#everyone needs to know that this is what it's like to be friends with bre

[apassingbird]

bre @magentamee who has known me for almost two years and has heard me speak swedish and has my swedish adress and knows i live in sweden: so.... are u swedish or what lol

[dovveri]

aftermath

bachelorette masterlist - part 1 ▸ part 2 ▸ part 3 ▸ part 4 ▸ part 5 ▸ part 6

synopsis: the finale! and then the afterparty :')

warnings: suggestive, cursing, sana kisses a fictional man im sorry

w/c: 2.9k

a/n: surprise! double feature release! bcs theyre both quite short compared to the other chapters and i lwk just wanted to close this series and be done with it - im v happy w and vvvv grateful for all the support ive received w this - it was my first ever published fic and 36.7k words later im pretty happy w how it ends :)) stay healthy and safe!! mwah <3

⊱✿⊰

true to her word, sana ended up telling everyone that she had gained feelings for you during the filming experience. you had wanted to go with her but she insisted it would be easier for those who had gained feelings for her to accept it if you weren't there. so you were stuck at home, twiddling your thumbs watching reruns of the last few episodes anxiously waiting for her to come home.

you're up in seconds when you hear the door click open softly, rushing to greet her.

"hey! how'd they take it?"

sana's a little surprised to see you in such a hurry, but recovers quickly, smiling and tilting your chin down to peck you sweetly.

"hello to you too. they were okay." you help her organise her things as she settles in, "jihyo was obviously eliminated after house visits like i promised i'd do. i still have a soft spot for her but it was easier to talk to the other three when she wasn't there, probably because i could get my entire story across uninterrupted. unfortunately, jiwon decided to forfeit herself after the news which she has every right to do. the producers are going to mark it off as a family emergency and say she can no longer participate in the filming."

"oh... and the other two?"

"momo took it pretty hard, but jacky seemed to already have a clue what was going on. they both agreed to stay on until the end of the season though. i still feel terrible for having to put them through this, especially the last 2 dates with each of them, knowing that they don't have a chance with me anymore..."

"hey, it's okay. they agreed to stay right? they're being good friends right now and feeling bad or sorry for them and not giving it your all for the last few days isn't going to be helpful for them."

she sighs, "you're right. after all this craziness is over i'll definitely try and do something for them."

you smile, pecking her temple, "and i'll help you."

⊱✿⊰

because there were no more group dates, and the season would end after the final 2 dates and the decision sana makes, you weren't really needed for the filming of the rest of the season.

so most of your time was spent at home, lounging around in the pool or in the kitchen while sana was out on extravagant dates not with you, and completely bored out of your mind.

at nights, you'd bound excitedly up to sana and find out what adventure she went on, completely attached to her, even sitting on top of the toilet seat while she was in the shower so you were never apart. the seperation anxiety for just a few hours was definitely something that caught you a little off guard but after spending practically every minute together while filming, combined with your newfound romantic love for her, you couldn't bear being apart from her.

soon enough, the final day of filming came. it was set in this beautiful meadow with flower strands that reached mid-calf. sana was in the most perfect sundress, like she belonged in the meadow, like she was aphrodite herself born not from the sea, but the flowers.

typically, the final choice is snapped together with flashy editing between tension building scenes of sana walking up to both of the final contestants in two different settings. they filmed her rejection shot the day before already, so there wasn't much suspense watching as sana walked through the meadow towards her final choice. not that there needed to be, you were enthralled enough just being able to take in the breathtaking view that was minatozaki sana, just imagining it was you she was walking gently towards.

but it wasn't. and the mindless chatter of the cameras and crew served to remind you that again, you had to stand in the background while the love of your life confessed to someone that wasn't you. no amount of reassurance from her would be able to get the feeling of utter despair out of you.

⊱✿⊰

sana walks forward with a gentle, rehearsed smile.

"hi."

"hey sana."

"how are you feeling?"

"could be better. i'm either about to have my heart broken in front of the entirety of korea and my family back home or i'm about to be able to call the most beautiful girl on the planet my girlfriend. pretty big moment."

sana giggles, "welll... jacky... regardless of the outcome-"

"oooooh that word's not a great sign is it?"

she hushes him, "shhh, just let me finish. jacky... the time on this show, the time you've given me, has been absolutely incredible. from the first time i met you with your charming smile and lively wit, it was hard to forget your dual entrance with eunji, both of you looking absolutely dapper in your suits. and then on our individual date, you dared to go on that hot air balloon at the asscrack of dawn to watch the sunrise with me, and even though i'm not totally sure if you did see it or not, the fact that you went up there, and you overcame that fear, it was so inspiring and courageous of you. it was that moment that really made me realise the kind of person you were, and the courage, and fun you'd bring into a relationship, and even to a family in the future. that is... if you wanted to officially become my boyfriend?" she finishes her piece with a shy smile, a strand of hair falling cinematically over her face while she peers up at him under her eyelashes.

jacky gapes a little, and then he's grinning, hoisting her up in a whoop and spinning her around on the spot, stopping finally to plant his lips on hers.

when they break apart, they both have the widest smiles on their faces, eyes glowing in adoration of each other.

"yes! yes of course i'd be honoured sana! i hope to spend the rest of our lives together until we grow old and wrinkly and our kids have to come dote on us in the retirement home while we annoy them with how unbelievably cute we are even in our old age. and i look forward to watching reruns of our season and being able to show our kids how absolutely gorgeous their mom looked and how incredibly lucky i got being able to be the one at the end of it all!"

there are happy tears and more kisses, hugs, and spins, and with that, the bachelorette season for 2024, is officially over.

⊱✿⊰

"eugh, did you seriously kiss him?"

sana throws the popcorn at you playfully, "yes but it was all planned babe and you're a way better kisser anyway."

"show me."

"oh i will." sana grins, sliding into your lap, pushing the bag of popcorn aside, lips immediately finding yours while the credits for the final bachelorette episode run in the background.

you smile into the kiss, hands finding their place naturally on her waist while her hands cup your face, tilting her head slightly to angle the kiss better.

she breaks away with an over-exaggerated smack that has you rolling your eyes and wiping at your lips in mock disgust.

"so now that the final episode is out... are we allowed to be seen in public together yet?" you're voice is whiny, pleading with her.

she coos, "my little babyy, i thought you weren't big on pda?"

"well i'm not but i'm sick of everyone thinking that you're with someone that's not me!"

sana giggles, "just think how this is for jacky right now. poor eunji..."

you scoff, "eunji will be fine. she's never been one to care about what the public thinks anyway."

"everyone says that but no-one is immune to societal pressure." she boops your nose with her finger gently, "but to answer your question, yes. we'll be able to go public soon i promise. and soon enough the tabloids will get bored of me and move on to the next big celebrity or whatever anyways so it'll be fine. now c'mon, we gotta get ready for the reunion, get your cute lil butt into your fit for the night."

you groan, pulling her back down when she tries to move off of you, "nooooo one more movie?"

sana laughs, pushing you out of her neck, "absolutely not. i'm not gonna be the only star for tonight, this time we're both gonna be the centre of attention, and we cannot be late! i swear if we don't get ready now you're sleeping here on the couch tonight."

"what?! you wouldn't!"

"i would."

"you couldn't survive without cuddles anyway."

"i can replace you with mr. bean."

"not my arch nemesis... i knew winning that bear for you was a bad decision... i'll rip off his stuffed head..."

sana laughs freely, "as if winning was a decision for you. you went back to that stall like 6 times."

"i should've left him there the 5th time..."

"nope! so if you don't want me getting all close and personal with him tonight you're gonna come get ready now with no funny business."

she stands up and you let her, your hands still attached as she pulls you up as well.

you smirk, "what funny business? i never pull any funny business!"

"yeah like the time you fucked me in a bathroom while everyone was waiting for us outside to start filming for national television. and then did it again at a public amusement park like a week later."

"i don't recall you saying no."

"well i'm saying no funny business now."

"okaaaaaayyyyy." you grin, fingers crossed behind your back while you follow her to your room to get dressed.

⊱✿⊰

"y/n!"

"miyeon oh my god!"

miyeon's running towards you with her arms outstretched, easily wrapping them around you the moment she sees you.

you laugh into her, hand still held in sana's while you greet her.

"sana too hi!"

miyeon breaks away from you easily, going in to hug your girlfriend with her everlasting friendliness.

"how are you guys!? i heard through the grapevine that after the filming ended you were finally able to get together officially, even though you kinda had to keep it on the down low so it wasn't like publicly official but it's a step further?"

you laugh, "awwwh yeah you heard right, but now that the show is officially over..." you bring you and sana's intertwined hands up to your lips, kissing her knuckles, "we can say we're officially together!"

miyeon squeals happily, "yay! i'm so happy for both of you. really. no jealousy sana?"

sana laughs as well, hitting miyeon playfully, "noo don't remind me."

"oh i'm afraid it's permanent now. unless they burn every single copy of this season the day you broke my heart is forever recorded in history."

"oh god... y/n... swear to me you'll never show this to our kids."

"can't do that babe. gotta show them their mom in her prime. the sweetheart of korea at one point in her life."

"just one point?"

"sweetheart of mine for my whole life obviously."

sana grins, kissing you cheesily, miyeon doesn't even mind, simply happy to see both her friends together.

"are jacky and eunji here?" you ask miyeon when you break away with a smile.

"i haven't seen them but i also haven't said hi to everyone yet. c'mon let's go!" she leads you into the garden where the party's being hosted.

you and sana are attached by the hip, if one of you has to let go of the other's hand, another body part will eventually replace it, your skin contact is constant, never parting from one another while you greeted all the old contestants.

some were still a little surprised to see that sana had come with you in hand and not with jacky, but she explained what happened patiently, apologising for the confusion.

"jacky! eunji!" sana spots them first, calling them out.

you grin at the sight of them, wearing matching suits, hand in hand, waving them down.

"hey couple of the hour! how are you guys faring tonight?"

"oh says you. finally got the girl jacky?"

jacky blushes, "crazy how things turned out right? just two sets of best friends realising they're in love with each other and not the person they're both dating. kinda lucky it turned out that way so we could fake that finale sana. it's just a shame for momo..."

"yeah i felt terrible especially after all she did with that home visit in japan. but i talked to her after filming ended and we actually get along really well as friends, we have so much more in common and so much more to talk about when we're not in a controlled environment like the filmset!"

"you guys talking about me?"

you turn in a flash, surprised but excited to see momo coming up behind you.

"momoring!"

sana goes in for a hug first, which momo gladly returns with a giggle.

"hi everyone. it's nice to see you all again outside of the filming."

"of course! it's great to see you again too. how have you been holding up?"

"oh alright. i was contacted already to be on the next season of bachelor in paradise which is always just a massive orgy i swear, so i won't be going on, but i heard jiwon accepted a place!"

sana pouts, "i hope jiwon's okay... she's the only finalist i haven't talked to since breaking the news. i thought it'd be too soon to reach out to her after she left..."

"you talked to me right?" momo playfully nudges sana's shoulder, "jiwon's doing better. she's happy for you both, really. and she's getting her second chance so there's really nothing she's complaining about."

sana smiles gratefully, "i'm glad."

momo turns her attention to the other couple, "and jacky, eunji! i can't believe you guys got together in the end! i mean i was pretty oblivious in the house but nayeon always swore there was something between you two. guess she was right."

eunji laughs, "it came as a surprise to the both of us as well. i guess we just spent so much time together in the house that it was a lot like old times and then when seeing each other go off with sana and realising we weren't jealous of each other but jealous of sana, well that did it!"

"this entire thing is honestly just a mess of feelings. i don't know how you guys do it as contestants. i had a hard enough time not even being a part of the competition."

"to be fair you did kinda insert yourself in pretty heavily when you started sleeping with sana."

"hey!"

there's laughs and teasing all round. the night goes on like this, in the company of people you've grown easily close to in a very short amount of time, and holding hands with the woman you fell in love with.

⊱✿⊰

"sana, y/n, can i steal you both for a minute?"

you both turn, surprised to see jihyo there, looking a little sheepish. you squeeze sana's hand, looking to her for confirmation. she nods, clearing her throat, "yeah. sure jihyo."

jihyo leads you to a quieter clearing, then stands in front of the both of you, eyes on the ground, awkwardly rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"i just wanted to say i'm sorry for how i acted the last time we saw each other. i was jealous and petty for bringing sungbin and i wanted to throw sana off her game so that she'd admit she was in love with you on national television. i went into it wanting to embarass sana and i'm sorry."

sana sighs, gripping your hand reassuringly, "we know. it's okay jihyo. i'm sorry about how it went down between us. i do hope you find the right person one day."

jihyo looks up then, "thank you. really. and it probably doesn't mean a lot coming from me but i am glad the two of you ended up finding each other. she makes you happier than i've ever seen you sana. i genuinely hope for all the best for the both of you."

"thank you jihyo." sana smiles at you then, and you return it softly. "she does make me really happy."

"after some time... maybe you could both come by again? my siblings and my parents miss you lots and i'd like to make it up to both of you for the last time you were there."

"we'd love to. thank you jihyo."

jihyo smiles gratefully, bowing and leaving the two of you alone.

sana sighs, turning to you and looping her arms around your neck.

"you okay?"

she hums, closing her eyes and pressing her forehead against yours. "never better."

you giggle, stealing a quick kiss, "the headlines are gonna get pretty crazy once they get wind of the current couples."

"let them have their drama. all i need is you."

"cheesy."

"you love it."

"i love you."

"i love you too." she grins, bringing you into another kiss, sealing the love you have for each other between your lips.

[bgomtori]

☆ blue orangeade - k.th

synopsis -> two total opposites but still somehow finding a connection with one another

-> sporty! taehyun x school pres! reader

-> opposites attract, mutual pinning, slowburn.

-> note! mostly written only some smau parts, baller tyun.

you were the school's president, he was the basketball team's captain. you liked rnb music, he liked rap and hiphop. you enjoyed peaceful and quiet areas, he enjoyed going out to parties with his friends. you had outstanding grades, and was in the top class, while he had mediocre grades, and was in the bottom class. so when you admitted to your friend, chaewon, that you had a slight infactuation with him, her jaw dropped immediately.

"YOU WHAT????" she shouted, slamming the table while standing up, her jaw dropped. literally. you quickly placed a finger on your lips, shushing her, begging for her to sit down before she draws anymore unwanted attention to you two.

"it's just an admiration chae, i don't like him fully." you lied to her, with a nervous grin on your face. chaewon clicked her tongue, "you've said this before when we were younger! and you ended up liking the guy." you didn't know what to say, it was slightly true, but you didn't want to like him. you two were the total opposites, how would he ever like you. chaewon noticed your silence, deciding to interrupt your train of thought.

"do you even talk to him." chaewon questioned. you nodded your head slowly, you and taehyun have never had an actual conversation before, only some hi's and bye's in the hallway, and discussions about the funds for the basketball team.

"we talk? kind of.. we say hi and bye to each other, and talk about fundings, i dont know. but he's an interesting person." you sheepishly replied, not making any eye contact to chaewon. chaewon sighed loudly, signalling how done she is with you. you chuckled nervously.

"i'll try striking a conversation with him next time. trust me." you reassured her, convincing her that you would do something about it. she eyed you suspiciously, nodding slowly. you shoved your food in your mouth, acknowledging chaewon's intense gaze at you.

"yn!" a voice suddenly called out for you. turning around you see taehyun with his group of friends, they were smirking at him, with a knowing look on their faces. you tilted your head in confusion, your eyes kept glancing back at chaewon, signalling to her that you needed help. you were clueless on what to do.

"talk to him! it's a literal heaven sent chance." she whispered-shouted while leaning her body towards you. you quickly finished your food, still chewing it as you made your way towards taehyun.

"yea?" you asked, slightly muffled by the amount of food in your mouth. taehyun's hands felt clammy, which was slightly unusual, he just wanted to know if the funds for the next basketball competition went through or not.

"so, have the funds for the upcoming competition went through the principal? our coach needs to know by today." taehyun urged, you swallowed your food and nodded your head quickly, "mhm it went through already! good luck for the competition!" you exclaimed with a bright smile on your face, patting his firm shoulder, turning around back to chaewon who was wiggling her eyebrows, wanting to know how it went. you shook your head, taking your seat next to her.

"he makes me so nervous, i can't even hold a proper conversation with him." you sighed, laying your head on the table. chaewon rubbed your shoulder in encouragement, "maybe he's feeling the same, did you see how he was looking at you? man, if only i had someone look at me like that." your head immediately jolt up from the table, you weren't sulking anymore.

"HUH in what way." you shook chaewon, desperate fot an answer, she grabbed onto your arms to prevent you from shaking her any further, "i can tell, i just know." she smirked, her finger poking your cheek teasingly as you pouted in disappointment. suddenly the bell rang, signalling to everyone that break was over and lessons were about to begin. you bidded goodbye to chaewon before scurrying off to your classroom. taehyun watched from afar as you ran into the classroom, his eyes focused purely on you while you apologise to your classmate who you accidentally bumped into. unknowing to him, his lips slowly turned upwards, unconsciously smiling at your every move.

the teacher soon entered the classroom, causing the noise in the class to die down, chairs scraping on the floor as everyone stood up to greet the teacher. the second half of the school day begun, your eyes were already on the verge of closing, geography classes were extremely boring to you, dozing off every now and then before actually falling asleep. geography class passed by almost immediately since you were dead asleep, you woke up to a few pieces of paper on your table, you scanned through them, realising that they were the notes from the class. on the last piece of paper, the initials K.TH were scribbled messily at the bottom, with a small note off at the side, 'can we be friends? :) my number is ##' you turned around to the back of the class, just to find taehyun with his head down on his table, probably taking a short nap before the next teacher arrives. you catch yourself smiling at the paper, quickly slapping yourself to snap out of it. your hand reached from under your desk to get your phone in order to add taehyun's number into your contact list.

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

"yn! are you on the way to the meeting? our teacher is looking for you." chaewon shouted into your ear, you pulled your phone away from your eardrum, trying to spare them some mercy.

"yea, i had to talk to my chemistry teacher about something sorry-" you voice was cut off by suddenly bumping into someone. you paused to look up at the person who was infront of you. kang taehyun was standing there, looking down at you with his big, round eyes staring at you. you bowed and apologised, you could hear chaewon's voice shouting for you to answer. you quickened your pace, placing your phone back to your ear to reply to chaewon. taehyun wanted to speak with you, but you left too quickly, he watched as your figure slowly fading smaller and smaller. he bit his innercheek in irritation, grabbing his bag to make his way to the court.

"you finally came, we are 1/4 through the things we have to go through." the teacher explained, you took your seat beside chaewon as you ran through the already explained documents yourself. the entire student council meeting was tiring, and exhausting, especially for you. the teacher made you do most of the work, while rest had basically half of the workload you had. even if everyone was completed with coming up with the plans for the upcoming school festival, you still needed to sort them out and contact vendors, you basically needed to do everything to ensure that the festival would go smoothly. after what seemed like forever, the meeting was over, you looked at the sky, noticing that it was overcast. just your luck, you left your umbrella at home, now your bag was going to get wet under the rain.

"chaewon, you have an umbrella right? can you send me home?" you asked chaewon while you file up the papers into your file.

"ehh, sorry yn, i have dinner with my family after this, my relatives are coming over." chaewon informed you with an apologetic look, you let out an 'oh' sound without realising, but still waved chaewon goodbye. you walked towards the main gate, the heavy rain hitting the road, splashing onto your legs from time to time, the petrichor scent of the rain engulfing your sense of smell. you stood by the sheltered gate, hoping that the heavy shower will soon be lighter.

with your headphones covering your ears, your favourite tunes playing, tuning out the loud sounds of the rain hitting the ground, occassionally you'd look up to see if the rain had subsided. soon you heard loud voices echoing through the school, you turned around to see a group of basketball men coming towards your direction, you literally prayed for your life, hoping that they wouldn't shout directly beside you. as they approached closer, you increased the volume of your headphones, trying to cancel out the loud, obnoxious voices.

"isn't that yn? why's she still here." jay nudged taehyun as he moved his head to take a closer look. he was worried, shouldn't you be home by now?

"i think she doesn't have an umbrella to go home. taehyun, you like her right? use this chance to send her back." jake grinned with a teasing glint in his eyes. taehyun cussed at him while he laughed, asking the rest of the team to walk faster. you scrolled through your messages, replying them at the same time until you heard a quiet voice call out for you. you looked up in confusion, just to see taehyun holding onto his umbrella, his lips mouthing to you something. you paused your music, removing your headphones, letting them hang around your neck.

"it's really late, the rain doesn't seem like it'll stop. i'll send you home." taehyun offered, you were about to reject his kind gesture, but you noticed his desperate eyes, basically telling you to allow him to walk you home.

"alright.." you accepted, taehyun smiled, opening his umbrella. it was awfully silent, you felt super awkward. despite it being chilly, your face was warm, your hands were sweaty, everytime your hands brush against one another from time to time, you feel yourself internally scream. taehyun on the other hand, made sure that you would be completely dry, even if half of his body in soaked, he doesn't care. as long as you are dry and well, that's all that matters.

"thanks for the geography notes, i was really tired today, so the notes really helped." you choked out a sentence, trying to lift up the mood. taehyun smiled to himself, proud that he was able to help you in a small way, "you're welcome, it's nothing much though, so it's ok."

"oh right, the competition you're having, is it before or after the school festival?" you suddenly questioned, taehyun was taken aback, since when were you interested in basketball? "a week after, why'd you ask?" you were silent, you didn't know what to say, because you wanted to go to his game but you didn't want to tell him now. you were now tongue tied, trying to form your words, taehyun chuckled at your attempt to reply him, he could tell that you wanted to watch his games.

"you should come watch it, we're really good. especially me." he giggled, praising himself. you glared at him when he made that horrible compliment about himself.

"wait my house is just there, i'll run there." you suddenly exclaimed, taehyun was about to protest on how you were going to get wet but by the time he could say anything, you were gone, running in the rain towards your house. taehyun sighed, suddenly feeling a vibration in his pocket, realising that it's from an unknown number, he tapped on the contact, his ears immediately warming up

### : hey!! it's yn :)

### : thanks for sending me home, i'll treat you something one day or do anything you want me to do

### : get home safe

tyun ^..^ : hey yn, it's fine. remember to shower quickly, i dont want you sick.

ynn ♡ : aww, i will! i'll text you later.

taehyun's felt his stomach do sommersaults, he was so giddy. you literally said that you were going to text him later, was he crazy? did he read that right? he kept looking at your contact, making him bump into a street lamp on accident.

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

after weeks, you and taehyun have been getting closer, he'd always find an opportunity to send you home, even if he needed to rush home immediately after. everyone in school caught on with how close the two of you were, the school's president with the famous captain of the school's basketball team. everyone found it slightly odd how you two would even click, you had a good girl aura around you while taehyun had a slight bad boy vibe, not as bad as the rest of his basketball team, but about there.

"yn, over here." a voice called out for you, you turned around to see taehyun's head peaking out of the classroom, his hands directing you to go to where he was. you spun around, telling your friend group to wait for you in the cafeteria, apologising to them as they proudly pushed you towards taehyun's direction. you brisked up your pace, finally entering the classroom. you saw him sitting at his usual seat, his hands fiddling around with something.

"what is it tae?" you asked, pulling a seat next to taehyun. his hands immediately coming to a halt when you tried to peak over his shoulder to see whay he was doing.

"since, the festival is tomorrow, i want to have matching bracelets with you.. if it's ok with you." taehyun locked eyes with you, and felt his brain malfunction due to how close you two were, he was completely smitten to you. when you nodded your head, in agreement to his request. taehyun beamed brightly, pulling out the bracelets he was hiding under his table. you stared at it in awe, it was a matching gwen stacy and miles morales bracelet with a heart pendent attached to one side of the bracelet. the heart pendent was magnetic and could attach itself onto taehyun's matching heart pendent to create a full heart. the colours of the bracelet complimented your personalities as well, which was really cute. you could tell that taehyun put a lot of thought into it.

"it's really cute, i love it." you thanked, still admiring the bracelet. taehyun smiled softly at your actions, he found you adorable, no wonder he was so attracted to you.

"can you stay here with me till break is over, i'm too tired to ball in the court right now." taehyun pleaded, his head rested on your shoulder, taking in your scent while your hands lingered around his muscular arms, humming in response. soon enough, taehyun lifted his head up, looking into your eyes before turning to the side to grab something from his bag.

"wear this for the competition next week, you can keep it afterwards." staring at you with slight puppy eyes, wanting you to accept his jersey. that was his dream, his girl wearing his jersey to his competition or just in general. you took his jersey in hesitation, glancing at him, trying to make sure that he wasn't lying to you.

"i'll wear it for you." you grinned at him, taehyun felt his heart melt at your pretty smile, lord he was so drawn to you, he'd actually worship the ground you walk on. you're literally his ideal girl, smart, kind to everyone despite the circumstances, paitient, bubbly, just the perfect girl for him in conclusion.

"oh, the bell, i'll go back to my seat. i'll text you later." you patted taehyun's shoulder, placing the seat you took back to its original position before returning to your own seat, folding taehyun's jersey neatly to keep in your bag. the both of you continued on with your days as if you two didn't interact alone in the classroom earlier.

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

beeep

the referee blew the whistle, signalling the entire court that the match has offically started. the crowd of spectators, splited evenly with supporters from both schools, cheered for the school they were rooting for. your school had formed a chant for the boys, led by a group of boys who were also close friends with taehyun, everyone followed their lead, shouting their lungs out in unison. you and your friends joined in for the thrill of it, screaming as loud as you possibly could.

"taehyun's quite good, right yn?" yujin whispered shouted into your ear, loud enough for you to hear. you gasped, smacking her shoulders to shut up as she laughed loudly at your reaction. you watched as taehyun shoots the ball into the hoop and scoring with ease, his teammates running up to him, giving him a quick hi five before continuing on with the match.

the match was intense, points scored from each school one after another, it seemed like it was going to be a tie. however, down to the last ten minutes, the court quietened down, everyone watching the match intently, the shoes of the boys squeeking as they tried taking the ball away from the opposing team's grasp. you felt your heart beating in anticipation, you wanted your school to win so badly, you wanted to see taehyun and his team happy.

suddenly, taehyun ran towards the group and hit the ball out of the opposing team's hands, giving your school a chance to attack. taehyun hastily dribbled the ball towards the other end of the court, his teammates trailing behind him, shouting his name to just shoot. taehyun gulped anxiously, one slip up and everything will be ruined. he positioned himself perfectly, tossing the ball up, towards the basketball hoop. the ball circled around the rim, making everyone in the court stare at it in anticipation, your school praying and hoping that it'll go in while the opposing school supports prayed that it rebounded.

after what seemed like an eternity, the ball miraculously went through the hoop, as the referee blowed the final whistle, ending the match. the whole crowd cheered in pure glee, some even jumping off the standees, and over the barricades to run towards the boys to congratualate them. you ran forward towards the barricades, trying to spot taehyun. you saw as he was surrounded by his friends and team, getting jumped on for making such a clean winning shot for the school. you giggled to yourself at the scene unfolding infront of you, not realising that the two of you just made eye contact. his friend whispering into his ear, making his flustered. taehyun shrugged his friend, who was basically climbing on taehyun like a koala, off his shoulder to walk towards you.

"congrats tae!" you smiled at him, proud of his accomplishment. taehyun gave you a wink, "told you i'd do well." you glared at him, your jaw dropping at what he said.

"i'm leaving bye." you coldly said as a joke. taehyun chuckled, pulling back to the barricades, your faces only inches apart, your breathing hitched when you felt taehyun's hot breath on your skin. you wished you could hug him right now, but the only obstacle blocking the both of you from doing so was the flimsy metal barricade.

"can i?" taehyun asked suddenly, his eyes staring into yours fondly. you nod your head, feeling flustered already. in a second, his lips were already on yours, it was quick yet enjoyable. your face flushed, the boys in the background screaming and slapping each other, cheering for taehyun. you buried your face in taehyun's shoulder out of embarrassment. taehyun turned around to quickly flip them off before tilting your head up to look at him.

"i'll bring you out after this." taehyun informed you as you nodded your head, waving a quick bye to him before running out of the court to find your friends who were probably too tired to wait for you in the court. you were so giggly and bubbly as you started smacking your friends while telling them everything that just occurred.

[jordanli-dribbles]

Speechless

Jordan Li x fem!Reader | 1.6k Words

You weren't exclusive. You weren't even friends. You were just two people who had been paired up in a group project the previous semester and somehow kept ending up in each other's beds. The unspoken rules were clear to both of you: no strings, no drama, and most importantly, no attachments. You had no mutual friends, so your interactions were limited to class or late-night visits to each other's dorms. It was a straightforward arrangement that worked for the both of you, until it didn’t.

It was a Friday night when your best friend convinced you to attend one of Dusty's notorious off-campus parties. You weren't much of a party-goer, but you were bored, lonely and a bit irritated. You hadn't heard from Jordan in several weeks and they seem to be ignoring your messages so you needed a distraction. You were having a good time until your best friend decided to hook up with some guy, abandoning you. Luckily, you bumped into a girl you knew from the year before. She was cute and you enjoyed her company. She somehow convinced you to dance with her, and soon enough the two of you were dancing and grinding, as her hands freely wander around your touch starved body.

What you hadn't noticed however, was Jordan's eyes on you as soon as you walked into the house. They didn't expect to see you at the party; you never really went to these types of things. But they guessed they didn't really know you, not the way they wished. They had been deliberately avoiding you for the past few weeks. You consumed all their thoughts, and that frightened them, so they pushed you away.

They tried to engage with someone else, hoping a quick fuck would take you off their mind. Yet they found their eyes constantly drawn back to you. They couldn't bear the sight of another person touching you so intimately. Their jealousy quickly rising as they felt the overwhelming urge to stake their claim on you, to show everyone that you belonged to them and no one else. Watching the person lean in to kiss you was the last straw. Within seconds, they charged towards you, harshly pushing the person off you. You tried to object as they gripped your wrist, dragging you towards the nearest empty room.

“What the fuck, Jordan!” You angrily exclaimed before they pinned you against the door, forcefully pressing their lips onto yours. Their kisses were aggressive, and almost desperate. You pulled away, shocked and still angry. They ignored you for weeks and have the audacity to ruin your relatively good night. Just as you were about to speak, their lips found yours again. They kissed you hungrily, like a person gasping for air after resurfacing from the depths. Their hands slid under your dress, cupping you, evoking an involuntary moan from you. Before you could even protest, their fingers were inside of you. The sudden intrusion making you gasp, and your legs instinctively widening, betraying your indignation.

"Do you think she could fuck you the way I do, princess?" they growled into your ear, their fingers moving skillfully inside of you. Trailing kisses down your jaw and neck, sucking on your sensitive skin, leaving small bruises along the way. You whined and squirmed beneath them, your body a traitor. "Fuck…" you whimpered, their fingers still thrusting inside you, curling just enough to graze that spot that only they could find so easily. You couldn't help but rock your hips forward, your hands gripping the door behind you for balance, a loud moan escaping your lips. They pulled back to look into your eyes as their fingers continues to move expertly inside you. Your soft moans, and pleading eyes being the only answer they needed.

"No, princess. She wouldn't. No one will ever fuck you like I do," they said, biting your lower lip before reconnecting your lips in a feverish kiss. You were lost in pleasure. Your pussy dripping, as their fingers fucked your core.

Suddenly, they removed their fingers, you whined in protested. Your breath caught in your throat, and you felt your face flush as you watch them lick their fingers clean. You bit your lip as you stared at them. You felt exposed and vulnerable, unsure of what had sparked this change. Their possessiveness and raw passion a stark contrast to their usual indifferences. You had to admit you enjoyed this new side of them. It was exciting and exhilarating. You craved their touch, their attention. You were addicted.

They smirked at your disheveled state before cupping your sex once again, their eyes never leaving yours. A soft gasped leaves your lips as you feel their thumb slowly rubbing your clit. "Tell me, does she make you this wet, baby?" they whispered, their hot breath tickling your face. You opened your mouth, but no words left your lips. Your mind was blank. You whimpered, your body squirming against their touch, desperate for friction.

"Then who does, baby?" they demanded, their voice rough and commanding, biting into your shoulder. A moan escaped your lips once again, and you arched your back, trying to press your aching pussy into their hand. You let out a frustrated groan as they abruptly pulled away from your body once more, their hand no longer caressing your core. Their eyes darkened as they grabbed your neck, tilting your head up to meet their darken eyes. "Answer me," they demanded, slightly tightening their grip on your neck, eliciting a soft whimper from you.

You stare into their eyes, their gaze unwavering. Your mind was clouded by lust, your body ached for their touch, but you had never seen this side of them before. They were usually cold, detached, and distant. Their possessiveness surprising, yet extremely arousing. The intensity of their gaze made your heart beat faster.

"You…only you, Jordan," you profess, your breathing shallow and ragged.

They smiled at you, their dimples on full display. "Good girl," they replied, before leaning in and capturing your lips. You moaned softly as their tongue licked your bottom lip, granting them access. Their kiss was slow and tender, a contrast to their earlier aggressive ones. Your eyes closed as you surrendered yourself to the moment. You had missed them. The way their hands held you. The way they tasted. The way your body lit on fire from a single touch.

"I fucking missed you." they confessed against your neck, your mind going haywire with the admission. Their hand trailed down your stomach, until it finally reached its destination. You moaned loudly as their fingers teased your core before they slowly inserted their fingers into you. Your head was spinning, so much was happening at once, but all you could think about was the pleasure between your legs.

They began pumping their fingers in and out of you, their lips and tongue exploring the exposed skin of your neck and collarbone. You moaned and writhed under their touch. Your hands reached up and grasped their shoulders, your nails digging into the fabric of their shirt eliciting a growl of approval from them. "Fuck," you whimpered as they worked your sensitive bud, sending shocks through your entire body. “Your mine," they growled against your skin, curling their fingers to hit that spot they always seem to find. "Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine." they chanted against your skin, their voice deep and raspy. "J-Jordaaaan… fuck… please. I'm close" You moaned loudly, your thighs trembling, your muscles tightening.

"That's it, baby. Scream my name." They said as their fingers continue to rub circles over your clit, picking up the pace, pushing you closer to the edge. "I-I'm gonna… fuuuck... I'm gonna cum," you say through labored breaths, your walls tightening around their fingers.

"Cum for me, baby. I want everyone to know whose pussy this is," they groaned into your ear. Your whole body shuddered as you unraveled, screaming their name as your climax hits you like a freight train. Their fingers continue to move inside of you as you rode your high. Your head fell onto their chest as you try to catch your breath.

They place a soft kiss on your head as they remove their fingers, causing you whimper at the sensation. "I love the way you taste, baby," they moan as they lick their fingers clean, "Your so fucking addicting."

They give you a lopsided grin as they look down at you, bring their hand back up to softly caress your cheek. You were both silent, lost in each other's eyes as their thumb gently brushed your lower lip. "I don't want to share,” they said firmly, ”…not anymore.” You could see the sincerity in their eyes, the intensity of their gaze sending shivers down your spine. Your breath caught in your throat as the realization of what they were saying sunk in.

Their lips barely brushing against yours. "You're mine," they declared again, “Only mine.” Your heart fluttered, a swarm of butterflies taking flight in your stomach. Their eyes held an intensity you couldn't identify. Pausing, they studied you, their thumb gently tracing circles on your cheek. "Do you understand, princess?" they whispered, their forehead pressed against yours. Your eyes closed, savoring the sensation of their touch.

"Yours," you responded breathlessly, pulling back to look into their big brown eyes. Your hands moved up to wrap around their neck, your lips finding theirs. The kiss was slow and passionate, conveying the emotions that you couldn't verbalize. Your tongues danced, and your hands tangled in their hair, pulling them closer as their fingers trailed down your spine, making you shiver. You had no doubt in your mind that you were theirs.

This is the first time I'm write anything smutty, so it's only right that it's a mix of soft and jealous Jordan. Gifs by stannyramirez

[sweetiepoison]

Famous Baby (blurb)

The Concert

Song: “Silent” by Ashley Kutcher

The amount of times Auston called you overrated was roughly the same amount of times you called him self centered. So you never expected him to use one of the tickets you gave him for your show on himself, but there he was, surrounded by the five other ticket holders.

“Hey.” You greeted as politely as possible knowing this was his family surrounding him.

“Hey, these are my sisters Alex and Bre.” Auston first introduced you to the two girls you’ve seen in pictures.

They both sent you a wave and a smile which you thought was as far as it was going to go, but the younger one pipped up.

“When Auston gave us the tickets and told us he was friends with you, we didn’t actually believe him at first.”

“Bre.” Auston’s tone came off as a warning.

“Oh did he?” You laughed looking over at Auston for an explanation.

“I never used the word friends.” Auston clarified.

“Yes you did!” Bre exclaimed, “He surprised us with the tickets at a family dinner and when our nana asked who you were he said you were friends and a really talented singer.”

Your smile only grew as you gently nudged Auston’s arm, “talented huh?”

“That’s an exaggeration.”

“Sure it is.” You agreed sarcastically, but put an end to it by turning your attention to the younger girls who were the main reason for the invite.

“Hi!” You smiled brightly greeting the younger girls in front of you. They couldn’t be older than 10.

“This is Gracie and this is Paige.” Auston introduced the two girls.

“It’s so nice to meet you both, my name’s (y/n). I’m so exited that you could make it tonight.” Despite your best efforts the girls remained quiet and needed lots of prompting from there mom to talk. Nevertheless, you continued to talk about the show and asked them questions as well.

Auston would rather do skating drills before he ever admitted that he liked watching you interact with his family, but he did. The way you told his cousins the first song you were going to play but they had to promise to keep it a secret and how you included his sisters in choosing your outfit, those little things stuck with him.

Shortly after your introductions it was time for them to head to their seats and you to finish getting ready.

“Alright, popstar, let’s see what kind of overrated concert you put on.”

“It’ll be the best one you’ve ever been to, Matthews.” You reassured him.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” Auston warned you.

“Sit back, relax,” you smiled “and most importantly, enjoy.”

“I’ll try.”

“Oh you will.” You sent him a playful wink as you watched him walk away.

As your opener finished up on stage you took the time to compose yourself as best as you could. Despite years of performing you still got nervous before every show.

With one last final look in the mirror and a self encouraging mantra you were swept up by a stage manager. He held your waist as he practically carried you while speed walking down the hall.

“(Y/n) on the move, we’ll be at the starting marker in T minus 20 seconds.” He talked into his walkie talkie as he guided you down the hall.

“Lights have went down and band is in place.” You heard come back through the walkie talkie.

“Dancers are moving onto the stage now.” Another voice informed.

“10 seconds, countdown has started on the screen.” You could hear the screaming from the crowd intensify as your arrival on stage was now imminent.

“(Y/n)’s standing by ready to go.” You looked toward your team one final time to ensure that everything was in place.

“Good luck kiddio, leave it all out there.”

You placed your inner ear in which allowed you to hear yourself while singing as well as cues from the stage managers. “5….4….3….2….1, let’s have a good show everyone.”

As you entered through the side stage the screaming reached a level you didn’t even think possible. You took a second to feel the energy and the crowd before standing in position. You smiled singing your intro song, before taking a pause to greet the crowd.

“Hi Glendale! How are you feeling?” You were met with an explosion of screams and cheering, “It’s so nice to be here with all of you tonight!”

The night continued with you performing all of your tops hits. Song after song left you feeling more excited and satisfied as you fed off the crowds energy. Maybe it was the warm weather or the outdoor stadium, or the summer evening, but this show felt better than the last few. The band was playing at their best, all of the dancers were sharp and purposeful and you could feel that the show was a success even before it ended.

Your favorite part of every show had to be interacting with the audience.

“Okay this next song is about cursing an entire generational line.” You laughed as everyone started screaming knowing what it was from previous shows you’ve done with the same intro.

“It is a tribute to all the boys,” you emphasized the word boys “Not men, boys, because a man wouldn’t act like this.”

“And I want…” you scanned the front row on the left side of the stage, “you,” you pointed at a girl who just about passed out once she realized you were looking at her, “to introduce this next song.” She immediately handed her phone to her friend. “You can talk about a boy who ruined your life or just say you hate men, whatever works.”

You extended the mic to the security guard in front of the stage to hold for her.

“This next song is for all the lame ass boys who fumbled (y/n), it’s your loss, this is ‘Tummy Hurts!’

You laughed as the mic was handed back to you and your band began playing the intro to the song.

Auston couldn’t help but move his head to the beat of your catchy songs and at times he even hummed along to the ones that were on repeat on the radio.

It wasn’t just your voice that was amazing, but the lighting, the backgrounds, the choreography it was all mesmerizing. Auston thought it was overall a really good show. Even during the songs he didn’t know your stage presence was enough to keep him locked in.

“I have a new song to play for y’all if that’s alright?” Your question received a wave of people screaming yes which made you laugh. “Okay, it’s one that I’ve been writing and working on since tour has started. And we won’t end on this song I promise because it’s kind of a slower one, but I’m excited to share it. This is called, Silent.

You felt a mix between anxiety and excitement. You knew they would like the song but this is the first time anyone outside of your band would be hearing it. The thought of being this vulnerable made you not want to perform it at all. But you knew if you didn’t do this now, you would never release the song and it would end up never seeing the light of day.

You sat down on the chair placed in the middle of the stage and began strumming the opening chords on your guitar. Taking a deep breath and closing your eyes you began singing.

‘It’s 6 a.m. and we’re in your bed

And you're just looking at me with everything unsaid

I should go to sleep or just up and leave

I should call a car before I say what I might mean’

Auston’s heart began thumping in his chest. It was just the beginning of the song, but these lyrics were hitting a little too close to home.

Early in the morning with only a few hours of sleep in your system, you smacked Auston in the arm complaining about his snoring and how it was keeping you awake. He quickly shot back with the fact that you stole all the covers. And despite the darkness and your fighting you both laid there facing each other, anger giving way to another feeling. No words were spoken, but there was also an understanding that things were somehow different between you two.

Or is it just a combination of this late intoxication?

And these thoughts won't quit, oh, is it worth the

Conversation of a hopeless situation?

And these thoughts, we're probably better off keeping it silent

The song was actually very easy for you to write, once you got the chorus done the rest flowed. You had a rough version recorded on your phone within two hours.

Nothing can go wrong when you keep it quiet

No one needs to know just where my mind's at

That's for you to guess, I'll keep it private (keep it)

Keep it (keep), keep it (keep)

You continued to sing refusing to open your eyes. You knew it was impossible, but you were scared if you opened them, you would make eye contact with him and that would make it all real.

You want to know, but I keep it close

Rather be the mystery than just the punchline of your joke

You can say the words, or I never will be yours

Rather be the one that got away than have to say it first

You were certain you didn’t have actual feelings for Auston. Whatever you were feeling from that night needed to come out or it would never stop bothering you, so you put it into a song.

My friends think you're no good but damn, I'm biased

But you don't need to know when I've been crying (crying)

I don't know how you keep it cool, I'm dying

Keeping this, you know me

No one knows what happened that night, you never told anyone and you assumed he didn’t either because when you saw each other again for the first time it was like it never happened. He made a comment about how he wished better music was playing when it was your song. To which you replied you wished he would stop talking.

But as time passed and the memories from that night replayed in your head over and over again it became unbearable to not talk about it.

So you confided in your mom. You kept the person and situation very vague, but even that was enough to make you burst into tears. Up until that point, your relationship with Auston was very clear, you didn’t like him and he didn’t like you, but that night made your very distinct relationship blurred.

You slowly faded into the end of the song finally allowing yourself to open your eyes and breathe. From the beginning of the song till now you forgot where you were, but the loud cheers and applause served as a reminder. You quickly wiped away the tears that began to flow and took a long drink from your water bottle. You needed the 3 seconds to compose yourself before speaking in the mic again.

Auston also felt like he was holding his breath during the whole song. At the end, while everyone around him began cheering he felt like he was going to throw up.

The morning after your night spent together, Auston woke up alone. He had the day off, but spent the rest of the day thinking about the night before. There was no denying the moment you two had, but he worked overtime convincing himself that whatever he felt for a split second wasn't real. However, in this moment, hearing you sing about it, it was more real than ever.

Auston's feet were moving before he knew what was going on. He recalled mumbling something to his sisters about waiting in the car, but he didn't wait for a response. The ringing in his ears and the pounding of his heart only intensified as he pushed through the crowd. He didn't look back as he walked away from the stage, the away from the stadium, away from you.

[vinvantae]

Unmasked

Part 2/16

<< previous part

Word count - 2.8k

The nerves were washing over you like a tidal wave as you walked up the steps to the boardroom. You hadn’t felt this anxious since your debut and with no sleep under your belt, you were running purely on caffeine. All night had been filled with staring at the ceiling, running through all the plans the team had discussed with you and which one plan B was or if it was something else entirely. You were aware they had had meetings without you present, and it was these meetings that concerned you, there was no way to know what they had concocted behind closed doors without you to interject.

You were pleasantly surprised to see you weren’t the first one there, Charles was sitting on his phone - Ferrari cap discarded onto the table. The blinds had all been drawn and the overhead lights made it feel like a doctor’s office waiting room. He looked tired, you knew he went out for a few drinks with the other drivers last night so it didn’t phase you.

“Morning.” You said, the driver’s head lifting, a soft smile spreading across his face. “Wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.”

The smile shifted to an apologetic one. “Mattia just texted me ‘urgent meeting with thirty at 8:30’, so if you’re going to ask… I have no idea either.”

As you circled the table to sit beside him, he rose from his chair and pulled you into a hug. “Are you feeling any better today?”

You sunk into his arms, enjoying what would probably be one of your last moments of peace before the meeting. In the 3 seasons you’d been together now, the bond you shared with Charles was something you truly cherished. Despite your identity being a secret, he always tried to make sure to spend time with you whenever he could - bringing coffees to your driver room or hiding with you for a little while. He made you feel safe, so you were glad he was here.

“Not fantastic but I kind of apologised to Lewis but he just thought I was some random staff so didn’t quite have the impact I’d been hoping for.” You chuckled sadly, earning a gentle squeeze from your friend. “I just… the winter break is very much needed.”

“Perfect. You’re both already here.”

You watched as Mattia stepped into the room, followed closely by the rest of Team Thirty. This group had remained practically unchanged since you’d joined, only gaining Charles and a few others after you’d won your first championship- becoming the youngest WDC made keeping your identity a secret a whole extra task for them. Everyone held tablets and laptops as they sat around the table, you and Charles remaining alone on your side of the table.

“Can we just get right into it?” You said, picking at the skin around your fingers. “Which one is it? Are you gonna sub me out for a couple races to throw them off?”

They all exchanged glances before Mattia cleared his throat. “Well, plan B is actually something new we came up with… when Charles joined the team.”

Both of you frowned simultaneously, sparing a moment to glance at each other before Charles decided to speak up. “When… I joined?”

“Yes.” Mattia sat forward a little in his seat. “It wasn’t much of a possibility with Sebastian due to the age gap but you two… this could definitely work.”

“What could work? What are you talking about?”

Instead of saying anything else, Mattia pulled two stacks of paper out of his bag and slid them in front of you both. “We would like the two of you to pretend to be in a relationship because there’s no way that Charles’ girlfriend would be our mystery driver.”

You stared wide-eyes at the contract in front of you, detailing what the upcoming season would entail for you both. You would remain as a staff member for Ferrari but instead of being restricted where you could travel and with who - they had planned a full itinerary for the winter break. When and where you’d be with Charles, every day of every month. They had even crafted up mock instagram posts and stories for the two of you to post.

“The winter break provides us with the perfect opportunity to orchestrate a soft launch.” The social media manager weighed in. “You’ll both be posting from the same locations, glimpses of each other and then at the start of the reason you can announce the relationship by coming into the paddock together.”

“I’m… I’m not sure how I feel about this.” You admitted. “Charles shouldn’t be forced to date me - he’s a young, handsome guy. He shouldn’t be tied down by this fake commitment if-”

He cleared his throat, bringing your attention from Mattia and the team to him. “If it’ll help you, y/n. I’d do it… hey, could be fun right?”

Usually his smile would put you at ease but you couldn’t help but feel guilty. Charles’ knew he had ulterior motives but getting to spend time with you, in public? That wasn’t something he was just going to pass up on. He gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze and you returned his smile cautiously.

“Okay, but if Charles wants out at any point-”

“We’ll end the contract, but it will be under an NDA so you cannot say it was fake. We can just script it as a mutual, friendly breakup.” The social media manager spoke up again, clearly very proud of himself for crafting this plan. “And you and Charles are friends, right? So hopefully physical affection like hand holding in public or a kiss on the cheek will be easy to pass off as something more than platonic.”

It was then when the team left you and Charles to read the contract and details of the relationship. Whilst you weren't a Monaco native, you had come from money - it was one of the reasons, alongside your talent, you were able to land your seat whilst not only being a woman but being so young. You had competitively raced in GP3 and F2 respectively before ‘dropping off the face of the paddock’ to become a member of the Ferrari staff - it was an excuse far too many people bought too easily.

So, it wasn’t much of a surprise you’d be spending a large chunk of the break in Monaco, both of you had a place there so they wouldn’t have to splash on the accommodation but there was also a trip to Bali pencilled in towards the end before you’d have to return to Maranello for pre-season training.

“They’re really going all out with this.” The Monegasque driver spoke first. “...Are you sure you're okay doing this? Because, I agreed to it because I want to help you out but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable with it either y/n.”

“I mean, it’s definitely better than some of the other plans they come up with. And hey, it means I get to spend more time with you and I might actually get to know some of the people I’m racing against, even if it is as your girlfriend.” You smiled softly. “I can’t thank you enough for having my back through all of this. I was really scared when Seb told me he was leaving but I’m glad it was you who came next.”

His cheeks flushed a little and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I couldn’t ever imagine how difficult it was to be Thirty but when I found out you were my age and a girl? I never wanted you to feel like I didn’t support you.”

You lent into his side and he draped his arm across his shoulder. When you’d first met, he hadn’t been as protective - because as Thirty, you were fearless, but with the constant fear of exposure you were a lot shyer beneath the helmet so overtime Charles found himself wanting to watch over you.

“If we’re going to spend time with the others, I should probably give you some warnings.” He chuckled a little, as you sat back up to read yours and Charles’ ‘backstory’.

“Oh yeah?” You raised a curious brow. “They that bad?”

“No it’s not that. Pierre is a massive gossip, lives for it. So anything that’s a little juicy he’s all over it… so we’ve got to be extra careful around him.” He explained. “Like, have you ever seen those gossip accounts? He’s all over them. He also loves Thirty speculation.”

You lent back in your chair and tilted your head. “Has he ever been close?”

“Not even slightly.” He smirked. “He’s a big fan of the theory that you’re Barrichello. Or like, just a bunch of different drivers.”

“That would be impossible to keep secret, one of them would spill for sure.” You reached across the table to grab a pen. “I do enjoy reading twitter theories, I won’t lie. But, now that there’s a larger female audience, there’s been a lot more Thirty is a Woman theories being thrown around.”

Charles flicked through his papers to find the dotted lines that had been marked for him. “Your name ever cropped up?”

“Once or twice. But I was never an F2 champion or anything so it gets brushed off pretty quickly.” You shrugged. “Someone did a full twitter thread on it being me and I cannot wait for the day that I get to show them that they were right.”

“That’s crazy.”

Before the two of you could share any more words, the rest of the team rejoined - the scraping of chairs against the floor and all eyes landing back on the pair of you really made it sink in what you were about to agree to.

“Do we have any questions?” Mattia asked, passing Charles a pen as the team lawyers came and stood either side of you both to make sure you signed where you needed to.

“…Just one, for how long?”

The team principal forced a smile. “As long as needed. I know you think you’re ready to be unmasked, y/n, but that’s not what is best for the team right now. We’re focusing on getting our groove back and we don’t need the uproar of having a female driver detract from that. Understood?”

Charles frowned, watching the way your shoulders slumped a little. That didn’t seem fair.

“Yes sir.”

“Okay, good. Now, please sign.”

Both of you scribbled your signatures on the contracts, and after crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s, Mattia stood up and shook each of your hands. “Congrats. You make a very sweet couple.”

Charles dared to risk a glance at you and saw your cheeks had flushed a pretty pink, a colour he’d paint murals with if he could. It was beautiful. You threw him a shy smile as you grabbed your jacket and bag from the chair beside you. As everyone filtered out of the room, you noticed the Monegasque hanging back.

“Everything okay, Charl?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I am, it’s just properly sinking in now…”

“It’s not too late to back out.” You said, giving his bicep a gentle squeeze. “I meant what I said.”

“No it’s not that. I just feel a little guilty about my part in keeping you hidden away, y/n. I think they should be proud to not only have a woman on the team but the world’s youngest champion.” He sighed softly, his blue eyes intense as he studied you. “I hope that they realise that soon.”

“Thank you. Just so you know, I’m going to tell Sebastian… he’s signed an NDA previously so I trust him.”

Charles smiled. “I definitely think you should. You deserve at least that.”

You opened your arms and he immediately wrapped his around you. “See you later?”

“My car is at the lot by the heliport. Let me drive you home when we get back to Monaco?” He hummed, pulling back just enough to look at you. “Seen as you are my girlfriend now and all.”

Your heart skipped a beat, girlfriend. “Yeah, that would be nice, thank you.”

It was always protocol for you to hang around the weekend HQ a little longer than anyone else just in case someone had leaked the timings of a Team Thirty meeting and they didn’t want you being seen with the rest of them. Instead, you said goodbye to Charles and slipped into a small corner office to ring Sebastian. Charles’ voice continued to ring in your ear.

Girlfriend.

You were Charles Leclerc’s girlfriend. You knew it was fake but it still seemed crazy to you - you had known of him for years, and you had seen the girls he had dated before. You had to admit that you were nervous, you were built like an F1 driver - not a stereotypical influencer.

After dialling Seb’s number, you lent back against the wall of the office - going back to nibble on the skin around your fingers that you had started to pick at while in the meeting.

“Hey kid, how did it go?” His voice instantly put you at ease. Anything that was wrong, Seb could always give you the right advice. You were never sure when he got so wise but you were glad he did.

“So, uhm, plan B was something else entirely.”

“Oh?”

You let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah…”

“Y/n, what’s going on? You’re making me worried.” You could practically see the concerned Dad look on his face when you told him about the things that they did with Thirty.

“Charles and I are fake dating.”

The pause felt like a lifetime, it was almost as if you could hear Sebastian processing the words you had just said. It wasn’t like any of the plans they had come up with while he was still with the team and it was definitely in the top 3 of the most outlandish ideas that he had heard - and one of those ideas was to get you to start wearing stilts.

“I’m… wow, and Charles is okay with this?” He finally spoke.

“Yeah, he’s on board and as soon as he decides he’s had enough - it’s over.”

He paused again. “And are you on board? Because I know you, y/n, I know how long you’ve wanted to stop with the whole faceless thing…”

He was right, but you weren’t ready to fully admit it. “It’s not the right time yet. I want to focus on getting my third title and I can’t do that if they’re all cracking down on me.”

“Okay. Well, promise you’ll keep me in the loop? This isn’t just any old media routine, I don’t want you to get hurt if Charles or anyone else does something stupid… you’re about to be a WAG, y/n… that isn’t easy.”

“Oh because you’re an expert?” You teased.

“I’m not joking, y/n. People online can be really nasty, especially to WAGs.” He scolded lightly. “Just protect yourself okay?”

You sighed softly. “I’ll do my best. I’m going to Monaco tomorrow, let me know if you’ve got any time free for us to catch up properly? I’m sure I can convince them to let me add it to the itinerary they’ve made for us.”

“Of course.”

You both said your goodbyes and it was finally time for you to leave the motorhome and get back to the hotel to pack. Aside from Charles and yourself, you weren’t really expecting to see many drivers here the morning after the final race of the season - most opting to head straight home. The paddock was mostly full of staff packing up, ready to head back to their HQs but you couldn’t help but notice that Pierre was lurking around, a little too close to the headquarters with Charles, clearly hoping to get a glimpse of Thirty when they came out of the meeting. You could see him pointing to almost every man who came out of the building but when his eyes landed on you, his gaze simply flickered over you before asking about someone else.

Charles gave you a knowing look, Pierre proving just how clueless he really was. You fought back a smile and made your way back to the car park - walking passed them both without a word. The Monegasque didn’t miss the way Pierre looked at you once again, not as a potential Thirty but the same way he looked at any pretty girl in the paddock. Clueless.

“You guys have some attractive staff, you should introduce me.” He hummed.

The younger driver rolled his eyes. “I don’t think she’d be interested.”

“And you know that, how?” Pierre scoffed.

Charles simply shrugged. “Just have a feeling.”

He watched as you scanned your pass to leave the paddock, glancing back over your shoulder one final time and risking a smile at him. The recognisable flutters in his stomach reminded him of just how screwed he was - he needed to be professional, this was a contracted relationship.

But it was just a matter of time before his true feelings came to the surface, Charles just hoped that when that happened, maybe… just maybe… you’d feel the same too.

*********************************************

Next part >>>

Oooh drama. Hope you all enjoyed ❤️

Thank u to @carsgonyoom and @danielfuckingricciardo for letting me bounce ideas off of you and proof-reading! Love you both x

[breannasfluff]

Gentle Nights

All the heroes suffered from nightmares. It was simply a product of the lives they’d lived; some pushed on journeys too young. Not that Time fell in that category. No, the group-designated old man, he long ago learned how to deal with nightmares on his own.

When he’s home on the ranch, Malon is there to soothe away his fears. Sometimes she’s still asleep when he wakes, gasping and counting down seconds as the moon falls. He’ll roll over and just watch her sleep; chest rising up and down under the blanket. She’s real and he’s not stuck in the past.

Night watch in the Chain means being on deck not just to watch for monsters, but to sooth anyone having a bad dream. Often it's Sky, starting up and reaching for Fi. He needs assurance on where he is and, sometimes, to talk out the dream. Prophetic dreams make him twitchy of any vision he remembers. These regular disturbances are part of what builds his reputation of always being sleepy.

Warriors prefers to be left alone or, if it’s bad, to be shaken awake. He’ll reach for the dagger under his pillow, but won’t lash out. The military drilled too much discipline for him not to check for friend or foe. Often, he’ll spend the rest of the watch awake with whoever is up, then go back to bed.

Twilight rarely shows signs of nightmares, but when he sleeps as Wolfie, he’ll whine and kick his paws. It’s not the kind of dream where he’s running—everyone in the chain has seen those and teased the rancher about them. No, these are truly pitiful whines of a hurt animal. Yet when Time nudges him verbally about them, Twilight just smiles and shakes his head.

Wild sleeps so lightly that he often wakes himself up. It means the chain rarely knows when he actually has a nightmare. Sometimes he’ll pad over to Wolfie if he’s around and curl up with the wolf. Once or twice, Time’s found him cuddled up with Hyrule; hands entwined.

Hyrule goes to Legend for comfort every time. He’s also liable to attack anyone who wakes him during a nightmare; too used to monsters attacking in his Hyrule. The vet, for his part, denies having nightmares but usually seeks out Hyrule or Wild. He also tosses and turns the most beside Sky. One of the few times he sleeps peacefully is when they are at his house, watched over by Ravio.

Four cries in his sleep every once and a while, but usually sleeps fine. He doesn’t seek out comfort from the others, seeming to prefer looking inward. Wind sleeps like a teenager—heavy, and preferably late. He’s also the least affected by nightmares.

They all have their roles to play—both with each other and with those on watch. Time adjusts his comfort to each individual depending on what they need. Not once, though, does he seek out comfort for his nightmares. They are his burden to bear.

Time is dreaming. He knows he’s dreaming because Majora is in his dining room while Malon makes tea. The monster nods at his wife when she puts the cup down, before snapping out a whip. It wraps around her arm and with a yank, she falls. Time reaches for the ocarina—why are his hands so small?

Majora is in his dining room. Malon puts a cup down and the monster nods, then snaps out a whip. Again and again, Time plays the ocarina. Over and over the scene plays out the same. What is he supposed to do? How can he save her? This is a dream…right? But what if it’s not? Can he afford to chance it?

“Old man,” Majora says, turning to look at him. “It’s just a dream.”

Is it? How does he know?

Majora throws out a hand, but this time it knocks the ocarina free of his grip. It spins as it sails, end over end, before shattering on the floor.

“Wake up!”

No, he needs to save Malon! Majora turns to his wife and he can’t—he can’t—

“Time.”

His eyes jerk open and he stares blindly into the night. He—he needs—

“Shh. It’s okay.” There’s a hand rubbing on his shoulder.

“Where…”

“You’re with the boys. We camped for the night. Wild made that extra spicy curry for dinner.”

Time nods and closes his eyes, taking a measured breath in a bid to slow his pounding heart. Then he opens his eyes and focuses on the boy kneeling next to him. Wind. “Are you on watch?”

“Yeah, but I’m done. Was about to wake Four.”

“Right. Thanks, sailor, I’m good.”

The flat look says he believes that as much as when Hyrule lies about stealing Wild’s honey candy. He still gets up and goes to shake Four awake. They share whispered words while Time settles back against his pillow. He doesn’t need to push this on the group. Normally he wakes and calms down on his own. Well, it’s just one nightmare. He’ll be more careful in the future.

Four yawns and makes his way out of camp to sit on watch. Wind messes with his blankets, but doesn’t lay down. He shuffles, glances and Time, and stares at his blanket.

Making up his mind, the sailor lugs his blanket over and drops it half on top of Time. “Hey!”

“Scoot over. It’s cold.”

It’s not, but he does so anyway. Wind squishes himself into the small space and pulls his blanket around him. He’s all knobby elbows and jabbing heels as he settles against Time.

“Goodnight.” It ends in a yawn and Wind burrows deeper into his covers.

Why is he here? Does he think Time needs help? He’s fine. He’s been through it all. Yet the soothing weight of the teen is comforting. He wraps an arm over Wind and his blanket to pull him closer.

The sailor, not yet asleep, rolls over and burrows into his chest. Time wraps his other arm around him and simply holds Wind. Here is someone he can protect and care for. Someone still young enough to enjoy the end of childhood.

It may not be Malon, but perhaps not every nightmare needs to be suffered alone.

[deaconusdelirium]

Freak

———

Back by unpopular demand? Me!

My guess is you guys are tired of me that’s why I went ➡️ for what, 3 months?

Anyways, what way to kick off Slasher season with *Ahem*? I’m a little rusty I guess, so please push it aside while I get it all together again

Warning: Danny being a horny fucking pervert, he’s literally his own warning. Sexual tension… uh like three shitty movie references, a drop of lemon 🍋 and.. severe disappointment

———

God, why did you agree to come to this stupid party? It wasn’t like you knew anyone, your friend who held the get together promised to stay by you, only to leave when a group of high priced society looking bunch called her over. Then you were all by yourself, standing in the same spot your friend had left you, silently hoping she’d come collect you again. But by the looks of it, she wasn’t anytime soon.

Did you look stupid standing there with your arms crossed over your body with the obvious anxiety packed body language you were letting the whole room read? Everyone knew each other, they were laughing and conversing. That protruding thought from the back of your mind threatening to come true made you chew your nail out of instinct.

Maybe it would be best…

Then like that, your friend was gone. Which was fine, it wasn’t like you were going to go out of your way to push through the crowd of people only to be brushed off again. Just before you lifted your foot, it felt even more embarrassing to leave, the whole room probably anticipated your departure and a ‘there they finally go’ as you walked off. Lucky most people cleared a path for you, making it even more unsettling like all eyes were on you.

Walking out the door and into the warm fall night, it was like your senses cleared and you could breath again. All that you had to do now was fight traffic back home.

—

Walking up into the front door, the key jingling in the process of letting you in. Quickly turning around, it felt like you needed to expect something tonight. But you’ve felt like that for the past few months. The air that left your lips turned into a cloud, the night getting progressively colder making you walk in and close the door as fast as you could.

What was there to do now? The rest of your night was suppose to be spent at a party instead of bored at home.

Taking the warm jacket you had on, off, it was like your brain had a mind of its own. And soon enough you sat on the couch, tea in hand as the TV silently played in the background. A blanket spread across your lap as you chewed on the strings of your hoodie. There was nothing good on, the tea had gone warm almost cool. The streets busy at rush hour and with the house almost warm, maybe it would be good to spend the rest of the remainder of the night in bed scrolling through whatever just to judge the things people were into. ‘Really? You think going to Universal studios just to see the new Nope setup is a trend right now?’ Yeah that’s not called a hobby nor trend

Setting the mug on the coffee table, it was like a slap across the face when you suddenly didn’t want to get up. So you threw yourself back into the cushions with a huff, “you wanna put that pretty mouth of yours to work or what?” You jumped and glared at the gaping white mask that was staring you down for who knows how long. “How long have you been there?” You made it pretty clear to him that you weren’t going to put up with his shit tonight as he only laughed in response. “Long enough, still trying to get these images out of my head about you”

“Well then I guess it’s time for you to leave, because I’m going to bed” that came out a lot sarcastic then you meant for it to be, “then I guess I’m in for a real treat tonight” you groaned and looked away from him, the couch dipped signaling he sat down and without thinking any further, he was most definitely close as he could be. However when you looked back, he only continued to stare at you, no words exchanged only the looks you both had.

Your eyes took notice of his breathing under the cape, his chest rising up and down ever so slowly, deep.. agonizingly… slow hypotonic rhythm that had you looking at his chest a bit longer than you liked to admit. Seconds went by and his mask tilted to the side like a dog as he leaned in. Two gloved fingered ran across the blanket on your lap until he started caressing it, like he was feeling the material through the leather gloves. The closer he got the more you could feel the warmth and hear the huffs of air that echoed in the mask.

You stood your ground, clearly telling him you weren’t going to budge tonight. Then his hand went up your thigh and

-Bam

Again, you jumped as he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around your shoulder, pulling you closer as he let out a small chuckle. “You’re real jumpy tonight” he whispered, you didn’t say anything as you let your heart calm down from the sudden adrenaline that coursed through your veins. The blanket wrapped around his fist as he yanked it closer to his chest, your body stiff as the mouth of his mask met your neck, a shudder ran down your spine at the cold plastic soon melting warm like butter. He inhaled before his head traveled down to your clavicle, then right over your heart. Oh how he loved hearing your heart beat like you just ran a marathon or even better, watched a scary movie. His eyes fluttered shut under the mask as the pace slowed and soon it was like a drum, beating in short bursts over and over

-Thump thump- -thump thump- -thump thump-

It was like his own version of serotonin, and like that you pushed him away, standing up leaving him to glare at you. He watched from the couch as you began towards the stairs, he got an idea just before your foot started the steps, he jumped up and ran after you as your heart once again started as you ran up the steps thinking he finally went out of his mind and ends up killing you. The heavy thud of boots against the carpeted wood reminded him of your heart. He laughed, following you to your room. Then he shoved the door open as he grabbed your upper arms. Seeing you try to catch your breath as he leaned in to meet your lips as if he just delivered a kiss.

“What the fuck Danny?!” You stepped away from him as he shrugged, smiling like he had finally aced a test.

It was like your heart wanted to jump out your chest and air was scarce, “don’t- don’t you ever fucking do that again you-” you cut yourself off as you were about to punch his arm with all your might, only to weakly deliver a shove that barely even made him move. “Fuck your hot” he stepped closer only to be pushed into the little chair you had for your ‘office’

He spun around, never minding you walk into the bathroom attached, maybe he could get lucky tonight. He quickly pulled his shirt up but below his pecs, making sure the mask stayed on as he loosened his belt, making sure to keep his pants buttoned. One arm thrown over his head as his hand grabbed the headdress, and the other laid still on the arm rest. Then you came back, let out a yelp and covering your eyes with your hand, “my goodness” you complained as he watched you. “You running a private show?” He motioned between the computer being almost directly across your bed, making you bloom with embarrassment as you denied his question

“No, no no no-” “cause I’m willing to be the extra prop” he offered, making you sit at the edge of the bed in front of him, hands covering your face as you peeped through your fingers, “or if not, we could always” he cut himself off as he lifted his hips up and down and let a small moan out. Making you shut your eyes with a slight ring in your ears, there was no denying that sight would leave you tonight. Cause it certainly did make you smile and made your legs squeeze together in what? Excitement? Embarrassment?

He rolled closer and pulled your hands away from your face, seeing you look away. “Go on, do what you want with me. I’m fine with it sweetheart, I’m sure you got ideas of your own in here” his hand ran through your hair as he mentioned your head. You shook your head no as he was the one to huff in annoyance this time. What could he do to try and get you to do something, then he remembered. The way you stared at him while he was trying to regain his breath downstairs. You watched as he pulled the black shirt over his head and thrown into the laundry basket he long ago called ‘our laundry basket’

Eyes widening, you stood up and finally spoke “ok, I think it’s time for you to leave” Jesus Christ what would it take for you to give in? Truth be told, he was currently on the run after he slipped up just a little. But for the most part he just wanted some.

He grabbed your wrist and pushed you against your work desk, pulling you by your thighs until you sat at the edge, making his stomach tighten slightly as well. God he so wanted to record this and send this to whoever your boss was. Instead, “interview me” he shook his head up as he sat back in the chair. “What?” You were so clueless, “interview me, see if I got what it takes to get with you” he explained as you laughed, rolling your eyes. But nonetheless giving in, now it was his turn to watch you. Your fingers grab the stack of papers, pulling piece by piece towards your chest with nimble fingers. He so wanted to be in that position, you in his lap, your fingers running through his hair as you pulled him to your chest. Both your bodies almost becoming one as he released his tension

“Are you socially active?” Your voice made him look at you, not hearing you right “sexually active? That gave him a slap to the chest. “No you idiot, I said socially. Like- are you socially active… uh. Are you good with talking to people you’ve never met? Being comfortable in a room with many people you have to work with?” Well that was a poor explanation “ohh, uh yeah I guess” his response made you raise a brow “you guess? It’s a yes or no question. I can’t write ‘I guess’ cause it sounds like I forced you to say so,” you shook your head and marked yes

“Do you plan on being on time, to work, meetings, and conferences? Even if it means working overtime?” “Mhm” you looked at him because of his answer, so you just marked yes. A couple more questions went by without him saying anything perverted. “This is so boring, what the hell” he whined as it was only the fifth question. “You said to interview you” “I know what I said, just… let’s role play something else” he scooted closer as his hands squeezed your thigh. Kneeding them softly under his palm, “that was role play?” You laughed at him, “it didn’t go exactly as I planned, sure, but you looked too cute focusing on the questions. I wonder if that’s how you always look working”

You hummed, still smiling trying not to laugh. It really made you wonder how he thought that would play out good. The furthest it would go would probably be you telling him off, until he threatens you… bending you over your desk making you hope your boss doesn’t walk in- fuck.

He grabbed your hands, intertwining your fingers with his as he leaned up towards you. “Come on, lemme be your husband” that was so out of context as you nervously laughed, now how do you get out of this situation?

“I’m serious” “no your not” you added, he stayed silent.

His hand guided your over his wrist, up his forearm to his bicep. Feeling his veins under your fingertips as his other hand went behind your back. Pulling you to sit on his lap, his warmth making you lean into him slightly as he continued to guide your hand down pass his neck, leaving an invisible trail down his abs, making you feel them as he sunk further into the chair. You were almost higher than him, and soon enough your hands were on their own. They didn’t wander like he wanted them to, but you kept them right above his stomach, his hands on your hips as he got ready, already enjoying this position. Much to his dismay, you pulled your hands back, “sorry I- I didn’t mean to” you apologized as his brows furrowed, for what?

He shook his head no as he moved you both to the bed, pushing you down softly as he stood up, looking down at you. His hand coming to your face as he whispered not to apologize over and over. Then it hit him, did you not want him because he came off too strong? Or maybe it was because you thought he only wanted what he desired? Sure he was a fucking psychopath but he wasn’t going to mess with your feelings, he’s nothing if not sorry. “I need you” he whispered, feeling his hot breath through the mouth of the mask as you nodded, giving in. To hell if he wanted only your body, it’s been so long since you’ve had this and you needed it

“I swear I need you” his hands pulled yours above your head as his body was flush against yours. Feeling the small piece of your own stomach against his as your shirt began to rise up. He pulled his hand from your side and moved the mask up to his mouth, wanting to taste you. You shut your eyes not wanting to invade his privacy any further as his tongue viscously claimed your mouth his own, soon enough you couldn’t tell apart your own drool from his. His hips beginning to try and find comfort, release anything from the stupid pants you both wore.

Your chest heaved as he licked a line from the corner of your mouth like he was carving a smile to your earlobe, giving it a teasing nip before taking it between his lips. A breathy “fuck I need you” as he began to undo his pants, a phone call from your friend was all it took to end it

———

Might be some typos but forgive me. Request? Send it. Complaints? Put a bag over your head

[pebblysand]

okay, you guys seemed to love these last season so here we go again: selling sunset hot takes, S7E1-5.

whoever is responsible for imposing that mansion tax has my utmost respect. tax the rich plz.

i don't think we talked enough about that basket ball that amanza was dragging around in ep 1.

talking about amanza: yes, she is a shit stirrer, i called it in s2 and i am baffled it took this long for the show to self-actualise on this issue.

i also don't think we talked enough about jason's baby powdered balls.

i was equally shocked by the fact that brett seems to have a tongue and a brain that together are capable of producing words.

having said that, talking about jason, he remains The Worst. i don't even know how to explain. that man is a walking red flag and the fact that he seems to have survived a life's worth of terrible professional, financial, and personal terrible decision-making is truly a wonder.

that said, we need to stop pretending their income at this stage comes from real estate. most of the money they get is from the show. which is why, i suppose, they're able to open new offices when all of their competitors are shutting down.

as someone who knows a little bit about real estate, the house they were in for the O Group anniversary dinner had real architectural value, which is notable because none of the houses ever do.

romaine-like-the-salad remains my favourite character in this show and i swear sometimes i can hear him think in french.

that said, he and mary being pregnant is the one good news of this season, although they totally knew before that test and their "surprise" was very poor acting.

i am also happy for mary that she stepped back from management. i think this is good for everyone, but mostly her.

now onto the hot stuff: i think when it comes to bre v. chelsea, they actually both have a fair point. i do think chelsea was trying to genuinely apologise, but what she was apologising for was exactly what she said: if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing. she had nothing nice to say and still said things, and now recognises that she shouldn't have. having said that, her view on bre's situation is so clearly rooted in very personal christian beliefs that she's not going to intrinsically change her mind. and actually, this might be my hottest take to date but... i think that's fine. like, as chelsea said, "i don't agree with everything my friends do." she would have been fine being bre's friend but bre wants her to approve of her situation (which, imo, is because deep down, bre is a bit insecure about her situation) and that's never going to happen. my hot take last year was that chelsea had a point, and i think she still does.

this is a bit of a side point but i thought chelsea was at least 40. i'm 30 and i swear my friends and i don't look that old. proof that packing your face with plastic doesn't actually make you look younger.

which, another tangent but why did everyone make such a big deal of the accusation that nicole has had work done? THEY ARE ALL PACKED IN PLASTIC.

and onto the hotter stuff: the situation between nicole v everyone else is starting to bore me. nicole is clearly wrong. nicole has been wrong for two seasons now. let's move on. that said, i had to google what "social climber" meant because i don't think it means the same thing to me as it does to them.

and on chrishell v. marie-lou: so this is actually a hot take, i think, but i do reckon they both have a point. on the one hand, marie-lou is, it's true, rather young and insecure, but she also has reasons to be. they've all made fun of her age, and i feel like her age isn't her fault, and she doesn't seem to me particularly more immature than them. additionally, jason is clearly still in love with chrishell but because he is The Worst, she cannot have that conversation with him, she's turning to chrishell who, in fairness, has no power over that.

i will also say that as a european who's lived in the US, i think what she is holding against chrishell is more of a cultural difference, than it is anything else. what she's basically saying is that chrishell is "american-fake," meaning that she is nice and enthusiastic on the surface but doesn't actually "care." which to marie-lou reads as fake and rude, but to chrishell reads as polite. standards of politeness and casual social interactions are some of the biggest cultural differences between europeans and americans, and i think that's where you'll find that most of the issue is.

i also thought that chrishell, in that scene, used her language superiority to overpower marie-lou. chrishell is someone who speaks a bit fast and is very good at arguing. which is fine when she's with other americans but with marie-lou who is german, whose english is clearly not great, it very quickly feels like bullying. i don't think she meant it as such but marie-lou was taking a bit of time, trying to find her words to get her point across, and chrishell didn't have the patience and kept badgering her. i do believe that had she let marie-lou talk, they would have realised 1) my point above about cultural differences and 2) that the source of all their problem is jason's toxicity and lack of accountability, and that he should be locked in a safe room for the rest of his miserable life.

the way he was trying to hang up the phone during that fight had me in TEARS, like: do i need to be in this conversation? YES. YES. YOU CREATED THIS MESS. you are the weakest, most pathetic little man on the planet.

having said the above, obviously, chrishell has attenuating circumstances for her snapping and bullying of marie-lou and i'm glad she's feeling better now. we are still #teamchrishell in this house, we just need to acknowledge that sometimes our girl makes mistakes.

lastly, did anyone else think the reveal that amanza was molested as a child was a bit random? like, i'm sorry for her but also it felt a bit like it didn't have anything to do with anything. i wonder if it was just there to reconcile she and chelsea.

i will come back with more hot takes whenever i have time to watch the rest of the season lol.

[scorpionyx9621]

On Ron Staedtler as a Character: A Broken Rebel or Selfish Asshole? (Spoiler warning for Inside Job Season 2 plus TW mentions of Su!c!de)

Man what a title to start this essay on. I binged Inside Job because a friend of mine here introduced me to the show on New Years Eve and to say that I love the show is an understatement. It's what you get when you throw Rick & Mory, The Office, and Gravity Falls into a blender. A very fun, very emotional, and very interesting animated series.

In this essay we'll be discussing the keystone character of the second season and the romantic interest of protagonist Reagan Ripley, Ronald (Ron) Staedtler. The director of the Illuminati's (Cognito's rival company) Mind Erasure division. When the illuminati messes up and needs to prevent secrets from getting out, they send in Ron, who more or less comes across as their assassin. Him and Reagan initially start off as hostile towards each other but very quickly grow an enemies-to-lovers relationship.

I want to analyze Ron on a bit of a deeper level in this mind dump/thought essay and see what everyone else thinks. So enjoy!

I want to start this first portion by highlighting just how many similarities these two have. They were very intentional in making it known that these two have an almost immediate attraction to each other because of their similarities.

Both have very similar physical characteristics to the point that it looks like Ron is basically just a male version of Reagan. Darker hair, darker skin complexion, similar shaped eyes and nose. (I headcanon that Ron is also Biracial just like Reagan. Who is half-white, half-Japanese. Someone made a post saying Ron is Filipino and I'm running with that. Plus it explains him being raised Catholic.)

Both are upper-level managers at their respective companies, whom they both have a lot of personal issues with. (Reagan in Robotics, Ron in Mind Erasure)

Both are bitter cynics who tend to push people away out of fear of being rejected. A lot of this stemmed from family lives that were quite abusive. (Reagan being raised by two absolute narcissists, one of whom was such a tiger parent that he forcibly wiped Regan's memories of the one friend she ever had. And while we don't know anything really about Ron's family we know he's dealing with a lot of repressed religious trauma via his family's intense catholicism.)

The naming of these two also is a bit too ironic to be coincidental. Ronald (Ron) Staedtler and Reagan Ripley. Shion and Alex weren't even trying to be subtle with this one.

All this being said, it's clear that these two naturally gravitated towards each other and immediately had comparable chemistry with one another. All this being said the show also made it a point to emphasize that they were moving very quickly as a couple. Which almost assuredly is a red flag for things not being able to last.

Much to many people's surprise. The season ends after a rocky patch between Ron and Reagan with Ron deciding to finally take the steps to wipe his own memory. To finally rid himself of all the trauma he has received and to start over with a fresh, new, quiet life away from the Illuminati and all the conspiracies of the world being alive and well and trying to make water cooler office banter with him.

I'm going to emphasize that this section has a trigger warning in that the show portrays how Ron views Mind Erasure against himself similar to how we would commonly view su!c!de and self harm. If this is something that you are not comfortable reading please by all means click off and do not subject yourself to what I am about to discuss.

The whole reason why Ron is in the Anonymous meeting at the beginning of Season 2 is because he got caught attempting to erase his own memories. Ron holds a lot of trauma and self-anger because of his job. Being the chief mind-eraser he has to bear with the weight of wiping the minds of individuals who came too close to finding out his company's secrets. Ron has pointed out to Reagan that this is something that weighs very heavily on his conscience.

When you look at Ron physically he's taller than Brett, has a similar musculature and build as Brett and in general comes across as much darker and much more imposing and intimidating. If Ron were in his cloak pointing his mind-eraser gun at me I would run for my damn life. And it's Ron's job to make sure that anyone who discovers the Illuminati's secrets has their mind wiped. At whatever cost is necessary. Ron has probably seen hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people run away from him with genuine, unadulterated fear for their lives in their eyes. These people must have thought Ron was coming to kill them. How many times must have Ron stared down at someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and watch them cry, sob, beg, and plead with Ron for their lives? Thankfully once their minds are wiped these people don't remember the horrifically traumatic events they were just put through, but you know who does remember? Ron.

It's this overwhelming guilt and general hatred for what he does that defines Ron as a character. While Ron and Reagan may have a lot of similarities. The key and largest difference between the two is the fact that Reagan believes she can fix the world and fix everything from the inside given the chance. Ron has given up the thought that he can change anything and instead actively works against the Illuminati in any way that won't draw enough attention to himself. Ron just wants to get away from everything but he knows too much to be let free and is too valuable an asset to be wiped. So he's stuck in his own hell of a job and the one time he's able to escape is with Reagan.

I want to emphasize that I do not believe that Ron is in any way a bad person. If anything he, unlike many of the people in the show, actually has a genuine conscience and deeply regrets his actions of essentially being the Illuminati's grim reaper. However it must be said that Ron is ultimately selfish in wanting to take Reagan with her into his new life of his own creation. This is by no means saying that Ron is a coward for trying to leave and forget his life, with mind-erasure acting as a heavily handed metaphor for su!c!de. Reagan herself admits to this.

"You had a hard time, for a long time. But you did something brave. You took a chance on a new life because you realized you deserved one."

However Reagan was conflicted. She had the chance of a lifetime to finally gain the power in her work that she wanted. A chance to finally work with (and against) the Robes. But she had a chance to take all of her trauma, years of abuse from her family and her parents, to be with the man who she loved more than anything. So she had Alpha Beta run thousands of simulations for her, to see if she could find a happy ending with her as head of Cognito and with Ron. And thousands of times later, the answer was still no. The one time she found a solution was when Ron had no memories of the Illuminati, Cognito, The Robes, the Secret Societies, nothing. So Reagan made the biggest sacrifice she could. She let Ron wipe his own memory but chose not to join him. Giving him the chance to finally be free from his demons who kept him awake at night.

This brings me back to my prompt. Is Ron an asshole for forcing Reagan to choose between her dreams and him? Not necessarily. I don't believe Ron ever intended on coming between Reagan and her goals, at least not intentionally. Ron was putting himself first which in itself is an act of selfishness but he did not wish to harm Reagan.

The image above from the Halloween episode to me is the best visual representation of this. Ron is forced to change into Brett's costume as Chris Angel. Having him wear a cross while he realizes the only way to save himself and Reagan is to use his mind-wiping abilities to stop the Cognito office from attacking Ron because they all fell in love with him. In this scene, Ron is holding his gun, representing his hatred of his occupation and all the trauma it has forced upon him. Plus he's wearing a cross while being all but shirtless, symbolizing his religious trauma.

It's no wonder that this shows when Reagan tries her best to convince Ron to work for Cognito, when his two most prevalent traumas are thrust upon him in a life-or-death situation that he finally snaps. He finally decides he can't take it anymore and he puts into motion his plan to end everything as Ron Staedtler and begin a new life with a clean slate and new identity. Because for all intents and purposes, at the end of Appleton when Ron wipes his own mind. The Ron Staedtler that we grew to know and love is dead. There's only Martin Higgins now. And we don't know who Martin Higgins is other than he leads a perfectly normal life in Appleton, Wisconsin, who will eventually get the life and love and family he deserves, it's just that Reagan Ripley will not be a part of that life.

Ron Staedtler is a very complex character for all 6 or so episodes we have of him. Ron is a genuinely good person who got in over his head trying to find the answers to life and ended up becoming the last thing you see before you have your memory erased for looking too deep into something you shouldn't have. He's a deeply traumatized man who learned to live and love and helped Reagan Ripley learn to open up and love again. And while both Ron and Reagan wanted to change their situations. Ron had been so damaged and so broken by the time the opportunity came around to make a change that he chose to take his own way out. He created a new life for himself free from his traumas because he knew that he deserved it. However he prioritized himself over Reagan and chose to be free. Ron didn't know that Reagan had run thousands of simulations but came to the same conclusion every time. That no matter what they had done, so long as Reagan was still at Cognito, the two of them would have never been truly happy with one another.

If Reagan could create a situation where the two of them could be happy together Reagan would have given 110% of her to make it work. But she has to choose and she chose to go with Cognito and The Robes. I don't know if Ron would have chosen to continue with this plane if he knew Reagan had to make this choice. However it shows and attests much more to Reagan's character that she sacrifices her own happiness so Ron can be happy. Ron Staedtler was a deeply traumatized man who found the courage to be free. And that in itself is so powerful. I sincerely hope we see more of Ron, or Martin Higgins in the future.

[casspurrjoybell-18]

The Vanilla Scented Rogue

*Warning Adult Content*

Chapter 24: Freed - Part 1

A S H T O N - B L A K E

He looked down at me when he started to speak before I could, surprising even me when I heard the words that left his lips.

"I'm going to let your friends go and all of the other rogues I've captured in my time as Alpha will be freed as well. I figured that if I'm going to mate with a rogue, I might as well stop holding other rogues captive in dirty old cells."

He looked as though he was ashamed of his past actions as he spoke, which made a pleasant feeling start to boil in my stomach. I was proud of the man that stood before me, proud that he could fix his mistakes and actually feel regret for what he did in the past. I enjoyed being able to see him change, to be able to see that he regretted capturing rogues and treating them like the scum of earth because if I hadn't been able to witness it myself. I wouldn't be able to realize just how much I cared for the Alpha standing in front of me.

I couldn't hold back the small smile forming on my lips as I digested his words, a smile slowly forming on his face as we looked and admired each other even more. I noticed how his eyes held a bit of uncertainty but still somehow managed to look determined at the same time. He looked at me with so many different expressions as he talked about letting the rogues go, the expressions showed regret, remorse, sorrow, disappointment, anger, uncertainness, determination and so many more.

"What?" I breathed out, hoping I didn't mishear him in the slightest.

"All the rogue wolves down in the dungeon will be freed. I'm going to let them all go, which means that all of the cells will be empty for the first time in years."

My smile immediately grew as I imagined how Aaliyah would look at the first time I saw her again. I imagined her running towards me before jumping into my arms, Adam standing behind her as he watched the two of us hug, smiling at me when Aaliyah and I parted. I imagined Benedict standing by my side, his arms crossed as he watched me reconnect with my friends. I imagined Aaliyah smiling at him, happy that I found my mate while Adam continued to be wry. I imagined the four of us living in the pack house contently, Beatrix still chasing after Clara. I imagined us all being happy, not having to worry about being killed every five seconds by a random attack.

"When are you letting them leave?" the question left my lips before I could even think about it, more questions only filling the rest of my mind once one escaped.

"What about Aaliyah and Adam?" I asked, taking a step back from my mate so I could focus clearly on the situation at hand without being distracted by his lovely scent.

"They can stay here with us right?" my voice was clear as I looked at him, the air thick as I waited for an answer I didn't even know if I wanted yet.

"Who?"

He raised an eyebrow as he looked at me, his eyes turning to a look of pure confusion and his smile slowly dying.

"The couple that was in the cell with me, they can stay here with us, right?"

"If they were able to stay, would you be happy?" he spoke slowly and quietly, looking at me with a look in his eye that I didn't quite understand.

"Yes," I answered immediately, my voice sounding desperate as we looked at one another.

"Okay then," he said with a nod, now needing to force the small smile playing on his lips.

"I'll let them and any other rogue that wishes to stay, stay here in the pack house. I'll also make sure everyone is okayy with former rogues joining the pack."

"Thank you for doing this for me."

My teeth were on full display as he talked to me, my body buzzing with excitement about being able to see and live with my friends again. I couldn't help but overhear a quiet set of words that escaped his lips, obviously being a sentence that I wasn't meant to overhear.

"I would do anything for you, even if it meant changing myself and my beliefs in the process."

"What?" I let out a breath of air, staring up at my mate with a smile that wouldn't be able to die for at least a few more hours.

"Nothing," he replied, smiling down at me, reaching forward and grabbing my hand.

He intertwined our fingers, our hands connected as he looked down at me.

"You ready to go?"

"Lead the way."

I grinned, enjoying the way he pulled me with him out of the hospital room that I've spent way too long in. The walk towards Aaliyah and Adam could only be described as dreadful to say the least. Pack members stared at Benedict and I the whole time we were walking through the halls, their stares sometimes hateful and other times curious. It was sort of how I imagine high-school to be like, people staring and whispering about someone or something they don't understand.

Benedict didn't seem to mind their stares or their whispers that we could hear clearly despite their whispering, he just continued to hold my hand as we walked down to the cells that held rogues that have done nothing wrong. The dungeon was colder than how I remembered when we stepped into the narrow long hallway holding all the cells. Cells were lined up in a row on the left and right of us, all of them being filled with sickly looking rogues that glared at the two of us. My eyes darted down to the dirty flooring when the glares just continued to get worse, most of their eyes turning a bright red color as we passed them.

They stared at Benedict and I with the same red eyes I still possess, their orbs filled with hatred as they glared at the way Benedict continued to touch me. I tore my hand away from Benedict's when we reached the end of the hallway, my eyes immediately darting to the two sleeping figures inside the locked cell. A wave of sadness rushed into me when I saw the two of them, their love as clear as day as they laid with each other on the dirt covered flooring, their bodies tangled together as they slept.

"Aaliyah? Adam?" my voice was quiet but was loud enough to wake my favorite girl.

She stirred before opening her pretty eyes, her thin body looking even thinner than how I remembered from the last time I saw her. I heard a hum leave her lips as she woke up from her slumber, still not seeing me standing outside of the cell as she untangled her limbs from Adam who was lying on the dirty floor. She sat up slowly, trying to run a hand through her tangled hair once she was sitting up beside her mate. She looked around the cell for a minute before her eyes caught mine, her lips immediately parting and her eyes narrowing as if she didn't believe it was really me.

I swear her eyes lit up as she jumped to her feet, practically running to the cell bars before wrapping her slender fingers around the bars. Adam let out an annoyed sigh when he noticed Aaliyah was no longer in his arms. His muscular body was tossing and turning before he finally opened his eyes, wanting to see where his mate went so he could make her come back and lay beside him. I continued to smile at Aaliyah when Adam finally noticed my figure standing beside Benedict's, his eyes narrowing slightly in confusion as he sat up.

"I can't believe you're here," Aaliyah whispered, smiling at me with watery eyes.

"We've missed you so so much, Asher."

[camillewasthere]

april 28 2024

It's 10pm and I'm about to get high. In a few weeks i'll be 32 years old. What a wild time.

When I got back from the gym today I was looking at baby pictures of Jannika and I. I look at baby version of me and I get kinda sad. I'm looking at a girl with not a clue what's in store. I want to protect the baby version of me from the world. It's sad to realize how things happen. That in order to be a well rounded person, you have to experience all things.

One memory I think about a lot when I was a child was when I got little papers, scissors and random art supplies and put it in a little ziploc. I wanted to hide it for some reason. I don't know who would want to look for a ziploc bag of art supplies. I decided to hide it on top of my uncle/grandma's vanity which was high as fuck. Probably a foot awat from the ceiling. When I tried to hide it, the bag fell. And I never found it again.

I was such a shy child. I always made sure to be mindful. To be aware. I was always watching everyone else. Always conscious of the space I took. Never feeling part of the crowd. Somehow always fake. Just observing. I love baby me. And I think if baby me knew the person I would become, she would be proud. She would want me to be happy and chose the road that brings fulfillment. She would probably think I was pretty. She would probably watch me do my makeup. She would be content with just being there with me.

I have been in my head a lot lately. Constantly strategizing. Thinking about what's next. What move is the right move. It's funny how much it consumes me. But how little I convey on the outside. People only see the product but never realize how long the process took.

Moving up to the bay area has been weighing heavily on my mind. Last time I went to visit I remember how much I liked being there. It felt more home-y to me.

Cons: It's colder Bears on hikes lol Probably more expensive Miss Daniela!

Pros: Better food Paid more Shady hikes Probably find the loml lol New cities to explore Easy way to go north or south to go on trips Less white people lol

Wow putting it out on a list like this actually makes it seem way more desirable. I can't wait to find a place I can furnish. With a washer dryer. No carpet. I'm so excited.

Before I end this I do want to at least talk about how i've been feeling.

It's been almost 6 months since the break up. He's still living here until our lease is over at the end of June. It's a conflicting feeling. Every day that gets closer, the more nervous I get about the plan with the dogs. But when I think about him being gone, all I can feel is excited. It's like I can finally be free of that energy. I can't wait to fix up my space. To be in my thoughts alone at home. So happy I have the dogs to protect me and keep me company. I don't really feel lonely. I know that will likely change once he's actually out of here. But for a long time before we broke up I was already doing so many things alone. It's liberating to be single honestly. I have almost zero desire to be with anyone. I say almost because I continue to be intrigued by the idea of Lori and Bre's friend and I being together. I don't want to imagine this as something more than it is, which is literally nothing lol. But it does seem like a possibility. I have to let my mind leave it at that. Old me would continue to obsess. New me wants to focus on what is good for me. What will make me happy. Because ultimately I want to be able to be so content with myself that anyone who seeks after me will only be an addition. I've settled for soooo long with too many guys that weren't right for me, whether they were good or bad. There's a reason they all didn't work out. Including long lost air force man. I need to allow my brain to understand that concept. The common denominator with all of those relationships is me. My physical self would constantly make deals with my emotional self that would lead to me staying for longer than I should have.

What's wild is, despite all the break up's i've had, I think the one with flannel mustache boy was the worst of the worst. Thinking about that relationship makes me wanna throw up to be honest. He was so handsy and gross. So flashy. Literally i'm barfing right now imagining how others saw us.

Anyway, yeah I'm stoked to be on my own. I love being home alone. Having a space all to myself is gonna be such a nice little vacation.

xx me

[alovesreading]

Constant Repeat | Part 10

Summary: Having worked at Focus Creeps for a year, Ella knows that as a production assistant and part of the crew, there’s one important rule: don’t interact with the talent unless it’s needed. But once she meets Arctic Monkeys, and the recording of the music videos for their upcoming fourth studio album starts, the band seem to become her exception. Not only because they treat her more like a friend than just someone else they’re working with but when Alex continuously makes her blush with his flirting, so enthralled by her that he forgets he’s got a girlfriend, Ella finds herself growing closer to him. As videos are filmed, wrapped and edited, the friendship lines become blurry. Situations unfold, secrets are told and others are kept under lock and key, but how long can Alex and Ella endure being stuck in each other’s minds on constant repeat.  

Word Count: 27.4k

Story Warnings: Throughout this series there will be suggestive talk, jealousy, cheating, alcohol and drug use, angst, smut.

A/N: Okay, you better buckle up because I'm telling you this trip is wild and real ride starts here. I'm giggling like an idiot typing this right now and realizing how this chapter perfectly falls on the start of June, what a way to start Pride month (happy pride month btw, love y'all my fellow queer babes xx), you'll understand why I say this when you read. Anyway I wanted to thank imagine-that-100 again because in this one, she gave me the incredible honor of getting my lovely Alice in here so I can introduce you to her and you can grow excited about the fic she's gonna be the main character of which is called 'Nightmare'. Alice is based on Heather from Pale Waves by the way! All I'm gonna say is that Alice is a fucking legend and when N eventually puts that fic out, y'all will die cus it's really fucking hot. I cannot wait for you to read this lol, remember the story warnings that are in the description of this story! (I think you can make out why I'm saying this right now) Enjoy!!!!!!

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 11 | Part 12 |

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

After spending the day before walking, it was obvious to Ella that she'd be sleeping in, but she had made sure to set at least three alarms in order to not miss breakfast time at the hotel restaurant. That hadn't worked though because she managed to sleep through them and wake up only thirty minutes before breakfast was over.

She'd rushed through the hallways to get there in time, barely having gotten presentable enough to show up at the place next to the lobby, but she made it regardless.

The lady who showed her to a table had been very obviously forcing a smile at Ella, making her wince and nervously promising that she wouldn't take long. And keep her promise she did, for she was done and back upstairs in her room getting ready for the day only twenty minutes later.

That day would have to be done without Alex, due to the band having a meeting at Domino Records in anticipation of the album coming out soon.

Ella had gotten a full update on it all from Flo, who had designed the cover art and the merch, and also helped the guys come up with a better name for the record than 'The New Black'. So 'AM'would be coming out in September, and only two months away from release day, things were busy for the lads.

When Alex suggested rescheduling the meeting, claiming they still had all of August to handle everything, Ella had turned him down with a laugh.

"Alex I won't have your label getting angry at you because you're pushing things back to hang out with me. I can spend the day with Bre and we'll see each other later—plus, didn't Jamie say we were all going to that pub tonight?"

Jamie had been adamant of going to this pub, somewhere Ella had no clue it was but looked pretty, and everyone would be following him to the place that night.

Just because of the plans the guitarist had already made for everyone, Ella had been conscious to take it easy that day. That's why she and Bre had walked around London, being mindful of not tiring themselves too much for the early afternoon, to then go back to Ella's hotel room and just chill about the place until they had to get ready to leave and meet up with the rest of the group.

Alex and Matt had picked them up from the hotel and taken them to the pub where Jamie, Katie, Nick and Kelly were already waiting.

Thankfully, the ride to the place was only fifteen minutes long so their friends weren't waiting for too long and when they got there, they could see they had bumped into a friend and been stuck in a lovely conversation with him.

Ella smiled at the sight of her friends, waving eagerly at Katie and Kelly who waved back just as enthusiastically when they spotted her by the door.

She walked over to the girls with Bre in tow and hugged them hello. She wasn't short in showering them with compliments since they looked stunning and they had done just the same to her.

Ella blushed and thanked them shyly, taking off her trench coat and placing it over the back of a chair to greet Jamie and Nick.

She silently made her way around the table and went to hug them, excusing herself when she interrupted the man she didn't know who was speaking with Jamie.

"So sorry to interrupt. I'm Ella, nice to meet you." She would've waited for Jamie to introduce her but the truth was that the lad was gorgeous and she had promised herself this trip would be the one to let go of the insecurities she'd been left with from her latest relationship and maybe put herself out there, even if it was just for some fun.

The guy waved her apology off with a smirk, one that fit his face so well it had Ella biting the inside of her cheek lightly, "Oscar. Nice to meet you Ella." He shook her hand delicately and let it drop slowly back down.

Everyone saw the way Ella had blushed, the girls had wanted to shriek at her reaction and the lads had wanted to giggle but they held themselves back. Alex, on the other hand, had wanted to pull Ella from Oscar's side because he only wanted to see her react like that to him, just like she had done many times the day before.

They all settled at the big table after Alex greeted everyone, Oscar included, Katie sitting beside Jamie, Nick and Kelly next to each other as well, Matt had his arm wrapped around Bre's waist as she sat on his lap despite having a free seat next to them, and Alex had Ella sat close next to him.

Soon enough, Ella found out Oscar was in a band called 'Pale Waves' and they'd been friends with the Monkeys for a few years. He had lazily pointed at the two other band members that had come with him and said that the third, who was their drummer called Zara, had stayed at home because she was ill.

Ella had barely caught that, because when Oscar had pointed towards the pool tables where his two other bandmates were, she swore her heart had skipped a beat.

There stood a man, waiting for his turn at the game but the one who had Ella hypnotized was this woman bent over trying to make a shot at a striped ball. Ella watched the smirk growing on her face when she made the shot with ease and watched as she stood back up straight, only losing her breath a little more.

Her black hair cut in a bob with the long bangs framed her face perfectly, and Ella appreciated her beauty deeply but what she was wearing had the American gulping at the sight. Her legs were on full show due to her short plaid skirt but covered in fishnets, her white crop top clearly showed the lack of a bra, she stood tall in her red heeled platform boots and her neck was adorned with a black leather collar that tied together with a metal A.

Suddenly, Ella felt so insignificant in her square neck green dress that covered up to her knees and her simple black chelsea boots.

But that feeling of inferiority died when the girl caught her staring and she had to make it seem like she was talking to Katie. It hadn't worked at all, because the girl's smirk grew bigger at the sight of Ella's flustered expression as she spoke to Jamie's fiance.

Alex had noticed her pink cheeks but had been in conversation with Nick and Matt, therefore missing what had happened, so he brought his hand to Ella's face and cupped her jaw just to feel how warm she was.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a tinge of worry. He knew she didn't do well in the cold and the last thing he wanted was for her to become ill whilst on holiday.

Ella gulped at the feeling of his hand on her face, so delicate and warm. "Yes, uhm–, who's that?" She shyly asked, pointing towards the woman with a slight raise of her chin.

Alex's gaze quickly fell on the other two members of Pale Waves and with a soft frown, he repeated what Oscar had said a few minutes before. "Oscar's bandmates."

She let out a small sigh, "I know– but, who's she?"

Alex missed the way Ella looked at the girl then, because he just had to roll his eyes as he was completely overcome with annoyance and anger towards the woman playing pool. He shook his head, not really wanting Ella to meet such an appalling person. "You don't wanna know."

That answer had Ella frowning, his face had completely fallen just at the sight of the girl and if that was Alex's reaction to just being in the same establishment as that woman, then she was intrigued about who she was and what her personality was like. She was curious to know about what had happened to make him react like that but she and Alex were brought back into conversation meaning she couldn't get answers just yet.

Matt and Bre came from the bar with drinks for everyone, placing a tray in the middle of the table. Breana had bought a round of shots for everyone along with their drinks, so that was the first thing they did to start off their night.

Ella winced at the burn of the vodka, quickly grabbing her old-fashioned to soothe her throat. Alex wrapped his arm around her waist, softly rubbing circles over her dress as he softly smiled in amusement at her reaction to the alcohol. The need to close her eyes so she could catch her breath again made Ella miss Oscar's bandmate making way to their table.

She opened her eyes and saw the lad waving at everyone and introducing himself to Bre and Ella.

"Hi, I'm Connor. Y'alright?"

Both of them greeted him sweetly and introduced themselves to him, falling into a quick small talk that was then interrupted as the mystery woman now came from the bar with two drinks in hand.

Ella felt her gaze burning on the side of her head from all the way there, that was the only reason she had noticed where she had disappeared to, and she'd had to turn back around slowly as she felt the blush creep on her cheeks again.

But then her platform boots hitting the wooden floors had Ella turning back around to watch her approach them. The girl took a sip of one of the drinks, the glass leaving her lips just a few seconds later and they formed a grin as she got to them.

"Well hello," The girl said but it wasn't to everyone, her gaze was stuck on Ella who grew hot under it and almost shifted in her seat. Alex's hold grew tighter by the second, and that was making her head spin too.

Ella was beyond herself at the way she was feeling about the woman so she could only mutter a quiet, "Hi." as she raised her eyes to return her stare, trying to smile at her without blushing but it was becoming difficult.

"I'm Alice." She said and offered her hand out for Ella to shake, "What's your name beautiful?"

That fully made Ella's cheeks heat up again—her voice was so sweet and her accent only made Ella's knees go weak—but Alice had barely a chance to see her flustered because Alex was quick to say through his teeth, "Fuck off Alice.", making Ella whip her head around to glare at him.

She had never seen him be anything but kind to everyone, and Alice had only said hello and introduced herself so there was no need for the defensive reaction.

Alice seemed to be used to it though, because she only raised her eyebrows at him, gave him an unimpressed, "Rude." and then turned back to Ella with a soft smile and asked again, "What's your name darling?"

Ella didn't know if it was the way Alex squeezed her waist after hearing Alice call her that, or if it was hearing Alice call her 'darling' that had made her squirm in her seat.

Nothing compared to the feeling in her tummy whenever Alex called her by that nickname but what she had just felt from being called it by Alice was the closest she could imagine it would feel from anyone else that wasn't the singer.

It was embarrassing how much of an effect a gorgeous woman could have on her but she would blame it on the lack of sex for the past six months and the instant attraction she felt for Alice.

"I'm Ella." The American finally answered, placing her hand on Alice's and praying she didn't feel how they had started to sweat.

"Well Ella..." Instead of shaking her hand, Alice turned it so she could lean down and kiss the back of it, "Lovely to meet you."

Ella wanted to say that it was a pleasure to meet her as well but after that, her words were completely stuck in her throat. Ella barely registered Alex's exasperated sigh at Alice's antics because she watched Alice notice her 'Pure Desire' tattoo on the back of her hand and how she seemed entranced by it, even if it was only for a mere few seconds.

Ella wouldn't lie and say that it didn't feel nice to see Alice acting like that towards her, especially when she seemed to really not want to let go of her hand and leaving her with a faint squeeze to it.

It had been so long since Ella felt anyone actually showed some genuine interest in her—she knew any flirting from Miles was a joke, and that the flirting from Alex wasn't something he actually meant—, that it had her feeling giddy and smiley.

"Oscar, wanna play the winner?" Alice offered her bandmate with the whole group watching her. "Hello everyone by the way. Looking gorgeous as usual ladies and I've missed you three." She added, only giving a smile to Nick, Jamie and Matt, completely excluding Alex from the greeting and even though Ella was still confused by it, she knew Alex had started it.

"Sure," Oscar stood up and then turned to his other bandmate, "Come on Connor."

"I didn't win." Connor hung his head a little, making Matt laugh at the bassist's defeat.

Ella's gaze was drawn onto Alice, she truly couldn't stop looking at her and when she let her gaze drop to scan her look again, she noticed her nipple piercings peaking through the thin fabric of her top. Ella almost groaned at the sight, her legs clenching together and biting her bottom lip.

Alice caught her looking again but this time Ella only gave her a big smile. However this might finish, I should go for it tonight, Ella thought then, with her mind made about Alice and what could happen. The night was young and she felt it was reciprocal so she could try to let go and have fun that night.

About an hour later, and after two more shots and a third old-fashioned in hand, Ella was well on her way to getting drunk. She was very tipsy, only a couple glasses left for her to fall over the edge of drunkenness so she made herself the promise of having a glass of water after she was done with her current cocktail.

Her eyes had been magnetized to Alice's figure, just like Alice's to hers because they had both caught each other staring a fair few times and the last one had ended with Ella blushing after Alice winked at her.

Ella went to the bar once she had finished her drink, promising Alex she was fine and was only going for some water so she could last a bit longer without getting absolutely shit-faced. Alex reluctantly nodded and turned back around to talk to Jamie and Katie once he saw her almost at the bar.

Alice had been waiting for the perfect moment to approach Ella so she could get to know her without being stared at by the rest of their friends and without Alex being an absolute prick to her.

So seeing Ella sweetly smile at the bartender and ask for a glass of water, Alice walked up beside her and greeted her again.

"What is the pretty lady drinking tonight?" Alice asked with a sultry voice that made Ella brightly smile.

"Got some water for now 'cause I refuse to get wasted and go back to my hotel room before midnight." Ella explained swiftly, playing with her fingers.

Alice hummed with a smirk on her face, "Awh baby, are you a lightweight?"

Ella giggled shyly, her already pink cheeks heating up even more at the pet name, "I have that reputation, yeah."

The Brit smirked at her, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

"Thank you, Alice." Ella replied with a faint blush on her cheeks.

Alice found it so adorable how easily she blushed but she didn't want her to stay quiet so she started to test the waters to see her chances. "You're not from here from what I can hear."

"The gossip or the accent?"

"The accent," Alice chuckled at her banter, "Quite like it, always been a sucker for an American accent."

Ella hummed softly and decided to just push through her shyness to flirt back with the stunning girl. "It's a British accent in my case."

"Is it?" Alice smirked, she wanted to keep talking to her just to see how she was once out of her shell. "Shall we go sit over there?" She pointed at a booth by a window, not too close to the bar but not too close to their friends either.

Ella nodded, "Sure. Let me get you a drink first though."

Alice just couldn't hold her tongue so she smirked to reply, "Spoiling me already? Was hoping you'd save that for later."

And she was pleasantly surprised when Ella flirted right back, "I'll have more left in me, don't worry."

Completely satisfied with her reply, Alice hummed and gave in, "In that case, I'd love a gin and tonic."

Ella quickly ordered and paid for Alice's drink, handing it to her once the bartender pushed it towards her and after a sweet 'thank you' from Alice, they made their way to the booth.

"Whereabouts in the States are you from?" Alice asked right after they'd taken their seats, sipping on her drink slowly as she waited for her to answer.

"Tennessee, but I live in Los Angeles."

"Ohhh," Alice let out in realization, "Is that how you know them then?"

Ella nodded with a soft smile, "I'm a production assistant in this company that has been working with them since 2011."

"Fucking hell. Two years dealing with them? I applaud you." Alice exaggerated a bit, knowing that they could be annoying but when it came to work they were professionals.

The American girl chuckled, "They're great. I love them, the four idiots."

"Yeah, but you know..." Alice pushed further, playfully. "Men."

"Ugh, don't even get me started." Ella groaned and that was enough to spark some curiosity in Alice.

"Oh no. Bad experience?"

Ella took a few seconds to think before answering, but even then she stumbled, "It's... complicated."

"Do you mind if I'm nosy and ask about it?" Alice was gentle, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

Ella was feeling very at ease with her though so she didn't find it hard to say, "I actually feel like a drunk rant about the whole thing will be great right now but I apologize in advance for oversharing."

"Nothing to apologize for, baby." Alice quickly reassured, smirking when Ella pressed her lips after being called by the pet name.

After taking a sip of water, Ella started, "So, my last boyfriend cheated on me. And I would love to say that the whole relationship was shit and it was the worst experience of my life but that'd be a lie."

That didn't make Alice feel better about the situation though, her frown deep as she commented on it with a stern, "What a fucking twat."

"Yeah..." Ella agreed, "Now, when I think back to it, I just get annoyed at how he played me. We had agreed on starting a family and trying for a baby at the start of the year and I was over the moon about it so imagine how shattered I was when his parents found him on a date with someone else when he'd told them he'd be out with me."

"You're joking..." Alice's jaw dropped at the brief story, for it sounded utterly devastating.

"He hadn't even wanted to tell me himself to start with so his parents called me to tell me themselves. Apparently they'd been together for a whole month by then." Ella winced as she thought back to it, still not believing that had happened to her.

"I'm so sorry, that's the worst fucking thing." Alice apologized like she needed to but then tried to bring her spirits back up joking with, "You should've fucked his dad. Or his mum, I don't discriminate."

Ella cackled and nodded, "Yeah, that threesome would've made him hate me."

Alice smirked, slightly satisfied by the subtle confirmation of the girl's sexuality. "Definitely."

The alcohol was already impulsing Ella to word vomit though, that's why she continued saying, "Now I have this awful feeling that every relationship I have will end up with me getting cheated on because the first one did it too."

And the British girl didn't miss a beat to reply, "I will batter him after I batter the last one."

"Oh it was a she." Ella felt the need to clear up, looking straight into Alice's eyes just to watch her reaction to the confirmation of her sexuality. "My first relationship. She was my best friend since we started high school but I'd always liked her, so we became girlfriends with two years left until graduation and we were gonna go to college together. Well, that was until she met someone else and fell in love with her, and then left me to go to college with that other girl."

Softly gasping at how cruel things had been to Ella, Alice said, "What the fuck? That is so unfair."

Ella could only nod, "I was left scarred from that one so I just didn't do relationships. Julian was my second official partner, everyone else in between was just a casual thing or a one night stand."

And that was enough for Alice to know that she'd make the night memorable for Ella, "You know what? Fuck them both. Tonight we're gonna have fun and we're gonna forget all about them, so let me change this," She grabbed Ella's glass of water and stood up from her seat, "For an actual drink. Tonight you're getting the treatment you deserve, baby."

Alice winked before leaving to the bar, leaving Ella to stay at the booth, fiddling with her fingers from how nervous she seemed to have gotten. It had been so long since she'd done something casual and she was so scared of fucking up.

No more than two minutes later, Alice was back with two gin and tonics. She left Ella's in front of her and sat back down across from her in the booth.

"Thanks very much." Ella's voice was shy, making Alice feel the need to relax her some more.

"It's nothing, Ella." Alice promised with that sweet voice of hers that had Ella already feeling some type of way.

"You can call me Ellie." She offered her quickly, it was weird to hear someone who wasn't from work call her Ella now.

Alice smirked and stood back up from the booth, grabbing her drink with her left hand and extending her right out to Ella so she could stand up too. "Ellie, let's go dance then."

But that had Ella hiding into herself, "M'not a great dancer."

"I seriously doubt that." Alice insisted, wiggling her fingers which finally made Ella take her hand and let her pull her up from her seat.

"We can dance when I have more alcohol in me." Ella negotiated, knowing she was too sober to dance in the middle of the pub.

"Should we get some shots then?" The singer suggested with that mischievous smirk of hers.

A smirk that Ella matched as she thought, "I probably shouldn't, 'cause it gets me quick but I'm feeling some tequila shots right now."

Alice hummed, amused at the information. "You're looking for trouble."

"Maybe I am." Ella flirted this time, before taking a sip of her drink with her eyes still on Alice's face.

"I like that." Alice winked at her, "How about some shots and playing pool to warm up?"

That sounded like a solid plan to Ella so she eagerly nodded, "Sounds wonderful."

"Alright, go get a table and I'll get us some shots."

Just like Alice had told her, Ella stood by the chosen table after setting it all up. She was leaning on the table as she watched Alice and Matt talking by the bar while they waited for their drinks, but it soon seemed to have turned bitter as Alice's smile changed to a frown that made Ella want to go over and fix whatever had happened.

"Was Matthew annoying you?" Ella had been quick to inquire once Alice was back beside her.

Handing her a shot glass, Alice shrugged with an eye roll, "He's being a dickhead."

"Typical Helders." Ellajoked before raising her glass and clinking it with Alice's to take it.

Ella winced at the taste, going straight back to her still half full gin and tonic to make the tequila burn subside a little bit.

"Do you know how to play?" Alice asked, grabbing her cue and already itching to start playing.

Ella scoffed playfully, "'Course I do."

Alice laughed and said, "Alright." letting her go first.

But halfway through the game, when Ella was missing shots consecutively, Alice had noted her poor form. "You're doing it wrong."

"Why?" Ella asked, slightly defensive.

Alice went to stand behind her, pushing her back down so she was still bent over the table and she could fix her stance. Alice had smirked at the position though, her brain going places already. "If you keep leaning like that then you're gonna mess up your shot."

The Brit leaned her cue on the side of the table and used both her hands to grab at Ella's hips and reposition them. "Keep your hips here, and don't slump over the table like that." Her hands softly fixed her shoulders, making Ella smile at the touch. "There we go. I thought you knew how to play." Alice teased with a smirk.

But Ella took the chance to flirt a little bit, "Maybe I needed a little help." wiggling her ass a little bit before hitting the white ball to shoot at a striped ball.

"Well, I don't mind helping some more." Alice's hands were still resting on her hips as Ella stood back up straight.

With her back pressed to Alice's front, Ella leaned back to say, "Sure you don't."

And Alice didn't let up when she squeezed her hips and whispered in Ella's ear. "I truly don't, but I'm still gonna win."

Ella laughed once Alice had left her with the ghost of her touch on her skin, and turn after turn, she was growing fonder of the singer's company.

Between giggles the game ended and just like Alice predicted, she had won and left Ella to play the next game with Oscar, making her way to the bar to get a new drink for herself.

Alice only let her eyes leave Ella's figure when she had to order her drink, turning back around to look at her bent over the pool table as she giggled over the things Oscar was saying. She wanted to hear exactly what the guitarist was telling her but the music was louder than the chatter.

Ella stood back up and met Alice's gaze with rosy cheeks and a soft smirk, mouthing "I'm winning" proudly to her.

Smiling brightly, Alice winked at her and mouthed a "Good job." back to her, before turning around when the man behind the bar handed her drink.

Alice thought she'd let Ella have some fun by herself, only so she didn't feel suffocated by her flirting because she truly couldn't be fucking it up with her.

So she walked to the booths on the other side of the room, to the one that gave her the best view of the place where Ella stood with Oscar, and it wasn't a surprise that a certain someone had beat her to the best seats in the house.

She smirked at the thought of pushing Alex's buttons, especially knowing that Ella seemed to be very important to him and how she had completely gotten her attention the whole night. Alice could see the fact eating away at Alex's insides.

"Your friend is fit as fuck," Alice sighed as she dropped herself into the space beside Alex, "Thank you for bringing her... Here, and to my attention."

"Stop flirting with her." Alex immediately scorned, "You're making her uncomfortable."

"If I'm making her uncomfortable then you're fucking Einstein." Alice shook her head, sarcasm thick in her voice, "She's flirting back or are you blind as a bat and can't see that woman blush?"

He scoffed, his patience wearing thin already, "She doesn't deserve to be played about by the likes of you."

"Christ Red, I'm already sick of the sound of your voice." The feeling is mutual, Alex thought but before he could even say it out loud, Alice continued, "And it's rude that you think I'm trying to play her about. I'm genuinely interested."

Alex didn't care to believe her words, still pushing for her to stop her behavior. "She's just had her heart broken and she doesn't need you to-"

But Alice had had enough, "To what, Alex? To break it again? To use her? Why do you automatically assume I'm going to be a bitch?"

"Because you are a bitch."

Alice let out a dry laugh at his attempts, "You can do better with your insults, Turner."

"She's only just herself again and I don't want you fucking that up." And truly he didn't want Ella to get hurt, he'd do anything in his power to avoid that but he was biased and in denial, not wanting to see how Ella was reciprocal to Alice's intentions.

"Very noble of you Red I've gotta say. But I have absolutely no intention to hurt that stunning woman." It was one of the very unusual times that Alice didn't use sarcasm when speaking to Alex, her words screaming honesty but the singer was seething seeing it all unfold in front of him.

"Stop trying to fuck her too," was the only thing he could say, completely ignoring Alice's tries to make him understand she wasn't playing the American girl.

She was completely fed up then, so she just said, "I think she wants to fuck me too, so why would I stop?" to mess with him a bit more, have him more angry at the fact that the night was simply not going how he'd expected.

Alex groaned in response, his hands coming up to rub his face in frustration. He desperately needed a smoke but if he went outside after this talk, he knew Alice would take Ella back to hers in a second and there'd be nothing he could do about it.

"I've never seen you so defensive. Not even over Arielle when I used to flirt with her." Alice was taking the opportunity to continue annoying him, but at the same time she was trying to find some answers, just so she could use the information to her advantage in the future.

Alex didn't give her the pleasure though, only glaring at her with murderous thoughts running through his mind. Alice brought the worst in him every time.

"What's that look for?" She teased, knowing she'd break him in no time. "Ohhh, you like her don't you?"

"Fuck off Loveless." He cursed through his teeth, really grasping tightly the last bits of patience he had left.

Alice rolled her eyes, truly amused at the fact that he kept trying to tell her what to do. "Oh Red, you've already told me and I didn't listen to you the first time so I definitely won't be now. Save your breath."

"Do you ever just get fucking tired?" His question was hostile, his gaze matching the tone.

"Not really." She purposely answered knowing that it would make him want to scream in frustration, "Do tell, how long has it been since you've liked her?"

"Shut up Alice." She truly didn't need to know, because the true answer was gonna be enough for Alice to laugh until the end of time over his 'lack of game'.

But she wouldn't budge, now she was just purely curious to know the real answer because it seemed like it'd be an entertaining story. "C'mon, let's try and be civil once." She kicked his feet under the table, only getting him to grumpily shift his legs away from her.

She laughed as Alex gave her an ultimatum for her to stop trying to get an answer. "We're not going to sit here talking about my feelings Alice. We're not friends."

"No we're not. But Christ, I'm jealous you've been her friend for so long. Since 2011 she said, you fucking lucky bastard." She really couldn't believe he had seen a girl like that for two years and not tried to make her his girlfriend.

"Please stop." He begged, making Alice's eyes widen.

"Damn you beg for this woman. You're down so bad." 'Please' was a word she never heard coming from Alex, so this meant it was very serious for him.

"Loveless, I'm being serious." His eyes narrowed as he glared at her once more.

That only had her trying not to laugh, "Don't threaten me with a good time Alex."

"Kill me now." Alex sighed, looking up to the ceiling as if begging for lightning to strike him down.

"Don't tempt me." Alice pushed further, fully just jumping on everything he said because he put it so easy for her to get him angry.

Alex was done with it so he just said what he wanted to say, not caring about what Alice may think, because he was finding her cruel—not just to him but to Ella—and he hated it. "Don't, because I know exactly what you're doing and you know it's working so just please stop."

Alice frowned, not really understanding what he meant. "What is it that I'm doing?"

"You're trying to fuck her to get one up on me for our little vendetta we have against each other. You're trying to get with her to annoy me. And yes, it's working." He stated like it was obvious, a patronizing look on his face that made Alice want to punch it right off.

Alex watched as the singer visibly deflated then, her eyes got less hard and some emotion he'd not seen in her before seeped through the cracks. But before he could comment on it, Alice's hard expression came back, "It pisses me off how you think I'm such a stone cold bitch. I have fucking feelings too, I just don't when I talk to you because you're always a cunt to me."

Her glass landed with a loud thud on the table in front of them but it wasn't loud enough to hide her scoff, "I'm not a monster Alex. I'm not trying to use her. Especially in any way to get back at you."

Alice's playful smirk had long left her face, making Alex start to panic inside thinking about what he should say to make it better, maybe even try to apologize. If Alice had paid attention to him, then she'd seen the cogs turning around in his brain, smoke coming out of his ears with how hard he was trying to make it up to the singer but when Matt came over to check on them—knowing they had a reputation to ruin each other's nights from their arguments—, he took it as he'd been saved by the bell.

Thankfully, Matt had been a sort of mediator between them because about five minutes later, when they were back alone, they stayed there in a comfortable silence rather than the awkward one before.

So they continued watching Ella playing. Their eyes followed her every move, which were ever the slightest bit calculated since Ella had caught them and could feel them staring at her.

So, with a mischievous mind very much induced by the alcohol in her bloodstream, she slowly leaned down to pick her glass from the floor, making a show of her barely covered ass and swaying it to the sides slightly, just enough for them to notice but for everyone else to take it as a normal thing.

And if that wasn't enough, when she came back up, she made sure to stroke up and down the cue she was using to play. Her fingers flexing around it, her tattoo stealing the spotlight and drawing their eyes in.

"Fucking hell." Alice hissed quietly before biting her lip and taking her own drink to have a long sip of it as she looked away from the American. Her brain was racing with thoughts that had her eager to get the night moving.

As Alex was the only one who could hear it, he looked at the singer and breathlessly asked, "What?" as if he hadn't seen that too, as if he hadn't had to bite his tongue and clench his fists to not groan.

"I want that Pure Desire tattoo wrapped around my neck like a pretty necklace." Alice said truthfully, not really wanting to keep it to herself because it was Ella and she knew now that he'd agree. "Take this choker off me and give me her hand."

Alex hated so badly that it was Alice saying it, he didn't want to share Ella with anyone, much less with the woman he hated. "Oh my fucking god Alice."

Alice rolled her eyes, "Oh don't tell me you've not pictured exactly the same thing. Just because I'm the only one ballsy enough to say it out loud."

"Come on," Alice nudged his shoulder with hers, "Admit it."

"Loveless." He told her like a warning.

Alice leaned in a little closer, prompting him again, "Admit it, Red." And only to see his reaction is that she allowed herself to think of a dirty scenario, "You've definitely thought about that hand around your throat, probably around your dick too, but knowing your lyrics, the throat one probably has you finishing in seconds when you think about her."

"You're being loud." He warned once more.

"And there was no denial in sight. Kinky bastard." She raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him to admit to having done that. But he was quick to avert his eyes and look back to the pool tables. "Don't go all shy, she's hot. Why wouldn't you want her? I know I do."

He still gave her silence as an answer and that was enough for Alice to know it all. Alex was so easy to read, and having received nothing but hostility, indifference and defensive comments from him, it was easy to know when he felt the complete opposite towards someone.

They watched as she made her last shot, making it perfectly and she jumped in her spot in celebration. Oscar laughed at her actions, his smile staying on his face because Ella was just so adorable to him. So he took a step towards her and in one swift motion pulled her in by the waist, making her crash into his chest and fling her arms around his neck for stability.

Oscar had seen the two staring at Ella for a while, so he found his friends' eyes and smirked at them in an attempt to tease them.

Oscar's smirk only grew bigger when Alice and Alex flipped him off at the same time, the jaws locked and their stern looks on him as he swayed with Ella in his arms and squeezed her tight before letting go.

"How you nearly fucked him I don't know." Alex quickly reminded Alice, trying to see if that'd push her away from trying anything else tonight.

"We were very drunk and my standards were lower."

"You sure?" He back chatted, without missing a beat and the way her face fell in annoyance.

"You're a dick." She sighed, her 'Alex Turner tolerance' levels were running very low, "I'm sorry but out of me or Oscar, who would you rather take your friend home?"

"Can't believe I'm saying this but you." He felt sick just admitting that aloud.

She hummed in satisfaction, "Exactly."

Ella moved to hang the cue she'd been using, hearing Breana call her over from the table the group was still at. So she walked in a slow pace over to her best friend, smirking at the attention of Alice and Alex she could still feel.

Alice sighed in content, watching Ella's legs peeking out from the fabric of her dress, her ass so perfectly hugged by it. "She's so perfect from every point of view... Just one look from her is more than enough for me to believe god is real and she's just as gay as me." She backtracked on her statement and felt the need to clarify, "God, I mean, not Ella. I know Ella is just as gay as me."

Alex shook his head, trying not to give her the pleasure of hearing him actually laugh because he'd found that funny, focusing on the way Ella got to Bre and hugged her from the back and over her shoulders.

They could see Breana had ordered some sort of dessert, but they weren't quite sure what it was. It didn't matter though, because watching Ella take the spoonful that the model was offering her was far more important, and it had them completely entranced when the whipped cream that was over it fell out of the corner of Ella's mouth and down her bare neck.

Ella laughed, struggling to swallow between the chuckles and Breana, who was trying to wipe the sweet from her neck with her finger, couldn't do it correctly due to how she couldn't stay still from the laughter.

A few seconds later, Bre had managed to wipe most of it with her index finger and offered it to Ella as a joke to lick clean but that was exactly what Ella needed to have the two people who were gawking at her, completely lose it.

So Ella stuck her tongue out to lick Breana's finger from base to tip and then wrapped her lips around it to sink her mouth on it. It got even filthier when Ella's eyes met theirs and she let them roll back in satisfaction.

Both Alice and Alex were struggling to breathe. In the middle of that Alice's head had fallen on Alex's shoulder and she'd fully groaned into his neck. Alex was going into overdrive, and Alice felt herself getting worked up from the whole thing.

"That was thigh-clenching-ly hot. Fuck me..." And Alice wasn't lying because when Alex distractedly dropped his gaze down, he saw her thighs pressed together and he had to hold himself back not to groan in response.

But Ella wasn't done, not when she'd just seen them react that way. She had made it seem like she'd gotten distracted by Jamie and Nick laughing at Matt's comment on Ella trying to steal his girlfriend, but she'd been watching the two out of the corner of her eye.

That's why, to seemingly keep the joke going in front of the lads, she asked Breana to lick the rest off her neck and her best friend did just that.

Alice wanted to be Breana so badly in that moment, to have Ella sit on her lap as she licked her neck. Alex tried not to moan when he saw Bre purposely start sucking on Ella's neck and Ella's mouth opened slightly in pleasure.

"They're gonna start shagging on the table!" They heard Nick yell, Matt was separating the American girls as everyone laughed their asses off, especially when they pointed at the small bruise already showing faintly on Ella's neck

Alice had been sure she'd be shagging Ella later, but that just made her a thousand percent sure that it'd be one of the best decisions she'd make. "I won't fuck her against the shared wall, don't worry." She stated, even though she certainly knew that'd happen, because all she wanted to do now was fuck Ella in every corner of her damn flat.

Alex stood up then, completely done with her, still breathless from the whole situation and just wanting to go home so he could properly get off to the thought of Ella. "Time for another drink."

"I'll have a Negroni Sbag–"

"Wasn't asking if you wanted one Loveless." Alex leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Especially if you fuck my Ellie."

Alice smirked up at him and whispered back, "I'm going to make your Ellie cum on my tongue."

Alex pretended the image hadn't made him want to burst right there. He was sure he'd hate Alice even more after that night because of how much he'd be thinking about them both. And it was awful of him, he knew, but how could he not. That made him also want to kick himself in the head because it wasn't only Ella involved, it was Alice of all people. Fucking Alice.

Alice downed whatever was left of her drink, taking the empty glass with her until she reached Ella's side and wrapped her arm around her waist.

"You're a tease, aren't you?" Alice whispered into her ear, making Ella shiver in her hold.

Ella played innocent, "Me? What makes you say that?"

But Alice could see straight through her and if she was right about her suspicions then it would be a very fun night. Alice hummed, letting her hand drop slowly and then grabbing a handful of Ella's ass and squeezing it, making Ella whimper softly only for her to hear. "I'm very observant."

Ella had enough alcohol in her to fully be blunt and not care that she was in public and in front of all their friends so, with her eyes filled with lust, she said, "And are you liking the view?"

"Very much." Alice replied looking at her hungrily and not being able to hold back any longer.

Alice quickly placed her glass on the table and grabbed Ella by the neck to pull her in and kiss her. It was a hungry kiss, and neither of the girls cared to be seen, if anything Alice thought it'd be better for everyone in the place to know she was the one taking Ella home. Alice believed she was the only one in the place that could treat her the way she deserved.

Ella's arms wrapped around Alice's shoulders, making sure to tangle her fingers on the singer's hair and pulling her in impossibly closer. Alice had one of her arms around Ella's waist, holding her tightly to her chest, and her right hand was still wrapped around Ella's neck just like she'd wanted to do all night.

Now, Alice wanted to test her theories, so she put some more pressure around Ella's neck to see if she was truly into it and when the girl moaned into her mouth, allowing their tongues to taste each other, Alice felt like the luckiest woman alive.

Their kiss went on until they ran out of breath, pulling away as they panted, not even caring about how their friends had all gone silent. All the girls could focus on was the big smirks on each other's faces, certainly satisfied by the kiss.

Somewhere in the background they heard Matt saying "Fucking hell, they were eating each other." but they couldn't be arsed to say anything back because Alice was now rubbing circles on Ella's neck and she was enjoying the touch way too much.

Ella's gaze fell on Alice's swollen lips and that only made her want to taste them again so, letting one of her arms drop from around her shoulders to her waist, Ella pulled Alice back in for another kiss.

Alice moaned as she felt Ella's tongue instantly teasing her lips so that she could open them up for her, making Ella grip her waist tighter and pushing her hips against Alice's. That only made the British girl tighten her hold around Ella's neck, and that's when Ella knew that if she didn't live in a different continent, then she'd do anything to feel Alice's lips on hers all the time.

This time they didn't kiss for long, because now their friends were causing ruckus and they'd rather not have them ruin the night for them by being loud and forcing them to leave early. Not that it would be bad for them, as they could get down to it sooner but they both knew they wanted to stay and enjoy each other's presence a little more at the pub they were in.

So Ella left a bunch of pecks on Alice's lips, which made Alice truly melt at how fucking adorable she was.

When Alice let her hand drop from Ella's neck, she noticed once again the bareness of it, so she undid her own choker and wrapped it around Ella's neck instead.

Ella bit her lip, feeling Alice's fingers brushing the skin on the back of her neck—it was such a simple touch but she was suffocating in the tension between them, it had her tummy fluttering.

Alice finished locking the leather piece, and leaned backwards to see it in all its glory around Ella's pretty neck. "Definitely suits you better." She said, her mouth watering as she thought of marking her up all over. "That feel alright?" She asked, just to make sure Ella was comfortable.

But Ella made her breath hitch in her throat when she whispered, "Kinda wish it could be tighter."

And once again, Alice just couldn't help herself. She deeply groaned as she hooked her finger on the A that tied the choker together and pulled Ella in to attack her lips again. Thankfully, seeing that the two girls had been ignoring them all, their friends had gone back to what they were doing and left them to it.

They were also thankful for the music in the place, loud enough so it could drown the moans they were letting out into each other's mouths.

Alice brought one of her hands to tangle in Ella's hair and pulled on it ever so roughly to make her whimper. Ella had left the hand that was on Alice's waist drop to grope her ass, fingers roughly kneading the barely covered flesh, and the singer stopped the kiss to let out a breathy moan that had Ella smirking.

Alex had come back from the bar right after Alice had put her choker on Ella and he found it a miracle that the glass he had in his hand didn't shatter from how tight he was holding it.

He knew Alice was determined but how he wished she'd set her eyes on someone else because seeing all that was just making his chest twist in a knot. He had imagined tonight going so differently: getting to have a drink with Ella and chat to their heart's content, dancing around with her, sharing smokes and maybe taking her back to his just so they could cuddle.

The longer he thought about it, the more his anger towards Alice bubbled inside him.

He got to the table right when the girls let go of each other, not before Ella gave Alice's ass another cheeky squeeze, making Alice laugh and leave a kiss on her neck. Rolling his eyes, he started gulping down his drink, making a mental note to make it a double next time he went to the bar.

Ella went to sit with Breana again, leaving Alice to chat with Oscar and both conversations seemed to be about the same topic.

Bre kept teasing Ella, and she could only blush as she said how much she was looking forward to later in the night. The model had hugged her tightly and shaken her in her arms, making Ella giggle away.

And Alice watched all that with a loopy smile on her face, matching the one on Alex's face who was looking at Ella's happy state with pure adoration. Yes he despised seeing it be because of someone else but her happiness was contagious and he couldn't help feeling warm inside whenever she smiled.

It was about ten minutes later that someone from the staff had pulled the projector screen down in the corner of the room and set everything up for karaoke. A handful of people ran to the book to pick a song to perform.

They all suffered three very drunkenly performed songs and a decent rendition of one of the best ABBA songs. And as a man very passionately sang an Adele song, a tipsy Ella who had been peer pressured into participating stood up to grab the song book.

If it wasn't for the alcohol and Alice's gaze on her, she would've done anything to avoid it, but then she found a song she loved by one of her new favorite artists that had her brightly grinning and quickly telling the man in charge of the songs what it was that she'd be singing.

When the man singing Adele was done and stepped out of the small stage, Ella grabbed the microphone with shaky hands. Everyone at the table whooped and cheered, wolf whistled and clapped seeing her walk onto the stage, making her blush.

The song started, she was deeply regretting agreeing to it until her eyes landed on Alex's and he nodded at her encouragingly, giving her thumbs up and smiling wide at seeing her on stage for a change.

Ella smiled back at him, scrunching her nose and in no time she started singing along.

She had a sweet, hush voice that sounded amazing even when she was drunk. People at the pub started cheering for her as she'd been so far the best to perform. But it was when she got to the chorus that her eyes met Alice's and she just had to put on a little show for her.

Fuck yeah, give it to me, this is Heaven, what I truly want

Ella sang teasingly, making sure to get a little breathless to accentuate how she wanted to be chanting that line, Alice crossed her legs to aid the ache between them.

Alex had let out a groan, one that left his throat without him wanting to. If he closed his eyes every time she sang that line, he could paint a picture in his mind that was enough for him to cum in his pants at any second.

It was in the second verse that Ella leaned onto the railing that separated the stage and stared right into Alice's eyes as she sang.

In the land of gods and monsters

I was an angel looking to get fucked hard

Ella sent a wink Alice's way and the singer bit her lip, eyeing her up and down with a hungry look on her face.

And after that look, Ella just filled up with this confidence that had her hips swaying and really feeling every line of the song.

Alex was quite literally dying in his seat. His heart was going a thousand miles per hour, every movement of Ella's body getting branded to the forefront of his mind. But all of Ella's attention was on Alice, making him want to scream.

Alice had made a point to be the loudest once Ella got off stage and she was pleased to see Ella go straight to sit on her lap and give her a quick kiss.

"That was so embarrassing." She'd said in Alice's ear.

Alice shook her head, "You did amazing, baby. T'was fucking hot."

Ella gave her no time to react when she cupped her jaw and kissed her hard. Ella's hands cupped her jaw eagerly and Alice's arms pulled her impossibly close, and because of how she'd forcefully pushed her hips into hers, Ella had moaned at the friction.

"God– Please, sit on my face." Alice said under her breath, already obsessed with the noises Ella made.

Ella's thighs clenched together, "Thought you'd never ask." was what she said back and Alice would've taken her right there if she could've.

Another hungry kiss started, their tongues meeting straight away making them dizzy from want but it was cut short because of the person who was now on stage quite literally screaming 'Living On A Prayer'. Ella rested her forehead on Alice's and they both started laughing into each other, absolutely loving the way the night was turning out to be.

Alex was forcing himself to focus on the butchering of the Bon Jovi song, just so he could keep the little sanity he had left.

He was sure it'd be worse once he'd go home and had to try to find sleep whilst he knew that the girls' would be shagging next door. He would just have to try and stay way longer just to avoid arriving at his flat.

A few more people went—including Katie and Breana who had sung 'Head Over Heels' by Tears for Fears—, and after a fair fifteen minutes, Ella had stood up from Alice's lap so she could go sing.

When Alice got on stage, Ella wolf whistled at her, earning her a wink and a blown kiss. Alex felt himself dying a little bit when he watched Ella's massive smile on her face at that. Jealousy was such a weird feeling, his chest tightening at the sight of her happiness and knowing someone else was the reason for that, was killing him.

And it only became worse when Alice's chosen song started and the people around the place started cheering for her as she sang straight to Ella.

So one, two, three

Take my hand and come with me

Because you look so fine

That I really wanna make you mine

I said, you look so fine

That I really wanna make you mine

He wanted to be the one making Ella blush as she giggled by having a song basically serenaded to her.

Well, I could see you home with me

But you were with another man, yeah

I know we ain't got much to say

Before I let you get away, yeah

I said, are you gonna be my girl?

Alex drowned his thoughts in whiskey, staring at a giddy Ella hypnotized by Alice. It was painful to see not only their group of friends enjoying the performance but everyone in the establishment cheering and singing along, clapping and hyping Alice up. That only had the singer more confident to lay it on thick on Ella as she sang to her.

Once Alice was done and off stage, seeing Ella so eagerly kiss her had Alex standing up from his seat and going to the bar.

He ordered himself a double whiskey on the rocks, downing it faster than he should've and ordering another one right away. He sat at the bar until the karaoke stopped and even though his ears hurt, he wished the obnoxious noise was still there so he could distract himself from his thoughts.

Once he was finished with his second drink, he made sure to get a third one and when he got it, he went back to sit at the booth he and Alice had been sitting at earlier when watching Ella.

Time had moved quicker than he could process as he wallowed in self pity in a corner and, in a moment when her attention wasn't completely taken by Alice or the rest of the group, Ella made her way to him.

She was truly elated, the night had turned out better than she'd ever expected and to find someone she actually wanted to fuck, who she felt so comfortable with already, was a massive win to her.

So Ella let herself drop beside Alex with a happy sigh. He turned around quickly, knowing it was her from just her scent, and smiled softly.

"You okay sweets?" She asked with a soft frown on her face, the last time she'd seen him was when she was on stage during karaoke and he'd been smiling so she wondered what had happened for his mood to fall down completely.

"Yes darling, I'm fine." He gave her a tight lip smile that she instantly knew was forced.

She shook her head, "You don't look it, sweetness. Come here." She opened her arms for him and Alex sighed.

He stared at the A around her neck, held by the leather band of the choker and he wished with everything he had that it was A for Alex instead of Alice. Ignoring the growing jealousy inside him, he accepted her embrace and relaxed instantly by nuzzling in the crook of her neck.

She giggled at the tickling feeling from his hair, which made him only do it more in order to hear her laugh louder. His hand managed to go around her side to tickle her there and that's when she dropped her arms to cackle as she tried to push him away from her.

"Stop, stop, stop. I'm too drunk for tickling." She pleaded, really feeling like she'd fully pee herself from laughing with her state.

Alex stopped, opting for properly wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer into his side.

"Are you having fun?" He asked softly, only she was able to hear him from how close she was to him.

Ella showed a loopy grin, her eyes closing at how wide it was, "Lots."

"I'm glad, darling. You deserve it." He was being honest, because despite how he hated everything that had gone on—except for this very moment—, he was so damn happy she was happy.

She cooed, letting her head fall on his shoulder. "Gonna make me cry, sweets. Remember I'm an emotional drunk."

He chuckled and left a kiss on top of her head, making her skin erupt in goosebumps. "You're a clingy one as well. You'll be asking for cuddles in a bit."

And he was about to suggest taking her back to his so they could cuddle all night, a last attempt to stop anything from happening between her and Alice, when aforementioned suddenly appeared beside her and pounced on Ella's lips.

Ella leaned back into Alex due to the force and the lack of space, and since the singer had his arm around her waist, he was stuck between the seat and Ella's body.

He tried his best to avert his eyes, not wanting to watch the way Alice's tongue disappeared into Ella's mouth but what he couldn't do was mute the noise so he fully froze when Ella let out a loud moan at the taste of Alice.

A moan that earned her one from Alice and soon enough both of them were whimpering messes which had Alex completely going insane.

Alex tried pulling his arm out slowly but Ella kept leaning back, meaning he was more trapped by the second. He watched around him in search of any type of help, he needed a way out, but everyone was still at the table, so engrossed in the conversations that he couldn't even catch anyone's attention from where he was.

He cursed in his head, fully panicking as Ella continued to lean back into him and now resting on his chest, Alice starting to bend over on top of her. And then the girls' hands started to wander and Ella's right hand disappeared under Alice's top. He could see her fingers inching closer to Alice's nipple and he knew that if he didn't get out of there soon, then he'd be in serious trouble.

So Alex cleared his throat loudly and continuously, enough times to have them separating with their chests heaving and cheeks flushed. Not as flushed as his, but definitely giving him competition.

Alice held her hand out for Ella to grab, which she accepted instantly and watching Alice go over to the table to grab her coat, Ella turned around slightly to apologize.

"Sorry sweets. I'll see you tomorrow?" Ella tried meeting his eyes to see if their plans still stood, but it was a failure.

Alex could barely meet her eyes as he nodded his head. "Yep. See you tomorrow, darling."

Ella gave him a tight lip smile that he missed but he was left with the picture of Alice helping Ella put her coat on and then intertwining her fingers with Ella's as they waved everyone goodbye.

"Have fun Eleanor!" Oscar yelled suggestively as the couple of girls walked away.

Ella was gonna flip him off when Alice beat her to an answer, "Oh she most certainly will." She assured, to then make a V with her fingers and stuck her tongue out through it to flick up and down in a quick motion.

They heard their friends laugh behind them, Ella's cheeks bright red as they walked out but her heart leaped on her chest from anticipation. 

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

The walk back to Alice's was about fifteen minutes long which she'd find short in any other circumstance, but standing right there with the need to have Ella to herself had her deciding to just take a cab back to her place.

Only a few minutes later the girls were sitting inside a car, the red light on and the lights flashing as they drove the city's streets.

"So I hear you're in a band?" Ella started the conversation, feeling Alice rubbing her hand tattoo with her thumb.

She nodded, giving Ella her undivided attention, "I am."

"What do you do?" Ella asked, her words a little slurred, and she felt slightly bad for forgetting what Oscar had said she did earlier.

But Alice smiled amused, "I sing."

"Like Alex?" The American grinned, forgetting how both singers seemed to hate each other.

"Yes, but I'm better than him," Alice stated confidently and when Ella laughed a little she added, "I'm sexier too."

Ella hummed softly, not really knowing if she could fully agree on that because if she took a moment to think about it, then she'd greedily choose them both.

"Why does it seem like you two don't like each other?" She felt the need to ask.

"That's because we don't... At all." Alice didn't hesitate to tell her.

The information confused Ella because she truly couldn't understand why Alex couldn't stand such a sweet and funny girl like Alice.

"Can I ask why?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know why to be honest with you." Alice told her truthfully, "The first time I met him he was horrible to me for no reason. And then it progressed to what it is now... Always getting under each other's skin."

"He's not a bad person, I swear." Ella felt the sudden urge to defend her best friend, maybe even give Alice another view on him that could make her try to change her mind. "I've actually never met anyone nicer... He's the one who got me through all the shit my ex put me through, got me being myself again."

"I'm glad he's got a soft spot for someone. Nice to see some human qualities come through" Alice only smiled back, her eyes clearly wandering around Ella's face, which made her blush. "And it's really fine that it's not for me. We get under each other's skin, it's entertaining a lot of the time to be honest."

Ella got lost staring at Alice's features, half a minute going by before her brain caught up with what was said so she offered a solution, "Maybe if you spent time together then you both could-"

But Alice shook her head with a sad expression on her face. Only sad because of not being able to give Ella the outcome she wanted in the situation. "We're going on tour together the rest of the year and the next baby, and we've just done a festival run together. I can't see anything changing. And I've already tried with him and nothing's ever come of it. So I'll just have to learn to live with him."

"You're touring with them?" Ella asked with a sparkle of excitement in her eyes.

"Pale Waves supporting Arctic Monkeys across America and Europe and festivals in Australia. Can you believe it?" Alice smiled sweetly at her, really appreciating her obvious elation at the news.

"I feel bad that you're touring with them and I've never heard your music." Ella's voice sounded very apologetic then, as she played with Alice's fingers.

"Don't worry baby," Alice waved off, letting go of Ella's hand to let her own wander over her knee and slowly up her thigh. "You'll get the best seats to any and all shows. I'll be very pleased to see your pretty face there."

Ella blushed harder then, letting her head drop slightly. Feeling the urge to tease Alice back, she let her hand brush over her fishnet covered thigh, and let her fingertips ghost over the tattoo she had there. 'My Mind Makes Noises' it read, and if she focused enough, Ella could see the goosebumps breaking out on Alice's skin from the touch.

"It's the title of my first album." Alice told her with a small smile.

Ella's fingers kept tracing the words as she asked, "Your first?"

"Yes, I'm writing my second now." The singer nodded, trying not to react to the tingles that Ella's fingers were causing her to feel go up her thigh and reach her center.

"Nice." Ella smiled but she couldn't help but wonder, "Why 'My Mind Makes Noises'?"

"Mental illness, baby." Alice chuckled as a joke, but she went on to explain, "I'm okay now but I struggled with how I looked and what my body looked like when I was younger. Wrote the song Noises about it and 'my mind makes noises' is the first line of the song."

"Proud of you for getting through it." Ella smiled, fully resting her hand over her thigh then as she made a mental note to remind Alice as many times as she could just how fucking drop dead gorgeous she was.

"Thank you Ellie." Alice smiled back at her, her hand coming over Ella's and tracing her hand tattoo again.

For a brief second, Ella felt bad that she was flirting with the singer when she'd just told her about her personal trauma. So going a little shy, she withdrew her hand from the singer's thigh and put it back down on her own.

This however was written all across Ella's face and Alice could already read her like a book. So smirking a little, Alice picked Ella's hand up and placed it back on her thigh over her tattoo, then crossed her legs trapping the American's fingers so she could keep her there.

Ella's mouth opened up slightly, her breath shaky when she met Alice's gaze. The action made her lean back into the seat as she cursed under her breath. "Fucking hell."

Alice smirked at the effect and she was grateful to see they only had a few blocks left to get to their destination.

It was all a blur from the moment they got off the cab to when they made it upstairs and into her flat. Their minds were quickly shaken up by their lips clashing again as soon as the door to Alice's flat closed behind them.

"Fuck." Alice cursed on Ella's lips, "I can finally have you all to myself." She inhaled deeply through her nose, so glad to be in between four walls meaning that she could freely drop her hands to grab Ella by the ass and push her hips into hers.

Soon enough, after Ella's coat had been thrown onto the floor, they were on the settee. Ella's legs on each side of Alice's hips as she straddled her. They couldn't stop kissing each other, only when they were overcome by the friction of their hips meeting and they couldn't stop moaning into each others' mouths.

Ella was drenched already and Alice hadn't missed that, not when Ella's dress was bunched all the way up to her hips and she had a full view of her cute lacy thong already ruined. Alice let one of her hands in between their bodies to push Ella's underwear to the side and rub her clit with enough speed to have Ella whimper and stop kissing her.

"Alice–" Ella was barely able to say, breathless from the kiss and now her fingers.

And Alice had loved how she said her name so much that she went ahead and dipped two of her fingers into Ella, slipping so easily inside of her because of how wet she was.

"All this for me?" Alice asked teasingly as she slowly pumped her fingers in and out of her.

Ella could only softly moan at the stretch of Alice's fingers inside her, feeling so much better than her own after so long of having had to get herself off.

But since Alice didn't get an answer, she stopped her movements which made Ella whimper in despair. And in a desperate attempt to continue with what had been happening, Ella lifted her hips up and back down Alice's fingers, fucking herself on them.

Alice groaned as she watched her fingers disappearing inside Ella's cunt and when she looked back up, she noticed Ella's eyes rolling back in pleasure.

She didn't let her have fun for much long because she took her hand away and before Ella could even protest, Alice gave her left ass cheek a hard spank, leaving her to let out a gasp that turned into a moan.

"You need to answer." Alice scorned, a smirk on her face when she watched Ella's dilated pupils focus back on her.

Ella nodded desperately, missing the feeling of her fingers inside her, "Yes, baby, all for you." And in an attempt to get some mercy from Alice, she connected their lips again with need.

Alice knew exactly what she wanted Ella doing first, so without breaking the kiss, she guided Ella's right leg in between hers and forced her hips down onto her tattooed thigh. Alice's hands gripped at Ella's hips tightly, guiding her to move on her thigh, to ride it until she came.

Ella hummed in pleasure, biting Alice's bottom lip as she pulled back and letting it free after a few seconds. That had Alice squirming in her seat, her leg accidentally shifting in between Ella's legs, making the American girl cry out in pleasure.

Watching Ella ride her thigh was a picture Alice wouldn't forget in a while, her soft sounds echoing in her brain and making her want more from her. So when Ella fell forwards, caging Alice between her arms as she rested them on the back of the couch, Alice took advantage of the skin she had right there to bruise.

Her choker stood perfectly in place still and that only encouraged Alice more. She started kissing her way down her neck and started her attack on her chest. Alice sucked love bites on Ella's tits, biting her nipples softly over the fabric of her dress and that only made Ella move faster on her thigh.

Ella got increasingly louder with the more sucking Alice did, and it turned into desperate whimpers when Alice found that spot right over her collarbone at the base of her neck that made her go absolutely insane.

The rhythm of her hips grew erratic and messy, Ella's moans falling straight into Alice's ear and she couldn't do anything else other than encourage her to reach her climax.

"That's it, good girl." Alice said against her neck, leaving a trail of pecks as Ella got louder, "Come on, baby, I wanna hear how good you sound when you cum."

Alice's hands went to grab harshly at Ella's ass, helping her with her movements and it was her touch along with her words of encouragement that had Ella tipping over the edge and trembling as she orgasmed on top of Alice.

The singer watched her in awe, taking a mental picture of her pretty face scrunching up in pleasure, continuing to help her shaky hips as she came down from her high.

Ella let her forehead drop on Alice's shoulder, her shallow breaths loud as she tried to get oxygen back in her lungs, her legs still shaking slightly besides Alice's thigh.

"You look so fucking pretty when you cum, baby." Alice started, leaving open mouthed kisses on the side of Ella's neck which was on show to her.

When Alice licked a bold stripe up her neck and started sucking right under her ear, Ella's breath hitched on her throat and that had her coming out of her trance.

She sat back up straight, dipping her head to give Alice a brief messy kiss and then saying, "Let's go to your room, Allie." as she carefully stood back up on wobbly legs and offered her hand for Alice to take.

Alice wasted no time, intertwining their fingers and dragging Ella towards her room.

Once inside, Ella quickly pushed Alice onto bed and dropped to her knees right in front of her. Alice felt herself grow breathless in anticipation, her cunt dripping at the sight of Ella so innocently staring up at her through her lashes.

But Ella wanted to tease her, so she got a hold of one of her legs and slowly took one of her red boots off, making sure to kiss from her ankle up to a few inches above her knee, really making it feel like she was going to her inner thighs but leaving right when Alice got her hopes up.

She repeated the process with the other leg, this time teasing her a bit more and licking her inner thigh up until she was close to the edge of her underwear.

Alice watched as Ella's head disappeared under her skirt, but whined when all she got was a couple of open mouthed kisses over her clothed core.

Ella pulled back to take Alice's fishnets off, so painfully slow that almost had Alice wanting to complain—she only didn't because she was enjoying Ella's methods, it turned her on impossibly more.

The American got on the bed then, straddling Alice and slowly pushing her backwards so she was fully laying on the bed. Alice cupped her jaw and brought her in for a kiss, another steamy one that had their breaths shaky in no time.

Their hips met once again, over and over, the friction so good that it made them stop kissing just so they could moan into each others' mouths. But Ella wanted Alice to cum under her first, just so she could also fully see how she came undone without being distracted by chasing her own high.

Ella's lips trailed down Alice's neck, slowly starting her attack on the singer's neck, leaving open mouth kisses and softly sucking her skin which earned her soft moans from Alice.

It was when she got to her clothed chest that Alice got louder, as Ella licked over the fabric on her nipples and then blew on the wet spot, sending surprising shocks of pleasure down Alice's spine.

"Ella, fuck–" Alice could barely mutter.

Ella did that for a minute, Alice felt like she was agonizing already and she was surprised at the confidence Ella had to tease her like that.

Soon, she started lifting Alice's top until it was off her and forgotten somewhere on the floor of the room.

Seeing Alice's nipple piercings made Ella moan as she bit her lip, "So fucking stunning, baby." She complimented before leaning in to suck her tits, purposely leaving her nipples abandoned to her touch.

Alice squirmed under her, and when Ella's fingertips started to ghost over her inner thighs up until they got to her cunt but never touched her like she wanted, Alice started rolling her hips as if that'd help her.

Chuckling, Ella kept her teasing going, this time abandoning Alice's legs to softly touch all over her chest and abdomen as her mouth stayed busy marking her up. And Alice could feel herself going insane when Ella's fingertips faintly rubbed on her pebbled nipples, feeling all the heat going down in between her legs.

Her breaths grew shallow when Ella took it a step further and used her fingers to pinch her nipples. Alice was whining in a high pitch, feeling a new type of pleasure that had her head spinning. And it only got more intense when, after kissing up the side of her neck, Ella found Alice's sweet spot right under her ear.

Mixing the feeling she got as Ella intently sucked on that spot she loved so much and the way her fingers kept pinching and twisting her nipples, Alice felt herself fastly reaching her orgasm.

Ella knew it, from the way she sounded and how ragged her breath had gotten. The more obvious sign was Alice's hand dropping between her legs to help alleviate some of her frustration in that very spot.

But Ella was quick to stop her, letting her skin alone with a pop and taking the hand she'd been using to play with Alice's nipples under her skirt.

Her left hand went to pick up the work she'd been doing and her right one dipped right into her cunt, pushing Alice's underwear to the side.

"Needed me right here?" She teasingly asked her with a massive smirk on her face.

Alice's face contorted in pleasure at the feeling of Ella's fingers filling her up and curling inside her. "Yes– Ella, baby–"

She continued pumping her fingers in and out of her, her thumb rubbing her clit as well and her other hand still playing with her nipple.

"What is it Alice? What do you want, babe?" Ella's mouth opened slowly as she watched Alice quickly approaching her climax. So to help more, she changed her fingers for her mouth to suck on her nipple and that was enough to have Alice lose it.

"Oh fuck!" Alice cried in pleasure, "M'gonna cum, gonna cum!"

Ella hummed enthusiastically with her mouth still sucking Alice's tit, and the vibrations from that were the thing to push her to her orgasm.

Her fingers pumped in and out of her in a constant pace that she kept up until Alice couldn't take anymore and pushed her hand out and away from her cunt.

Ella let go of her tit with a pop, smiling down at a dazed Alice who was trying to get her breath back, and the little she had managed was taken away once more when Ella brought her hand up and licked her fingers clean.

Humming in pleasure, Ella felt herself clenching around nothing as the taste of Alice's arousal fell on her tongue, "You taste so damn good."

At that Alice wrapped her hand around Ella's neck and pulled her down to kiss her. She moaned, tasting herself on Ella's tongue, already thinking about the infinite ways she wanted to have her.

It was a brief kiss because of how breathless Alice was, but Ella took the chance to gather more of Alice's cum on her fingers and bring it up to her lips again. Once again she moaned as she wrapped her lips around her own fingers and tasted Alice on her tongue.

Alice watched it all in adoration, in complete awe of just how erotic it all was. Her mouth went dry when Ella dipped her fingers back down to gather more of her slick but this time telling her to, "Open up." so she could taste herself.

And how could she just not oblige when Ella was looking at her with those hungry eyes. So Alice wrapped her lips around her fingers and sucked them clean eagerly, moaning around them to then release them with a pop.

That made something in them unleash, desperately kissing again as they got rid of their other clothes. They both stood up from the bed and while Alice shed herself off her skirt and underwear, Ella took off her dress along with her bra and thong.

"Keep the collar on. I love seeing you branded as mine." Alice said, eye fucking Ella as she stood so perfectly naked in front of her.

The comment had gone straight in between Ella's legs so she basically threw herself at Alice, both of them falling back on the bed with shrieks that turned into giggles that they swallowed into a kiss.

Maybe if they hadn't laughed so loud, they could've caught the sound of the next door neighbor arriving home.

Alex had slammed his front door closed, dropped his keys on the little table he had by the entrance and toed his shoes off. He was drunk and knackered, already dreading the fact that he'd had to come home earlier than expected because his mind was too distracted to focus on the rest of the group, growing too bored of hearing their chatter and of mindlessly drinking so he felt the urge to leave.

In retrospect, he probably should've walked home just so he could waste more time and avoid hearing anything, but he had been truly just craving his bed and unfortunately his cab had taken way less than anticipated.

He was glad to hear absolute silence once he got to his room, wishfully thinking that Ella wasn't enjoying whatever Alice was doing and therefore it was all completely silent but, as he took his own clothes to get in bed, on the other side of the wall something completely different was happening.

"I meant it when I said I wanted you to ride my face." Alice reminded her, making Ella's ache between her legs grow.

The girls wasted no time going further up the bed and getting comfortable. Alice started a devastatingly slow trail of love bites on the insides of her thighs, making Ella breathe shallowly in a matter of half a minute.

Another excruciatingly long minute went by, Ella feeling every bruise that Alice was leaving in her wake, before she could finally ask her to go where she needed her. "Allie, baby, please– I need you."

The British woman smiled hearing her plead, "Come here then Ellie." She encouraged, and Ella didn't need to be told twice.

She slowly came down to have her cunt hover over Alice's mouth and a loud moan left her throat when Alice licked from her entrance to her clit and then sucked it harshly, making her see stars.

"Alice!"

That noise had made Alex freeze one foot away from his bed. He stayed there for a minute, trying to sharpen his hearing to see if it was real or he was imagining it but his questions were answered when he heard the unmistakable voice of the girl he fancied screaming the name of the girl he hated.

"Oh fuck! Alice!" Ella cried out, Alice fucking her with her tongue as she very quickly rubbed on her clit was making her go absolutely insane.

A minute later Alice changed her tongue for her fingers, seeing how Ella was practically dripping all over her face, being able to easily fit three inside Ella and then letting her mouth give her clit all the attention.

Ella's right hand quickly tangled in Alice's hair, pushing her closer to her center and tightly pulling at it encouragingly, her hips moving erratically on Alice's face and the whole thing had Alice humming in pleasure—Ella shaking over her as she got closer to her orgasm.

It only took Alice's fingers going faster and sucking harder on her clit for Ella to fall forward to grab a hold of the headboard as her legs trembled beside Alice's head.

Ella loudly moaned Alice's name like a chant, followed by profanities that were barely understandable as her orgasm left her completely breathless.

Alex's mouth and throat was dry, all he could feel was pure jealousy and himself growing hard in his boxers as he sat there on his bed with his back leant against his headboard.

He wished he could be the one hearing all that in his ear and not through the bloody walls. He wanted to be the one making Ella fall apart under him, yet he had to know it was Alice doing that.

His blood was boiling out of rage, his body extremely hot from how turned on he was thinking about the whole situation. But he'd have to be strong this time, so he let himself close his eyes and ignore the way he was dying for some release.

That didn't work though, not when his eyes stayed open as he stared at the darkness in his room and minutes later was startled by another round of moans from the girls.

Alice was already overly sensitive, only slowly recovering from her last orgasm, when Ella had cum all over her face. Watching Ella come undone on top of her had Alice clenching her thighs together, it had been such a pornographic view that had her wishing somehow she could replay it second by second, over and over in the future.

Not wanting to waste any of Ella's sweet taste, Alice had lapped at every bit of her arousal she could get, making an overstimulated Ella cry out as her tongue continued working on her cunt.

She only stopped when her whines got louder and Ella desperately shifted to go back down and straddle Alice again, "Jesus fucking Christ," She watched her slick all over Alice's chin and neck so she just couldn't help but lick it all up for her and then catch Alice's lips in a hot kiss.

It wasn't the long kiss Alice had wanted it to be, because Ella desperately wanted more of Alice and she just couldn't wait longer. So she kissed down Alice's body, making sure to suck more bruises on her skin and enjoying every sound the singer made under her.

But Ella just needed to have a taste of her again, so in no time she dove between Alice's legs and started eating her out.

Alice's back arched off the bed in pleasure. Her center had been aching from just watching Ella that the feeling of her tongue flicking at her clit and lapping at her entrance had Alice not able to control her whimpers.

"Ellie, oh my–" She shivered as she grabbed a hold of Ella's hair and pulled on it tightly as she fisted it to bring her closer to her cunt.

Feeling Alice so desperate already made Ella the more needy to make her cum hard so she went up to Alice's clit and wrapped her lips around it to suck on it as she moaned into her.

The sucking and the vibrations made Alice's legs shake and instinctively close around Ella's head.

That had Ella smirking to herself, changing her mouth to use two of her fingers to quickly rub at the singer's clit and making sure to lick all of the arousal that had wet the top of Alice's inner thighs.

Ella made sure to look up to see Alice's face, and that was just a portrait she wished she would have captured with her camera. Sweat was making her face shine and her makeup the slightest bit messy, her cheeks and chest were flushed, chest heaving and littered with bruises that were already darkening.

She was proud of her work so she went back to finish her task, but when she let her eyes drop again to Alice's cunt and saw how she was clenching around nothing, Ella groaned.

"Where are your toys Allie?" Ella asked, knowing there was no way she wouldn't have a wide variety of them.

Alice couldn't answer, not when Ella kept quickly rubbing on her clit so when Ella realized that and stopped, Alice whined in complaint before answering, "Second drawer, over there."

A satisfactory smirk appeared on Ella's face when she opened the drawer and she was met with being right about her suspicions. She tried making a quick decision but there were many toys to choose from and she was feeling indecisive.

That was until she heard Alice mewl in the background and when Ella turned to see her, she was playing with herself. Ella couldn't even find it in herself to warn Alice not to continue doing that because she just looked so fucking gorgeous desperately trying to reach her climax.

In a quick decision for a safe bet, Ella grabbed a dildo and made her way back to the bed.

Alice let her hand fall from her center and raised on her elbows to look at what Ella had chosen. Ella looked her right in the eye and brought the toy up to her lips, to spit on it and once it had dribbled down the length of it, she sank her mouth down on it.

Alice swore she died seeing her like that, as if she couldn't get any fucking hotter. And for a second a cursed thought ran through her mind, of how she'd love to watch her fuck someone else and if she was desperate enough for that show then she'd definitely choose her next door neighbor to be the third in the party.

Out of convenience, of course.

Ella broke her out of her trance when she kneeled on the bed between her legs and prompted them to open further. Bringing the toy to Alice's entrance and teasing the tip in and out of her.

"Baby, please–" Alice begged breathlessly, "Don't tease, Ellie, please."

Her wish was her command so Ella pushed it slowly inside Alice, letting her jaw drop as she watched it disappear inside her with ease. Alice moaned loudly at the stretch, which got easier when Ella's thumb came to rub soft circles on her clit.

"You always take it so well, don't you, gorgeous?" Ella started properly fucking her with the toy, slowly picking up the pace, "And here I thought you couldn't get more beautiful."

The 'thank you' Alice had wanted to say died down in her throat when Ella leaned back down and started sucking her clit again as she continued to use the dildo on her.

"Fuckkk– Ella!" Alice mewled as her back arched in pleasure. One of her hands went down to tangle on Ella's hair, while the other started playing with her own tits.

Alex tried his hardest to control himself but, at the end of the day, he was still human so his hand traveled down his boxers and he slowly started faintly touching himself.

He was well aware the one screaming was Alice but, as he closed his eyes, picturing what could be going on on the other side of the wall was driving him mad.

Alice bit her lip harshly, the pain feeling almost null compared to the heavy pleasure she was feeling, and the stronger the waves of pleasure came, the more she'd bite on her bottom lip.

Ella tutted when she noticed Alice going silent and stopped her sucking to scorn her, "Uh-uh, I want to hear you."

Alice was so focused on the tightening feeling in her belly that she barely heard her so Ella used her free hand to spank her clit, making her jump and drop her hand from Ella's head. Alice yelled from the sensation that pushed her closer to her orgasm and Ella smirked satisfied from it.

"You liked that? Yeah?" Teasingly asked Ella, rubbing slow circles on Alice's clit.

Alice hummed and it sounded almost like a purr, so Ella spanked her again and the gasp that Alice let out turned into such a sweet moan that had Ella needing to hear more of her like that.

Ella hoped the use of a choker meant more about Alice, so she brought up her right hand and wrapped it slowly around Alice's neck.

A massive smile broke on Ella's face when Alice made eye contact with her then only to let out a guttural moan and roll her eyes back in pleasure. So Ella tightened her hold, feeling Alice moan even more under her hand, and continued fucking her with the toy.

Wrapping his hand around his cock, Alex found himself already leaking precum and he groaned, applying a little more pressure around himself. Soft strokes was what he was relying on as he got harder in his hand to the sounds of the girls shagging. He was biting his lip, only letting out soft hums of satisfaction but when he heard Alice yell at Ella to go faster, he let himself moan out loud.

"I'm so close! Faster– faster, please!" Alice begged, feeling herself so close to reaching her high.

Ella listened to her straight away, letting her hand wrap even tighter around Alice's neck and picking up the pace with her left hand as she pounded into her with the dildo.

In no time, Alice's legs started shaking uncontrollably as she came with loud moans of Ella's name, 'baby' and pure gibberish. Ella had her seeing stars as she kept pumping the toy in and out of her with a slightly slower rhythm but kept her hand wrapped tight around her neck.

Alice was getting so overstimulated that she felt the tears pricking her eyes, her legs ached from how they wouldn't stop shaking and she felt like she was about to explode.

But that was exactly what Ella was looking for, so she took the dildo away to solely focus on her clit then, rubbing on it as fast as she could, wanting to see if she could do what Ella had in mind. Ella kept her relentless pace until Alice was cumming all over her again, squirting all over Ella and herself.

Alex died a little hearing how loud Alice had gotten, and thinking about what Ella could be doing for the singer to be almost screaming her name made him fail at trying to stay quiet. He picked up his pace, smearing the precum down to make it more comfortable for him and he fully just pictured them two in front of him, having fun as he watched.

He grew hotter hearing Alice's sounds continue until they ended in her choked up words asking Ella to stop.

"No more– Can't– Can't take more." Alice chanted over and over, making Ella loosen her hold on her neck and start rubbing Alice's thighs soothingly while leaving pecks on every inch of her skin.

Alice was gasping for air, absolutely mind blown by what had just happened and despite wanting to get rid of the mess as soon as possible, she had to show Ella the appreciation she deserved for all that.

"You..." She started, reaching out to get a hold of one of Ella's hands and pulling her up to her, "You are a fucking dream."

The singer attacked Ella's lips hungrily, and it was messy as she still was trying to catch her breath but that only made it better, because it was a clear sign that they were enjoying each other that much.

"That was so fucking hot, Allie." Ella said between kisses, having to hold herself back from going down on her again.

"You're skilled," Alice smirked, breaking the kiss and wrapping her hand around Ella's neck, "Only a few people have been able to make me do that."

Ella laughed, the noise vibrating under Alice's palm making her squeeze tighter and causing Ella to moan.

"As much as I love your hand around my neck, we need to clean this mess." Ella was quick to say, pecking Alice's lips in between words.

Alice agreed, trying to stand up along with Ella but she plopped back on bed when her legs were too weak to do it without help.

The American girl laughed as she offered her hand out for Alice to hold, which she appreciated and stood up slowly.

"I can take the duvet over to your washer while you clean up, if you want." Ella offered, pulling Alice in by the waist and rubbing circles on her lower back.

The singer leaned in to give her a soft kiss and nodded, "Okay. It's the last room at the end of the hallway." She pointed out the door and to the hallway on the other side of the flat.

With a kiss, Ella left Alice to get cleaned up in her ensuite whilst she balled up the duvet from the bed and walked to the laundry room.

It was good for Alex that they had left the room, because if they'd stayed then they would've definitely heard his grunts as he replayed all that he had heard like a broken record in his head as he continued to get himself off.

He was so close when he noticed the silence, and maybe it was that which had made him snap out of it. Realize what he was doing and just how wrong it was.

The next ten minutes were filled with an internal debate that had Alex wanting to pull his hair out of his head. One part of him told him that he'd done that before and why would it matter if he did now, so desperate for relief, and the other told him he should be a bigger person and learn to have better self control.

His inner monologue was rudely interrupted then, by a loud gasp and all Alex could do was let his head hang as the girls started back up again.

After going to the bathroom, Alice had made her way back into her room and seeing her drawer still open, she let herself choose what she was gonna use next on Ella.

The singer was tired but she needed one more from Ella, one more look at her face while she fell apart for her, one last taste of her sweetness.

So when Ella walked back into the bedroom, feeling so bare only wearing Alice's choker, and saw Alice standing there with a smirk and four things in her hand, she bit her lip already feeling herself getting flustered again.

"Thought we were going to bed." Ella blushed as she approached Alice, shy steps but eyes brave as they scanned her up and down with lust.

"I need you to cum for me one more time and then we can do whatever you want, baby." Alice raised her eyebrows, putting the things on the bed to turn around and pull Ella into her by her waist.

Ella hands came up to cup Alice's face, "How do you keep getting hotter by the fucking minute?"

Alice leaned in softly laughing, "I could ask you the same thing."

Kissing again, Alice walked Ella backwards until she was sitting on the edge of the bed and grabbed two of the items to start her plans.

Alice started making her way down, sucking down Ella's neck and chest—really enjoying her whines when she played harshly with her nipples—, leaving open mouthed kisses on her tummy and bruising more of her thighs.

By the time Alice came to where Ella wanted her most, she only got to feel the blow of her hot breath over her because Alice wanted to tease her this time, wanting to hear her truly desperate.

In her hands, the singer had two leather wrist to thigh cuffs, meaning that once they were on Ella, she'd have her legs up and wide open at Alice's mercy.

A few minutes later, that's how Ella ended up with her feet plated on the bed and her knees up, her wrists pressed on her thighs and her legs open to show her glistening cunt to Alice.

Her mouth watered at the sight, the need of having a taste of her before everything taking over and making her dip down to intently lick up and down her core.

The whole setting had Ella already whimpering, being so exposed to the singer made her shiver from lust and looking at the vibrator and the new dildo beside her was only making the ache between her legs grow.

The vibrator coming alive with its buzzing made Ella squirm in her place in anticipation, an action that Alice noticed, making her smirk.

"Are you ready, baby?" She crawled back to Ella with the white buzzing object in her hand.

"Mhm," Ella mewled, "Yes, Allie."

It was excruciatingly slow that Alice moved the vibrator down to Ella's cunt, so much so that when it finally came to meet her clit, Ella gasped loudly.

Like he'd come alive, Alex heard it and only was able to curse his poor luck for a few seconds, because when more moans that Ella was letting out came through the walls, he didn't have it in him to stop himself.

He fully spat on his hand this time, imagining Ella actually doing that to him and wrapped his hand around his length under his boxers.

He was getting harder the more he got to hear the sweet sounds Ella made and it was so much better than he could've ever pictured in his head all those times before. Nothing compared to the real thing. He couldn't imagine how fucking good they sounded falling in one's ear.

Alice had increased the intensity of the vibrator as she started sucking on the dildo she'd chosen for Ella. Getting it ready for her—not that she truly needed it though, because she was already dripping and messing the sheets.

When she pushed it inside her, Ella let out a chesty moan that was followed by the most earth delicious moans Alice had ever heard.

"Oh fuck! Al–!" She couldn't even finish Alice's name and that caused a reaction on the other side of the wall.

Alex would describe those moans as earth shattering. Hearing a clear moan of her saying his name had made him fully lose it. That 'Al' kept replaying in his head and in the background all the sounds she was letting out.

Without them knowing, the three of them were moaning almost in a harmony. If it wasn't for the loud buzz of the vibrator then they could've heard rather quietly Alex's low groans as he fucked his fist to the thought of Ella.

"Ella, darl– F–fuck–" He choked out, desperate to vividly picture her in bed with him.

But Ella's legs were trembling as Alice teased her by keeping the vibrator on her clit for a few seconds, taking the dildo away from her, and then taking the vibrator away to fuck her fast with the long toy.

It was agonizing, feeling so full one second with the ghost of the vibrations, to feeling empty and clenching around nothing as her clit got intensely stimulated.

"Baby I'm so fucking close!" Ella yelled desperately, a loud cry leaving her when Alice still took the dildo out and away from her.

Ella couldn't even touch herself to help, it was impossible for her to bring her hands up and tease her own nipples without pulling her legs all the way up—she was definitely not that flexible.

Alice was enjoying her desperation so much, it made her want to take it to another level. That's why she upped another level and dropped the dildo on the side to curl three fingers inside Ella, knowing that'd get her instantly.

"Fuck!" Ella screamed, feeling Alice hit that spot perfectly and her vision clouded because it was just too much along with the vibrator on its strongest level. "Right there! Right the– Al– Ah!"

And then it came crashing down on them.

Ella got whiplash from how strong her orgasm had reached her, her vision blinded as her legs shook and she squirted, feeling herself spasm around Alice's fingers.

Alex's quick motions pumped himself to an intense climax that had him cumming all over his chest. All he seemed to know was Ella's name, as that was the only thing that came out of his mouth as he came.

Alice was drenched in Ella's cum, as it had all splashed over her arm and chest and that was enough for her to match Ella's noises. She desperately reached for her face, to kiss her messily and feverishly.

After that, everyone disappeared into their bathrooms. Alice and Ella shared a shower while Alex stood alone under the waterfall.

Alex cleaned himself with the sounds replaying over and over in his mind. Alice and Ella got carried away and their shower ended with Alice cumming on Ella's fingers once more.

He had already been in bed for fifteen minutes trying to force himself to sleep when, on the other side, Ella and Alice came back into the room and discarded the dirty sheets for new ones to get some sleep.

The girls were giddy as they got under the fresh sheets and scooted closer until they were cuddled into each other. Alice's head nuzzled in Ella's neck with their legs tangled together and their arms wrapped around each other.

They were certainly aware of the next level of intimacy that meant but they couldn't be arsed, they were enjoying each other's company and they wouldn't keep themselves from it just because of how it may look like. Ella and Alice were both glad to be on the same page.

Alex, on the other hand, was dying inside just thinking about how he'd have to see Ella after all that and how he, no matter how hard he'd try, would never forget the night. 

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

Alex thought he was dreaming when he heard Ella's soft moans reaching his ears. He squirmed in bed and continued to sleep when suddenly Alice's soft sounds came in to mix with Ella's.

He held his breath trying to gather his hazy mind, still attributing the noise to his imagination not having recovered yet from last night's events but then Alice loudly moaned Ella's name and Alex's eyes shot wide open.

Groaning in misery, Alex let his head fall back on the pillow and hid his face there begging in his head for it to be over soon.

His silent prayers weren't answered though, only a few minutes later—which had been painfully long, five minutes had felt like fifteen—the girls on the flat next door only seemed to be growing louder.

Alex stayed there sprawled over his bed with jealousy filling every cell of his body as he tried to focus on that awful poking in his chest to ignore how the noise was making his lower belly tingle and his dick to twitch in his boxers.

What had happened last night was a lapse of better judgment and he was trying now to hold onto every bit of self control he had left.

He had contemplated blasting music to drown it all but that'd give away the fact that he was in fact listening and he knew that if Ella found that out, she'd be mortified. So he suffered in silence for the next ten minutes, as they gasped for air and chanted each other's names accompanied by lots of profanities.

It was too painful, not only because his chest felt tight but he felt his body responding to it all subconsciously and he hated it, so once they got quiet he escaped to his ensuite.

The shower Alex took was freezing cold. He stood there, shivering under the waterfall for a while until he felt himself calm enough to be able to get out. His movements were slow as he got ready for the day, brushing his teeth and brushing his hair with his fingers, deciding to just let it air dry while he waited for Ella.

Choosing something from his wardrobe had been painfully slow because he was sure he could hear faint noises coming through the walls again and trying to find out if they weren't just the ghosts of what he'd heard earlier kept distracting him.

That was until the high pitch whines came loudly through the walls to knock all the air out of his lungs, like a punch to the gut.

Pulling up his trousers quickly, Alex almost ran out of his room and it seemed like the noise wanted to follow him as he heard all of it walking out of his bedroom.

The singer could breathe again when he got to the kitchen, the noises long lost in the hallway and it seemed like they had stopped because even if he'd left the door open, he couldn't listen to them anymore.

There was only so much Alex could take anymore so he decided to ignore it all despite one part of him begging to pay attention and give into his carnal desires.

This day was meant for him to accompany Ella to buy a dress for the wedding since she hadn't had the time for it back in LA, and not only that but she'd thought it'd be better to buy one in London rather than being worried about the gown being ruined from having to be cramped up inside her suitcase.

Alex had agreed with her when they videocalled a few days before her flight and he promised her that he'd be taking her to buy her dress. He was excited for it, the prospect of spending more time with her was always something that elated him but it being in a place he knew so well and she was so foreign to made it the more special.

Now, after last night, Alex wasn't sure when it would happen but like he had promised himself merely a minute ago, he would ignore it all and act like nothing had happened so with hope that she'd be coming over to his in a bit, he started making breakfast. For himself and for Ella.

He was softly singing under his breath as he cooked some sausage, serving two plates and then he moved onto making some scrambled eggs. The only thing that could be heard then was the sizzling of the eggs cooking on the pan, but after he finished them and served them, the silence that overcame him became dangerous for it gave way for the now loud again noises from the girls to creep up through the hall and softly reaching his ears.

Alex stopped as he turned with the two plates in hand, slowly bringing them down to place on the kitchen island, really unsure of how to feel anymore. He was just utterly confused at all the reactions his body was giving to the whole scenario.

Once again, he reminded himself to ignore it so he grabbed himself a fork and knife and started eating, his brain only trying to think about what was in front of him to not go absolutely insane.

But that only worked for so long because the girls, now getting closer to their climax, had started getting louder and more restless meaning their cries of pleasure were just filthy begs and it was making Alex's head short circuit.

Dropping the utensils on the countertop, Alex hunched over almost defeated. He was breathing heavily and in his mind praying for self control and patience. Since that wasn't working because the noises were making his breaths become more shallow, his hands came up to his head and his fingers tangled in his hair to pull on it with frustration.

He was going insane now, he really was.

And Alex thought it couldn't get worse than it already was, when he heard Ella clearly encourage Alice, "Cum for me, baby, c'mon." followed by a loud mewl.

He let his head drop on the cold surface of the kitchen island, fully defeated as his thoughts were spinning. A groan came from the deepest pit of his chest, one of pent up frustration that he knew he wouldn't pay attention to for his own sanity.

"Fuck my life." Alex muttered under his breath when he heard the girls clearly reaching her orgasms, hands holding onto the sides of the countertop like it was gonna ground him somehow.

He was almost scared to see Ella later, afraid that after all that he'd just ask to have her like he wanted to so badly. Every bit of his being was just aching to have her, and Alex didn't know if it would be the right time to play his chances.

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About an hour went by and it was surprisingly quiet after everything that had happened the night before and in the morning. That had been a relief to Alex who had gotten to finish his breakfast counting to a thousand multiple times to try and get his shit together again.

What he didn't know was that Ella and Alice had gone to make breakfast after that second round he had heard. They'd gotten decent first, going to the bathroom to freshen up and Alice lended Ella some clothes for her to leave with—Ella had shyly asked after seeing her chest and neck all marked up on show with the low neckline her dress had.

Ella walked through Alice's kitchen with gray joggers and a 'My Mind Makes Noises' jumper on. The singer watched her in awe through the corner of her eye as she grabbed some mugs to make some coffee for the both of them.

"You look amazing in that." Alice threw the compliment out as she focused on frying some eggs, pieces of bread toasting on the little oven by the stove.

Ella looked down at herself and her new outfit, "I'll give it a listen tonight."

Alice smirked at that promise, "Hope you enjoy it, baby."

Ella walked up behind the singer as the Keurig made their coffees, wrapping an arm around her waist and said into her ear, "It's you singing so I definitely will." Alice bit her lip at Ella's actions, a little harder when Ella left her with a squeeze of her ass and a kiss on her neck.

The British girl was fast making breakfast, almost done at the same time as Ella had placed the coffee on the counter and got utensils for them to use.

"Do you want me to drop you off at Alex's?" Alice asked Ella casually, placing a plate right in front of her as she sat on one of the tall chairs.

Ella was truly confused at the sudden question as she was completely unaware of Alice and Alex's housing situation. "Huh?"

"Are you going to Alex's?" Alice changed her inquiry slightly this time, walking over to sit next to her.

Ella watched as Alice took her seat and ripped a bit of her toast to dip on the runny yolk of the fried egg, "Not now... I'm going back to the hotel first."

"Oh well." The singer shrugged nonchalantly, "He lives next door, that's why I'm asking."

"What?" Ella's face went pale, looking at Alice with wide eyes like it was her worst nightmare come true.

Alice chuckled looking at her face, "He lives next door... I thought I told you."

And Ella shook her head with a frown to remark that Alice in fact hadn't told her, "Fucking hell." She cursed under her breath, flashbacks of the night before and this morning coming to the forefront of her mind and she felt herself burning up from head to toe.

"What's wrong baby? You've gone all red." Alice teased, one of her hands resting over Ella's thigh, where Alice now knew she had her 'Divine feminine' tattoo and squeezed slightly.

Ella squirmed a bit under her touch, her cheeks growing even hotter. "Do you think he heard us?" She genuinely felt like she'd die if he had, because it had already been embarrassing that he knew she'd gone home with someone but him hearing her was making her burn inside and out.

Will this ruin things? Will this make things awkward? She had no idea but now she was spiraling about it all and she just couldn't help but think about every little thing this situation would entail.

Alice being so calm about it was what brought her back from her thoughts, "I couldn't care less to be fair."

"Fuck..." Ella mumbled, staring at her plate with a shocked expression.

"I mean," Alice squeezed her thigh once more and when Ella turned to look at her, she brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "If he did, he's lucky 'cause I don't think I'll ever want to hear anybody else now."

Ella blushed under her gaze, still feeling so affected by the way the singer would smirk at her. "Stop." She brought one of her hands to cool down her cheeks, Alice's smirk getting bigger at that.

"I love it when you go all blushy on me." Alice remarked and then she leaned in to kiss Ella one more time, which the American girl welcomed with a smile.

After the brief soft kiss they shared, the girls went back to eating breakfast and they made small talk about what they were doing in their current jobs, getting to know each other a little bit better. Alice had heard all about Ella's aspirations and Ella had listened to everything Alice had been getting inspired from for her next record.

Without really noticing, an hour had gone by, and when Ella noticed it was about to be noon, she told Alice she had to leave.

They were both gutted to know this was the end of it but Alice a bit more, especially by knowing that Ella would be going to Alex and he'd be the one to spend time with her for the rest of her stay in the UK.

After having loaded everything in the dishwasher, Alice walked over to Ella and pulled her into her by her waist, "Remind me why you can't stay," The singer brushed a strand of hair behind Ella's ear and with her gaze taking in all of Ella's features, she bit her lip at the memories of all that had happened in the past twelve hours. "I wanna fuck you all day."

Ella grinned at Alice with her cheeks heating up, she could tell Alice was being completely honest and that was one of the things that she liked about her because it gave her the confidence to say "I would love that." back to her, which was exactly what she was feeling.

It was hard to compare how honest she could be with Alice than how cowardly she felt even admitting to herself anything to do with Alex, because with Alice it was something casual and it was always easy with girls, but Ella knew deep inside her that Alex wasn't meant to be a casual thing to her. It was either all in with Alex or nothing. But that would only happen in her dreams, she'd much rather keep him as her best friend than try to become more again and it ending poorly like it had before.

In another life, if Ella hadn't been hung up on Alex already, then she would've tried to pursue whatever had started with Alice, because Alice was lovely and funny, and she was the type of girl anyone would be lucky to have in their lives.

The American girl smiled, bringing one of her hands up to cup Alice's jaw softly, "But I need to get a dress for the wedding."

"Can't you do it some other day?" Alice pouted, it was playful as she tried to see if there was any chance Ella would change her plans.

But Ella didn't budge because she really needed to get the dress, "Wedding's in three days and today's the only day we've got no plans."

Seeing how Alice's pout stayed on her face, Ella brought her in for a kiss. A slow one that just felt like it settled it all, a silent thank you and a goodbye.

They savored every second of it, trying to enjoy the time they'd shared until the very last moment. Alice hummed against Ella's lips before pulling back. "Don't go back to the States without saying goodbye, alright?" Her thumb rubbed soft circles on Ella's cheek.

"Promise." Ella replied with a sweet smile and pecked Alice's lips one last time before stepping out of Alice's hold to get her things which were merely her phone and the dress she'd worn last night.

With the dress draped over her arm and her phone being pocketed in her coat she had just put on, she made her way to Alice's front door. Alice was already standing by the door, watching Ella's slow steps with a smirk. She was glad Ella also didn't want it all to end.

When Ella got beside her, Alice softly opened the door but stopped Ella with a hand on her wrist before she could go out to the hallway. "Don't forget I'm always a text or a phone call away." And this time now walking up to her and getting a look of the empty hallway that led to the rest of the flats, including Alex's, Alice added pointing at the door that was his, "A door away as well."

Ella blushed when Alice winked at her right after that and nodded, "Definitely noted."

"Bye Ella." Alice squeezed Ella's wrist softly and let go of her hold.

"Bye Allie." Ella said after one last look at Alice.

Ella walked into the hallway and walked over to what Alice had pointed to be Alex's door. She had expected Alice to close the door right after she left but, out of the corner of her eye, Ella could see Alice was there waiting to make sure she'd gotten inside Alex's flat.

Three knocks were left on the door and only a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a smiley Alex.

"Hi, Al." Ella smiled brightly at him, hearing then the soft thud of Alice's door closing.

"Hi, darling." He greeted almost breathless, she looked stunning despite wearing Alice's merch and now it seemed like every time he'd look at her, the memories of the previous night and the early morning were going to haunt him. "How are you feeling?" He asked, letting her come in and closing the door behind him.

She sighed and very genuinely answered, "Tired and in a desperate need of another shower."

He tried biting his tongue about it all but his mouth played with him when he let out a "Reckon you enjoyed yourself then?" without meaning to.

Stopping in her tracks, she cursed through her teeth, "Oh, fuck–" And almost wincing, she turned to see him and ask, "Did you hear us?" She was begging he hadn't, because if he had then there was no way she could look him in the eye for at least a week.

"No, no." Alex shook his head and her soul came back to her body. He walked past her, and it was easier for him to lie when she wasn't seeing his face, "No– I, erm, I passed out right when I got home and only woke up a little ago."

"At what time did y'all leave?" Ella asked curiously, she didn't even know when it was that she had gotten to Alice's but the last time she'd seen the clock it had been a bit over three in the morning, and that had been before her and Alice got in the shower.

They got to the kitchen and she stood by the marble island, resting her belongings on one of his high chairs. Alex seemed entertained by what was on his kitchen stove, so she barely heard him recount very briefly the rest of the night, "Everyone left about fifteen minutes after you but I stayed for another hour or so."

She hummed trying to calculate at which point of the night that would've been and nodded once she gave up trying to come to a conclusion since all she was getting was flustered by the memories. "Right."

Wanting to change the subject as his brain was aggressively reminding him of the night before, he asked her, "Are you hungry?" turning to see her with a plate in his hand filled with the food he'd prepared.

Ella looked at him with her lips pressed together, hating having to turn him down by saying, "Alice made me some food actually..."

A small "Oh." fell from his lips, and he froze with the plate in hand before he could manage to form a proper sentence, "There's some more here if you want."

"That looks amazing," She admitted because it truly did and just because she felt bad for leaving him last night, she gave in and said, "Some more food is not gonna hurt anyone..."

Alex gave her a sweet smile when her words reached his ears and placed her plate right in front of her, quickly getting her utensils to eat with. As she had before, Ella enjoyed the meal he had prepared and wasn't shy to give him praise for it. It was really good so it wasn't long until she was done with it and she was calling Alex out for not letting her do the dishes.

"Stop it, I'll wash this quick and we can go to get the dress." were his last words on the matter and he took care of the task with a grin on his face seeing Ella let her arms fall by her sides in defeat.

"Okay but we need to go back to the hotel first though." She truly wanted to shower first, before she could even think of going out to try on clothes. "Can't go out shopping looking like this." Her hands waved briefly down her body to emphasize the state of her.

Drying the freshly washed dishes, he agreed, "Yeah, it screams 'walk of shame'." He quipped, snickering which earned him a roll of her eyes and an annoyed sigh.

Her response was a simple, "Idiot." as she shook her head. He laughed at her while he sorted his dishes back in the cabinets and once done, he dried his hands with a kitchen towel.

"Alright," He glanced around his kitchen to see where he'd left his phone, finding it and pocketing it, he looked back up at her and instructed, "Let's go then before the shops get too crowded and we don't find anything."

Alex had already been ready for the day so once Ella picked up her stuff from the high chair next to her, they left Alex's flat. And thankfully, his place wasn't far from her hotel so they got there in less than a fifteen minute walk.

Once inside her room, she left all that she was carrying sprawled over her bed, really not caring for the mess at the minute as she just wanted to freshen up. The singer found comfort in lying on the bed as well, his head resting on the pillows.

He watched her as she yawned behind her hands before letting him know she was "Gonna take a quick shower now." adding a "If you don't mind." just to check if he had any other plans he had to get to.

But Alex shook his head with a blissed expression at the soft pillows under his head and the silence in the room. "Absolutely not, go ahead." He replied with a soft smile on his face that she gave him back.

Before she left for the ensuite, she wanted his advice, "What should I wear?" Crouching down, she opened her suitcase and was met with multiple articles of clothing all rolled up, "Needs to be easy to put on and take off since I'm gonna be trying shit on all day."

His eyes were closing but his mind was still with her in conversation so trying to be helpful, he thought about it for a few seconds and came to the answer being, "A skirt?"

He hadn't sounded so sure but she nodded in agreement, "Oh, yes. And with a sweater so I'm not freezing to death." It had been quite cold as they walked back, and she was certainly grateful Alice's clothes were quite thick and cozy.

Alex only hummed in response and she took out the clothes from her case, trying to be the quickest she could be as it was already about to be eleven in the morning.

"Okay, I'll be right back." She informed and in his hazy mind, Alex managed to nod.

The water pattering on the floor of the shower lulled Alex to sleep, Ella took her time to shower and pamper herself after what certainly felt like a very long weekend, slowly putting her clothes on. And once she had dressed herself, despite the loud noise even with the door closed, the hair dryer she used didn't manage to wake him up.

When she left the wet room, she walked into the small hallway that connected it to the room which had a floor to ceiling mirror that showed her reflection back to her and the sight made her gasp.

That was enough to wake Alex up then, blinking multiple times he was able to get himself the slightest bit awake to ask, "What's wrong?"

The answer Ella gave flew straight past him as she let out a low whistle and said, "Fucking hell, it's gonna be really awkward trying on dresses today." and continued to watch herself in the mirror.

"What was that?" Alex inquired again, his brain not being able to process what she'd said just yet.

But when she walked back into the room and stood in front of him, she reiterated in a different sentence, "The skirt is not gonna do..." and that was what made him look down to her bottom half to see what she meant.

Her inner thighs were littered in purple marks and the view alone made his eyes shoot open, "Holy shit, Ella." He cursed loudly, his jaw dropping more the more she showed him the insides of her thighs a bit better.

She looked down at the lovebites and chuckled to herself, feeling her cheeks heating up, "Yeah, I know."

"What the fuck?!" He cursed out loud again, his brows furrowed.

"She's a little vampire." Ella joked trying to make the situation a bit less awkward, because he seemed really taken aback by it.

What she wasn't expecting was for him to start saying, "I'll have a chat with her when I get ho–"

She stopped him before he could continue with a firm, "No, you're not."

"But she–" The singer tried to fight, yet Ella wouldn't have it.

Shaking her head and with her cheeks tinting up redder, she admitted, "Alex, I loved it when she was marking me up so there's absolutely nothing to complain about here."

Ignoring the way that statement had felt like a knife to the chest, he gave another argument to back himself, "Well she needs to learn to control herself."

Sighing, she pursed her lips and added, "I'm pretty sure I left her looking the same or maybe worse." so he could stop with his need to cause a fight between himself and the girl.

"Fuck." He cursed through his teeth, hiding his closed eyes behind his hands like he was in pain.

Ella tried to get answers then, ones that she hadn't managed out of Alice, "I still don't get why you don't like her, she's one of the sweetest girls I've ever met." And she truly meant it. In her head if she got along well with Alice then there was no reason for Alex not to get along with her.

Alex wasn't help at all for Ella to try to solve the mystery because he only shrugged and meekly answered with, "Maybe you're biased because you've fucked her."

Without missing a beat, Ella replied in the same tone, "In that case, maybe you need to fuck her too." She had been guilty of picturing the scenario of the three of them in bed the night before, when the thought of him flashed in the forefront of her mind in a moment of pure ecstasy.

"Eleanor." Alex warned with a firm voice, his face stoic as he stared at her like he was begging her to be joking.

"Alexander." Ella copied with the same tone but a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as his anger was becoming amusing to her.

"Don't ever say that again." The singer warned, as if it had been the single worst most awful thing someone could've ever told him.

"What?" Ella threw her arms up defensively, "She's good." Her cheeks warmed again and the sight made Alex sigh exasperatedly.

"Just find something to wear and let's go already." He was growing impatient and he wanted the view of the love bites Alice had left gone for they made a bitter taste rise up his throat and coat his mouth with it.

She chuckled and playfully rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say boss."

He let out an involuntary snort at her remark, unable to not react to her, "Shush you dickhead."

Going back to her suitcase, Ella ended up picking up a long brown wool skirt that reached her ankles and went to the bathroom to change into it. Her white sweater stayed on and over it came her long brown trench coat.

After quickly tying her converse on, they left her hotel room and went straight to Harrods where Alex said he knew she would find something. 

She had scolded him when they stepped out of the taxi and the first store she saw was Valentino with a couple stunning dresses she could wish to buy on a random afternoon. He only laughed and reminded her that it was a dress for the wedding and that she was allowed to spend her money on it if she ended up loving it—not that he was going to let her buy it but she didn't need to know that—so with that mindset they began to look for it.

It was a hit or miss in the many stores they had visited, the first few she had been far too wary of the cost of the pieces and by the time she had convinced herself it was okay, she hadn't found anything she was completely set on for her to spend an obnoxious amount of money on.

That was until they stumbled into a boutique that gathered many designer clothes into one place and the dresses she had caught through the window looked to die for.

When they went in, a lovely woman called Rose greeted them by the door and took them inside while asking a bunch of questions so that she knew what the pair were looking for. Once Ella told her she was looking for a dress to wear to a friend's wedding, Rose effortlessly guided them to the ones she knew would be wedding appropriate and that Ella might like.

From the looks of them, Ella chose a few to try on and Rose guided her and Alex into a private changing room. Thankfully, inside was a curtain that separated the actual changing room with the small lounge area in which Alex would be waiting.

Taking her time as she slowly put the different pieces on, Ella tried on the first three dresses she had chosen but none of them had her swooning. Alex on the other hand found himself at a loss of words and oxygen every time she drew back the curtain and stepped out in a different gown.

The first one had been a champagne off the shoulder dress with a slit on the side that showed her right leg perfectly, but it was exactly that which made her discard it. The second was a strapless plum dress which had a beautiful mermaid silhouette but it was just that which made her struggle to walk, plus the top kept falling down so she had to hold it up when she walked out to keep it in place. The third was a black one shoulder dress made of tulle which made it puffy and she truly felt like a princess with it but it was far too big for her to be comfortable in it all day at the wedding, she had been already sweating figuring out how to put it on.

The fourth one was a deep red low v neck dress which cinched at the waist and from there draped down a lovely flowy train. It looked amazing on her, it was light and the shape of it was beautiful and flattering but she found herself pursing her lips at her reflection which showed her fully exposed and very marked chest. Her tits looked great hugged perfectly by the fabric but the love bites littering her skin had her trying not to laugh at herself for caring so little about it the night before when she had a wedding to go to in a few days.

At least she was grateful it didn't have a leg slit for her bruised thighs to show and with amusement clear on her face she walked out, "Well this is not gonna do, is it?"

It was a rhetorical question, she already had seen the annoyance in Alex's eyes that he knew Alice had left those and a part of her was hoping it was the product of jealousy, but thinking of it like that would hurt her if she found out that wasn't the reality so she had been pushing the thought away.

Before Alex could compliment her on how stunning she looked, there was a knock on the door of their private room that snapped Ella out of her thoughts. She was well aware of her marks so she tried to escape back behind the curtain before anyone could walk in but Rose beat her clumsy steps as she came into the room right when Ella was only managing to turn around.

"How are you liking them?" The woman asked enthusiastically and when she saw Ella's figure being hugged by the red fabric, she just had to say, "Oh let me see that one!"

Ella winced at her tone because it was so sweet and genuinely excited to see her wearing the dress so she just couldn't say no. Bad time to be a people pleaser, she scorned herself before slowly turning back around so she could face Alex and Rose.

The loud gasp Rose let out was enough for Ella to hide her face behind her hands, feeling her cheeks burning under her fingers, and Alex to laugh out loud. The singer watched as Rose all but counted the bruises on her skin and then switched her surprised expression for a teasing grin, "You're gonna have a good time covering all those up."

Hearing the smirk on Rose's voice, Ella shook her head still hiding behind her hands so the, "Oh my god, this is so embarrassing." she said came out muffled against the palms of her hands.

The woman directed her gaze to Alex then, completely unaware of the actual story behind them, "You went hard on her didn't you?"

Ella dropped her hands, ready to correct her but she only managed a, "He d–" when Alex interrupted, being a bit louder than her as he said, "I did but I'll help her get rid of them later." He looked so smug with a hand on his chin and a smirk on his face, it made Ella lock her jaw because if she didn't it would've dropped.

Rose giggled at the pair, "That's gonna be lots of ice you'll use." But once again, Ella's real explanation was stuck in her throat as the woman beat her to it, but luckily changed the topic of the conversation, "How did you like the ones you've already tried on?"

"This one was too big." She pointed at the second one she'd tried after clearing her throat, and very truthfully admitted her opinion about the other three, "And the other ones I just don't feel like I love them."

Rose hummed completely understanding her, "This one looks stunning on you though. But I feel like–" She cut herself off to have a small think and after a few seconds of staring at Ella's silhouette, a spark lit up in her brain, "Okay wait, I know just the one to bring you. I'll be right back."

Ella barely managed to say, "Thank you!" to her when Rose walked out of the room, but when the door closed behind her, she instantly turned to Alex to scold him.

"Why would you say that?!" Her mind was in a mush, she was so embarrassed but seeing him so proudly admit to that was making her head spin.

Her thoughts were stopped abruptly when the singer shrugged and raised a brow to set his argument down, "Would you prefer to explain how someone else did all that whilst you're out with me buying a dress for a wedding that you told her we're going to together?"

Ella didn't know why she felt so defeated and recognising that reaction from herself made her feel pathetic. She tried to hide it as best as she could, turning around to go back behind the curtain and look at herself in the mirror again, "Well if you put it that way." She replied, brushing her hands down the smooth fabric of the gown she had on.

"Saved you the awkwardness." Alex added proudly, eyebrows raised as if telling her he had been the one to make the situation better.

But Ella poked her head out the changing room and with a frown, she whisper-shouted, "It's still awkward!"

He giggled at how mortified she looked, it was so funny to him that she'd react like that when she had no need to. "You are making it awkward, she was joking about it."

"My face is burning." Her hands came up to cup her red cheeks, sighing at the cold of her fingers against her face.

"Wouldn't be the first time today, darling." He retorted playfully, and that earned him a lovely middle finger peeking through the side of the curtain which had him laughing out loud.

A few minutes later, in which Alex had been lost in his phone and Ella had been lost in her thoughts, Rose knocked on the door again with a stunning blue gown hanging on her arms.

"I think you'll like this one, but I'll keep looking for some more." The woman said handing Ella the piece of clothing and once the American girl had thanked her for it, she left the room again.

The dress was heavy in her arms but it felt fresh and it had the prettiest floral detailing embroidered with the same color of the gown so it looked more like texture than a pattern. It had spaghetti straps and a delicate scoop neck, what she wasn't sure about was the excess fabric on the back of it so without wasting more time, she went back behind the curtain.

A minute went by, Alex impatiently waiting for her to come out because she had gasped a few seconds before. He was about to ask what it was that she was gasping about when she let out an excited, "Oh sweets I think this one's it."

With his knee bouncing up and down, he bit his bottom lip before saying, "Let me see."

Alex was met with silence for another half minute and when he called her name, she only answered with a quiet, "Wait a second."

But he wasn't feeling that patience anymore, so very eager to see her, he instructed her, "Come on out already, you can't say that and then leave me hanging."

Ella's voice came out struggling as she replied, "It's only been less than a minute and I'm trying to fix the back but I can't reach it."

Knowing that he only itched more for her to come out, so he offered, "Come out and I'll help." Not without adding a "Hurry." at the end.

"You're really impatient." She sighed defeated as she couldn't get the extra fabric out when it was stuck right on her lower back where the zipper was. Taking him up on his words, she came out from behind the curtain, mindful of her every step to not step on the bottom of the dress, "What do you think?"

Alex choked on his words seeing her in that dress, his mouth opening and closing only letting out a "Wow." before he could gather his thoughts and finally say, "Darling you look gorgeous and that doesn't even cut it."

"Shut up." Ella rolled her eyes not wanting to take the compliment herself so she complimented the look of the gown, "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"It's beautiful." He agreed, nodding enthusiastically like a little kid, "You look stunning."

Ignoring the way his words made her stomach flip, she turned around to show him the back of it for it was her favorite part of the dress, "I'm obsessed with the back of it." And he was too, it was a backless dress so her back was on full show, the fabric sitting tightly on her lower back and the extra fabric draping lusciously around the low cut.

"Help me with this bit, it's stuck on the inside." She said and he knew exactly what she meant so reaching to untuck the fabric that had gotten stuck on her lower back, his fingers grazed her skin and she shivered under his touch.

A low, breathless, "There we go." fell from his lips, entirely satisfied by her reaction to his touch.

She hated that she had so obviously reacted so her "Thanks." came out choked.

Walking a few steps back to the changing room, she fully opened the curtain so she could see herself in the mirror without having to go back in and she turned slightly to see how the dress looked from different angles. "So... this one?"

"You're the one who decides that darling, you looked stunning in all of them but this one's just... wow." Alex was truly at a loss for words, she was effortlessly stunning. Her hair had been put up in a quick bun so there were many strands sticking out of it but she looked beautiful with her messy hair and she was walking around in her long gray socks which she had laughed about how they looked when she lifted the bottom of the dresses up to walk.

Alex grew mesmerized by her everyday it seemed like and it was something that surprised him. He didn't want to think too much about it, scared of messing something up and hurting her like he had in the past. He just had to live only being friends with her. Best friends. He'd rather have that than absolutely nothing, he loved her too much to let go of her that easily.

Rose's knuckles thudding against the wooden door interrupted his thoughts and when she came in and saw Ella practically beaming in the dress, she smiled and nodded in approval.

"I love this one." Ella confessed, giddy about having found the perfect dress for the wedding.

Rose was proud of her vision, "I knew it. That was just the right one."

So the American girl walked up to her and gave her a tight hug, "Thank you, it's truly perfect." She said into the woman's ear, letting her go after a soft squeeze.

Alex was entranced by her beauty and her kindness, but he was brought back when Rose turned to him and tauntingly asked him, "What do we think, Mr Dracula?"

"Think she looks absolutely breathtaking." He answered genuinely, the biggest smile on his face as his gaze went up and down Ella again.

"At least you didn't attack her back." Rose chatted back, seeing Ella's fortunately love bite free bare back in the reflection of the mirror.

The singer was feeling very smug about Rose thinking it was all him so playing more into the situation, he cheekily replied, "We shall see about that."

Which earned him a firm "Alex!" from Ella, one accompanied by her wide eyes at his confidence to just say that in front of the woman.

But Rose laughed hard at that, patting Alex's shoulder as she got some air back into her lungs, "Oh I love you two," she stated before inhaling deeply to completely regain her posture. When she straightened back, the woman turned to Alex and kindly inquired, "Want me to ring you up while she changes?"

Ella was about to say no because she wasn't going to allow Alex to buy her the dress but he practically jumped to his feet as he said, "Yes, I'll go with you and she can change."

Rose nodded and exited the room, completely unaware of the hard glare she was giving Alex who was pretty much ignoring it as he got his phone from the coffee table beside the loveseat he had been sitting on.

"Alexander." Ella started with her voice firm to try and get him to look at her.

But when he turned, a mischievous grin was adorning his face, and when he replied, "Eleanor." in a playful tone, she knew whatever she'd say would fly right over his head.

"Don't." She warned with a serious face, her hands already frantically trying to undo the zipper of the dress so she could quickly change and beat him to it.

He played dumb first, asking a silly, "What?"

She wasn't having it so trying to remind him of what they had talked about before she came, she said, "What did I tell you?"

There had been many occasions in which he had suggested taking her to many places and when she had jokingly said 'well you'll let me pay this time right?', he had swiftly averted the question and continued with listing his plans. So she had made sure to remind him every other time that when she came to visit, he wouldn't be allowed to spend money on her. That had been broken already when he showed her around London and she had been determined to not let it happen again.

But her reminder didn't work because Alex continued playing dumb about it, this time taunting her by saying, "I don't really remember right now darling, head's scrambled by the view." Giving her a wink before he stepped closer to the door.

She took a step forward to reach out to him, getting a hold of his wrist, "Told you I would–"

Alex interrupted her before she could repeat what he clearly remembered she had said many times before. "I really have to follow her 'cause it'd be rude to make her wait." He wasn't gonna listen to her in this one, not when he had the means to make her happy gifting her the dress she'd loved.

The singer took another step with her hand still clasped around his wrist and she quickly caught up right behind him. "Alexander David Turner." She said through her teeth when he didn't stop and had a foot out the room.

Knowing he had won already by being out of the private room, he smirked and pointed out with a tut, "Eleanor Hayes you can't leave the fitting room with the dress on."

Ella pursed her lips, exhaling through her nose completely frustrated, "I'm gonna fight you."

He was enjoying seeing her like this way too much. "Would love to see you try." He dared, taking advantage of her hold to pull her in by her forearm and leaving a quick peck on her temple.

"Have fun!" He said with exaggerated enthusiasm, leaving her all flustered and annoyed, still wearing the dress.

She had been huffing around while changing back to her clothes and when she came out of the changing room with a frown and the chosen dress in hand, Alex had the opposite expression on his face.

Rose took the garment from her with the sweetest smile which made Ella feel guilty for her lack of one so trying to make herself look at the positive outcome of it all, she smiled back as the woman packed it up in a perfect box with a bow tied around it and placed it in a bag.

Ella had been trying to keep up her act with Alex, thanking him reluctantly at first and biting her tongue to give him the cold shoulder as they walked out of the shop and back onto the streets of London.

But that had only lasted so long when he pulled her in by the waist and pressed a bunch of kisses on her cheek.

"Oh c'mon darling, don't be angry. I wanted to buy it for you." Alex defended himself quickly, his eyes trying to look for hers but she was forcing herself not to look at him.

Her gaze stayed ahead as they walked a few more steps but he wasn't gonna have her silence any longer so he stopped in his tracks, forcing her to stop with him and turning her around so her front was pressed against his.

"Are you not gonna talk to me now?" He pouted and when her eyes flew up to the sky, he cupped her jaw to make her look at him.

There was nothing aggressive about his touch, it was how delicate his fingers were on her skin and his gentle gaze on her that made her slowly melt in his arms.

"You just don't listen." She started with a defeated sigh, "I didn't want you to spend money on me again."

He thought about it then, something to say to twist her arm, "Can't this be your very late birthday gift?"

"You gave me a ticket back home." Ella reminded him with an eyebrow raised.

"That was from all of us, this one is just mine." He negotiated, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips when he saw her face fall in slight amusement at the loophole he had managed to find.

"You're insufferable." She decided then, shaking her head at how proud he looked to have caught her with that.

"You love me." He fought back, the corner of his eyes crinkling the harder he smiled.

Humming, she gave in and agreed, "I unfortunately do." playfully trying to get that ego of his down.

He scoffed and it made her giggle, "I'm kidding." and throwing her arms around his shoulders, she added, "Thank you sweets, love you."

Leaning back, he looked down at her and left one last kiss on her cheek, squeezing her waist before letting go and once she was back beside him, they continued their walk back to the hotel.

A few minutes passed, people watching and talking about the upcoming big event. Their talk about Nick getting his tux with the lads brought him to pointing out a fact that made him warm inside.

"You know this is perfect." Alex vaguely started, trailing off long enough for Ella to ask what it was and with a tilt of his chin pointing to the bag which contained the dress she'd just gotten, he explained, "My suit is blue too."

Gasping, she turned to him, "Awh! We're gonna be matching!" Ella scrunched her nose at him, "How cringe, I love it."

Alex snorted at her response but agreed, "Matt's gonna take the piss out of us."

"Definitely, but I bet everyone will be matching with their plus one." She pointed out, wishfully thinking that it would be that easy to escape Matt's taunting.

He hoped that logic worked too and whilst they were on the subject of the wedding, he mentioned again the plans for that day, "I'm picking you up early that morning, by the way."

Ella groaned, already dreading having to wake up at an ungodly hour to start getting ready. "Yeah, don't remind me how early though."

"I know, weddings shouldn't be that early." Alex wholeheartedly agreed, almost every wedding he had attended would've been awful for him if he wasn't surrounded by his friends—only being in their presence made him able to look past how long they lasted and how unnecessarily stressful they were.

"It's an actual crime." And then she thought about how late the reception could be but found relief at the silver linings, "At least there's a free bar."

He chuckled and nodded, "I can already imagine the hangover."

She grimaced at the thought, "S'not gonna be pretty that's for sure."

"I'll take care of you, don't worry, darling." He promised, holding her closer by the arm she had hooked on his.

"I'll take you up on that, sweets." Ella replied with her eyebrows raised like challenging him to keep up to his words, which he definitely would.

But then the singer reminded her of the real trouble approaching them, "Tomorrow's what you gotta be worried about."

The next day would be the parties thrown for the bride and groom, she called them bachelor and bachelorette parties but she'd gotten cultured about them being called stag do and hen do over in that side of the pond.

"Matt and Bre being in charge of the parties is making me nervous." She admitted very honestly as she had tried many times to get something from Breana but miserably failed at it.

Alex hadn't been successful in getting information from the couple either so he felt the same way, "Haven't managed to get anything out of them so I share your worries."

Ella sighed, only being able to imagine the trouble the next night would bring but wishing aloud, "It better be fun."

He decided to tease her a bit and with a low voice said, "But at what cost?"

"Don't." She cut him off before he could set off more nerves in her and nudged his hip with hers, "That only makes me even more scared."

He giggled at her, noticing they were already close to the hotel she was staying at and wanting to spend the last few minutes they had together on a better note, he decided to settle her down a bit, "I know we won't be together but Florence will take care of you since I know Bre is gonna be too gone to do it herself."

"Awh I love Flo!" Ella almost jumped in her spot at the reminder of his childhood best friend's attendance, "I'm excited now, I can properly party with her."

They had been talking about properly going out at Glastonbury, trying to align their schedules so everyone could join and there had been a few dates thrown around but nothing confirmed, nothing that couldn't be solved when she would see her again then and the thought of making plans with her and the girls was making Ella excited.

She had been brainstorming more about that shoot she had in mind and she couldn't wait to properly set a day and a meeting place for them all to bring the vision to life. Ella was properly giddy about it for they were all stunning and the shoot was going to be in a style she had been waiting to try for a while.

Alex's memories came back to him of every time he'd partied with Flo since they were teenagers and he smiled at them, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that the girls would have the best night together. "She's amazing company, you're gonna have the best time."

Ella hummed, even more excitement bubbling up inside her and with hopes up to the ceiling, she replied, "I'm counting on it, Turner."

The girls all together and away from the lads, partying the night away in celebration of the bride sounded like a perfect night and, despite going into it blind, Ella just couldn't wait to see what that night would bring.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

A/N: I don't exactly remember how me and N came about the talk about how insane it would be if Alice and Ella bumped into each other and had Alex absolutely seething but it ended up in me writing this and all I can say is I blacked out, I was fully possessed lolllllll! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's a whiplash of emotions from now on tbf but it's gonna be really fun. Hen do is coming next and so is the wedding... heheheh. Thank you for reading and see you in two weeks!!!!!! xx

Taglist: @imagine-that-100 @red---moon @kennedy-brooke @faveficz @indierockgirrl @ladydraculasthings @moonvr @unwantedlovergirl @eaglestar31 @nikisfwn @funniestpersoninnyc @andrearroe @justacaliforniandreamer @alexturnersgf69 @yourorganiccigarette

[lucyandludwigkoopa]

this is one of my Super Mario bros/Koopalings Ocs princess Breeze here’s information on her let me know what you think of her 🖤Full Name 🖤princess Breeze

🖤Nickname🖤

Bree Bre pink bow ice cream girl pink princess dragon girl dragon princess easy

🖤age 🖤

12 or 13

🖤looks🖤

real hair color reddish orange dyed hair color brown real eye color blue eye color with contacts brown hair normally in a ponytail sometimes down wears a pink dress with a pink bow in her hair has to black spiky arm bands a black spiky choker a pink bandanna with some red and purple on it has a yellow dragon tail that looks like a Koopa tail has horns on her head her tail is purple when she's a dragon

🖤likes 🖤

ice cream sweet tea drawing painting dancing singing music listening to music pop songs some country songs rock songs

🖤dislikes🖤

mud dirt getting dirty getting mud or dirt on her dresses leggings heels face hands hair ghosts bugs clowns heights the dark men a whole lot snakes having everyone she loves get hurt being alone

🖤gender🖤

female

🖤sexuality 🖤

Bi

🖤personality 🖤sweet caring Kind smart shy sensitive loyal

🖤powers 🖤

fire powers can breath fire can turn into a purple dragon when is in the normal universe were she's a half human half dragon can heal people can us water magic as well

🖤weapons 🖤

a magic paint brush

🖤strengths 🖤

fire lava love family friends

🖤weakness 🖤very cold things the cold she can't be in the cold for any amount of time her skin will turn blue if she in the cold for any amount of time she needs to get out of the cold in time and go somewhere warm in time or it is game over for her poison

🖤family 🖤Bio (mom) Queen star Bio (dad ) max the dragon none Bio siblings Lucy Lily Raven May Ralph Izzy Luna

🖤friends🖤

Lily Zac/Zoey Larry Jr (Bff) Luna Lemmy

🖤backstory 🖤

she was born in the Crystal Kingdom she ended up living in the Koopa King in Bowser's castle with her siblings Bowser the Koopalings and Jr after her mom Star left her and her siblings at Bowsers door step one day/night

🖤extra 🖤

she also has she has autism ptsd she's also very sensitive and extremely scared of men as well she's been best friends with Bowser Jr since they were both babies/2 when she was very young she couldn't really pronounce Jr's name has she ended up calling him dinner even now she still calls him dinner by accident she also likes to call him BB or BdaB has he also calls her BB or BdaB he even calls her easy her and Jr have a very close best friends relationship she also has an ex boyfriend named Jay his an orange dragon she was also made the future Queen of the Crystal Kingdom

🖤crush🖤

Bowser Jr manly as best friends can be romantic in my fanfics and when they are much older or Larry she has a bit of a crush on him as well

[hhssyyaa]

SOCIAL MEDIA WELLNESS 🌐✨

INTRODUCTION : ̗̀➛

Hello Internet and welcome back! So, folks today we’re diving deep into the ever-evolving landscape of public health and the unlikely hero – social media. Buckle up as we uncover the twists and turns where social platforms become the digital stage for health advocacy. So, the matters that we are going to uncover right now can really boil down into 4 main buckets – role of social media in public health campaigns, community engagement in mental initiatives, normalization of mental health conversations and access to real-time information and support. So, let’s just take them point by point, shall we?

The Digital Stage for Public Health ┊┊

So, bucket number one, the roles of social media in public health campaigns. Public health campaigns, my friends, are the unsung heroes of our digital age. Social media apps like Twitter (or known as X now), Instagram, TikTok or Facebook are not just platforms; they’re like the cinematic universe where health advocacy takes the centre stage. It’s like Marvel but with wellness tips instead of superheroes. You see, social media is one of the most powerful tools to talk about public health information and enable rapid and widespread communication. I feel like everyone would understand this, knowing that back in 2020, the big corona (COVID-19) happened and social media was one of the best places to help keep us informed, regardless whether that was in Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. A study done by Al-Dmour et al. (2020), shows that social media has significantly improved public health defences against the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only in public health awareness, but also in public health behavioural changes.

Communities Assemble! ✭

But it’s not just about broadcasting information. Social media is the main hub for communication – and who are the ones communicating? Us! Social media is not just some big megaphone for health info; but a two-way conversation. A community hub where people can openly share their mental health journeys.  A great movement that people engage in would be the Movember movement. The Movember foundation focuses on an issue that is not really talked about a lot; men’s health issues. The movement is dedicated to help men who suffer from prostate cancer, mental health and more. It raises awareness by challenging the public to not shave their moustache or beard for the whole month of November. According to Cole (2019), Movember has raised over $900m for men’s health to date.

Destigmatizing Mental Health -ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

One thing that is really great coming from all this is the normalisation of mental health conversations. Saying you have mental illness doesn’t turn heads in a bad way or become a taboo. It’s now empowering and hopeful rather than intimidating or humiliating. Did you know that over 11 billion views have been received by millions of videos with the hashtag #MentalHealth? (Marais, 2023). It’s amazing how social media can help break the ice and reshape society’s view of mental well-being into something that we don’t need to be afraid of. No one needs to be alone or feel alone, especially for their mental health; and destigmatizing this helps people to seek help free of judgement from others.

Info Dump Extravaganza ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) 

Let’s move on to the last bucket which is real-time information and support. Social media is a goldmine of information and researches extravaganza. No matter what social media platform you’re on, it can serve as a real-time infographics or video on public health. It’s just the at the tip of our fingers to find tips or coping mechanisms on health. Not only that, exposes us to the symptoms that we should be more aware of that might need further inspection. There’s a slurry of videos or posts in Instagram or TikTok where people remind others to check and be more aware of our bodies and mind for irregularities. A recent one that has been going around on TikTok lately would be Pink October which is also known as #BreastCancerMonth. A lot of TikTokers have been posting reminders for ladies and girls to self-check breast examination and support those who have been affected (Newsroom TikTok, 2021).

You need therapy. 𖠋

Yes, I said 4 buckets but 1 big bucket that needs to be addressed especially now is that social media and public health awareness in social media are not your therapists. Social media can be a lot of great things but social media therapy? Let’s unpack this. The social media is just a vending machine spitting out general advice but it would never be personally tailored to one individual but it seems like people – especially younger people – claim to have mental health symptoms that are, in fact, not actual indicators of mental illness. According to Marais (2023), through social media young people were teaching each other how to have tics. This not only is harmful in misdiagnosing themselves, but also might make it harder for mental health professionals to diagnose a person or even lead to insufficient or ineffective treatment. It’s always important always seek professional help! Diagnosing is complicated and is crucial to have a full clinical assessment to get proper diagnosis and treatment.

CONCLUSION (づ ᴗ _ᴗ)づ

As we reach the end of this post, let’s remember; the fusion of public heath and social media is a powerful duo but do treat it lightly. It’s great for raising awareness, help people who have been affected, and remind you that you’re not alone nut when it comes to mental health, consult the pros. That is all and always, thanks for reading!

REFERENCES

Al-Dmour, H., Masa’deh, R., Salman, A., Abuhashesh, M., & Al-Dmour, R. (2020). Influence of Social Media Platforms on Public Health Protection Against the COVID-19 Pandemic via the Mediating Effects of Public Health Awareness and Behavioral Changes: Integrated Model. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), e19996. https://doi.org/10.2196/19996.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month on TikTok. (2021, October 26). Newsroom TikTok. https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/breast-cancer-awareness-month-on-tiktok.

Cole, S. (2019, November 4). How Movember Grew to Five Million Mo Bros and Sistas. Econsiltancy. https://econsultancy.com/how-movember-grew-to-five-million-mo-bros-and-sistas/.

Marais, D. S. (2023, January 18). Social Media Is changing the Way We Talk About Mental Health – for Better and for Worse. Calmerry. https://calmerry.com/blog/self-care/social-media-is-changing-the-way-we-talk-about-mental-health-for-better-and-for-worse/#:~:text=But%20social%20media%20has%20normalized%20talking%20about%20mental%20health.&text=Stigma%20contributes%20to%20this%3A%20People,they%20know%20they%20need%20it.