#got another work trip and another wedding to attend soon

[forged-by-truth]

Every time I comb through the ending outline again, I only get more excited for it :D I usually scramble to get an ending together, this is awesome. There’s still some harder loose strings to tie, but it’ll be good

[y2kawaii]

｡.｡:∞♡*♥ mr. & mrs. wick (one shot)

bf!john wick x f!nurse!reader

Summary: On your fifth year anniversary during your "getaway" in Rome, John surprises his newly wedded wife; in more ways than one. | 1.6k words

special tags: @nwheregirl (ty for the inspo! <3)

content: depictions of gore/injuries, violence

(Y/N) and John have started dating after meeting each other in a blind date that both of your friends set you up for. Since then, your relationship together seemed to be perfect; the relationship that any other couple would kill for. However, on one special anniversary - the fifth to be exact, which was a special number for John - you would notice that he was acting...off for a few days leading up to your sudden "business trip" to Rome. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Throughout the majority of the trip, (Y/N) found yourself alone more often than not, which soured your mood slightly for the "vacation". Now, the trip was on its last few days, and you were about ready to start packing up your things - alone. That is, until John suddenly returned home from his work with his clothes all bloodied from the "business trip" he had to attend. Seeing John in this state made (Y/N)'s eyes widen in shock and rush over to him, reaching your hands out to his shoulders with urgent concern washing over your entire face.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Jesus, John..." You felt your breath catching in your throat. It was a sensation that you tried to brush off for the sake of staying grounded in the moment with John, "What were you-"

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "(Y/N)..." John spoke up in a gentle voice as to not upset you further, but there was a urgent tone behind him as well once he noticed how much his current state made you feel inside. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Look at me." He commanded with care, but still in a tone that wouldn't leave a single second open for protest.

With tears flowing in your eyes, (Y/N) lifted your head up just enough until your eyes were locked onto each other's. As soon as they did, both (Y/N) and John would feel the tension that was surging between them. Despite the circumstances, they couldn't shake off their passion for one another, prompting them both to lean in and connect their lips. Only when they needed to breathe again was when John slowly pulled back from their kiss, finding himself almost getting lost in your eyes once again. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "You're covered in blood..." (Y/N) stated shakily, unable to control yourself from trembling out of the sudden adrenaline rush.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "None of it's mine, baby. It's okay," John responded in an attempt to reassure (Y/N) all while keeping his gaze solely focused on your own.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Then...whose is it?"

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Its..." He hesitated for a beat, a glimmer of heartbreak could be seen cracking through John's eyes as his mind raced with thoughts of how you could react to this sudden drop of a bombshell. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "(Y/N)...I'm an assassin."

And then, everything seemingly went still. Time felt as though it had frozen around you, and all that you could hear was your heart pounding against the wall of your chest. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "How long-"

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I'm sorry, I only wanted to protect you." He interjected, already knowing what (Y/N) was going to ask him. Guilt was etched onto the lines of his forehead and he hated himself for having lied to you for so many years, while you were nothing but honest to him.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "From who?"

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "The High Table." John answered without a second thought, but his response only appeared to make you more baffled about the entire situation.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "(Y/N), I really need..." He began to breathe in a more labored pace than usual, triggering your nurturing instincts to kick in as you nod in understanding and prop John up in your arms to support his weight while he was too weak to do so himself.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I've got you, I've got you..." You whisper soothingly to reassure any distress that may have been swimming through John's weary mind.

Leading John to the bedroom, (Y/N) sat John down on top of the edge of the bed and raised her index finger up to him as you took a few slow steps away, back towards the door once again with the intentions of fetching some medical supplies that you knew you would need to fix up John's wounds. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Don't even think about moving." You instruct, emphasizing what you mostly wanted from John then: just to not move for a few seconds. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ After seeing a nod of agreement from John in response, (Y/N) sighed in relief and promptly spun around to sprint towards the bathroom that was adjacent to the bedroom in the hallway, quickly opening the door when you were close enough to reach the knob and twist it to pull it open. In the bathroom, (Y/N) collects the necessary materials and tools before you turned back around to return to John and begin taking care of him.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Good job on staying." You say, trying to keep your tone lighthearted to the best of your ability despite the distress that was circulating through your mind.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "I don't really think I'm, uh...in the state to be going anywhere right now." John admitted, his head lowering slightly.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "No, you're not." (Y/N) reinstated, relieved that John was able to admit that he was in no shape to be getting up and going anywhere.

Then, (Y/N) set the supplies down on a nearby countertop and quickly organized them across the surface. Grabbing some disinfectant, you reach your hands out to begin undoing the buttons of John's suit. But, as you did, you noticed a hint of a smile form across the edges of his lips, which made you tilt your head slightly. John was never the type to be just...smiling out of nowhere. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ However, you push those thoughts aside, knowing that your ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ boyfriend needed your time and care right now. But then, as you continued, (Y/N) would notice what appeared to be...linework on his chest? Confused, you continue to undo John's buttons until you see something that wasn't on his chest before he left for his "business meeting" - a heart tattoo outlined across his own heart. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "John...what's that..?"

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "What's what?" He asked, trying to put on a lighthearted and playful tone through the pain that was radiating through his injuries.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "That, on your chest." You say as you press the palm of your right hand down onto the linework, but still made sure to be gentle enough that you wouldn't cause any more pain to stir up within him. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Then, John lifted up his index finger in front of his lips, shushing you momentarily. He may have been bleeding then from some gunshot and stab wounds, but John was still a sweetheart towards you. All. The. Time. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Before you could register what was going on, John was holding out a small, black velvet box in the palm of his large, calloused hand. The delicate item in John's hands only made him appear to be sensitive and sweet, which was a side of him that you only saw back at home. Rarely did he ever show affection out in public, in an unknown place, like he was always on-guard. The sight of the shining diamond that was being held before you made (Y/N) tear up. You had to put a pause on what you were doing, knowing that you couldn't operate on your beloved in such a vulnerable state.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "John...what are you..?" You stutter as John reached out and took your hand into his own. Despite how rough and violent John could be with his bare hands, he could also be affectionate with his touch, which he often was with you.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Ms. (Y/N), these last few years with you have been the greatest and most unforgettable five years of my life, and I never want the light that you bring into my life to fade away. Will you marry me?"

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ "Oh, John! Yes! I will!" You exclaimed in response, wrapping your arms so quickly around John's shoulders that you only remembered the condition he was in when you heard a small wince escape from him. Regardless, John still returned your embrace. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ As (Y/N) hold out your left hand, John slid the ring onto your ring finger; it fit perfectly! It made you think, how did John know your exact ring size? But, now wasn't the time for questions. Especially not after the biggest one was just popped to you. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ For the rest of the evening, (Y/N) and John celebrated their love for each other, looking forward to the future years that they would spend together. You couldn't be happier or feel any more lucky than you already did to have been engaged with John.

[pensat-i-fet]

From one wedding... (Rúben Dias x Reader)

**Naturally, after seeing Rúben at Bernardo's wedding, I got some requests to do a wedding related imagine. The person who requested here on Tumblr was @mountsgirl​ and I think I managed to do the request as close to what was requested as possible. I already had another wedding imagine from a couple of months ago and my aim was to make them different enough that you wouldn't feel you're just reading the same thing twice. Also, the title is explained in the imagine. Enjoy!! ❤️**

Word count: 1866

Masterlist

Wattpad

“Tomorrow is the big day”.

“You say it as if it was us getting married and not your friends”, you laughed, falling on the bed and wincing.

“What’s wrong?”

“My back still hurts. I knew we should have taken the sunscreen bottle to that cave expedition you wanted us to do”.

“Let me see”.

You took your shirt off so Rúben could see your back and flinched a little when he touched the still sensitive area.

“It looks much better. You can barely tell it’s red anymore”.

“Really?”

“Want me to put some more cream on it?”

You nodded, thankful for his help. Your dress for the wedding showed half of your back and the last thing you wanted was for everyone to see a big ugly sunburn.

“That feels nice”, you said, closing your eyes and enjoying the cooling effect of the cream and the way Rúben’s hand massaged your skin.

“Done”, he said, kissing the back of your neck.

“Thank you! Let’s go to bed now. Long day tomorrow but I can’t wait to see you wearing a suit”.

“I was wearing one the day we met”.

“And that’s how you tricked me into dating you”, you joked, pecking his lips and going to the bathroom to brush your teeth.

Rúben stared at you and then kept staring at the closed door. He had been feeling some type of way lately, and the wedding you were about to attend only made that feeling bigger. But he shook his head and got those ideas out of his head. It was too soon.

                                          **

Between the slight jet lag you had from your time in America and how early you had to wake up, you began the day already exhausted. Your eyes kept closing and you tried your hardest to stay awake.

“That coffee isn’t helping”.

“Don’t mock me, Rúben. I’m so tired”.

“Yeah, me too. Maybe we could sleep a little. I think we have another hour until we get there”.

“Can’t”, you groaned.

“Why?”

You and Rúben had never been on a long car trip together so he didn’t know. “I get travel sick when I’m on long drives like this one. But it’s better if I don’t sleep. Don’t ask me why”, you shrugged. “It’s how it works”.

“Well, we can’t have that. Is there anything that helps?”

“Funnily enough, looking outside of the car. Apparently, I get sick because I’m moving but I’m also not moving so my brain doesn’t understand what’s going on. And so seeing the outside moving helps. I don’t know, I read that in an article once”.

“You and your I read that in an article once”, he laughed and you hit him in the chest, making him laugh harder.

Once he was done laughing, Rúben moved to sit in the middle of the back seat to be closer to you. He turned you slightly so you could still look outside of the window and he could bring you closer to him to hug you.

“Let’s talk about what we see. Concentrate on that”.

Smiling, you did just that and started to describe the mountains and the little houses you saw sometimes. Not only did it help you not feel bad, but it also made the whole trip go by so much quicker.

“We are here. Let’s find our room”.

Rúben took your hand and a couple of minutes later, you were in your room. You placed your dress on the bed, carefully, and started to unpack all the things you needed to get ready.

“I’m going to need your help, Dias. Don’t get too comfortable”.

“With what? I can’t do your make-up. I mean, I can. But you don’t want me to”.

“Just with little things in general. Please”.

“No need to use puppy eyes. I was going to help you anyways”.

While he was helping you get ready, Rúben couldn’t help but go back to those thoughts he had been having lately. You looked so adorable wearing one of his old shirts and moving around the room getting all the things you needed.

“Last one, please”, you said and he gave you another roller to put on your head. “Rate how sexy I look from 1 to 10”.

“80”.

“Wait until I put the black face mask on. It’ll be a 100!”

“Can I have a kiss first?”

You leaned down to kiss Rúben before running to the bathroom again to put on your mask. The smile on your face couldn’t be bigger and his was matching yours.

"So you had the rollers on but now have to curl the hair anyways. It doesn’t make sense”.

“It actually does, hence why I did it like this”.

“If you say so…what else can I do?”

“Why don’t you start getting ready?”

“I don’t take as long as you. I’m fine”.

You moved the curling iron away from your face to laugh properly. “You don’t take long to get ready…right”.

“So funny! But I mean today. I just have to put the suit on and brush my hair”.

“Can I brush your hair? Please!!”

“Sure”, now it was his turn to laugh.

Once your hair and make-up were done, you and Rúben started to get dressed. You kept trying to look in the mirror to see how red your back looked and Rúben noticed.

“It’s fine. Not red at all. Does it hurt?”

“Not really. Can you take a photo so I see how it looks? I could always wear a jacket to cover the area, even if it would look terrible with this dress”.

He took the photo and showed it to you. And you were so relieved to see the skin was back to a normal colour. It still hurt a bit but no one would know.

“Do you like the dress?”, you asked, spinning around the room.

“I love it. And the colour looks great on you”.

“Thank you. I liked it better in white but obviously had to go for this shade instead”.

“White?”, now Rúben’s mind went back to those feelings that wouldn’t leave. “I wanted to see you wearing the white dress”, he said, almost to himself.

“I can’t wear white to someone else’s wedding”, you laughed, not understanding his comments.

“Of course”.

“Give me the brush now. I want to play with that gorgeous fluffy hair you have”.

Sitting down on the bed, you positioned yourself in between his legs and started to brush his hair gently.

"Ready!", you winked. And you both made your way to the ceremony.

                                       **

The wedding venue was so stunning you had to remind yourself that you should be looking at the ceremony and not at your surroundings. Rúben noticed and he put his arm around your shoulders, bringing you closer to him so he could whisper.

“We’ll come back here another time so you can see the area better, ok?”

You nodded, smiling. You were having the same idea at the moment. And even if Rúben didn’t know, other ideas he had were also reciprocated by you. But you weren't going to tell him.

Everyone gathered around the newlyweds to congratulate them and take photos. And when it was your turn, Rúben gave Bernardo a little “friendly” push. Bernardo looked as shocked as he always did when Rúben hit him, even if he should be used to it by now, and moved to hide behind his now wife.

"You can't be violent near a pregnant woman".

"Rúben, I told you your wedding gift was not hitting poor Bernardo", you said, slapping his arm.

"But it's fun".

"Psycho", said you and Bernardo at the same time, making Ines laugh.

More photos were taken, some with you in them but most of them with just Rúben and his teammates. You didn’t mind, not really enjoying being seen much on social media. But you did check the photos other people were taking and noticed one of Rúben’s friends added an interesting caption.

“Look”, you said to him, showing him the photo.

“What is it?”

“The caption”.

He read it and when he got to the end, he looked at you quickly. Why were you showing him that?

“Who’s next? Well, Ines didn’t throw her bouquet to the guests so we don’t know”, he laughed uncomfortably.

“You know? There is a saying in Spanish that says “de una boda sale otra”, which is like from one wedding we get another one. The caption reminded me of that”.

“Would you like it if there was another wedding soon?”

You looked up at him, trying to understand the meaning behind that question but he looked away. “I guess. It’s fun to attend them. And I get to see you wearing a suit”.

“It’s fun, yeah”, you wanted to say something to him but he spoke first. “They look so in love”.

You nodded and hugged Rúben’s arm before putting your head on his shoulder. “I like to think that’s how we look when people look at us”.

He kissed your head and kept looking at the band that was playing music, enjoying the moment. And also hoping that you both looked like that when people looked at you.

After a few hours of dancing and chatting with all the other guests, it was time to go back to the room.

“The gifts they got for the guests are so adorable. I even got pyjamas to wear while we’re here with my initials on them. You know how I love those silly details”.

“I didn’t get any pyjamas”.

“You’ll have to sleep naked then, Rúben. Terrible news but what else can we do?”

Rúben slapped your bum when you walked towards the bathroom but there were no more playful looks when you got out, wearing the white pyjamas Ines had picked for the female guests. They looked like something the bride would wear. It was a little inside joke she found funny and so did you. For Rúben…it only made those feelings harder to contain.

“Have you seen a ghost?”, you asked, walking to stand in between his legs while he just stared at you. “Or are you going to be super corny and say you saw an angel?”, you laughed.

“Marry me”.

“What?”

“I’m stupid”, he said, standing and moving away from you.

“Why would you be stupid?”

“I’ve been thinking about proposing for months now. And thinking about all the big gestures I could do because you deserve that. And now I just let these feelings I’ve had all weekend take over and just ask you like that…and I shouldn’t even ask you. We haven’t been dating for that long. I don’t want to scare you away. But…”.

“Stop talking”, you said, standing now in front of him and placing your index finger on his lips. “I’ve been having the same feelings, or thoughts, whatever you want to call them. But I didn’t want to scare you”.

“Really?”

You nodded. “And I don’t need gestures or you getting down on one knee or whatever. I just need you to really mean it when you say you want to marry me. So…do you really mean it?”

“I do”.

“Then let’s do it!”

[sebastianstansqueen]

Peace

A/N: I when onto tiktok for like five seconds and this popped up on my FYP and I decided I was going to write it, tell me what you think, i hope you all like it, feedback is always appreciated, if you want to be Tagged, either send an ask or comment on this or click on Taglist open.  

Wordcount:  1,096

Warnings: Arranged marriage, angst, mentions of grooming, Thor being a dick, and mentions of blood, I think that's it let me know if I'm missing anything.

Masterlist //  Tagglists

Taglist: @cherryblossomsky - @babylooneytoonz - @wonderlandfandomkingdom - @miraclesoflove - @amelia-song-pond - @leyannrae - @avengerlex - @pineprincess -@nik2writes - @dorothea-hwldr - @rosie-posie08 - @scxrletrecsmarvel

Peace, that's all that really mattered, to you, your father, mother, and him. That's what this is for, that is why you stood in a room at the church pacing, out of fear or because of how un-sure you were of this working. You loved your family, and knew surely that James Barnes couldn’t be that bad of a husband. The biggest deal was that James' family was your fathers rivals, and this would bring peace like all of you wanted finally.

Soon enough you walked down the aisle with your father, James’ blue piercing eyes stared at you, his dark brown hair slicked back, every intricate detail perfect on him, you and around the room. That was the day you were sure your life would have changed forever. 

You and James didn’t really mind one another, both of you were married, and you both understood that you and he had very different days. You'd get up, get Coffee, and then go to the in-home gym, and you wouldn't see much of James until dinner. 

Bucky, he would wake up with the sun, much earlier than you, he could admire your beauty for a few moments before getting up and heading for his in home gym before he took a shower and ate breakfast then he usually had business to attend to till dinner in which is where both of you would end your day with small conversation. 

The two of you didn’t know each other well. This marriage was business after all, but both of you had an already underlying love, and care for one another. But you both just sit and stir and sit there. 

One morning you decided to get out, it wasn’t like you couldn’t leave the house, you got into your car, and went to a small coffee shop, then to a random gym. When you were done, you got to your car opening the door, when you were stopped by Thor. “What the hell are you doing?” You asked, you hadn’t seen him since before the wedding day, he was your old bodyguard. 

“Look I couldn’t do this then and definitely shouldn’t do it now, but Y/n.” He cut himself off by kissing you. “I love you.” 

You shook your head, you and Thor had a friendship that all you ever saw it as, you never had romantic feelings for him. “I-I can’t- I don’t.”

Thor rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on!” He yelled. “Y/n, I spoiled you, I gave you almost anything any time you wanted, I didn’t just protect you, I cared about you, I gave you all of it so you’d grow to love me.”

A face of disgust washed over your face. Thor was ten years older than you and he became your body guard when you were ten, you realized all the trips to amusement parks, and diamond necklaces from out of nowhere were all sinister for him.“Oh my god, you’ve known me since I was a kid!” You yelled. 

“Let's not do this out here.” Thor tsked, as he went to grab your arm and pull you away. 

You pulled away. “No get the hell away from me Thor!” You fight back by getting away from him. “You basically groomed me!” 

“Oh! Don’t call it that!” He hissed, rolling his eyes. “Come on Y/n, don’t act like you care for Barnes.”

“He’s still my god damn husband, and he hasn’t done anything as fucked as that!” You fought back, you rushed to get into your car, rushing as you drove away, tears rolled down your cheeks, you tried viciously to wipe away your tears before you got home.

You pulled into the garage, and found Bucky with most of his men. “Shit.” You hissed to yourself as you wiped away to clear your tears, you came up with something to say, you grabbed your purse and gym bag. You opened the door and got out, trying to get by without being noticed, James noticed though, he followed you through the door back into the house. 

“Y/n, are you okay?” He asked, as you kicked off your shoes in the mudroom. 

You nodded. “Yeah, i-it’s just a headache, I’ll take some medicine and then be fine.” You shrugged off, about to walk away. 

“What’s actually wrong?”  He asked following you. “Don’t lie to me this time.” 

You sighed. “It’s nothing.” 

Bucky sighed at your passiveness. “Come on, what happened? Y/n, if someone hurt you I should know.” 

“I wasn’t hurt physically, it’s just my old body guard, he probably followed me when I left, and then he talked to me after I went to my car, and he kissed me-”

“I’m gonna fucking kill him.” Bucky growled out. 

You shook your head. “Don’t start shit by killing him, my parents are coming tomorrow for dinner, talk to my dad then and he’ll deal with it.”

Bucky sighed out. “Fine, I’ll wait, we’re leaving for something, I’ll be back later.” Is all he said before leaving. 

The next night you waited, with your family for Bucky, this wasn’t looking good. “Does he do this often?” Your dad asked, you could hear the irritation in his voice. 

You shook your head. “No, he’s always on time. I don’t know where he would be.” 

Your dad tsked. “If he is fucking around and just expecting you to sit around I’ll pull you out of this marrage.”  You shook your head in exchange for saying no.  

Then the dining room doors opened. “Sorry I’m late.” James spoke, sitting at the head of the table, as he began to eat his stake. Blood was splattered on his face but his suit seems to be fine and pristine, not a drip on it. 

“Give us a moment.” You said to excuse yourself and your husband, you both headed to the kitchen wearing down a rag to wipe away the blood on his face. “What the hell did you do?” 

He shrugged then mumbled. “He touched what’s mine.” 

Your brows furrowed barely understanding what he said. “What?”

“He touched. My. Wife.” He stated, now loud and clear. “He wasn’t going to just get away with it.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Bucky.” You sighed. “You don’t own me.” 

“I know I don’t but you own me, and I will do this over and over until all of New York knows not to fuck with James Barnes’ queen.” He spoke softly, before pulling you into a soft kiss. “Let's go have dinner, I'm sure your parents have questions.” 

[personasintro]

Hi Mimi. Can I ask you for advice.

I have a friend who is mad at me because I’m not calling her back 24/7, and because I can’t hang out all the time and have to cancel due to the fact that I work and they sometimes, even if I have plans, call me in.

I couldn’t attend her boyfriend’s surprise birthday dinner, who she’ve only been dating for like 4 months and I’ve only met twice, because they wanted to go out late at night and I was working the day before, during, and the day after. However that particular day I got to finish my shift early because it was raining so my boss told me to just go home. On my way home another friend called me, who I haven’t seen in four month because we live 1h and 45min away from each other. My birthday is in two weeks but she’s going on vacation soon, she asked if we could meet up in the city and have dinner, this is like 4-5pm, because she wanted to celebrate me by buying me dinner. I said okey. I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. We meet up, have dinner, order some drinks, and I post a video of us. The other friend, not even 5 minutes later, sends me a loooong message about what a bad friend I am without even knowing anything. I didn’t answer her right away and decided to wait until I was home. I got home at like 8:30, and the dinner was around 9-10isch so even if I didn’t go out with my friend I couldn’t go and celebrate her boyfriend because I needed to sleep.

She really went off on me, said a lot of things, and made me feel so shitty for nothing. So I wrote back and told her, we’re not kids, I didn’t do anything wrong, I explained briefly why I went out with my friend, and I also told her it’s my life and nobody can get mad at me for my choices, even if I was free that day it still shouldn’t be a problem because I don’t have an obligation to anybody. I also told her that I think it’s wrong that she decided to message me when she saw I was out, she could have waited and brought it up the next day instead of basically trying to ruin my night. I also texted her “don’t worry about this now, go and have fun, enjoy, let’s talk face 2 face when we get the chance” She then texted me back saying “I am celebrating his birthday all weekend, we can talk another day, I don’t have time to deal with this now”. I wrote back “sure”. My first thought, before I calmed myself down, was “so you have time to ruin my night, and start this whole thing, but you don’t have time to finish it?”.

Am I the asshole? Hahaha this sounds like a reddit post, I wanted to write it there but I don’t want to take a risk of her seeing it. Your account, your stories and you are also my comfort zone. I just feel safe here, which is why I am sorry for the rant and headache you have now. I just don’t like to talk about other people with other people, which is why I’m not asking for advice from my friends. But at the same time I’m desperate because I feel like I have done everything for her but just because I have work and have to prioritize myself I’m suddenly a bad friend for not attending her bfs dinner who I’ve only met twice. I mean it’s not like I missed her wedding day. It’s not like I was talking shit about her or told everyone her secrets for her to call me awful names and paint me as the bad guy. It’s not like the plan hanged on me, and I said no, and everybody stayed home but then I went out anyways. They still went out and had fun, so why should it be a problem if I was there or not.

I just want to add that this friendship is solely about me being there for her, I’m basically her therapist. I’ve never ever had demands on her or how she should treat me. I’m so drama free like this is my only drama in life atm in the past 6 years. I’m so easy going. You know that last year on my birthday she didn’t wish me a happy bday, and last year I asked her 6 times if she wanted to go on a vacation and she said no, but then she posts on snap that she’s going on a “random trip” with a girl she met 6 month ago at a gym who she doesn’t even talk to anymore because she feels that the girl was to clingy. I didn’t say anything because I thought it’s okey I’m not gonna ruin her day, vacation or whatever for something so silly, it’s HER life. I’m always there for her, even if I’m busy I always try to show her that she is not neglected by maybe sending her a song, or meme, or even going as far as telling her that I’m gonna be busy and that she can call me if it’s an emergency otherwise I won’t be so active. I always have her back, she calls me 4 in the morning and I pick up without blinking twice. My parents treat her as a second daughter, I’m always there for her as much as I can, and I just have to add that last month, I didn’t sleep for 36h and had a 10h shift the day after, but I still went out with her because she needed a friend due to having a bad day. I neglected my mental health for her. And our convos are 90% about her, 7% about random stuff, and 3% about me, and I STILL DONT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT because idgaf. Im honestly so unbothered I really don’t care, but right now I care because I feel that the text she sent me, and the way she wanted to paint me, and the words she used even though I’ve never ever had anything negative about her coming out of my mouth…I just feel like this is so unfair and I don’t know what to do. Should I end the friendship? Or maybe talk to her and try to make her understand? Im just so lost and this is honestly so sad because we’ve been friend for 12 years if not more. I don’t want it to end over something so silly…

Much love💜

Again I’m sorry for ranting, if you have advice I want to thank you for them. And I also want to thank you before hand for taking the time to read this. I admire u and ur stories!

I just have to add: she’s not a bad person, her good qualities overshadows the bad ones, which is why we’re still friends.

This message was sent a while back and I am sorry for responding only now. Maybe you were able to figure it out on your own or things happened after this. But all I can recommend for you to do is to talk to your friend, if you haven’t already. If I were you, I’d try to communicate and make her see where I am coming from as well and then… there’s nothing much you can do from there. You’ll see how she takes it and whether she’s able to see your side or not. Regardless of everything, she shouldn’t take you for granted and cut you some slack.

Like you said, you don’t want your friendship to end over something silly but maybe it’s not something silly at all. In the end, you don’t want friends who makes you feel guilty and take you for granted all the time. Just the fact your entire friendship seems to be focusing on her rather than on both of you says a lot. You shouldn’t be treated that way and you do deserve someone who equally cares about you as a person :)

[whentranslatorscry]

Hitagi Honeymoon

007

“Hey Oikura, I'm going on a honeymoon to Tochigi with Hitagi tomorrow, would you like to come along?”

“Die.”

“You shouldn't tell a twenty-four-year-old to die.”

“I had too many things to say, so I simply and succinctly said ‘die.’ I didn't want to speak more than one word to you. But, I'm an adult too, so let me organize and list my objections one by one: don't invite me on a honeymoon, don't invite me the day before, and I hate you. Hate the hate with hate by hate for hate to hate at hate of hate.”

“What? You came to the wedding, didn't you? That was the first time I saw you dressed up. You looked fantastic.”

“I attended as a friend of the bride. Don't address me so casually, you married man. Don't say ‘fantastic’ without any sincerity.”

“Can't you take time off? Just for three days.”

“When will you stop thinking like a college student? I have work. Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, and the following day, and the day after that and the one after that and even the day after that. I may have unpaid leave but no paid leave.”

“You should retire, just say you're sick and need to be hospitalized.”

“Don't try to put me in a hospital. Even if every page of my schedule book was blank, I would eternally refuse to go on a trip with Araragi.”

“Which Araragi is that, though?”

“It should go without saying. It's not at all complicated. I'll continue to call Senjougahara-san by her maiden name. After all, she's going to get a divorce soon anyway.”

“Ahahaha. So, about that.”

“Don't ignore my curse.”

“I have thoughts about us sharing the same surname. Well, I knew it was a sudden invitation and you might not come, but if I didn't at least give it a try, I thought you’d be complaining later.”

“Don't make me out to be someone so troublesome.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“If you're asking if I don't like being called a troublesome person because I am one, the answer is yes.”

“You really are troublesome.”

“Even if I had an appointment booked six months in advance, I still wouldn't go.”

“Your schedule is packed all the way to half a year later. That's amazing for a town hall worker.”

“Ah, isn’t this just like you? Even after getting married, you never quite become an adult.”

“Well, now that I have a family of my own, I thought we’d have a close-knit family relationship with you from now on…”

“Impossible. I don't have a family.”

“"That was tactless of me. My apologies. Let me formally apologize for what I just said. However, you did accept and witness our marriage registration, so you're practically quasi-family to us as a married couple?”

“No, that was part of my job. What even is a quasi-family?”

“Witnessing for us was part of your job too?”

“Senjougahara-san, who ended up with a guy like you who barely understands how to fill out paperwork, brought the marriage form without a name listed for the witness. So I reluctantly lent my name just so it could be processed.”

“We are very happy and grateful for that, but it's also kind of worrying that you might end up becoming a co-signer for someone's debt someday like this.”

“Don't worry. If I were to become a co-signer, the debt review would not even pass.”

“What kind of past do you have?”

“A turbulent one. My credit history is a mess. My name got changed and reset once, but still.”

“Oh?”

“Haven’t I mentioned that? No no, you just forgot as usual, Araragi. When we first met by some mistake, I wasn't Oikura.”

“Was that so? Oh right, I think Ougi-chan mentioned something like that, maybe she didn't—”

“Who's Ougi-chan? Another new addition of the Araragi Girls? She wasn't at the wedding.”

“She's stuck at school, unfortunately, so couldn't make it to Tochigi…Oh, I see. You didn't idolize Euler just because you were Oikura. You loved mathematics even before the Old Oikura began.”

"Old Oikura or not, it's still me—it's just a change in the name.”

"I see, that makes sense."

"What other cases could there be?"

"Well, I feel like for some people, their name really shapes them. Like me - having the name 'Koyomi' makes me want to become a historic figure."

“Your 'koyomi' and 'history' use different kanji.”¹

“No way.”

“How embarrassing it is to think that someone like you is representing Japan and training in America. I wonder if I should revoke your working visa with my authority.”

“Are you such a powerful figure? I can't believe someone so capable could be exploited like this. I'm not exactly representing Japan and training at the FBI Academy or anything.”

“So you've always been a student."

“Don't you worry about me. I'm enjoying my eternal life, oh, I mean eternal moratorium.”

“You’re not exactly living up to your name. Not turning the pages of the calendar.”

“You have a way with words. In that sense, you’ve grown up, just like your name suggests.”

“How annoying. I know that when I was attending Naoetsu High School, people were badmouthing me behind my back, calling me 'Oikura Sodatanai.'”²

“I didn't know that… I know you were called 'How Much,' but why 'Sodatanai’?”

“Then I've just revealed some unnecessary information. Senjougahara-san told me about it some time ago.”

“She might be the source of that rumor. If it was during our first year of high school.”

“How can that be, when I looked after that sickly girl without holding back anything?”

“She loved to talk bad about people she liked. And she didn't speak ill of those she wasn't interested in.”

“It was just a lovely little tsundere moment, that nickname, wasn’t it.”

“Oh, for the first time in my life, I heard you praise someone, although it was such a simple compliment.”

“Is it just Senjougahara where you're going?”

"Well, despite everything going on, my schedule is getting packed. It's only a two night, three day trip but…I've got to catch a flight to Washington on the fourth day."

"You should be the one taking time off. I'm sure they'll understand over there."

"Even though I've been pulled every which way, I'm still technically in training. The wedding itself was quite the forced march…and with everything commission-based at work, I can't take too much time off."

"Sounds like a tough work environment all around. I definitely wouldn't go, but as a witness I'll be happy to proofread your honeymoon itinerary. What's the roadmap looking like?"

"It's nice getting your corrections again."

"I doubt you remember back when I used to proofread your work."

“I remember, maths fairy.”

"Want me to send you to an early grave?"

"You're the only one who could raise me up or put me six feet under. Anyway, no way around the two night, three day schedule, so I've had to drop some places like Ashikaga, but there are still a few spots we just can't miss."

"You should build in some wiggle room on a trip like this. Otherwise it'll be too jam-packed."

"You're probably right. We're driving back and forth to squeeze it all in."

"Driving instead of taking the bullet train? Why? You want to be jammed in while stuck in traffic too? Haven't you heard of traffic jams?"

“Don't shoot down the idea all at once. I did suggest the bullet train, but Hitagi-san really wants to drive.”

“Right.”

"Ever since high school, she got her license on the sly before she even graduated. She's just that kind of person, you know? I heard about this mountain pass called Irohazaka from someone else, she said she really wants to try."

"They'll rescind her license for that."

"Well, that's a problem for day two. On the first day we're going to Nasu Highlands. There's something I need to see there-- the Killing Stone."

“Killing Stone? On your honeymoon?”

"I know how that sounds, but it's not like I'm excited to see the Killing Stone itself. That's just incidental. The main thing is I want to go glamping. It's really trendy right now. Barbecues, hot springs, a nice relaxing experience-- that's what I'm looking for."

"No amount of barbecues or hot springs can offset a place as ominous as the Killing Stone. If you're not excited about it, then who is?"

"The next day after having nasuben in Nasu, we'll go down from the highlands to Nikko. We'll see the Sleeping Cat at Nikko Toshogu Shrine."

"Not answering my question at all. The Sleeping Cat… to commemorate Hanekawa-san, I assume?"

“She's not dead. Hanekawa is still alive… probably. But I read about it in the guidebook-- apparently there is a bird carved into the back of the Sleeping Cat. Cat with wings. It made me wonder if Nikko Toshogu Shrine was the inspiration for Hanekawa's character."

"Surely you're not going just to see that-- it's a World Heritage Site. You should try to learn something other than math, you know."

"Along with Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Futarasan Shrine nearby is also a World Heritage Site, and it's famous for being a shrine for matchmaking, so I'll be sure to properly visit and pray there too."

"Ah, now it's sounding more like a honeymoon. Finally."

“I also heard there's a huge sword, Nenekirimaru, at Chugushi Shrine near Lake Chuzenji, so if possible, I’d like to show… uh, see it too.”

“Suddenly you're acting all suspicious. I feel like there are opinions from lots of different people mixed in. Are you two really deciding this just between yourselves?”

“As you can see by me asking for your opinion like this, I do want to take in lots of different views-- that's just the democratic sort I am.”

“Hmm… smells fishy… I'll launch a negative campaign against you if you run.”

“What an unpleasant threat.”

“So you want to climb Irohazaka to get a look at that big sword?”

“I'd love to ride one of those swan boats on Lake Chuzenji if they've got any going. We talked about climbing Mt Nantai too but it looks like you need to submit a climbing plan for mountains at that level, so I dropped that idea.”

“It'd be great if you got lost and died up there. Just you, mind.”

“Well, if that's what you want I could make it happen, but if there are casualties it causes trouble for the mountain. I don't want to upset nature. So I'll drive carefully on Irohazaka. And if we've got time after that I want to see Kegon Falls and Ryuzu Falls before heading to Senjougahara while there's still daylight.”

“Why's that? To see the stars?”

“I'm going along with Hitagi's idea that it'll be an anticlimax if we can see stars before we get to Senjougahara. She wants us to watch the sun slowly set when we get there, spot the first star, and then spend the whole night gazing at the starry sky.”

“Rather than stargazing, it sounds like serious amateur astronomy. What, we're camping out the second night too?”

“The second night we sleep in the car.”

“Hardcore.”

“To be honest, when I suggested it I was planning we'd look at the stars for a couple of hours then head to a hotel. Apparently it's got some nice ones. But when I asked, Hitagi said it was her lifelong dream-- to look at the stars all night long, without blinking. So it's full-on hardcore stargazing.”

“She really is a romantic. And you just casually invite me on some crazy tough trip.”

“When we die, we die together, Oikura.”

"Death comes for us all eventually, I suppose. I won't deny the allure of stargazing, but unless it's a meteor shower or a lunar eclipse, can you really spend a whole night just staring at the sky without getting bored? I've spent my life looking at the ground, so I don't really understand it."

“Don't casually mention such sad things…”

"I've stomped on the ground all my life imagining it was you.”

“Don't casually mentions such scary things either… But the stars keep moving relentlessly, you know. It's like timelapse photography- or fixed point observation, I guess… They may not be shooting stars, but if I can make even one person's wish come true, I've no complaints. Except for the other guys, that is."

“Other guys?”

“Oh, I just mean there might be other tourists there stargazing too.”

"Maybe, it being a weekday and all… I won't call it a bad hobby, but I can't imagine those starry-eyed stargazers sticking it out all night. Even if it's summer, it must get freezing spending a night on Senjougahara, right? It's pretty high up there."

“Is it? I thought it was a marsh, so I imagined it was quite flat.”

“What was that about climbing Irohazaka?”

“Oh right… I'd better take precautions against the cold then. That's good advice. You really let your guard down, Oikura.”

“I thought Senjougahara-san wouldn’t overlook something like that. What's the plan for the last day after stargazing all night at Senjougahara?”

"I'm keeping that day open, as a buffer. If all goes well, we'll finish up with one last stargazing session, then head home. But I don't anticipate a trouble-free trip, traveling with me and all."

“How lame… With you, Araragi, you’re not so much a troublemaker, but more like a firestarter.”

“So what do you think about our honeymoon roadmap?”

“It isn't over until you get back home.”

“What do you mean?”

“After spending the entire night stargazing, descending Irohazaka seems to be a risky proposal, no matter who drives.”

“We'll be fine. It's not like we'll be drinking while watching the stars, and we'd already have traveled the path once on the way up.”

“But you wouldn’t have. You're ill-informed, Araragi. The ascent and descent of Irohazaka are two separate paths.”

“Ah, I think I recall hearing that from… someone else.”

“What someone?”

“A fanged someone.”

“What's that supposed to mean? I haven't been there myself, but if the geography class I took in college was accurate, the ascent should be Irohazaka no. 2, and the descent Irohazaka no. 1.”

“The ascent is the second slope? We must view the mountain peak as the starting point, I see. The seat of the gods.”

“The forty-eight syllables on the slope are counted from the bottom up. Anyway, drive safely. Before descending, make sure to take a nap. Apart from one major concern, that's pretty much all I wanted to say.”

“There's something bigger than a traffic accident? You should've led with that!”

“If mentioning the ominous Killing Stone was simply a side note, then I assume the main events of the honeymoon are the glamping on the first night and stargazing on the second, right?”

“Well, yeah. I'm looking forward to Toshogu Shrine and the Nenekirimaru, but it's actually my first time going on a trip with Hitagi. That’s why those two are something I centered on.”

“Have you checked the weather forecast?”

“Huh?”

“What if it rains?”

I was stopped dead in my tracks.

Prev Chapter | Next Chapter

Comparison of 暦, koyomi (calendar), and the first kanji in 歴史, history.

Sodachi is a verb meaning “to grow”, and sodatanai is its negative form. This joke was actually first made in Owarimonogatari audio commentary narrated by Sodachi and Hitagi. That is the conversation Sodachi references shortly after. 

翼Tsubasa=wing.

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

Feel you big time on the wedding thing

For one thing like... why spend a small fortune on one day when you can take that money and try to use it to set yourself up for better days? If I am gonna blow a lot of money, why not use it on a honeymoon so we can have a nice trip together?

If I were to do it what I'd want is to either learn to make the rings, or hire and artisan to do it with lab grown gems. Same for the outfits, either learn to make something I'll like using another day, or hire an artisan to make it custom. Then do something in the backyard

Sure there's people who really wouldn't like that, but honestly we probably would be a bad romantic fit for each other

Like I said though it's like why stress, why spend a ton of money? Save that stuff to make the rest of your life together better. No need to peacock, the other people don't matter. Do something nice and fun for both of you, but keep it simple for your own sakes

That's my untested thoughts on this stuff

I think I share most of these thoughts!

When wifey and I got married, I had just graduated from college (literally like a month before) and she was just approaching a year at her first career-based employment (as opposed to seasonal temp work before that) so we really didn't have the ability to pay for a proper Jewish wedding, nor the time to DIY one. I wasn't on speaking terms with my family either so there was no support there financially, nor was there the ability to supply me with important cultural or heirloom items that would have helped bridge the gap between a state wedding and a spiritual one.

Wifey's family was so welcoming and provided everything they could to make our wedding beautiful, and just a few years later my BIL and his fiance who attended our wedding together held their own wedding in the same field behind his aunt's house with more food and guests and lots of little munchkins to keep their sons company on the big day. It was the best wedding her family could offer either couple, and no one was unhappy with that. I don't think either wedding cost the family as a whole more than $500, and that was still a lot for any of us given our incomes, so imagining a world where we spent more feels....hard somehow. What would we have done, taken out a loan?

I dunno. I see people agonizing over how to hold a wedding with "only" 200+ guests and just sort of....feel a little uncertain about what people thought of my wedding. Did they think it was sad we didn't have more guests? Did they think we were cheap for getting married in clothes we'd owned for years? Did they think our marriage wouldn't last because our promises weren't made before g-d? I dunno. I would have liked a wedding where I felt financially able to do the things that mattered to me. But I just have a hard time figuring out how two young people just starting out are supposed to manage that when the families don't come together to make it happen.

Personally, my hot take is that weddings should be thrown for the new family by a chosen trusted loved one. The soon-to-bes and their families come together to make a budget and then hand control over to the person the soon-to-bes trust to throw them a wedding, and they should have no further responsibilities.

I liked that about my wedding. All I had to do was find my JP and my cake, and my MIL and wifey's aunt took care of everything else for us. They would ask our opinion from time to time, but they arranged a wedding that we, as the newly weds, could simply attend and enjoy.

There are probably other ways to arrange that, and I'm sure it's at least some of the point of the wedding party members in a more typical wedding, but I still feel like in all the obsession of "having the perfect day" it stops being something that the people doing the getting married are meant to enjoy.

[simming-with-libby]

Gen 1: Snow White - Recap

Hi everyone! Sorry for the hiatus but the Snow family will be back later this week! As a reminder, this legacy is following the Disney Princess Challenge created by @ginovasims. You can find the rules here. Here is a summary of the journey so far:

When Sabrina was a child, her father Oswald married Maisie. Sabrina's stepmother treated her terribly while dotting on her daughter Lucille. During a family trip to the mountains, Oswald was caught outside in a blizzard and died. As a result, Sabrina's teen years spent with Maisie were miserable and only got worse when Maisie became a vampire. Determined to protect herself and her sister, Sabrina left Henford and enrolled in university, hoping to find more information on vampires.

While attending university, Sabrina grew close to her 7 quirky roommates who gave her the push she needed to keep moving forward. With their help, Sabrina became a member of the school's secret society where she learned how to cure a sim of their vampirism. After graduation, Sabrina reconnected with her sister Lucille, and her close friends Imran and Maira Watson who agreed to help her cure Maisie.

With the support of her friends, Sabrina cured Maisie. After celebrating their big win, Imran and Sabrina shared their first kiss and got engaged. Even Maisie attended the wedding, although her relationship with Sabrina is still far from perfect! The newlyweds settled into their cottage in Henford but moved to Willow Creek after discovering Sabrina was pregnant with twins.

Alder and Griffin were born soon after the move and the family recently added another child to the family: Clementine. The Snows have embraced the chaos that three kids bring and are surrounded by the love of family and friends. But, Sabrina has begun to struggle with her career lately. She became a paranormal investigator after realizing her family wasn't the only one being torn apart by the supernatural. However, she recently developed a fear of ghosts which is making her job extremely difficult.

Will Sabrina face her fears or is this the end of her paranormal investigation work? What new challenges await the Snows? Will this generation end with a "happily ever after"? Stay tuned to find out!

[sprinklesofktrash]

Sugar Daddy - n.yuta

Pairing: Nakamoto Yuta x fem! Reader

Warnings: Sugar daddy Yuta! Smut, fingering, kissing, moaning, grunting, groaning, receiving/giving heads, choking, begging, passionate sex, fluff in the end ^.^

Word Counts: 8.9k

Summary: As an influencer, you barely check your DMs. One specific guy did catch your eyes and you catch his eyes. He became your sugar daddy. Your contract with him only last for a whole summer but to him, you were too special to be only lasted for an entire summer. But things don’t go the way you both wanted.

A/N: Sorry it took me a while, I’ve been stuck with school this week and I had two weddings to attend. Don’t worry, those who did request, I’m still in the process of writing :) you’ll see your stories soon. Stay tune for more stories to be publish! 

You’re a 24-year old that’s obsessed with lifestyle. Your Instagram page is full of fun living experiences and showing your 15k followers what it’s like being you.

You do sponsor a lot of small business companies, clothing, jewelry, lingerie, and bikinis. You’ll try to go to places just to show off the brands.

You do get a lot of DM offers but the one you couldn’t resist was from this one guy. He’s been trying to get your attention for a while and you thought it was a bit weird.

He kept offering you trips to different countries, buying whatever you want, and even offered you money. That’s weird, right?

“Be my sugar baby? I’ll do anything for you” he says.

But, for you to be his sugar baby, you’ll have to listen to him and travel with him for his work. Being his partner. You’re not ready to do all that with a stranger.

You had to think about it because there are guys who do that and kill them. You don’t want to die. What if he gives you a lot of money and in the future run, he wants it back? It’s a lot of things you need to think about.

yuu_taa_1026 wants to send you a message!

You opened it.

I have a trip to Japan this weekend and I would love to take you. I already have your first-class ticket ready. If you’re willing to come, you can meet me at the airport. x *attachment*

“He legit got me a first-class ticket! What should I do?!” You scream at your friend. Now, you’re rethinking everything. 

She came out of the kitchen and sat beside you to read the message. Her mouth flew open.

“He even added a picture of your ticket!” She shriek. You nodded. She sigh and handed you back your phone.

“Do you want to go?” She asks you. You shrug. “I’m not even sure. As I said, I don’t want to die” you groan.

She laughs, “he’s been trying to get your attention for a while. Why don’t you go for it? If he gives you one bad feeling, take the first flight back home!” She explains.

You slowly nod your head, “when’s the weekend?” You ask. She looks at her wrist where his watch is.

“Tomorrow!” She gasps. You hurried to your room to pack your things.

“Hey don’t forget this” while you try to figure out which outfits to bring, your friends threw in red lingerie you had modeled for Instagram. It landed inside your suitcase. You turn your head to look at her.

“Are you crazy? I don’t even know him. I’m not going to throw myself on him” You take your lingerie back out. Your friend sighed and sat down next to your suitcase.

“So, you’re going to Japan with him. What if you two share the same hotel room? That’s so romantic” She giggles. You didn’t respond to her, you continue to search your closet for the best outfits. Your friend took out another lingerie and shove it inside your suitcase.

You woke up earlier to get ready to make sure you look good. You were nervous at the same time. What if it’s an old guy catfishing you.

You made sure your friend drive you to the airport in case this mission was a failure. “I’ll text you okay?!” You told her as you yell outside the car. She nodded.

“If it’s the same person, hit it” she winks. You rolled your eyes and waved goodbye to her. He had DM you earlier this morning, he told you he’d wait for you at the terminal.

You didn’t want to text him back so you might as well surprise him. You arrive at the terminal, searching around to see if you can find him.

“You made it!” A soft voice spoke behind you. You turn around and your jaw almost broke jaw because of how wide open it hung. He laugh which made you snap out of your thoughts and close your mouth.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect you to look like the picture” you chuckle nervously and went up to him.

“I thought that too, aren’t you glad I’m am though?” He asks. You couldn’t get over how handsome this person is. His beauty was pure perfection.

“I-I am” you laugh. He tucks his hand into his pants. He was wearing a suit while you dressed casually. You look down at your clothes, black knit crop top, and pants.

“I look way off” you laugh at yourself. He shook his head, “no, you look great. I have a meeting when we land so I wore this ahead of time” he explains.

You nodded. “Flight 243 to Osaka, Japan is now boarding,” the lady on the announcement said. He smiles, showing his perfectly white teeth. Wow, he’s truly beautiful.

He led you to the check-in and while walking to the plane he introduce himself, his name is Yuta and he's from Japan. You introduce yourself to him but it seems like he already knows you.

“Is it okay if I sit by the window? I like looking at clouds” you ask shyly. He moves to the side, “of course” you slide into the luxurious cabin.

You look around and try to admire everything. Who knows this will be your last time flying first class.

“Are you alright?” He asks as he fastens his seatbelt. You chuckle, “it’s my first time riding first class, this is exciting” you shriek. He laughs at you.

“I’ll make this your best experience” he helps you with your seatbelt.

“I didn’t get your name,” you ask him. His doe eyes look up at you, “Yuta.” You could melt from his eye contact.

Yuta had requested champagnes for the two of you. The flight had taken off and it’ll take the place almost two hours to get there.

“So what makes you choose me?” You turn your body to face him. Yuta chuckles and turns his body to look at you.

“I saw you on me explore page and I was fascinated so I went through your posts” he explains.

You gasps, “were you stalking me Yuta?” You joked. Yuta raised his eyebrows, “you caught me” he put his hands up in defense.

“It took me a while to get a response back though” Yuta blushes. Your laughs, “I’m sorry, I thought you were a creep. It’s all safety concerns” you defend. Yuta nodded.

“What makes you want to come with me?” He asks. You put your chin on your palm as your elbow rested on the dividers between you two.

“The first-class tickets got me” you joked. Yuta scoff.

“Oh wow!” He laughs. You laugh with him and gently hit his chest.

“I’m kidding. I noticed you’ve been trying to get my attention so I was like I might as well. I prayed you weren’t some catfished guy” you sigh. Yuta looks down at his lap and back at you.

“So how does this work?” You take a sip of your champagne. “Am I stuck with you for this one trip or do you have something else planned?” You asked.

Yuta cleared his throat, “I was planning on keeping for this trip but I like you so I’d like to stick with you for this summer” he looks at you. He noticed your expression changed.

“That’s if you want to but you don’t have to” he quickly said. You quickly shake your head no.

“No, no. I’d like that. You should know, I’m a fun person to be around with during the summer” you wink at him. Yuta laughs.

“Like?” He was very intrigued by you. He was very comfortable with you and he appreciated how comfortable you got around him.

The two of you spend the entire flight talking about what you did last year summer. Yuta talks about his business. The two hit it off well.

You learned that Yuta only wants you to stick with him for the whole summer. After summer ended, you’ll be back to your own life and him as well.

“Y/n, I have a business dinner tonight so you want to come?” Yuta asks you when you opened your hotel door.

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to go?” You ask, biting your lips. Yuta looks down at your lips and back at your eyes.

He nodded, “Yes. I want you there,” he said. You nodded.

“I don’t have any fancy clothes,” you said nervously. Yuta chuckles, “let’s go take you out then,” he said. Your eyes lit up.

“Seriously?” You ask him again. He nodded.

“I’ll buy you everything you want,” he said. You pick up your purse and your keycard and left with Yuta to the shopping mall. He had taken you to the expensive branded stores.

Everything you had tried on Yuta bought it. You beg him not to but he insisted. He doesn’t care what you said he got it.

“I only need one outfit” you look down at all the shopping bags with all the expensive clothes inside.

“You’ll be spending the whole summer with me, there’s no way you’re going back home to get more clothes. You’ll be by my side at all times” he said in all seriousness. You gulped and nodded.

“Come on, let’s go get shoes” he takes your wrist and drags you into Louis Vuitton.

That night, Yuta had taken you to the company dinner as his plus one. You weren’t sure what they were talking about because they were speaking in Japanese. Yuta would translate something’s to you when he notice you were being awkward.

“Are you doing okay so far?” Yuta whispered in your ear. You nodded with a smile. “This is what you do? This is cool” you look around at the rich people socializing.

You heard Yuta chuckle, “it’s cool but also stressful. If you’re tired, we can head back” Yuta asks. You quickly shake your head no.

“I’m fine, I’d like to stay and wait until you’re done” you smile at him. Yuta nodded. He took your hand and wrap it around his arm. He walks around and socializes with his business partners.

You would talk when they ask you a few questions. You didn’t want to talk too much because you don’t want to make Yuta look bad.

“Are you his girlfriend?” One of the wives said. You chuckle and slightly tug on Yuta’s arm. Yuta looks at you and the wife.

“Is she your girlfriend?” She repeated but this time asking Yuta. Yuta smiles and looks at you, “she’s a friend” he pats your hand. The wife chuckles.

“Too bad, you both would be cute together” She walks away. You and Yuta exchange eye contact and started laughing.

“That was awkward,” He said. You agreed.

Sometime during the event, you find yourself sitting down. Your feet were hurting from wearing high heels. You wanted to rest before getting back up.

You also felt tired as your eyes were begging you to close. You tried to stay away by rubbing your eyes without ruining your makeup.

You saw Yuta walking up to you and pretending everything was fine. He kneels in front of you and takes your hands into his, “are you tired? Let’s go back?” He asked sweetly. You were really tired so you nodded.

Yuta said goodbyes to everyone and left the event in a taxi. You fell asleep on the way back. Yuta noticed but he had to wake you up when you both arrive at the hotel.

He led you to your room, you quickly jump on your bed and shut your eyes. Yuta laughs as he drops his suit on a chair. Soon, you fell asleep right away.

Yuta took off your heels and left the dress alone. He went to the bathroom to get your makeup wipes and gently wipe the make off your face.

You groan, “you don’t have to do this” you chuckle tiredly. Grabbing his wrist. Yuta let out a small smile.

“Shh, it’s okay. Just sleep” he whispered. You kept your hand on his wrist as he try to get all the makeup off your face.

He tuck you under the sheet and left your room to let you rest.

That morning you woke up early and took a shower. You ordered room service and went to check on Yuta.

You knock on the door before he came to open it. “Did you eat yet?” You asked him. He shook his head no.

“Tada!” Your cart of food into his view. Yuta smile and open the wider to let you in.

The two of you ate while talking about his business. Yuta company specializes in stock. He’s very good at it too.

“Aside from being an influencer, did you want to become something else before that?” Yuta asks. You took a sip of your orange juice.

“I wanted to become a flight attendant. But I gave it up” You lean back onto the couch.

“Why is that?” Yuta sips his coffee.

You shrug, “if I were being honest, I was broke. My mom died and I went into this deep black hole. When she told me she would support me, I looked forward to becoming one. I even passed my exam and all. Then, she died in a car accident so I never look back into doing it. Or else it would be reminded of the” you didn’t want to ruin the mood by telling him this sad story of your life. You smile as if everything is okay.

“Would you go back to doing it?” Yuta asks quietly. You look out the window.

“I’m not sure” you smile.

“If I give you money, would you go and do it?” He asked. You quickly shake your head no.

“It’s not about the money at this point. I’m not worried about that. I just, I don’t know. I don’t have the support system to make me go and do it” You play with the hem of your pants.

“I’ll be the support system. I’ll be there for you every step of the way” He scoots closer to you and hold his cold hands into yours.

You look at his handsome face, his eyes were glistening from the sun. “You would do that for me?” You were shocked. Yuta squeeze your hands and nodded.

“After all, you got me breakfast” he looks at the food you both had finished. “It’s just a kind gesture. I didn’t want you to eat alone” you chuckle.

“No, you’re the first to do this for me” He took a sip of his coffee.

Your eyes widen, “Really?” You ask. He nodded.

“Do the girls you take just hang out with you for money?” You sit up straight. He nodded.

“Seriously? That’s stupid. Well, I’m glad I’m here with you. You’re a good person” you smile at him and pat his arm. Yuta smile at you.

The room fell silent, with only the two of you staring at each other. You cleared your throat and look away. “What’s on today’s agenda?” You ask him, stretching your body out.

“I’ll be busy today but you’re free to roam around, I don’t want you to be stuck with me” Yuta checks his watch.

“Wow, you’re dumping me already?” You cross your arms. Yuta quickly tries to reassure you he’s not. It made you laugh.

“Yuta, I’m kidding. I’ll be fine. You go ahead and do your stuff” you smile at him. Yuta bit his lips.

“You have my number right?” He asks you. You shook your head.

“Give me your phone” he put his hand out for you to put your phone on his palm. You took out your phone and place it on his palm.

Yuta notice a cute picture on your lock screen of yourself, he smiled because of how pretty you looked. After he saved his number he gave it back to you.

“I’m giving you my card, get anything you want” he pull out his wallet and handed you a black card. Your eyes widen, you have to be so rich to have one. You quickly push his hand away from you.

“No, no. I’ll be fine. You think I’m that broke?” You scoff but crack a laugh. Yuta chuckles and grabs your wrist. You retract your hand back which made him try to get your hand again. The two of you fight in silence until you gave up.

Somehow Yuta ended up over you, his face was inches away. You gulped. Yuta noticed he was close to you too, he doesn’t know why he’s so nervous.

“Fine, I’ll take it!” You quickly said and took the card. Yuta sat next to you, awkwardly. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to use it” you hiss,

Yuta nodded, “I have to get going. Be safe okay. Text me if you’re lost” He said as he put on his jacket. He waves goodbye to you before leaving his hotel room with you in it.

You sigh and design to clean up his room. It was a habit you picked up from your mom. You can’t stand having messy rooms, you have at least made it tidy.

You decided to walk around the shopping street in Osaka. Since you’ve never been to Osaka before, you wanted to experience what it’s like.

Everyone was very friendly, they made you come visit their stores. You came across a jewelry vendor. They were selling pretty jewelry. You thought of Yuta.

He’s always wearing pretty dangly earrings. So you wanted to pick one for him. Well, a necklace. You weren’t sure if he wears it but you went to purchase one anyways. You chose a silver necklace with a kunai dagger on it.

You went around some more to look for other stuff. You came across this one restaurant. You wanted to order something for lunch so you can surprise Yuta with it.

As you waited for your food, your phone begin ringing. You smile at the caller ID. Yuta had saved his number as Yuta <3. It was cheesy but you liked it.

“Hi! Are you calling to check on me or are you calling to ask if I spend your money yet?” You answered the phone.

Yuta laughs on the other line, “I’m calling to check on you.” You raised an eyebrow.

“Did you miss me yet?” You joked.

“No. What are you doing?” He asks. You rolled your eyes at how quickly he changed the subject.

“I’m at the shopping street in Tenjinbashisuji” you had to pronounce the word slowly. Yuta laughs at your pronunciation.

“Oh! Tenjinbashisuji!” The way he pronounce it was so perfect and clear, you felt embarrassed. You can’t blame yourself since Yuta is from Japan. “That’s a good place, did you like it?” He asked you.

You smile and nodded, knowing he can’t see you. “It’s nice! Everyone is so nice” the lady called your order as you made your way to pay.

“Japanese people are nice when they want to” Yuta nodded.

“Did you eat yet?” You left the restaurant. You heard shuffling on the other end of the line.

“No, I’ve been busy with work” You could hear the stress in his voice. You look down at the food, “I bought food for you. Can I come to your office?” You asked Yuta, hoping he’d say yes.

No answer.

You check your phone to make sure he was still on the phone. “Hello?” You make sure he was still on.

“Oh sorry, yes! Please come, I’ll let my secretary know and they can escort you there!” Yuta answered. You smile and quickly walk to the nearest bus stop.

“Great! I’ll let you there” You said. But you paused. “Wait! Can you send me the address?” You blush.

“I already sent it” he laughs on the other end. Your phone vibrates with a message from Yuta. You smile, “okay, I’ll see you soon.”

The two of you hung up and you try your best to get to Yuta’s building quickly. A nice older woman helped you out by telling you which bus to take.

You arrive at Yuta’s building 15 minutes later, you hoped the food is still warm. You made it inside the building, you went to the front desk to tell them you’re here for Yuta. They escorted you to Yuta’s office.

“Mr. Nakamoto, your guest is here” his secretary announced. Yuta’s soft voice responds on the other side of the door. The secretary opens the door and lets you enter.

Yuta’s table was covered with piles of paperwork. He looks up when he saw you came in. “Hi!” He smiles and drops the paperwork. You smile back and hold up the plastic bag. His face lit up.

You set up the food on the coffee table in his office. His office is pretty big, he is the CEO anyways. Yuta rubs his hands when he saw you preparing the food.

“It smells so good!” Yuta looks around. You had to agree. You handed him a chopstick as both of you dig in.

You look around his room, his room overlooking the city of Osaka. “Do you like the room?” Yuta asks as he watches your eyes roam around. You nodded.

You swallowed your food, “it’s pretty” you smile. Yuta agreed. “Oh!” You said as you search your bag.

Yuta looks at you confusingly. You pull out the small paper bag that has his gift in it. You handed it to him. Yuta puts down his food and takes the bag.

“What is it?” He asks as he opens the bag. You wait for his reaction. His eyes lit up as he pull out the necklace.

“This is so cute! I love it!” He smiles. He looks at the pendant. “It’s a kunai dagger too!” He exclaims.

You chuckle, “I don’t know if you wear necklaces but I think it’ll look good on you” you smile nervously.

“Y/n, I’m in love with it” he touches his heart. He went to put it on. You watch him admire the necklace around his neck.

“How do I look?” He asks. You smile, “handsome” you look at his face. Yuta chuckles and kept touching it.

“Oh! Here’s your card,” you put the black card on the table and slide it to him. “I didn’t use it,” you told him.

“You’re in Osaka, you have to treat yourself!” Yuta groan. You shake your head, “I did” you glance at the necklace.

Yuta looks down at the necklace, “I said yourself not me” He repeated. You chuckle. “Technically I did, I treat myself by buying you that necklace” you corrected him.

Yuta smiles as he stares at you, “I can never win against you can I?” He asks. You shake your head no. “Nope.”

“Can I hang around here until you finish work?” You stretch yourself as you lean back into the couch. Yuta nodded, “yeah. You sure you don’t want to back to the hotel?” He asked you.

You shake your head no, “it’s going to be boring without you” you pout. Yuta chuckles.

The two of you finish eating but you’re mainly letting him eat since he’s been working so hard. You eventually fell asleep on the couch.

Yuta who was working, walked up to check on you, you were fast asleep. He chuckles as he takes off his jacket and puts it over you.

He gently stroked your face and went back to his chair and finish where he left off.

“Mr. Nakamoto” his secretary came in. Yuta quickly hush him as he glance over to where you were at and see if you woke up.

The secretary glances at you and looks at Yuta. Yuta told him to come. “Did you get it?” He asked his secretary. His secretary nodded as he place the red box with a gold emblem on it.

“Perfect! Thank you!” Yuta smiles. He opens the box revealing a gold Cartier love bracelet with diamonds surrounding it.

“Would that be all Mr. Nakamoto?” He whispered. Yuta shake his head as his eyes fixed on the jewelry.

“That’ll be all” He whispered back. His secretary left as Yuta close the box and put it inside his bag. Throughout his whole shift, he kept thinking about gifting you the bracelet. He’s waiting on the perfect time.

“No way!“ you shriek. Yuta nodded.

“We’re going to Italy?!” You asked him again. Yuta nodded. “Ahh! I’m excited” as you clap your hands in happiness.

Yuta watch your face light up. “Is it for business?” You ask him. Yuta shook his head no.

“Just a little break before we resume again” he explains. You nodded.

“When are we leaving?” You asked him. “Tomorrow” he responded. Your face lights up again.

You had told Yuta that you’d never been to Italy and that it’ll be so perfect. Yuta told you what you’ll be doing there and that he had rented a yacht for a whole day for the two of you. You were so excited for that day to come.

That night, you had to apply for a job to be a flight attendant. You had thought about it and Yuta was there to help you with the process. Yuta had joked about your height.

“I don’t know, the application said you have to be 5’6 but you’re a lot shorter” Yuta tried to measure your height. You push him away. “Hey! I passed my exam last time!” you scoff. Yuta laughs as he watches you press submit.

“There it goes,” You said, looking at the submitted application and look at Yuta. Yuta gave you a high five but you pull him into a hug. “Thank you for being here with me. It means a lot” you said against his shoulder. Yuta stroke your head.

“I’m glad I was here” He smiles. “And it’s also because you’re using my computer so” He purses his lips. You rolled your eyes.

“Let’s check your browser shall we?” you quickly try to open his browser history but he quickly snatches his computer away from you. “Mr. Nakamoto, what are you hiding” You smirk, trying to get his computer but he kept it so high you couldn’t reach for it.

“None of your business,” He said. The two of you trying to fight each other for the computer. It’s not like Yuta has been watching anything dirty, he was just embarrassed to show his recent browser history after searching up which bracelets he should get you.

You both had arrived in Italy 24 hours later. The flight was longer so you had more time to sleep in. The weather in Italy was hot. It is the summer after all. Yuta had taken you to Capri, it was a beautiful island surrounded by mountains. You’ve always seen pictures of this island and you wanted to visit it. There’s a driver to pick you both up and take you to the hotel.

“Bad news, I didn’t want to tell you this earlier but I only got one suite for the both of us. All of their rooms are fully booked and luckily I found this one” He said. You nodded. “That’s fine. I don’t mind sharing” You respond. Yuta smiles, he knows you wouldn’t complain.

Both of you entered the master suite. It was so cozy and the view of the ocean was beautiful. You open the balcony door and feel the fresh summer air. “This is so pretty” You close your eyes as you feel the breeze hitting your face.

“Do you always admire the places you visit?” Yuta chuckles as he stands beside you. You open your eyes, “Of course. Who knows if I’m coming back to the place again” You shrug. Yuta had to agree. He watches your eyes roam around but all he could focus is on your face. How pretty you look under the sun.

“Did you want to rest or should we go eat?” Yuta asked. You know tomorrow is when you both will use the yacht.

“Hmm, what do you want to do?” You ask Yuta. Yuta chuckles.

“It’s your week, I’m going to listen to you” Yuta back up. You groan, “I hate making decisions.”

“You’re going have to” Yuta shrugged. You look at the horizon and finally decided.

“Shall we go to the spa?” You smile. Yuta nodded. “Let’s go!” He went back inside.

The two of you change into your robes. Yuta had waited for you. Once you step out Yuta smile, “let’s go?” He asks. You nodded. You wrap your arm around Yuta’s arm as he leads you two to the spa.

You groan, “this feels so good” your eyes roll to the back of your head.

Yuta chuckles, you look at him as the lady massage his back. “Does it feel good?” You ask. Yuta nodded and close his eyes.

“As a businessman, you should get massages every week. It’ll help you relieve some tensions” you suggest to him. Yuta raised his eyebrows.

“Can you give me massages then?” He asks. You smirk, “for now. My contract ends this summer remember?” You told him.

Yuta groaned, “don’t mention it. I’ll be sad for the rest of the summer” he pouted. You giggle.

“Wow! This yacht is huge!” You set your stuff down and look around. Yuta watches you go inside every room in awe. He chuckles at all the expressions you make.

“You like it?” He asks. You nodded.

They move the yacht in the middle of the ocean where you can see the whole island from afar. The tides here are a little calmer. You were sunbathing while Yuta reads the newspaper. It was starting to get hot so you move away from the sun. “Let’s jump in the water!” You suggest. Yuta smirked and put the paper down.

“You go first,” He said. You play with your hands and look down at your feet, “I forgot how to swim” you chuckle.

Yuta shakes his head and stands up from where he was at. You watch him take off the black shirt he was wearing, revealing his tattoos and belly piercing. It caught you so off guard, you didn’t expect Yuta to have any tattoos or let alone a belly piercing.

Yuta notice you were staring at his stomach so he cleared his throat. “Come, you can hold on to me” He puts his hand out for you to take. You nodded and take his hand. He leads you to the deck. He went inside the water first and aid you after.

You yelp at how cold the water was. Yuta caught you when you sunk into the ocean. He laughs when you try swimming back to the surface. You cradle onto him, wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck.

“You okay?” Yuta notices how scared you look. You nodded and wipe your face. His arm rested on your waist while the other tried to help you both stay floating.

You look down at his neck, he kept the necklace on. You poke on it, “you never take this off?” You ask. He shakes his head no.

“Make sure it doesn’t stab you while you’re sleeping” You tap on it and look at his face. Both of your faces were close to each other. You didn’t know what got into you but you lean in to kiss his cheek. Yuta's eyes widen. You cleared your throat.

“S-sorry. I don’t what gotten into me” you stutter. You could hear your friend’s voice in your head, you’re into him!

“No, it’s okay” He brushes it off. He holds onto you tighter. The two of you got quiet. You weren’t sure if he let you do it. You felt weird because Yuta didn’t have the reaction you wanted.

“How are you trying to be a flight attendant and you can’t swim?” Yuta breaks the silence. You blush. “They have a life vest right?” You ask.

Yuta shakes his head, “for the passenger not for you” He laughs. You hit his chest softly. That afternoon, Yuta had taught you how to swim again. You both played on the jet ski and just be in each other’s company.

After a fun night, you both went back to the hotel to change and went out to a fancy dinner that Yuta had planned. You walked with your arm around his. Yuta never complains about it. As of matter of fact, he likes it.

“How’s the food?” Yuta asks after finishing the last spoon of your gelato. You wipe your lips and put two thumbs up.

You heard music from afar and it slowly gets louder as it approaches the two of you. You look at Yuta who was already smiling at you. You watch the people in their instruments playing classical music beside you in awe as you did a small clap.

“Y/n…” Yuta calls your name. You look at him. He pulled out a red rectangular box and slide it across the table. You gasp. “What’s this?” You saw the branded name across the box.

“It’s for you” He smiles.

“Yuta…I hope you didn’t get me this because I got you the necklace” You couldn’t believe it.

He chuckles and nods, “Yuta, I can’t accept this. It’s too expensive” You shake your head no.

“Please, I want to do this for you” He begs. You shake your head. “Yuta, that necklace cost so much less than this” You whispered.

Yuta nodded but he took your wrist. Your hand rested inside his large hands. “I will not let you walk out of here without this.” You look at him, you could see how sad he’ll be if you don’t accept it.

You sigh and nodded. Yuta smiles and scoots his chair closer to the table to open the box. Your mouth flew open to see the diamonds around the bracelet. Yuta smiles as he fixes the jewelry around your wrist.

“It’s not only because you got me this necklace, it’s because I thought you deserve this. I’ve never met someone like you. Someone who has a kind heart and someone makes me smile this often” Yuta got shy. After he fix the bracelet, you lift your hand feeling how heavy the jewelry was. You’ve never had this expensive type of jewelry before.

You usually get jewelry from the store for under 30 dollars. You stand up and hug Yuta. He hugs you back and plants a small kiss on your cheek. You felt your cheeks getting red.

That night, you and Yuta sat on the balcony sipping wine. You kept looking at the bracelet, you still couldn’t believe he gifted you this. “Don’t buy me expensive things again!” You scold him. Yuta chuckles, “I am your sugar daddy for this summer anyways” he smirks.

“I won’t accept it!” You told him. He laughs and pulls you into his arms. You didn’t expect this but it felt nice feeling his warmth.

“Can I ask you something?” He asks you. You nodded as you play with the hem of his suit. “I want you by my side” he whispered. You froze. You slowly turn around and look into his eyes.

“Don’t leave me” he said quietly. You nodded. You lick your lips as his eyes wander down to your lips.

“I-I won’t” you whispered. Yuta cup your cheek as he brings his face forward. He stops a few inches away, his eyes asking if he could kiss you. You slowly nodded.

His lips gently wrap around your mouth. It's been a while since you've been kissed but this kiss is more special than all your ex combined. Yuta drops his hands from your face and wraps them around your waist, pulling you closer to him. You gasp, Yuta took this opportunity to slip his tongue inside your mouth. You melt into the kiss, battling your tongue with his. Your arm finds its way around his neck.

Yuta picks you up as you wrap your legs around his waist. He leads you inside with his lips around yours. He drops you gently on the mattress. You kneel at the corner as his lips left yours. You look up at him, wanting more of him. “I-I want you,” you said quietly, tugging his waistband.

Yuta clashes his lips against yours again and the two of you fall onto the bed, with his straddling over you. You unbuttoned his shirt as he help you with your dress. The room filled with heavy breathing coming from you two.

Your hands ran over Yuta’s fit body as he take off his shirt. You flip him over and sat over his torso. Yuta grabs your neck and pulls you into a kiss. His hands ran over your legs and up to your waist. You begin leaving a trail of kisses down to his neck.

You heard his moan. It turned you on. Your lips kiss the tattoo on his chest and down to his hip tattoo. You look up at him as he watches your every move. His breath hitched every time he feels your lips on his body.

You were fascinated by the big butterfly tattoo on his torso. You trace over the tattoo and his belly piercing. You unbutton his pants and take them off. You could his bulging cock on his black brief. You bit your lip and get off the bed.

You took off your dress as Yuta watched you, his hands rubbing over his throbbing cock. His eyes wander down to your breast and that thin black underwear around your waist. You tug on the strap, trying to tease him.

Yuta groan. You giggle and take it off. Yuta bit his lips when he sees you completely naked. He tells you to come to him as you listen. You crawl on top of him. His hands ran over your naked body, making your heat wet. His hands massage your breast as you grind over his throbbing cock. You moan as he kisses your chest. You cup his cheeks as his lips wrap around your nipple.

You moan again and arches your back. Yuta wraps one arm around your waist to make you grind over his cock again. You heard him groan on your nipple. Yuta lean back to look at you, “you’re so fucking hot” it was your first time hearing him curse and it was honestly so hot.

You smile and move your hair to the side and lean into his face for a kiss. You ran your tongue inside of his mouth and grind on him. You two exchange moans and couldn’t take it anymore. Yuta flips you over as he gets on top. He props your legs to your chest and looks at how wet your fold was. You bit your lips when you see him getting closer to it.

You watch his face disappear from your view as you felt his warm tongue licks over your folds. You moan, “fuck” you breathe out. Yuta begins kissing your folds. Your head leans back, liking the feeling of it. You spread your legs a little out so you can see him. Yuta finds your eyes as he kept licking and sucking your fold.

You bit your lips and massage your breasts with your hands. Yuta crawl over your body as your legs fall over his shoulders. His lips find yours as you tasted yourself. Yuta slides his tongue inside of your mouth while grinding his hips over your throbbing pussy.

He trails his kisses down to your neck, you moan when he hit the soft spot. He grinds his hips a little faster, you felt his cock pressed against yours. He hovers over your face as his hands trail down to your wet pussy. He begin to rub it, he kept his eye contact with you as you bit your lips.

“Yuta” you moan his name. You spread your legs wider as you watch his face disappear down to your folds. His hand covers your mouth as his lips find your clit. Your eyes roll back when you felt his lips on your folds. You move his hand and begin sucking his fingers. You look down as he moves his head side to side as you felt his tongue inside of you.

Your head falls on the mattress as you massage your breast. “That feels so good Yuta” you groan as you open your eyes to look at him. He inserts two fingers inside of you. “Fuck” you moan. The feeling of his lips on your fold and his fingers thrusting into you make your back arches. You grip into the sheets.

Yuta retreats his fingers and he stops kissing your fold. You look at him as he leans to kiss you. He removes the brief and tosses it away. Your hands rested on his chest and push him on the mattress. You look this girthy length and look into his eyes. You lean in for a kiss again and wrap your hand around his cock. Yuta groans into the kiss at the feeling of your hand around his cock.

You kneel in between his legs and watch your strokes on his cock. Yuta closes his eyes as you lean into his cock and wrap your lips around his tip. “Fuck” He groans as his eyes flutter open. He holds your hair back so it won’t get in your way.

You take his whole cock inside of your mouth and move your head in and out. Another moan escapes his lips. His hand begins pumping your head into his cock. His eyes close as he felt the wetness around his cock.

“Fuck, you’re so good” he praises you. You pop his cock out and pump it. You both look at each other as you pump his cock in between both your faces. Yuta pulls your chin to kiss him. He tasted himself as you both battle your tongue with his.

You lay your back on the mattress as Yuta straddles in between your legs. You felt his tip run over your folds. Yuta stares into your eyes, asking for permission with his eyes. You nodded. His cock enters your folds easily. You both moan loudly as he thrust his hips into you. You clutch into his arms as he kisses your neck.

“You feel amazing” Yuta groaned as he kept a steady pace. He props his elbows to your sides as you run your hands over his cheeks. You both stare into each other’s eyes. Yuta kneels in between your legs as his hands wrap around your neck.

He picked up his pace as he pump himself into you. “Fuck me just like that” you beg him. Yuta hiss as he pump faster. You both bounce on the bed. “You fucking like getting choked?” Yuta hiss.

You nodded as he tighten his grips. You hold onto his wrist while your eyes stare into his. “I fucking love it” you cried out. Yuta watches your eyes roll back. He ran his thumb over your clit. You moan louder and grip the sheet.

“Fuck yes, fuck yes” you breathe out.

Yuta leans into your ear “ I want you to ride me” He whispers. You felt his cock slip out as he lay on his back. You straddle over him and insert his cock inside of you.

You begin to grind on his cock, while watching Yuta underneath you. Yuta kept his hands on your hips, gripping them hard. You arch your back as you felt his cock hitting your spot. Yuta groans and begins to move your hips aggressively. “Fuck Yuta” You yelled and lean into his face. You rested your forehead on him as he rock your hips aggressively.

“You’re so deep” you cried. Yuta breathes heavily, you stop grinding on him when you felt your legs are giving out. Yuta slowed down but he grinds his hips slowly so you didn’t have to.

Yuta picks up his pace afterward. Yuta felt how deep he was and holds your hips again. You sit up and help him. You grind over his cock as it hit from walls to walls. “Fuck, I’m going to cum” You groan as Yuta rocks your hips faster. You shut your eyes as you felt came. Yuta slowed down to let you cum. Your body jerked as you felt heat gets sensitive. Yuta leans in to kiss you. You melt into his kiss as he lay you down back on the mattress.

“Turn around” He demanded. You lay on your front as Yuta slides your leg higher. He fixes himself in between your legs as he slips his cock back in. “You’re so tight baby” Yuta groan and thrusts himself faster.

You prop your elbow as you look back at him. Yuta hovers over your face as he grinds his hips into you. “You’re so pretty” He praises you again. He hold onto his arm which was prop next to you. “You feel so good Yuta” You moan. Yuta bit his lips as he lean to kiss you.

His hand finds its way around your neck again. He uses his other hand to slap your ass. “Fuck” you groan as he fuck you faster.

“Fuck, cum inside of me please” You beg him. Yuta groans and picks up his pace faster. You lay your face on the mattress as he holds your shoulders to pump himself.

“I’m going to cum” Yuta moaned. You clench your walls, “fuckk” Yuta groaned as he came inside of you. He slowed his pace as he fill your pussy with his cum. He slips his cock out as he watches the cum flow out of your home.

Yuta falls beside you. You open your eyes to see him breathing heavily, you chuckle and rest your hand on his chest. Yuta smiles and kisses your hand.

Throughout the whole summer, you and Yuta spend every day with each other. Going to nice places, eating dinner, enjoying food and fuck. The two of you got closer, you taught Yuta what it’s like to be an influencer. He’d take pictures of you sponsoring brands, you always treat Yuta lunch while he’s at work and he even met your best friend. The two of them became friends as well and she approve of him.

Summer had ended but the two of you still see each other. There’s no name to whatever you both are. You didn’t question it. Yuta would treat you like a boyfriend would do. He’d surprise you with flowers now and then but you told him to not spend his money on you but Yuta still does it anyways.

Today was a gloomy day and you also got an email back from the airlines you applied to at the beginning of summer. They accepted your application. Since you did pass their exam, they decided to let you not take the class again but do need you for the physical exam. You were excited to share this news with Yuta so you headed to his place.

You texted Yuta you were coming over but he wasn’t answering. When the taxi pull over at his house, you took out your umbrella and walk to his front gate. Since you knew his number after numerous times you’ve been over, the gate opens. While you were walking, you saw Yuta at the window. You smile but that smile left your eyes. You notice a woman wraps her arms around his waist.

Your heart sunk. You lost the grip of your umbrella as it fall to the ground. Within a second, you were drenched in the rain. It hurt you to see that just yesterday he took you out to dinner and made you feel loved. Today, another woman wrap her arm around his.

You couldn’t bear the sight and left his house. You walked in the rain. You went home that night and ignored all texts and calls from him.

You didn’t tell your best friend anything but she figured out what happened. She tried to be supportive and cheer you up. She made sure you eat and do some exercises.

3 months later.

You’re finally a flight attendant. You love the job and are happy you were out there. You’ve met new friends while working for your favorite airline.

Ever since that night, you’ve never spoken to Yuta. He figured out you didn’t want to talk to him so he stop trying.

Today you woke up early for your 8 AM job in Osaka. You had gotten ready and found your way to the airport. You met your coworkers and had some breakfast.

You all went over the paperwork to get to know all of the passengers. It’s what all flight attendants have to do before they start boarding the plane.

“Did you see? There’s this hot CEO on the plane” one of the first-class flight attendants said. Since you just started, you start at the economy. You’ll work your pay up every year.

You just listen to them talking but you stayed quiet. “I love your bracelet! Did your boyfriend give you that?” You look down at the dainty bracelet Yuta had bought you.

You couldn’t take it off. Even how hard you tried. You also didn’t want to cut it off. So it stayed with you ever since.

“Something like that” you smile, remembering. What a good summer it was. The girl smirked and nodded.

Soon all the flight attendants went to their location on the plane. The plane begins to fill up. It’s your first time going back to Japan after the summer you had with Yuta.

When you arrive in Osaka, you had to find the shuttle for the flight attendants. You were talking to some of your friends as you both walk through the airport. “Oh my god! He’s right there!” The same flight attendant shrieked. You all exchange a look and try to find him. Your eyes landed on Yuta.

That’s the person she was talking about. Your heart begin faster when his eyes landed on you.

“Oh my god, he’s looking at me!” She exclaims. You gulped the knot tying up in your throat. Yuta starts walking up to you. Even from the distance, you still can’t forget how handsome he was.

“He’s walking this way,” She said under her breath. Yuta was a few feet away. While your friends got distracted by him, you begin to walk back slowly and try to leave.

“Y/n!” Yuta's voice was loud and stern. You froze. You close your eyes and sigh. You slowly turn around to look at him.

Your friends were looking at you. “Can we talk please?” You notice Yuta is practically begging to talk to you. You look at your coworkers they nodded. You check the time and nod. “Fine,” You said quietly.

Yuta took you to the cafe inside the airport. You refused to leave and get stuck in a car with him. Neither you nor Yuta talk, your eyes wander around trying to avoid his eye contact. Yuta stared at you the whole time. He missed how you look. He’s glad you became a flight attendant, he did. He saw the gold bracelet he got you still wrapped around your wrist.

“How you been?” You decided to make conversation. Yuta smiles when he heard your voice.

“I’ve been well, I see you got the job!” He pointed at your uniform. You chuckle and nod. “I was going to tell you but…” you didn’t want to finish your answer.

“Y/n, I swear nothing happened between us two. I’m so sorry. She tried to kiss me but I stopped her because, because...” he didn't finish. You look at him, waiting for him to finish.

“Because I’m in love with you,” He said. The same heartbeat that used to beat when you’re around him, starts again.

“You look down at your hands. Yuta stands up and kneels in front of you, taking his hands to wrap around yours. You look at him as your eyes begin to fill with tears.

“It hurts” You whimper. Yuta hush you and pull you into his shoulder. You hold onto his suit as you cried on his shoulder. “I was hurt because I love you Yuta” You cried.

Yuta's heart sunk. He can hear the sadness in your voice. He squeezes you harder, “I’m sorry, y/n. I wish I could tell you before how much you meant to me” He said. You pull away from his grip.

“Are you single?” You wipe your tears. Yuta chuckles and nods. “I only save my heart for one special lady” He holds your hand.

“Who would that be?” You ask, knowing what the answer would be.

“You, y/n. You’re the person I love” he stroked your cheek. A smile creeps your lips. You grab his suit and pull him into you for a soft, sensual kiss.

You missed the way he tasted and his soft lips. You pull away and run your thumb over his lips. “I love you so much, Yuta” you whispered.

“I love you too” He pulls you in for another hug and kisses your temple.

“Only you” He whispered into your ear.

[inkandpen22]

The Heiress and the Gangster (1/?)

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Female!Reader

Warnings: violence, swearing

Word Count: 2.7k

Part Summary: Y/N Adair, an American heiress, is visiting London for the social season with her fiancé Alfred Bamford. Alfie Simmons and Tommy Shelby have formed a plan to kidnap Y/N and hold her for ransom, that is until Tommy changes his mind...

Masterlist

Y/N

The car rolls up to the entrance of the race track. My driver, Mr. Richards, comes to a steady halt and immediately hops out of the car.

"Ready, darling?" Al questions with a grin beside me.

I pull back the velvet curtain covering my window to peer up at the arena. "As I'll ever be."

Mr. Richards opens the door and offers me his glove-covered hand. "Miss Adair."

I step out gracefully, my wide-brim hat blocking the beaming sun from my face. Al crosses behind the car to join me. His head finds its way to my back securely. Robert, my main bodyguard, climbs out of his own car with two more security my father hired. Al escorts me inside the stadium to the boxes. Robert leads the way with his two henchmen behind us. It's like being put into a human box.

When we arrive at our box, we're greeted by our friends in attendance. It's rare that we make it over to England, so when we do it's nice to see everyone. Al and I perform our social duties, making small talk and asking about everyone's families as though we all didn't have dinner together last night. It's the same couples in different settings for the entire month we're here.

_________________________________

Tommy

I watch from one of the pub tables at the top of the box with John as posh folks shuffle in to find their spots. When news broke that Y/N Adair would be visiting London for a month, both American and England were over the moon. The youngest child and only daughter of William Vincent Adair, the richest banker in America. She will inherit a third of his multi-million dollar fortune. It's a known fact amongst the public that's she's the favorite child so the percentage may be greater than just a third. My boys and Alfie's team are banking on that rumor. If she were to be kidnapped and held for ransom by a couple of English gangsters, it's certain her father will pay a hefty sum for her safe return to The States.

John nudges me subtly to avoid attention. "There she is!"

My eyes flicker away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd toward the entrance of the box. A young woman in an all-white lace dress crosses our path. A gentle smile rests across her lips as the Viscount and Viscountess Furness approach her, each greeting her with an embrace. Her Y/H/C hair peeks through beneath her lavish matching hat. For a moment, I experience hesitation. She's not what I expected at all.

John nudges my arm with a snicker. “You alright, Tom? Look as though you’ve seen a ghost.” 

I shake my head, taking a smoke from my cigarette. "No, that can't be her. She's far too young."

"Of course it is!" John argues.

A young gentleman in a brand new navy suit follows close beside her, keeping a protective hand pressed to her back. He shakes hands with his peers, charming his audience as he and Miss Adair are greeted with cheers.

"And her arrogant playboy fiancé, Alfred Bamford." My brother scoffs. "His family owns more railways in the U.S. than any company in the entire world!"

As my brother babbles, I watch closely as Y/N stands beside Alfred with a restrained, but convincing, smile. As he gloats and encourages banter with their fellow posh folk, she's quiet and glancing about the arena.

"Their marriage will create a media frenzy!" John describes in my ear. "Adair Banks and Bamford Rails, it's a match made in posh people heaven. Shame she'll never live to see it," he snickers.

I press my cigarette into the ashtray and turn my body toward my brother. "As soon as the gun fires that's when Alfie's man takes the shot.” I check my watch. “He'll be here in five minutes. That's when you leave and fetch the car. Understood?"

He nods sharply, "right, Tom. Got it."

___________________________________

Y/N

Anticipating the race, Al and I stand right against the rail with our dainty gold binoculars, searching for my family's horse.

"I need Olympus to win," I worry outwardly. "I need to prove to my father that this trip was worth it."

"I’m certain William will be pleased no matter the outcome."

"You don't know my father then," I chuckle.

"Excuse me!" A voice announces over the chatter of the box.

I glance over my shoulder as a well-dressed middle-aged man hurries up to my security. His brow is sweaty and his white suit wrinkled. He rushes out words to Robert before being escorted over to me.

"Welcome to Ascot, Madam," he welcomes, gesturing to the large building. "I'm John Wilkson and I'm a partner at the track. May I get you anything before the festivities?" He rubs his hands in circles nervously.

I offer John my hand with a warm smile. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. If possible, I would like a pot of Earl Grey."

"Oh yes! Yes, definitely!" The man gushes as Robert leads him toward the door. "Right away, Madam!"

"Thank you!" I nod, maintaining my smile until he's out of view.

Al chuckles beside me at the man’s expense as he rubs his palm up and down my spine. "How are you enjoying it so far, My Dear?"

"I don't see what all the fuss is about," I remark. " It doesn't appear any more luxurious than Arlington Park."

"You are far too difficult to please, darling," he teases, scooping up my glove-covered hand and planting a kiss to the back of it.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to today's festivities..." the announcer begins, causing widespread cheering across the crowd.

Al and I clap our hands along with our friends.

"Your tea, Miss Adair, a young waiter informs me as he sets down the set on a side table by our chairs.

I thank him quietly before he dismisses himself.

"Don't forget, tonight is the dinner with Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth," Al reminds me.

"Aw yes, thank you!" I express with relief as I step back to pick up my teacup and return to my spot beside him. "They're quite lovely, aren't they? Their engagement is such delightful news." I bring my cup to my lips for a sip.

"I'm certainly looking forward to the wedding, it'll be a spectacle." He smirks. “Another excuse to return in the spring.”

I narrow my eyes mischievously, sharing the same agenda as him. "They can be the social event of the season in England, but we shall claim America."

Tommy

Two of Miss Adair’s men are positioned outside while his Head stands against the far wall, just a few feet from her. Alfie's hitman enters the tent without suspicion, dressed like a posh race-goer and his gun well concealed. He glances in my direction, giving me the signal to release my brother. I give John a brief nod and he disappears through the opening in the curtain.

"Jockeys! Prepare your horses!" The announcer declares, marking the start of the races.

I clap along with the crowd. Everyone in the box is zoned in on the gates where the jockeys are mounting their horses. Alfie's man claps as well, keeping his eyes on the horses to blend in as he continues toward Miss Adair and Mr. Bamford. He stops in the second row, just behind the couple.

My eyes flicker to Y/N. A glowing smile forms across her face as she switches her sight away from the gates toward her fiancé. Her eyes glimmering with optimism and excitement. There’s a youthfulness in her I haven’t seen in anyone since the war. She has no idea that the man behind her has been sent to point a gun at her head and kidnap her. Her attention travels about the box, at her friends and peers. Her eyes glance in my direction, her soft Y/E/C eyes meet mine. Her radiating smile softens as her hands slows to a steady halt. Then, something in me just... snaps.

My attention changes to the man on the field lifts his gun into the air. At the same moment, Alfie's man reaches into his coat pocket.

"No! Wait!" I shout, knocking the table out of the way. "Everyone down!"

I leap over the chairs and tackle Alfie's man. He sets off the gun as we stumble to the floor, chairs flying all about. Screams ensue as we wrestle on the floor. A man I recognize as the Head of Y/N's security steps on Alfie's man's hand. With a hiss, he releases his fist around the gun and the security knocks it away. I rush to my feet to inspect the damages, to see if Y/N was hurt, but I see no sign of her. Where did the bullet hit? A hanging bit of cloth that was once the awning answers my question. The arena is in chaos as people travel upstream toward the exists. People are being trampled and pushing each other about.

I work against the traffic down toward the railing to where I last saw Y/N. I shove people out of my way in a hurry. Then, that's when I spot her hat, squashed flat on the floor. I lean down to pick it up and that's when I finally find her resting against the wood base of the rail, holding her head with a bloody hand.

Y/N

I remove my hand from my stinging forehead to see my once white-glove soaked in blood. One minute I was scanning the reaction of the crowd behind me, then there was a shout. The shot for the race to begin rang and I was knocked forward. My head hit the metal railing and I fell to the floor. My forehead was stinging and I realized I was bleeding. Then, I swear I heard another gunshot. I've tried to stand up, but everyone’s scrambling to get out. Plus, my head is throbbing

Suddenly, a man appears hovering above me. He stares down at me with a clenched jaw and a look of determination. He leans down, scoops up my unscathed hand. Before I utter a word, he begins to usher me through the chaos. My feet shuffle across the floor briskly to keep up as he grips my hand tightly. People continue to shout and scream for their loved ones, frightened.

"Who are you?" I ask loudly over the noise.

He ignores me, guiding the way through the arena. People rush down the closest stairs, eager to reach one of the main exits. This man, however, avoids all the staircases and remains on the walkway of the top floor. I sense he's leading me to the furthermost end and hopefully to an emergency exit.

"Answer me this instant!" I demand, attempting to yank my hand free. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yes, Miss Adair, I do!" He finally answers and whips his head around to meet my gaze. "Now, if you wish to not get shot, I suggest you follow me!"

I check over my shoulder for Al. "But my fiancé-"

"They're not after him," he states turning his attention back ahead.

My stomach drops. "You mean you know who's behind this?"

"I know enough..." His answer is vague and it worries me.

"Why do they wish to hurt me?"

"Your family is the wealthiest in the United States! You should really travel with more security," he suggests over his shoulder.

My prediction was correct, the man takes me to the furthest end of the platform to a fire escape of sorts behind a curtain. It's much less hectic than the main stairwells other than some workers attempting to escape. The man never releases my hand as he leads the swift way down the metal stairs. Once we're on solid ground, we weave through various parts of the arena. Booths and vendors scatter the area. The man seems to know this well, making a bee-line for a large white tent tucked away near the main staircase where Al and I first entered the race track.

When we rush into the tent, I first note a series of telephone booths, the dirt floor, and the absence of any of else. The man releases my hand and starts marching around. I assume checking to make sure we're alone. I spin around, checking my surroundings, frightened that one of these men this stranger speaks of will attack me suddenly.

My head is pounding and I can feel the warm blood twinkle down my cheek. My hair must look a fright. Who am I kidding, my white dress is covered in blood and dirt, every part of me is messy.

Tommy

Y/N and I both struggle to catch our breath. I double-check that neither Alfie nor any of his men are hiding out in here. "We should be safe in here," I announce.

"Don't you think we should fetch a car or something!" She rushes out worriedly. “My car is parked just-”

I shake my head, moving back toward her. "No, not yet. They'll be expecting that."

Now that her hand is away from her head, I can inspect her injury properly. A minor gash above her brow. It doesn't appear awful, won't need stitches, but she has significant amounts of blood down the side of her face and cheek.

Y/N

"Here." The man reaches into his pocket square and pulls out his handkerchief. He brings one hand behind my head and the other presses the fabric to my forehead. "We'll have someone look at this once everything is settled."

I nod, still a tad dazed to say the least. "Thank you," I mumble as my eyes fall to his tie directly ahead of me.

For a moment, despite the chaos outside the tent, there's a sense of peacefulness as the stranger pats my cut.

"So, you know my name, what's yours?" I ask. Considering he saved my life, I don't think we should be strangers anymore. “Since we were in the same box, I suspect you’re friends with the Bowes-Lyons.”

"Thomas, Thomas Shelby," he answers directly without much emotion.

"Well, despite the circumstance, it's pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir. I'm surprised we've never met before considering we share friends."

A faint snicker escapes him as a smirk creeps onto the edge of his lips.

I grin. "What's so funny?"

"An heiress calling me "sir," he chuckles, glancing down from my forehead to meet my gaze. "It's not exactly something I thought I'd ever hear."

My brows scrunch together in confusion. “But aren’t you-”

"Tommy!" A voice calls from behind me.

Frightened, I rush to stand behind Mr. Shelby. My hands wrap around his bicep as I peek around his shoulder. His arm reaches around to keep me close to his back.

"In here Arthur!" He hollers.

Wait, he knows the person?

Suddenly, a lengthy man with a mustache marches into the tent. When his eyes land on us, his brows scrunch together. "What's this? What happened to-"

"Change of plans," Mr. Shelby states, physically relaxing at the sight of him.

The man switches his sight between me and Mr. Shelby. He rocks on his heels nervously. He steps to the side to get a better view of me. "Oh uh... hello then... Miss Adair. Nice to meet ya," he greets.

"And he's a friend?" I ask Mr. Shelby quietly.

He chuckles. "Yes, he's my brother. He's safe."

I step out from behind him hesitantly. I redirect my attention to Arthur and remove my glove to offer him my hand slowly. "Pleasure to meet you as well."

His brows rise at the sight of my hand, but he shakes it nonetheless. He chuckles. "She's awfully friendly," he tells his brother.

"Did you happen to see my fiancé? Alfred Bamford," I ask, growing worried that Al may have been hurt.

"He was escorted to your car I believe by one of your security."

"And the others?" I press urgently. “Are my friends alright? What about Lord and Lady Elphinstone?”

His features fall. "I lost them in the crowd, Miss..."

My eyes grow wide. "I should go find them!"

I go to head back outside, but Mr. Shelby grabs my wrist and steps to block my path.

"The men trying to harm you may still be out there," he warns.

"But my friends! Alfred!” I argue. “They’re probably worried sick! I’ll find my car and have them take me back to the hotel!”

"They'll be searching for you there! I'm sure they already have it staked out."

I huff. "Then where do you suggest I go?"

His eyes flicker to his brother and it's evident a thought has crossed his mind.

"I have an idea..." he states vaguely.

Oh no...

_______________________

Masterlist

[sunlitluv]

a reflection of the past

warning: mentions of death and someone deceased 

When Toji remarried, everybody frowned upon the idea and would send judging looks toward you at the reception. Some were subtle about it but some were downright staring at you, giving you a head to toe look. You were pissed but it was your wedding, a jovial moment in your life so you just shrug it off, giving everyone smiles as you pass by them, thanking them for attending your wedding even though you barely know everyone. Most of them knew Toji or were in any way affiliated with him. Only a table or two were occupied by your family and closest friends. 

It was funny, how those people whom you don’t even know have so much input in your married life. You tried not to listen so your night won’t be ruined but you can’t help but to catch one saying ‘I know why he chose to marry her. The resemblance is so uncanny.’  Just by that word, you already know whom they are pertaining to. His long gone wife, the woman he loved first, the birth mother of the child who was sitting on your lap and babbling words he just learned from his relatives today. You had to stop and remind him that the word ‘fuck’ is not a good word and made him promise to not say it again. You knew who had the audacity to teach the little child with curses. You wanted to reprimand them but you already knew what would likely be the outcome of it, a look of disdain from their clan, Zenin. They don’t even bother to hide it, from the moment you were introduced to them by Toji up until today, your wedding. The one good thing that happened during the introduction to their clan is that the twins, Maki and Mai, whom Megumi's aunts, liked you. Another is that Toji would always remind you that their opinions hold no power over his love for you. 

Despite the frown upons and disdain looks, Toji loves you. You hold on to that.

But the grip on the declaration of love slowly loosens. It started when it was his deceased wife’s fifth death anniversary. You only met Toji two years ago, when little Megumi was just three years old. Married him almost a year ago. You accompanied him in her graveyard before, although Toji was hesitant to bring you with him but you insisted. It was awkward, watching him cleaning her tomb, placing a bouquet of flowers replacing the withered ones, and talking to her portrait, introducing you. You felt awkward but never mad. You may not be in his place but you know how hard and painful it is to lose someone important to you. 

Just like last year, you asked if you could visit her again but this time Toji refused, just asked you to look after Megumi. Perplexed, you agreed. You wished him a safe trip and he responded with a thank you and a kiss on your forehead. You said i love you just like how you always do before he finally gets out of your house, expecting an i love you back but all you got was a soft close of the door. You didn’t pay much attention to it, giving Toji a space since his grief is greater today.

That day, he came back tipsy. You could smell alcohol from his breath when he laid down on his side of bed and hugged you tightly. You didn’t pry, you understood his misery. All you could give him that night was a hug back and kisses on his face. You hoped tomorrow, Toji would be better than that night, feel a little lighter.

But it was otherwise. He looked worse. He had bags under his eyes due to the overtimes he had to take that you don’t know what for. He just told you that Megumi would go to school soon so he had to work twice as hard to provide for his needs. It was valid as Megumi is already five, he might start to get schooled next year. You let it pass and understood him, again. The late night cuddles and morning kisses became less, too. It felt like the Toji you have right now was a different one. He was starting to feel like he’s not your spouse anymore. He’s becoming more and more distant, like slowly coming back to the Toji he was before he met you. Cold. Detached.

Your breaking point was when he came home one night, drunk. His co-workers, Gojo and Nanami, and even Geto had to drag their drunk workmate to his home. Feeling grateful and sorry for the three men who were groaning when they settled Toji on your bed, you invited them for a late night tea but they refused, saying you don’t have to bother and assured you that it was no big deal.

You then proceeded to tending to your drunk husband, shredding his clothing off and giving him a quick sponge bath. You were in the middle of putting a shirt on him when he suddenly said ‘I love you… my wife’  You can’t help but to smile, hearing him declaring his love for you even drunk. That soothed your heart only for it to break into pieces when you heard somebody else’s name, not yours. It was her, his long gone wife. You wanted to cry, hearing him repeatedly proclaiming his love for someone he no longer has.

Your heart was pulverized to pieces when you heard it, directly from his mouth, that he only married you because you remind him so much of his late wife. Your attitude, your energy, how you act, how you pamper Megumi, how you take care of Toji, everything. Everything that you do only reminds him of her. He married you not because he loves you but because you were a reflection of someone he loved in the past. A reflection of someone from the past that apparently he still loves till now.

[foodieforthoughts]

Journey through time - Part 5

Summary: Your relationship with Syverson over the years.

Warnings: fluff and only fluff.

A/N1: Last part to this mini photo series. Thanks to @agniavateira who has provided me with so much inspiration. Also thank you to everyone who read and liked and commented. You guys make me so happy. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4)

A/N2: I'll be taking a small hiatus from posting fics for now. But I'll be back soon. ❤️

As much as Sy adored his daughter, secretly he had always wanted a son. Two years after Adeline was born, when he was back from his oversees tour for three weeks, Sy took it upon himself to get you round and plump with his kids again. He was overjoyed when you told him over a call that you were pregnant. Although it saddened you both that this time, Sy wasn't going to be around when you gave birth to your child. When you told him he was going to be a father to twin boys, Sy had hollered with glee, making a couple of his men come knocking at his door to see if he way okay. That was a very awkward call, where you were waving at his men while they congratulated you. You sent him a copy of your sonogram, along with a picture of you with Adeline in a care package. "Mini me's," He would say while looking at the picture, "And my princess with my queen." Your heart would flutter like the very first time he had kissed you; upsetting you at the distance and yet also filling you with love. Sy asked his parents to come live with you, help you with Adeline, as you got big and started experiencing difficulty in moving around. When you went into labour, his mother tried to get him on call, just like he had requested. But they were unable to connect to his phone, wondering if he was safe and sound or just away doing things that were expected of him to do as a captain. Your emotions were unbounded when you gave birth to your sons, worrying about Sy and going through the long process without him. The next day, Sy saw his sons for the first time over the video call, happy tears springing in his eyes as you cradled the two boys in your arms. "They have your eyes, Sy. Have you thought of names yet?" You had asked, having decided long time ago that since you had named your daughter, Sy would name his sons. "James and Noah." He had sniffed out, smiling at you lovingly.

Captain Syverson retired as Major Syverson after serving 20 years of active duty. Sy joined as a coach for Little League Baseball team, becoming a favorite amongst his players and their moms. Every morning you would kiss Sy goodbye as he walked out the front door, holding little Adeline's tiny hand in his to drive her to her school on his way to work. Your days were filled with less worrying about Sy's safety and more on providing a loving family for your kids. It helped that at the end of the day, your dining table was occupied with your children and your loving husband, sharing their day's events. Weekends were spent in parks with the whole Syverson clan out for picnics, you watching your husband running around with James and Noah, Adeline who was a spitting image of her father, perched on his strong shoulders. Somedays you couldn't believe your life turned out the way it did, mostly when you would walk inside the living room to find Sy sprawled on the sofa with Adeline curled on his side, James and Noah snoozing on his chest. You would wake him up, carefully peeling your daughter away from her father and take her to bed, while Sy got both boys in his arms with little to no effort and took them to their own room. At the end of the day, when parenthood and responsibilities left you both weary, you and Sy found solace in each other's arms while drifting off to a peaceful slumber.

It was the most devastating day in Sy's life when his teenage daughter told him she wanted to pursue modelling. Adeline was stubborn and opinionated, graced with Sy's beautiful features. He had stared at his daughter with wide eyes, cup of coffee stopping midway to his mouth. "You want me to be okay with grown men gawking at you?" He had gruffly replied, anger evident with his eyebrows knitting together and his lips forming a frown. You had learned over the years to not interfere with Sy's ways of parenting. James and Noah had awkwardly slid off their chairs, both of them avoiding what was to come next. The discussion had ended with father and daughter, arguing with each other, eventually Sy sending a crying Adeline away to her room. Neither of them had spoken to each other the rest of the day, Adeline refusing to eat dinner and Sy drinking too many glasses of whiskey. "I cannot believe she thinks modelling is a career choice." He had scowled later in the night, you both staring at the ceiling while lying in bed. "Didn't you once tell me you had hated your father for sending you off to military school? Do you want your daughter to hate you?" Sy had sighed, turning on his side to face you. "That's different. Adeline's our little girl, it's my duty to protect her." Understanding completely what Sy was feeling as a parent, you had too turned on your side and placed your hand on his scruffy cheek. "You taught her to be strong, independent. She will always be our little girl. Don't you trust her to take decisions for her life? And even if she fails to do what she desires, don't you want to be there for her when she would need her dad?"

The next day you had watched from your kitchen window as Sy and Adeline talked while sitting on the swings in the backyard, ending with long hugs and lots of tears.

While Adeline roamed around the country for fashion shows, Sy groomed his sons to join the army someday. It was not an acceptable behavior, but both of you had your favorites when it came to the twins. Noah, the stronger of the two was decidedly his father's favorite, adding to his delight when by the end of high school, he wanted to go to a military academy. James, the apple of your eye, on the other hand, wanted to become a doctor, much to Sy's dismay. But lessons were learned from the time with Adeline and for that reason only, Sy did not oppose. Noah was sent off to Virginia to a military academy, going on to join the air force as it was affiliated with his school; while James buried himself in studies, moving to Connecticut to attend medical school. Weekends that were spent with picnics in the park, now consisted of video conference calls with your three kids spread out over the country. "It's just going to be you and me in the end." Sy would say, shutting the computer off and looking at you pensively. Wounding your arms around the love of your life, you would rest your head on his shoulder and agree, "Till death do us part."

On your 30th wedding anniversary, Sy gave you an unexpected surprise. He had been missing from the house since morning, only to send a vague text with "Pack your bags and come out in ten minutes." When you walked outside on the front porch, you were left stunned to find Sy dressed in riding gear on a super bike. "I think we need to relive our days from the time we were dating. Come on, I've planned a road trip for us." And with that, Sy had driven all the way to San Antonio for the weekend. With a hotel room on the river, Sy pampered you with all his love and the best Tex-Mex food he could find for you. You spent the day shopping and exploring, while in the night he made love to you with unbridled passion. "My better half," he had called you, kissing your hands while cradling you to his chest. When you both came back home from your trip, you had another surprise waiting for you: Your three children all under the same roof again, holding up a sign board with "Happy anniversary, mom and dad."

Noah had successfully climbed the ranks in the airforce to become Lieutenant at an age younger than when Sy was one. But it was when James, inspired by his twin, decided to join the armed forces as a field doctor, you saw Sy's chest puff in pride. "Syverson men always join the military." He had told his friends over dinner one night, soaking up the praises for his children. Adeline joined a major modelling agency that speared her career forward. She roamed around the globe, sending her old folks trinkets from the new city she was in, and one day added a picture of her and her boyfriend in the mail. Sy turned into a protective father quickly, inviting her and her man to have dinner. "I like him." Your old man had chuckled, when he had scared Adeline's boyfriend, making him blabber incoherently with nervousness. You could only watch in a haze as one day Adeline's boyfriend showed up to your house unannounced, to ask Sy for his daughter's hand in marriage. "Listen boy, Adeline is precious and if you hurt her, you know there wouldn't be anything worse than us. You don't want to be on the bad side of the Syverson men, is that clear?" You had heard Sy warn, a shiver running down your spine listening to his commanding tone, even if the threat wasn't meant for you. A few weeks later, when Adeline was in Paris, she had called home only minutes after the proposal, screaming on the phone that she said "yes." The rest of the night, Sy had you looking at Adeline's baby pictures from old photo albums. "This little bundle would be getting married soon. Can you believe that?" He had laughed, wiping the tear at the corner of his eye and throwing his arm around your shoulders when you couldn't hold onto your own tears.

The day after Adeline, Sy's little girl, was married, he threw a brunch for the newly weds and their families. James and Noah, back from their deployment in time for their sister's wedding, had introduced their own girlfriends to both of you before the ceremony. You knew Sy would never admit it, macho behavior of his never fading, but you could see his eyes glisten watching his family grow. He had tried to keep a straight face throughout the ceremony too, but he had let go of his tears when Adeline had laid her head on his shoulder during their father-daughter dance. Halfway through brunch, Sy pulled you away from the crowd and took you towards the orchard outside the country club. He held your hand while taking you to stand under the shade of a massive tree. "It's like I'm living in a dream." You admitted, looking out at the sprawling orchard, thinking about how you were a mother-in-law to someone. Sy pulled you close to him by your waist, encircling his arms around you. Gray hair on his temples and his face beginning to be marked with wrinkles and yet for you, Sy looked like he had never aged. "I know I don't tell this to you very often, but darlin' running into you, falling in love with you, building a life with you, is the best thing that could have happened to me." He kissed the top of your head, taking your face in his hands before planting a soft kiss on your lips. "I love you and thank you for everything, Sy." You whispered as the birds chirped on the branches above, a whistling breeze blew by carrying the sweet fragrance of fruits in the orchard and you stared at the brilliant blue orbs of the man who had owned your heart and soul since many years ago.

The End.

[dazaiscrimes]

it’s all shits and giggles until it gets serious

I wrote this for all Taurus’ out there but especially @megumifushi 

warnings: tooth-rooting fluff, crack, maybe a little ooc of Megumi but I really wanted this to be about him

wc: 1.1k

You would describe your relationship with Megumi to others who asked as an easy-going friendship. Hell, probably the most stable friendship you have ever had. You might even laugh and call it destiny. Megumi and his older sister, Tsumiki, moved into your complex when you were six and he has been a constant in your life ever since. Your mom would always invite them over for dinner, worrying over their lack of a constant adult figure in their lives. Dinners would turn into play dates, then into sleepovers, then into long weekend trips out of town with the family. You had always been closer to Megumi due to the age difference and soon you were best friends. You attended the same grade school and even followed him into middle school.

You were a real two peas in a pod.

Things started to change when you both got to high school, him deciding to go to what he called a religious private school (you would later find out it was Jujutsu High and what he was doing there) and you a school across town. But you never truly lost touch. Sure, it was harder to spend time together consistently, but he made sure that he would come by your family home at least every month to have dinner with you and your family. After Tsumiki was cursed, he broke down and told you everything, about curses, about the Zen’in family, about his technique. You took it all in stride, not once interrupting him and giving him the support he needed.  He knew he could come to you after particularly rough battles, and you would patch him up to the best of your ability. You decided to go to university nearby and continued to be the support he would rely on. A few years later, he attends your graduation with your family, buys you a huge bouquet of red roses, embarrasses you in front of all your friends (you even became friends with the whole Jujutsu High crew), and treats you to dinner afterwards.

You find yourself giggling hard as he carries you home, struggling to find a cab at such a later hour, on graduation day no less. Megumi tries his best, carrying your bridal style as you were too stubborn to take off the (decidedly bad decision) 6-inch heels.

“Megumiiiii, I wanna hang out! I beat I can convince Yuji and Maki to arm wrestle again!” you giggled, hot breath tickling his ear. He slight shivers at your how close your mouth is, and you pull away thinking he was uncomfortable with the situation.

“It is 3am, Y/N. We all know Yuji is a baby and he is already in bed. Another time, I promise,” he replies tiredly. The pout you make at his statement honestly gives his heart a little *dabump*. Stop these thoughts immediately, he tries to calm himself.

Eventually, you make it back to your apartment and he suplex’s you onto the bed with a big sigh. “And his name is John Cena, *cue meme music*” you struggle through the laughter. He simply rolls his eyes at you and plops next to you. A few quiet minutes pass and you think he must have passed out until he asks you a question out of the blue.

“You’re a Taurus, right?” he questions you timidly.

You lazily turn your whole body around, facing him. “Mhmm, why?”

“Nothing,” You watch him turn his face away quickly, but not before you notice the faint blush dusting his cheeks.

Throughout your time knowing Megumi, he had always asked some strange questions like this. Your favorite flowers, movies, anime, you name it. He would always surprise you with his knowledge about you, but honestly, you kept the same tabs on him as well. You knew he hated red bell peppers and sweet side dishes, that he tamed his demon dogs at age 6, and that his favorite book genre was nonfiction.  If you were to think deeper about it, you would know you loved him. But you pushed those feelings aside, knowing that something between you could never happen. He just was not into you the same way, only seeing you as his “good friend,” which is how he introduced you to all his friends.

You decide to let the question pass, not really thinking that it was out of the ordinary. Another 10 minutes passed by when you feel the bed shift and suddenly, you’re staring into the deep ocean color of his eyes. You can feel his body heat rolling off him in waves, giving you a comfort about also, a tug of the heart. He was untouchable to you. The words that come out of his mouth are not at all what you were expecting.

“Did you know that Taurus and Capricorn’s are highly compatible?” He spits out quickly. “Apparently, they are always on the same wavelength, and find it very easy to understand each other. You know, I really understand you. You are like a rock, uh, solid, unmovable. You are always there for me, loyal. Look, what I am trying to say, is that I think we would be compatible??”

You are stunned by this sudden outburst. Never, and you mean never, has he said so many words so quickly with uncertainty. For all the years you’ve known him, he has been a constant, stoic man, never letting his emotions go unchecked. You feel your jaw drop open, mouth just opening and closing, trying to form a sentence but failing miserably. You feel his stare and he starts to babble more.

“Nobara gave me a crash course on zodiac compatibility and honestly, I didn’t believe in this stuff before but after learning how similar it sounded…” his sentence was suddenly cut off by your lips. His lips were warm, soft, and tasted slightly of ginger. As soon as he processes what was happening, he responds immediately. He gently grabs your face and pulls in closer. His tongue swipes across your lower lip, asking for permission. You gladly accept him further and you feel like bliss.

Eventually, you both must come up for air and end up staring into each other’s eyes for a few moments. You never thought in your wildest dreams that this would be a possibly, that he would reject you all along. But what if he had those same thoughts? Is that why he has waited so long to tell you? His eyes conveyed all the emotion he was not able to say out loud.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

It had been years since that moment, and it changed everything. You glance down at the wedding band on your finger for a second, reminiscing about the old times. You feel Megumi come up behind you, wrapping his arms securely around your waist.

“What are you thinking about, my love?”

“That time Nobara tricked you into believing zodiac compatibility,” you hear him snort behind you. “I’m glad it worked.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“By the way, how did she convince of this?” You raise your eyebrows at him, daring him to tell a lie.

“She snuck a whole pamphlet into my book and wouldn’t leave me alone until I read it. She even recruited Yuji and Gojo to pester me about it. I hate dealing with people, so I finally gave in,” he sighs. “I hate them, but also, thanks I guess.”

[youngbeezer]

Do you Believe in Happily Ever After? | Joel Farabee

A/N: Hello again! I got such a great response to my first fic I posted which literally made me so happy, so thank you so much to anyone who gave me the time of their day to read my fic. Here is a new fic for mr. joel farabee!! This one is a little longer and I tried my best, feedback always appreciated, but I hope you enjoy :)

Warnings: Few curse words, overall just fluff

Word Count: 2160

Tagging a few people again so this doesn’t flop,,,

@ollywahlygator @joshsandersons @joelsfarabees @fratboyzegras @sorokns @butgilinsky @ricohenrique

I haven’t been to too many weddings in my life. I attended one for my uncle when I was around 10 years old but I don’t remember much from it. My mother also got remarried around 3 years ago, but up until this year, weddings weren’t a natural occurrence in my life. 

This past year though.. I’ve attended two weddings, got an invitation in the mail today for another one, a close friend of mine just recently got engaged (so that invitation will be coming sometime in the near future), and one of my best friends’ wedding is tomorrow. Now I feel like everywhere I look, I am surrounded by love. 

Now I’m not saying that is a bad thing, but when every one of your friends are either having kids, getting married, or in serious relationships, it starts to feel a little discouraging. Is there something wrong with me? Am I the reason why I’m still single?-- No, I refuse to think like that! I could get a boyfriend if I wanted to. Maybe my friends are right though… Maybe I’m not putting myself out there enough. 

Anyway, one of my best friends, Karly, is getting married to her long-time boyfriend Travis tomorrow. I’ve met Travis, or as everyone seems to call him ‘TK’, a handful of times and I know he plays for the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team-- which is cool I guess, but other than that I don’t know much about his personal life or who he hangs out with. 

Karly and I met running into each other at a cafe once. Yeah, yeah I know it sounds like one of those cliche romantic meetings, where two people bump into each other and immediately fall in love. I mean we did hit it off almost immediately and from there we became like two peas in a pod-- just not in the way you think. I’ve always wondered though, if maybe I ran into a handsome man at a coffee shop or walking down the street, would I be having my happily ever after right now?

I snap out of my thoughts when an incoming call from- speak of the devil, the bribe to be. Before I can even say my greetings, Karly jumps right into business;

“Ok! So since you weren’t able to come to the dress rehearsal or rehearsal dinner. I’ll give you the rundown on what you need to do.”

Oh yeah, did I mention that I am one of the bridesmaids? Sadly, I was not able to attend the functions before the wedding due to not being able to get time off from work. But, Karly was super cool with it, which brings us to the reason for this call.

“Ok so basically, your dress and everything is already in the bridal suite, so everything will be ready for you when you get here tomorrow. You’ll be walking down the aisle third with one of Travis’ buddies Joel-- he plays on the team with Trav and he’s such a sweet guy he’ll definitely help you out if you need anything.. You know now that I think about it you guys would be such a cute couple-”

“Uh Karly? I don’t think now's the time to play matchmaker, when we should be preparing for your big day tomorrow.” I cut her off. 

“Alright, alright. But I will be coming back to that thought. Ok so anyway--”

After that I kind of zone out from trying to keep up with whatever Karly is spitting at me right now. While still on the phone, I pull out my laptop and search for the name ‘Joel’ with ‘Philadelphia Flyers’ next to it in search of this man who is said to be walking me down the aisle. Right away the name ‘Joel Farabee’ pops up with a wikipedia and multiple photos. Hm this guy is kinda cute. Just as I go to click view more images, Karly’s words register back in my brain;

“Ok y/n, did you get that?”

“Hm.. oh yeah! Got it. What time should I be there tomorrow?” I ask, praying that she didn’t already mention that and realize I wasn’t paying attention. 

“8 AM sharp,” she responds all giddy. 

I suddenly remember that my best friend is actually getting married tomorrow. Feeling giddy as well I reply, “Sounds good. I am so happy for you Karly and I can’t wait to see how beautiful you look tomorrow!” 

Karly does a little shriek in response and reiterates her excitement as well. We then say our goodbyes and I wish her a great last night as an unmarried woman before hanging up. I got back to what I was working on before the call and all my jumbled thoughts entered my brain, totally forgetting about a certain someone named ‘Joel’ as I exited the browser. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning I arrive at 8:17 AM at the wedding venue and as soon as I exit the Uber, I start booking it to the bridal suite. When Karly says to be somewhere at 8 AM sharp, you be there at 8 AM sharp, and I’m not particularly fond of facing her wrath today, especially on her wedding day when stress levels are through the roof. 

There’s just one problem though… Since I wasn’t able to attend the rehearsal, I have no idea where I am going. 

Trying to recall the directions Karly told me on the phone last night (when I wasn’t paying attention), I take a sharp turn around a corner looking the opposite direction and suddenly collide with a dead end. Wait- no that’s not a dead end, it’s a person. 

Immediately going to spit out an apology, I stop dead in my tracks when I make eye contact with the handsome man I bumped into. 

“Oh shit! I am so sorry. Are you alright?” I see his lips moving, which are very nice to look at by the way, but my mind doesn’t register his words as I stare dumbfoundedly at this handsome stranger. Who, now that I think about it, looks a little familiar. 

When I still don’t answer, the familiar stranger clears his throat before giving me a once over of my whole body, which does little to bring me out of my trance. If anything I now start to feel my whole face flush from noticing him obviously checking me out. 

His face then seems to light up in recognition before asking, “Wait, are you y/n?”

When he notices my look of confusion on how he knows my name he continues, “I’m Joel, Joel Farabee.” Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, I notice a slight blush coating his cheeks before he adds, “We’re paired to walk down the aisle together… Um, also I think Karly is looking for you. She was kind of freaking out a little.”

With that last sentence my whole body comes back to life realizing that I am late and Karly is going to kill me. Hurriedly I exclaim “Oh my gosh! I am so late and I have no idea where the hell I’m going.” I frantically search around for any directions to point me to the bridal suite.

Joel kindly puts his hand on my shoulder, which immediately ignites a fire on the skin he is touching, before he reassures “Hey, you’re good. Just take your first right down this hall and then it will be at the end of the corridor, you can’t miss it. Seriously. She hung up streamers and balloons everywhere with a poster on the door that says ‘Bridal Suite. NO BOYS ALLOWED’.” 

Letting out a soft snort I gently thank Joel before rushing in the direction he pointed me to. Before turning right, I sneak a quick glance over my shoulder to find Joel already glancing my way. My heart does a little flutter when we make eye contact and he gives me a little lopsided grin before going on his way. 

What just happened… 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As soon as I walk through the doors of the suite, I am immediately ambushed by the bride to be on why I was late, until she notices the deep blush covering my cheeks, which then prompts another ambush on what made me blush. 

I change the topic as quickly as I can and direct our attention on getting ready for the ceremony. Karly looks absolutely beautiful in her white gown and her hair all dolled up. She doesn’t even seem remotely nervous for today as well. Most weddings I have been to, the bride is always going batshit crazy making sure everything is perfect or worrying that her soon to be husband might back out. That just shows how happy and comfortable Karly and Travis are in their relationship. God, I wonder what it must feel like to have that kind of love that is so solid and healthy. Suddenly my mind starts drifting to what it would be like to have that type of relationship with Joel. 

Oh who am I kidding? I just met the guy. Sure, when his hand touched my shoulder my whole body felt like it was on fire. And yeah, maybe when he gave me that little lopsided grin it gave my entire stomach butterflies. Oh jeez. Today is gonna be a long day… 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ok now I feel like my whole body is going to explode. He is looking at me like I’m now the bride and he is the groom. And suddenly, I’m wishing that were the case. We are getting closer and closer to walking down the aisle together, and every step we take towards one another my stomach does a little flip. 

When we finally reach each other, he offers his arm for me to take as he speaks, “Wow… Uh yeah wow, you look gorgeous.”

Blushing, I respond with a quiet “Thank you.” 

“Guess I was the lucky one eh? In case I end up tripping and making a fool of myself, no one will even be paying attention because all eyes will be on you.” There’s that little lopsided grin of his again. 

“Well aren’t you a sweet talker.” I responded. 

He just gives me a subtle wink before we ascend through the doors and down the aisle where Travis is waiting for the big moment. He gives us both a little smirk before we part ways like he knows something we both don’t. 

…

Eventually Karly walks down the aisle looking like an absolute princess. The officiator says his whole ordeal, Karly and TK both say their vows to one another, there are lots of tears, and Joel and I can’t seem to keep our eyes off of each other. 

After the ceremony, we all head in the direction of the reception hall where the real fun begins. Don’t get me wrong, the wedding was spectacular, the way everyone expected it to be. Now as music filled the air with a giddy sort of elation, the newlyweds looking beautiful and so happy while dancing, friends and relatives chatting between one another about this and that; I can’t help but feel a little bittersweet about it. I want this. I want that giddy elation to be surrounded around me, I want to wear that beautiful white gown, I want the guy to be looking at me like I just hung the moon while we had our first dance. Where’s my happily ever after--

“You know you never properly introduced yourself?” 

Startled, I spun around to find the source. Joel. 

I give him a sweet smile before returning my gaze back to the happy couple and responding, “Y/n y/l/n.” 

He follows my gaze and lets out a little sigh before expressing “They’re perfect for each other, aren’t they?” 

“Yeah, they really are.” Before I can get another word in Joel blurts;

“Do you wanna dance? Like,” He stumbles a little with his words, “like with me?”

Letting out a soft giggle, I happily reply, “I would love to.” 

Seemingly relieved, Joel takes my hand and leads me out onto the dance floor as soon as a slow song comes on. He puts his hands respectively on my waist while I put mine around his neck inching him closer to my body. We dance with each other for a while, even after the song is over and a fast high tempo song blasts through the speakers. It’s like we are lost in each other, just savoring this ‘moment’ together. 

Eventually after the fourth song comes on and we are still dancing, Joel pulls away just a little to look me in the eye before softly whispering “Do you believe in happily ever afters?” 

Seeing that look in his eyes again, the one where it seems like he is looking at me like I just hung the moon? I answer in that same soft whisper, “Yeah… yeah I think I do.”

[reidingandwriting]

Chapter Two- “no body, no crime”

“No body, no crime. I wasn’t letting go until the day he died.”

Word Count: ~2300 words

Warnings: Drinking (legal), missing person, references to death & murder, mentions of an affair, mentions of guns and blood

Characters Mentioned: Neutral!Reader

Minor Original Characters Featured: Este, Lennox, Mark, Bella, Detective Hooper

A/N: I am soooo sorry for how long this chapter took to come out! Between college starting back up and spraining my wrist in a fall, it’s been impossible to write. But here is chapter two!! This chapter is where things really start to happen, and next chapter we’ll see some familiar faces again 😉 Anyways, I hope y’all enjoy the chapter!

Previous chapter

Next chapter

A few days later…

“I hope you don’t mind, but I might be pre-gaming for our dinner tomorrow.” You had said while on the phone with your friend Este the night before. “The last few days have been.. brutal.” You knew she could hear the shakiness in your voice, the remnants of the tears unshed as you tried to keep them at bay. But she didn’t say anything, and that’s why you loved her so much. 

“Be safe and I’ll see you tomorrow. Drink one for me.” You let out a teary laugh and hummed in agreement as you took another sip from your wine glass. “Love you, Y/N.”

“Love you, too. Goodnight.” “Goodnight.”

You rushed into Olive Garden the next day, a jacket over your head in an attempt to shelter yourself from the rain that started the second you parked at the restaurant. The cherry on top of your day. You fixed your hair haphazardly before you looked around the dining room, and you smiled when your eyes landed on your friend, at your usual booth.

“Y/N, welcome back. You know your way to your spot now, I’ll be right there with your usual.” Lennox, a familiar waiter, said as they passed you, a bright smile on their lips.

“What would we do without you, Lennox?” You offered a smile as you walked over to Este.

“I’m a big fan of the rained-on look, Y/N. Not many can rock that like you.” You rolled your eyes as you sat down across from her, and you took in your friend’s appearance. Her eyes were tired, the concealer applied a little heavier under her eyes than usual. Her outfit looked flawless, but her nail polish on her thumb was chipped. Her hair held their curls beautifully, except for the one curl that had been messed with until it was nearly straight- her nervous habit. 

“Oh, you know, nothing like a little rainstorm to spice up my outfit. Who needs to accessorize when you can get rained on?” You paused as your waiter came over with a glass of your favorite wine, and you thanked them before looking at Este. “You look tired.” You swirled your glass of wine before taking a sip, giving her a chance to speak. 

“I hate profilers, you know that?” She sighed but confessed. “It’s Mark. He’s been… off lately. I think he’s cheating on me.” You raised a brow at Este, setting your glass down to speak.

“Why do you think that?”

“He comes home from work late with the taste of cheap merlot on his mouth, and I got the latest bank statement. I don’t know what he got at the jewelers, but it isn’t mine.” She took a sip of her wine before looking at you, her eyes filled with determination. “I think I’m gonna call him out.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have any solid evidence yet, and I don’t want you rushing into something you might regret.” 

“Evidence? You’re making it sound like he committed a crime, Y/N. He may be a cheater, but he isn’t, like, a murderer.” Este drummed her fingers against the table. “And you’re right. I can’t prove it yet.” She paused as our food was set up at our table and didn’t speak again until the waiter walked off. “But I’ll catch him, and that’s a promise.” 

-

You sat at your usual booth, and you took small sips from your glass of water as you scrolled through your phone. You were distracted though, and it was obvious. Your eyes flickered from your phone, back to the dining room, back to your phone. It had been nearly half an hour since you arrived at Olive Garden, and you hadn’t heard from Este. Este had an occasional habit of running late, but she’d always text or call you saying she was on her way. You checked your messages and voicemail once more and frowned when you saw you hadn’t missed anything. You took another sip of your water as you settled back into the booth. I’ll wait another half hour, you decided.

-

Straight to voicemail. “Este. Call me back when you can, please. It’s been an hour, and I haven’t heard from you.”

Straight to voicemail. You dialed another number, panic beginning to rise in you. “Hi, Eleanor. Did Este come into work today? No? Okay, thank you. Bye.”

Straight to voicemail. “I hope you’re okay, but I’m so mad at you for scaring me like this. Let me know you’re okay, please? I’m calling Mark now. Love you.”

#

“The Fairfax City Police are asking for help regarding the disappearance of Este Williams. Mrs. Williams was reported to be seen last by her husband, Mark Williams, when she left due to an emergency call at work Monday evening. A friend of Mrs. Williams was supposed to meet with her on Tuesday evening, but Mrs. Williams never showed, leading to her husband reporting her missing that night. On screen is the most recent picture of Mrs. Williams and if anyone has any leads on her disappearance, please call the number listed below. An investigation has been opened and a local search and rescue will be organized.”

-

You couldn’t remember how long you had been in your car. You didn’t have a destination in mind when you left this morning, but you found yourself driving around Fairfax, around all of Este’s favorite spots. Sal’s Diner, the botanical garden, Wendy’s Coffee Shop. Everywhere you two frequented you had driven past that day, but there was no sign of Este anywhere. A week had passed since she was reported missing, and the local police department’s presence slowly faded into the usual patrols. Two weeks later, the search party had been called in and seemed to grow smaller and smaller with each passing day. Their discouragement was obvious due to the lack of findings regarding Este, whispers spreading through the streets that she had just left for bigger things. But you refused to believe your best friend had uprooted and disappeared without even a text. She had just been accepted into her doctorate program at Georgetown, she was supposed to attend her sister’s wedding. Something was off about this situation, and you spent your free time looking for anything that could result in finding your friend. 

By the end of the night, you found yourself in her neighborhood. You drove past her house, slowing to a stop when you noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway. You then noticed Mark’s truck beside the car, the usually dirty vehicle now cleaned to where it almost sparkled in the moonlight. You parked off to the side, and you strained to look into the windows of the home. You could see the brief silhouette of Mark standing, and a woman on the couch. The unanswered call and texts flashed through your mind, and you gripped the steering wheel, your knuckles turning white from the harshness of your grip. Deep breath, Y/N, relax. You took a deep breath and relaxed your fingers, turned your car off, and leaned back in your seat. Not your first stakeout, and it won’t be your last. You knew Mark was involved but you just couldn’t prove it. Yet. And when you can prove it, Mark better pray to every god above.

-

Days had passed since you first started watching Mark. Your days started to blend into a cycle: your new glamorous job cleaning houses, a quick trip home to change, then driving to Este and Mark’s house. There were moving trucks the other day, Mark’s mistress moving in. Into Este’s home, where she slept. The garden she grew was torn out and covered up, every sign of Este ever existing was disappearing day by day. Deep down, you knew you couldn’t do anything to Mark. You weren’t in the FBI anymore, you couldn’t touch him. But all rationality had flown out the window when your friend’s disappearance had reached a month. You had spent hours in your car, waiting for the perfect time to find any evidence that would prove what Mark had done. And finally, an opportunity jumped out at you. 

You had a day off work and you found yourself on the front porch of Este and Mark’s house. There was Mark’s truck in the driveway, and as you knocked on the front door, you had to control your emotions. Feelings of rage coursed through your veins, and you shoved your hands into your pockets. Inhale, one two three, exhale. You are calm, cool, and collected. The door swung open and you plastered on a smile when you were greeted by Mark’s face. 

“Mark, hi. How are you? May I come in?” Mark’s confused expression morphed into a nervous expression, but he nodded and stepped aside.

“Please, come in.” Mark smiled at you, but you quickly recognized the fake smile. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting company. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just want to talk.” You walked through the doorway, the weight of your gun tucked into its spot in your waistband, concealed by your jacket. “About Este.” You closed the door and locked it behind you.

-

“Bella?” You asked as Este’s sister answered the phone. “I need a massive favor.”

“Of course, anything. What is it?”

“If anyone asks, I was with you today. We spent the afternoon together. Boating.” A pause.

“Is everything okay, Y/N?”

“I promise I’m okay. Speaking of boating, the Potomac River is gorgeous this time of year. We should go soon. This weekend?” 

“Sounds perfect. I’ll bring drinks, you sound like you could use a few.”

“Trust me, B. This is the best I’ve felt in a long time.”

-

A knock on the door interrupted you from your reading, and you walked to the door. You opened the door to reveal a police officer standing on your front step. 

“May I help you, Officer?”

“Detective Hooper. May I come in?” Detective Hooper flashed his badge and you nodded, letting him in.

“Please, come in. Help yourself to a seat, can I offer you a drink?” You asked as you led him to the living room, where you sat on the couch. The detective took a seat on the opposite end, and you sat up straight, attentive.

“That won’t be necessary. Y/N Y/L/N, I was the detective assigned to the case of your friend, Este Williams. As you are likely aware, there’s been no new developments in her disappearance case. Until today.” Look shocked,  you don’t know this. You looked at Detective Hooper with furrowed brows. “What was a disappearance case has now evolved into a murder case, and I believe Mrs. Williams was the first victim, Mr. Williams being the second.”

“What?” You let your head fall back against the couch and screwed your eyes shut. “She’s really- they’re really? They’re dead?”

“We still have yet to find Mrs. Williams, but we received a call that led to us recovering Mark Williams’s body in the Potomac River.” Detective Hooper looked at you with what you believed to be sympathy. The best he could show it with his job, at least. Okay, a little more sad. Your bottom lip trembled as you rubbed your eyes, taking a shaky breath. 

“What are you going to do? To find my friend? And to get justice for her husband?”

“That’s what I’m here for. We have no leads in this case, and you’re the closest person to the Williams, except for Mrs. Williams’s sister. I have a couple of questions if that’s okay?”

“It’s okay.” You sat up. “Anything to help.” You answered a few questions about how you knew the Williams, emphasis on your background with Este, and questions that delved deep into the relationship of Mark and Este. Did they have any problems? Who were their friends? Their enemies? Then the questions turned to you. What had you done the day Mr. Williams was murdered?

“Well, I’d usually have work. Cleaning houses.” You thought back to earlier, where you washed the blood splatter off your face, then cleaned your car to perfection. “But I had a day off. So I went to the docks and got my boat, it was a beautiful day on the Potomac.”

“You have a boating license?”

“My dad made me get one when I was fifteen.” You smiled. “Birthday present.”

“Were you alone?” He asked and leveled you with a look, in an attempt to see if you’d crack. 

“Este’s sister was with me.” You didn’t hesitate. “Ever since Este’s disappearance, I’ve been spending more time with her than I did before.” You admitted. Detective Hooper studied your face for a minute before he sighed.

“Thank you for answering all my questions. If you can think of anything else that could help us solve this case, please give me a call.” He handed you his card and you took it, and you tucked it into your pocket. “I’ll get out of your hair now. Thank you again for your time.” You and the detective stood and you walked with him to the door. As he let himself out, you paused to speak. 

“Detective?” He turned around to face you again. “I don’t know if this is any help, but I’d check into Mark’s mistress.”

-

“An arrest has been made in the disappearance of Este Williams and the murder of Mark Williams of Fairfax, Virginia. Mrs. Williams has yet to be found, but Mr. Williams was found to be murdered. Investigations are still underway and if there are any clues on the location of Mrs. Williams, please call the number below to be directed to our hotline.”

Taglist: @spideyspeaches @ssa-sugar-tits @willowsbendtothewind-blog @lazy-bird-fanfics @spencerhotchner @lolychu @ajeff855 @averyhotchner @meowiemari @liagzs @herecomesthewriterwitch @colorful-quinn @haylaansmi @theroyalsaikou @boring-yet-creatively-odd @drreidsconverse @notyourcupofteax​ @catherine-nelson 🤍 Taglist and requests are OPEN, send an ask/message/whatever makes you comfortable to be added or send a request :))

[zaharadessert]

The Roommate (4/11)

Summary: Two pacts between friends, one Wedding, a change of plans and a Best Man who is not what Emma was expecting.

In other words, what happens when you make a marriage pact with your roommate, and he falls in love with your best friend when she brings over the wedding dress you bought together nearly ten years ago.

Rating: Mature (things do get saucy)

Notes: Huge huge thank you to @motherkatereloyshipper​ for the prompt for this fic. We ended up with a more cake situation, and this is the link to her fic… Another thank you to @ultraluckycatnd​ for being my beta once again, you do such an amazing job! Without you my commas would be so all over the place it isn't even funny! All art by me! I tried to keep it fluffy but I'm unable to contain the angst... sorry?

Tagging: @jrob64​ @xhookswenchx​ @kmomof4​ @wefoundloveunderthelight​ @superchocovian​ @lfh1226-linda​ @teamhook​ @jonesfandomfanatic​ @tiganasummertree​ @onceratheart18​ @snowbellewells​ @karlyfr13s​ @itsfabianadocarmo​ @ouatpost​ @winterbaby89​ @thepirateandhisson​ @xarandomdreamx​ @xsajx​

As always, let me know if you’d like me to add you to my taglist for future fics :)

Also on AO3

- - - - -

Emma called Elsa the next morning, and she’d immediately spoken to her boss. Apparently, they’d been thinking about expanding the business into America for a while and Elsa was selected to head up the process in person, which meant that she didn’t have to take all her holiday in order to attend to her duties as Emma’s Maid of Honor.

Her next call had been to her mother, who had been overjoyed and had wondered if there had been something going on considering how long she and Liam had been living together. The conversation was a bit of a battle, but Emma knew she had to jump in quickly to stop her mother planning this huge extravagant thing at home when all she wanted was a small, simple wedding here. She also had to tell her that she’d already bought a dress, but when she explained what had happened, her mother had called it fate and was all too excited to see the dress when Elsa brought it back to the States with her.

Wanting a small and inexpensive wedding, Emma and Liam took their time in planning, but they’d soon set a date, ordered a cake, found a venue, picked a florist, and booked a photographer.

With Elsa’s imminent arrival, they decided that it really was high time Liam moved into Emma’s room; neither of them wanted her friend to have to find somewhere to rent at such short notice. But even with them sleeping in the same bed, they still hadn’t taken that final step. It was getting to the point where Emma was wondering if they would get around to it before their wedding night, but Liam’s presence was so comforting that she wasn’t sure she minded.

Emma took the day off to pick Elsa up from the airport when she finally arrived, three months before the wedding. They talked non-stop from the moment they’d pulled back from their heartfelt hug. It had been so long since they’d seen each other face to face, and Emma had to admit that Elsa’s webcam didn’t do her justice. She looked amazing and was graceful in a way that Emma had never managed.

They both had so much to catch each other up on. Anna and Kristoff were expecting their first child, but would definitely be able to make it to the wedding and back to Norway before Anna wasn’t supposed to fly anymore. They were also planning to tack a short ‘babymoon’ onto their trip for the wedding.

Emma had been promoted at work and she had all sorts of stories to tell her best friend, but once they got back to the apartment, the talk turned to the wedding. Emma found that it was easy to be excited about the event that she’d been so serene over up until now.

“I’m glad you’re happy, Emma,” Elsa said with a smile.

“I am,” she agreed. “I honestly didn’t expect to be the one using that dress first,” she admitted.

“You saw it first, it’s only right,” Elsa said with a grin.

Emma smiled as she thought about the gown they’d found all those years ago and how she was going to feel, finally getting to wear it to say ‘I do’. Nerves stirred in her gut and for the first time since Liam had asked, it really hit her.

She was getting married.

The conversation turned to flowers and the colour scheme, and Emma didn’t realise how long they’d been sitting in the lounge talking until Liam unlocked the front door. Emma rose to her feet and went to meet him, pulling him in for a soft kiss before taking his hand and leading him through to the lounge, where Elsa was waiting to meet her best friend's fiancé.

“Liam, this is my best friend and Maid of Honor, Elsa Frost. Elsa, this is my fiancé, Liam Jones,” she said with a smile, looking from Liam to Elsa.

But what she saw when she looked at them in that moment made her world shift and she felt herself taking a step back to take it all in. The expression on Liam’s face was one she’d never seen when he looked at her, his mouth slightly agape and his eyes full of wonder and shock, the tips of his ears going pink. She swallowed and looked at Elsa, whose cheeks were flushed as she blinked at Liam, her eyes showing more in that moment than Emma had ever seen before.

She felt dread settle in her gut, her newfound excitement about her upcoming nuptials taking a complete nosedive. She had to look away from the obvious and instant attraction and longing between them.

It seemed to take an age before any of them managed to do anything other than stand there and let the moment happen. Liam cleared his throat, Elsa dropped her gaze, her pale eyelashes brushing her cheeks as she flushed a deeper shade of pink before looking back up at him.

“Pleasure to finally meet you, lass. Emma’s told me so much about you,” he said, stepping forward to shake her hand.

“Nothing bad I hope?” she replied, glancing across at Emma, a flash of guilt and apology in her eyes.

“All good, I promise,” Emma assured her, and her voice sounded distant and alien as her world seemed to crumble around her and her walls started to reconstruct themselves brick by brick with every disappointed heartbeat.

“I should go and shower, it’s been a long, hard day,” Liam said, his voice sounding strained.

“I’ll get started on dinner,” Emma said quietly as Liam paused, dropping an awkward kiss to her cheek before he hurried from the room.

Elsa shifted awkwardly before taking a deep breath, straightened her spine resolutely, and smiled. Emma knew it was forced. They may have not spent a lot of time together in the last eight years, but Emma knew her friend all too well. She knew that Elsa wasn’t going to act on what had just happened, just like Liam wouldn’t, and Emma felt terrible.

“Let me give you a hand,” she offered.

“No, it’s fine. You’re a guest, I’m sure you’re exhausted from travelling and we’ve been chatting for ages,” Emma insisted.

Honestly, she needed a moment alone to process what she now knew. She wondered if they knew she’d noticed, but even if they didn’t, she knew.

Emma should have known that this was too good to be true, that her quiet happiness was never meant to be.

She turned her back on her friend and headed to the kitchen. Once there, she had to steady herself with a hand on the counter and she pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle the wrecked sound that forced its way past her lips.

She loved Liam, she did, she had for a long time, but not like Elsa could. Liam would never love her the way he could cherish and care for Elsa; with a depth and sincerity that Emma wasn’t sure she would ever experience. Her and Liam just weren’t meant to be, and even as she stood there, feeling her heart break, a part of her was relieved. A part of her was more than okay at the idea of her two best friends in the world finding happiness together, even at the expense of her own.

She made herself move, made herself get on with preparing dinner.

She would not stand in the way of someone else’s happiness, she couldn’t.

Dinner was strained, with Elsa and Liam trying not to look at each other, and Emma forcing polite and casual conversation, doing her best to engage them both in it. They all avoided talking about the wedding, settling for asking Elsa a lot about her company going global and how she was looking to proceed with that, the timeframe, and if it meant that she’d be staying in California long term.

Sitting and watching a film afterwards was worse, Emma sat in the middle of the couch between them, wishing she was anywhere else. Liam didn’t make his usual comments, and Elsa was stiff on her other side, where she’d normally have relaxed at least a little by now.

They went to bed, and for the first time since Liam had moved into her room, their routine felt stilted, the usual ease of moving around each other was gone. Usually, Emma would have settled into the mattress close to Liam, snuggled safely and securely into his side, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not when she knew his thoughts were lingering on the other blonde in the apartment, even though he would never admit it. She lay on her side, as close to the edge of the mattress as she could get without falling out of bed, her back to him.

She didn’t manage to fall asleep for hours as her thoughts raced in her head and her stomach churned with guilt. Guilt for a situation that wasn’t even her fault.

Liam was out of the apartment before Emma’s alarm went off the next morning, the mattress cold as she rolled over with a smile on her face, momentarily forgetting the anguish of the night before.

But when she remembered, Emma wasn’t sure she could make herself get out of bed. It was only the thought of letting down the children she was supposed to have sessions with today that forced her to move.

The ring glinted in the bathroom light and she had to force back tears again as she turned away from the sight of it. A sight that now made her feel slightly sick.

She needed to talk to Liam, but he hadn’t even given her the chance to try and make this right.

Work was a blissful reprieve. Art had always calmed her, always helped her work things though, and by the time she got home that afternoon, only to find that Elsa had already started making dinner, she was resolved.

But again, Liam didn’t seem to want to give her the chance to say what was on her mind. Admittedly, she’d processed this far quicker than he would have expected, but it was so obvious, she would have been stupid to draw this out any longer.

That night, Liam stayed in the lounge while Emma got ready for bed, and she sat up waiting for him for half an hour before he finally came in, surprised to find her sat on top of the covers with her legs crossed and looking down at her ring.

“We need to talk, Liam,” she said firmly.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said dismissively. Clearly he’d done a lot of thinking himself, but Emma didn’t care about his good form or whatever he was going to use as an excuse.

“Please sit down and hear me out,” she pressed, looking up at him with tears already glazing her eyes.

He sighed and sat down on the other side of the bed.

“I need to give you this back,” she said, slipping the ring off her finger and holding it out to him.

“Emma,” Liam protested, but she shot him a look and he shut his mouth. He was stubborn as hell, but she needed to say this. She needed to make him understand that this was okay.

“You have made me so happy, but you have a chance to make someone else even happier, and she can make you happier, can love you more than I ever could.” Emma continued, knowing she was being stubborn too, but for the right reasons at least. “Don’t let me get in the way of you having a chance at real love, Liam, please. You should be marrying Elsa, not me.”

“I made you a promise, Emma. I’m not about to back out because I’m attracted to someone else,” he insisted, still not taking the ring.

“I’m not an idiot Liam, I saw the way you looked at each other yesterday, and I know we will never look at each other like that. We haven’t even had sex,” she added, exasperation creeping into her tone. “Yes, you made me a promise when you gave me this ring, but you made me another one before that.”

Liam frowned in confusion, and Emma realised she was going to have to remind him.

“No pressure, no hard feelings,” she said with a sad smile.

Recognition settled in his expression and he sighed, some of the tension in his shoulders fading with the flow of breath from his lungs.

“Really?” he asked, hope starting to spark in his eyes.

“I promise you, Liam, nothing would make me happier than seeing my best friends falling in love and finding the kind of happiness I can only dream of,” she told him, tears brimming in her eyes, but a smile on her lips.

“You are the best friend in the world,” he said simply, his hand closing over hers and leaning over to press his lips to her forehead.

“If you hurt her, I will kill you,” Emma told him fiercely, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Liam smiled and finally took back the ring that had sat on Emma’s finger for months now. She missed it more than she’d expected to when she’d first taken it off. That symbol that she was enough for someone.

“Now that, I believe,” he said, his smile growing a little with each passing moment. “If you’re sure, I should probably sleep on the couch.”

“When have you ever known me to do something I’m not sure of, but I think that might be a good idea. I know this is right for all of us, but it still hurts right now,” she told him. He’d been her confidant for years; when she couldn’t tell Elsa, she told him. He would understand the duality of her feelings as well as anyone.

“I’m so, so sorry, Emma,” he said, guilt and regret in his eyes as he looked at her.

“I know,” she assured him with a sad smile.

He nodded and stood up, grabbing his pyjamas and heading for the bathroom.

He didn’t come back.

It was ironic, really, the conversation with Liam was likely to be the easiest one she had to face over the next couple of days.