ophelia-ohara-blog - Tumblr blog

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

+ @erin-lhakpa.

                                “Did I tell you how glad I am that you’re here?” Ophelia asked and draped her arm over her friend’s shoulders, a wide smile tugging at her lips as they walked around Haverford, just catching up while trying their hardest not to get bumped into by the many other festival-goers. “I was gonna go all alone, but festivals aren’t as fun when you don’t have someone to share them with, right?” She chuckled lightly and looked from her friend to a small stand selling slushies, coming up a little further down the street. “You want one of those?” She asked, nodding towards the stand. “My treat. I need something cold in this damn heat.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

adrianohara‌:

[ TIME SKIPPITY SKIP SKIP ]

                  Almost two weeks in and the fetching duo still lazed in their voluntary confinement of exposed brick, wooden beams, tall windows, and a strewn bed adorning the middle of it. The isle of Zoe and Adrian it was, a paradise a decade overdue, secluded on the edge of Westbrook, almost fringing North End, and a vista of the rest of the world surrounding their islet. Some furniture was still stacked on one end of the apartment in a gruelling wait to finally be put into place, but the lovers were taking their time, enjoying it, before interior decorating could be considered a priority. When it would be, he didn’t know. Nor did he care.

                  No one else had been in the loft apart from family (Margot too, but she practically was). Papa Foster was already scoping out the wall he would enrich with his deft, artisan hands and oil pants, accompanied by his wife, the Foster’s loving matriarch seeing off her youngest from the nest once more, for good this time. Idris and Ophelia had swung by the day after the lease was signed and finalized with Adrian’s eager beckoning; extensions of him his siblings were, and the excitement of showing them his step forward, and the guest room that was devoted to them whenever they wanted it. Moving out of the one bedroom was painless, sentimentality nowhere to be found when he closed that door one last time, but exiting the neighbourhood confines of North End was the hardest part, his loyalty to it unbending. Ophelia had been the one to talk him down off that ledge without saying much at all–– her energy and her support, despite her differences with Zoe, telling him that it was okay to move on. You could take the boy out of North End, but you could never take the North End out of the boy. 

                 “These taste funny,” Echoed a youthful voice from somewhere in the apartment, Rocky’s homemade den surely, commentating the ‘cupcake’ (if you can even call it that) that Adrian had attempted to bake for their arrival. Today work schedules had coincided, Idris not feeling too under the weather after treatment, and some long overdue O’Hara time was needed. Always the one to be baked for upon his arrival to his childhood home, Adrian attempted to return the favour; not from scratch like Ophelia could pull off so flawlessly, but from a Betty Crocker box. Now, maybe he could have pulled them off, but Brazil was playing Belgium and nearly coming back from two-nothing lead, and the distraction of the World Cup and the Stella Artois he was nursing turned Red Velvet and cream cheese icing cupcakes into a confectionary disaster, lacking baking powder for rise and sugar in the icing for taste, haphazardly placed in a cupcake wrapper, “––Rocky doesn’t even want to eat it!” Idris called out between boyish giggles. Adrian’s gaze shifted over to the fairer O’Hara who was just raising one of the cupcakes to bite into, hazel locking with brown, expression available for her to see the cringe that had swathed his features; a grimace walked the edge of the warded off laughter that trembled lips, mirth on the slow bend of his mouth and alive in his eyes as he reached over and saved her from taking a bite she’d regret, “… Let’s just order Uncle Louis’,” He decided resolutely, tossing the cupcake in the trash nearby, letting the laughter spill from him, “Reliable pizza and cannoli that never tastes ‘funny’– you can’t go wrong with that. Least I can say I tried, huh?”

                 After placing their order to the beloved pizza joint in the North End, Adrian hung up and rested his phone on the granite island, attention now undivided on his sister. Looking at her now, angelic features free of any marring and their mother’s dimples in full effect, you wouldn’t have guessed the gruel of the months in her wake. He’d be lying if he said part of him still didn’t obsess over it at night; didn’t sneak her file away at work to glance at it here and there. She wore a brave face – always the bravest he knew – but he wondered about her, worried about her, and hoped that the onyx cylinder of pepper spray eased her mind when a shift went late and the walk to her car seemed like a loom. “So, how’s O? Fill me in. Moving’s got my head in the clouds, and I’ve been missing you, you gotta catch me up–”

                                              Part of Ophelia had expected to find it harder to watch Adrian move out of North End and in with Zoe, but it had been surprisingly pain free—- maybe most of all because she realized early on that she wanted this for him; she wanted him out of North End and into Westbrook because no one deserved it more than him. He’d worked his way up to where he was today, protecting Lanford’s people, and sometimes she knew that was hard in a part of town where cops weren’t always welcomed in with open arms. Of course, Adrian had helped change that, and she saw the pride in people’s eyes now when they watched him patrol their streets. He had the respect he deserved, and that was why she knew the move would be good for him, and something people would talk about in their neighborhood with pride clinging to their voices. The other part of it—- that he was moving out to move in with Zoe, well… Ophelia had made her peace with it, knowing neither of them were teenagers anymore, and that they made each other happy. She saw the way Zoe looked at him; truly as if there was no other man on earth, certainly not for her, and it reassured her enough to loosen the knots in her stomach whenever she thought back to the months following… whatever had happened between them last year.

                             Not to mention the fact that her family, her parents and her brothers too even, had welcomed Idris into their homes and lives like he’d always been a part of them. For her, that was always a sure way to win her over, and even more so when it was so clearly genuine. They adored Idris as much as both Adrian and her did, and that was the most important thing; that they accepted her brothers, both of them. Somehow, this seemed like the way things were supposed to go, maybe even how they were supposed to go a long time ago, and parts of her felt guilty for not encouraging this sooner when she saw how happy Adrian was now, and how he just… fit in perfectly in this place that was his home now.

                              “Idris!” Ophelia turned around, trying to spot him, but he seemed to be somewhere out of sight, her jaw loosening for a moment before a light laugh escaped her, only to grow more persistent when the little boy continued after seemingly having offered Rocky a go at the cupcake too. “I’m sure it’s not actually that bad,” she said and looked back again, eyes moving from the slightly funny looking red velvet cupcake and up at her older brother, their gazes locking for a moment that didn’t really make her want to eat it more than before, but quite the opposite. Even the creator seemed to doubt his work, and when he plucked it from her hand a moment later and tossed it in the trash, her eyes crinkled at the corners as laughter spilled from her lips. “You know, it’s the thought that counts,” she reminded him, her nose scrunching in light amusement. “Next time, just invite the little one over; he knows what he’s doing in the kitchen, I swear he’s better than me already, but uh… Uncle Louis’ probably isn’t a bad idea today,” she added with a chuckle. “Either way though, your willingness to even try your hand at baking for us is appreciated. Momma would be proud,” she interjected as an afterthought, the latter a touch more quiet. She didn’t have the heart to tell him right now that Idris was beginning to ask about her more these days, and decided to save it for later—- today was a good day.

                              Conquering one of the barstools on her side of the kitchen island, she planted her elbows on the granite and perched her chin on the bottom of her palms with a light sigh, watching as her brother made a call to Uncle Louis’ to remedy the ‘funny’ tasting cupcakes. She straightened up a bit after he hung up and turned towards her, the smile on her lips growing firmer and bigger as it usually did in his company. The last couple of months had been busy with the move, and she’d taken up a lot of double shifts at work so she could take time off with Idris during the festival. Catching up with Adrian definitely seemed needed, even if she saw the worry linger in his gaze every time he looked at her now. She’d come to know a while ago that it probably wouldn’t fully go away any time soon, and in her rare moments of undiluted clarity, she understood why; what she’d been through wasn’t nothing—- she’d thought she was going to die; that she’d leave both her brothers sister-less. The thought had clearly struck her oldest too, but he’d found ways to reassure her and himself too, the onyx cylinder one she touched every day before she left for work, and every day before she went home again.

                           “O’s good,” she said though, flashing her most convincing smile—- party because she was good. She couldn’t really complain, at least. “You know me though, I’m just working. Or, well, I have the rest of this week off actually, and a couple of days next week so Idris and I can go crazy at the festival. Do you want to join us for some of it?” She asked. “You can bring Zoe too, if you’d like.” She smiled warmly, not trying to overcompensate, but actually genuinely meaning it. “But anyway, uh, yeah… that’s pretty much all that’s been going on on my end of things,” she said, a light shrug of her shoulders following and her gaze falling to her hands on the granite when Jason popped into her mind suddenly, the image of him quickly pushed away again. She couldn’t explain why he’d even show up in her thoughts when asked such a light question, but there he was, and probably not at the best time. While she didn’t mind talking about guys with Adrian, it wasn’t exactly like her and Jason was… definable. She didn’t know what was even going on there, and she tried her hardest to convince herself nothing was going on at all, but it was getting harder—- maybe because he’d show up randomly in her thoughts like this.

                            “Also, uh, don’t know if Margot told you, but she wants to take Idris sailing soon, if that’s cool. Well, she wants to take us all actually, which I thought might be fun?”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

sierra-moore‌:

                   So was she, more than anyone would ever quite know. An excited nod of her head was the response, words failing to provide any kind of insight into just how glad she was. “I was gonna’ leave—-” Sierra blurted out with a nervous laugh, “If things went bad. I had a bag packed, ready to go for a little while.” A road trip had always been something Sierra wanted to do, but never alone. Dreams of waking up in the back of a truck to the sounds of birds and rustling of trees, followed quickly by the grunts of a friend. It wasn’t how she wanted to make that trip, but nothing much in her life had panned out properly. Adam, he was change in all of that. The first sign of hope that maybe, the world would be a kinder place. “We’ve always loved each other, we didn’t want to risk anything, that’s all…” She spoke softly and lifted her shoulders into a shrug, “You deny something so much and you start to believe that’s how you feel. Shame it took me so damn long to find myself again, but—” The woman paused and decided not to dwell on the lost years, what could have been didn’t matter. What was happening was more important, “And Mia.” Sierra added with a grin, squeezing her friends hand back. “This is all her fault, before she came along I didn’t have to look into her dad’s eyes all the damn time. When she’s older, I’m gonna’ tell her that.” She chuckled, thinking of those Sterling eyes that had been passed down yet another generation. “We just want to be happy, you know? And I can’t stop feeling like this is it...” The skin on her cheeks burnt red and the smile froze, butterflies flipping inside her stomach. “Not like when I was with Sebastian or Zack, different. I feel like I have a home, a real one.” She always did, it just took her a little while to catch up. The smile on her lips faltered though, just for a few seconds as Ophelia admitted to there being nobody new in her life, “Oh—-” Part of her was hoping they could share the joy, but at the mention of her baby brother the woman pulled them back into a grin, “What more do you need, huh? I bet you he’ll be the most loyal one you ever have.”

                                           Knowing all too well how painful heartbreak could be, Ophelia understood why Sierra would’ve wanted to leave if things had gone differently on the night she told Adam about her feelings for him. In her stead, Ophelia would’ve probably done the same, but the idea of it was difficult to swallow, and Ophelia was, if possible, maybe even more happy now that it had worked out well with them—- imagining Sierra driving off into the night on her own to mend her broken heart, that just didn’t sit well with her at all, and she quickly swallowed the lump in her throat she reminded herself didn’t need to be there. “I get that,” she said quietly, a soft, reassuring smile tugging at her lips. “Thank god it didn’t get to that though, I would’ve… I don’t know, but we would’ve all been upset.” Adam more than anyone, she thought to herself, but pushed the thought aside, realizing it far from mattered now when this was the outcome instead; a happy Sierra— an in love Sierra.

                           “Well, I’m just happy you both realized it in time,” she said, a warm smile tugging at her lips. They could’ve both kept it up for another couple of decades and ended up marrying people they didn’t truly love, or at least not as much as each other, but instead they’d finally been single at the same time both of them, and now… this was where they were at. Ophelia couldn’t remember a time she’d been happier in a long, long time. “Yes, we’ll blame Mia. I think she’ll like that, actually—- I mean, you’re practically her mom, you know?” She wondered only briefly if that was too much to say, but then decided it couldn’t possibly be, because everyone saw how attached the small girl was to Sierra, and she was pretty sure a stranger wouldn’t bat their eyelashes even once if someone said they were mother and daughter. Holding her hand a little tighter, she pressed her lips together and teared up as soon as those following words left Sierra’s mouth— I feel like I have a home, a real one. It was impossible not to be moved by her words, especially when no one deserved this more than Sierra. “Yeah, a real one,” she said and sniffled lightly, a laugh escaping her lips at her own mushy-ness. “And that boy and his little girl, they love you so, so damn much,” she said, nodding her head multiple times as she wiped at her eye and tried to gather herself again. When she mentioned Idris being the most loyal guy she’d ever have, Ophelia laughed. “Yes, I think so too. He’s all I need honestly.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

alison-harper‌:

“I’m one of those secret aggressives,” she teased, knowing that in a setting with Ophelia and Emil, she’d be fine. The two calmed her and made her feel like she could have fun and not like the weight of everything was pressing down on her. “I’m sure Lucas would love any kind of game but you asking will probably make him feel grown up. I let him help with the dishes before and it was adorable.”

                                     “Okay, well that makes more sense, especially now that you put ‘secret’ in front of it, because nothing about you right now makes me think you are like that at all,” she said, a light chuckle escaping her lips. “But I guess everyone gets a little competitive now and again, and some more than others.” Even Ophelia was known to get like that herself, just a little bit—- but where some people were really sore losers too, she usually took it in her stride. “Aww yeah, that’s so cute. I’ll definitely ask him. I love how he helps with the dishes—- he actually does too when he’s over at our place for playdates with Idris. He’s a good boy, there’s no doubt about it.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

@rhysxtaylor​:

Rhys observed her for a moment, tilted his head as a small frown forming on his features —- it was only thoughtful, nothing bad at all. “Yeah, okay, I’ll take your word for it…” he responded. “You do seem pretty trustworthy and all.” As he moved to lean back on his elbows, his gaze shifting toward the sky, his frown was quick to turn upside down. “You know I’m never going to stop it. Seriously. It’s never going to happen.” Then, as she continued, he looked back over to her and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t know if it’s weird that’s how we met. I mean, come on, I wouldn’t ever say no to that happening again.” A gentle chuckle. “But I get what you mean.”

                                        Meeting his gaze firmly, she looked into his eyes and waited for his verdict—- the one he brought forth the one she was hoping to hear, her lips tugging into a satisfied smile. “Yeah, exactly,” she said at first, a light chuckle escaping her. “When it comes to this, I’m definitely trustworthy—- because I know I’m right about you, Rhys Taylor.” No pediatrician who cared so much about his patients, and even those who no longer were his ( Idris in this case ), could be anything but a good guy. Leaning down on her elbows too, and stretching her legs out in front of her, she was quick to look the other way when he continued the light teasing, her lips curling into a wide grin that she wouldn’t let him see at first. “I take everything back I said about you being a good guy,” she joked, finally turning her head to catch his gaze again. Maybe it wasn’t a weird way how they met; perhaps a lot of people met like that, but it felt like another life ago for her now— whether that was good or bad however, she wasn’t sure. “Oh hey,” she grinned, cheeks turning rosy under a blush she didn’t bother to hide; she knew it would be in vain anyway. “I guess it wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen again, no…”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

margctknight‌:

“Aw, well you’ll have to promise him that I’ll make it up to him as soon as possible! Even if we both know that’s definitely part of being a kid yeah,” she chuckled and wrinkled her nose lightly. She always wanted to spoil Idris though in any way she could, and she knew Ophelia did too, but of course she and Adrian also had to make sure he was raised right and didn’t grow up to be a spoiled brat — not that that was at all possible when it came to Idris. “Hey, that’s okay. I feel the same with my dad sometimes. I feel like he’s doing great, but then someone who hasn’t seen him in a while tells me they can see how much has changed. It’s weird, but I guess it’s just because we’re too close to it, right? Don’t beat yourself up about it — he’s alive because of you and Adrian and all the love and strength you’ve instilled in him,” Margot said without the shadow of a doubt. She felt for the small family with all her heart, and it was excruciating to know that a certain ending to this couldn’t be predicted, but she was also endlessly proud of them and full of adoration and respect for what they were doing for the little boy. “Quiet is a good way to describe things on my end too actually. Which I guess is better than things going badly, right?”

                                        “I will, and he’ll be fine, honestly—- as long as he knows he gets you all to himself soon enough, he’ll be more than happy. That kid adores you,” Ophelia said and turned to look back at her friend, squinting mildly against the high-hanging sun above them. She turned back around to look out at the water for a moment, considering the words Margot spoke; they made sense from first to last, but they scared her too. It was scary to think how many changes could be going on in Idris that she didn’t see anymore because she saw him every day; because she was too close, as Margot said. “It’s weird,” she mumbled to herself before swinging her legs around so she wasn’t sitting with her back turned any longer. “I’m just scared, you know? Scared all the time of what we’ll be told at the next meeting at the hospital. Or whenever the phone rings, I’m scared again… its’ very… tiring.” She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head a little, not sure what else to say for a few seconds. “But hey,” she finally said. “That’s why days like these are amazing; they help distract me.” Her smile was genuine and warm, all aimed at her brunette friend; someone who was more like a sister to her than a friend at this point. “Yeah, quiet is better than the bad alternative, that’s for sure.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

alison-harper:

“Me competitive is the worst kind of person. But if you want to see it, I will have to challenge you to some kind of game then,” she teased, knowing that she would probably play anything Ophelia and everyone else wanted. She’d get over her aversion to games if it meant enjoying time with her boyfriend and friends. “It’s dangerous though, I know I’d do anything for him already and its like if he asked me to lay down on the road so he could walk over me, I’d probably do it.”

                                     “Really? I just can’t imagine it—- you’re too nice to be not-nice even when you’re competitive,” Ophelia said, chuckling lightly under her breath. “But I guess we can put it to the test. I’d definitely love to play a game with you and see it with my own eyes. I’ll have to ask Lucas and Emil what kind of game we should play,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, but that’s so cute—- especially because we know he’s too sweet to ever ask that of you. Which is probably for the better.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

benxscott:

“I think the point would be to fleece absolutely everybody out of their money. I could be wrong, but I think that’s probably it,” said Ben with a laugh, glancing back at her, and then flashing a grin. Turning his attention back to the game, he twirled his pole for a moment, and then focused back on attempting to do what he’d said —- he had no idea if he’d have any success though. “Okay, you’re good with anything, then?” he questioned with a soft laugh.

                                     “Sounds highly plausible,” she answered, a chuckle escaping her lips as she looked back at Ben. She truly didn’t expect him to win her anything, especially not when it was often almost impossible in games like these—- unless she was aiming for something very small like a sheet with ten stickers on it, or something like that. Which would be more than fine— at least Idris would love them. “I’m definitely good with anything,” she promised, chuckling lightly under her breath. “In fact, just the effort is more than enough; thank you.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

noraxmercer:

           “Okay, you may be older than me, Miss O’Hara, but by how many years, really? And if I’m not mistaken, you used to be a ballerina, and you’re still fit as fiddle, whereas I… I eat cold pizza for breakfast more often than I eat something actually breakfast-related for breakfast, I drink like a fish and I have a serious sugar dependency that I do not ignore. I’ll definitely die before you,” she claimed and cracked a grin with an accompanying laugh. “Yeah,” she agreed and laughed harder, “I definitely am I lot dumber than you. Doesn’t matter now though, we’re stuck here forever. At least the company’s nice, right?” She chuckled and moved around a bit, careful not to walk into her own reflection. “Let’s try that way?” She pointed straight ahead, not sure if that’s where Ophelia had come from, or if that’s where Nora had come from herself. Not sure of anything. 

                                       “By enough years,” she answered weakly, a light laugh escaping her lips. “Oh my gosh, don’t say that—- I won’t allow you to die before me, okay? Besides, you still look fit as a fiddle yourself, even if you say you do all those things. Maybe you’re one of those people who work out in their sleep or something, and that explains why you look so damn good,” she added with a grin and a shake of her head. “Nah, you’re alright, I’m definitely not the brightest either— and as you said, the company’s nice. What more could we really ask for?” She scrunched up her nose in amusement and followed Nora obediently, chuckling lightly under her breath. “I swear I just came from that direction. Or wait— maybe I came from over there?” She pointed, furrowing her brows. “I have no idea anymore...”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

sierra-moore:

                   A change was coming, or maybe it had already begun; she wasn’t rushing to get away from Ophelia or the curious eyes that fell upon them as they jumped around like children, allowing a small squeal to escape her mouth. That is how she felt, like a five year old who had been told she was going to Disneyland. A once in a lifetime trip with memories that would last longer in pictures and videos, Sierra could feel it. The grin upon her face had barely faded over the weeks and now, the brunette still couldn’t get rid of it… “I almost crapped myself, literally! I don’t think I’ve had that much of a breakdown since I sent my mom to the hospital.” She sniggered, even though that time of her life had been a morally challenging one. Ultimately Sierra knew it was the best thing for all of them, but this admission didn’t come with a lifetime of guilt. It was a selfish one, but one that marked a change in the direction her life was going… “I know, I know, but I’ve felt sooo bad. We even made Adrian keep it a secret from Zoe too, literally you have no idea how hard it’s been. I love that we kept it between us though, can you imagine if it hadn’t worked out?” She shook her head and the smile faltered for a second, only to reappear almost instantly. “Elation then devastation, I would’ve been crushed.” Maybe she still would be, but Sierra didn’t feel like there was much a chance of that. “Yeah, it’s real. Me and Adam.” The woman laughed, looking over to Phe with a wide grin. “What about you? Tell me there’s someone in your life, anyone…”

                                           “Oh my god, but I’m so glad you did it,” Ophelia said, her whole face lighting up as she watched her friend, suddenly understanding why she’d been in such a good mood lately, and not just like usual—- but something more. She couldn’t put her finger on it until now, and boy she was relieved and very happy for her friends. “No, oh please, don’t feel bad, I totally get it. But no, honestly? I can’t imagine that—- it not working out. I never ever imagined a time where Adam wouldn’t love you, and I guess here we are.” She grinned widely, giving Sierra’s hand a squeeze. This was a whole new chapter in possibly a whole new book too, and no one deserved it more than Sierra, that was for sure. “You and Adam,” she echoed in a sing-song voice, all light and sweet and swept away by the fairy tale of it all—- this long awaited happy ending for the both of them, and Ophelia found it hard to imagine she could ever be happier for someone than she was in this moment. “I love it so much, I’m so, so glad you told him and that it worked out this way, Si. You both deserve it so much, and oh my gosh, Mia too—- she deserves this.” She smiled warmly, knowing that this meant Sierra wouldn’t just be her godmother, but probably the woman she would grow up to see as her actual mother, and the thought warmed her all the way through. “Someone in my life? Nah,” she shook her head. “It’s just me and Idris. He’s the man in my life.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

alex-matthews:

  “I will never forget it,” he said with a smile and grin as he stick out his tough before taking a seat next to his friend and favorite person. “That sounds a fun idea. I really should get out.”

                                  “That’s what I like to hear,” she praised, light laughter escaping her lips. Alex was family, and it meant everything to her that he knew she would always be there for him no matter what. “Yeah, we can go check it out once we’re full—- we’re not in a hurry, but it’ll probably be good for both of us to get out for a bit. How’ve you been?” She asked and dialled the number for Uncle Louis’ Pizza.

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

rhystaylor:

“Most people are…” Rhys was only kidding around, really, because he’d never exactly had any complaints from anyone. He got along with people easily, had a good sense of humour (as far as he was concerned), and very rarely looked down on anyone —- that was part of his training, though, he’d become very accepting as he grew. “Well, that’s good to know,” he answered with a smile, taking another drink of his iced coffee. At her response, he simply nodded his head, but a laugh soon followed . “Didn’t think you would,” was his immediate response, and then he added, “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

                                    “No, they’re not,” she disagreed with a guffaw— head shaking at him as she leaned over to shoot him a semi-pointed look, though it probably came across a lot softer than she intended at first. “You’re a good guy, no one is ‘just putting up with you’,” she assured him, chuckling lightly under her breath before she silenced herself with the straw to her iced coffee, the ice now completely gone. At his ongoing playful manner, her cheeks probably reddened further but she ignored it now and nudged him in the side with her elbow as she laughed. “Stop it,” was her weak response, but it was coated in amusement nevertheless. A moment later she looked over at him with a tiny grin on her lips, her head shaking slightly. “—isn’t it weird how that’s how we met? And now we sit here, years later, coincidentally living in the same town... the world is weird. And small.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

veronica-spencer:

It was hard not to want to believe in yourself when Ophelia spoke. If it were possible, Veronica imagined a person could make a decent living off of bottling up the brunette’s special brand of optimism. Even on the days that Veronica didn’t believe the words that were coming out of Ophelia’s mouth, which in all honesty had been most days as of late, she couldn’t deny that hearing them helped make the pressure that Ronnie had been feeling and the unimaginable guilt that had been twisting in her gut feel less so. “God, what are you trying to do? Turn me into a puddle?” the blonde questioned, the back of her hand swiping at stray tears on her cheeks once more. “I can’t have you over here if all you’re going to do is lift my self-esteem and shit.” The former had been meant in jest, Veronica’s attempt to try and sidestep any more tears with her, sometimes, slightly dark sense of humor. “You know when I first moved out to LA, I was so happy to finally get away from this place and all the shit that I thought I didn’t need or want to deal with anymore—” It had been her opportunity to get away from her parents and to finally crawl out from underneath her older sister’s shadow, to start over in a brand new city where no one knew her. Looking back, while living in California had been one of the best times in Veronica’s life, being back home served as a reminder of all the people she’d left behind and how even after years of missed phone calls and text messages, Ronnie still had good people in her life. “I never thought I’d ever miss it here. And I know that you said you don’t know what you’d do without me, but honestly, I have absolutely no idea what I would do without you.” 

                                      A laugh escaped her lips and crinkled her watery eyes at the corners when Veronica delivered a witty response to all her words. Even though Ophelia intentions had never been to get all mushy about her blonde friend, sometimes it was hard not to—- especially when it was obvious she’d had a tough couple of weeks, clearly shouldering a lot and blaming herself for things that Ophelia believed were beyond her control. No one, and especially not Veronica, deserved to feel like that, and Ophelia would do just about anything to ease the pressure for her. “Sorry, but not sorry? You’ll just have to deal with it,” she said, chuckling lightly under her breath as she squeezed Veronica’s hand yet again, listening as she allowed her thoughts to leave her lips. Ophelia couldn’t blame her for wanting to put Lanford behind her after she moved to LA, it made sense to her, especially because she knew the feeling well herself, of just wanting to get away—- but she was happy to know that now that she was back, she still found reasons to stay. Tears welled into her brown eyes, but Ophelia willed them not to go any further as a smile tugged at her lips. “Stop it,” she said weakly, a soft laugh clinging to her words. “You’re turning me into a puddle now,” she added and wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde when she came in for a hug. “I’m so happy to have you in my life, and I promise I’ll always be there for you.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

athenaharrison:

Athena wasn’t quite sure if Carter should be out at the carnival. Her doctor assured her in was in good health at the moment and the best thing for him was to be a normal kid. What was being a normal kid anyway? Little pleads from doe eyes had her pack him up and take him out. She pointed out that they would not be later than nine pm; which he happily agreed with. She could have told him five pm and he would have gone along with it. 

It was a surprise when she ran into Ophelia and Idris at the entrance and the two boys were inseparable. Thea was happy to see Carter have a friend. She went to go open her mouth to protest about the ride, however, the look her son gave her she let him have a little more freedom. “You too?” She glanced over at the brunette. “Idris is all Carter talks about and if he can have him for a sleepover.” Her head shaking laughing lightly. “That would make two of them excited.” Her eyes turned back to the boys watching them get onto the ferries wheel. “I am finding it hard to let go a little. Give him more freedom.”

                                       Separation anxiety was pretty much the crux of Ophelia as a big sister. She was always worried about Idris, especially after everything he’d been through over the last year and a half, but it was people like Athena and her son Carter that made it easier to let go a little— she could see how happy he was to be in Carter’s company after all, and just be a kid for once, and not a patient, or someone who was constantly asked ‘how he was feeling’. Ophelia knew it could frustrate him even though he always took it in his stride, and she promised herself daily that she would give him more freedom to be a kid again—- but it was pretty difficult at times.

                        “Aww, that’s so cute! I’m honestly so happy Idris has a friend like Carter—- and I know for a fact he’d love to do a sleepover at some point, I’m definitely cool with it.” She wouldn’t usually be, but she trusted Athena wholeheartedly, and she adored Carter and could definitely understand why Idris was so excited to play with him. “I know what you mean. It’s hard letting go, even just a little bit, but you’re doing great,” she complimented with a warm smile. “How are you though? Are you alright?”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

taylorwilkinson:

Flipping the hair she spoke of over her shoulder, she gave a wide smile with a little screech at the sight of Ophelia. “Hi, hi, hi.” Returning the hug, she gave a cute little squeeze. “God, yes. I need a lunch out. I’ve been swamped with work so that would be amazing. Actually, if you’re not busy now… I just got off work and some place other than here is calling my name.” Placing a hand on her shoulder, she smiled again. The two gleamed with positivity and it was always nice to be in her presence. “How about you? How have you been?”

                                    “Hi,” she replied back, light laughter escaping her lips when Taylor seemed to be just as excited to see her as Ophelia was to see her. She knew The Kitchen had been busy lately, especially with the summer festival going on as well, so she could only imagine what that meant for its waitresses. It seemed luck would have her running into Taylor today as she had just finished her shift though, while Ophelia didn’t have any plans herself either. “I’m not busy at all,” she said excitedly, pleased with their good timing. “I would love to. Do you have a specific place in mind? I’m not picky,” she assured her with a grin, and nodded at her question before replying. “I’m good, melting in this heat, but other than that, I have no complaints.”

[ophelia-ohara-blog]

Jenna Coleman attending the Wimbledon men’s semi-finals at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England (13.07.18)