Picture Perfect | Daniel Ricciardo

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With her flowy skirt that had a cut on the right side going all up to above her knee and her white top with her bikini under it, Dani sat down on the beach towel. The sun was setting and the "little get together" Kurt told her about this afternoon, was bigger then she expected. Dani didn't even know half of the people here. She looked at Kurt, who was busy trying to make a fire in the middle of the circle. He apparently knew everyone as he greeted everyone that walked by him. Dani closed her eyes as she heard someone strum on the guitar together with a mix of waves from the ocean. She enjoyed the sounds as she tapped with her hand on the beat on her leg. It made her relax. Dani heard someone sit down next to her. She opened her eyes and looked next to her. To her surprise and relief, it was Nick who was sitting down next to her. 
'Did I interrupt you?' Nick asked with a smile as he put his arms around his knees. She smiled back at him, relieved that it wasn't Daniel that was sitting next to her. 
'I was just listening to the music,' Dani said back to him. Both of them looked around the party. It seemed like more and more people were arriving as the beach got fuller. She finally found the person she was looking for, but rather wished she wouldn't have found. Daniel. He was standing where all the drinks were together with their old friends; Sarah, Carl, Gavin and Corrie. Dani felt mixed feelings about seeing the group together without her. Sure, she knew that Dani was never the favourite in the group. In fact, she knew that Sarah always wanted her out of the group, but being Daniel's best friend made that task a bit difficult. 
'You don't speak with them anymore?' Nick asked Dani who followed her gaze. Dani looked back at her friend next to her. 
'Hmm?' she asked, not understanding his question. Nick smiled at her and pointed to the group that she just stared at. 
'Them. Are you still friends with them?' Nick repeated. Dani shook her head.
'No, not really.' she responded back to him. Dani looked at her hands that were resting on her lap as she felt Nick's eyes on her. 
'Better. Because you are better than them.' Nick said to Dani's surprise. She looked back at him, having that surprised look on her face. Nick shrugged. 'It's what I always thought anyway. At least better than Sarah, Corrie, Carl and Gavin. I don't really have a problem with Daniel.' 
'I do,' Dani whispered. Even though Dani didn't mean for anyone to hear that Nick did hear her loud and clear. It was now his time to look at her with surprise. 
'What happened between you two?' Nick asked but fastly changed his mind. 'Sorry, that's none of my business.'
'It's fine.' Dani said as her eyes went back to Daniel who seemed to laugh about something. Probably his own jokes. 'he hurt me... But that has been a few years ago now, probably should forget about it.'
'I'm sorry,' Nick said, putting his hand shortly on Dani's knee. 'I'll get us something to drink.'
She smiled back at him as he stood up and made his way through the party people. Dani looked around her surroundings but stopped at the sign of seeing her brother Kurt talking to Daniel. Her head turned around, but she kept an eye on them by looking at them with the corners of her eyes. It was a good thing she did that as she found them not long after that staring back at her. Dani wanted to know what they were talking about. Kurt tapped Daniel's shoulders as Daniel suddenly started to walk over to Dani. With panic, Dani looked around. Where is Nick? 
'I spilt almost twice on the way back because I got pushed around. It won't take long until everybody here is pissed,' Nick came just in time. I stood up and took the second cup out of his hands. 'Are you in a hurry?' Nick asked as the corners of his mouth started to curl up.
'Tell me Daniel isn't coming over to us,' Dani said as she had her back to Daniel. Nick put his cup against his lips as his eyes moved away from Dani to look behind her. 
'He is,' Nick said and drank out of his cup. Dani started to curse in a whisper. 'Want me to kiss you so that he doesn't disturb us?' Nick asked amused, obviously joking. A spark of hope came into Dani's eyes.
'Will you do that for me?' Dani asked, making Nick laugh. She had put her hands on his shoulders as she asked for this favour. Nick softly pushed her hands away.
'I can't do that Dani,' 
'Why not Ni-' Dani got interrupted by a voice behind her and by the look on Nicks face it could only be the one person she wanted to avoid tonight. 
'Hi Dani, Nick.' She heard Daniel say behind her. Dani gave Nick a look that should've told him to not leave her with him alone, but obviously, that wasn't clear for Nick as it for him was just a last look she gave him before she had to look back at the man that apparently hurt her. She slowly turned around, looking at his eyes as that was the thing Dani always tried to look for first. She saw Daniel first gave a look at Nick, but his eyes returned back to the woman standing in front of him. He smiled at her, as a friend would smile to his best friend. But that smile on Daniel's face wasn't his confident smile that he would always wear so proudly and people knew him with. His smile seemed quite confident, but to Daniel, it was far from it. Sometimes it was easy for him to know what Dani was thinking, definitely when they were children and they most likely thought the same thing. But since they got teenagers it meant that they both got their own minds and it has gotten harder for Daniel to know exactly what Dani was thinking. Now it even got harder to know what she was thinking. 
'I'll leave you two alone,' they heard Nick say awkwardly. They had been staring at each other a bit too long and Nick felt a bit too awkward to stay. 
'He's probably weirded out by us now,' Daniel said with a short laugh following. Dani, however, didn't seem amused. She showed a short smile but anyone could see it wasn't sincere. He started to talk further, in the hope she would give in. 'It was nice for us yesterday to finally talk again. Brings back memories of the two of us. Like all those nights we spend here at the beach. However, it always seemed like we ended up pushing each other into the water.' Daniel was surprised when Dani turned away from him as he told the story. She started to walk away from the party. Daniel followed her immediately and walked behind her.
'What do you really want, Daniel?' Dani dared to ask as her mind have been asking since yesterday when he talked to her for the first time in years. Dani couldn't see Daniel's confused eyes as he didn't expect her to be so cold to him. 
'What do you mean? I'm just trying to put on a conversation with you. I missed you.' Daniel grabbed her arm as he pulled her to him to show her he meant what he said. Her heartbeat went up fastly as they suddenly were so close their bodies were touching. She didn't expect him to pull her so close to him and she didn't want to give in on him. 
'Daniel,' Dani whispered in a sigh. His hands moved to her jaw. His thumb making slow up and down movements on her cheeks. 
'I mean it, Dani. I missed you,' Her eyes met his as his face came closer and closer to her. It was until she felt his lips on hers that she closed her eyes and let herself kiss him back. 

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A/N: Hope you like this chapter! 😘