#it took grey's anatomy forever to work up to a plane crash. where do you even go from here

[takaraphoenix]

Grey’s Anatomy: Review

Took me four months, but I have successfully watched all 16 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy - and what there is of season 17. Figured it deserves some words.

HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS SHOW? SO MUCH?

(To set the appropriate mood for this and give you a TL;DR.)

That being said to open it up, it is most definitely not flawless. So let’s start there. For me, the one big flaw it has is really the writers’ cuckolding kink. So. Much. Cheating. And - worse than the cheating plots - the cheating apologism. They echo the exact same sentiment so often, that cheating is only one mistake and humans make mistakes. That’s... at one point, that stops being a plot device and starts to be very telling about the writer, to be quite frank.

That being said, let’s roll out the positive. And let’s kick it off with something that relates to all the cheating; so many forced love-triangles, but they usually don’t include toxic rivalries. It’d be so easy to have the men throw punches over the women or the women pull hair and scratch each other’s eyes... so many other rom-drama shows do it already, after all. But, honestly, the two lose ends on the love V (because these things ain’t triangles) usually have such a good dynamic with each other, ranging from civil to friendships to deep mentor ships - Meredith and Addison, Mark and Jackson, Cristina and Teddy? Seeing these dynamics, quite frankly, makes having to sit through a love-triangle-nonsense actually more than bearable.

The most impressive thing about the show is, to me, the amount of rep on it. I mean sure, the main lead is white and I’d estimate half the overall cast are white, but even from the get go - in 2005 - the ratio of white actors versus actors of color in the main cast was five to four. And they’re not background or side characters - I mean, two of them are, aside from Meredith, the only ones to still be around on season 17. They all have their own plotlines, their own relationships and troubles and struggles. It’s not just the Meredith show, not by far.

And beyond that, the queer rep on this show is... honestly mindblowing? I mean, seriously?

They introduced their first queer character in season 2, in 2005, when other procedual dramas that aired then in large parts just... never... added queer characters. And sure! Joe was only a recurring character and not a main character, but he was recurring for six seasons, he recurred a lot, he got established, he and his husband partook in the plot. And, again, this was just the beginning, back in 2005.

They’ve since then steadily broadened their horizon and become more inclusive.

Recurring and main character wise, we’ve had 5 lesbians, 5 bisexual women, 4 gay men and 2 trans characters over these 17 seasons. That’s a very solid list, honestly. If I look at other shows, again especially procedual dramas that are still largely aimed at a more conservative audience, the fact that we’ve had actual queer storylines in every single season since season 2? That’s amazing.

Even more so on the one-off characters, to be quite honest. Just... casually, this patient has two moms, this man is visited by his husband, here the child of the patient is nonbinary, look this patient is in a polyamorous relationship. Sure, those are only the one-off episodical characters, but you have no idea how much that matters too.

I know I’m repeating myself with this, but especially when compared to other procedual dramas, where the characters are often only queer when it’s important to the plot. He got beaten up and ended up in the hospital because he was gay. She got killed because she was trans. They’re motivational and important to the plot (and also usually used to victimize the characters).

The fact that this show, even 10+ years ago already, just... included queerness as part of our reality, included it casually, positively and repeatedly - really, it’s not just like it’s one episode per season like it’s some obligation, it happens a lot? For no actual needed plot reason, she just has a wife and she’s just happily married to her wife and that’s it, because queer people exist.

And I just, I struggle to express how much this casual rep means to me? And how it becomes even more amazing if you consider how long ago it started? And if you add to it the steady prominent recurring/main character rep?

Sure, it’s not perfect - the majority of their characters of color are black; it’s not overly diverse when it comes to what characters of color it included, it took forever to include the second Asian character and the first Muslim character and it could feature a broader variety of ethnicities, just like it could offer a broader variety of queer experiences, I mean it took them forever to introduce the first mlm main character and they have yet to include a bisexual man, I’d also just love to see an ace character or a polyamorous character, to paint a contrast to the sex-obsession and cheating plotlines - but... it’s doing more than many others and I do think it deserves praise for that and it keeps improving. They didn’t just add Erica and Callie as the first wlw couple and then stuck to only having two queer ladies on screen at the same time and never more, just constantly replacing Callie’s girlfriend. They kept adding more, they keep adding more.

Now, on to my absolute favorite thing about this show.

Because, let’s make one thing clear, I hate cheating and under other circumstances the amount of cheating on this show would have driven me off it ten seasons ago. But despite all of the very forced romance drama and sex obsessed allos on the show, that is not the show’s main focus.

This was never mainly about the romance. It’s always been about the platonic relationships first and foremost. Romances changed and broke up and got complicated, but what prospered were the friendships and found family relationships.

Cristina and Meredith are the defining relationship of this show. They are... friendship portrayed in a way I have never seen friendship portrayed before. The writing on their dynamic is just amazing.

And when Cristina leaves the show, the shift to Meredith-Alex and to the sister-dynamic between Meredith, Maggie and Amelia really works.

Personally, after watching the show, I’ve come to divide it into three arcs, each with a Part A and a Part B.

The first arc of the show - spanning seasons 1 to 5 - are about Meredith, Cristina, George, Izzie and Alex. And they explore the dynamic between those five and the individual relationships between them all, so very well. This was really found family done right.

Arc 2 is what I dubbed the rebranding arc - seasons 6 to 10. In Part A (s6 to s8), we got the focus on the Mercy West merger, ending in the horrific plane crash. While Part B is what I call the outfall, season 9 dealing with the outfall from the plane crash and season 10 being all about that Meredith-Cristina outfall.

I love Arc 1 a whole lot, it’s really good. I think Arc 2 is good too, especially the plane crash and its outfall were very gripping and well done, but I do think that this middle part earns the dub as rebranding because it feels like the show itself is trying to find its footing, trying to figure out a direction after MAGIC graduated into residents (and, inevitably, fell apart with the death of George and the departure of Izzie). It’s a bit unfocused on where it wants to go and I still loathe the big misunderstanding nonsense of season 10 (but am glad that Meredith and Cristina rekindled before Cristina’s departure).

Arc 3 is the sisters arc, where the Meredith-Maggie-Amelia dynamic rules, with a more uneven split between A and B, because A spans seasons 11 to 16 for me and is lovingly dubbed the Merlex arc by me, while B is just... season 17; the corona pandemic is really shifting the tone and focus and it coincides with the departure of Alex.

I’m more mixed on it than I am on the other two. For me, Cristina and Meredith just are the heart and soul of the show, so despite just how brilliantly they handled that all, I still miss them (though I greatly appreciate the fact that she still regularly comes up through phone calls, texts, etc). I greatly disliked Alex’s departure (which is a rant of its own).

On the overall, I would actually rank them in order - the first five seasons were my favorite, followed by the awkward middle because it still added brilliant things to it regardless, and despite coming in last, I do also love the second half of the show with the sisters in the focus.

I do admit that I had high hopes that Jo would become Meredith’s new person in season 17, considering the tremendous growth their relationship had - especially considering how Meredith crawled into Jo’s bed and was the one to coax what had happened with her mother out of her; that was “my person” behavior, quite frankly, and I also thought that Alex’s departure might bring them closer. I truly did not like Alex’s parting words to Meredith that she’s always been her own person.

Well, duh. Meredith Grey is an absolute badass. Which, also a thing I love a lot about this show. She is so incredibly strong and brilliant and takes care of herself.

But the point of her having her person was never that she needed someone else to stand in for her; it was to have someone around whom she didn’t have to be that strong. Someone she could come to to be weak around, someone to have her back when everything became too much. You just... can’t do that for yourself. So that sentiment was just incredible rubbish and I will be very mad if they truly have her embrace that nonsense, because she deserves someone like that.

Lastly, let’s talk romantic relationships. Very broadly, I assure you - I wouldn’t even have the patience to tackle them all, I mean seriously everyone has had sex on this show, or so it feels (no but seriously, the amount of overlapping ships on this show is ridiculous).

The only note I do have on that is that... nothing lasts forever. Quite frankly, the most “endgame” ships on this show are Richard/Catherine and Ben/Miranda (which, bless them, those two are literally my favorite of the canon ships). Everything else is just... fair game? They change, they break up, even if you absolutely hate a ship - don’t worry, it’s gonna end soon.

And occasionally, that... is even more rewarding than seeing a couple you do like get together? I mean, honestly, watching a ship you dislike for x reasons and then having them break up on screen and a character actually listing x reasons to the other’s face? Very carthatic.

I also have to mention the adoption positivity; Meredith and Derek adopt a child, not as a last resort after all else has failed, but simply because they fell in love with that little girl, Ben and Bailey took in Joey, because they have big hearts. So often, adoption is only shown as that very, very last option after you wasted thousands of dollars on all other biological options and then it is like a tragic compromise or something. Seeing them just... fall in love with this baby and adopt her and love her is so refreshing?

This show is just... really, really good? The writing is brilliant. I mean, this show made me laugh more than some comedies have? It’s funny, poignant and... not overly dramatic? I mean, of course it’s dramatic - it’s a drama. But it’s more... grounded. Even with some outstandingly extreme things happening, it is still very down to Earth, compared to other dramas that feel the need to go higher and more bizarre each season. It’s incredibly consistent, it includes so much rep and actual plotlines for every character, it really draws out relationships - familiar, platonic, romantic - in such great details.

I just really love this show.

[tabloidtoc]

Globe, November 30

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: The palace lured Princess Diana into death trap 

Page 2: Up Front & Personal -- Sienna Miller shooting Anatomy of a Scandal, former soap star Wanda De Jesus and longtime partner Jimmy Smits take a walk in Brentwood, Mama June Shannon gambles on plastic surgery 

Page 3: Billy Dee Williams may walk with a cane but he doesn’t let that stop him from taking the wheel in West Hollywood, Joey Fatone at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, Ariel Winter lugs around a massive roll of bubble wrap in L.A. 

Page 4: Courageous Al Roker has battled health problems for years and now his new devastating prostate cancer diagnosis seals his rep as the unluckiest man on TV

* Patrick Duffy and Linda Purl are proof that love can be just as wonderful in your golden years and now pals predict their whirlwind romance will lead them to an elopement -- the former Dallas star was heartbroken after his wife of 43 years died of cancer in 2017 but Happy Days alum Linda brought joy back into his life -- the greying sweethearts plan to spend the holidays with both their families and then go house hunting for their own place

Page 5: Kanye West thinks he’s so smart and wonderful and creative he’s showering bucks on a project to make a posse of his own personal mini-mes and he sees his clones as his gift to the world claiming it’s his duty to keep himself on the planet at all costs long after he’s gone so death doesn’t have to be the end of Kanye -- Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian has given Kanye permission to double down on himself -- he’s also fascinated by cryogenics and no one would be surprised if he arranges to have himself stored in a chamber when he dies so he can be revived years later 

Page 6: Britney Spears is having another family feud because she wants her dad Jamie Spears suspended immediately from his role as co-conservator of her estate claiming he installed a new business manager to run her $60 million fortune without consulting his daughter in what she brands a blatant attempt to get full functional control of her assets and books and records in the face of Britney’s objections

* Ryan Seacrest is turning into a bloated recluse as career and personal problems have worried pals thinking about an intervention -- he’s so devastated by his breakup with Shayna Taylor and the end of cash cow Keeping Up with the Kardashians that he’s shutting himself away for days on end and ignoring calls from friends and co-workers and only responding to texts and he’s stuffing his face with junk food and sloppy takeout and pizzas and he’s come close to belching on camera a few times 

Page 7: Devastated widow Paulina Porizkova who her bitter husband Ric Ocasek cut out of his will even though she took care of him in his final days suffered a shocking collapse -- she had gone to Costa Rica with her sons for a change of scenery following the death of Ric who was divorcing her -- she says she had a total nervous breakdown in the airport and they had to put her in a wheelchair to take her back to the plane

* Abby Lee Miller is learning to walking again -- the former Dance Moms star had been using a wheelchair after undergoing chemo for Burkitt lymphoma and having life-saving spinal surgery but she’s now cancer-free and recently underwent an elective operation to help regain mobility -- even though Lifetime canned her plan spinoff Abby’s Virtual Dance Off over charges she’s racist she claims to have a scripted show and two reality series in the works 

Page 8: Mike Tyson says he once used a prosthetic penis loaded with his infant son’s pee to pass a drug test during his hard-hitting heyday in the ring and although he swears he never took performance-enhancing drugs he has been blunt about his history of toking weed and snorting cocaine 

* Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond reveals she has a foster son named Jamar -- Ree who has four children explains she couldn’t talk about Jamar until he turned 18 and state agency restrictions no longer applied 

Page 9: Beloved Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek went to his grave harboring a bitter grudge against talk star and game show rival Regis Philbin -- Alex and Regis began their feud in 2000 when Alex slammed Regis’ Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? as a game show for dummies and Regis was deeply hurt by the dig and shot back that face to face if Alex says anything about Millionaire he’d just look him in the eye and say is that your final answer, Alex? 

Page 10: Inside the modern Mafia -- blogs and blunders and killer cops

Page 12: Celebrity Buzz -- Adam Brody shows off his bod in Malibu (picture), Lamar Odom was seemingly back on a marriage track to wed fitness instructor Sabrina Parr next year but Lamar’s engagement was abruptly called off amid ominous sparks of ongoing trouble for the athlete and Sabrina sad she’s no longer able to be by Lamar’s side while he seeks the help he so desperately needs, Mina Starsiak of Good Bones wants a postpartum tummy tuck pronto, things got bristlier than an old broom for Anne Hathaway groveling her way out of massive fan backlash for her appearance on The Witches remake for the insensitive way she portrayed a three-fingered witch with split hands, behind the scenes at The Tonight Show where Jimmy Fallon recently extended his lucrative contract to host the struggling late-night talk show past 2021 but his head writer Rebecca Drysdale lasted six months of butting heads with Jimmy and his cronies before getting dumped 

Page 13: Katie Holmes and boyfriend Emilio Vitolo Jr. (picture), Sean Stewart in a leg cast in Beverly Hills (picture), Busy Philipps puts on lip gloss on the NYC set of Girls5Eva (picture)

Page 14: Dave Grohl got scared stiff recording an upcoming album in an eerie L.A. home reportedly rocking with paranormal activity and when he got nosy about the place’s past he apparently got answers from the landlord along with an NDA form meant to keep him from spilling secrets, RHOBH star Kyle Richards’ half-sister Kathy Hilton is joining the show; socialite Kathy cold-shouldered Kyle and her husband Mauricio Umansky when he left her husband Rick Hilton’s real estate company to launch a rival biz 

* Fashion Verdict -- Jana Kramer 7/10, Michelle Dockery 4/10, Gretta Monahan 3/10, Charlize Theron 2/10

Page 16: Ailing pop star Phil Collins is being so publicly humiliated by his two-timing ex-wife Orianne Cevey who dashed his dreams of a permanent reunion by secretly marrying another guy pals now fear for his life -- Phil is currently battling Orianne in court over his $38.6 million waterside Miami mansion which she and new husband Thomas Bates have now agreed to vacate but Orianne is demanding half of the home insisting Phil promised her a 50 percent share when they moved into it in 2016 -- Orianne also claims that Phil became a hopeless addict in 2017 hooked on booze and pain pills and after two years of drug hell he was incapable of having sex and he stopped showering and brushing his teeth and had become a hermit 

Page 17: Troubled Jonathan Rhys Meyers crashed his car in Malibu and failed a field sobriety test and was slapped with a misdemeanor DUI 

* Teresa Giudice has found new love with business man Louie Ruelas just two months after divorcing deported jailbird Joe Giudice -- the Real Housewives of New Jersey star who has four girls with Joe hooked up with the dad of two and digital marketing whiz and both are very happy 

Page 19: 10 Things You Don’t Know About David Giuntoli 

* Sophia Loren says early in her career she told a director to buzz off when he suggested she surgically alter her nose -- she recalls telling the meddling moviemakers her nose is going to stay there forever and it has a lot of personality 

* Parkinson’s patient Michael J. Fox admits he may be forced to say goodbye to Hollywood because his short-term memory is shot and acting is getting tougher to do 

Page 20: True Crime 

Page 21: Desperate to salvage his tarnished reputation and career Johnny Depp is hoping to hook up with another Hollywood outcast in former co-star Angelina Jolie -- Johnny and Angie first flirted while filming The Tourist in 2010 but at the time Johnny was with Vanessa Paradis and Angie was with Brad Pitt -- Johnny recently reached out to Angie to jumpstart their friendship and he’s been sending her poems written with her in mind and suggestions for book to read and music to listen to and they’ve exchanged a series of emails and texts and talk on the phone quite a bit so Johnny has hope to win her heart and they’re making plans to meet in L.A. very soon but the ball is in Angie’s court and she’s open to having a little fun but don’t count on anything getting too serious 

* Johnny Depp’s career has taken another hit as he’s been axed from the Fantastic Beasts film franchise after a British court determined he beat ex-wife Amber Heard at least a dozen times

Page 24: Cover Story -- Princess Diana was lured to her death by a twisted dirty tricks campaign orchestrated by the palace -- acting at the direction of Queen Elizabeth’s hard-case husband Prince Philip British intelligence officers mounted a clever operation to drive Prince Charles’ emotionally fragile wife to the breaking point and they knew she was frantic and suicidal and vulnerable and played on her worst fears -- Diana’s own brother Charles Spencer has also broken a 25-year silence to expose a plot against the People’s Princess and he reveals forged documents and a whisper campaign hinting at treacherous betrayals fueled her paranoia and desperation and despair and pushed her into a decision that ultimately cost her life 

Page 26: Health Report

Page 30: Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis vowed to keep wailing ‘til the end but the 85-year-old stroke victim now spends his days listening to his old hits and staring out the window and his health has taken a tragic turn for the worse since he was clobbered by the stroke last year -- he’s hunched over and seems confused and he’s forgetful and can’t remember some of the lyrics to his oldest hits; he tries to play the piano and just can’t because his hands are so stiff and don’t move the way he wants them to 

* Mel B claims she’ll go bankrupt if a judge doesn’t lower the $500,000 she’s been ordered to pay her ex-husband and if the sum isn’t modified she will in all likelihood have to file for bankruptcy -- Mel and ex Stephen Belafonte divorced three years ago and have been slugging it out in court ever since

Page 44: Straight Talk -- lifestyle queen bees Martha Stewart and Gwyneth Paltrow are at each other’s throats but their furious feud is hard to understand because they’re not really in the same business -- Martha is the ultimate homemaker peddling recipes and furnishings and decorating tips while Gwyneth’s New Age-style Goop website is a sleazy sex shop with items normally found in tacky joints along West Hollywood’s sleazy Santa Monica Boulevard 

Page 45: Sinead O’Connor is taking a break to enter a one-year trauma and addiction treatment program after losing a loved one and she admits she’s been addicted to weed for 34 years but became briefly addicted to another drug following her loss

* Sean Connery’s wealthy widow Micheline Roquebrune could end up behind bars and fined a whopping $28 million if convicted of stiffing the Spanish taxman -- the tax-cheat case spans back to 1999 when Sean sold their Marbella mansion on the glitzy Costa del Sol; Connery’s lawyer and the mayor of Marbella and six other elected officials were jailed over a tax-cheat scam involving the property but in 2014 Sean was told he wouldn’t be prosecuted but now Spanish bigwigs say the case has not gone away and want to indict his widow for tax fraud

[kumkaniudaku]

She Said ___?

Warnings: Smut (18 +)

Ah, date night, the cornerstone of healthy relationships. 

For you and Chadwick, date nights came in random spurts. For the first three six weeks of your relationship, Saturday’s were set aside for both of you to turn off your devices and focus on each other. No distractions and no extra people; only the comfort of each other’s company. Unfortunately, the routine couldn’t continue this way forever.

The last month and a half was clouded with irregular work schedules, constant traveling and spotty physical interaction. If Chadwick wasn’t on a plane to promote or film, you were in another WNBA city to assist your team. In six weeks, you had only seen Chadwick three times, each of them when he was dozing from the activities of the day.

After a week of what-ifs, Saturday’s date night was set in stone. Despite hopping on a red-eye from Minnesota to Los Angeles and arriving to your condo only four hours before your next scheduled work day, the excitement of seeing your man carried you through the end of the week.

Standing in the kitchen of your condo, that energy twisted your wrist in time with with your hips to “Caught Up in the Rapture” by Anita Baker as you stirred the muffin mixture in front of you.

“I love you here by me, baby. You let my love fly free. I want you in my life for all time. Damn, Anita, we sound good,” you complimented at the end of the bridge. Anita’s sultry voice and the infectious melody of the song set the perfect mood for a quiet evening dinner.

Depositing the homemade mixture into a muffin pan, you continued to sing as visions of Chadwick ran circles in your mind. You thought of what he smelled like the last time you saw him and how his lips felt against your cheeks before he left. His gapped smile made you grin as if he were there for you to see him person. You missed him in a way that you didn’t think was possible.

When you caught a glimpse of your attire in the full length mirror leading to the living room, you did a pose to thoroughly examine yourself. The black, strapless “Luciana” dress was simple but form fitting, contouring your body in all the right places. Your feet remained bare to uphold the integrity of your white rugs and to show off your fresh pedicure. Chadwick’s favorite hairstyle, the braidout he saw you in when he crashed your housewarming party in Atlanta, sat just above your shoulders from a fresh wash and trim. If he didn’t think you were fine, he had to have gone blind in his time away.

You split your time between setting up the living room and watching the food in the kitchen as you waited for the doorbell to ring. Instead, the spare key jingling in the lock alerted you to a visitor. Chadwick shrugged his jacket off of his shoulders in record time before carefully placing the garment on the coat rack.

“Sunshine! Where you at?”

“In the kitchen, dear,” you cooed, rolling your eyes at the use of one of your many pet names.

Heavy feet that you prayed were free of shoes beat against the floor of your home until his tall frame rounded the corner into the open space. A split second exchange of wide smiles led to an all out rush to scoop you into his arms. The moment his body connected with yours, invisible sparks communicated the sheer excitement between you two. Your fingers danced in his coiled mane as you held his head close your chest before dropping your head to signal for a kiss. He spun you in a slow circle, pressing his lips against yours in rapid pecks.

“I missed you so much,” he murmured against your mouth as he gently placed you on the ground. His forehead pressed against yours to get a good look at your face. His arms crossed at the wrist around your waist, barely containing the urge to run his palms against the curve of your behind. “How’s my girl? You look good.”

“Better now that you’re here.” Your face screwed as you groaned, causing Chadwick to raise his eyebrows in curiosity. “Oh my God, that was so corny. Look at what you’re doing to me.”

“No, don’t blame me! You’ve been a closet cornball all this time, just waiting for someone to bring it out of you. Face it, you’ve fallen in love with the country boy you swore you didn’t want to be friends with.”

His cheeky grin made you roll your eyes in response though the smile on your face made your true feelings clear. He was right. “Oh shut up. You ready to eat?”

“Depends on what’s on the menu,” He flirted, lightly tapping your butt as you walked away. “You and this dress are about to introduce us to parenthood in about nine months.”

“Then you can be a daddy and a daddy.” Your stress on the second ‘daddy’ made his eyebrow quirk as he took a seat at the table. “So, how was filming? Tell me all about it.”

“There isn’t much to say about it, baby. Five AM call times, craft services, you know, the usual. I need a hot shower and a chest to lay on so I can actually get a good night’s rest. One day, I’m gonna take you with me.”

“I keep telling you I can’t just leave my job to follow you around the world. That’s a privilege reserved for wives, remember?”

“Yeah but, it’s worth a try.”

You planted a kiss on his puckered lips while sliding his plate in front of him. The steam wafting from the fresh, stuffed salmon and vegetables on the dish set off a series of quiet rumbles in his abdomen to remind him of what he missed during his absence. His mostly vegan diet would have to take a backseat tonight. Your plate was the next to hit the glass surface of your small dining table before the blessing was presented and dinner could officially commence.

Conversation flowed effortlessly, moving from work to family, a trace amount of celebrity gossip and back to work with no issues. Chadwick listened with a smile as you recounted office spats and a grueling flight schedule that introduced you to the flight attendant from hell.

“Then, she acted like she didn’t see my light on and walked right past me three times. You know I try to be nice-”

“Do you,” he questioned with his hand on his chest and an incredulous look on his face. 

“I said try,” you laughed along with Chadwick. “But, she was really burnin’ my biscuits!”

He nearly choked on his water to stifle his laugh, “Baby, what does that mean?”

“Burnin’ my biscuits? You know...she was making me upset. C’mon, you never heard that one?”

“Never. And I’m supposed to be the country one!”

“Anyway, that’s been my week so far. People getting on my last damn nerve and counting the days until you could come back to me.”

“Well,” he started, grabbing your left hand and running the pad of his thumb over your bare ring finger. “I’m here now. We can pick up where we left off.”

Heat rushed to your cheeks as you turned your head to hide your smile. Had you stared any longer, eating dinner would have surely turned into something much more adult against the dining room table.

“You gon’ help me wash the dishes? The faster we get this done, the quicker we can get to the fun stuff.”

“I like where this is headed. What kind of fun stuff,” he questioned while standing up to follow you into the kitchen. He remained hot on your heels until his chest was pressed against your back and trapping you against the sink. His fingers traced circles from the top of your thighs until they clasped across your stomach.

“Season three of Grey’s of course!” You peeked over your shoulder to find him rolling his eyes. “Oh, so, now you don’t wanna watch Grey’s Anatomy?”

“I was hoping to look at your anatomy but, we can binge if you want. Just let me go grab something from up front.”

“Baby,” you whined as he placed a kiss on your bare shoulder before starting his journey to the front door. “We agreed on no phones during our private time.”

“I’m just texting my mama to tell her I’m back and then I’m all yours, okay?”

You grumbled an okay, not able to to offer a rebuttal. What kind of person would you be to complain about him texting his mother?

While you cleaned the kitchen, Chadwick fought to get his heartbeat under control. His fingers trembled as he held the Cartier box in his hand, wondering if now was the right moment. He spent the better part of four weeks battling his inner self over the decision to customize the jewelry in the expensive package and present it to you. He was sure of his feelings, and he felt like he was sure of yours. Still, nothing could prepare him for whatever reaction awaited him.

“Hey, baby. H-how do feel about marriage,” he called from his spot near the coat rack.

You cocked your head back at the abrupt nature of what you assumed was a random question.

“To you or in general?”

“Start with in general.”

Chadwick took a deep breath and stuffed the box into the back pocket of his dark wash denim before returning to the kitchen. Taking one look at your brown skin absorbing the light of the room was all he needed to go through with his plan.

“I mean, marriage is beautiful. If you love someone that much, why wouldn’t you spend the rest of your life with them? What is life if you don’t have someone to share it with, ya know? At least that’s how I look at it.”

“Do you see yourself being married?”

You took a moment to smile at the fairytale you created from the moment you could understand the basic concept of love. “Yeah...I do. One day, I guess. At least I hope. Time seems like it’s winding down for me though.”

Hearing the words leave their private space in your brain made your muscles tense in response. You expected to be married well before this point in your life. Your career was set in stone, dating was rarely an issue and, yet, your ring finger was still empty. The comments from nosey aunts and family friends only created a complex and made you wonder if you were marriage material. Were you too independent for a man to find you suitable? Why were you worried about a man’s approval in the first place? You were an amazing woman without the title of wife...right? All of these questions and more ran in a constant loop whenever your mind would drift.

Chadwick took in your words and removed the box from his pocket. The time was right. He didn’t need anyone to tell him because he felt it. Through the jitters and rapid heartbeat, he could feel God giving him the okay to continue.

“What about marrying...me?”

“Aaron, you know how I-” your words dissolved into a soft gasp as you turned to face him.

His big brown eyes, the eyes you imagined on your future children and the eyes that always seemed to look into your soul, gazed at you with a fire of hope burning behind them. On one knee, he knelt to ask you the one question you never thought you’d hear.

“It’s been a long time for us, right,” he laughed to release some of his nerves. “I know that I love you. I’ve known for way too long. I should’ve done this when you were keeping me sane in New York but, I wanted you to have the best and I couldn’t give it to you. I waited too long but, God gave me the chance to get it right. It’s only been three months officially but, it feels like a lifetime. When I’m away from you, you’re all I can think about. I make decisions based on us now and I’ve never done that for any woman before. I want you to have my last name and be beside me through all the good and bad shit that life throws at us. All I need is your permission. Will you...marry me?”

“Are you being serious?” The moment the question left your lips, you knew that your doubt was unfounded. Still, you needed to know.

“Of course I’m being serious. I got a bad knee. I wouldn’t be down here just to play around, Tasha. If the answer is no, just tell me. I won’t be mad.”

“Yes!”

“Yes the answer is no or y-”

“Yes, I’ll marry you!”

Your mad dash toward him provided enough time for him to stuff the box into his pocket and welcome you into his arms. Your lips connected in a kiss laced in passion and love, fitting together like the final pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. His large hands pressed against your behind to push your body closer to his as he explored your mouth with his tongue. You traced tight circles at the nape of his neck while you moaned into the kiss from happiness and the growing arousal. Chadwick was the first to pull away, sporting a goofy grin as he watched your eyes flutter open.

“Can I put the ring on you now or would you rather we skip that part?”

“Ring,” you questioned in your daze. “Oh y-yeah, the ring...let’s do that.”

He chuckled at your stutter as he retrieved the item in question from his pocket. Gripping your wrist, he pulled your hand to press a kiss against your knuckles.

“Just to be sure, Tasha Nicole Green, will you marry me?”

“Yes! Yes today, tomorrow and everyday after that. Yes!”

Your feet danced in anticipation as he opened the box to reveal the most beautiful ring you’d ever seen. Nestled in the ivory lining of the box sat the oval Cartier Destinée Solitaire ring that you fawned over during a quick shopping trip. You didn’t even know that he was watching you because you never said a word. Now, here it was, sliding onto your finger as if were made specifically for you. You couldn’t help but stare at the ring with wide eyes as it sparkled in the light.

“Do you like it?”

“It...it’s beautiful. I don’t know what to say.”

“You said everything I need you to say,” he pressed a long kiss your lips. “All I wanna hear after this is you moaning my name. Hearing it over the phone the other night wasn’t good enough.”  

______________

Moonlight and the R&B playlist from your phone swathed your bodies as they created a song and dance of pure love. Chadwick hands pressed against the back of your knees to keep your legs steady while he moved in and out of your body at a tantalizing pace. As much as your whines and whimpers urged him to speed up, he wanted this moment, this feeling, to last forever.

He watched your slick entrance stretch to accommodate him, nearly pushing him out as your walls clamped around him. You were close for the second time and he was ready to give you the release you’d been begging for.

Releasing his grip on your legs, he placed your ankles on his waist and leaned into your body. His lips kissed across the top of your breast to your throat, nipping and sucking at the spots he knew you would react to. When he reached your ear, his kissed the spot below the lobe before whispering into it.

“You feel so good, baby. Do I make you feel good?”

“Yes,” you gasped as his hips snapped against yours. His short strokes came with a force that rocked your entire body. “Please...don’t stop.”

He took a moment to stop sucking at the sensitive skin on your neck to lock eyes with you. Your request was simple but had the power to drive him absolutely insane. He’d been with other women, some proclaimed to be fantastic lovers, but none held a candle to you and the way you made him feel. Your voice calling his name in reaction to his hips winding into yours in time with Any Time, Any Place sent him to Heaven and back. To slow the building eruption in his lower abdomen, he closed his eyes for a moment to focus on his movements.

Your ankles locked at the small of his back, sending him deeper inside of you as you continued to moan his name. Words were hard to come by, resulting in the chanting of praises for your man. He looked down at you with his pupils blown wide in response to the stimulation and bottom lip drawn between his teeth. He loved seeing your eyes rolled back in pleasure as your back arched off the bed, pressing your hardened nipples into his broad chest. The sting in your legs only increased when he pressed his chest into yours to push your back against the bouncing mattrea and intertwine your fingers with his. Your engagement ring caught the moonlight and created a spectrum of colors on the wall across the room.

“I love you, Tasha.”

“Ooooh...I-I love you, too. I’m - I’m-”

“Do it with me, baby. Let it go. Let me hear you.”

His grunts and groans seamlessly combined with yours as both of you came. Your legs trembled with each additional stroke, contributing to the ringing in your ears and black specks clouding your vision. He continued to snap his hips into yours, leaving him throbbing inside of you. When he was completely empty, he pulled his face from the crook of your neck to look into your eyes. Chadwick waited for your breathing to slow down and your eyes to open before he attacked your lips with kisses and murmured thanks.

“Let’s get married tonight. How long is it from here to Vegas,” you laughed from your spot underneath his body.

“Why so soon?”

“If this is a sin and it feels this good, imagine what married sex is like. I need to know like, right now. C’mon, go start the car!”

“Uh uh, slow down,” he answered, pushing your body back to the mattress when you tried to sit up. “We’re gonna do this the right way. My mama will kick my ass if I got married and she wasn’t there. Then she’d kick yours when I tell her it was your idea.”

“You’d snitch on me that quick?”

“Is it snitchin’ if it’s the truth,” you giggled along with your fiance as he moved to roll off of you. He propped his head up with his hands and allowed the other to drape across your waste. Turning to face him, you brought your hand up to caress his face and accept a kiss to your palm. “One year. Give us one year to put together the wedding you deserve.”

“You sound like you’ve been planning without me.”

“Something like that. I have a planner picked out already. She has some ideas that I think you’ll like. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll set up a dress fitting in whatever boutique you choose.”

“Baby,” the tears that you managed to hold in during the proposal slid down your cheeks in appreciation. Your lips found his in a soft kiss as he used his thumb to wipe the damp area under your eyes. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Buuut, we can talk about this in the morning. Tonight,” he started, pulling your body on top of his, “is for more anatomy. What season are we on again?”

“Three, I think.”

His hands pushed your hips forward to motion toward his face, “Season 3, huh? That means you owe me a least what, three more orgasms?”

“I don’t really see how that correl-ooooh shit.”

His tongue and lips against your center brought forth an uncontrollable shiver against his face. It took his fingers pressing into the small of your back to start up a grinding motion while he groaned and smacked during his meal. He was working on orgasm number two and, dammit, you were gonna give it to him.

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