The Karate Kid | Daniel LaRusso x Reader

Chapter Twenty - The Country Club

"Nine thirty?" Daniel repeated. I nodded.

"You could meet me out front," I suggested.

"Is that cool?" he asked. Again, I nodded, but I could tell by the look on Daniel's face that he was dejected.

"What's the matter?" I asked him.

"Oh, I'm just hearing that little voice again."

"Pretend you're deaf," I advised him, trying to cheer him up. Daniel looked up from the ground and made eye contact with me again, a smile appearing on his face. "Encino Oaks Country Club, nine thirty. Don't forget."

"Alright, I won't," Daniel said with a grin.

Smiling, I wrapped my arms around his neck, which encouraged Daniel to wrap his arms around my waist. I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, then, after releasing from our kiss, I leaned back and ruffled his dark brown hair with my hand, then brought my hand down and patted his flushed cheek.

"I'll see you soon. I hope you have a good time," said Daniel, leaning back from our hug and looking me over one last time as he leaned into the palm of my hand, looking me over once more.

"Thanks. See you later," I said, keeping my eyes locked on him as he stepped away and departed from me to go to his apartment next door.

Feeling somewhat dejected myself, I stepped back into my apartment and closed the door behind me, running my hand down my face. Now, I was beginning to regret my decision.

"Who was that?" my aunt asked, stepping out of the bathroom and leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

"Daniel."

"Oh, that's what I figured," Aunt Kim said, nodding her head. "What did he want?"

"Well, he wanted to take me to Golf 'N Stuff tonight, but he didn't know I would be at the Country Club." I, then, shrugged my shoulders. "So, I told him to pick me up there at nine."

"Are you sure that would be the best idea, Y/N? I mean, you don't want to be rude and leave early," my aunt said, reasonably.

"If I'm being honest, Aunt Kim, I don't care if all of those people see me leave early. Maybe they'll get the hint that I didn't want to be there in the first place."

A rush of frustration hit me at that very moment. I turned and walked right past my aunt, who appeared shocked at what I had just said, and turned to go into my bedroom. I closed the door behind me, leaning my back against it as I let out a sigh.

Then, I went over to my bed. Sitting down on the edge of it, I glanced over at my nightstand, where a strip of photos caught my eye. Picking them up, I admired the photos in my hand. They were the photos Daniel and I had taken at Golf 'N Stuff on our first date. I found the one where Daniel was sticking out his tongue to be the most amusing. But the one where Daniel and I were kissing was my personal favorite. With a smile, I rubbed my thumb over the thin strip of film, thinking back to that fun night.

Then, it hit me, that this is what Daniel had wanted to do with me tonight. He had wanted to take me back to Golf 'N Stuff to ride on the water slide. But I had let him down. And I had chosen a country club event over him.