"stop that," dan says, handing me my drink.

"stop what?"

"that," he responds, waving in my direction. "frowning. you're suppose to be the happy one. when you're upset i'm upset, and i'm not really in the mood to be upset."

rolling my eyes, i shake my head and laugh softly. "fine, i'm sorry."

he nods in approval. "good."

the cafe we're at is only a few blocks down from the uktalent building. after the meeting we came straight here, desperate to get some caffeine. we're seated next to the window, my preferred seat in any restaurant - dan's too. being here makes me feel calm. i don't know why, but cafes have always had this weird effect on me. once i walk into one, it's like i enter my happy place. it's like i can leave my problems at the door as i take pleasure in a hot chocolate, extra whipped cream. 

still, the whole management situation sits at the back of my mind. i know i made a bad judgment call, but there's not much i can do about it now. i already signed my life over to them. for the next five years, they basically own me.

dan sits in front of me, taking a sip of his drink while scrolling through his phone. he looks pretty. i used to feel weird any time i thought about him in a way that wasn't purely platonic, but it's true. there's no other way to describe his appearance than just really, really pretty. i remember the first time i told him that, and he just blushed and mumbled something incoherent. he knows i think he's pretty, and even after years of knowing him, he still blushes every time i tell him.

i remember one time, when i was going through a fan's tweets, they said something along the lines of "dan howell is my aesthetic." in a way, i relate.

"so what do you think's going to happen first?" dan asks, snapping me out of my thoughts. "what if we wrote a book or something? what if we made a movie? oh my god, do you think they'll let us go on tour?"

he says everything so enthusiastically that i'm surprised it's not me saying those words. "i don't know," i reply. to be honest, i really don't. this is a completely new experience for me. i'm just glad i have dan to do all this with.

he hums lightly, then turns his attention towards the window. i'm in the middle of inspecting the fake flowers on our table when he speaks again.

"you know, i think this is really exciting for us."

i nod. "mhm."

i know he wants to talk about it - my hesitation with signing the papers and all. but i won't. i'm not going to be the one to ruin his mood. i'll let him be happy. if anyone deserves to be happy, it's dan howell.

there's still a thousand questions floating around in my head, but at the moment, only one seems to stand out. without looking his way i ask, "do you think they'll change us?"

by the look of consideration on his face, i know he understands the question. and i can tell he knows that this was a genuine, serious question i was asking, one that had been bugging me for a while.

he doesn't answer. i wasn't really expecting him to.

"can we make a promise?" i ask. "once this is all done with, this whole management thing, promise we won't change? we'll be the same dan and phil throughout this whole mess?"

"of course." he smiles and nods, holding out his pinky - the ultimate way to seal a deal. when the pinky promise has been made, and everything has been said and done, he goes back to looking out the window.

at first i thought nothing of it, but soon realized that he wasn't just gazing at the clouds or people watching or anything. he was actually focusing on something. it doesn't click until i turn and see that something, too.

"phil..." he says nervously, making me concerned just from hearing him. i can tell he's anxious from the sound of his voice, just like i can tell he's trying to decide if he should stay seated at our table or get up and hide.

"yeah, dan?"

"do you..."

"i see them."

"what do we-"

"i don't know."

what must be at least twelve people have ran over to the spot right outside the window where our table is. all of them carry cameras, and not the cheap ones, either. expensive cameras are pressed up against the window, flashing at us, blinding me and dan in the process. some of the people are pounding at the window, screaming questions and yelling at us to smile. i don't even have to think to know that this was uktalent's doing. i mean, i knew they worked fast, but this was insane.

"how did they even know we were here?" dan asks, smiling this uneasy grin that i know the photographers will absolutely adore. 

i ignore his question, more focused on the fact that these people were taking pictures of me and i really didn't appreciate it. i try to look relaxed, but i know it's not working. attempting to look nonchalant, i run my fingers through my hair, hoping to make myself look somewhat presentable. people in the cafe have gathered towards our table, trying to see what all the fuss is about.

"run?" dan asks.

i nod fervently, already up and out of my seat.