#Only YOU Hotel Valencia

[magics-neptunes-things]

Only One

Hi guys!

So this is a short one coming from a request I had several weeks ago.

I hope you will all like it and please let me know what you think about it! Also my box for request is very open ☺️

Enjoy!

TW : None, it’s just fluff honestly

Jana and you were both young when you met her. You were around 13 years old and when you move from Valencia to Barcelona, you find yourself in Jana’s class. She wasn’t the first who came to talk to you, being a little shy. But you can’t hold it against her, you were shy yourself and you didn’t want to bother anyone.

But soon you started to talk, and you find that you have a lot in common. Unless that she was a huge fan of football while you literally preferred staying at home with a good book and listening to music. Jana was already training at “La Masia” when you met her and when she invites you to come to one of her games, you gladly accept.

You remember being impressed by the level of those girls, fighting for the ball and the game. You were scared for Jana at first before realizing that she was one of the best. You were really proud of her, and you didn’t hesitate to tell her when she came to you after the game.

You were passing all your day after school with her, studying while she was training before going to her home in the afternoon. You sometimes sleep at her home but not a lot because your parents will sometimes remember you that “you are not living in a hotel!”.

Your first kiss happened one summer night on the beach during your summer break. You remember how much you were nervous before pressing your lips against hers, scared that you will ruin everything that was existing between you. Because Jana was your everything in your fifteen years old world.

You are not fifteen anymore, but Jana is still your everything.

You are still together, of course, still living in Barcelona. Jana chose to follow her dreams to become a footballer and even if you didn’t understand at first who the hell is that Alexia Putellas who took your girlfriend under her wings and what in the world she wanted from her, you are now the proudest girlfriend in the world.

It wasn’t easy for Jana to make her place in Barcelona Femeni A team, but she’s now a part of the family. You are both very focused in your professional life, Jana in her sport and you were studying to become pediatrician. It was hard because you don’t really have the same timetable at first, so having time together was very complicated. It was strange honestly, because you were used to be with her every single hour of the day when you were both at school and now you have to fight to be able to have lunch with her.

But then she asks you to move in with her and it was better. Your first apartment was very little. Located at the top of a building, under the roof, you had managed to fit a sofa, a TV, a wardrobe and a kitchen-dining area in a single room. Separate from the bathroom. But you were together and that was all you wanted. You loved this place, it was messy and small, but it was yours and it was perfect.

And, at least, you were seeing her every night, unless she’s in other part of the country for a game. You go to see her playing as much as possible, always wearing the jersey with her name and number on it. You are known as Jana’s girlfriend in the team and the girls like you very much too.

You have move in another apartment now, though. Bigger, you have your bedroom separate of the living room and you have a guest room where you putted your desk and computer to study.

You usually study or work when Jana is at training but tonight you lost track of time. You have a big thing to write for the end of the week and you are scared not to be able to finish it. Totally focused on your work, you didn’t hear Jana coming back home.

You almost jump out of your skin when the silhouette of your girlfriend appears on the door of your office.

“Sorry Baby, I didn’t want to scare you” she excuse herself while joining you inside the room. “Are you ok?”

“I’m ok” you smile at her, kissing her softly when she sits on your lap. “How was training?”

“It was great. Have you eaten something?”

“Not really” you answer, scratching the back of your head.

It was your turn to make diner tonight and it’s almost eight o’clock. And you are not sure about what you will find in your fridge. Jana might be starving after running and exercising all the afternoon while you were studying and you really feel guilty.

“I’m so sorry Amor, I didn’t realize it was so late. I’m going to start cooking right now.”

You close your computer while trying to stand up, kind of startling Jana with your abrupt movements. She just has time to grab you by your arm, making you stay still. With her 1m62 Jana is smaller than you but thanks to her exercises she’s stronger than you.

“Breath Baby, it’s ok. I will cook for us, why don’t you go take a bath or something? You look very tense.”

“But it’s my turn” you frown.

“You can cook two times next week” Jana shrugs.

She cups your jaw in her hand, and you could literally melt right now. You are still feeling guilty though, she just had training all day.

“Can we at least order something? So I can pay and you don’t have to cook? Please.”

She seems to hesitate for several seconds, but you give her your best puppy eyes and she finally accept. Not without rolling her eyes. After ordering some pizza, you were thinking about waiting for them in front of television. But Jana seems to have another idea.

She takes you by the hand once again, but to go to your bedroom this time. Without saying one word, she pushes you on your bed before sitting on your lap.

“Have we really time for that?” you smirk, looking at her leaning on her nightstand.

“Silence, you pervert” she smirks putting a finger on your lips. “Close your eyes.”

Still smiling, you close your eyes.

“Can I at least know what will happen to me?”

“Nothing wild. I’m just going to take care of you, that’s all.”

That doesn’t help a lot, but soon Jana is moving, and she just announce you that she will put something wet on your face before doing it. She is very tender while washing your face before putting different types of cream and moister on your face. You let her do it, loving to feel her hands on your face.

She’s so lightweight that you almost don’t feel her sitting on your belly. But you can smell her perfume and you feel yourself being completely relax. You are almost asleep when she kisses your hair, announcing that she’s finish.

“Hug now” you reach for her.

Jana cuddle against you without a second thought and you pass your arms around her to hug her harder.

“How was training mi Amor?” you ask, realizing with guilt that you didn’t even in the first place.

“It was great! I mean, until Mapi…”

You smile, listening her talk about her teammate’s behavior. She then switches for another story, and you keep listening. You take the opportunity to look at her, your cute and precious girlfriend not realizing that you totally are starring at her without really listening. You are together for seven years now, getting together pretty young. But you are still so in love with her, and you don’t want that feeling to fade away.

She was explaining Barca’s next strategy when the bell rings, announcing the arrival of your pizzas. You escape Jana’s arms to go take them before going in the living room.

“What do you want to watch?” Jana asks, looking in your Netflix account to find something.

“I don’t care” you shrug, opening the boxes.

Jana rolls her eyes but manages to find something, before sitting next to you and pick a part of pizza. She seems so relax and happy that you feel your heart pounding harder just while looking at her. She’s just so perfect.

Well, until…

“Jana Fernández Velasco , please tell me this isn’t pineapple on your pizza.”

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

Hot in The City

note: if there are any mistakes left, excuse me for that! Thank you to @sihtricsafin for cheering me on with this one, and a thank you to @neonhairspray and @foxyanon for unintentionally inspiring certain moments, you know exactly what you did.

warnings: 18+. fluff, smut.

pairing: Modern!Sihtric x fem!reader

summary: Your trip to Valencia came with a sudden romance.

word count: 4,5k

Masterlist

Reblogs & comments are immensely appreciated.

You woke up with your body still aching pleasantly from the night before. Spending a night in your hotel room with a stunning man you had only met the day before wasn't something you had expected to happen during your two week stay in Spain. But it had happened somehow, and you were greeted with the sight of the man's beautiful face as he was still asleep next to you the morning after. His previously braided hair was loose and messy, and neither of you had bothered to put some clothes back on after having experienced multiple orgasms before you had both fallen asleep in each other's embrace.

The name that belonged to the man who had pleased you for hours on end was Sihtric. A name you couldn't possibly forget as you had moaned it multiple times the night before.

You quietly giggled and blushed when you remembered the previous night. The pretty man with his slightly scarred face was undoubtedly the most passionate lover you'd ever been with, but he was also a light sleeper.

'What's so funny?' Sihtric suddenly murmured with sleepy eyes and a satisfied half smile on his face.

'Nothing,' you chuckled and turned to face him, 'surprised you're still here is all.'

Sihtric looked at you with one eye open and his other closed, then laughed softly.

'Well,' he said and cleared his throat, 'if you want me to leave…'

'I never said that,' you argued with a smile.

'Thought so,' Sihtric hummed and pulled your naked body against his under the thin sheets, 'and why would I possibly want to leave you?' he asked and planted his lips onto yours before you could even respond.

2 Days earlier.

A girls trip to Spain was exactly what you needed. You and three of your best friends hopped on a plane last-minute after booking separate rooms in a modest hotel near the beach in Valencia. The weather was perfect when you arrived, and you all wasted no time in grabbing some dinner and going out to party. You were all single and, to be honest, not even looking for a man. You were all just looking for a good time. 

The night started calm with a few drinks at a couple of different bars, but as the night progressed the bars and clubs became more crowded and the alcohol went down even easier. For your friends at least. You were always a little wary when it came to getting drunk, especially being in a foreign country, so you kept your cool and ordered a couple glasses of water throughout the night while your friends were clearly as drunk as could be. But you didn't mind, because you still had the most fun you have had in ages. None of you could deny that the attention from several Spanish men was flattering, but no one seemed to excite you enough to get carried away, so you only accepted the drinks they bought for you and then avoided them for the rest of the evening.

That was until you locked eyes with a terribly handsome guy across the bar from you. He was tall and muscular, dressed in black cargo jeans and a white loose fitted shirt. He had a tattoo on his neck and wore a Mjölnir pendant, and his dark tied back hair matched his well kept facial hair. He didn't seem Spanish, but he was absolutely stunning and you couldn't keep your eyes off him the whole time you waited for the bartender to take your order. And it seemed that the handsome man felt the same, as his eyes were completely locked on you while he fidgeted with the rings he wore around his tattooed fingers. He flashed you a sly smile before the bartender blocked your view, handing you your drink, and when the bartender stepped away you sighed sadly as the handsome man had seemingly disappeared.

'Just my luck,' you muttered and grabbed your drink.

You turned to head back to your friends, who needed some air and sat at a table on the terrace where you could all enjoy the warm summer night, when suddenly the handsome stranger appeared in front of you as you made your way through the crowd. He greeted you with his warm voice and introduced himself as Sihtric, and after finding out your name he asked if he could buy you your next drink.

'Sure,' you said with a flirty grin and shrugged lightly.

'Are you alone?' Sihtric then asked.

You told him your friends were outside and you invited him to join you, which he gladly did, since his friends were drunk and he had no idea where exactly they were, which had landed him alone at the bar before he spotted you.

'Lucky me,' you said and gave him a flirty wink.

'And me,' Sihtric said and bit down on his lower lip as he took your hand, 'you lead the way, beautiful.'

You blushed heavily as you held his big and warm hand, leading him further through the crowded bar and onto the terrace. You stopped before you reached your friends as you saw the girls had gotten the company of a group of men, and you suddenly heard Sihtric laugh behind you.

'I found my friends,' he said and looked at the same table your friends were at.

'Looks like your friends joined my friends,' you laughed, 'what are the odds?'

You joined the party with your catch of the night and enjoyed some banter and small talk. You learned the guys were all from England too and you got along well, but soon you and Sihtric drifted off in your own bubble after he had taken a seat and pulled you in his lap.

'So you're only here for a few weeks I gather?'

'Yes,' you answered, 'two weeks before we head home again. What about you guys?'

'Believe it or not,' Sihtric chuckled and looked at his drunk friends, 'we're part of the national rugby team. We're in town for a championship that starts in a few days. So we are here for as long as we manage to stay in the competition.'

You looked at Sihtric and then at his friends, who couldn't possibly stand on their feet anymore, and you laughed.

'Rugby? Really?'

'Absolutely,' Sihtric smiled, 'we have training early in the morning, so I'm not sure why they thought it was a good idea to get drunk, but that's not my problem. I'm still sober enough to wake up without a headache,' he said and winked.

You laughed and shrugged the whole rugby thing off, but you were more than happy to be in the company of the handsome rugby player while his friends entertained your friends, and you got to know more about Sihtric as the night went on. 

But sadly enough, shortly after midnight, Sihtric told you he really had to head back to his hotel to get some sleep for tomorrow's day of hard work again. You were visibly saddened that he had to leave, so he suggested walking you to your hotel after he had convinced his friends to get some rest too. And so you all strolled over the busy boulevard, further into town, until your ways parted halfway in the city. Sihtric's friends said goodbye to your friends and went to their hotel, while Sihtric kept his promise and walked you, and your friends, to your hotel. And once your friends had stumbled into the hotel and you had some time alone with Sihtric, you could finally wish each other a proper good night.

'Will I see you again?' you asked as you playfully poked his shoulder.

'I sure hope so,' Sihtric smiled and took both your hands, swaying them lightly, 'I can come and see you tomorrow after my training.'

'I'd like that,' you smiled shyly.

'Me too,' he chuckled, 'I can text you when I'm done?'

'Such a smooth way to ask for my number,' you laughed and gave him your phone, and you texted him immediately so he could save your number too, 'I'll see you tomorrow then.'

'Tomorrow,' Sihtric smiled as he towered over you, and he gave you a long and firm hug before he kissed your cheek and took a step back, 'good night, beautiful,' he almost whispered.

'Good night, pretty boy,' you smiled and turned on your heels, after reluctantly letting go of his hands.

You dragged your feet up the stairs to the entrance, purposely slowly, being aware that Sihtric was still watching you while he slowly backed away too. He kicked at nothing in particular as he stopped walking and kept his eyes on you, fighting a smile and the urge to call you back over to him. But he didn't want to smother you on the first night, so he kept his distance and decided to not try his chances. But you were disappointed and a little surprised that he didn't try to spend a few more seconds with you, so you stopped walking before you reached the hotel doors and turned around. You sighed and rolled your eyes, then looked at Sihtric as he stood at the bottom of the beige stairs, looking up at you.

'You're not even going to try and kiss me?' you scoffed with a smile.

'Well, I mean…,' Sihtric cleared his throat as he hesitated, but he then quickly jogged up the stairs.

He circled one arm around your waist to pull you in as he cupped your cheek with his free hand, and he planted his lips firmly onto yours, capturing you in what had to be the best first kiss you had ever received. Sihtric gently caressed your cheek as he nuzzled your nose slowly, then smiled against your lips before he kissed you several times more. His facial hair felt surprisingly soft against your skin, and you couldn't help but let your hands roam his muscular chest while you leaned into him, savouring the feeling and taste of his lips as he kissed you firmly once more. You felt his rapid heartbeat through his shirt, his pace matching your own. And yours skipped a beat when Sihtric kissed your temple before he took a step back, telling you he really had to leave now.

'Text me?'

'I promise,' Sihtric said softly and brought your hands up to his face, pressing a soft kiss to both your hands and then finally letting go of you, 'sweet dreams, darling.'

'Sweet dreams,' you barely whispered, your breath still stolen by the man you had only met several hours ago.

You never really expected Sihtric to text you. So when he suddenly sent you a voice memo only a few hours after you had kissed each other good night, you were surprised and almost shocked to say the least. Surprised that he texted you at three in the morning, and rather shocked at the message you heard once you clicked play.

'So,' Sihtric's voice sounded calm but with a hint of amusement, 'my friends just got arrested for being drunk in public. They got back to the hotel before I did, then decided to go for one more drink just as I came back. We met outside and I tried to talk them out of it, but they wouldn't hear it. So, they went out and apparently got into a brawl that got out of hand and, well,' he laughed, 'they will have to sober up before they will be released.'

You instantly melted into a puddle by hearing Sihtric's voice. A voice so calm, gentle and soothing that it warmed your whole body, and you suddenly longed to feel his strong arms around you again. You texted him back, asking him if he still wanted to meet up tomorrow, and luckily for you his plans for after his training had never changed.

You spend the next afternoon with your girlfriends after waking up late. Your friends were dealing with their hangover while you were dealing with your mind constantly wandering to the rugby player. You checked your phone compulsively every few minutes, desperately wanting to see Sihtric's name pop up on your screen with a text or a call, but it remained rather quiet until it was four in the afternoon. Sihtric then texted you he had showered and was ready to meet up whenever you were. You felt bad about ditching your friends to go and see some guy you had only met the night before, but they were supportive and told you to go meet him. And little did you know that your friends already had made plans to meet up with Sihtric's friends; Finan, Osferth and Uhtred, the group who was arrested the night before.

You met Sihtric as he waited outside your hotel, casually leaning back against the old apricot coloured building across the street. You smiled as you walked up to him, for he looked so ridiculously handsome with his hair braided while he wore grey shorts with a matching shirt, his bronze hammer pendant making for a pleasant contrast as it rested upon his clothed chest. 

He greeted you with a flirty smile and pulled you in his arms immediately. He lightly brushed his lips over yours as he held your face with one hand, his other settled on the small of your back, while your hands found their way to his waist.

'Hey,' he murmured against your lips with a smile.

His warm breath touched your skin and snuck between your slightly parted lips, making you feel lightheaded and desperate for his kiss, which he wouldn't give you just yet.

'Hi,' you breathed, and a nervous chuckle escaped you.

Sihtric was even more handsome than you had remembered, which seemed impossible, but you suddenly felt too shy to speak. Sihtric sensed that, and enjoyed it, but to make an end to your silent suffering he decided to finally kiss you and give you the sweet satisfaction you had longed for ever since the night before. And he kissed you just as perfectly as that very first time; firm and passionate.

It was another warm day in Valencia, and Sihtric made you feel so much warmer without even trying. When you finally found your ability to speak again you agreed to just stroll around the city together for a bit. And so you did, walking hand in hand past some of the famous spots in town. The scenery made your walk almost enchanting, the old buildings making for a romantic backdrop whenever Sihtric kissed you or just looked at you with his love intoxicated eyes. There was no doubt that you were head over heels for each other already, as you finally got to know each other better while you went for some ice cream.

You enjoyed the cool refreshments on the beach, where you sat down in the sand and Sihtric pulled you in his lap. You talked for hours, about everything and nothing, and whenever you weren't talking you were kissing each other or caught up in each other's embrace while whispering sweet nothings. And as much as you wanted to stay with him, you knew you had to check in with your friends too, as did Sihtric. So you both agreed to meet up later in the evening again.

And just like the night before, Sihtric walked you back to your hotel. And the departure was just as sweet again, kissing each other endlessly on the large beige stairs while the sun was slowly setting, until you were finally able to reluctantly let go of each other. Even if it was just for a couple of hours.

While you were out with Sihtric, your friends had gotten even friendlier with his friends and finally told you they had been seeing them while you were out. You all laughed and joked how none of you had planned to even interact with a man on this trip, and yet here you were, all of you falling in love ridiculously fast with some rugby player from England. But with that knowledge came a new idea, and that's how you ended up having dinner with not just Sihtric a few hours later, but with all of yours and his friends too.

You all got along with each other, but it didn't take long before every couple would more or less retreat and go elsewhere to talk more privately. As did you and Sihtric, after saying goodbye to the few remaining friends and going for another nightly stroll over the pleasantly crowded boulevard.

'Wait,' Sihtric said after a moment and stopped walking, 'let me see you,' he smiled and spun you around while holding your hand.

You almost tripped over your heels while showing off your long red satin cocktail dress, but luckily Sihtric was quick to catch you in his arms, to which you both laughed.

'You look absolutely stunning,' he said softly and leaned in to kiss your lips.

'I thought I overdressed,' you chuckled.

'There's no such thing,' Sihtric reassured you.

'Well,' you laughed, 'you certainly didn't overdress.'

'What's wrong with my clothes?' he asked and threw up his hands as he looked down at his outfit, the same he wore earlier that day.

'Nothing, I'm just teasing,' you smiled.

'Teasing, huh?' Sihtric smiled as he took your hand and pulled you towards him.

'What? I'm not allowed to tease you?' you asked with a cheeky grin.

Sihtric scoffed with a smile and shook his head lightly, then looked down into your eyes as he towered over you, holding your face gently while he had one arm circled around you. He licked his lips slowly before biting down on his lower lip, and he hummed softly, the sound of it causing your knees to weaken.

'All you've been doing is tease me,' Sihtric whispered, his lips touching yours as he spoke, 'you think that's fair?' he asked playfully.

'Well, you never told me to stop,' you shrugged, your hands mindlessly caressing his sides.

'Yeah, well,' Sihtric murmured against your lips, 'maybe I don't want you to stop.'

'Well,' you giggled softly and gently nudged his nose with yours, 'then what's the problem?'

'I never said there was a problem,' he smiled and lightly flicked his tongue against your lips, 'did I?'

'I don't know,' you breathed, your hands sliding under his shirt, 'did you?'

'I didn't,' Sihtric whispered, then allowed his hand to slide down your buttocks, and he grabbed you firmly as he kissed you deeply and needy for a long moment.

He took a slight step back, not breaking the kiss but sliding his own hands up his shirt to grab your hands and pull you with him, towards the border where the beach began and the boulevard ended.

'Wait,' you gasped, 'I can't get on the beach with these shoes-'

Sihtric picked you up in his arms before you could even finish your sentence, and he carried you onto the darkened and rather deserted beach. He soon found a spot next to the beach's changing cabins, a place more or less sheltered from view, and he pulled you down next to him in the sand as he laid down. And you kissed there for hours, while the waves crashed lightly in the distance and the clear night sky above you grew even darker.

'What time do you have to leave tonight?' you asked after a while of just laying in his arms.

'Doesn't matter,' Sihtric said, 'we have a day off tomorrow, that means no training, so I have no plans of leaving yet,' he then turned so he could face you, 'unless you want me to leave?'

'No,' you whispered and caressed his scarred cheek as your nose almost touched his, 'I don't want you to leave.'

'Good,' Sihtric smiled and placed his hand on your neck, circling your lips with his thumb, 'because I don't want to leave either,' he whispered and kissed you softly.

'I never want this to end,' you said, a little saddened when the reality hit you again that neither of you lived permanently in the Spanish city.

'Neither do I,' he said, 'because I swear… you are the lady of my dreams.'

You couldn't help but smile at his words, forgetting about the harsh truth immediately.

'Darling,' Sihtric continued, 'you enamour me entirely. Trust me when I say I won't let this end easily.'

'I hope you won't.'

'I hope you won't either.'

'I won't,' you smiled, 'but… maybe we should go back to the hotel? It's late already.'

'Yours or mine?'

'Doesn't matter.'

'We'll go to yours,' Sihtric said, 'I've seen it from the outside several times, now I want to know what the inside looks like.'

'It's nothing spectacular,' you warned him as you got up.

'It's already spectacular because you'll be there,' he smiled and picked you up in his arms again, carrying you back to the boulevard.

There was barely any time for talking once you arrived in your modest hotel room. As soon as the door closed, you and Sihtric began to pull each other's clothes off while you kissed and stumbled through the room until you both landed on the bed, completely naked.

Sihtric knew how to please you as if he had known you forever, finding all the right spots with his fingers while he kissed you deeply to silence your moans and gasps. One look around the place was enough to tell anyone that those walls were thin, but you couldn't have cared less about who heard you while you were at the mercy of a man like Sihtric.

He made you reach your high twice with just his hands alone as he kissed you and left marks in your neck with his teeth and lips. And you returned the favour by pleasing him with your mouth, enjoying how you could easily make him obey you like that if you wanted to, but you weren't going to dominate him. Not tonight, at least. And so you allowed him to cum, for the first time that night, in your mouth and you swallowed it like a 'Good girl,' as he called you with ragged breaths afterwards. And shortly after that you find yourself laying back on the bed. With his beautiful face between your thighs, marking up your delicate skin as he kissed and gently bit his way up to your most precious parts. Only to look up at you as he kissed your sweet spot so tenderly before going delving into you and making you climax for a third time, while your hands had untangled his previously braided hair in the process.

And he kissed you deeply as he held you tightly in his arms, under the thin sheets of your hotel bed, granting you the time to recover before he would finally allow himself the pleasure of making love to you. Which he did, until you both finished while moaning and desperately calling out numerous obscenities. You clawed at the sheets, your legs on Sihtric's broad shoulders as he leaned in, while fucking through both your highs, so he could capture you in the most passionate and sloppy kiss you ever had. And after you both collapsed on the bed, exhausted and overstimulated but satisfied beyond words, you fell asleep in each other's embrace and slept until late the next morning.

And that's when you woke up with your body still aching pleasantly from the night before, and were surprised to see your passionate lover was still sleeping peacefully next to you.

And the next morning, after you both showered and managed to cover up all the love bites you had left each other, Sihtric took you out for brunch and invited you to come to the rugby match he would be playing a few days later.

You continued to meet up whenever you could as the days continued to pass, and only at the rugby match you understood that Sihtric was a professional rugby player, and didn't just do it as a hobby. He earned his money with it, as did his friends, and from what your friends told you about the dates they had with them, it seemed that they all earned quite a nice amount to live more than comfortably with. But you had already fallen in love with Sihtric, so you didn't care about his profession or the money he made, you were just there to show your support. And Sihtric appreciated that more than he could explain, and you felt proud as you watched his team win that day.

In the days that followed you also continued to stay in close contact with Sihtric, and you found yourself in either of your hotel rooms almost every night. Each night was as passionate as the first time you were intimate, and it went without saying that this wasn't just a quick holiday fling anymore. But the truth was that your holiday was coming to an end, with your flight back to England departing tomorrow early afternoon. Which meant you had to say goodbye to Sihtric and not know if you'd ever see him again, despite the fact that he lived in England too. And as fate would have it, he had to go to training tomorrow morning, so he couldn't stay the night with you no matter how much he wanted to.

'Ironic how it rains tonight,' you said gloomily as you stood on the familiar beige stairs of your hotel, which were darker than usual tonight, 'the whole time we've been here it was always warm and sunny. And now it's chilly and rainy.'

Sihtric pushed his loose wet hair out of his face as he looked down at you, holding you in his arms for what he feared could be the last time.

'The gods feel my sadness,' Sihtric said with a soft sigh, and he took your face in his hands, 'let me look at you, darling,' he smiled sadly, 'I want to remember you.'

'Please,' you said and choked up, 'don't forget about me.'

'I won't, trust me I won't,' he said as the rain continued to pour down, 'you captured my heart and soul, darling. I won't forget about you. And I already told you I wasn't going to let this end easily.'

'Promise you will call me? Or text me?' you asked, a glimmer of hope visible in your eyes.

'I promise,' Sihtric smiled and lightly pinched your cheek before he kissed your forehead, 'I promise, love, I will call you and text you until you get sick of me and block my number.'

You both laughed for a moment, but your sadness took over again once you looked back up in his big mismatched eyes.

'Here,' Sihtric said and took off his Mjölnir necklace, 'hold onto this for me,' he placed the black cord with the bronze pendant around your neck, 'I'll come and pick it up as soon as I can, okay?'

You sniffled and clutched the warm pendant in your cold hands, then looked up at him again and nodded with a faint smile.

'Don't cry,' Sihtric whispered and kissed your lips, 'please don't cry,' he cupped your cheeks, 'I promise, darling, I promise this is only the beginning for us.'

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[moonshynecybin]

Any updates you’d want to share of your incredible marc 31&unfucked/airport rosquez wip? Or do you move in silence

twink for sale. never fucked. part one here, part two here ! yet again i have not reread the previous parts so these idiots might very well be talkin in circles. c'est la vie i am what i am.

Marc leans against the counter of the bar, a thick slab of slightly sticky wood covered in a mess of elbows and drinks. It’s not exactly a dive, but it’s unpretentious, laid back. Marc likes it. Likes the sound of the music and the smell of cigarette smoke.

The Ducati crew are all here, plus the Gresini people— celebrating an all-Ducati podium that saw Pecco roaring away into the distance before anyone could figure out a way to catch him, shades of Jorge Lorenzo. Marc had snapped up P3. Whatever.

He sighs. Studies the menu like he isn’t just going to order the same thing he always does.

Alex is feeling sick— staying at the hotel— and he doesn’t even know why he’s here. It's nice, but he doesn’t really know anyone. He wants to text Santi, see what the people at Honda are up to, but he balks. Someone might run a headline, and he doesn’t want to deal with that. He'll call them later, when he gets back to Spain, and link up for dinner then.

He orders his mojito and pauses, caught as a warm hand lands on his shoulder. He looks over, expecting one of his mechanics or someone from the factory team. Instead— Valentino. VR46 must’ve been invited as well. 

A grin splits his face before he can help it. 

“You still order the same drink.” Vale muses, like poking that particular bruise doesn’t even hurt him. He just— remembers Marc’s drink order like it’s nothing,

Marc ducks his head. “Shut up,”

“No, it’s just, you said– you are older now, yes? I thought maybe you would make a change?”

“Why should I? I like what I like.”

Vale flags the bartender and asks for a Negroni, curls his long hand against the glass. Marc catches his eyes on the bones of a wrist, the way it looks in the low lighting. He blinks.

He doesn't know what’s going on with him lately. 

Vale leans closer, looks around, conspiratorial. Grin white sharp in yellow light, shirt gaping at the collar to expose the long lines of his neck. He raises a finger at Marc.

“You know, Bez has a bet about you,”

“Bezzecchi?” Marc asks, pulling back into himself— he’s never called him Bez, isn’t about to start now.

Vale tilts a chin over to the corner, where Bezzecchi and Pecco seem locked in some sort of boozy, animated discussion. Marc catches snatches of words in Italian: tattoo, turbo, braking.

“What bet?” He asks, turning back to watch Vale take a sip of his drink. It’s a wonder there’s not a camera on them. Although— he thinks about that headline. Friends again. Maybe he wouldn’t mind.

“That you will not win another title,” Vale says casually, smacking his lips around the bitter of his drink. 

They’ve never been two people known for playing it safe.

Marc hums, fiddles with his bar napkin. “Oh, does he?” He doesn’t mention the bet he’s been told Uccio has. Four thousand dollars towards the same.

Vale nods. Places an elbow next to Marc on the bar and leans. Marc catches a whiff of his cologne— something spicy.

“Why should I care?” Marc shrugs, plays confused. He doesn’t— it’s Bezzecchi. He’s always been a bit weird about Marc. After Valencia last year, Marc has just written him off completely. One of Vale’s devotees too caught up in their history to think clearly for himself.

Vale laughs. “I guess you shouldn’t.”

“And what about you?” Marc prods, a little spiky. He's pretty sure he knows the answer. “What do you think? Will I win?” 

Vale tilts his head. 

“You could do it,” and Marc stares. “—if it rains.” Is the punchline that drags a smile back to him like a punch to the gut.

“Ah, I see. Master in the wet.” Marc waggles his eyebrows and Vale chuffs a laugh, scrubs a hand down his face like he’s embarrassed he finds Marc funny. 

“No no, but you’re the only one crazy enough— Brno 2019,” He reminds Marc. “Why was it raining for us and not for you?”

Marc doubles over, presses his smile into his palm. He still can’t quite believe this is happening— that Vale still knows how to twist the knife enough to make it sweet instead of making it hurt, teasing in ways that make Marc bark a laugh instead of blink away the burning feeling in his stomach. Now the joke is— how bad it got is almost funny. The ludicrousness of their falling out. His injury. Vale retiring. Leaving Honda. and Marc shouldn’t be laughing really, but Vale’s always found a way to thrive in the comedic incongruity of a situation. How the hell did we even get here? Is the question, and they both seem to find it abruptly hilarious, tension snaking ephemerally away from them as they giggle like children.

Vale regroups, catching his breath, “Bah, anyways. Pecco will be very, very strong. Hard to beat when he is giving 100%.” 

It’s probably the truth. It’s what he should say. Marc doesnt think he means it, and his smile grows.

He pretends to think. “Yes. He is. But I'm not trying to be greedy— nine is, nine would be a good number.” Continuing their theme—half a jab, half a joke—a test. Are they there yet, he's asking, can Vale take the same treatment from Marc? Daring Vale to confirm all his worst assumptions. If he’s going to pull back, get it over with. Pull him down to earth from where it feels like he’s floating away.

“Not as good as ten, no?” Vale says smoothly, and it would sound like taking the bait but his voice is still a tease, and his smile is still there, and he’s still next to Marc. Leans closer, even.

Marc doesn’t think he’s blinked in the last 45 seconds.

“No,” Marc lets every bit of his confidence into his voice. Nine times world champion is good, but Vale is right. He wants ten. “No, it’s not.”

“Ah, so that is the plan? Beat me?” Vale pulls another sip from his drink, leaning on the bar like he owns it. 

Marc shrugs, grins hugely. “Beat everyone. These guys— they are not better than you, and they are not better than me.”

“Maybe not.” Vale’s looking at him, eyes sparkling, and Marc’s melting down, like sugar dissolving into tea.

He clears his throat. Maybe the mojito is stronger than he thought. He hasn’t— they’ve never talked about it like this. He hasn��t wanted to talk about this. But he likes that it’s happening now, somehow. That it’s happening like this, like it’s the past instead of the present.

“Eh, you know, you’ve been coming to a lot of races.” 

“I have people I want to see.” Vale says, which could mean a lot of things, and “Old friends included,” which could mean less things but also isn’t necessarily any less confusing. Then he taps a finger on the edge of Marc’s drink, a non sequitur. “Can I try?”

Marc nods, feels like his brain is running a step behind his body. Watches Vale move the straw to take a sip from the rim, then think through the taste hitting his tongue.

“Do you like it?”

Vale shrugs, noncommittal, then pushes his glass towards Marc. He puts his hand on the back of Marc’s neck. 

“Here. Try mine.”

“No, no no— I have had Negronis. Too bitter.” Marc says, even as he raises the drink to his lips. There's no straw in this one, just lips against glass. He wonders if it’s the same spot Vale had been drinking from earlier.

Bitter aromatics burst in his mouth. He makes a face against the strength of it, feels Vale’s laugh through his hand on the back of his neck. He shivers a little, it’s— he doesn’t know why he's doing that.

He decides not to think about it. It could be cold in here, he hasn’t really been paying attention.

“Ah, you’re one of those with a sweet tooth?” Vale takes his drink back from the well of Marc’s hand, and their fingers zap a little static shock that makes Marc feel brave.

Marc winks. “I am guilty.”

Vale just— looks at him. And they’ve done a lot of that in their history, looked at each other, tried to ascertain the next move to make on track or the next mind game to use in a press conference— but this feels different. Marc feels different. His skin feels tight and his head feels dizzy and his heart is pounding, and through it all Vale keeps looking, and he doesn’t quite know what to say or what to do, but he knows he doesn’t want it to stop.

There's a big cry from the other side of the room, breaking his train of thought— some mechanics in a rowdy conversation of some sort, and Marc becomes hyper aware of how exposed they are right now. Anyone could see— well, he doesn’t know quite what, but he knows he doesn’t want them to see it. He shifts, darts eyes to the exit.

He wants to leave, and it could be the alcohol, but Vale’s face is pretty much the exact thing that Marc wants to see right now.

“Want to head back?” Marc asks, feeling a little reckless— it’s a flyaway, he’s pretty sure they’re all packed inside the same hotel.

Vale considers him for a minute, and as Marc waits for him to speak he wonders if the booze is catching up to him. The world feels like it’s rushing around his ears. 

“For sure.” Vale murmurs, and when he takes his hand off of Marc’s neck he can feel it slide all the way down his back.

When they get into the Uber, Marc looks at his phone and gives a little groan. Tries to shake it off. Feel more sober. Reassert some normalcy from their earlier tension. Vale and him– they haven't been friends in eight (Or nine? Marc thinks, Is it nine?) years. There’s bound to be growing pains.

“It’s so early.” He groans.

Vale nods. It is.

“I’m old.” Marc continues, reminded of their conversation in the airport. It’s true now— with Aleix going, he’ll be the veteran. How did that happen. You can’t talk to me about old, Vale had said. But he finds that he wants to.

“You are not old,” Vale echoes, with emphasis, like Marc’s insane. What does he know, he’s even older.

Marc puts a hand on his bad arm, which hurts. Slides down in the seat a little, loose with alcohol. He's such a lightweight now. He lets out a big sigh.

Vale nudges him. He's got a look on his face— that same conspiratorial one from the bar earlier, and Marc cranes his neck up.

“Marc,”

“Yeah?” God, his eyes are blue.

“Tell me— do you want to pay Bez back?”

“What?” Marc croaks, not really processing what he’s saying. He doesn’t want to talk about Bezzecchi— he can still see the skin between Vale’s shirt and his neck, can’t stop looking at it. He leans in heavily. Thinks about a world where Vale puts a hand on the inside of his thigh and leans right back.

“Yeah.” Vale flips up his hand to flash a hotel key card. probably Bezzecchi’s. He grins, waiting for Marc to get the joke, and after a moment— it clicks. Laughter explodes out of Marc’s chest. 

It's been a minute since Valentino and him were on the inside of something. In cahoots, instead of at odds, and he feels— energized. Adrenaline creeping into him like an old friend. Suddenly, he doesn’t feel old at all, and he wants to get out and do something— sweat, dance, move, fuck. Get Vale to keep smiling at him. Ruin Bezzecchi’s day. Win another race this year. Win a championship.

For once, he sure that Vale feels about the same.

It's quick work for them to break in and hide all of Bezz’s socks.

Marc overhears him, the next race in the paddock—that Vale wasn’t supposed to be at but is anyways. They’re talking about the missing socks, and Vale is loudly and smoothly blaming it on Pecco. When Marc passes, Vale catches his eye, easy,  and shoots him a sly wink.

Marc floats on air all the way back to his box

[folkloresthings]

BECCA!! Congrats on 1k, I love your writing and I’m glad so many other people do too <3

NORTHANGER ABBEY — send a muse + your favourite trope and i’ll write a drabble/blurb.

Could you do Sebastian Vettel + pining/unrequited love but with a happy end? (Kind of à la Amy & Laurie in little women??)

AMY AND LAURIE CODED!!! spot the little women refs

SOMEDAY. ❨ sebastian vettel x reader ❩

✩⡱ warnings: mention of v*mit

the light of sebastian’s presence had lit your life for as long as you could — or wanted to remember. young when you’d first met, you at nineteen and him twenty—four, donning his red bull gear and a world championship. the bar in which you had met wasn’t anything special, tucked away in the heart of valencia. you were travelling with friends, he was working his way towards his second championship.

it was easy to spot him across the bar, all blonde curls and dazzling eyes. a woman hung on his arm, whispering in his ear while a friend—of—a—friend introduced you both. he’d barely looked at you, probably to preoccupied with how the woman’s hands were wandering further south by the minute.

your best friend was more of a racing fan than you, and had coincidentally planned the route of your travels across europe to coincide with the grand prix schedule. the next time you saw him was in budapest, nursing the same drink he’d had in spain but arms bare of playthings for the night.

“vodka soda, please.”

“i remember you,” he had slurred, pointing aimlessly towards you as you spoke across to the barman. “valencia!”

you assumed his exclamation of the city was his connecting of the dots, so you sent him a nod and a small smile. “yeah, we both know joseph.”

“joseph, right,” sebastian mused, vague familiarity dancing across his features. “good guy.”

he looked just as handsome that night as he had in valencia, though slightly drunker. you had heard the tales of the good—looking german driver, your friend spent most of your train journeys across countries gushing about him and half a dozen other names you didn’t recognise.

“here, my treat,” sebastian quickly cut across you before you could pay, shoving a few euros into the barman’s hand. you didn’t bother arguing — he was a world famous formula one driver and you were a full time university student. he could afford a vodka soda better than you could.

“thank you, sebastian.”

“you’re welcome…” he trailed off, searching desperately in his memory for your name.

“y/n,” you offered, a grin tugging at your lips. you couldn’t find it in yourself to be annoyed at his lack of attention, not when his eyes were shining up at you the way they were. he repeated it, your birthright sounding far nicer on his tongue than your own. he’d shaken your hand then, ordering an apology round of shots for his “shameful behaviour”.

a few hours later, you held his belongings as he vomited into an empty alleyway. the streets of budapest were practically deserted, town clock chiming three in the morning. sebastian’s challenge of shot after shot soon became a competition with only himself, ending up much drunker than yourself and with no one around to supervise his stupidity.

thankfully, tucked somewhere in his pocket, was the address of his hotel. you got him there, eventually, after a few stops to sit down or sebastian’s several attempts to climb a wall. you took him all the way to him room, getting him into bed and leaving a note and some painkillers by his side.

from then on, you were friends. even when you went back to university, he did all he could to fly you out to races and let you see a little more of the world. australia, japan, abu dhabi… you’d been there to see him win every world championship, to hug him and celebrate with one too many drinks afterwards. you were still always the one to tuck him in after.

the only problem was, amongst this wonderful friendship, you were completely and utterly in love with him.

he didn’t feel the same. you figured that out one night in monaco when he took you for dinner and snuck you down to the beach afterwards. you kissed him on the sand, naive and innocent, only twenty and unsure of what this would mean. he’d been kind about it, sweet as ever, letting you indulge yourself before letting you down slowly.

“maybe someday, when you’re older.”

his words played in your mind like a broken record every birthday from them on. would this be the year? you tried going out with other boys, but none of them compared to him. your sebastian. every year you got older, so did he, and soon you were twenty—six and him thirty—one.

in those years, you were glad for his wise, older words. they’d kept your friendship intact, giving you your person — the one you could talk to in good times and bad. no matter how painful your love for him was, never fading over time, you kept it all down for the sake of keeping him in your life.

“penny for your thoughts?” sebastian’s usual teasing tone pulls you from your thoughts, the montage of your relationship playing in your head. you glance up at him, forcing on a smile.

“sorry, zoned out for a minute,” you breathed out a laugh, smoothing down the skirt of your dress in the mirror. “how do i look? do i look alright?”

sebastian took a moment to let his eyes rake over your body. the dress was a pale blue colour, adorned with pale white flowers that floated about your ankles. he could only describe it as soft, a light summer dress that moved with the wind but hugged your lines perfectly. god, you were heavenly.

“you look beautiful. you are beautiful.” sebastian’s face had softened considerably, looking at you in a way that could almost be mistaken for love. you stare at him, yearning to decipher the thoughts in his head, but you come up empty.

inhaling some feeling back into your body, you move from his gaze. “i better go. robb will be waiting.”

robb. sebastian had been with you when you met. a grand event, drivers and socialites alike. sebastian had gone to get you both a drink when he returned to find the man flirting with you. you were smiling and laughing, your hand finding it’s place on the man’s arm. sebastian turned on his heel and left you to it, finishing both of your drinks in his stride.

since then, you had been to dinner with robb twice. he was charming, funny and sweet, knew just how to woo you. admittedly, you struggled to find the spark that people often spoke of, but you were willing to pass it up for a chance at some kind of romance. sebastian, however, found himself battling with this strange feeling in his stomach every time you spoke to him about robb.

he could feel it again now, watching you skip off to meet your date. twisting and tugging, nausea rising in his chest. it was a new feeling, and one that he hated having. it was selfish of him but he couldn’t help it — you had been his for so long, only his, and now you were slipping away.

“ — but it’s far too cold there to live all year…” chuckling at robb’s latest tale, you felt the words on your tongue fade as he appeared nearby. you had told sebastian where you and robb were going, a small jazz bar with expensive cocktails and live music. so why had he come?

“seb?”

he smiled, brows furrowing in faux confusion. “oh, hey you two. fancy seeing you here.”

if looks could kill, sebastian would be six feet under by now. your glare was cold, but missed completely by robb as he engaged in conversation with your friend. for the next thirty minutes, you didn’t say a word. you didn’t get a chance, with robb asking sebastian a million questions on racing and the latter gladly entertaining him.

“excuse me,” you muttered, grabbing your bag and pushing yourself from the chair. your date barely noticed, staring at a picture on sebastian’s phone. the blonde watched you go, snatching his device back and following you without a second thought.

“hey, y/n! wait!” he hurried after you down the street, struggling to keep up with your hurried pace. “y/n!”

his arm reached out to grab you, spinning you on your heel to face him. he knew with one look that you were mad, and he suddenly regretted every choice he’d made that evening. “what?”

“where are you going?” he asked, rather sheepish.

“i’m going home, sebastian,” your voice was sharp, cheeks red with anger and embarrassment. “my date seems pretty occupied with you in there, so i’m leaving.”

“no, wait…” he grappled desperately, grabbing at your wrist again to keep you there. his lips part, searching for an excuse, but nothing comes out.

“you knew i was coming here tonight! why would you show up when you knew?” seething, tears pricked at your eyes. you cursed yourself for the german making you such a mess. “i told you how excited i was and you purposely came to ruin it! why?”

sebastian sighed, silent. all of that jealously turned to hatred, for himself and his stupid, stupid heart. “i’m sorry.”

you looked at him, waiting for more. needing more than just that.

“i’m sorry, i just — i hated seeing you so happy,” as soon as it was out, as soon as he saw your face twist, he knew it didn’t sound right. “no, shit. not like that. i wasn’t the one making you happy and it felt awful. i didn’t want to see you with anyone else. y/n… i’ve been such an idiot.”

the words sunk in as he tried to tangle his fingers in you, squeezing himself closer to you in the street. your head shook, backing away with every inch he moved closer.

“no, no. seb, don’t do this,” you muttered, ignoring his pleas for your forgiveness. you felt dizzy, all of this coming to soon. “seb, you’re being mean. stop it.”

with your voice sterner, he took a step back.

“i’ve waited for you for seven years. i waited and you never came, but the second i find somebody else you figure it out?” tongue laced with disbelief, you felt your feet stumble on the cobbles below. sebastian reached out to you, worry crossing his face. he felt terrible. he’d put you through so much and expected even more.

“i know,” sebastian whispered, daring to step closer again. you let him now, proving yourself weak to his affection once again. his hand finds your cheek, warming it from the night air, your head resting against his hold. “i’m a fool. i didn’t realise it before but i’ve been in love with you for so long. i don’t know when it happened, but it did. and there’s nothing i can do about it but beg you to forgive me.”

your eyes turn soft, melting into his confessional. everything you’d waited for and dreamed of, the words that haunted you for years of sleepless nights. it was happening and none of it felt real. seven years of wanting it, and now you were hesitant.

“will you forgive me?” sebastian pleads, thumbs rubbing gently at the flesh of your cheeks. his lips, ready for yours, but not until you are. “i’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. i promise.”

you smile, because how can you not? when he’s looking at you like you’re the one who hung the moon and the stars — but he’s the sun. your sun, your light, your love.

“yes.” it’s a whisper when it finally comes, but he hears it. his own smile creeps up, squeezing you in delight.

“yes?” he repeats, waiting for you to confirm it again. you do, and he wastes no time in kissing you. not like that night on the beach, young and unsure, but full of love and certainty. because he loves you, with everything he is, and he needs to show you. all soft lips and daring tongues, arms winding around your waist to pull you flush to him.

he loves you and you love him. at the end of the day, or seven years, there’s nothing else that really matters.

[formulapookie]

💛💛

Under the cut to read on tumblr, here to read on Ao3 chapter 1; chapter 2; chapter 3

Les fleurs du mal ch4 rosquez, 1.8k words

Vale has been thinking of everything but Marc lately, or at least, he’s been trying to.

He wakes up every day with a different person in bed, this break is getting him the refill of energy he needs, or well, the refill of alcohol and whatever substance he keeps putting in it he needs.

He had thought about calling up Marc.

Just to fuck, or to have him suck him off, like it happened in Sepang.

But the chill that runs up his back at the thought of Marc being hurt, those damn petals in the bin, Marc yelling at him not to touch him makes it impossible.

He turns around, he doesn’t even remember who he got in bed with last night, too high or drunk or both to care.

There’s a cute guy beside him, he looks young, he probably is not older than 25, brown curly hair, slightly tanned skin.

Ok so this one Vale has to admit is basically another version of Marc.

Even the lips they’re - not the same but similar to Marc’s.

There’s no mole on his pec though, the one Vale kissed so many times before, there’s no twitch of his eyebrow when Vale moves the sheets, no heavenly sweet voice calling him back to bed as he gets up to get dressed.

If this was Marc’s home, he’d stay.

Get up, prepare breakfast, wake Marc up and lead him to the kitchen.

Eat together, mostly in silence because Marc doesn’t really like to talk in the morning and then either have another round, nice and lazy, or just lay on the couch watching something horribly romantic Marc would put on the TV.

Now, he just gets dressed as quickly as he can, ignoring the boy still sleeping in the bed, and getting out of there.

Luckily this guy doesn’t live too far from the hotel he’s staying in, so he can walk there pretty easily.

Marc on the other hand, he’s been spending his winter break at home, cold and shivering, refusing visitors except for his mother and exceptionally his brother and father, without ever mentioning his disease, playing it down to a harsh fever he didn’t want to pass to others.

Jorge had texted him, phoned him, trying to put some sense in his mind, trying to convince him to get the operation done, telling him Vale would not go back on his steps, that Vale had probably never even loved him to begin with.

He had just worsened the situation, trying to make Marc understand it was useless to keep hoping.

But once again, Marc is a stubborn man, he’s set his head on the thought Vale will reciprocate again, that Vale will call him.

Or text him.

Or meet him once they’re both back on track for the new season.

But more than a month has passed since Valencia, since the incident he had to mask to the media, since Vale obviously came to know about the situation he is in.

And he hasn’t called or texted.

But maybe he just needs time.

They have time.

Marc is sure they have time.

Even if these days the shivers and fever are higher, even if his own mother is begging him to get the operation done, he knows they have time.

Because they’re soulmates, they’re made to love each other.

Marc knows the story about the red string of fate and he’s ready to swear him and Vale are connected by it.

To each pinky they’ve got a red string bonding them together for the stars to see.

“You’re really pretty in the morning you know?”

“Only in the morning?”

Marc had pouted playfully at Vale’s words, still curled up against his chest, smiling against it.

“During the night you’re more hot than pretty amore”

“ I like you calling me hot”

“Yeah? You’re really hot”

“Are you trying to charm me in your pants Vale? Not very gentlemanly of you to do”

“You don’t like gentlemen Marc”

“Mh no, I like you”

They had kissed, Vale’s hands guiding Marc on his lap by his hips, as if he weighed nothing.

“I love you”

“Love you too Vale”

It was then Vale told him about the strings of fate.

“You know baby? There’s a legend, it says when two people are made for each other they’ve got an invisible red string which is tied to both their pinkies and bonds them together”

“You think we-“

“I said you would be the next me no? Would I say that to someone I don’t think has to be mine?”

It hurts to remember.

Because Vale had so much love in his words and so much truth it seems impossible to Marc that he’s puking petals again, hung over his toilet, because Vale had wounded him so deeply he could feel the blood run free of containment in his body.

There’s a knock at the bathroom door.

A soft one, almost ghostly.

“Marc? It’s mom, are you coming to lunch?”

“Yeah I” he holds in his cough, he knows it hurts his mother to hear him

“I’m coming mom”

“Are you - again?”

“No no mom don’t worry”

When he gets out his mother hugs him, so tight he thinks his lungs are breaking more under pressure.

He’s fragile now, really fragile, his rib cage is very visible through the skin, his cheeks are hollower than they used to be, the color of his skin no more a sweet caramel tone but instead a pale and washed one.

He’s thinner, every cough feels like a hit to his sternum, if he bumps into things a bruise is really quick to follow.

He’s sick, sick as he’s never been before.

He even had to miss a training session because he was too debilitated to do it.

Santi had pretended to know what was going on, he had said bronchitis.

Which wasn’t completely far from the truth.

He can feel his mother’s pain through the hug, in the way she tries to keep the crying at bay, the way her heart is synchronizing itself to his.

“Marc, you need to listen to your friend.

He -” his mother never said the name Vale, or Valentino, not even Rossi.

it was always “he”

“He’s not coming back Marc”

“Ma-“

“Marc, please”

“Just - just give him some time mom. He’ll come back. I know he will. Now can we go have lunch? I’m hungry”

“You need to tell Alex”

“No. I won’t tell, there’s no need to. He doesn’t need to know, I’m gonna be fine in no time anyway. Plus if I told him he’d do something stupid like forging my signature and force me to get the operation”

“Marc”

“Mom. I’ll be fine. I promise you. We’re both gonna be fine, he just needs a bit more time to realize it”

Roser tries to have this conversation three more times during Marc’s stay at home.

She tries to tell Alex, but when her younger son answers she can’t tell him anything, beside “Marc is still sick, but he’s getting a bit better”.

Marc had begged her not to talk, and Roser can’t bring herself to betray her son’s trust, not after his heart has already been shattered by the person he loves more than anything in this world. 

In the delirium caused by the fever that keeps getting higher and higher, Marc had called for that man.

She had run to him, cold towels placed on his forehead and wrists to try and bring the temperature down, with little results.

“Vale it hurts please bring me water”

“Marc, it's mom, what's going on?”

“Vale just - he went to take a glass of water, don’t worry go back to sleep”

“Marc he is not -”

“Look he’s back, see? Go to sleep mom”

“Thanks Vale, you see mom? I told you he just needed time, we’re fine”

It had been a painful night, Marc snapping out his open eyed dream and sobbing in her arms like a little kid who just scraped his knee and wanted to be held by his mother.

And she had held him like that, trying to protect him from all the evil in his mind, from all the evil that man had sewed into his skin, but to no avail.

If she placed a hand on her son’s ribcage she could trace the outline of a root.

When he took deeper breaths in her embrace she could feel the bumpy surface of his bones against her chest.

She had thought, once, to call the man’s mother.

She thought that maybe she would’ve understood the worry of a mother, that she would’ve tried to talk to her son.

But she knew if she did she would’ve just spewed hate towards that woman’s son, and couldn’t do that to another mother.

So she just held him as if he was a little boy, tried to picture him as his three years old self when he had fallen from the mini bike and hurt his elbow, and she had held him until he slept.

Vale meanwhile had begun to doubt.

Doubt everything.

Uccio first of all people.

It made no sense, no sense what he had accused Marc of doing.

And even if - even if he had been shown proof of it, Vale doubts.

After months, long infinite months later he’s doubting.

Of the telemetry, of the color of the petals.

Hell he even doubts Marc ever came to the Ranch on purpose to beat the record and shame him.

Because it simply doesn’t hold ground as an accusation, why would Marc, a lovestruck 20 something kid, who just loves Vale so much to still have a collection of bikes representing him, a rival,

in his room, why would he do something like that to him?

He wouldn’t.

He loved, still loves Vale, he’s sure of this. He just has to find counter proof.

For the first time ever he’ll have to work against the one friend he always trusted with all his everything.

So he begins his personal crusade to find out the truth he thinks lies covered beneath the surface of thick and carefully built lies Uccio fed him.

For what reason he doesn’t know, he can’t find it in his mind to understand what could have driven Uccio to do what he did.

He spends a month locked in his house, not even paying attention to his academy of growing riders, the only one partially admitted at home being his little brother, but not more than once every week.

He spends a month looking for evidence he’s been lied to, driven away, manipulated, blinded by his competitive spirit.

He doesn’t call or text Marc.

He fears if he’s not completely sure of his idea it will end up hurting Marc more.

The start of the season is two weeks away when Lorenzo sends him a text.

[blakelysco-pilot]

Over the Threshold

A post-war interlude in the Eight To the Bar series.

When Valencia had written home in August 1943, she wasn’t sure how her mother would react to the news that she had met someone. She’d been through it before; once, where she had gushed over a wonderful man that had only ended up hurting her, only after she’d given all of herself to him. When she had spent hours crying on Curt’s shoulder, never fully divulging to her mother what had happened. Only that, her wonderful man had found someone else.

Her mothers first letter had been what she expected. Skepticism and worry for her daughter; so far away and falling in love on a whim with a pilot. But as time wore on, and Everett remained part of her letters her mother seemed to warm up to the idea of him. It was a letter in March of 1945 that had surprised her- the parlor floor in her childhood home, a gift for them both, should they choose to start their life in New York after the war.

A building that her father had saved to purchase when they immigrated from Sicily, and that her mother had kept pristine after his death. She’d collected rent from tenants for years, and to know that her mother was giving up the rent on that floor for her and Everett, well, that meant something. Everett was excited at the prospect, writing to his own mother back in Seattle to invite her to meet him in New York, to meet Val, whenever the time came. But he knew his sweethearts family relied on that rent, so he made a promise to his mother in law that they would continue to pay rent until they found a place of their own.

So, they had stayed, and lived in the DiRosano home while they worked on their own fixer upper. It had taken them six months into their marriage, plus the eight months prior, to get their forever home ready. Not going far from her mother in Bensonhurst, they were making the ten minute move to Dyker Heights.

Now, the day was upon them, and he wasn’t surprised to find her sitting in the bay window in their now vacant parlor floor apartment, knees tucked up to her chest as she watched the leaves fall over Bath Avenue.

“Honey?”

“Hmm…”

“Val, all that’s left is, well, us.”

“Okay…”

That’s when he saw the tears in her eyes. He rarely ever saw her cry; there had been only four occasions; when Curt went down, VE Day, when he proposed, and the day they got married. He could count it all on one hand.

“Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?”

“I’m being silly,” She furiously wiped her eyes. “It’s not like the house is going anywhere. Mama and this place are staying put.”

“It’s okay to feel sad,” Coming to sit behind her, he pulled her back against his chest. “You lived your whole life here. We started our life here.”

“You’re right…”

“Of course I’m right. Now come on, I want to carry you over the threshold of our house.”

“Charmer,” She scoffed. “How many thresholds have you carried me over now?”

“Hmmm, this will make three,” He murmured, pressing his lips to the underside of her jaw. “The hotel in Palm Beach on our honeymoon, this place, and now…”

“Hmm, I see your point. Lots of new rooms to christen, too, Mr. Blakely.”

“Exactly,” He grinned against her cheek. “What do you say? Ready for the next adventure Mrs. Blakely?”

Turning from her spot, she wrapped her arms around him, carding her fingers through his already mused hair, the curl that fell over his forehead landing right back in place. Everett pulled her into his lap with practiced ease, holding her close as she took her time letting her hands explore him as they had done countless times before. Nosing against him, her eyes fluttered closed as she inhaled his scent, the cologne he had put on after his shower that morning now mixed with the scent of a hard day's work. She had never loved a single scent more than that of her husband.

“Take me home,” She whispered, teeth closing over his earlobe, tugging gently. “But first, one more for the road.”

Tag List: @rowdy-redhead @winniemaywebber @sagesolsticewrites @bobparkhurst @rosiesriveter @victoryrollsandredlips @bcolfanfic @major-mads @footprintsinthesxnd @roosevelt-stalin-cocacola @justheretoreadthxxs @claireelizabeth85 @hephaestn @ktredshoes @barrykeoghussy @peachessndreamss @hellfirequinnie @spinteresting @prettyinlimegreenboots @manonsmanicmind @precious-little-scoundrel @beingalive1

[sepdet]

@tangerinebonfire Rather than spam @headspace-hotel 's delightful pawpaw post further, I'm making my own primate post on my favorite target of foraging.

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania nibbling wild raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and tiny blueberries on summer trips to Ontario, chewing sassafras and sipping on honeysuckle, but wineberries were queen. I probably haven't tasted wineberries in 30 years, as I moved away from the east coast in 1996. They're on my shortlist of things I miss after loved ones, lightning bugs, thunderstorms, and beech trees.

Lookit these beauties.

Unlike raspberries, they're meltingly soft. No crunchies. If you pick them unripe, they're tart, but still fairly tasty,

Unripe ones are amber-orange, ripening to lush crimson, which is the perfect blend of honey-sweet and tart/citrus, deepening to pomegranate seed red.

The NYT's Urban Forager blog describes wineberries as a "citrusy wild fruit which tastes like a cross between a raspberry and a California orange" (by which I can only assume they mean something like the 1930s Valencia orange tree in the back yard of my friends in Westminster, CA; store-bought oranges are a different animal). The Guardian's gardening columnist Alys Fowler says...

"…sherbert"

She also irresponsibly suggests planting some right after mentioning finding a forest overrun with them between Lakes Como and Maggiore, and noting her mom's own patch tended to get around. If you look them up in the US, you find a slew of articles lamenting wineberries as invasives, often while admitting ruefully that they're delicious.

Apparently they were/are planted in Japan, Korea and China as ornamentals, not just for the fruit, since the canes turn as red as the berries. Their invasiveness is the only thing keeping me from committing a deadly sin and buying seeds or plants online from unscrupulous suppliers. But I live in California now, and I mustn't.

[player1064]

feb 2016 🤔

WIP asks but it's just the various sections of my happy (???) beville (/angsty carraville) WIP

quick authors note this is smutty but not THAT smutty but also possibly the smuttiest thing I've ever written in my life which is not saying much but this is just to say. go easy on me on that front 😅

---

February, 2016.

It feels a bit pathetic to admit, but Gary’s only slept with one person his whole life. His mates tease him about it, even Becks does sometimes, but to Gary it’s almost a point of pride. He’s spent the last twenty years honing his skill in the art that is making love to David Beckham, and he’s not just tooting his own horn when he says he’s damn good at it.

This, though, this isn’t making love. This is fucking, plain and simple and ugly. And it’s not David.

He’s on his back on a king-sized bed in a hotel room in Barcelona, and he’s staring resolutely up at the ceiling trying not to think too much about the fact that it’s Jamie Carragher looming over him, Jamie Carragher pinning his wrists above his head, Jamie Carragher’s dick pushing inside him.

It’s rough, not in an unpractised way (almost suspiciously not, when Gary thinks of the cool silver band still sitting on Jamie’s finger), but in a ‘this is all I want from you’ way. In a ‘this is all you deserve’ way.

Becks is never rough with him. He can’t be, it’s just not who he is. Even when they were younger, when everything was new and exciting and they were still trying to learn what made each other tick, even then, when Gary had asked if he could try throwing him round a bit, he’d never been able to make it work. He loves Gary too much to hurt him, he’d said, apologetic. Not even consensually.

Jamie Carragher has no such fucking problem.

He’s muttering as he thrusts, a mixture of insults and obscenities that Gary’s mostly tuned out. He scrapes his teeth over Gary’s sensitive spots, just on the wrong side of too much pressure, and he presses his fingers so hard into the soft flesh of Gary’s middle that he just knows it’s going to leave a mess of bruises behind.

A mess of bruises which Becks won’t ever need to know are there, because when Gary goes home tomorrow it’ll be to the house he’s renting in Valencia, the one that’s always so jarringly quiet and empty because Becks isn’t there, Becks is still in Manchester.

The thought makes tears prick in his eyes, and Jamie pauses, moves a hand up to touch Gary’s cheek, unnervingly gentle. Gary has no choice but to look at him, them, to remind himself what it is exactly he’s doing here. That’s enough to push him over the edge, he feels a tear well over and roll down his cheek, clamps his lips shut before there’s a chance for a sob to escape.

Jamie, still too gentle, brushes the tear away with his thumb. He’s frowning, worried even as he’s panting from the exertion, even as he’s kneeling there with his dick halfway into Gary’s arse.

“Don’t,” he says quickly, looking away again with an embarrassed blush. “Please, just don’t. I said I wanted a distraction, didn’t I, so fuckin’ get on with it.”

“Are y’sure?”

Gary nods, and Jamie does too, just once in confirmation, before his fingers go to grip Gary’s hips and he pushes back inside of him, the force of it painful in the exact right way.

Later, when they’re done, Jamie rolls off Gary and onto his back, sweaty and exhausted. He grins when Gary turns his head to look at him, opens his mouth like he’s about to say something, and Gary leaps out of the bed to run to the bathroom and throw up.

Oh, God.

What has he done.

Jamie gives him a minute before following him into the bathroom, squatting down next to him to rub his back as he sobs over the toilet bowl.

“This is makin’ me feel all wrong, Gary. I never meant to upset you, I thought you wanted it like –”

“—I did,” Gary interrupts. “I did, this is nothin’ to do w’that. ‘snothin’ to do w’you, don’t be so full of yourself.”

“Well excuse me for worryin’, I’ve never ‘ad someone cry while I’m fuckin’ them before.”

“You fuck a lot of people, then?” Gary asks, turning to look pointedly at Jamie’s wedding ring.

Jamie bristles. “Maybe I do, yeah. None of your fuckin’ business, is it? You’re the one who was askin’ for it, you desperate slut.”

Despite having come just a few minutes ago, despite being knelt on a cold bathroom floor with tear tracks on his face and the taste of vomit in his mouth, Gary feels his dick twitch with interest at the words, just a tiny bit. He feels his cheeks flush, hopes Jamie hasn’t noticed.

“I’ve never –” Gary takes a shaky breath. “I’ve never done nothin’ like this before. I’m – I have someone. I’ve had someone, for last twenty years. We never, uh, we’ve never had to live apart before, not for this long. It’s been tough. And that loss, today…”

He sighs, lets himself lean back against Jamie’s bare chest, lets Jamie press a kiss to the crown of his head.

“It stops feelin’ so bad, eventually,” he says softly. “The guilt. You get used to it. But I know, the first time is – I never knew you ‘ad a partner.”

“No, ‘cause it’s none of your fucking business, Jamie. And this isn’t – this isn’t a first time, it’s an only time. You might be able to fuck around all you want, but that’s not me.”

“Ha ha,” Jamie says flatly. “Who knows, Gary, maybe you’ll be back in Manchester with yer partner sooner’n you think, the way people were goin’ on in that press conference.”

“Don’t even fuckin’ joke about that, Carra, what a shitshow.”

[justinmitchellfan12]

Part 93 of the mercariana/ MERCMAIA love story with tons of smut warning ⚠️ of mercedes varnado grande X Ariana grande and mercedes varnado grande X maia Valencia of the mercmaia love story

The same day of June 10 and the continuation of mercedes and her girlfriends maias one year anniversary date as they leave the restaurant " do you like eating spicy food sometimes baby girl says maia " every once in a while ill eat some spicy food and most of the time, I just eat normal food with you babe says mercedes as they both leave the restaurant and they both head towards the car as they hold hands while walking towards the car and then they arrive back at the car and Britney Cooper harper rolls down the window " where to next boss says Britney Cooper " take me and my girlfriend to the park and did you fill up the gas tank in the car says maia as mercedes opens the door " I did boss and I assume the roller skate place is next after the park boss says Britney Cooper as both maia and mercedes get in the car

" one more question, what was the name of the host that you did the hot ones on the first we feast baby girl says maia " his name is Sean Evans and I met him when I was on the hot ones a long time ago babe says mercedes as Britney Cooper pulls away from the parking spot and she drives towards the park that is only 18 minutes away from the hotel " how far is the park ma'am says mercedes " about 17 minutes away from the park says Britney Cooper " can I ask who your parents are by the way " my parents are Elizabeth harper Turner and Christen Turner harper ma'am says Britney Cooper harper " when we get to the park, do you mind showing me what your parents look like by the way says mercedes " I'll show you what my parents looks like ma'am and do you want me to show you as well boss says Britney Cooper harper

" have you met her parents before babe says mercedes " I've met her parents before and they are very beautiful people and I mean that as a compliment on her parents baby girl says maia " I know babe and what is your age by the way Britney says mercedes " I'm 28 years old and I have a question for you ma'am says Britney Cooper as they are now 13 minutes away from the park " what is your question that you have for me and by the way I would love to meet your parents someday says mercedes " I'll let my parents know that you want to meet them and here's my question, if you two get married on the 6th year, will I be invited to the Wedding ma'am says Britney Cooper harper

" yes cause I trust the stuff that works for me girlfriend and I also trust my friends around you baby but not random girls that try to flirt with you babe says mercedes " I know you don't like it if a random girl flirts with me and you know I belong amd inly belong to you baby girl says maia then 13 minutes later as they arrive at the park and maia checks the time on her phone as it says 9:34am and Britney Cooper Turner parks in the parking spot and she puts the car in park and she grabs her phone and she shows her boss and mercedes the pictures of what her parents look like on her phone

" your parents are so very sexy and very cute and that is just a compliment okay says mercedes " what do you think boss says Britney Cooper " what my girlfriend said and they are very beautiful and what do they do for a living says maia " both of my moms are models for a living boss says Britney and a few seconds later as maia gets out of the car and she sticks her hand out to her girlfriend yet again " such a gentleman baby says mercedes " I always am and you dig that about me as well don't you baby girl says maia as mercedes grabs her girlfriends hand and she also gets out of the car " you got that right babe says mercedes as she closes the car door behind her and mercedes holds her girlfriends hand

" I love holding hands with you babe says mercedes as she grabs her girlfriends chin with her other hand and she gives her girlfriend a sweet and loving kiss on the lips and maia kisses back " I love holding hands with you too baby girl says maia as they head towards the entrance of the park " this is a lovely park don't you think baby says mercedes " I agree with you on that honey says maia and then about 18 minutes later as they head back towards the car after their walk through the park " I loved taking a walk through the park and are we going to the roller skate place next babe says mercedes " so did I and we're going to the roller skate place and I'll teach you how to roller skate baby girl says maia

" have you ever roller skated before baby girl says maia " I have never roller skated before but you'll be teaching me how to roller skate and I'll definitely have a fun time roller skating with you baby says mercedes as they close to the entrance of the park " we'll both have fun roller skating and I won't let you fall when I teach you to learn how to roller skate baby girl says maia " has your friend Mitchell ever roller skated before babe says mercedes " he doesn't but he told me that he tried to learn how to roller skate himself but he never tried to roller skate again baby girl says maia " that's his loss I guess and I appreciate that you won't let me fall while you're going to teach me on how to roller skate at the roller skate place babe says mercedes as they both exit the park and they get back in the car as it is now 9:45am

" what time is babe says mercedes " it's 9:45am and we still have enough time before we head back to our hotel penthouse amd grab our suitcase and head to aew baby girl says maia " sure thing and can we get some ice cream after the movie theater babe says mercedes " we'll go get some ice cream after the movie theater and do you love that I'm spoiling you like a princess baby girl says maia " I love it when you treat me and spoil me like your princess baby says mercedes " by the way how far is the roller skate place Britney says mercedes " about 30 or 35 minutes ma'am cause since you two are in the hotel penthouse ,everything is close or a bit further from the hotel ma'am says Britney Cooper

and then about 33 minutes later as they arrive at the roller skate place and Britney Cooper pulls into the parking lot and she pulls into the parking spot and she puts the car in park " we're here at the place boss says Britney Cooper as maia hands Britney Cooper about 260$ " here's the money that I'm paying you for and I'll give you some more once my date with my girlfriend ends okay says maia " sure thing boss says Britney Cooper as she takes the money from maia abd then both maia and her girlfriend mercedes get out of the car and maia closes the car door " I'll keep the car running while you two have fun roller skating boss says Britney Cooper " are you married by any chance, im just curious says mercedes " yes, im married to Cindy Mello Turner ma'am says Britney Cooper Turner

" has my girlfriend met your wife by any chance cause I would love to meet your wife as well says mercedes " I've met her wife when Britney came to me and asked to have a job as my personal driver baby girl says maia as they both get out of the car and Britney rolls down the window " I'll keep the car running boss, you amd your girlfriend have fun roller skating says Britney " sure thing and me and my girlfriend will be roller skating for a couple of hours says maia " got it boss says Britney Cooper as both mercedes and maia head towards the building " what does your personal drivers wife look like by the way babe says mercedes " I'll show you a picture of her wife once we're inside the building baby girl says maia " not a problem babe

And a few minutes later as both maia and her girlfriend mercedes enter the building " now show me what your personal drivers wife looks like babe says mercedes " let's me find the picture and she you what my personal drivers wife looks like baby girl says maia as she finds the picture on her phone and a few seconds later as maia finds the picture and she shows her girlfriend a picture of what Britney Cooper harpers wife looks like

" damn your personal drivers wife is so very sexy and I just mean that as a compliment babe says mercedes as they are greeted by the employee " before you greet us let me answer my girlfriends question first says maia " not at all says the employee " I know you mean it as a compliment but you don't have to say it every time baby girl and I'll ask my personal driver to bring her wife and parents tomorrow so you can meet them in our penthouse baby girl says maia " I know I don't have to say it every time but I do want to meet your personal drivers wife and parents tomorrow in our penthouse hotel room and also I kind of want to admire the view when we get back to the penthouse after our date and after aew baby says mercedes

" I'll let you admire the view when we get back to the penthouse after my match in aew baby girl says maia as they both turn their attention to the employee " what we're you going to say ma'am says mercedes " what I was going to say are you guys here to have fun roller skating and have both you roller skated before says the female employee " what Is your name by the way says maia " my name is dorthy says the employee " I've roller skated before but my girlfriend has never roller skated before and I'm going to teach my girlfriend how to roller skate says maia " what size roller skate do you two lovebirds want says the female employee and maia says the shoe size fir her and her girlfriend

" I'll be right back with the shoes and take a seat while you wait says the employee and both maia and her girlfriend mercedes take a seat as they wait " can I ask you a question baby says mercedes " what is your question that you want to ask me baby girl says maia " have you ever made love with any of your exes when your family was around baby says mercedes " I have never made love to a girl when my family was around baby girl says maia " will it be your first time doing it with me with your family around baby " it'll be my first time fucking you with my family around and to be honest I'm a little uncomfortable doing it with my family around tonight baby girl says maia " we'll fuck Tonight with your family around but both of will stay real quiet when we fuck and your family don't know that we fuck almost everyday baby says mercedes

" you know how to say the right words to me and I love you baby girl says maia " I love you too babe says mercedes as they both kiss on the lips and then a few minutes later as the female employee comes back with both pairs of roller skates " do a lot of people have fun roller skating here says mercedes " they do and there's about 30 people behind you roller skating ma'am says the employee and both maia and her girlfriend grab the roller skates and they both take off their shoes and they put on the roller skates and maia gets up with the roller skates on and she notices that her girlfriend is hesitating on standing up with the roller skates on " babe take my hand and I won't let you fall if you stand up baby girl says maia " you sure know how to roller skate don't you baby says mercedes as she grabs her girlfriends hand

And she hesitatiantly stands up but maia doesn't let her girlfriend lose her balance with the roller skates " trust me I know what I'm doing baby girl says maia " I trust you not to let me fall baby says mercedes and then about half an hour of maia teaching her girlfriend how to roller skate and mercedes is getting the hang of it and starts roller skating on her own with what her girlfriend taught her on how to roller skate " you're getting the hang of it baby says maia as she roller skates on the floor as she watches her girlfriend roller skate as they still hold hands " are you having fun roller skating with me baby girl says maia " oh I'm definitely having fun and thank you for teaching me on how to roller skate baby says mercedes

" you're absolutely welcome baby girl says maia as they both continue roller skating as they have fun roller skating " do you want me to let go of your hand and try roller skating on your own while I watch and if you fall, I'll come to you and pick you back up on your feet baby girl says maia " let me try it on my own baby says mercedes " I'll be over there by the wall and watch you try to do it on your own baby girl says " sure thing honey says mercedes as she gives her girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek and maia let's go of her girlfriends hand and heads over towards the area and watches her girlfriend try to do it on her own and mercedes roller skates on her own as her girlfriend watches and mercedes is having fun roller skating and then after the roller skate place and after the movie theater as it is now 3pm as they have 4 hours left till aew and they leave the movie theater

" I had lots of fun on our date babe says mercedes " so did I baby girl says maia as they head to leave the movie theater " I forgot to ask if your personal driver had a sibling baby says mercedes " you can ask my personal driver when we get back in the car baby girl says maia " can we get some ice cream before we head back to the penthouse baby says mercedes " we'll go get some ice cream baby girl says maia " let's get chocolate ice cream cause I know you love chocolate ice cream baby says mercedes as they both leave the movie theater and they head back to the car " you got that right baby girl says maia " you mean everything to me babe says mercedes as she stops and her girlfriend does as well

" you mean everything to me too baby girl says maia as she gives her girlfriend a kiss on the lips and is about to pull away but mercedes grabs the back of her girlfriends neck and she deepens the kiss and they makeout for a bit in front of the car and then a couple minutes later as they both pull away from the kiss for air " I just love making out with you all the time babe says mercedes " I love making out with you too baby girl says maia as they head towards the car amd then they arrive at the car and maia opens the back car door for her girlfriend and mercedes smiles at her girlfriend as maia smiles back and mercedes gets in the car and maia follows in after and then she closes the car door

" did you two have a good time in the movie theater watching a movie boss says Britney Cooper harper " me and my girlfriend had a good time watching a movie and take us to one last place before we head back to the hotel says maia " where do you want to go next boss says Britney Cooper harper " take me and my girlfriend to the ice cream place amd we'll end our date that way eating ice cream and by the way do you have any siblings by any chance says mercedes " I do and I have two sisters and their names are lais ribeiro harper and bruna lirio harper amd they are both models and lais has a wife and my other sister has a husband and I'll give my sisters a call after I take you guys to the ice cream place and the hotel and your girlfriend met my sisters before so she can show you a picture of what my sisters look like ma'am says Britney Cooper

Amd maia gets her phone out and she finds the pictures of her personal drivers sisters and she shows her girlfriend what they look like

" they're both very gorgeous and cute and are they models as well Britney says mercedes as Britney pulls away from the parking lot of the movie place and she drives towards the ice cream place " both of my sisters are models ma'am says Britney Cooper harper " why didn't you want to become a model with your family says mercedes " I was for a while then I wanted to become your girlfriends personal driver ma'am says Britney Cooper harper " how long have your parents been married by the way says mercedes " my parents have been married for 30 years and once I call my family and tell them that you want to meet them, im sure they'll want to meet you ma'am says Britney Cooper harper as she focus on driving towards the ice cream place

And then half an hour later as they head back to the hotel to get ready for aew as they eat the last few bites of theor chocolate ice cream and then after they ate the last few bites of their ice cream , they wipe their hands " the chocolate ice cream is so good to eat baby says mercedes "I agree with you on that baby girl says maia and mercedes gets in her girlfriends lap as maia wraps her arms around her girlfriends waist and mercedes wraps her arms around her girlfriends neck and mercedes stares into her girlfriends eyes " you love staring at my very beautiful eyes don't you baby girl says maia " I always love staring at your beautiful eyes cause everytime I look into your eyes I get lost into your eyes baby says mercedes

" I know you get lost in my eyes and I love staring at your beautiful eyes as well baby girl says maia as she raises her left hand up towards her girlfriends chin and she pulls her girlfriends head down a little and maia leans in for a kiss and mercedes kisses her girlfriend on the lips and mercedes grabs the back of her girlfriends neck as she deepens the kiss as she shoves her tounge down her girlfriends throat as they French kiss with tounge " I want to give you a little quickie papi says mercedes as she starts grinding on her girlfriends bulge making maia moan in pleasure through the kiss

" then give me a little quickie before we get to the hotel baby girl says maia without breaking the kiss and then mercedes slides her hand down towards her girlfriends bulge and she gropes her girlfriends bulge making maia moan in pleasure through the kiss as she slowly starts to get very hard in her pants and mercedes feels her girlfriends bulge get so very hard as she continues to grope and squeeze her girlfriends now very hard bulge and maia moans once more in pleasure and then mercedes bites down on her girlfriends bottom lip and she pulls away from the kiss with a pop

" I love you papi says mercedes seductively to her girlfriend as she gets off of her girlfriends lap and she unbuttons and unzips her girlfriends pants " I love you too baby girl says maia as mercedes slides down her girlfriends pants and boxers all the way down to her ankles as maias very hard huge thick 30 inch dick springs up and mercedes leans towards her girlfriends dick as Maia watches her girlfriend amd mercedes puts her hair in a bun and a few seconds later after mercedes put her hair in a bun, she kisses the tip of her girlfriends dick making maia moan very loud in pleasure " suck my dick and make me cum in your mouth baby girl says maia

" oh I'll make you cum in my mouth and how horny are you for me papi says mercedes seductively to her girlfriend " very horny baby girl says maia as mercedes licks her girlfriends dick by wetting her girlfriends dick with her tounge and maia moans in sensation at the feeling of her girlfriends tounge licking her dick and then after mercedes wet her girlfriends dick with her tounge, mercedes puts her girlfriends dick in her mouth and she starts sucking on her girlfriends dick as she bobs her head up and down at a very fast pace on her girlfriends dick making maia moan very loud in pleasure and mercedes sucks even deeper and faster on her girlfriends dick as Maia moans her girlfriends name out loud at the top of her lungs as mercedes continues to suck on her girlfriends dick at an even much faster pace

And then 40 seconds later as it doesn't take long for maia to quickly reach her orgasm " fuck I'm about to cum baby girl says maia as she moans loud in pleasure and mercedes quickly pulls away from her girlfriends dick " I want you to cum in my mouth papi and that'll hold you for now until later on tonight says mercedes seductively " I don't have a problem with that baby girl says maia as mercedes quickly sucks on her girlfriends dick once again amd then a few seconds later as maia busts as she cums hard in her girlfriends mouth

and mercedes swallows every bit of her girlfriends cum and then mercedes pulls away from her girlfriends dick and she licks the leftover cum from her girlfriends dick and then maias dick gets soft and mercedes pulls up her girlfriends boxers and pants back up amd maia zips and buttons her pants back up as they are 2 minutes from the hotel and 2 minutes later as Britney Cooper pulls into the parking lot amd she parks the car in the parking spot and Britney Cooper puts the car in park " I have one last question for you Britney says mercedes " is it a question about one of my siblings ma'am says Britney Cooper harper " yes, who is your sister lais ribeiro married to says mercedes

" my sister lais ribeiro is married to Stella maxwell harper and my other sister bruna lirio is married to Oswald maxwell ma'am says Britney Cooper harper " can you tell them.to bring their spouse cause I would love to meet them tomorrow says mercedes " wait Stella maxwell and Oswald maxwell are siblings and both of them are married to your sisters says mercedes " they are ma'am and I'll keep the car running while you two grab your suitcases boss says Britney Cooper " sure thing and here's an extra 50$ says maia as she hands 50$ to her personal driver

and Britney Cooper takes the money from her boss and both maia and her girlfriend get out of the car and they head towards the entrance of the hotel and about half an hour as they leave the hotel with their suitcases and they exit the hotel and they head back towards the car " do we have time to get to aew before the show of aew starts babe says mercedes and Maia checks the time on her phone as it says 4:30pm " we have 3 and a half hours till the aew goes live on the air baby girl says maia and then they arrive at the car " then we better get to aew before we are late baby says mercedes " I agree baby girl says maia as she opens the trunk and they put their suitcases in the trunk and mercedes closes the trunk and they both get in the car once again

" can you get me and my girlfriend to aew a bit quicker when you take us to the building before me and my girlfriend are late for aew says maia " sure thing boss says Britney Cooper harper as she pulls away from the hotel parking lot and she drives towards aew a bit quicker than before and then less than 30 minutes later as they arrive at the building of aew and Britney Cooper harper pulls into aew underground parking lot and she pulls into the parking spot and she puts the car in park and Britney Cooper harper turns off the car " I'll be here waiting in the car while you amd your girlfriend do what you two do here in aew boss says Britney Cooper

" while me and my girlfriend will do what we do in aew, you'll give your parents, your wife and your siblings a call and let them know that I look forward to meeting them right says mercedes " I'll give them a call ma'am says Britney Cooper harper and a few seconds later as maia and her girlfriend mercedes get out of the car as maia checks the time on her 50,000$ gold watch as it says 5:10pm " we made it before the show of aew and we have two hours till the show goes live on the air later on tonight baby girl says maia " I never noticed that you had a watch, when did you buy the watch baby says mercedes

" I bought it a couple weeks ago when you went to your wife on which you hesitated to go home to your wife and I never used it until now baby girl says maia " I remember baby but I wanted to stay with you forever than going home to my wife which I made a promise to her that I would come home to her last month baby says mercedes as she opens the trunk and she grabs her and her girlfriends suitcase and maia grabs her suitcase as maia closes the trunk and then they walk past the car and mercedes notices that Britney Cooper is on her phone and then mercedes turns her attention to her girlfriend " who is your opponent for your match tonight babe says mercedes " I have a match against mercedes Martinez and I'll be defending my tbs championship against her tonight in the 3rd match after the first two match are done baby girl says maia

" who you have a match against on friday babe says mercedes " the person who I suppose to be facing on Friday got herself injured by working out so I'll be facing Hikaru shida for my tbs championship thus Friday on rampage and I have a contract signing against thunder Rosa as I'll Defend my tbs championship against her at forbidden door baby girl says maia " have you ever beaten Hikaru shida in a match before baby says mercedes as they head towards their shared locker room " no I haven't because me and Hikaru shida have never crossed paths baby girl says maia and then they arrived at theor shared locker room and they enter their shared locker room and they set their suitcases next to their lockers

" the person that you were to face on Friday, how did she get herself hurt baby says mercedes " a torn mcl and that is in the back of your leg baby girl says maia " a torn mcl hurts and it takes almost an entire year to heal and recover from a torn mcl baby says mercedes " you got that right and on Friday, I'm going to do what I can against Hikaru shida baby girl says maia " I know what you'll do to her which is severely injure her won't you baby says mercedes as they both take a seat on the couch " you know me well baby girl says maia " you know I do baby says mercedes as she scoots real close to her girlfriend amd she leans towards her girlfriends lips and she gives her girlfriend a sweet and loving kiss on the lips and maia grabs the back of her girlfriends neck and she continues the kiss

And then a couple minutes later as maias family enters their shared locker room amd maias mom clears her throat and both mercedes and her girlfriend maia pull away from the kiss and they turn their attention to the parents and the siblings " hey guys says mercedes " hey mercedes says Mandy " do you two loving kissing each other all the time sweetheart says Desmond " you know I love kissing my girlfriend all the time sir says mercedes " are you guys here to watch me compete against my opponent tonight dad says maia " we are and after your match, let's have fun with the family and your girlfriend on something for all of us to do sweetie says Desmond " what should we do for fun with your parents and your siblings baby says mercedes as she gives her girlfriend a kiss on the lips and maia kisses back

" I love you baby girl and let me think on what we should do for fun with my family and siblings baby girl says maia " sure thing and I love you too babe says mercedes as she gets up off the couch and she goes towards her suitcase and she grabs her aew outfit and her aew women's championship from her suitcase and Mandy notices tons of tattoos on mercedes arms " how many tattoos do you have on your body mercedes says Mandy " I have 98 tattoos on my entire body ma'am says mercedes " do all 98 tattoos represent anything mercedes says Mandy

" a few of my tattoos represent my brother, some represent my mom, one tattoo is a face tattoo of my best friend Rachel cook and the rest of the tattoos are about my girlfriend ma'am says mercedes as she takes off her clothes as well as her bra and she puts on the outfit and the wig and she turns around towards her girlfriend " how do I look with my outfit and wig on baby says mercedes " you look so very sexy and very beautiful baby girl says maia as she makes her girlfriend blush yet again " you love making me blush don't you baby says mercedes " I always do and you are even more beautiful when you blush baby says maia as she gets up from the couch and she goes towards her girlfriend as mercedes blushes even harder and Mandy is about to clear her throat once more but Desmond stops her " let them have their moment honey says Desmond

" ill let them have their moment and i need to go use the bathroom says mandy as maia stops in front of her girlfriend and she wraps her arms around her girlfriends waist as mercedes wraps her arms around her girlfriends neck and they both makeout for a few minutes and a few minutes later as both maia and her girlfriend mercedes pull away from the kiss for air " the bathroom is to the right of me and my girlfriend mom says maia as she points to the bathroom and maias mom goes to use the bathroom as both mercedes and her girlfriend maia sit back on the couch as the stepfather and the siblings take a seat as well " have you ever gotten an unexpected visit from your biological father at all maia says Desmond " I haven't dad but I want to tell you and my brothers something says maia " what do you want to tell us sis says Tyler Herro

" you guys know I'm an aew wrestler and I am now a singer and I signed with my girlfriends brothers record label company says maia " my girlfriend is a very good singer and she has a very beautiful singing voice sir says mercedes " do you have a music channel that I could listen to one.of your songs on sweetie and by the way happy anniversary to you two lovebirds says Desmond " thanks dad says maia and mercedes finds one of her girlfriends song that she sang on her phone amd a few seconds later as mercedes found on of her girlfriends song and she gives her phone to Desmond

" I found one of my girlfriends song in her YouTube music channel and found that song you'll want to listen to and once you're done listening to my girlfriends song, hand me my phone back sir says mercedes and Maia leans towards her girlfriends ear and she whispers in her girlfriends ear " I want you to keep that outfit on and when we get back to the penthouse, I'll take the outfit off of you baby girl says maia as she seductively whispered in her girlfriends ear and mercedes bites her bottom lip as maias step-dad amd siblings didn't even notice and maia pulls away from her girlfriends ear as Desmond listened to one of his daughters songs amd he hands mercedes her phone back and mercedes takes her phone and she sets her phone on the coffee table

" how many albums have you done sweetheart says Desmond " I've done two albums and I've released two albums on the same year dad says maia as she also gets up and she goes towards her suitcase to change into her wrestling gear and mercedes watches her girlfriend change into her wrestling gear and Desmond notices " do you love watching your girlfriend take off her clothes and change into her wrestling gear mercedes says Desmond and mercedes turns her attention to Desmond " I watch my girlfriend change into her wrestling gear all the time and I watch her protect her you know what with the cup like how the football players do sir says mercedes

" I know and do you amd my daughter make love everyday says Desmond " with all due respect, im not going to tell you what me and my girlfriend do alone sir says mercedes and Desmond notices a little smile from mercedes " by the way you're smiling a little, you and your girlfriend do it all the time and you don't need to call me sir, call me Desmond mercedes says Desmond " you treat me like I'm a part of your family right sur says mercedes as mandy comes back from the bathroom as maia finished changing into her wrestling gear and she has the tbs championship over her shoulder " have you ever had a father in your life mercedes says Mandy " I've never had a father, just my cousin snoop Dogg, my brother shawn Mendes and my mom Judith ma'am says mercedes

" well me and my wife approve of you Dating our daughter and you'll be our daughter in law once you married the love of your life says Desmond " I'm happy that you guys are treating me like a part of your family but marrying your daughter will have to wait in 6 years cause the last few arguments I had with my wife was when she accused me of cheating on her and I've been lying to my wife and we've made a deal to have our marriage last nearly 6 years sir says mercedes " you don't even regret cheating on your wife and of course, you are family to us mercedes says Mandy as maia sits next to her girlfriend " you are a part of my family baby girl and in 6 years after your divorce with your wife, you'll finally be mine and also you'll soon be my fiance and then my wife in 6 years baby girl says maia

And mercedes smiles at what her girlfriend said " I love all of what you said baby and and to answer your question is I absolutely do not regret cheating on my wife Desmond says mercedes as she turns her attention to her girlfriend and she gives her girlfriend a sweet and loving kiss on the lips and maia kisses back " I love you so much babe says mercedes " I love you so much too baby girl says maia and they both kiss once more " does your wife even know that you are cheating on her says lamelo ball Valencia as both mercedes and her girlfriend maia pull away from the kiss and mercedes turns her attention to lamelo ball " no my wife doesn't know that I'm cheating on her or even when I sneak out of the house to be with my girlfriend lamelo says mercedes

" my girlfriend hesitated on going home to her wife cause she wants to stay and live with me isn't that right baby girl says maia " that's what I want is to live with you cause I fucking love it when you treat me like a princess and spoil me baby says mercedes " how often do you cuss mercedes says Tyler Herro " I cuss sometimes but not much and sometimes when I'm in character in the ring Tyler says mercedes " who are you when you're in character in the aew ring mercedes says Mandy " my name is mercedes mone out there in the aew ring and in a few days at forbidden door after I beat Stephanie vaquer for the njpw strongwomans championship, I'll be a double champion Mandy says mercedes " also I told you what my tattoos represented and do you love the tattoos that my girlfriend has and do you love my tattoos as well says mercedes

" I love the tattoos on your body and how many tattoos do you have sweetheart says Mandy " I have 30 tattoos on my body mom and let me show you the half sleeve tattoo on my right arm mom says maia as she shows her half sleeve right arm tattoos to her mom and Mandy is impressed by the tattoos on her daughters arms " I love the tattoos on your arms and I noticed that you have a whilting rose tattoo on the left side of your neck and I got to say love the tattoos on you so far sweetheart says Mandy and Desmond notices that maia has two tattoo writings of the words "papi and daddy" on her half sleeve arm tattoo " why do you have two tattoo writings of the words papi and daddy written on your half sleeve arm tattoo sweetheart " those tattoo writings are what I call my girlfriend that sir says mercedes

" that's interesting and I'm glad you said that and maia is a grown woman amd she can do what sge wants " you absolutely got that right sir says mercedes " by the way you mentioned that you have a face tattoo of your friend Rachel cook, who is Rachel cook by the way mercedes says Mandy " can you hand my phone and I'll show your mom a Picture of what Rachel cook looks like babe says mercedes " sure thing baby girl says maia as she grabs her girlfriends phone from the coffee table and she hands the phone to her girlfriend " thanks babe says mercedes " you're welcome baby girl says maia as mercedes gets on the gallery on her phone and she finds a picture of what Rachel cook looks like " after I show you a Pic of what Rachel cook looks like, I'll show you a tattoo of her on my outter right thigh says mercedes

And mercedes finds a picture and she shows mandy and Desmond a picture of what Rachel cook looks like

" that is a nice picture of your friend and what does she do says mandy " she's a pornstar that I met a long time ago when I was single, she has a wife named Lisa Anna christiane and she has an onlyfans account and her wife is a model amd an actress says mercedes " have you met her wife baby girl says maia " I haven't but I'll meet my friends wife at one of your brothers basketball games either on July 21 or 22 baby says mercedes " did you meet her friends as well mercedes says Desmond " I met all of her friends and they are all pornstars as well and you guys know that I have an onlyfans account as well says mercedes " when did you make an onlyfans account if I may ask says Desmond

" I made an onlyfans account a while back and I made it only where me and my girlfriend has access to it and also I have the link in my bio on Instagram and on x says mercedes " should we check out her onlyfans account later on honey says Desmond " I want to see her onlyfans videos later on honey says mandy " it's only 5$ to pay to see and watch my onlyfans video of me and my girlfriend going at it and I also post those videos only on Twitter instead of Instagram cause I know my wife doesn't have Twitter or basically called x says mercedes " so you post nude pics of yourself on Instagram and Twitter says Desmond " I do whatever I want on Twitter and on Instagram like posting nude pics of myself and sometimes of me amd my girlfriend sir says mercedes

" what is your Instagram handle so I'll check out your account later says mandy " my Instagram handle is mercedes mone and you can like my posts if you want to or you don't have if you don't want to says mercedes as she gets up from the couch to go use the bathroom " I'll be right back after I use the bathroom babe says mercedes " I'll be right here talking to my family baby girl says maia as she grabs her girlfriends arm and she pulls her girlfriend in for a kiss and mercedes kisses back and maia let's go of her girlfriends arm and she watches her girlfriend go towards rhe bathroom and about an hour and a half later as the show of aew starts in 30 minutes

" do you guys want to know what my catchphrase is says mercedes " what is your catchphrase by the way says lamelo ball Valencia " 'there's a price to pay when you mess with mercedes mone' is my catchphrase and also mone changes everything is also something that I say most of the time in the ring " I have a question for you sweetie says Mandy " what is your question that you have for me mom says maia as she checks the time on her watch as it says 6:30pm " now the me and your dad know that you are now a singer as well, who is your manager sweetheart says Mandy " my girlfriends sister in law Madison beer who is married to her brother shawm mendes mom says maia " have you ever done a song with your girlfriends sister in law sweetheart says Desmond

" I haven't done a song with Madison beer yet but I hope to do one with her in the near future dad says maia " are you going to do a third album at some point sis says Tyler Herro " yes I'll do a third album soon but I'm going to focus on my girlfriend right now Tyler says maia as she grabs her girlfriend by the waist and she sits her girlfriend on her lap and mercedes wraps her arms around her girlfriends neck and she gives her girlfriend a kiss on the lips " I love you babe says mercedes " I love you too baby girl says maia as they kiss once more " by the way how long do you two stay in character for aew says mandy

" you have to stay in character the entire time on aew when its live on the air and how long till aew is live on the air babe says mercedes as maia checks the time on her watch as it says 6:55pm " aew will go live on the air in about 5 minutes baby girl says maia " after the first match, I'll do my promo backstage which you'll see what I say during my promo guys says mercedes " we all look forward to seeing what you have to say in your promo when you're in character mercedes says Mandy as she gets on her phone and she gets on Instagram and she types in mercedes Instagram handle and she gives mercedes a follow on Instagram and mercedes gets a notification saying that maias mom followed her on Instagram and mandy likes all of mercedes posts including the mercedes nude posts

" thanks for like my nude posts and my other posts and I'm about to post one of my recent Pic that I took of myself in the bathroom when I took a Pic of my tits and my pussy all in one Pic says mercedes as she posts the recent nude pic of herself on her Instagram posts with the caption saying " I love how sexy and gorgeous I look with absolutely nothing on" and mercedes posts the picture with the caption on her Instagram posts and she logs out of Instagram as both maia and Mandy like the post " I saw that you liked my post from your phone baby says mercedes

" I will always like what you post on your Instagram account and also you like what I post on my Instagram account as well baby girl says maia " you got that right and you better not like other random girls tweets when you post another Pic at some point on your Instagram account babe says mercedes " trust me cause you know I will never like another random girls tweets on my Instagram account baby girl says maia " you got that right cause you belong and only belong to me baby says mercedes as she gives her girlfriend a very long kiss on the lips and then 5 minutes later as mercedes bites down on her girlfriends bottom lip and she pulls away from the kiss with a pop and aew is now live on the air as the first match is about to start

" after the first match is over, I'm going to go do my promo babe says mercedes " and while you'll be doing your promo, I'll be right here on the watching watching you do your promo on the tron right in front of us baby girl says maia " I won't be gone long once I do my promo baby says mercedes " I know you won't be gone long after you do your promo baby girl says maia " can I ask you a question mercedes say Desmond " what is your question sir says mercedes

[its-a-geeks-world]

Rollercoasters and CSI: a breakdown:

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation:

S01 E05 “Friends and Lovers”:

The coaster that shows up in this episode is none other than the world-famous ‘Big Apple Coaster’, also known as the ‘Manhattan Express’. This coaster has been decorating the New York New York Hotel & Casino in Vegas since 1997 and has since become not only an icon of the city, but one of the most famous coasters for coaster enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike.

S01 E22 “Evaluation Day”

The rollercoaster Warrick and Grissom ride at the end of this episode sadly doesn’t exist anymore. It was called ‘Speed – The Ride’, and it was located at the Nascar Café at the old Sahara Hotel in Vegas. The ride operated from 2000 to 2011. It was a shuttle loop coaster, which means that the coaster traveled its layout twice; once forwards, once backwards. Props to W. Petersen and G. Dourdan for daring to ride it.

S04 E21 “Turn of the Screws”

The roller coaster that serves as the crime scene in this episode isn’t actually located in Las Vegas – the real one, that is. ‘Pharaoh’s Fury’ was actually the ‘Screaming Mummy’, which operated at the former Pharaoh’s Lost Kingdom family park in Redlands, California, now Splash Kingdom Waterpark, the location where the park scenes were shot. After several relocations, the ride currently operates in a park in Michigan.

Aditionally, though not shown, throughout the episode Grissom and Woody, the ride operator, mention several real-life coasters. These include the ‘Desperado’ in Primm, Nevada, ‘The Beast’ and ‘Son of Beast’ at Kings Island, Ohio, the latter of which was the first modern-day wooden coaster to feature a vertical loop (hence the “head over heels” comment from Grissom), the ‘Steel Phantom’ (now ‘Phantom’s Revenge’ at Kennywood, Pennsylvania), and the 'American Eagle' at Illinois’ Six Flags Great America.

CSI: Vegas:

S01 E10 “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”

The rollercoaster featured in the season finale of CSI: Vegas where that long-awaited GSR kiss finally happens isn’t actually in Vegas either. Just like the Mosaic Casino, the Mosaic coaster doesn’t exist. Instead, Mr. Petersen and Ms. Fox took a trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, to ride one of its coasters: ‘Goliath’. Then, they altered the footage to make it seem like the coaster is located in Sin City. Here you can see a comparision between the show footage, and real footage of the coaster.

CSI: Cyber

S01 E02 “CMND:/Crash"

This one is actually a bit of a mystery, and there isn’t a lot of information out there. As evidenced by the stills from the episode (the two on top and the one right below on the left), several different coasters were used but made seem like it was the same one. I couldn’t identify how many, or which ones they were. I can only say that the one with the corkscrews (see below) is actually a rollercoaster at Heide Park Resort in Germany, of all places. Needless to say, it was probably stock footage. You can see a picture of the real coaster right next to it.

My best guess? Since we barely see the actual "ride" layout and the only long scenes happen at the "station" and with the wrecked car... Is it too far-fetched to think there's no real coaster and they built it for the episode? Who knows.

Bonus:

On some of the opening credits for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the very first frame we are shown features the iconic coaster that wraps around the top of the Stratosphere tower in Las Vegas: the ‘High Roller’. This was, of course, very real, but it was torn down in 2006. Fun fact: they actually cut the coaster into tiny pieces and sent them down the elevator.

And that’s it, everybody! If you’ve read this far, thank you so much for sticking with me while I talk about two of my loves in this life; CSI and rollercoasters (one of the only things Griss and I have in common). Hope you enjoyed, and if anyone has any information to add/correct, feel free to let me know.

[fortheloveofaussiegrit]

valencia 2010 Seb/Jense/Mark wip

“Do you think he is alright?” Seb asked under his breath to Jenson who was stood not even a foot away from him as they waited for the post-race press conference. 

The race. He couldn’t— he didn’t even want to think about it. He had never felt his stomach drop like that before; the words being said to him down the radio and his whole world plummeted to a standstill. Only he was driving at nearly two-hundred miles per hour…

////

“Yeah. They said he is.” Jenson replied as he tried to catch Seb’s gaze, but the younger man just stood with his eyes drawn to the red winners cap in his hands. Pulling and fiddling with the buckle at the back of the cap, continuously adjusting it even though he already had his Red Bull embroidered team cap placed firmly back on the top of his head. 

“Yeah, but do you think he is actually ok?” “Yes.” Jenson said with so much certainty because he wasn’t just trying to convince Seb, but he was also trying to convince himself that the other Red Bull driver was fine as well. “It’s Mark we’re talking about; he’s always fine.” He watched Seb, he seemed to mumble something inaudible and shrugged his shoulders, but he finally looked up to Jenson. 

“We can go and see him after, yeah?” He reassured him as he held the younger man’s gaze. 

“Ok.” He __ out a response with a small nod of his head as the his curls peaked around the bottom of his cap and those big blue eyes stared up at him.

/////

“Hey.” Came Mark’s voice as the hotel room swung ajar. “You alright?” He added as more of a greeting then anything. 

“Yeah, mate, I am, you?” Jenson replied putting all of his emphasis on the latter part of the sentence and almost wanting to prod his finger in his chest, but he wasn’t quite sure if it’d hurt or not. 

“Yeah, yeah i’m—“ but before Mark could even get the words out, Jenson had crashed into him wrapping his arms around the Aussie as he cradled him into the biggest bear hug he could muster. 

“You fucking idiot.” Jenson pressed into Mark’s neck as he clutched ahold of him, onto him. Almost wanting to squeeze all of his inside out as he gripped tighter forgetting about the injuries he secumned from his crash, but Mark didn’t protest and almost relaxed into the embrace. 

////

“You’re ok?” Seb almost squeaked out as he looked up to mark once Jenson had finally let go of him. 

“Yes, mate.” Mark replied trying to give his teammate his most reassuring smile. 

“I—i.” Seb began but stopped almost as quickly as he started once his words had completely failed him so he just clutched his arms around Mark’s waist. “I-i tried asking on the radio but—“ 

“It’s alright, i’m fine now.” He said into his teammate mess of tangled blonde curls as he squeezed his shoulder. 

///

“I want to see.” Came Jenson’s voice one they had///

“See what mate?” Mark asked as his brows knitted into a puzzled frown. 

“Kit off.” He all but demanded. 

“You what?” He stared back at him. 

“Show me.” //// “I want to see.” 

[thecandywrites]

Kinktober 2023- Dirty Talk

Mary Magdelene

This is a continuation of last year's story for this Prompt. Which is with a John Wick Twist. So this is actually doesn't have "Dirty Talk" in the traditional sense. But there's a ton of Innuendo.

So for Dirty Talk - #20 on @imaginejolls, #30 on @kroas-adtam, #22 on @darthglitterfanfiction, #13 on @kining-the-evil, #1 on @biryu13 For Friends Kinktober. And then all the thanks to @starsandskies, @darthglitterfanfiction, @jingyuansbird , @quefish77 , @myfictionaldreams, @thecrystalroom, @absurdthirst, @raeny-thorns, and @uwusillygirl for being wonderful, creative, amzing people and came up with amazing kinktober prompt lists too. Go check them out. I would have loved to do all of them from every list. But, sadly, real life won't let me. But what I do have, I'm doing my best to do well.

This one isn't really all that explicit but there is the threat of assassination and murder. So PG? PG-13 maybe? I know, a bit of a let down if you're here for hardcore stuff. But I had SO MUCH FUN with this prompt last year and then I immediately knew I wanted a continuation from the story last year. So this is just pure self indulgence for me. Sorry, not sorry.

Kinktober 2023- Dirty Talk- John Wick AU

Mary Magdalene 

“Mr. And Mrs. Marriongnois-Chantemont, welcome to The New York Continental.” Frederick greeted cordially to the couple as they came into the newly rebuilt and reconsecrated New York Continental Hotel. 

“It’s always a pleasure to be here.” Falicia offered before she slid the gold coin across the counter before Fredrick picked it up and put it in the appropriate drawer and traded it for the room keys for their stay.  

“Has Mr. and Mrs. Shawarma checked in yet?” Falicia asked. 

“Yes, they are waiting for you in the Starlight Lounge.” Frederick answered. 

“Excellent.” Falicia beamed happily before had her luggage taken to her suite as her and husband Thomas went with her to the elevator to the roof where the Starlight Lounge was on on the roof of the hotel. 

“Falicia!” Valencia greeted happily as she recognized her friend and went to hug her friend over her friend’s baby bump. 

“Valencia!” Falicia greeted as she hurried her waddling steps to hug her friend tightly. 

“Hey Emon, how are you?” Thomas grinned as he shook Valencia’s husband, Emon’s hand. 

“Good, and you? You ready for the pitter patter of little feet?” Emon teased.  

“Can’t wait.” Thomas beamed happily. 

“So? What are we having?” Valencia asked Falicia. 

“A little girl. Her name will be Willow.” Falicia informed her friend as she pulled back and moved her friend’s hands over her pregnant belly to feel for kicks. 

“Aww, hi Willow. I can’t wait to meet you. You’re going to be so stinkin cute!” Valencia cooed. 

“So what’s up? Why’d you need to meet us here?” Valencia asked before she had them sit with them. 

“No more food poisoning I hope.” Emon noted. 

“No, no food poisoning. But we do have a small issue. Because of what’s happened with the Marquis, my father, as you know, has a seat at High Table. And with little Willow on the way, I’m worried about becoming like Gianna. As you know, I not only have 1 brother, I have six.” She began as worry seemed to cross her features as she hugged her pregnant belly protectively.

“And being your father’s favorite, despite six sons, you’re worried you now have six targets on your back.” Valencia noted. 

“Not my back, Willow’s. Not only am I the only daughter but Willow will be the only granddaughter and if I thought my father was doting before. He’s especially doting now. He’s already named her heir of his most precious possessions and the best of his assets and she isn’t even born yet.” Falicia explained in a low, hushed murmur. 

“A Joseph and his jealous brothers situation.” Emon noted. 

“Exactly. She’s Joseph and Willow might as well be Benjamin.” Thomas noted. 

“I see. So do you need a Joseph and Benjamin?” Valencia asked. 

“No, I need a Davinci Mary Magdalene, for Willow.” Falicia answered as Valencia and Emon both blinked in surprise as their eyebrows rose in surprise. 

“Does your father know you’re asking for a Mary Magdalene? Let alone, a Davinci Mary Magdalene?” Valencia asked. 

“No. Because to ask, is to imply that there are already problems with his disciples and my brothers have not said anything to me. But there has been suspicious activities and the whispers of rumors. I just can’t help but worry that they’ll smile to my face but plot Willow’s downfall before she’s even out of the womb. I know you’re a very valuable tool and that the Red Shed has every right to reserve you for any number of jobs. And I know that I’m only halfway through my pregnancy. But I still worry and I’m scared. Genuinely terrified. And I still fear that with every new gift my father bestows to me, especially for Willow’s sake, will earn more enemies out of my brothers and their sons.” Falicia offered. 

“Please don’t tell me it’s my pregnancy brain talking, I know some women get unusually worried or start to get unduly paranoid while they’re pregnant…” She began to argue. 

“Oh God no! No! Not at all! No. This is not paranoia, in this line of work and in this business, these are of course, very real fears. And usually if your intuition is telling you this, you need to listen. This isn’t pregnancy brain, this is just your regular brain. I know your brothers, I can see the need to have these fears too. I’m just trying to wrap my head around how I’m going to give you the Mary Magdalene.” Valencia reassured her friend as she reached out to hold her hand. 

“Do you have a specific way you want me to do this or do you not want to know- for your own safety and just trust me to handle the details?” Valencia asked. 

“I just need to know that you’d do it, that I can trust both of you to come together for Willow.” Falicia offered before she pulled out a Marker as Valencia gave Emon a quick, but meaningful glance as Emon gave her the subtle nod but otherwise kept his mouth shut and turned to look at Thomas who was blushing but seemed resigned, if not a little defeated and guilty. 

“It’s not your fault.” Emon offered to Thomas.   

“I feel like it is. If I hadn’t knocked up my wife, I wouldn’t have put her in this position.” Thomas argued. 

“We both wanted a baby Tom. We’re in this together and we’re doing this together. And this is just us getting a safety net in place for Willow. That’s all this is.” Falicia reassured her husband. 

“And all this is- is another safety net in place for her. That’s all this is. Don’t feel bad or feel guilty. You should be applauded for being responsible enough and using your own intuition and your own intelligence to try to figure out variables. Best case scenario, you guys never have to use this. Worst case scenario is that you guys needed this and didn’t live long enough to get it in time for Willow. It’s always better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.” Emon reassured them as he reached out to clasp his hand on Thomas’s shoulder as Thomas wiped away a stray tear but gave Emon a grateful smile. 

“Will you do this for me? For Willow?” She asked as she held it up to her friend. 

“Absolutely, without a second thought or hesitation.” Valencia readily agreed as she took the Marker, after she slid the front off to make sure Falicia put her thumb print in it before she put it away into her pocket as Falicia finally breathed a huge sigh of relief as Emon and Thomas gave each other a nod of understanding. 

“Thank you.” She thanked her as tears came to her eyes as she pulled her friend into a hug and couldn’t help but cry as Thomas handed Emon the paperwork before Emon signed his name, as Valencia’s husband and partner before Thomas handed Emon a whole, very heavy care package as Valencia kept one arm around Falicia’s shoulders to sign the documents before going back to hugging and holding and comforting her friend. Since it was clear that this had been weighing on Falicia since Willow’s conception. 

“Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. I know I can’t trust anyone else with this.” Falicia blubbered. 

“You’re welcome. I’m so relieved to know that you trust me enough for this. I’m honored and privileged that you do. And I will not let you down. If you and especially Willow need this, I’ll do it, or die trying.” Valencia readily reassured her friend. 

“I just don’t want anything to happen to either us, or her, or you or Emon.” Falicia offered as she got some tissues from her bag and tried to wipe up her streaking eye makeup. 

“I hope nothing does either, but we’ll be prepared for the worst. Just leave it to me and Emon. We will take care of everything.” Valencia reassured her friend. 

“And so far, here’s a copy of everything. If anything gets changed, I’ll let you know and send it to you.” Thomas murmured to Emon as he got into his computer case and  Emon quite the folder of all the paperwork and copies of wills. 

Thomas got the file folder out and handed that over to Emon as well as Emon simply put it with the care package before Thomas pulled out a key chain out of his pocket and handed it over to Emon as well. 

“Everything else you will need will be on this. But otherwise, here’s the key’s to the Kingdom as they say.” Thomas said as he handed the keys over by a special key chain that held a thumbdrive before Emon took the keys and inspected them before he put them into his pocket. 

“Do you have anything you want to add?” Emon asked Thomas thoughtfully. 

“There’s another hard drive in the care package. And should we need to use the Davinci Mary Magdelene, use it to cripple the Marringnois infrastructure and then freeze their assets that don’t automatically go to you and Valincia or to Willow. And when Willow becomes of age, the key to unfreeze them is with it. It’s in the locket, on a nano chip behind her mother’s picture. And if Willow ever needs to vanish again. Another shield and vanishing act will be on the nano chip behind my picture.” Thomas breathed in a low murmur. 

“I see. Anything else?” Emon asked. 

“Yeah, if they go after Falicia or Willow, give them Food Poisoning.” Thomas insisted. 

“With a side of Blood Pudding.” Emon nodded as Thomas nodded in agreement. 

“I see you taught Tommy how to Talk Dirty.” Valencia teased Falicia.  

“Yeah, I’ve given him a crash course on it ever since the Food Poisoning incident.” Falicia laughed through the last of her tears as she began to try to pull herself back together. 

“Hey, it’s going to be ok. We have the Marker. You have Tom, you have me and you have Emon and you have the whole Red Shed and you have the High Table. If your brothers really want to start shit, you got them outgunned and outmatched and outsmarted. And if I have to bring Management and even Upper Management into this, I will. There are rules damn it. ‘Without them, we live with the animals’ remember?” Valencia supplied. 

“I know. It’s just…I just hope I’m making a mountain out of molehill. Or that I’m really worried for nothing or wasting a Marker on this.” Falicia breathed as she reached for water bottle and took a few long pulls. 

“Hey, even without the Marker, I would and will do this for you. After all we’ve been through? And all that we’ve done for each other? This is a given. And you know what, I’ll add a Changeling, if it will make you feel any better.” Valencia added. 

“Or even a Persephone.” Emon added. 

“Ooh.” Falicia and Thomas oohed in delight. 

“Oh, why stop there? If you want a Davinci Mary Magdelene, I’ll give you a full Hail Mary and an Our Father with a full Fibonacci Sequence.” Valencia volunteered. 

“Oh, you don’t need to go full Fibonacci.” Falicia tried to contest. 

“Fine, Art of War it is then.” Valencia insisted. 

“Enough, enough. Ok, ok, I’ll take the Fibonacci.” Falicia laughed as she put up her hands in defeat but smiled adoringly at her friend before they hugged and kissed each other’s cheeks again. 

“There’s that smile. It’s ok. We got this. Just worry about taking care of yourself and Thomas and nurturing little Willow for now. Everything else will be taken care of, I promise. Because I’ll be the one to take care of it and you know me. I don’t do anything half assed or half hearted. Willow’s practically a princess. And if she needs to be raised as a pauper in order to inherit her crown and her seat on her throne, so be it.” Valencia encouraged. 

“Thank you.” Falicia thanked her. 

“You’re welcome. How long are you here for?” Emon asked. 

“Just tonight, we fly out to the Chataux tomorrow.” Thomas answered. 

“Hungry?” Valencia asked. 

“Always.” Falicia nodded. 

“Come on, let’s get a bite at Prime.” Valencia urged her friend before she helped her friend to stand up and walked with her to the elevators while Emon put everything into a bag and then took a detour to drop it off at their room before rejoining them in the lobby before the four of them went out to dinner.  

[nysocboy]

The White Lotus: The Devil produces a series loaded-down with gay stereotypes

So I wasn't sure about the HBO Max series White Lotus, set in a beach resort in Italy.  But someone told me that there were gay characters in Season 2, so here goes, Episode 2.1:

Scene 1: A beach resort featuring bikini models sitting under umbrellas.  A woman with her breasts hanging out of her swimsuit starts a conversation with two women who just arrived from America.  She's leaving in a few hours, but she praises the hotel, the staff, the food, and the wine.  So she spent her entire trip on a beach that looks like every beach everywhere?  Why not try to actually see the country?  Her semi-bare butt goes into the water for one last swim -- and she bumps into a dead body!

Cut to hotel staff Rocco and Valencia watching body bags being hauled away.  Several bodies of guests have turned up!

Scene 2:  A week earlier.  Two heterosexual couples on a boat, one distant and arguing, the other snuggling, kissing, and nose-rubbing.  Then a depressed woman, Allora, walking through town.  Her friend Mia asks what's wrong: "Massimo has a new girlfriend, and I'm jealous."  Mia drags her away: it's almost time for the boat to arrive.  So is this a flashback in a flashback, before the girls get on the boat with the heterosexual couples?

A boat arriving while the staff waves.  "Smiles, everyone, smiles!'   Allora and Mia look on from afar, wondering whic one "he" is.  He who?  A new boyfriend met on Tinder?

Down on the dock, Employee Valencia tells the Old Guy: "I'm surprised you are here.  It's a long way from L.A., and you are quite old."  Way to insult your guests!  Next an unidentified older-younger same-sex couple; Cameron (Theo James, above) and wife, the kissing, nose-rubbing couple); Ethan (Will Sharpe, left) and wife, the distant, arguing couple (he forces her to drink wine); and a flowsy rich lady with a hundred suitcases, Ms. McQuaid. "I am your host, Mr. Roarke.  Welcome to Fantasy Island." 

Scene 3:  The White Lotus resort is in an  old hilltop convent, nowhere near the beach -- but with a view of Mount Etna. What kind of beachside resort is this, where you have to take a bus to get to the beach?

  Employee Rocco tells the two couples, who are apparently all friends, the story of the testi morti: a Moor came to Sicily and seduced a local woman.  When she discovered that he had a wife and kids back home, she cut off his head. It's a warning for husbands not to cheat. 

Then he shows  them that the two rooms connect through a secret doorway.  Ethan is up for wife-swapping, but his wife disapproves: "We won't be using that."  When the kissing, nose-rubbing couple leave, Ethan starts yelling at her.  Jerk! Not into it means not into it.

Meanwhile, the older-younger same-sex couple turn out to be father Dominic and young adult son Albie (Adam DiMarco), traveling with Grandpa Bert, who flirts with a female employee until the others reigns them in.  They're here to visit their ancestral town. 

So far the only potentially gay guest is Albie, so I'll fast-forward to his story.

Minute 24: Albie gets out of the pool (nice chest shot, but every other guy in the vicinity is fully clothed0.  He sits down next to Portia, a teenage girl who just got off the phone with a friend telling her to "get some dicks" while on vacation.  SHe starts crying because "they" have half a billion dollars but won't let her have any fun.  Albie consoles her.

Minute 46: They kiss.  Ok, so Albie is straight.  All of the other guests are married, hetero-horny, or both.  Who is the gay one?

Research reveals that he is Quentin, one of those aristocratic, decadent, fey Quentin Crisp types (parents don't know that their kid is gay when he is born, so why do gay guys on tv always have tired stereotype names, like Quentin and Blaine?).  This closeted jerk pays a group of straight men to have sex with him and introduces them as "my nephew and his friends."   He's also a drug addict and a murderer.  Pure homophobic sleaze.  

Wait -- I didn't notice before, but this series is created by, written by, and directed by MIKE WHITE, aka The Devil.  This is the jerk who wrote and starred in Chuck and Buck, about gay relationships being only for adolescents experimenting on their way to a "normal" heterosexual adulthood -- then had the monumental gall to advertise it in gay magazines!  Apparently those poor souls who get stuck in their adolescent "gay phase" turn into decadent, fey drug addicted murderers.

[racingliners]

Life In The Fast Lane Chapter 9 - Tarmac and Diamonds

Rating: Teen & Up

Warnings: None apply

Pairings: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s); OFCs & OMCs

Work Tags: Re-write of a previous work; Mentions of IRL current and past F1 figures; Eventual romance; friends to lovers; found family/work family; actual family; racing drivers and their various shenanigans; how to handle pressure (and how not to); with a sprinkling of the power of friendship; tags will be updated as work progresses

Chapter 9/57

Word count: 6.7k

Summary: Sophie finds herself in the French Riviera, as F1 lands in Monaco

Wednesday 24th May – Monaco

Monte Carlo. The so called playground of the rich and famous. With its glittering marina, luxurious hotels and casinos, it was nicknamed by many the jewel of the F1 calendar.

But to James, for the past seven years, it was home.

He turned the key to his apartment door with a firm twist, locking it tight, before securing the keys in his backpack and made for the nearest stairwell.

The race weekend schedule was always unique in Monaco. Custom meant that Friday was a rest day, so free practice one and two took place on Thursday, with Wednesday being the track walk and media day. Not that James was really looking forward to either, since he knew the circuit almost like the back of his hand. And it seemed that McLaren’s early upgrades had only bared fruit in Shanghai. When the rest of the teams had brought their upgrade packages to the previous race in Valencia, McLaren found themselves back where they were, languishing between the front runners and the midfield, in a lowly 8th and 9th place.

“Morning” James’ trainer Mike greeted him at the bottom of the stairwell, brown aviators over his eyes and his auburn hair looking freshly washed. As living space was at an extreme premium in Monaco they lived at opposite ends of the same apartment complex.

“You’re sure you want to walk in today?” James asked with a small frown as he led the way out onto the street.

“We’re going cycling on Friday, remember?”

“Right, Friday” James nodded, and took his own Ray Ban sunglasses from the front pocket of his team shirt and put them on as they walked out into the warm sunshine and began the fifteen minute walk down to the marina, where the team motorhomes had already rolled into town.

Another twist of the Monaco Grand Prix’s strange charm, was that the paddock was effectively split into two. The team motorhomes and engineering trucks were down by the marina, an almost ten minute walk away from the pitlane (which was even more unusual, as the team’s pitwalls were situated above the garages, as there simply wasn’t space for them in the pitlane).

James was long used to all of Monaco’s quirks, as long as he’d be able to drive the car on Sunday and hopefully score some points, he wasn’t really fussed at how jumbled the weekend was.

The walk to the paddock was quiet at least, one of the things James did like about living in Monaco was that there were no paparazzi anywhere to be found, as they were completely forbidden from the principality. (Exceptions were made during the Grand Prix weekend for the officially licenced photographers, of course). Occasionally a few other drivers or team members would walk or cycle past, but apart from that, James and Mike were free to talk amongst themselves the whole way.

“So,” Mike’s cheery voice cut through the warm air as he clapped a heavy hand on James’ shoulder, almost forcing him to turn his head to look at his trainer. “How are you feeling?”

“About what?” James asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Anything” Mike shrugged, still keeping a hand on his driver’s shoulder. “Thoughts for the weekend, the season so far, if there’s…” He paused to take in a small, sharp breath “…any problems with you and your team mate”

“I am not having any problems with Sophie…” James scoffed, and rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses for good measure. “And I’m fine mate, really”.

Mike hummed, but finally dropped his hand from James’ shoulder.

“Well, as your confidant slash personal trainer, I am allowed to worry about you. Especially after… you know”

After James and Petra had ended things for the second time right before Abu Dhabi last year.

Carrying on with their walk James took in a long, deep breath of now slightly salty air since they were almost at the marina, and let out an even longer exhale in the hope it would take as much of last year with it as possible.

Mechanical failures had been the main reason why neither he nor Nathan had been involved in the title fight last season. And McLaren had come through on their promise of fixing those gremlins over the winter break, though it seemed they had sacrificed a significant chunk of speed in the process.

Which meant that when the paddock entrance came into view, James rolled his shoulders back and had his best smile ready to go just in case (because some journalists really did take the look on a driver’s face alone as serious indication for what state their team was in).

As they approached the familiar turnstiles, James and Mike found themselves saying good morning to more and more paddock members. James even spotted Richard, who was stood a few metres away from the last turnstile on the left, talking with a shorter blonde woman who like almost everyone James had seen so far was wearing sunglasses over her eyes. She had a green paddock pass around her neck, and wore a peach coloured blouse with dark cotton slacks, with her curly blonde hair ever so slightly drifting in the breeze coming in from the harbour.

“Morning Rich” James smiled brightly at his colleague, who half waved back as the woman he was with checked her watch. There was something in the way her shoulders sunk with a sigh that looked somewhat familiar. So James looked at her again, and took in the gentle sweep of her nose, and somewhat sharp curve of her jawline, and the penny finally dropped in James’ head as he veered away from the turnstiles. “Good morning Mrs Knightsbridge”. His bright smile was completely genuine as he tentatively held out his right hand.

“Oh... Good morning” Her handshake was firm, but polite. “But please, call me Mary” Her accent was the same as her daughter’s. Very stereotypically English, but not posh. They even had the same hint of warmth in their voices. “It’s lovely to finally meet you James”

“Yes you too… No Sophie?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. Richard had seemingly been inseparable from his driver at every race so far this season. And from what James could gather about the Knightsbridge family, they didn’t seem like the kind that would travel to the circuit separately.

“Her and Vanessa decided to cycle in, so we walked down from the hotel. But the chain on Vanessa’s bike went so they’re running a little late” Mary explained.

“Ahh right” Mike, who had stayed a few steps behind James, quietly cleared his throat. “I uh… better head in, but don’t worry you’re in very safe hands” James gestured to Richard who gave a small smile in return as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “We’ll see you in the motorhome” James gave a slightly awkward wave as he made for the nearest turnstile, scanned his pass, and waited for Mike on the other side.

“I am allowed to be friendly you know” He scoffed at Mike once he was happy they were out of earshot. “Heaven forbid I try to make Sophie and her family feel welcome around here”. It was true that Formula 1 had changed a lot in the past decade, both in the way it presented itself to the world, and the people that helped make it. And while there were more women and people of colour employed by teams, the FIA, or even F1 itself, there were still some people from the old status quo that weren’t exactly happy to roll out the red carpet for Sophie in Australia. In their minds, no matter what Sophie did or would ever do would be enough to earn her place in F1.

And Mike had been James’ trainer for the past five years, he knew the paddock well enough by now.

“You were turning on the charm a little too much” Mike teased as they reached the last of the engineering trucks, and made a right for the tightly packed together team motorhomes.

“Oh piss off!” James scoffed. Mike just laughed as they made their way down towards the McLaren motorhome, which thankfully for James wasn’t that far away as he was becoming increasingly tempted to chuck his friend into the sea.

“I mean I know, it’s really difficult being a very handsome very charming bastard, but don’t whip out the megawatt smile before ten o’clock in the morning!” James rolled his eyes and didn’t take off his sunglasses until he was safely inside the McLaren motorhome, and tightly hit Mike on the shoulder.

“Oh come on what was that for?” He winced as they climbed the stairs to the first floor.

“Being an idiot!”

  “Maybe we should have just walked in like everyone else… uh good morning!” Sophie winced as she wheeled her bike past a small huddle of Mercedes engineers. One or two of them said hello to Sophie as she passed, and she rushed to return the gesture before they were out of earshot.

While it wasn’t Sophie’s first visit to Monaco, having raced in Formulas 2 and 3 the past few years, the scenery of the principality always seemed to take her by surprise. From the dramatic cliffs near the French border, to the yacht filled marina, and the ribbons of road and pastel coloured buildings that were crammed in-between. As pretty as it was, Sophie wondered how anyone in Monaco had room to breathe, let alone live.

While Richard was leading the way to wherever McLaren had managed to find space for the motorhome, Sophie and Vanessa were more concerned with trying not to hit anyone – or each other – with their bikes.

“Yeah, we’re definitely walking in Saturday and Sunday” Vanessa groaned as Richard made a sudden left, with Mary quickly looking behind her to make sure their little group hadn’t gotten separated.

“You okay Mum?” Sophie asked with a slightly restrained smile. Mary just nodded as she tried to keep everyone together.

“Almost there, I promise!” Richard cheerily called out amongst the maze of team personnel, journalists, and team engineering trucks.

After what felt like an eternity of walking through the very crowded marina, the first of the team motorhomes came into view. And Sophie couldn’t help but gawk at what was very clearly Red Bull’s and Alpha Tauri’s base for the race weekend.

The regular motorhome she had seen at testing and in Valencia had been replaced by a barge that featured a smaller version of the Red Bull and Alpha Tauri shared motorhome atop what looked like the team’s own private pool deck. And if that wasn’t enough, images of all four Red Bull drivers were printed on tarpaulin that was stretched around the base of the barge. It was certainly one way to make an impression.

McLaren by comparison, had a downsized version of their motorhome for the Monaco Grand Prix. It was two stories high instead of three, and was a more solid cuboid shape. The reflective windows had been swapped for tinted ones, but the monochromatic colour scheme with hints of papaya remained as Sophie, Vanessa, Richard and Mary finally walked up the small ramp that led to the main doors. And Sophie finally let out a long exhale once she was inside.

She would never admit it publicly, but she very much considered Monaco to be her bogey track. She had the grand total of one podium finish in her three attempts at the circuit, and that was only due to the on-track winner being disqualified. Monaco was always an intense race not because of any actual racing, but because driving around the narrow streets was like threading a needle in a hurricane. It didn’t take much for a driver to accidentally or otherwise end up in the barriers. And that was before Sophie had considered the fact she would be doing the full race distance of 78 laps, as opposed to the measly 42 laps in the previous year’s F2 sprint race, where she’d finished in fifth.

“Morning Sophie!” She almost jumped out her skin as she reached the top of the stairs and saw James by the door of his driver room. “Rough time getting in?” Her team mate asked with a tilt of the head, clearly noticing he’d startled her.

“Something like that” She sighed as Vanessa entered the code to unlock the door to Sophie’s room.

“Ah well, just the journalists to worry about now” James replied with a grin as he clapped Sophie on the shoulder, and the pair looked at each other for a few seconds longer than normal. “See you later”

“See you” Sophie flashed a small smile at James before lugging her bike down the small corridor and into her driver room, and propped it against the wall next to Vanessa’s.

“You good?”

“Nope” Sophie sighed almost immediately, and flopped down onto the small sofa that sat opposite the massage table, slightly resisting the urge to bury her head in her hands. “I’m just…”

“Terrified of putting your car in the barriers tomorrow” Vanessa finished Sophie’s sentence as she sat down next to her driver, and placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. Sophie just hummed in reply and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. “You do know that if all you think about is not crashing then-”

“I’ll end up crashing anyway… I know” Sophie huffed as she looked over at the person who was her personal trainer, friend, and emotional support all in one. “Believe me, I’m trying to let it go I just… can’t” She buried her hands in her hair as she took in a long, deep breath, and slowly exhaled. “I’ll feel better after my track walk… probably” Sophie pulled her hair out of her low ponytail as she stood up, and re-tied to so it sat on the crown of her head. “And we should probably go before my Mum drags me downstairs… assuming she hasn’t texted you already”

Vanessa hummed as she stood up and quickly checked her phone with a relieved smile as Sophie opened the door.

“She hasn’t, but there’s still time” Vanessa chuckled as she followed Sophie out the door.

  Friday 26th May

“Mon Dieu Sophie, how long does it take you to grab things you’ve had organised since last night?” Nico scoffed as he looked at his watch with an overly dramatic sigh.

“Well I’m not even close to being late so ha!” Sophie screwed up her face at her friend as she handed him her garment bag without asking. “Hi Dana”

“Hi Sophie!” She beamed and eagerly embraced Sophie in a bone-crushing hug. Dana’s work as an architect and increasingly in interior design meant that she didn’t have as much time to attend races as other driver’s partners. They had last seen each other back in April, after Nico and Dana had taken Sophie out to dinner to celebrate her podium finish.

Dana and Nico had met in 2020, when the company she worked for had been invited to the Red Bull factory in Milton Keynes to do some renovation work, on the same day that Nico in his then-duties as Red Bull test driver had been at the factory for a run in the simulator. They had started dating not long after, which meant that she had also known Sophie ever since. “It is so good to see you!” Dana said with a bright smile, squeezing her hands on Sophie’s shoulders. “And we finally have someone sensible to talk to” Dana grinned with a wink for Nico’s benefit.

“It’s about time” Sophie chuckled before looking over at Nico. “We love you really”

“Oh yes, of course you do” He jokingly rolled his eyes before going to check his watch. “But we really are going to be late at this rate”

Dana led the way out of the hotel lobby as Nico returned Sophie’s garment bag, and the trio walked out into the late afternoon sunshine for their walk over to the Grimaldi Forum.

Over the years the powers that be on the commercial side of F1 had found ways to fill in the traditional rest day of the Grand Prix weekend. Sophie, like a handful of other drivers, had spent much of the morning doing a sponsor photoshoot, before being freed to train with Vanessa, have lunch with Nico, Dana and her Mum, before squeezing in a quick shower to get ready for her final engagement of the day – The Amber Lounge Fashion Show.

No one in the paddock could quite pinpoint the exact moment it became a traditional part of the race weekend, but as the fashion show and accompanying gala was for charity, no one really seemed to mind. Around a third of the drivers on the grid were in attendance each year, as they even had their own slot during the show. Which was why Nico and Sophie’s garment bags contained some of their more finer outfits.

“I’ll be in the crowd, and Nico will be with you the whole time” Dana said to Sophie with a gentle hand on her shoulder. She had already changed into her ankle length navy chiffon dress which paired beautifully with her deeply tanned skin, and her dark golden brown hair was curled and styled in a half-updo.

“It’s not the fashion show I’m worried about” Sophie sighed, half-lying. Her main concern was ensuring that her ankles would survive a night in heels incident free, because there wasn’t going to be anything more embarrassing than having to pull out of the race because of a shoe induced sprained ankle.

When Sophie spoke with a sadder sigh than she intended, Nico stopped in his tracks, screwed up his face, and let out a small sigh himself.

“Habibi what is it?” Dana asked, looking between her boyfriend and Sophie.

“The date” Nico frowned, before handing Dana his garment bag so he could hug Sophie round the shoulders. “I’m so sorry ma amie”. Sophie let herself rest her head on Nico’s chest as Dana eventually placed a hand on Sophie’s arm when she realised what Nico was referring to.

That had Sophie not broken up with Tom after telling his parents they’d gotten engaged, today would have been their eight year anniversary.

Not really a day she felt like getting dolled up to be presented to the masses. If the fashion show wasn’t for charity, she would have twisted Vanessa’s arm into helping her pull a sickie so she could hide in her hotel room instead.

Nico and Dana had been the second and third people after Vanessa to help take care of Sophie after the fallout of her very brief engagement. She could still remember that week in mid-December last year clear as day. Signing her McLaren contract on the Tuesday, Tom taking her out for dinner to their favourite restaurant in Northampton and proposing on the Wednesday night, telling Sophie’s family over the phone on the Thursday morning… and then Saturday happened.

Tom’s parents were on the above average side of wealthy, his mother was the head of an estate agent, and his father a property developer. They had never sent Tom to a private school despite being more than able to afford it, because they wanted him to be ‘normal’. So he ended up in the same year as Sophie when they started High School. He never laughed when Sophie told him she wanted to be a Formula 1 driver, and he even went two a couple of her karting races before they got together. He had finally asked her out when Sophie won her first single seater race.

Tom had decided that it would have been best to tell his parents face to face, so when he and Sophie arrived at the five-bedroom Berkley family home, he had hoped that his parents would be over the moon to see the gold set emerald cut Diamond on Sophie’s ring finger.

But instead his mother’s face went white with shock.

“What are you thinking? Throwing your career away to follow her here there and everywhere” Tom, like his younger sister Alice, hadn’t went into either family business, and instead worked in IT. Even while Sophie had been sat alone in the large living room, she had heard every word Tom’s mother had yelled at him from the next room. Maybe it had been intentional. “I don’t care how successful she might be…” Sophie’s breathing had become more and more ragged as she heard Tom’s mother suddenly say all manner of things about her. That she’d never approved of Sophie being a racing driver, that she’d assumed Sophie and Tom would fizzle out either due to the increased amount of travelling Sophie did, or that Tom would find someone more ‘suitable’, whatever that meant.

Sophie still remembered biting down on her bottom lip as tears began to fill her eyes, and her engagement ring started to feel heavier and heavier on her left hand. Seeing Tom’s sister walk in with two cups of tea had been the last straw, as Sophie pulled the ring off her finger and left it on the coffee table. She would never force Tom to choose between her and his family.

“I mean, what was I thinking, getting engaged at 23?!” Sophie shook her head as she sat down on the nearest bench, with Nico and Dana joining her on either side. She’d found herself thinking about the end of her relationship on the odd moment throughout the year. She had loved Tom, completely. But there were times that she wondered if she’d said yes to marrying him because it felt like ticking the next box after securing her F1 drive. They had never really, properly, discussed getting married before he got down on one knee.

“You’ll be okay Sophie” Nico said softly as he took his friend’s hand in his.

“I am okay I just…” The fact that the most she currently felt was a small ache in her chest, and that she had been able to think straight in first and second practice yesterday, was a testament to that. “I’m making peace with it all I guess”. As was starting to be the case with every time she thought about Tom, she felt more and more at ease with the fact she definitely didn’t want to get married anytime soon. “I want to move on. I don’t know if or when I want to start dating again, especially since all the people I see these days are from the paddock”

Nico and Dana both chuckled.

“I’m sure that one day, you are going to meet someone who just… makes you so happy you’ll want to dive right into the deep end. So long as he respects you for who you are of course” Nico smiled, briefly glancing over at Dana. “And if that’s something you really want, then it’ll be okay… even if they do end up being from the paddock” He added with a small smile, and squeezed Sophie’s hand before letting go. And after letting out one final exhale, Sophie and Dana got up from the bench, and the trio carried on their journey.

Once they arrived at the venue Nico and Sophie showed both their F1 accreditation passes and passports to one of the people on the reception desk, and once Dana had gotten her guest wristband, a member of staff led the two drivers to the backstage area.

Vanity mirrors and chairs took up an entire wall on the left, half of which were filled with models, make-up artists, hair stylists, and one or two drivers. The rest of the space was filled with temporary cubicles, rows upon rows of clothes rails, and small sofas and armchairs wherever there was room for them. To the right, a large black curtain separated the backstage area from what Sophie assumed was the catwalk.

“When I told my parents I wanted to be an F1 driver, I never imagined it would involve anything like this” Sophie gulped.

“Ah, I don’t think any of us did” Nico sighed as he clapped Sophie on the shoulder.

“You’re Sophie Knightsbridge, yes?” A brunette woman in her 40’s approached Sophie almost out of thin air, catching her by surprise. Sophie just nodded. “Ah, you’re right on time. Come with me” She spoke with a French accent and walked a few hurried steps away before turning around. “Are you another driver or her boyfriend?” She asked Nico, completely straight faced.

Nico tried and failed to suppress his laughter before replying. “Driver, I’m Nico Dumont from Alpha Tauri”.

“Ah, good” And the woman turned round again, marching towards a pair of free vanity tables, as Nico let out some more repressed giggles.

“Of course you’re already more famous than me Cherie” Nico shook his head and hung his garment bag off the back of the make-up chair he was directed to.

“My name’s Marie” The woman finally introduced herself, and gestured for Sophie to sit down. “I’ll be doing your hair and make-up for the show” She explained while trying to peer through the small plastic window on Sophie’s garment bag. “What style is your dress?”

“Rose pink satin, it’s strapless” Marie just hummed in reply while she examined Sophie’s hair and hands. She frowned at how short Sophie’s nails were. “I can’t wear false nails when I’m in the car” Sophie huffed somewhat defensively. She had always kept her nails short out of necessity for both practicality and comfort, filed down to just past the tips of her fingers.

“That’s okay, we wouldn’t have had the time to put them on anyway. Can we paint them at least?”

“Sure” Sophie nodded, and Marie sprinted off to get something, saying that someone would be along to work on Nico shortly. Sophie pulled her phone out of her pocket to quickly text Richard that she had made it to the event safe, sound, and crucially on time. He texted back, both wishing her luck and saying that James was meant to be arriving soon as well.

“Ohhhhh no way!” Nico exclaimed, looking at his own phone with a wide smile.

“What is it?” Sophie asked cautiously, putting her phone into her backpack before turning to look at her friend. Nico gleefully passed over his phone, which was opened on the memories page of his Facebook account, and Sophie audibly gasped at the picture.

“No, you’re kidding!” The picture was of Sophie and Nico, both aged 14, stood on the podium with another driver (Nico had won, with Sophie in second) at the first international karting race they had both competed in together. Incidentally, they had only met each other for the first time the day before, when Nico had rescued a 9 year old Will from picking a fight with another kid who wasn’t exactly keen on being out-qualified by a girl.

Nico had eventually reunited Will with the rest of the Knightsbridge family, and Mark and Mary were so relieved that they offered Nico and his family to join them for dinner, once they found out the Dumonts were staying at the same hotel. Sophie and Nico had been friends ever since. “What do you mean I’ve been enduring you and your nonsense for ten years?”

Nico threw his head back and laughed as Sophie handed back his phone with a smirk. She was joking of course. Truthfully, she had no idea where she would be if she didn’t have Nico to turn to for advice, or to fight her corner. Something which Sophie gladly paid back in return without hesitation. She remembered Nico calling her on the eve of his F1 debut last year, as he tried to shake off any remaining nerves. He’d ended up dragging his Alpha Tauri into 9th place.

“Ah,” Nico grinned, reaching out for Sophie’s hand to give it a tight squeeze. “I love you too”

Eventually, Marie returned with a toolkit of make-up brushes, and goodness knew what else in a large pouch with more pockets than Sophie could count tied round her waist. She got to work on Sophie’s nails first, painting them a shimmering gold, before putting Sophie’s hair in large rollers. Much to Nico’s delight, as he took multiple pictures and videos of the entire affair to post on Instagram later.

“Have you ever been in a fashion show before?” Marie asked as she finished Sophie’s make-up with a few coats of mascara.

“It’s not something racing drivers normally do” Sophie sighed and pressed her lips together (though not too hard as to smudge her lipstick).

“Ah well,” Marie paused, taking a step back to look over her work. “You are certainly beautiful enough for it. Charlotte!” A younger woman, much closer to Sophie’s age, with strawberry blonde hair tied in a high ponytail shot up from one of the small sofas, and made a beeline for Marie and Sophie. “This is Charlotte, she’ll be your dresser”

“Oh, I’m done?” Sophie asked hesitantly, slowly reaching down for her backpack.

“Yes, all done” Marie smiled and handed Sophie’s garment bag over to Charlotte. Nico had left a few minutes ago, since he had less hair to style into place. Sophie politely thanked Marie for taking care of her and followed Charlotte’s hurried footsteps to one of the cubicles. The show was still a couple of hours away from starting, but the drivers were required to walk the red carpet first.

“It’s so nice to meet you” Charlotte smiled at Sophie brightly as she held open the curtain to one of the cubicles. “I had no idea women could be racing drivers until this year, I know you haven’t won a race yet, but I think what you’re doing is amazing”

“Well…” Sophie blushed, not really knowing what to say. Charlotte was far from being the first woman Sophie had met this year to be wowed by her presence. “I’m not the first, not in F1 anyway”

“Yes, you’re number six!” Charlotte replied excitedly as she closed the curtain and unzipped the garment bag, revealing Sophie’s strapless, calf length satin dress. "Oh what a beautiful dress! What label is it?"

"H&M" Sophie blushed as she toed out of her espadrilles. If Charlotte thought any less of it, she didn't show it as she slid to dress off the hanger while Sophie quickly undressed. "I didn't know being a professional dresser was a thing"

"Yes! Fashion shows are always so busy" Charlotte replied as Sophie stepped into the dress, and held it up as Charlotte zipped up the back. "Ah, perfect fit. Though I'll use some tape, just in case" Charlotte produced a roll of body tape from a bag at her hips. "Don't worry, it won’t damage the dress" She smiled reassuringly as she attached two pieces to the top of the dress, and gently pressed them down. "Any jewellery?"

"Uh yeah, in my bag" Sophie walked over to her backpack, and pulled out a shoebox, and a much smaller black velvet box. And as Charlotte took out Sophie's shoes, she audibly reacted when Sophie opened the small jewellery box, revealing a pair of small teardrop pearl and diamond earrings. "They were my grandmother's, on my Dad's side"

"They're very pretty, let me get your necklace" Both pieces were set in gold, and the necklace featured five small rice pearls scattered along the chain. Charlotte fastened it so it sat just on Sophie’s collarbone. "All done, you look beautiful" Sophie had avoided looking at the full length mirror in front of her out of fear at what she'd see back. It turned out that in all the time since breaking up with Tom to now, she'd forgotten how pretty she was.

Rose gold eyeshadow enhanced the swirls of brown in Sophie’s eyes, her cheekbones had been accented just enough to bring them out and add a small bit of definition to her face, and her lips had been painted a rosy nude shade that complimented her skin perfectly. Her look had been finished off with a blush of soft pink on her cheeks, and her hair that had been styled into large loose curls framed her face perfectly.

"What's wrong? Do you not like it?" Charlotte asked suddenly as Sophie’s eyes dropped to the floor. She wasn't sure how to reply.

"No, no I just... it's been a while since I..." Sophie glanced into the mirror again, noting that the rose satin dress gave her figure more of an hourglass shape than what she naturally had. "I don't get to dress up that often" She blushed, stepping into her suede nude heels. Charlotte had seemingly read between the lines, as she gave Sophie a knowing look.

"Well, you should. Oh, one more thing. Can you hold your hair back?" Sophie did as she was told, and felt a small dab of something wet on the back of her neck. "Eyelash glue, it will hold your necklace in place when you walk down the runway" Sophie felt the necklace clasp being pressed against her skin. "There, now you're ready" Charlotte said with a triumphant smile. "Your things will be put in a locker, just come and find me once everything's wrapped up" Already she had pulled back the cubicle curtain, and Sophie found herself rooted in place. "Own it" Charlotte said, tilting her head towards the backstage area. “No one has the right to make you feel uncomfortable in your own skin”

And after taking in a deep breath, Sophie stepped out of the cubicle, realising that Charlotte and Marie had put too much effort into Sophie for her to just hide in a corner. So she walked over towards where the drivers were supposed to wait, in the hope Nico would be waiting for her as promised.

  James couldn’t remember the last time he’d been at Amber Lounge, it might even have been as far back as when he was still driving for Aston Martin, but he wasn’t sure. Normally it was an event saved for the rookies and younger drivers. But the team had convinced James into going by saying how great it would be for their most recent world champion and most recent podium finisher to be seen together at the same event. Especially since McLaren were starting to think about gearing up for their 60th anniversary celebrations.

Plus, it was either the fashion show or a yacht party, and James hated yacht parties. At least this way he’d be with some of his fellow drivers, as he found himself catching up with Aaron Jones.

The dress code for the fashion show was formal, but not black tie, so the male drivers had a small bit of leeway in what kind of suits they could wear. James had opted for a three-piece charcoal and navy check suit, with a white shirt and burgundy tie – formal, but not completely bland.

“Is that Sophie?” Aaron asked out of the blue as he looked over his shoulder. James turned his head to look in the same direction and did indeed find himself looking at his team mate. He’d found himself noticing her a lot more than usual so far this weekend. But not in a ‘she was always the first person he saw’ kind of way. No, Sophie was the person he’d spot as he glanced round the room, then he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“Oh wow” James said without realising. “Look at you!” He said louder, in a more affectionately teasing way, as Sophie walked over towards them. She blushed as she clasped her hands behind her back. “You look great Soph”

“Thanks… you haven’t seen Nico have you?”

“I think he went out to make a phone call” Aaron interjected before pulling his own phone out of his pocket, and asked to take a selfie with the two McLaren drivers. Sophie’s face lit up with relief when Nico arrived, in his pale blue suit, white shirt and black tie, and the two friends teased each other about how well they scrubbed up. James happily obliged when Sophie asked him to take their picture, and he couldn’t help but notice his team mate’s first genuine smile of the evening.

A few minutes later the drivers were eventually shooed off to the red carpet, which passed by in a blur of flashes and slightly forced smiles, and they found themselves seated on the front row so that when the time came for the driver’s slot they wouldn’t get in anyone’s way as they left. And for publicity purposes, of course.

As James sat down he smoothed down his tie, and as he inhaled he smelt the faint whiff of something sweet and floral. He took in what he thought was a subtle deeper breath, but it caused Sophie to quietly grown.

“I knew I put on too much perfume” She muttered, rapidly tapping her fingers against her leg. She was sat in-between James and Nico, who was chatting away to Marc Pavard in French.

“Oh no it’s fine really, I just wanted to know what it was. That’s all”

“You’re just saying that so I won’t get embarrassed” Sophie scoffed and looked down at the floor. “Orange blossom, for what it’s worth” She said quietly as the lights dimmed and the opening segment of the fashion show got underway.

After about half an hour or so, the drivers were quietly led backstage, and filed into order by one of the directors. It didn’t seem like the drivers were in a particular order – until James and Sophie were left until last, arguably being the most high profile of those present.

“You alright team mate?” James half-turned to look behind him, and saw Sophie looking blankly into the distance. “Hey” He reached out to gently place a hand on her forearm, and it worked in getting her attention without startling her. “Just… take a deep breath in and pretend you’re walking over to me to say hello”

“Uh huh…” Sophie hummed, pressing her lips together.

“Or, think about how happy your Gran would be to know her jewellery was getting shown off in Monaco of all places” He remembered Nico saying something about Sophie’s necklace and earrings when they left for the red carpet, and that netted Sophie’s second proper smile of the night.

“Thanks, don’t break a leg” She replied back.

“I’ll try” James chuckled, and turned round right as a group of models rushed backstage to change into their next outfits. There was a brief pause before the drivers segment was introduced to feverish applause, and a slick guitar riff started playing over the speakers, followed by a steady beat as Nico made his way onto the catwalk.

When it came to James’ turn he flashed a bright smile for the crowd as he walked down to the end of the catwalk, paused for a few seconds, then turned around. Only to be frozen in place. Sophie wasn’t just smiling as she walked out, but beaming – making her look absolutely beautiful.

And that terrified James beyond all belief.

Maybe all the long days at the track were starting to pile up, maybe it was because they genuinely got on with each other, or maybe it was because Sophie was exactly James’ type: friendly, smart and gorgeous, that he realised he maybe didn’t just like her as a team mate.

Shit, he’d told himself that wasn’t going to happen.

Working on automatic pilot, with his smile still fixed into place, James walked back to the top of the catwalk to stand in formation with the other drivers. And as she walked past Sophie, the pair briefly smiled at each other, the way good team mates did. Eventually when Sophie re-joined her colleagues as the music ended to more than polite applause, James put a hand on her shoulder and smiled for the cameras. And all he could smell was orange blossom.

He could start burying his feelings in a panic, but maybe with so many races to go until the summer break that wouldn’t be the best idea. Maybe if he just acknowledged it for what it was, a fleeting attraction at seeing her glamorously dressed up for the first time. After all, they’d known each other for four months now. Surely, if James really was attracted to Sophie, he would have felt something long before now. And maybe tonight was just a blip, a lock up on an out lap. Maybe if James registered what he felt, it would go away just as quickly.

Because he really, really, didn’t want to think about the consequences of the alternative.

[jji2018]

Sharing our Dumaguete & Siquijor trip with a twist.

Day 0 (September 11): Daraga, Albay to Manila

We met two of our friends, who happened to be twins, at MOA to satisfy our ramen cravings. We indulged in ramen and gyoza at Mendokoro Ramenba and took evening strolls at the Bay.

Day 1 (September 12): Manila to Dumaguete

Front-row seat, baby! However, with additional tasks, such as opening the plane's emergency exit. Our rental car service delivered the vehicle to the Dumaguete airport right after we landed. We drove a gray metallic, less-than-a-month-old Toyota Wigo.

For our first stop, we enjoyed our late breakfast at Café Sans Rival at The Henry. We had pancakes, bacon, eggs, bangus, fried rice, coffee, tea, and juice! What a fantastic way to start our tour! Next, we explored and took photos at Pulangbato Falls, Sulfur Vent, Mango Ranch, and Tierra Alta in Valencia. We also stopped by the Cata-al Museum and Forest Camp. We checked in at Flying Fish Hotel, washed up, and had dinner at Gabby’s Bistro with PJ and Rae. The serving was generous, and the food and staff were excellent! And the mango crepe was lit!! We managed to get our ferry tickets for Siquijor before heading back to the hostel.

Day 2 (September 13): Dumaguete to Siquijor

Travel time from Dumaguete to Siquijor was about 3 hours (the average travel time is 1.5 hrs). We took the Montenegro Ferry, the only vessel that sailed that day to Siquijor. The weather was rough. We rode a tricycle to White Villas Resort in San Juan, had a meal at their restaurant, and then decided to check in—a big thank you to the White Villas staff for accommodating us despite an error in our booking. We washed up, fixed our things, and slept the whole afternoon because our tour was canceled. It was such a rainy and windy day!

Day 3 (September 14): Day Tour in Siquijor

We enjoyed our complimentary breakfast at the resort. Afterward, we set off for our day tour, starting around 10:30 am. The weather had improved, making it safe to begin our tour. Our first stop was supposed to be Pitogo Cliff; however, it was still closed for the day. We decided to come back later that afternoon. Next, we went to Balete Tree Fish Spa. I expected small fish to tickle us. But there were larger ones, which I was a little scared. LOL. We shortly stopped by Hapitanan in Lazi and took broom shots. We met Ivana Alawi’s broomstick and brought home our souvenir voodoo dolls. We also stopped by Lazi Church and took photos. Lazi convent, which is across the church, was closed. It was lunchtime, and we ate Sinigang na pasayan and sizzling pork sisig at Jacs Kitchenette.

There, the rain started to pour. Despite the harsh weather, we continued the tour and explored the Sambulawan Underground River. We expected a canoe to hop on, but no vehicle could fit in the cave. Equipped with a life vest and torchlight, we explored the cave on foot with our guide, Kuya Arvin, who is very accommodating and skilled at taking photos. Our next stop was Salagdoong Beach. It was still very windy, and the waves were huge, so we dipped our feet in the water and climbed up to the viewpoint. The view was still astonishing as the clear waters hit the rock formations. Our final stop for the day was the 'Welcome to Siquijor' signage. We were drenched when returning to the hotel.

For our dinner, we visited Dolce Amore, an Italian restaurant 2 minutes from the resort. Their pasta, pizza, and gelato were a true luxury. No wonder most of their patrons are foreigners.

P.S. Big shoutout to Kuya Jesse, our tour guide, who was super friendly and accommodating and ensured our safety!

P.S.S. We were supposed to return to Dumaguete, but all trips were canceled. So, we extended our stay at White Villas. We were unable to use our reservation at the Flying Fish Hostel.

Day 4 (September 15): Going back to Dumaguete

Kuya Jesse picked us up at White Villas and took us to Siquijor Port, hoping to catch any trip back to Dumaguete. We were given a queueing number for the 2 pm trip, but it was canceled. We took a chance for the 4:30 pm trip, but we had no slot. Thanks to the fixers who got over 20 tickets for one queueing number.  */Annoyed/*

It's a good thing Kuya Jesse lent a hand to us. His friend picked us up at the port ticketing office and helped us find a nearby inn to spend the night. This time, there were three of us sharing a room. We met Ate Fritzie at the ticketing office; she couldn’t grab a ferry ticket, too, and joined us.

That night, we tried booking our ferry tickets online. We booked possible trips of OceanJet fast craft, Montenegro Lines, and Aleson, too, for the next day.

Day 5 (September 16): Travel Day to Dumaguete, Manila, and Bicol

It was a very early wake-up call – 4 am (but I extended 10 minutes of sleep). Kuya Jesse picked us up at the inn head to Siquijor port for the second time. This time, the fast craft ferries resumed their trips. Our online booking for OceanJet (for beshie and me) and Aleson (for Ate Fritzie) were the keys for the 6 am trips. We bade goodbye to Siquijor and arrived in Dumaguete after 40 minutes of travel.

Since our flight to Manila was scheduled for 10:40 a.m., we were able to try Dumaguete’s painitan for breakfast. PJ and his mom took us for a quick tour of Dumaguete and Valencia. And we made it on time for our flight to Manila! But upon landing, the first thing we did was to get our luggage and find a nice place to dine in NAIA T3. We cannot miss eating during lunchtime, so we had a meal at Army Navy and had takeaways from Tim Hortons before transferring to NAIA T4, where we were supposed to take off for Daraga, Albay.

Btw, the window seat was excellent! Covered with fluffy clouds, Mt. Mayon said hi to us.

And yes, we traveled from Siquijor to Dumaguete to Manila to Albay to Naga City in JUST A DAY. Teleporting was real, folks!

Thanks to Avis for driving us from Naga to Daraga and returning from Daraga to Naga. And thank you to Sieg for the additional stay at the White Villas.

Thank you, PJ, Rae, and Solamillo Fam, for driving us and the silvanas.

Thank you, Miracle21 car rental, for lending us your baby Wigo for your Dumaguete City & Valencia tour. Thank you soooo much, Kuya Jesse, for all the help in getting around Siquijor and for ensuring our safety.

Hoping to come back to Dumaguete and explore more places in Siquijor soon!

-- The Beshies, MaiMai & JenJen

[torosytoreros6]

Paco Ureña y Román se encuentran en Valencia antes de su mano a mano de la Feria de Julio

Las Provincias ha celebrado en la mañana de este miércoles en el Hotel Only You de la capital valenciana su ya tradicional ‘Aula Las Provincias’ que antecede a cada uno de los abonos que se celebran en el coso de la Calle de Xàtiva. En esta ocasión, los toreros Paco Ureña y Román han sido los protagonistas que han departido junto al periodista José Luis … La entrada Paco Ureña y Román se…