love from afar (pt. 3) — daniela avanzini
summary: daniela is one of the most popular girls at school, and you’ve been painfully in love with her from a distance since the start. after you’ve grown closer, you only fall deeper.
warnings: angst, fluff, slowburn, popular! dani x loser!femreader trope.
a/n: this is a bit long sorry, and rushed at the end😞 it’s also the third and final part of the series! (part 1 and part 2 here). thank you guys for all the support 💞💞
tags: @luluvrs @miagamegirl @cleoisbroke @baylara @avanzinimoon @danielasleftpinkytoe0471 @meganswhxre @babyhumanoidpsychicnerd @tehesamueltehe @lovelee4u @gayforher
the days on the trip blur together quickly.
on the second day, you visit a museum. you get split into pairs again, discussing and analyzing different works.
suddenly it’s the last day. it’s quieter and slower than the others.
there’s less structure. more wandering on your own, being able to choose how to spend the day mostly for yourself.
you find a small shop near where you’re staying.
it’s a typical souvenir store, but containing a big selection with older objects and higher prices.
it has postcards, jewelry, paintings, keychains, and even snowglobes.
after walking around for a while, not really knowing what you’re looking for, something catches your eye.
a silver necklace with a star charm on it. it’s simple, but it reminds you of her in a way you can’t quite explain.
this feels like crossing a line. like making something real that you’ve been trying so hard to keep contained.
but then you think about her always being kind to you. for still making you feel included in every situation or event, even if she doesn’t need to.
you buy it before you can talk yourself out of it.
as you walk out of the shop, complete in your own world, daniela walks out from the store next to the souvenir shop.
“y/n! there you are.” daniela smiles as she spots you.
“holy shi-“ you flinch slightly, not expecting to see her.
you quickly hide the necklace box in your bag before she can see it, and pull down your headphones that you were wearing.
“uhm, yeah! hi dani.” you mumble awkwardly as you give her a small smile.
wow. “real smooth, loser” you think to yourself.
you hope she can’t see that your face just got 1000 degrees hotter.
daniela chuckles gently as she sees you fiddle nervously, but she decides not to bring it up.
“so… what did you buy?” she asks, nodding towards your bag.
“oh, it’s just a souvenir. i usually buy them every time i’m at a new place.” you explain shortly.
it’s a bad lie. you know it.
daniela narrows her eyes, not really believing what you’re saying, but deciding not to push.
“cool. we’re leaving soon, so i just wanted to tell you.” she says kindly. “don’t want you to get lost or anything.”
your expression softens at that. “thank you.” you murmur.
she always took you into consideration, in a way no one has really done before. it makes your heart melt.
you carry the necklace with you for hours, tucked safely in your bag, your heart beating a little too fast every time you remember it’s there.
every time you think you’re ready to give it to her, you coward out completely.
you know friends give each other gifts all the time. daniela probably wouldn’t think too much about it.
but to you, this meant more than just a gift. it would be the closest you came to a confession, and you knew that.
that’s what makes everything so difficult.
you’re not ready to sacrifice your friendship just for her to reject you. it would be too embarrassing.
unfortunately for you, it only gets more difficult to hold in your feelings for her after the trip.
it keeps spilling out still in ways you don’t want to.
it makes you even more scared that daniela will figure out that you like her. maybe she even already has.
it’s driving you more insane by the second.
of course you were stupid enough to fall for one of the most popular girls at university, only by her giving you the smallest bits of attention.
you groan into your pillow.
how are you gonna solve this?
the next weeks campus is filled with posters and announcements about the spring formal.
everyone just calls it prom.
and suddenly the entire university is talking about dresses and suits and dates.
you try not to think about it. you fail. obviously.
especially because daniela is going.
which means somebody will definitely ask her.
daniela’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts as you’re about to leave the classroom.
“hey, wait up. are you going to prom?”
you turn around once you hear the question, seeing daniela looking almost hopeful.
“oh uh, i- i’m not sure. maybe.” you try to act like you don’t care, but it just comes out nervously.
of course. you can’t even talk normally around her.
“what? come on, it’ll be fun. and you can stay with me and my friends if you want.” she offers gently.
the second she asks in that tone, you know you’re done for. because what is there at this point that you wouldn’t do for her?
“okay. i’ll be there.” you nod, smiling softly as her expression basically lights up.
you’d do anything to see her smile like that.
the night of prom arrives.
you spend forty minutes staring at your dress. another twenty staring at the necklace hidden in your drawer.
the one you’ve carried around for weeks, that you never gave her despite wanting to multiple times.
you want to leave it behind, but then you remember that you aren’t probably going to get better chances than this one of giving it to her.
so you tuck it carefully in your purse before leaving.
when you arrive, the ballroom is already full.
there’s music playing, pretty lights, and students everywhere.
your eyes wander across the room, suddenly feeling nervous because of all the people who were there.
daniela is standing across the room, wearing a dark dress that catches the light every time she moves, smiling at something her friend is saying.
you’re not sure if you’ve seen a more beautiful sight.
somehow, she still takes your breath away. even now. even after everything.
her hazel eyes eventually meet yours, noticing you staring.
you probably look ridiculous right now.
daniela’s expression softens in a way that nearly undoes you. she’s looking at you in a way that is hard not to read into.
she smiles gently as she waves you over to where her and her friends are standing.
you hesitantly walk towards her, eventually stopping in front of her and standing there a bit awkwardly.
“hi.” you say softly, giving her friends a shy nod before your eyes land on daniela again.
to your surprise, daniela gently wraps her arms around you and answers “hi.”
the hug only lasts a couple of seconds, but you feel her touch lingering and your cheeks probably being bright pink.
after you get introduced to her 5 friends: sophia, manon, lara, megan and yoonchae.
“nice to meet you y/n. we’ve heard a lot about you.” manon says kindly, making daniela give her a slight elbow to the side.
later that night, after all the dances, you and daniela are finally alone.
you went outside after daniela asked to get some air. she noticed you getting overwhelmed.
now the two of you are standing beneath strings of lights in the courtyard, the night air cool against your skin.
there’s a comfortable moment of silence before you decide to break it.
“you look really pretty tonight.” you utter out, barely being able to take your eyes off her.
daniela’s face lights up slightly. “thank you. you do too.” she compliments softly.
“thank you.” you reply, smiling shyly.
you fiddle slightly with your fingers, hesitating even though you’ve planned this for weeks.
“uhm… i actually have something for you.” you finally admit.
daniela meets your gaze, her eyes widening slightly.
“for me?” she asks softly, clearly not expecting it.
you nod lightly before reaching for the necklace box, giving it to her with slightly shaky hands.
daniela notices. of course she does.
your fingers brush as she takes the box, and for a moment, she reaches out and gently steadies your hand with hers.
she slowly opens up the box, seeing the necklace with the silver star.
for a long time there’s just silence. she doesn’t say anything.
it makes your heart beat even faster.
what if she doesn’t like it at all?
“you got me a necklace?” daniela asks quietly, snapping you out of your thoughts.
you hesitantly look up at daniela, her expression unreadable.
there’s no way out of this now. you can’t lie to her again.
“yeah. i… i bought it on the trip, but i was too scared to give it to you. i’m sorry.” you sigh out, embarrassed.
you take daniela’s silence as a sign to keep going.
“i really like you, dani. i have for months. so i guess i’m sorry for not telling you too.” you continue sadly.
you’re not used to confessing to people. you usually keep it inside, and when you finally start talking, everything just comes out.
“i didn’t mean to fall for you. you’re just so kind to everyone, and beautiful and i-i couldn’t help it. i don’t expect anything from you though. i get it if it’s too much-“
your rambling gets interrupted by daniela suddenly kissing you.
even if you’ve imagined it so many times, it doesn’t feel like what you thought it would.
her lips are warm and soft, gently moving against yours like she’s afraid to break you if she kisses too hard.
you stand there frozen kissing her back, until your body catches up to what’s happening and melts into the kiss completely.
your arms wrap around her, sighing softly into the kiss.
some moments later, both of you pull away slightly, your breathing heavier.
you can’t stop smiling, and your cheeks are flushed.
daniela seems to be in the same state as you.
“i like you too. of course i do.” daniela murmurs, resting her forehead against yours.
“you’re so sweet to me… i tried to push down my feelings, but you make it really hard.” she confesses.
you can’t help but let out a disbelieving laugh. “i had no idea you felt the same way.”
daniela shakes her head, laughing too at the absurdity of the whole situation.
“i’m glad we cleared it up at least.” she smiles as she places a small kiss on your cheek.
and when daniela’s lying in your bed later that night, the necklace resting against her collarbone, you know for a fact that she’s finally yours.
