#like i was there an hour and a half and the waitress got snappy with me because i wasnt being efficient enough

[616nightcrawler]

im really bummed bc i want to work, i like working, but office work is horrible and soul sucking, and retail, which i'm good at and genuinely enjoy doing, means ill get yelled at and treated badly no matter how hard i try because i'm not good at being a person. even if i try so hard. even if everyone else says i do good work my bosses or that one bootlicker mean coworker always find a reason to hate me. i just want a simple job i can do 20-30 hours a week so i have time left over for hobbies where nobody is mean to me but that's like. too much to ask for apparently

[adorethedistance]

Like That - Mat Barzal x Reader

Hockey Masterlist

Warnings: Swearing (?), angst, mentions of drinking/bars

Words: 3022

Summary: Mat accidentally stands you up for your evening dinner date, and with the help of a certain furry friend, he does what he can to make it up to you.

A/n: It’s here, the day I’ve been delaying forever! Lmao this is the first full hockey fic I’ve written and what better way to spend Mat’s birthday than to post my first hockey fic?

8:15 PM

“Could I just have a water for now?” I politely ask the waitress whose nametag lets me know she’s called ‘Donna’. She’s petite and snappy in stature, and I estimate she can’t be any younger than 60 years old. Her face is round and sweet, and her hair is so big and blonde she reminds me of Dolly Parton.

“Of course,” she smiles politely and leaves me with the menus on the table.

This diner is probably the most deserted diner in all of New York, that is, as deserted as Long Island can be. Patrons of all ages from high school kids to retirees litter the floor, their tired frames seeking refuge in their seatbacks. The occasional clinking of silverware accompanies the pop music playing from the retro jukebox by the host’s stand. I’ve only been here twice before tonight, but every time I’m here I have the same thought: why don’t I come here more often?

“Alright, one water,” Donna is back in a flash, placing the cold glass on the table, “Can I get you started with any appetizers or are we still waiting for the gentleman friend?”

Mat and I are supposed to meet for dinner after his game tonight which ended around 8. So I got a little trigger happy and left as soon as they won, sue me. Though he did score tonight, Ebs and Wahlstrom were the ‘stars of the game’ and they stayed for the post-game interviews. Therefore, he’ll be here any minute.

Donna’s choice of words makes me laugh lightly before responding,

“Still waiting if that’s alright.”

“Sure thing, babe.”

9:09 PM

By the half-hour mark, I had sent him a couple of texts. Where are you? Is everything okay? Should I order something for you? I’m just gonna order for me. No response. At first, they weren’t delivering which made me think the diner was some sort of dead spot for service. Excusing myself politely, I told Donna I’d be right back and stepped out to see if I had better service outside. Three bars 4g. It was him, not me.

My concern was dissolved when the messages finally delivered, but still no response. When I head back inside the host gives me a small smile that I don’t want to interpret right now. I’m polite but don’t prolong the interaction, and settle back into my booth warily. I check my phone once more, but there’s still no response. The sigh that escapes me is involuntary and a little louder than I anticipated and catches Donna’s attention right away. She spends a total of two seconds observing the anxious look on my face before saying,

“Why don’t we get some food inside your system, hun? What is it you want?” I scan the menu once more before ordering the same meal I always get, and handing her my menu. She moves to take Mat’s but I gently place my fingertips on the end that’s still against the table,

“Could I hold onto this? For when he gets here?” Donna smiles softly and nods her head. There’s a glint of an idea that flashes across her eyes and she looks around the floor to grab the attention of the host: a sun-tanned teenage boy that can’t be any taller than 5’7”.

“Would you take this menu and put her order in?” She asks and the boy nods when she hands him the order ticket. Donna pats the boy’s shoulder as he passes by her and when he’s out of sight she turns her attention to me. “Who’s this man you’re meetin’ tonight, sweet pea?”

“Well, his name is Mat, and he’s my boyfriend,” I gush. Just telling her his name makes me giddy and getting to call him my boyfriend makes me smile from thinking about how much I love him.

“Mhm, and how long have you been datin’ this boy?”

“Whew, uhmm. Not quite two years.” Donna looks over my head pensively for a moment, and then returns her attention to me to ask,

“Has this ever happened before? Him being so late like this?”

It’s my turn to get lost in thought as I try and recall any similar occasions.

“I mean, twice, yeah, but it’s always been out his control or within good reason. One time his plane was delayed and the other his mom was having a health emergency… But he always called when that happened…” I mutter in disbelief and realization. Donna nods understandingly but her eyes are telling a different story, one of the ‘let’s really think about that for a moment’ variety. She leaves without another word and I pull my bottom lip between my teeth.

9:53 PM

I’ve finished my entire meal and two calls later, still no sign of Mat. I told myself I’d wait until 10:15 when two hours had passed to finally go home. He’s running out of time… then again so am I. Opening Instagram to kill the time, I decide to tap through some people’s stories and smile upon seeing Beau’s put something on his close friends list. It’s a video of Marty and Cizikas racing to see who can chug a pint the faster and the sound of Beau’s laugh over the pounding music makes me laugh. My smile is gone as fast as it came when he turns to the left to show Mat shaking his head in disapproval. I don’t believe my eyes. When the story flips to the next account I immediately tap back and rewatch the video.

I watch it over.

And over.

And over.

Finally holding down on the screen to pause the video.

“I’m off here in a few minutes, sugar, but can I get you anythin’ else? A desert or somethin’?” Donna’s voice catches me off guard and I blink away my shock and disappointment. She takes my now empty plate from its place in front of me and I simply shake my head.

“No, just the check, thank you.” Donna looks at me pointedly, as if I’d asked her if she was a waitress.

“We got your check covered, dollface. Don’t even worry about it.” I open my mouth to object but she stares at me even more pointedly than I believed was humanly possible; I slowly press my lips together in a straight line.

“Thank you. For everything.”

“No problem.” She gives me one last warm smile and disappears into the kitchen, presumably to take off her apron. I decide to leave her a $10 tip on what would’ve been around a $14 bill.

One last thanks.

10:22 PM

I cycled through all five stages of grief on the car ride home, and the emotional exhaust of the day makes me tear up on my own front doorstep; I have never been so happy to hear my cat Luna screaming at me from the other side of the front door. I leave my key in the lock when I open the door so I can immediately hold my cat for comfort. She affectionately rubs her head on the underside of my chin.

But I can’t stand in the doorway forever. So, I carry Luna into my bedroom and drop her on my bed while I grab my pajamas for after I shower. My comfiest pair of leggings, a pretty and lacy pair of underwear I love, and the shirt Mat had been wearing earlier in the day when he slept over two nights ago. It still smells like him and I tear up thinking about how he’d forgotten about me.

Luna stays with me, perched on my bathroom sink, watching over me as I soak away my troubles. She stays with me, prancing closely behind when I drag myself into the kitchen to tidy up the space. She stays with me, sitting on the back of the toilet as I brush my teeth. And she stays with me, sprawled across my feet when I curl up in my bed and rewatch my favorite season of Criminal Minds.

1:17 AM

I’ve lost count on how many episodes I’ve watched when I hear a shallow but firm knock on my front door. It startles Luna and she curiously hops off the bed, scurrying toward the continuous knocking. There’s no doubt in my mind who it is as only one person would be here at this time.

I’m so tired I debate just letting Mat tire himself out before he’d finally leave and we could talk about it tomorrow. But that idea is quickly scrapped when 1) Luna begins meowing at me to let in the intruder and 2) I remember who I’m dealing with. Mat doesn’t give up.

I should’ve rolled over and gone back to bed.

If it weren’t for how exhausted I currently am, I probably would’ve just let Mat keep up the relentless banging until one of my neighbors told him off for me. But, since I didn’t want to have any noise complaints filed against me, I open the front door just wide enough to wedge myself between it and the doorframe. Though relaxed against the frame, my position is defensive, arms crossed pointedly, blocking the frazzled brunet entry.

“It’s one in the morning, Mat. What are you doing here?” The anger that I had just resolved begins bubbling back up to the surface.

“Can- can I come in?”

“Why?”

“Oh, come on, babe, don’t be like that.”

“I don’t know what you mean by ‘like that’.” My inflection is sharp, combative. I have this selfish desire to wish he’d feel the upset that I felt, but I shove it down as best as I can.

“That! Please just let me in.” Returning to my previous train of thought about wanting to avoid any noise complaints from my neighbors, I ask one more qualifying question,

“Have you been drinking?”

“Stone cold sober. Swear to god.” I sigh aggravatedly and roll my eyes before stepping aside to open the door wide enough for Mat to come in.

“I’m so sorry, Y/n.”

“We can talk it out in the morning-”

“I fucked up.”

“I know.”

“And I’m so sorry.”

“I know.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Yes, I’m mad. I mean, call me crazy, but I don’t enjoy the feeling of being forgotten.”

“Baby-”

“Every person in the diner tonight gave me that pity smile that you use to comfort strangers. The waitress wouldn’t even let me pay for my food, that’s how sorry they all felt for me.”

“I-”

“You could’ve at least texted.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, but it was because I didn’t have my phone on me,” he stops to allow me room to interject, and when I don’t, he keeps going. “My phone died at the arena and so I was going to charge it once I got to the car. Then Ebs reminded me I was next to be designated driver and in driving the guys there, I forgot about our plans, and when I went in the bar with them, I left my phone in the car to charge. That’s why I didn’t answer your calls.”

“You forgot about me,” I say in a hushed voice, more to myself than him.

“Please baby- let me make it up to you!”

Realizing Mat will probably want to hash this all out tonight, I head into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for myself. My apologetic boyfriend follows closely behind and having him follow me makes me look down in confusion when Luna is not by the door where she just was. In the kitchen, I see she’s perched on the newly cleaned countertop, watching in mild interest. Mat immediately spots her on the white tile and beelines to pet her. She gratefully accepts his affection and I can’t suppress the scoff that escapes me at the sight of how easily she accepted him. Luna has always loved Mat, and at times, more than she loves me which is not helping me stay mad at my boyfriend at the moment.

I was fully expecting to come home and fall asleep, but sure enough, Mat is here pretty as ever, in my apartment at 1 AM.

If Luna could understand the concepts of time and dinner dates, she wouldn’t be all cuddled up to Mat the way she is right now... I hope. She even allowed him to pick her up, which is something that I’m not successful at 100% of the time. He’s got her tiny, black, furry body in his left arm and his right hand delicately scratching the top of her head.

“Hi, Lu.” Luna then purrs as if responding to Mat, and if I weren’t so upset, I might’ve found it sweet. “I need some advice. I fucked up. Your mom is really mad at me right now, rightfully so, but do you think she could find it in her to forgive me? Huh? What’s that?” Mat then lifts her gently by the torso to put her face near his ear, as if she’s whispering some insightful wisdom to him. Luna then meows seemingly in response to Mat’s questions.

“See, I already tried that. Just saying sorry isn’t gonna cut it. I need to do something else.” His immediate focus is on the silky black cat in his arms, but I know he’s really directing every sentiment at me to try and crack my pissed exterior from where I stand behind him in rising amusement. Another meow prompts him to keep talking, this time dropping his volume to the level of a stage whisper, “You’re right, that would be sexy, but I don’t think your mom is in a very sexy mood right now.”

I can’t help the snort that escapes me, and Mat grins brightly at the prospect of making me laugh. His ability to knock down the walls I had put up eggs him on to keep making me laugh, “That’s true, I could sleep with her in a not sexual way. You of all… people…? Know she likes cuddles. Maybe she’ll let me if you ask for me.” Mat recovers from the cowered position he’d been side-eyeing me from, and cradles Luna in his arms. He then approaches me with caution, my still salty expression making him want to hide behind my cat, which he does. Mat extends his arms to put me face to face with Luna who meows in apathy.

“Mom, you know your boyfriend Mat?” I suppress a smile as he awaits an answer. Fine, I’ll play this game.

“Yes, I know my boyfriend Mat.”

“Well, he’s very sorry he stood you up, and I think you should let him stay the night and forgive him because it’s terrible when mommy puts daddy in the doghouse.” Mat’s charade is punctuated by a loud meow signifying Luna is getting tired of being held like that; I begrudgingly allow myself to smile at the sheer ridiculousness.

“Well, then it’s a good thing mommy has sole custody so you don’t have to worry about any doghouse.” Mat's confidence doesn’t waver and in a last-ditch effort, he adjusts his grip to extend her right paw to touch my nose with a legato ‘boop’.

“Alright, give me my cat.” Gingerly, Mat lets me take her from his grasp, but as soon as I have her, Luna chirps her ‘drop me’ meow in defiance and then saunters over to affectionately rub her head against Mat's leg. “Unbelievable.”

Mat laughs lightly but his smile disappears when I push my back off the countertop I’d been leaning on, and head for my bedroom. My boyfriend trails behind nervously, unsure of what exactly my silence means.

When I reach the side of my bed, I close my previously opened laptop. As my body comes to a mostly stationary position, Mat wraps his arms around my waist and holds my body tight against his. In between pressing kisses all over the back of my neck, Mat whispers gentle ‘I’m sorry’s and I can tell he feels absolutely terrible. Good.

“We can talk about it all tomorrow, but I’m just too tired to do this now.” Luna, having followed the two of us into my room, leaps up onto the bed and monitors Mat with a watchful eye.

“Can I stay the night?” He whispers, his lips ghosting over the skin of my neck. I open my mouth to respond but I’m cut off by Luna’s dictatorial meow.

“Yeah? Well, it’s not up to you, missy.” It’s Mat's turn to laugh at my conversation with the opinionated little feline; I let my guard down by a millimeter to contentedly rest my hands on Mat’s forearms that rest on my hip bones.

“You can stay, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still mad at you.” Mat presses a kiss to my cheek and mumbles a relieved ‘thank you’ before releasing me from his grasp. “If you want to change, I’m sure I have one of your shirts around here somewhere, but I already returned the sweatpants I borrowed the other day.”

“That’s okay,” Mat dismisses me, and before I can double-check, he’s already pulling his black t-shirt over his head. It’s hard to stay mad at him when he looks like that, but I blink a few times and shake my head to ground myself. With just one look, he laughs breathily because knows my exact train of thought, and I mentally curse into the universe for Mat knowing me so well. He’s unfairly gorgeous without even trying with his toned body and those damn Calvin Kleins. It’s like I can practically feel how I look like a total mess in comparison.

I flick off the overhead light before sliding into bed, and immediately Luna comes to lay on my legs; as I reach over to turn off my bedside lamp, Mat gently picks Luna up to move her over before taking her spot, laying on my legs.

“Mat, what are you doing?”

“‘M really sorry.”

“I know.”

“I love you.”

“I know. I love you, too.”

***

A/n: let me know thoughts ! If you like this/want more hockey content let me know, because this fic took longer than I’m willing to admit and I want to make sure there’s enough interest for this kind of content.

[chxrrysangel]

The Diner

Part Two | Masterlist | Part Four

Summary || Bucky surprises Diana with a lunch date, opening up a box of even more shocking revelations

Pairing || fakeboyfriend!bucky x black!ofc

word count || 1,704 words

Warnings || language, fluff, pet names [ darling, doll face, angel, love ]

“Alright everyone, class dismissed.”

“I genuinely despise this class.” I look over to my best friend, watching her fold up the small blanket she carries to sleep in the boring lectures. I don't know how she does it and still passes.

“Well Nat, blame the Dean my love. She’s the one that made Smith a Psych teacher.”

“Ugh, Williams and I have beef for that one.”

“Definitely. C’mon we gotta go before she starts yelling.”

Nat and I quickly make our exit through the lecture hall, careful not to agitate Professor Smith with our supposed-“loitering.”

“So Di, where are we eating today? Steve told me about this new restaurant in town and he wanted to bring everybody there today. Wanna come?”

“Well—”

“Hey, doll face.” My head snaps to down the hall, seeing a certain long-haired biker boy.

“Bucky, hey!” I run from Nat towards him, wrapping my arms him.

“That good enough for you?,” I whisper in his ear.

“Perfect,” he whispers back.

“Bucky and Diana…never thought I’d see this happen.”

Hearing her voice, I untangle myself from Bucky’s arms and smile sheepishly.

“Nat, I was gonna tell you—”

“No babe, it’s alright. I’m sure you would’ve eventually. So Bucky, what’s up?”

“Well, I’m stealing your little lady and taking them to lunch.” Nat smirks at his words, before shooting me a knowing look.

“Alright. But don’t forget to return her at some point. Her next class is in two hours.”

“Yes, ma’am. C’mon Walker. I got a special place to take you to.” He doesn’t wait for Nat to say goodbye before he’s tugging me along, hand wrapped around my waist.

“So James, where are we going exactly?”

He grins at my inquisitive nature. “You’ll see darling. Don't worry.”

~~~~

“Oh my god no way!” I practically tackle Bucky in the concrete parking lot, overcome with excitement over where he took me.

“This is the diner we went to last semester to take breaks from studying. We spent so time here.” I smile at the memories of us playing table football and drinking milkshakes between late night study sessions. Whenever we started to get burnout, Bucky would take me here because “good food heals the soul”. Or something like that.

“Well, I figured out you didn’t know the address by the lack of appearances you made after you helped me. So I thought I’d bring you back. Now come on, food awaits.” He grabs my hand in his, pulling me through the door of my favorite 50’s diner.

Walking in, I realize how little has changed since the last time I’ve been here. The black and white checkered tiles are still there, including that lone set of two black tiles next to one another. Pink and blue leather still accents the space, and the waitresses still wear Robin’s blue uniforms with hoop skirts. I love it here.

“Hey, Bucky! How you doing darling?”

“I’m good Janet. Table for two?”

“Two? Oh Diana, hey sweetheart. I haven’t seen you in a long long time. ‘m glad you’re back.”

“Hi, Janet. Glad to be back.”

I’m not surprised Janet didn’t see me considering half of me is hidden by standing behind Bucky. He’s a pretty good hiding spot when you’re nervous. I watch Janet take two menus and motion for us to follow her. She stops as a booth in the back, winking at Bucky before heading off to take orders. I’m assuming she’ll be back later.

“M’lady. Your seat.” Bucky bows, holding his hand out towards my side of the booth. I laugh at his ridiculousness, before sliding into the red leather booth.

“You’re suck a dork.”

“Well technically, I’m now your dork. At least a fake one. So, you’re stuck doll face.”

“Unfortunately.” His face drops in feigned hurt and my words, putting a hand on his heart as if I struck him.

“Wow, Di. I’m pained, truly pained by your confession.”

“Deal with it, Charming. That's just how I am." Something sparkles in Bucky's eyes, making me feel slightly anxious

"Charming, huh?"

"Yeah, Charming. Like Prince Charming. Personally, I think you look most like Prince Eric, but Charming is close enough."

"Walker, I'm truly honored. " He smirks, mischief evident on his features. I can see the wheels and gears turning in his head across the table.

"Well, don't get a big head about it James. Or I'll never give you another compliment again. Anyways, I'm gonna head to the bathroom. Be right back."

~~~~

When I walk out the bathroom, I find Bucky still sitting at the table. Phone in hand, tapping away at the screen, and constantly running his hand through his loose waves, he looks quite unapproachable. He's in distress. I don't like when Bucky is stressed. He becomes irritable, snappy, and hard to be around. So I tread lightly towards our table.

"Hey Buck, you alright?"

He doesn't answer for a few moments, lost in whatever is happening on his phone.

"Bucky?". Still nothing.

"James?." His head perks up this time, eyebrows furrowed with a frown etched into his features.

"Yeah, doll face?" I chuckle before sliding into the booth.

"So you answer to that, but not the name you normally go by?" His eyes flicker back to his phone, typing away again.

"Well, you normally call me James anyways and it doesn't seem like you're gonna stop anytime soon. So I'm not used to hearing you use Bucky." He continues to type away, barely paying attention my presence. I don't like when people text while talking to me, so I snatch the phone away. He begins to protest, but looking at the harsh glare I'm sporting causes him to stay quiet.

"Who's texting you anyways?"

"No one." I sigh, annoyed with his lack of honesty.

"Bucky if we're gonna do this, you have to be honest with me. I haven't lied to you yet, so don't lie to me." By his lack of argument, I presume his believes I'm right.

"Fine, it's Steve. Happy now?"

"Steve? Why's he texting you? I thought you weren't friends." I motion to his phone password, silently asking if I can open it and he nods. Still haven't changed the password I see.

"We're not. But it seems that a little birdie told him about you and I, so now he won't stop blowing up my phone and asking me questions. I thought he blocked me to be honest."

"Do you mind if I look at the texts? Or is that something you want to keep private?"

"No, go ahead. I trust you." I grin at his words. Aw, he trusts me. I'm so gonna make fun of him for this later.

"Uh uh. Diana, I see that twinkle in your eyes. Don't get a big head about it."

"Too late, bubs. I've already got one. You trust me, how cute." I reach over and squish his cheeks, causing him to slap my hands away in agitation.

Okay, the texts.

Buck, you're dating Diana?!? Wtf since when?

Why does it matter?

It doesn't, I'm just asking.

Don't you have a gf Steve? Why ARE you asking?

Shut up, she’s one of my closest friends. I need to protect her from bad people.

And I'm bad people huh? You're not her fucking dad. Lay off.

I'm just being a good friend.

Sure you are.

I was not expecting this in the slightest.

"Buck, Steve sounds..."

"Jealous?"

"What! No, not jealous. You sound dumb. Why would he be jealous, he has Nat."

Bucky doesn't answer, just smiles at me and shakes his head. I give him a questioning look.

"Are you really this clueless about relationships and love?"

Ouch. Stab me in the heart while you're at it.

"I am not clueless. I've just never been in a relationship before. Is that such a bad thing?"

"You've never been in a relationship before? You? Don't lie to me Angel. "

"What? I'm not lying." He stares at me, eyes demonstrating distrust.

"Alright, why?"

"No one's ever liked me like that." Bucky looks at me like I'm a complete moron and snorts.

"Yeah, right." He's confusing me.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, y/n. Absolutely nothing."

"Well at least I wasn't fawning over a girl for multiple years and didn't have the guts to ask her out. Hm?"

"You're one talk. Steve?"

"I do not have a crush on Steve."

"Right, of course you don't. It's not like you asked a random guy to pretend to be your boyfriend so he doesn't think you like him. And the only reason that it would matter that he thinks so is if you actually did have a crush on him." I could break his neck right now if I wanted to. I really could.

"You're full of shit Barnes. Complete and utter shit. And you're not a random guy either."

"I mean if you think so darlin', so be it." He smirks like he knows something I don't and it make me feel queasy.

"So, what are we gonna do about S--"

"A burger with fries and a patty melt combo with two vanilla Root Beers?"

I'm cut off by Janet arriving at our booth, a tray of food in her hands. I didn't even order. My eyes flicker over to Bucky in confusion and he grins.

"Thanks, Janet. We'll call you back later for dessert, yeah?"

"No problem, sugar plum." Bucky takes the plates from her, divvying up the items to their respective sides.

I look at Bucky with confusion written all over my face, watching him dig into his burger and pay me no mind. I didn't even order. How could he-- he remembered my order. From six months ago, he remembered by order. I check the sandwich to be sure. Cooked onions, pepper jack cheese, no pickles on the side. It's all there.

"You remembered my order." His eyes move up from his sandwich and he looks at me like I didn't just say something spectacular.

"Yeah, so? It's not a big deal, Diana. Don’t make it one. Now as you were saying, how are we gonna take Steve down and get him to believe this?"

It's Not Real tag list:

@vicmc624

[sh1tbird-shantytown]

steve and billy assume that tommy has great parents bc well steves simply aren’t there and neil is neil and they all know that. and while tommy recognizes his boyfriends have it bad he cannot stand how they can’t see how he’s hurting. his parents are present in the worst way possible. overbearing, always on his ass, passive aggressive comments disguised as jokes in public and full own emotional abuse and screaming at home. the hagans seem so perfect but their only son is cracking under their weight and no one, not even the ones who love him can see it until it’s almost far too late.

i have…a plan…. >:)

tw: mentions of abuse

•••

tommy was tired. at the end of his rope.

billy showed up at the diner second. sat across from tommy on the booth and started rubbing his foot against tommy’s ankle in a subtle game of footsie. tommy pressed into the touch and frowned at the bruising on billy’s cheekbone.

sipped from his iced tea. thought about how his father threatened to do the same thing just three hours earlier. when tommy had forgotten to do the dishes and got snappy when his sister emilia yelled for him to do it.

he raised his hand to the waitress and ordered billy a root beer. billy didn’t say anything. just stared out the window and continued running his foot up and down tommy’s leg.

it felt nice. calm. almost serene.

steve showed up last. frazzled and hair wind blown from having the car windows down. lucas and dustin preferred them down. tommy remembered him mentioning something about a birthday party at the byers’.

before he sat down he looked side too side at the two booths. he looked up at them, “who didn’t i sit with last time?”

tommy raised a hand. steve sat with billy and smiled tiredly at them.

steve looked exhausted. he never slept well in the quiet, tommy’s mother had always said that steve was built for city living. he came from prestigious blood, had a tall walk, and could adapt well.

funny how she knew all that about the richest kid in town, but didn’t know what her own son’s favorite color was.

tommy didn’t think steve’s mother even remembered when her own son’s birthday was. at least mrs. hagan planned parties. even if tommy’s color scheme was green and his favorite color was blue. common mistake. right.

billy slung an arm around steve’s shoulders, ran his thumb over steve’s spotted neck and they watched as steve melted into billy’s side. closed his eyes and opened them slow. tommy slid his bottom forward and linked their legs together.

he waved the waitress over and billy ordered a strawberry milkshake with extra whip. steve perked up. it wasn’t that noticeable, barely a twitch as he opened his eyes a little more and his smile grew a size and a half. billy and tommy noticed though.

tommy always noticed.

steve turned his neck to look at billy better and frowned just as tommy had. reached up and hovered over the bruising. billy half shrugged with the shoulder not pillowing steve’s head.

“susan made scalloped potatoes,” he explained poorly.

“awe, bill,” steve sighed and dropped his arm.

tommy took his glass of tea but didn’t lift it up, “why can’t you just eat a little to appease him?”

billy smirked. but it looked dull. “since when do i ever appease my old man?”

tommy almost bit his tongue, “never apparently.” steve kept his sunken eyes on tommy, displeased and raised his eyebrows.

tommy felt like yelling at them. he swallowed down the bubbles in his throat.

billy swirled his straw in his root beer and didn’t look back up, “it was a rhetorical question.”

tommy pushed his glass away, “oh…my bad.”

steve, always a little too loud when he was nervous, moved up to his own accord. “common, babes,” he smiled that go-lucky naive smirk. “let’s try to enjoy our meal, yeah? we’ll just ignore all the bad stuff for a little while and then we’ll fix up everything after.” tommy almost thought steve was addressing them all. but he only looked at billy after the words left his mouth.

tommy bit his tongue, tasted blood.

billy nodded and tommy bent his straw away from himself.

he stood up.

“tommy?” steve asked with that worried smile he always had. the worry that engrained in you when you feared abandonment.

tommy understood that, not all the way like steve did. but halfway.

he stepped out of the booth and pulled a five out of his pocket.

billy pulled his arms in and placed a hand on the table as though centering himself, “where are you going, rosebud?”

he was defensive, wasn’t comfortable showing his worry. they’d been working on that. it’s what happened when every emotion is considered weak and punishable. tommy understood that too. halfway.

he tossed the bill on the table.

“i love you both,” he said. didn’t mind if anyone heard. he tried to ignore steve’s terrified eyes and billy’s freezing over. “i’ll see you again soon.”

he left for maryland on the eight o’clock bus that night with one backpack and eight postal stamps.

[cakesunflower]

Know Me [C.H. One Shot]

A/N: Hellloooooooo! Here is the awaited Trust Fund Cal!AU. As always, I did not expect for this to get so long. 29,893 words to be exact. I kind of hate myself for it but, like, whatever. Grab a snack (or a whole meal idk) while you read!

P.S.: Nura’s name is pronounced Noo-rah. P.P.S.: For those of you who don’t know, “beta” is Urdu for “child.”

Happy reading babies!!

People were predictable. That was one of the first things Nura Ansari learned when she first started working at the Little Palm Island Resort and Spa when she was sixteen. Nearly six years on the job and she’d developed the skill of reading people; just one sweep of her gaze and knowing exactly the kind they would be. The resort was a luxurious one, its patrons that of high celebrity rank or families with loads of money to throw around that wouldn’t make a dent in their bank account once it was gone. She could pick apart the parents who didn’t care what their kids got up to, the younger crowd with the sponsors booking them the finest room the resort had to offer to show it off on their social media garnering millions of followers, those who legitimately wanted to enjoy a family vacation, and everyone else in between. Different people, all ultimately the same beyond the surface.

But despite the exasperation she often felt with most of her encounters, Nura had learned to become patient, as well. Had perfected a smile fake enough that it seemed real—or maybe she was only given that illusion, seeing many of the patrons were blind to everything but their good time—and had become capable of accommodating the most difficult of customers. She started off as a lifeguard before moving onto waitressing and bartending, a job she came back to every summer since she turned sixteen. Hopefully, this was her last.

“Look alive, Nura.” She straightened her back immediately at the sound of Patrick, her co-worker’s voice, exiting out of Tumblr that had been opened up on her browser. This morning she was covering Elaine’s shift at the front desk, and would be off by two and would have the day to herself until her waitressing shift from seven to midnight started. 

Sticking the orange flavored gum to her mouth, Nura drew her attention to the guests approaching them, sharp eyes taking in the group of four guys and three girls. They rolled in with the breeze that engaged the plants by the door in a dance, the scent of sea salt one Nura’s nose had become numb to over the years. The early afternoon sun was high in the summer sky, the glass walls of the lobby allowing for the bright sun rays to bathe the room, the wooden and glass furniture glimmering amidst it. If she listened closely enough, Nura would be able to hear the swishing of palm trees right outside, or the relatively distant waves of the ocean. No matter how many years of this job Nura had under her belt, those were sounds she would never grow tired of hearing. Ironic, given that she’s trying to get out. Not just the island, but Florida as a whole.

The group of seven were giddy, chattering amongst themselves as the sounds of their voices carried throughout the open lobby, taking advantage of the welcome cocktails Amber was offering them by the door. The girls were carrying their totes and guys were each wearing backpacks, and Nura caught sight of Mattie and Rob, the two bellhops, each rolling in with a cart full of luggage. Nura’s eyes shifted back to the group approaching the front desk, taking them in in all the glory of their glowing skin and shining hair and bright smiles. She couldn’t forget the designer clothes that, not for the first time, made her feel inadequate in her uniform of the resort’s signature baby blue button down tucked into a black pencil skirt that stopped above her knees. 

Nura swallowed down that unwanted thought that was good for nothing but putting herself down. Comparing her appearance to that of others was something she’d put an end to years ago; she had to, in order to work this job. So she put on her smile, gaze shifting to the guy in front of the group, whose head was ducked as he used his free hand to dig out his wallet, the glass already half empty in his other hand. “Good afternoon, welcome to Little Palm Island Resort and Spa,” she began, the rehearsed speech rolling off her tongue effortlessly despite manning the front desk not being her priority. “I’m Nura, can I—”

“Yeah, can you get us checked in quickly, please? Four Island Grand Suites, all under the name Calum Hood.”

She instantly clamped her mouth shut just as the glass clinked on top of the counter which it was rested on, the familiar vein of irritation being picked at when the dark haired man in front of her dropped his I.D., credit card, and phone with the reservation confirmation pulled up in his e-mail. Nura’s gaze dropped to the items in front of her, a silent breath inhaled through her nose before she lifted her gaze, brown eyes meeting unapologetic brown.

Patrick was standing right next to her—she wished they’d gone to him instead.

Willing for her smile to remain on her face, Nura pulled the items towards her, hating that she allowed herself to take in the man before him. Tattoos inked around his skin, shown off by the short sleeved black Guess shirt that hugged his torso tightly, tucked into a pair of jeans Nura knew only someone who was accommodated to hot weather could wear in their spot of Florida. She looked down at the picture on his license—a California license, which made sense to his comfort in clothing choice—before glancing up to back at his face.

He wasn’t even looking at her, instead showing off the sharp line of his jaw as he listened to whatever the tall blonde guy was saying to his right. Even so, Nura picked up on the spark of amusement in his dark eyes, framed by long lashes, despite the absence of a smile from his plump lips. She itched to reach for her iced tea sitting under the table to flush out the thought of how handsome he was in the softness of his face and the contradictory sharpness of his features. Inviting and unforgettable. 

Nura turned her attention to the computer, pulling up his reservation order with a few clicks of the mouse. “Sorry about him.” She looked up to see one of the other guys, black hair contrasting starkly against hazel eyes, stepping up with a dimpled grin on his face and an arm draping around the first guy—Calum’s—shoulders. With a hand coming up to pat at Calum’s chest, who in turn shot a mildly irritable look towards his friend, the guy added lightly, “Apparently he didn’t nap enough on the near five hour flight.”

She didn’t miss the way Calum’s eyebrows lowered, wondering if it was for the truth behind his friend’s words or the fact that someone else was accounting for the snappy first impression he’d made. Calum’s eyes swept over to her, and she caught the very moment he finally saw her properly. Nura’s eyes were sharp, didn’t miss a single thing, catching the relaxation of his eyebrows with a blink of his eyes and the ever so subtle part of his lips.

He saw her, and yet he didn’t apologize for cutting her off or the impolite way he’d done so.

The two of them were caught in a brief lock of gazes, and Nura fought the dry smile from quirking at her lips because she knew she wasn’t going to get an apology out of him. She doubted he even knew what he’d be apologizing for. So instead she brought back her customer service smile and rather than acknowledge the brief, awkward encounter, she read off the reservations Calum had made just a week or so ago.

Nura tried not to scoff at the duration of their vacation—lasting the entire three months of summer. Which made sense, given the total that she’d caught a glimpse of at the bottom. The suites they reserved cost a little over a grand a night, each. Toss in four of those, all for a three month long stay? It cost more than her four years’ attendance of university combined.

The hum of chatter between the group never ceased, and Nura promptly ignored the gaze she felt burning a hole in her face as she made sure everything was in order before reaching in the drawers to pull out the appropriate keycards for every suite and their respective card holders. Nura finally looked up, offering the cards to the man before her, who couldn’t be that much older than her. She smiled, professional and polite, as she said, “Here you go, sir.” His eyes, deep and dark and intense, never wavered from hers. Nura didn’t back down, either, despite feeling something unfamiliar tickle her in the pit of her stomach. “Mattie and Rob over there will show you to your suites. Enjoy your stay.”

Calum picked the cards out of her grasp, the tips of his fingers brushing against hers as he did so, finishing off the rest of his drink and Nura was surprised that she had to fight herself from observing the way his throat worked. He put the glass down and as he held out the other cards for his friends to take, all of them voicing their thanks before walking away from the reception desk, Calum lingered.

He offered a nod, a subtle gesture with ducking his chin, the corner of his lips just barely lifting up to showcase what others probably found to be a charming smirk. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Nura.” Her name was slipping past her mouth without much thought, jumping at the opportunity to give herself a name. She refused to be boiled down to what was supposed to be a term of endearment but essentially had her nails curling into her palm. If it came from a significant other, that was fine. She encouraged it. But not from strangers who called her as such for the purpose of being patronizing. Her smile remained, though steely to match the hardness of her eyes. “My name’s Nura.”

Calum eyed her for a moment. If he hadn’t expected that from her, he didn’t let it show—and he was good at it. Instead, he scoffed, hitting the card he held with a finger as he said, almost boredly, “Noted.”

He turned, then, following his friends out the doors to follow Mattie and Rob to where their bungalows were on the island. They disappeared the same way they came, a chorus of chatter amongst them, absent of the deep voice of Calum Hood as they went. When they were gone, Nura let out a huff, finally picking up the iced coffee under the table as the cubes swished in the confined space of the cup before she took a long sip.

“So?” Patrick spoke up for the first time, prompting her to look at him as she enjoyed her refreshing drink. With a tilt of his head towards the lobby doors, he asked with a wry smirk, “What kind were they?”

Nura licked her lips, looking towards the door as if they’d reappear again. But she’d seen enough. Well—she’d seen enough of one person. And from what she perceived, the least talkative guy out of a group of them, all in clothing Nura couldn’t really afford and didn’t care enough to, anyway, was the only one on her mind as she answered Patrick in the form of a too fitting lyric, “Super rich kids with nothing but fake friends.”

*****

The smoke billowed past his lips in a thick cloud, disappearing into the air as Calum watched it dissipate into the night sky. His gaze flickered back to his friends, the glow of the tiki torches’ flames dancing across their shadowed features as they looked over the menus the host had given them. Calum looked to his left, observing the ocean that lay before them beyond the restaurant deck. The tides weren’t severe, a soft lull of water tickling the shore every so often, the sound nearly muted over the chatter of his friends.

The breeze was calming against his skin, a pleasant contrast to the warm weather. Florida heat was different than Californian heat, enough to prompt him to put on a pair of linen shorts his mother had advised him to pack. He hated wearing shorts, unless they were his athletic pairs and he was on his way to the gym. But jeans felt too restricting, and the whole point of this vacation was to let go. To relax and enjoy the company of the only people he truly enjoyed being around. It wasn’t off to the greatest start, considering he was already on his fourth—fifth?—cigarette today. He was supposed to be cutting off.

As if reading his mind, Ashton huffed to his right. “Hey, come on—none of that,” he said, frowning as he reached over to pluck the cigarette out of Calum’s hand. He let him, watching blankly as his dimpled friend snubbed it out in the ashtray on the table. Leaning back in his chair, Ashton shot him a look. “You’re supposed to be quitting.”

Calum scoffed lightly, arms crossed over his chest as he, too, remained leaned back. The breeze hit his face gently, the flames of the tiki torches dancing against the night sky as Calum shot Ashton a look. “I’m not much of a quitter.” He paused, a corner of his mouth quirking up wryly, feeling Ashton’s gaze on him as he added as an afterthought, “At least, I wasn’t.”

He didn’t even have to look at Ashton to know his friend easily picked up on the resentment coloring his tone, a bitter taste in his mouth as he thought of the moment that pushed him over the edge, eventually leading him to book a three month vacation. He wasn’t sure why Dawn getting married had churned at his heart so harshly; they’d broken up over two years ago—she was, by all accounts, free to live her life the way she pleased. Not that she hadn’t been when they were together, but Calum hadn’t expected her to be getting married.

Correction: he hadn’t expected her to be getting married to someone who wasn’t him.

Next to him, he heard Ashton sigh over the chatter of their friends and the other patrons sitting around them, feeling Ashton give his shoulders a squeeze. Calum merely pursed his lips, eyes on the snubbed out cigarette in the ashtray, ears only focused on the gentle crash of waves and crackle of the tiki torch fire as, from the corner of his eye, he saw a figure approach their table.

He didn’t look up, not until he heard them say, “Good evening, everyone. I’m Nura and I’ll be your server for tonight—can I start you off with some drinks?”

Calum head raised, gaze flickering up to the waitress who was also behind the reception desk when they checked in earlier in the day, only this time she was in the glow of the torches and the moon above and wearing a different uniform. This one was a standard white blouse tucked into black pants, a notepad in her hand and her dark hair once again in that slicked back pony tail. An easy going smile was present on her red lips, yet he didn’t miss the way the corners of her lips subtly strained when her dark eyes met his, his presence apparently not one she wanted to be in.

That was a first.

He kept his gaze on her, stubbornly so, as she jotted down the drink orders his friends were saying until, ultimately, Nura’s eyes met his. She expectantly watched him, waiting, and Calum found himself wanting her to wait it out. Testing her patience, almost. He wasn’t quite too sure why he was doing it, but Calum kind of enjoyed the way her pen was already impatiently tapping against the notepad she held. Nura’s eyes twitched into slight narrowing, and he saw the exact moment where she picked up what he was trying to do—it hadn’t taken her long.

Nura remained silent, brown eyes on brown, an intensity present in hers that told Calum she didn’t at all appreciate his childish antics despite the small, polite smile that remained on her lips. And they were childish, Calum knew. Yet he didn’t stop. He wanted to see how long she would hold out, despite the curious and confused gazes of his friends watching them. Their silence was louder than when they talked, the absence of their voices making room for the suffocating quiet Calum had been wanting to avoid.

The curl of Nura’s lips were now twinged with an unpleasantness reserved just for him. “And for you, sir?”

She’d lasted about forty-eight seconds, which in hindsight, was a long time to remain numbingly silent in an unforeseen standoff such as this one. In the expectant pout of her lips, Calum fought the urge to smirk at the annoyance that tightened her mouth as well, clearly bristling at being the one who had to submit first. One corner of his own lips curled up, not entirely a smirk, as he told her, “Whiskey on the rocks.”

She was gone with a sharp turn of her heel and fierce swish of her ponytail, and as Nura left, Luke scoffed from across the table. “Are you trying to get her to spit in your drink?”

His words earned some laughter from everyone else, and Calum merely scoffed as he lifted his left elbow to rest on the bannister of the wooden railing they were seated next to. He scratched at the back of his head leisurely, uncaring as he gave a one shouldered shrug. His gaze only briefly swept over in the direction of which Nura had left before smirking at his friend. “She’s too much of a professional to do that.”

Crystal raised her eyebrows, an amused grin tilting at her glossed lips. “Oh, and you know her so well?”

Calum smirked lazily as the scent of the flames on the tiki torches tickled his nose. It was a familiar combination, mixing in with the salty sea breeze, something he’d smelled whenever he attended a bonfire on the beach back in California. Here, though, it was fresher. More intoxicating. “No, but she never stopped smiling,” he informed, his words prompting Crystal to scoff in disbelief. “She’s the type to smile at customers and talk shit about them behind their back—but she’d never actually do anything to jeopardize her job.”

“Don’t think she’d appreciate you psychoanalyzing her, man,” Michael chortled from next to Crystal, leaned back with his arm draped on top of her chair.

Rolling his eyes with a click of his tongue, Calum waved Michael off. His tone was bored as he responded, “Doubt she’ll care, so long as she’s gettin’ paid.”

Ashton shot him a disapproving look, one that Calum promptly ignored by shifting his gaze back out to the ocean. He heard them move on from his maybe insensitive comment rather than chastising him for it beyond the look Ashton had given him. Calum wasn’t in the mood to listen, they all knew that. So he watched the ocean, the moonlight glimmering against the ripples of the water and the silhouettes of people walking upon the white sand, feeling the urge to sink his own toes into the sand before diving into the inviting water.

Everything about the resort spoke to its tranquility; the rooms didn’t even have television that would pull them into the real world. Wi-Fi availability was a given, sure, but the suites themselves didn’t come equipped with TVs or anything like that, giving guests the opportunity to relax with the help of technology. Calum was ready for it. He didn’t want to reach for his phone anymore, didn’t want to open up his laptop and somehow stumble upon something he knew would upset him. This vacation was to help him get out of his own head; a resort such as this, as well as his guitar tucked away in his suite, should be enough to help him out. Being trapped in his own head never did him any good. Why worry about his ex’s wedding when he could wonder about how many times he could go scuba diving in three months?

He listened to Luke and Sierra talk about their excitement for the impending dolphin encounter they definitely wanted to take part in, silently wondering if he should take a look at the different activities the island offered. It would serve as a distraction, wouldn’t it?

Footsteps caught his attention as Nura approached the table, a tray in her hand filled with glasses. “Here we are,” she smiled, moving around the table to put down the appropriate glass in front of each of them. The act was followed by polite thank you’s spilling from everyone’s lips, while Calum merely met her eyes as he picked up his glass and took a sip.

If Nura was perturbed by his lack of gratitude, she didn’t let it show as she tucked the tray under her arm and clicked her pen. Gaze sweeping over the table, she asked, “Are we ready to order?” Her question was met with a hum of approval and she started with Luke before moving around the table, quickly writing down everyone’s orders. When she got to Calum, however, he was mildly surprised when she raised an eyebrow and innocently asked, “Would you like another minute?”

Clearly she was still irritated with his earlier antic with the drink order, tilting her head at him as Calum pressed his tongue to the inside of his cheek, fighting the smirk from appearing. The patronizing tone wasn’t one she tried to hide, and Calum could tell his friends had picked up on it as well, trying not to laugh at his expense. Not that he was embarrassed. Mildly surprised and impressed, but never embarrassed. “No,” he answered with a lift of his chin, not one to break eye contact as he closed the menu and offered her a tight smile of his own. “I’ll have the shrimp and spaghetti skillet.”

Nura didn’t say anything, instead just wrote down his order and Calum wondered if she was fighting the urge to roll her eyes. As she collected the menus, a man standing in the doorway that led to the indoor dining area called her name. “Nura—I gotta step out for a few minutes, mind getting behind the bar?”

She looked over her shoulder, giving him a nod as she answered, “Sure thing, Ted.” Then, smiling at the rest of them, she said, “I’ll be back with your food.”

Before she left, though, Michael raised his eyebrows. “Are you a bartender, too?” With an impressed scoff, he asked, “What don’t you do around here?”

Nura let out a soft chuckle, menus in one hand and the tray in the other. “Uh,” she pretended to consider for a moment with her face scrunched and an eye squinting shut. Calum took a sip of his whiskey, focusing on the spicy taste rather than cute expression of the waitress. “Housekeeping—I hate making my own bed, never mind someone else’s.”

Her response enticed laughter from the table, smiling as she chuckled along before her eyes met Calum’s. He wasn’t as engaged as the rest of them, sipping his drink and threatening to empty his glass before his food even arrived. Nura’s smile lessened as she pressed her lips together, looking away from him and nodding at the rest of them as she repeated, “I’ll be back with your food.”

The air was lighter to breathe once she left, and while Calum didn’t quite understand the tension he created with someone on his first day here, he also didn’t quite care enough to fix it.

Fuck. He either cared too much or not at all. He needed to find a balance, fast, before he drove himself crazy.

*****

Yoga hadn’t ever been something Nura was interested in. She preferred a good cardio workout, maybe blow off some steam with a willing partner in bed, but yoga hadn’t ever been on her radar. But somehow she’d ended up in a yoga class during the fall semester of her junior year at college and decided it was something she actually enjoyed. It woke her up, made her in tune with her body and reveled in the stretch of her muscles. Which was why on the days her shift didn’t start until later, her day would still start with the sun coming up and partaking in morning prayers before leaving her room to make it to the eight-thirty yoga class the resort offered to its guests.

The sessions were held on a large deck facing the beach, the sun already warming them as the crash of waves along the shore served as a peaceful soundtrack behind the voice of the instructor. It was easy for Nura to get lost in the tranquility of the practice, allowing herself this moment’s peace before jumping into the rigorous activities her job required from her. While the rest of the class would go off to enjoy the resort, Nura would be getting ready to dive into an eight to ten hour long work day. Yoga in the morning was just one way to ensure she didn’t lose her mind, even if she was in the company of women who attended classes with dangling earrings and designer leggings and sports bras.

“Heard you had front desk duty yesterday,” Christy, the yoga instructor, hummed once class was wrapped. With a knowing smile, she asked, “How’d that go?”

Nura scoffed, shouldering the bag that had her yoga mat rolled in. “Turns out some people are just as irritable checking in as they are before they get their food,” she responded, keeping her voice appropriately low in case a guest or two heard her.

Christy’s grin widened with a chuckle, reaching up to tighten her pony tail, the action only reminding Nura of having to take out her space-buns when she got ready for her shift. “Don’t you just love humans?”

Nura’s expression fell flat, voice dry as she returned, “Not particularly.” Checking the time on her watch, she let out a breath and said, “Alright, I gotta go get ready. I’ll see you later, Chris.”

Her friend waved in return. “Happy waitressing.”

To get to her own suite, Nura had to trek past a cluster of guest state suites, but it was a walk she enjoyed. The trees stood tall all around her, leaves surviving as a canopy to shield from the sunlight. No matter where you stood on the island, the sound of the ocean could always be heard, soft and steady as the waves fell upon the shore. The salty air tickled Nura’s nose pleasantly, a scent she’d become accustomed to as it mixed in with the fresh citrus smell that clung to the island as a whole. It smelled like home.

It hadn’t always felt that way. Nura had gotten her job at the resort the summer she turned sixteen, serving as a lifeguard and occasionally a waitress. It was a two hour drive from her home in Homestead, and not a journey her mom was particularly fond of her taking, but it was the best job offer she received at the time. The money was good, as were the accommodations, but Nura was only thinking of it financially. Whatever money she didn’t use for herself, she sent to her mom to help out. Being a single mother working as a teacher, supporting two kids, Nura did her best to make it as easy for her mom as possible. 

Biting the inside of her cheek, Nura reminded herself to call her mom when it was both their lunch breaks.

The sound of something melodic pulled Nura out of her reverie, her steps slowing as the strum broke through her thoughts. She furrowed her eyebrows, eyes darting around to trace the sound before her gaze lifted a bit to land on the back porch of one of the bungalows. Nura stopped, eyebrows raising when she caught sight of one of the guests she’d checked in as well as served the other day. The kind of rude one with dark hair and admittedly handsome face—Calum, she remembered.

Her grip on the strap of her yoga bag tightened, head tilting ever so slightly as she observed him sitting on the porch. He hadn’t noticed her, and the porch wasn’t too far from where she was, and Nura noticed the ink that was wrapped around his arm coloring his chest. Calum was oblivious to her presence where she stood on the sandy pathway, head ducked as his fingers plucked at the strings of the guitar he was playing.

It sounded nice, whatever he was playing, a consistent tune that streamed through the towering trees and was carried by the island breeze. Nura couldn’t help but think how it fit him, the broody, kind of asshole musician vibe he apparently owned. She knew it was probably unfair of her to label him so negatively, since she only had two interactions with the man, but Nura had become an expert in reading people based on how they treated her and/or the way they acted in general. You would think people would be their most relaxed self on vacation, but Nura had come to understand that more often than not, these people were running away from whatever their reality was back home.

Nura let out a breath and maybe Calum heard it, or he just looked up at that exact moment, but his eyes landed on hers and she saw the quirk of his eyebrow as he recognized just who happened to be watching him. She watched the way his chin lifted, fingers ceasing their work on the string as the guitar remained resting on his thighs, and even from where she stood, Nura could see the way his eyes narrowed in observation. Could feel his gaze take in the sight of her and hated that wherever his gaze seemed to linger on her body, she felt a warmth spark without her wanting it to.

“This isn’t a free show,” he called out, deep voice carrying a rasp that traveled with his arguably annoyed voice.

Nura bit her tongue, eyebrows lowering into a frown at his words as she ignored the warmth that bloomed in her cheeks. But biting the tip of her tongue didn’t seem to be enough, and it was like Nura lost all control of her mouth as she instantly retorted, “Wouldn’t pay for one, either.”

Her breath hitched in her throat, eyes widening as she heard her own words echo in her ears and saw the way Calum raised his eyebrows. Shit. For six years, she’d become so good at keeping her mouth shut, at always waiting for a guest to be out of sight and earshot if she ever wanted to voice the irritated, mocking thoughts that ran through her head during interactions she could do without. Never had Nura allowed for a resort guest to hear the way she occasionally badmouthed them—she couldn’t help it. Dealing with uptight, self-righteous rich people was difficult and Nura had to blow off some steam some way. 

But never in their presence. And now here she was—talking back to a guest right to their face.

She felt mortified, especially knowing if this got back to her boss, Mr. McNulty, she’d be in deep shit because the guests were basically the gods around here. Nura held her breath in her lungs, eyes wide and lips parting as her frozen brain tried to break out an apology—though, apologizing to Calum, who Nura was slowly realizing looked something akin to amused, was not how she wanted to start off her morning.

Calum scoffed, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he gave a challenging tilt of his head. “Excuse me?”

Was amused the right word? He looked surprised at her response, as if no one had ever close to insulted him to his face before. Maybe they hadn’t. Nura had been around the filthy rich long enough to know they only ever were told what they wanted to hear, always kept happy because they had money and were therefore superior to them. A bunch of bullshit, in Nura’s opinion. But she needed the money they were so willing to spend, so she stayed silent and did her job. Until now, it seemed.

Though apologizing to the dark haired man tasted bitter in her mouth and she wanted to do nothing but spit out another dry remark, Nura still managed to stammer out a quick, “I, uh, I’m sorry.” She forced herself to move on, feet moving quickly as the warmth in her cheeks intensified, uncaring of some of the sand slipping into her flip flops as she went and all too aware of the intense gaze burning a hole in her back that seared through her clothes.

Nura could only hope he wouldn’t file a complaint. She knew of guests who did so for much less.

*****

“Aw, man—you gotta stop with that.”

Calum instantly exited out of the app and locked his phone, dropping the device on the space between his legs as he remained sitting on the poolside chair. But it was too little, too late given that Ashton had seen exactly what Calum had been doing on his phone, and the brown eyed man let out a defeated huff as he linked his fingers together. Feeling the need to defend himself, Calum grumbled, “It’s not like I’m hung up on her.”

Ashton pursed his lips, a shadow of a dimple appearing under the scruff he’d decided to sport while on vacation. His hazel eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, but Calum knew his best friend well enough to know he wore a look of disapproval. “No, you’re just hung up on the fact that she’s getting married.”

The inside of his cheek would soon start bleeding with the way his teeth were biting into it, lips pursing at Ashton’s words as the sun beat down his back. “It’s not that, either,” Calum responded, voice quiet among the hum of the beach. Ahead of them, he could see their friends enjoying the clear blue water of the ocean, the music playing from Michael’s speaker next to them consistent. 

He could hear the confusion in Ashton’s voice as he asked, “Then what is it?”

That was the million dollar question, wasn’t it?

He didn’t miss Dawn—Calum knew that for a fact. They’d dated for seven months and Calum liked her enough to stay with her that long, but deep down, he’d always known they weren’t together for the right reasons. He’d wanted a warm body at night, a hand to hold at events, and she. . . She’d wanted his money. Calum had always kept that thought in the back of his head, not wanting to think about it too much but not allowing himself to forget about it, either. He’d known it, his friends had known it, and yet Calum kept Dawn around a lot longer than he should’ve. 

Finding another girl to fall in bed with would’ve been easy. But then it would be the same thing all over again, wouldn’t it? Just another person wanting to get into his pockets. That’s how it was with almost every person Calum met, except for the friends he’d escaped to Florida with. Except he’d escaped with a hollow pit in his chest and a bitter taste in his mouth. He was lucky his friends hadn’t called him out on his less than enthusiastic attitude, even if they’d only been here for three days. The point of being here was to forget about the shit that seemed to weigh him down back home and so far, he wasn’t doing too good of a job at it.

Calum rolled his lips into his mouth, dragging his upper teeth along his lower lip before letting out a long sigh. “I don’t know,” was all he could say to Ashton. And it was the truth.

They were silent for a moment, listening to the buzz of the beach around them, and Calum knew Ashton was trying to find some words of comfort, encouragement, support for him. Calum appreciated it, but he didn’t need to hear them—nor did he need them, period. Calum didn’t need pity over a problem he couldn’t even figure out. What he needed was to forget about it altogether.

Apparently Ashton seemed to have the same idea.

“Come on—let’s get a drink,” he declared, clapping Calum’s back as he stood up.

Calum followed him with his eyes as Ashton veered off to the right, before sighing and standing up as well to walk with him. Unsurprisingly, Ashton filled the silence between them, talking about a new band he’d discovered while fooling around on Spotify that he thought Calum would like. And although his mind felt heavy, Calum still remembered the name Ashton mentioned to look them up later. New music was always something Calum was looking for.

They made their way to the beach cabana bar, dodging groups of people playing tanning and kids making sandcastles as they went. The kids were few, Calum noticed. Most of the guests were either people his age, or those older wanting to enjoy a vacation without their kids, probably having left them behind with grandparents or nannies. Calum pursed his lips; that’s how it had been with him. His parents had always been busy with the distillery or some other kind of business that always took priority; loving when they were around, completely absent when they weren’t.

“Hey—Nura, right?” Ashton’s laugh cut through Calum’s thought, forcing him to blink back into reality as his gaze zeroed in on the woman behind the round bar. Oh, great. Calum took in a breath as he gripped the edge of the bar and braced himself on it, watching as the front desk girl-slash-waitress turned to face them. Her pink lips lifted into a smile directed towards Ashton, faltering ever so slightly when her dark eyes met Calum’s. Ashton folded his arms on top of the bar, dimpled and charming smile on his own face as he introduced, “I’m Ashton, and you already know Calum.”

“I do.” She didn’t sound too excited about that, and Calum found himself having to fight back a smirk as she stood in front of them, bracing her own hands on the bar. Unlike this morning when he’d seen her in leggings and a fitted tank looking like she’d just come back from an early morning workout, Nura now wore the familiar white blouse with a name tag. “What can I get for you?”

Before Calum could answer, Ashton said, “Two tequila sunrises, please.” Then, turning to Calum, Ashton continued, “You know what you need?”

Dragging his gaze away from Nura, who’d immediately pulled away to make the drinks, Calum raised an eyebrow at Ashton, voice dry as he rebuked, “Other than a three month vacation?”

His friend chuckled. “Well, that, but also a big ass, five course meal that I’m pretty sure we can set up for dinner tonight,” Ashton said, an excited grin on his face. “A private dinner type of thing right on the beach. That can be done—right, Nura?”

Nura, who had just returned in front of them to place down their drinks, raised an eyebrow at her sudden inclusion in the conversation. She looked at Ashton before shifting her gaze to Calum, surprise evident on her face before she looked back to the dimpled man. “Oh, uh, yes it can. You just give the front desk a call and they’ll set it up for you.”

“Awesome,” Ashton grinned, slapping the bar top with his free hand, the other wrapped around the glass as he pulled himself away from the bar. “Thanks, Nura.”

While Ashton was already walking back to where their friends were, Calum had been pulling out his wallet to pay for the drinks. He placed down the money, eyes drifting to the tip jar that already had a bunch of bills inside. Calum scoffed lightly before pulling out some more bills, folding them up as his gaze lifted to Nura. She was drying a glass, gaze on her own actions, seemingly making it a point to not look towards Calum as she pretended to listen to a conversation some other customers were having on the other side.

A corner of Calum’s lips curled up at her obvious disinterest, arm folding on the bar top to lean forward as he held the folded bills up between two fingers. Nura looked over, raising an eyebrow, and Calum tilted his head ever so slightly. Before he could help himself, he mused, “Unlike you, I’m capable of being nice.”

A surge of satisfaction shot through him at the way Nura’s lips parted at his words, eyes narrowing as she watched him purposefully stuff the bills in the tip jar. She wasn’t hiding the irritation that sparked through her brown eyes, his smug act of kindness one that obviously seemed to tick her off. Nura scoffed lightly, taking two steps towards him, hands braced on the bar and showing Calum the thin silver chain she wore around her neck which hid beneath her shirt. 

He could clearly see the way his words had prickled at her skin, pink lips in a tight smile as she returned, “There’s a different between being nice and being decent. You’re only just barely proving yourself to be the latter.”

Calum scoffed through his nose, his smirk still on his lips despite the shot she’d taken at him—one that did, strangely enough, both amused him and threatened to rile him up. He remained put longer than necessary, brown eyes locked onto hers, momentarily wondering if she was going to apologize for the snappy comment like she had earlier this morning. He wondered if the slight pinkness across the apples of her cheeks was because of the Florida heat or something else.

“Nura.” A voice cut in, and she finally broke her gaze and Calum looked over her shoulder to see another resort employee step behind the bar. “Time for your break; you gonna take fifteen or the full hour?”

Nura was already untying the black waist apron she wore. “Hour. I gotta pray and call my mom,” she informed the other worker, folding the apron under the bar before moving to get out. Calum pushed himself away from the bar, watching as Nura went, sipping his drink and smirking around the straw when she glanced at him over her shoulder before quickly turning and walking away.

Calum chuckled lowly, feeling a bit better than he had before. The pinkness in her cheeks had nothing to do with the heat, he was sure.

*****

“Nura, I need you waiting on the private dinner,” Mr. Gonzalez, the restaurant manager, informed her just as she gave the order for table seven to the kitchen. “Lorraine will cover your tables.”

Nura blinked, not entirely expecting to give up her section to serve just one table. “Oh, but—”

“No buts, Ms. Ansari,” Mr. Gonzalez cut in with a shake of his head. He’d always been a bit of an impatient man. “They specifically asked for you, so go. They’re ready to order drinks.”

He didn’t give her any room to argue, already turning away as Nura defeatedly pressed her lips together and exhaled sharply through her nose. She had a feeling she knew exactly whose private party that was—especially if they specifically requested for her. Tightening her pony tail, she made her way towards the doors of the restaurant that led to the outdoor seating before following the path down to the private area of the table on the beach. As she neared the table, the chatter reaching her ears along with the distant sound of the ocean, her suspicions were proven correct when she recognized Calum, Ashton, and the rest of their friends.

“Good evening, guys,” she greeted, putting on her best customer service smile once she was by them.

“Evenin’, Nura—great seeing you again.” The smug patronizing tone wasn’t lost on Nura as her gaze darted to Calum, who was grinning up at her a bit too widely. Truth be told, if any of them, other than Calum, had been the one to request her service, Nura wouldn’t have minded. From the few interactions she’d had with them, they all seemed like genuinely nice people. Nura knew how to pick them out from the ones who smiled to her face but had less kinder thoughts running through their minds. Calum’s friends didn’t seem like those type—Calum, on the other hand, was a different story.

And as much as she didn’t want to give into his contempt, had taught herself better, Nura couldn’t help but return, a bit dryly, “I’ll bet, especially since I’m told I was specifically asked for.”

Calum leaned forward, arms crossed on the table as he looked up at her from where he sat on the right side of the table, the other end from her sitting next to a pretty blonde haired woman. “You were such a wonderful waitress last time and served us so well—we didn’t wanna mix it up.”

His patronizing words sunk deeply in Nura’s bones, and though she fought to keep the effect of his statement off her face, it didn’t stop Nura from clenching her jaw and tightening her grip on the pen. She noticed the looks the others at the table were sending Calum, silent warnings, but he didn’t seem to care. Why would he? She was just the help—it never mattered to people like him that their words could have any kind of impact, big or small, on the people whose job it was to make sure they were happy.

Her skin was warm, Nura could feel it under his douchey smirk. And while hate was a strong word she never used lightly, Calum was really coming close to it. Who the hell did he think he was, so blatantly poking at her profession? This wasn’t what she wanted to do for the rest of her life, and even if it was, who the hell gave him the right to shit on it? Nura knew people like him; they either built themselves from the ground up, or never had to work a day in their life and were rich off the expense of everyone else.

One look at Calum, she knew it was the latter.

A fire simmering in the pit of her stomach, Nura ignored Calum’s words, forcing politeness into her tone as she asked the rest of the table, “Can I get you started with some drinks?”

They all seemed to slowly snap out of the looks they were sending Calum, one by one telling her of their orders as Ashton took it upon himself to order the first round of appetizers as well. Nura jotted it all down with a riled up flushed face, barely looking at any of them as she quickly said, “I’ll be back with your drinks.”

She turned around to leave, only making it a few feet away when she heard one of the girls say, “Cal, what the hell’s gotten into you?”

At least not all of them were assholes.

Nura didn’t stay long at the table after dropping off their drinks, heading back inside to check on their appetizers before bringing the dishes of a shrimp platter and fried calamari to the table. The minutes of taking their orders for their entrees had passed by in a blur, settling into reality only for the brief moment of telling the blue eyed, blonde guy the specials of the night. She didn’t bother looking at Calum as he told her his order, thought she wasn’t immune to his gaze resting heavily upon her.

A polite, “Your food will be ready shortly,” later, and Nura was gone.

She found herself in the bathroom after dropping off their orders in the kitchen, sighing as she stepped out of the stall to go wash her hands. Her frustration had settled a bit since first hearing Calum’s words, though she still couldn’t believe the audacity of the guy. Just because he had money, didn’t give him the right to basically insult her in front of her friends. And although Nura had tough skin, it didn’t mean nothing got to her. Was it so damn hard to treat another human being with respect?

As she dried her hands with the air dryer, she heard the ladies’ room door open, turning when she heard her name being called. She looked over her shoulder to see the blonde girl from Calum’s table, turning around once the dryer stopped as the woman offered her an apologetic small. “I just want to apologize for Calum,” she said, heels clicking on the linoleum floor of the bathroom. “I’m not trying to make excuses for him, but honestly, he’s normally not so rude.” She was nervously twisting a ring on her left hand, and Nura wasn’t surprised to see the rock that was on her ring finger. “He’s just going through something.”

Nura wanted to laugh. This woman seemed nice, and although she said she wasn’t trying to make excuses for Calum, it sure sounded like she was. Chin lifting, Nura let out a breath through her nose and surmised, “Everyone’s going through something. It doesn’t give him the excuse to patronize others.”

She nodded quickly, and Nura was jealous of how shiny her blonde hair was under the bright lights, or how her blue eyes seemed to glitter as well. “You’re absolutely right.” She offered another small smile. “I just wanted to apologize on his behalf.”

It would be better if Calum decided to take responsibility for his own words, but Nura appreciated the sentiment nonetheless. So she returned the smile with a single nod. “Thank you, uh. . .”

“Crystal,” she supplied, finally naming herself with a grin.

Nura smiled once again before taking a breath and awkwardly gesturing towards the door. “I should, uh, go check on your food.”

“Oh, right, of course,” Crystal laughed lightly, stepping aside to let Nura pass.

Nura made it halfway down the hall of the bathroom before stopping abruptly when someone turned the corner to walk in her direction, teeth instantly pressing together when she recognized Calum. He stopped as well, as soon as he saw her, chin lifting and lips parting as he let out a short yet amused chuckle. The sound irritably poked at Nura’s nerves, no matter how stupidly handsome the guy was.

Pursing her lips, she broke their gaze and continued on her way, determined to make it past him without so much as uttering a word. But Calum seemed to have a different thought in mind, because as soon as there was about three feet of distance between them, he spoke up.

“I’m surprised you didn’t fire back like you’re so fond of doing,” he hummed, effectively stopping Nura in her tracks as her dark eyes met his. Calum looked down at her, full lips adorning that damned smirk as the chain around his neck glimmered under the light. With a condescending quirk of his eyebrow, he added, “Wouldn’t want your boss finding out ’bout your lack of customer service, huh?”

Nura narrowed her eyes, tilting her head as her skin flushed once more in an angry heat. Fuck—what was up with this guy? Arms crossing over her chest, Nura threw caution out the window. She’d already shot back at Calum more than once, at this point, despite her constant professionalism for the past six years, she didn’t quite care. “What would you know about customer service?” she asked, taking the few steps towards him, undeterred by their significant height difference as she looked up at him. 

Nura then pointedly gave him a once over; the chillier weather for tonight warranted the Dr. Martens, black pants, tucked in shirt and leather jacket he wore. And pushing aside the thought of how good he looked—and ignoring the flutter in her stomach at the jewelry he also adorned and how everything looked stupidly perfect on him—Nura scoffed. “I doubt you’ve worked a day in your life. Only someone with a lack of appreciation for hard work would be so casual in basically threatening someone else’s job.”

His eyebrows lowered into a frown, the muscle in his jaw jumping as his expression transformed instantly. With a rasp in his voice, Calum returned, “I didn’t threaten your fuckin’ job.”

She scoffed with a roll of her eyes, shaking her head up at him. Of course he didn’t understand the implication behind his own words. People like him had no problem saying shit if it meant they could show off their own superiority, and it pissed Nura off. “Oh, you didn’t?” she asked innocently with a tilt of her head before her eyebrows knitted together in a glare. “Then what was that about my boss finding out about my lack of customer service?” Calum pursed his lips and Nura saw the way his throat worked, saw it in his dark, conflicting eyes that he knew she was right. “Money doesn’t give you the right to look down on others. It doesn’t make you better than anyone else. Now if you’ll excuse me—” She stepped back, neck tense as she took a breath in order to calm herself down, brown eyes meeting, what she could almost say, were disgruntled brown. “—I have to go check on your food.”

She walked past him without another word, without letting him say another word, with shoulders squared and head held high and the image of his taken aback, disgruntled expression seared into her head. Even if the anger swirled in her stomach and her skin was flushed with an indignant embarrassment as she curled her fingers into her palms, nails digging into her skin so her outrage didn’t lift her. Hate was a strong word, and while Nura didn’t feel it for the tattooed man behind her, she did feel it for the way he made her feel like she was lesser than.

*****

Pulling her hair out of the tight ponytail it had been in all day was something short of a sweet relief—she’d only feel completely relaxed when her bra was off, too. But for now, Nura settled for her dark hair falling around her shoulders as she ran her fingers through it, feeling the dull ache of a sore scalp as she approached the still open bar in the resort restaurant. It was late, nearly eleven at night, and most of the resort had cleared out save for the few guests milling around. Nura was off the clock, and that’s all that mattered.

“You look like you could use a drink,” the main bartender on duty, Riley, grinned from behind the bar, already fixing up a drink for her.

Nura huffed, leaning forward on the bar as he made the bourbon on the rocks. “Some toddler almost threw up on me. I think I prefer it when the snakes leave their kids at home.”

Riley sighed dreamily as he slid the cup over to her. “Don’t we all?”

Nura chuckled, raising the cup in silent cheers before taking a sip. Patting the bar top with her free hand, she told him, “I’m gonna get some fresh air. Thanks, Riley.”

He waved her off and she left the restaurant, walking towards the pool area. It was locked off to prevent guests from sneaking inside after hours for safety reasons, of course, but there was one gate that didn’t lock properly and maintenance never got around to fix it. The thought always made Nura scoff in contemptuous amusement, given the status of the resort and the lack of upkeep for this particular gate. But she never said anything, not when she could get into the area so easily. Not to mention the several blind spots from the security cameras.

Seriously. What were they paying millions of dollars per year for? The rich never failed to amuse her.

Nura settled down on a poolside chair, watching the pristine blue water ripple in front of her, glowing with the in-pool lights. The silent hum with the ever-present ocean waves was calming as she sipped her drink, arms resting on her knees and figure crouched forward as she sat. Nura loved sitting by the pool at night when no one was around, the usual busy hum of guests splashing and chattering away something that had gotten tiring very quickly. And with the dark sky above her, glittering with stars, it was a calming way to unwind before she headed back into her room to turn in.

“Drinking on the job?”

Nura prided herself in not letting out a startled scream at the sudden voice, head whipping to her right to follow the sound, sitting up straight when she saw Calum standing over her. He wore athletic shorts and a white and red shirt, right arm wrapped around the neck of the guitar she’d seen him playing the other day. Her heart had began racing, but calmed down when she realized there was no threat—not a physical one, anyway.

She pursed her lips, adopting a bland expression as she quirked an eyebrow up at him. “Do you see the company name anywhere on me?” she retorted tiredly, referencing to her lack of name tag that was now in the pocket of her pants. How did he even get in there?

Calum pursed his lips and Nura looked out towards the pool again, feeling her muscles tense in his presence. She hadn’t seen him for a few days, ever since she waited on his table for their private dinner. After her little confrontation with him in the hallway—which, frankly, she was surprised she hadn’t heard about from her boss—Nura had put on a smile for the rest of the table and didn’t stick around longer than necessary. Saying that she regretted giving Calum an earful would be a lie; something told her he didn’t have many people talk back to him the way she did, and doing so was as much for herself as it was for him. The guy needed to be brought down a peg or two, and although Nura couldn’t be sure it did the trick, it felt damn good to say what she wanted to.

The look on his face had been pretty fucking satisfying, too.

“Can I sit?”

Nura felt her eyebrows wanting to furrow together at Calum’s words, but she kept her expression blank as she lifted the cup up to her lips and plainly said, “You’re the guest.”

She heard him sigh quietly, exasperatedly, before sitting down on the poolside chair to her right as she took a long sip. A silence settled upon them, awkward and heavy and Nura held back from snapping at him for ruining her peace and quiet. Dozens of other chairs around the pool and he had to pick the one next to her. What damn game was he playing?

Nura looked down at her cup, the drink teasing her just as an unfamiliar scent overpowered the chlorine of the pool. Fresh, kind of citrusy, tickling her nose in a pleasant way. Nura bit the inside of her lower lip when she quickly realized it was whatever cologne Calum was wearing; fuck, of course he smelled good. Of course whatever designer perfumed he owned smelled like a fucking forest god or something. It only served to annoy Nura more.

“I wanted to apologize.” Her eyebrows drew together in a frown, not looking towards Calum as his words resonated in her ears. What? “For what I said the other day. I didn’t—I don’t think I’m better than anyone just because I have money.”

There was a tense discomfort in his voice as he spoke, particularly when he acknowledged whatever financial upper hand he had. Nura knew, instantly, she’d struck a nerve when she had thrown it in his face and, truthfully, she was surprised he was even making the move to apologize. She had dealt with many people on this resort, and most of of them never even considered apologizing to the staff for things said and done. And they were meant to just deal with it with smiles on their faces. 

Hearing Calum apologize, especially when he clearly felt so out of his element because of it, was refreshing. And Nura didn’t take that lightly.

“I’m also sorry for the way I’ve treated you since I got here.” Oh, he was still going. This time, Nura did look at him, brown eyes meeting apologetic brown, showing him that she was listening. The guitar was on his lap—he was practically hugging it, like a security blanket, which was oddly endearing—and his features had settled into soft solemnity. With a breathy, sheepish chuckle, he added, “I know I didn’t make the best first, second or third impression but I swear I’m not usually such a—”

“Self-righteous dick?” Nura supplied, unable to help herself and rolling her lips into her mouth, cheeks flushing. He was trying to apologize and she was basically insulting him.

But Calum let out another chuckle, this one more accepting as he nodded. “Yeah,” he said. Then his lips curled up a bit, a ghost of his signature smirk appearing as he added, “I mean, I’m a dick but not that shitty.”

That had her laughing lightly, some of the tension between them rising into the night sky, allowing Nura to relax slightly as she offered a shrug. It was weird, feeling even a little bit at ease around Calum, but she didn’t find herself minding it too much. “Well, I can be bitch but normally not to that extent.”

With a quirk of his eyebrow, Calum allowed his smirk to widen a bit as he said, “Dare I say we bring it out in each other?”

Nura scoffed with a single shake of her head. “If that’s true then there’s no hope for civility between us.”

Calum grinned a boyish, lower lip biting smile that was a bit too handsome on his face, and Nura took a sip of her drink when she noted the sharp lines of the crinkles by his otherwise soft, smiling eyes. “’S going well so far,” he pointed out as Nura swallowed the sip, watching as he raised the little red pick he’d been twirling between his fingers. “You mind if I. . ?”

“That depends,” Nura hummed, feeling the smirk tug at the corners of her lips. “Is it a free show?”

Calum’s eyes danced with a glimmer and Nura pretended it was a trick of the moonlight as his smirk returned and he sat the guitar properly on his lap. She tried not to focus on his biceps or the ink snaking around his arm as he returned smoothly, “On the house.”

Nura suppressed a laugh, though her smile remained as Calum returned it before his attention went the instrument on his lap. She watched his fingers place themselves in what she assumed were the right places—she knew nothing about instruments—before her gaze lifted ever so slightly to his face. His head was ducked, short dark hair unable to hide the concentration that settled on his features as he took a soft, almost inaudible breath—Nura heard it in the quiet of the poolside—before he began strumming.

The melody he played was soft, tranquil tune and Nura couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. The peace she thought Calum had destroyed with his presence was instantly returned with the gentle strum of his fingers, the rings on his fingers glinting with the movement against the pool lights and the moon above. She watched him; watched the way his attention was solely on what he was playing, the movement of his fingers, and the gentle bop of his head that went along with the tune. 

It didn’t go unnoticed how lost he looked in the music he was playing, and it wasn’t lost on Nura how he was creating magic with his fingers. She knew art when she saw it, when she heard it, and although she knew he was playing a song by Coldplay, he still played it beautifully and expertly. And the more he played, the more at ease Nura found herself being, finishing off her drink and leaning back on one hand as she listened to him. Not exactly how she thought she would end the night, but truthfully. . . She couldn’t complain. As surprised as she was, she couldn’t complain.

“Nura, is that you?”

The tune that had softly filled the night immediately ceased as both Calum and Nura looked up, and she felt her jaw tighten when she caught sight of Keith Holt, the pool supervisor, approach them. He was older than her, around thirty, with surfer style shaggy light brown hair and green eyes and a goatee that made him appear a lot older than he was. She felt her grip on the cup tighten, not entirely keen on being in his presence. Truth be told, Keith kind of creeped Nura out, especially since he’d asked her out last summer and she’d said no. 

“Hi, Keith,” she returned, hoping to keep the nonchalance in her tone as he stopped in front of them.

His gaze looked from her to Calum, eyebrows raising before looking back at her. “You know you’re not supposed to be out here after hours,” he pointed out, and just the tone of his voice had her biting her tongue. Like he was chastising a child with the teasing way he spoke in. Trying to be endearing but only coming off as. . . Creepy.

“Right, right, sorry. Won’t happen again,” Nura said, her words falling quickly as she stood up. The less she could be around Keith, the better. Nura then glanced down at Calum, who had been watching along silently, and she took note of the look in his dark eyes; observant, curious. Forcing a smile, Nura said, “Come on, Calum. We should go.”

Calum met her gaze and maybe he saw the mild urgency in her eyes, the tightness of her smile, and Nura was relieved he didn’t protest it as he nodded and stood up. He gave a nod to Keith, lips flat before saying, “Sorry ’bout that, man.”

Keith watched them with sharp eyes, and just as Nura turned to go, he said, “McNulty won’t be happy if he knew you were sneaking in guests to the pool.”

Nura paused, eyes squeezing shut in exasperation and annoyance, feeling the heat of Calum’s gaze on her profile as she refrained herself from snapping at Keith. Two things he always made Nura feel: discomfort and annoyance. Opening her eyes, she planted the sweetest smile she could muster, all too aware of Calum’s gaze as she looked over her shoulder at Keith and mused, “But he won’t know, will he? Please, Keith?”

She never felt guilty for using his strange likeness of her against him. Keith returned her smile, nodding as he said, “Only because it’s you.” Gross.

“Thank you, Keith,” Nura responded before offering him a wave and making her away out of the pool area.

Her and Calum walked in silence for a few moments, and Nura dropped the plastic cup in a recycle bin they were passing by, Calum broke their quiet by scoffing. “You must dislike that guy more than me—at least with me, you’re better at faking nice,” Calum said, a lightness coloring his tone to ease the tension Nura felt in her muscles.

It had worked, surprisingly. As they walked in the general direction of the staff suites in the building behind the pool area, Nura chuckled lightly. “Just get bad vibes from him,” she chose to say. Simple, but true. She saw Calum nod from her peripheral, one hand still securely holding his guitar as he hummed once in acknowledgment. Nura licked her lips, feeling the awkwardness creep in. ��Your, uh, bungalow’s that way,” she found herself adding, gesturing towards the right.

Calum followed her gesture with his eyes before nodding, brown eyes flickering down to meet hers as they walked. “I know. Thought I’d walk you back just—you know, in case.”

The sentiment wasn’t spoken but it wasn’t lost on Nura, and though Calum quickly broke their gaze when he spoke, jaw clenching as he looked straight ahead, Nura still felt her heart pathetically skip a beat. The act of walking her back, just in case Keith decided to be a creep. . . It was sweet, far more than Nura thought he was capable of. 

Fuck, he’d just played the guitar for her by the pool. She was either delirious from her long shift, or she truly couldn’t make sense of reality.

They reached the door to her suite soon enough, and as Nura pulled out her keys, the corners of her lips tilted up as she offered Calum a smile. A real, genuine one she hadn’t given him before. “Thanks for walking me back,” she said, and although the kind tone she spoke to him in felt foreign, it didn’t feel wrong. As she unlocked the door, she added with a gentle smirk, “And the free show.”

At that, Calum’s lips split into a smirk of his own, cheeks pushed up and utterly boyish as he looked down at her. She didn’t miss the way his top teeth just barely grazed his lower lip before he said, “Next one’s gonna cost ya.”

Raising an eyebrow as she opened the door, Nura shot back, “When did I say I wanted another one?”

A mock expression of hurt crossed Calum’s face, sucking in a breath through O shaped lips before he clicked his tongue. “Alright, ouch. Thought we were good now, Nura.”

She smiled, playful and mischievous as she entered her suite, flicking the light on and turning to face Calum, who stood out in the hall. He had his eyebrows raised, waiting for her response, his short laugh echoing in the hallway when all Nura did was hum back, “Maybe,” before shutting the door to end the strange night.

*****

“Fuck,” Calum breathed out, using the towel to wipe the sweat he could feel running down his back as he and Luke exited the resort gym. His triceps, chest and quads had a delicious soreness in them after the workout he and Luke decided to take part in, water bottle nearly empty from downing it. Next to him, Luke chuckled as Calum added, “That felt good.”

“Much fucking needed,” Luke agreed, using his own towel to dab at his face, letting out a sigh of relief when they stepped out of the building and out into the night. The sun had long since set, the resort fluttering with the sounds of the waves and crickets chirping, and the mildly chilly breeze felt refreshing against their warmed, worn out skin. “Hey, is that Nura?”

Calum looked at Luke, noting his narrowed blue eyes looking off ahead, and Calum followed his gaze until his own landed on the woman in question. His eyebrows raised as he saw her, taking a second to recognize the dark haired woman in something other than the resort uniform he always saw her in. Calum’s footsteps slowed without really meaning to, eyes taking in the black skirt, heels, and bandeau top she wore so damn well as her long dark hair danced lightly in the breeze. Shit.

“Hey, Nura!” Calum blinked at Luke’s sudden call, watching as Nura looked the other way before finding the two men who were approaching her—Calum more reluctantly than his best friend. “You look ready for a night out.”

Nura smiled as she took a few steps towards them as well, fingers playing with the chain of the purse that hung off her shoulder. “I am,” she confirmed and Calum distracted himself by pulling his shorts up higher on his waist and checking the time on his phone. Anything to keep himself from letting his gaze linger too long on the pretty woman in front of him. “A couple of the staff and I are going to this club a few blocks away.”

“Really?” Luke hummed, eyebrows raising and Calum had to only glance at him briefly to know what was coming next, an excited glimmer in his blue eyes. His smirk returned, a dimple popping. “Which one?”

Calum wasn’t surprised when about an hour and a half later, he ended up with his friends at the club Nura had mentioned. It wasn’t how Calum had expected the night to go after his gym session with Luke, but he hadn’t been surprised when his friends had immediately agreed to Luke’s proposal of going out, and as soon as everyone was ready, they were piling into Ubers and heading over.

Calum sat in the middle of the U-shaped couch, the table in front of him holding bottles and glasses that glimmered against the strobing blue and purple lights that flickered with the beat of music. Green laser lights flashed against Calum’s eyes every few minutes, but at this point, he’d become accustomed as he sipped from his Negroni, licking his lips as he lowered the glass and let his gaze wander.

His friends were around him, Luke and Sierra on their feet as they danced in their VIP section, singing along to the music while the rest of them remained seated on the couch. It was busy in the club, unsurprising given that it was a weekend as well as the summer, and still Calum found his gaze searching through the silhouettes of people in the dancing crowd or by the bar, trying to catch sight of the familiar face he knew to be there.

He stood eventually, feeling the mild strain in his muscles as he did so, letting out a soft grunt as he decided that he needed to stretch his legs. And if he happened to see Nura somewhere in the crowd, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Calum sipped his drink as he moved around, avoiding as many people as he could from rubbing up against him, shoulders shifting and moving along the wall as he went. His leather jacket stuck to his body, the heat of the club and the dozens of bodies around him only contributing to the warmth he felt, but Calum didn’t mind much—especially not when his eyes finally landed on who he was searching for.

He stopped where he stood, catching sight of Nura leaning by the bar and before he knew it, Calum was making his way over. He shouldered his way through, large frame giving him an advantage to move forward. He wasn’t sure why he’d been so adamant on seeing her, but his feet were moving without much thought and before he knew it, he was right by the bar, up to her left.

Nura seemed to be trying to get the bartender’s attention, and Calum licked his lips after taking a sip of his drink, arms folding on the bar. She didn’t notice him yet, an exasperated sigh escaping her when the bartender once again evaded her, and Calum smirked lightly. “We’ve got bottle service if you’re sick of waiting.”

She glanced over at him, eyebrows lifting in realization before she let out a gentle scoff. Nura stood straight, left hand on her hip and the other braced against the bar as she tilted her head up at him. “Then what’re you doing here?” she rebutted.

Calum looked down at her, doing his best to keep his gaze fixated on her glimmering dark eyes—never daring to go lower in fear of focusing too much on her red lips. She looked gorgeous, and although her eyelashes were long and her face was glittering with makeup, Calum knew she looked stunning all of the time. Hair tied back or loose around her shoulders, face full of makeup or completely bare—Calum could easily admit that Nura was the prettiest woman he’d ever seen. Ironic, given how much of a dick he’d been to her.

His people skills had definitely taken a hit lately.

Calum smirked at Nura, shrugging one shoulder as he easily responded, “Rescuing you.”

She scoffed almost incredulously, an amused smile lifting her lips as she locked her gaze with his. “From what?” Nura challenged, narrowing her eyes slightly. “A life without access to the advantages of money? So kind of you, Cal.”

Though her words themselves were sharp, Nura spoke them playfully, a glimmer in her eyes that told him she was just teasing. And while Calum would’ve been insulted before, he merely rolled his eyes at her, pursing his lips before returning, “You gotta be a dick about it?”

Nura grinned, a laugh escaping her as Calum scoffed out a smile as well. She pressed her smiling lips together, glancing over her shoulders and Calum recognized just a few of the faces as some of the staff at the resort, and Nura looked back at him. He saw the hesitant turn her smile took before she gave him a shake of her head. “Thanks for the offer, Calum, but we’re, uh, fine here,” she finally said, a kindness in her tone to show her appreciation for his offer. 

Calum leaned back ever so slightly as he inhaled a small, albeit surprised breath. He hadn’t entirely expected for her to reject the offer, no matter how nicely she’d done it. Calum had become all too used to people jumping on the offer of joining a table he’d bought, too used to being used for the advantages of the size of his bank account. Most people Calum had encountered only ever associated him with what he could do for them, mostly when it came to footing the bill. And while he didn’t at all mind doing it for his closest friends—especially because they never asked him to, always either offered or ended up paying for themselves—Calum had, at one point, become numb in doing it for others. He kind of expected to just do it, because others expected it from him.

Now when he was voluntarily offering to do it for someone else—someone he didn’t really know—the logical rejection had his eyebrows knitting together in confusion and curiosity. “Are you sure?” he found himself asking.

Nura nodded, waving him off. “Yeah, we’ve already got a tab going and, uh, you know—” she paused, gaze taking him in before her brown eyes lifted to meet his. “—staff and guests shouldn’t really fraternize.”

Calum raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced by her reasoning. “We’re not on resort grounds.”

She let out a short laugh, gaze averting as she gave a shake of her head before looking at him once more. With a pointed raise of her eyebrow and jut of her chin, Nura finished meaningfully, “Go back to your friends, Calum.”

He did, reluctantly and with a frown on his face, because Calum had a feeling that Nura’s guest and staff mingling reasoning was some type of bullshit—and that her real reason had something to do with her previous comment about the advantages of being in the VIP section.

Calum scoffed to himself as he took a sip of his drink and continued back to where his friends were. He was so used to people throwing themselves at him because of his money—fuck, had a whole relationship based off of it. And now, in the face of someone who actually rejected his offer because of it, Calum kind of felt at a loss. 

Though, because it was Nura, he shouldn’t be surprised. That woman wasn’t like anyone else he’d ever met. And although her comments, at first, had pricked his skin the wrong way, his mind had started to change. As he settled back down on the couch next to Kaykay, his thoughts seemed louder than the deafening music and busy hum of the club. Nura was unlike many of the people he’d encountered in his life, and that suddenly wasn’t such a bad thing.

Around forty minutes and two drinks later, Calum was leaving the bathroom, back pressing against the wall as a group of girls giggled past him as the upbeat music of the club was no longer muffled. His face scrunched as he air dried his hands, no paper towels available in the bathroom and the machine was out of service, and just as he turned the corner to enter the main part of the club, Calum came across a sight that had him slowing down, eyebrows knitting together as he watched Nura in conversation with that guy from the pool the other day. Keith, he vaguely remembered.

Except it didn’t seem to look like a conversation Nura was particularly enjoying, Keith’s figure easily looming over her shorter stature as she frowned up at him, shaking her head as she talked animatedly. The other night, Calum hadn’t been blind to the quick escape Nura had made from Keith at the pool, remembered how she had said she got “bad vibes” from the guy, and it only had an alarm bell ringing through Calum’s head when his sharp eyes caught Keith’s hand reach out to grab Nura’s, who instinctively pulled hers away.

She had said earlier she didn’t need rescuing, but Calum couldn’t, in good conscience, walk away knowing Nura wasn’t comfortable with the guy.

“Hey, Nura,” Calum smoothly stepped up to her left, catching the way she instantly looked up at him with raised eyebrows, the surprise evident in her features. She expertly wiped it off as Calum’s dark eyes met hers, an easy smile on his face as he jutted a thumb over his shoulder. “Everyone’s lookin’ for you at the table.”

Nura’s red lips parted in realization, eyes shining with relief before she smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sorry—I was just coming to you guys,” she answered. Then, looking back at Keith, who was watching them with a frown and an irritated look Calum didn’t care for much, Nura told him, “Like I said, Keith, I’m here with friends and I’m not really in the mood to leave yet.”

Calum’s jaw tightened at her words, fighting to keep the easy smile on his face though he felt his fingers curling into the palm of his hand as he realized Keith’s intentions. He stood still, feet planted in place and giving no dancing body around him the power to push into him. He wouldn’t move until Nura was going with him.

Keith looked between the two of them, failing to ease the smile he wore as he asked Nura, “Are you sure? We could—”

“I’m good, Keith,” Nura cut him off pointedly, and Calum’s lips twitched into an annoyed curl at Keith’s insistence. She was already turning away as she added, “I’ll see you later.”

Calum’s brown eyes lifted to meet Keith’s green, unapologetic about the warning glare that crossed his features as Keith’s lips thinned. Nura’s hand then grabbed Calum’s leather clad arm and was pulling him away, releasing him once they were somewhat engulfed in the crowd and over the music, she shouted to Calum, “Thanks for that.”

“No problem,” Calum responded, feeling the tension in his muscles ease now that they were away from Keith. This time, Calum grasped her arm, his touch light on her warm skin, ducking his head slightly as Nura looked up at him. “But, seriously, Nura—you and your friends should join us.”

Her lips parted, ready to object. “But—”

Rolling his eyes, Calum cut her off with a wave of his free hand. “Look, I know you don’t want to take advantage of my money after shitting on it so much, but I insist.”

He watched the way her jaw slackened in amused incredulity, staring up at him as a short bout of laughter escaped her and he grinned, knowing he’d caught her off guard. Nura grinned and Calum desperately tried to keep his gaze away from the way her tongue trailed across her lower lip, raising his eyebrows expectantly as she considered his offer with an averted gaze.

Finally, she let out a groan, rolling her eyes to the ceiling as she gave in, “Alright, fine, fine.”

Calum grinned triumphantly, unable to stop himself from draping his arm around Nura’s shoulders to guide her towards their table as she pulled out her phone to let her friends know where to go. 

At one point of the night, when Nura was two margaritas in and was sitting in one corner of the couch, she felt someone sit down to her left and glanced to see Luke settling in, head leaning back and long legs spread. She feared someone would trip on them, given that almost everyone was on their feet, drinking and dancing.

With an amused chuckle escaping her, Nura asked him, “You good?”

“I’m great,” Luke answered with a chuckle, dimples shadowing his features, splashed in the purple and blue lights of the club. Sitting up properly, he offered her a smile. “Thanks for showing us this place—it’s awesome.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Nura laughed lightly, glancing forward to see Ashton pour Elaine and Willa another drink. “Thanks for my showing my friends and I how the VIPs roll,” she added with a teasing grin, earning a laugh from Luke in return.

“Your first time?” he questioned and when Nura nodded, Luke laced his fingers together, sitting forward with his arms resting on his thighs. “Yeah, I remember mine—it was ’cause of Cal, actually. He knew I wanted to go to a Laker’s game for my eighteenth birthday and couldn’t afford to go and he knew, like, I was incapable of accepting a court side ticket, even if it was for my birthday. He ended up getting tickets for all of us just so I had a great birthday.” Luke scoffed with a smile, shaking his head as he leaned back. “He’s a good friend, no doubt about it.”

Nura listened to him intently, unable to help the way her eyebrows raised slightly at Luke’s story. Court side tickets to an NBA game weren’t cheap and although Nura knew Calum had money, the fact that he would get several tickets for all of his friends just so Luke could have a good birthday had her heart warming. She sipped her drink after a soft “wow,” escaped her, chewing on the straw as she acknowledged the small bit of guilt she felt pool in the pit of her stomach for calling Calum out about his money. She didn’t entirely regret it, given how their first few interactions had went, but Luke’s story only confirmed a thought that had been brewing in Nura’s mind: Crystal had been right, that night in the bathroom. Calum was proving himself to be not as bad as Nura had originally thought, especially when he pulled her away from Keith and had her and her friends join him and his friends.

She had always prided herself in reading people with the job she had; maybe, just this once, she was just a little bit wrong.

*****

Her room smelled like Chinese food and rain, and Nura loved every bit of it. Having woken up a couple of hours ago, she showered off last night’s booze stench and as she put on  her lounge shorts—pajamas on top for the few minutes she took to pray—

and an oversized Queen shirt, she ordered Chinese food enough to feed a family of four. It was her day off—which was one of the few reasons why she had decided to go out last night—and she fully intended on sitting in her bed with her food with Brooklyn Nine-Nine playing on the TV right across.

Until a knock sounded on her door.

She sighed exasperatedly, her food already spread out on a tray on the bed, and got off the bed, blinking in surprise when she opened it and there stood Calum. “What’re you doing here?” Nura asked, eyebrows raised before they knitted together. “Did you walk in the rain?”

Calum, with his hands buried in the pockets of the black rain jacket he wore, responded with a dry smile as he responded sarcastically, “Oh, good afternoon to you, too, Nura. I’m doing great, thanks for asking.”

She pressed her lips together briefly, expression deadpanning before she stepped to the side and let him in. It wasn’t like it was down pouring outside—which was why she didn’t feel bad about ordering takeout—but the drizzling still had Calum’s dark hair wet, as well as his jacket. “Good afternoon, Calum,” Nura stated, a sweet smile gracing her lips that had Calum scoffing as she gestured for him to take off his jacket. “What’re you doing here?”

What could possibly have made him cross half of the resort to get to her room? Especially in the rain? She raised her eyebrow at him as she hung his jacket on the row of hooks behind the door, facing him with her arms crossing over her chest.

Was she imagining the sheepish expression that softened his features, hand raising to run through the short strands of his wet, dark hair as he let out a chuckle. “I just, uh,” Calum paused, clearing his throat before settling for a small, boyish smile. “Wanted to check in on you, after last night. How’s the hangover treating you?”

Nura felt her lips part ever so slightly at his words, expression relaxing into a subtle surprise at the thoughtfulness he was displaying. All of them had gotten pretty drunk last night, a time well spent, and she remembered Calum, Michael, and Crystal walking her back to her room before they went to theirs. She also remembered throwing up last night—fortunately she’d made it to the toilet—and had brushed her teeth thoroughly before taking a shower and deciding to order her favorite hangover food.

Calum didn’t have to come to check on her, especially when it was raining, but it was an unexpected gesture she felt warming her heart as a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “I’m actually about to dig into some hangover food,” Nura laughed lightly, gesturing to the bed where the Chinese spread was laid out. She pulled her lower lip into her mouth, considering her next words carefully. Technically, Calum shouldn’t even be in her room. Nura was well aware of that. She was also well aware of how she didn’t want to kick him out. So she smiled up at him and asked, “Care to join?”

Calum’s eyebrows shot up, gaze flickering to the bed before resting on her once more, unsurely. “Are you sure? I didn’t mean to, like, show up and—”

She cut him off with a roll of her eyes, turning to go back to her bed and giving him no chance but to follow. He joined her as he sat next to her at the head of the bed, back against the headboard and Nura leaned down to open the mini fridge by the wall. “Water or Coke?” she asked him as she felt the mattress shift under her while he settled.

“Water, thanks,” Calum responded, taking the bottle from her before chuckling at the spread. Raising an eyebrow at her, he asked, “Do you always order this much food?”

“When I’m hungover? Hell yeah,” Nura chuckled, quickly pressing play on the TV before picking up the container of white rice and putting some on her paper plate.

They settled into a comfortable silence as they helped themselves to the food and watched the show play on TV, and as she leaned back against her pillows, legs crossed and plate in her hand, Nura couldn’t help but think how strangely this situation had progressed. She didn’t make a habit of having resort guests in her suite—in fact, it never happened. She kept her distance, especially since many of the ones she encountered were people Nura was fine with never seeing again. It wasn’t lost on her how Calum had been one of those type of guests when he first arrived.

But something had changed that night at the pool, where they’d been able to be civil to one another for more than a few seconds after Calum had apologized for the things he had said and the way he had acted. No longer was he another guest with some kind of superiority complex the amount of money he had gave him, nor was he the asshole who tried to get under Nura’s skin on purpose. Things had shifted between them without Nura truly being able to comprehend the moment it happened, but now that it had, she couldn’t complain. Hanging out with guests on company property wasn’t allowed, and Nura wasn’t a risk taker, and yet. . . She didn’t want to kick him out of the room. Especially when he made the little noises that came with the opening theme of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

It felt easy, sitting in her room, eating Chinese and watching one of her favorite shows. Calum had taken off his shoes, legs crossed as he ate the shrimp lo-mein, a comfortable silence between them only broken by the TV and the gentle rainfall that had surprised them. Nura didn’t care that she probably looked like a bum, too comfortable in her clothes and her hair falling messily around her shoulders, even though the guy next to her looked unsurprisingly good even if he was in only a pair of athletic shorts and a shirt. She was definitely not checking out the way the muscles of his tattooed arm flexed whenever he reached for his water bottle.

Nura quickly focused on her attention on the show, watching the episode play out. And in her purposefully sought out distraction, she’d momentarily forgotten who she was sitting next to, and after swallowing a bite of her food absently murmured out, “I would totally hook up with young Scully.”

Calum’s short, incredulous laugh pulled her into reality, and Nura’s face flushed in realization as she shoved another forkful of rice and orange chicken into her mouth. She was surprised, then, when Calum hummed thoughtfully before saying, “Really? I’d go for young Hitchcock. He’s got nice hair.”

Nura blinked before looking at Calum, face scrunched up in skeptical confusion. “You’d go for him because he’s got nice hair?” she repeated dubiously, scoffing with a shake of her head despite Calum’s defensive slackened jaw. “That’s not a reason to get with someone!”

His lips parted, incoherent protesting exclaims escaping him before he gestured to the TV with a challenging furrow of his brows. “Why do you wanna get with Scully?”

“Because!” Nura started, earning an expectant raise of eyebrows from Calum as he gestured with a shake of his head for her to continue, and Nura rolled her smiling lips into her mouth as the laugh threatened to escape. She pushed herself further into her headboard before admitting, “He’s got a nice jawline. And he’s taller than Hitchcock.”

Calum’s expression fell flat, before his dark eyes narrowed almost comedically and he rebuked, “So basically my reason isn’t as superficial as yours?”

Her cheeks heated up before she waved him off, looking towards the TV once more and saying, “Shut up, watch the show,” which only earned a laugh from him.

They continued watching in silence, the food slowly lessening as they kept eating. By the time the next episode started, Nura was full and Calum was asking her, “Did you read all of these?” She glanced over, catching him looking at the five novels piled on the bedside table, picking up the top one. It was her favorite book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Nura hummed in confirmation and as Calum opened the book and flipped through the pages, let out a soft, incredulous breath. “Shit—not a page left unmarked, huh?”

She laughed after taking a sip of her Coke. “That’s my favorite book—have you read it?” When Calum gave a shake of his head, eyes still taking in her writing in the margins and the highlights, Nura continued, “You should. It’s beautiful. And the marks are just how I read.” She chuckled lightly. “The dream’s to work in the editing field of a publishing firm. Reading new stories all day from all kinds of people is, like, the perfect way to spend my time.”

Calum looked at her upon hearing her words, eyebrows raising in surprise and what Nura thought was a hint of admiring as his lips curled into a smile. He nodded, smile soft and warm that sent a flutter ripple through Nura’s stomach. “That’s pretty cool, Nura,” he said. 

“Thanks,” she returned, unable to keep the smile off her face. Whether it was because of Calum or the topic at hand, she couldn’t be sure. For her own sanity, she chalked it up to the latter. “I worked as an editorial intern the past two years during the school year, so that really helped with my resume. I’m hoping to hear back from a couple of places I applied to soon. With any luck, this’ll be my last summer working here.”

“I’m sure you’ll get loads of acceptances,” Calum nodded, voice holding a kind of sincerity she hadn’t heard before as he put the book back down.

Nura twisted her lips to the side briefly before offering, “Do you wanna borrow the book? I mean, if you’ve got free time to read since you’re, like, here for a while.”

Calum glanced at the copy before raising an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure?”

She nodded, a bit too quickly, before smiling. “Yeah, totally. Just don’t drop it in the ocean.”

He scoffed out a laugh, grin showing off those crinkles by his eyes Nura found too adorable. “Yeah, thanks,” he agreed before pushing up from the bed, raising an eyebrow at her. “Can I use your bathroom?”

Nura hummed, gesturing to the door off on the left that Calum soon disappeared behind. She leaned back against the headboard once more with a happy sigh, no longer trying to make sense of this situation as she watched the show play in front of her. Though, that only lasted for a few moments as knocking on the front door interrupted her. She paused the TV before heading over, jaw instantly tightening as she mentally chastised herself for opening the door.

“How can I help you, Keith?” Nura asked, hoping she kept the heavy disdain out of her voice as much as possible. She hadn’t forgotten last night when he had tried to get her to leave the club with him, only ceasing his insistence when Calum had swept in to pull her away. That rescue, she was appreciative of.

“Hi, Nura,” he returned with that smile of his that never settled well with her. His hands were clasped behind his back as he looked down at her. Unlike Calum, he looked like a wet dog because of the rain. “Something about last night has been bothering me.” She quirked an eyebrow; was he going to apologize for being so pushy? “That guy you were talking to last night—isn’t he a guest here?”

Nura stared up at him, bewildered and taken aback at his question. That’s what was bothering him? Her grip on the door handle tightened, shoulders squaring and chin lifting as she narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. “Yes,” she answered, albeit slightly hesitantly. Her stomach twisted, not liking where this was going. 

Keith hummed with his lips pressed together, eyebrows raising, and expression reading one of I hate to do this to you, but. . . “You know employees aren’t allowed to mingle with guests like that, Nura.”

Was he fucking serious? Nura didn’t think it was possible for him to get more annoying, and yet he was proving her wrong. She fought from letting her aggravation show on her features, keeping them as neutral as possible as she calmly responded, “Yeah, but we weren’t on company property, Keith.” She saw the corner of his lips twitch in annoyance. She knew she was right, and his desire to seek her out and try to make some power move over her only fueled her dislike of him. “And it’s not like I was the only one there. Have you talked to the other employees I was with? Or am I the only one on your agenda?”

Keith scoffed through his nose, looking down at her with a miffed curl of his lips. “I was getting to them,” he said, voice slightly strained, and Nura wanted to laugh. Bullshit. He was only ever going to try and hold it over her head. “If you’re seen entertaining the guests in more than a professional capacity, I’m afraid I’ll have to report you to McNulty.”

Nura’s jaw slackened at his words, staring up at him in disbelief with an angry knot tightening in her stomach. Her grip on the door handle tightened, the metal digging into her palm as she pressed her teeth together and exhaled through her nose. He was threatening her. The son of a bitch was actually threatening her because she was, what, becoming friends with some of the guests? As opposed to normally wanting to be as far away from them as possible and cursing them out behind their back?

She was too speechless to say anything in return, to tell him to shut the fuck up or mind his own damn business, and Keith merely smiled at her and said, “Have a good one, Nura.”

She stared at the space where he stood for a brief moment until her thoughts kicked in and Nura slammed the door shut with an aggravated grunt. “What the fuck,” she muttered through strained teeth, fingers running through her hair as she stepped away from the door.

“Shit—was that because of me?”

Nura’s breath caught in her throat, momentarily forgetting of the man that had been in her bathroom until she caught sight of Calum, leaning against the wall on his left shoulder and a frown on his face. Nura licked her lips, hands clasped behind her back as she leaned against the wall opposite of him. She saw the downturn of his lips, looking bothered by the conversation he had just overheard.

“No,” Nura answered with a sigh, giving a shake of her head. She saw the guilt that caused him to chew his lower lip and she found herself wanting to get rid of it. “That was just Keith. . . Being a piece of shit.”

“Are you sure?” Calum asked, frown deepening. He crossed his arms and Nura’s gaze flickered briefly at the way his biceps became more apparent, the tattoos only making her throat dry. “He sounded pretty—”

“Petty? Bitter?” Nura supplied with a scoff. She rolled her eyes, looking off towards the window. The awning above her window prevented the rain from getting into the room, working with the screen on the window itself. The sound of rain only served to calm her now irritated nerves. “I’m not gonna stop being friends with you just because he’s unjustifiably jealous.”

Calum raised his eyebrows at her and Nura saw the ghost of a smirk curl at his lips. With a subtle tilt of his head, he asked teasingly, “We’re friends now?”

Nura felt her cheeks heat up, smile turning shy and embarrassed as she pressed her palms against the wall behind her. Friends may be pushing it, but Nura believed that they were getting there. She definitely didn’t find him as rude and terrible as she had before, the change more or less slapping her in the face. But whatever they were now, it was far from annoying guest and disgruntled employee. His gaze felt heavy, playful, and Nura melted under it. Feigning confidence with a life of her chin, she shot back, “I took full advantage of your bottle service last night; yes, we’re friends.”

Calum laughed at that, grin wide and real and showing off those crinkles and annoyingly perfect white teeth. His laugh held a rasp that sent a shiver down her spine as he ducked his head, nodding along in agreement. When his head lifted, brown eyes meeting her own, Nura felt a calmness in her chest, a flutter in her stomach especially when he confirmed, “Right. We’re friends.”

*****

Nura had seen a ghost. Or, at least, that’s what she looked like.

Calum watched her from where he sat at the table with Kaykay and Ashton, eyebrows knitting together behind his sunglasses as he watched her listen to whoever was on the other end of the phone call she’d taken. He saw it in the way her lips parted, shoulders rising and falling with the quick breaths she’d began taking and how she had reached behind her to grip the guard railing around the outdoor section of the restaurant. Her ponytail danced in the wind but it didn’t do anything to hide the alarmed expression painted across her face.

It wasn’t his business, he knew it wasn’t, but the way she pocketed her phone and ran a hand down her chin, looking around with a panicked gaze before her quick feet took her to the inside the restaurant had a worried knot forming in Calum’s stomach. Before he knew it, he was pushing back his chair and was on his feet, barely hearing Ashton’s, “Where’re you going?”

Calum only granted him and Kaykay with an absent, “Be right back,” already halfway into the restaurant.

He folded his sunglasses on the neckline of his shirt and looked around, not even acknowledging the other guests on different tables as his eyes searched for Nura. He found her talking to the guy he recognized as the manager, who put a hand on her shoulder and nodded at her, a look of reassurance on her face. Nura was quick to nod, hands reaching behind her to untie the knot of her apron as she handed it to him and began making her way towards the exit.

Calum moved quickly, following her as his eyebrows drew together, his longer legs allowing him to get in front of her with a hasty, “Nura, hey—are you okay?”

Nura stopped short, her gaze lifting to meet his, and up close Calum saw the panic and mild fear swirling in her dark irises that only had his worried frown deepening. Her eyebrows drew together, the distress clear in her features as she let out a sharp breath. “Yeah, I just—” Her throat worked, licking her lips as she glanced away briefly. “My mom’s sick—she has, uh, a bad case of the stomach flu and I’m just really worried, y’know? It’s just her and my brother back home and I, uh, I need to go see her.”

Calum pressed his lips together, feeling a weight settle on his chest as he took in her hoarse voice, thick with concern. She looked out of it, which Calum understood as he asked, “You’re gonna drive back?”

“No, I’m gonna fucking take a magic carpet, Calum.” He clamped his mouth shut, her words as sharp as her voice and, again, he understood. He kept his gaze on her, eyes soft and features worried, and Nura squeezed her eyes shut as she brought her hands up and covered her face, a soft groan muffled in her palms. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry—shit.” She dropped her hands, sad eyes meeting his. “Yeah, I’m driving, why?”

Despite her snapping at him, Calum hadn’t really carefully considered the next few words that tumbled out of his mouth, rushing them out in an uncharacteristic ramble, “Let me drive you—I mean, it’s none of my business but I just—I don’t want you on the road by yourself when you’re so worried about your mom, y’know? I can take you. Let me help.”

It sounded so stupid once the words were out of his mouth, and although Calum’s intentions were purely just for the purpose of wanting to be there for Nura, he understood how they could be misinterpreted. But, shit, seeing her so worried, so frazzled, had his heart leaping out of his chest and he wanted to be able to do something. This had nothing to do with him, but he wanted to help, wanted to be there for her.

Nura gaped up at him, completely taken aback by his offer, eyes holding nothing but disbelief. Half of him expected her to tell him to fuck off, so he was pleasantly surprised when all she did was stammer out a bewildered, “I—no, Calum. You don’t have to. Y-You’re on vacation. Why would you even—”

“Because, uh, you gave me a really good book to read.” He said it with a soft smile, a real smile, and at this point he was willing to give her any reason or excuse in the book if it meant she would accept his help. He still had so much time left on his vacation, what was a little time away from the resort if it meant making sure Nura and her family were okay?

They’d become friends over the past two weeks, and Calum had a bit of a habit of going above and beyond for his friends.

Nura scoffed slightly, lips just barely curling up in a smile she couldn’t afford right now. He didn’t want her to smile if she couldn’t. Not when her mom was sick. “It’d be a three day thing, Calum. I’ll be running around doing errands for my mom and—”

“And I’ll help you with them,” Calum cut in, his words earning a skeptical eyebrow raise from Nura. His shoulders dropped, thinning his lips at her as he told her dryly, “I can help you.”

“You’ll help me or pay someone to help?” Nura retorted and Calum was glad even in a tense, worrisome moment such as this, she still found it in herself to joke around. Even if it was at his expense. At this point, her poking fun at him for his financial status was something he truly found amusing. It was way better than her taking advantage of it.

“I’ll help you,” he said with a roll of his eyes. When Nura rolled her lips into her mouth, seemingly considering his words, Calum dropped his chin and raised his eyebrows at her, silently encouraging her to say yes. “Let me come with you.”

Her dark eyes met his, looking as if she was searching for something in his gaze. Whatever she found, she must have liked because she finally dropped her shoulders and sighed with a nod. “Okay.”

The two and a half hour drive to Homestead was filled with Nura’s playlist playing in the car, a variety of songs Calum approved of as he lowly sang along to them. Nura didn’t talk much in the car, opting to stare out the window and chew on her unpainted nails, only speaking up when she told him a faster, easier route than what the GPS dictated. Calum didn’t mind her silence, though he hoped she wasn’t letting the worry consume her, knowing there was no real way he could stop it from happening.

His friends had been surprised in his new plan, but none of them tried to talk him out of it. Not like Calum expected them to; they’d all come to really like Nura and thought it was sweet of Calum to help her out in whatever way he could. Nura had just looked too overwhelmed, too scared for Calum to let her go on her own. 

When they finally pulled into the driveway of a one story house in a cul-de-sac, Nura broke the silence as she turned off the music in the car. As they unbuckled their seatbelts, Calum felt her gaze on him before she commented, “You’ve got a nice voice.” He looked at her and she smiled. “I didn’t know you could sing.”

“It’s just—” Calum stammered and he felt something heat up his cheeks. Since when did he fall over his words? “Just in the car and the shower.”

Nura’s smile was sweet, words sweeter, “You’re really good.”

She got out of the car then, and Calum let out a slow exhale as he followed her actions, glancing up at the bright blue sky and wondering when his heart learned to skip a beat or two. They grabbed their duffels out of the car and Calum followed her up to the front door after handing her the keys, which she then used to unlock the door and step inside. 

Just as the door opened, Calum heard a woman’s voice from inside call out, “Nura, is that you?”

“Yeah, Mama,” Nura called back and as Calum shut the door, she toed off her shoes by the corner and he followed her lead, placing his Docs properly with the other sandals and sneakers already there. He then looked over to the living room to the immediate right, caught sight of a woman who had apparently been lying down on the couch sit up as Nura dropped her bag on the floor and walked over, “Asalamalaikum.”

Nura’s mother stood up, dressed in a printed tunic and leggings as she smiled and returned, “Walaikumasalam,” before putting her arms out so Nura could walk into her mother’s hug. He saw Mrs. Ansari close her eyes as she hugged Nura, a smile on her tired face as she said something in a foreign language.

“I’m good,” Nura answered her before pulling away, which was when Mrs. Ansari’s eyes landed on Calum, who was lingering in the entrance a bit too awkwardly. He felt out of place, the strap of his duffel feeling heavy on his shoulder as he offered a small smile. At her mother’s questioning look, Nura said, “Oh, Mama, this is Calum. He drove me here.”

Mrs. Ansari blinked in confusion as she looked at Nura. “Why didn’t you drive yourself?”

Nura scoffed. “Because I was basically in a catatonic state after finding out you were sick. Calum offered to come with me.”

Mrs. Ansari shot her daughter a flat look at the first part of her statement, but then her lips lifted into a kind smile as she looked at Calum. “It’s nice to meet you Calum. Thank you for accompanying Nura.”

He felt some of the awkward tension in his muscles ease as he returned her smile, chuckling lightly. “Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Ansari. And, really, it was no problem.” His eyes met Nura’s as he added. “It was the right thing to do.”

Mrs. Ansari’s smile widened before stepping back and gesturing to the couch. “Please, come sit,” she said to him before settling on the smaller couch by the window. 

Calum walked further into the living room, taking note of the pictures on the wall. Many of them of Nura, especially when she was younger, with a boy who he figured was her brother and lots of family photos of them with their parents. But Nura hadn’t mentioned her father, and if he was still in the pictures put up on the wall, Calum could only correctly imagine where he was.

“So, Mama,” Nura said, settling on the three seater couch that Calum sat on the other end of, putting his bag down as Nura focused on her mother. “Kya hua? Bilal said you’ve been sick for a few days? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you, beta,” Mrs. Ansari said with a click of her tongue, as if she hadn’t wanted Nura’s brother telling her. “The doctor prescribed me antibiotics and I’m getting a lot of rest. I’m not contagious anymore, which is good, Alhamdulillah, but I’ve just been feeling a lot of weakness.”

Calum noted the worry on Nura’s features, in the furrow of her eyebrows as she looked at her mom. “Is it getting any better with the medicine?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Ansari nodded, shifting so she had brought her legs up on the couch, back resting against the arm rest as she faced Nura and Calum. “Really, baby, I should be fine in a few days. You didn’t have to come.”

“I was worried,” Nura told her. “I’m staying for the weekend, okay?” When Mrs. Ansari opened her mouth to protest, Nura shook her head. “No, Mama. I already told them I’d be here and I have lots of personal days so it’s fine. Deal with it.”

Calum felt his lips curl up slightly in amusement as Mrs. Ansari let out a sigh with a roll of her eyes. Clearly she wasn’t the type who particularly liked being fussed over. “Acha, fine.” Then she glanced at Calum before looking back at her daughter and gesturing to the kitchen. “Oh, go get him some water or something. Don’t just sit there.”

Nura’s face scrunched up, looking over at Calum who had rolled his lips into his mouth. Nura scoffed, telling her mom, “He can get it himself.”

He suppressed the chuckle. He should’ve seen that one coming—why should she have to serve him in her own home when she already did so at the resort? Except Mrs. Ansari didn’t see it that way, clicking her tongue as she warned, “Nura.”

Rolling her eyes with a huff, Nura stood up reluctantly. “Fine,” she grumbled, shooting Calum a sharp look as she walked past him, only to stop before facing her mom again. “If you’re not contagious anymore, I’ll sleep with you so Calum can have my bed.” Mrs. Ansari nodded and Nura shifted her gaze to him, raising an eyebrow. “Hope you’re okay with downgrading to a full sized bed.”

Calum scowled after her, shaking his head at her dig before looking back at Mrs. Ansari, letting himself smile at the woman watching him. She then sat up, voice coating with curiosity as she spoke up. “Nura said you were friends—do you work at the resort, too?”

Calum’s lips parted, half feeling the need to give into the lie. But he quickly talked himself out of that useless point, fingers laced together as he let out an almost sheepish chuckle. “Oh, no. I’m, uh, actually staying there with a few of my friends. I met Nura on my first day there.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Ansari sounded, eyebrows raising in intrigue. She tilted her head before asking, “And you left to accompany Nura?” Calum’s throat worked, not entirely sure if she approved of his actions or not. He wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. No doubt it was strange that her daughter arrived to help out with a man she hadn’t seen before. It probably looked fucking weird, but Calum didn’t regret it. So he nodded quietly, felt something ease in him when Mrs. Ansari smiled and said sincerely, “Thank you.”

He returned her grin just as Nura reappeared, a tall glass of water in her hand that she begrudgingly offered him. His smile only widened, finding the pout puckering her lips really fucking adorable. With a tick of her head, she said, “I’ll show you to your room for the weekend.”

Just a few moments later, Calum was stepping inside Nura’s bedroom, utterly neat and minimalistic in every aspect. The bed was perfectly made, bright green plants in one corner of the room, a study desk opposite of the bed and a bookshelf filled to the brim with books—which was not at all surprising to him. To the left of the door they’d walked through was a dressing table, only a few makeup and belongings on top as Calum remembered most of them being in Nura’s suite back at the resort. The walls were a pastel mauve color, so light he had to squint to see it, and the floor free of carpet, the wood sleek under his sock clad feet. There was a picture frame on the single bedside table next to the lamp and alarm clock, a photo of a younger Nura with a man he recognized from the other pictures in the living room. Her dad, Calum could tell. Same eyes, same nose.

As he carefully put his duffel down on the floor next to the bed, Calum turned to see Nura leaning against the wall by the door, eyes on him. She was watching him intently, a small smile teasing the corner of her lips, and Calum raised his eyebrows under her gaze. Did he look out of place? He kind of felt like it, but the room smelled of vanilla and shea butter, a scent he had come to recognize Nura by, and he didn’t want to admit how easy it would be to fall asleep engulfed in it.

“What?” Calum finally asked with a low chuckle, wondering what was running through her mind.

Nura grinned, teeth biting into her lower lip as she glanced out the door. She then looked at him, the sun seeping through the window washing her brown skin in a pretty glow as she quietly, conspiringly, said, “I’ve never had a boy in this room before.”

Calum’s eyebrows shot up at that, feeling his smile return. Not what he had been expecting, but the way she had admitted it was tugging at his heart. From what Calum knew, Nura was Muslim, and although there were certain parts of the religion she did and didn’t practice—as far as he knew from what she had told him—he wasn’t surprise over the lack of boys that entered this room. He felt like a fucking thirteen year old boy at the mild case of excitement twisting his stomach as he asked, “Really?”

“Mhm,” Nura nodded with a gentle laugh. “I mean, my mom’s not so conservative, but my dad was. So, y’know, no boys ever stepped foot into the room when he was around. But, like, he passed when I was fifteen and after that, I still didn’t wanna bring boys in here. So, yeah,” Nura chuckled a bit nervously. “You’re the first.”

Calum felt his smile soften, briefly biting the inside of his cheek as Nura’s eyes met his. They gleamed against the sunlight, a sight he wouldn’t ever get tired of. “Well, I’m honored.” Nura laughed lightly, watching as Calum looked around her room some more, his grin returning as he gestured towards the bookshelf with an amused, “That doesn’t surprise me.” She rolled her eyes, unashamed of her overflowing shelf and Calum sat down on the edge of the bed, fingers linking together in the space between his legs. “Reminds me of my room; I’ve got this, like, big shelf filled with old vinyls and albums and stuff.”

Nura raised her eyebrows, teasing smile upturning her lips. “Really? You’re into music?” She blew air through her lips. “I had no idea.” He shot her a look at her sarcastic tone, earning a laugh from Nura. “Is it just a hobby? Your collection of music?”

He took a breath, hands bracing behind him on the mattress as he leaned back a bit. Her question was simple, innocent enough, yet it had Calum pausing to consider the thoughts running through his head. Music was the only thing that kept Calum sane; it was the only thing, other than his friends’ support, that kept him together when all of the bullshit with Dawn had happened. Playing his guitar was a hobby, but he found relief in collecting vinyls and records and listening to music. The way Nura lost herself in the books she read, it was the same for Calum when all of his focus went into the lyrics being sung and chords being played. He wanted to make a life out of his love for music, whether it be collecting his favorite records or selling them—hell, he knew how to play a few instruments, he wouldn’t mind teaching others how to play, either.

“I don’t know,” he finally answered Nura, catching the silent inquiring look that crossed her face. “I guess. . .” He trailed off with a thoughtful furrow of his eyebrows, head tilting back as he gazed up at the ceiling. “It wouldn’t be so bad, making some kind of career out of it. Maybe then I’ll have an appreciation for hard work.”

His last statement was spoken with a knowing smirk shot at Nura, who scoffed out a laugh as she remembered those words all too clearly—she’d snapped them at him that night at the restaurant. Her laugh had Calum grinning, and Nura ran her fingers through her hair as she shrugged. “If you’ve got the means to do it, I’d say that’s a wise way to spend your money,” she told him, the encouraging tone not lost on him.

Calum smiled. It felt. . . Good that someone other than his best friends thought his idea was one worth pursuing. He doubted his parents would care much what he did, too busy with their own business and too invested to let go of it any time soon. Something loosened in Calum’s chest at Nura’s smile, tone appreciative as he simply said, “Noted.”

*****

“I thought Billy liked barbecue chips—these are salt and vinegar.”

“Yeah, those are for me—hey, put them back in the cart!”

“Nura, we’re supposed to be shopping for your mom and Billy, not you!”

“A girl has her needs, damn it, Calum.”

He pursed his lips with a shake of his head, shooting Nura a look as she huffed and continued to push the cart along. The two of them continued down the aisles of Wal-Mart, finally heading towards the check-out with their stuffed cart. Nura may have gone a bit overboard, but it was their last day in Homestead and she wanted to make sure the fridge, freezer, and pantry were fully stocked before they left.

The past three days had been nothing short of interesting. It was a strange dynamic, having Calum around, and Nura was surprised how well he got along with her mom and Billy—which was kind of understandable, given that he hadn’t acted like a dick to them right off the bat as he did with her. But that was in the past.

In fact, Calum had been a huge help around the house, despite Nura’s constant teasing that he took in stride—and knew he deserved it, especially when he nearly sucked up one of Billy’s DS cartridges in the vacuum. Other than that near mishap, he helped her around the house, surprising Nura with his efficiency in the kitchen, got along really well with Billy and played video games with her seventeen year old brother, and had been quick with a small garbage can when Mrs. Ansari vomiting acted up and she couldn’t make it to the bathroom on time.

He hadn’t even been disgusted, and if Nura ever had any doubt about the kind of man Calum was, it was gone.

If anything, she could feel her heart pick up its pace every time he looked at her, felt the butterflies tickle her stomach whenever he smiled. She was falling, and it was probably a bad idea, but she didn’t care. 

“We’ve got everything?” Calum checked as they got to the self-checkout, eyeing the cart with a small smirk.

Nura snorted. “For the house and even some road trip snacks, yes.”

The two of them worked together as Nura scanned the items and Calum bagged them before putting them back int he cart, and not for the first time this weekend she found herself thinking how good of a team they made. Who knew the pretty rich boy was good at mundane things he could pay people to do?

When the last of the items were scanned and bagged, Nura reached into her purse to grab her wallet, eyebrows knitting together when she didn’t find it. “Huh?” she sounded, confused, as she opened it and dug through, groaning when she realized she didn’t have it. She didn’t even think about how she’d driven to Wal-Mart without her license on her, but was more pressed about the fact that now there was no way to pay for her groceries. Shit.

“What’s wrong?” Calum asked, eyebrows knitting together.

Nura’s shoulders fell, turning to look at him with disdain on her features with a little bit of self-loathing. “I think I forgot my wallet at home.”

Calum blinked. “Oh.” Then he stepped towards her and Nura watched as he pulled his wallet out of his jeans pocket and slid out a credit card. “We can just use mine.”

Nura’s eyes widened, grabbing his bicep as she stopped him. “Wait, no—I can’t let you pay for two hundred dollars’ worth of groceries, Calum.”

He looked down at her, a furrow in his eyebrows as if he didn’t understand the problem. It was stupidly endearing. “Yes, you can.” Then with a chuckle, he added, “Not like you have much of a choice, Nura. It’s okay.”

Her stomach twisted, eyebrows knitting deeply as she barely sounded a protesting, “But—” when Calum inserted his credit card. She took a breath before chewing on her lips, not entirely feeling right about this. Logically, Nura knew he had the money, knew that two hundred dollars wasn’t much to him, but that wasn’t the point. Taking care of her family was something Nura had become accustomed to; she and her mom did it together, even Billy chipped in with the summer jobs he’d get. It had always been the three of them, and while she definitely appreciated Calum’s kindness, it just felt strange accepting it. She didn’t want to owe him anything, and didn’t want him thinking she wanted him to pay for something for her family. It wasn’t his job.

When he pulled his card out and signed his name on the pad, Nura shifted her weight on her feet and peered up at him. “Thank you, Calum,” she said, her voice holding the genuine appreciation she felt over him fixing her blunder. “I’ll pay you back.”

She saw the frown that drew together his eyebrows as he pocketed his wallet, shooting her a near bewildered look. “The hell you will,” he said with a scoff. Calum shook his head, walking to the back of the cart to grip its handles. With a pointed look at her, he added, “I didn’t mind doing it, Nura, and I didn’t do it for you to owe me anything. I was happy to help.”

The look in his eyes told her that he wasn’t going to budge on his stance, and Nura just kind of fell for him a bit more in that moment. She also felt a wave of guilt for all the teasing she had done regarding him and his money, and wished she could take it back. Coupled with what Luke had told her that night at the club and him paying for her family’s groceries—not to mention the fact that when they’d stopped to get gas on their way to Homestead, he’d paid for it—Nura knew that Calum Hood wasn’t like any of the guests she’d ever encountered, and the money he had, he would use it for others before using it for himself.

That little trait only made him all the more attractive.

As they exited Wal-Mart, Nura tried, “Will you at least let me get you a drink when we get back? On me.” She didn’t know how much that would mean, given what he was paying to stay at the resort, but it was all she could think of doing. It was a small gesture, nothing compared to what he’d done.

And yet, Calum grinned at her, sharp features melting into a giddy softness as he pushed the cart along and nodded. “Absolutely.”

Nura left Homestead with a lighter heart than the one she’d arrived with. Most of it had to do with the fact that her mom, thank God, had started feeling a lot better than when Nura first got home. Her antibiotics seemed to kick in, and they did plenty in helping her mom out with the nausea and pain she had been feeling. With Calum and Nura chipping in to help around the house, even if it was only for three days, her mom was able to get as much rest as she could and it helped her recovery along.

She was no longer pale or running between her bed and the bathroom anymore, the pain had nearly subsided, and Nura knew her mom would be okay. And after telling her brother to be good and take care of their mom, and with Mrs. Ansari and Billy thanking Calum for all of his help, Nura and Calum left her house and were back on the road to the resort. This time, she joined in with him in singing along to the songs playing through the car at a louder volume; lighter hearts made for a happier car ride back, and Nura really fucking appreciated Calum’s help in it all. While she had been caught completely off guard when he had offered to come, she was so relieved he did.

They got back to the resort late in the evening when the sun had set and, ever the gentleman, Calum walked Nura back to her suite. Their footsteps softly thudded on the sleek floor, the hall empty as they reached her door around eight in the evening. Nura unlocked it and stepped inside, dropping her bag on the floor and turning to see Calum watching her, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in the pocket of his leather jacket which she couldn’t understand how he wore in the Florida heat.

Nura wrung her fingers together as she took a step towards him, feeling her skin flush as she began, “Calum—thank you, honestly, for helping out this weekend. You didn’t have to take time out of your vacation to do that and I—I really appreciate it.”

Calum’s eyebrows so briefly pulled together as his face scrunched up in protest, giving a shake of his head. “You don’t have to thank me, Nura.” He shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. “You’ve been takin’ care of us and it just felt like the right thing to do.”

She let out a breathy chuckle at that, about a foot or two worth of space between them as she raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, well, it’s my job to. You did it because you’re a good person.”

She saw the way his eyebrows raised, corner of his lips tugging into a wider smile as he scoffed lightly through his nose. There was a teasing glint in his dark eyes as he said, “Means a lot, coming from someone who once said I was just barely a decent person.”

Nura rolled her lips into her mouth, an embarrassed heat flushing her skin as Calum chuckled quietly at her reaction. Of course she remembered saying that to him, right after he had basically tipped her out of spite. It seemed like so long ago, rather than just a month. “Yeah, well,” Nura mused, not at all minding the way the space between them seemed to be closing. Her gaze lifted so brown eyes could remain locked with his, a teasing flutter in her stomach under Calum’s intent, purposeful stare. “Safe to say you’ve proven me wrong.”

They were so close, her vanilla scent mixing with the woodsy freshness of his cologne, a combination Nura desired more of as she looked up at him. Calum leaned towards her, nose brushing against hers, fueling the fire sparking in Nura’s veins as his voice dropped into a raspy, deliciously teasing murmur, “Enough to break your fraternization rule?”

Nura’s response was tilting her head up to finally give into the heat his body was radiating, to succumb to the way Calum was pulling her and connect her lips with his. She felt herself inhaling sharply as he returned the kiss, his hands finding her face as he kept her close, moving his lips with hers. Nura leaned into him, her own hands gripping his wrist as her lips parted, deepening the kiss earnestly, the softness of his lips curling her toes, pressing herself into him. She couldn’t possibly be close enough to him.

Calum’s hands were warm against her skin, the couple of rings he wore chilling her gloriously, and he tasted like the mint gum he’d been chewing in the car. The subtle flutter in her stomach whenever Calum smiled at her had erupted into a hoard of butterflies, his tongue sliding against hers. God, she knew it was a bad idea, knew she was crossing a professional line she had never ventured near. But the way Calum’s thumbs caressed her cheek, kissed her so softly yet intensely, had Nura throwing caution in the wind. How could she possibly focus on anything else when Calum was kissing her like it was what his lips were made to do?

They pulled apart too soon, a brush of lips and labored breathing, and Nura kept her eyes closed as she reveled in the warmth Calum’s body provided. Her heart was racing, his nose brushing against hers, and Nura found herself wanting to stay close. Bad ideas never seemed so good right now. “Yeah,” she finally breathed out, ragged and overwhelmed, eyes still closed as her lips curled into a dazed smile. “Definitely worth it it.”

*****

It was a long day. Every so often, the long days caught up to Nura and the day couldn’t be over quick enough as she made her around her specific areas. Her sneakers, though they were comfortable, at this point seemed to be too tight on her feet and she couldn’t wait to go back to her room and collapse for the night. Except it was one in the afternoon and her hour lunch break wasn’t for another half hour. A little bit less, she realized as she glanced at her Apple Watch and read the time as 1:06. Not fast enough though. And it didn’t help that she was waiting to hear back from some publishing firms she had applied to work for, itching to check her e-mail every few minutes. The day was already taking a toll on her.

God, she wanted to nap.

The Florida sun was something she was used to, but today it only seemed to slow her down. She kept walking from the restaurant to the pool, providing guests with drinks and snacks whenever they demanded them. Mundane, repetitive, but she got paid for it, so Nura walked around and did her job with a pleasant smile on her face despite it feeling so strained on her cheeks.

It wasn’t too bad, though, because at least while she was around the pool, she got to see Calum. He, Luke, Sierra, Michael and Crystal were all by the pool, and it was taking all of Nura’s willpower and every ounce of her professionalism not to openly admire the glow of Calum’s skin under the beaming sun, or trace the ink decorating his skin with her gaze. Their eyes would meet every now and again, and though Nura focused on doing her work, she could still feel the weight of his stare on her. It was nerve wracking and thrilling in the best ways.

Ever since their kiss last week, there had been so many more snuck in. While she worked, Calum spent time with his friends in various activities the resort offered, but as soon as she clocked out, he was joining her in her room for dinner and a TV show to binge—even if, by the end, the show was long forgotten and they were too busy with dizzying kisses and wandering hands. It was a dangerous game they were playing, Nura knew, but all of her worries seem to melt away when she was with Calum. And it felt good, for once, to not constantly think of life’s problems that had taken residence on her shoulders. It felt so good to get lost in Calum’s kisses, his touch, to melt under his warm gaze and be the reason for that stunning smile. 

“Nura, you can take your break after dropping off that order,” Mr. Gonzalez said as she picked up a small tray with a single mango smoothie on it to be delivered poolside.

She nodded, stifling the yawn threatening to escape as she made her way back to the pool to give the drink to the middle aged woman who had ordered it. Nura balanced the circular trap on the palm of her right hand, left hand gripping the rim of the tray for extra security as she made her way over. The woman was sitting just a few feet away, and Nura couldn’t wait to give her the drink and go for her break.

And maybe she’d gotten lost in her thoughts, let herself get too distracted, but Nura hadn’t registered the two kids that were running past her, hadn’t heard their excited shoulders behind her over the busy poolside hum. But just as she reached the woman, the kids, probably about nine or ten years old, roughly bumped into Nura as they went, and the startled gasp ripped past her throat faster than she could grab the glass as it toppled over, sending the yellow colored smoothie splattering right onto the woman who’d been waiting for it.

Nura heard the few gasps around her, but they sounded distant over the sound of her rapid heartbeat and the woman’s startled shriek of, “Oh, my God!”

Face flushing in an embarrassed heat, Nura covered her mouth briefly, eyes wide in mortification as she stammered out, “Oh, God, I’m so sorry, ma’am. I—Let me grab you a towel.”

“Don’t!” the woman snapped, ripping her sunglasses off her face to fix Nura with a fierce glare with icy blue eyes. Nura stopped, blood frozen and eyes apologetically wide. She was all too aware of the stares she and the now soaked woman were receiving, and she couldn’t be more horrified over the whole encounter. Especially as the pissed off woman sat up and continued, “You’ll manage to fuck that up, too. What, do you not know how to walk?”

They had been trained for moments such as this, where the customers create a scene just like what the woman was doing. But in the six summers Nura worked at the resort, nothing like this had ever happened to her, and in this moment, she forgot all about what she was told as she remained frozen in her spot, humiliated by the way she was being spoken to and angry that she couldn’t say anything back without the risk of being fired.

“Ma’am,” Nura began, hating that her voice was a bit unsteady, holding the tray to her chest and picking up the now empty glass. Throat working, she continued, “Let me get you a towel and—and another drink—”

“Don’t bother,” the woman scoffed, pulling out the towel she was laying on to wipe at her skin. The scowl was a permanent fixture on her face as she looked up at Nura. “You’re lucky you didn’t break the glass, or else I would’ve sued your ass faster than you can—”

“Hey—it was an accident and she already apologized. Move the fuck on.” Nura’s eyes widened, heart stopping in her chest as she whipped her head to the right to see Calum next to her. She gaped at him, breath still in her lungs as she wondered what the fuck he was doing as his own scowl was directed towards the seated woman.

Who, in turn, stared up at him with incredulity and irritation. Though many people were watching the scene, Nura was absently relieved that all action around the pool hadn’t ceased, because if there had been complete silence, she knew she wouldn’t be able to handle any more humiliation than this. “Who the hell are you?” the woman demanded with a frown. “She spilled the damn drink on me—can’t even fucking do her job right.”

Nura’s face was on fire, that much she was certain of. And it certainly didn’t help when Calum took a step forward, figure looming and intimidating, as he snapped, “Accidents happen. If you’re so bothered, get off your ass and get your drink yours—”

The woman’s eyebrows had show up and jaw had dropped in astonishment, and Nura quickly cut in with a hasty, “I’m so sorry, ma’am. I’ll send someone else for your drink,” and, without thinking, grabbed Calum’s arm and roughly pulled him away.

Nura was too aware of the eyes on her, hearing Calum’s flip flops drag on the floor and his indignant protests as she told Lorraine to help out the pissed off lady by the pool, and it wasn’t until they were away from the pool and restaurant and headed towards her room where she finally let out a sharp breath.

“What the hell was that?” Nura demanded harshly, not even bothering to look at Calum as she made her way towards her room. She didn’t even want to eat anymore. She just needed to be in her room where she could have a proper fucking meltdown. Thank God her suite wasn’t far. They were already entering the hall with the brisk steps Nura had been taking.

Calum easily kept up with her pace, and she could hear his own anger as he returned, “She was treatin’ you like shit. I couldn’t just let her do that.”

Her vexation getting the best of her, Nura let out a humorless laugh, jamming her key into the door before shoving it open. “That’s fucking hilarious coming from you.”

Calum shut the door, the slam sounding distant as Nura’s heart pounded in her ear as she turned to face him. She didn’t even pause to admire him standing there in just a pair of black swimming trunks, the scowl on his face matching the one she wore. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he demanded, scoffing as he took a few steps towards her. Nura stood her ground, jaw tight. “Are you seriously bringing that up again? I thought we were fucking passed that, Nura.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, defiant as her skin remained hot to the touch. “I thought so to, until you decided to say fuck my job and tried to play the hero when I didn’t ask for one.”

He genuinely looked bewildered at her statement and Nura knew it was because he didn’t think what he did was wrong. And while if she was more level headed, she would understand why he thought that, but right now it only fueled the fire burning her blood. There was a good chance he just made things worse. Gesturing towards the door behind him, Calum exclaimed, “That woman was being a bitch to you!”

Nura clicked her tongue loudly, looking away with an irritated shake of her head before returning, “It’s just part of the job. You’d know if you ever had one!”

Calum scoffed, incredulous and angry all at the same time as he raised his eyebrows at her. “Excuse me?”

“It’s all a part of working in customer service.” Nura let out a breath, lips curling in a near condescending smirk as she eyed him. “But I wouldn’t expect a trust fund brat like you to know that.”

His eyes narrowed, darkening as he took the few steps towards her, tall body towering over hers and Nura hated the excited twist in her stomach, and the thrill that shot down her spine, when Calum’s voice dropped and he returned darkly, “Only one being a brat here is you.”

Electricity shot through Nura’s core at Calum’s words, only being able to release a small breath until his lips captured hers in a rough, dizzying kiss that had her instantly wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer. It was a frenzied kiss, desperate and heated as Calum’s fingers instinctively worked on the button of Nura’s black uniform shorts, and thank fucking God he was only in swimming trunks as he pushed her shorts down her legs and she kicked them off.

They were a mess of heavy breaths, needy kisses, and working hands as the kiss briefly broke when Calum lifted Nura’s shirt off, a fire brimming in her chest as he pushed her onto the bed before climbing over her body to connect their lips once more. He tasted of beer and cigarettes, and Nura didn’t at all mind the combination as the scruff on his chin scratched at her skin, his warm body pressing into hers as Calum broke their kiss and Nura let out a dazed, breathy gasp when his plush lips teased her neck with kisses.

Her anger and humiliation from before melted away under Calum’s body, eyes fluttering shut as one hand went to the back of his head, fingers threading through his growing dark hair and head tilting back as she reveled in the way his lips and tongue and teeth worked at her neck. She was overwhelmed by him; by his taste, touch, scent as Calum moved lower, lower, lower, his lips leaving a trail of electricity in his wake as he kept going down her body, brown eyes absent of his own previous aggravation and flashing with wicked mischief as she watched him reach her underwear.

When he pulled it down, Nura bit down on her grinning lower lip, head tilting back into the pillows as his lips teased the inside of her thighs with kisses. 

Fuck a nap; this was exactly how she wanted to spend her break.

“I’m sorry ’bout what happened at the pool.” Nura felt Calum’s chest lightly vibrate under her ear as he spoke in a rasp, her gaze fixed on he way her fingers played with his. The room had fallen into a tranquil silence, the steady beat of Calum’s heart calming Nura more than a nap would have. “I just hated seein’ the way that woman spoke to you. Reminded me of how I spoke to you and I’m sorry for it.”

Nura’s eyebrows furrowed at that, lifting her head to look at Calum. He was resting against her headboard, the sheets doing well to cover her bare chest as she laid next to him. Calum’s brown eyes met hers and Nura’s features softened as the little bit of guilt she could still see in them. “You don’t have to apologize. I forgave you for that a long time ago.” The corner of his lips quirked up but Calum still didn’t let himself smile, and Nura rested her hand on his chest as she sighed. “Thank you for defending me. And I’m sorry, too, for being such a bitch about it.”

“No, don’t,” Calum said with a shake of his head, his left hand coming up to cover her right one on his chest. Nura glanced down, feeling a smile tug on her lips at his warm touch, at the way his tattooed hand seemed to perfectly hold hers. Her brown eyes met his soft ones, feeling herself melt under his gaze all over again. “It wasn’t my place to jump in like that, no matter how much it pissed me off. I put you in a tough spot and that wasn’t fair of me.”

Nura felt her smile grow, heart fluttering in her chest at the sincerity in Calum’s voice. She then let out a chuckle, shaking her head as she responded to Calum’s curious expression with, “Either we suck at apologizing to each other, or we’re really good at it.”

Calum scoffed, his grin finally appearing, bright and beautiful. “I think it’s the latter,” he said with a quick wink, leaning forward to connect their lips in a toe curling, breathtaking kiss.

She would’ve continued it, except her phone let out a notification ding, and Calum groaned in protest when Nura pulled away with a light giggle. She reached over Calum, ended up laying with her stomach on his as she grabbed her phone from the bedside and read the new e-mail she’d received. And as her eyes took in the words on the screen, Nura’s heart dropped and a gasp escaped her throat. “Oh, shit!”

“What?” Calum asked, worry creeping into his voice. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, my God,” Nura laughed, the excitement widening the grin on her face, reading the e-mail one last time before letting out a thrilled squeal. She kicked her legs excitedly, earning a bewildered laugh from Calum until she finally announced, voice high with enthusiasm, “Penguin Random House is offering me a job in their editorial department! Oh, my God—I got the job!”

She looked back at Calum as the words fell past her lips, catching the way his eyebrows shot up and something flashed across his eyes, akin to happiness and pride, before a grin split across his face. Those crinkles she adored so much appeared, just for her, as Calum laughed, “That’s incredible, doll—congratulations!”

Her stomach was wild with butterflies, cheeks aching from the grin she wore as she let out a squeal and pushed herself up to hug Calum. She laughed against him, feeling his arms wrap around her as he squeezed her tightly, bodies flushed as she felt his nose nudge at her neck. “Oh, my God—I’m moving to New York.” That had been the dream; to land a job at a publishing firm, preferably in New York City, and move there to start her life as proper adult. The thought was fucking terrifying, but one that brought Nura a kind of happiness she couldn’t comprehend.

Fuck, if only she didn’t have to go back to work in ten minutes. She’d properly be able to celebrate—especially since Calum was already in her bed.

*****

“Nura? Mr. McNulty would like to see you in his office.”

She looked up from where she was leaning against the bar, checking her e-mail to see another offer had come in. Over the past few days, ever since that first e-mail from Penguin Random House, the other firms Nura had applied to had finally reached back after the many video interviews she had done. She’d gotten job offers to most of them, including Simon & Schuster, which was her top choice, with Penguin being her second. Her days, despite dealing with the same kind of people all of the time, carried on with a happier note with each acceptance.

“Okay,” Nura nodded, pocketing her phone and taking off her apron. Riley took it from her, storing it under the bar as Nura walked out of the restaurant and in the direction of the main lobby of the resort. She couldn’t be sure why Mr. McNulty was calling her, but it was opportune; Nura could take that moment to tell him she wouldn’t be coming back next summer. Or ever again.

She reached his office door, knocking until she heard him answer with a “Come in.” Mr. McNulty glanced up from his computer, leaning back as he said, “Oh, Ms. Ansari, good. Please, have a seat.”

Nura was good at reading people, and right now, she got an uneasy vibe off of Mr. McNulty. He didn’t look entirely happy, elbows resting on the arm rests of his chair and hands linked together as Nura slowly sat down on the chair in front of his desk. “Is everything alright, sir?”

“I’m afraid not, Nura,” he said with a sigh, leaning forward as he clicked something on the laptop in front of him. Her eyebrows drew together as he turned the laptop to show her the screen as he said, “This is you with one of our resort guests, correct?”

Nura’s gaze went to the screen, heart in her throat as she watched a video of her exiting Calum’s bungalow from a few days ago, pausing on the steps as Calum leaned in to kiss her. The video ended with Nura turning around, giving the camera a clear shot of her face before it automatically stopped—along with Nura’s heart.

Shit. Oh, fucking shit.

Her lips parted, blood rushing in her ears as she tried to find the right words. “Sir, I-I can explain—”

“You know our policy, Ms. Ansari,” Mr. McNulty cut in with a shake of his head. He didn’t look angry, per se. Just disappointed, which Nura knew was worse. Especially since she knew the man, they got along well. She had never had such a transgression, and she was absolutely mortified. Fuck. She knew this would happen, knew they hadn’t been careful. “Engaging in relationships with our guests is against company regulations, and is grounds for immediate firing.”

Which would go on her record, and although she was going to quit anyway and already got offered jobs at all those firms, there was still the risk of them finding out about her getting fired from the resort. And she knew the reason for it wouldn’t be taken lightly, either. Shit. She was screwed.

She couldn’t even look Mr. McNulty in the eye, gaze dropped to her lap where she picked at her nails, face flushed in an embarrassed, saddened heat. How could she have been so dumb? So careless? Fuck.

“However—” Nura looked up when Mr. McNulty began speaking again, taking in the resigned expression he wore. “You have been with us for over five years, and despite your mistake, you’ve been an essential employee at Little Palms. Which is why I’m willing to offer you a deal.” She sat up, breath stilling in her lungs, eagerly and carefully listening. “I’m going to give you the chance of voluntarily submitting your resignation, effective immediately. You will get paid for the hours you have worked, but you will need to leave by the end of the day. This way, it doesn’t go on your record. Does that sound fair to you?”

Nura let out a heavy breath, disbelief crossing her features. She had already been planning to quit, and although that wouldn’t have been effective until the end of summer, doing so now was better than being fired. It would suck, Nura knew, having to leave the friends she made here quicker than she had anticipated, but Mr. McNulty’s offer was the lesser of two evils. At this point, she didn’t care what was fair or what wasn’t. It was her fault for being careless despite knowing the rules of the resort, and Mr. McNulty’s generosity wasn’t something she was going to take with a grain of salt.

“I—Yes. Yes, sir. That’s fair,” Nura nodded quickly, throat tight. None of it was fair, but it wasn’t like she was going to be unemployed. She had jobs lined up. It would be okay. She would be fine. “Thank you, Mr. McNulty.”

He nodded as the two of them stood up, and he reached his hand out and said, “It was wonderful having you with us, Ms. Ansari. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.”

She offered a small smile, shaking his hand firmly. “Thank you, sir.”

It wasn’t until she walked out of his office did Nura let out a breath, eyes closing briefly before opening as she leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling. She wasn’t going to lie—that was kind of shitty. And although she knew she could use the extra time to pack up her life and get ready for her move to New York, it still left a small hole in her heart. Mr. McNulty only allowed her to resign out of her loyalty to the resort; so easily could she have just been fired, and Nura knew that would’ve sucked more. Still, it wasn’t wrong—or at least, she didn’t think it was—that the situation left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Nura sighed once more, giving a shake of her head as she began walking, figuring she might as well head to her suite to start packing. Her phone let out a ding and she pulled it out, eyebrows raising when she saw an e-mail from a Penguin Random House address. Nura hummed in acknowledgment, walking as she read the message from the woman who was the head of the editorial department, feeling a small smile tug at her lips as she read that the woman was excited to hear more from her, and that she hoped Nura accepted their offer.

And the e-mail had made her smile, reminding her of the hope she still had and how today wasn’t so shitty, until she got to the last line of the e-mail.

I’m so glad Mr. Hood—or Calum, as you may know him—recommended you to our firm. His e-mail only reaffirmed our decision in moving forward with your application.

Nura stopped, eyebrows slowly knitting together as she read those two sentences over and over again, hoping that she was only imagining them. But the more she read them, the clearer they got, and the heat that simmered in her veins only seemed to intensify with each second that passed by.

What the fuck.

He had reached out to them on her behalf? What the hell had he been thinking? Nura ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a sharp breath as she remembered the day she’d gotten the e-mail from them. He had been with her and he kept his damn mouth, didn’t even think to mention that he’d talked to them. 

Good thing he hadn’t, or else she would’ve probably ripped his head off while he was naked in her bed.

Heart drumming wildly in her chest, Nura texted him with trembling thumbs, casually asking him where he was. When he responded almost instantly, telling her he was at the beach, Nura didn’t think twice. She didn’t care she had to get her things ready—she needed to have a conversation with him first.

She arrived to the beach quickly, deaf to the sounds of people enjoying themselves and music playing and waves crashing. The sand was soft under her sneakers, eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun as she searched for Calum, or maybe even his friends, knowing he was with them. She walked in the direction of the shore, looking right and then left, jaw clenching when she caught sight of him resting on a towel under an umbrella. 

Nura stormed over, her anger and indignation overwhelming her, ignoring the greetings his friends offered her as she stood in front of his now sitting body when he heard her name being uttered by everyone else. “I need to talk to you,” Nura stated through gritted teeth. God, she was so angry, so outraged that he would meddle in her business the way he had, no matter his intentions. 

Calum frowned from behind his sunglasses, taking them off before he slowly stood up. Not even his stupid tattooed body could distract Nura from the glare she wore. “Is everything okay, sweetheart?”

Nope. No endearing nickname would distract her either. Nails digging into her palms, Nura demanded, “Did you reach out to Penguin Random House on my behalf so they would give me the job?”

She saw the realization flash across Calum’s face, lips parting as guilt tugged at his features and the knot in Nura’s stomach tightened. All of Calum’s friends had fallen silent as he started, “I—yeah, I did, but Nura—they were goin’ to give you the job anyway.”

“Maybe!” she exclaimed defiantly, eyebrows shooting up. “But it was what you did that made them go through with it, and I didn’t fucking ask you to do that.”

“Nura—” Calum let out a breath, frowning down at her as he gave a shake of his head. “I was just tryin’ to help.”

The sun was burning down her back, and it only drove Nura’s irritation further. Her chest felt tight, hating every minute of this. “I didn’t ask you to,” she repeated through gritted teeth, expression as hard as her eyes, and she knew Calum could see that. “I want to have a job because of my own hard work, not because of anything else.” She crossed her arms over her chest, voice lacing with a bitter venom as she added, “But I guess that’s too hard for someone who hasn’t worked a damn day in their life to understand.”

The hurt flashed across Calum’s face and for a moment, Nura regretted the words she’d uttered. God, they had been past that. She had stopped throwing his access to money in his face, had realized he was so much more than his bank account. But she was so angry in his act of meddling, and she lashed out when she was hurt, uncaring of who got caught in the damage. And it didn’t matter how much she liked Calum, how much he made her smile or laugh or feel good. He hadn’t respected her work ethic, had interfered when he wasn’t needed, and it only ended up hurting her. So she hurt him.

Nura took a step back, thinning her lips at him, uncaring of his friends’ stares as her brown eyes remained locked with Calum’s. His eyebrows were drawn together, the hurt more prominent on his face than anything else, and although the sight of him looking at her light that tightened Nura’s throat, it didn’t stop her from saying, “You cost me two jobs today, Calum. Do me a favor and stay the hell away.”

He saw the alarmed confusion in his eyes at her words, but Nura didn’t give him a chance to say anything as she turned and walked away, arms crossed tightly as she made her way off the beach. She knew he tried to go after her, was stopped when Ashton said, “Let her go, man,” and a dry sob escaped Nura as soon as she was far enough away from them. She felt her face scrunch up as she fought to keep the tears away; tears of anger, of sadness, of hurt—whatever the fuck they may be. It all came crashing into her after disappearing from Calum’s intense, pleading gaze, and Nura only let the tears fall when she was in the privacy of her bedroom.

She had expected to say goodbye to the resort soon enough. Saying goodbye to Calum, though, had never crossed her mind. 

*****

“She’s settled well in New York,” Mrs. Ansari told him with a smile, a happiness in her eyes as she spoke about her daughter. “She always wanted to get out of Florida, and even though I don’t like her being so far, I know she’s happy. That’s all I can ask for.”

Calum smiled, looking down at his hands as he twirled one of his rings. “She’s definitely a city girl—I’m not surprised she fits right in,” he said, unable to keep the fondness from slipping into his tone. Her face flashed across his mind; glimmering brown eyes and a smile that rendered him breathless every time. “They’re lucky to have her there.”

There was a silence that settled upon them briefly, and Calum heard the sound of porcelain clicking against glass as Mrs. Ansari put her mug of tea on the coffee table. “She told me what you did.” Calum’s throat worked as he looked up to meet the older woman’s gaze, surprised when she smiled at him gently. “Your heart was in the right place, Calum, and I know Nura knows that. She’s just. . .” She trailed off with a soft chuckle. “She’s independent, always has been. Her father and I raised her to work hard for what she wants and what you did, although it was only out of good intentions, made her feel as though you didn’t value who she was.”

Calum sat up, hating that that was ever a thought in Nura’s head. He admired her, so fucking much. And helping her had been such a natural instinct that Calum hadn’t stopped to think how it could be interpretated. Fuck, he should’ve known that the only way to help Nura was to support her in how she chose to run her life, not pave a pathway for her. Calum shook his head with a sigh, gaze dropping once more as he stared at his half drank cup of tea. Without even thinking, he murmured, “I value her more than anything.”

And he did. Of course he did. She’d come into his life like a whirlwind when he least expected it, when he was too busy being bitter over the way Dawn’s life had been moving forward despite her taking advantage of him. Nura was better than anyone Calum had ever met. She never took advantage of him, was quick to knock him down a peg or two when he needed to be, and, fuck, he loved her for it. Of all the things in the resort, Nura was the one who gave him a peace of mind, who pulled him out of the vat of bitterness that Dawn had thrown him in. He’d gone to Little Palm to so the beach and ocean and everything else in between could distract him. But it was Nura who did so by keeping him on his toes in the best way possible. 

He heard the smile in Mrs. Ansari’s voice. “Give her some time, beta. If you truly care about her, and I can tell that you do, you’ll try one more time.”

The late October chill of New York was something Calum was familiar with. He enjoyed it, a nice change from the warmth of Los Angeles, and he didn’t mind standing out on the sidewalk, back leaning against his car as he kept his gaze fixated on the front door of the building in front of him. His hands were kept warm in the pocket of his long dark grey coat, watching each person that walked out of the door, hoping it was the one familiar face he had been in search for.

He had half a mind to pull out a cigarette to warm him up, but he didn’t want the first time she saw him in months to be when he smelled of tobacco. Fuck, he didn’t even know if she wanted to see him. For all he knew, she would see him waiting outside and turn right back into the building. His heart drummed in his chest, and no words of reassurances from his friends or Mrs. Ansari echoing in his brain could ever prepare him for the moment that Nura emerged from the revolving door of Simon & Schuster, dark hair dancing in the breeze as she took in a breath of the late afternoon New York air.

Calum’s heart leaped in his throat the second he saw her, pushing himself off the car and standing straight, feeling every drop of blood racing in his veins as Nura started descending the concrete steps and looked up, only for her dark eyes to lock onto Calum’s.

Nura stopped where she stood, hands buried in the pocket of her own peacoat and he wondered if she was trying to determine whether she was imagining him or not. He saw the shock on her face, lips parted as Calum took a tentative step forward. There was still about fifteen feet worth of space between them, filled with people passing by, and he was desperate to close it.

“What—” Nura let out a breath, and Calum swore he didn’t think he had missed her voice so much. She finally descended the stairs, making her way towards him, eyebrows drawing together as she asked, “What’re you doing here?”

For a moment, all Calum could do was stare at her. Standing in front of him after months of just being a memory in his head, Calum was desperate to drink in the sight of her for as long as he could. She looked beautiful, unsurprisingly, having replaced her resort uniform with jeans, heeled boots and a turtleneck under her coat. Absolutely stunning.

“I—” Calum paused, clearing his throat before he reached into the inner pocket of his coat, pulling out the item that had been weighing it down. Nura watched, her eyebrows rising at the item in his hands. “I thought you’d want your book back.”

A scoff escaped Nura’s upturning lips, taking her copy of Aristotle and Dante from his hands. She had never asked for it back when she left the resort, and it had been the only thing Calum had of Nura’s once she left. He’d read the book once and then twice over, soaking in the words that had become her favorite to read. He felt closer to her every time he read it, momentarily allowing himself to forget how he had fucked things up between them.

Nura rolled her lips into her mouth before lifting her gaze to meet his eyes, gently asking, “Did you like it?”

Calum rolled his lips into his mouth, hands returning to the pockets of his coat. “It was beautiful,” he nodded, voice softer than he intended. He looked down at his shoes then, black Docs stark against the pavement. “Ari kind of frustrated me, though.”

“How come?”

He bit the inside of his cheek, considering his next words carefully before he told himself to just stop thinking. He’d been thinking of saying them for so long. Now, he finally would. “It took him so long to figure out he loved Dante.” Calum’s gaze met Nura’s, offering her a small, close mouthed smile, a bit sad, but truthful. “But for me, figuring out I loved you was the easiest thing.”

Calum heard the sharp inhale Nura took at his words, brown eyes framed by long lashes widening as she gaped at him, and Calum didn’t regret it. He’d been holding those words in for so long, had kept them in his chest to the point where it had become almost painful. Now they were out there, spoken to the person they were meant to, and now Nura had the power. So he stood there, watching her, waiting for her to say something. Anything.

He saw the subtle way her eyebrows drew together, grip on her book tightening as her throat worked. “I—” Nura took an unsteady breath and Calum wondered if she could hear his pounding heart. Nura dropped her gaze, looking down at the book, letting out a nervous chuckle as she said, “Well, Ari’s a gay kid in 1987, so things weren’t so easy for him figure out—”

God, if she was anyone else, Calum would’ve hurt his eyes by how hard he would’ve rolled him. Instead, he felt himself letting out a breathless chuckle, some of the nervous tension easing in his muscles as he took a step towards her and cut in, “But I also admire him.” Nura pressed her lips together, watching him as Calum offered a small smile. “Because he gave me the push to come out here, to tell you how I feel, to apologize for the way I fucked things up.”

She was listening to him intently, eyes wide and earnest, and Calum pulled his hands out of his pockets and cupped her cheeks. Her skin was as soft as he remembered it, felt a ghost of a smile curl his lips when her eyes fluttered as soon as he touched her. Even in the heart of New York, he could smell her delicious vanilla scent.

“You make me better, Nura. With your jokes and your ethics and all of the things that make you, you. Watching you push yourself pushes me, and that makes you the best person I know.” 

“Oh, shit.” Calum let out a short laugh at the whisper she let out, looking up at him in awe and incredulity. He hadn’t meant to make her speechless, but he needed her to hear the truth, every ounce of it. She licked her lips, the corners tugging up. “That’s, uh, a lot of credit you’re giving me.”

Calum’s own lips formed a smirk, still feeling his nerves buzz in his veins. “You deserve it,” he told her before tilting his chin and widening his smirk. “You pushed me to open up my own record shop, after all.”

Nura’s eyebrows shot up, surprise crossing her features. “What? Seriously?”

“Mhm,” Calum confirmed, thumb stroking her cheek. “Over in Brooklyn. Complete with records, instruments, and even lessons by yours truly.” Then, with a cheeky grin, he added, “Gonna check out that hard work thing you’re always talking about.”

Nura laughed at that, using the book to lightly smack his arm as Calum laughed, feeling the knot in his stomach loosen almost completely. When her laughter quieted, brown eyes lifting to meet his, she softly asked, “Did you mean it, what you said? That you. . . You love me?”

Calum’s smile softened, throat working as her eyes provided him with a warmth against the New York chill. He lowered his chin, eyes on hers as he confirmed, “I love you.”

Nura’s chest fell with a sharp exhale, and Calum briefly caught sight of her wide grin before she closed the gap between them with a press of her lips to his. Heat warmed Calum throughout his body as he kissed her back, leaning into her the way he had been desperate to do so for months, feeling her arms wind around his waist as she held him close. It felt so good, so fucking right to kiss her, to feel her so closely, to love her like he wanted to.

“I love you, too,” she murmured against his lips, a giggle escaping her as she uttered those words so happily. 

They pulled away with thundering hearts and giddy grins, and the flush in her cheeks told Calum that they would be okay. It was all the reassurance he needed. Calum grinned, snickering lightly as he hooked an arm around Nura’s neck and mused, “Money can’t buy me that.”

Nura’s expression fell flat, bemused despite Calum’s teasing grin, and she smacked her lips together with a roll of her eyes before saying, “Shut up and kiss me again.”

His face hurt from how widely he was grinning, ready and willing to comply. “Yes, ma’am.”

--

tags: @irwinkitten​ @loveroflrh​ @softforcal​ @sweetcherrymike​ @astroashtonio​ @meetashthere​ @novacanecalum​ @captain-what-is-going-on​ @angelbbycal​ @singt0mecalum​ @hopelessxcynic​ @lfwallscouldtalk​ @bodhi-black​ @findingliam-o​ @softlrh​ @highfivecalum​ @calumsmermaid​ @erikamarie41​ @quintodosuniversos​ @longlastingdaydream​ @babylon-corgis​ @lukehemmingsunflower​ @imfuckin10plybud​ @pastelpapermoons​ @conquerwhatliesahead92​ @rotten-kandy​ @metangi​ @neigcthood​ @ohhmuke​ @old-zeppelin-shirt​ @5sos-and-hessa​ @trustmeimawhalebiologist​ @vxlentinecal​ @pettybassists​ @vaporshawn​ @lu-my-golden-boi​ @visualm3nte​ @isabella-mae13​ @dontjinx-it​ @lifeakaharry​ @neonweeknds​ @antisocialbandmate​ @ixcantxdecidexwhosxmyxfave​ @calpalbby​ @grreatgooglymoogly​ @sunnysidesblog​ @miahelizaaabeth​ @madelynerin​ @dramallamawithsparkles​ @kaytiebug14​ @hoodskillerqueen​ @bitchinbabylon​ @empathycth​ @xhaileyreneex​ @inlovehoodx​ @aestheticrelated​ @bloodlinecal​ @sublimehood​ @madbomb​ @raabiac​ @britnicole11​ @outofmylimitcal​ @wildflower-cth​ @wildflowergrae​ @bloodmoonashton​ @vxidhood​ @gosh-im-short​ @thesubtweeter​  

[benkouji726]

Five times they behaved liked an old married couple and one time they really were

Written for MalexWeek 2020, Day 2. Fic Prompt: Trope Day.

Summary: They found their way back together.

The fic actually contains 2 tropes: 90% of “The Old Married Couple” and 10% of “Shipper on Deck” because I like cliches SO MUCH.

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

1. Bickering

They had been staring at each other across the booth in Crashdown for five minutes now.

Michael broke down first. “Looks like they all bail on us.”

Alex snorted. “Gee, what clued you in? Is it the fact that we’ve been sitting here for half an hour now and still no one showed up? Or the texts we JUST received from our so-called friends declaring they all have to ‘BAIL ON US’?” He even made the air quote gesture, the bastard.

So something crawled over someone’s ass and died today. “Really? Your are gonna be like this.”

Alex ignored him. Great.

“Do you want me to leave?” He asked, and pathetically hoped Alex would say no. Because even a snappy Alex was still better than no Alex at all.

Alex answered his question with a question. Of course he did. “Do YOU want to leave?”

Michael shook his head, and decided to throw in some moment of truth. “Honestly? I think they set us up, because in the past two weeks I may or may not have whined many times to them about how much I missed you.”

Alex seemed oddly angered by that. “Well, you sure have a funny way of showing that. Because last time I checked, my phone number is still the same, and I go to the same bar and the same diner on a daily basis, safe to say I’m not the hardest person to find.”

Michael muttered something under his breath.

“What is that? I crack code, I don’t read lips.”

“I said I didn’t want to see you dating someone else!” Shit. That was a mistake.

Alex froze for a moment, then he said, slowly. “You mean you don’t want to see me dating after you and my best friend ended your relationship which lasted almost ONE YEAR right in front of me?”

Michael deflated. “OK. That’s fair. But I really missed you. Can’t we just like, be friends? We’re still friends, right?” He might sound a little too desperate, but he honestly didn’t care anymore.

“I don’t know, Michael”, shit, why did he always have this chill when Alex called his first name? It’s like Pavlovian reaction at this point. “How do we do it? Say ‘what’s up, bro’ every time we see each other?”

So he really was gonna be like that. Well, takes two to tango.

“Or we could, you know, discuss our mutual dislike of the disgusting eating habit of dipping the fries in the milk shake thing”, he pretended to think for a moment, “oh, sorry I forgot. It’s only MY dislike.”

Alex smiled at that. He took a fry, dipped it into his milkshake, threw it into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and then said, still smiling sweetly, “Yet you screamed so loud that one time when I dipped your cock into the milkshake and licked it clean.”

Michael choked on his clean, fry-crumbs-free milkshake. “You are not playing fair.”

“And you’re surprised? I didn’t climb the military ladder so fast by being nice.” Alex smirked.

Michael smirked right back. “Yeah, you’re kind of a sore loser. You didn’t speak to me for two days when I beat you at Mario Kart”.

“That’s because you cheated!”

“How does one cheat at MARIO KART?”

“I don’t know! Maybe you used your Tele...” Alex stopped himself abruptly when their waitress appeared to ask them if they needed some refill.

They both declined and headed right back into their argument about who was the better gamer.

When Michael finally stood up to get their bills (they argued about who should pay the bills too, Michael won), it was already two hours later, and they both had a big smile on their faces.

Alex watched Michael go to the cashier, a little too intensely, so he didn’t notice the little old lady at first, she had to wave her hand in front of him to get his attention.

He turned to her, confused. “Uh, can I help you?”

She patted on his shoulder. “My husband and I were like this too”, she said, wistfully, “we used to bicker all the time, but our hearts were in the right place”, she looked at Michael’s direction and back to Alex, “you and your young man are gonna be just fine.” She patted him once more, and went away.

Huh.

——————————————

2. Finishing each other’s sentences

They were at the supermarket together when Alex said, “why...”

“Does Liz need so many eggs? Beats me. She said she needs them to do some kind of experiment, but I highly suspect it.”

“And why...”

“Did she send us to get these? According to her, we need the legwork and some fresh air because she said and I quote, you are talking in codes and I reek of oil at this point.”

“I’m...”

“Getting a little annoyed by me right now? You want me to stop finishing your sentences? Well, it’s not my fault you are this predictable.” He was asking for trouble, Michael knew. But he couldn’t help it. Alex and Forrest had broken up for a week now, and Alex still didn’t tell him, he had to be informed by Izzy, it was a little irritating.

Alex narrowed his eyes. “You think you know me so well.”

“Apparently I do.” He smiled innocently.

“You’re not that complex either, you know”, Alex stepped forward, right into his personal space, “I can read you like an open book.”

So it was game on.

For the next two weeks, they were trying their best to beat each other to the punch, finishing each other’s sentences, sometimes even saying things before the other could even open his mouth.

Kyle snapped at last.

“Would you PLEASE stop?” He groaned, “We get it. You’re dating now and you are stupidly in love and you know each other SO WELL. Just, get a room, OK? Other people are still trying to find their soulmates or something.”

“We are not...” They spoke at the same time.

“Great, you’re upgrading to saying things unanimously now?” Kyle threw his hand into the air. “I give up.”

They both blushed. Unanimously.

——————————————

3. Touching casually

They were both leaning onto the table to study some printed out files from another secret government agency that Alex found and hacked, Alex was writing out code patterns to determine which one fit the file, when Michael suddenly discovered something.

In a hurry to write down his thoughts, he didn’t try to get another pen. He reached out, grabbed Alex’s pen-holding hand, and wrote down a keyword. His head bowed beneath Alex’s chin, some of his curls brushed his face, so Alex used his free hand to brush it away, he lingered a moment there, as Michael finished writing the word but his hand stayed there, thumb gently rubbing Alex’s in a slow circle.

Then Alex pulled away, and they continued discussing the file.

Things escalated real fast after that.

At first it was just a hand on the back, a pat on the shoulder, that sort of things. But then they often stood near enough that their hips were touching, Michael sometimes threw his arm around Alex’s shoulder when they were laughing together, or Alex would play with Michael’s hair when they were sitting on the same side of the booth, listening to their friends or talking to them. It was nothing sexual, they were friends, friends stayed in each other’s personal space ALL THE TIME, right?

Then one day, they were having a group movie night. They decided to sit on the sofa, so naturally no one else wanted to sit on it. With that much room, they sat down, a foot or so between them.

Halfway through the movie though, Alex was rubbing his right knee. Michael took one glance at him, and immediately sat beside him. He lifted Alex’s right leg onto his left, and put his hand on Alex’s knee. Alex let out a moan.

The whole group was looking at them now. Alex blushed.

“I, his hand...” Alex took a breath and regained some control back, “you all know aliens run hot right? His hand is like a thermos, it’s good for my knee.”

“You know”, Liz began, “You don’t need to explain here. People do this all the time for their loved ones, it’s sweet.”

“But”, Isobel cut in, stopping whatever Alex was trying to say, “next time, don’t do it in front of us, maybe? If I hear my brother-in-law moan again when I die, it’ll still be too soon.”

“Guys, stop teasing them”, Max said, at which point Alex had already given up, “they’re not even dating”.

“Yeah”, Maria went in for the final blow, “because the old married couple don’t date anymore. You guys really should make more of an effort if you want to keep the sparks alive, you know?”

“You mean we should just ditch you all to enjoy our little world, just the two of us?” Alex crooked his head, playing along.

“Aww, honey, you’d do that for me, for us? I thought you said we should keep our friends company or they’d be too boring a bunch.” Michael added.

He never took his hand off Alex’s knee.

——————————————

4. Pet names

“Darlin’, I’m home!” Michael called out, as he entered their secret base.

Kyle looked up, confused. “Since when did you begin to use pet names for each other?”

Alex didn’t even spare Michael a glance. “I didn’t. He is just being a dick.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you wound me. And you’re such a pretty liar, considering you called me ‘Mikey’ just the other day.”

“Sarcastically, yes.” Alex rolled his eyes. “Now would you please cut the bullshit and come look at this?”

Michael fluttered his eyelashes: “For you, sweet cheeks? Of course.”

Kyle wanted to leave. He also wanted to die a little.

Then Alex turned his full attention to Michael, and said in an almost robotic voice. “Gee, you are so kind, my little teddy bear.”

Kyle was wrong. He didn’t want to die a little. He wanted to die A LOT.

Michael, on the other hand, smiled like a cat finally got the cream. “Don’t mention it, pumpkin.”

His eyes twinkling, his tone teasing. But there was also genuine softness and gentleness in his overall demeanor, like he was standing in front of the most precious person in his whole life, and he called his name.

Alex rolled his eyes again. But when he looked back down, there was a secret smile tugging at his lips.

——————————————

5. Couple’s therapy

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” How was this his life, Alex wanted to ask.

To his credit, Michael looked bashful for once. “I’ve been seeing this therapist for four months now. And she said we could use a couple’s therapy, so she gave me this Groupon. I thought it’d be great for us.”

Alex stared. “You do know we’re not actually a couple, right?”

Michael looked a bit hurt by that, but he recovered quickly, “We kinda are, though. We both haven’t seen any other people for about half a year now. We spend almost all of our free time together. We touch each other constantly. We talk about everything and anything. Everyone assumes we’re at least hooking up, some think we already eloped!”

“Friends also do that kind of things together. And other people’s opinions really don’t bother me”, Alex didn’t look at him while saying this, so there was still hope right?

At this point, any hope was worth fighting for.

“Yeah, except friends aren’t normally in love with each other.” He said, looking right into Alex’s eyes, daring him to deny it.

Alex hesitated, and resigned. “When is it?”

—————————————

Dr Brown already knew so much about him it was a little unsettling.

“Have you talked anything other than me during your sessions?” Alex couldn’t help to ask.

“Of course!” Michael sounded offended. Meanwhile Dr Brown said, calmly, “Very little.”

Michael threw a betrayed glare at her, but she just smiled.

“So, what do you want to know?” Alex was always direct, “fair warning though. I refuse to talk about my childhood, my parents, my family, my job, my gay struggles, or anything from my past, including my past with Michael.”

“That’s OK”, Dr Brown still smiled, not bothered at all. “I only have one question for you.”

“What’s that?”

“You walked in, already in combat mode, because you treat any foreign environment as a threat, not to mention this foreign environment might force you to open up which you only do when you are around a certain and small group of people. But then Michael walked in too, and your stance changed. You were still in combat mode, but you also put yourself in a protective position, slightly in front of him. Meanwhile, you relaxed noticeably as if you trusted him with all you’ve got. When you sat down, you leaned to him unconsciously, and every time he spoke or touched you, you were calmed and grounded.”

Alex’s voice was raw when he spoke. “That was not a question.”

“So my question is”, she continued, “why do you still deny it, when you’re clearly in love with each other and already in a steady relationship?”

Alex didn’t have an answer for that. He got up and left.

————————————

+1 “How is your headache”

He’d been avoiding Michael for three days now. He was miserable in all of the days.

He was debating whether he should quit being a coward and finally get what he wanted when there was a knock on his door.

He was not even a little surprised that it was Michael.

He was surprised by the flower though.

“What is this?”

Michael held out the flower, eyes pleading. “Wanna take you out for a date.”

“I haven’t slept well these past days, my head kinda hurts, going out is not something I want to do now,” Alex said, and rushed to say the next bit because Michael looked devastated, “But we could stay in, order some take out, and watch Star Wars together?”

Michael relaxed a fraction. “You mean rewatch Star Wars.”

“Yeah, well, I have this habit of falling in love with something and never managing to fall out of it, don’t I?”

Michael smiled, a little teary. “Guess we have that in common.”

——————————————

They ate, they talked, they watched Star Wars.

Then Michael was crowding Alex into the back of the couch, and asked tentatively: “how is your headache, honey?”

To that, Alex replied with a kiss.

[annakie]

Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears

Just got back from seeing it.  Thoughts (with spoilers) below!

I watched Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries 4 or 5 years ago when it was on Netflix because a few of my friends were into it and hoo boy I loved it a lot.

I mean, it’s pulpy, it’s a show you REALLY don’t want to put too much thought into while watching it, the mysteries (and especially solving them) rely too much on coincidence / being in the right place at the right time, etc.  But it’s a BEAUTIFUL and fun and generally feminist and progressive show, especially set when it’s set, with so much chemistry and CONSTANT SEXUAL TENSION between the two leads that I slow-binged it, an episode or two a day, so I could savor it better the first time through.

So I was super excited for The Crypt of Tears!  I somehow missed the Kickstarter, but as soon as I saw there were tickets available a couple of weeks ago I bought one, and it was only showing for ONE show which was like 70% sold out when I bought my ticket. 

All week long, going to see Miss Fisher on Friday night was my light at the end of the tunnel, and after I got home last night I was exhausted.  So I checked online, and Lo!  A whole lot more showings were scheduled now for over the weekend!  So I decided to just get a ticket for today, as well, and let the fact that I left my paid seat empty last night make up for missing the kickstarter.  Today, in 30% full matinee, I watched the movie instead. (Also I wanted to go today instead of last night because Social Distancing, I bought tickets online, avoided touching everything possible, santized my hands, and where I was sitting there was no one else within about fifteen feet of me.  I only spoke to my waitress.)  

I mostly loved it!!  

HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD.

First, the bad --

The science on MFMM had always been iffy in places (I rewatched the first couple and last couple of episodes over the last couple of days to refresh myself on the show since it’d been years), but I don’t recall it ever being truly supernatural.  So I really didn’t love that they veered into supernatural “mummy’s curse” territory on this one.

I’m also not sure that they made the whodunit really pay off, either.  Honestly, the mysteries are always the least important part of the show for me (enjoyable, but not what I’m There For) but overall the ending to this one felt particularly weak, whereas I was following what was up pretty much the whole way through until that character showed up at the end.  

I loved Shireen, but didn’t care one way or the other for the rest of the guest cast.  Like they were good!  But just not that memorable... which I think was mostly due to...

...my last big complaint... the lack of Hugh/Dot/Bert/Cec and no Mr. Butler or Mac at all.  I appreciate that they wanted to make the movie more of a world tour than a group hang in Melbourne, but I loved the supporting cast a lot, and while it was nice to see that Hugh and Dot were getting along well and Bert and Cec were around, that 1-minute cameo was not enough.

Now... The Good --

The locations!  The makeup!  

***THE !!!WARDROBE!!!***    

Just what we expect from this show.  And the dialogue was a bit cheesy but also very snappy where it should be.  Loved it. 

The action and the sets were bigger and beautiful, too.  Some of the desert scenes in particular were breathtaking.

For about a minute I was Mad that it appears Jack didn’t go after Phryne like she asked him to.  Ok I stilllll want to know why not.  I mean did she land to drop her dad off in England then immediately turn around and marry the Maharaja and send Jack that letter?  He was supposed to chase her... what exactly DID happen after the credits rolled on the show?!

But then I was like “Oh yeah, I’m watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries here.  If they DIDN’T torture us with Phryne/Jack sexual tension as long as fucking possible then I don’t know what this show is.”  So I just relaxed and enjoyed the chase.  And I LOVED that this time it was Phryne chasing Jack a little more than the reverse.  Well, I mean, emotionally.  He was, as always, running behind her a lot.

So, of course, the Phryne/Jack stuff was the heart of the show.  And it was delicious.  I was internally screaming “NOW KISS!!” in every scene with them together.  

But I also loved that they were fighting in their way, mostly about the things they SHOULD be figuring out together.  She does do things impulsively and expects him to just blindly follow.  He does need to trust her a bit more.  But hey they were talking about it.

And then that final scene with the tents in the desert (and a brief aside, this is the kind of thing you really can’t think too hard about while watching MFMM... why were they back in the desert?  Where did they get the tents?  Why even have two tents?  Who set them up?  Where did all the furniture come from!?)

OK wait let’s detour this, too.  In rewatching the final ep of the show I’d forgotten about how terrible their first kiss was.  I mean it was GREAT with Jack driving to the airstrip, the two of them running to each other, the Romantic Overture... and finally they kiss and... “HEY WILL YOU TWO HURRY IT UP!?”  they fucking... had her father interrupt their first kiss?  We waited three fucking seasons for this kiss, it could have been the ONLY TIME we ever saw these two Actually Kiss (not the fake-hiding-kiss) and they had to make her dad yell at them and interrupt the entire thing?  Oh man I’ve always hated that so, so much.

So after making us wait another hour and a half here... that final conversation and kiss and subsequent conversation / knowledge that they’re heading to bed together for I guess the first time(?) was really, really great and perfect and the sigh of relief after 3 seasons and a movie we needed.

And they set it up for another one as a coda.  That’s cool.  If it happens, I’m all in.  Someone tell me if there’s a kickstarter.

Just... set at least some of it in Melbourne so we can see the rest of the crew a little bit more?

[idreamofhazeleyes]

Ties in Blood -- Chapter 33

I had actually left this chapter unended before Nano/November started (and did a drabble before finishing this). Welcome to Season 4. If anyone’s got ideas for the next block of seasons (6-10) to be called, my asks/mail is open.

I’m also in the ... early planning stages of a Star Wars fic plus reworking an original fic.

@percussiongirl2017 @mrswhozeewhatsis @winchestergirl-13 @revwinchester @revwinchester @squirrelnotsam @impala-dreamer

Chapter 33

Aaliyah sat on a motel chair, bloody shirt in hand. She had dug through her bag and was ready to mend up the wound herself, but was overruled by Dean.

“You know I can do this on my own,” she argued even as the sewing needle was stabbed into her skin.

“Don’t care.”

Aaliyah huffed in response and started looking around the room.

“So, what were you doing if you weren’t digging me out of my grave?” Dean asked Sam.

“Well, once I realized I couldn’t save you, I started hunting down Lilith,” Sam answered. “Trying for some payback.”

“By yourself?” Bobby accused.

Aaliyah nudged Dean and motioned to an item. She watched him follow her gesture and went to pick up a bra.

“Sure you were by yourself,” Aaliyah snarked.

Sam coughed, clearing his throat. “Anyway, I was checking demons in Tennessee, and outta nowhere, they made a hard left and booked it here.”

“When?” Dean asked.

“Yesterday morning.”

“When I busted out,” Dean commented.

“And the gas station was on the early evening news,” Aaliyah added.

“You think the demons are here because of you?” Bobby guessed.

“But why?” Sam questioned.

“I don’t know,” Dean said, finishing up stitching Aaliyah’s wound. “Some badass demon drags me out and now this? It’s gotta be connected somehow.”

“This whole thing’s insane,” Aaliyah tossed into the conversation and tested the new stitching. “How you feeling?” she asked Dean.

“Hungry,” he answered. “And don’t ask if I’m feeling unlike myself.”

“Like demonic?”

“Yeah.”

Aaliyah straightened her shirt and stood. “It doesn’t make sense; no demon would let you lose out of whatever good they had. Something’s being planned.”

“I know a psychic,” Bobby said. “Maybe she’s heard something from the other side.”

“Psychic?” Aaliyah asked, skeptical.

“It’s worth a shot,” Dean said.

“Aaliyah,” Bobby called to her, gesturing her to follow.

She followed Bobby out into the hallway, hearing Sam and Dean’s voice behind her in the room. “What’s up?”

“Still giving you the chance to get out of hunting,” he said.

“And I’m still here, just as puzzled as everyone else,” Aaliyah countered. “Now, are we gonna go see this psychic of yours?” She turned at the sound of the door opening, seeing the brothers emerging from the room. Dean had his amulet on.

Aaliyah swore that the air about them buzzed with something she couldn’t put a finger on. It had to do with how Dean was back. That and the burned handprint on his arm.

“She’s about four hours down the interstate,” Bobby told them as they descended the stairs to the parking lot. “Try and keep up.” He climbed into his car.

Aaliyah looked at the brothers before walking over to her motorcycle.

“When did you learn to ride that?” Sam asked.

“A few months ago,” Aaliyah said. “Like you, I’ve been busy the past few months.” She mounted the motorcycle and turned the engine over. “Don’t fall behind, you two.” She put her helmet on; the paint design done in such a way that showed a dragon head with its mouth open in a roar.

She started after Bobby’s car before hearing the familiar rumble of the impala’s engine behind her. Four hours on the open road heading toward a person that could give answers to the questions that ran through her head. Not that she wasn’t happy that Dean was back, it was how he was back. Her mind wandered back to the gas station and how all the windows were blown out. There was no way that a demon could have done that. So what other power could have done that?

Four hours went by with her thoughts going in circles, and Aaliyah couldn’t answer any of them. She pulled up along side Bobby’s car and killed the engine. She shook her head and hair once the helmet was free.

“Nice helmet hair,” Dean shot over at her as he climbed out of the Impala.

“Beauty comes in time, hot shot,” she retorted, running her hands through her hair. She put the helmet on the gas tank before taking the elastic hairband off her wrist and tied her hair back into a simple pony tail. “Let’s go meet Bobby’s friend, huh?” Aaliyah dismounted the motorcycle and followed Bobby up to the door.

Aaliyah took in the woman that opened the door; skinnier than her with brown hair and looks to be in her mid-thirties.

“Bobby,” the woman greeted with a hug that lifted him up a bit off the ground.

Aaliyah glanced over to the brothers and shrugged.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Bobby said in return.

Aaliyah held her ground when the woman pulled away from Bobby and look her and the brothers up and down; as if she was appraising them for something.

“So, these are the Winchesters,” the woman said.

“Sam, Dean, and Aaliyah,” Bobby introduced. “This is Pamela Barnes; best damn psychic in the state.”

Aaliyah heard a hint of flirting in Dean’s voice and an awkwardness in Sam. She met Pamela’s gaze and held it.

“Uh – huh,” Pamela said. “So, Dean Winchester, out of the frying pan and into the fire. Makes you a rare individual.”

“If you say so,” he replied.

Aaliyah followed along when Pamela welcomed them into her house. Nearly every spot Aaliyah could see was filled with tools and other objects that dealt with the occult.

“I Oujia’d my way through a dozen spirits,” Pamela said. “None of them knew who broke your boy out, or why.”

“So, what’s next?” Aaliyah dared to ask, coming up along side Bobby.

“A séance, I think.”

Aaliyah arched an eyebrow. “You think? You know, Bobby, we came for answers, not thoughts.”

“Snappy young woman,” Pamela commented.

“I’m a lot more than ‘snappy’,” Aaliyah retorted. She stopped when Bobby put a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re not gonna summon the thing here?”

“No. I just want a look at it,” Pamela answered, her attention back on Bobby. “Like a crystal ball without the crystal.”

“I don’t like this,” Aaliyah whispered to Bobby.

“I’m game,” Dean said.

Aaliyah shook her head and turned away while Pamela went about gathering the items needed for the séance. She headed outside and sat on her bike.

“You okay, Kid?” Bobby’s voice called out.

“I don’t about all of this, Bobby. With Dean back, and us not knowing how or who did it …” She looked up to the older hunter. “And Pamela wanting to séance the bugger. I miss the days when it was just demons and ghosts we had to deal with.”

“The world’s changing, and not for the better,” Bobby said. “And I trust Pamela.”

Aaliyah held back a sigh, not wanting to voice her concern about the psychic. Then again, she had been used to being the only woman to be among the seasoned male hunters.

“Bobby,” Sam poked out of the door. “Pamela says she’s ready.”

“Well, Kid,” Bobby called to Aaliyah. “You coming?”

Aaliyah dismounted the cycle and followed Bobby into the house. She took a chair at the séance table and took Dean and Bobby’s hands just as Dean jumped.

“He didn’t touch me there,” Dean argued.

“My mistake,” Pamela said with a flirt in her voice.

Aaliyah glared at the psychic even as Dean stripped off his flannel and rolled up the tee shirt sleeve to bare the burn. She took a deep breath as Pamela started chanting.

“I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me in this circle,” Pamela chanted.

Aaliyah heard the television flick on, static filling the room.

“Castiel?” Pamela questioned; half of her chant cut off. “Sorry, Castiel, I don’t scare easy.”

“Castiel?” Aaliyah asked.

“It’s whispering, warning me to turn back,” Pamela said. “I command and conjure you, show me your face,” she started chanted.

Aaliyah nearly jumped back when the table started shaking and the static continued behind her. “Maybe we should stop.”

“I almost got it,” Pamela argued. “I command you, show me your face.”

When the candle flames leapt several feet, Aaliyah broke her hold on the hands while Pamela started screaming in pain. She shot up out of her chair when white hot flames shot out of Pamela’s eyes.

“Call 911,” Bobby instructed.

Aaliyah hovered behind Dean while he crouched over Pamela and Bobby while Sam’s voice drifted into the room. She looked at Pamela when she opened her eyes, revealing blacked out sockets.

***

Aaliyah sipped at her drink while Dean finished his order to the waitress. “What’d Bobby say?” she asked when Sam joined them.

“Pamela’s stable and out of the ICU,” he said.

“And blind because of us,” Dean said.

“And we still have no clue on who we’re dealing with,” Aaliyah chimed in.

“We got a name,” Dean pointed out.

“Yeah, Castiel,” Aaliyah said. “What kinda name is that?”

“With the right mumbo jumbo, we can summon him,” Dean pointed out. “Bring him to us.”

“You’re crazy,” Sam said. “Absolutely not.”

“We’ll work him over; after what he did, he owes us,” Dean said.

“Pam took a peek and got her eyes burned out,” Sam argued. “And you want a face to face?”

“You got a better idea?”

“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. I followed some demons into town, right?”

“I don’t like where this is going,” Aaliyah chimed in.

The waitress returned with three plates, each with a slice of pie. Sam thanked her, but she slid into the free chair at the table.

“You angling for a tip?” Aaliyah shot at the waitress.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you were looking for us.” Her eyes flicked black.

Aaliyah glanced around the room to see a man in a uniform and a cook behind the counter with black eyes.

“Dean,” the waitress demon said. “To hell and back. Aren’t you a lucky duck?”

“That’s me.”

“So, you get to stroll right out of the pit, huh?” the demon said. “What makes you so special?”

“I like to think it’s because of my perky nipples,” Dean said in a sarcastic manner. “Wasn’t my doing, I don’t know who did.”

“Right, you don’t.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Lying is a sin, you know,” the demon said.

“I’m not lying,” Dean countered. “But I’d like to find out. So, if you’d like to enlighten me …”

“Mind your tone,” the demon interrupted. “I’ll drag you back myself.”

Aaliyah noticed Sam shift as if he was going to attack the demon, but settled back in his seat when Dean held up a hand.

“No, you won’t,” Aaliyah interjected.

“No?” the demon turned her attention to Aaliyah.

“You woulda done it already if you could,” she continued. “You don’t know who let Dean out just like us. And you’re spooked and looking for answers. Maybe it was some super powered spirit …”

“Or Godzilla,” Dean added.

“Or some big ass demon,” Aaliyah continued. “I’m willing to guess at your pay grade, they don’t tell you shit. Because whoever did manage to pull Dean out, they wanted him out. And they’re stronger than you.” She leaned forward on the table, staring down the demon. “So, go ahead and pull Dean down again. But don’t come back to us when they show up with some Vaseline and a firehose.”

“I’m gonna reach down your throat and rip out your lungs,” the demon threatened.

Dean was quicker than Aaliyah in throwing the first punch. It also didn’t help Aaliyah that she had to leap over the table to get to the demon. He threw another before Aaliyah put a hand to his shoulder.

“Pitiful,” the demon said. “A female hunter letting the men do all the fighting.”

Aaliyah moved around Dean and landed one solid punch to the demon. “I fight my own battles.” She stormed out the door, hearing the footsteps of Sam and Dean behind her.

“That was close,” Dean spoke once they were all outside.

“Are we just gonna leave them in there?” Sam asked, concern in his voice.

“Three of them,” Dean stated.

“Probably more,” Aaliyah added.

“And three of us and one knife,” Dean continued.

“I’ve been killing more demons than that lately,” Sam pointed out.

“Not anymore. The smarter brother’s back in town.”

“Dean, we have to take them.”

“No we don’t,” Aaliyah said.

“And they’re scared,” Dean added. “Scared of what yanked me out. We’re dealing with one bad mofo here. One job at a time.”

***

Aaliyah laid quiet on a bed, lightly snoring in that state of sleeping but being fully able of hearing the noises in the motel room. Noise from the other bed told her that Dean was sleeping. The sound of a door closing softly brought her fully from sleeping. The floor was free of another body and there was no light from the bathroom. Outside came the rumble of the Impala’s engine. Jumping from her bed, Aaliyah put her boots on and grabbed her keys, helmet and jacket at once in her move for the door. She slipped from the room just as Sam pulled out onto the street. In a rush, she mounted her motorcycle, putting on the helmet and jacket before starting the engine. Seconds later, with the jacket zipped up, she raced out onto the street to follow Sam.

Part of her wanted to be surprised when she pulled up near the restaurant diner they were at earlier. Aaliyah killed the engine and watched Sam walk into the diner. She crept over to the building and found the door that Sam had used, sneaking in through the opening. Music drifted from the dining area as she stepped around the dead cook. A grunt from somewhere sent her for a hiding spot behind the counter. Aaliyah dared to look up over the counter top to see Sam fighting the demon waitress.

“Your eyes,” Sam said, shocked.

The demon’s eyes? Had they been burned out like Pamela’s?

“But I can still smell your soul from a mile away.”

“It was here. You saw it.”

Aaliyah heard a sob from the waitress.

“I saw it,” the demon replied.

“What was it?” Sam demanded.

There was no way it could be a demon at this point. Not even Yellow-Eyes had that type of powers. And he was a top level demon.

“It’s the end. We’re dead; we’re all dead.”

“What did you see?” came the insistent question.

“Go to hell,” came the retort.

“Funny.”

Aaliyah swore she heard a smile on Sam’s voice.

“I was about to say the same to you.”

Aaliyah couldn’t see Sam’s face too well in the darkness, but something told her that he was concentrating on something when he raised his hand. She put a hand to her mouth when the demon stared to vomit black smoke. The waitress dropped to the floor after a few seconds. Aaliyah slipped back into the shadow of the counter before trying to move back for the door when footsteps came up behind her.

“Getting pretty slick there, Sam,” came a new female voice. “Better all the time.”

“What’s going on, Ruby?” Sam asked.

“I wish I knew.”

“We’re thinking some high level demon pulled Dean out.”

Aaliyah remained frozen during the conversation, hoping Ruby would move so she could make an attempt to leave.

“Human souls just don’t walk out of Hell and back into their bodies that easy,” Ruby said. “It’s cosmic, Sam. No demon can swing it; not Lilith, not no one.”

“Then what can?”

“Nothing I’ve seen before.”

Aaliyah heard Ruby move away from the door. Right before the demon pulled her from her hiding spot.

“Now, what do we have here?” Ruby asked, turning her head to a side while studying Aaliyah.

Aaliyah glared at Ruby. “Someone itching to make another demon kill.”

“Aaliyah?” Sam called out, slight confusion in his voice.

“You know this dumb little…”

Aaliyah reached out and smacked Ruby before she could finish the sentience. “I was smart enough to nearly get outta here without getting caught.” She stepped back from Ruby and turned to Sam. “I take it that Dean doesn’t know you’re working with a demon. You know he’s gonna be pissed about it.”

“You’re right,” he agreed.

“You gonna tell him?” she asked.

“Maybe I should step back a bit,” Ruby suggested.

“You’re going back to hell,” Aaliyah snapped at the demon.

“Clearly I’m not in your fan club, or Dean’s,” Ruby stated. “But I’m not gonna get between them.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing is right,” Sam said.

“About that.” Aaliyah kept her gaze on Sam. “What the hell was that I saw with the waitress?”

“I can exorcise demons psychically.” He sighed. “I don’t know if I can trust …”

Aaliyah followed his gaze over to Ruby. She didn’t blame him for not trusting a demon after all that they had gone through with demons.

“Thanks,” Ruby said, clearly picking up on the gesture.

“But what I do know is that I’m saving people,” Sam continued. “And stopping demons, and that feels good.”

“By teaming up with a demon? Come on Sam, it doesn’t make sense.”

“Now you’re sounding like Dean,” Sam accused.

“He’ll agree with me. But if you wanna continue working with …” Aaliyah glanced over at Ruby again before back to Sam. “Go ahead, but don’t get mad at me when the time comes when I get to say I told you so.”

Aaliyah turned, gave Ruby one more look, and saw herself from the diner. Walking back to the bike, she mounted it and held onto the helmet. With a shake of her head, she put the helmet on and started the engine; driving away back to the motel. Now she knew what Sam was doing the past few months, but the question that bounced in her mind was would she dare tell Dean what Sam was doing, or leave it alone? Her phone started vibrating in her pocket, having her pull over to answer it.

“Hunter,” she greeted.

“Hunter?” Dean’s voice questioned.

“Wrong number. What’s up?”

“Where’d you take off?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a ride. Think you can head back to Bobby’s?”

“Yeah. Just need to grab my things from the motel.”

The line went dead when Dean hung up. Aaliyah pulled her cell from her ear and pulled up the text app.

Meet back at Bobby’s, she sent to Sam.

Once her phone was back in her pocket, and helmet readjusted, Aaliyah headed down the road.

[killmongerkink]

Just A Friend

Summary: You meet up with your ex, trying to come to terms with your relationship. 

Pairing: Adonis Creed X Black!Reader

Warning: angst

Length: 3.3k

BTW: so this is my first time writing something like this. i usually got for cute plots, but decided to make this one kinda sad (i guess? lol). hope you all enjoy & please give your honest feedback on your thoughts. sorry if there’s any typos.

MASTERLIST 

You busied yourself by idly tapping your finger against your glass, the water condensation wetting the pads of your fingers and causing you to momentarily have something else to think about. It was currently 8:08 pm, you knew the exact time since your phone was right in front of you and wouldn't stop lighting up. Some were notifications from instagram and twitter, while others were from your boyfriend, questioning where you were. Adonis sat across from you, looking everywhere but at you, while you both waited for your drinks to arrive. You didn't know why you agreed to meet up with him. The both of you were well aware that a relationship wasn't something that could work, yet you guys couldn't stop wasting each others time.

There were multiple reasons why you both decided to call it quits a few months back. You were too busy with school and work, he was too busy training and going to boxing camps. Both of you were just in your own worlds, trying to make something of yourselves and dragging each other along for the ride wasn't smart if you had to be honest. With those being just a few reasons why, there was one main one. 

You couldn't handle his lifestyle.

At the beginning, you thought you could be that girlfriend cheering from the sidelines. That girlfriend running up to him after a win and kissing him lovingly, busted lip and all, but after watching a few of his matches .. you just couldn't stomach it. The sight of seeing someone you cared about getting hit was just too much. You knew it came with the territory, he wasn't invincible and he would have to take punches just as good as he gave them, but fuck ... why did they have to be so brutal? And the nerve of him to ask you if he should incorporate MMA training into his routine. That was your final straw. You were tired of seeing him barely responsive after a fight, tired of seeing his face bloodied and bruised, and espiecially tired of the dreams you would have about him. Ones where he would end up in the hospital, barely hanging on. It took you a while to come to terms with the fact that you just weren't built to handle all of that, even though you wished you could. And that's why you both decided to move on, yet here you were. 

Whenever he was free, he would send you a simple text asking if you were busy. Whether you were or not, you'd reply with your usual "no, why?", which would result in you both sitting in silence a few hours later. There was never anything to really talk about. Between social media and mutual friends, you knew what was going on in his life and he knew what was going on in yours. 

He was spending his days in the gym, preparing for some fight that was taking place next Saturday. You made sure to keep that date open .. just because. It's not like you were hoping he would invite you or anything. When he wasn't in the gym, he was usually home. His snapchats consisted of him going on rants about pay per view fights he'd seen the night before or the latest album that dropped. Overall, he was doing good since the two of you went your separate ways. You were happy for him. Your life on the other hand wasn't all peaches and creme. College had started to take a toll on you, leading to late nights and early mornings, worrying if graduating was even worth all the mental and emotional stress that came with it. If you weren't dealing with school, you were at work. Your job as a lyft driver was cool, it brought in a good amount of money. The only downside were the nights you'd pick up drunks or a racist who thought you weren’t worthy enough to drive them. Then .. there was Shawn. You met him about a month and a half after your situation with Adonis ended. You weren't ready to jump into anything with anyone, but Shawn was nice, respectful and made you laugh. Besides his jealous streak, he wasn't a bad guy to have around. 

You lifted your eyes from your glass and looked at Adonis. He still looked the same. Handsome as ever and in the best shape of his life. His biceps were larger than before, the veins in his arms bulging as his hands were folded. Resisting the urge to lick your lips, you shuffled in your seat and wiped your wet hands on your jeans.

"You okay?"

A part of you wanted to say no. You weren't okay. You weren't okay with your casual meet-ups. You weren't okay with sitting across from him and not being able to touch him. You weren't okay acting as if everything in your life was great. You were using some guy to get over the one sitting in front of you. You felt horrible about it.

"I'm fine." 

He didn't believe you. You could tell by the way he dipped his head low to try and make eye contact with you. When both of your eyes met, neither one of you said anything. Just stared at each other, silently challenging to see who would be the one to look away first. Your little contest ended early when the waitress came by with your drinks. Beer for him, lemonade for you. After asking if you guys were ready to order, you both declined and you figured that would be her cue to walk away, except she took that as the opportunity to ask 

"Are you sure?" to Adonis directly. If you didn't know any better, you would've thought you were invisible as she turned her body in his direction, a small smile showing from the corner of her lips.

"He's sure." You answered her as you eyed the back of her head. A chuckle rose in your throat as you watched her turn towards you, obviously unhappy with your intrusion on her flirting and she nodded her head, finally walking away. Your dinner partner across from you waited until she was out of earshot before laughing, his head bobbing back and forth from the force of his laughs.

"What's so funny?" You inquired, raising your eyebrow. 

This was definitely an occurring problem whenever you went out with him. Girls and guys would both try to approach him, even though they could clearly see you with him. No, you guys weren't dating, but they didn't know that. The fact that people were so bold to hit on others that were clearly out with someone else made you want to hurl. What was wrong with people?

"Nothing, you just as snappy as you've always been. Just ... missed that. That's all." He mumbled before taking a big gulp of his drink. 

Shaking your head, you tried not to let his comment get to you. So he missed you? No, he missed you being snappy. That's what he said. That didn't mean he missed you. If he missed you, he would've said that ... right? But he didn't. So did he only miss you going off on people? Why were you even overthinking this? Why did you care so much about deciphering the meanings of his words. 

You ignored the voice in your head. The reasonable voice that would always say how much of a mistake you were making when you'd stand in front of your mirror to pick out something Adonis would like. The smart voice that would say the more you met up, the harder it would be to get over him. The voice that would tell you how much you'd regret giving him your time, knowing damn well that if he asked you to stay out later that you'd comply in a heartbeat.

"Yeah? Well ... cool."

"That's all you have to say?" He asked.

Choosing to ignore him, you swirled the straw in your drink. What was he expecting you to say? Maybe he could've still been experiencing your snappy remarks if he had taken your feelings into consideration in the past. There were many nights where you would talk to him about him boxing and if he would ever stop. You knew the ring was something that was close to his heart. It's what made him want to wake up in the morning. It's what motivated him to keep his head on straight and stay focused. While you loved that he had found his passion in life, you couldn't deal with the harm and stress he was putting on his body. It only took you two times watching him get knocked out to know that you weren't built for that life. It wasn't easy watching someone you cared about being put in harms way .. or harms fist if you wanted to be honest. The murderous looks he and his opponent would share before a fight made you uncomfortable. You knew all about his father and his unfortunate death, that being the main reason why you couldn't sit back and support his dreams up close. The thought of him leaving this world like his father brought tears to your eyes. What would you do if the same thing were to happen to him? 

Adonis must've noticed the look on your face because he reached over to grab your hand. Coming back to reality, you jumped slightly and pulled back, tears brimming your eyes as you fought with the need to cry. You'd didn't want to do this here, not with him in front of you. You'd spent so many nights crying over this bullshit, why were you still getting yourself worked up over him? Because you love him.

"I don't.." you whispered to yourself.

"You don't what?"

"I don't know why I keep doing this with you. These .. dinners where we just sit here and act like everything is okay. It's not okay, alright? We broke up for a reason and there's no point of trying to have some friendship that we know is impossible. Lets just end everything right here, right now."

He sucked his teeth, his phone hitting the table loudly as he threw it down and sat back in the booth. A couple from a few tables away looked in your direction, your peripheral vision catching the look of confusion on their faces. You just wanted to go home, lay in bed and forget ever coming here. 

"That's not what you want and you know it."

"You don't know what the fuck I want." 

"Aight .. maybe not, but I damn sure know what you need and it's not that bum ass nigga you fucking with now. I know you. I know how you act when you're genuinely happy, and you ain't with him. All that forcing and shit you be doing online when y'all together, knowing damn well he ain't got it like me. He ain't man enough for you."

"And how do you figure that? Because he doesn't feel the need to act like he's some macho man? Because he's actually caring and sweet and doesn't push my opinions and feelings aside? Taking a few punches doesn't make someone a man, contrary to your beliefs."

You could see his tongue run across his teeth, pushing his lips out and letting you know just how annoyed he was getting. The nerve of him to act as if he had any real reason to be upset. 

"You know ... fighting is all I ever wanted to do when I was a kid. It's the one thing I have in connection with my Pops. When I wrap my hands and put on those gloves, I can literally see him smiling in my head. Do you know how it feels to have strangers tell you about your own father? How it feels to have people who were lucky enough to have known him tell you about what a great man he was, what a great fighter he was? And when you try to do the same thing, they do nothing but tear you down and act as if you're a stupid fucking kid? My Pops died in the fucking ring, you know that .. everyone knows that. He also could've died walking down the street. He could've died at the hands of a gangbanger or a cop. Shit, they all the fucking same anyways. Point is .. I could die tomorrow doing something totally unrelated to the ring. If I wanna fucking fight until I have brain damage, Imma do that. I'm gonna do what makes me happy, just like my Pops did. And if I die the way he did ... then I died fighting and I ain't got a problem with that. I'm not asking you to accept everything that I fucking do, but damn baby .. atleast see things from my side one in a while."

Your blurry vision due to the tears were fighting at the edge, one blink threatening to break the dam and release the flood. Attempting to even speak was out of the question, your bottom lip trembling letting you know that it would've been a dumb decision. This was the first time that Adonis had ever taken the time to fully explain what boxing meant to him. You always thought that he was just trying to prove himself and be tough. That he was trying to make others believe that he was worthy of being the son of someone so great. Never did you know how he truly felt, how he was just a young man trying to fufill the same dreams his father once had. Looking back, you'd never known Adonis to do anything he didn't truly want to do. He could care less about how others viewed him, what they they thought and how they felt, which was a good or bad thing depending on which way the wind blew that day. A hot tear running down your face broke you from your thoughts, your handle fumbling quickly to wipe it before he could see, but of course nothing could get pass him. He had tears of his own that he was too proud to shed, his nose now red and flared. 

Before you could make up some excuse for needing to leave, he was rising from his seat and pulling you in. Lips meeting awkwardly at first, his hold on the back of your neck calmed you down as you both fell into a dance. You hadn't been kissed like this since the last time you both were together and although you knew you should've been pushing him away, you couldn't stop yourself from squeezing your thighs together as your tongue stroked against his. The taste of beer engulfed your mouth, forcing you to shudder and remember the good times.

"You actually drink that stuff?" 

You gave Adonis a curious look, watching as his index finger wrapped around the neck of his corona, his middle finger and thumb assisting it in gripping the bottle in a simple, yet sexy way. You would've thought he was ignoring you if it wasn't for the soft grunt he released after, bringing the bottle back to his lips.

"Can I have some?"

Confusion filled his face quickly. As much as you dragged him for drinking beer, the last thing he expected was you asking to take a sip. He curled up the corner of his lips, giving you a 'stop playin'' look and causing you to pout. 

"Please? Just a little taste."

Unbeknownst to him, you didn't want it from the bottle. When he held it out for you, you shook your head quickly and leaned forward, eyeing his lips. 

"Let me taste it another way."

You mumbled, leaning it to kiss what was yours.

The bell jingling above the entrance pulled you from your thoughts and you opened your eyes, catching a short glimpse of the new customer before your hands were meeting Adonis's chest and pushing him away. His back met the booth roughly, his lips still glistening as he gave you the evil eye out of anger, confusion and lust. You knew that look better than anyone. 

You muttered a ‘sorry’, already knowing that in a few seconds your meet up would be coming to an end. Staring at him in the eyes, you wanted nothing more than to just hold him. You didn't realize just how much you missed him until you felt his embrace, why did things have to be this way? As you saw the tall figure approach your table in your peripheral, you gave Adonis a sad smile, your hands making quick work of drying what ever tears were left on your face. The questions, concerns and anger that would be directed to you if your face was seen wet and puffy were the last things you wanted to deal with. Seeing Shawn drained you of all your energy, you really didn't have it in you to deal with a fight tonight. 

"Shit.." 

"What?" Adonis scrunched his eyebrows together, leaning his head down to make eye contact with you.

He didn't have a chance to ask another question before Shawn was stepping in, looking between the both of you in confusion. You hadn't told him that you were meeting up with anyone, but you knew he had friends all over and someone probably spotted you with Adonis. Time seemed to have halted, the people around you moving in slow motion. 

You saw Adonis turn his head, jaw clenched to the point where you worried for his teeth. He looked up, his facial expression going from annoyed to stoic, eyebrows raised slightly, one blink causing his eyes to go from glassy to dark. You expected for the exchange between the two men to come to blows. Adonis was sweet with a hidden temper, while Shawn was a hot head all around. To your surprise, Adonis simply nodded his head and looked back at you. His expression was unreadable, you couldn't tell if he was upset or just didn't care anymore. It was obvious that you had chosen a new man over him, you accepted Shawn and everything he came with, something you couldn't do with Adonis.

"Who's this?" Shawn asked bluntly, hands stuffed into his black hoodie.

You got up, a nervous chuckle leaving your lips as you grabbed his arm, shaking your head. 

"Just a friend."

Heart dropping to your feet, you felt as if your insides were being ripped out as you snapped your neck towards Adonis. It's funny how in your head that’s how you tried to describe him, yet hearing those words from his actual mouth made you want to scream. He didn't sound upset, bothered, or angry. You couldn't read his expression or the tone of his voice, all you could do was stare at him with mixed emotions. 

"You got a good girl though, keep her close. Hope y'all have a good life."

He rose from his seat, dropping a twenty dollar bill on the table and made his way to the door without a goodbye. Shawn began to speak, asking more questions that went in one ear and out the other, but you were still in shock. You let out a laugh, not because anything was funny, but because you were coming to the realization that whatever relationship that you had with Adonis up until this point was officially done. He had wished you his farewell and that was that, and as much as it saddened and pissed you off, you couldn't blame him. His figure vanished out into the night, leaving you in his rear view mirror and hiding his tears from you. 

taglist: @lovelynervouschaos @chaneajoyyy @thehomierobbstark @iamrheaspeaks @bakarisangel @janelledarling @softnani @destinio1 @madamslayyy @marvelpotterlove @theunsweetenedtruth @james-heaven-barnes @erikaintdead @hearteyes-for-killmonger @killmongerthirst @ovoxosavage 

(i honestly just tagged people that commented on my past stories since i didn’t really know who to tag lmao)

[1d-sexualdesires]

14 & 16 PRETTY PRETTY please!

Again, I default to Harry because he’s my personal fave & I just feel more comfortable writing about him, but if you want another person I can re-write it based off of another boy, LMK! - V

NOW, ON TO THE GOOD STUFF… ANGST & SMUT

14 first and 16 second!

Harry was never one to break his chill, but he’s hit a rough patch in his writing process for the album and isn’t really content with what he’s been producing, so like all human beings he’s been misplacing his frustrations and taking it out on his girlfriend, Y/N. Lately it seems he’s been snapping at her for everything, so much so that she’d rather not see him until this little rut with his creative process comes to an end.

So after two weeks apart Harry decided to make it up to her by taking her to Vegas for the last Halloween party he’d been invited to and let’s just say that she’d been so busy working that the most she’d done socially was befriend her local Japanese food delivery guy named Ren because she had ordered in so often over the last few weeks. Ren was attending USC and was having issues with his boyfriend, Tommy, because he transferred to NYU and long distance wasn’t working for him, they vented to each other now.

“Do you want another drink?” Harry asked over the loud music, pulling her from her thought.

“Martini, extra dry!” She said and he nodded, leaving her to chase after the waitress that had just started leaving their section.

Due to her lack of social interaction she also hadn’t drank in a while, she was very much a social drinker, couldn’t bother to spend the money to do it alone, so with this being her second drink she was already feeling a heady buzz. The two weeks she had given him space were hitting her right now as she watched him chatting with someone, his jaw was just so sharp and his back so broad, she loved biting into his shoulders and biceps when he fucked her. She didn’t even realize she was making her way over to him until she was drunkenly glancing at whoever he was talking to and slurring,

“S’cuse me, can I borrow Harold for just a tick?” The person nodded and she turned him around to face her, pulling him a few feet away, he looked annoyed at how rude she’d been, “We need t’leave. Right now.” She said and he furrowed his brows.

“Why? Are you alright?” He asked concerned and she shook her head, “What’s wrong?” He quickly asked.

“M’leaking!” She said loudly and at first he thought maybe she’d gotten her period or something, but then she elaborated, “I’m so fucking horny and y’need to take me upstairs and fuck me.” She insisted and he sighed.

“Give me a bit more, yeah? I was talking to that guy.” She pouted and nodded. She headed back to her seat in their section and decided to wait twenty minutes. The time had passed and it felt like she was was waiting half her life; she was proper soaking in her panties and it was getting uncomfortable, so again she walked around until she found him, laughing and joking around with some friends and again, she interrupted and he sighed.

“Baby please, m’a fucking mess for you. C’mon.” She pleaded and he rolled his eyes.

“You are a mess, told you that you shouldn’t have the last two drinks.”  He scolded and she was upset now because he had brought her to spend time with her to make up for being a dick lately.

“You’ve been mean to me for two weeks, Harry!” She whined, “I love you n’I want you so, so bad, haven’t had anything for two whole weeks! Miss you.” She pouted through her slurs. He almost gave in, but then she palmed at his crotch and he removed her hand angrily.

“What the fuck? I said to wait.” He seethed and she frowned.

“I’ve been waiting! You said you wanted to come spend time with me and you’ve literally shrugged me off all weekend! Why did you bring me then, huh?” She was feeling more sober now that the anger had set in and he was angry too because she knows that private things stay private and she was making a right scene, having a strop in the middle of the fucking nightclub.

“You’re actin’ like a spoiled brat!” He expressed in irritation and she pouted, “You know not to do shit like tha’ in public! With this little stunt you’ve just pulled you’re waiting another week.” She was frowning now because she really just needed a bit of care and she wasn’t being a brat on purpose. The alcohol made her a little more ballsy, that was all.

“M’sorry, just miss you. Please, babe.” She said softly, he could barely hear her over the music and chatter in the club.

“S’too late for that now, you’ll have to wait. Such a fuckin’ brat.” At that she groaned.

“Fuck you, m’going to the room.” She said before storming off.

****

Two hours later Harry was letting himself into his suite, he wasn’t being quiet at all because he half expected Y/N to storm out and meet him, but it was quiet. As he made his way into the room he saw her knocked out on the bed, she had found the time to shower, her hair was wet and she was in a t-shirt and panties, headphones plugged in and phone facedown on her chest. He felt a bit bad for snapping at her, had she come to Vegas just to argue with him? He sighed and reached for her headphones, gently pulling them out as to not wake her and took her phone from her chest whenever she was upset she tended to watch Titanic, liked to get a good cry out of her system.

Harry pressed his thumb to the home button and his eyes widened in shock when he saw that she had actually been watching porn, the title read something about orgasms from oral only. He swallowed down the lump that formed in his throat and tried to ignore the budging up of his cock as he glanced down to her, wondering if she had gotten herself off. She always had him, or at least she had for the last two years. He was a little bit hurt if she had resorted to porn and her fingers; he glanced to her hands and took his chances, leaning down and smelling her fingers, she had definitely gotten herself off, he frowned, suddenly more horny than she had probably been. He felt selfish and like a proper dick, suddenly her phone chimed in his hand and it was a text from her best friend, he opened it, wondering if it was emergency, they were never secretive about anything, so he knew she wouldn’t mind.

Y/BFF/N:

Welcome to the club, girl…

Is what she had said in response to Y/N saying she had just gotten herself off for the first time in nearly two years and that it had been way better than she remembered and that she had kind of missed it? He was offended and decided to read the thread that started three weeks ago with Y/N saying that Harry had been snappy lately and that she didn’t like to see him frustrated. As he read on he learned that she felt that sometimes she was more of a bother than a comforting presence so she would give him space. Among other things she had said that he hadn’t talked to her in a week and that maybe he didn’t love her anymore; that bit killed him. Y/N’s friend suggested she talk to him and she said she would once he wasn’t so stressed out. Apparently she had a really shit week and he didn’t even know about it. He felt horrible, he had really been neglecting her. He smiled reading over how excited she was for Vegas this weekend and frowned as he saw how it dwindled since they had arrived. Then another text came in… who was Ren? He opened that up and frowned even more.

Y/N:

I don’t think my boyfriend is happy with me anymore. I thought it was just stress, but I think I’m what’s wrong. How’re things with Tommy?

Ren:

I’m sorry, you’re literally one of the best people I know. Couldn’t possibly be you, y/n. Well, Tommy confessed he was cheating today, so that’s done…

Ren:

Maybe we should both try girls for a while

Harry felt like shit, he was proper deflated and the next morning she obviously knew he had gone through her phone, but she couldn’t care less because she didn’t say a thing to him. When they got to the airport she quickly put on her headphones and went to sleep and when they landed she kissed him chastely saying Y/BFF/N had come to pick her up because they had plans. So surely another week went by without either of them saying a thing to each other.

****

Despite not speaking to Harry this whole week Y/N had a decent week, mostly because she was up to her ears in work and couldn’t spare a minute to think about him. When there was a knock at her door she sprang up from her chair and slid on her slippers, hurrying from her office to the front door. She was expecting an important package of samples for work. She swung the door open quickly, smiling bright until she saw who was standing on the other side. Harry looked nervous and the only thing that she could think was: he’s here to break up with me. He had read all her texts and seen the things she had been concerned about and it was just coming to pass.

“Hey.” He spoke first and she stayed quiet, waiting to hear the dreaded words, “Ummm, are you busy?” She shook her head and he looked to his feet then back into her eyes, “We need to talk. Can I come in?” She doesn’t know why she let him in, but she moved to the side and opened the door wider, allowing him to slip inside quickly and follow her to the couch, but staying on his feet, then deciding to sit on the coffee table, directly in front of her.

“What do you want to talk about?” She asked softly and he sighed.

“Us. What else?” He asked and she shrugged, “Look, I’m so sorry for doing this to you,” here it comes, she looked down at her hands, preparing to hold back tears until he was gone, “I love you so, so much, Y/N. I’m sorry for shutting you out and being an asshole, for making you feel so shit all the time, that’s not who I want to be for you, baby.” He said, reaching for her warm hands and he smiled, relieved to feel her skin on his. She felt relief, a little smile making it’s way onto her face and continuing. “I want you to know that you’re fuckin’ perfect. You aren’t a brat and you don’t do anything wrong. You’re m’girl, yeah? I’ve been having a difficult time with the album and I’ve misplaced my frustration onto you and that’s not fair.” He said softly, eyes not daring to leave hers because she needs to know that he means it. “I fucking love you. Swear it. With every fiber in my body, I love you.” He finished, feeling relieved as she just sprang forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, crying and sniffling all while kissing his skin and relishing in his touch.

“I love you too, babe. So, so much. I forgive you.” She assured him and he hummed.

“Missed you so much.” He mumbled into her shoulder and she nodded. Pulling back and kissing him softly. God, just feeling his lips against hers already had him feeling better, like a weight was lifted and when they pulled back for a breath he sighed, looking into her eyes, “I’m also sorry for something else.” He said softly.

“What’s that?” She asked, caressing his cheek bones with her hands.

“I’m sorry for driving you to getting yourself off.” He said and she rolled her eyes.

“S’alright, Har.”

“S’not alright. Only I make you cum.” His tone changing and she bit her lip, “I want t’be the one who has you wet and horny, not some actors. Want it to be me, y’know that.” He said kissing her hard and fast, “Don’t like that you had to do that because I was being a prick.”

“You’re not always going to be in the mood and that’s okay.”

“I was in the mood, but I was just being a dick, don’t know why and I want to make it up to you.” He said and her ears perked up at that.

“You don’t have to.”

“No, I really want to. Watched that video you were looking at, princess. S’that all you wanted? Just wanted me to eat your little cunt?” He asked and she nodded and he bit his lip, “Then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll eat your sweet, little peach until you can’t cum anymore, yeah?” He asked and she nodded.

He pulled her to her bed room quickly and she was getting wet, soaking just for him. He quickly pulled off his shirt and then pressed her onto the bed, kissing her with lots of tongue, emulating what he was about to do to her pussy. She moaned as his hand came down between them and rubbed at her over her shorts.

“Let’s see that pretty body.” He whispered, sitting up and helping her undress, thank god, no bra. He grinned as he kissed down her neck, leaving a burning trail as he made his way to one of her breasts and hummed before licking a thick stripe up the supple skin with the flat of his tongue, her nipple hardened instantly and he moaned at the sight. He flicked his tongue over it before wrapping his lips around the sensitive skin, sucking hard and then biting down softly.

“Oh fuck, Harry.” She whimpered and he smiled, popping off with a wet little sound.

“So fucking pretty.” He said, before moving to the other one and repeating his actions, loving the way her fingers started carding through his hair, gripping harder when he’d bite a little too hard. He sucked hard on the skin, making her wince and leaving behind a little bruise before kissing down her tummy, tongue swirling around her belly button and then letting his tongue dip right beneath the elastic of her shorts. “Are you ready for me, princess?” He inquired, glancing up to her, she already looked thoroughly fucked out as she nodded quickly and he smiled, “Good. Can’t wait to taste you.”

Her shorts and panties were quickly pulled off and he wasted no time in prying her thighs apart. Y/N was glistening between her legs, thighs a bit sticky with her arousal, and why really got to him was that as he spread her lips apart with his fingers he could see her little clit throbbing, begging for attention. He couldn’t even wait anymore, just delved right in licking a fat stripe from her entrance to her clit, relishing in her taste, tongue dipping into her entrance and making her gasp and tug at his hair.

“Fuck that’s perfect!” She moaned as he pushed it deeper, his chin and nose wet with her arousal. He was so good with his tongue. He was relentless in pushing it in and out of her and then finally he pulled back and tongued at her clit, her legs trembling almost instantly because she was so horny and he was flicking at it quickly with his tongue, “M’gonna cum!” She whimpered and she felt him smile against her.

“Already?” He asked and she nodded, forcing his mouth back onto her.

“You’re so fucking good at that.” she whimpered, he wanted to get his fingers inside of her. Without warning he just pressed in his index finger and rubbed against her walls and he felt her clench tightly around his finger and then that delicious warm and sticky feeling came over as she gripped his hair tight, a loud groan slipped past her lips as he felt her cumming. He slowed down, kissed at her clit gently and moving on to something else when she shuddered away, sucking love bites into her thighs because he wanted her to remember how sorry he was.

“What if you sit on my face? Get yourself off on my tongue.” He suggested and she was quick to switch positions, hovering over his face, her legs on either side of his head he guided her down, his eyes fluttering shut as he became enveloped by her, he moaned as she ground her hips down onto his lips, taking a hold of his curls and sliding up until his nose nudged at her clit and then down until it rested against his chin, the stubble there giving it a nice texture to rub against. She doesn’t even know how long she was suffocating him between her thighs, but she was on her third orgasm this way, he was holding her down hard, sucking at her clit until she was pushing his head away, whimpering from the sensitivity

“Fuck, please be gentle, please!” She cried as he finally eased up, releasing her clit from between his lips and licking at it gently. He could feel her getting wet all over again, it was making his chin sticky.

“Mmmm, want more, princess. What next?” He asked and she bit her lip, they had only done it a few times before, but the look in her eyes told him exactly what she wanted and he smirked, “You’re such a filthy girl, you want me to finger your tight little ass, huh? While licking your clit, that’s what you want, huh?” And she nodded shamelessly, “Alright then, love, on your back.” He said and she moved quickly and she dragged him down to kiss him deeply, tasting herself on his tongue was just erotic, he took advantage, lubing up his fingers with her arousal and cum, making a path for it to drip further down. “Gotta relax, princess. Don’t want to hurt you.” He said, stuffing his index and middle fingers into her pussy, swirling them around, getting as much on them as possible before pulling them out and rubbing at her tight little bum hole as soon as she relaxed his left index finger easily sunk in about half way and he groaned, as she parted her legs his finger was squeezed tighter. “Fuck, s’real tight.” He said, letting his spit trickle down to to her pussy and then looking up at her, tongue at the ready, started off with thick, lethargic licks and slow thrusts of his finger.

“Yes, H, fuck!” She squealed as he sucked her little bud into his mouth, her hands pressed up to her breasts, squeezing and teasing at them.

“Baby, rub your clit, yeah?” She quickly brought her hand down, rubbing at the little bundle of nerves as he brought his right hand up and stuffed two fingers into her dripping wet cunt, curling them up as he puled them in and out. “Hear, that princess? You’re proper dripping.” He groaned, rubbing his hard cock into the duvet, he was feeling close just from watching her. She sped up on her clit, back arching, her lower muscles tightening almost impossibly.

“Fuck, Harry m’so close!” She mewled and he grinned.

“You like that, princess? Does my princess like that?” He asked and she nodded.

“Yes, you’re so fucking good, please don’t stop!” She moaned and he buried his finger deeper into her ass and thrust the fingers in her cunt faster until her legs were trembling and that’s when it happened, he felt her cum bursting past his fingers, and he quickly pulled his left hand away, holding open her thighs as he pounded his fingers into her pussy as she rubbed on her clit, her jaw was agape and he moaned as he watched her cum for what seemed like minutes, the longer he fingered her the more she’d cum, a loud, strangled moan ripped through her throat when he gave a few more pumps and she clenched tight around his fingers and coated them with her cum. He pressed himself up and kissed her hard, his chin was dripping with her and she was trembling and panting, he could feel tears staining her cheeks but she was smiling into the kiss.

“Does that make up for my behavior?” He mumbled against her lips and she nodded slowly, looking throughly fucked out. “I love you, okay?”

“I know. Love you too; always will.” She assured him.

[adotblog]

The One Who Always Made The Grade-Chapter 3

Pairing: LMM x Reader

Warnings: None. Again. What have I become?!

Words: 1644

Notes: Apparently I write slow burn.

Tags: @judesnavi @alexanderusnavilindelahamilton @sunnyandtwisty @starrynerd @countessofkrolock

——————————————————

“Hey, Y/N...are you free sometime next week? I wondered if you want to grab a drink?”

You had been interrupted by Lin’s director at that point. Lin had given you an awkward hug and promised to text you, then you’d left. Now you’re walking home and wondering if that really happened.

As far as you’d been aware, Lin had just viewed you as a colleague. This was a real surprise. You’d only just got around to realising you like him, now you’re going on a date?

The first text comes just as you’re brushing your teeth (and thinking about him on stage, his cute butt criminally swamped by those baggy jeans…).

Lin: Hey, sorry we got interrupted! So I was thinking maybe we could meet up on Sunday?

Y/N: Sure, where do you want to go?

Lin: Well, I thought we’d go somewhere in the Heights, seems appropriate!

You laugh at that and agree a meeting time and place. Then you decide to be bold.

Y/N: I was so surprised when you asked me out, wasn’t expecting that…

Lin: What can I say, I guess I missed you ;)

Y/N: I missed you too :)

——————————————————

He texts you the next day when he sees something on tv that he thinks you’ll like. You text him later when you remember something from the show that you had a question about. As you chat back and forth, it’s a little like being back in the rehearsal room again.

——————————————————

Lin suggests getting a drink at a little neighbourhood place just around the corner from where you’ve met. “It’s quiet, nothing fancy, but their chilli fries are the bomb.”, Lin says. “That sounds great.”, you say-relieved to be going somewhere relaxed-you’re a little nervous. You’ve barely seen Lin outside of work, never mind on a date. It’s a couple of blocks to the bar and you spend most of the walk gushing about Lin’s musical-the first chance you’ve had since you saw it.

You stop at a wide awning and Lin pushes the door open, holding it as you go through. The place is cosy-all red booths and low lighting-an old-fashioned place, and it puts you at ease. Lin grabs a booth at the back and the waitress is there even before you’ve sat down. You both order beer and start to look through the menu. Lin reads through everything but then insists he has to get the chilli fries because they’re so good. You order fries with a list of toppings that’s nearly as long as the menu.

“So how’s work?”, asks Lin once your order has been taken. “Meh”, you shrug. “It’s kinda boring. I’m the TA for a geology professor and I just...rocks...I can’t get enthused.”, you joke. “Bet there are no karaoke coffee breaks”, says Lin with a wink. “God no, no late nights in the rehearsal room either.”, you say with a laugh. “Ahh that’s gotta be a relief though-your evenings are your own again!”, Lin says. “I...actually I miss it…”, you say, feeling a little shy. Lin leans closer to you and lowers his voice to a stage whisper. “Nah, you missed me”, he says with a cheeky grin.

You shake your head and laugh. But he’s not wrong, you really have missed him. And now that he’s made you laugh, you feel the nervousness start to slip away. Once you stop focusing on the fact that this is a date, being with him again feels familiar and reassuring. You fall back into old rhythms and are reminded of the many reasons you like him.

Within half an hour of being back in his company, any nerves have totally evaporated. When he scooches closer to you as he’s talking, it feels completely natural. When his hand touches your knee as he speaks, you stare at it, thinking again about how you started out the week as his ex-TA and now you’re on a date and his hand is on your knee and you’re wondering what it’s like to kiss him.

He starts to take his hand away, interpreting your staring as discomfort. You hurriedly grab it and interlace your fingers. He grins and squeezes your hand, knee touching yours as he turns towards you, sitting sideways in the booth, waxing lyrical about his friend Chris, who you met on Friday.

——————————————————

“Life is too short to be all ‘ooooh just a salad for me’”, Lin says as he shovels the last of his chilli into his mouth. “I totally agree”, you say. “I know, I’ve seen you in charge of a bag of gummy bears!”, he teases. You go to make a snappy retort but laugh and concede “That’s fair”. Lin laughs. The waitress comes to clear the table and you order more drinks.

“Do you think you’ll be coming back to our campus anytime soon?”, you ask. Lin shrugs “I really don’t know. At the workshop next week, we’re hosting some producers...so, if that goes well…”, he tails off as your new drinks arrive. “Well, selfishly, I’m sad-I enjoyed working with you”, you say when the waitress is gone. “Then we’ll just have to spend more time together...not working.”, he says. You respond with a smile and lift your beer bottle to clink with his.

——————————————————

You could listen to him talk about anything, you decide. He is so enthusiastic, so animated-always talking with his hands. And his eyes are so expressive.

When you talk about your family, he runs his thumb over your knuckles, eyes never leaving your face as he listens intently. It’s the only part of being with him that is unfamiliar-this new physicality. Over the months you worked together, you had actually laughed and cried in front of one another but professional boundaries meant you rarely touched. The novelty of this intimacy is making something as small as holding hands kind of thrilling.

——————————————————

When you drink the last of your third beer, you reluctantly suggest that it’s time to go-there are only four of you left in the whole place and it’s pretty late. Lin puts down money for the check and slides out of the booth. “Yeah, we really should get you home.”, he says. “Uhh, why’s that?”, you ask, confused. He holds out a hand to help you up. “Duh”, he says, “because the sooner we say goodnight, the sooner I get to kiss you goodnight”.

You burst out laughing as he pulls you up. “That’s very presumptuous...!”, you say, causing him to look worried for a second. “What if I was gonna kiss you goodnight?”, you tease.

——————————————————

It’s only 10 blocks to your place, but it takes a long time to get there. You dawdle, strolling along holding hands, chatting about everything and nothing. At the crosswalks, sometimes he slips his arm around your waist.

“This didn’t feel weird.”, Lin says as you get near to your place. “I was worried it would.”. “I was nervous at first,”, you admit. “but then we were talking and laughing and it felt just like every other time we’d been together...except you were holding my hand”, you grin. He smiles.

“It’s like with seeing In The Heights”, you say. “I’d heard some of your songs before and I’ve heard you sing a lot, and seeing you perform the whole thing is just adding an extra layer.”

“Although...oh this is me”, you indicate your building and steer him towards the steps.”Although?”, he prompts as you stop in front of the door. “Although I wasn’t prepared for how I’d feel seeing you on stage.”, you answer. Lin looks confused “How’s that?”, he asks.

You look him in the eye. “The way you...shine, how you control an audience. The confidence you exude and just your talent...It’s sexy as hell.”.

Lin raises his eyebrows. “Really?”. He moves closer, placing his hands on your hips. You nod as you look him in the eye. “Looking at you a whole new way now”, you say in a soft voice. He pulls your waist against his. “Good…”, he says as his lips meet yours. Your tummy flips as his mouth moves with yours, and again when his hand goes into your hair. Your own hands go to his face as you open your mouth and let his tongue touch yours-causing another jolt in your tummy...and lower.

When Lin breaks away, you can’t keep the grin from your face. “Well. That’s new.”, you say with a little laugh, your hands now resting against his chest. “Uh huh”, he says, his voice husky. He isn’t laughing. He runs his thumb over your cheek to give you just a second’s pause before he kisses you again.

You link your arms around his neck, leaning into the kiss. Yes it’s new, but it feels like things should always have been this way between you. You step backwards, pulling him with you until your back is against one of the concrete pillars that flank your doorway. He stumbles a little in surprise but quickly regains his composure to press your body into the stone, his hands moving up to the sides of your face as he kisses you more intensely.

You return his kisses with equal fervour and gently but firmly grip the back of his head as you push your tongue into his mouth. When eventually you break apart, you’re both flushed and a little shorter of breath.

“I had a great time”, you say, still holding on to him. “Me too”, Lin grins and gives you a final kiss. “Maybe I’ll call you tomorrow?”, he says. “Sure. G’night, Lin.”, you say as you untangle yourself from his arms and let yourself into the lobby.

Ten minutes later, your phone rings.

“I couldn’t wait until tomorrow. About our second date…”

[mimireadsromance]

REBORN YESTERDAY by Tessa Bailey

My Thoughts:

I don’t know about the rest of you, but the recent news has been a lot to process and my reading has suffered. Then I found out that I was granted an ARC from one of my very favorite authors, Tessa Bailey. Reborn Yesterday is a romantic paranormal with the perfect balance between humor and heart. I loved the heroine, Ginny, with her hand-sewn dresses and snappy comebacks. The nod to old school Hollywood starlets and an appreciation for simpler times really resonated with me. Jonas, our vampire hero that is unabashedly starstruck by his special heroine, appealed to me with his earnest desire to help others. Readers familiar with Tessa’s work won’t be surprised to learn that Jonas has a bit of a dirty mouth and some alpha tendencies, but Ginny’s sassy personality was his perfect counterpoint. The secondary characters were just as fun and I cannot wait to read what she has in store for a certain pair that can't seem to stop thinking about each other.

I loved this story so much, I read the book cover to cover, something I hadn’t done in quite awhile It was just one of those books that couldn’t be put down. The heartfelt convictions about fairness, coping with loss, and wishing for a world where people love and appreciate one another for who they are spoke to me in a way that helped me to realign my focus on the people I love. This book is definitely going on my Top 2020 Reads list.

*I think fans of the early Argeneau Series by Lynsay Sands will enjoy this one. It's got great pacing, plenty of laugh out loud moments, and just enough tension to keep the reader invested, without delving into really dark or heavy material.*

Book Info:

While their love is strictly forbidden, it might be the only thing that can save

them…

Reborn Yesterday, an all-new unique and unforgettable paranormal romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey, is available now.

A timeless love story with bite.

It was a night like any other for funeral home director Ginny Lynn, until the exceptionally handsome—and unfortunately deceased—young man on her embalming table sat up, opened his emerald eyes and changed the course of her life forever, making her feel quite fluttery while he was at it.

Humans aren’t supposed to know Jonas Cantrell, or any vampire, exists. It’s kind of a major rule. Despite his instantaneous bond with perfectly peculiar Ginny, he has no choice but to erase her memories of their one and only meeting.

That was the plan. Before a reluctant Jonas can wipe Ginny’s mind clean, she reveals a secret that brings their worlds crashing together. Human and vampire. Past and present. Darkness and light. And while their love is strictly forbidden, it might be the only thing that can save them…

Download your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2OwrKfV Apple Books: https://apple.co/2tzVd1b Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/rebornyesterday

Nook: https://bit.ly/39aMwJK Kobo: http://bit.ly/2Su51lD Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2Sbr29P

Excerpt:

“Will there be a million weeping women at your wake?” She tapped a finger to her lips. “There will be, I’m sure of it. The place will overflow with tears. I better make sure our flood insurance is up to date.”

As she commenced circling the table once more, her white lab coat scratched against the hem of her green plaid dress, which fell sensibly to her knees. It was cold in the funeral home, especially downstairs where P. Lynn Funeral Home’s guests were kept in preparation for their final goodbye, so she’d pulled on thick black stockings with a flower pattern before coming below to work the night shift. Dressing with care was Ginny’s way of showing respect to the people she worked on—a fact her stepmother and reluctant business partner often scoffed over—but a T-shirt and jeans simply didn’t cut the mustard when she’d been entrusted with a loved one’s care. Ginny had designed and sewn her current ensemble in class and she definitely shouldn’t be wondering what Dreamboat here would think about the cut and fabric. Or if he’d notice she’d fitted it a touch tighter in the hip zone than usually made her comfortable.

“I need help.” She gathered her auburn hair over one shoulder. “You agree, don’t you? Finally, you’ve gotten peace and quiet from your multitude of admirers and here I come, trying to annoy you into reanimation so I can find out the color of your eyes. You must want to die all over again.”

Continuing her journey around the table, Ginny’s gaze ticked to the clock, reminding her she should have started working half an hour ago. Why was she so reluctant to begin? Where did she get off experiencing the weight of loss when she’d never crossed paths with this individual before? “Anyway, I know what you’re thinking. She’s brought up my legion of female fans three times now. She must be jealous.” Ginny stopped beside Dreamboat and looked down at his regal brow, the masculinity of his jaw, and a horrible welling started in her chest. “I think you’d be right,” she whispered in a red-cheeked rush. “I think if you’d smiled at me even once on the subway a decade ago, I’d be out avenging your death right now. Isn’t that crazy?”

Just to be sure a terrible (wonderful) mistake hadn’t been made, Ginny lifted her right hand, letting two fingers hover over Dreamboat’s pulse. Her heart rate spiked at the prospect of touching him, which didn’t bode well for tonight’s task of filling his veins with formaldehyde. How could she give him the proper care he deserved if she couldn’t stop shaking?

A bracing breath passed between her lips. She touched her fingers down to his pulse. Nothing. There had been no mistake. He was thoroughly, devastatingly dead.

“I’m so sorry,” Ginny managed, her tears welling at such a rapid pace that one escaped, glopping heavily onto the man’s stone cold torso.

His eyes shot open.

His…eyes shot open?

                                                 About Tessa

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.

Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the workforce as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of eleven years and seven-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

Contact Tessa

Website: https://www.tessabailey.com Facebook: http://bit.ly/2sScu5g Instagram: http://bit.ly/36pRws6 Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/2NSjQgA Goodreads: http://bit.ly/37nMrSB Join her Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2uoDGZP Stay up to date with Tessa Bailey by joining her mailing list:

http://bit.ly/36j2TCl

[cosmosogler]

ghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhghughughhghh.

i still feel awful. but i shall write before i forget it.

so... on friday i woke up on time, i guess. i slept fitfully so i was tired and sore and itchy from the sheets and pillows. the shower was pretty sad too, but at least it was warm. when i got out of the shower my sister complained that she hadn’t fallen asleep until four hours ago so i needed to be quiet. so i was quiet for a few hours, until i was too hungry to wait any longer.

we went to koreatown. the trip was really long... la has so much construction everywhere. it looked like phoenix from a few years ago. except i never saw any construction workers, not once all weekend. we ended up in a shopping center. my sister took me to the food court. i couldn’t read any of the menus so i had to look at the pictures and judge if i would like something from that. well, some of the words were in english. i bought “acorn noodles” since it was one of my approximately two vegetarian choices. i noticed that the woman at the counter had grouped her anchovy dishes in with her vegetarian suggestions. but i’m pretty sure the acorn noodles were pure vegetables.

god they were so spicy. it was nice, but the noodles were also cold. i usually like my food warm, especially these days... i got through less than half of them. my sister got an enormous beef platter and picked at it. then we got the snow ice flake mango thing. it was huge. i liked it better than the noodles though. don’t tell my sister that i don’t much care for korean food.

then we went to the music store to get an album she was looking for. we ended up staying there for like a half hour as she looked at everything else though. then she got sick so she left me waiting in the checkout line. it was way too crowded... i wasn’t very happy. i mean, i found things to do and look at, but, i didn’t understand most of it and it felt like i was very out of place. i didn’t know any of the artists or fawn over any photos or drawings of the boys in the bands. my sister keeps using words like “my son” and “an actual fetus” and “love of my life” and i figured it was a fandom community thing, but it was still weird to hear 15 year old girls around me saying that sort of stuff as they picked up mugs with, i don’t know, jimin’s (?) face on them.

i spent a lot of time standing around in line waiting to pay for my sister’s stuff so i thought about how the community treats these performers. like they’re dolls to play with, almost. they change their hair and come out with new accessories and dances every few months. my sister talks about bands going on tour and immediately “making a comeback” upon their return to their home country and i’m like, i don’t say anything, but i think “that’s not what comeback means... it’s not a comeback if they never left.”

they’re always on webcam too, there’s a streaming show where it just shows them sitting around in a room doing whatever. like those puppycams on youtube. some of them have catchphrases. when their company doesn’t give them any work for a few months they are “put in the dungeon.” like putting away a toy when you’re bored of it or think it can’t get you as much money as another toy.

i mean... the music is good, and the performances are really impressive, as someone who’s danced and sang on stage before, like they have incredible endurance to be doing this three times a week during tour season, but the way they are treated by everyone makes me kind of uncomfortable...

anyway the cashier asked me about a parking validation and i went “???” and said “nah” and went to wait at the front of the store. when my sister got out of the bathroom she went back to the cashier and asked for the validation because “my sister forgot to ask.” 

i didn’t forget to ask... i just had never heard about it before and had no directions so i didn’t want to spend unnecessary money.

my sister does a lot of things that are annoying that my mother and father also do. i don’t think she knows. i also don’t think she actively wants to pick up their bad habits.

we went back to the motel but could only sit around for ten minutes before we had to head back out for the concert. i unwrapped an exo necklace i had picked up at the store at the last second while i was in line and it was broken. i was kind of annoyed, since i had paid 16 dollars for the dang thing. but we couldn’t go back and get a new one so i made it work. i noticed when i was trying to hook the necklace around my neck that i have become more farsighted than i used to be. it was really weird to be unable to see the necklace because my vision was so blurry up that close.

i should really be wearing reading glasses, but i don’t like to acknowledge that my vision is deteriorating, so i don’t.

things would be easier if i just wore the stupid glasses. it’s such a hassle to get a headache every time i try to read. but there is like a mental block that is preventing me from remembering where i put my glasses, or to put them on when i have them on my desk.

anyway, the concert. we drove over to the concert hall and bought light sticks for over a hundred dollars and stood in line for over two hours. i was super dehydrated by the time they let us up on the patio to get a drink. and then a cup of water was five dollars. california, everyone!!

the line was basically what happens when a lot of people wait in a line for something exciting. you see some people wearing interesting merchandise, you see them again later and think “what are the odds???”, everyone cheers as soon as the environment changes slightly (the lights in the hallway outside the seating area dimmed and people SCREAMED AND CHEERED and then nothing happened for another 20 minutes). you get real tired and have weird conversations about nothing.

so then the concert started. i liked the cinematics, but it was difficult to really get into it when everyone around me was shrieking every few seconds when they would introduce one of the nine band members on the screen. like, they weren’t even on the stage, it was a video. the video isn’t going to hear you cheering. so much unnecessary noise. it was then that i realized it was going to be a very long night.

but they opened with their biggest hits! and those songs i knew. so it was cool and fun and i couldn’t hear them sing at all because everyone was screaming. this was an ongoing problem throughout the three hours of showtime. i did not learn any new exo songs because i could not hear them. the crowd would be in an uproar every time one of the nine boys came forward and did their one-line solo for the song.

i saw that elton john would be performing at the same concert hall in a few months, and the gorillaz would be on tour soon. i wouldn’t mind going to those concerts... elton john fans are probably quieter. or at least better singers.

i did have a good time though. i waved my light stick around and jumped and joined in some of the chants. the person next to me seemed kind of unhappy. she was filming for a while so i tried to stay out of her way, but eventually she just sat down and didn’t get back up so i think she may have been sick. i didn’t make a lot of noise so she wasn’t getting ear-piercing noises directly into her ear hole at least.

the outfit changes were snappy and fashionable, the acoustic performances were flawless, and there weren’t any major technical difficulties. the slowest part of the concert was when they stopped performing so that each of the nine (well, eight were present) members could talk, for a few minutes each. some of it, but mostly not, was in english. i could fill in the blanks, “we are so happy to be here” “la is great” “thank you for coming out tonight” etc. the finale was high-energy and the encore was well-timed. it was just... three hours, and i was wiped out by the end. i had only had a small tray of 8-dollar nachos for dinner so i was feeling kinda weak. when we got back to the room i had some crackers and cheese, and waited a bit to putz around on the internet, and then i went to sleep. oh yeah! we had gone to target first thing when we left to get some nonperishable snacks and hypoallergenic pillows. 

the pillow wasn’t itchy, so that was good, but my face sank right in and i couldn’t breathe very well. i had to sleep in a more uncomfortable position to get enough air.

i had some dreams that made me joke-angry. like, it is a very violent anger, but there’s also a kind of humor to it that i can appreciate at the same time, and those two mix for a really strong reaction that is entirely inappropriate from the point of view of an outsider. humor is weird. i told asher about them because he was there at the very end and i thought he would find it funny. he did.

they’re not really worth getting into, since they were mostly absurd and very hard to explain if you don’t already know everything i need to reference, but they did end up factoring very strangely into my dreams the next night.

ok. halfway done. i’ve been writing for like 45 minutes... i gotta sleep early tonight so i can get up for my appointment with the outpatient program. i will write fast.

we didn’t get moving very quickly on saturday because we were both exhausted and very sore. my sister has tendonitis and i was just really stiff from laying in a weird position all night. we ended up leaving the motel around 2 and we went to a chili’s. that was a mistake.

the food was good, and the waitress was nice, and the drink i had was unexpectedly sweet but otherwise acceptable. i had blackberry iced tea. and she brought me a refill before i could ask for water, so i had a lot of tea.

but GOD IT WAS SO LOUD!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! i don’t know what happened but there were so many small children and they were all Very Upset. i didn’t want to say much to my sister at the time because everyone else in the restaurant was black, but children are universally horrible. there was a very enthusiastic woman at a table a few feet away too. it gave me a horrible headache and left me drained and ornery.

so we drove over to hollywood bowl for the korean festival! i felt really weird going in... like, maybe i was dehydrated i guess. i just didn’t want to do anything or talk to anyone. my sister wanted to check out a lot of tents and i felt bad because i was not being enthusiastic or even very cooperative. we found a place that sold water for 5 dollars for a little bottle and after that i started feeling a little less dead. so i guess it was probably dehydration. we climbed a giant hill all the way up to the stadium. we ended up in like the second row from the very top, thousands of feet away from the stage. i took some pictures of the view. then a guy came up to us and asked if we wanted his tickets. we got to move halfway down the seats and had a much better view of the stage. i hope he was ok. those tickets aren’t cheap, and GOOD seats... well, he’d made an investment.

my sister had told me the show would be about three hours long. so i figured, ok, it would be fine if it went a little long, and i was prepared for a three and a half hour show.

four and a half hours.

at first i was having a lot of fun, they had a lot of different types of artists and genres, some of them really good and others a little... well, they weren’t forgettable at least.

but then the girl in front of me got it in her head to stand up. i got annoyed because i was too goddang tired to stand up, and also she was one of like ten people in the entire crowd of thousands of people standing up. i didn’t want to block off the people behind me. so i scooted over closer to my sister to get at least a view of half of the stage. BUT THEN THE GIRL MOVED OVER TOO!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

so i couldn’t see the stage. and then i couldn’t hear the performances either because the girls in front of us were confused and seemed to think we were at the exo concert. they screamed every few seconds. not just “woooo!” screams. but ear-piercing wails that rattled my eardrums. and the bass was so strong with the guest kpop bands that it felt like the artificial wall of my heart was falling off. between the awful screaming and the too-powerful bass i got tired REAL FAST. i had also been trying to wave around the light stick that the sponsoring bank had generously provided so my arms were hurting. i could not lift my arms higher than shoulder level.

i mean... i have a lot of patience. i know that. i put up with things that i really shouldn’t. but when my patience runs out it goes unpredictably and immediately. and three hours and forty-five minutes into the concert i became very sick. every beat and scream was like an assault on my brain. i wanted to throttle the kid. it was taking all my energy not to whap her upside the head and tell her to shut the hell up. and when i tried to talk to my sister she told me i was being too loud. 

ok if she does that once it’s fine, i understand, i get enthusiastic. but she does it at least once every single time we spend time together without fail. next time she tells me i’m being too loud, especially when i can’t even hear my own voice when i talk to her, i am going to bark directly into her ear hole. 

after i got angry that went away and i got super upset. i actually started crying. and then i got angry at myself for crying. i told myself “screw you. don’t cry. why are you crying.”

it was a little more strongly worded than that but my internal monologue is... not very nice.

to me the quality of the concert tanked after the quietest performer. my sister said she loved the band that was performing but i thought it was basically the worst. i did not want to hear any more bass or screaming. the last song they did was fun but i couldn’t see the stage so the live performance experience was a little lost. then another ballad singer came out and then another kpop band. and then a rapper. 

the second the rappers came onstage i said “nope” and immediately booked it for the bathroom up a horribly steep hill. it wasn’t quiet up there, but, there was a drinking fountain and there weren’t any flashing lights or screaming teenagers. it was awful. and i couldn’t stay up there forever or my sister would get worried so i had to go back down. then the rappers started their third song. and then their fourth. 

and then everyone who had performed got up on the stage for a big finale. my sister finally looked over at me and asked if i wanted to leave early. i know she wanted to say, but i said yes anyway, because i was weak and selfish. we only managed to get out of the stadium as the finale started their second song though so she did get to see some of it...

we got stuck in the parking lot for 40 minutes because there was no one directing traffic. then it took us 50 minutes to drive the 20 miles back to the motel. i wanted to die. and the feeling continued for the rest of the night. i was so worked up. my sister offered to order pizza since we were both hungry and most of the food places in that part of town had closed by midnight. then our pizza, which would take “30 minutes” to arrive, took about 50 minutes. i shoved my entire half of the pizza into my mouth angrily and paced around the room a little bit. then i watched some game grumps and waited to digest a little bit so i didn’t go to bed on a full stomach. i was too mad to talk to asher about it very much. i didn’t even settle in to try to fall asleep until almost 2. i was sick and sore and tired and confused about why i was still upset.

i dreamed that i was a member of a villain squad. we were vampires i guess. “vampires.” it transitioned from me failing all my classes forever into having to kill a student every month in order to... maintain our youth i guess? i had only a foggy understanding of the situation. there was at least one vampire hunter that i had to thwart. everyone in our group had their own superpowers but i couldn’t figure out what mine were supposed to be. toward the end of the dream i sat in the bathroom and complained, because that’s my superpower i guess. i said “i used to be nice, i didn’t have to kill people” and the other vampires just kinda looked at me.

i didn’t make the connection at the time, but looking back it totally makes what they did next predictable.

basically they pushed me off a cliff when things got serious and they needed to coordinate against a stronger enemy. when i tried to grab onto the cliff it was made of snow and collapsed. my superpower was to be the disposable one. i was... furious, but also fell into despair because i had trusted them completely. 

the other vampire team, the “more evil” one, approached me by coming out of the woods through a fog. i thought it was very dramatic. i asked to join i guess because i was around them after that. but i knew i wasn’t really part of the group. i was just kinda there to get picked off easily at the beginning of the fight and contribute nothing.

i ended up living i guess. i hid in the dark husk of a burnt-up bus. it was some kind of parking lot junkyard where the last big fight took place. i was watching all these “vampires” with all kinds of bizarre powers and fighting prowess and just like... i am also here. it had a non sequitur ending that i am finding really difficult to explain. it seemed to make sense at the time, or i just went along with it, but thinking back i can’t figure out the logic of the exchange i had with the last vampire. i ended up making some kind of agreement but decided to ask questions about it afterward and realized i should have had this information before agreeing. i would have agreed anyway because there was literally nothing left to do except get stabbed and die, but normally i like to know what’s happening before i make a decision... it was kind of out of character for me. thinking about my life though i make a lot of decisions before i have enough information. and i make decisions when i am still confused. in the immortal words of steven universe, “why do i never ask follow-up questions???”

anyway i woke up in a sour mood and also i was very sore and feeling sick like i had a hangover. i felt like my throat should be sore, and my nose should be stuffy, but they weren’t? but i was as uncomfortable as if they had been? but... they weren’t.

we took off for home around 10:30. my sister and i bonded over the bad drivers we encountered on the interstate. my sister ended up getting real sick from some starbucks croissant she had at the beginning of our drive, so we had to stop and buy pepto bismol at a convenience store. i gave it to my sister and i was about to say “are you going to just...” when she just chugged it. i raised my eyebrows but didn’t say anything. we stopped for food much later and she got sick again, so she drank another two mouthfuls of medicine. 

the whole ride was kpop. she talked about it, she talked about the reality shows and the competitions, and when her ipod died she put on the kpop playlist she had on her phone. i could handle it ok enough until about five and a half hours into our drive. by then my butt was gonna fall off if i sat in that car any longer and then i had much less patience for pop music.

while we drove i fished for bottle caps in pokemon. i caught two shiny magikarps. and got like two bottle caps in the two hours i was fishing. it was not the likelihood i had become accustomed to!!!

when i got home i put down my suitcase in my room and then my brother wanted me to do his chores for him. so i did that. at least the dogs were happy to see me. apparently no one had refilled any of their water sources in the few days i was gone so i had to flush the toilets and refill their water bowl, which was near empty. i haven’t seen it that empty since, like, i stopped being bedridden a few months ago.

oh yeah and i also missed the pokemon competition by 20 minutes. i was super mad about that. now i won’t get the entrance prize and i also didn’t get to use my awesome team that i had prepared and practiced with. doubles battles are my jam... 

so i had some veggie corn dogs for dinner and watched elements again. i liked it a lot more the first time, but i was also paying a lot more attention and had a lot more energy the first time. i still had fun, just, not “v i b r a t i o n  i n t e n s i f i e s” levels of excitement. i sent some navel-gazing analysis about the ice king to asher and started writing my post. like two hours ago.

did you get this far? i’m sorry for writing too much. i think i also had other things to say at some point but i don’t remember what they were now and i don’t have any more time anyway. and this post is long enough. 

gotta get up in eight hours for the appointment. good night.

[monwxnho]

you wouldn’t understand (how could you?) | shownu angst

No one understood.

No one understood the pain of being alone every single day, no one understood the frustration you felt when hours and hours of studying did nothing to improve your grades, no one understood how hard it was to balance two jobs on top of studying.

No one understood, but you didn’t mind. All you wanted was for him, to understand. But how could he? You were obviously asking for too much, weren’t you?

How could a boy with such a bright and kind personality ever be alone? How could a boy with the mind of Einstein ever experience failing exams over and over again? Why would a boy born with a silver spoon ever need to take on part-time jobs to pay for school fees and daily necessities?

He would never, and as much as you wanted him to be, it wasn’t his fault. Yes, he was insensitive. But only because such kinds of hardships simply didn’t make any sense to him. You said horrible things because you wished that he could put himself in your shoes for once.

But how could someone ever step foot into a pair of torn and tattered sandals after wearing leather shoes all his life? He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. And you couldn’t blame him.

But you did anyway.

“Hey, you’re being really snappy today _______,” Hyunwoo said flatly and you ignored him, hoping that he would take the hint and shut up because your day had been tiring enough. You had no more energy left in you, no mood to argue and try your best to stop things before they escalated so you prayed that the situation wouldn’t get worse.

Everything seemed to be scattered around in a mess. The dirty dishes, your clothes, your belongings and it frustrated you because you loved things to be neat, but you didn’t have any time to spend packing up. Yes, you knew that it only less than half an hour to clear things up but you didn’t even have that time.

Your first job had just ended and you were back to eat a simple, quick dinner but you found Hyunwoo standing outside your door, grinning brightly at you with your favorite fried chicken in his hand.

Your heart skipped a beat and your lips curled up into a small smile but the realization that your night job was going to start in an hour’s time hit you almost right after.

“_______. You’re kidding me right now. Ignoring me? What did I do wrong ________?” His voice was slightly raised and you winced, realizing that ignoring him was a stupid idea.

“I’m sorry okay? You were lovely to bring dinner for me but I really have to rush, my shift is in fifteen minutes and it takes at least ten to get there,” you said as you grabbed your bag from the couch, throwing in your wallet on the way to the door.

Your hand gripped the cool doorknob, ready to fling it open and run straight to the cafe but you felt a tight grip on your wrist holding you back and at that moment, you felt your tolerance level dropping.

“You’re leaving. Are you serious? What could possibly happen if you don’t go for one day? Don’t think that I’m clueless about your workplace okay? That cafe has more waiters and waitresses than they need and they don’t care if you don’t turn up. It’s just one less person to pay,” he crossed his arms over his chest and you didn’t even bother to run because you knew that his reflexes were faster than lightning.

“Okay. You got it all right! The manager wouldn’t even bother if I didn’t turn up. Yes, it’ll be good for them in fact because they won’t have to pay a useless staff. You got it All. Right. Except for one thing Hyunwoo. Lots, of shit will happen if I don’t. Not to them. To me,” you put emphasis on the last word because you needed him to realize what he so obviously couldn’t.

You thought that he would finally get it. After all, he knew the situation you were in. You thought that something would click in his mind and that he would apologize and let you go but he didn’t. He brought it further, he said something that made you snap and at that point, you weren’t even thinking straight. You were just so angry, so offended, so hurt by the person you thought understood you the most but clearly, didn’t.

“So they pay ten dollars an hour? I know that you work from seven to twelve. That’s five hours. Ten times five. That’s fifty dollars. Are you-”

“Are you saying that I’m being desperate for fifty dollars?” Your tone had changed, it wasn’t as rushed, as flustered, as annoyed, and he could tell, his eyes widening once he heard that switch.

“_______-”

“That’s what it is, isn’t it? No. Don’t answer. I know it. I know how easy it is for you to get your hands on a hundred dollar bill. I know how stupid I look for ditching you because of a small part time job. I know all of these and you don’t have to shove it in my face.” While saying all of this, the voice telling you that you had to go was constantly at the back of your mind.

“I’m not shoving it in your face. I just wonder whether I’m anything to you sometimes.”

“I wonder whether you understand what I go through sometimes. But then I realize that you don’t. You don’t, you won’t, and you’ll never need to. And that’s not bad. I don’t want you to go through what I do but is it so hard to stop questioning so much and trust that I’m doing things for a reason?” You pleaded, hoping that he would just stop all of this drama and save it for another day, or better, forget about it completely.

Hyunwoo didn’t say anything and you thought that this whole issue was over but he had to try to be the nice guy, show how much he wanted to help and make it sound as if you were just waiting for it.

“Fine I’ll give you some money so just stay for today okay?”

And that was it. He made it sound as if you were indirectly pressing for a donation. He made it sound as if money was no big deal and he could make things okay because of his wealth. He made it sound as if he was paying you to stay and you hated it so, so much.

“Son Hyunwoo, let me tell you something. I don’t want your money. I work for my own money. And let me tell you something else. I’m going to work now so go back home and think about all the things you’ve said. I hope you realize how insulting you were.”

Hyunwoo, stunned, stood rooted to the ground and watched as you ran away, glancing at your watch and muttering something to yourself as you disappeared into the lift. He didn’t mean to put you down. He didn’t mean to sound superior, like all those rich kids you couldn’t stand. But he did. And he hated himself for it.

[bimblingcat]

Off to Yosemite national park today…that should be a giggle.

I made Andy his morning cuppa then we get to the restaurant for breakfast, as it was free, and given the nature of our finances, free is so very good. The breakfast was okay although it came on paper plates with plastic knife and forks which seem a bit wasteful. We both get intrigued by the machine making pancakes. The wonders of modern technology.

  Sufficiently stuffed, and with advice from the waitress, we head up the road to Yosemite National Park. We drive up into the hills, round countless bends in the road but finally hit a rise with a view of mountains with an enormous gorge and through the middle, a gigantic waterfall plummeting down on either side. It is breath teasingly beautiful.

We find a spot to stop and mingle with the tourists to take photos. I was glad to have brought the tripod and the wide angle lens. We take a few shots of each other and make our way back to the car. Andy is in a bit of state when we get back as the heat is horribly oppressive and it’s making him feel ill. Luckily we’re not in a hurry so we take in the view; discuss the women’s wrestling he’s been watching on the TV as a distraction and wait for him to look less green.

  Down the bottom of the valley, we stop again to take some photos of the waterfall. It doesn’t look that far away but the distance is deceptive. It’s enormous and the track to it is horribly rocky. Andy pushes on and I can see his arms shaking as he rolls his front casters between the rocks on the uneven surface. Some elderly people pass us giving him encouragement and we’ve now come so far that Andy’s wearing his determined face. We turn a corner and there, in front of us, is…..yet more track and track that is even bumpier with huge rocks and steps at the end that Andy’s just not going to get past.

A woman comes up and asks if we want any help and although Andy is being polite the woman is insistent and asks some of her men friends to give her a hand and before I could blink Andy was floating a foot and half off the ground and going up to a bridge that overlooks a waterfall. They left me to carry all the camera equipment and stuff….selfish bastards. No…really…it was incredibly kind of them and given the goings on in Manchester it’s nice to have a reminder of how lovely people can be.

We take photos of the falls and think about getting closer still but the path is too steep and it looks like you get completely drenched as you approach the plunge pool so we gave it a miss. We find an alternative tarmac path down from the falls, through a car park and along the road. Surprisingly Andy didn’t feel as bad when we got back in the car. Maybe the heat had dropped or the excitement was a good distraction (or he’s thinking about wrestling).

Heading off again but this time into traffic and we spend the next hour in a slow crawl along the road moving a few feet at a time which pisses Andy off hugely. I know it pisses him off as he tells me every thirty seconds for almost an hour until I get snappy and tell him that I know the traffic’s bad as I’m in the fricking car as well and it doesn’t make it go any quicker by complaining about it. And…yes…that was a bit snappy. Deduct five carer points for Kat but I think, given the time we’ve been here and how tired we’ve got, it’s not a bad score. The bus in front of us kicks up dust from the half-made road making the light through the trees look like streams of loveliness. I think I got of a photo of the niceness…at least I hope I did.

The traffic starts to improve and we’re heading back to Oakhurst through the winding roads of the hillside and I only have to shout ‘watch the right’ once to stop us from going over the edge. For the rest of the time, we make airplane noises as we go round the bends because…well…just because.

It’s around 7.30 pm by the time we’re back at the hotel and ready for dinner. I think we must have both looked a state as the waitress puts us in the bar for dinner rather than the lounge, not that it bothers either of us. We find a reasonable beer to drink; Andy has these little steak things and I try the rib eye which was nice…not amazing but nice. I did like the mash that came with it, they leave the potato jackets on when they squish it down and it tastes creamy. I shouldn’t have had the steak but it’s the first time I’ve had beef since I’ve been here. (I shouldn’t have had the cheesecake either.) The waiter brought two forks for us to share it… that wasn’t going to happen.

Fully full, and cheesecaked to the brim, we drink a couple more beers, chat about how to make sounds in Welsh and share a cigarette next to the enormous carved bear. We both agree that we’re starting to flag a little. That we’re both enjoying it still but there’s this part that’s starting to think about being home, and not having to pack up stuff almost every day. And grump and grump and whinge and moan. Oh to be British abroad.

To Yosemite… Off to Yosemite national park today...that should be a giggle. I made Andy his morning cuppa then we get to the restaurant for breakfast, as it was free, and given the nature of our finances, free is so very good.