#Fanro

[libertyreads]

Book Review #88 of 2023--

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Rating: 5 stars.

Read from July 8th to 10th.

Am I really giving a Fantasy Romance a 5 star rating right now?? Well, hopefully you’ve seen me live blogging my reactions to this one over the past few days so you know how this book was making me feel. Do I realize this is probably not the next great American novel? Of course. Was I a giddy school girl the entire time I was reading this one? Yes. This was so fast paced (and done well) and I just wanted to keep reading. Yesterday, I read 290 pages in one day (and I would have read more if I had the time) because I had to keep reading. It’s such a compelling story. Let me back up and give you a quick synopsis: We follow Violet who is entering the war college at the age of 20, but instead of going to the scribes like she always thought she would, this disabled young woman is forced to enter the quadrant for the dragon riders. The most physically and mentally demanding quadrant at the school. But when your mother is the general of the war college you do what she demands. While in her first year, Violet must overcome the physical challenges her disability and the school put in front of her. She uses her daily pain as a beacon to light her way and uses every advantage she has to survive.

I don’t know where to start. I loved the world building and felt like it was done in a way that made sense. I could see not only the setting that this was taking place in, but also the magic and the way it worked. I could picture all the different magic types and how their magic worked with the connection between dragon and rider. I could also picture all of the dragons and the way they moved in flight and in battle. I absolutely LOVE Tairn and Andarna. I cannot tell you how quickly these two dragons wormed their way into my heart. A magical companion will always, always become a favorite character. Another character I basically adopted as one of my children immediately is Xaden. Look, morally grey is my favorite color and I have to adopt all of the morally grey characters. It’s practically a law at this point. He is such the dark and brooding villain hero, but at the same time, when you hold him up in comparison to Dain (Violet’s best friend at the start of the novel), he is just the better person when it comes to how he treats Violet. Well, as long as we ignore the first part where he’s threatening to kill her. But you can’t have an excellent enemies to lovers without the enemies first. And that is what this novel has as the Romance part of Fantasy Romance. There were some solid romantic moments in this novel for me. It starts with Knife Flirting--the sharpest and most elegant of flirting styles in Fantasy. There’s also Hand-to-Hand Combat Flirting which I didn’t know was a thing but now want in every. single. Fantasy I read that has even a moment of a romance. Two of the other big, non-sexual, moments for me were when he had daggers made for her and when he had a saddle made for her dragon (and then just approached the most deadly dragon in the quadrant to ask if it wouldn’t mind acting like a fucking horse). But speaking of sex scenes, there are a few which would normally bother me as someone who is asexual and has a lot of trouble with how specific sex scenes get with what the characters like and how uncomfortable that makes me. But these were some good, and still spicy, sex scenes that I actually enjoyed reading. And if you can make me like a sex scene then that alone almost deserves 5 stars.

And that was a long paragraph. Okay, I also could note how the book had a few moments of not 100% great writing, but I had such a good time with this one. I really enjoyed it and I hate that I don’t have a copy. And I also hate that I can’t read this for the first time again. Overall, this is great for someone who likes Fantasy, likes Romance, likes the combo of the two. If you’re looking for something that just hits all the right beats in a magical world with dragons, a deadly war college, and political machinations, pick this one up and thank me later.

[allbookedupblogstuff]

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

TL;DR: Another fun and romantic fantasy from T. Kingfisher. Source: NetGalley, thank you Bramble! Plot: Halla, while attempting to end her life, ends up with a magical guardian from within a sword. Hijinks follow. Characters: As always T. Kingfisher’s characters are easy to love. They’re fun and friendly and it’s hard to go wrong. Setting: The setting was a little loose, and we spent most of our…

[staciass]

[dontdenymeshakespeare]

Mid Year Book Freakout Tag

[joaquinwhorres]

Speak Now (TV) OC Tag Game

Thank you so much to @sylviebell for tagging me in this!! I had fun going through the whole album again to find songs.

Rules: claim a speak now (taylor’s version) song for your fic pairings 💜

Caro & Mickey - "Ours"

So don't you worry your pretty little mind

People throw rocks at things that shine

And life makes love look hard

The stakes are high, the water's rough

BONUS: Caro & Dalia - "Never Grow Up"

To you, everything's funny

You got nothing to regret

I'd give all I have, honey

Audrey & Javy - "I Can See You"

And we kept everything professional

But something's changed, it's somethin' I, I like

They keep watchful eyes on us

So it's best that we move fast and keep quiet

Lauren & Bradley - "Electric Touch"

I'm tryin' hard not to look like I'm trying

'Cause every time I tried hard for love, it fell apart

Birdie & Jake - "Sparks Fly"

My mind forgets to remind me you're a bad idea

You touch me once and it's really somethin'

You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be

I'm on my guard for the rest of the world

But with you, I know it's no good

Murphy & Joaquín - "When Emma Falls in Love"

When Emma falls apart, it's when she's alone

She takes on the pain and bears it on her own

'Cause when Emma falls in love, she's in it for keeps

She won't walk away unless she knows she absolutely has to leave

Tagging: @bobfloydsbabe @akabluekat @veetlegeuse @demxters & anyone else who likes Taylor Swift and has OCs (my brain is dead on that front rn)

[starindiaelectricals]

miniature circuit breakers (MCB) are used for safeguard homes from overload. They are much reliable and safer than a fuse. MCB is that it ensures equal distribution of electrical energy across all the devices!! fan junction box

For wholesale enquiriescontact us: 9888828343Website= www.startindiaelectricals.com

[the-fanros]

Hi fanros! What are your favourite ships that remind you of danro? <3

-your favourite fanro 💌

I couldn't choose just one so heres a list

(dan=left side,zero=right side)

kel x sunny (omori)

noel x susie (deltarune)

berdly x kris (deltarune)

natsuki x yuri (ddlc)

the hotlands gaurd guys (undertale)

basically any ship that follows this trope:[puts up with person B's chaos] x [makes the person A more chaotic]

[ctlightner]

Storygraph Wrapped 2022

Went on Storygraph today and found my wrap-up for 2022

It's hard to believe I only read Iron Widow a year ago. I know it's new(ish), but it's been on my mind all year, so it feels like I first read it 5 years ago. It's one of the few YA books I've been able to get through and be excited about in a long time, and of course I've pre-ordered the sequel!

I'm less surprised that something TMNT related is my last-read book. Statistically speaking, TMNT had the best chance at being either first or last or both, given my brainworms

Not surprised Fantasy is my most-read genre. I've been trying to branch out a little more over the last few years, but old habits die hard. Banger year for comics, though, and I don't see that changing any time soon. Need to try and work a few more Horror into my diet this year.

I admit, I don't go out of my way to seek out queer books. By that, I mean that I try to read diversely, so queer books are definitely something I seek out deliberately, but I tend to see it as a bonus rather than the whole reason to go into something. Then again, I rarely read Contemporary anything, so there's a reason why I don't read issue-focused queer fiction as often. I've been reading more Non-fiction lately, so if I see a spike in queer lit, it'll probably be from a non-fiction angle.

I've been slowly acquiring a taste for romance books. Most of these pictured are probably there as a secondary genre, but I've read a few that were primarily Romance. The issues I'm having run parallel to me not enjoying a lot of Contemporary (which is a good portion of primarily Romance books), and also having been burned many times when I try to read Fantasy Romance. FanRo tends to lack in either of the genres while favoring the other, so I'm very, very wary about it. Recommendations appreciated.

More stats below the cut.

I've been tending towards shorter books lately. I used to be able to devour 800 pages epic fantasies, but my tolerance for high page counts has dropped significantly. The last super long books I think I read were Mistborn Era 1 seven years ago. Frostheart also doesn't feel like a tome to me because it's Middle-Grade, and MG books actually have lower wordcounts overall, and sometimes bigger font and illustrations that can pad things out. If "Escape" had been formatted like and adult book and had zero illustrations, it probably would have been closer to 250-300 pages at most.

Novellas are my recent loves, especially the Singing Hills Cycle. Into the Riverlands was not my favorite (that still remains The Empress of Salt and Fortunes), but it was pretty good. I think I'll try to reread the three books sometime this year.

Along with reading more books in general, I've been using my library more. The reason why it took me over a month to read Tender is the Flesh is because like 5 holds came in and I was suddenly given Deadlines.

Very interesting to see that over 50% of my 5 star reads were comics. I knew I read a lot of them this year, but it's nice to know I really liked a good portion of them, too. Unsurprised that the prose fiction I gave 5 stars were on the more literary and stylistic side of SFF.

I read Evelyn Hardcastle for a reading club. I'd heard of it before, but hadn't heard anything about it that would have made me pick it up otherwise. It's a very weird book. I like the time loop structure of the plot. It's pleasantly confusing and I honestly love how the constant body-jumping kept me on my toes. However, the gimmick did start to wear out its welcome a bit the longer it went on.

I grew very disillusioned by the ending, however. Up til about the last quarter of the book, it's designed as a time loop whodunnit. Very interesting. However, by the end it starts to turn into a weird, sudden exploration of the futility of the prison system. as someone who's been digging into prison abolition/restorative justice lately, I was at first intrigued by the idea, but the final few reveals ended up severely clashing with the story that came before hand. I think it ended up generating exponentially more questions about the world of the novel than it answered, and it didn't present these questions in a way that was looser, softer, less important to question due to the themes being explored.

For contrast, I also read Thistlefoot last month, and though I have a few complaints, they're not complaints about the worldbuilding. Thistlefoot is a fairy tale, a book of magical realism, filled with soft magic. and it doesn't pretend otherwise. Evelyn Hardcastle, starts out in a way that let me go along with it; I didn't feel the need to question why this guy was trapped in a body-jumping time loop. By the end, when the author tries to give answers for questions I didn't really have, it made the whole thing unravel now that the author was shifting into harder worldbuilding.

As for the TMNT actor autobiography... it's not very good. I could only ever recommend it to hardcore TMNT fans who would get something out of reading a self-published autobiography by an obscure actor in the 90s films. It's clear he wrote the book himself, though, so I have a deeper appreciation for the effort put into it than whatever Evelyn Hardcastle was trying to do.

I don't care about keeping track of the series I'm reading. I don't read 200 books a year (only 56 in 2022... a lot higher than non-readers but still nothing compared to some Booktubers), and I try to DNF when I know I'm not going to like something.

I am going to try rereading more books this year. I Am Not Immune To Consumerism, but I am trying to inoculate myself a bit. Going to not buy any more books from now til June, and try to reread a few of my top favorite books. I miss the days when I used to reread books over and over and get something new out of them.

I've already decided that Hogfather is going to be my Christmas read every year, and the Collector's Library edition is probably going to be the first book I get on July 1st.

I'll be honest: could probably stand to DNF even more. Some of the books I actually marked back onto my TBR rather than as a DNF. Often it's because I know I wanted to read it, owned it, and just wasn't feeling it. Other times it was because I'd barely gotten 10% into it and therefore didn't consider it even as something I was really reading.

That being said, ACOMAF has one more chance for me to try and read it at the behest of my friend or else I'm just gonna give up. Maybe if I borrow their physical copy I'll have better luck (I don't read a lot of ebooks, and if the library makes me give back a slow-going book before I'm done, I won't fight that hard.)

Speaking of physical books, I have a shitton of them. I primarily read physical books. I'm going to try and read down my physical TBR this year so that I can clear up my shelves a bit. 35/56 owned books in 2022 isn't bad though!

And that was reading for 2022. Lots of interesting insights for myself. Here's to a great 2023!

[lidaphotos]

Fanroe beach, Ireland - July 2019 . . . . . . . #beach #summer #sand #sea #clouds #ireland #explore #travelphotography #travel #vagabondiary #wanderlust #exploreireland #ig_photooftheday #ig_nature #ig_beaches #iphonephotography #roadtrip #holidays #bluesky #reflection #waves #surfspot #theglobewanderer #marvellous_shots #peoplescreatives #exploretocreate #passionpassport #theoutbound #livefolk #lifeofadventure (at Fanore Beach, Ireland) https://www.instagram.com/p/B15tRj7oMGs/?igshid=197996ujk3vxh

[libertyreads]

Book Review #34 of 2025--

Reign of Blood by Rietta Boksha. Rating: 2 stars.

Read on May 14th.

Before I get into the review, a quick thank you to the author for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Reign of Blood is a Norse inspired Fantasy novel following the Princess of Midgard who is forced to train in secret because her father, the king, doesn't want her to know how to wield a sword. When her brother is training her, something new sparks inside of her, a fire that she's never felt before. Haunted by visions of battle and a white sword she discovers a connection to a legendary power. Reign of Blood is a self-published novel that will be released on May 23rd. It's available for pre-order on Amazon now.

I'm really torn on how to review this one. My husband knows the author IRL and suggested I request the ARC when the author was sending out a round of them. He has talked to me about some of the bookish stuff she has posted on social media before so I decided to give this one a shot. I like Norse mythology and I am always down for a badass female main character. But I think this one misses the mark. Some of which I think could be fixed with a few rounds of editing with a good editor to work through some of the kinks in the plot. For me, both the world building and the plot itself felt a little aimless. At times it felt like a medieval Fantasy, other times it felt like I was being sucked back into the 21st century through language choice and other small things like that. I also could never tell what kind of story I was reading. I wish things had been more focused from the start. When the main female character makes a choice around the halfway mark and sets off to do the thing, that made it a little more focused, but until then I never knew where we were heading with the plot.

There were a few characters I really enjoyed and wish had gotten a bit more page time to develop. Maybe if there's a second novel we'll get to see that? And to a degree I enjoyed the fact that we had a main female character who got a lot of the same treatment that the normal main male characters get in all the major SFF novels. Viewed as different/special by most. Able to win a lot of people over to their side. In it to save the day. A lot of romantic interest. I do wonder how much of it was planned as the inverse of the typical MFC and MMC arcs. This is one of the few books that I think make sense at the shorter page length. It kept it punchy and kept the story going.

Overall, this book felt like it didn't 100% know what it wanted to be when it grew up. And that might just be something I read into it. I do think that if I picked up a different book from this author, maybe something contemporary, I could find some joy there. This one just wasn't completely for me.

[majalahforbes-blog]

Aniaya Warga Maluku, WN Swiss Pemilik Resort Jadi Tersangka

Forbes - KWG alias Kurt, seorang warga negara (WN) Swiss, dijadikan tersangka karena menganiaya seorang warga Maluku Tengah. WN Swiss tersebut diduga menganiaya warga Maluku Tengah dalam kondisi mabuk. Adapun warga Maluku Tengah yang dianiaya ialah Fandro Tuhepary (38) yang tak lain ialah karyawannya sendri di sebuah resort. Kemarahan dipicu karena WN Swiss tak terima kerjaan Fanro. "Penyidik dari Polsek Saparua telah melakukan pemeriksaan terhadap saksi korban atas nama Fandro Tuhepary serta dua orang saksi lainnya," kata Kapolres Polres Ambon dan Pulau-Pulau Lease, AKBP Sutrisno Hadi Santoso di Ambon, yang dilansir Antara, Minggu (24/2/2019). Sedangkan, Kasubag Humas Polres Ambon, Ipda Julkisno Kaisupy, tersangka KWG dijerat pasal 351 ayat (1) KUHP. Dia mengatakan, penyidik berencana akan segera memanggil yang bersangkutan juga untuk diperiksa dalam kapasitas sebagai tersangka. Julkisno menambahkan,tersangka Kurt adalah WN Swiss yang memiliki sebuah resort di Kecamatan Saparua. Sedangkan Fandro adalah salah satu karyawannya. Fandro yang sesehari bertugas sebagai satpam di resort tersangka ini dianiaya hingga menderita luka-luka di bagian lengan serta mulut pada Mingu, (27/1) 2019 sekitar pukul 22.00 WIT. Korban saat itu sedang bertugas dan sempat memejamkam mata karena rasa kantuk, kemudian datanglah tersangka KWG datang bersama istrinya sambil marah-marah dan menyuruh Fendro pulang. Saksi korban berusaha untuk memberikan penjelasan namun tersangka yang sudah dalam kondisi mabuk tetap marah-marah dan mengusirnya, termasuk salah satu teman korban bernama Kilbert yang baru tiba di lokasi kejadian. Akhirnya Pandro dan rekannya meninggalkan tempat itu, tetapi korban kembali untuk mengambil telepon genggamnya di atas meja tetapi tersangka langsung memukuli serta membanting korban meski pun ada upaya istri pelaku yang melarai. Read the full article

[staciass]

[dontdenymeshakespeare]

The Amazing Readathon Week Three

The Amazing Readathon is a readathon created by Brianna from Four Paws and a Book and co-hosted by many others in the BookTube and Bookstagram community. This one is based on the reality TV series The Amazing Race and it’s about spending the month of August travelling the world. There are prompts and ways you can get bonus points (team colour, BIPOC author, etc.). It turns out we’re not supposed…

[joaquinwhorres]

Tailspin - Part 1 (Fanboy Garcia x F!OC)

SUMMARY ���›››› Having grown up just across the bridge from North Island, Carolina Alvarez has been told her whole life to stay away from the Top Gun boys. And for the most part, she has. That is, until Fanboy catches her putting quarters in the jukebox at The Hard Deck and initiates a game of cat and mouse that ends with her exactly where she swore she’d never be.

PAIRING ››››› Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia x F!OC

WORD COUNT ››››› 5,721

WARNINGS ››››› None

MASTERLIST ››››› Here

A/N ››››› These two are my babiest babies. I'm absolutely in love with this couple. Mickey is such an underrated character, and everything I've been planning for this love story just has me so excited to share more of this.

If Caro had things her way, they wouldn't be here.

Instead, the group of girls would be in the middle of a dancefloor, surrounded by strangers as they downed enough shots to feel like they were living inside of a synth pop song.

She'd even be happy with taking over a line of stools at the shitty bar three blocks down from their apartment, drinking beer and alternating between telling stories and guessing at what was happening on the sporting event broadcasted on the TVs.

And if there was no other acceptable place in the vast array of options that the San Diego nightlife offered, they could have bought a couple bottles of wine and binged The Bachelorette from the comfort of their own home.

But they were here. And instead of a scandalously tight dress or shorts and a cute tank top or a soft set of pajamas, she wore a cotton sundress from Old Navy which had only been meant for Sunday dinners with her abuela. Then again, wearing it to the pseudo-goodbye party for her best friend for the past four years seemed like an acceptable exception. 

Sami grinned at her across the table. "I still can't believe you agreed to come here," she said.

Caro shrugged. "You have to finish your bucket list, and I wanted to spend time with you." 

"But you're here," Sami said, gesturing around the room. "You hate this place." It felt surprisingly cramped for a beach front bar where one whole wall was windows. If Caro had to guess it had something to do with the little model airplanes and mugs that hung from the ceiling and the fact that every wall that wasn't a window was covered with Navy memorabilia. The bar also might have felt more crowded than it actually was given that half the people here wore the same tan uniform. But as small as the place felt, there was a relaxed atmosphere that permeated the place, reminding her of her abuela's living room during a family party.

"I don't hate this place," Caro corrected, her tone suggesting Sami's ridiculousness. "Just everything it stands for." 

Sami laughed at this, and the other girls broke into smiles and shaking heads. 

"Drinks are good though," Caro said, toasting Sami with the Collins glass of her mojito. "And the company's not bad." 

"You can't tell me you don't enjoy the eye candy either," Amber added, lifting the tiny black straw and pointing it towards the group of Navy guys in the back whose loud cheers carried across the bar as one of them stood up from where they'd just taken a shot on the pool table. He was shaking his head, but a friend had already peeled off from the group and towards the bar.

"It's like they were plucked out of an Abercrombie ad," Amber said, her voice laced with awe. 

"That's their whole appeal," Caro remarked, watching as the red haired pilot drummed his hands against the bar top waiting to be served. 

Sami acknowledged this with a nod of her head and wry smile. "You're not wrong." 

"You're a little wrong," Kayleigh disagreed, punctuating the statement with a pause and a glance around the table to make sure she had everyone's attention. "They're fantastic in bed."

Caro rolled her eyes with a smile as Amber and Sami laughed. Kayleigh took a sip from her drink looking very self-satisfied. 

"I'm sure they're only half as good as they think they are," Caro remarked, and Kayleigh gave another shrug. 

"Still three times better than most men." 

As Kayleigh was the only one with experience, having snagged a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Texan pilot last year, Caro ceded the point with an incline of her head.

"Speaking of all this," Sami said, waving a hand in Kayleigh's direction. "You need to help me with strategy." 

This seemed like an excellent opportunity for Caro to slip away and make her way over to the corner of the bar that she'd been eyeing all night. "Got it," Caro said, pointing a finger at Sami. "I'm going to go find the perfect song to make someone come over and sweep you off your feet." 

Sami's brows furrowed in confusion before her eyes landed on the old fashioned jukebox that was currently belting out Creedence Clearwater Revival. Her face softened into a teasing grin. "I'm not going to see you for the rest of the night, am I?"

"Not if everything goes according to plan," Caro shook her head, scooching out of the booth. She smoothed down the skirt of her dress before looking up at her friends. "Any requests?"

The group shook their heads, and Caro turned away from them, weaving through the crowd towards the jukebox, its neon lights guiding her way.

There was something innately comforting about sifting through a jukebox's catalog of songs. Even when she found herself in the very place she'd been warned away from for most of her life, at least she was here with the Beatles and the Eagles and Patsy Cline. The familiar song titles greeted her like old friends' faces in a high school yearbook, and as she flipped through them and remembering people she'd forgotten about and finding other surprises like "Mambo No. 5" it was enough to put her at ease for the first time all night. 

Sami might be leaving. Adulthood might be before her. But her music was here and would be for as long as there were jukeboxes.

So, even when she sensed someone come up behind her, she didn't stop to look at them or feel tension creep up her spine at the prospect of conversation. She remembered that a jukebox naturally caused lines and that she had all night to peruse through its songs before making sure her friends were either going home with someone else or safely back in the Lyft with her. 

Caro finally located the song she had been searching for in the back of the alphabet, pressing in the number and smiling softly as the familiar strums of the guitar filled the bar along with the shaking tambourine. 

It was in this moment, as she listened to the first few lines of the song and fiddled with her next quarter, that the person behind her spoke. 

"This is a great song." 

Caro looked over her shoulder, finding a young Naval officer with a buzzcut standing a few paces behind her. Maybe, if he hadn't been so right that this was a great song—or if he hadn't left so much space between himself and her, honoring the privacy of her jukebox ritual–or if hadn't offered up the warm and earnest kind of smile he gave her—maybe, if he hadn't done all that, she would have just nodded or shot a quick smile and gotten out of there. But instead, because he seemed to get it and the compliment was simple and straightforward and not about her at all, she offered her own genuine smile back along with a "Thanks." 

"It's the Temptations right?" he asked, taking a step closer.

The smile faded from her lips as her lapse in judgment became all too clear. 

"Van Morrison, actually," she corrected, turning back around to the jukebox and slipping her second quarter in.

She flipped through the pages slightly faster this time, passing by "Dancing in the Moonlight," "Hey Mickey," and "American Girl" as she worked her way back to the beginning of the alphabet. Behind her, she could feel the officer take another step closer, and her back stiffened. Rather than continue to creep up behind her, though, he moved into her line of sight, standing next to the jukebox to watch the catalog pages turn.

"Need a recommendation?" he asked, shooting a slightly more hesitant smile than before, this one going completely ignored. 

 "From the man who thought The Temptations sang 'Brown-Eyed Girl?'" she asked, letting the question sink in as another two pages of song options went by. "I'm good." 

He exhaled a laugh, shaking his head at himself. "Maybe I can redeem myself."

"And maybe I'm not interested," Caro retorted. 

The words hung in the air between them, the sheepish smile slipping from his face, instead replaced by a slightly bewildered expression. She couldn't entirely blame him. The words had come out sharper than she'd meant them to, and all things told, this was far from the worst pick up attempt she'd ever faced. 

Her finger slipped from the next button as her shoulders relaxed from where they'd been raised in defense. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "I just–I don't date sailors, so you're wasting your time with me."

Confusion overtook his features, his eyebrows drawing together in a questioning look as his head tilted to the left. It was almost like he'd never experienced rejection, which, based on his boyish good looks, wouldn't be all that surprising.

"You do know you're at a Navy bar, right?" he asked, a hint of teasing in his voice.

"And you know people come to bars for reasons other than picking someone up, right?" she returned, mirroring the head tilt.

He laughed at this, acquiescing the point with a nod. "I don't suppose it'd make a difference if I told you that I was more of a pilot than an actual sailor, would it?" 

She eyed his haircut which was unusually basic for a Top Gun boy. His demeanor also seemed to hide the trademark overinflated sense of ego especially well. Compared to Kayleigh's Texan from last year, she had to wonder if he was lying in hopes that her answer would be anything other than what it was.

"Not a good difference," she remarked, a smirk curling up the corner of her lips. "I don't even talk to Naval Aviators if I can help it."

"In that case, I'm honored," he said, grinning good naturedly, and she shook her head at him, turning back to the jukebox and her selection.

He moved a bit closer to her, the smile fading as his eyebrow rose instead. "So, no Navy boys at all no matter what? No dating or flirting or letting them buy you a drink?" 

"Nope," Caro said, letting the "p" pop. 

"What about a song?" he asked, tilting his head towards the jukebox, and Caro felt a smile grow despite herself. She tilted her head to look up at him.

"I already put my quarter in."

"Another song?" he persisted, and she shook her head.

"If it means that much to you though, I'll dedicate my next song to you." Caro said, looking back down to the song selection. It was in the beat between her offer and his response that she found the perfect selection, pressing in the selection as he voiced his doubt. 

"This isn't going to be good is it?" he asked, and Caro grinned as she backed away from the jukebox. 

"It's a great song," she responded with a shrug before spinning on her heel and making her way back to her friends, enjoying the last verse of "Brown-Eyed Girl" in peace.

Upon arriving at the table she found they were down a girl. 

"What happened to Amber?" Caro asked, sliding back in next to Sami.

Kayleigh looked over her shoulder towards the bar. "She went over there to buy some girl a drink and hasn't come back." She shrugged, turning back to face the other two girls. "Looks like it's going well." 

Caro's gaze was drawn to Sami who seemed perfectly fine with Amber ditching the group for a girl despite the fact that tonight was their last night together and supposed to be all about Sami. Before Caro could comment on it though, Sami spoke. 

"Oooh, I like this song," she said, nodding along to the lyrics. "Good choice." 

"Thanks," Caro said, pausing to listen to "Fox on the Run" instead as she contemplated whether or not to push the issue of Amber's disappearance.

...you think you got a pretty face

But the rest of you is out of place

I've heard it all before…

Seeing Sami bop along to the upbeat song was enough to make Caro decide to let the issue drop. Instead, she steered the conversation into learning Sami's top picks of boys for the night and what she had nicknamed each of them. From there, Kayleigh picked out a few that she thought might be underrated–Buzzcut included–and both teased Caro mercilessly for her lack of interest in choosing any of the boys whatsoever. 

It was in the middle of pestering Caro to at least choose the one she'd find the least objectionable if they were the last two people on earth, that Sami stopped mid-sentence. "Didn't we, like, just hear this song?" 

The table quieted, each girl listening to the familiar tambourine and tenor voice.

"We definitely did," Kayleigh agreed, the confusion Caro felt mirrored on the other girls' face.

"I swear to God Caro, if you're going to John Mulaney us with 'Brown-Eyed Girl,' I'm giving out your number to every Navy boy in this place," Sami threatened. 

"I only put in the two songs!" Caro protested. "It's probably just a weird coi–" she stopped mid-thought, turning in her seat to face the jukebox. No one was there. Or anywhere near it really. But as she scanned the bar, finally finding Buzzcut sitting by the pool tables, the source of the repeat was all too clear. Because he was already looking at her. He smiled and mouthed something to her. 

As if she could read lips across a crowded bar. Or at all.

Annoyed confusion overtook her face, and he responded by tapping his ear. 

A reluctant, mildly amused smile grew as she shook her head and turned back to her friends.

"Oh my God, Caro, who are you smiling at?" Sami asked, bumping shoulders with her. 

"An idiot I met at the jukebox who keeps trying to shoot a shot he missed," Caro said, taking a sip of her mojito.

"There was an idiot at the jukebox, and you're just telling us now?" Sami asked, "Which one?" She stood slightly, looking over the crowd, and Caro flicked her arm. 

"Buzzcut, with the other Navy boys," Caro answered, fixedly taking another sip.

"The one with the smile?" Kayleigh asked, fully turning around in her seat to look. Caro flicked her too, but she just waved a hand back.

"He's cute. Even with that haircut," Kayleigh mused, nodding approvingly at Caro.

Caro gave her a very unamused look as Sami grinned. The final bit of "Brown-Eyed Girl" played out as the song shifted to the Beatles. 

And then she realized which Beatles song was playing and looked over to Buzzcut who offered her a smile and tilted his head towards the jukebox. As if to acknowledge that yes, he'd played this song too. She let out a small huff which could have easily been mistaken for a laugh as she looked back at her friends. 

Each of them were still, listening to the lyrics as if trying to deduce whether or not this was another song played for Caro. It hit them at exactly the same moment. 

So how could I dance with another? When I saw her standing there?

"So he totally played this song for you too," Kayleigh said. 

"Yeah." Caro nodded, not even bothering to deny it. She looked down at her mojito, attempting to stir the ice even more as the lyrics continued to sink in.

Well, she looked at me, and I, I could see

That before too long, I'd fall in love with her

"Oh my God, this is working on you, isn't it?" Sami bumped Caro's shoulder with her own. 

"It's not working. It's just surprisingly accurate," Caro refuted with a  jerky shrug.

"So is his heart going boom right now, then?" Sami pressed, and Caro spun in her chair quickly as the girls laughed at her quick reaction only to find no one approaching. 

She glared at them, sticking up her middle finger as the other two collapsed into giggles. 

"Look, you could at least let me live vicariously through you," Sami reasoned. "And if you won't let me have that as my going away present, you could at least continue this song battle for my enjoyment."

Caro sighed dramatically as she stood from the table, and Sami cheered. "This is for you, and just for you," she said, pointing a finger at Sami. 

"And it is much appreciated," Sami grinned back. With that, Caro took a long drink from her mojito before heading back off towards the jukebox. Buzzcut seemed to notice her approach and separated himself from his own friends, going to meet her, but instead she brushed past, not even bothering to look or speak to him on her way to the jukebox. 

Laughter followed in her wake as did, apparently, Buzzcut. 

Caro ignored his presence as she flipped through the catalog, looking for the perfect response. 

"Told you I can pick a good song," Buzzcut said, and she could hear the grin in his voice. 

"I don't think copying my song choice counts as you picking a good song," Caro responded, giving a shrug as she kept her eyes focused on the songs before her. 

"Obviously that doesn't count," he agreed. "I just had to get your attention somehow." 

"And annoy everyone else in the bar?"

He shrugged. "I annoyed you the first time it played, they can be annoyed the second." 

She shook her head, fighting the smile that was attempting to make itself known. "How thoughtful," she said flatly.

"My actual song was pretty good though." 

"It was the Beatles," she dismissed, eyes narrowing in on the jukebox's David Bowie offerings. "Of course it was good."

"Yeah, but it was so good it got you to talk to me again," he pressed, and Caro shook her head as she entered the number for "Modern Love."

She stepped back from the jukebox, arms crossed. "So is this like a bet?" 

Surprise infiltrated his face. "What? No–"

"A dare? Because if your friends told you to come over here to like get my number or something, I'm not interested, but I do have a friend who might be." Caro said, raising a skeptical eyebrow.  

"There's no game or bet or anything," the boy protested, looking back over at his friends and cringing slightly as he turned back. "I just saw you across the bar and thought I'd take a chance. The only thing my friends are doing right now is watching me blow it pretty badly."

Caro's eyes darted towards the pool tables, finding a group of boys staring in their direction. One of them waved at her when he caught her gaze, and another elbowed him. Her eyes flicked back to the boy in front of her. 

"That's pretty embarrassing." 

He huffed a laugh and looked back up at her. "Extremely," he agreed. A silence took over between the two of them, as Bowie continued his song. 

Never gonna fall for Modern love, walks beside meModern love, walks on by

Buzzcut pointed to the jukebox, and Caro stepped aside, assuming his position on the side so she could watch him flip through the songs. He was mercifully quiet as he turned back towards the beginning of the alphabet. It took him a suspiciously short time to enter in the code, and as she matched it to the options available, she let out a laugh.

Take a Chance on Me - ABBA.

He looked up at her with eyebrows raised, and she shook her head. 

"It's my friend's last night in San Diego," she said, shrugging. "And she's the only reason I'm here. Once she's paired off with some Top Gun pilot and crossed it off her bucket list, I'm taking off." 

"Bucket list?" he repeated, quirking an eyebrow. 

Caro nodded. "It's a thing we did at the beginning of freshman year. We each made up a list of things we wanted to accomplish before we graduated and left for the real world, and she, for some unknown reason, decided that she wanted to take a Top Gun boy home." 

"I'm guessing you don't have that on your list," he said, an amused smile on his face. 

"That would be correct." 

"You know, I happen to know a couple of people that could help your friend out." 

"You could help my friend out," she returned.

He shook his head. "Not interested in your friend." 

"You haven't even seen her." 

"Don't need to." 

The comment hung between them and Caro rolled her eyes even as her cheeks warmed a bit. 

"Why don't you guys come over and join us," he said, gesturing with his head towards the pool tables and the group of pilots over there. "You get to hang out with your friend, and she gets to cross off her bucket list item." 

It was undeniably an offer she shouldn't refuse. It would give Sami the in she needed to be able to accomplish all of the major items on her bucket list, and she would still be able to spend time with her even as the other girl attempted to find her way into a pilot's pants. Knowing Kayleigh and the fact that it was practically a miracle no one had come up to whisk her away yet, she would also probably peel off with some pilot and have a great night. All Caro would have to do was put up with some admittedly respectful if not persistent flirting from a cute boy. 

There were worse ways to spend a Friday night. 

But as she looked over at her table and at Kayleigh and Sami laughing at each other, a protective jealousy rose up in her.

"As much as this might make me a terrible wingwoman, I kinda want to keep her to myself," Caro admitted, looking back at Buzzcut. 

His face was surprisingly understanding. "I get it," he nodded. "Goodbyes are weird." 

Caro pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, casting another glance at Sami, and wishing that she was a slightly better person. Instead she turned to the Navy boy and shrugged. "I'm sorry." 

ABBA started up on the jukebox and rather than responding he pointed to the jukebox as it sang the line: If you change your mind, I'm the first in line. 

Caro smiled. "Have a good night, and good luck, with everything…." 

"Mickey," he supplied. 

Her eyebrows rose. "Your callsign? Really?" 

He grinned sheepishly, shaking his head. "No, uh, it's my real name." 

Her jaw dropped. Actually hung open in disbelief. "No it isn't."

He nodded his head. "It is."

"Your parents named you after a cartoon mouse?" Caro asked, a laugh waving as an undercurrent in her voice.

He shrugged. "I think they just liked the sound of it." 

She shook her head in continued disbelief before looking back up at him. "Well, extra good luck with a name like Mickey," she said before turning around. 

"Do I at least get to know your name?" he called after her, and she looked over her shoulder at him. 

"Caro." 

He smiled, and despite herself, she did too before making her way, for the last time, to the booth that held both of her friends. 

"Aaaaaaaaaaand?" Sami asked as Caro once more sat down on the bench next to her. 

"That looked really flirty," Kayleigh said, putting her head in her palm. "You guys were smiling at each other a lot."

Caro shrugged. "He's nice." 

"He's nice," Sami mimicked, nudging at Caro. "And yet you're still over here with us." 

"Because he's still a Top Gun boy," Caro returned, pulling her mojito back over to her and taking a sip. 

Sami and Kayleigh gave each other a look before Sami turned back to Caro. "You knoooow," she dragged out, waiting for Caro to acknowledge her before continuing. "It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for you to have one one-night-stand. Just to celebrate graduation and the last day of your unbridled youth." 

Caro snorted at this, and even Kayleigh shook her head at Sami. 

"You know, listen to ABBA, take a chance," Sami pressed, and Caro turned back to her drink, taking a sip and ignoring her friend. Sami looked like she wanted to say more, but before she could further press the issue, her eyes flicked up as two boys approached the table.

One was the bar drummer from before, with light orange hair and a scattering of freckles across his nose. He hardly looked any older than them, and looked like he could be one of the frat boys from Fiji. Next to him was a dark skinned boy, his hair cut into a close cropped fade and his hands tucked into his pockets. 

"I don't suppose any of you know how to play pool?" The drummer asked.

Sami flashed a smile up at him. Because of course she was into the drummer. "When you say 'know,' does it mean I have to be any good?" 

He exhaled a laugh and shook his head. "We can teach you. We just need partners," he said, gesturing between himself and the other man. 

It was quite obvious that they didn't. For one thing, they could play just the two of them, and for another, the girls had witnessed them playing all night with the other people in their group. But, Sami didn't seem to mind how lame the excuse to talk to her was. Instead, she told him,  "Yeah, I'll play. Kayleigh?" 

Kayleigh eyed the quieter of the two, eyes dragging from his face down his thin muscular body to shined shoes. There was a pause before her eyes moved back to Sami. "Yeah, I'm in." 

"Great," he smiled. "You're welcome too by the way," he offered to Caro. "There's a group of us in the corner." She didn't even bother looking. She knew exactly what corner he meant and who was probably there eyeing her. It was well played, she had to admit. 

"Besides, you can watch me kick Kayleigh's ass," Sami said, motioning Caro out of the booth so that she could slip out to play pool. The guy laughed as the two girls joined them. 

Caro shook her head at her friends. "You guys have fun. I think I'm going to finish my drink and head out." 

"No," the two protested, but Caro continued to shake her head to ward off any protests. 

"I've got breakfast with my parents tomorrow," she lied. "I'd have to leave soon anyway." Sami frowned but stopped fighting, instead stepping forward to wrap Caro in a tight hug. The two girls swayed back and forth as Caro fought to keep herself from crying in front of strangers.

"I'll call you on the road tomorrow," Sami promised into Caro's hair, and Caro squeezed her even tighter. 

"You better." 

Sami pressed a kiss to Caro's cheek and then released her, offering an attempt at a smile and letting Kayleigh give Caro a goodbye hug. This one was quicker and after she released there was an awkward pause before Caro told them goodbye and the boys started back towards the pool tables, the girls heading off with them. 

Caro watched them leave, not even bothering to sit as she finished off the last of her drink and started towards the door, phone in hand to summon her Lyft. 

She had barely been outside for five minutes, her ride just picked up when the door behind her opened and a familiar voice spoke. "You weren't kidding about leaving, then." 

She didn't bother looking at him, instead eyeing the distance of her driver to the beachside bar. "Nope." 

"Need a ride?" 

This time, she did look at him, eyebrows raised. "I'm not getting in the car with a stranger who's been trying to take me home all night." 

He laughed, hands raised in front of his body as if to demonstrate he meant no harm. "Fair enough." He dropped his arms and the two stood in silence, Caro looking at the 12 minutes between Faruq's present location and hers. The silence wasn't long lasting though, as Mickey spoke again. "I have a proposal for you." 

"A proposal? Already?" Caro asked, and he laughed at her. 

"If I can guess your favorite song, will you give me your number?"

She eyed him: the hope and amusement on his face and the unassuming nature of his smile. Matched with the absurdity of his request, the proposal seemed entirely harmless. Almost ridiculously harmless. More as if it were for show for her than an actual request. 

"I'll cancel my Lyft if you can guess my favorite song."

He grinned slowly and then began nodding. "Alright. Ok." He patted down his pockets before noticing something over her shoulder. He darted away but before she could even turn to ask where he was doing, he was back, holding a cocktail napkin out to her. "Here, write it down on this so you can't change it."

Caro accepted the napkin but looked up at him. "I don't have a pen." 

He looked at her and then the napkin, eyes cutting to a group of girls huddling around the side of the building with colorful drinks in hand. "One second," he said, holding up a finger before walking backwards and then turning to go over to the group of girls. 

Caro watched as they each eyed him with interest and excitement, one letting her eyes trace up and down his body as he talked to her friend. Two of the girls dug into their bags with more enthusiasm than a request for a pen necessarily warranted, and Caro felt her lips turn up as she watched his face. 

He was completely oblivious in his eagerness.

Mickey looked over his shoulder, as if to check that she was still there, and seeing her looking at him with amusement, he smiled at her and then turned his attention back to the girls, one finally digging up an ugly yellow and purple Planet Fitness pen and passing it to him. 

Caro could tell he was thanking her before he walked quickly back over to her and passed it over. 

She shook her head, leaning against the railing to write down the song name, one hand cupping over her writing as she did so. "You realize that any of them would happily give you your number, right?" 

"No way," he said, shaking his head, and Caro paused her writing to give  a raised eyebrow up at him. "They were married." 

She leaned her head out, looking again at the group of girls, this time scanning their hands. At least three of them did have wedding bands on. Including the one who very obviously checked him out. 

"Besides," he said, pulling her attention back to him. "I don't want their numbers." 

She rolled her eyes and finished off writing the band name, passing the pen over to him to return. He did so quickly before coming back and looking at her with a mock intensity. His eyebrows narrowed, and he held his hand up to his chin. 

"Am I allowed questions?" 

Caro smiled and nodded. "Three. Yes or no only." 

"So I get three yes or no questions and one guess or I lose my chance?" he clarified, and Caro nodded.

"And you'll shake on it?" he asked. 

Caro laughed and offered her hand. "Yes, I'll shake on it." 

"Good," he said, taking her hand in his and shaking it a few times before letting it go and taking a step closer. 

"Hm." He squinted his eyes at her, back in his assessing mode.

"Is the song in English?" he asked, finally.

She nodded. Wondering if it was her own bronzed skin or cleverness that prompted the question. 

"Ok," he nodded, almost as if her answer confirmed his expectation. He waited another moment before asking his next question. "Does it make you nostalgic?"

She tilted her head at this, eyeing him herself. It was a surprisingly good question. Not only did it speak to when she'd heard it for the first time and its age  but it also covered the vibes of the song. 

"Come on, you have to answer."

She smiled, shaking her head."No. It doesn't make me nostalgic ."

"No," he repeated, eyes raised. "I'll have to think about this," he said, turning out to look at the parking lot. Her phone buzzed. Your Lyft driver is approaching. 

"Time's almost up," she said, looking up at him, and he furrowed his brow, eyes focused on hers as if trying to see into her head, reading her thoughts. 

A pair of headlights pulled into the parking lot, circling a row of cars as it started towards her. She shrugged, moving towards the black Nissan that pulled up next to the curb. 

"I still have a question," he called out, and Caro looked over at him.

Sami's words echoed in her head. Listen to ABBA. 

"How about this," she started, and he walked forward, closing the distance. "I'll come back on some random night and some random time this week and stay for a drink. If you happen to be here too, I'll give you a guess. If not, I'll go about my life, and you'll find someone else for the summer." 

A smile split his face in two as he nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. Shake on it?" 

She stuck out her hand again and he shook it. Even as he stopped moving it up and down though, he didn't let go, and despite herself and the Lyft driver patiently waiting for her to get into the car, Caro didn't pull it away. His thumb ran over the side of her hand, and she pushed the feeling of butterflies aside, keeping her face as straight as possible.

"Goodnight for good this time, Mickey," she said, attempting to slip her hand out of his. He stopped her with a slight squeeze before releasing his hold. 

"Goodnight for now, Caro," he said, allowing her to get into the car.

He stayed in front of the bar until the car pulled out onto the main road, and even then, she lost sight of him before he went inside.

Next Chapter >>

Tag List: @cantfighthemoonknight @rae-gar-targaryen @akabluekat @hairringtonsteve @chrissymunson @candlelitcabin @veetlegeuse @itsjustgracy @oneirataxia-girl @kingsmakers

[starindiaelectricals]

Junction BOx Manufacturer in India

In electrical engineering, junction box is simply a box that can be made of metal . These come in a variety of shapes and sizes (mostly round or square) that are used for additional sockets for laying wires, expanding electrical circuits, and adding lighting points. Where more electrical conduit meets to each other junction of wires are happens then we use junction boxes to hide then it can be used when we want any external circuit from this junction boxes. There Are Many Junction box Manufacturer in India but starindiaelectricals Stand Among the Best junction box Manufacturer in India.   Established at Delhi (India) in the year1990, we, “starindiaelectricals”, is One of the The Best Junction Box Manufacturer in India. By growing a distinctly pioneering and superior variety of electrical products, we've got installation a benchmark for the competition withinside the industry. We have a professional group of professionals, which make certain pinnacle grade merchandise are dispatched to our customers. Further, we attempt difficult to apprehend the possibilities and expectancies of our customers after which provide them cost-effective products with out compromising on quality. We are specialized in manufacturing and supplying a wide range of junction boxes. Our products are made from high quality raw materials and components sourced from trusted and certified suppliers to the industry. Our production unit is integrated with advanced technologies and modern techniques, thus helping us to develop a flawless product range for our customers. In addition, customers can take advantage of the full line of products at the best prices in the industry. We supply a comprehensive range of Junction boxes, ideal for various industrial applications. In addition, junction box in India are in high demand by customers located all over India due to unique characteristics such as increased durability and resistivity under various adverse conditions. we Are Junction box Manufacturer in India with great care.