Chapter 42: Home Is Where The Heart Is

~ A year later ~

Abi rolls her eyes as Phil adjusts the hem of her blazer for the fiftieth time.

"For Christ's sake, Phil," she grumbles. "It's fine."

"Emily says that they're not supposed to be completely even, but slightly apart?" Phil murmurs, still trying to fix her blazer. "What does that even mean?"

"That your girlfriend is a dork," Dan retorts. Phil rolls his eyes and Abi laughs.

"Be nice," she playfully scolds.

"You first," Dan shoots back when Phil gives up on the blazer. Abi giggles, pecking his cheek. They all hear a small buzz from Phil's pocket, and when he pulls out his phone, his smile grows.

"Louise says Striker's clawing at the TV," Phil laughs. "Do you know when you're going on?"

"Five minutes," she says, throwing her phone on the couch besides her mini-TV. She watches as Dan gets another gummy bear and adds, "You know, we have to save those gummies for an important person when they get into their dressing room."

"Important person?" Dan echoes. "Do I have to remind you that you're the most popular music blogger of this day and age?"

"Calm down, you have a biased opinion."

"Numbers don't lie, Abi," Phil chirps from behind, sneaking another gummy bear into his mouth. She blushes, and thanks any higher power up there that someone calls all three of them down to the set.

When they get there, Abi watches nervously as the reporter prepares her notes and some crew members adjust the chair she'll be sitting on in front of about thousands of people so that it's slightly angled away from the camera.

"Y'all are doing great!" Phil yells to everyone to break the tension. Abi covers his mouth immediately, smiling shyly at everyone else.

"Dork," she hisses.

"Right back atcha," Phil says smugly. His phone buzzes again, and when he realizes that it's a call this time, he goes off to answer it.

"So, you nervous?" Dan asks. Abi rolls her eyes.

"Understatement," she mutters. Dan goes behind Abi's back, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"I can change the question," he replies. "Does Jonathan know you're on in five? He better be switching all the channels and what not."

Abi scoffs. "He's only going to be doing that because he wants to make sure I promo him and the shop. He's such a greedy owner."

"You literally have two jobs at that place: store managing, and advertising."

"Don't go all logic on me," Abi giggles. She traces a finger up Dan's chest and flicks his nose playfully. Dan smiles, and presses a soft kiss on her lips.

"You're going to do great, okay?"

"Of course." Abi takes a deep breath as the camera-person waves her onto the set. She adjusts her blazer. "I'm going to do great."

Phil jogs back to Abi and Dan and says, "Emily wishes you the best!"

"Were you out in the back getting off to her voice again?" Dan snickers. Phil punches him in the arm, and Abi just laughs, pecking Phil on the cheek.

"Going on," Abi says. "I hope you didn't wreck Emily too hard because I want her to watch as well."

Phil furiously blushes, and Abi goes onto the set and sits on the chair. She smiles nervously at the camera-person.

One,
Two,

Thr—

The interview goes decently well, Abi thinks. She can't really judge—it was her first interview after all—but it went smoothly for something that was live.

The interviewer asks questions about her blog ("3.2 million people," she says, "how do you do it?" "I guess people really like music.") and asks about her family (she wonders if her dad is watching this right now).

Dan and Phil are at the sidelines, mimicking things like "straighten your back" and "you're doing great!" every few minutes to keep her going. She fights off the urge to laugh, but does end up straightening her back.

During the last few minutes of the interview, Abi hears the question she was expecting.

"I know that you are friends with Dan Howell and Phil Lester, famous British vloggers who both share almost 10 million subscribers."

"No need to boost their ego," Abi jokes, and she sees Dan mimic a cut-throat action, and Phil's hand being thrown onto his heart. She stifles a laugh.

"Of course," the interviewer laughs back. "But I was curious if you think that you somewhat owe your success to them? To what extent do you think they helped you with your career?"

Abi pauses.

"Well, they don't really share any part of my success on the blog," she answers, "anyone could get famous on Tumblr. However, I would think that Dan and Phil people more...aware that it exists. But it I know that I'm not a fan-blog; I am a music critic. If people came for Dan and Phil, they would've left by now, because I dton' mention Dan or Phil on her blog, and never will."

She smiles. "People were there because of me, and that's all that was important. Granted, they're not getting anything other than my opinions, so I guess that's another indicator."

"Right," the interviewer says. Abi feels like that isn't the answer she wanted, so she clears her throat.

"But I can't hog all the credit," she says; "after all, they helped me get a career. If it wasn't for them, I'd probably be running on poor fast-food salaries or I'd probably be dead."

She sneaks a glance at Dan and Phil, who were watching with smiles. She smiles too.

"The road to here has been really hard," she continues. "I don't think I would ever want to do it again. But then again...I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."

She looks at the interviewer once more.

"Even if Dan and Phil didn't directly help my career, they did give me what I couldn't get before — a home." She feels her heart race and she folds her hands neatly on her lap. "I guess home is where the heart is, and I've found that my heart belonged with them."

The interviewer's smile was nothing compared to Dan and Phil's.

After the cameras go off and Abi shakes the interviewer's hand, she runs to Dan and Phil and wraps them in a tight hug.

"You were great, Abi," Phil says, ruffling her hair. She rolls her eyes, but touches his nose with her index finger anyway.

As Phil goes off—no doubt to grab more snacks from the change room before leaving—Dan pulls Abi in a tight kiss.

"I love you," he says when they pull back.

Abi says the same thing, but with one word less:

"I do."

It only takes a second, but Abi would replay that second over and over again if it meant seeing him smile.

"Let's start a home together, okay?" Dan says, holding her hands. Tears slide down both of their faces, and Abi kisses him once more.

"Home is with you," she whispers. "It has always been with you."