The Karate Kid 🥋 (Daniel LaRusso)

21- the end

The waves lap against the sand as I stroll down the beach with Daniel. Every other moment or so, I lift my hand up to stare at the ring on my finger. "Soon I'll get to call you my wife" Daniel grins. I smile at him, and soon enough he'll be my husband. We find a little spot near the waterfront and I sit on his lap as he wraps his arms around my body.

We sit in silence for a while, just taking in the surroundings. I've always loved the beach, especially because it's where Daniel and I hung out for the first time. "My mum called yesterday to congratulate us" I finally speak up. Daniel rolls his eyes and then chuckles. "I'm surprised she isn't having a heart attack that you're marrying me instead of Joseph" his tone is laced with sarcasm that makes me laugh.

"We've really been through a lot, haven't we?" I ask with a little sigh. "Yeah, we have. But in the end, we always have each other" he lifts my face gently so our eyes meet, his baby browns have this warmness inside them. He leans in and kisses me sweetly but passionately as his hands rake through my hair. After a few minutes, we pull apart for air and he rests his head against mine.

"Baby?" I speak up again. "Hm?" He hums a response. "What does our future look like to you?" I ask him curiously. He goes quiet for a bit as he thinks. "Well, I see us with kids. Two maybe, a boy and a girl. I also see us still doing karate together" he answers thoughtfully. "We'll live in a nice big house because we'll have such good jobs that we'll be rich" I carry on the dream. "I've recently started liking cars, I think it's another hobby," Daniel tells me.

"Interesting, maybe we could own a dealership" I joke. "I wouldn't be opposed to that" Daniel smiles. We stay in each other's embrace, talking about what the future holds for us. "I love you Riley" he whispers in my ear. I stroke his cheek, gazing at the boy I'm going to spend the rest of my life with. "I love you too Daniel." As the sun starts to set, I think about the day we met. 

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"Good choice," I said as we sat down together on the beach. The waves lapped onto the sand and birds chanted in the air as the sun beat down on us. "Right? It's my second favourite place" he said, playing with the sand with his foot. "What's your first favourite place?" I asked curiously. "Mr Miyagi's house," he said with a pure smile. "Who's Mr Miyagi?" I asked. "He's my apartment maintenance guy but also my karate sensei, he helped me win a tournament a few weeks ago" he explained proudly. I nodded my head slowly.

"You talk highly of him, he must be important to you," I said with a small smile for the first time. "Very, you should come with me to meet him. He'd like you" he replied. "Yeah, I'd be honoured. Maybe you can teach me some moves" I said with a jokingly raised eyebrow. "For sure, I'll be a great teacher" he grinned. "Well, Mr Teacher, do you have a name that you still haven't told me?" I questioned. The boy looked at me with wide eyes before he broke into a laugh.

"Daniel LaRusso," he said, holding out his hand. "Riley Cullen," I said, shaking it firmly. His touch was soft and comforting. After that, we hung out for hours and talked, even after the sunset. From then on, I realized there was only one person I would want to be in that moment with, and that was Daniel LaRusso.