⤷ the one in which the quiet girl and the dorky new guy fall for each other and sing more than a few times along the way.
♫ [s2-s6] [sam evans] ♫
published: 09.18.2020
completed: 05.21.2023
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The last time Keilani Cabral had stepped into New York City, she had been a 15-year-old mess of a teenage girl who had spent half of the time apologizing to people she accidentally collided with and trying not to become too overwhelmed at the sights and sounds of the city.
Nearly four years later, Keilani didn't feel so scared of the city anymore. Sure, the last two years of high school had helped her confidence grow from what it was. Being at college, however, had caused those feelings to skyrocket, and it was mainly due to the people she had met. Keilani loved her McKinley friends. But, she had also made incredible friends at Yale already, and she was finally in a school environment that made her feel happy.
Keilani wasn't making the trip to New York City just for Rachel's opening night. Sure, Keilani was excited for Rachel and how she was achieving a dream she had since she was born. All Rachel had ever talked about since Keilani had known her was Broadway, and to see her make her debut in her dream role made Keilani happy, no matter how many times that had fought in the past.
But, Keilani was a little more excited to see a certain blonde who had been practically bursting with happiness ever since Keilani told him she was visiting.
The two hadn't been able to visit each other nearly as much as either of them wanted. Keilani had been able to make a trip up to New York to visit him during Thanksgiving break, and the two had reunited when they were both back in Lima for Christmas. They talked every single day, whether it was through texts or video calls, so it wasn't as if they weren't feeling distant from each other emotionally. It was just feeling physically distant for each other.
As much as it hurt Keilani the longer she went without him, she knew how important it was for Sam to keep working because of how difficult it was to get started in the modeling industry. Every new job or photo shoot was a victory for them both, and Keilani didn't want to hinder him just as his career was getting started.
Plus, it wasn't as if Sam didn't feel bad every time he booked a shoot on a weekend where he could've visited her or vice versa. He felt terrible the longer apart he was from Keilani, especially when she was so understanding every time he had to talk about it.
It wasn't as if Keilani was sitting around and doing nothing in New Haven, either. Between Keilani's academically rigorous schedule and actually having – as shocking as it seems – a social life, she barely had enough time for herself as it was. She had practically thrown herself into Yale life. But, it was the happiest she had been in a long time. The only thing she would change is being able to see her boyfriend more frequently.
With the craziness of their schedules and life getting in the way, Keilani and Sam hadn't been able to see each other since New Years Day. So, when Rachel's opening night just happened to line up with the first Saturday of Keilani's spring break, she had known immediately where she would spend her holidays.
