#ok but he looks soooo good with a tan why have i never noticed that before???

[tennis-kittens]

50 shades of Daniil Medvedev

[beecherdrysdale]

Heyy, thank you for responding! I loved all of it!

We are totally hanging out first! Honestly I don’t understand why we keep putting you with Dylan in the same car, you win at everything. maybe I should switch the cars around and give you Ryan instead? But Brigid+Dylan is 😍 and I need that to happen. Wait imagine we are all in our cars and we just pull up all at the same time to a red light and we roll down the window and just laugh at each other and then we all zoom away. I would absolutely not let Ryan sit up front with me, we would probably start smacking each other and chirping each other and I would lose concentration so imma put him in the back with Braden :) . Quinner can come and hold my hand because he’s gorgeous and I wanna hold his hand. Quinton would be fine, he’s seems like he would be slightly chaotic. Kesh has the most chill car. Like Kirby, Dylan C and Devon are all chill and would just be calmly talking while Kesh is driving.

When we are all together tho, it’s more chaotic. Haha yes the braiding is not going well for Dylan and Jamie they’d be like “How do I do this?” I don’t understand this. Why does this exist lol. Yess I would have to pull over and make them switch with Devon and quinton hehe. They would just be calmly braiding your hair and then Jamie and Dylan would be slightly jealous and pouting in the back. Just a warning I love music so imma play that loud and roll down the windows. Only for a bit tho . Also kesh omg late night drives are so cute. Also imagine all of us in a grocery store, that would be so chaotic. Also why do I feel like Braden, Kirby , Dylan C would pass out for literally the entire drive?

Malt teaser are yummy, but what about sour patch kids orrrrr peanut putter filled M&Ms. Have you ever had those? I always get them if I go to the movies:) Nutella is good too! Imma be Canadian and say have you ever had all dressed ruffles? Nanaimo bars are delish, we can get them in BC ! I’ll buy you poutine brigid. The best is probably in Montreal so when we make a pit stop there I can buy you some!. Also let’s not forget chocolate and healthy foods lo. Carrot sticks anyone?. Also music would be great, imma play like a g6 or promiscuous girl cuz I love that song 😍

Chirp kings unite, this will be the main factor of our vacay lol. Brigid I���m sorry but it has to be done lol. We are gonna chirp you sm. Oooo you putting your hands on his abs, and feeling the muscles. Honestly I would too lol- sorry Quinner. But Dylan Holloway has an amazing body. Ryan and I would chirp you again I’m not gonna lie, but also you straddling jamie would be 🥵. Kesh this is for you, Kirby shirtless, in that photo with him by the lake. I unfortunately have not found Quinner by a lake. Aww kesh I loved the “I didn’t think I needed sunscreen” lmao your entire back is the shade of my blush. They do need sunscreen tho, pale boys.

The boat is a must! All of these activities are so fun, Brigid you would go on the same tube w Dylan?. We would definitely make each other fall. Tanning is a dream sometimes - but while your tanning Jamie and Dylan are looking at you 😏 same w Kirby kesh . I’m not gonna lie drinking on a boat is nice. Some white claws or margaritas lol. Aww one of them holding your waist, some photos are gonna be taken there. Lmao Quinner is gonna be like “I’m gonna get a drink” and leaves and then Ryan sneaks up and pushes me. But not so fast I would grab him real quick and we would both fall in l😂. Awww kesh, I love those little sentences you wrote “oh yeah babe, uh huh babe sorry , but look” that’s adorable that he’s spending time with you.

Drunk Quinner is the best, but I would secretly love that he’s being clingy 🥺. Dylan H seems like the jealous type and probably so is Jamie. But you dancing with them would be soooo cute! They just want be constantly around you. Kesh and Kirby would be slaying.

I’m going to let you have a break from Ryan and I causing chaos, he would actually be helping unlike me and I would just be watching Dylan h become jealous that Jamie is w you lol. But I do want a friendship w him too lol . Awww yes him pulling on your braids 🥺 my smart girl is adorable same with “my smart boy”

Haha ya, my mom refuses to let me have a one piece, so all I have are bikinis lol. That’s good brigid, we all have hot bodies hehe. #hotgirlsummer.

I wanna go shopping w you and kesh soooo bad. It would be so fun!! Vacay clothes are cute. We should all a little black dress and take everyone’s breath away lol. Oo ya Dylan and Jamie admiring you in your hit lbd or clubbing clothes 😏. Same w kesh, Kirby would be amazed like how did he get such a gorgeous girl?. I love stealing clothes - from my bro and friend . so I am on board with wearing the guys clothing lol . They would be comfyyyyyy.

Kk I’ll get you a Holloway and Drysdale jersey l!! And a Kirby and cozzy jersey ! Get ready for some gifts :)

Wow this was long.

Ok kesh what’s your favourite cake flavour?

Xo ly

Lexiiiiiiiii

ok yes, first of all i love all of this 💖

so ig it’s been decided that dylan and i are in the same car so we can dominate once again lol. and then jamie and quinton are there too and then jamie and dyl are just trying to talk over each other to have a convo with me, so then i start ignoring them and talk to quinton instead hehe. omg yes if we all pull up at a red light at the same time, i’m that one person who just keeps inching forward when someone rolls up next to them and then as soon as the light turns green i’m gone lmao. so esp if it was you guys i would be being extra competitive. haha yes banish ryan to the back with braden so he doesn’t make you crash the car bc we’re too broke to pay for rental car damages. and then quinner gets to sit in the front with you and hold your hand 🥺 and then kesh is just vibing in her car and then i feel like they would all get distracted and decide to go sight-seeing and forget about the race lol

haha yes when we’re all in the car together it will be so chaotic. and then jamie and dyl are both trying to braid and they can’t and they’re getting frustrated bc my hair is just in knots and they’re just like why is this even a thing? why do people actually want to do this? and then thankfully you pull over to save my hair and then devon or quinton has to fix it. and then jamie and dyl are just pouting about it and you and ryan start chirping them about it lol. and yes please play your music as loud as you want. i love having the windows down and just blasting music super loud esp when you’re on the highway. and then somehow kirby, dylan c, and braden are just asleep in the back? even tho the music is so loud lmao. definitely have to play like a g6 for the boys lol. awwww yes a late night drive would be so fun. idk why i just love driving in the dark

omg all of us in the grocery store together is literally the worst idea ever. like it would be so chaotic, all of us would be running around the store looking for whatever food we wanted. and we would not get like any healthy food, it would all be junk food, which would be horrible for all of us athletes lmao. and then in the end the cart would be overflowing and half the boys would come running up to us with more food they wanted and then the cash register would just be like wtf why do you need sm food. but we would end up eating it all by the end of our trip bc we all eat so much

omg sour patch kids, resees and peanut butter m&ms are like my three favorite candies so we would have to stock up for the drive. i just looked up all dressed ruffles and now i literally want to try them so bad. but we would have to have so many bags bc we all eat so much lol. and then yes i love dark chocolate, so bring any kind of dark chocolate. and then we have to be at least a little bit healthy and bring like carrots and peanut butter or something. and then making pit stops to get nainaimo bars and poutine bc i want to try both those things lol

hehe yes you and ryan would be chirping me the entire time, but it’s all good i still love you guys. somehow kesh and kirby are escaping your guys’ chirping. haha wow lexi ok i see you. quinner would be very jealous rn. but yes i would be feeling dyl’s muscles while we were on the jet ski. and then i have to straddle jamie 😏 it’s just to put aloe vera on. obviously. hehe yes all of their lake pics are so good. it’s ok that you couldn’t find one for quinner, i can’t find one for jamie either. haha yes they all are convinced they don’t need sunscreen and we’re just like sure.... 

yes, boats are so fun! haha maybe i’d share a tube with dyl, or maybe i’d go with jamie and make dyl jealous lol. either way someone would definitely try to flip us out of the tube lol. hehe while we’re tanning the guys will just be looking at us 😏 but then we would also all be sitting on the railing drinking and then you and quinner both finish your drinks so he goes to get you guys new ones and then ryan pushes you in lmao. but then you would pull him in with you to get payback lol. and i would just being chilling on the railing with my white claw dying of laughter

omg drunk quinner and lexi would be so cute together😍 like obviously you guys are always cute, but when he’s being all clingy and following you around that’s adorable. and he would do whatever you want bc he’s drunk lol. hehe dylan and jamie getting jealous whenever i dance with the other one. sorry guys, got to spread the love equally lol. and then kirby and kesh just being couple goals

haha yes so when we’re in the escape room ryan actually decides to help instead of causing chaos for once. so then you just go and chill with dylan and start becoming closer friends with him bc you guys hadn’t talked that much before we got to the escape room. and then you notice him getting jealous of me and jamie so then you chirp him about it lmao. and then i’m just helping jamie in the corner 🥺 and don’t even realize what’s going on lol

lexi i’m so jealous, my mom could never. we love a body positive queen. but we would all look hot in our swimsuits #hotgirlsummer. hehe we could go shopping together to get our suits when we’re getting other clothes too. and then we have to get cute vacay clothes so i’m not wearing athletic clothes like i do literally every day lmao. and then we would all get lbd and other cute clubbing clothes and the guys would just be in awe. like they would all be admiring us and maybe getting a little to handsy lol and then we’re like stop it we haven’t even left yet. but then once we get back we just steal some of their clothes bc they’re comfy and then keep wearing them for the rest of vacay lol.

ooooh ok i actually want to answer the cake question. my mom makes really good chocolate cake with cherry frosting that’s amazing, or i also like chocolate cake with like orange frosting. in case you couldn’t tell i really like the chocolate-cherry combo lol. what about you guys?

ily too 💖

[jenni42085]

Nervous <One>

Chapter 1

 Evangeline “Lena” nervously shakes her leg and tries to let the music soothe her mind and soul.  Mentally she is thinking of how much people will be upset if she just decides to trade in her return ticket sooner to be closer with her daughter.  Her parents and his parents both agreed she needed a break and some “me time” but she wasn’t too sure if this was a smart idea.  She realizes her daughter is young and won’t fully remember her being gone for a week but guilt still plagues her.  She leans her head against the window and thinks of him.  

 Thinking of all the good things he is missing, not by choice but rather fate’s choice.  300 days since he was taken from her in a tragic car accident.  She can still remember the officers at her door looking sad and not sure what to tell her.  A wave of sadness washed over her as she felt the sadness that has slightly controlled her life the last 300 days.  Some days were better than others but a day like today where she is flying to see her best friend Marylea in California with out her precious Eevee makes her a little bit more on edge and more time to let her mind wander to different places and topics.

 Usually having the playful but shy 1 year old makes her mind focus on her instead of who isn’t with her anymore.  She is wondering if this week will help her or make her regret ever coming out.  It’s only a week she thinks to herself.  A small part of her thinks that she needs a little time away to completely heal but the rest of her feels guilty for letting her family watch her daughter.  Her greatest joy lately in life has been being a mom.  She thought being a wife was an amazing thing but since being a mom she has felt like her life was complete.  She leans her head back as the plane endures some turbulence, I pray this plane makes it, Eevee can’t lose another parent.  With those final thoughts she drifted into a well deserved nap.

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

 “No, no, no” Jeff yells as he frustratedly throws the next headshot back in the stack of the others “These girls aren’t what we needing for his image!  Does anyone ever listen to me?”  As he says this he looks around at a few people to have them acknowledge him and his question.  He sees yet another text from his client Chris going unanswered since he already knows what Chris is going to ask him. 

 “Maybe he could just not go because of a ‘medical problem’” he heard someone say.

 “Absolutely not!  This man is Captain America!  He has great health and it really great with the press AND his fans.  There is no way he is going to miss this premeire.”

 “Well, what exactly is he wanting?” Marylea asks as she quietly places his drink order in front of him.  She was still new to California and was looking for better work than being a runner.  She wanted to write but she knew she had to first pay her dues.  So until they thought she was ready to write, she’d be getting coffee.  

 For the first time in a long time he felt hopeless.  He knew Chris never had any crazy demands, so he was trying hard to please him.  It is not that often you get an actor who isn’t a complete douche bag, acts crazy in public,  or hasn’t made a bunch of unattainable goals.  Jeff runs this hands through his bleached blonde hair and grabs his coffee and looks at his new assistant.  She hasn’t been there long but he knows she always got his coffee right and she was always quiet.  Maybe the mouse is finally showing that she is more than a coffee runner.  “He wants a real woman.  Not a model, an actress, or anything like that.  He wants to take a person to the charity event and movie premiere who makes him happy.  Someone who looks like they go together.”

 “You know he is our client and we will do most everything for him but, we aren’t a dating site.”  Anna states flatly as she takes a sip of her water. 

“Not the point. Happy people make for better press.  The guy wants to go out a few times with someone who isn’t completely star struck.”  Jeff knows what would make his client happy, he just has to find it. 

Marylea stood quietly as she debated on letting Jeff know that she had a person who could possibly fill that position. She’s well aware that Lena hasn’t been seeing anyone since the death of her husband. And she had  met Chris a few times and sat in a few meetings with him and honestly he seemed like a good guy.  She thinks they would actually make a great couple since they are both so loving, giving, and most importantly selfless.

Jeff noticed that Marylea had gotten even more quiet and was silently debating something in her head. “Speak.”

Startled Marylea looks up at him like a deer caught in headlights. “I.... ummm ....”

“Well...”, Jeff stares at her slightly intimidating at her. 

“My friend is in town for a month or so.  She isn’t a model or anything like that.”

“Ok and ?” Anna replies with the look that Marylea shouldn’t have been talking. 

“Well, to be honest. She’s black and quite beautiful if you ask me. She is single and honestly needs a boost in confidence”

Anna rolls her eyes while Jeff looks intrigued, “ If she is so beautiful why isn’t she in a relationship now?”

 Marylea was really hoping no one would have asked that question but it would come out sooner or later. “Her husband died about a year ago. She has a one year daughter.  She’s been giving all her time and energy into raising her alone.  Even with that on her plate she still volunteers and fosters animals.”

 “So no crazy exes?” Jeff questions.  Marylea shakes her head quickly. “Why is she out here for a month?  Where is the baby?”

 By this point Marylea has decided to pull up a chair and sit down with the table of inquiring minds to the issue. “All of her friends and family think she needs a break. Her parents are watching her daughter for a week, then she is being flown out here. As her bestie, it is my job to get her back in society as a 34 year old mom. You know kind of get her groove back.”  

 Jeff slowly shakes his head. “This.  This might actually work”. He stands up and stretches as he is thinking that this will benefit everyone. “The press eats it up when people have kids and everyone knows how much Chris loves kids we could have them doing events for kids.  Depending how beautiful you say your friend is she might have a gig for a bit. But this is upon Chris’ approval though.”

 “That’s fine. Hold on I have a few good pictures of her and Eevee.”

 “She named her daughter after a Pokémon?” Anna replies with a smug smirk. 

 Marylea doesn’t appreciate anyone talking about her god-daughter like that.  “No, her name is Evelyn. Eevee is her nickname thank you very much.” 

 By this point Gary has joined the group at the table and smiles like he has won the lottery. It’s not very often Marylea even talks let alone sticks up for herself or anyone but here she goes. “Meow!  This little kitty is finally showing her claws.”

 Hearing that Marylea blushes and puts her head down slightly. “I wouldn’t have suggested her if I didn’t think she was a good choice or that you guys had anyone who would fill the requirements you are looking for.”

 “Good point. Well, she a beautiful girl and her daughter is adorable.”  Jeff says as he hands Marylea’s phone back to her. 

 She opted on the most recent picture she has of her bestie granted it wasn’t the happiest day. Ezra’s funeral. Lena was in a simple black dress with her wedge heels to give her some height. She had opted to pull her naturally curly hair into a sleek bun. Lena was never one for a lot of makeup but on that day she wanted to look her best for him so she did smoky eye makeup and wing tips. Eevee was in her arms in a black tutu. 

 “When does she get here?”  Jeff questions. 

 Marylea looks down at her phone. “She should be here in about an hour. Her flight from West Virginia left on time from the looks of things.”

 “So we can meet her soon?”  Gary perks up to hearing this news. He honestly was tired of looking through millions of head shots of females who didn’t fit the criteria that was asked. 

 “Yeah. I was going to have her meet me here to get my house key then get settled.”

 Jeff thought about things and looked at his phone and quickly sent a message out to Chris. “Have her come here and we will let Chris meet her directly to see what he thinks.  If he approves then you can tell her about a gig she has.  Deal?”

 “Deal!” Marylea replies excitedly.  

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

 Lena rubs her eyes and stretches as she is one of the last ones to get off the plane. She didn’t think she needed sleep but apparently she did.  It felt to actually sleep soundly and not have to wake up every 45 minutes or so bc she was afraid something was happening with Eevee. 

 This will be the longest she has gone without her little girl and it is kind of uncomfortable. Only a week.  She continues to think of the benefits of having a week away and she isn’t really getting a lot of positives.

 Lena takes her cellphone out and messages everyone to let them know she made it safely and check on her daughter.  Once she knows everyone is ok, she breathes deeply and is enjoying the feel of the sun on her toasted almond skin.  She doesn’t need a tan but a little extra sun would be great for the full on J.Lo effect that she likes.  This is going to be a good trip.  I’m ready for new experiences and new friends.  Uber drops her off in front of a boring blue building, she texts Marylea to let her know she was outside and waiting for the key. 

 “Lena!!!  You finally made it here!”  Marylea shouts when she sees her bestie of ten plus years.  Marylea practically knocks Lena over in an embrace. “I’ve missed you soooo much!”

“I know!” Lena replies just as excited as her bestie. “I’m loving it out here already. It’s so much better than Charleston.”

“Now you see why I hate coming home sometimes.”

“I totally get it. So what time do you get off?”

Marylea thought about breaking the news to her or just letting her relax first. “Well I don’t get off for another few hours. You can hang here if you want. And ...”

“I don’t mind waiting for you and seeing how much of a big shot you are from a small town,” Lena replies. She wasn’t really tired the nap on the plane ride was plenty of sleep. At this point she was ready to explore. 

Hearing Lena say she has no problem with waiting for her made the stress in her chest relax. Might as well let her get her guard down then tell her, but it might be better to do it like a band aid.  “That’s great!  I may or may not have a project/favor to ask of you.”

“Shoot. Anything for you!” Lena replies with out thinking. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes of course.  This is vacation right. What’s the worse you could ask of me?”

Marylea looks at her feet as they ride up the elevator. “Funny you should say that.... so you know this is my new job.”  Lena nods and keeps smiling. “Well, I may or may not of gave your name to be a date for a celebrity.”

“Excuse me?”  Lena relaxed smile went straight into a deer in headlights look. “You are shitting me right?” 

Marylea shakes her. “I shit you not.  They want needed someone who would go to a few functions this month with a client.”

“Ok but they couldn’t find a model or another actress?”

“See that’s the thing he requested someone who wasn’t in the industry.  He didn’t want a white or ambiguously racial lady.  He wanted someone real.”

“So you thought I would be a great person to fill those shoes?!?”  The elevator comes to a halt and Lena feels her blood pressure raising.  “I mean have you looked at me?  And I have a daughter. Who would want to date me?!?  Even if it is fake.” 

Marylea can tell Lena is having a small manic episode due to the fact she was speed walking down a hall way in a place she has never been in. “Lena calm down please. Everyone can see you!” She squeaks out, even though the outside of the building looks horrible the inside has been renovated with all glass walls which everyone can see.

Lena turns around and stops in her tracks. She is feeling stressed but, she doesn’t want her best friend to lose her job that she has worked so hard to get. “Yes yes. I’m sorry but have you looked at me lately and thought to ask me first?”

“You were on the plane.”

“Not the point,” she replies with a grin. 

Marylea tilts her head to the side and grins back,” would you rather have a smoke signal?” 

“Yes.”

“Smart ass.” To that Lena flips her off then hangs her head down. “Look I know you aren’t thrilled about it but, I figure this is a good stepping stone for me to start writing and not being a coffee runner.  Plus when I was told what they wanted I couldn’t think of anyone else but you.”

Lena’s face soften with happiness to know her best friend thinks that much of her. “What about Eevee?  I can’t be away from her for a month to do a ‘gig’. I’m stressed out from being away from her after 13 hours.”

“They already know you have a child and etc., and it’s not even guaranteed that he is going to be cool with this whole idea my boss has thought up.”  

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

Chris nervously sat on Jeff’s couch as he waited for this mystery lady to show up. He knows that he asked Jeff for something of a miracle but he was starting to realize while he is waiting maybe he could have done a dating site. But he couldn’t kid himself he has been trying on and off for 3 years and every time he would think the lady was into him for him, she would start asking for help to “break in” to the business.  At least with the girl being Jeff’s assistance friend maybe just maybe she has no interest is the business. 

“Lena calm down!  Everyone can hear and see you!”  He heard Marylea whisper scream at a short messy bun wearing beauty speed walking down the hall way.  Chris couldn’t see her facial features but her body type was that of someone he wouldn’t kick out of bed. She had on ripped Bermuda shorts with an oversized button down yellow shirt that made her skin glow. He noticed she has a few tattoos showing. 

“Jeff.” Chris asked standing up stretching. “Is your mystery girl here yet?”  

Jeff looks up from his desk looking at Marylea and the mystery tattooed girl walk into her office. “Yeah, I do believe she just walked in with Marylea. What do you think so far?” 

Chris walks closer to the glass wall to get a better look at the girl even though she is still pretty far away. “ I don’t know. Maybe we can try. I still need to see her face to face and not from a distance.”

Jeff noticed the way Chris was focusing on the short mess bun wearing girl who was pacing around in Marylea’s office that he might have found something he likes. Granted the picture he was shown of the girl she was quite beautiful, hell she’d be his type if he wasn’t already crushing on someone else. 

“Well, I’ll get Marylea and Evangeline to come meet you for a few minutes and tell me what you think.  You know I’ll never make you do anything of this nature unless you want to.”  

“Yes I know.”  Chris replies still not taking his eyes of the girl pacing. Her body language looked like she was on the brink of a panic attack. 

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

“Marylea.” Jeff’s voice came over the intercom and made both the of females jump attention. “Is your friend here and ready to meet him?”

Marylea quickly glances at Lena with pleading eyes and her clasped together. She sees Lena nod her ok. “Yeah she’s here and I’ll bring her to your office.”

“Ok great hurry up. Time is of the essence.”  Jeff said as the line when dead. 

“You know you owe me right?”  Lena looks at her while her hands are slightly shaking as she looks into the mirror. “By the way. . . You never told me who this ‘big shot’ was.”

“Don’t freak out ok?”

“Yeah, see saying that makes me want to not only freak out but panic majorly.”

“Lena.”

“Spill it Marylea.”

Marylea takes a deep sigh, “ it’s Chris Evans.”

Lena stood there a moment and took in who she just said. “Like Captain America Chris Evans?”  Marylea looks silently at her and slowly nods. “ no way on God’s green precious earth. Have you looked at me and have you legit seen him?!? “

“Look, Jeff thinks you would be perfect for Chris. Just meet him first. Please??”

“Fine let’s go.... this won’t last long. He’ll meet me and see what I’m in and immediately turn me down.”  Lena says as she links her arm with Marylea. 

“Stop thinking the worst. Please. You and I could really use something awesome happening to us.  Plus you are a smoking hot momma with a cute booty”  

Lena sighs deeply and leans her head on Marylea. “I know we both do but how do you know that this is it?  Like couldn’t we just win the lottery or something easier?  Something less stressful?!?” 

By the tone of Lena’s voice she could hear her friend was close to having a minor panic attack. She started breathing deeper so Lena could hear and start unconsciously breathing deep also.  This trick has always worked and apparently still does now. 

The pair stand outside of Jeff’s door for a brief second knowing the two men could see them. Marylea squeezes Lena hand and Lena gives her a nod of approval. 

Even with the nod of approval Lena is wondering why me.  Part of her is nervous because it was Chris freaking Evans, then the other part of her worries about what Ezra’s family thinks of her leaving Eevee for a week while she goes out with a movie star. 

Chris can see the nervousness of the messy bun golden brown skin goddess as she is tightening her grip on Marylea’s arm. Good to know he wasn’t the only one who was nervous. He got a better look at her, she had dark brown eyes, an adorably small nose, plump lips that looked kissable, and a diamond stud lip ring on the right side of my mouth. 

“Hello I’m Evangeline.” She stuck her hand out to Chris then Jeff. She gave them a strong handshake and nervous smile. 

“I’m Jeff and this is of course Chris.”  Jeff introduced even though they all knew Chris didn’t need to be introduced. The silence in the room started to go deafening and Jeff realized he needed to leave them alone to test the waters. “umm Marylea follow me to the board room will you?”

Marylea looked confused as to why they had to leave but she followed him out the room. 

“So.....you just flew in?”  Chris asks slightly nervous. 

“Umm yeah. Just an hour or so ago.”

“Was it a good flight?” He asks as she walks away from him to the window. She is maybe 5’5 if that, which is adorable. From what he count on her body that is showing she has about ten tattoos. Never dated a woman with that many she must be a badass. 

Lena can feel his eyes on her and she isn’t sure how she feels about this. Sure she has been checked out before but right now she feels like he might want more than just a date. “Yeah it was good. I slept most of the way so I consider it a good flight.”

“That’s good. So....”. Chris isn’t sure why this petite girl is making him so nervous. 

Lena turns around to look at him; if she didn’t know any better she’d think she makes him nervous like he makes her nervous.  She slowly crosses the room feeling his eyes on her the whole time. “So what exactly are you wanting or needing?  I’m not a call girl. I’m a mom. And isn’t there a model or struggling actress you could have  decided on?” 

Her bluntness shocked him and herself. She was internally shaking even saying it but, she didn’t have a chance to ask Marylea any of these questions.  Once it was all out she realized how rude she kind of sounded and that honestly wasn’t her character. “I’m sorry to sound so blunt and rude. I didn’t mean it to come off that way. I’m just .... I just ....” She stops again hanging her head in defeat, while plopping her body down on the couch next to the still stunned actor. “I’m just not sure I can be what you are wanting. This last year took a man who I loved very much away from me, I’m raising an one year daughter alone, I’m doing a week away from her and I guess I’m just not fully ready to come out of my shell even though I really need to.”

Chris sits there slightly stunned by everything she said. Honestly he couldn’t imagine how she is holding it all together but he admires that. “Well, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t want or need a call girl, model, or actress.  I tried dating sites but let’s be honest they are. . . “

They both look at each and say in unison, “horrible.”  They chuckle together and he continues.  “I just want some one different to spend some time with. Maybe go with me to a few events. Not as a girlfriend or anything but just a friend.  But if things develop I wouldn’t be upset either.” 

“Ok. That I could possibly do. But I have a little girl who comes first.”  Lena replies as she is slowly relaxing after his admission. 

“Oh I understand that you have a child and want her always to come first and I’ll help you in any way that I can.  Jeff said this was your vacation and I want you enjoy your time out here.  Maybe we could go to Disney one day,”  The look he gives her is meaning that he is honest about what he means. He isn’t sure of her whole backstory but he knows he is a smitten kitten with her genuine smile that lights up her whole face. “Can I see a picture of your little girl?”

Hearing all of this is slightly overwhelming and shocking to hear a man want to not only help out but also spend time with her daughter and want to see her. She smiles at him as she pulls her phone from her back pocket. “Umm let me find the most recent one of Evelyn.”  She shows him a picture that she took of her right before she left. She was in a blue polka dotted onesies with her hair in pigtails. 

He took the phone out of her hand examine the small infant who looks a lot like her mother with the same small nose and genuine smile. Her eyes and skin were a few shades lighter than her mother making him wonder if the baby’s father was white. “She’s absolutely adorable. So she will be here in a week?  Is she flying alone or with someone?”

“My in-laws are flying to Japan so they are flying to Cali with her for the layover.  I hope she is a good flyer.” She replies with a hopeful smile. 

“In-laws?  I don’t mean to pry but did you get a divorce?”  Chris asked before his mind would stop him. 

She knew that it would be asked sooner if not later. “No, he died in a car wreck right after Eevee was born.  I want her to know who he was from me and his side of the family, I keep the connection always open.  She’s their first grand child.”

He nods his head feeling like a dumbass for asking because he could see the slight bit of sadness come across her face when she was replying. With out thinking he puts his arm around her shoulder and gives her a hug. At first he felt her body tense by the sudden physical contact but she slowly relaxed in his arms. 

“Thanks.”

“Thanks for telling me. And just being honest.  I think that is why I needed help from Jeff because I just want to hang out and know someone genuinely. You know?”

“Understood.  Just odd that you would need help.”

“Really? Why is that?”

Lena bit on her lip ring finding the words to say not realizing that he thought she was absolutely adorable. “Well, let’s see. You are very handsome, and from what I’ve seen in the media an all around good guy.”

Chris blushes at her comment. He’s never been good accepting them and wondering if the person who says them are genuine or not. “Thanks. I try.”

A small silence happens between them but not in an awkward way.  “So, how are you guys doing?  What do you think?  Will this work for you Chris?”  Jeff says. The way he said it makes Chris slump, since it makes him feel like he has to accept to be polite even though he wanted to be linked up to her. 

Lena shifts her attention to Marylea who is giving her a hopeful smile.  This is worse then being picked for a team. “We are good. I think we are meshing really well.”

“Ok great!  We just have some paperwork to go over and need you to see his schedule and compare it to yours.” Jeff says as he crosses the room to his desk. 

“Paperwork?”  Lena and Marylea reply in unison. “What kind of paperwork?”

Jeff stops searching for documents on his computer to look at the two females. “Yes, paperwork. NDA meaning you won’t go to the press about Chris or any of his personal business.  Nothing to crazy and he can fill one out for you since you have a daughter.”

Chris looks at her, her expression is unreadable. He doesn’t do anything to be exposed to the paparazzi but he knows Jeff wants to be safe. “I’d rather her not sign it.”

“Umm excuse me?  Ladies I need a word with him. I’ll call you back in a few.”  Jeff says with a slightly frustrated look. 

The women nod and leave the room looking confused like Jeff. “Dude what’s that about?”  Jeff asks. 

“I trust her.”

“Maybe so but I think you should have her sign it.”

“I’d rather she not.  What if I end up with her?  I don’t want that to be a reason why she isn’t with me.”

“But you don’t even know her yet.”

“Key word is yet. I think we might actually be good together. If I don’t feel like it’s ok we can revisit it in two weeks”

Jeff sighs deeply and looks at the hopeful look on Chris’ face. “Fine. But two weeks and that is all.”

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

Lena and Marylea walked down the long hall way to Marylea’s office. Before the two got all the way to her office they hear heavy foodstuff coming their way. 

“Hey Evangeline! Wait up!” Chris says. 

“You guys done so soon?”  Lena asks with a questioning expression. “Ready for me to sign the papers?”

“Yes and no.”  The two women gave him confused expression.  “Yes we are done and no you don’t have to do the NDA.  I trust you.”

“Thanks.  I guess.”  Lena replies.  “So how does this all work?”

Chris shoves his hands in his pockets looking a little unsure.  “Well, we could lunch or dinner today if you would like.  I know you just got into town and I know you and Marylea will want to catch up.  Just figure a meal together to know more about each other and the events I have to attend.”

Marylea can see Lena’s body slowly grow tense, she knew Lena was probably going to put off hanging out with Chris as long as she could.  Before Lena could open her mouth, “How about your guys do lunch since I don’t get off work for a few more hours then afterwards us girls can have girl’s night.”

Lena turns her head and looks at Marylea like she has lost her mind.  “Yeah sure we can do lunch.”

“Great!  Let me tell Jeff I’m leaving and we will be good to go.”  Chris says cheerfully.

As soon as the door shuts, “Seriously?  What have you signed me up for?”  Lena says as she pulls out her mirror to make sure she looks decent to be seen out in public.

“You’ve signed up for a good time.  I promise it will be ok.  Just trust that it will be ok.  I think you guys will get along just fine.”

“Yes yes, but you owe me big.”

“I know.  Drinks on me tonight.”

Chris comes back to the office, “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”  As the two leave Marylea’s office, Chris’ hand moves to Lena’s lower back to usher her out the room.  This will be ok.  This will be ok, she mentally chants to herself.

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

[vanchlo]

The Assistant / Chapter Twenty-Three, “Bleeding Heart”

hello hello. i’m so sorry that i’m an awful person and i haven’t written in a bahillion years. life has been wack and i fell out of writing for awhile. instead of doing homework like a good human being - yay! - i found this chapter i had started and i finished it. it’s not as long as usual, i know, but i did that on purpose and you’ll see why ;) ;) ;) ;) i hope i can write some more soon and stick with this. i’m unreliable i know and i’m terribly sorry. college and work are crazy and my mom was just diagnosed with 2 kinds of cancers soooo oooo life truly is crazy and overwhelming rn. i hope to maybe set aside some time each night to write, but it’s hard to stop when it’s getting fun haha. i enjoyed writing this chapter and delving more into this story, like idek where it’s gonna go haha.

anyways lemme know what you think of this chapter. i wanna hear your predictions and thoughts!!!!!!!!! reblog, like, share with friends, say hi to me :) 

one last thing. we should decide a ship name for harry and becks, i mean it’s been coming. here are my ideas and feel free to send me others :D 

a) hecks (my personal fav) 

b) barry (i just think of rachel’s barry from FRIENDS but it’s ok) 

c) hebecca????

d) ??????

e) hecky?

“No. No. No. No. No. NO. NO. NO.

I try to breathe in, but I can’t.

And suddenly the switch inside of me changes. Instead of pushing him away for the last few weeks, I want him. I want him to come and save me. 

The laugh that falls from my lips surprises the both of us. “You can’t hurt me anymore.” 

The swarm of voices that crowded my ears from before is now gone. A soft chatter of voices occupies the conference room now, around an hour after the festivities had begun. Now the fun is over and the last few of us clean up the forgotten plates, take down the streamers donning the walls, push in the chairs, vacuum up the crumbs, and everything else required to return the room to its former glory. 

“Hey, you stop that,” somebody says from behind me. “This was yer party, yer not s’posed to be cleaning it up,” they finish as I turn around to find Harry pushing a lock of hair out of his eyes as he grasps a wet rag in the other hand. 

“No, I want to help. Please,” I reply, turning back to the table and picking up the spray bottle. I spritz the plastic top and run the wet rag over the spot, repeating in sections until I finish the table. 

“Fine, I guess you can help,” Harry huffs and I smile to myself in triumph as I return to my cleaning. “So, what did ya think?” 

“It was a lot of fun and very nice of all of you, thank you so much again,” I tell him trying to circumvent having a conversation. I move to the other end of the table as he begins on the next one over. 

A few male coworkers fold up the table to my left and carry it out the door, probably to place back in storage. My eyes life to find Harry leaning over the table he scrubs and he must notice my pause because he meets my eyes. But I can’t look at him, not today. 

“I’m glad ya had such a good time, ‘m sure everybody else did too . . Everybody’s going t’ miss ya, ya know,” he comments, and I nod with a small smile. I don’t know how much more of this awkward small talk I can put up with, especially as the domino that caused all of this is gnawing at my insides. Particularly the part where he could have stopped it coming to this. 

But he didn’t.  

The rest of the clean up consists of few words between Harry and I, or anybody else for that matter. We cleaned tables, folded them and carried them away, stacked chairs, vacuumed, packed things away, and carried more things away. The room was now bleak with its new emptiness and quiet, all of the people previously filling it returning to their lives. Luckily I found my escape shortly after the room was all squared away. 

“All done?” a voice asks me. I look over my shoulder and find Asher tying up a bloated garbage bag. My stomach drops all of a sudden with disappointment at who it is, and who it’s not. 

“Yep.” I nod. Then I feel bad for being disappointed. Oh it’s just a never-ending rollercoaster, isn’t it?

“I can’t believe you helped clean up. The whole point was having other people do stuff for you, and then you helped them?!” Asher laughs with a disbelieving shake of his head. He happens to pull a giggle from my unsure lips. I sheepishly nod at his words, and I give him another laugh when he almost trips over the garbage bag. 

“Are you on your way out now?”

“Yeah, I think so. I just have to drop off some last-minute things - keys and keycards, that sorta thing. But now I can’t find the person to give them to . . ,” I confess, losing my words as I scan the room for those green eyes and that mustard top. 

“Hmmmph, well it’s getting late. Maybe he left or had something. You could leave them with Myles or Jennings, I’m sure if you wanna get outta here. I know you’re just dying to get those drinks with me tomorrow,” Asher quips, turning my lips up with his words. 

I leave him with a few words, telling him I’ll see him later. I say goodbyes to a few people as I leave the conference room and begin my hunt to find Harry. One I’m not sure how I want to end. 

I find my desk empty and many others as well. Glancing at my watch, I find that the hours have flown by. Many people jetted out of here as it’s five o'clock on a Friday afternoon. The cushion welcomes me as I sit down in my chair for the last time, but I don’t miss its welcoming squeak. The squeaking continues as I spin my last spin in the chair, feeling hot tears at the back of my eyes at the finality of my actions. My mug of pencils- no, it’s not my mug anymore. It never was mine. 

A polar bear post-it note holder invades my -not my desk - along with framed pictures of strangers, a bright pink day planner, candy apple lotion, and other foreign objects belonging to the new owner of this desk. Who isn’t me. A long sigh leaves my lips as I release my hands I didn’t know I was clenching. 

“It’s now or never,” I say aloud, willing myself to stand. 

Okay, Becky, we can do this. This isn’t even the hard part. 

But it is, I think to myself as my eyes glance up and memories that took place at this desk spin through my head. Making Harry laugh for the first time. Silly arguments with him about which was the better movie. How easily he made me smile by bringing me coffee out of nowhere and- Stop, Becky, you can’t do this now, I tell myself as I swipe a hot tear away from under my eye. I exhale as I get to my feet and feel for the ring of keys in my pocket. Good, they’re still there. 

The hallway is dim, but the light from the London evening comes in through the many windows around the office. His hallway. A hallway I will never walk again. Fuck, am I really sure I want to do this? How can I not see him again? You can and you will. You have to, Becky. It was too hard sitting there day after day wanting him. And him not wanting you back. I nod to myself, trying to affirm those words to myself. They don’t do that good of a job, because of the person I see around the corner. 

“Oh hey, bug. A-are ya leavin’?” Harry stutters, his furrowed emerald eyes falling on me. He comes to a stop in front of me, running a hand through his mop of curls. 

“U-uh yeah. I was just going to drop off the keys with you and go over a few things.” 

“Yeah yeah, sounds good. I jus’ really gotta take a leak, so ‘ll be back in a minute, ‘kay?” He asks with a pat on my arm. I nod with a soft ‘okay,’ as I turn to watch him walk away. Nodding with a thumbs up, he gives me a small sad smile before turning around and walking down the hallway. I watch until he’s gone. 

Almost done. But now for the hard part. Leaving him for the last time, I contemplate with a pout. I shuffle my feet to his door and twist the knob. Immediately, his familiar woodsy scent hits me. Suddenly, all of my senses are inundated with him. His messy desk. His blazer draped over his chair. Bookmarked biographies dotting his desk. Empty mugs of tea taking up empty spots. The essential oil diffuser in the corner humming as it mists Sandalwood. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 trickling from a Bluetooth speaker in the corner. Harry. It’s all him. And my reserves begin to fall. Can I really do this? No, there’s no way I can. Even if I have to sit at that desk day after day trying to love him, it’s better than leaving him. 

Yeah, and then what about when he marries Amber or somebody else that’s not you? 

I gulp, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat and at the same time pressing my fingers against my eyes, willing them to dry. 

“Wow, are we getting a little teary-eyed on our last day?” a voice snarks from behind me. 

No. No. No. No. No. NO. NO. NO. 

I try to breathe in, but I can’t. 

And suddenly the switch inside of me changes. Instead of pushing him away for the last few weeks, I want him. I want him to come and save me. To save me from her. And to see her for the monster that she is. 

The laugh that falls from my lips surprises the both of us. “You can’t hurt me anymore, Amber,” I snap, turning around to face her with a wry smile coating my lips. 

“Oh I don’t know about that, I still can. But hey, I won, and don’t you forget that,” she retorts. Amber’s blonde curls shake as she stomps her foot and points a tanned manicured finger at me. How can he even comfortably hold hands with those daggers?

Her blow hits me, and she knows it. I can’t hide it, because I’ve lost it. The last few weeks or even months have taken everything from me. My grandpa dying, my mom’s abusive treatment towards me, Harry’s bipolarness, and Amber’s physical and mental attacks. I lost.

“I don’t care,” I croak, throwing up my hands in defeat. The keys on the ring twinkle with movement in my hand. 

“But you do! I know you do!” she cackles, excitement twisting her plastic face into a Cheshire grin. “You wanted him, but you couldn’t have him and so you gave up! I won!” Amber continues, stepping towards me in her flowy scarlet blouse and skin-tight black jeans. 

I instinctively step back and away from her, but I stop when I think I hear a noise. It’s a loud squeak on the floor that makes me stop, but it doesn’t stop right away. 

“I don’t care, Amber, you can have him! I told him what you did to me and he didn’t believe me because of whatever spell you put on him. So you can keep him and live a wonderful, happy life together. I don’t care anymore, and I hate that I ever did,” I announce with weight to my words, willing my feet to lift from the carpet, but they won’t. 

Amber chuckles, crossing her arms with a pleased smile of satisfaction painting her face. “I can’t believe you had the nerve to tell him what I did to you,” she mutters in disbelief, shaking her head. “As if Harry would believe that I’d do such a thing. He probably thinks you made it up. Hell, for all I know I never laid a finger on you and you just imagined the whole thing.” 

“You left marks on me, Amber,” I spit out through gritted teeth. 

“Yeah, and apparently that wasn’t even enough to convince Harry. God, I really do have him wrapped around my finger,” Amber sighs happily. “I can’t do anything wrong in his eyes. He hasn’t even noticed how much I’ve been gone lately, or how often I’ve been texting this new bloke I’m fucking on the side.” 

“You slut!” I exclaim, not being able to hold it in. “Harry loves you and would do anything for you! He built this firm from the ground up! He’s sweet, he’s kind, he’s giving, he’s funny- he’s amazing and that’s how you treat him?!” 

“Excuse me?! Who here was throwing themselves at my boyfriend right in front of me?!” Amber argues, taking another frightening step toward me. She’s no longer laughing, but instead, her drawn-on eyebrows have fallen into a point above her glassy stare. 

“How dense are you?!” I laugh, feeling the anger rise warmly in my chest. I really don’t care anymore. “You have such a huge problem with that - which never happened, thank you - but you think it’s okay to cheat on your boyfriend?! My god, you really are fucking dumb!” 

“You just had your last laugh, bitch, because I’m going to slap that smug smile right off your face,” she snarls, taking several steps before I can almost see the flames rising in her eyes. 

“No, you won’t!” a voice announces. 

I take my eyes off of Amber to see who said that, but it’s a second too long that lets her clawed hand accost my face. 

[pug-bitch]

That’s not why I’m staying (1)

Life of the party

Book: The Royal Romance, Book 2

Pairing: Drake Walker x Amara Suarez

Rating: some foul language, some extremely suggestive, and a steamy scene right at the beginning. This is absolutely NOT appropriate for people under 18. This also alludes to disturbing content about consent. No assault scene, but allusions are present. 

Word count: about 5,000

Notes: Welcome to my version of Book 2! This picks up pretty much where we left off, the day after the Decision Ball, starting with Amara’s POV. This contains some plot, but mostly lots of fluff. I guess I needed it, after the drama-packed end of Book 1… But don’t worry, drama will come back eventually ;)

*****

Amara smiles softly as she sees Drake’s eyes open ever so slightly. She’s been up a while, and barely got any sleep, but she doesn’t care. Her heart is full, and her mind is determined. She warms her hands on the cup of coffee she snuck up from downstairs, and takes a sip.

‘Babe?’ Drake calls for her as he opens his eyes with difficulty. 

‘I’m here,’ she says, walking back towards the bed to embrace him.

‘Hmm,’ he murmurs, leaning into her kiss. ‘You smell like coffee.’

She chuckles. ‘Want some?’

‘Please.’

Amara snuggles up to Drake as he sips from her cup. There, she thinks, that’s what she wants. This level of intimacy, forever. Drake puts down the cup and, now with two free hands, pulls her in for a warm hug. 

‘I’m so glad we’re here,’ he whispers. 

She smiles. So is she, at the end of the day. What was she thinking? Last night, they ended up celebrating so loudly that they woke Hana up, and she joined the five of them downstairs for lots of hugging and some champagne. When was the last time Amara had felt this much warmth in a room? Besides from her dad and Nancy, and of course Mia, over the past two years… not much.

She kisses Drake more deeply, and asks, ‘So… now that we just have to wait for the engagement tour to start, what are we gonna do with our time?’

Drake laughs. ‘Wow, I don’t know… a whole five days just to ourselves? Pff, problems problems…’

He kisses her neck, and Amara leans into the moment, taking in every second. She needs to remember this. The good. For when it becomes tough again, inevitably. She needs to soak it all in.

Drake hoists himself up until he’s on top of her, and she sees the familiar glimmer in his eyes. The want, the tenderness, the sheer adoration… all of it, all together. Everything he feels for her, everything she feels for him in return.

Amara’s breath catches. Does she deserve all this? This wonderful man, always there for her, even when he knows all of her flaws, all of her mistakes? Maybe not all yet, the voice in her head says. Maybe he will still have a few surprises. 

She shakes it off. Stop being so insecure, she thinks. Don’t create problems where there are none, not now. 

‘You ok?’ Drake asks, in between kisses.

She nods. Of course she’s ok. She’s with him, right here, right now, and that’s all that matters. She needs to silence that bitch voice in her head, pestering her with self-doubt that she really, really doesn’t need.

‘I’m great,’ she smiles, before kissing him some more.

He smiles back. ‘You’re so beautiful,’ he whispers. ‘I love you, Amara.’

His lips go down, and down, and trace a loving path from her neck to her breasts, then to her stomach… ‘I love you too,’ she whispers.

His lips are between her legs now, making her shiver like he knows how to do so well. Her back arches, and he kisses her core passionately, like there’s no tomorrow. She moans quietly, until she can’t keep it in anymore and needs a pillow to muffle her scream. ‘Fuck,’ she laughs breathlessly. ‘Drake, that was so good…’

He smiles broadly. ‘At your service, Suarez.’

She chuckles and guides him back on top of her. He lets out a low groan, almost a purr, as she wraps her legs around him and presses herself onto his length. In less than a few seconds, he’s already teasing her entrance with the tip of his cock, and she can’t wait to have him all to herself again.

*****

‘Wow,’ Drake says as he lies back down. ‘You really know how to start the day, Suarez.’

Amara laughs. Drake wonders if he’s ever heard anything more entrancing than her laugh. ‘Shower and coffee?’ She asks. 

He nods. ‘Please. I can already hear the commotion downstairs, Max is definitely up to no good.’

Amara cups her ear and listens carefully. ‘Um… Drake?’ She grabs his arm and bursts into laughter. ‘Is that a goat?’

Drake clearly makes out a bleating sound. He can’t contain his laughter either. ‘Sure sounds like it. Alright, let’s get in the shower so we can investigate this, Detective.’

*****

Amara isn’t surprised to see a baby goat in the living room, but she can’t help but squeal anyway. ‘Oh my God Maxxie, what did you do?’ She screams as she joins Hana in petting the small, delighted animal.

Maxwell pours coffee for Amara and Drake, shrugging. ‘I went to the Farmer’s Market this morning in Ramsford, I wanted to show Michael, and get some produce. My favorite vendor, Gustavo, was there, and he was selling baby goats. I thought this little guy would be a good companion for my peacocks and our two sheep.’

Amara’s eyes widen, the little goat’s head in her arms. ‘Hold up. You have sheep?’

Maxwell giggles. ‘Yeah! Have I never told you? I have five sheep, in the back of the property, they live with the peacocks, and our property manager, Silvio, takes care of them full time! Have I never told you, Little Blossom?’

Amara laughs, ‘No, you certainly have not. Can we please see them today? What are their names?’

Maxwell gloats in anticipation. ‘Well, there’s five of them, right? So, I named them Bobby, Jonathan, Antoni, Karamo, and Tan. Some of them are girls but you know, gender’s a construct.’

Hana and Amara share a look, and both burst out laughing. ‘That’s the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard,’ Hana says, wiping a tear.

Maxwell beams. ‘Right? So, what are we gonna name this little guy?’

Drake, coffee mug in hand, squats to pet the goat, and Amara can’t help but notice the wide grin on his face as he plants a little kiss on the goat’s forehead. ‘It has to be an awesome name, as handsome as this little fella, you know. We can’t name him something boring, this guy deserves the best name.’

Amara gasps. ‘I know! I have the perfect, handsomest name ever.’

Hana smiles. ‘What is it, babe?’

Amara looks the goat in the eye and solemnly declares. ‘Bradley Cooper. His name has to be Bradley Cooper.’

Drake almost chokes on his coffee and Michael laughs wholeheartedly. ‘I see the obsession is still going on,’ he says.

Amara shrugs. ‘Not an obsession. Just the recognition of the best actor of his generation, y’know.’

Drake raises an eyebrow. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I like the guy, but… we’re talking about the man who starred in The Hangover, babe. Think about that. Think about how terribly this movie has aged. Think about Ken Jeong emerging from the trunk. Think about Bradley Cooper’s line when they’re waiting for Ed Helms outside of his apartment.’

Amara thinks for a second, and shrugs. ‘It’s not like Bradley wrote the movie, Drake.’

Drake throws his hands up. ‘I give up. Max?’

Maxwell grins widely. ‘It’s perfect. Welcome to the world, Bradley Cooper-Beaumont. We love you.’

*****

‘So? What did you think of the Fab Five?’ Maxwell asks anxiously.

‘They’re soooo sweet and so cuddly,’ Amara exclaims.

Hana nods. ‘I love how they just run towards you as soon as you get there, and how they instantly adopted Bradley Cooper!’

Drake chuckles. ‘Will I get used to that goat’s name, ever?’

Michael pats his back. ‘Let time work its magic, Drake. It shall pass.’

They both laugh. Amara smiles at the sight of her friends and family getting along, and without even realizing it, reaches for her phone in her pocket. Still no texts. Well, some from her dad, with whom she’s been texting since he woke up, but none from anyone else. Her heart sinks a bit. She contemplates writing another, but she promptly gives up. She doesn’t want to stalk her, either.

Drake swoops in from behind her and grabs her hand. ‘Whatcha doing?’ He asks, all the while knowing exactly what she’s doing. 

Amara shrugs and squeezes his hand tight. ‘Nothing. Checking my phone.’

Drake brings her hand to his lips and kisses it. ‘She’ll come around. She’s stubborn as fuck, but if there’s one person who can do no wrong in her eyes, it’s you, Suarez.’

She smiles faintly. ‘I don’t know about that.’

*****

Olivia turns her phone over, one more time, and when she sees nothing on the screen, turns it face down again. She takes another sip of coffee and a bite of her eggs, angrily.

‘Still mad?’ Rashad asks as he plants a kiss on the top of her head.

Olivia shrugs. ‘I’m not mad. It’s just funny how the bitch thinks my advice is shit when I deliver it, and then two hours later, she decides to do what I told her to do.’

Rashad raises an eyebrow. ‘So...you’re mad that she took your advice? I don’t follow.’

Liv rolls her eyes. ‘You’re pretending not to follow. It’s annoying.’

He chuckles. ‘Well, you’re right, I’m following. I just don’t understand your logic.’

She snorts. ‘No one does.’

Rashad thinks for a second and takes her hand. She doesn’t flinch. ‘Liv, I think you’re mad at her out of principle. But think about it. She went through something shitty last night, and had a gut reaction. Can you blame her?’

She shrugs again. ‘Yes.’

Rashad chuckles. ‘Alright. I guess you can.’ He starts pulling his hand away, but Olivia holds on to it, without meeting his eye. 

She sighs. ‘For the record,’ she says, looking down at her cup of black coffee, ‘I didn’t come here because I needed you. I’ve wanted this for a while, now we’ve finally boned, end of story.’

Rashad’s smile falters. ‘End of story?’ He asks worriedly.

Olivia bites her lip. That’s not what she meant. At all. Fuck, how is she going to spin that one without seeming too eager? ‘You know what I mean,’ she says. ‘I mean that I don’t want to talk about that whole Suarez shit. I know what you’re thinking, that I came to you because I was sad or whatever.’

Rashad shrugs, a shadow still over his eyes. ‘Honestly, Liv, I’m glad you came to me, and I just hope you don’t regret us having sex for the first time in these circumstances.’

She snorts. Why does he have to be such a good guy? She needed comfort last night, that’s true. Not that she would admit it, but she did. She felt betrayed by Suarez, who she considered to be...ugh, not worth putting words onto it. She takes a deep breath. ‘I’m fine. And, if you must know, it was fucking hot. No regrets here.’

He smiles a little and digs into his eggs.

She did fucking love it. They did need to break the tension. No regrets.

Still, it feels a bit...anticlimactic. Is it how it feels to have sex with someone you actually like? Sure, she had sex with Liam many, many times over the years, and ugh, boy, did she have feelings there. But he was unavailable. It was noncommittal.

Here and now, as they share breakfast, and she’s wearing no makeup, while Rashad looks as comfortable as ever in his sweatpants, Liv can’t help but feel… too safe?

Maybe she’ll tell Suarez about it, sometime, when she stops hating her guts.

Who doesn’t listen to Olivia Motherfucking Nevrakis? 

*****

Liam hasn’t slept. At all. He watches the sun rise on his country, as he sits on his balcony in his boxers and dress shirt from last night, his head full of regret. He replays the events from after Leo left last night, in his head, and cringes at the memory.

Madeleine getting impatient and knocking on the door of his study. Their small talk. His discomfort. Her advances. 

His attempts to create a diversion by offering her a drink. Her insistence at having a nightcap in his suite. 

The knot in his throat as he caved. 

His inability to say no any further. 

It would have been suspicious if he had said no, right? She would have known he was up to something. She needs to feel comfortable and safe if they want to successfully investigate her and break the engagement. Right?

He swallows his saliva, and takes a hesitant peek in his bedroom, through the French windows. She’s still sleeping, soundly, sprawled in his bed.

He had believed her. Like an idiot, he was convinced that she was the only one who still cared about him. Until the ball, until his stupid eyes were open by the picture of Amara’s assault.

He closes his eyes tight. It’s not a big deal, right? Everyone forces themselves to do things they don’t want to do, sometimes. 

Even that. Even something that you’re supposed to completely want.

Right?

*****

Drake stands in front of the stove, and flips the pan expertly. He can get used to this: cooking for his friends, with his girl keeping him company. Amara is sitting on the counter next to him, and playing with the ingredients as they chat about life.

‘This is gonna be so good,’ she says. ‘Have you made this before?’

Drake chuckles. ‘Sausage and peppers? Of course. It was a staple of the Walker household.’

She smiles. Is there anything more heartwarming than her smile? He thinks not. ‘Did you cook for your family, always?’ she asks.

He shrugs. ‘I did, sometimes. Dad was always in charge of grilling and he taught me how to take care of meat and fish. I love cooking fish above everything else. It’s delicate, precise, and so satisfying when you get it right. Mom was more into baking, and making hearty dishes like mac and cheese. Efficient stuff when you’ve got two kids that you need to feed quickly.’ He laughs. ‘And boy, did we need to be fed. Sav and I were always big eaters.’

Amara smiles a bit wider. ‘That’s really sweet. So were we. I remember Mom making chilaquiles, and Sergio and I were so impatient to eat them that we would literally wait in front of her. She’d roll her eyes and be like ‘Chiquitos, you’re not gonna make me cook any faster.’ When she baked, it was the same. I’d just stare at the oven hoping it would bake faster.’

Drake steps away from the stove to plant a sweet kiss on her lips. He loves when she shares memories like that. They both need it. ‘Did your mom cook mostly Mexican specialties?’ he asks.

‘I’d say half and half. She liked hearty American food like your mom, too! And my dad, well he grew up in Pennsylvania with Puerto Rican parents, so his comfort food is a mix of both.’

Drake smiles. ‘Sounds delicious. You’ll have to tell me about your favorites and I’ll find recipes.’

She gasps excitedly. ‘I could even send you my mom’s. Sergio and my Dad numerized her cookbook years ago, because when she passed away, they both picked up the slack in the kitchen and wanted to remember her this way.’

Drake’s heart pangs. ‘That’s such a sweet initiative. I’d love to see some of her recipes. I’ll try to cook Marisol-style!’ he says excitedly.

Amara’s smile that ensues could melt Drake’s cold heart, if it wasn’t completely melted already, all because of her. She says in a breathy voice, ‘I’d love nothing more, babe.’ 

‘Hey guys, need any help?’ Michael asks as he walks in. ‘I guess I mean...Drake, need any help, as Amara just stares at you without helping at all?’

Amara giggles and throws a dish rag at him. ‘I’m here for moral support!’

Drake chuckles. ‘I’m all good, but you can look in the fridge if anything appeals to you. Max bought a bunch of food this morning, in between buying farm animals, y’know.’

Michael laughs. ‘Yeah, full disclosure, I was with him, and I could have stopped him but...the goat was too cute.’ He reaches for a bunch of radishes and a head of lettuce in the fridge. ‘And to be perfectly honest, it felt good to be out and about in a very normal setting. No sash people, no viscounts and dukes and whatever, but just a farmers market.’

Drake smiles. ‘I feel ya. Well, in this case, we should all go out tonight, somewhere in Ramsford. Suarez, what do you say?’

Amara joins her hands together. ‘Yes! It would be awesome! Plus, Michael’s only here for a few more days, we need to make them count.’

Michael makes an excited face as he washes the lettuce. ‘Seriously? That would be great. A normal place with normal food?’

Drake looks at Amara with a victorious look on his face. ‘My man,’ he says softly, pointing at Michael. ‘Yes, a normal place and all. Ramsford is good for that. We’ll see what Max recommends, I have a few favorite places but he knows more.’

Michael smiles widely. ‘He is the life of the party.’

Amara chuckles. ‘Oh, you’ve noticed?’

*****

Drake’s lunch is a success, as always. Amara enjoys every bite, as well as conversation with her friends. Even Bertrand is in good spirits, and got over the whole goat debacle quickly. He doesn’t like when Maxwell spends money, but ever since they stopped paying off Albert the blackmailer, they are a bit more comfortable.

Hana nods excitedly at Maxwell’s suggestions for bars and restaurants. ‘That sounds so great!’ she exclaims. ‘We’re all going, right?’ she asks, looking at Bertrand.

He chuckles. ‘It’s really sweet of you to include me, Hana, but I think with all this um… drama, as you youths say it, I need to get some rest tonight.’

Amara rolls her eyes. ‘Us youths? Bertrand, you’re barely older than Michael. Calm down.’

Bertrand smiles. ‘I suppose so. But Amara, with everything we’ve been through, I just want to be in my robe and relax.’

Amara nods. ‘I don’t blame you. Your robe looks very comfortable and, most importantly, has a lot of tassels.’

Bertrand blushes. ‘Um, yes, indeed it does.’

Maxwell bites his lips to stop laughter from coming out. ‘Alright, let’s leave Grandpa Tassel alone tonight then, but Bertrand, we’re not taking no for an answer tomorrow, we’re doing something. We need to enjoy Michael’s company while he’s here.’

Bertrand nods solemnly. ‘Yes, you’re right. We need to honor our guest.’

Michael smiles facetiously and makes quick eye contact with Maxwell. ‘Thank you, Bertrand. Your hospitality means a lot.’

Amara can’t help but notice the brief looks of complicity between Maxwell and Michael. She hadn’t seen Michael be so social in years. Even before Sergio passed, Michael was always the studious one, the serious one, while Sergio was...well, also the life of the party. Hmm, she thinks. Could this be something?

‘Amara,’ Maxwell insists, ‘did you hear me?’

She shakes it off. ‘Oh, sorry, I was in my thoughts. What is it?’

Maxwell looks at Drake, and at Amara again. ‘I was asking, do you want me to invite Liv tonight, or not? She would definitely like the vibe at Zeno’s, but I don’t want to include her if you guys are still...tense.’

Amara’s smile falters. ‘No no, invite her. If I’m the one texting, she won’t answer. We need to put an end to the bullshit.’

Maxwell nods. ‘I’ll ask if Rashad wants to come, too.’

‘Oh, the sexy smoldering guy from the ball?’ Michael inquires. ‘He and Olivia seemed very close.’

Amara smiles. ‘Yes, and yes. They’re kinda dating. See? You’d make a good detective, too.’

*****

Maxwell reflects intently as he focuses his eyes on his closet. ‘No, not this,’ he murmurs.

Michael sits on his bed, feeling awkward about having to, once again, borrow clothes. ‘Max, seriously, I can wear what I have.’

Maxwell turns around and smiles at him. ‘You can, you’d look good in anything, really. But I want to give you options!’

Michael smiles. ‘Thank you. I really need a clothing intervention. I do dress like a lawyer,’ he says, looking down at his outfit made up of beige chinos and a plaid shirt. ‘If we’re going to a hip place--’

‘We’re not,’ Maxwell interrupts. ‘Whatever you’re comfortable with will be great. But I have some clothes that would look better on you than they do on me. Let me find them…’ He digs deeper in his closet. ‘Ah!’ he says victoriously. ‘Here it is. The shirt.’

He presents an emerald green shirt to Michael, who almost recoils in fear. ‘Jeez, Maxwell, it’s very green. I know I wear these colors sometimes, but… isn’t it a bit much?’

Maxwell smiles as he holds the shirt against Michael’s face. ‘No. It brings out your eyes. You can wear it with your chinos, or jeans. You have jeans, right?’

Michael nods. ‘Yes.’

‘What cut?’

Michael raises an eyebrow. ‘I’m not sure what this means.’

Maxwell smiles. ‘It’s ok. I have jeans that you will like.’

*****

Hana and Amara are sitting outside in the sun, a margarita in hand and Amara’s nail polish collection sprawled out on the table for them to choose from. Amara looks out to the pool, where Drake is swimming laps. She doesn’t even realize that she’s staring at his body as he gets out every now and then to take a sip of his water.

Hana smile mischievously. ‘Amara, honey, do you need binoculars?’

Amara shakes her head. ‘Oh shit, Hana, I’m sorry. I promise I’m not a perv. He’s just so…’

Hana laughs. ‘Oh, I know. I’m gay, not blind.’

Amara chuckles. ‘Alright, back to business. What are you wearing tonight?’

Hana nods seriously. ‘I’m gonna go with my coral sundress, with my light brown wedges.’

‘Great choice. You wanna go for a light nail, or a metallic?’

Hana thinks intensely and finally says, ‘I think I’ll go with your gold polish. Is that ok?’

‘Of course, great call. I’m gonna wear my ripped jeans and a yellow top, so I’ll go with the light gray. Good?’

Hana smiles. ‘Perfect. Amara, I’m so glad you stayed. I don’t know what I would have done without you here.’

Amara takes her hand. ‘Same. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ve found my people, why did I want to leave?’

Hana smiles broadly. ‘Right? I feel the same way. I know my parents are leaving me tons of messages, but I’m not ready to listen to them. I want to enjoy my time with you guys, and go on the engagement tour.’

‘Plus, the tour ends in London, and you know what that means,’ Amara says in a sexy voice while wiggling her eyebrows.

Hana blushes. ‘I do know what it means, since you’re not being very subtle.’ She smiles and twists the nail polish open. ‘We’ll see what happens. For right now, I’m happy to be here.’

‘Agreed.’

She continues, ‘On another note, did you catch all the little looks between Maxwell and Michael? They’re totally inseparable,’ Hana whispers.

‘I was just thinking that. It’s nice to see Michael be close with someone. Who knows where it might lead, but it’s just nice to see, you know,’ she says, avoiding eye contact.

Hana paints her nails intently. ‘I can imagine. Michael seems to relax a bit, and tonight will help too.’

‘What are you guys plotting about?’ Drake asks as he walks out of the pool and towards the nail painting station.

Amara chuckles, ‘Nothing babe. I’ll fill you in later.’

‘Don’t come out yet, Drake, here we come!’ Maxwell exclaims, running towards the group on his bathing suit. Michael follows slowly, shyly covering his body with a towel.

Amara sits up and asks eagerly, ‘Maxxie, did Liv get back to you?’

Maxwell, still running, cries out, ‘Not yet, Little Blossom. But I gave her all the info and she’ll know where to find us!’

Amara looks down at her nails, silent. Drake sighs and puts his hand on her back comfortingly. ‘She’ll come around, baby. I promise.’

*****

‘Looking good, man,’ Drake says as he catches Michael looking at his reflection in the hallway.

Michael jumps up, startled. ‘Oh! Thanks, Drake. Is it too much, though?’

Drake shrugs. ‘I don’t think so. Green looks good on you.’ He walks to the drink cart and pours two glasses of whiskey. ‘Here you go,’ he says as he holds one out to Michael.

‘Thank you.’ He smells it. ‘This is good stuff.’

Drake smiles. ‘It really is, huh? Max doesn’t skimp out.’

Michael smiles and sips. Drake takes out his phone and looks at the text he just sent out.

I know she hurt your feelings, but she came around and apologized. Don’t let your fucking pride take you away from a friend. We’re both new at this opening up shit, I get it, it sucks to be vulnerable, but it’s also fucking satisfying to be surrounded by people who care. Don’t fuck up.

He wonders whether he cursed too much, but oh well. It’s sent. 

And read, without a response.

He sighs and looks up. ‘Sorry, Mike. Hey, what do you wanna do tomorrow? I can take you on a tour of Ramsford in my Jeep if you want me to show you around.’

Michael’s face lights up. ‘I’d love that. I want to call Callie tomorrow when she’s awake, but otherwise I’m all free.’

Drake smiles. ‘Good.’ He glances at his watch. ‘I guess we’re the fastest ones to get ready around here. When I left Amara, she was agonizing over which earrings to pick.’

Michael chuckles. ‘Max picked my outfit, so I have absolutely no merit in being quick.’

As if on cue, Maxwell appears on top of the stairs, Hana and Amara on each side. ‘Gentlemen, may I present you the two most beautiful women in the world!’

The girls chuckle and roll their eyes, they all yell out to Bertrand to wish him a good night, and they get on their way.

*****

Amara fidgets in the car, her hand in Drake’s. She is sitting in the middle, between Drake and Michael.

‘You ok, babe?’ Drake asks. ‘Nervous?’ he points to her shaky leg.

Amara promptly stops. ‘Sorry. I’m fine. I’m excited to have fun, I promise.’

Maxwell glances at Drake in the rearview mirror, a worried look on his face. Amara notices it right away. She knows it means Max didn’t hear back from Liv. She hates that she feels so nervous about it, and she especially hates that Drake and Max are, once again, worried about her. She sits up and takes a deep breath. She needs to grow a pair of ovaries and stop being this fragile little bitch who is always in danger of having an anxiety attack. 

She needs to enjoy life, dammit. It will be hard enough to sneak around and investigate while on the tour, the least she can do is enjoy her five days of freedom, and make the most of Michael’s presence.

Breathe in, breathe out. 

Maxwell parks in downtown Ramsford. ‘Alright guys, I’m designated driver tonight, you bitches go crazy, I’m there for you!’

Amara smiles broadly. ‘Max, I can bet you that we’ll end up taking Ubers back. No way you’re not getting lit.’

Maxwell laughs. ‘You may be right. This is a 24-hour parking lot, detective. Either way, we’re good. Let’s go!’

They get out of the car, and Amara walks with Drake, her hand still in his. Zeno’s is a cool bar, not too hip but definitely nice, with an outdoors section full of greenery. As they walk in, Amara finds herself relaxing. This is definitely normal, with young couples all around, and too many people for them to get noticed. Maxwell picked the perfect spot.

‘First round on me,’ Drake announces ‘Everybody tell me what you want!’

Hana requests a margarita, and everyone follows suit, except Michael who wants a lager. 

Drake smiles. ‘Babe, help me carry?’

They make their way to the bar, their bodies close to each other. Amara holds Drake’s belt loop so they don’t get separated by the crowd. This place is really happening.

They plant themselves in front of the bar, and Drake orders for everyone, and opens a tab. Amara nuzzles in Drake’s arms, taking advantage of the crowd pushing them together. She buries her head in his chest.

Drake chuckles. ‘You’re not afraid of being seen?’

Amara smiles, ‘Not really. Too crowded. Plus, it’s not my fault if people are forcing us to get close.’

‘Good excuse,’ he whispers in her ear as he squeezes her shoulder.

‘You look hot tonight,’ she murmurs. ‘I love you in black.’

‘And I love you, period,’ he says softly.

‘You guys are sickening.’

Amara whips around instantly. ‘You came!’ she exclaims.

Liv rolls her eyes and adjusts her top. ‘Of course I came. Walker threatened me via text.’

‘I did not,’ he protests. ‘I tried to convince you, that’s all.’

Liv snorts and orders two double vodkas. She pauses and says, ‘It’s not all for me. Rashad’s here with me.’

Amara smiles. ‘I’m glad.’ She hesitates, then throws her arms around Olivia and pulls her into a hug.

‘What the hell are you doing, Suarez?’ Liv asks disgustedly.

‘Hugging you. Lean into it,’ she replies.

Liv rolls her eyes again and slowly hugs Amara back. ‘Fine. That’s your one hug. You used it up.’ She pauses. ‘And never fucking blindside me again like you did yesterday. You made me be your friend, now you have to act like one.’

Amara lets go of her and grabs a couple of glasses from the bar. ‘Agreed. I fucked up, I’m really sorry. Now, can we please get drunk together and show my brother how shit gets done in Cordonia?’

*****

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[luvdsc]

oh, i hope you can visit your grandparents soon!! and, yeah, everything kinda sucks right now :( but i do hope your grandparents are well and safe. and, ugh, id love to do all of that!! i guess youve been to a lot of farms then, right? do you have like a favourite thing? like is it milking cows or picking fruits? haha i guess im still a baby?? its funny to hear that you miss high school because i cant wait to get into college? like that independence and everything!! but id love to go to (1/4)

hong kong and vietnam again!! aside from asia i think id love to go to england? or like in general an english speaking country? i really love to english language and id love to go somewhere where they only speak english. i feel like thats just different from learning the language in school 🤧 and, ohhh, youve got plans!! a global rotation sounds soooo cool!! i hope you get to do all of that!! and, oh, i really love jake!! i feel like rosa is too cool for me you know? i do love all of them (2/4)

and, yes!! the art in japanese films are always on a whole new level!! 'your name' comes to mind when speaking about beautiful japanese films!! youre soo right in the heir its so noticeable that they arent 16 or whatever fdadfad as a high schooler im just like 'uh, literally nobody looks like that wtf'. ngl i absolutely loved the drama in the heir asdfads and im definitely gonna look into age of youth when ive got time!! and, oh, my painting isnt good at all asfadf i dont even know where i (3/4)

put it because i just couldnt look at it dfsafd and, oh, yeah, i heard that about oil, but i think its also nice because you can fix smth hours later? but you definitely need patience haha and thats a nice tip!! definitely need to keep that in mind!! and, oh, ive only seen people use white as a base, why do you use a yellow? what difference does it make? sorry for the late reply btw!! i spent my weekend catching up with school and everything!! hope your weekend was nicer!!💕 (4/4)

✿ ✿ ✿

ahhhh i really hope so, too! they’re quite old, so i’m hoping they’re doing ok during the pandemic ): ah yeah, i’ve been to quite a few of them!! i really enjoy seeing and petting all the animals, but picking fruit is quite fun! of course, it’s not fun after doing it for more than a couple hours, but my family likes to drive out to the cherry orchards outside of the city and pick some when they’re in season! my parents also really like fruit trees, so we have over 30 different variety of fruits in our backyard :’) and a little veggie garden!! college is honestly my favorite time out of all my schooling, like yes, the independence is amazing, and you’re not like a whole adult yet, y’know?? i still get to do a bunch of dumb things with my friends, but i’m also living on my own and having my own little place for myself is so nice!!! i miss it a lot ): my last quarter of college overall is being spent at home because of the virus, so i guess my true college days are over now /: but i’m sooo excited for you to experience college when you do! 💗

omg how is hong kong? i’ve never been there before, but i want to! and do you want to visit certain places in vietnam? and oooo i’ve only been to london in england, but i really love it a lot!! also omg wait, is english not your main language?? :o this entire time i thought you were a native speaker oh my god asdflkjahsf you’re saying you became fluent from classes in school??? i wish i paid more attention in spanish class now 😭 and yes!!! I really want to travel, and the global rotation program my future employer has is one of the reasons i chose to sign with them! omg yes jake is honestly husband goals :’) he’s such a wholesome character, i love him!! but also yes, i feel that, like i’m honestly always just heart eyes at rosa, she’s too cool ashldfkas

ooo omg yes i’ve seen that ‘your name’ before!! the graphics are indeed gorgeous :’) i watched the anime ‘free’ with my friends, and i remember it had absolutely stunning graphics, like especially the scenes with the cherry blossoms in the pool. and yes!!!! omg i was in hs when i saw it the first time and i was also like ??? no one looks like that here LOL i really enjoyed the progression of the relationship between tan and his brother, but i was really sad when his brother had to give up his gf ): tbh i liked the side stories more than the main couple in the heirs, like hyoshin and rachel made me happy for some reason askjdfhas 

and oh nooo ): maybe you can repaint it into something you like? also, yes, that’s true! it’s easy to fix with oil since it takes like 12 days to fully dry! but it also means i have to wait a long time before painting the next part /: ah it’s personal preference for the color of your base, but i use yellow ochre because it’s not as noticeable if it shows through the paint layer on top of it! like if you don’t fully paint over an area, those tiny spots are more noticeable with white than a dull yellow color :)  of course, if you’re doing a pastel, lighter color painting, then you should use white because that blends in more than the yellow! i tend to use a darker color palette, so i prefer the ochre :D and omg no worries, school is important! i hope your classes are going well 💕 and thank you! my weekend went well!! i finished my coding assignments, analyzed some case studies for class, and facetimed my friends 💓

[heyhihelloidontusethisanymo-blog]

deh pets headcanon

ok so i made another headcanon before about phones and things they would all have and mentioned that evan would probably have a dog. so then naturally i just started thinking about all of them which resulted in this. another warning that it’s midnight and im half dead soooo yeah enjoy??? 

jared:

he would be the kid that BEGGED until his parents got him whatever animal he wanted

like he has a lot of pets idk

the first thing that comes to my mind is a bird

and i’m not talking like a cute little parakeet

im talking like an annoying ass huge bird

like they used to keep it in the house but it was just,,,, , so loud

so now they keep it in the shed

(don’t worry he takes great care of the bird even tho it’s in the shed)

i keep picturing a parrot

is that even llegal? idk 

don’t ask me

the bird’s  name would either be like something he named when he was little like “rainbow”

or it would be literally just meme

like

the bird’s name would be meme

there is no in between don’t fight me on this

he would also have a guniea pig named something really stupid too

idk what it would be probably dat boi or another old meme 

but he would love that freaking thing

he would like constantly hold it or like carry it around his house

or he would show up at evan’s house holding it and evan would be like “what why”

and he would be like “oh yeah. this is dat boi and he’s coming inside with me”

he wouldn’t have a dog tho

they probably had one when he was little but it passed away and they didn’t think anything could be better than that dog

aw now i’m sad

maybe he would have a hamster at one point too but it would like probably get annoying and he would give it to connor

oh thats another thing for later

long story short jared loves animals

connor:

connor would probably be like “i hate all animals. i hate everything. angst blah blah blah

but jared one day just showed up with a hamster like “just tAKE IT”

and then left

so he was like uhh okay

and he ended up becoming secretley obsessed with this hamster

like when he was feeling really angry and about to freak out he would just watch it run on it’s little wheel and it would calm him down

he wouldn’t name it because “he didn’t want to get too attached” 

(he was so attached. he loved it.)

he would buy so much stuff for it

like he would come home with bags and bags of little tubes for it to run in or a bunch of different wheels to try out 

his mom would be like “connor what is that” and he’d be like “nOTHING”

it would be a hamster mansion

p.s. zoe wouldn’t know about the hamster

she would be completley oblivious somehow

his parents did tho and didn’t really care

evan was the only person that knew about the hamster other than that

and he loved that thing so much

like whenever him and connor would hang out he would just be constantly holding it

evan probably named it in his head but never really says it out loud 

and one day he lets it slip

like

“aw can we take out hammy?”

and connor’s like “whatthefuck”

and evan gets all nervous and stuttering 

but they eventually just start calling it hammy

it would be a really tan almost orange looking hamster btw

and it’d probably be really fat because evan likes to give him treats

side note: the only other animal connor would like is evan’s dog which i will talk about later

alana:

alana would always love animals but she never really acted on it much

like she would know anything and everything about animals but would never really vocalize it 

until one day zoe starts talking about how she likes animals

then she just goes crazy

like she’s a Certifed Animal Lover™

but anyway

I feel like she would have a little dog

like not a chuiwawwawawaw i gave up on spelling that rip

but like a little rescue dog

it would probably look like a puggle 

and while she’s doing homework the dog would just like sit in her lap

(if u haven’t already noticed this is heavily based on how kristolyn lloyd mentioned alana having a dog or something with her on stage and tbh i agreed hard core)

this dog would be so freaking spoiled

like im talking huge beds made for golden retrievers 

purple sparkly collars and harnesses and clothes (the dog’s color would be purple. dont fight me on this) (wow i can’t believe i just gave a dog a favorite color rip)

she would make it wear shoes sometimes and take funny videos to post on her instagram

this dog would have the most extra name of all time

like Persephone or athena or some goddess name 

i didn’t include this in the other hc but she would DEF have a vlog channel

and she would be like “hey guys! this is alana and dionysus (yes i just googled that im sorry) and welcome to todays video!”

either that or she would have a guinea pig

but i more see her with a dog

she would love that dog so much

zoe:

golden retriever. for sure.

she would be the kid who BEGGED their parents for a dog for years and years

like every school essay would be about why she should get a dog

and she would like tape dog pictures to the fridge and on her notebooks at school

she would be s’cute

but when she got into high school her parents expected it to kind of drop off

but no

not at all

she only wrote more essays about why she should get this dog

and they were still like “mehhh no”

(actually cynthia would be fine with it but larry would be like hell no hell no hell no)

so the day she turned eighteen she was like “screw this im an Adult™ now”

and just went out and got a dog

and when she came back home with it everyone was like “what have you done”

and she just shrugs and is like “i’m an adult now i get to do what i want”

and nobody really says anything after that

she loves that dog so much

it would be a girl named kiwi

or something weird but adorable like that

and she would sneak it into school sometimes 

she would totally get caught but it would be worth it to her

she only did that when the dog was a puppy tho

when kiwi got big she loved her even more

omg this dog would know so many tricks

like im not talking “sit” and “roll over”

(but obvi she would know those)

im talking like dance and jump and speak and play dead

that dog would be so smart

zoe would work really hard to train her tho

she would try to bring her everywhere

like when all of them would hang out she would make the plans around wherever place was dog friendly ya know

her parents would be like “no dog on the bed!1!1!”

but no

i mean the dog would obviously have a dog bed 

(and it would be damn comfy tbh)

 but she would always sleep in zoe’s bed

not at her feet but like right up on top of the pillow like she’s a human

ok I’ve gotta stop now time for evan handsoap

evan:

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: i love evan so much okay

just a reminder

anywho

evan would never really be the type to beg for a dog

but heidi got one for him at the beginning of senior year just bc she thought it would be good for him

(she tries so hard i love her too)

and at first he was like “oh ok hi dog”

but then he’s like “ohmygod i love u”

it’s def a dachshund/wiener dog don’t fight me on this i know it’s a thing

he would name it bonsai 

i know he would

my hear is melting just thinking about this s end he lp

but he would love that thing so much

he would love taking hikes or little nature walks with her

(the dog would be a girl btw idk how i know this i just do)

and the dog would be very fit

like she would never be fat

she wouldn’t know very many tricks

like  only sit and high five

but it’s ok she’s an angel

she’s probably  like very light tan almost blonde (if u google a pic of a light tan weiner dog you’ll see what I mean they’re so cute I cant)

and when he’s anxious she can always tell

so she goes up to him and just like sits next to him and kinda whines bc she’s worried?? idk you know what i mean

but at night she sleeps curled up into evan’s side

like wiener dogs when they sleep literally curl into a little burrito 

she does that

it’s so cute

when connor stays over the dog sleeps between them

oh yeah

that’s the only dog connor likes

like he hard core loves that dog

when he sees her he uses this high pitched baby voice

you know the one im talking about

it’s adorable

evan thinks it’s the best thing he’s ever heard actually

he loves that connor loves his dog

i just thought of this but what if it was a therapy dog

like he could bring it to school when he had really bad days

and she would be v friendly and love people

and in class when he got anxious he would just stick his hand down and pet his dog

(if u can’t already tell idk how service/therapy dogs work someone educate me)

he wouldn’t bring her with him a lot

bc people would want to pet her and he would get all flustered

and once he got kicked out of a store because the worker thought he just brought in a dog and evan was too nervous to explain that it was his therapy dog

poor boyo

but zoe and alana and connor and jared would BEG him to because they all love her

so when they got ice cream at a la mode he would always bring bonsai just to make them shut up

and the employees there know bonsai and always give them a free vinalla cone for her

ah i just love the idea of him having a dog

[soft-boy-stefan]

First Language [a Sebastian Smythe imagine]

a/n: ok we know seb lived in paris but never got specifics soooo i had an ideaaaaaa...maybe part 2? yes? no? anyone?

“You guys didn’t have to come with me.” you huff back at the gang following you, angrily stomping through the posh hallways of Dalton Academy. “He is my boyfriend… and you hate him… Why did you come actually?” you wonder, crinkling your eyebrows together, pulling both your backpack straps to the waistband of your ripped sky blue jeans.

Santana scoffs, crossing her tan arms over her cheerio’s uniform. “Uh, duh, I wanna see what happened to the mole faced chipmunk.” she states as if it’s the most obvious thing in the entire world. You roll your eyes, sighing deeply.

While holding Rachel’s hand, Finn tilts his head in confusion; Sam does the same, wondering the exact same question on everyone’s mind. “What exactly happened to him again?” the blonde asks, fixing his purple hoodie on his shoulder. “All I saw was you get a call and leave rehearsal.... Then everyone followed you and I got lost… I’m still lost.”

You bound around the corner, stopping when you get to the door that says ‘nurse’. Spinning on the heel of your sneaker, you fix your pink shoulderless shirt. “He was in lacrosse practice and hit his head and passed out, okay?” you rush out, inhaling deep. “And can I please see him alone before you all parade in?” you plead, hands returning to the straps of your backpack.

When most of the club nods, you let out a breath, facing the door. Turning the knob, you cautiously step in the office. “I’m Y/N, Sebastian’s…” you trail off as the nurse leads you to the cots. “How is he?” you chew on your lip nervously.

“Non! Non!” Sebastian’s voice lingers in the room, French accent a lot more noticeable. “Retire tes mains de moi (get your hands off me)! Ou est ma petite amie (where is my girlfriend)?!” he spits at Trent, who’s trying to coax the Warbler back into the cot, muttering ‘why are you not speaking English?’. “Je ne sais pas bon anglais (I don't know good english)!” he bites in a frustrated tone, running a hand through his hair.

You furrow your eyebrows together, pushing the curtain. His knuckles curl around the edge of the cot, shoulders almost touching his ears. The moment Sebastian sees you, his green eyes light up, smile stretching on his lips. “Mon bébé, là tu es (my baby, there you are)!” he beams, standing up; navy lacrosse jersey hanging off his shoulder. You blink in confusion. “Ne me comprends-tu pas (do you not understand me)?” he whispers, eyes filling with water.

Frowning, you bend down in front of him, cupping his face. “Sebastian… Je t'aime (I love you)...” you hum, saying the only French you really know.

He grins, “Je t’aime, Y/N.” The knock on the door startles him and the glee club enters. “Pourquoi sont-ils ici (why are they here)?” he snarls, nose scrunching at the gang. “Quelle (what)?”

“Why is he speaking French?” Mercedes whispers to Kurt, who shrugs.

Sighing, you card your hand through his uncharastically messy hair, shaking your head. “French is his first language. He only learned English two years ago, before he came to Dalton.” you frown, eyes searching his face. “When we started dating, he was still learning.” you explain, “He must’ve hit his head really hard…” you cringe, pulling your beanie down.

“So, what’re we gonna do?” Artie pipes up, pushing his glasses to his nose.

Sebastian tugs on your hand, pouting. “Regarde, je ne comprends pas ce que tu dis mais (look, I don't understand what you're saying but)...” he pauses, licking his lips. “Je meurs de faim, pouvons-nous manger (I'm starving, can we eat)?”

You shrug your shoulders, squinting your eyes. “I think he’s hungry? Help me take him to Breadstix?”

[dmenace20-blog]

A Tall Mocha. By: Dennis Saunders

“I’ll have a tall mocha please.”

And just like that my sugar laden coffee drink was being prepared by a young barista with several hours worth of tattoos draped down her arms.

Why is it this cold in December?

I was supposed to meet Justin here 17 minutes ago, and the anxiety that he backed out from seeing me was setting in… hard. My stomach was turning, my breathing becoming ragged, and my heart racing, anticipating spending the afternoon alone, hands cold and empty. The fear of being rejected before he even met me triggered a pang of self-loathing that started in my lower abdomen and slowly radiated through each extremity of my body, before being met with violent vibrations in my right pocket. A text.

“B there n 5 mins running late sry”

Wow he’s running late on the first date…

My mind was, however, put at ease and I could feel my pulse slow as I re-read (and silently corrected) his text. Eight simple words that had the power to torque my mood from nervous to, well, still nervous. Honestly, the thought of meeting him for the first time scared the hell out of me. My phone erupted into a fit of vibrations. Another text.

“Drivin an old blue truck almost there”

A blue truck? I don’t even like trucks. If we go anywhere after coffee, we’re taking my car.

I figured that I still had a minute to run to the bathroom and puke my guts out, or fix my hair – whichever came first.

What if I’m not what he is expecting? What if he doesn’t know how big I am? What if I’m not manly enough for him?

I exited the bathroom, leaving the mirror behind, and putting the unanswered anxieties in my back pocket to be confirmed or denied shortly. I sat down in a cold iron chair on the patio outside and started playing through possible scenarios in my head, but my wandering was interrupted by the sound of eight rusty cylinders grumbling across the lot. I heard the low growl of the engine shut off and the sound of a door in desperate need of WD-40 slam shut.

I pretended like I didn’t see him, like I was too enveloped in looking at what color Kylie Jenner’s hair was that week on Instagram to notice his cocky gait approach me. But I did notice. I noticed his dirty blond hair, and how the short locks moved gently as Winter sighed a sigh of relief across the parking lot. At five foot eight inches, he was shorter than my six foot frame, and his chest was broad and defined, despite being concealed inside the warm layers of his coat. His Levi’s were made of dark denim and fit closely to his thighs, slowly loosening slightly above his knees and continuing down to his ankles to his black Nikes. He continued to walk across the parking lot to where I was sitting on the patio, walking as if the pavement were under his command. I stood up to greet him.

“Hey I’m Justin,” he proudly introduced himself while shaking my hand.

His hands are warm. His bicep flexed under the tan fabric of his Carhartt jacket as he shook my hand.

I quickly noticed the subtle definition in his chest and responded.

“Nice to meet you in person, finally. Do you want to go inside for a drink?” I asked.

“Yeah sure, but I don’t know what to order,” he said staring back at me. His eyes were blue like my own, but different. They were much lighter than mine, and seemed to be searching my soul for something. What does he want from me?

“It’s ok, I’m fluent in Starbucks, and you really can’t go wrong with any drink here.”

“Ok,” and he led me into that closet small space which smelled of coffee, blueberry scones, and the sweat of young scholars furiously typing last minute essays.

There was already a line forming, and we would have to wait to order his drink. I still had half of my mocha left and couldn’t stomach another. This wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t late. We wouldn’t be waiting in line, then we would already—

“Why were you sitting outside?,” he asked with his head turning so his eyes could meet mine, “It’s really cold. I’m sure you’re ‘bout to freeze.” As he asked, He used his hand to brush my cheek, which was sporting a week of facial scruff that was soon to need attention. The silky ridges of his fingerprints drew across the coarse grain of my soon-to-be-beard and ended on the chapped surface of my cheekbone, pulling the blood from my feet to the surface of my cheeks.

Oh my god, he touched me. He really just touched me. What do I do? I settled for a smile and responded to his question, “Ah-um, I um… I  don’t like how busy it is in here, so I waited for you on the patio.” My face was red from his contact, and he smirked as if he knew I was putty in his hands.

“Oh ok,” he answered, his gaze and half-smile drifting back to the menu, which must have looked like a foreign language to him. The line was moving forward at a rate much faster than I originally anticipated, and the only thing between him and a cup of coffee was the woman ahead of us. I grew silent and examined all that I could of him from the corner of my eye without turning directly to him and gawking. His posture was relaxed, his shoulders slightly concave, and he continuously shifted his weight from foot to foot. Was he as nervous as me?

“Ok I still don’t know what to order.” I pondered his statement and offered some advice.

“Well since it is December, you could definitely take advantage of the seasonal drinks, like an eggnog latte, pumpkin spice latte, praline latte-“

“I want the praline latte,” he interjected.

“Alrighty, praline it is.”

The woman ahead of us finally finished placing her elaborate order and the same barista with tattoos from earlier took Justin’s order.

“That’ll be $4.73”

Beep. The machine approved my card in the amount of time it took Justin to dig around in his pockets looking for his wallet.

“You didn’t have to pay for me,” his face looking genuinely disappointed about the fact that I paid for his coffee.

“I really don’t mind,” and I reminded him, “you’re the one who had to drive 45 minutes to get here. I only had a 15 minute drive, so this is fair.”

“If you say so,” his lips turning back into a smile as he gestured me back outside to the patio, coffee in hand.

We sat next to each other on a bench facing the parking lot, both holding our drinks, both looking straight ahead, both silent. The only sounds filling the void of non-existent conversation were the passing cars, the echo of people laughing on the other side of the glass, and the bell mounted on top of the coffee shop’s entrance door.

“Soooo…,” he dragged out, trying to decide how to finish his sentence, “what kind of music do you like?”

“Hmmmmm… Lately I’ve been obsessed with Imagine Dragons, but I’m always a sucker for Taylor Swift.”

“No way! I love Taylor Swift,” his face lit up and we turned to face each other to continue talking.

We talked for almost an hour about the evolution of Swift’s music from her first album in 2006, to her newest album which was released just a few weeks before, titled “1989”. We discussed our families, the good and the bad, our hometowns, our interests, and my plans for school since I was set to graduate in June before heading off to WCU. While explaining why I was so excited to start a new life at Western, he snaked his arm down to gently grab my hand. I tried to keep my thoughts and speech coherent as his slender fingers intertwined with mine before our palms rested against the other. Woah, are his hands always this warm? I continued droning on about how exiting and difficult being in a collegiate level marching band with a nationally applauded reputation was going to be, and he continued to hold my hand and smile.

I asked him, “What about you? What do you want to study?”

His grip became more tense. Did I strike a nerve?

His face wrinkled up, tensed, and he responded, “I didn’t go to college after graduating two years ago. It was too expensive so it wasn’t an option,” he paused to take a deep breath, “So, I started working, and I just keep on keeping on hoping that one day I’ll find a decent career.”

I’ve been here for almost two hours now. Mom is going to wonder why, “having lunch with Diana,” is taking so long.

“As long as you don’t stop reaching for more, you’ll do great,” I responded, and the tension in his brows melted away, his mouth curling back into a handsome smile. I could feel the buzz of his phone sandwiched between our touching thighs. Justin withdrew his leg to check his phone, allowing the cold dry air to fill the gap between us. The cold air permeated through my denim and found the damp spot of sweat created by his thigh on mine, and it felt like drinking ice water after chewing peppermint gum. Responding to a text, he let go of my hand, and the bitter air found a new home on my sweaty palms too.

After a few minutes of hearing the tapping of his jagged, chewed nails against the oily glass of his phone screen, he said, “I have to go.”

           “Okay,” I mumbled, “can I walk you to your truck?”

           “Of course” he smiled.

           He stood up, readjusting his pants which fell slightly below his waist line from the prolonged sitting. I followed suit, repositioned my coat, and ran my fingers through my hair one final time.

           “Alright, lets go,” he started, “trucks this way.”

           As if I didn’t see where he parked

           The distance between the patio and his truck was no more than 150 feet, and I silently wished that he’d parked further away. Just a few more minutes.

           Within the minute, we arrived at the driver’s side door of his truck. He reached inside to start the engine since it was cold from sitting for so long. This is it. This is where he tells me we should see other people and he would rather be my friend. Justin will never want to see-

           “That was fun. Can we do this again-”

           Did I hear him wrong? He wants to do this again? I inhale.

           “Only if you want to, of course” his eyes darting back and forth from the ground to my eyes.

He is nervous.

           Before I could respond, he stepped closer to me, leaving inches between our chests, our faces, our lips. I could smell the remnants of coffee on his breath, and see the prickly hairs that framed his jaws and mouth. He leaned in even closer, causing me hold my breath and try not to pass out, but I wouldn’t dare back away. All noise ceased to exist and I could only hear my heart pounding in my ears, and slamming on the walls of my ribcage. First, his left hand met the right side of my neck, while my earring toyed with the sleeve of his coat. He pulled my face down, closing the last few inches of space between our faces, and he grabbed my left hip with his right hand. Our lips met setting my body on fire. He kissed me over and over, pulling me into him and gently biting my bottom lip. It was pure sensory overload. My chest felt like it was going to implode, and in that moment, the tension, the anxieties, the questions, the fear, the unknown, was all put to rest. I could finally breathe. After what felt like hours, he pulled away and the cold replaced the space that our interlocked bodies once occupied. He smiled, but it wasn’t cocky or all-knowing; it was just a smile. I beamed back, face red, cheeks chapped, and hands shaking, but warm.

           “I’ll take that as a yes,” he said with a quick wink.

           “That is definitely a yes,” I returned.