My Book of Fics

Teenage Dream (2) - Daniel Ricciardo

It takes way longer than expected to forget about that night with Daniel, but burying yourself in work takes your mind off of the memories; at least that's what you tell yourself constantly. "Hey Y/N?" you look away from your laptop to see your one roommate popping her head into your bedroom, "what's up?" she smiles, "movie night tonight" you nod and give her a smile that you hope is believable, she give you a thumbs up before leaving. The smile drops from your face when she's gone, you sigh and quickly save what you were working on before getting up from your chair to stretch as you walk to the living room.

You sit between your friends on the couch immersed in the movie you collectively chose to watch. Something about what you're watching makes you remember Daniel, you blink a few times at the unexpected memory, trying not to cry, which would concern your friends after telling them that you were finally doing okay. So you push your chin into the collar of your sweater to make it less noticeable that you're emotional to the girls on either side of you.

"Y/N" you sniffle and sit up straighter, "what's up?" you ask trying to act casual, "stop doing that" you shake your head acting innocent, "what are you talking about?" they both look at you pointedly, "acting like you're okay, we both know that you feel something for Daniel" you lift your eyebrows in surprise. "We've known you for forever Y/N if you think we don't know that you're struggling you're stupid" you feel your eyes tearing up as your bottom lip trembles, "I don't know why i'm so torn up, I kissed him and that was it, we barely even talked" you say shakily, the two of them bring their arms around you tightly as the waterworks start, "it doesn't take many words to know when you're meant to be with someone" one of them murmurs before kissing your head, "but things like this don't happen to someone like me, I'm the shy bookworm who hates putting herself out there, I can't pretend to be someone else whenever I'm around Daniel Ricciardo" your other friend holds your chin up to look into your teary eyes, "stop making excuses, you are enough just the way you are" she explains determined. You sniffle loudly as the tears slow down, "it doesn't matter now, I'm here and he's probably somewhere super glamorous that I can't afford to go to" you mumble, your friends hug you closer, "let's just forget about it and finish this movie night" you add before they can say anything further. The three of you stay snuggled together for the remainder of the night, the only noise coming from the movie.

••••

A couple of weeks later you're getting ready for the end of summer gala that your company holds. The dress you got is hanging on your closet door as you spend a few minutes perfecting your makeup in your bathroom. "Y/N!" you turn to the door to see your two friends smiling, "I can't wait for you to find a man in that dress" you laugh and turn back to the mirror to swipe on your mascara to finish off your look. "I'm not there to find a relationship, I'm there to celebrate my job" you explain and close the mascara before dropping it into the top drawer of the vanity. "At least promise us that you'll try to have some fun" you look over while smiling, "I promise" they nod and leave you to put on your dress and tie your hair back into a bun.

Later you're sliding into the heels you chose for the occasion and grab your clutch before leaving the apartment. You're grateful that the company got a car service to bring you to the event knowing that drinks will be had, just like previous years. You watch the familiar surroundings going by as the car approaches the venue, you sigh when the car stops in front of the building. With a deep breath you reach for the door handle but jump slightly when it opens before you grab it. You peer out to see the driver smiling at you, "thank you" you say as he helps you out of the car, "have a nice evening miss" you nod and make your way into the venue, unaware of what will greet you once inside.

"Y/N!" You lift your eyebrows at the shout from your work friends who run over when you walk into the large event space. "Wow what a babe" you blush and do a twirl to show off the low back of your evening gown. "Oof get this woman a man" you shove your work friends and walk further into the space with them, focusing on finding the table you're assigned to for the night. As all of you sit down at the right table you set down your clutch with a sigh, "so I heard there are supposed to be some high profile guests here tonight, but no one is really sure who" one of your co-workers says, "I'm sure it's no one we need to worry about" you reply with a shrug, "I mean you're probably right, it's never anyone that matters that much" another co-worker says getting a laugh out of everyone at the table. As you look away from your colleagues you nearly gasp when you see a very familiar Australian looking at you. "Earth to Y/N?" you blink and turn back to your table mates confused, "sorry just thought I saw someone I knew" you explain they nod and you focus back on the conversation happening, instead of thinking about if he's actually here or just a figment of your imagination.