Broken Soul ☆ Daniel Ricciardo

4 | You're a light

♪
VOILA - Stand Tall:
'You're a light so let it shine, let it shine up in the sky. 'Cause my star it is your time, it is your time. And we'll wish up upon you and you'll wish down on us too. 'Cause your time it is tonight, it is tonight'

The six of them met up a couple of times in the next week. They went hiking, out for lunch, clubbing and tonight they had planned a movie night at the girls' villa. Emilia had slowly picked up some of her work again and she was currently sat at the pool with her laptop, emailing some of her clients. She assigned brand deals to the models and approved any advertising content they had sent her. Closing the laptop and being done for the day was a lot easier for Emilia now and she was proud to finally be able to separate work and private time. Gia and Isabel had gone shopping this morning and they weren't getting home for a little while. Emilia enjoyed the sun for half an hour longer before she grabbed her phone to send Daniel a text. They had been talking a few times a day and he knew a lot about her past now. Even though she had known him for only a week, she considered him to be a close friend.

Emilia ✨:
Hey there! What time are you coming over tonight? Any preferences for movies to watch? 😊

Daniel ✌🏻:
I think Gia asked Michael if we wanted to eat with you guys so how about 5? I know a good restaurant that does take out. We can pick it up on the way over. No preferences, anything is good with me! See you tonight, Mil! 😘

Emilia ✨:
Take out sounds good. Ah, that's interesting information. Going to roam Netflix to line up the cheesiest rom-coms now. See you tonight! x

He had started calling her Mil a few days ago and it gave Emilia a comforting feeling. Gia and Isabel called her that and so did her brothers. She didn't want Daniel to feel like a brother to her, but she knew he would treat her with the same level of respect. Like she had told Daniel at the party, Emilia's ex made her a shell of who she was before and being here in LA with her two girl-friends and three new guy ones, made her enjoyment in life come back slowly but surely. She felt more confident, she wasn't as shy around them anymore and most of all, her view on men had changed drastically. Daniel had been very patient with her, like he promised and even though Gia and Michael had already slept together and were completely loved up, Daniel hadn't even implied that he liked her like that yet. Maybe because it wasn't even like that for him, but she appreciated his friendship and support for now.

After the girls gave her a catwalk show of all the new outfits they bought when they got back later that afternoon, Emilia tried on the loungewear set they brought for her. It was ribbed, a beautiful sage green colour and perfect for their movie night. She went to the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth until she heard voices coming from the hallway. Gia had opened the door and the boys just arrived. "Hi guys!" Emilia said when she walked down the stairs. Daniel smiled at her and she saw a twinkle in his eyes that she spotted every time he saw her walk in when they were hanging out. She walked with them to the living room and Isabel had already taken on the job to get them drinks, so Emilia sat down on the couch next to Daniel. "How have you been?" He asked her and she knew he didn't just ask that to be polite, he was genuinely interested in her. "I have been great. It feels so good to just relax and let go of everything. I haven't felt this free in like.. well, ever". She said in a soft voice so only he could hear it. "That's good.." He said and Emilia sensed hesitation in his voice. "I uhh.. You look beautiful today. Like every day of course.." He said and she could see he turned a little shy.

She had never seen him like this before and it felt different. Like she was the 'stronger' one for once. It was the first time he saw her without makeup and it meant a lot to her that he still called her beautiful. Her ex always told her she looked ugly and tired without it. Probably because she was very tired back then. "Thank you, Daniel. Would you mind taking a picture of me? Just here, in front of the sofa.." Emilia said, trying to keep the conversation going. Daniel nodded and she handed him her phone. She sat down in front of the sofa with the bowl of popcorn and smiled at him before taking on some different poses. Daniel looked at the pictures he took of her and smiled. "I really like this one, you look so happy". He said and winked at her when he gave her back her phone. A tingling feeling shot up Emilia's spine and she felt the blushes creep up to her face. "Thank you.. For your help". She quickly added and posted the picture to her Stories, adding a few movie nights gifs and tagging their friends.