𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑮, djs ✓

Rather Be

daniel pov

Christian eventually picked us up and we all went home. The next morning Y/n woke me up earlier than usual, walking into my room bright and early. Last night, she fell asleep in the car, so after I carried her to bed, I let her have it all to herself. I see her walk past the foot of my bed, coming into bed next to me. "Are you awake?" she whispers, putting her head on my chest.

"No." I mumble, causing her to chuckle. I open my eyes, seeing her beautiful eyes on me. I put a strand of hair behind her air, placing my hand on her cheek. "Good morning beautiful."

"Morning to you too." she says with a warm smile. She sits up next to me, criss crossing her legs and turning her body towards me. She has an excited look on her face. I raise an eyebrow at her with a smirk, trying to figure out what she could be hiding. 

"You seem happy." I tell her, "Care to share?" She gets up, throwing my towel at me. I catch it, following her with my eyes. "Oh so you're not gonna tell me?" 

She smirks at me, walking out. She stops for a second, turning back to me, "It's a surprise." She says, closing the door after her. 

I chuckle, rolling my eyes as I get out of bed. I grab some jeans and a hoodie and walk across the hall into the bathroom. After washing up and brushing my teeth, I walk out to the living room and find Christian and Y/n there. Y/n had a bandanna in her hand. I walk over to her, seeing the same excited look on her face. "Well what's this for?" she puts her hands on my shoulders, spinning me around. She puts the bandanna over my eyes like a blindfold. "What's happening?"

"Don't worry it's good. Just trust me on this one." she says. I feel her take mine as we walk out to the driveway. I hear Christian follow us, helping Y/n guide me inside the car. "Do I need this on for the whole car ride?" I ask, already getting uncomfortable.

"I rather you would. It's not a long drive, I promise." she says, clicking her seat belt in place. I hear my door close and Christian right outside my window. "You two have fun okay?" 

"Thanks Christian." Y/n says, starting the engine. I wave straight ahead of me, even though it's probably not the right way. I try adjusting the blindfold, but it won't budge. I sit back against my seat, trying to be more calm. "So you won't tell me where we're going?" 

"Nope." she says. I can't tell if we're already on the road or not. "How you feeling?" she asks. I look straight ahead, still not seeing anything. "Um, if I'm being honest, nervous. You're not kidnapping me are you and bringing me to the airport, right?"

I hear her laugh as I say that. "No, I'm not doing that. But if I did that, it wouldn't be so bad now would it?" 

"Y/n..." I say, even more concerned. However, she just laughs even more. "Don't worry Dani, I wouldn't do that." she tells me reassuringly, I sigh of relief. The car stops, meaning we're finally here. "We're here." Y/n says in a melodic tone. "Can I take this off now?" I ask, but I get no answer. I then hear one door shut, and my door open. "Not yet." she says, unbuckling my seat belt. She takes my hand, helping me out of the car, and guiding me to the sidewalk. We walk for a little bit, stopping again. 

"Ready?" I nod my head, feeling her untie the blindfold. I open my eyes to see a very tall brick building with many arches in front of me. I look around to see a massive lawn with other people walking. This can't be what I think it is. "This is where you'll find me the next 4 years." she says, locking her arms with mine. I look up at the tall structure. I'm speechless. I look at her, seeing if she's serious. "Wait...are you saying?" A big smile forms on her face as she nods her head. "You're going to be here? In LA?" She squeals a yes as I grab her waist and pull her into a hug. I can't stop smiling, keeping her in my embrace. I look at the buildings, still amazed that she'll be here for the next 4 years. We tour around the school, looking at all the different buildings and departments. We end our tour back to where we started, on our way to the car.

"So you're telling me you found out you got in last Sunday? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise, and I see it worked." she says, keeping that sparkling smile on her face. "What do you think?" I look at everything again, taking in the lifestyle. "I think campus is great, you're gonna fit in just fine." 

"No I mean, what do you think about me being here? Like, I don't know, what are your thoughts?" she asks with a nervous tone. I look at her with a smile, putting my arm around her shoulder. "If you went to the other side of the world for college I'd be happy for you. If you stayed in your home state for college I'd be happy. As long as this is what you want I'm happy."

"This is what I want. There's no place I'd rather be than here." she says confidently as she looks up at me.

"Then I am thrilled." I say smiling, kissing the top of her forehead. We then walk back to the car, stopping for some ice cream before heading back home. We go into my room, ice cream still in hand as we hop onto my bed. Her flight is at 9 tonight, so we have a couple hours to ourselves before she has to go. I turn on a movie as she puts a blanket over us, putting her head on my shoulder. She pulls out her phone, unlocking it and then handing it to me. I take it, reading the email on the screen.

Dear Y/n Y/l/n,

Congratulations! On behalf of the UCLA Community, I am pleased to announce your admission for our upcoming school year. Please accept my personal congratulations for your outstanding achievements.

In recent years, thousands of students have applied for the limited places in our freshman class. Faced with many more talented and highly qualified candidates than it has room to admit, the Admissions Committee has taken great care to choose individuals who present extraordinary academic, extracurricular, and personal strengths. Congratulations again on the achievement, we hope to see you in the fall.

Sincerely,

Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid

I almost tear up reading the letter, unbelievably proud of her. I take her hand, kissing the top of it. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?" She blushes, positioning her head to the crook of my neck. "You may have a couple times before." 

"Well I love you." I say, she looks up at me, rosy cheeks and all. "I'm so proud of you and all that you've done. The things you've done for your brother, your friends, your parents, and for me. You're extraordinary Y/n Y/l/n, I hope you know that." She sits up, her body brushed up against mine. "Well Daniel James Seavey, you aren't too bad yourself." she says with a smile. She then leans in kissing me on the lips. I forgot how much I missed this. Just the two of us, taking in each others presence. It's magic. I kiss her back, grabbing her waist closer to me. Every little memory races through my mind. The night I first saw her, right at the door. Homecoming night. The day she first left. Her rushing to my arms opening night. Everything. Everything was perfect. None of us hold back, almost unable to breathe. It's sensational. And the fact I'll get to see her precious face almost everyday next school year only makes me more excited for the future. Our future.