#Laser Tag Parties Los Angeles

[kidsworldfun]

Laser Tag Parties Los Angeles at Kids World is one of the most distinctive and exciting birthday parties for kids in Los Angeles. This place has over 60,000 square feet of fun inflatable game area, amazing entertainment and laser tag!

[funkidsworldla]

It can be overwhelming to find the Best Kids Birthday Party Places in Los Angeles for some parents

[calamitaswrath]

I posted 17,653 times in 2022

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I tagged 17,648 of my posts in 2022

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Longest Tag: 114 characters

#note to self: don't tag this as xenoblade chronicles x don't tag this as xenoblade chronicles x don't tag this as-

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

See the full post

88 notes - Posted February 2, 2022

#4

While Xenoblade Chronicles as a series has plenty of stuff about it that could make you describe the games as "the most game ever", I think even so X still stands out from the others. I mean it's like

The whole premise of the game is that Earth got blown up in a war between two alien factions. One of those factions is the main antagonistic force for the game. You literally never learn anything about the other faction in the game. We only know like super basic information about them from artbooks or whatever, and even their name, Ghost, is not even guaranteed to be their official English name cuz the other faction is named Growth in Japanese, but Ganglion in English. The game has 19 playable characters. It's the only Xenoblade game with a player-created avatar. You can give yourself green skin and no one cares. You can re-customize your avatar after you start the game and change your gender without anyone acknowledging it. Three of the playable characters are aliens. Over the course of the game you invite like half a dozen alien species into the city that is humanity's base of operations, and not a single one of the playable aliens is from any of those species. Every single playable alien character is the sole representative of their species in the whole entire game world. You only learn the name of the species of one of them, and it's that of the space Melia furry elf girl. One of the other playable aliens is implied by more artbook stuff to be a personification of one of the game's continents. He is a blue goat man who constantly says stuff like "Cry me a table". The planet the game is set on has some kinda universal translation field that for whatever reason doesn't apply to blue goat man, and he just learned English by binging WikiPedia from human databases. And as a matter of fact the planet the game is set on is lowkey implied to be a kind of cosmic horror thing. Multiple sentient alien species get dragged onto it, and even though the vast majority of them have technology that's far more advanced than that of humanity, and one of them even has an outright functioning spaceship, none of them can leave for vague reasons. There is a human man who's from like a million years in the future, and he doesn't know anything about the planet, and can't leave, either. Everything that anyone says is automatically translated. There are countless enormous and impressive ruins all over the planet, and you have no idea what civilization left them behind. The only species that's truly native to the planet are the Nopon, those fat furry orbs that are in every Xenoblade game and they don't tell you anything and it's unclear if they even know who left the ruins behind.

A monster from the first Xenoblade game with some very specific lore background inexplicably appears as the strongest superboss and guardian of the planet. It's a gigantic dragon-dino-bird thing, the likes of which the party fought in the first game with a magic laser swords that has a god in it, regular swords and magic. In this game it's the size of a city block and you fight it with guns or in a mech that was build by Americans. The entire human cast in the game is American. The city is New Los Angeles in space. The playable cast has one two Asian characters and a black woman, who is one of the aforementioned aliens in disguise. The game makes it explicitly clear that rich assholes bought their spots on the ark ships that were used to evacuate Earth, and only brought essential workers with them, which comprise the playable cast, tearing apart families and everything. The game is fully aware of the questionable nature of colonizing an alien planet with its own ecosystem and native wildlive, and it's only brought up in one conversation that you can easily miss. Everyone in the city is a robot body with a human conscious and they are trying to get their bodies back. The story only really ramps up in the last two chapters, but when it does, it does incredibly so with cutscenes and story beats that are still better than a good chunk of what you'll see in the other games. The final boss looks like something right out of Resident Evil. The game has like two different cliffhangers that it only opens up in two last cutscenes after the credits. After the cutscenes there's a bit of text that says "This story never truly ends...". Since X came out Nintendo/Monolith Soft have released Xenoblade 2, Xenoblade 2's story DLC that was also released as a standalone game, a remake of the first Xenoblade game complete with a short epilogue story mode, Xenoblade 3 now, and Xenoblade 3's own story DLC which is set to release next year. There's not even any rumors of a sequel to X being in the works. One of X' main characters and arguable main protagonist, Elma, appeared in Xenoblade 2's DLC, and was the only crossover character there to have a bit of story content to them. In that story content she acted kinda out of character, and the scenes involving her hinted at stuff that was barely even acknowledged in X itself. X had a whole character that likely would have been the protagonist, but then they rewrote the story to make room for the player avatar, and now the character who probably would have been the protagonist died before it even began. Elma talks about this guy more in 2's DLC than anyone ever does during X itself. The end of Elma's story content in 2 again hints that there's gonna be a follow up. This was in 2018.

Whenever somebody talks about X, there's like a 90% chance that they're saying something that's just blatantly wrong, but because the game's stuck on Wii U, nobody ever gets corrected. The game has several online components that even most people who actually played it don't understand. The game is so ambitious from a technical standpoint that its physical version needs for datapacks that you can download for free and that install part of the game on your hardrive so that it can load certain assets faster. The Wii U eShop shuts down next year which'll make those permanently inaccessible for anyone buying the game in the future. The fanbase collectively decided that the game's story is bad, when the vast majority of them just rush through the main story missions and miss that there's a shit ton of stuff in the side content. Most people don't care for this because the story isn't like a melodramatic shonen anime. Nintendo seems to pretend the game doesn't exist. There's like barely any Wii U games left to port to Switch, and this one's the most notable. Again, there are not even rumors of it getting ported anytime soon.

In conclusion, it's one of the most games ever and it needs to come back like yesterday.

107 notes - Posted August 23, 2022

#3

This is, bar none, the single best thing they announced in that Xenoblade 3 Direct.

WE HAVE AN ACTUAL, PROPER AFFINITY CHART AGAIN.

110 notes - Posted June 22, 2022

#2

I haven't seen anyone else post something like this yet, so I figured it was about time that somebody did.

125 notes - Posted June 14, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Out of all the things I would have expected out of Xenoblade 3, a "the party learns how babies are made" cutscene is not one of them.

See the full post

440 notes - Posted August 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[kidsworldla123universe-blog]

Laser Tag Facility on Exclusive Rental in Los Angeles

What's so special about Los Angeles? The places of course. Millions of visitors reach every month for travel and amusement. But how does it looks to the locals? Perhaps boring. But that's not true at all. A Laser Tag Facility on birthday occasions or any personal event is something that never annoys the locals. Being a fresh resident to LA, you can enjoy your family parties playing Laser Tag on Exclusive Rentals serving the following perks:

 1. Right Atmosphere: When people look for a game of laser tag, the matter of consideration first belongs to the environment. It should be attractive and interesting. Whether you see for a Laser Tag Facility or some other sport, the venue should have a proper theme, strongly maintained, no lack of playing equipment and outfits, etc.

2. Hosting Support: Hosting a private party is never an easy thing. Getting full-time support though lightens the burden. Hosting private events is something you'd like to remember for years and it can run efficiently when organized with a team.

3. No Waiting: One more advantage of Exclusive rentals is that your time never gets distributed and you can decide on any number of hours you love to play. Furthermore, there's a facility of private rooms and catering options with your suggested menu.

Now, book Kids World as your celebration venue and get Laser Tag Facility within our exclusive rental program. Also, bring your own music & videos, get adult beverage packages & Arcade options too.

[steppedoffaflight]

Summer’s a Knife - Chapter 2

Catch up on Chapter 1 here

You don’t respond, silence in the air as you both catch your breath.

“I’ve got no use for sex that sounds straight out of a porno.” Van lifts his head, and you flinch at the intensity in his eyes. “I’d rather it be fucking real. No bullshit. If you’re having a good time, sure, say it. But if you’re not, say that too.”

or

Almost three months later, Van McCann is back in L.A. and ready to take you up on that dinner date

Word count: ~15k

Chapter Two

April 2019

By the time you’ve pulled into the Whole Foods parking lot, having squeezed through afternoon traffic, you’re at your wits end. Work had consisted of eight tedious hours fixing someone else’s mistakes instead of working on your own projects, and you’re already dreading the hit your paycheck is about to take from this grocery shopping. 

Your phone buzzes on the passenger seat next to you, no doubt Mary offering up some positivity in response to the giant work rant you’d just texted her. You already roll your eyes before you’ve picked up the phone and pressed your fingerprint to the sensor.

Hey. It’s Van x The gray bubble on your screen catches you off guard. You’d saved Van’s number months ago, his contact info at the top of the conversation reading “Van San Diego”. Thinking about how long ago your trip feels makes the whole thing seem even more surreal. 

You gape at your screen for way too long, heart pounding, before you respond with a Hi!

After you’ve hit send, you panic over responding too fast. You let the car continue to run for the sake of air conditioning and you don’t let your screen lock, waiting anxiously for Van’s next message. When one doesn’t come after ten minutes you resign to cutting the ignition, finally facing the fact you’ve got shopping to do.

You can’t stop checking your phone as you roll your cart through the aisles, careful not to let your eyes wander to any items that aren’t on your list. You’re carefully examining the label on an overpriced pasta sauce when you hear the buzz of your phone against the cart. You almost drop the jar in your hand.

I know it’s been a while but I’m finally back in la. Still up for that dinner?

As you’re reading the indication that he’s typing starts, sending a shot of adrenaline through you.

No worries if not just let me know x

You screenshot his messages immediately and forward them to Mary for her opinion. Predictably, she hadn’t responded to your rant, but sends an OMG the second you show her the screenshot. 

Have you messaged him back ?! she sends in response to your I knowww!!! 

Nooo I don’t wanna look too eager you tap excitedly to her. You’re jolted back to reality when another cart suddenly bumps into yours.

“Sorry,” You apologize, quickly steering your cart away. You say it purely for the sake of politeness, even though you’re almost positive you weren’t in the way and the person could have rolled by without jostling all your things. All of your mundane worries are pushed to the back of your mind. You’re finally getting that promised dinner date with Van!

The rest of your shopping trip is as chaotic as your brain feels. Between lightning-fast exchanges with Mary about what you’ll say and when you’ll say it you haphazardly scrap together the rest of your list. You’re sure you’re forgetting something as you send it down the conveyor belt to the cashier, but you’re too frazzled to care. The only thing that matters at this point is getting home, cracking open the bottle of wine you’d purchased (on impulse, unfortunately) and accepting Van’s invitation. 

And you do just that. Upon getting home you only put away your fresh items, leaving the rest to sit on the floor in their bags. It’s not the best practice, but it’s necessary after the day you’ve had. You pour a generous amount of wine into a regular glass, not caring enough to fish out a wine glass, and change out of your work wardrobe and into your most worn-in sweats. Only after you’ve plopped down onto the couch and taken a swallow of wine to calm your nerves do you allow yourself to respond: We could totally do dinner! When?

You feel slightly remorseful for leaving Van without a response for almost two hours. You chew the inside of your cheek as you berate yourself for it.

What works best for you? I’m here for the next two weeks and free most nights

You consider his response. Most of the time it feels like you’re the only person in L.A. that’s free most nights. Is he not the partying type? He seems like he would be, considering the way he went straight to the bar after his show in January. 

Does tomorrow work? You send. It feels a bit off to schedule something so soon, but tomorrow’s Friday, and you wouldn’t have to worry about staying out late considering you’ve got no work Saturday. Plus, the longer you wait the more likely things are to be packed into Van’s schedule. And, you remind yourself, this dinner is more than two months in the making.

Another text from Van interrupts the churning thoughts in your head. Tomorrow’s ace, he says first, and then another message: I’ll pick you up followed by a third: What time? 

You exchange a few more messages, setting up a time and making sure he has your address. Once the logistics are worked out, Van sends Look forward to it x and that feels like a good note to end the conversation on. You melt into your couch cushions and down the rest of your wine with a sigh.

\\

If yesterday felt like a long workday, then today feels like it’s lasting an eternity.

You try to burn though time texting Mary, attempting to cut down on your getting ready time by verbally planning your outfit in advance. Still, the minutes seem to tick by at a snail’s pace. You try to get some work done and catch yourself repeatedly screwing up your spreadsheet with typos. Even triple-checking everything you enter doesn’t seem to eat up any time. You visit the water cooler too much, and pee repeatedly as a result. Eventually, somehow, you make it to 5, slinging your bag over your shoulder and murmuring quick goodbyes as you dash out of the office. 

When you get home you’re laser focused. You tackle showering first, the task made longer with all of the shaving that needed to be done, followed by the slippery process of moisturizing every inch of your skin. It takes up more time than you’d like, but in San Diego you’d been completely unprepared for a hookup. This time you wanted to be ready. 

Van sends a heading over text just as you’d finished blow drying and styling your hair. You get dressed, then, layering the outfit you and Mary had agreed on over a matching black lace bra and panty set. They were at the bottom of your underwear drawer, crumpled and forgotten, tags still intact. As you clip away the tags you hope out loud to yourself in the kitchen that they still fit, and sigh in relief when you’re able to shimmy the set on. 

Maybe it’s the traffic, or maybe Van lied about when he was leaving, but by the time he texts that he’s arrived you’re waiting for him on the couch, having managed to get your makeup routine done just in time. The house is in complete disarray from your rush, and you cringe to yourself as you get a look at the tornado you’ve caused before you shut the door, locking it securely, and turning to seek out Van’s car.

There’s a black Range Rover pulled up on the street, the only car on the block running right now. You can see the dim blue light of Van’s phone screen through the tint of the windows, and as you approach you can see his silhouette. 

He looks up when you tug open the car door, sliding into the front passenger seat. 

You’re pleased when his face lights up. A part of you had almost been expecting that he’d rethink his attraction to you now that there was no post-show adrenaline or late night beers to cloud his judgement.

“Hello,” He laughs, “Long time no see!”

He’s just as charismatic as you remember him, your nerves easing as you make yourself comfortable. The crisp lace underneath your clothes is stiff and itchy, and you wiggle around as discretely as possible.

“Hey,” You greet him. “It feels like it’s been forever.”

Van nods, kicking the car into gear. “You’re telling me. Been a busy couple months.”

You hum in sympathy even if you can’t relate. Your busiest times of the year were summer- when most of your coworkers went on extended vacations and you were responsible for making up their work- and the holidays, when you had to coordinate trips home to see your family.

“You look amazing, by the way,” Van says, managing a quick glance over at you with a smile.

“Aw, thanks,” You murmur, chronically awkward at receiving compliments. “You look great, too.”

“Ah, stop. Makin’ me blush, love,” he jokes, and you can’t help but giggle at his sarcasm. It’s strange how familiar he feels, the result of just one night.

“So.” You peer out of the windows, looking for any hint of where you were headed. “What do you have planned?”

“Got a reservation for eight at this really nice place, dunno if you’ve ever heard of it.” Van stumbles over some sort of French pronunciation. “We’ve had a couple of dinners there with label people and it’s always class.”

“Sounds lovely,” You tell him. You’ve never heard of the place, but then again your Los Angeles friend group was lacking any musicians making a big break, let alone getting invited to dinner with Capitol Records staff. “Never heard of it.”

“You’ll like it,” Van says confidently.

You glance over at the clock on the dashboard display. It’s set to 24-hour time, so you pick up your phone instead of mentally trying to calculate it.

“How far away is it?” You ask nervously. It’s dangerously close to eight. 

“Not too far,” Van shrugs, but he’s driving into the tail end of stop-and-go traffic. You try to swallow down your anxiety.

\\

Finding a parking spot is a pain in the ass, but eventually Van’s maneuvered his car into one of the parallel spots lining the sidewalk.

By the time you two are out of the car, crossing the street to the restaurant, it’s almost ten minutes after your reservation time. Van seems oblivious to this, breezily strutting into the place, holding the door for you as usual. He’s whistling absentmindedly, and you wonder if it’s one of his own songs. He keeps whistling until you two approach the podium in the lobby.

“Reservation name?” The hostess asks, turning the pages in the binder in front of her.

“McCann.”

The hostess takes a second to look over her pages before she motions. “Right this way.”

There’s no mention of the fact you guys are late as she opens a door on the wall behind the podium, leading you two into the dining area. It’s a stark contrast from the drab, dim decor of the small lobby area. The floors are glossy white, almost shiny enough to reflect your face back to you, and although there are some larger tables most of them are the quintessential small, circular two-seaters with silky white tablecloths draped over them. The walls are dark in typical L.A. style, but covered in windows that frame the courtyard outside, lanterns glowing and candlelit outdoor tables visible. 

Almost everyone is in black tie attire, and you feel self-consciousness broil in your stomach as the hostess leads you and Van to to your own small table. You’re curious if there’s other celebrities here, but you’re too afraid of looking like an outsider by trying to peek at people as you pass by. You keep your eyes on the back of Van’s head instead, examining where his hair parts on his scalp. 

You’re waved to your assigned table with the assurance that someone will be with you shortly before the hostess sees herself back to the front room. In the time you’ve paused to listen to her words Van’s already ahead of you, pulling out one of the covered chairs and motioning for you to sit.

“You know you don’t have to do that,” You tell him as you sit in the seat he’s designated for you. He takes his own seat opposite you.

“Does it offend you?” Van asks, and you watch his brow crease in concern.

“No!” You’re quick to assure him. “I’m not offended, or anything like that. I’m just saying, I won’t tell everyone this was the worst date of my life just because you didn’t pull the chair out or hold the door.”

Van laughs, the worry easing out of his expression. “S’ just a force of habit. It’s more trouble for me to stop at this point in my life than it is to just keep doing it.”

You nod in understanding before reaching for the menu and searching for the drinks.

“Do you know what you’re drinking?” Van asks after a small stretch of silence where you’re both looking at your respective menus. 

“What are you drinking?” You answer his question with a question, eager to be able to gauge the most appropriate choice for yourself. The drink menu is long and most of the items seem hard to pronounce, and despite knowing Van intimately you’ve still got first date jitters. Not to mention, you were on a budget.

“I usually get this wine,” Van tells you, using his index finger to point it out for you on your menu. “M’not gonna drink too much considering I’m drivin’, but it goes great with the lobster.” 

You hum as you read over the tiny italics font describing the wine. “Sounds good,” You say finally, “I’ll have it with you.”

“I’ll get us a bottle, then.”

You swallow hard when you read the price listed for the entire bottle, but manage to stifle any worries. You’ve waited 3 months for this date, there can’t be any real harm in one luxurious dinner. And the cost of the bottle divided into two wasn’t so outrageous.

“Perfect.” You close your menu, decision made.

By the time the server has taken your wine order, returned with chilled glasses and doled out servings to each of you, and delivered a fresh bread basket and dinner menus, your stomach is grumbling and you’re eager to scour through the menu and figure out what you’re having. 

“God, I’m starving,” You sigh, buttering a warm bread roll. In your ravenous state you bite off more than you can politely chew, but thankfully Van doesn’t notice as he’s taking a peek at his phone. 

“Same.” He was listening even in his distracted state, and as soon as he sets his phone back down he reaches for his own roll.

“So…” You start, flipping open your menu to (surprise) even more expensive, french-titled meals. “What’s good here?”

“The lobster,” Van laughs. “It’s the only thing I’ve had here. Had it once and kept craving it forever.”

He must be able to sense that answer doesn’t satisfy you, because he opens his own menu. “Bondy loves the roast. Says it’s one of the best he’s ever had.”

“Not a huge fan of roast,” You tell Van, but flip the pages until you find the meal he’s talking about. “Who’s Bondy?” The name sounds familiar, and in your head you replay the encounter you had outside of Van’s hotel room in San Diego. Was Bondy the one stuck behind the luggage?

“Johnny Bond, he’s our guitar player. Goes by Bondy.”

“Ah. Who’s the one with the…?” You trail off, but motion with your hands around your head to convey the thick head of curls you remember from that night.

“That’s Benji. Our bassist.”

“Benji,” You repeat quietly to yourself. The name doesn’t ring a bell, but the hair does.

“He likes the roast chicken,” Van suggests. “But he’s not allowed to say it’s the best because my mum makes a mean roast chicken and it’s deffo the best.”

“That sounds good. I’m gonna get that.” You try not to openly cringe at the price.

Van opens his mouth to speak, but from the way he’s looking over your shoulder you know the server’s returned to take down your orders. 

“There’s Bob, too,” Van says unprovoked when you two are alone again. “He’s easy to pick out. Wears glasses.”

Your brain can connect the dots there: A man with glasses hidden away behind a drumset in the few photos you’d seen on google.

“Is he drums?” You’re hesitant in case you’re wrong, but Van perks up so you know you’ve got it right.

“He is.” Van takes a drink from his wine glass.

There’s a pause in conversation. You try to wrack your brain for a topic, but your knowledge of his band is shaky and not trivia-proof. 

“Are you guys close?” Seems like a safe enough question to ask.

“Me ‘n Bob?”

“Everyone,” You elaborate, lacing your fingers together. “Are you guys, like, at each other’s throats?”

“Nah. They’re my best mates. I’ve known Bob and Benji since we were younger, in school. Used to play on the same footie team and all’a that. Bondy didn’t come into the picture until we were a bit older but I’d heard of him before. Thought he was crazy talented, couldn’t believe he actually wanted to join us. Everyone’s massively talented, really. Wouldn’t be the same without them.”

You drink in the reverence in his voice as he talks about his friends.

“I was just with ‘em today, actually. Been at the studio for most of the day.”

“Well, that’s good that you guys get along.” You offer him a smile which he returns.

“You’re telling me. Couldn’t imagine if things went sour. Having fights over guitar riffs and drumbeats all day.”

You try to picture Van angry and fail. “What do you do in the studio?”

“We’re putting the finishing touches on our next album. It’s due out at the end of the month.”

“Oh, no way!” Your eyes widen in interest. “That’s really cool.”

Van grins. “Yeah, proper excited. Think it’s our best one yet.”

“So is that how you ended up in L.A.? Music?” As much as you’re trying to get a feel for Van, L.A. seems like the last place on earth he’d enjoy living. Considering his lack of social media presence or desire to pressure others into buying sponsored products, and the fact that the band definitely seems more popular in the U.K. than America, you can’t quite put a finger on his motives.

“Yeah. I lived in New York for a bit, when we first got signed, but ended up moving down here. L.A. is sort of the hub for the business end. I spend a good bit of time in London, but the weather down here is nice.”

“So nice,” You agree. The constant summer is worlds different than the unpredictable midwest climate you were raised in.

“Right?” Van beams. “We just spent a while at this place in Ireland, writing and doing most of the recording. And it was just absolute pouring rain everyday. So once we got outta there we thought why not enjoy some time in the sun?”

You chuckle in agreement, taking the first drink of your wine. It tastes better than you were anticipating, and the pleasant surprise must show on your face.

“It’s good, innit?” Van takes his own sip. “Not much of a wine guy, but this stuff…” He trails off, nodding in approval. “Anyway, enough about me. Been droning on for ages. You said you weren’t from L.A., right? How’d you end up here?”

It’s your turn to be interrupted by the server with fresh, hot meals in tow. There’s the momentary fuss of getting situated with food in front of you, and by the time you guys are settled again the question has slipped away as you two dig into your food.

“This is amazing,” You affirm after your first hot forkful of chicken and roasted vegetables. “Who said this was amazing? They were right.”

“Blakes,” Van replies through a mouthful of lobster.

“Blakes?” You stop your fork midair. “Who’s Blakes?”

Van is still chewing his food, so you hurry up and eat the piece of potato speared on your fork. 

“Benji,” Van clarifies after he swallows. “Benji is Blakes.” He coughs around a sip of his drink when he must see the confusion on your face.

“His name is Benji Blakeway. Blakes is his nickname.”

The name attaches itself to the memory in your head. The c’mon, Blakes, from the guy in the hat rings through your mind.

“Who wears the hat?” You try to get the last puzzle piece in place. You’ve seen whoever it is on google, always wearing the same flat cap.

“Bondy.”

“Okay. So you, Bob, Bondy, Benji.”

Van nods, looking pleased, and you feel a sense of satisfaction spread through you.

“I forgot,” Van says suddenly, “You were just about to tell me how you ended up in L.A.”

“Oh, right.” You look down at your food. “Full disclosure, it’s really lame.”

When you look up, Van’s put his fork down, prepared to listen fully.

You have some wine to calm your nerves. You’ve finished your glass, so you procrastinate by pouring yourself some more.

“It’s just… really childish and impulsive.”

Van laughs. “You’re only making me more interested!”

You huff out a laugh at that. “So… I guess it all started in high school. Which I went to in Michigan, by the way. It’s um,” You gesture with your hand, “It’s the state that looks like a mitten. Close to Canada. Anyway, I had this boyfriend in high school, and senior year he broke up with me.” You laugh at yourself, bringing a hand to your forehead for a moment. “God, this sounds so dramatic. But when you’re in high school you think you’re going to last forever with someone, your first love and all that, y’know.”

Van seems amused. “How old were you?” 

“Well I was like…” You scrunch your face up, thinking back, “14 when we first met, and we were close friends for a while, and then 15 when we actually started dating, and 18 when we broke up.”

“Right,” You plow on, “So, first love and all that good stuff. So we break up when we were 18, which honestly needed to happen. We just didn’t get along anymore but we were so comfortable being a couple by then, you know? We were different as adults, so naturally we break up, whatever. The point is I was fucking devastated.”

You take a deep breath, another drink, and try to prepare yourself to tell the rest of the story.

“So my best friend and I had always had it in our heads, I don’t even know why, that we wanted to come to L.A.”

“Mary?” Van cuts in.

“No, not Mary. I met Mary once I moved here.” You clear your throat, getting back on topic. “I think it’s because of the weather, honestly,” You laugh at your immaturity at that age. “We were so tired of Michigan winters. They’re fucking… cold. And my friend can sing, so naturally we’re thinking you get into L.A. and boom, you’re discovered.”

You gauge Van’s attention then. He’s still listening close.

“So after high school, we had both been saving up for what we thought was this imaginary sort of dream, but then I was broken up with, and depressed, and I kept seeing him everywhere because our town was kind of small, and so we decided… Let’s just pack up and leave!”

Van’s lips quirk up at that. “I was always the same way,” He interjects softly. “Small town thing. Your parents didn’t mind?”

“Well, I convinced them that UCLA was my dream school. So of course they couldn’t say much because I ended up being accepted into a really amazing school, and they had heard me talk about L.A. before. So we get here, and… y’know… Things just didn’t work out that way.”

“When do they ever?” Van jokes.

You nod in agreement around a quick bite of chicken. “Exactly!” You say, wiping the corners of your mouth with your napkin. “It costed so fucking much to live here, and we burned through our savings really fast, and… We ended up becoming even closer through that and we dated for a couple years, and I invested a lot of time into trying to get her discovered because we couldn’t afford rent, but then she got into the wrong group and was getting into cocaine, it was… Intense.”

Your palms are sweating from your admission, and you can’t get yourself to look Van in the eyes, heart racing. 

“So… yeah. Thankfully I’ve made a lot of friends here- the right kind, not the cocaine kind- and I got a really nice internship through UCLA and found an okay job, and me and her went our separate ways. And that’s when I met Mary, and she grew up here so she was able to show me around, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”

You can feel anxiety clenching in your chest while your admitted interest in women still hangs in the air. You wish it still wasn’t so nerve-wracking to come out, and maybe it wouldn’t be except for the fact you and Van seem to really hit it off, and you would hate for this to be a dealbreaker for him. 

You finally manage to look away from where you’d been carefully inspecting a small stain you’d made on the tablecloth. Van’s leaned back from his plate, an easy smile spread over his face. His arms are crossed across his chest as he marvels at you.

“We’ve got more in common than I thought,” He says grinning. “We can both discuss our ex-girlfriends. Cheers.”

He reaches for his wine glass and you reach for yours too. If Van notices how your wine is trembling from the hand holding the glass, he doesn’t call out as you two clink your glasses together, relief starting to seep through you.

“I love that,” He remarks, still beaming. “Proper ‘escape the small town’ story. I wish mine was as interesting as yours.”

“You do not,” You roll your eyes good-naturedly. “Yours is better! You ended up actually getting discovered.”

“Lots of hard work, that’s all.” Van shrugs. 

Van tells a few lighthearted stories about struggling to get discovered while you guys finish up your meals. True to his word, he stays light on the wine in preparation to drive, spacing out only two glasses the whole time you’ve been here. You’re not sure how many you’ve had, but you figure it can’t be that many. The only telltale signs that let you know you’ve got alcohol in your system are the flush in your cheeks, the way the lights seem to shine a bit softer, and the way you can feel your eyes drifting over Van dreamily.

When the waitress brings the check Van reaches for his back pocket immediately, procuring a card from his wallet.

“You didn’t have to do that,” You say, your eyes widening in shock. “I was gonna pay for mine.” The cost of the entire bottle of wine, combined with both of your dinners floats in your mind.

One side of Van’s mouth lifts in a confused half-smile. “I said I was taking you out for dinner, didn’t I? Dunno if it means the same thing here, but if I’m taking you out why would you pay?”

“I mean, I just… Didn’t want to assume, I guess.” It’s burned you before, dates gone wrong where the check gets split by surprise. “It’s happened before.”

Van snorts. “Sounds fucking awful.”

You nod, eyes wide. “It really was.”

Your mind flips through a few of your worst dates, interrupted only by Van’s card being returned, you two sent on your way.

Van starts humming when you two meander out of the restaurant and across the street to his car, sidling into the front seats.

“Should I take you back to yours?” He asks as he gets the car started. “Or we could go back to mine. Watch a film or somethin’.”

There’s silence in the car while Van checks his phone. You decide to look at yours, too, checking the time. The night is still young.

“Back to yours sounds nice.” The wine makes your voice soft, betrays the way your heart skips at the suggestion.

Van licks his lips, still typing something. He looks up finally. “Mine?”

“Yeah.”

He gets the car into gear, pulling out of the parking space. With a few taps on a screen in the center of the dashboard his phone is connected by bluetooth and music rings out through the car. You recognize it as the song he was humming minutes ago.

You drive in silence for most of the ride, all talked out from dinner, but your interest piques when Van turns the music down.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” You say nervously. Your head tries to predict what’s coming next.

“The thing, with you and your ex. Was it a one time sort of deal? Or do you still play for both teams?”

You chew the inside of your cheek. “I still play for both. I’m bisexual.”

“Got it.”

“Why?” You feel yourself bristle. “Is it a problem?”

“Not at all,” Van shrugs, slowly turning the music back up. “Just wasn’t sure what to call it.”

\\

It takes about a half hour to get to Van’s, a journey that includes weaving through a winding, uphill street crammed with upscale homes. Van’s home is in a cluster at the top of the hill, and typing in the gate code reveals a long driveway up to a house surrounded by a tall thicket of bamboo.

“I love the bamboo,” You tell him as he pulls the car in front of the garage, but doesn’t bother to park it inside. “The worst part of living here is feeling like your neighbors are breathing down your neck.” When you step out of the car you soak the privacy in. You could easily be murdered with this level of seclusion, but the fact that you can still hear the bustling sounds of the city and a dog in the neighbor’s yard is reassuring. 

“Totally agree,” Van tells you, jingling his keys, “It’s most of the reason I chose this place. Can sunbathe totally naked and not feel like everyone’s watching me.”

Although Van delivers the joke completely deadpan, you burst into laughter, and in the soft glow of the porch light you can see him smile.

“M’not kidding!” He insists, pointing a finger towards the sky as he gets the door unlocked, letting you in first. “There’s a patio upstairs perfect for getting some sun.”

Inside, his house is decorated eerily similar to the restaurant you’d just been at, with glossy white floors, dark painted walls, and soft lamplight. 

“I’m gonna grab a beer,” Van says as he locks the front door and sets his keys on a small end table that’s covered in unopened mail. “You want anything?”

You think for a moment. “What do you have?”

“No idea, honestly,” Van snorts. He starts walking through the living room and you follow behind. He turns the corner to a dining area that looks pristine and untouched, and around another corner is the kitchen, all windows and clean appliances and glossy countertops. The only indications that anyone’s been in there are the few dirty dishes in the sink, the amazon prime packaging scattered on the kitchen island, and more than one unfinished mug of tea sitting on different surfaces. 

The windows in the kitchen look out into the backyard, where you marvel at the sparkling blue in-ground pool and what looks like a hot tub.

The sound of the fridge opening tears your eyes away from the windows.

“I’ve got, uh,” Van holds the fridge door open wide, the sound of glass clinking as he pulls a bottle of beer from one of the side pockets. “Some Coke, Dr. Pepper, lemonade…” He lets go of the door to pick up a bottle of orange juice, which he inspects carefully. “Some orange juice. Dunno if it’s good, but if you wanted to risk it be my guest.” He offers you a sheepish smile. “Haven’t made it to the shop in forever.”

“Coke’s good,” You tell him, and he sets one of the red cans on the island.

Van shuts the fridge. “Do you want ice?”

“Nah,” You shrug him off, “The can is fine.”

You use the tab to crack open your can while Van rustles through a drawer until he can find a bottle opener, getting his beer open. You two gravitate back to the living room, Van taking a seat on the dark, plush sectional in the center of the room.

He sets his beer down on the coffee table, no coaster in sight, before shucking his shoes off and stretching his long legs across the short end of the L shape. 

Taking your own shoes off buys you a moment of contemplation before you decide to sit down next to where he’s stretched out. There’s no space for you to stretch your legs out, but you’re comfortable folding them up on the couch with you, getting comfortable cross legged while Van procures the remote from somewhere, starting the TV up.

“Look at the moon,” You marvel quietly. The living room features an entire glass wall that leads to an outdoor patio, the moon and stars sending a white shimmering glow over the furniture.

Van doesn’t say anything, but when you turn your head to glance over at him he’s admiring it too before he meets your gaze. He still doesn’t speak, the moment doused in comfortable silence.

“Can I use this?” You ask him suddenly, your hand landing on a folded up blanket a few cushions away. 

“Course.”

You unravel the blanket and lay it over your lap while Van gets Netflix going.

“What do you wanna watch?” He asks when prompted to pick a profile. There are only two on the screen; Van and mary. You smile to yourself at the fact he shares an account with his mom as he clicks his.

“Um,” You look over the options on the screen. “Are you in the middle of anything?”

“Not really. Caught up on just about everything in Ireland.”

Van starts absentmindedly flipping through the trending now category, previews playing automatically.

“Have you seen that?” You ask when he hovers over one of the titles. “I heard it’s supposed to be really, really good.”

Van lets the trailer play out, detailing what looks to be a plot about infatuation and stalking. You can tell you’re both interested by the silence that falls over you.

“Sound good?” Van gets up to switch the lights off. The room is shrouded in darkness, Netflix lighting up his silhouette as he gets settled on the couch again. 

“Yeah,” You nod, “Let’s see if it lives up to the hype.”

You’re all too aware of your proximity to Van as the show starts. You can’t look over at him without him noticing considering it requires you to turn your head, but you can’t help but feel like you can sense his eyes on you. The result is you spending the first half sitting stiff as a board, paralyzed.

But the show lives up to it’s viral social media hype, and you soon become so engrossed that without really realizing it you’ve stretched your legs down the long side of the couch, your head coming to rest on the cushion you had been sitting on. Van passes you one of the throw pillows he’s been hogging, and when you elevate your head you’re so close you can hear his breathing.

The longer you watch, the more convinced you start to become that this date was all an elaborate plan devised by Van to kill you, and that he really did stalk you months ago in San Diego. Your mind wanders for two seconds, contemplating your current position on a stranger’s sofa, and suddenly the plot has taken a twist and the main character is having sex.

It’s almost like watching a sex scene with your parents in the room, although Van is anything but. You cringe as breathy moans ring out through the surround sound and you’re forced to watch a trainwreck of a scene where the the girl is getting fucked, hard, with her windows open, the stalker watching from the bushes across the street. It’s over quick, the character’s on-again-off-again boyfriend leaving as soon as the deed is done, but to your horror the scene only gets worse as the girl starts to hump a throw pillow in compensation for the orgasm she didn’t receive from her boyfriend, all the while the stalker starts jerking off in the bushes.

“Oh God,” You groan, turning your face to bury it in the throw pillow. “I literally can’t watch!”

Van chuckles as you listen to the rest of the scene play out.

“You’re missing it.” You can hear the delight in Van’s voice. “He’s about to blow his load right there on the street.”

“I wanna miss it,” You tell him, but still turn your head to peek at the screen. “Fucking creep.”

The ending of the scene is a crescendo of orgasms and moaning, the actress for the main character really laying it on porn-style for her big finale, while the stalker is abruptly interrupted by an oblivious woman asking him to hold the door, his orgasm incomplete.

“That was fucking creepy,” Van agrees. The episode isn’t done yet, but you can tell neither of you are paying attention to the remaining plot.

“Those windows are freaking me out,” You whine, gesturing to the windows that had previously brought you the view of the night sky, but that you’re now convinced have someone peeping through them.

Van heaves himself off of the couch. Before you can question him he’s crossed the room, pulling giant sheets of blinds down over the windows.

You sigh in relief, but it’s short lived. “But what if you’re the stalker?” You narrow your eyes at Van, who’s looking down at you as he heads back to his seat.

“I’m quite daft, then. Spending all this money on a wine-and-dine when I could’ve been outside your bedroom window for free.”

You make an exaggerated retching noise. Van laughs.

There’s a beat of silence, and then: “Is it really like that?”

You turn your head to peer up at him, propping your chin up on the overstuffed pillow. “Like what?”

“Like she did,” Van gestures towards the screen, “Where you fake it, and then the lad leaves, and you go back at it again.”

You frown as you ponder his question. “I’m sure for some girls it’s not.” Van’s eyes are trained on you, hanging onto your every word. “But as far as I know it usually goes something like that.”

“Pillow humping optional,” You add. “You can use your hand. Personally, I use a vibrator. Or the mood passes and you just go to sleep.”

You don’t know where this burst of boldness to talk about your sex life so openly came from, but Van looks a bit panicked as a result of it.

“And when we…” Van’s voice is low, and you watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows, his brows knitting together. “Did you…”

“That was genuine,” You reassure him, watching the relief wash over his face.

Van makes a noise in the back of his throat. “But you have? Before?”

“Faked it?”

Van nods.

It’s your turn to swallow. “Yeah. I have. Not with you. But yeah.”

“How, though?” Van scratches the back of his neck. “Y’know when you watch porn or somethin’ like that, you can tell they’re playing it up.”

You can feel a mischievous smile stretching across your face. “You sound curious.”

“I mean, kinda, yeah. And it’d be good to know. So you can’t fool me.” He offers a sheepish smile at his own joke.

“That would imply you need fooling,” You point out, your voice quiet. There’s no real need to whisper, but the heavy feeling of attraction that’s suddenly pressing down on you keeps you from speaking full volume, especially considering your proximity to Van.

Van doesn’t speak, only holds your gaze. He’s got the same look in his eye that he did outside of the hotel that night when he was openly checking you out. You do your best to match it, your mind quickly wrapping around a plan. Now was as good a time as any other to make your move.

“Well, I mean,” You break his gaze, looking around the room instead. “It ruins the magic if you know it’s fake.” You give an exaggerated sigh. “But for you, I’ll make an exception.”

You sit yourself upright, Van carefully watching your every move.

“We gotta set the scene, though,” You tell him, standing up from the couch and wriggling your pants down your legs. “Get yours off too,” You tell him.

Van doesn’t question it, getting down to his briefs and peeling off his socks after he watches you take off your own. 

You originally planned to keep your shirt on, to leave something to Van’s imagination, but you catch him admiring your black lace underwear and can’t resist revealing the rest of the matching set.

“Just want it to feel as real as possible,” You’re as nonchalant as possible, your voice the only sound in the quiet room. You realize then that Van’s muted the TV.

“Right,” Van agrees, fumbling with the buttons lining the front of his shirt. There’s no other layers underneath, so he’s shirtless in no time. “Now what?”

You pretend to think about it only to drag his anticipation out a few moments longer. While you torment him your eyes drag up and down his body, drinking in the familiar sight.

“Say we’re doing something like this,” You murmur, stepping over to where he’s still stretched out. You slide a leg over his waist, and with the soft slide of skin and fabric you’re settled on his lap, mimicking a riding position. He’s hard in his underwear, pressing against you through the cotton of his underwear and the lace of yours. 

“Like I’m riding you,” You clarify, shifting in Van’s lap. You feel him tense up beneath you.

“Put your hands here,” You prompt him, gently grabbing his wrists and bringing them to rest on your sides. His hands feel hesitant to make contact with you at first, but at your encouragement he holds onto your sides firmly.

“Now, the first step is build up.” Your voice stays low, like you’re trading secrets with him. “It’s not gonna be realistic without warning. Gotta spend some time doing something like this…” Without further ado you’re grinding against him through your underwear, his fingertips pressing into your flesh. 

It’s been way too long since you’ve had the experience of feeling someone’s solid, warm body beneath you, since you’ve felt someone want you so bad. Your first couple of breathy moans don’t even feel fake as you relish in the warm friction, losing control for a beat when your hips jerk on their own accord. “Van, fuck.”

His fingers squeeze you.

“Yeah, like that.” You piggyback off of his enthusiasm. You let your hips apply more pressure to his, but as good as it feels there’s no dry humping that could soothe your ache. Van doesn’t have to know that, though, and you let another desperate sounding noise come up from the back of your throat. Van’s thighs twitch beneath you.

You had been holding onto Van’s waist to balance yourself, but suddenly you move one of your palms to his side and feel him jolt. You look at him then, your face contorting into a look of mild surprise.

“I’m close.” You say it as if you were caught off guard. Van looks like an even mix of seduced and stunned, and the way he’s looking at you makes you close your eyes, scrunch your face up. “I’m, uh,” You pant, “I’m gonna-”

Before you can get to the grand finale your body is knocked off balance, suddenly becoming pressed into the soft cushions. 

“Fucking stop,” Van sounds pained as he kisses you, hard. Your body melts into the couch, the sweet and rare feeling of a plan going perfectly warming your body from the inside out. You moan into the kiss.

“I take it back,” He tells you before another bruising kiss. “I don’t wanna know what it sounds like.”

“How are you gonna know?” You push out between genuine gasps for air as Van starts kissing your neck. You arch into it.

“Tell me the truth,” He begs, resting his forehead against your shoulder. You can feel how clammy he is. “Please. Save that stuff for someone else. Tell me the truth.”

You don’t respond, silence in the air as you both catch your breath.

“I’ve got no use for sex that sounds straight out of a porno.” Van lifts his head, and you flinch at the intensity in his eyes. “I’d rather it be fucking real. No bullshit. If you’re having a good time, sure, say it. But if you’re not, say that too.”

It’s a rather serious take on something you’d thought was lighthearted. You’d never thought twice about faking orgasms. As far as you knew it was quite customary. You’d always figured the amount of times you’d done it had been on the lighter side, too. It’s not like you’d never had one, a fate some women seemed doomed to. But the way Van’s looking at you gives a sudden gravity to your actions.

“No bullshit,” You say firmly. You unwedge one of your hands from where it’s been pressed into the crack of the sofa, and offer Van your pinky.

Van’s intensity breaks as he smiles at the gesture. There’s a shift in his weight before he can get a hand free to loop his pinky finger with yours. “No bullshit.”

Then he’s kissing you again, your head forced back against the cushions of the couch, paralyzed between the furniture and his body. He tastes like the beer he’s been drinking and the butter he’d drenched his lobster in. It should be a bad combination, but it’s so uniquely Van you can’t complain. Not to mention he’s still at the top of your makeout leaderboard, a realization that brings your fingers into his hair.

“Show me your room,” You tell him when you break apart for air.

“It’s two floors up,” Van groans. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” You laugh at his hesitation to roll off of you.

“There’s a guest bedroom right there.” Van nods toward the end of the hall past the front door.

You consider for a moment. “With windows?” You ask finally. When Van nods, you crinkle your nose in distaste.

“Your room,” You insist, and he finally climbs off of you. As he clicks the TV off you make the sudden decision to grab for the throw blanket you’d been using, wrapping it around your body as if it was a towel.

“What?” You ask when you notice him staring at you in amusement. “It’s fucking cold in here. Don’t suppose you want me to put more clothes on.”

“Deffo not,” Van agrees, and leads the trek up the stairs.

Van’s bedroom is average size, a fact which catches you off guard. You hadn’t known what to expect based on the rest of the house, but besides the giant glass windows that panel the wall the bed faces (which Van covers immediately), and the luxurious attached bathroom, his room is quite ordinary. There’s a suitcase resting open on the floor, and Van has to move an acoustic guitar that was resting on the bed, but otherwise things seem clean. There’s an overfilled hamper in the corner, but you were pleased he owned a hamper at all. 

As soon as the guitar is moved you join Van in getting under the covers, shedding your makeshift robe on the floor. The transition back into making out is seamless.

“I can show you for real,” You whisper, surprised to find your bold streak hasn’t run out.

Van makes what sounds like a confused noise in the back of his throat, his lips consumed with being pressed against yours, but as soon as you hook a leg over his waist and start shifting him onto his back he gets the hint.

“You want me to?” You ask him softly, although you’ve got a good feeling you already know the answer. 

“Shit,” Van hisses when you slip a hand into his underwear, easing his dick out. “Yeah.”

It’s your first time getting a hand around him properly, and you relish in the weight of him against your palm, the way the head of him is already swollen, peeking out of his foreskin. You give him a few experimental tugs, only to be encouraged by a groan. As much as you want to continue, his briefs are getting in the way.

There’s a bit of clamoring while you two undress fully, but it doesn’t dampen the mood in the slightest. 

“That’s better,” You murmur when you’re seated back on his thighs, hand wrapped around him again. You know you should stop, considering you’ve been teasing him for a while already, but the control you’ve got over him is too intoxicating, watching him clench and groan as you experiment with different strokes.

“Where do you keep the condoms?” You ask after keeping the pace with relentless, quick tugs until you felt like he was ready. The only sound in the room is the soft noise of his foreskin sliding over him, but it feels like it echoes.

“There,” Van pants, throwing his arm in a gesture towards one of the bedside tables. You shift slightly off of his lap, your clit pressing against the soft skin of his hip while you dig through the top drawer. The only light in the room is from the soft glow of the city against the blinds, but it’s just enough for you to be able to locate a foil packet before handing it off to Van.

After the ripping of the wrapper, the room falls silent except for the harsh noise of breathing. Van’s hands bump against you clumsily while he gets himself wrapped, and you try to match your breathing to his slow, deep breaths. You sound more worked up than him, your anxiety making your breaths shallow and harsh.

Van brushes one of his hands against your thigh while he withdraws his hands, signaling he’s done.

This time when you slip a hand around him you’re gentle, careful not to disturb the thin layer of latex you can feel stretched over him. “Ready?”

You’re already shifting into position, rearing up onto your knees and maneuvering above him. Waiting for the green light.

“Yeah,” Van chuckles. “Let’s have it.”

The room goes quiet again, Van waiting with baited breath as you position him. You swallow hard, trying to soothe the fluttering in your stomach as you start to lower down on him.

It’s unceremonious, a hushed and slow process. There’s no dramatic sinking down like there is in porn, no loud screams of pleasure. It’s a slow stretch as your body accommodates him, an active effort to keep your balance as you make small shifts to try different angles. There’s the occasional sharp breath, but you’re not sure if it’s from Van or if you’re doing it without meaning to.

There’s a collective sigh of relief when you’re fully seated, your thighs trembling against his from the stretch. You’re terribly out of practice with this, and you’re mentally kicking your past self for her confidence while your anxiety starts to prepare you for Van’s disappointment. 

Your nerves and self-consciousness mix together to form a hot flush on your face, one you’re grateful Van can’t see. You make a last-ditch effort for a deep breath before you shift your hips, preparing to proceed.

You’d forgotten how good this was. Or maybe it wasn’t actually ever this good; maybe it’s just Van. But as soon as you get a pace going any nerves melt away, replaced instead with electricity that buzzes down your spine, through your hips. It zings it’s way across your thighs, making any discomfort worth it as you make sure to lower yourself completely every single time, feeling yourself fill up.

Van’s got a white knuckle grip on the sheets, but you’re barely noticing his reactions. It’s like you’re possessed, your body moving without your control as you chase the feeling. What feeling exactly, you’re not sure; there’s the friction of him sliding in and out of you, the feeling of fullness that punches you in the gut every time you lower down, and the white-hot spots you can get him to hit depending on the angle. They all mix together, heat and tingling and sparks that have you hunched over, hands pressed into his chest, your hips erratic.

Your thighs start to fail you, and when the ache becomes unbearable you settle for staying seated, keeping him fully inside of you as you shift around, feeling him rub against your walls. You clench experimentally, just to see if there’s a way to get him deeper, closer.

You’re only jolted from your own thoughts at the sound of Van moaning. It’s loud, the volume paired with the vulnerability of the sound startling you. 

You look down at him then. He’s got his forearm thrown over his eyes, and his hair’s a mess against the mattress, having pushed the pillows awry without you noticing. His mouth opens, lips forming a silent shape before he finally chokes the word out: “Stop.”

His other hand is pressed against your thigh, although you don’t remember it being there. His fingers dig into your skin. “Stop,” He says again, voice strained.

Your hips slow, any pleasure in your entire body fizzling away in half of a second. Your self consciousness comes crashing down over you in one suffocating wave as you hold completely still, confused.

You must’ve fucked up. Must’ve read the situation wrong, not realized that Van wasn’t into it. Must’ve heard his moan wrong. Must’ve missed something important. You feel the sweat that’d been developing on your forehead go cold as you mentally search for your fatal mistake. 

“Is something wrong?” You ask hesitantly. You’re still frozen, careful not to move a muscle while you await Van’s response.

“No,” Van chokes out. He lifts his arm from where it’s obscuring his face, running his hand through his hair instead. You can see his bicep flex as he pulls his own hair by the crown of his head. “You’re incredible, fuck. I can’t fucking stand this anymore. Switch me.”

His praise delivers an instant wave of relief, one that has you beaming down at him. He returns the smile weakly as you unseat yourself, plopping down on the soft mattress while he scrambles into the new position. 

“Scared the shit out of me.” You don’t know why you admit it. Maybe your brain is too foggy for censors. “Thought I was doing horrible.”

“Nah, fuck that.” Van’s lining up again. “Could just feel you getting tired. Figured I could return the favor.”

He takes your cue from the way you open your thighs wider, shift your hips up to meet him. He slides in easily, and as the shock of the interruption fades away you can feel your orgasm coming back to the surface, just as strong as it’d been previously.

Van takes his favor-returning duties seriously, fucking you with all he’s got. It’s different from last time. You’ve already set the rules and he follows them meticulously: sudden thrusts in, followed by a torturous pause so you can fully appreciate him inside of you before a long, slow withdraw where you can feel every inch of him. It’s too much and not enough at the same time, and when you’re on the brink you haul him in with a hand on his jaw for a kiss, gasping for air against his open mouth.

Van comes first despite his heroic efforts to hold off. Your only warning is a few moments of loose hips before he’s cursing, his hand slapping the headboard as he clenches it, exhaling your name.

Your only response is to kiss him. His lips are soft and pliant, moving easily against yours now that any tension has leaked out of his body, and you slip a hand between your bodies, desperate to feel as relaxed as him.

“Don’t,” Van slurs. Your fingers had already started tight circles against your clit, but Van bumps your hand away. “Quit, lemme.”

“I can do it,” You huff, your desperation putting you on edge.

“I know you can.” You can hear the amusement in Van’s voice as he pulls out and ties off the condom, leaning over to deposit it in a trash can you didn’t know existed. “But m’not inept either.”

After another impatient huff from you, Van’s fingertips are pressed tight against your clit, working it in loose circles. He doesn’t linger too low and you’re grateful for that, already feeling the tenderness start to catch up to you. He’s careful and precise, hanging onto your every noise as he tries to get it right, and when he succeeds you reward him by calling out his name over, and over, and over.

To your surprise, you open your eyes to Van sticking the fingers he’d touched you with into his mouth without any hesitation. 

Your eyes feel like they’re about to bug out of your head. “Why are you doing that?”

There’s a wet noise as Van’s lips release his fingers. “Needed to clean ‘em off.”

“You could’ve asked me to pass you something. The blanket’s right here.” You reach to the floor and grab the soft fabric, showing it to him for emphasis.

Van just looks at you quizzically, cocking his head. “Why would I wipe off on a blanket?”

“I just, y’know,” You flounder for an explanation, especially under Van’s gaze. “If you’re not into the taste, or something. I dunno.”

Van shrugs. “Into your taste just fine.”

You can’t keep the surprise off of your face. “Oh. Alright.”

“I’ll have to show you next time,” Van says with a joking wink before getting up, heading for the bathroom.

As soon as he’s turned his back you bury your face in nearest pillow, beaming into it. Next time. 

You sit up straight when you hear the toilet flush, regaining your composure. 

When Van comes back into the bedroom he immediately grabs for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter resting on the bedside table. He offers you the box, but this time you shake your head.

“Let’s see how these sheets look,” He says, cigarette bobbing loosely between his lips as he makes the few strides to the bedroom door, lifting the dimmer and illuminating the room.

It feels out of place to be naked with the lights on, and you reach over and grab the throw blanket off of the floor, wrapping it around yourself again as you stand to take your turn using the bathroom. You examine the sheets with Van, and they look no worse for wear except for a slight wet spot marking the spot on the bed where you’d came.

“Just that bit,” You acknowledge, gesturing to the spot. “Sorry.”

Van pulls the cigarette from his mouth, rolling his eyes playfully as he exhales smoke. “It’s nothin’. It’ll be dry in a few seconds. Go freshen up, love.”

Your cheeks heat up at the nickname, and you head for the en suite so Van doesn’t see.

“Do you need anything from downstairs?” You ask after you’ve taken your customary after-sex pee. “I gotta go get my clothes.”

Van’s perched on the remade bed, finishing off his cigarette in only his briefs. “You’re gonna put your clothes back on?”

“I mean, I gotta wear clothes in the Uber,” You joke.

“You don’t have to Uber home,” Van says, ashing the butt of his cigarette out in an ashtray. “I was gonna make us a fry up tomorrow.”

His britishness catches you off guard, and you laugh. “I have no idea what that is.”

“Oh, no way. It’s a big breakfast!” He gestures with his hands, “Eggs, bacon, sausage, the whole works! It’s fucking class. What d’ya say?”

You hold up your hands in playful surrender, even though it causes your blanket to sag. “I was only leaving because I didn’t know what you had going on! But that sounds good.”

You try not to read too much into how pleased Van looks at your agreement to stay.

“But I’ve still gotta go downstairs and get my bag,” You tell him, “So do you still need anything?”

“I’ll go with ya.” Van lights his second cigarette. “Could use a cup of tea.”

You two return to the mess you’ve made of the living room; throw pillows smushed from being under your bodies, clothes strewn on the floor, drinks lukewarm on the table now. Van takes your can of Coke and his empty beer bottle around the corner into the kitchen, while you gather up your clothes and purse before following him.

“Ugh, ready to take these things out,” You complain, fishing through your bag for the contact case you’d packed. You hadn’t wanted to assume Van would want you to stay over, but it was always best to be prepared.

“Take what out?” Van mumbles, turning to look at you from where he was standing over the stove babysitting a tea kettle.

“My contacts.” You open the case up on the island, not bothering to wash your hands before getting the dry lenses out easily with your finger, depositing them in the fresh solution you’d been sure to fill the case with. Van watches the whole spectacle curiously.

Even though your vision is blurry once you’re done sealing the case and putting it back in your bag, you can still see Van’s smirk.

“What?”

“Nothin’,” Van sing-songs, his voice going up an octave. “Seems like you came pretty prepared, s’all.”

You scoff. “I take a contact case with me everywhere, thank you very much,” You lie.

Van snorts. “With the liquid already in it?”

You blanch, caught. Van laughs in delight.

“Oh, shut up,” You huff. “How about you tell me about that breakfast you already planned for us, huh?” You make your way around the island to him, gently jabbing him in the stomach. He pokes you back. It’s tit-for-tat until you’re both laughing, interrupted only by the tea kettle coming to a boil.

By the time you’re back upstairs, Van nursing a warm mug of tea, your post-orgasm exhaustion is at its peak. It had taken all your strength to climb the two flights of stairs, and you don’t think twice about crawling into bed wearing only your underwear until you hear Van fussing with the closet door.

“Here,” He takes a plain black t-shirt off of a hanger, tossing it to you. You accept it graciously, slipping it on before tucking yourself under the sheets, eyelids heavy.

When Van slides into bed next to you he doesn’t seem ready to sleep, picking up his mug of tea instead.

“Jet lagged?” You ask, peering up at him from your spot nestled in his blankets. Everything smells deliciously like him, and you have to actively resist the urge to look like a creep that sniffs everything.

“Kinda,” Van smiles down at you. “Don’t sleep much in general, though. Always been quite hyper.”

His declaration doesn’t surprise you. Considering all the fidgeting, humming, toe-tapping, and fingertip drumming he seems to be doing every moment, you have no doubts about his boundless energy. 

“Hm,” You murmur, yawning. “Well, lucky you.” You pat his leg under the blankets before flipping over.

You can’t help but imagine what it might be like to actually see Van tired. What it might be like for him to lay with you in bed, your body wrapped around his. With that on your mind, you doze off quick.

\\

You’re disoriented when you open your eyes, expecting to be in your own bedroom. Instead you’re greeted by the bright L.A. sunlight, the shades pulled across the window seemingly useless in filtering it out.

Van’s not in bed. There’s his mug from last night on the nightstand, and the blankets and pillows are ruffled, but the bathroom is clearly empty.

You’d totally forgotten to ask him for a phone charger last night, something you only remember when you go to check the time only to be greeted with an unresponsive screen. 

You decide to climb out of bed and see if Van’s actually following through on his promise of breakfast. It’s foreign to you, wandering around a stranger’s house. You’re usually the type to roll back over and go to sleep until you know for sure other people are awake. You’ve never been the one to make yourself at home, using the kitchen or the television without permission. But considering Van doesn’t seem the type to head back to bed, this seemed like your best bet.

Midway down the first staircase you realize that you don’t have pants on. You could head back upstairs and grab your clothes but decide against it, praying Van’s not the type to have company at this time.

Thankfully Van’s right where you anticipated. You hear his singing ringing out through the living area before you’ve even turned the corner to the kitchen, along with the clatter of pots and pans. The acoustic guitar that had been resting on the bed last night is propped against the coffee table now. He must’ve been up for a while now.

“Hey,” You say softly when you round the corner. It’s only for Van’s benefit, so he’s not startled by your presence, but he doesn’t miss a beat in the song he’s singing, only grinning at you as he continues. You smile to yourself when his back is turned. Of course he’s not one to scare easily.

He’s definitely been to sleep, considering his pillow-mussed hair and the fact he’s still only in his underwear. You admire the way the muscles in his back flex as he scours through the fridge, procuring ingredients.

“What time is it?” You ask, peering around for any sort of microwave or oven clock.

“Half nine,” Van chirps, bumping the fridge door closed with his hip, a carton of eggs and a frozen pack of bacon in his hands.

“Oh.” You intertwine your fingers together. “So, uh. Is that, like, eight-thirty or nine-thirty…?”

“Nine-thirty,” Van elaborates. He glances at you over his shoulder from his position at the counter. “Do you not say that here?”

“I’ve never heard it,” You shrug. Van nods as he processes your answer.

“So, what are you making again?” You stop leaning on the island in favor of approaching the counter, looking over the various foods sitting out. “A stir fry?”

“Well, about that…” Van says sheepishly, opening the carton of eggs. “I was gonna do a whole fry up, but like I said, I haven’t been to the shops in forever. So how do you feel about just eggs, bacon, toast?”

“Sounds lovely,” You tell him, continuing to hover around him.

Van cracks whatever eggs are left in the carton into a mixing bowl, leaving the eggshells in the nearby sink.

“Do you need any help?” You ask, feeling terribly annoying while you just watch.

“Nah.” Van shrugs you off. “Just keep me company.”

“I’ll sit down, then, instead of being in your personal space.”

“You’re gonna sit all the way over there?” Van whines when you tug one of the island stools out to sit on.

“There’s no other place to sit!” You exclaim.

“Right here,” Van slaps his palm down on the counter.

“I don’t have pants on!” You insist. “I’m not gonna put my bare ass on your kitchen counters.”

“I need you over here!” Van argues. “I need someone to help supervise!”

“Then how about I pull the stool closer?” You start to drag your seat over the tile floor.

“Then it’ll just be in the way. Come sit up here and talk to me.”

You pretend to be inconvenienced by his request, sighing as you hoist yourself up on a section of counter not currently being used to prepare food. The marble is cold against the back of your thighs, and you cringe.

You watch Van diligently mix the eggs with some milk using a whisk. With the way his head’s bent, you can see how crooked the part of his hair has become from sleep.

“C’mere,” You gesture. Van looks up from what he’s doing.

“Your hair is driving me nuts,” You elaborate. When he’s looking up at you it’s even more unruly.

Van abandons the mixing bowl, setting it aside in favor of coming to stand in front of you. 

“You don’t like my morning hair?” He teases. He lets you maneuver the angle of his head and stands there patiently as you start to pick at the strands.

“Love it,” You assure him, “But if I’m going to supervise I’ve got to make sure you look presentable.” Once his part is sitting correctly you comb your fingers through the ends, managing to get about half of them to lay uniformly. It’s an improvement. You pat his shoulder, satisfied.

When he looks up at you, your faces are awkwardly close.

“Thanks,” Van murmurs, and you watch the way his eyes dart down to your lips before flickering back up. Your hand still hasn’t left his shoulder.

“Yeah,” Is all you manage to say, any witty or funny remarks disintegrating on your tongue. You wait for an interruption, for Van to jerk away and remember the food he needs to tend to. But he doesn’t.

His lips press into yours instead. It’s the first time you guys have kissed without an impending sense of urgency. Van brings his hands up to rest on your waist, his fingertips fidgeting with the hem of your borrowed shirt. You sling your arms around his neck, tugging him closer, savoring every moment.

You spread your knees apart, making space for him to fit his hips between them, pleased to get him even closer.

Van pulls away to breathe and you rest your head on his shoulder, trying to hide your smile. It occurs to you when you turn your face and admire the long lines of his neck that you’ve never paid much attention to it. 

You can feel Van melting into your arms as you start at his shoulder and mouthe your way up. You don’t intend to leave any marks, but that doesn’t stop you from letting your teeth graze him a couple times so you can hear the way he sucks the air through his teeth at the feeling. You can feel his pulse right at his jaw, and you press your lips there firmly for a moment, marveling at how his pulse skitters against his skin.

“Christ,” Van murmurs. Your lips curve into a smile where they’re pressed against him.

You’d planned to be done at his jaw, but curiosity gets the better of you and you let your lips travel higher, trying to feel for his pulse behind his ear. The ends of his hair tickle your nose as you search for it, but feeling his heart stutter again is worth it.

When Van can’t take anymore he turns his head, bringing his lips to yours. Your hand comes to rest on the side of the neck and you don’t know if you’re imagining it but Van seems to lean into it. You tense your fingertips, digging them into his skin just slightly, experimentally, and Van deepens the kiss. 

You make a small, satisfied noise as you break away from him. “You don’t happen to keep condoms in your kitchen, do you?”

You’d been feeling Van get hard the entire time, but when he pulls away you marvel at how terrible he is at concealing his desire; his pupils are blown, there’s a fresh flush to his cheeks, and his chest is visibly rising with every breath.

“I don’t, no,” He runs his hand through his hair, successfully reversing your attempts to make him look presentable. “I’ll go grab one from my wallet.”

“Hurry,” You urge him, pleased at how quickly he turns to leave the kitchen. He’s still just as handsome from behind, and you marvel at how his briefs hug his ass before he spins, catching you.

“Stop ogling at me!” He teases. You stick your tongue out at him.

With Van gone, it’s just you and the abandoned mixing bowl of eggs alone in the kitchen. You take a deep breath, kick your legs out from the counter awkwardly, and count the seconds until he returns, condom in hand.

“Okay,” He sets the condom down on the counter, and loops his fingers into the waistband of your underwear. “Hips up,” He quips.

You obey, pressing your palms flat against the counter so you can get your hips into the air and Van can get your underwear down. Van tugs his own briefs down his legs easily, kicking them away. You watch them slide across the kitchen tile.

Van opens the condom, giving himself a few quick tugs in preparation to roll it on. At the sight of him you swallow nervously, the visual reminder bringing the ache between your legs to the forefront of your attention.

“Go easy on me, okay?” You laugh, but the slight waver of your voice betrays your nerves. Van’s too smart for any sugarcoating. His blue eyes snap up to meet your gaze, all seriousness, a silent questioning.

You give him a slight smile, crinkling your nose. “I’m sore.”

Realization dawns over him. “Gotcha,” He nods.

Van positions himself between your knees, using his hands on your hips to gently guide you to the edge of the counter.

“I feel like I’m gonna fall off,” You whine. Van only smiles, still looking down at your bodies.

“I need you right here at the edge,” He explains, letting go of you when he’s satisfied. 

“You sound like an expert.” It’s a dangerous joke to make, something twisting at your stomach at the sudden thought of other girls having this same kind of morning with Van.

“Not even fucking close,” He assures you, and your stomach unknots.

He works on lining himself up, but you can tell the way your body is curved in order to have your arms wrapped around his shoulders is making an odd angle that’ll be uncomfortable. 

“Don’t go yet,” You plead, suddenly desperate to try a different position. He stills, his eyes flickering to yours.

“This angle isn’t gonna work,” You answer his unspoken question. “I think I need to…” 

You don’t finish the rest of your sentence, opting to carefully lean back instead. You have to bend your neck to fit under the cabinet, and push a knife block a little off to the side, but eventually your shoulders come to rest on the cool tile of the wall. It’s uncomfortable, to say the least, but it allows your hips to tilt back. Your hands grapple for the most comfortable way to keep yourself from slipping off of the edge of the marble.

Van looks amused. “You good?”

You nod.

“We don’t have to do it in here you know,” He gestures with his hand towards the exit to the kitchen. “I can lay you out on the couch or somethin’.”

“In here’s fine,” You insist. You’d never had kitchen sex before, and your curiosity about the experience was stronger than the ache in your neck. 

Van playfully throws his hands up in surrender. “Okay then,” He laughs, before positioning your hips again and lining himself up for the second time. “You ready, then?”

With your eager nod Van slides in. He goes slow, his brow furrowed. You can tell he’s taking your request to be gentle to heart.

He’s careful not to bottom out, and from your position sitting back can see the restraint he’s exercising, how tight and rigid his body stays while he starts thrusting, shallow, slow.

It aches but only slightly, and it’s an incredible reminder of last night. Your hands scrabble against the countertop, desperate for anything to hold on to. They find nothing. There’s nothing you can do except hold as still as possible to keep your balance.

Van’s an absolute vision, the morning sun beaming through through the kitchen and making him glow. You watch the sweat glisten on his chest, the way he looks like he’s so lost in you he wants to close his eyes. He seems determined to keep them open, watching your every expression. You can see the muscles in his stomach flex with each movement, the angle of the sunlight creating a tiny shadow near his bellybutton. It’s too much. You close your eyes.

That only makes it worse, though, only forces you to focus solely on how the movement of him against you feels. You’re forced to lay there, completely still, the image of Van burned behind your eyelids. The pleasure is making you feel like you’re about to crawl out of your skin, and not having an outlet is driving you nuts. You slap your sweaty palm against the countertop. Van doesn’t even flinch.

“Holy shit,” You gasp, tipping your head back against the cool tile, finally opening your eyes to the bottom of the wooden cabinet. “I can’t fucking take this anymore,” You heave.

Van’s forced to stop thrusting when you manage to get your legs around his waist, bringing his hips flush against yours as you work your way back into the sitting position you were originally in before you had the idea to sit back. There’s the uncomfortable tickle in your stomach as the angle changes, and you hope things will work this way. At this point, anything feels better than laying there helplessly.

“Sorry,” You breathe, back to wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling him in for a sloppy yet gratifying kiss.

“Don’t be,” Van brings your lips together again. He’s got he slightest bit of stubble growing. It’s too light to be visible, but you feel the slight scratch of it against your lips and bring your palm up to rub your thumb over his jawline, feeling the hairs.

You keep your legs around Van’s waist but relax them enough so that he’s got room to move. He takes it as an invitation, starting to fuck into you again, and makes a noise low in his throat. You can’t decipher if it’s from pleasure or discomfort, but it sounds urgent. 

“Okay?” You ask, craning your neck away from where you’d been examining his freckles in extreme detail, getting a full view of his face instead.

“Yeah.”

You raise your eyebrows at how strained his voice sounds.

Van runs his hand through his hair, the strands that hang near his forehead damp with sweat.

You’ve stopped watching his face, your eyes instead wandering to the top of his shoulder, the little freckles that pepper him there. You only see his expression out of your peripheral vision when he finally speaks, his voice low: “It’s fucking tight.”

He sounded hesitant to say it, as if worried you’d take offence, but instead you lean over to start kissing the freckles on his shoulder you’d just longingly gazed at. Your stomach lights up at the way he sounded, vulnerable and maybe shy, different from the ever-confident Van you’re used to. You hide your smile in his neck and breathe in his scent while you’re there.

You could already tell you wouldn’t be able to come in this new position, last night’s ache becoming slightly too pronounced, but you were more than happy to let Van keep going. You spend the time alternating between kissing him deeply and kissing his neck, and letting your hands wander over any bit of his skin you can reach. An orgasm almost sneaks up on you, your thighs tensing of their own accord, but Van gets there first. It’s the quietest he’s ever been, shaking through it breathlessly, head pressed into your neck, your fingers still playing with the ends of his hair, which looks almost blonde in the morning sun.

Van catches your cringe as he pulls out.

“Did it hurt?” He asks, voice rough.

“Nothing serious,” You assure him. “It was worth it.”

He ties the condom off and opens one of the cupboard doors below you, leaning over to deposit it in the trash.

It takes a second for your head to wrap around the way he sinks to his knees suddenly.

“What are you doing?” You sound more frantic than you’d meant to.

“You’re sensitive, yeah?” Van raises his eyebrows at you for confirmation. You nod, stunned to silence.

“This is about as gentle as it gets,” He shrugs. “As long as you’re good with it?”

“Um, yeah,” You stammer. “You could give it a try.”

It’s hard to form words correctly when Van’s face is right between your legs, looking at you in all your after-sex glory. You have to actively resist the urge to squirm away and cover yourself, your cheeks heating in self-consciousness.

If Van notices your discomfort he doesn’t show it, only looking pleased that you’ve given him permission.

You can’t stand watching him lean forward, opting instead to tip your head back towards the ceiling and squeeze your eyes shut, waiting for him to begin.

You tense up when you feel it. Van’s warm breath tickles you before you feel the wet slide of his tongue against you. You jolt. He gives a few more experimental licks, slow and languid, moving around, and your fingers tangle in his hair instinctually.

It’s not that you don’t want it. It’d be a lie to say you’ve never thought back on that night in San Diego and wondered absentmindedly about things taking a different turn in his hotel room. Your sleepy mind curiously twisting the events, wondering if he’d be any good at this.

But as curious as you were, the thing about head is it always just seemed to be a grand waste of time for you. On the very few occasions you’d been on the receiving end, the act had consisted of slimy, uncomfortable exploration with movements too inconsistent to get you anywhere. And worse, it was treated as a gift, one you were inevitably supposed to return. The lackluster results along with the heavy implications meant you tended to keep your distance.

But after some exploration Van seems locked in on his mission. You dare to peer down at him when you feel him start to find a rhythm, one that has your legs opening wider without your control. His eyes are squeezed shut, his nose brushing against you with every lick, and when he exhales hot air you can’t help but shiver.

You let go of his hair, your knuckles aching from your tight grip, but Van makes a noise. It’s too quiet for you to hear, but you jerk as you feel the vibrations against you, the message loud and clear. You rush to grab his hair again, flustered.

The better it starts to feel the more apparent it becomes that he’s in the wrong spot, a different area starting to throb for his attention. Without really thinking about it you use his hair to herd him to the other spot. He’s just licked firmly against it, your legs quivering, when he sits back on his knees.

“Done?” You ask, surprised to hear disappointment in your tone.

“Nah,” Van wipes at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Need a breath.” 

Your shoulders sag with a relief you didn’t know you felt.

“How is it?” He croaks, peering up at you.

“Good,” You answer out of habit, before realizing how true it is. “Really, really good.”

“You like the spot I was in?” He inquires, gearing up to keep going. The way he sets his jaw in determination makes your mouth go dry.

“The one higher up,” You clarify, your voice only slightly above a whisper. “Yeah.”

And without further ado he’s back at it, resuming in exactly the same spot, a miracle that leaves you speechless.

There’s nothing unexpected about your orgasm. It’s a steady build, the pressure between your legs becoming more and more unbearable as Van’s tongue works firmly against you. He incorporates his lips in some mysterious way you’ve never experienced, and uses his palms to press your thighs open when you’re too clenched to keep them open yourself. He’s eager to please, treating any noises you let slip as feedback. You moan his name as praise and Van preens under the attention.

It’s a long descent back to Earth, your head spinning when it’s all over. The first thing you realize is that you’re awkwardly petting Van’s hair, smoothing your palms over the strands subconsciously. You pull your hands away as Van leans back, catching his breath.

“Sorry,” You murmur.

“Hm?” Van busies himself wiping his mouth. You can see his chin glistening from you.

Your head’s too foggy to clearly remember why you even said sorry, let alone explain it to Van. “I dunno,” You say instead.

“Can you pass me one of those?” Van asks, gesturing to a roll of paper towel that’s within arm’s reach of you. You rip away a few squares for him and pass them over.

“That went better than expected,” You confess breathlessly.

“Yeah?” Van cocks his head, looking amused. “Thought I wouldn’t be any good?”

“Not at all! I mean- that’s not what I meant,” You giggle, trying to find the right words somewhere in your haze. “I’m just surprised I came. It’s never happened from that.”

Van blinks at you. “No shit?”

“Yeah, I’ve never. Until now. But I don’t really let anyone do that. Swore it off a few years ago.”

“But you let me?”

“I mean, yeah,” You shrug. “I’ve never had anyone, like, want to. I’m not gonna beg for something useless.”

“Never had anyone want to?” Van looks stunned as he uses the edge of the counter to help himself off of his knees. “Who the fuck have you been with?”

It sounds hypothetical, so you don’t answer. Van shakes his head to himself as he leans over, washing his hands in the sink.

“We’ll have to do it again sometime. Properly. That angle was kind of shit.”

You smile. “I mean, I thought it was pretty nice.”

Van smiles too, sliding down the counter so he’s in front of you. He leans in for a kiss, and even though you can taste yourself on his lips you let him. 

“It can be better. You just gotta gimme another chance,” He says playfully when you two separate. 

He’s joking, but you can hear he’s being genuine underneath.

“I mean, if you want,” You shrug, indifferent.

“Oh, I want,” He assures you with a wink. “Anyway, are you still hungry?”

“I’m starving,” You groan. “But I really need to rinse off, if you don’t mind.”

“Course I don’t mind. I’ll set you up in the bathroom and then get breakfast going for real this time.”

He reaches down for his discarded briefs, slipping them on before leading you back up to his bedroom, getting the shower in the en suite going for you. 

Once you’re done showering, smelling like all of Van’s products and wrapped in a giant, fluffy towel, you slip out of the bathroom and into Van’s room. You perch on the edge of his bed, reaching for your phone which has finally powered on with the help of a borrowed charger.

There’s a ton of texts from Mary, her curiosity growing the longer you haven’t responded. You listen closely for any sign of Van, but there’s silence. He’s still in the kitchen working on breakfast. You dial Mary’s number.

“Holy shit, finally!” Mary exclaims down the line. “How was last night?”

“I’m um,” You keep your voice low, still paranoid Van might come upstairs to check on you at any moment. “I’m still here.”

“No fucking way,” Mary hisses. “You stayed the night?”

“Yeah. But hey, listen, I don’t have too long, he’s making breakfast-”

“Breakfast?” Mary interrupts. “Like, what kind of breakfast? He can microwave oatmeal?”

You snort. “No, like a real breakfast! Eggs and stuff.”

“Shut the fuck up. I knew he was perfect the first night we met him!”

“Mary, listen!” You hiss. “I gotta tell you about what just happened!”

“This is gonna be good.”

“Oh, it’s better than good. He’s, like… Wow.”

\\

Read Chapter 3 here

[insanityclause]

1. The IG posts could easily be Erin Moriarty as well. The deeper set and darker eyes and chin more like her to me. There no absolute when the pic was taken, and they could have gone to laser tag numerous times so that being posted in Jan, EM IG doesn't disprove anything. 2. Rodney crowell was also in London at that time working on ISTL soundtrack and other stuff, so either those sighting were fake/mistaken identity if sch didn't match, or she could have been there for work only. 3...

3... He maybe had layaway in LA, or was more direct/quicker to go to LA first/had a meeting or work there and decided to meet with a friend. Friends are constantly mistaken by strangers, esp celebs, as couples. My friends cuddle all the time without ever being involved. Or a hug sometimes lingers. 4. The restaurant could have been RC or someone treating them or he, and other celebs regularly eat out, even fancy, with everyone they know when clearly not involved. 5... Sorry, only 1 more I think

5... Point is, all of these things COULD add up to dating, fling, whatever, but they could also easily be explained, reasonably and believably, as other strictly platonic things. We don't know either of them, or what the situation really was. We can speculate and see things how we like as much as we like but we have no way of knowing for certain, no matter how certain we feel/it seems, with anything. Think it naive or dumb, but it's simple truth. Out of context and we do. Not. Know. Them. Done.

OK, a few factual corrections are needed. 

1. It couldn’t EASILY be Erin, because there’s enough info to pinpoint the date - and you’d have to assume that if it was a separate night, absolutely EVERYONE was wearing the exact same clothes (not just Tom) as the picture JVR posted. And that Brie-kend outing was in November... When EM was doing a play in Los Angeles. She was only ever in Hawaii the last week of shooting there, when she was an extra in a scene that didn’t make the final movie and went to the Hawaii wrap party. 

2. RC wasn’t in London working on ISTL soundtrack NYE 2015, as the movie was already out and the soundtrack was completed. That’s the EO sighting people are talking about. 

-fin-

[passiongracelb]

Bucket Full of Memories, Theme Parks around the United States

I love going to theme parks so here is a list of all the theme parks from around the United States

Alabama Alabama Splash Adventure, Bessemer Southern Adventures, Huntsville Spring Park, Tuscumbia Waterville USA, Gulf Shores Alaska Roadrunner Amusement Park, Anchorage ArizonaEdit Castles N' Coasters, Phoenix Enchanted Island, Phoenix Funtasticks Family Fun Park, Tucson Golf n' Stuff, Tucson Golfland Sunsplash, Mesa Schnepf Farms, Queen Creek Wildlife World, Litchfield Park Arkansas Fast Lane Entertainment, Lowell Funland Amusement Park, North Little Rock Magic Springs and Crystal Falls, Hot Springs California Northern California Blackbeard's Family Entertainment Center, Fresno Boomers, Fresno Funderland, Sacramento Fun Town at Micke Grove, Lodi Gilroy Gardens, Gilroy Golfland, Castro Valley, Milpitas, Roseville, San Jose, and Sunnyvale Kiwanis Kiddieland, Merced Roseville Golfland Sunsplash, Roseville Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz Scandia Amusements, Rohnert Park and Sacramento Sonoma TrainTown Railroad, Sonoma San Francisco California's Great America, Santa Clara Children's Fairyland, Oakland Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, San Jose Pixieland Amusement Park, Concord Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo Los Angeles Golf 'N' Stuff, Norwalk Mountasia Family Fun Center, Valencia Pacific Park, Santa Monica Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia SpeedZone Los Angeles Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City Orange County Adventure City, Anaheim Boomers, Fountain Valley Disneyland Resort Disney California Adventure, Anaheim Disneyland, Anaheim Golfland, Anaheim Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park Riverside County Castle Park, Riverside San Bernardino County Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain, Big Bear Lake Boomers, Upland Fiesta Village Family Fun Park, Colton Scandia Amusement Park, Ontario and Victorville San Diego Belmont Park, San Diego Boomers, El Cajon Frasier's Frontier, El Cajon Legoland California, Carlsbad SeaWorld San Diego ColoradoEdit Elitch Gardens, Denver Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, Glenwood Springs Heritage Square, Golden Lakeside Amusement Park, Lakeside Mile High Flea Market, Henderson City Park, Pueblo Santa's Workshop, Cascade ConnecticutEdit Lake Compounce, Bristol Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury Delaware Funland, Rehoboth Beach Jungle Jim's Adventure World, Rehoboth Beach Florida North Florida Adventure Landing, Jacksonville Beach Big Kahuna's, Destin Cobra Adventure Park, Panama City Beach Fast Eddies Fun Center, Pensacola Race City PCB, Panama City Beach Sam's Fun City & Sam's Surf City, Pensacola Shipwreck Island, Panama City Beach Wild Willy's Adventure Zone, Fort Walton Beach Central Florida Andretti Thrill Park, Melbourne Boardwalk Amusements, Daytona Beach Busch Gardens Tampa, Tampa Celebration Station, Clearwater Daytona Lagoon, Daytona Beach Dinosaur World, Plant City Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island Legoland Florida, Winter Haven Weeki Wachee Springs, Weeki Wachee Greater Orlando Fun Spot America - Kissimmee, Kissimmee Fun Spot America - Orlando, Orlando Gatorland, Orlando Give Kids the World Village, Kissimmee Holy Land Experience, Orlando Magical Midway, Orlando Old Town, Kissimmee SeaWorld Orlando Discovery Cove, Orlando SeaWorld Orlando, Orlando Universal Orlando Universal Studios Florida, Orlando Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando Walt Disney World Disney's Animal Kingdom, Bay Lake Disney's Hollywood Studios, Bay Lake Epcot, Bay Lake Magic Kingdom, Bay Lake South Florida Kidstar Park, Port Charlotte Santa's Enchanted Forest, Miami Uncle Bernie's Amusement Park, Fort Lauderdale Zoomers Family Amusement Park, Fort Myers Beach Georgia Adventure Crossing, Augusta All American Fun Park, Albany Alpine Park, Helen Black Mountain Alpine Coaster, Helen Fun Spot Atlanta, Fayetteville Lake Winnepesaukah, Rossville Six Flags Over Georgia, Austell Wild Adventures, Valdosta Hawaii Maui Golf and Sports Park, Wailuku Sea Life Park Hawaii, Oahu IdahoEdit Silverwood Theme Park, Athol Wahooz Family Fun Zone, Meridian Yellowstone Bear World, Rexburg Illinois Donley's Wild West Town, Union Enchanted Castle, Lombard Go Bananas, Norridge Grady's Family Fun Park, Bloomington Grizzly Jack's Grand Bear Resort, Utica Haunted Trails, Burbank and Joliet Knight's Action Park, Springfield Odyssey Fun World, Tinley Park Pirates Cove, Elk Grove Village Safari Land, Villa Park Santa's Village AZoosment Park, Dundee Six Flags Great America, Gurnee Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Gurnee Indiana Team Combat, Tactical Laser Tag for Adults, Teens & 8-12 Year Olds, Hobart Holiday World & Splashin' Safari, Santa Claus Indiana Beach, Monticello Iowa Adventureland, Altoona Arnolds Park, Arnolds Park Lost Island Amusement Park, Waterloo Kansas All Star Adventures, Wichita Kiddieland, Pittsburg Kentucky Beech Bend Park, Bowling Green Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville Malibu Jack’s Indoor Theme Park, Lexington Louisiana Blue Bayou and Dixie Landin', Baton Rouge Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, New Orleans Celebration Station, Baton Rouge Maine Funtown Splashtown USA, Saco Palace Playland, Old Orchard Beach York's Wild Kingdom, York Beach Maryland Adventure Park USA, New Market Baja Amusements, Ocean City Jolly Roger Amusement Park, Ocean City Jolly Roger at the Pier, Ocean City Laugh Out Loud Stations, Greenbelt Six Flags America, Upper Marlboro Trimper's Rides, Ocean City Wisp Resort, McHenry Massachusetts Edaville USA, Carver Salem Willows, Salem Six Flags New England, Agawam Michigan A-Maze-N Mirrors, Mackinaw City Adventure Island Family Fun Park, Cadillac Arzo Sports & Fun Park, Alpena Cedar Valley's Wild Frontier Fun Park, Comins CJ Barrymore's Family Entertainment Center, Clinton Township Deer Acres Storybook Amusement Park, Pinconning Full Blast, Battle Creek Funland Amusement Park, Houghton Lake Jeepers, Sterling Heights Kokomo's Family Fun Center, Saginaw Michigan's Adventure, Muskegon Nelis' Dutch Village, Holland Minnesota Como Town, St. Paul Nickelodeon Universe, Bloomington Paul Bunyan Land, Brainerd Spirit Mountain, Duluth Valleyfair, Shakopee Mississippi Brookhaven Exchange Club Park, Brookhaven Missouri Branson Coaster, Branson Branson Tracks, Branson Branson Mountain Adventure Park, Branson Hydro Adventures, Poplar Bluff Miner Mike's Adventure Town, Osage Beach Mountain Adventure Resort, Branson Silver Dollar City, Branson Six Flags St. Louis, Eureka Worlds of Fun, Kansas City MontanaEdit Amusement Park Drive In, Laurel Big Sky Water Park, Columbia Falls NebraskaEdit Fun-Plex, Omaha SkateDaze, Omaha Nevada Adventuredome, Las Vegas Akita Plaza, Las Vegas Buffalo Bill's, Primm Las Vegas Mini Gran Prix, Las Vegas Playland Park, Reno New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas Stratosphere Las Vegas, Las Vegas Wild Island, Sparks New Hampshire Attitash Mountain Resort, Bartlett Candia Springs Adventure Park, Candia Canobie Lake Park, Salem Cranmore Mountain Adventure Park, North Conway Clark's Trading Post, Lincoln Fort Jefferson Fun Park, Jefferson Fun-World, Nashua Santa's Village, Jefferson Story Land, Glen New Jersey Action Park, Vernon Blackbeard's Cave, Bayville Bowcraft Playland, Scotch Plains Casino Pier, Seaside Heights Central Pier Arcade & Speedway, Atlantic City Clementon Amusement Park, Clementon Fantasy Island, Beach Haven Funplex, Mount Laurel Gillian's Wonderland Pier, Ocean City iPlay America, Freehold Jenkinson's Boardwalk, Point Pleasant Beach Keansburg Amusement Park, Keansburg Land of Make Believe, Hope Morey's Piers, Wildwood Playland's Castaway Cove, Ocean City Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson Steel Pier, Atlantic City Wild West City [1], Byram Township, New Jersey Storybook Land, Egg Harbor Township New Mexico Cliff's Amusement Park, Albuquerque Western Playland, Sunland Park New York Downstate New York Adventureland, Farmingdale Adventurers Family Entertainment Center, Brooklyn Country Fair Entertainment Park, Medford Boomer's Family Fun Center, Medford Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, Brooklyn Fantasy Forest at the Flushing Meadows Carousel, Flushing Fantasy Shore Amusement Park, Staten Island Kids 'N Action, Brooklyn Luna Park, Coney Island, Brooklyn Playland, Rye Victorian Gardens, New York City Upstate New York Darien Lake, Darien Enchanted Forest Water Safari, Old Forge Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom, Lake George Greek Peak Mountain Resort, Cortland Hoffman's Playland, Latham Holiday Valley, Ellicottville Huck Finn's Playland, Albany Magic Forest Park, Lake George Fantasy Island, Grand Island Midway State Park, Maple Springs Legoland New York, Goshen (starting construction in 2017, planned to open in 2019)[1] Party Zone USA, Middletown Santa's Workshop, Wilmington Seabreeze Amusement Park, Rochester Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, Sylvan Beach North Carolina Carolina Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park, Carolina Beach Carowinds, Charlotte Deadwood, Williamston Ghost Town Village, Maggie Valley Great Wolf Lodge, Concord NASCAR Speedpark, Concord Santa's Land, Cherokee Tweetsie Railroad, Boone North Dakota Grand Forks Theme Park, Grand Forks[citation needed](Scheduled) Super Slide Amusement Park, Bismarck Ohio The Beach at Adventure Landing, Mason Cedar Point, Sandusky Cherry Valley Lodge, Newark Comfort Inn Splash Harbor, Bellville Coney Island, Cincinnati Coshocton Lake Park Recreational Complex, Coshocton Erieview Park, Geneva FunTimes Fun Park, Alliance Howard's Apples Farm Market, Bainbridge Jungle Jack's Landing, Powell Kings Island, Mason Lincoln Park Family Aquatic Center, Marion Long's Retreat Family Resort, Latham Memphis Kiddie Park, Brooklyn Pioneer Waterland & Dry Fun Park, Chardon Richland Carrosuel Park, Mansfield Sluggers & Putters, Canal Fulton Stricker's Grove, Ross Swings-N-Things Family Fun Park, Olmsted Township Tuscora Park, New Philadelphia Oklahoma Bell's Kiddieland, Tulsa Eagle Park, Cache Frontier City, Oklahoma City Kiddy Park, Bartlesville Oregon Enchanted Forest, Turner Oaks Amusement Park, Portland Pennsylvania Brandywine Picnic Park, West Chester Carousel Village at Indian Walk, Wrightstown Camelback Mountain Resort, Tannersville Conneaut Lake Park, Conneaut Lake DelGrosso's Amusement Park, Tipton Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Allentown (Dorneyville) Dutch Wonderland, Lancaster Fun Fore All, Cranberry Township Hersheypark, Hershey Idlewild and Soak Zone, Ligonier Kennywood, West Mifflin Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg Lakemont Park, Altoona Pocono Play Park, East Stroudsburg Sesame Place, Langhorne Split Rock Resort, Lake Harmony Waldameer Park, Erie Rhode Island Adventureland, Narragansett Atlantic Beach Park, Westerly South Carolina Broadway Grand Prix, Myrtle Beach Carowinds, Fort Mill Family Kingdom Amusement Park, Myrtle Beach O.D. Pavilion Amusement Park, North Myrtle Beach Pavilion Park, Myrtle Beach Pedroland, Dillon South Dakota Evan's Plunge, Hot Springs Flags & Wheels Indoor Racing, Rapid City Rush Mountain Adventure Park, Keystone Storybook Island, Rapid City Thunder Road Family Fun Park, Aberdeen Tennessee Anakeesta Gatlinburg Goats on the Roof, Pigeon Forge Dollywood, Pigeon Forge Fun Stop, Pigeon Forge Gatlinburg Mountain Coaster, Gatlinburg Incredible Pizza Company, Cordova The Island in Pigeon Forge, Pigeon Forge NASCAR Speedpark, Sevierville Ober Gatlinburg, Gatlinburg Rockin' Raceway, Pigeon Forge Rowdy Bear Mountain Gatlinburg Sir Goony's Fun Zone, Chattanooga Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster, Pigeon Forge Wilderness at the Smokies, Sevierville Texas Adventure Kingdom, Lumberton Aquatica, San Antonio Austin's Park N Pizza, Pflugerville Downtown Aquarium, Houston Elise's Family Fun Center, Winnie Funtrackers, Corpus Christi Funplex, Houston Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier, Galveston Grand Texas Theme Park, New Caney (planned, opening April 2020) Joyland Amusement Park, Lubbock Kemah Boardwalk, Kemah Kiddie Park Of San Antonio, San Antonio Morgan's Wonderland, San Antonio NRH2O, North Richland Hills Sandy Lake Amusement Park, Carrollton SeaWorld San Antonio, San Antonio Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington Tilt Studio, Katy (inside Katy Mills) Wonderland Park, Amarillo YesterLand Farm, Canton ZDT's Amusement Park, Seguin Zuma Fun Center, Houston Utah Boondocks Fun Center, Kaysville-Draper Cherry Hill Resort, Kaysville Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington Vermont Bromley, Vermont's Summer Adventure, Peru Killington Resort, Killington Virginia Atlantic Fun Park, Virginia Beach Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Williamsburg Central Park Fun-Land, Fredericksburg Go-Karts Plus, Williamsburg Kings Dominion, Doswell Motor World, Virginia Beach Washington Pier 57, Seattle Remlinger Farms, Carnation Riverfront Park, Spokane Washington State Fair, Puyallup Wild Waves Theme Park, Federal Way West VirginiaEdit Camden Park, Huntington Wisconsin Bay Beach Amusement Park, Green Bay Knucklehead's Bowling & Family Entertainment, Wisconsin Dells Little Amerricka, Marshall Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, Wisconsin Dells Paul Bunyan's Adventure Golf, Wisconsin Dells Riverside Amusement Park, La Crosse Riverview Park & Waterworld, Wisconsin Dells Timbavatvi Wildlife Park/Storybook Gardens, Wisconsin Dells Timber Falls Adventure Park, Wisconsin Dells Wyoming Cowboy Carousel Center, Buffalo Puerto Rico Cayo Lobos Marine Park, Cayo Lobos Children's Dream Park, Añasco Fun Valley Park, Arecibo Jungle Park PR, Bayamón Parque de las Ciencias, Bayamón Villa Campestre, Guaynabo

[no-birdstofly]

3 for the right to the good parts thing?

3. I just told you I liked you but now I’m shy and say “never mind, forget it” and why are you looking at me like that?

It starts with an escape room, which is apparently one of those rare things in life that Jon Favreau is not naturally great at, nor something he can bluff his way through.

Or, rather, it starts with Jon cornering Lovett in the office kitchen on a Wednesday evening while he’s trying to find the last bag of cinnamon sugar pita chips that he stashed earlier this week, and saying, “Um, hey, do you want to do an escape room with me?”

Lovett only stops laughing when he realizes Jon is still standing there with a frown and his arms crossed. He takes in a deep breath and tries to settle down, gasping out, “Wait, you’re not joking?”

“Why would I–no, of course I’m not, what the hell?”

Lovett just stares at him, waiting for the other shoe to drop, so Jon starts talking again.

“There’s this one that’s, like, Egyptian tomb themed? In Hollywood? I was just thinking, I know you’re always doing them with your, your other friends, and I’ve never actually done one so, I don’t know. There’s a Groupon going on for it right now?”

“Hang on, you’re,” Lovett breaks off into a light laugh, “you’re being serious.”

“Yes, I am, why do you think–”

“You want to do an escape room with me.”

Jon crosses his arms again. “Yes, jesus.”

“Okay yeah, sure.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, buy them or whatever, I’ll square cash you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jon says in a rush. “Next weekend? Saturday?”

The following Saturday, Jon invites Lovett over and they have a few beers before they head out. The night’s going well until the first puzzle, wherein Jon proves his total incompetence at logic games, and Lovett proves his inability to communicate effectively while frustrated.

Lovett ends up having to solve most of the puzzles himself, and it takes forever since he’s too proud to ask for clues. Jon mostly stands around looking helpless and handsome and a little upset.

When they finally make it out, Jon immediately starts apologizing, but Lovett cuts him off. “Look, it was fine. Maybe not your best idea ever for a hang out–”

Jon looks down and away, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and Lovett thinks it’s weird, but Jon doesn’t say anything, so.

“–but totally fine. And honestly, seeing you jump every time something moved was pretty great. Did you actually think the curse was real?”

“I don’t know! Who knows?” Jon cries. “All those guys that excavated King Tut’s tomb died.”

“You do know we’re not in Egypt.”

Jon just glares. “Yes, Lovett, I’m aware there’s probably not an actual pharaoh’s curse on fake artifacts in Los Angeles.”

Lovett decides to be the bigger person and pulls up his Postmates app. “You hungry?”

“I could eat,” Jon allows.

“Cool, I’m inviting myself over. What do you want from Taco Bell?”

“You are not ordering from Taco Bell.”

“You just made me solve an entire escape room by myself, I’ll get whatever I want.”

Jon sighs. “Can we at least do Del Taco?”

The following week, Jon slacks him when he’s in recording ads with Tommy. do you want to see the new jurassic park movie when it comes out?

Lovett replies, already got tickets with spencer. if I don’t hate it I’ll see it with you again

When Jon doesn’t reply for a moment, Lovett sends, i could see if we have an extra ticket

Jon ignores that message and says, what about oceans 8

Lovett turns his attention back to the ad reads, mostly because Tommy’s looking at him funny. When they’re through the Quip, Great Courses, and Sleep Number ones, he replies, also spencer, sorry. Then, what’s up, do you just really want to see a movie??

He’s a little surprised to get back, what about hereditary?

do you even know what that is? Lovett types, then erases it. The thought of seeing what’s being touted as the scariest movie of the year with Jon of all people has its appeal. He sends back, sure, this weekend?

The movie goes about as well as Lovett expected, and includes a lot of Jon covering his face with his hands and making concerned and unhappy noises. It’s amazing. Lovett likes the movie a lot overall, though he definitely needs to see it again in an atmosphere where he’s not laughing through all the scariest parts.

Afterward, Jon looks pale and uncomfortable in the afternoon sun. He’s pouting a little, and he keeps looking over his shoulder. Lovett walks close beside him, letting their arms brush together every few steps.

“Did you seriously not know what it was about?”

“No! I figured it was like a boring family drama or something!”

“You figured it was a boring family drama, and you wanted to see it… why?”

Jon just shakes his head and then perks up when he sees a shop nearby. “Ice cream?”

Lovett rarely says no to ice cream, and he’ll admit Jon probably deserves it right now, after sitting through what has to be one of his worst nightmares.

Jon charms the girl behind the counter, asking for just a few more samples, he really can’t decide which flavor, and Lovett doesn’t know why he brings it up then, but he does. In a low voice that’s pitched loud enough for the entire room to hear, he says, “I can’t believe you actually screamed during that one scene, you’re such a wuss.”

“I didn’t scream,” Jon says.

Lovett just looks at him.

“I might have, uh…”

“Yelped?”

“Shut up,” Jon says, his face turning red.

That night, Jon comes over with Leo and ends up passing out on Lovett’s couch. Lovett lets him stay out of the goodness of his heart, and mostly because he remembers how freaked Jon looked even while eating a hot fudge sundae with marshmallow and coffee ice cream. In the morning, Jon and Leo are gone.

The next invite is a text asking Lovett to play mini golf, which Lovett declines in quick fashion. The one after that is to bowling, which. Not that Lovett necessarily enjoys bowling, but at least bowling alleys have fried food and full bars.

If there’s bumpers, Lovett texts back. Then, Are you inviting everyone, or want me to?

Before Jon responds, Lovett’s told Tanya, Travis, and three of the interns. It becomes the next Crooked outing, but when everyone congratulates Jon on such a great idea, he looks more annoyed than pleased.

Then at some party Ira’s throwing at a very loud WeHo bar, Jon sidles up to him, hands him a fresh drink, and shouts over the music, “Laser tag?”

To which Lovett replies, “Batting cages?”

“You want to go to the batting cages?”

“What? No, obviously I don’t. I just didn’t know what we were doing, what the bit was, so I went with arcade amenities.”

“What?” Jon sounds genuinely confused. “No, do you want to go laser tagging? Do laser tag? I don’t know what the verb is.”

“What are you doing?” Lovett asks, downing his old drink and looking around for a flat surface to set his old glass.

“What do you mean?” Jon asks, but he looks shifty.

“You keep asking me to do weird stuff that you’re not into. Have you even ever played laser tag?”

Jon has already finished half his drink in a few minutes, which is remarkably fast for him. What is going on. He says, “In like junior high, yeah. I think so.”

“And you want to go now?” He hands his old drink to Jon to put on the table behind him. Jon takes it without complaint.

“Well not now now, but maybe next week?”

“What is this?” Lovett says, gesturing to, well, everything.

“What’s what, Lovett? I want to go play laser tag with you.”

“Yeah, and that’s weird for you,” Lovett says. “And you know it’s weird. First the escape room, then the movie, then fucking, what, mini golf? Bowling? Now laser tag? What’s next, the trampoline place?”

“Trampoline place?” Jon asks. “We could do that instead, if you–”

“Jon, stop! Tell me what’s going on. I know you’re not inviting Tommy to bizarre bonding rituals, we talked.”

“Bonding rituals?” Jon asks, his voice getting high and quick the way it does when he’s pissed. Lovett would put money on his tripping over his words soon. “That’s what you think this is?”

“I don’t know what this is, that’s why I’m trying to ask you, you idiot,” Lovett snaps.

“Oh,” Jon says, loud even over the music, “oh I’m the idiot. At least I’m not the one who can’t figure out when someone’s trying to fucking date them.”

Except the song ends, followed by a long pause somewhere around when Jon’s saying “who can’t figure out,” and Jon doesn’t seem to realize until after the whole sentence is out and everyone in the bar is staring at him.

Jon, in turn, stares at his shoes until the next song starts playing.

“Jon–” Lovett starts, and he reaches for his arm, but Jon blanches and steps back.

“Never mind,” he says, and finishes his drink. “Fuck, just. Forget it. I’m sorry.”

He practically runs out of the bar, and Lovett does his best to ignore the confused looks Tommy is giving him from across the room. He double checks and finds out Jon’s card is still at the bar, and closes it out before leaving.

“What’s going on?” Tommy asks, catching him on his way out.

“I’m not sure,” Lovett admits, “but I think Jon is trying to date me?”

Tommy laughs. “About fucking time.”

“Wait, what?”

“Go,” is all Tommy says, shooing him toward the door.

The Lyft to Jon’s feels like it takes forever, and Lovett lets himself in the front door even though he knows this is an occasion where he should probably let Jon decide whether or not to let him in. Oh well.

Jon is sitting on the couch, clutching Leo and refusing to look up at Lovett. He doesn’t even have the TV turned on yet, he’s just stubbornly staring at nothing. Lovett steps between him and the blank screen.

“You can’t ignore me forever,” Lovett says. “We started a company together.”

“Watch me,” Jon says sullenly.

“Plus I have your credit card and ID. You forgot to close out.”

“Fuck, thank you.”  

“Did you really mean it?” Lovett asks, edging closer so he can perch on the other end of the couch.

“Mean what,” Jon says, flat and tired. Leo huffs and squirms his way free, padding into the other room.

“Were you–are you really trying to date me?”

Jon buries his head in his hands, so his, “What did you think I was doing?” comes out a little muffled.

“I don’t know, maybe your therapist told you to be a better friend or something!”

“I don’t even have a–oh my god, if you don’t want to, that’s fine, let’s just. Do we have to talk about it?”

“Yes!” Lovett cries. “We really, really do!”

“Why?!” Jon yells back, finally looking up at him. He looks hurt and a little bewildered.

“You were trying to date me,” Lovett says, not a question. “You were trying to date me by doing stuff with me that you know I like doing, that you don’t like doing.”

Jon shrugs and looks away again. “I like doing things you like.”

“You saw a horror movie with me, Jon.”

After a long moment, Jon slumps. “I’ve barely slept since we saw that stupid movie.”

Lovett tries not to smile too wide. “Alternate theory: you have been dating me, I was just blissfully unaware.”

“Blissfully? Gee, thanks.”

Lovett waves his hand in the air. “Word choice, whatever. Shut up. You’ve been dating me, and you have yet to make an actual move on me.”

Jon scrubs a hand through his hair. “I was trying to take it slow?”

“We’ve been friends for almost a decade,” Lovett says. “Take it any slower and we’ll be dead before we ever fuck.”

Jon makes a small sound at that, staring up at Lovett with wide eyes. “You want to–”

“Of course I want to. I want to date you and fuck you and whatever else you had in mind. What, probably, like, ferris wheel rides and holding hands or some bullshit?”

Jon blushes but doesn’t deny it. Lovett carefully rests his hands on Jon’s cheeks, right over the warmth, and tugs him forward.

“Jon Favreau, I hereby give you permission to date me,” Lovett says, “but for the love of god, no more escape rooms.”

“And no horror movies,” Jon says, leaning forward.

“Ugh, fine.” Lovett smiles and kisses him, pulling back before it gets too intense. “And I’m only going to the batting cages if you promise some pretty stellar sexual favors in return.”

Jon grins and kisses him again before saying, “I’m sure we can work something out. I do actually kind of want to go laser tagging, though.”

“Never say ‘laser tagging’ again and I’ll see what I can do.”feel free to ask for one of these, if that’s, like, your thing

[xpmobilelasertag]

Our Mobile Laser tag Los Angeles offers fun team-based tasks that promote interaction and a little friendly rivalry. Laser Tag parties are ideal for birthday parties, family reunions, school carnivals, graduation celebrations, and team-building events since they can accommodate groups of various sizes. Our Laser Tag events are exciting for both kids and adults. They provide the excitement of paintball without the discomfort. Mobile Laser tag Los Angeles specialise in transforming any space into a contemporary Laser Tag battleground, complete with a variety of obstacles for strategic cover. Our coaches also referee the games, ensuring that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience.

[lizdiz]

First Solo Trip Thoughts and Memories

So about a week ago I came back from my 2 week long vacation to the west coast. I wrote about how I felt as I was extremely anxious about this all. This is the post right here [x].

Let me say that it was the most amazing experience I ever had. Being alone felt amazing! I remember my flight from NYC to Seattle and I was actually a little queasy the whole flight because of how nervous I was. But once I landed there I felt peace. I waited 3 hours in Seattle until my flight to Sacramento. When I arrived in Sacramento, my friends greeted me at the airport and from there on out I knew I was going to have the best 2 weeks ever! In Sacramento I went bowling, played laser tag, walked around downtown Sac, and went to a amusement park with my friends there. Then I took a bus to San Francisco. In SF, I had one more friend there and we ate at a fancy restaurant at Fisherman’s Wharf for my birthday. I stayed in SF for 3 days and in one of those days I went to the Outside Lands music festival. The other days I walked around SF by myself and was really invested in photography. I got around the city by either using BART or MUNI. I fell in love with SF. Such a beautiful city and tbh, I wouldn’t mind living there. It feels so much like NYC.

Then I was off to Los Angeles by bus. I saw almost all of California this way. We stopped by San Jose, Fresno, and other cities. I wasn’t scared one bit about the fact that I was traveling alone. When I arrived in LA, I stayed at an Airbnb right in Hollywood and it had the most beautiful view of the Hollywood sign and downtown LA. I remember I stayed out very late at night there when I arrived. I went to a club there and I was pretty tame. I got along with some guys and I did drink and dance, but I was calm. I did all the touristy things in LA and I even went to Universal Studios and Disneyland. Mickey Mouse gave me a big hug for my birthday that made me so happy! I even went to the Santa Monica boardwalk and rode all the rides there. It was amazing! I only rode the subway and bus there which I was surprised that they had a subway system. I also fell in love with LA and how scenic it was. I took so many photos there!

Next up was Las Vegas. I went on a “private flight” there; it was a small fancy jet with 5 other rich people on it. I was so close to not come to LV and I know I would’ve regretted it if I didn’t came. Especially for my 21st birthday. I stayed on the Strip. I gambled there, drank, and partied. Over there, I had a cute guy who was crazy for me but I didn’t want any drama. ^^; Well actually, I did some bad things...hehe. But overall, LV was awesome! Downtown LV was my favorite along with this Neon Museum there. But then the time came for me to return to the stressful world that is New York City and I was honestly very sad that the 2 weeks were over.

Overall, most amazing experience in my life! I learned so much about myself and I admire myself so much for planning this all out. I matured so much more and I love myself even more now. I couldn’t even believe I did this all on my own. I worked hard to get this vacation and it was worth every penny. This trip helped me realize that being alone helps my mental health a lot. I am more happier and I feel like I have more freedom in doing what I want to do.

I am definitely ready to take on London, Rome and Paris next year! I am ready to live there and to get myself into those cultures. I mean, that’s why I’m taking French courses now (cause I’m more worried about my French than my Italian). I can’t wait!

[kidsworldfun]

Laser Tag Birthday Party Simi Valley are excellent places for your children to play and have fun. If you're searching for a fun venue to have birthday parties, an indoor amusement park like Kids World is a terrific option.

[funkidsworldla]

The Hollywood Bowl, the Zoo, the Beach, and the Children’s Amusement Center are just a few of the venues in Los Angeles where you may have fun with your family.

[xpmobilelasertag68454]

Our Mobile Laser tag Los Angeles offers fun team-based tasks that promote interaction and a little friendly rivalry. Laser Tag parties are ideal for birthday parties, family reunions, school carnivals, graduation celebrations, and team-building events since they can accommodate groups of various sizes. Our Laser Tag events are exciting for both kids and adults. They provide the excitement of paintball without the discomfort. Mobile Laser tag Los Angeles specialise in transforming any space into a contemporary Laser Tag battleground, complete with a variety of obstacles for strategic cover. Our coaches also referee the games, ensuring that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience.

[kidsworldla123universe-blog]

How to Decide on a Kids Birthday Gift Los Angeles?

So, you're very near to deciding on a winsome and unique birthday gift for your beautiful child. What else do you have in your mind except for a custom cake, a modern toy, a video game or a minor sports good? Or, how about letting your kid enjoy all this stuff together? I hope you have already drawn a picture of a Family Fun Center in your mind. Visiting such Fun Centers in Los Angeles as a Kids Birthday Gift Los Angeles is even more cool, for the following reasons.

1. Hosting Facilities: You get the amenity of self-organization. It's really a great thing where you can compile all your ideas and aspirations for your kid's birthday party. At times, you also get full-time assistance from the venue's staff and personnel. 

2. Space for Adults: Another advantage of partying at this place is that you can get carefree about the kids and can acquire a private space. Meanwhile, the staff serves a continuous watch on the kids and takes care of any accidents or possible threats to the kids.

3. Separate Food & Drinks: Other than Kids Birthday Gift Los Angeles, if you're concerned about food in a kid based venue, there's no need to worry. There's always a facility of separate menus for kids and adults. From nutritious beverages to chilled beers, a family fun center cares about everyone in the festivity.

Along with all these perks, a carnival of special events keeps on moving at such places. Just like a Santa's arrival event which is going to happen at Kids World's magical venue at Oak Park, CA in the coming 3rd week of December. So what do you say about this Kids Birthday Gift Los Angeles?

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In which Have You Been, Neon Signs, and Where by Are You Likely?

Numerous professionals in the lighting industry imagine that the in general outlook for neon signage looks to be incredibly optimistic. Neon signals have a record of a hundred yrs of profitable use in promoting. If there were no neon signs towns and cities would be darker locations and the neon signal marketplace would stop to exist, but that is not possible to occur.Let’s start out with some normal data about neon these types of as why it is really utilised, works by using other than advertising, where it truly is utilized here and in other international locations, neon signage close to the planet, and so a lot extra. Everyone is familiar with its primary use is for promoting and that is what retains the neon signal business likely, but it has lots of other utilizes that are valuable to the public. Get pleasure from viewing Television set? Neon is made use of in in television tubes. Do you have a neon wall clock? Neon lighting is use in the house and in a lot of firms to improve and emphasize darkish places. It is made use of in fuel lasers is used to take out eye cataracts and for other professional medical difficulties. Numerous folks have flown, but did you know this? It has been made use of in beacons and it has can be observed by pilots have observed it twenty miles absent when it was extremely hard for them to see other forms of lights. Neon lights can be witnessed by the fog. Lots of tourists have discovered it really practical when searching for a motel on a foggy evening. Neon does all this and extra.However, neon’s biggest and most widely-known use is in neon indicators. What would make it so useful for symptoms? There are two causes for this. First neon is a initial-rate conductor of electricity, and secondly it has the remarkable ability to give off light-weight that can be seen at wonderful distances. As challenging as it might be to believe neon know-how started off in Europe in 1675. It really is not that neon signs had been invented then but just the idea that would mature into the fashionable neon sign. In simple fact, odd as it could seem to be electrical power was not even found out nevertheless. These two strategies created independently because neither was dependent upon the other staying in position.It was not right up until 1910 that in Paris a, man known as Georges Claude came up with the concept for neon symptoms. His initial work was a signal for a barber shop in that town. How and when did they very first appear to the United States. Earle Anthony, the owner of an automobile dealership in Los Angeles, evidently heard about neon indicators and frequented Paris. The outcome was two Packard neon indicators which he acquired for $one,250. The yr was 1923. The plan unfold speedily due to the fact the two companies and the community took keep of this new idea in promoting. Standard signal promoting was hit with the amazing explosion of neon indications. These initially indicators have been named “liquid fire” no doubt due to the fact of the shiny crimson light-weight they emitted appear to signify hazard.The initially indicator that arrived to Las Vegas was a indication promoting a location known as the “Oasis Cafe Home”. Who recognized then that the town would turn into one particular of the country’s two premiere neon signage showcases? It was a noteworthy party but handful of persons, gave a great deal thought other than that.When discussing neon signage in The united states the Las Vegas Strip(or “The Strip” as it is typically referred to as) and New Yok City’s Moments Sq. are the rational starting off factors. It is straightforward to see how they gained their titles. Equally receive tens of millions of people every calendar year who watch neon displays that are almost blinding. Las Vegas might have an edge over Occasions Sq. since it receives a lot of far more visitors mainly because of its casinos who present the city’s neon display screen. In comparison Periods Sq. signals are issue to additional repeated adjustments thanks to the simple fact that organizations in that metropolis adjust

usually though Las Vegas has casinos that are the mainstay of the city’s revenues and the casinos are often in business enterprise.The Las Vegas Strip is dwelling to a globe renowned iconic neon sign that was erected in 1959. The indicator was the thought of Betty Willis, who worked for a regional indicator firm. The indicator contained the phrases “WELCOME TO Wonderful LAS VEGAS NEVADA”. The indicator was never copyrighted for the reason that Willis regarded as it her gift to the town. This indication is synonymous with the City of Las Vegas. The Willis indication is quantity 1 on the listing of the world’s ten most amazing neon signages. Las Vegas is also household to the world’s biggest neon signal which carries the identify Hilton and is owned by the Hilton Hotel Corporation. This sign was erected in 1996 and handles in excess of 70,000 toes, The Hilton identify is 164 toes vast and the letters are 28 ft large. At a price tag tag of about $9 billion it could conveniently be referred to as the world’s most high priced neon signal.Moments Square received its to start with neon sign in the mid-1920’s. The density of illuminated signs in Moments Sq. has reached the place where by it really is starting to give the Las Vegas Strip a operate for its money. This density is the final result of the lesser dimensions of Moments Sq. when compared to that of the Las Vegas Strip which operates for miles. In any case both equally of these areas are crammed with thousands of signs.Turning our focus from these two neon showcases there are other sites in the Us that have noteworthy neon signals. However, they are naturally not on the exact same degree as the earlier mentioned giants of neon signage. In Elk Metropolis, Oklahoma at the National Route 66 Museum proudly displays the giant legendary Route 66 neon indication. The city of Saginaw, Michigan statements it has the largest neon sign in the condition an d the biggest figural sign in the country. Figural neon signals display individuals and animals. This neon sign is 35 feet superior and fifty ft lengthy.The listing of the major ten neon signs in this region has a lot of neon signs that are nationally acknowledged. Numerous of them are lengthy absent. They all after brightened a metropolis road. Selection a person is Boston which experienced its Schrafftt’s n sign which was a symbol of the company’s candy and chocolate small business. Next area on the checklist went to the “Vegas Vic” signal which was standing tall on the city’s Fremont Strees from 1951 to about 1995 when it was retired.In quantity three situation is the Wonderful Grain Belt Bear signal in Minneapolis which was employed a wonderful lots of yrs since it was installed in 1940, and is now up for sale. Fourth is the Coppertone Woman signal that was erected on Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard to promote the company’s products, suntan lotion. It was a town landmark and was there from 1959 to the 1990’s. What designed the indication so recognizable was the pet that was tugging on the tiny girl’s bathing match. Subsequent on the checklist is the Skipping Woman sign from Abbotsford, Australia. She was identified as”Minor Audrey” and she advertised the Nycander Firm’s merchandise, sugar. She was long gone in 1968 but because of to the public’s outrage at the decline of this landmark she was changed by a reproduction in 1970. Portland, Oregon’s “Manufactured in Oregon” indication which marketed sugar was erected in 1941. It was improved more than the a long time and remained in location when the business remaining the developing in the 1950’s.The Westinghouse Company’s signal in Pittsburgh to the amount seven place. It experienced been up given that the early 1920’s and was taken down in 1998. Having the amount 8 spot is the Magikist’s Organization of Chicago with its signal promoting carpets. The 41,400 pound lips on this signal ended up regarded as a metropolis landmark Nonetheless, all of the past neon symptoms talked about are gone. The quantity 9 sign, the Reno Arch in Reno, Nevada which was constructed in 1927 and is

nevertheless heading potent. Final on the checklist is the Traveler’s Insurance policy umbrella indication which can be identified in Des Moines, Iowa. It was constructed in 1963 and nonetheless in procedure.No mention of neon indicators would be full with out which includes a record of the world’s 10 most impressive illustrations of neon signage. It ought to be of no shock that amount one particular on the record is the iconic WELCOME TO Fantastic LAS VEGAS, NEVADA neon signage. This is followed by the Periods Square exhibit. Third put goes to Hong Kong’s fifteen minute complete skyline mild present, The following spot belongs to Osaka’s Dotonbun signage which was the inspiration for the transfer, “The Blade Runner”. Shanghai’s Najinj Highway takes position range 5 with Tokyo’s Ginza and Shibuya occupying the quantity 6 put. The Vegas Boneyard (the place outdated and iconic Las Vegas signs are restored and exhibited) is up coming. This is adopted by the signage showing Vintage Periods Sq. neon indicators from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.As for the final two on the checklist the Caesar’s Palace neon signage is in ninth location and Bankok’s soi cowboy street completes the checklist. It is interesting to observe at this point that at an before time London’s entire world well known Piccadilly Circus would have most undoubtedly occur in around the prime of this list. It gained what many have called the very first neon sign to occur to Europe, a common smooth drink signal, which was changed a new model in 2003. Having said that, today all of the neon symptoms in Piccadilly Circus are on one particular setting up with the names all becoming large international organizations.Numerous corporations have sprung up in all sections of this nation. Their goal to to gather, restore, and show aged traditional neon and iconic neon signs. One of these is the Neon Museum of Philadelphia which opened in 1983 and shows neon indicators from businesses. The Neon Museum in Las Vegas has legendary neon symptoms from closed casinos and businesses. It has far more than one hundred fifty historic restored and non-restored neon signs. It is non-financial gain and was proven in 1996. The American Indicator Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio was founded in 1999 and is asid to have about two,800 signals of all varieties together with neon. The Los Angeles Neon Museum opened its doors in 1981 with the intention of preserving previous neon symptoms and other sorts of neon artwork. In a related vein a gallery and workshop identified as Permit There Be Light-weight opened up in New York Metropolis in 1972 to practice artists how to use neon.Just after illuminated indicator use started in the United States other cities followed despite the fact that at a a great deal slower rate. Tokyo appears to be a single of the initially towns outdoors of the United States to get them. They had been mounted in a metropolis park in 1926. Australia’s 1st just one appeared in a Melbourne suburb in 1930. Johannesburg, South Africa acquired its very first a person in 1935. India didn’t get its initial just one right up until about 1940. Living Room Neon Signs Shanghai, China experienced to wait around until finally 1982 to get its initially one particular. Puskin Sq. in Moscow acquired its 1st sign in 1989. It was a preferred comfortable drink indicator. Stockholm. Sweden received its first a person all around 1936. On the other hand, Zurich Switzerland is reputed to have no neon symptoms.Even so, their are some metropolitan areas in the earth that have banned the use of neon indications in their jurisdictions. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, seeking to battle his countrys expanding electrical power dilemma, banned them and brightly-lit billboards. In January 2010 the town of Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is the world’s fourth major city, banned them to try and quit its growing pollution difficulty. In the US in 1996 the city of Avon, Connecticut passed an ordinance banning the use of what they termed uncovered tubes, but neon signals encased in plastic were alright to use. The town’s

inhabitants questioned the reasoning behind this ordinance. A lot more recently a ban in opposition to the production and sale of illuminated tubes has long gone into impact in Vermont and Massachusetts with other states looking to follow suit. Illuminated tubes not applying mercury are permitted.The metropolis of Madrid, Spain, has an ordinance that prohibits all illuminated indications in the city’s heart so as to lessen contamination, preserve energy, and to make the city additional aesthetically pleasurable. This ordinance covers all neon utilised in pharmacies, theater marquees, company indications, and bars. Madrid had experienced illuminated indications for around 70 many years up to this issue.The city of Duluth, Georgia prohibits neon indicators, and even though these symptoms are not prohibited in Mesa, Arizona the city’s present working day ordinances and guidelines weigh seriously against the survival of illuminated signals.Starting in the 1960’s there was a motion in the United States and Canada towards illuminated indicators. The city of Vancouver banned the use of these symptoms on what once were brilliantly-lit streets which then turned darkish passageways that left the city with a chilly, heartless, look.Considering that we are talking about neon signals it might be a great thought to get an idea about the neon indication industry. In 2008 neon indicator organization full revenues had been about $2.nine billion. The sign marketplace, as a complete, had revenues of about $eleven billion. At that time there have been some 35,00 signal retailers, which include illuminated sign outlets, in this region. These quantities have developed in thw succeeding a long time.

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Where Have You Been, Neon Signs, and The place Are You Going?

Lots of gurus in the lights subject imagine that the all round outlook for neon signage would seem to be really optimistic. Neon symptoms have a history of a hundred years of productive use in advertising. If there were being no neon indicators metropolitan areas and towns would be darker spots and the neon indicator market would stop to exist, but that is not very likely to happen.Let us start off with some basic data about neon this kind of as why it really is made use of, uses other than promotion, wherever it is really made use of in this article and in other international locations, neon signage all-around the world, and so considerably a lot more. Everyone is aware of its most important use is for advertising and that’s what keeps the neon indicator sector going, but it has many other works by using that are useful to the public. Delight in viewing Television set? Neon is utilized in in tv tubes. Do you have a neon wall clock? Neon lights is use in the dwelling and in many businesses to improve and spotlight darkish locations. It is applied in gasoline lasers is employed to get rid of eye cataracts and for other professional medical problems. Many men and women have flown, but did you know this? It has been used in beacons and it has can be witnessed by pilots have seen it 20 miles absent when it was difficult for them to see other types of lights. Neon lights can be found via the fog. Quite a few tourists have discovered it pretty handy when hunting for a motel on a foggy night time. Neon does all this and extra.Even so, neon’s greatest and most broadly-known use is in neon symptoms. What tends to make it so helpful for indicators? There are two motives for this. Initially neon is a initial-level conductor of electrical energy, and next it has the astounding means to give off gentle that can be observed at fantastic distances. As really hard as it may perhaps be to feel neon technologies commenced in Europe in 1675. It really is not that neon signs had been invented then but just the thought that would mature into the present day neon indicator. In truth, weird as it may perhaps appear electricity was not even learned nonetheless. These two ideas designed independently due to the fact neither was dependent upon the other becoming in put.It wasn’t right until 1910 that in Paris a, man termed Georges Claude arrived up with the notion for neon signals. His first effort and hard work was a indication for a barber store in that city. How and when did they very first come to the United States. Earle Anthony, the owner of an automobile dealership in Los Angeles, seemingly read about neon signs and frequented Paris. The end result was two Packard neon indications which he obtained for $one,250. The year was 1923. The idea distribute quickly simply because each organizations and the public took keep of this new notion in advertising. Regular indication advertising was strike with the excellent explosion of neon indicators. These initially symptoms were being called “liquid fire” no question simply because of the vibrant purple light-weight they emitted seem to signify danger.The 1st indication that came to Las Vegas was a indication advertising a place termed the “Oasis Cafe Dwelling”. Who recognized then that the town would develop into one particular of the country’s two premiere neon signage showcases? It was a noteworthy party but couple individuals, gave a lot imagined other than that.When discussing neon signage in The usa the Las Vegas Strip(or “The Strip” as it is usually named) and New Yok City’s Periods Square are the rational starting up factors. It is effortless to see how they earned their titles. Both of those acquire millions of people each and every yr who look at neon displays that are virtually blinding. Las Vegas may well have an edge over Moments Sq. for the reason that it gets numerous far more website visitors because of its casinos who supply the city’s neon display screen. In comparison Periods Square signals are subject matter to extra regular modifications due to the point that companies in that

city modify typically when Las Vegas has casinos that are the mainstay of the city’s revenues and the casinos are generally in small business.The Las Vegas Strip is residence to a earth renowned iconic neon sign that was erected in 1959. The indication was the plan of Betty Willis, who worked for a nearby sign firm. The sign contained the words and phrases “WELCOME TO Magnificent LAS VEGAS NEVADA”. The indication was never copyrighted since Willis regarded it her present to the town. This signal is synonymous with the Metropolis of Las Vegas. The Willis signal is quantity a person on the checklist of the world’s 10 most spectacular neon signages. Las Vegas is also residence to the world’s largest neon indicator which carries the identify Hilton and is owned by the Hilton Resort Corporation. This sign was erected in 1996 and handles more than 70,000 feet, The Hilton title is 164 toes large and the letters are 28 feet higher. At a rate tag of about $nine billion it could quickly be termed the world’s most costly neon indicator.Moments Square obtained its initially neon sign in the mid-1920’s. The density of illuminated signals in Periods Square has achieved the level where by it truly is starting to give the Las Vegas Strip a run for its cash. This density is the result of the smaller size of Occasions Sq. as opposed to that of the Las Vegas Strip which runs for miles. In any circumstance both of those of these locations are filled with hundreds of indications.Turning our notice from these two neon showcases there are other sites in the Us that have notable neon indicators. Nevertheless, they are obviously not on the very same amount as the formerly outlined giants of neon signage. In Elk City, Oklahoma at the National Route 66 Museum proudly reveals the giant iconic Route 66 neon indication. The city of Saginaw, Michigan promises it has the major neon indication in the condition an d the largest figural signal in the nation. Figural neon symptoms display human beings and animals. This neon sign is 35 feet large and fifty feet lengthy.The record of the prime ten neon indicators in this region has many neon signs that are nationally acknowledged. Lots of of them are very long absent. Living Room Neon Signs They all as soon as brightened a city avenue. Number one is Boston which had its Schrafftt’s n sign which was a image of the company’s sweet and chocolate business. Second position on the checklist went to the “Vegas Vic” sign which was standing tall on the city’s Fremont Strees from 1951 to about 1995 when it was retired.In amount 3 posture is the Fantastic Grain Belt Bear indicator in Minneapolis which was employed a good many years since it was set up in 1940, and is now up for sale. Fourth is the Coppertone Woman indication that was erected on Miami’s Biscayne Boulevard to advertise the firm’s products, suntan lotion. It was a town landmark and was there from 1959 to the 1990’s. What created the sign so apparent was the puppy that was tugging on the minor girl’s bathing go well with. Subsequent on the checklist is the Skipping Female signal from Abbotsford, Australia. She was named”Small Audrey” and she marketed the Nycander Company’s merchandise, sugar. She was absent in 1968 but thanks to the public’s outrage at the decline of this landmark she was replaced by a duplicate in 1970. Portland, Oregon’s “Created in Oregon” indication which advertised sugar was erected in 1941. It was altered over the yrs and remained in position when the enterprise remaining the making in the 1950’s.The Westinghouse Company’s indicator in Pittsburgh to the variety seven location. It experienced been up considering the fact that the early 1920’s and was taken down in 1998. Using the variety eight place is the Magikist’s Enterprise of Chicago with its indication advertising and marketing carpets. The 41,four hundred pound lips on this indicator have been regarded as a metropolis landmark Nevertheless, all of the former neon symptoms stated are absent. The range 9 indicator, the Reno Arch in Reno, Nevada which was constructed in 1927 and

is however heading solid. Previous on the listing is the Traveler’s Insurance policies umbrella indication which can be uncovered in Des Moines, Iowa. It was designed in 1963 and however in procedure.No point out of neon signs would be entire without the need of which includes a list of the world’s 10 most impressive illustrations of neon signage. It really should be of no shock that range 1 on the checklist is the iconic WELCOME TO Fabulous LAS VEGAS, NEVADA neon signage. This is adopted by the Moments Square screen. Third place goes to Hong Kong’s fifteen moment full skyline light show, The upcoming spot belongs to Osaka’s Dotonbun signage which was the inspiration for the transfer, “The Blade Runner”. Shanghai’s Najinj Road will take place variety five with Tokyo’s Ginza and Shibuya occupying the variety six put. The Vegas Boneyard (the place old and iconic Las Vegas indicators are restored and displayed) is following. This is adopted by the signage displaying Classic Occasions Square neon indications from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.As for the past two on the record the Caesar’s Palace neon signage is in ninth place and Bankok’s soi cowboy street completes the record. It is fascinating to notice at this issue that at an earlier time London’s globe popular Piccadilly Circus would have most definitely come in in close proximity to the top of this record. It received what lots of have identified as the 1st neon sign to appear to Europe, a well known tender consume indication, which was changed a new version in 2003. Nevertheless, nowadays all of the neon signs in Piccadilly Circus are on a person creating with the names all being big international companies.Quite a few organizations have sprung up in all pieces of this state. Their goal to to collect, restore, and show previous classic neon and iconic neon signals. A single of these is the Neon Museum of Philadelphia which opened in 1983 and demonstrates neon signals from firms. The Neon Museum in Las Vegas has iconic neon signs from shut casinos and corporations. It has much more than one hundred fifty historic restored and non-restored neon indications. It is non-earnings and was established in 1996. The American Indication Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio was started in 1999 and is asid to have about 2,800 indications of all styles like neon. The Los Angeles Neon Museum opened its doors in 1981 with the intention of preserving old neon signs and other sorts of neon artwork. In a relevant vein a gallery and workshop termed Allow There Be Light opened up in New York City in 1972 to practice artists how to use neon.Soon after illuminated signal usage commenced in the United States other metropolitan areas followed even though at a a great deal slower tempo. Tokyo would seem to be one particular of the to start with towns outside the house of the United States to get them. They ended up mounted in a metropolis park in 1926. Australia’s very first a person appeared in a Melbourne suburb in 1930. Johannesburg, South Africa obtained its 1st just one in 1935. India didn’t get its initially a person till about 1940. Shanghai, China experienced to wait around right up until 1982 to get its 1st just one. Puskin Square in Moscow got its initial signal in 1989. It was a popular smooth drink indicator. Stockholm. Sweden received its initially a person close to 1936. On the other hand, Zurich Switzerland is reputed to have no neon indications.Even so, their are some metropolitan areas in the world that have banned the use of neon indications in just their jurisdictions. The Key Minister of Pakistan, trying to combat his countrys developing electric power dilemma, banned them and brightly-lit billboards. In January 2010 the town of Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is the world’s fourth premier town, banned them to try and quit its climbing air pollution difficulty. In the US in 1996 the town of Avon, Connecticut passed an ordinance banning the use of what they named exposed tubes, but neon indications encased in plastic had been alright to use. The town’s residents questioned the reasoning at the

rear of this ordinance. Extra just lately a ban against the manufacturing and sale of illuminated tubes has long gone into result in Vermont and Massachusetts with other states on the lookout to adhere to match. Illuminated tubes not employing mercury are permitted.The city of Madrid, Spain, has an ordinance that prohibits all illuminated signs in the city’s middle so as to decrease contamination, conserve strength, and to make the town a lot more aesthetically enjoyable. This ordinance handles all neon utilized in pharmacies, theater marquees, business enterprise signs, and bars. Madrid had had illuminated signs for about 70 a long time up to this level.The town of Duluth, Ga prohibits neon indications, and even nevertheless these indications are not prohibited in Mesa, Arizona the city’s existing day ordinances and guidelines weigh closely against the survival of illuminated indicators.Starting off in the 1960’s there was a movement in the United States and Canada in opposition to illuminated symptoms. The town of Vancouver banned the use of these signals on what at the time ended up brilliantly-lit streets which then became dim passageways that left the metropolis with a cold, heartless, search.Because we are chatting about neon indications it might be a great believed to get an idea about the neon indication business. In 2008 neon indicator business full revenues were being about $2.nine billion. The indication field, as a total, had revenues of about $eleven billion. At that time there have been some 35,00 indicator outlets, including illuminated indicator stores, in this state. These quantities have grown in thw succeeding many years.