Hey guys! It's been a while, huh? I've been doing all of these from Santana's side, so i thought I'd try my hand at Dani's side (sort of, I don't know). Anyways, Dani likes her friend Santana and will always be there for her, no matter what. Enjoy :)
Dani sat relaxing on her couch, enjoying the night off she had from working at the diner. She made herself some food and settled in to watch Netflix when she heard a soft knock on her front door. She was content to just let it go and wait for whoever it was to leave, but she heard a sniffle and more knocking.
"Dani? P-please...let me in..." came from a broken voice that made her leap up and rush to the door. She quickly opened it to find Santana on the other side, eyes red and puffy, tears falling in an endless stream down her cheeks. There was no nice way to put it; she looked like hell.
"Santana what's wrong? What happened?" Dani pulled Santana into her apartment, leading her to the couch and holding her close as more tears fell from the brunette's eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't kn-know where else to g-go," Santana managed to get out.
"Hey, no don't be sorry. You are always welcome here. That's what friends are for." Santana's grip on Dani's shirt tightened.
"Th-thanks Dan."
Dani just nodded and let Santana cry, keeping her arms around the brunette and softly stroking her back. It took quite a while, but eventually Santana calmed down. Before Dani could ask what had happened to cause her to break down like that, Santana fell asleep. Dani sighed and gently picked her up, carefully making her way into her bedroom. She laid Santana down on her bed and placed a blanket over top of her. Before she left, she reached over to wipe some stray tears off of Santana's face. The blonde stood up and walked to the doorway then paused, turning around to glance at the sleeping Latina.
"Somehow, you still look beautiful to me..."
A couple hours later, Dani was back on the couch watching Netflix when Santana sleepily wandered out, the blanket wrapped around her body. She made her way over to the blonde and laid down across the couch with her head in Dani's lap, watching the screen. The blonde reached over to grab the remote and turned the TV off, then placed one arm across Santana's stomach and let the other hand play with her hair. She knew how much it relaxed the brunette.
"Want to talk about it?" Dani asked gently. Santana shifted so she could look up at Dani.
"Not particularly," she sighed. "But I suppose I gotta talk about it sometime..."
"No rush, San. Take your time," Dani told her sincerely.
"Thanks D," Santana smiled weakly. She took a deep breath. "Brittany and I broke up."
The hand Dani had in Santana's hair stopped for a second as she smiled internally. "Finally," she thought. But this was neither the time nor place to think about that. She'd been good at hiding her feelings so far. She had to be there for Santana.
"I'm so sorry Santana," she said sympathetically. Whether she liked Brittany or not - she didn't - break-ups hurt. And clearly, Santana was hurting pretty badly. "What happened?"
"Well technically she broke up with me." Santana paused to wipe her eyes, then brought her hand down to rest on the arm Dani had across her stomach. "We were spending time together, then out of nowhere she said that we should break up. Took me completely by surprise."
"Did she say why?" Dani didn't want to push, but she didn't understand what would cause someone to let Santana go.
"Apparently, I've been distant and pulling away from her. I don't give her enough of my time."
"That's ridiculous. You two are practically inseparable."
"Right?!" Santana suddenly sat up. "I did so much for her! And I never expected anything in return. I did things because I loved her!" Santana stood up and started pacing back and forth, getting angry. "I did everything right! I always made sure she felt appreciated, I was always there for her. I was supportive and kind and loving...Sure we had our differences but we just worked!"
Dani was a little taken aback at how angry Santana was, but she had a right to be. One of the main reasons Dani had never liked Brittany was because she felt the dancer took Santana for granted. In her eyes, Brittany never treated Santana the way she deserved to be treated; like a queen.
"Santana, please come sit down." The brunette shook her head and continued to pace in front of the TV, clenching and unclenching her fists. "Santana look at me," Dani commanded. Santana stopped pacing and glared at her. Dani simply patted the space next to her, raising her eyebrows. Her eyes left no room for argument. Santana let out a deep sigh and trudged over to Dani, plopping down on the couch next to her.
"I don't understand," Santana said angrily. She dropped her head into her hands. "I just..." she stopped as her voice broke.
"Hey, shhh." Dani reached over and pulled Santana into her arms. The brunette snuggled right into her, a few tears dropping onto her shirt. "You have every right to be pissed off. I'm not gonna lie, I feel like the reasons she gave you are bullshit."
"We've had fights before. Why couldn't we have worked it out this time? Why did she jump straight to this instead of talking it out? We always used to..."
"I don't know."
"Do you think I can fix this?" Dani took a moment to think.
"Do you want to?"
"I'm not sure..." It was Santana's turn to think. "I'm so angry and hurt and upset I just...I don't know what to feel. I don't know what I want." Dani tightened her arms around Santana.
"Well you know that whatever you decide, I'll be there for you."
"I know. You're seriously the best, D," Santana said with a small smile, cuddling further into Dani.
"And don't you forget it."
"San, come try this!" Dani hollered from her kitchen. It had been about two weeks since Brittany and Santana had split, and the brunette had decided to give herself some time away from Brittany to process everything, really think things through. She spent a lot of her time with Dani. The blonde just made her feel better, like things were actually going to be okay in the end.
"No you come here! I'm all comfy," she shouted from the couch. Dani walked over to her with a cup full of something carbonated.
"You're lazy is what you are," she chuckled. She handed the drink to Santana. "Tell me what you think of this."
"...What's in it?" Last time Dani had handed her something and told her to drink it, she ended up with an upset stomach.
"I'll tell you after." Santana looked up at her, cocking an eyebrow. "I already tried it myself and I feel fine," Dani insisted.
"Okay, but if I get sick again you're in for an epic beat down." Dani rolled her eyes at the brunette. Santana hesitantly raised the cup to her mouth and took a small sip. Her eyes went wide and she took a bigger gulp. "Holy shit Dan!"
"I know right!" Dani grinned proudly. "It's like a party in your mouth!"
Santana spluttered as she laughed with her mouth full of the concoction. She managed to hold it all in, and after the finished the mouthful she gasped out a laugh.
"Oh wanky!"
"You're such a pervert!" Dani laughed as she sat down, smacking Santana's shoulder.
"Don't blame me, you set that one up!" Santana took another sip. "What's in this?"
"Orange Fanta and Dr. Pepper."
"It's really good!"
"Thanks," Dani smiled. She paused, fiddling with the fabric on the couch. "H-how are you feeling?"
"I feel fine this time. You got lucky," Santana teased.
"No that's not what I meant. How are you feeling about...you know..." Dani knew it was a sensitive subject.
"Oh." Santana put the cup down on the coffee table and leaned back. "I don't want to talk about it. It hurts too much. She used to be my everything, and now...now talking about it makes it all real. Makes me realize we're really done. Makes me realize I have to start over. And I don't like it." Dani nodded.
"I'm sorry," she lowered her eyes. "I didn't mean to pry."
"It's okay. I know you just want to make sure I'm okay," Santana assured her, reaching over to place her hand on the blonde's knee. "And I really appreciate it. More than you know. It means a lot to know you care so much."
"I'm always gonna care about you," Dani smiled. Santana returned it, shifting to lean her head on Dani's shoulder. "I'll always be right here, I promise."
That statement was meant as truth when Dani said it, but about a couple weeks later she got a phone call that changed everything. She quickly called Santana and told her to come over, rushing to sit her on the couch when she arrived.
"Jesus Dani, what's all the excitement for?"
"I got signed!" Dani announced with a huge smile on her face. Santana's eyes widened as her jaw dropped.
"Are you serious? Dani that's amazing!" Santana laughed and pulled the blonde in for a hug. "When did this happen? Tell me everything!" she demanded, releasing the blonde.
"A couple weeks ago I sent out partial demos to a few labels," Santana nodded, remembering when she helped Dani. "Then a few days later, one got back to me and asked for a full length original demo, so I sent it last week and I got the call today! it's not a big label, but I don't even care. As of right now I'm officially in the music industry!"
"I'm so proud of you!" Santana praised. "So what happens now?"
"Well," Dani's smile faded. "I have to move to LA next week. They want me to record out there as soon as possible."
"Oh...wow," was all Santana could manage, her smile falling. "I mean that's great and all," she said sincerely, "I'm just...gonna miss you a lot."
"I'm gonna miss you too. But I told you I would be there for you, and I don't intend on breaking that promise." Dani managed a small grin. "So get ready for a hell of a lot of random texts and late night Skype calls!"
"I'm holding you to that!"
"Okay," Dani laughed. Santana sighed and pulled Dani into her arms.
"What am I gonna do without you, D?"
"You'll be fine."
"I'm not gonna be fine, my best friend is leaving me."
"Yes you will. I'm still gonna be your best friend, just on the other side of the country. You're not getting rid of me that easily," Dani grinned.
"I guess. Will you call me and tell me all about what it's like being a star?" Santana asked.
"Every chance I get."
It worked for a while. Dani moved out to LA and began her music career, calling Santana every chance she got. Then Dani got busier and busier, and after a month the Skype sessions, calls, and texts turned into just calls and texts. Santana landed a couple photo shoots that kept her busy too, shortening the calls and texts to just texts.
By the time five months had passed, Dani's first album was ready to come out, and Santana had managed to get a small recurring role on a TV show in New York while keeping her job at the diner. They still kept in touch, but both were so busy they only managed to exchange a couple texts every now and then.
As promotion for Dani's album, her management had set up a mini tour to a bunch of major cities across the country, playing mostly smaller acoustic sets just to get people excited. One of the stops she was making happened to be New York, which was perfect because she had been missing the brunette more and more. Dani arranged to have a couple days off so she could spend time in New York, hopefully with Santana and all the other friends she missed. She decided to keep her visit a surprise, planning to go to Santana's place after her show and catch up.
A couple days before the show, she got a surprise phone call.
"Danielle?"
"You're still the only person who calls me that. What's up Rachel? It's been a while," Dani grinned.
"Yeah it has. What's up with that? Don't you miss us?" Rachel teased.
"Of course I miss you! All of you," Dani said truthfully. "I've just been super busy with the t- with stuff." She didn't want to ruin the surprise.
"Oh I know about the tour."
"Dammit! I wanted it to be a surprise. Does anyone else know?"
"I don't think so."
"Good. Let's keep it that way."
"Speaking of the tour, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"I'm going, and I was wondering if you could sing that one song? The one you asked for help with for your full length demo."
"Um...I can talk to my band and see if they're okay with it. Can I ask why?"
"I just like it. It was a really great song."
"Well it did get me signed, so..."
"True, true. Hey I gotta go, but it was great talking to you Dani."
"You too Rach. I'll see what I can do about the song. See you in a couple days."
The night of Dani's show in New York came, and the place was packed. The word had been spreading about her music, and people seemed to really like it. Dani was almost overwhelmed by the reaction she'd been getting, so when she walked out onto the stage and the audience erupted, she just stopped and took it all in. She looked at the crowd, seeing stranger after stranger there for her. Stranger, stranger, stranger, Rachel, Santana, stranger-
Dani did a double take. Sure enough, Santana was right there next to Rachel, clapping and cheering for her. She looked even more beautiful than Dani remembered. She stared at Santana for a second, beaming at the brunette, before she remembered she had a show to do. Walking over to the mic in the middle of the stage, she waved out to the audience.
"Hey guys! How are we doing tonight?" The crowd cheered. "Awesome," she grinned. "My name is Dani Harper, and tonight I'll be playing a few songs from my album coming out next month." More cheers resounded throughout the room. "Before I start, I just want to say how nice it is to be back home in New York, even just for a few days. I have some friends here tonight who I haven't seen in way too long. Even though it was supposed to be a surprise...I'm looking at you, Rachel!" She pointed directly at Rachel as the audience said a collective "oooh". Dani motioned for the crowd to settle down. "Alright, I think it's time for some music. What do you say?" Cheers and clapping echoed around as Dani launched into her first song.
Throughout her set, she couldn't seem to stop her eyes from drifting back to Santana. As she kept staring at her, she noticed the brunette looked different. Her smile didn't seemed as forced. Her eyes looked brighter. She didn't look as sad as she had when Dani left. Santana looked like she was in a good place, and that made Dani smile. Even though they had been apart for five months, she never stopped caring about her. More than Santana would ever realize.
It was that combination that convinced her to do Rachel's request. After the second to last song, she looked at her guitarist and nodded at him. "Are you sure?" he mouthed to her. Dani nodded again. As her guitarist and band got up and started moving around, Dani turned back to the crowd.
"You guys have been so wonderful tonight, so thank you all so much." The audience cheered. "I have one last song before I go," a round of "no!" rumbled through the crowd. "I know. So normally, I would sing one more song off the album, but I had a special request from a friend to sing this one instead." She saw Santana lean over to Rachel and Rachel nod, never taking her eyes off Dani. Her guitarist came back with her guitar and a stool, setting up his own stool and guitar next to her. "This is my guitarist and good friend Mark, and he's gonna help me out." She paused, making sure her guitar was ready. "This song is actually really close to my heart," Dani continued. "It's a song I wrote nearly five and a half months ago," she smiled at the look of intrigue on Santana's face, "and it's the song that got me signed. I owe literally everything to this song, and to the person behind it." Leaving the audience with that thought, she began strumming her guitar.
Walk into the room
So perfect but unaware
Making me stop and stare
Every time
She glanced up to see Rachel grinning at her, while Santana looked confused.
I heard she broke your heart
Can I just fix you girl
Show you a different world
Oh
I'll take you anywhere
I'll put you on a throne
I'll lay down my heart, I swear
And I'll make sure that you'll never be alone
The audience began clapping along.
Only my shadow knows
How I feel about you
Only my shadow goes
Where I dream of you and me
Should I go or wait
Is it too soon, too late
Only my shadow knows
I've been lovin you so long
And now that I've got the chance
I see you need to dance
On your own
So I'll wait another day
Maybe another year
I'm gonna be right here
Oh
Dani saw recognition dawn on Santana's face as she understood what Dani was singing.
I'll take you anywhere
I'll put you on a throne
I'll lay down my heart, I swear
And I'll make sure that you'll never be alone
Only my shadow knows
How I feel about you
Only my shadow goes
Where I dream of you and me
Should I go or wait
Is it too soon, too late
Cause only my shadow knows
I wish I could say all these words
All these things that your heart never heard
But I saw the pain in your eyes
And it sealed my lips
Dani glanced up from her guitar briefly to see Santana had placed her hand over her heart.
Only my shadow knows
How I feel about you
Only my shadow goes
Where I dream of you and me
Should I go or wait
Is it too soon, too late
Only my shadow knows
Only my shadow knows
She ran through a couple vocal riffs before finishing the song, looking directly at Santana.
Only my shadow knows
The song finished and the crowd went wild. Dani stood up, thanked everyone for coming out, and made her way backstage. She sent someone out to get Rachel and Santana and bring them back to the dressing room. As soon as Rachel saw Dani, she squealed and practically jumped on her, hugging her tight. When Rachel finally let her breathe, Santana didn't hesitate for a second and pulled Dani into her.
"I missed you so much, D."
"I missed you too, Santana," Dani replied, tightening her hold on the brunette. After a few more seconds she pulled back. Looking up into Santana's eyes, she noticed a tear on her cheek. She reached up to wipe it away.
"Why are you crying?"
"Oh, um...because..." Santana glanced over at Rachel.
"Weeeeeell, I'm gonna go...find somewhere else to be..." Rachel quickly exited the room, leaving Dani and Santana alone. Santana pulled Dani down on the couch.
"Because of the song."
"I'm sorry I di-"
"No. It was beautiful. I loved it," Santana said sincerely. Dani furrowed her eyebrows.
"So then...I'm confused..." Santana reached over and rested her hands on top of Dani's.
"When you left, I had a lot of time to myself. I spent a lot of time thinking about the break up, about what went wrong. And I realized something; Brittany was right. I was pulling away, I just didn't notice it. Not physically, but emotionally I was checking out. I realized that at the end I was doing all of those things because I was supposed to, not because I wanted to. Somewhere along the way, I don't know exactly when, I fell out of love with her."
"But that doesn't make any sense. Why would you stay with her if you didn't love her?"
"Because I didn't know I didn't love her anymore. I still had that feeling of being in love, but only now do I realize that it wasn't her that I loved."
"Who then?"
"You, stupid." Dani's eyes went wide and she thought her heart was going to beat right out of her chest.
"What?"
"I spent a long time looking back, thinking about now, and dreaming about the future. They all have one thing in common: you. Back when I was with Brittany, you became my best friend. We talked, we laughed, we hung out, we got close. I can't pinpoint exactly when things started to shift. I'd be looking at something stupid online and want to show you first. I'd see something funny and want to tell you about it first. I'd get angry about something and come to you first. I'd let you give me weird shit to eat, let you make me watch those boring romantic comedies, let you hold me when I didn't want anyone to see me. I feel safe with you. You take care of me, put up with all of my crazy, make me feel like I'm worth something. You make me feel loved." Dani's eyes began to water as Santana continued.
"Now, I don't go a day without missing you. I may have stolen a sweatshirt of yours before you left," Dani let out a soft chuckle, looking down, "and I wear it to bed almost every night. It's like a constant hug from you. I just want you around me all the time. I want to hug you, kiss you, hold you, tease you, get mad at you, laugh with you, sleep next to you. I want to love you. I honestly can't see a future that doesn't include you in it in some way. And I know this is a lot to unload on you after all this time, but that song...Your shadow shouldn't be the only one who knows, and now that I know, I won't feel as weird doing this..."
Dani looked up to ask what Santana meant, only to be met with the brunette's lips pressed against her own. Her body reacted before her mind could, sliding one hand up to the back of Santana's neck and kissing back with everything she had. She's been dreaming about a moment like this for a very long time, and now that it was finally happening she never wanted it to end. Santana's had reached up to cup Dani's cheek, sending shivers down the blonde's spine. Santana slowly pulled away, dropping her hand to rest on top on Dani's.
"So what now?" Dani asked, slightly breathless.
"I'd give anything to give us a chance, but you live and work in LA..."
"Well then it's a good thing I'm moving back," Dani said with a mischievous grin.
"You are?" Santana asked excitedly.
"Yeah. I miss being here, and the label has a studio here I can work out of. I had to beg and let them add more dates to the tour, but they agreed. And I may have missed you a little too much..." Dani blushed.
"Aw that's so sweet babe...oops. Shit I'm sorry, that was presumptuous," Santana apologized.
"Babe?" Dani smiled, intertwining her fingers with Santana's. "I could get used to that."
And there you have it! I don't have much to say about this one...
Please review, let me know what you think. I love hearing from you guys.
Song is Shadow (Acoustic Version) by Austin Mahone
Stay golden, lovelies :)