#Restructure

[sensualnoiree]

Feb 16th Venus ingresses into Aquarius immediately connecting with pluto and mars. This suggests a period of intense transformation and empowerment in matters related to love, creativity, and finances. It may be a time where deep-seated desires and issues come to the surface, requiring a careful balance of assertiveness and diplomacy to navigate successfully.

Aries Rising - Aquarius in the 11th House: This transit activates your 11th house of friendships, groups, and aspirations. Venus conjunct Pluto here can intensify your relationships within social circles, bringing about deep transformations in your friendships or associations. You may feel compelled to purge toxic connections and align yourself with those who share your vision for the future. Mars adds a sense of urgency, motivating you to take action towards your goals, especially those related to social causes or humanitarian efforts. It's a time to assert your individuality within group dynamics and pursue your aspirations with passion and determination.

Taurus Rising - Aquarius in the 10th House: This transit activates your 10th house of career, public image, and reputation. Venus conjunct Pluto here can bring intense and transformative experiences in your professional life. You may be faced with power struggles or confrontations with authority figures, leading to a purging of old career patterns or ambitions. Mars adds a drive to succeed and assert your influence in your chosen field. It's a time to reassess your long-term goals and take decisive action towards achieving them, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone.

Gemini Rising - Aquarius in the 9th House: This transit activates your 9th house of higher education, travel, and philosophical beliefs. Venus conjunct Pluto here can bring profound shifts in your worldview and belief systems. You may be drawn to explore new philosophies or spiritual practices that challenge your existing beliefs. Mars adds a sense of adventure and a desire to expand your horizons through travel or education. It's a time to embrace new perspectives and engage in intellectual pursuits that stimulate your mind and broaden your understanding of the world.

Cancer Rising - Aquarius in the 8th House: This transit activates your 8th house of transformation, shared resources, and intimacy. Venus conjunct Pluto here can intensify your emotional and sexual connections, leading to deep transformations in your intimate relationships. You may be confronted with issues of trust, power, and control, requiring you to purge old patterns of behavior that no longer serve you. Mars adds a sense of urgency to address these issues, motivating you to assert your needs and boundaries in your most intimate connections. It's a time of profound emotional growth and empowerment through facing your deepest fears and desires.

Leo Rising - Aquarius in the 7th House: This transit activates your 7th house of partnerships, marriage, and open enemies. Venus conjunct Pluto here can bring intense and transformative experiences in your relationships, particularly in your one-on-one partnerships. You may be faced with power struggles or confrontations with your partner or significant others, leading to a purging of old relationship patterns. Mars adds a drive to assert your needs and desires in your partnerships, but it can also lead to conflicts if not managed carefully. It's a time to redefine your relationships on a deeper level and commit to those that are truly supportive and empowering.

Virgo Rising - Aquarius in the 6th House: This transit activates your 6th house of health, work, and daily routines. Venus conjunct Pluto here can bring intense and transformative experiences in your work environment or health regimen. You may be compelled to purge unhealthy habits or toxic work situations that are detrimental to your well-being. Mars adds a drive to take action towards improving your health and work life, but it can also lead to overwork or burnout if not balanced with self-care. It's a time to prioritize your well-being and make necessary changes to create a more fulfilling and sustainable daily routine.

Libra Rising - Aquarius in the 5th House: This transit activates your 5th house of creativity, romance, and children. Venus conjunct Pluto here can intensify your creative expression and romantic encounters, leading to profound transformations in these areas of your life. You may be faced with intense passion or power struggles in your romantic relationships, requiring you to purge old patterns of behavior that hinder your ability to experience true intimacy. Mars adds a drive to pursue your creative passions and assert your desires in your romantic pursuits, but it can also lead to impulsive actions if not tempered with consideration. It's a time to embrace your creative potential and pursue joy and pleasure in your life.

Scorpio Rising - Aquarius in the 4th House: This transit activates your 4th house of home, family, and roots. Venus conjunct Pluto here can bring intense and transformative experiences within your family dynamic or home environment. You may be confronted with issues of power and control within your family relationships, leading to a purging of old familial patterns. Mars adds a drive to assert your independence and create a sense of security and stability in your home life. It's a time to confront deep-seated emotions and make changes that allow you to feel more grounded and supported in your personal life.

Sagittarius Rising - Aquarius in the 3rd House: This transit activates your 3rd house of communication, siblings, and local environment. Venus conjunct Pluto here can bring intense and transformative experiences in your communication style and relationships with siblings or neighbors. You may be compelled to purge old patterns of communication that no longer serve you, leading to a more authentic and meaningful way of expressing yourself. Mars adds a drive to assert your ideas and opinions, but it can also lead to conflicts if not expressed diplomatically. It's a time to engage in open and honest communication and cultivate relationships that stimulate your mind and broaden your horizons.

Capricorn Rising - Aquarius in the 2nd House: This transit activates your 2nd house of finances, values, and self-worth. Venus conjunct Pluto here can bring intense and transformative experiences in your relationship with money and possessions. You may be confronted with issues of power and control in your financial affairs, leading to a purging of old patterns of spending or saving. Mars adds a drive to take action towards securing your financial future and asserting your worth, but it can also lead to impulsive financial decisions if not managed wisely. It's a time to reassess your values and priorities and make changes that align with your true sense of self-worth.

Aquarius Rising - Aquarius in the 1st House: This transit activates your 1st house of self, personality, and appearance. Venus conjunct Pluto here can bring intense and transformative experiences in your sense of self and how you present yourself to the world. You may undergo a profound personal transformation, shedding old layers of identity to reveal a more authentic version of yourself. Mars adds a drive to assert your individuality and take action towards personal goals, but it can also lead to conflicts if not balanced with consideration for others. It's a time to embrace your uniqueness and express yourself confidently and authentically.

Pisces Rising - Aquarius in the 12th House: This transit activates your 12th house of spirituality, introspection, and hidden matters. Venus conjunct Pluto here can bring intense and transformative experiences in your spiritual practice and inner world. You may be confronted with deep-seated fears or desires that require purging and healing. Mars adds a drive to explore your innermost thoughts and emotions, but it can also lead to inner conflicts if not directed towards constructive introspection. It's a time to delve into your subconscious mind and embrace the process of spiritual and emotional renewal.

follow for more astro insights like this and support me over on instagram @sensualnoire or yt @quenysefields

[divine-ray]

[novaalexanderwrites]

Y'all.

Blood and Thorns: Restructure's second draft is done. Holy hell. I've been working on it for a year, and it's finally done!!!! Now I can let the thing rest for a bit!! I have a bunch of smaller projects I'd like to finish off (I have a lot of side fics I'd like to finish if I can)....

And then, because I don't know how to take a fucking break, I'm going to start pre-writing for the next one: Blood and Thorns: Otherworld - but not for at least a month!!! NO.

Anyway, second pass of Restructure got done today, and I'm really fucking proud of myself because it had some pretty major issues. And it's a big book. It's 135k words. The first one ended up at 120k, but I'm going to need to add a bit more before the second one is done. Still, I'm pretty sure it's not going to need gutting like the first one did.

Right?

[tenth-sentence]

As work began on the bank's mid-year budget review, the team handling the process – Conroy, Derrick Heywood, Vern Harvey and a group financial controller Malcolm Sandy – hit a brick wall when they asked the information technology division for a breakdown of costs and an explanation of why they had soared.

"Westpac: The Bank That Broke the Bank" - Edna Carew

[jobaaj]

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: PwC is at it again! It has fired over 350 people!! PwC Australia has recently unveiled plans to reduce its workforce by a further 329 positions, constituting nearly 5% of its employees. Additionally, within the next nine months, as many as 37 of its partners are expected to opt for early retirement voluntarily. But why? For those who may not be familiar, last year saw the revelation of a significant tax scandal involving PwC. It was discovered that Peter Collins, an international tax specialist at the firm, disclosed confidential tax regulations to colleagues and provided counsel to at least 14 multinational corporations, resulting in fees totaling $2.5 million.

Following the exposure of this scandal, PwC faced significant repercussions. The fallout included the resignation of its CEO, departure of several partners, and the loss of numerous high-profile clients such as Westpac, Reserve Bank of Australia, AustralianSuper, HESTA, and UniSuper. The gravity of the situation led to PwC being compelled to divest its entire government consulting division, selling it for a nominal amount of only A$1. This marked a profound shake-up within the company's leadership and clientele, underscoring the severity of the scandal's impact on PwC's operations and reputation. Moreover, the company’s finances took a sharp hit. Although revenues grew 11% to A$3.4 billion, the company had to divest its government consulting arm, which accounted for 20% of its revenues as partners took a 30% hit on their incomes! According to a statement, this round of layoffs was necessary for PwC’s restructuring and realignment following its long-term goals. Should global governments trust PwC after this? Follow Jobaaj Stories (the media arm of Jobaaj.com Group) for more.

[mediworldvn]

LỢI ÍCH CỦA SÂM TỐ NỮ CHO SỨC KHỎE VÀ SẮC ĐẸP

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Sâm tố nữ thuộc họ Đậu Leguminosae là một loại thảo dược, hình dáng bên ngoài có dạng cây thân leo với củ ở nhiều kích thước khác nhau. 

Sở dĩ được gọi là sâm tố nữ bởi trong loại thảo dược này có hợp chất Phyto Estrogen – tương tự với nội tiết tố nữ Estrogen, giúp cân bằng và duy trì sắc đẹp, sức khỏe và sinh lý cho nữ giới trong giai đoạn mãn kinh và tiền mãn kinh.

🔹 Sâm tố nữ có thể được xem là “món quà” mà thiên nhiên dành tặng phái nữ, bởi nhiều công dụng như:

• Bổ sung Estrogen và cân bằng nội tiết tố nữ hiệu quả.

• Giảm các triệu chứng mãn kinh như bốc hỏa, kinh nguyệt không đều…

• Giúp hỗ trợ sản sinh Collagen, làm đẹp da, tóc…

• Tăng cường sức khỏe xương khớp, chống oxy hóa tốt cho cơ thể.

• Hỗ trợ phòng ngừa và ức chế các tế bào ung thư.

• Hỗ trợ cải thiện sức khỏe tim mạch, não bộ. 

🔹 Liều lượng an toàn được khuyến cáo sử dụng sâm tố nữ là khoảng 25 – 100mg/ngày. Tuy nhiên, tuy nhiên tùy theo cơ địa mỗi người, tốt nhất bạn nên tham khảo ý kiến bác sĩ.

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🔸 Viên uống 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫 là thực phẩm bảo vệ sức khỏe ứng dụng công nghệ Peptide, giúp hỗ trợ giảm các triệu chứng bốc hỏa, nhăn da, khô da, suy giảm sinh lý do suy giảm nội tiết tố.

🔸 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫 ra đời nhằm đáp ứng các mong muốn hỗ trợ tái tạo cấu trúc nền da, giảm thâm nám,… Đồng thời hỗ trợ cân bằng nội tiết tố mà nguyên nhân do rối loạn hormone gây ra.

🔸 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫 có thể sử dụng được cho cả đàn ông và phụ nữ. 

🔸 Lưu ý:

• Thực phẩm này không phải là thuốc, không có tác dụng thay thế thuốc chữa bệnh.

• Không sử dụng cho người bị u xơ tử cung, u vú, người mẫn cảm, kiêng kỵ với bất kỳ thành phần nào của sản phẩm.

• Người đang dùng thuốc tham khảo ý kiến của chuyên gia y tế trước khi sử dụng. 

🌐 Xem chi tiết sản phẩm tại: https://mediworld.vn/san-pham/restructurer/

[codenameyan]

Read the original fic in its full glory.

Huge thank you to @big-cheesy-productions for writing such an amazing, heartbreaking fic, and for helping me iron out some writing bumps I had trouble with. ❤️

First of (hopefully) many from my 'I draw your one-shot fics' initiative.

[tendermiasma]

My contract with Powerhouse ends in September,

so I'm looking for work!

✨My Patreon (18+) will be my only guaranteed income for an unknown amount of time. I'll be posting more and expanding to include exclusive sfw art (BG3, Elden Ring, Vampire Hunter D, occasional tutorial/breakdowns etc) as much as I can.

If you've been eyeing it, it's a great time to join! I'm so grateful to all my patrons.

✨You do not have to pay for every post even though it's per-creation. It can function just like a monthly sub.

Most people set their pledge cap to $4 so they're only billed for the first post of each month and none for the subsequent posts (you'll still get to see all of them). Any higher pledge cap or tier is purely optional.

Thank you always for your support xx

[otrebot]

Chainsaw Man Chapter 179 Oh Mother, tell your children not to do what I have done.

[blondebrainpowered]

Martin Luther King Jr.

[trek-tracks]

In the absence of any on-screen confirmation of McCoy's eventual death...

[novaalexanderwrites]

WIP themes Tag!

@at-thezenith tagged me a few days ago! Thanks friend, I'm so excited to talk about my WIP with y'all 💖

I'm going to be doing it for Restructure, the sequel to Blood and Thorns because I'm ALMOST completely done with B&T which means I can finish up Restructure soon and share it which I'm so excited for :D

addiction | beauty | betrayal | change vs. tradition | chaos vs. order | circle of life | coming of age | communication | convention vs. rebellion | corruption | courage | crime and law | dangers of ignorance | darkness and light | death | desire to escape | dreams | displacement | empowerment | facing darkness | facing reality | faith vs. doubt | fall from grace | fame and fortune | family | fate | fear | fear of failure | free will | friendship | fulfillment | good vs bad | government | greed | guilt and forgiveness | hard work | heroism | hierarchy | honesty | hope | identity crisis | immortality | independence | individual vs. society | inner vs. outer strength | innocence | injustice | isolation | knowledge vs. ignorance | life | loneliness | lost love | love | man vs. nature | manipulation | materialism | motherparenthood | nature | nature vs. nurture | oppression | optimism | peer pressure | poverty | power | power of words | prejudice | pride | progress | quest | racism | rebirth | relationships | religion | responsibility | revenge | sacrifice | secrets | self-awareness | self-preservation | self-reliance | sexuality | social class structure | survival | technology | temptation and destruction | time | totalitarianism | weakness | vanity | war | wealth | wisdom of experience | youth

This was so fun but I feel like maybe I've got too many themes. Or maybe not? The more the merrier, perhaps?

Tagging: @asterhaze @holdmyteaplease @missaddledmiss @desastreus @aalinaaaaaa - and you, if you'd like to do it too!

[red-pearl-white-flower]

So I read Sha Po Lang...

[aropride]

i hate my stupid neighbors and their fuck ass lawnmower (remembers im talking to #Leftists) i mean. i would like to call-in my neighbors and comrades to discuss the harm they have caused & how we will go about reconciliation from a restorative justice perspective. the harm caused by their thrice-weekly or often more frequent lawnmowing has been destabilizing our community for some time and in order to function effectively as a community and as comrades we must bring attention to this matter in a restorative, anti-carceral process of collaboration

[superbat-lmao]

An au where Clark is River Song and Bruce is the Doctor.

Superman and Batman’s timelines are happening in reverse.

A Clark who knows Bruce, better than anyone, and standing before him seeing absolutely no recognition in his eyes. Knowing that he’s about to die and his husband has no clue who he is.

A Bruce that lives with the knowledge of how his husband will die the entire time he gets to know him. No interaction of theirs is untainted by this knowledge.

The both of them, falling in love in reverse.

[dvchvnde]

excerpt; best friend's dad | John Price x Reader infidelity. age gap.

He breaks your heart in Greece. Cuts a jagged line down your middle. Spills your wet, sticky blood over the Naxian marble outside of the Temple of Apollo with just a handful of words.

(fitting, you find: you've always considered your aimless pursuit to his heart some bastardised delusion akin to Icarus chasing the immovable sun—)

And you suppose it's kind. Or as gentle as a man like him could ever let himself be. Still gruff, surly. But you've always loved the sound of his voice, haven't you? That sarky growl reminding you of classic muscle cars, American-made; the low, gritty purr of an old Mustang. Enough to make you shiver, even as he's shaping it around these awful, cutting words. It makes you heart flutter, enraptured as he speaks like he's ripping a bandaid off.

Except that now that wound is being filled with salt. Acid. Cauterising itself from the friction burn when the gauze is wrenched off your skin. A permanent scar right in your sternum. A gaping hole spilling all the ugliness out. You wonder if he cares that it's being slashed across his shoes—no sandals, he griped when you teased him in the airport; I hate the feelin' of sand between my toes—that this madness inside of you is finding a home on the hot pavement, rotting under the summer's sun.

"m'thinkin' about marryin' her."

The her in question is ten years older than him. Pettily, you wonder if this is to compensate for the fact that he's nearly two decades older than you. An obscene age gap, you know. But—

It's Price.

Your best friend's dad. The man you've been in love with since you were sixteen. Falling all over yourself after a dumb boy broke your heart, and he offered to drive you home, silent the whole way there before he stopped, a block away from your house, and told you that boys weren't worth your time. Boys. Boys—

Not men.

Foolishly, you let yourself hope. Let yourself become the very thing they talk about in TikTok videos lambasting age gaps and silly little girls who let older men run them into the ground. Why would a man his age have any reason to be interested in a girl yours? Sickening. Disgusting. You're being lead stray, groomed. But you clung to it still, even as you thumbed through the comments on those videos and found pieces of yourself lying among the rubble.

You've always known what they say about girls like that. And you were just delusional enough to believe that you were different somehow.

And now—

"Gettin' older," he grouses out, and you wonder if she finds the ornery lilt to his cadence as comforting as you do. Or if it rubs her all the wrong ways. "Might be time to settle down."

Shamefully, you wish he'd say, but maybe you can convince me otherwise, climb into my lap, and eat this decision from between my teeth until all I see when I open my eyes is you.

But that's not the John Price you know. Mr Price. Single dad. Widower. Untouchable.

Mr Price who sees you for what you are—smarter than them, he'd said when you broke down in his Bronco after a softball game where everyone, your best friend included, went to an afterparty that no one invited you to.

Quiet, thoughtful, even when you spent the evening afterwards (the fight hashed out between your best friend and you; i'm so sorry and me too) thumbing through old vinyl records he kept in his basement, listening to the classics that kids your age just didn't understand, so why the fuck do you?

Weekends spent bonding over golden cinema (movies just ain't what they used to be; there's no romance anymore, it's all so—vapid; you don't talk like a kid; i've never considered myself one, do you? he didn't answer. you didn't expect him to). Listening to music older than your dad. Niche jokes and texts that read like I saw this and thought of you.

Your fault, of course, for thinking you could trick him into loving you if you played your feelings through Johnny Cash, Vashti Bunyan, Fleetwood Mac, and Smokey Robinson. An impossibility you know now.

Mr Price who knows you. Who sees through the thin skin you wear and into the heart, the core of you. Who must have known since you called him in the pouring rain to pick you up when you got too drunk to drive home. A house party in the suburbs. Waterlogged flats he told you to toss.

Said nothing at all when you apologised with your head pressed against the foggy glass. You never told him that your sorry, Mr Price was for kissing a boy and wishing it was him.

But he must have known.

open book. pages spilling out. silly little girl with your heart cupped in your palm—

So he knows. Has known. Hindsight says this is him letting you down gently before you get any ideas about forever with your diploma tucked into your chest like a shield. A trip to Greece with your best friend and her dad to celebrate the rest of your life looming over you like a thundercloud. Your eye slanting sideways, glancing yearningly back at him.

sorry, but no. look the other way—

And you think fine, fine, whatever, so long as this doesn't hurt anymore—but what comes out is, "oh."

What follows is this:

He says he's thinking about marrying her with his hands tucked tight under his arms. He tells you he wants to settle down with his chin tucked against his chest, four lines rucked across the pinch of his brow. An emphasis, perhaps, on just how serious he is.

You taste salt in your throat. Sand between your toes. The sun blisters against the thin straps of this pretty blue dress that match the melting sapphire of his burning gaze. It's heatsickness, maybe. Or just all the years of want building and building, festering and growing, until it can't climb any higher—forever reaching for god that won't spare you a glance—and—

falling down around you. wings of beeswax and bird feathers.

Solemn, he says, "it's what I should do."

(i saw this and thought of you—)

Your fingers knot into the soft cotton of his dress shirt, pulling the fabric taut between your knuckles until it peels back from the seams, curling between buttons.

You've had too much to drink. Whiskey sour. Scotch neat. Somewhere along the walk to the temple, you snatched a puff of his cigar, the nicotine blooming between your teeth. Head full of cotton too thick for you to think. To retreat.

In the morning, when he refuses to look at you, you'll blame it on the drinks. On the sun. On being young and dumb and untouchable under the Greecian sky.

Daddy issues, you can shrug. You have the diagnoses from every single TikTok psychologist embedded between your teeth. See, mine never loved me and now I'm taking it out on you—

But right now, you kiss him.

Or maybe—

Maybe he kisses you.

It's a mess in your head. Everything turned upside down, all askew because when your lips touch his, he shudders. His chest rumbles under your fingers, expanding with the sudden inhale as he breathes you in. Deep. Takes you into his lungs—all salt-slick, and sunburnt—and groans low in his throat, all want. All heat.

He should push you away. He's your best friend's father. Two decades older than you. Dating another woman who's so far removed from the person you are that she might as well be a different species. Mature. Stoic. Poised. Graceful.

The perfect antithesis to you.

Everything about this must be ringing shrill in his ears: abort, abort, do not engage. He should push you off.

And he does.

After a moment of your greedy, unpractised kisses pepper along the bristles hanging low over his lips, he makes another sound. Angry. Whitehot. His hands slip free from the damp prison of his armpits and latch tight onto you. Thick, hirsute fingers curling over your upper arms, and pushing, shoving—

Your back hits the marble pillar. The air in your lungs punched out.

But when you try to siphon more balmy air into them again, you find an obstacle in your way.

His mouth.

Searing, blistering. Slanting hungrily across yours, devouring. Intense, dizzying. Your head cracks against the wall when he shoves his thigh between the silken softness of your inner thighs, blanketed by the dress that made him swallow when he first saw you in it, eyes darkening like a storm.

(bit short, ain't it? he'd groused, and your friend slipped her hand into yours with a huff. stop being such a dad, dad—)

It slots there now like it's owed the right. Thick thigh spreading yours apart on a gasp, a groan. Corded muscle pressed taut to the seam of you that burns hot. Melted wax. Dripping against his leg. He must feel the way he liquifies you, turns you into putty. It drags a sound his chest. The misfire of an engine.

"Fuck," he breathes, all teeth. Salt. He should be saying, no, stop. go back to your hotel room, and we'll pretend this never happened, silly girl. But he pulls you closer instead, his hand looping around to cradle the back of your tender head in the cup of his palm. A small comfort as he delves his tongue between your teeth. "Makin' me lose my goddamn mind—"

The words are growled against your mouth. You taste the tobacco-smoked fury between his teeth when they sink into your lower lip. Angry, maybe, that you're making him do this. That you had to be who you are, and despite that, he kisses you like you're not.

"Price," you whine, arching into his chest when he pulls at your bottom lip still caught between his teeth. Skin tender, bruised. He ruts into you at the sound, nearly purring. You feel it then. The hard press of his thickening cock against you. Mindlessly gyrating against your hip. The turgid length proof of his desire. His want for you. All you. "Please—"

He folds himself over you. Tucks you into the bracket of his chest, his arms. His fingers are iron bars on your skin, holding you tight to him. Unwilling to let go. His hand on your crown; his fingers gripping your thigh, hiking it up his waist. It's good. Better than all of your meagre fantasies combined. You've wanted this since you knew what want was. When he wandered into the kitchen the morning after a sleepover with a towel slung loose around his hips, his hand scrubbing the damness from the wet tangle of his hair, spilling them down his neck where they disappeared into the thick bed of hair on his chest, his belly.

He paused in the doorway when he saw you sitting at the island, eyes wide and drilling holes into his chest.

"Shit," he'd cussed, gruff and mean with sleep. "Didn't think—"

But you did. Over and over again. With your face pressed against your pillow, fingers shoved into the sticky wetness leaking out of your cunt. Thinking of him. Wrong. Wrong. Terrible—

Dad bod, your friend said with a cluck of her tongue that afternoon. And you feel it under your fists as he heaves. As he eats you alive, whole. Because kissing John Price, Mr Price, is a whirlwind. A maelstrom.

He devours. He conquers. He owns.

He licks into your mouth, petting over your tongue, your teeth, until you can't remember anything else except the tobacco and whiskey tang of him. Heady. An elixir you want to sip from for the rest of your life. Damn him—

He tells you he's thinking about marrying someone else. Then whispers, ash-soft, against your chin that he can't get enough of you.

Grunts, "you need to go," as he sinks his teeth down, hard, into the throbbing skin of your pulse. Laying claim as he slowly comes to.

The coarse hair of his beard rubs your flesh raw when he buries his face into your neck. You can feel the thunder of his heart against the knob of your wrist. The heat of his skin burning through you.

"Fuck," he rumbles again, and you know this time it's for good. Ironclad. But the remorse is paperthin. "Shouldn't have done that, should have—"

"I want you," you whisper through bruised, kiss-bitten lips. "I want you so bad. I loved you since I was—"

"Don't."

The sweat beading along his hairline smears across the naked arch of your shoulder and neck when he moves; a shallow shake of his head. Muted and small. Heavy with reluctance.

The man who meets you when he pulls back is frowning with wet, red-stained lips. His eyes are hardened sapphire reinforced with unbreakable obsidian. There's no inch to move. No cracks to squeeze through.

"This—" he swallows. You hope he tastes you still. Whiskey sour. Scotch neat. The drag of his cigar, the one he coached you through, scoffing when you choked, when you cough. You hope he runs his tongue over his teeth and tastes nothing but you. "This shouldn't have happened."

You don't say anything. Can't. The words are staining his lips.

You nod, slow. Cautious. He tells you he's marrying someone else. Thinking about it. Says this shouldn't have happened—

But he holds you like he can't bring himself to let go. Fingers clutching, clenching tight around you. Possessive. Greedy, even he as he slowly unspools from around you. As he pulls away, scouring his hand down his face with a deep, ragged inhale. Rough, worn fingers digging into his jaw until the knuckles under a dense cropping of umber hair turn white, nails pinking under the strain.

"This isn't—"

You nod again. Soft and slow, but you let your tongue flicker out, chasing the smoke drying on your swollen lips. It stings. The burn makes you think of him. Of his hot, heavy hands on your skin.

His eyes drop down to follow the slip of red that teases out between your teeth, blackening as they trace the new wetness left behind. You can feel him twitch against your thigh.

Your name is a broken snarl trapped in the thick of his throat. You've never heard it like that. Never. It does something. Lights you up from the inside out. Supernova in his arms. Icarus burning, crashing down to earth—

Catch me, Apollo—

He pulls away instead. Detaches from you with a heavy groan, as if the distance that now sits between you hurts him just as much.

The silence is broken by the sound of the crowd just beyond the pillar. You can see the moment it settles over him in the flattening of his eyes, the erasure of all affection that bloomed bright in blue. The terse set to his shoulders. The distance, the space, that grows and grows and grows—

He clears his throat. Mr Price once more. Untouchable. Off-limits.

"You should go," he says, and there's not an ounce of give in the rough flatline of his voice. Fixed. Firm. "You should go back to your hotel room. Come on. I'll call you a taxi."

"And you?"

He sucks in a breath through his nose, nostrils flaring. "Don't worry about me. Just—go back to the hotel room. We can—we'll talk in the morning."

"Where'd you?" She asks when you crawl into bed, the starchy sheets rubbing against your sunbitten skin.

There is a deluge of things you want to say. Things like—

I'm sorry. I love him. I—

can't let go.

"I think I just got my heart broken," you say instead, and wonder when the tears are supposed to come. At the wedding, maybe. But right now, you just feel numb. Empty.

The bed creaks when she rolls over, facing you in the dark. "Really? Didn't know you were, you know, foolin' around with anyone."

"I wasn't. It's—" your dad. But you can't say that, can you?

There's something painfully nostalgic about loving a man you're not supposed to want. A man who cannot, should not, want you back. An unrequited love in a foreign land. Unconsummated in the summer's heart. Sticky, bittersweet heartbreak.

Or, that's what it's supposed to be.

They are not John Price, though. Your best friend's dad. And they didn't kiss you back—

But he did.

And you think it's the worst thing he could have ever done.