Soooooo..as a few of you commented saying you wanted me to, I wrote a sequel to this. I can't thank you all enough for the feedback it means the world to me and gave me the entire idea for this sequel. I've been really busy lately between basketball, exam week and all that fun stuff so I'm sorry this took so long. I may or may not be also writing a full length Dantana fanfic *wink* *wink* ((so that's been taking some time too even though I'm barely past the second chapter)). This is PART ONE of two for the sequel and I hope you like it!:) Thanks again for all the comments and reviews!
Santana walked down the sidewalk towards the coffee shop. Ever since Dani had moved and Rachel's Broadway career took off, she didn't enjoy working at the Spotlight Diner as much as she used to. Her apartment was only five blocks from the shop and the weather was nice today. It was never too busy since she had to be at work at 6:30 for the morning rush, but today was different. Just across the street, about a quarter of a block from where she stood was a group of what looked like teenagers. They all huddled around the entrance to a hotel. She kept walking down her side of the street so that she could get a better look. That's when she saw the cause of the screaming kids. It was Dani.
She slowed her pace and watched the girl being led from the hotel door to the car that was on the street waiting for her. Just before she saw the blonde get in her car, the girl lifted her head. Their eyes met for a split second then the girl climbed in the car and off it sped. Had Dani recognized her? The thought ran through her head. She considered the possibility then shook her head to herself as if clearing it from her mind. Dani couldn't have recognized her. It's been four years since they've seen each other; since Dani left that night to chase her dreams. Santana pushed the idea of her ex-girlfriend to the back of her head and continued down the two blocks she had left.
Once she made it through the door and inhaled the stale scent of coffee grounds and whipped cream, her mind switched into work mode. She quickly walked back to her office and put her jacket and purse down. Since the time she had been here, she was promoted from cashier all the way to store manager. She had a small office where she had to fill out production reports and occasionally employee evaluations. It wasn't the best job but it paid her bills and she hadn't killed anyone, yet. She looked at the stack of papers calling her name but turned and walked towards the bar. Maybe she would yell at some of the workers for slacking off.
"Sarah! Stop talking to your boyfriend and get to work. He can wait till the end of your shift." Santana shouted at the strawberry blonde. The girl shot her boyfriend a look then hurried back to behind the register.
"Sorry Santana," she mumbled under her breath.
The Latina smiled to herself proudly and returned to her office to look over some of the paperwork since the deadline for most of it was the end of the week.
After an hour of aimlessly trying to focus on fine print and numbers she got up to check on the shop. As she walked out into the open room she saw Sarah was back sitting with her boyfriend and rolled her eyes at them. The café was relatively empty so she couldn't find it in her to scare the girl twice and stepped behind the counter to talk to the other employee on this shift. His name was Dylan and today was his first day. His application said that he has experience but Santana wanted to check him out anyway. She always liked to instill a little fear on the first day to keep everyone in line.
"Hi Derek," she directed at the guy coldly.
He looked up from the crossword he was doing in the newspaper. "Um," he hesitated, "it's Dylan, ma'am."
Santana laughed to herself softly. "I know your name. I was making sure you were paying attention." She saw his shoulders relax slightly as she continued. "And don't call me ma'am please, it makes me feel old."
"Oh…sorry, of course. It won't happen again uh—"
"Santana, my name's Santana." She interrupted him in an attempt to help but the words slipped out a little harsher than she meant.
Dylan looked down at the newspaper then back up at the Latina with fake confidence. "It's nice to meet you Santana." He stretched his hand out and was relieved when she accepted it and they shook hands.
"It's nice to meet you too, Dylan. But when it starts to pick up in here I better not see you trying to figure out that dumbass word maze, you understand?" The brunette watched as fear washed over his face as she caught him off guard.
"Santana stop terrorizing the poor kid."
Santana heard the familiar raspy voice and spun around. As she caught sight of the light hair she breathed the shocked words out, "Dani?"
The blonde smiled at her then moved her gaze to the still scared guy next to her. "Don't let her scare you. She doesn't really mean it." He shot her a thankful look and practically ran back into the break room. She turned her attention back to the Latina who was still in shock. "Hey, are you gonna give me what I came here for or just stand there." She snapped her fingers and waved her hand in front of the girl while laughing.
"Why are you here actually? This is like the least known coffee shop in this area." Santana was still shocked to see her but tried to come off as calm and confident as possible. After all this time she could feel the faint butterflies in the pit of her stomach just from hearing the girl's voice. She quickly looked the girl up and down. She missed seeing her bottle blonde hair and bright smile. She caught a glimpse of a silver chain around the girl's neck but it was tucked into her shirt.
Dani found herself smiling at the Latina in front of her and swallowed the knot beginning to form in her throat. "Well that would be the point wouldn't it?" She paused before deciding to continue her thought, "I know you saw what happened this morning so I'm kind of trying to lay low."
Santana smiled and leaned on the counter behind her. "You recognized me?"
"I'd never forget that bod—hair of yours," she caught herself and blushed.
Santana heard her stutter and bit her lip to hold her laugh in. She didn't want to embarrass her the first time they talked in four years. "So what is it that you're really here for because I know you didn't come to talk to me." She switched the topic as subtly as possible.
If I knew you'd be here I would've come for you, the thought ran through her head before she had a chance to stop it. She pushed it to the back of her mind and answered Santana's question. "A salted caramel macchiato would be great honestly but I've already had like two this morning…so um hot chocolate?" She moved from in front of the register to a barstool around the corner.
Santana turned and started making the drink. "French Vanilla Hot Chocolate with extra whipped cream and marshmallows on top like you used to order it or just hot chocolate?" She asked without lifting her head to see the girl's reaction.
The blonde's face lit up hearing the girl remembered her order from so long ago. Santana never cared to remember much detail about anyone but she made sure to remember everything about her. "Like I used to," she said her words falling with a softer tone than before.
The darker Latina looked up from the machine and threw a smile at Dani only to see one matching her own. It felt like they hadn't skipped a beat.
Santana finished making the drink and walked around the counter to sit next to the lighter Latina. "What brings you to New York anyway miss superstar?"
Dani giggled at how Santana was teasing her then shot her a soft glare. "I'm not a superstar."
The taller girl interrupted her, "Those screaming girls earlier would have to disagree with you."
"Shut up." She playfully punched the brunette in the arm. "And if you must know, I had interviews this morning here and I'm performing a mini concert before I fly back." The girl took a sip of her hot chocolate then looked up at Santana.
She tilted her head in astonishment, "A concert? Where are you having it?"
"In Central Park actually. They're fencing it off and only letting like 300 people in." Dani noticed the scoff that came from the other girl and laughed softly. She continued before she had the chance to stop herself. "Do you want to come? It should be really fun. I-I can even get you backstage if you want," she trailed off unsure of how Santana would take the offer.
Santana was quiet as she thought about her options. She could go to the concert and see how hard Dani's worked and risk falling quickly back in love with the light in her eyes and the smile in her voice, or, she could turn the offer down and be stuck forever wondering what could've been. She caught herself deep in thought and shot out an answer before Dani started to worry. "I'm stuck here making sure these losers don't mess anything up for a few more hours, then Kurt wanted me to hang out with him and Berry but I'll try to make it. Either way I'm sure you'll do great."
The blonde smiled and stood up, "Well I have to go do prep and sound check now but the concert starts at 7." She took a step towards the door then spun back. "It was nice seeing you Santana," she said with a smile.
"You too, Dani."
Dani walked out to the car that was waiting for her on the street. Although she wished she could drive around New York City alone like she used to, she knew she didn't want to handle screaming fans and paparazzi on her own. She quickly slid into the car and told her bodyguard she was ready to set up sound check. Once the car engine started, she felt it all hit her. She had just talked to Santana for the first time since that night four years ago. She didn't expect to see the Latina on this trip to New York but what was pulling at her the most was that she definitely didn't expect to feel this way after seeing her. Four years. It had been four years and the brunette still made her heart jump just at the sight of her. Dani knew she had never really moved on and her songs proved that but not once did she think the girl would still have such control over her emotions. She turned her head to look out the window hoping the thoughts would stop bouncing through her mind. They were almost at Central Park, she recognized, and already a small crowd had formed.
"Miss Harper?" The boydguard's deep, smooth voice brought her out of her head.
She moved to look at him through the mirror. "Yes, John?"
"I can't park the car near where the trailer is because of the people so just stay in the car until I open the door for you, okay?" His voice stayed calm and steady assuring her it would be fine and nothing dramatic would happen.
Although she loved her fans more than anything, she wasn't accustomed to the shoving and shouting yet. She watched as the car pulled to the side of the road and the fans migrated to the sidewalk directly next to her door. The loud voices were muffled but could still be heard through the barrier between them. John walked around the back of the car and slid his way through to pull the handle. The second the barrier was broken, screams flooded Dani's hearing. She put on a smile and reached out for John's outstretched hand. He pulled her to her feet and put his arm around her holding her close. She paused briefly to sign a few papers then rushed towards the stage.
Once they were past security and free from the crowd the two separated. "Are you okay, Miss Harper?"
Dani nodded and laughed softly to herself. "Yes, I'm fine. Now when are you gonna stop calling me that and call me Dani like I've told you to so many times?"
He chuckled to himself before replying, "Sorry, it's just a habit. Anyways, I'll see you after sound check. You know where to find me if you need me, Dani." He emphasized her name then walked off in the direction of the stage. He had to go let some of her fans in for sound check and also stand by the stage while she performed just in case someone did something crazy.
"See ya!" She yelled after him and turned to walk backstage. Here she was met by all the crew members. "Hey guys, you ready to put on an awesome show tonight?"
"Sure are, Miss Harper!" The man that was handing her in-ears to her said. He was the most enthusiastic of them all as she heard mumbled responses and faked comments from the others.
"Hey, look who's actually on time for once." She heard come from behind her.
She looked over her shoulder and smiled at the face she saw. "Sam!" She turned and wrapped her arms around the girl. "How's my favorite manager today?" The words leaving her lips a little too sweet for the brunette's liking.
"Don't suck up to me , missy. Just get ready for your sound check and then we can get on with this show."
"Right on it boss," Dani said with a smile. She loved messing with her team. Not only did she prank them sometimes but solely the everyday banter between them gave her something to look forward to. The job was exciting, but doing the same shows and set lists for the most part could get a little tiring. The blonde finished her part in setting up the equipment and waited for her cue to go on stage. The band all walked from backstage to go set up and waved to her on the way.
A few short minutes later she walked out onstage and smiled to the fans waiting for her. The band started playing behind her and the crowd recognized the song immediately. Dani ran around the stage singing and touching as many hands as she could. The feeling of performing would never get old. It gave her this unmatchable rush of adrenaline that she loved. The fans knew every word to her songs and being able to see them in person only made it that much more real. She was living her dream. This is what she had wanted from as far back as she could remember. Caught up in the feeling, she realized the song had already ended and another one had passed. They were only going to play five songs so she shook her head and reminded herself to give singing her full attention. Her fans deserved that and so much more for supporting her so quickly. She grabbed her guitar and clipped the microphone into the stand. She started to strum a tune that received a groups of screams in response. Dani opened her mouth and let the words fall, "Our love runs deep like a chevy…"
The song ended and the one after that flew by. Before she knew it, it was time for Dani to go shower and get dressed and ready for the concert. She thanked everyone for coming and told them she hoped to see them later. She ran off stage and bumped into Sam.
"Oh shit, sorry Sam!" Her face washed over with concern and a hint of fear.
"Its fine Dani don't worry about it. Go grab a shower and get into hair and make-up."
The concerned frown was replaced with a smile. "Alright Samantha, I'm going no need to tell me twice," she teased and bobbed away. She had about two hours before the show started but knowing her hair and make-up people, that was just enough time. Dani remembered Sam teasing her earlier about always being late so this time she wanted to prove her wrong. On top of that, there was the chance of Santana coming. And although she had nothing to prove to the Latina, she wanted to make a good impression after such a long time.