YOUR POV
Age 7, Year 2009
"Mommy! Daniel is eating all the sherbet candy again!"
My mother chuckled and ruffled my already messy hair. "It's alright, honey. Daniel's a guest in our home and we must make him feel welcomed. I'll restock the candy when I go grocery shopping this weekend, okay?"
I pouted at her but nodded my head. As I watched the blue-eyed boy unwrap another piece of lemon sherbet candy, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger. Why did he get to eat all the sweets that he wanted? Why did he have to have a sleep in our home? Sleepovers were only for my best friends, and he certainly wasn't one of them. I didn't like him because he never let me play hide and seek with him during recess at elementary school.
I turned to my mother who was now reaching out to grab the bowl of candy from Daniel before he got any cavities. I wish he got cavities. Then all the other kids would be afraid to play with him at school and he'll know what it feels like to be left out.
"Why does he have to stay here, mommy? And when is he leaving?" I asked.
"Well, honey, his parents are on a business trip in Europe. Someone needs to look after him. We're his neighbours, so we should show kindness and help out," she answered.
I crossed my arms over my chest. Daniel was now sprawled across the couch watching Dibo the Gift Dragon. I wish he was gone.
-
That was ten years ago, and it was still fresh in my mind as if it happened just yesterday. I smiled at the memory, thinking about what seven year old me would say if she found out that Daniel ended up being my very best friend after that sleepover. The doorbell suddenly rang, breaking me away from my train of nostalgic thoughts and I ran down the stairs. I flung the front door open and was immediately enveloped into a big bear hug by Daniel.
"Woah, what's up with you?" I asked, laughing as I hugged him back. He smelled like the vanilla and honey soap he always used, a sweet and comforting smell that I had gotten used to over the years of knowing him.
He didn't let go of me when he said, "I just miss you so much."
I giggled. "We just saw each other at school today, you doofus."
But my heart instantly felt all warm and fuzzy and I was all gooey inside. I didn't know why. Okay, maybe I did know why I was feeling this way. Ever since puberty hit me and I stopped believing that all boys had cooties, I've had a huge crush on my best friend for the longest time. It was hard not to have feelings for him because he was just such an amazing person with the sweetest personality. He's got the biggest heart and the cutest smile and the softest brown hair ever.
Oh, and, who could forget those stunning blue eyes?
But Daniel couldn't know about how I felt. If we did date and if we broke up, things would be different between us. I was not ready to put our friendship on the line just because of my stupid feelings.
When he finally let go of me, I asked, "So, what did you bring for our sleepover today?"
I started to head for the stairs and he trailed behind me, pushing his big duffel bag up his shoulder. "Well, I brought Mean Girls. And fun-sized Snickers bars to snack on. Oh, and, I ordered pizza so it should be here in a few minutes."
I stopped climbing up the stairs and turned to face him. "Okay, the only thing you like in that list is the pizza. You hate Mean Girls and chocolate."
"So? You love them. I'd bear with it if it means I get to spend time with my favourite person in the whole world."
And then he winked. Daniel James Seavey winked at me. The fuzzy feeling engulfed me again and I bounded up the stairs quickly so that he couldn't see how pink my cheeks were turning.
-
Three boxes of pizza, two large glasses of pink lemonade and an iconic chick flick later, Daniel and I laid in the darkness of my room, staring up at the ceiling. He was on the floor with his sleeping bag, I was on my bed with the blanket wrapped tight around my body.
"Okay, my turn. Never have I ever...used a fake ID to buy alcohol," I said.
I heard Daniel sigh as he put one finger down. "I hate that you can use that against me. And for the record, I wouldn't have done it if Corbyn didn't drag me to the club."
"Still doesn't explain the fake ID, though," I replied.
"He shoved it in my hands and made me buy shots!" Daniel protested, throwing his hands up in the air. I laughed at his reaction.
"Whatever, loser," I said, and stuck my tongue out at him. He reached up and poked my cheek.
"Never have I ever...fallen in love with someone I shouldn't have."
My breath caught in my throat and I stopped laughing. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, especially with the way my heart thudded so loudly in my chest. The room became silent, a little too silent, and it felt like everything around me was spinning. I felt nauseated, as if I could puke any moment.
"(Y/N)?" I heard my best friend ask. He must've noticed my sudden silence because he grabbed my small hand with his bigger one. I pulled away from him too quickly, averting my gaze somewhere else and turning back to the ceiling so that I didn't have to look at him.
"Hey," he said, sitting up. "What's wrong?"
I shook my head. The concern laced in his voice just made me love him even more, yet I couldn't admit to him that I loved him. It was too risky.
"Was it something that I said?" he questioned, coming closer to me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"I love you," I blurted. The second I said it, my hand flew up to my mouth to cover it. My eyes widened. My heart pounded even faster. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion, dragging on the moment just to torture me.
I slowly turned to him, dreading his expression. Dreading what he'd say. Before he could tell me he hated me, I said, "I'm sorry."
To say that I was shocked when I exposed myself would be an understatement. But what happened next surprised me even more. Because never in a million years did I think that it would happen. To me.
He kissed me.
At first, I didn't know how to react. I stayed there, motionless, but soon enough I felt my lips moving in sync with his as I kissed him back gently. He pulled back a few seconds later, and I was sure he was going to tell me that it was a mistake.
But then he got up and got into bed with me and we continued kissing again.
Daniel moved his body so that he was now lying on top of me, his thumb grazing my cheek and his right hand intertwining with my own. My free hand found its way to the back of his hair, and I glided it down his neck and onto his muscular back.
A few moments later, he pulled back again. He stared at me and we held each other's gaze. His eyes were pure beauty, so blue and so perfect. When he looked at me, nothing else in the world mattered.
"I love you too, (Y/N)," he said. "Ever since we became friends. And I intentionally asked you that question because a small part of me hoped that you felt the same way."
I smiled. "And now I know what it feels like to kiss Daniel Seavey."
He leaned down to kiss the tip of my nose, and we started kissing again.
We broke away from the kiss a few minutes later and Daniel rolled to the other side of the bed. "You know, out of all the sleepovers we'd had, this is definitely my favourite."
"I wonder why," I told him, and he laughed softly. But I knew why, because it was my favourite too.
That night, we slept in the same bed, with his strong arms wrapped around my body and the thought of us being more than friends becoming a reality.
