutes later, I was walking down the street holding an makeshift egg carton tray of hot drinks:a peppermint herbal tea for Niamh, a caramel macchiato for Clodagh, and a hazelnut hot chocolate for myself(I figured I needed a break from caffeine) trying to make a mad dash for the nearest Tube station.

Eventually,I found the familiar red and blue London Underground logo after passing it twice(to be fair,it wasn't easily noticeable), but the drinks had lost a lot of heat by the time I descended the steps of the station. I silently cursed myself for being so hopeless with directions, Aunt Niamh and Clodagh would be lucky to be getting lukewarm drinks at this rate.

Buying a Tube ticket and finding my way to the correct platform was just as infuriating, especially while carrying the drinks. People didn't even glance at me though, I suppose a lot of interns bustle about London doing the exact same thing every day. However, when I finally got onto the right Tube train carrying the tray haphazardly, I couldn't help but feel very self-conscious.Thankfully, I was able to find a standing space that left me enough room to hold the tray of drinks comfortably and I managed to get by for most of the journey.

As I approached the last station before my stop, I thought that maybe I could make the whole journey with the drinks intact. 

But that  wasn't enough to brace me for what happened next.

The Tube train abruptly stopped to a halt, as it stopped at the station making the carriages rock violently. The doors opened, and a flood of people barged their way onto the train. I let out a little sigh of relief at every near miss(and believe me there was a lot of them), and I thought that my tray of drinks might stay intact.

Until a blurry black figure rushed onto the train into the space beside me, elbowing me violently as the Tube doors shut. There wasn't enough time for me to regain my balance,and the drinks tray slipped from my hands. It hit the ground with a loud clatter, and passengers shot me a look of disgust as caffeine spilt all over the floor of the train.

I cringed avoiding their gaze,seeing as my jeans were now soaked in lukewarm coffee, as well as the ends of my hair. My top had managed to escape most of the damage, but I looked like I'd just gotten out of a swimming pool. I turned to glare at the man standing beside me in his black raincoat, who was nervously facing the other way, pretending like nothing had happened.

"What the hell?!" I hissed furiously at him. "Look at what you've done!"

The man ignored me, still choosing to look the other way until all of the passengers shooting me dirty looks had looked away, the incident already forgotten from their minds.  Eventually, he mumbled out an incoherent apology along the lines of "I'm sorry."

"Well, couldn't you have been more aware of your surroundings?"

The man turned around to face me, and my heart almost stopped. How come I didn't notice sooner? I'd spent years looking at that face through my laptop screen, and now here it was right in front of me.

Dan Howell simply blinked awkwardly at me and then looked away, biting the inside of his cheek nervously.

For the second time that day, there was no way to describe the situation other than "holy shit." 

The very same Dan Howell who I'd watched for years on my computer screen was standing in front of me, someone who I'd admired and respected for ages(hell, I had the most embarrassing schoolgirl crush on him!) 

And I'd just snapped at him in public like a twat.

Well, what a great start to the day Ashlinn. 

What did I do now? This was so awkward...should I just leave it? But what if he changed his mind and wanted to do my foolish meetup request and met me again, then he'd be really pissed off.  There was no choice but to come clean and tell the truth.

Sure, I'd just seem stupid but hey,that's  pretty much the story of my life.

"I'm sorry" I spoke clearly at Dan, making him turn around to look awkwardly at me before I elaborated further. "For snapping at you, I mean. I haven't had my usual dose of caffeine yet."

"Uh, that's okay. I'm really sorry for spilling your coffee all over you." Dan shrugged apologetically.

"That's ok...I can always find another Starbucks. I'm Ashlinn,by the way."

Dan seemed to shift slightly on his feet, and a flicker of surprise showed in his dark brown eyes as he stared at me intently. "Nice to meet you, Ashlinn. I'm Dan."

The train came to a shuddering halt, as commuters got on and off the train all around us. "I-is this your stop?" Dan stuttered, awkwardly pointing to the station platform outside the train.

A jolt of panic rushes through me as I realise he's right, and I quickly nod and mumble a incoherent response, before quickly pushing my way past the stream of commuters to get off the freaking Tube train and trying to hide my intense feelings of embarrassment because oh my god, I just snapped at freaking danisnotonfire.

I think I can hear frantic footsteps behind me, but I don't dare to glance over my shoulder.  I make it out onto the platform,relieved to be off the train. But  I soon realise I've left my spilt drinks and discarded tray behind, and I cringe slightly as the doors to the Tube train shut and it quickly departs the station in a matter of seconds.

"A-are you ok? You look kind of stressed out." I jump slightly, as I hear Dan's voice from behind. My eyes widen slightly, and I spin around on my heel to face him.

"Well, that's because I am. Stressed out, I mean. I have to be across town for my cousin's  audition in half an hour, and I promised I'd bring her a hot drink or coffee or something, and I said I'd bring one for my aunt too, and ugh it's all just a mess."

Dan blinked rapidly again at my stressed outburst, looking very awkward about the whole thing. He quickly put a hand on my arm, and gently dragged me off the platform torwards the shops at rhe front of the station.  We stopped near the main entrance to the station, and Dan told me to "wait for a few minutes."

I was quite confused as to what he was doing, until I realised he was heading towards the nearest coffee shop. Oh my gosh, no way in hell. At that point however, he had just joined the queue and I felt too awkward to say anything, so I just waited where he told me to.

Which I kind of regretted doing a couple of minutes later, when he came out with another tray of hot drinks for me. "Oh no, you really didn't have to!" I protested as he got closer.

Dan held the tray out to me "No, I insist. Please accept it as an apology."

I stared at those brown eyes of his,those eyes that I'd spent years looking at through my laptop screen. They were so earnest, so full of honesty that I eventually took the tray off him and smiled slightly.  "Thank you."

Dan shot a small smile at me, a hint of those famous dimples showed on his face which almost made me blush."Uhm, so I'll see you then."

"Yeah,see you."

Dan awkwardly started to head back towards the barriers that lead to the train platforms(which made me feel bad as it showed he'd gotten off just for me and not at his stop.) He had only gone a few steps when I noticed a thick wedge of torn notebook paper wedged into the tray.

With one hand precariously holding the tray of drinks, I opened the note and smiled. Putting down my drinks on a nearby bench, I texted the number that was on the sheet.

Sure, I'd love to meet up for coffee later. What time suits you? Ashlinn:-)

And I could have sworn I saw him in the distance pause to look at his phone and smile.

How does a cheeky Costa sound ? I know one not too far from here. How about half two ?:Dan

I noticed he was standing still , still staring at his phone as I typed my response. Yeah that's fine, text me the directions? Not from around here, as you can tell XD"

I figured XD  Shortly after, he texted the directions to me.

Ok...see you then danisnotonfire;)

Ok, see you then fanaticfangirl;)

Oh my god. he knew? I looked up to see Dan shooting me a cheeky grin, and I shot a small smile back at him picking up my drinks tray.

And as we turned to go our separate
ways, I was pretty sure that the two of us were still smiling like dorks.

~~~
So that happened! It only took me eleven chapters, but I hope it was worth it. I'm so sorry for being the worst updater in the world! Life and procrastinating got in the way , to be honest. 

But I've got a plan for this story, and for once I don't have writer's block don't worry.

In fact, I have a new story posted ! It's another fanfiction called "Cat and Mouse" and it's going to star one of my favourite Youtubers Tyde Levi:) It's a little different from anything I've  written but I hope you enjoy it.

And yeah, that's pretty much it.

I hope you're having a great day,

~Cici(queenofdaydreaming)