Time After Time 🌹 Daniel LaRusso [1]

Chapter 49: Beating Hearts ~ Fin

1986

Rosalía and Daniel walk into Baskin Robbins, holding hands. They order at the counter then go to sit at a table to eat their ice cream. When they sit down, Rosalía is reminded of something she's been dying to tell Daniel. "Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot! We started talking about a million other things so it just slipped my mind," she pipes up. The boy licks his ice cream before asking, "what?" He's super curious to know now. Rosalía's eyes light up, pure enthusiasm radiating off of her. Daniel grins upon seeing her gigantic smile. "Well, what is it? I'm dying to know now," he claims. The girl giggles and commences, "okay, okay. So... you know how I was in Janet Jackson's 'What Have You Done For Me Lately' music video?"

"Mhm," Daniel hums, nodding. After the tournament, Rosalía heard about auditions for the music video. Normally, she'd find infinite reasons to not take a chance on it due to her fear of rejection but instead, she thought, "fuck it" and went for it. She spent every free minute she had practicing and polishing her technique up until the audition. To her surprise, she earned her spot as one of the dancers. "I still can't believe I was that close to her but anyway... So her choreographer is Paula Abdul, also known as the former head choreographer of the Laker Girls," she explains, emphasizing the last sentence.

"I talked to her a little on set and during rehearsals and I told her that I love the routines she made for them and she said, 'you should try out for next year's team' and I was like, 'maybe.' And... I'm gonna do it. I turned in my application and the audition is a week after we get back from Texas," Rosalía reveals. Daniel's eyes widen as he gazes at her with an excited smile. "Are you kidding me, that's great! You're gonna crush it, there's no way you won't get in. You're way too talented," he babbles, making the girl giggle gleefully. His reaction to the things she tells him is her favorite thing ever. "You think so? Ugh, I'm so nervous," she confesses.

"Of course I do, it's true. Don't worry too much, you're an incredible dancer. And even if you don't get in, at least you tried it... and there are plenty of more opportunities out there, right," Daniel tries to console her. "Yeah," the girl nods, knowing he's right. His words help ease her nerves. "Oh, my God, I forgot school starts on the Monday after the audition," she mentions. She decided to go back to college as a dance major with a minor in business. She's always had some interest in business so if her dance career doesn't last long, a business minor could come in handy. "Ah, that's right. Man, you're gonna be busy after the trip," her boyfriend comments.

Rosalía sighs as she thinks about it. "Oh, speaking of Texas, are you all packed?" she questions before sticking a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. Rosalía's parents decided to plan a week-long trip to Texas to visit their family. Rosalía invited Daniel and Mr. Miyagi, thinking it'd be nice to show them around the city she lived in for two years. Mr. Miyagi declined, much to the couple's disappointment, because he needs to watch the bonsai shop. "No, not yet. I did start packing though," Daniel answers. The girl playfully rolls her eyes at this. He probably only packed one shirt so far, she thinks.

"Dude, you need to get on that! Our flight is tomorrow," she exclaims. Daniel chuckles and replies, "I know, I will, I will. Are you excited to see your relatives?" Rosalía looks up in thought. "Mmm, kind of. Hopefully, they're not as bloodsucking as I remember," she remarks, making her boyfriend chortle. "Although, it will be nice to finally present my boyfriend to them. I never brought any of the guys I dated to family gatherings. Now my tía's [aunt] husband, Alejandro, can stop trying to set me up with every guy he sees," she adds, making them both chuckle. "Yeah, he better not do that," Daniel jokes. "Well, I'm honored to be the first to meet them," he voices, placing his hand over his chest.

"And the last," Rosalía claims, smiling timidly at him. This brings a fond smile to the boy's face. "Damn right," he says with a cocky facial expression. The girl shakes her head and playfully rolls her eyes.