A Secret Worth Keeping

Chapter 2

Stefania's drive home had been no less contemplative. Her hands, shaking with excitement, gripped the steering wheel as she navigated busy LA streets, making her way home. She had been thinking all day of inviting Danielle over. Well, no, technically all weekend as that was the real reason she had spent two days making the tiramisu! She shook her head and chuckled, thinking of how she always made the excuse, when friends or her brother pleaded with her to make the delectable dessert, that it was too much work. Yet here she was, having spent the last two days doing exactly that, just in the hopes that she could tempt Danielle's sweet tooth, and give her a convincing reason to come over. She had finished on the Grey's set two hours ago, but knew shooting had been delayed on Station 19. So, she spent the two hours nervously pacing in her trailer, rehearsing how she wanted to invite Danielle over. She had been planning to be sweet, casual, and relaxed, but then Danielle had made the comment about her body, and some of Stefania's resolve had broken and a coy, seductive quip spilled out of her mouth. Goodness, if only Danielle knew what her words did to her all the time! 

At this point, Stefania knew her feelings for Danielle went well beyond co-star, on-screen love interest, and real-life friend. She was madly in love with the stunning blonde. She'd known it for months. During quarantine, she had tried to throw herself into working on her house, reading a pile of books, educating herself on American history and the current issues in the country, and spending as much time as possible outside with Jeff. There was no doubt that she had been very productive, but Stefania knew it was a ploy to keep her mind off of Danielle. At first, she missed all of her Shondaland family, but as weeks passed, her longing to spend some quality time with just Danielle only grew. Sure, they'd kept in contact via text and then FaceTime, but it wasn't the same. It was when Danielle was on her RV trip that Stefania was forced to face what her feelings really meant. Not being able to be in contact as much due to spotty cell service and Danielle's adventure-filled days meant that Stefania thought about the woman more than ever before. It didn't take long before she realized her feelings were not just tied to Maya the character, she was in love with Danielle herself. If course she was in love...Italians always fall in love too easily, she had said so herself! But for some reason, this time Stefania felt that it was worth fighting for, even if it could break her heart.

Stefania had tried dropping hints, just to figure out if there was any way Danielle felt remotely the same. They had done a few Instagram Lives at the beginning of quarantine, and each time Stefania had to watch her words so she wouldn't let something slip. It worked until the Live at Danielle's house when she blurted out that she had full-on fantasies and got completely turned on when filming their on-screen their sex scenes.  Although completely embarrassed that she had admitted the fact in front of thousands of people watching, she still had to restrain herself from turning to capture Danielle's lips with hers when she had felt the strong arms slide around her neck in a backwards hug.

The next several weeks had flown by in a blur. Danielle and Alisha took off on their roadtrip, Stefania worked even harder at her house, and even took some camping trips of her own to celebrate her birthday and the fact that quarantine restrictions were easing a little. And then came the news that she was being made a series regular on Station 19! When Stefania got off FaceTime with Krista that day, she immediately wanted to call Danielle, but begrudgingly knew that it had to be kept a secret for just a little while. The waiting game was so hard. But all was made well again on a bright sunny morning when the personification of Sunshine breezed through her door, full of energy and dying to congratulate Stefania, in-person, about her promotion. The surprise was exactly what the new series regular needed. And god, Danielle looked so hot. Carina smiled now, thinking of the memory. That was the day she knew the energy between them was changing. She felt something that began to convince her that Danielle felt the same way she did.

Then their Live last week after the season 4 premiere. Stefania had been so disappointed when Danielle called to say they had to work late. She had planned for them to cuddle up together at her house, watching the premiere, and reflecting on how happy she was they had been brought together as friends because of the show. But, being able to go live with Danielle after Grey's had ended was nearly as good, for when Stefania saw the blonde's face pop up on her screen, she couldn't ignore the way her heart flipped and the butterflies she got in her stomach just by looking into those strikingly beautiful blue eyes. There was an undoubted connection, and she just knew by the way those blue eyes held onto her gaze, that Danielle felt it too. Really, it was after those short few minutes that Stefania knew it was time to lay her feelings out and wear her heart on her sleeve. And here she was, pulling into her own driveway, knowing that Danielle was only a couple minutes behind her. Regardless of what happened, Stefania knew this would be a night to remember!