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[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

Usually, when a woman was on top of him, the last thing Noah would be thinking of was sleep. Then again, it’s not like he was actually thinking about it – he more or less just…wandered off. One moment his mouth was moving against Sienna’s own, the woman’s fingers unbuttoning his shirt before she lowered to trace little kisses down his chest – and then the other he was sucked into the blissful darkness of his own dreams. And they were quite of dreams, too. He kept turning, shifting from one side of the couch to the other through the entire night and each time as he did, one dream abruptly ended and pulled him into another, significantly weirder than the previous. Doors, faces, sensations…and then the morning came and his throat was dry and the sun peaking though the living rooms curtains was being a little shit.

Though he couldn’t remember the last night in its entirety, he remembered enough and was thankful that he wasn’t met with Sienna’s face first thing in the morning, because he wouldn’t have known then how to handle the awkwardness without a preparation. And a preparation consisted out of making some eggs and bacon – if only for the sake of the scent which could stifle a horse. Meddling around with the food, even if it only took him about seven minutes, gave him enough time to come to his senses and start thinking about how the last night was everything he ever wanted – but it was all wrong. He was drunk and undignified and in all that state groped a pregnant woman and the fact that the woman had been Sienna made him just even more nauseous, because she deserved better. He’d done his fair share of stupid stuff, but this took the cake. And Margery – oh boy, Margery. When Sienna comes out, he’ll just…apologize for coming home drunk and awakening her, thank her covering him up and being an awesome friend while pretending nothing else went on. Easy peasy, right?

When images of last night flashed through Sienna’s mind in a rapid pace, her eyes fluttered open slowly. Once Noah had abruptly fell asleep on the couch, with Sienna on top of him, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In fact, when it came down to reacting to the events of the previous night, she had absolutely no clue about how to behave. Considering how drunk Noah had been, how he continuously murmured incomprehensible stuff in his dreams; she knew she probably shouldn’t make a huge deal out of his actions. Then why did it feel so difficult to avoid what happened altogether? Why was she feeling relatively curious to face Noah that morning? Why did she have an itch to examine his attitude more closely than usual? And most important of all, why was she too embarrassed to admit that she probably enjoyed last night a little bit more than she should have? Even thinking about the possibility that everything Noah had said or done was due to alcohol consumption, made her stomach feel tight. Regardless, Sienna was certain she would be unable to be the first one to bring the issue up. Because then, Noah might have produced some questions as well, such as: “Why on earth did you tell me you wanted to continue when I told you we needed to stop?” And the answer to that question still remained a mystery...even to Sienna herself.

Placing a hand on her bump, Sienna caressed her belly gently, the same way she had been doing every morning ever since she found out about her pregnancy. Twenty-one weeks pregnant, she felt the most comfortable she had in months. She wasn’t too big yet, and the morning sickness had finally worn off. And after finally learning about the gender of the baby, she felt she finally had less to worry about...that was before last night’s events.

Sienna pushed the covers on the bed aside and got out of the bed, standing in front of her bedroom mirror. She quickly pulled her hair together in a messy bun before making her way out of her room, downstairs. It wasn’t difficult to tell Noah was already up, since the scent of eggs and bacon reached her before she entered the kitchen. As she walked in, she spotted Noah by one of the counters. Normally, if she was in a good mood, Sienna would wrap her arms around Noah from behind and give him a quick peck on the cheek before running her hand through his blonde hair to mess it up and annoy him, but this morning felt so far from normal, she simply settled for a less...intimate greeting. “Morning, there.” She said before walking past Noah to reach for the box of cereal on the back of the counter. “I’m guessing it’s your turn to deal with morning sickness and a headache, huh?” She asked as she started to pour some cereal into her favorite bowl-the red one with a Minnie Mouse figure on it. 

[briscoe-sienna]

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

Shivers ran up his body, electricity running its coursethrough the entirety of Noah’s spine as he buzzed with uncontainable energy.His mind had only a second to ponder over how he should’ve brushed his teethand how he didn’t want to be stinking of booze during his first – and probablyonly – kiss with Sienna, but then the brunette’s body was leaning into his,attracting the palm of his hand against her hip as he pulled her closer,closing the remaining distance between them.

Even the second for which she broke the kiss to realign themhad him following her lips with gaping ones of his own, chasing the sensationin an instant. Cold air hit his oxygen deprived lungs and he felt as though he’dstopped breathing for a second there, even if the world has continued spinning.His tongue glided across her own in sweet and languid motion, tasting her scentand lingering there for a moment as he drew in a deep inhale through hisnostrils, as if trying to inject her into his bloodstream. It was an instanthigh that had him in frenzy, trailing wet kisses down her chin and her neck,nose nudging her head into a side tilt so he could further expose the flesh forhis lips to latch on.

The strap of herpajamas fell loose down her shoulder, the bared skin calling for his lips tolower down and he wanted to devour her whole, wanted to be everywhere at alltimes and he felt his control slipping slowly enough to lull him out of hisdaze and back into the reality. The rude awakening had him abruptly breakingthe kiss, their foreheads touching as their lips parted “We shouldn’t be doingthis. Tell me we shouldn’t be doing this. Tell me that we should stop.”  

Each and every spot Noah trailed down with his kisses felt hot and heavy, and as his kisses travelled down Sienna’s neck, her arms around him tightened, aching to pull him closer. The sudden haziness she experienced from their intimacy caused her breath getting heavier. With each second their bodies spent intertwined to one another and their lips caressing each part of skin they could reach, she could feel herself losing control. Her mind was blank and all that mattered was the fact that how much her body and soul enjoyed their closeness; she could not get enough of it. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment; but Sienna didn’t think she ever felt so dizzy from making out with any other person before. The sensation was completely new to her, as her body was practically begging for more intimacy with Noah but upon hearing his words and him pulling away from the kiss, she opened her eyes.

Trying to catch her breath, one of her hands rested on the back of Noah’s neck, her eyes focused on his own beautiful pair. We shouldn’t be doing this. It was true, since neither one of them seemed to think about the consequences, but wasn’t it a little too late to think about that now? Whether they stopped right there and then and each one went back to sleep (if that was even possible at this point), they would still have a lot to comprehend in the morning. Except maybe, Noah would not even remember what happened in a few hours and then, would Sienna have the heart to remind him? He was drunk and out of his mind, most likely, what was her excuse? That she apparently had been secretly thinking about this...and did not want to stop at all? That she was comfortable with her lips exploring his skin, with her hands running through his hair and their arms around each other?

She licked her lips before she replied. “I-I don’t want to stop.” She breathed out. “Do you?” She murmured, her question barely audible as she realised she feared the answer. Sienna leaned her head forward slightly bit to brush their lips together, only softer this time, and throughly memorizing how good his lips against hers felt before she broke the contact, their foreheads still resting together as she waited for his answer. 

[briscoe-sienna]

we return to each other in waves. this is how water loves.

nayyirah waheed, from nejma (via oofpoetry)

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

A cynical twitch of his lips colored him unimpressed withSienna’s I love you. “You don’t meanit.” He shook his head in denial, not wanting to come first in her life as a friend. He wanted to be first inher live, period and forever. Hewanted to wake up in the middle of the night and hear her snoring, to smile athow adorable it is and cuddle up to press a gentle kiss upon her forehead orher back. He wanted to get up early in the morning and make her scrambled eggswhich he’d later bring into the bed and pamper her on a daily basis. He wantedto shampoo her hair, to have her helping him with shaving his three-days oldbeard, to dig his fingertips into the flesh of her hips and hear her moan hisname, to plan the names of two more of their children and buy a white picketfence home near the lake so they can live nice, domestic life together. He didn’twant to be picking up the pieces of what someone else had left behind of Siennaafter breaking her heart – didn’t want to be pining after her for the rest ofhis life. “Not the way I mean it.” He admitted pitifully, keeping all thosethoughts and wishes for himself.

The name of Margery meant nothing to him. It evoked nofeelings and he brushed it off as quickly as it was brought up “I don’t careabout Margery. But I have to move on. Or I’ll break my own heart off of you, again.” He felt his chest tighten at theadmission, something stuck in his throat as he uttered the words. Suddenly anonset of feelings rushed overwhelmingly fast through his body and he felt likecrying. God, he won’t be so pitiful. No. Heclenched his teeth and fought against the salty liquid gathering up in hiseyes. Just for once he wanted forthis pain to stop. It felt likemasochism, like hatred of self and he was getting tired of feeling this way. Andthe way Sienna said to get married, youhave to be in love felt like someone had fired a bullet into his heart. Tohave his greatest fears reaffirmed hurt more than he thought it would and God,he was so embarrassed, he just wanted to run away but he couldn’t move.

His whole body felt paralyzed and then she was there,telling him all these wonderful stuff that all just sounded like ‘you’re a wonderful person and you deservethe best from someone else because I’m not interested in giving you that’. Andhe wanted to whine and scream and be selfish, God did he want to be selfish just for a moment but theconsequences…There was a devil sitting on his shoulder and talking him into it,whispering sweet nothings and ‘fuck theconsequences. You’ll think of them tomorrow’ in his mother’s voice. Herface was nearing his and though his perception was off it seemed as though atiny lean in would have their lips connected – and it had him pleading “Please-“  like a madman, an addict thirsty for ahit. “Please.” He repeated, not once, not even for a second taking his gaze offof Sienna’s. His hand rose back up, tip of index finger only lightly featheringacross her bottom lip, plump and slightly dry probably from her being asleepbefore he’d arrived.

“Just this once, S.” he pleaded, their foreheads and tips of their noses now touching, his eyes closed, last plea but a breathy whisper, barely audible. “Please.” Just this one kiss.

So that was it. That was why recently, both of them were having so many unresolved issues with one another. That was why Noah stiffened at the slightest mention of any of her past boyfriends’ name and that was why Sienna was having a relatively hard time not to roll her eyes listening to what Margery and Noah were planning for the weekend. Both of them were feeling the same thing at the same time-well, from the way Noah put it, though, it seemed like he was aware of his feelings for a longer time than Sienna. And what exactly was the heartbreak about, she wasn’t sure. Even though she never broke his heart on purpose, she must have done something to make him protest such heatedly. 

Tonight was the one night he finally had enough, apparently. He did not want to hear her talking about what she thought of him, but she was only emphasizing on such a wonderful person he was because she didn’t have the guts to confess how different she had been feeling about him-for a while now. She was too scared of not receiving the response she had been rooting for, and that always stopped her. Prevented her from imagining herself and Noah together in any way more than friends. Because if she had misread things, and he was not interested in her like that, at all, what would she do? How could she proceed with her life knowing she made an awful mistake by saying the right thing in the wrong time? That was until tonight. Right now, she shooed away all the questions, possibilities, worst case scenarios that crowded her mind. Right then and there, she was only going to follow her instincts. He’s not even going to remember this tomorrow morning.

Hearing him plead in a low whisper, made Sienna feel absolutely certain about following her instincts. Without giving it a second thought, she pressed her lips against his, as her hand traveled up his face to reach his hairline. Her fingers ran through his blonde hair and she drew in a sharp breath-she was at loss for words, too stunned to recognize how exceptional it felt to be this close to him for the first time. Her heart leaped in her chest the moment their lips greeted one another, and she instantly melted into the kiss. 

Sienna was still kneeling in front of Noah, so to reach him easily, she broke the kiss momentarily and sat down on the spot on the couch right next to him in a matter of seconds, and pulled him in a deeper kiss. She couldn’t help herself-now that their lips were pressed hard to one another, she couldn’t get enough of Noah. Her mouth was moving against his in such a rhythmical pace, her body was trembling ever so faintly with how much she enjoyed their intimacy. Her hand ran down his bare neck as her eyes closed, her fingertips appreciating each layer of skin they encountered with.

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

Moving his head around felt all weird, like the world was spinning too fast and he could almost hear gears gritting in place where his brain should be. The sensation running through his body reminded him of being on a boat, sailing up the restless seas and just everything around him felt like a sensory overload. He would’ve thought the liquor would evaporate from his system and have a lesser toll over his body by the time he’s arrived home, but it’s almost as if he was getting drunker with each second, losing moments and tiny fractions of time. In one moment, Sienna was in front of him – the other, their bodies were touching and she was moving him so fast and it all would’ve been super fun if he wasn’t feeling the aftermath of nausea and the pain in his bones. “I made out with a floor.” He snorted and laughed immediately after at the noise.

Tips of his fingers scratched at hairs on his chest as he allowed himself to lead around and pondered over why indeed was he shirtless. “Dunno. Don’t remember.” As a matter of fact, he didn’t even remember the interior of the club he’d been at. Or the faces he’s interacted with, even though he did remember being with three dudes and one girl, behaving like a stripper for some reason. None of it made sense. Hell, it made even less sense how he managed to drive himself back here. He didn’t even remember the trip home. “I could’ve died.” He thought he said to himself, but actually spoke outloud.

Once sat down, Noah felt slightly better – in a way that had him feeling like he might fall asleep in few seconds, but a voice talking to him kept snapping him out of his fade outs. He finally forced his eyes into opening wide and focusing on brunette’s own and woah, that was tough “Mm, ‘m fine bb.” He chuckled at himself, a loopy smile of a man high as kite blossoming across his face. Bb. That was funny. Cute and funny. “’M not cute and funny, you’re cute and funny.” Who said he was cute and funny, did she say that? What? His palm reached out for Sienna’s cheek, giving it a gentle pinch and a tug “You look like a Pikachu. Also, did you know I kneel in front of the toilet when I pee. ‘S convenient, I never miss.” He finished proudly and tapped her cheek before finally moving his hand back in his lap. “Good talk.”

If Sienna was saying anything in the meantime, he didn’t catch on it, completely dazed by just how beautiful she was and how he wanted to lean in and kiss her, but also, he was mad. Though he couldn’t see himself, to anyone looking at him would be visible shifts in the expressions coloring his face, going from enamored, through confused and worried, all the way to upset – and it all happened in couple of seconds. “You should’ve married me and not Ashton. I would’ve been a better dad.” He uttered, completely and utterly carefree and also quite uninformed of Sienna’s marriage-less status in his drunken state. “I was so good to you but never good enough to be loved. I just can’t get it right. The love thing.” He babbled on.

Despite his current state of mind, Sienna couldn’t help herself but chuckled lightly when she heard him point out her ‘resemblance’ to a Pikachu. “That’s a new one, N.” She commented, observing his blank expression rapidly changing in front of her. He was so focused on telling her every trivial detail about his urine routine that she rolled her eyes teasingly and replied. “That’s way too much information now, even for us.” It was a relief that he didn’t seem as pissed as when he first opened the bathroom door to her now, but she dutifully noted he still looked like something was bothering him. Not the usual ramblings of a drunk person but it looked like he needed to get something out of his chest, and the more he avoided it, he seemed to grow more uncomfortable. So she kept quiet and listened to him praise himself for the enjoyable conversation he just persuaded.

However, Noah’s following words left a completely different effect on Sienna. Completely taken aback by what he had just said...more by what he might have implied, she knitted her eyebrows and quickly protested. “What is that supposed to mean? You know I love you. You know you always come first for me, you always were enough. Where do these crazy thoughts even come from?” She asked, assuming just maybe, he continued to ramble like any other drunk person. “Plus, to get married, you need to be in love. You want to be with Margery, remember?” It was still painful to say something like that out loud, especially after she revealed how strongly pessimistic her views were on the future of this relationship. But the way Noah put things made her feel guilty, like for the past decade she lacked making him feel special and loved. Because he was, loved, more than she could ever explain. And if he continued to speak like that, she felt like she could get the wrong idea. The idea that had been going through her head for a whole month now. The idea that she secretly wanted to believe, but was too afraid of disappointment.

Pulling the Margery card on him was necessary because now would be the time for him to express what he truly thought about Margery-what his intentions with the girl was. He couldn’t lie or stall her when he was drunk off his ass; and Sienna was too scared of the answer to suggest such thing when she knew for a fact Noah would remember after the conversation was over. After all, the whole night she kept thinking how Noah mentioned he cared about Margery and wanted to be with her-in a way he didn’t want to be with Sienna. In a romantic way. No matter how much time they had spent together or how much they experienced together, that was something Sienna would not be able to compete with.

She looked up at Noah’s beautiful pair of blue eyes and was relieved to see they were finally focused on her brown pair. Her hand rose up to rest on his cheek, caressing his skin softly. “You are the only person I know that deserves the very best of everything.” For the first time in her life, Sienna felt a physical connection between him and Noah-a very simple, gentle one, for the record, took her breath away. It was a very new feeling for her to adjust herself to and her whole body felt paralyzed in that moment, too afraid to take her eyes away from Noah’s.

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

In hindsight, maybe going for nine shots of tequila wasn’t the best idea for someone who never drank. One of his college friends told him about the time she was eighteen and on a school trip, which was the first time she tasted alcohol – and apparently, she had six golden tequilas and they did not even faze her, so he thought hey, why couldn’t that be me? Except that not really, he kind of did want to be fazed a little. Or a lot. Just not that lot (huh, that sounded grammatically silly) that he barely could walk from the car to Sienna’s apartment. Now that he thought of it, he probably should’ve called taxi instead of driving too, but luckily the road traffic was sparse and he didn’t feel that bad while driving, though now once he was on his feet and actually standing up, he felt sick.

He managed to get into the apartment quietly somehow – even to sneak himself into the bathroom without being heard, but once he doubled over the toilet, almost missing it for his lap (why were his jeans ripped?), there was very little way that nobody heard his retching sounds. Noah had gotten drunk to the point of vomiting only twice in his life and he was lucky in that way that he could empty his guts in one or two vomit sessions at most and he’d be fine. When he straightened his posture, he caught a glimpse of his features in the mirror before him and though everything was slightly fuzzy and unclear to him, he saw that a) he wasn’t wearing a shirt and b) he had a scratch down the length of his neck as though someone had run their nails across the surface. Now that he acknowledged the redness, it did hurt a little and maybe he was slightly cold.

In attempt to walk out of the bathroom he tripped over his own feet and face planted himself on the ground, this time around definitely making enough noise to wake up the entire building, if he had any doubts of managing to do that even earlier. His whole upper body was buzzing, despite being numb and he was almost certain he could taste blood in his nose. Remaining on the floor seemed like a good option until he heard Sienna’s voice coming from the other side.

Shit, get up, man. It seemed too easy, how he’d picked himself up and it was probably due to all the liquor still holding him energized. He felt shitty as fuck and all the lights were giving him a mean headache. He opened the doors of the bathroom only slightly enough to see Sienna in front of them and asked “What do you want?” for it appeared that drunk Noah was not a tactile man.

The sharp scent of liquor welcomed Sienna the moment Noah opened the bathroom door and she couldn’t help but grimace. She used to get wasted frequently during college, but especially a few months before getting pregnant, she had quit drinking. In other words, the smell was more than disturbing for her now because Noah looked like he wasn’t only drinking tequila, it was as though he suddenly decided to take off his clothes and swim in a pool of tequila as well. But the moment her brown eyes detected blood around Noah’s nose, her eyes widened and she leaned forward. “My God, what happened to you?” She exclaimed, gently pushing him aside to make room for herself in the bathroom.

As far as Sienna recalled, she had never seen Noah drunk. Tipsy, maybe, but completely unconscious of his actions like this, never. Given the previous events of tonight, who could blame him? He certainly did earn himself quite some free time, after continuing with his intense study routines, helping Sienna and keeping Margery happy during the process, he had his hands full on every occasion. Sienna quickly grabbed some toilet paper, wet the papers and looked up at Noah before approaching him and gently wiping away the blood. “Please tell me you didn’t get in a bar fight. I heard some noises, did you fall down?” She asked, examining his face carefully. “And why on Earth are you walking around shirtless?” She mumbled, more talking to herself than Noah, knowing he was in no condition to provide her satisfactory answers.

Linking her arm into Noah’s, she opened the bathroom door once more and led him into the living room. He seemed moody, and the lighting in the bathroom seemed to disturb him. It’s probably making his head feel like exploding, Sienna thought as they made their way into the living room where it was completely dark. She wondered for a moment if she should have made coffee for Noah right then, but from the looks he was throwing around, he currently did not feel like making any requests. Sienna inquired how much he actually had to drink silently, but couldn’t bear herself to ask because Noah also didn’t seem to be in the mood to answer any questions.

Helping him sit down on the couch, she remained standing in front of him. “Are you okay?” She demanded to know, her arms crossed in front of her. She was clearly worried about him and again, there was the guilt that she felt due to the fact that she was one of the reasons he had wanted to take some time off and have way too many drinks on his own. “What is going on, Noah? I-I’m worried.” She explained, feeling almost one hundred percent sure he was about to either start yelling or ignore her completely by the interpreting the looks he was giving her. “Do you want me to get you anything?” She added quickly, hoping this would maybe help him relax slightly bit.

[briscoe-sienna]

After Sienna read the note Noah left on the counter, she started to feel even worse. There, she had done it. Caused some serious problems in her best friend’s relationship and drove him away from the house, too. She started to wonder if that was ‘her thing’ now, causing people around her to feel the need to get away from her circle as soon as possible. As Noah had instructed her, she tried going to sleep after she fed herself properly. Given the fact that there was less eating more bickering during dinner with Margery, a few hours after she left, Sienna made herself a sandwich and went straight to bed. Tossing and turning for five hours, she was unable to get any sleep at all. Her mind had been flooded with questions, ‘what if’s and realizations that seemed to recently hit her. She wasn’t being honest-not with herself, not with Margery, especially not with Noah. Why would a decent person argue with her best friend’s girlfriend the way she had? All Sienna had to do was ignore Margery’s irrelevant comments about her and give open-ended answers to her obnoxious questions about her future and be understanding. After all, how would she react if her boyfriend was helping a female pregnant friend whose baby daddy had bailed on her by living together with her and holding her hand through doctor’s appointments? And most important of all, no matter how much she tried giving Margery some credit, why did the hair on the back of her neck rise whenever Sienna remembered how she held Noah’s hand, threw flirtatious glances his way and kept talking in “we”s instead of “I”s? She was done blaming all of this nonsense on the hormones.

Feeling overwhelmed, she grumpily got out of the bed and walked downstairs. She laid down on the couch, pulling the blanket over her body and rested her head on the pillow she carried with her from her bedroom. Sleeping didn’t seem like an option at that instant, so instead of closing her eyes, she focused them on the ceiling, drawing in deep breaths to calm her nerves. She had no idea how many minutes passed as she laid down there like that when she heard the door crack open. Sienna’s eyes traveled to the entrance of her loft as she sat up, holding the blanket against her body. “Noah?” She called out softly. “Is that you?”

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

Noah’s place was tiny and very modest and while sure, he did dream of having a bigger and better one in the future, Sienna and he made some of the furniture in it with their own hands, as well as DIY-ed almost the entirety of the apartment’s décor. It looked spacious and minimalistic and he thought even the best, highest paying interior designers would be shocked if they saw the place and then heard just how little money was spent on making it look high class. And all thanks to Sienna’s creativity.

And he’d probably be in a lot of trouble because of Sienna’s bluntness, not that he wouldn’t deserve it, considering that he’d been depriving Margery of full transparency throughout the entirety of their relationship. “I…” he shifted his gaze towards his girlfriend, almost apologetically. “It’s not that I don’t think living with you would be great…” it’s not like I want it either. “-but it’s a huge commitment and we’ve been dating for so little and I have studies and praxis ahead of me. I don’t want to go in a debt to buy a bigger place before I have a solid job and…” But Margery cut him off there “I’m not saying we move in together tomorrow – and if we were to buy a home, we’d both invest in it. I have a lot of money, you wouldn’t have to take on a huge debt. I’m just saying, I think it’s alright of me to think of us sharing a home. What’s the point of a relationship if it isn’t leading up to a joint future, right?”

And she was right. God, they were both right and he felt like a fool who hadn’t thought anything through and it just struck him that he was dating this girl without even thinking of having a future with her and now everything was collapsing on him. How was it even possible that it has never crossed his mind, all of these things she was talking about? He was being ridiculous. “Sienna-“ he tried to stop her once she started repeating the phrases he told her Margery used but it was too late and Margery was visibly pissed about hearing them. “Are you making fun of me with her?” she suddenly went into a state of offense, lowering her cutlery to the sides of her plate. Shit. “No, Margery – no. I just – she asked me how we were doing and she’s my best friend, I tell her everything and…” But Margery interrupted him yet again. “Well, something things need to be intimate. We can’t be together if I can’t trust that you’ll keep some things I say to you to yourself. Don’t you think that’s a violation of my privacy? God, Noah.”

Noah swallowed a lump in his throat, feeling hot in his face, certain that it was manifesting through a widespread redness in same region. He felt so embarrassed and like such a lousy boyfriend. He also felt like thrown in between two fires and God, he was going to be sick. “No, you’re right, I’m sorry – please, just…let’s all calm down. I think we just started off all wrong here.” The blonde cocked her brow up as though she wasn’t buying whatever bullshit he was selling and added “It sounds to me like it’s just me against everyone here. Are you even interested in having a relationship with me?”

And Noah was thankful that the question wasn’t formatted ‘do you even love me’ because that would’ve been a tricky one. Noah was interested into Margery, as a person – and a relationship was a good way from him to ground himself in this situation with Sienna so that had to mean that the answer to that question was yes, right? “Of course I want to be with you, Marg – but this isn’t really the time or place to lead these conversations.” He looked at both of them, slightly losing his cool. “And what’s up with both of you? I wanted for two of you to get to know each other and not this. What’s the deal? You – both of you said you’d be nice! And now I’m strung in between two hyenas!”

With a deep inhale and in utter disappointment, he finally uttered “Maybe we should just cancel this and everyone should go their own way and cool their head off. I have a praxis first thing tomorrow morning and I’m tired.” 

Clearly, Margery had been doing a lot of thinking about what Noah can and cannot say to Sienna, and that irritated her the most. There never were any secrets between the two of them, it just was the way their friendship functioned. However, she knew referring to the couple’s private conversations had put Noah in a difficult condition and she regretted it only by looking at his current expression. He looked exquisitely taken aback and clueless, but Sienna could tell Margery was getting more and more upset with him by each second this trio shared together. She opened her mouth to say something to defend Noah, to emphasize he was never the person who made fun of what other people said to him in private. Unfortunately for her, Noah had already started talking before she was able to start and from there on, she could not interrupt but only watch what went down between the two of them.

Seeing how Noah was obliged to explain himself and his motives to Margery while she continued to vent about ‘violation of privacy’ made Sienna cringe. Not only because she felt guilty about putting him into this position, but also because recognizing he cared about the other girl enough to bother clarifying his intentions made her uneasy. And upon hearing Noah declaring his desire to be with Margery, Sienna felt sick to her stomach. It was clear that he was interested in her, why else would they be sitting together otherwise?  Still, hearing him say it out loud did not leave a decent effect on Sienna. 

“Right, you know what? Sorry, it must be the, um...hormones and such. You guys should continue. Excuse me.” She apologized briefly, wiping the corners of her lips softly before she rose from her seat and made her way up the stairs into her bedroom and sat down on the bed, her hands placed in each side of her temples. If she did not leave the table at that instant, Sienna was fairly certain she would either start crying or be forced to deal with an enormous headache. Plus, she hated seeing Noah upset and now that partially she was the reason, she couldn’t endure watching the route their conversation was taking. After all, she did not mean to cause serious tension between Noah and Margery-it was just something in the way the girl carried herself and acted around Sienna, as if to imply she was permanent in Noah’s life and Sienna was temporary. It made Sienna get overly protective over both Noah and their relationship-something she never felt the need to defend before. Because she had never felt threatened by the presence of another female in Noah’s life before and it was a very new feeling for her to experience.

I should apologize to him, properly. Sienna wasn’t sure how Noah would react when she tried to reason her behaviour, hell, she didn’t even know what she would be telling him. For some reason, I hate the idea of you being with Margery and I cannot think of one person you could be dating that I’d be comfortable with and I have no idea why it gives me chills and makes me sick to think of you being intimate with any other person but me. So I couldn’t help but caused problems in your relationship and now I don’t even know if you’ll be able to forgive me because I might have done pretty major damage. I’m sorry for being a selfish prick when all you’ve ever done is help me and support me, but can you please forgive me and never be with another person because when I see you with anyone else, it makes me want to strangle myself. Not a chance. 

Silently, Sienna continued to sit down on the edge of the bed, and tried to hear if Noah and Margery were still talking downstairs, but either Margery had left or their dialogue was inaudible because all she could hear in that moment was her own breathing. She also tried her best to come up with ideas about what to tell Noah, because once they were alone, she knew there would be some questions she’d be forced to answer. Naturally.

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

For some reason, Noah felt as though he should’ve jumped in there and then to defend Sienna, even though he wasn’t even sure if Margery made an attack worthy of a defense in the first place. Maybe she was just curious and he was too overprotective, and the way Sienna held her hand up as if to say ‘I can handle this on my own’ made him decide that the brunette could take care of herself and didn’t need of him to treat her like a damsel in distress. Okay, then. For a moment there, as he made a long exhale, he thought this might not end up as bad as he feared, but then Sienna’s voice sounded tense and the two women smiled at each other’s as though there was this thing between them that he didn’t understand and yeah, that’s when Noah became certain shit would go down.

Okay, so maybe he could jump in and try to fix this. He smiled at Sienna’s praise of him being attentive and tried to maintain eye contact with both as he added “I do intend to help even when the baby is born. I mean, I do already live here. And it’s great that Sienna’s family owns the firm, so they’ll be able to adjust working hours for her depending on what my working hours will be, ‘cause I’ll be looking for a job too – so there can always be one of us with the kid, while the other is working. We’d be able to save some money that way too and you know, be engaged. In the upbringing, I mean.” Not engaged, like really engaged, with the ring and everything. God, he was screwing this up. He could already tell by the surprised expressions that have colored Margery’s face one after another that he was in for hell of a ride, for whatever reason.

“I tend not to psychoanalyze my hosts.” Margery shortly remarked on Sienna’s explanation and then turned to Noah “But this isn’t a permanent living situation for you, right? I understand you’ll want to help when the baby arrives, but the child has grandparents – a family to take care of him, so you won’t be needed as much.” Somewhere along the lines, Noah’s smile faltered without him even realizing because she was right. For all his involvement and desire to continue being that way, he wasn’t family and he was invited in this home to be there for Sienna during the pregnancy. He couldn’t just move permanently into someone’s home, as good friends as they were. “Besides, you ought to save the money for a place of your own and not that crappy one you live in. We have to think of our future living situation – and you always said you wanted to see the world, to travel before having a family of your own. That takes money and time too. I love you for being so selfless but you have to think of yourself as well.”

What the fuck just happened.

Living together. Family. Love. What. The Fuck.

Noah’s lips remained frozen and still, slightly parted as he tried to form any words but it was as though his brain has short-circuited. He looked at Sienna, unsure what to even say, hoping she’d make a remark on this whole ordeal instead of him because woah. Woah.

“Don’t you agree?” Margery finished off addressing Sienna, her piercing blue eyes boring through Sienna’s own.

As Noah tried to take some steam off the conversation, he apparently accidentally added more fuel, simply because Sienna was able to observe Margery’s face stiffen after he finished talking. Truth be told, it felt quite relieving to hear that Noah did plan to be in Sienna’s and the baby’s life in the long run, because she had also recently realised she would not have wanted it in any other way. In fact, at some point following the events of Ashton’s abrupt departure, Sienna had realised she actually might have made a mistake in the first place by deciding to build a future together with him and avoid how caring Noah could be, when she was in need. Despite many years they had spent together, she never paid this close attention to his actions and day by day, she could feel herself drawn closer to him, if such thing was even possible. Sienna opened her mouth to say something after Noah’s words, how much she agreed on him, and how if he still wanted to be included after the birth, she would be more than happy to have him in the house, but Margery had just jumped in.

“For beginners, we spent days together to decorate Noah’s crappy place that you seem to despise fiercely and I can guarantee you, the living arrangements would be the least of your problems if you seem to want to, live together now? I must have missed out on something though, since I never heard Noah talking about the immediate future of this relationship.” Sienna shrugged, reaching for her glass of mineral water and took a long gulp before she continued. “By the way, it is not up for you or anyone else to decide whether or not my child is going to be taken care of his grandparents or family members, I plan to include anyone who is willing to take their time for him and me, and Noah has proved his point for the past month. Thank you very much for you concern about our future living arrangement, but as long as Noah wants to stay with me, I’m more than happy to have him here. Plus, I don’t think moving in with a girlfriend or making a serious commitment is in his agenda for the moment being. Am I wrong?” She asked, raising an eyebrow towards Noah.

She was trying really hard not to completely lose her temper but the way Margery seemed so keen on making decisions for herself, Noah and well, apparently even Sienna and whomever was going to help her raise the child, she was this close to shaking with fury. “I’ve known Noah all my life, and believe me when I say I cannot begin to express my gratitude of how much he has done for me-I’m not only talking about our current situation, I’m talking about everything he has ever helped me with through the years. And even though we have spent the majority of our lives together, I don’t make decisions on my own about our future, not even as friends, roommates, whatever. So I’m in awe over how demanding you already seem to get about your forthcoming. That is, in case you guys already haven’t had a conversation about how your relationship garden is expanding beautifully and the way you manage to keep things exciting and fresh.” Sienna added as her fingers ran down her hair to soothe them, she was relieved she could do something with her hands, majorly due to the fact that she was restraining herself from throwing her glass of water to Margery’s face. With her hormones and temper on the rage, she felt very tempted to do so.

Noting how sure Margery seemed to look of herself, Sienna couldn’t help herself but wondered if the pair had ever thought about a future together. Whether Noah ever imagined spending the rest of his life with Margery. Even if he did, who are you to have a say in what he can and can’t do in the future? She was aware that maybe she was crossing the line at this point, but her fierceness was no longer at any level she could control. Anyhow, if Sienna was skipping the boundaries, Noah would say…something, right? It wasn’t like they experienced any boundaries before, anyways.

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

Is this weird? No, no – why should it be weird? It’s just a dinner, with your girlfriend and the girl you’ve been hung up on and trying to get over since you were in kindergarten. Totally not weird. But maybe just a little. Or a lot.

Noah’s palms have been sweating ever since the meal he’d prepared together with Sienna was served to the table, and he’s been wiping them all over his jeans for fifteen minutes straight before Margery noticed and laid her hand upon his own, a gesture meant to calm his nerves. Which it did not do. He was freaking out internally and he didn’t even know why. Maybe because Margery was a smart girl, one with a major in psychology and though she never pulled that psychoanalyzing bullshit on Noah, it was never too late to begin with it. He’s always been such a straightforward and honest guy, except when he was lying to himself also and he was worried that something would show through his behavior that would turn this thing into disaster.

Dating Margery was fairly easy – she wasn’t jealous or demanding; she liked having time on her own, found it okay for them to see each other every three days instead of being together all the time, and when they were together it felt natural and not at all tough talking about everything and anything. Well, now that he thought of it, they did things more often than talked them through but that was even easier. It was like going back to his childhood days and playing on the playground all the time, without a single worry on his mind. Except tonight – tonight he worried.

“So-“ “So-“ both Margery and he started at the same time, though in different tones. He sounded like he wanted to break the awkwardness in the room and Margery sounded like there was on awkwardness to start with, completely comfortable and confident in the way she’d present herself. He let out a soft, short chuckle and said “You go first.” Which Margery intended to do rather than to pull the ‘no, /you/ go first’ cutesy stuff. She’s never been the one for the cutesy, cliché stuff really.

“Thank you once again for having me over, Sienna. I feel like I know you already, because Noah talks about you all the time. He told me you study interior architecture. Is that something you’re planning to pursue as a career after giving birth or? I mean – my brother works in the field and I can’t imagine how tough it would be to leave your child at home so you’d be able to work your way in such competitive environment. But then again, a girl’s gotta eat, right? You have any plans on how you’d manage your life after the baby’s born?”

Noah couldn’t but abruptly look at Margery, never having heard of her speak in this way. She always had this positive outlook, looked for ways to make people feel better – a philosophy he thought they shared, but this sounded like something he’d avoid discussing with Sienna for now, when she needed not more stress in her life. There was the right time for everything, but this was kind of…woah. “Um, isn’t that a bit heavy for a first time meet?” he let out a nervous laughter, redirecting his gaze towards Sienna.

From the moment Noah told Sienna about his plans to finally introduce her to Margery, the brunette walked around the house like she had seen a ghost. Her face had been blank and constantly, it looked like she had eaten something she really shouldn’t have-and whenever Noah asked her what was wrong, that had been her response. She would either say she had a backache, or her stomach felt funny, or the baby was moving too much that it made her queasy. For some reason, the idea of facing Margery was a lot harder to take in than living with the idea of her being around Noah when Sienna wasn’t present. It was just a lot easier to deal with when she managed to take herself out of the picture. But when they started to prepare the meal together with Noah, she recognized his worrisome attitude-the same looks he threw around in high school when Sienna persuaded him into ditching the class and hanging out together by the bleachers and the same crunchy face he used to make during their freshman year of college when she was fond of getting wasted at college slumber parties and Noah would always be the one to carry her home as she stuttered meaninglessly. 

Seeing him uneasy, made Sienna rethink her actions for the past week. Whenever Noah tried telling her some story about the details of his recent date with Margery, she either pretended to be too caught up in an interior architecture project she was working on or she pretended to listen and nod her head a few times along the story but prevented herself from actually trying to comprehend his words. However, right before Margery arrived, she had honestly decided to stop being so selfish and put aside her sudden...extra fondness of Noah and lack of desire to adjusting herself to the idea of another person he deeply cared about in his life, and put a gentle smile on her face and be nice to this new girl she apparently had to learn to live with, just for Noah’s sake. It was the least she could do for him, after everything he put himself through only to help her out in a horrendous situation.

From her first impression, Margery didn’t seem very...sincere. Her actions made Sienna assume they were calculated and she definitely didn’t seem like an absolute ray of sunshine. After all, Sienna was a female too, therefore, she was able to understand the motive behind her constant eye batting to Noah, holding his hand when it was clear Sienna was looking on their direction and forced smiles she threw in her direction. Margery seemed to want to remind Sienna whom Noah was actually with, just to ensure she didn’t get any wrong ideas in her head. Well, a little too late for that.Upon hearing her questions and Noah’s need to moderate the conversation, Sienna held up her hand to imply it was okay. She’d like to think she was able to answer a few inquiries about her plans for the future-even though she didn’t have the faintest idea how come Margery was suddenly so interested in her potential financial status. “My mother and uncle own an interior architecture firm and I’ve been planning to collaborate with them after pregnancy. Guess you can tell the competitive environment is nothing new to me.” She gritted her teeth silently, looking up from her plate to nod her head towards Noah. “And, you know, Noah’s been very attentive with me, so he helps me figure out how to plan everything post pregnancy wisely.” If that was the direction Margery wanted their conversation to take, Sienna would gladly play along. If it came down to it, she would never hesitate reminding Margery just how long Noah had been in her life without abruption-and to Margery’s credit, she was aware maybe she was getting a bit overly protective at this point, but she couldn’t help herself.

“About leaving my child, I’d like to raise an independent individual who will eventually be very much able to take care of himself when in need. I’ll ensure he's aware he has my support and affection through anything and everything, but I firmly believe with mothers who are way too hands-on, children are doomed to grow up to be codependent. You’re the one whose into psychology, don’t you agree?” One of Sienna’s eyebrows were raised as she directed the question at Margery, waiting for her response eagerly.

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

Noah couldn’t but “he-he” at Sienna because of her whining about the no-booze policy. He’d never enjoyed drinking that much; well, he actually did like the taste of liquor, but rarely drank due to being the kind of person who has excess of energy even when sober. It was only under extraordinary circumstances that he allowed himself to cross the line and get himself tipsy at best, usually when in a huge crowd where everyone was wasted, because as he’d learned – being the only sober one among the drunk people felt like being a father to many hyperactive children, which was no fun. Now that he was thinking about it, he’d need so much energy to keep Sienna’s son entertained and progressing and the kid would come just in time when he’d need to start think about getting himself a job. Think about it when the time comes, enjoy your blissful ignorance for a while longer. “You’d be plenty fun if you spent less time thinking about what could go wrong and stop thinking about yourself as of a sick woman. Even the doctor told you that you can behave normally, that everything’s just fine. You’re being sadistic.” At first, he was the one to baby Sienna and treat her as though she couldn’t walk on her own without maiming herself, but he’d trained himself into not doing that, accepting that she was even stronger for carrying another life inside of her and he should respect her for that.

He listened to brunette’s musings silently, making no gestures or in no way cutting into her outburst except for acknowledging a waitress who’d brought their orders and quickly parted, leaving them to their conversations. Noah’s fingers absentmindedly wrapped around the beer bottle and he took a chug, his nose scrunching at the taste he was never quite fond of but hey, it was the cheapest booze to order and he was frugal about his finances. At first, he might’ve even agreed with Sienna, because he did desire for things to get calmer between him and Margery at certain times. For example, he would’ve enjoyed staying at home and cuddling and just being intimate or having a nice conversation just as much, if not more, than all of these dates packed with action. They were fun and he’s tried new things that he’d wanting to try but was too lazy to talk himself into actually going through with – so there was that, but he missed the comfort, the security and stability. He missed something more peaceful and intimate and just…ordinary. And Noah was a huge fan of ordinary. But then, Sienna’s words transformed and the way she spoke and held herself transformed – and his expression followed, brows furrowing into confusion because what was this about? For a second there, he would thought she was… but no, actually, more likely, this was about Ashton. She was allowed some cynicism after what happened to her, but Noah didn’t want her to lose belief in love over one tragedy. “Is this about Ash?” he asked quietly, once she was done. He’d avoided mentioning him ever since the thing happened, but maybe Sienna needed to talk it out, so she could move on properly. It was three years, after all, that they shared and he didn’t expect for her to get over it so quickly.

“You do know that you’ll love again and be loved –“ are loved. “-by someone who’s mind won’t even be able to fathom the idea of abandoning you? That he was just one asshole, incapable of taking onto the responsibility that any normal human being would take. He was one mistake you won’t be making again and yes, you should be more selective now with whom you open your heart to, but you shouldn’t be punishing yourself or the next person because of that one failed relationship. Everyone deserves a clean slate, ridden of past burdens. You deserve a clean slate, an Ashton-less life. I mean, if you want me to beat him to a pulp so you can have your closure, I will. I have a mean right hook!”

For a second, Sienna paused to think if she should let Noah believe her sudden ranting was actually about Ashton. After all, there were times when she no longer believed that two people would be able to love one another selflessly. She had been trying her best not to give much thought about Ashton though, because the few times she allowed herself to think about what he had put her through, she could still feel her heart ache with pain and disappointment. Abandonment was not something Sienna was used too; she did not let herself get too attached to the wrong kind of people-people who would eventually bail on her. For years now, she believed she was able to detect people who wanted to avoid commitment and responsibility, and she almost always managed to keep her distance with them. With Ashton, Sienna did not even see it coming. It took her completely by surprise, but the more she focused on it, the more signs she realised she had missed. How a few weeks before he left, he seemed to lose all interest in her ideas about moving to a bigger house when the baby was older than two or three, how he almost never participated in her pregnancy yoga lessons-which all the other females went with their partners or husbands, how he abruptly stopped helping her choose stuffed toys for their little one before he arrived. So maybe, there was some point that Sienna did not pay enough attention to his actions; or maybe she did not want to face the fact that out of nowhere, Ashton’s mind about being a family had changed. She wondered if she acted differently, whether things could have been different. Maybe she could have persuaded him into staying, comfort him a bit-but then again, wasn’t she the one with constant morning sicknesses, back aches and feet swallowing? Wasn’t she the one that needed a bit of comfort? How come Ashton would think he had it harder than her, who was carrying an actual human being inside her?

“No. This isn’t at all about Ashton. I simply despise the idea of people thinking they have a say in their feelings. If I had a say in mine, for example, I would really like to stop the immediate headache that graces me with its presence whenever I hear his name. That would help.” She snickered as the waitress placed their orders on table. She took one from her pile of french fries an chewed on it before she continued. “I’m just saying that I know you…at least, I’d like to think I do. And no matter how trivial her fickle ideas about relationships may seem at the moment, I have a feeling about how they might affect the relationship at some point in the long run…if you plan to include her in your life in the long run, that is.” She added casually, before she sighed and took a long gulp from her glass of water, finally able to get a grip of her words and actions. It wasn’t a lie; Sienna knew Noah would feel irritated and even a bit creeped out from women who sat home all day and think about the future of their current relationships. Yes, she was a little bit too quick to assume that was the kind of person Margery was, and her feelings seemed to affect her judgment there, but she couldn’t help it. You just want what’s best for Noah, there’s nothing wrong with that. Whenever Sienna started to examine her motive beneath her strong dislike for Margery, a person whom she hadn’t even met yet, she hid behind this same old excuse. Mostly, this was because she had no idea what on Earth she would do if there was some reason deeper than the former.

Her face lit up at Noah’s offer about beating up Ashton and she couldn’t manage to suppress a giggle that escaped from her lips. After everything Ashton had done, it was possible to claim he did deserve a good punch in the face. “I would not like to pass up on that offer, however, you’d have to take a trip and I can’t afford you being gone right now. He’s been in Mexico with his friends for a week now. I saw their posts on Instagram.” Sienna concluded before she took a bite from her cheeseburger. It was kind of difficult to avoid thinking of your baby daddy whom left you in the middle of your pregnancy, when he and his friends constantly filled your Instagram feed with snaps of how much bachelorette fun they were having. Photos of tequila shots and getting nice and cozy with strippers in bars were more than enough to make her hit the ‘unfollow’ button. “And, well, I’d like to think I’m doing a pretty decent job at moving on…but then again, it’s not that hard since he gave me every reason to. It’s just good that he doesn’t want to be included in the baby’s life because I cannot deal with seeing his face without unleashing my inner Hulk.” Sienna joked as she chewed on another bite of her burger.

[briscoe-sienna]

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

Noah wasn’t sure if Sienna truly enjoyed his references or was pretending to, and he liked to believe in the former, but regardless of the truth it did make him quite a happy man. She had this thing where she also knew how forgetful he is, so when he’d tell her the same story more than once, instead of telling him that he’d gone over it before – she’d pretend to not have heard of it and listen with the same enthusiasm each and every time, just ‘cause he’d be equally excited every time he’s narrating the story. He’d figured it out when a mutual friend of theirs pointed it out and it made him love her even more, because God knows she must’ve endured countless hours of his boring, repetitive stories just for the sake of his excitement and wasn’t she a perfect woman for it? He hoped that through being supportive with this and everything else she’d taken on in life, he’d repaid her at least half part for her amazingness.

Focused on the menu, because he had attention span of a five year old when food was concerned and he’d forget what he was to order by the time waitress arrived, he responded to Sienna’s remark in distraction “Well, ya know, I’d name my baby daughter Margery if I was to have one, just ‘cause I’m associating the name with Natalie Dormer’s face and she reminds me of Lola Bunny, my childhood crush.” He didn’t say that maybe his crush on Lola had something to do because Lola plays basketball and Sienna did volleyball and to his littlest self, that was close enough to make a meaningful association. But nevermind that…he drew in a sharp inhale and was about to respond when the waitress came around, offering another distraction “Hello, are you ready to order?” the redhead greeted the two with a smile and he responded in the same manner “Heya – um, I’ll take the famous burger and a beer. This one says it’s on her – and what man would miss an opportunity to drink on his lady’s tab, with his lady’s approval, right?” he turned towards Sienna and winked at her, letting her make her order and waited until everything was said and done and they were left alone to respond to her question. “Um, yeah – wait, what did you ask? Oh, right, Margery.” While he didn’t feel entirely comfortable talking about that topic with Sienna, ‘cause he was still…still…he felt less uncomfortable than a month ago. Being with Margery – and Sienna was right to note it – was like going on dates, all the time. “She likes this idea of us flirting with each other on a daily base, not falling into routine, just – as she says – tending our relationship as a garden, day by day. You know, putting effort into keeping it fresh and new and fun, at all times. It’s…you know, the last time around she took me camping and while I’m not the one for excessive physical activity or any physical activity for what it’s worth, it was kind of refreshing and positively tiring, walking up and downhill and skipping over the rocks in a shallow river for eight hours straight. And the view was amazing in the end. She’s…she’s a good girl.”

He wanted to say amazing, because she truly was, but even uttering ‘a good girl’ felt foreign on his tongue and he wanted to fight against it, because somewhere deep inside, he still dreamed of a miracle where two of them - Sienna and Noah - would be an endgame. Realistically, he truly was at peace with the idea of it not happening and wasn’t even fighting or wanting for it to happen, he was moving on - but still, he didn’t want to praise another woman in front of Sienna, as though that would kill his one last chance with the brunette. Downright ridiculous. 

At Noah’s remark about Natalie Dormer, Sienna smirked, one of her eyebrows raised and rolled her eyes. “When are you ever going to get over Lola Bunny? It’s been years, I say it’s time to give up already!” She shook her head in disbelief and leaned back on her seat, adding quickly. “But well, who am I to interfere with? I’m no better than you at choosing attainable childhood crushes. Remember how I dragged you to all of the Hangover movies, saw each one of them twice only to drool over Bradley Cooper? I’m such a cliché.” When it came to her choices in males, it wasn’t possible to claim Sienna had a “type”. Usually, she would follow her instincts, not plan too much or expect too many from people she encountered and made connections with whomever she felt naturally attracted to. That being said, she had recently realised that method did not get her very far given her current situation. Even before Ashton, she never experienced anything as serious, mainly because she wasn’t looking to commit to things she would want to feel the need to get away from. She most certainly wasn’t an unstable person, but before Ashton her wants and needs had been two completely different paths. So she wasn’t exactly familiar with long, committed relationships when things started to take off with Ashton. The main thing with Sienna, was the fact that opening up to people wasn’t an act she could easily achieve; she had always been more comfortable with keeping her personal life to herself...and, well, Noah. With Noah, they clicked so naturally from day one that she never felt the need to keep secrets from him. Anything she felt ashamed of doing, he’d do his best to try and comfort her, providing her a safe place where she felt loved and accepted, even in her darkest times.

After Noah’s order, Sienna quickly ordered a cheeseburger for herself, with extra cheddar sauce with french fries dipped in cheddar as well-recently, she had a really bad craving for cheddar and pickles; it was almost impossible to restrain herself. However, she wasn’t doing too bad at maintaining a balanced and healthy weight gain during the pregnancy...well, not yet, at least. It was generally because she had read way too many articles about how difficult losing baby weight could be, unless you followed a healthy diet during pregnancy, and an intense workout program afterwards. “You know what is my least favorite part about pregnancy is? Being unable to drink alcohol. It’s a total buzzkiller. For almost six months now, I’m absolutely no fun.” She noted with a dramatical sigh, as the waitress walked away with their orders.

The whole Margery situation was getting more and more awkward for Sienna over time. She was very well aware that she had absolutely no right to narrate Noah’s love life-especially after everything he had done for her so far. Though she couldn’t help herself. Her mouth went dry with everything Noah was saying, about camping and Margery being such a precious human being and even though he wasn’t showering the girl with compliments, Sienna could still comprehend she was feeling uncomfortable-jealous, almost? She didn’t want to admit that because it would be such a horrible thing to say to a friend who always came to her aid no matter what. Weirdly enough, as Noah continued his speech about camping, lots of visual images flashed through Sienna’s mind in a second...Noah spending time with Margery against the amazing view he was preaching, Margery running her hand through Noah’s hair and ruining his hair in a flirtatious way-just as Sienna had been doing for the past decade, the two of them wrapped in a blanket in a fort, their arms wrapped around one another and peacefully sleeping. Her expression changed immediately, the corners of her mouth bent downwards, her eyes flickered down her lap and she chewed hard on the inside of her cheek. She had no clue about what was wrong with her, but she definitely couldn’t stand hearing anything more about how flawless Margery was. “That sounds kind of stupid. These kind of things are meant to happen naturally, aren’t they? You can’t work on them like they’re some project of yours. As much as you wish to control and direct things that matter to you, feelings do not function like that. You are not able to control whom you have feelings for and the sincerity and depth of your emotions. Relationships are most certainly not gardens and I can guarantee you, if it is not meant to be, no matter how hard you try, they are doomed to fall apart. So, there’s that reality check she seemed to need.” She could not actually believe those words just spilled out of her mouth so uncontrollably, as if she needed to get them out of her system before she was able to stop herself. However, the very thought of Margery rooting to be in Noah’s life in the long shot, made her feel nauseous. Afraid to face Noah to see how he was going to react to her sudden rant about Margery’s idea of relationships, she continued to focus her eyes on her lap.

[briscoe-sienna]

She wanted someone she had known a long while, someone who had loved her a long while.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, May Day (via fitzgeraldquotes)

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

Both of Noah’s parents were loving people, generous and kind. Words of praise weren’t uncommon in his house, but they were more cautious with the way they praised Noah, not wanting for him to grow up into a stuck up, spoiled brat like many of her mother’s brothers were. It seemed like each following generation adopted certain nurturing tips from previous one, building their own style of raising their children. He guessed he’d contribute to the upbringing of Sienna’s child in a way that would exclude things he didn’t like about his parents’ behavior and include the pros of it. For example, Noah couldn’t imagine being the kind of father who tries to convince his child to choose his education in accordance with the market and what’s perspective, completely ignoring what his kid actually wants to do. He would like to be supporting and to believe that his kid could accomplish anything they set their mind on, whatever the odds were – if he or she wanted and worked for it hard enough. He liked to believe he knew exactly what kind of a figure he wanted to be in life of Sienna’s child and one day, his own child with whomever that he is – but the truth was, he was terrified of how realistic his ideas were. So Sienna’s word of praise meant a lot, showing that someone else believed in him besides himself. “Thanks, S. And you know, I wouldn’t mind for him to be a Hufflepuff. Aren’t they the kindest people and most loyal friends? That’s all I’d wish for my kid to be – that’s all I’d wish for anyone’s kid to be.”

Once they parked in front of their desired location, Noah followed Sienna in her steps, only to be caught like a deer in highlights by the brunette’s sudden seriousness. A blissful smile spread across his lips in display of gratefulness and then, very quickly, transformed into something sinister “Great, we can call him Ramsey! Ramsey Bolton Briscoe! Muhahahaha!” he exclaimed and started running ahead and away from Sienna, towards the food place, as though she’d hunt him down for daring to suggest that. There were some free tables in the restaurant’s garden and he was quick to hop to one of the chairs and pull it before Sienna was to walk over to him, since he’d gotten a head start on her. “M’lady – House of Boltons welcomes you to Dreadfort, a dreamland for any lady. May we order some hound meat here, no?” he shouted out the latter, attracting the attention of other guests and the waitress passing by who’d hear his previous words and found the whole Game of Thrones references thing funny. Some elderly people were looking at him as though he was out of his mind, though so there was that too. “Tough crowd. I hope your little one will laugh more often at my jokes or else I might start feeling real bad about myself.” He finished, making himself comfortable there as well. “I tried this with Margery and she told me she doesn’t even watch Game of Thrones. How can she be named Margery and not watch Game of Thrones. Abomination!”

“You actually are pretty lucky I have a slightly harder time when I try to run around with a baby growing inside of me!” Sienna yelled behind Noah as he rushed his way into the hamburger place they were going to be eating at. She shook her head in disbelief with a chuckle escaping from her lips, glad to see Noah was still able to entertain himself with tons of Game of Thrones references. Truth be told, Sienna had started watching the phenomenal TV series, and even though she would never admit it around Noah for the sake of his feelings, she was nowhere near being able to make inside jokes or references about the show. And, well, it was clear that sometimes, she pretended to like it more than she actually did, just to watch Noah ramble carelessly about the newest episode. It was lucky he didn’t seem to notice just yet, she thought. As she made her way into the garden of the restaurant, she couldn’t help herself but started to laugh at the dorkiness of her friend who was attracting a reputable amount of attention from the other guests. She sat down on the chair across the table and placed one of her hands under her chin as she examined Noah carefully. “I highly doubt you’d stop yourself from brainwashing him into turning a hardcore Game of Thrones fan, so my poor baby doesn’t exactly have a choice now, does he?” Giggling softly, she shook her head in disbelief at his words.

The mention of the name Margery caused a slight uneasiness in her stomach, or so she thought. Nowadays, Sienna felt a certain difference in her own reactions when it came to Noah’s girlfriend... were they even boyfriend and girlfriend? She wasn’t exactly sure. Some nights when Noah returned from one of their dates, Sienna found herself pretending to sleep to avoid asking him about how the date went-because in a disturbingly unfamiliar way, she felt a tight knot in her throat when Noah talked about such a nice time he had with Margery. “Yeah, well, Margery is not that great of a name, so...” The words had come out of her mouth before she was able to restrain herself. What was that? Sienna couldn’t believe how all of a sudden, she seemed to make shady remark about poor Margery who never gave her any reason to be despised for. “Um, so tell me... How are things with her recently, anyways? You sure go on a good number of dates.” Two in a row. Real classy, S. Silently, she cursed herself for suddenly being way too outspoken for her own good. Hoping just maybe Noah wouldn’t realize how awkward she was acting, she forced a smile. “That’s a good thing, right? You must be enjoying her company.” Where was she even going with this, she had no idea. As she quickly went through the menu that the waitress handed them, Sienna desperately tried to shove the effect of her embarrassing speech, without much success.

[briscoe-sienna]

noahartmann:

The whole moving in and helping Sienna cope with this new situation ordeal wasn’t putting as much of a strain on Noah’s life as he’d expected, even though he did see responsibilities rising as her pregnancy progressed. Margery seemed not to mind his role too much – once he reassured her that there was nothing between him and Sienna and he was just helping out a friend in need, and she even thought him to be sweet and otherworldly for accepting this. It wasn’t that big of a deal, he thought – until he started falling asleep next to an open laptop and waking up to papers of his latest research stuck to his cheek. But he couldn’t blame any of it on Sienna, because she really wasn’t a demanding pregnant woman; he was being the overprotective one, overdoing everything as ever. Oh to be an overachiever – it is the burden of being born a middle child. “Actually…” he began in a voice of someone who was to make a ‘guilty as charged’ admission. “I may or may have not been googling how to make cribs on my own and also were to find Harry Potter themed décor. I didn’t want to say anything because I wouldn’t want to upset a pregnant woman with an argument on which house ou-…” he was about to say ‘our child’ but he quickly caught himself, trying to make a smooth transition into “he will be sorted into.” SHIT.

“Hmmm, I don’t know. You’ll have to take some martial arts classes to pull that one off. You can’t be caught slacking on the Black Widow performance. Not that it would make you an uncool mom. This is just for my entertainment.” He chuckled, truly entertained by the idea of Sienna in a leather costue with a red hair, fighting off the imaginary bad guys. Okay, maybe that was too hot of a picture in his head. Calm down. Make yourself decent, Noah. “Is it hot in here or what?” he adjusted his collar, playing coy for a moment there. “Oh man, I haven’t been there in ages. Count me in – and stop trying to get me drunk! You’ve seen me drunk once; you know I’m not a fun drunk. I’m a crier. It’s embarrassing.” Noah tried to block out any memories of him being wasted in the past before they had the chance to resurface as the overwhelming feeling of being honored washed over him. “Oh wow, you…you really want me to help you choose the name for your baby? I’d…I’d love that! That’s such an honor, S.”

Being friends with a person for over a decade, automatically gave you an insight about how their mind worked. In Sienna and Noah’s case, it was possible to say they could sometimes communicate without vocalizing much. After noticing his brief pause, for a moment Sienna’s eyes darted from the road in front of her to Noah who resided on the seat right next to her. Instinctively, one of her hands let go of the steering wheel to give his a gentle squeeze. “You have no idea how lucky we both are to have you with us.” She answered, offering him a gentle smile. Sienna wasn’t an ignorant person; especially not towards Noah. She was also very well aware of the fact that the more time they spent together during her pregnancy and the more trivial things they found out together about babies and children-and what not to do ensure they didn’t get hurt, since Sienna always prepared herself for the worst case scenarios, Noah had been growing more attached to the baby. Let alone feeling uncomfortable, she was feeling grateful Noah was able to devote himself this much to helping her, while including himself voluntarily to this baby’s life as well. Consequently, she constantly felt the need to remind him how happy she was that they were doing this together. Regardless of how much of a disaster it had started out as, her best friend had been better than she could ever dare to hope for. For that, she detested the thought of him thinking he would be in any way left out of the baby’s or Sienna’s life after birth. “Well, I’m a Gryffindor, even Pottermore said so. I know you’d probably want him sorted into Ravenclaw or something though. So that he could be a smartass.” A pretty athletic person in high school, Sienna didn’t think she would have much trouble with pulling off a Black Widow act. Of course, she would never be able to do the acrobatics, or maybe not even look as aesthetic as the actual Black Widow, but she would try, nevertheless. “You tend to forget I played volleyball for the school team. I can be quite athletic when I need to. Just wait as soon as I get rid of my babyweight.” Truth be told, the volleyball team was more of an obligation for her to keep her father satisfied, because Mr Briscoe always wanted his only daughter to excel in her school life. Even though he didn’t have extreme expectations from her academically, he did ask her to keep her coursework and extracurriculars functional at all times. The fact that her older brother had failed to fulfil his father’s ideals had disappointed him too badly, gave Sienna no other choice than not to mess up. Sienna continued to drive until they reached the spot the diner she loved visiting as a teenager was located in. She stopped the car after finding a parking spot and turned to face Noah, and made sure her expression was serious because she definitely needed him to understand the importance of her words. “I am so grateful that you are doing this with me and...” She paused, gulped for a second and noticed her lips were too dry, the same way they felt when she was nervous, then finally proceeded. “And right now, there is no other person I’d rather choose names or do any of this with. Honest.” It was the truth. Noah had made things so easy for her, that she finally concluded that nobody, absolutely nobody, could make her feel safer than she currently did.