#should have booked a hotel in Philly

[miru-has-thoughts]

Fuck me... It's 1:00AM and I still have to drive an hour to get home 🥴

[nancywheeeler]

dynamic pricing should be illegal. thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[timomoe]

So idk if anyone here bothers to pay attention to American news, (Ik it affects a lot of the world but it's so terrible to the point where it affects my mental health so even I don't as often as I should) but we have some incredible happenings coming out of my beloved Philadelphia.

So, Mom's for Liberty was having a conference there. MFL is a hate group focused on - among other things - outlawing all LGBTQ topics being banned from school, the outlawing of gender affirming care, etc.

They were holding a conference, a big one, big enough that the moldy orange himself, Trump, made an appearance. Well the good people of Philly said "fuck you and your bullshit," and went out of their way to spite the fuck out of them. All around the hotel the conference was being held at, trans flags were put on lamp posts. Outside the hotel, people set up "Banned Book Booths" that gave away books that have been pulled from shelves in Florida. As Trump arrived, a crowd gathered to chant "FUCK YOU, TRAITOR!" The entire time the conference went on, people were outside with megaphones screaming "LEAVE OUR CITY!" And my favorite part? People went into the hotel with these door signs, found out which rooms had MFL members in it and put these on them.

I love this country sometimes.

[kamreadsandrecs]

Kim Kelly

None of this should have come as a surprise to anyone. The barricades, the protests, the arrests, the drab counterterrorism units bobbing in and out of the powder-blue sea of police—it was all to be expected, and could have easily been prevented weeks ago. A couple of canceled reservations, maybe some refunds, a cautiously worded public statement or two, and boom! Everyone in Philadelphia could’ve gone about their weekends in peace.

But Moms for Liberty, the far-right hate group that has pushed both book bans and their own anti-Black, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric across the country while masquerading as a defender of “parental rights,” chose Philadelphia as the site of their annual “Joyful Warriors” summit this past week. And, with typical subtlety, they decided to hold their opening reception at the Museum of the American Revolution, in the heart of Old City, and booked the conference itself at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, just steps away from City Hall.

There was a certain logic behind choosing this particular city ahead of the Fourth of July holiday—we’re the birthplace of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and all that jazz—but it was also a taunt, a challenge: This city, this country, belongs to us, not to you. So what are you going to do about it?

The museum and the hotel could have canceled the events. Both had been asked to do so, multiple times, by many voices (in the museum’s case, including their own workers and collaborators). They would have had the support of the majority of the city. Instead, the people of Philadelphia have had to show up in force to reject a flood of hate oozing its way into our city, to defend ourselves and our community from the violence being preached from chintzy pulpits, and to voice our displeasure with the hundreds of unwanted guests that we did not invite and refused to tolerate. (Oh, and we also had to foot the bill for whatever it costs to both pay cops even more money than they already get and fortify an overpriced chain hotel against the city it occupies.)

Moms for Liberty had invited Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and other assorted far-right hate-mongers to speak, ushering them into a majority-Black, heavily Democratic city that has repeatedly rejected their toxic rhetoric at the ballot box and in the streets. For some reason, though, the conference organizers appeared to assume that they would be able to live it up in Philly unchallenged, protected by police escorts and their own privilege. Maybe some of the moms had planned to do a little shopping at the Fashion District, or trundled down to gawp at the Liberty Bell from behind a barricade of its own. They thought they’d be welcomed into the City of Brotherly Love.

They were wrong.

As soon as the news of the oncoming summit became public, ACT UP Philadelphia, the local chapter of the iconic direct action group formed in 1987 to end the AIDS crisis, mobilized. Beginning on May 12, they rallied in front of the Marriott multiple times, each time calling on the hotel to cancel the event and deny hate a platform. Week after week, ACT UP members gave speeches, waved trans pride flags, and explained why it was so important to deny Moms for Liberty a space to tout their dangerously homophobic, transphobic rhetoric. The hotel seemingly ignored them, and in doing so, silently made clear where it stood on the issue.

ACT UP wasn’t alone in calling on the hotel to do the right thing. Philly’s Young Communist League played an instrumental role in organizing the weekend protests against Moms for Liberty, and other local groups spoke out and got involved in organizing against the event. Elected officials also voiced their opposition to Moms for Liberty’s incursion. In May, state Senator Nikil Saval and Representatives Mary Louise Isaacson and Ben Waxman sent the Marriott a letter saying, “Hosting an organization with a track record of promoting discriminatory practices and divisive policies goes against the principles of inclusivity and respect that should be upheld by a reputable establishment like yours.” Even Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement, writing, “We oppose this group’s policy goals, which include attempts to disregard history, ban books, and silence conversations about race, gender, and sexuality.” Celena Morrison, executive director of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs, went a step further and acknowledged the direct threat that Moms for Liberty’s convergence posed to the community itself. “We know that the presence of Moms for Liberty may stir up fear or distress for our BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities,” she said. “We urge all those affected to take the appropriate measures to ensure their well-being while Moms for Liberty is visiting our city.”

Those appropriate measures started off on the morning of June 29 with a banner drop over I-95. Early birds were greeted with warnings that “Philly Protects Trans Kids” and “Bad Things Happen to Fascists in Philadelphia,” and that was only the beginning of a four-day-long protest that would bring hundreds, if not thousands, of people out into the streets. That evening, I watched as protesters encircled the Museum of the American Revolution. Armed with passionate speakers like ACT UP’s Jazmyn Henderson, a heavy-duty sound system, a fierce playlist, and hundreds of supporters, ACT UP and YCL members led the crowd in an hours-long queer dance party that doubled as an open roast of the Moms for Liberty attendees slinking in and out of the museum. “We lit out here. We not boring like these fucking people!” one speaker hollered as the sound system blared hip-hop. Another protester held up a sign reading, “Hey Moms for Liberty: if you’re scared of violent pornographic content near your kids, just wait until you read your Bible!”

The cops set up a maze of barricades to ensure that none of the protesters were able to get within a few dozen feet of the entrance, and the conference provided a fleet of charter buses to shuttle its people between the museum and the hotel. But sound carries, and they were able to hear exactly what Philly thought of them, their poisonous ideology, their hateful actions, and their terrible haircuts.

The dance party continued throughout the weekend. Protesters decamped to the Marriott for the next three days of the conference, where more barriers and an endless stream of bored-looking cops tried to insulate the attendees from the actual city. That didn’t always work, either. A delightful video began circulating on social media on Friday after a local encountered a few errant moms in Reading Terminal Market, and helpfully ushered them out with a few choice exhortations—“Racists have never been welcome here, ever! And you’re still not welcome here!” The moms in question seemed shocked that anyone would dare oppose them. That indignant air accompanied them whenever they were forced to actually interact with a Philadelphian that weekend. Perhaps simply not enough people have been telling them to their face that their hateful agenda was not welcome, so Philly was happy to oblige. While I was there on Friday afternoon, the cops forgot to barricade off an exit path between the Marriott and the parking garage across the street, forcing conference attendees to come face-to-face with the protesters. All of a sudden, panicked fascists were getting chased down the street and up into the parking garage, heckled and jeered at, and told in no uncertain terms how the city felt about them. The cops scrambled to regain control, and the dance party continued. Making fascists feel unsafe is as much a Philly specialty as a cheesesteak from John’s Roast Pork or Irish potatoes, and it felt awfully nice to indulge.

Though there were arrests on Sunday after five brave activists blocked an intersection and refused to move and another waved a trans pride flag over the Marriott barricade, there was very little police violence that weekend (besides the usual implicit violence of their presence). ACT UP Philadelphia was adamant that the dance party and associated events remain peaceful, and they did; whenever things began to heat up, organizers would grab the mic and calm everyone down. The tagline, “They can’t stop trans and queer joy!” underpinned the dance party protest, and that joyful resistance was in full bloom. The kid-centered events were especially sweet, and the protests maintained a family-friendly vibe throughout, as long as your kid could handle a few (thousand) swear words.

It was very much a big-tent effort, with the Young Communist League and a guy holding a star-spangled donkey figurine peacefully occupying the same space outside the Marriott on Friday. Rainbow dresses, assless chaps, black balaclavas, and red-white-and-blue T-shirts were all there coexisting for a common cause. Local DJs filled the air with energy. Philly Elmo and Spider-Punk showed up. There was even a gospel drag choir! It was beautiful, and it was very Philly. Elsewhere in the city, people showed up to support the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Gay News had previously reported that the library’s Pride Month events had received threats from Moms for Liberty ahead of the convention, and that staff had been cautioned to keep an eye out for disruptors. The National Parents Union held a Rally Against Moms for Liberty in Love Park; the next day, so did Grandparents for Truth and Defense of Democracy. Campaign for Our Shared Future did a banned-book giveaway next to the Marriott. An autonomous group of local activists held an “art march” that took the streets and adorned the surrounding area with pro-trans, anti-fascist stickers and graffiti. There really was something for everybody, provided you weren’t a hateful fascist bigot.

That’s generally Philly’s vibe anyway. The city’s two cardinal rules—don’t be a dick, and mind your business—are very easy to follow. We’re a fun city, a welcoming city, and definitely a weird city. It’s part of our rough-edged charm, and why so many people love to visit us. But the thing that those visitors need to keep in mind is that we are also a very queer, a very trans, a very Black, and a very anti-fascist city, and if you can’t handle that, you’re no longer welcome. We won’t be shy about letting you know that, and we definitely won’t make your time here pleasant. Moms for Liberty fucked around, and they found out what it looks like when you cross us and threaten our neighbors. That’s when the City of Brotherly Love turns into Hostile City—and you’re on your own there, bud.

[kammartinez]

Kim Kelly

None of this should have come as a surprise to anyone. The barricades, the protests, the arrests, the drab counterterrorism units bobbing in and out of the powder-blue sea of police—it was all to be expected, and could have easily been prevented weeks ago. A couple of canceled reservations, maybe some refunds, a cautiously worded public statement or two, and boom! Everyone in Philadelphia could’ve gone about their weekends in peace.

But Moms for Liberty, the far-right hate group that has pushed both book bans and their own anti-Black, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric across the country while masquerading as a defender of “parental rights,” chose Philadelphia as the site of their annual “Joyful Warriors” summit this past week. And, with typical subtlety, they decided to hold their opening reception at the Museum of the American Revolution, in the heart of Old City, and booked the conference itself at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, just steps away from City Hall.

There was a certain logic behind choosing this particular city ahead of the Fourth of July holiday—we’re the birthplace of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and all that jazz—but it was also a taunt, a challenge: This city, this country, belongs to us, not to you. So what are you going to do about it?

The museum and the hotel could have canceled the events. Both had been asked to do so, multiple times, by many voices (in the museum’s case, including their own workers and collaborators). They would have had the support of the majority of the city. Instead, the people of Philadelphia have had to show up in force to reject a flood of hate oozing its way into our city, to defend ourselves and our community from the violence being preached from chintzy pulpits, and to voice our displeasure with the hundreds of unwanted guests that we did not invite and refused to tolerate. (Oh, and we also had to foot the bill for whatever it costs to both pay cops even more money than they already get and fortify an overpriced chain hotel against the city it occupies.)

Moms for Liberty had invited Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and other assorted far-right hate-mongers to speak, ushering them into a majority-Black, heavily Democratic city that has repeatedly rejected their toxic rhetoric at the ballot box and in the streets. For some reason, though, the conference organizers appeared to assume that they would be able to live it up in Philly unchallenged, protected by police escorts and their own privilege. Maybe some of the moms had planned to do a little shopping at the Fashion District, or trundled down to gawp at the Liberty Bell from behind a barricade of its own. They thought they’d be welcomed into the City of Brotherly Love.

They were wrong.

As soon as the news of the oncoming summit became public, ACT UP Philadelphia, the local chapter of the iconic direct action group formed in 1987 to end the AIDS crisis, mobilized. Beginning on May 12, they rallied in front of the Marriott multiple times, each time calling on the hotel to cancel the event and deny hate a platform. Week after week, ACT UP members gave speeches, waved trans pride flags, and explained why it was so important to deny Moms for Liberty a space to tout their dangerously homophobic, transphobic rhetoric. The hotel seemingly ignored them, and in doing so, silently made clear where it stood on the issue.

ACT UP wasn’t alone in calling on the hotel to do the right thing. Philly’s Young Communist League played an instrumental role in organizing the weekend protests against Moms for Liberty, and other local groups spoke out and got involved in organizing against the event. Elected officials also voiced their opposition to Moms for Liberty’s incursion. In May, state Senator Nikil Saval and Representatives Mary Louise Isaacson and Ben Waxman sent the Marriott a letter saying, “Hosting an organization with a track record of promoting discriminatory practices and divisive policies goes against the principles of inclusivity and respect that should be upheld by a reputable establishment like yours.” Even Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement, writing, “We oppose this group’s policy goals, which include attempts to disregard history, ban books, and silence conversations about race, gender, and sexuality.” Celena Morrison, executive director of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs, went a step further and acknowledged the direct threat that Moms for Liberty’s convergence posed to the community itself. “We know that the presence of Moms for Liberty may stir up fear or distress for our BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities,” she said. “We urge all those affected to take the appropriate measures to ensure their well-being while Moms for Liberty is visiting our city.”

Those appropriate measures started off on the morning of June 29 with a banner drop over I-95. Early birds were greeted with warnings that “Philly Protects Trans Kids” and “Bad Things Happen to Fascists in Philadelphia,” and that was only the beginning of a four-day-long protest that would bring hundreds, if not thousands, of people out into the streets. That evening, I watched as protesters encircled the Museum of the American Revolution. Armed with passionate speakers like ACT UP’s Jazmyn Henderson, a heavy-duty sound system, a fierce playlist, and hundreds of supporters, ACT UP and YCL members led the crowd in an hours-long queer dance party that doubled as an open roast of the Moms for Liberty attendees slinking in and out of the museum. “We lit out here. We not boring like these fucking people!” one speaker hollered as the sound system blared hip-hop. Another protester held up a sign reading, “Hey Moms for Liberty: if you’re scared of violent pornographic content near your kids, just wait until you read your Bible!”

The cops set up a maze of barricades to ensure that none of the protesters were able to get within a few dozen feet of the entrance, and the conference provided a fleet of charter buses to shuttle its people between the museum and the hotel. But sound carries, and they were able to hear exactly what Philly thought of them, their poisonous ideology, their hateful actions, and their terrible haircuts.

The dance party continued throughout the weekend. Protesters decamped to the Marriott for the next three days of the conference, where more barriers and an endless stream of bored-looking cops tried to insulate the attendees from the actual city. That didn’t always work, either. A delightful video began circulating on social media on Friday after a local encountered a few errant moms in Reading Terminal Market, and helpfully ushered them out with a few choice exhortations—“Racists have never been welcome here, ever! And you’re still not welcome here!” The moms in question seemed shocked that anyone would dare oppose them. That indignant air accompanied them whenever they were forced to actually interact with a Philadelphian that weekend. Perhaps simply not enough people have been telling them to their face that their hateful agenda was not welcome, so Philly was happy to oblige. While I was there on Friday afternoon, the cops forgot to barricade off an exit path between the Marriott and the parking garage across the street, forcing conference attendees to come face-to-face with the protesters. All of a sudden, panicked fascists were getting chased down the street and up into the parking garage, heckled and jeered at, and told in no uncertain terms how the city felt about them. The cops scrambled to regain control, and the dance party continued. Making fascists feel unsafe is as much a Philly specialty as a cheesesteak from John’s Roast Pork or Irish potatoes, and it felt awfully nice to indulge.

Though there were arrests on Sunday after five brave activists blocked an intersection and refused to move and another waved a trans pride flag over the Marriott barricade, there was very little police violence that weekend (besides the usual implicit violence of their presence). ACT UP Philadelphia was adamant that the dance party and associated events remain peaceful, and they did; whenever things began to heat up, organizers would grab the mic and calm everyone down. The tagline, “They can’t stop trans and queer joy!” underpinned the dance party protest, and that joyful resistance was in full bloom. The kid-centered events were especially sweet, and the protests maintained a family-friendly vibe throughout, as long as your kid could handle a few (thousand) swear words.

It was very much a big-tent effort, with the Young Communist League and a guy holding a star-spangled donkey figurine peacefully occupying the same space outside the Marriott on Friday. Rainbow dresses, assless chaps, black balaclavas, and red-white-and-blue T-shirts were all there coexisting for a common cause. Local DJs filled the air with energy. Philly Elmo and Spider-Punk showed up. There was even a gospel drag choir! It was beautiful, and it was very Philly. Elsewhere in the city, people showed up to support the Free Library of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Gay News had previously reported that the library’s Pride Month events had received threats from Moms for Liberty ahead of the convention, and that staff had been cautioned to keep an eye out for disruptors. The National Parents Union held a Rally Against Moms for Liberty in Love Park; the next day, so did Grandparents for Truth and Defense of Democracy. Campaign for Our Shared Future did a banned-book giveaway next to the Marriott. An autonomous group of local activists held an “art march” that took the streets and adorned the surrounding area with pro-trans, anti-fascist stickers and graffiti. There really was something for everybody, provided you weren’t a hateful fascist bigot.

That’s generally Philly’s vibe anyway. The city’s two cardinal rules—don’t be a dick, and mind your business—are very easy to follow. We’re a fun city, a welcoming city, and definitely a weird city. It’s part of our rough-edged charm, and why so many people love to visit us. But the thing that those visitors need to keep in mind is that we are also a very queer, a very trans, a very Black, and a very anti-fascist city, and if you can’t handle that, you’re no longer welcome. We won’t be shy about letting you know that, and we definitely won’t make your time here pleasant. Moms for Liberty fucked around, and they found out what it looks like when you cross us and threaten our neighbors. That’s when the City of Brotherly Love turns into Hostile City—and you’re on your own there, bud.

[midnightmisadventures]

Guys i had ANOTHER australia dream

This was so crazy and soooo long

it lasted the whole night and the entirety of the dream was basically in the airport

Um.....basically our trip was planned, booked and busy. And me and the most random group, like it wasnt just friends it was high school people, it wasnt just hs people it was some family, wasnt just family it was some randos. Like the most smorgege board of squad and everyone else 

And we were staying somewhere in philly, or somewhere, that was close to the airport so we could wake up and catch our flight. But then the morning of we were at the hotel and realized omg we were kinda late, so the hotel was like 25 mins from the airport and everyone wanted ample time to be there bc.....the flight was to australia like its a big deal. 

So then something goes terribly wrong with me and i have to go all the way home to get something crucial, like my ticket, my passport my luggage. And im sobbing in chip at home like “i screwed it all up, i cant even go, is it even worth trying?? like would i even make it” and we looked at the time and they were supposed to board the plane at like 5:30 and idk we were over an hour away and in very hot water. 

And my dad was like ehhh your in trouble but you might make it, GO FAST GO NOW. 

Which is interesting because, in the last dream i was looking at the cost and it was thousands of thousands of dollars and verbatim i asked my parents “is this even worth trying to make this possible, like theres no way right? right?” expecting them to immediately say “yea theres no way” but they keep surprising me and saying basically “dont worry about that of course its possible” 

Which must just be spirit telling me to stop thinking things are impossible and limiting my mindset on what can happen and what i can do. 

Anyway, AuntyAbby was rushing me to the airport and i think now i was with another group who was trying to make it on time. And the whole dream is like us rushing around meeting different airport workers and befriending them saying “please please is there anyway you can help us make it to our flight on time” the airport was huge. So one person would help us take a secret underground shuttle, and one person would help us go super fast through a security checkpoint. Also plenty of elevators. They were usually to far away cause the building had too many floors and we always had to take the stairs. And it was that but for several hours. Like im not kidding, and we were begging people at each step to call the terminal and make sure they havent done the final boarding call. And everyone kept assuring us “you should make it”

But we were running. And on the way, in true dream fashion i kept having to leave little things behind that i wanted to bring but were too much of a hassell to carry around. Like stray things, and i kept fighting for my life to keep everything together but little momentos and sentimental things i kept having to leave behind. 

In fact, the dream illustrated this lesson all the way through the end, because at the end of the dream when we finally are being let on the plane. We were in this waiting area for a while while the plane located seats for us because it was a packed flight to australia waiting to finally get going because of us. 

I had my backpack, which my sooooo heavy and full and hurting my back to carry. My polkadot over night bag. A jacket, a purse, and my main suitcase big luggage. So you can imagine. Running around for hours trying to catch my flight, was exhausting carrying around all that baggage (in fact it was making me later *wink wink*) 

So finally when we were waiting for the door to open to the plane i was first in line ready to go, SO SO SO  happy to be finally securely on my flight to australia, after being so stressed out for hours. I could be excited about my mystery trip lol and relax and realize that everything worked out. I could almost taste the feeling of finally sitting in my plane seat. So much so that when they opened the door i rushed in. And the attendant told us there should be individual seats open in section C. I was walking in with erikka and i wanted a good seat, out of what was available. I found one in the row next to erikkas and it was an aisle seat. I was so excited cause it was a long flight and i didnt want to be squished by strangers. 

So i run in secure my seat and realize “oh shit i have my backpack, my polkadot, and my jacket but not my LUGGAGE” so i save my seat and walk back to the door because i know i mustve left it right at the entrance. But the plane was so ready to take off that they had already locked the exits and started moving. And my stomach dropped like, i was thinking i CANNOT go to australia without my stuff what the fuck no no no  no. And i told the flight attendants “please i know you have already been so patient with us and made many accommodations but i left my bag RIGHT there can you please open the door” and theyre like yikes like we started moving. There were two flight attendants helping me. The woman was convinced they could get the pilot to stop and turn around we had only gone three feet. And the man kept saying the pilot has been trying to start this trip for forever he already waited he wont turn around.

And i was SIIICCKKKKKKK 

But i get it.....leave the bags, catch the elevator. 

I’m just so confused as to why Australia

[steamishot]

xmas 2022 pt 2

on the day after xmas, i called carnival cruise who told me that we are unable to embark on the cruise from cozumel and proceeded to cancel our ticket because there was no way we could make it to nola in time. we were refunded only the taxes & fees, as well as the price for our chichen itza excursion. currently we have to pay our cruise ticket price (~$1800 for two) as a penalty fee. NY state has a regulation where we are unable to utilize carnival’s refund if we did not buy travel insurance from the cruise company. i’m hoping that amex can come to the rescue with trip cancellation insurance. as the department is out of office today, i should have an answer tomorrow. 

we cancelled our very expensive business class ticket to cancun right after we were told that embarkment was impossible. out of desperation and emotions, matt was willing to pay $3k for the tickets if that meant he could cruise with his family. 

after a 4 hour hold on the phone with delta the day after xmas, they issued me a $250 voucher for the inconvenience of missing the cruise. we are hoping for more compensation but it is pending processing from the refunds department and may take up to 30 days for a response. i followed up with delta today via chat (which took a considerably shorter time for a response ~15 minutes) and they again offered apologies and a $150 voucher/person. so far, i am up $550 for the two of us for this flight cancellation and hope i can get more so that all our expenses will be covered lol. 

xmas and the days after xmas turned into scrambling and troubleshooting for the trip. it wasn’t the easiest to communicate because matt was on a different schedule than us. i had to be the bearer of bad news to his family and to him when he woke up that day after night shifts (after only 4 hours of sleep). running on fumes, post-night shifts/80 hour work week recovery and the disappointment of missing a family cruise made this experience very emotional. we booked last minute flights to new orleans to arrive thursday morning and booked a last minute hotel room in the french quarter. also did our best to book restaurants and activities. 

matt always sets out to bite off more than he can chew. its admirable that he always does so much though it comes with extra benefits and extra tolls/stress. the moment that our flight to nola got cancelled, i would have given up, stayed put in nyc, and went straight to amex to try and get our money back. matt (regardless of the fact that he’s working a 12 hr shift until 7am the night before) immediately goes to check for other flights that we can possibly take, from philly, or other routes, to get on the damn cruise. 

f*ck marwa (his boss) for putting him on night shifts yet again. although his contract says 20% of nights, we calculated his nights to be 45% thus far. he finally complained when she put him on nights on the second half of january again. a trip right after night shifts is definitely not enjoyable because you’re basically recovering and reversing the “jet lag” the first few days. anyway, if he was on days, we saw that the flight that we would have taken on xmas night made it to nola soundly. 

nola 2022: the last time i was in nola was right before the pandemic in january 2020. i guess this trip makes it full circle. this time around, i experienced the richer side of nola. we had a rental car last time; this time we ubered or took tours. due to our sleep schedules being off, we only got one hour of sleep before our flight thursday morning. the hotel fortunately allowed us complimentary early check in. we took an uber to eat at blue oaks bbq near city park and trudged over to cafe du monde afterwards. came back to the hotel to nap. that night, we ate at compere lapin. 

on the second day, our steamboat on the mississippi river got delayed and then cancelled. it was pouring rain and they said the boat had mechanical issues. i think the world was telling us that we’re not allowed on any boats that week. we went to eat herbsaint, checked out the sazerac house, and then rode a streetcar to the garden district to eat la petite grocery. all of these restaurants that we were eating were mostly white, “fine dining” establishments. la petite grocery especially was entirely white. it felt interesting to be the only POC. my favorite dish of this trip was the hamachi with pineapple and fried okra from compere lapin.

on the third day (NYE), we met up with matt’s family for a swamp and plantation tour. i did these activities in 2020 but at different locations so it was interesting to compare/contrast. the weather was warmer this time around, so we saw more alligators. i was lucky to see one up close. the plantation’s oak trees are beautiful. the one we went to this time was more commercialized and the experience was more like a museum. after the tour, we checked in to the sonder that i booked for everyone - it was a two bedroom apartment and extremely spacious. i led matt’s dad, brother and cousin in and it was really nice to see their reaction to the space. matt and his mom came in later and she liked it too. matt and i have become the default planners/navigators of trips. he did the majority of the work when it came to booking everyone’s plane tickets, cruise tickets, excursions, hotels, activities, restaurants etc. not only does he book these, but everything has to be up to his standards as good quality and good deal. 

sidebar: we have met his match when it comes to these credit card points/travel hacking, his indian coworker R. R was helping us through this scramble during xmas night shift (tips on converting points to stay at a 5 star resort for cheap, how to email a complaint letter to delta using an AI generator, etc)

NYE evening, we ate at trenasse, which FINALLY was a mixed crowd. we ate the flavors of lousiana (crawfish pie, shrimp and grits, gumbo, oysters, etc) and shared a bottle of wine. the timing worked out perfectly for us to walk over to jackson square to watch the ball drop at midnight. our sonder also provided NYE props for us to wear and matts cousin had some raver necklaces. i think this was my first time ever celebrating new years by actually being out and counting down? the crowd was not at all rowdy and overall it was pretty quiet - i was scared it was going to be very crazy like bourbon st which i can only handle in doses. the fireworks were mesmerizing and the whole experience was really nice. 

all of our uber drivers were friendly and talkative, which is completely different from NYC and most other cities. there were three uber drivers that we had who were talking on the phone on speaker. one was specifically chatting to his baby mama or girlfriend about nye plans and his lost debit card lol. i’ve never seen an uber driver have a full on conversation with passengers in their car. i was a bit apprehensive about all the talking (like i see how covid can spread more easily with this southern hospitality culture) but i started liking it by the end of the trip. 

it usually comes down to: we got to experience really cool and memorable things, but is it worth the extra stress/lack of relaxation and rest? especially when the lack of relaxation and rest impacts the quality of being able to experience said really cool things? is it worth it if the extra stress causes us to be in worse moods and argue more? seeing family also comes with extra responsibilities as we are the adult couple who has more travel experiences and therefore should make the call on a lot of things. 

this month, i am making it a point to only stay in town. we need to learn how to cultivate our lives here, which can be difficult without family and many friends. 

although we have more money now, we are not using it to make our lives less stressful. in fact we are complicating our lives and adding more pressure. with the bougier choices that we are making (to try and make ourselves happier), ie the expensive trips and expensive dinners, there are definitely higher expectations, higher financial pressures and stress, more planning involved (and more opportunities for mishaps to occur), and then then more pressure to work more to fund this lifestyle that you’re too burnt out to enjoy. soooo stupid.

[starrybethany]

I’m Sure - Adam Boqvist Imagine Part 5

Word count: 4.0K

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Adam: You followed me

I stare at the three words, blinking with tired eyes. All I want to do is sleep, especially after the day I’ve had with Holden, but the baby decided kicking me was more important. So here I am at four o’clock in the morning checking my social media when I should be getting another three hours of sleep.

I rub my eyes, unsure of how to even respond to the message.

It’s just a statement. I feel flabbergasted by it- really, we haven’t talked in years- well, technically months, but the last time we saw each other we just fucked, and our child went to see him without my knowledge or consent. How the fuck am I supposed to respond to those three words?

Y/N: I think we need to talk.

I sigh, setting my phone down. Might as well get straight to the point. The sooner I tell him about the second baby and ask why he would see Holden without at least running it past me the better. I roll over, pulling the blanket tighter around me. Hopefully I can sleep at least a little bit longer. I’m going to need it to deal with the moody adolescent I’ll be seeing in the morning.

~

“I made some toast and bacon. Just let me just finish cutting up these strawberries and then breakfast will be ready,” I inform Holden as he hops down the stairs.

He picks up the filled plate waiting for him on the table, throwing the food into the trashcan and setting the plate on the counter, giving me an expectant look.

I stare blankly back at him. I know he’s waiting for a reaction. He wants me to blow up so then he feels okay yelling at me instead of starting the confrontation himself. Instead, I just say, “That’s wasteful.”

He rolls his eyes, grabbing his backpack from its usual spot by the door and making his way outside, letting it slam shut behind him. I release the breath that I’ve been holding in, popping a strawberry into my mouth.

I open my Instagram app to catch up on the posts that I’ve missed, freezing when I see that I’ve received a DM. I forgot that I sent a message to Adam last night. Well, technically this morning. After I sent the message, I passed out hard, and I thought the whole thing was a fever dream.

Adam: What about?

Adam: Here’s my number

My fingers tap the screen quietly as I add his phone number into my contacts, saving it and staring at it blankly.

Well. No time like the present.

Before I can even realize what I’m doing, before I can even think things through and decide what to say or whether this is a good idea or not, or hell, even what time it is in Chicago right now, I click on the phone icon.

I curse to myself, raising the phone to my ear. Absentmindedly, my hand raises to my mouth so I can chew on my fingernail. Nail-biting is a nervous habit that I gave up years ago, but I guess old habits die hard.

“Hello?” His groggy voice comes through the phone.

I can’t breathe.

The oxygen gets stuck in my lungs. All I can think about are his hands on my body, sliding down to grip my hips. The twinkle in his eyes as I would pull my shirt over my head.

And not to mention the last time I saw him. His hair is longer than he used to keep it, but it suits him. It looks good on him. And he bulked up since the last time I saw him, too- his abs definitely looked and felt like it, anyways.

“Hello?” He repeats, sounding more awake and borderline annoyed now.

“Adam,” I respond softly, suddenly feeling shy. Come on, where did my confidence go? I’ll need it to get through this conversation.

“Y/N,” he says, all sounds of annoyance out of his voice. “You actually called, I didn’t think that you would-“”Sorry for waking you up,” I blurt out, glancing at the clock and seeing that it’s seven in the morning here. Chicago is an hour behind Philadelphia- it’s what kept me from calling the boys on the team late at night for several years.

“Oh, no, no, don’t you ever worry about that,” he reassures me. It’s quiet. I know he’s waiting for me to speak, to let him know what I want to talk to him about, but I just can’t get the words out. I feel them stuck in my throat, clawing to escape. “So, how’s Holden?”

And there it is.

That question is what spurs me to speak, to dig into the man who hid a huge secret like that from me. But I guess I’m doing the same thing to him now.

“I don’t know, how is he, Adam?” I spit out.

He sighs. He sighs. I want to punch his perfect fucking face.

“If I had realized that you had such a problem with it-“”Such a problem with it?” I repeat, not believing my own ears. Suddenly I’m reminded of why I decided not to tell Adam about this baby and why he wasn’t ready to be in Holden’s life for thirteen years. Hell, it sounds like he’s still not ready.

“My son lied to me about his intentions of going to Chicago, traveled halfway across the country by himself, and saw someone who he’s never met before. Yes, I have a fucking problem with it,” I growl.

“Our son.”

“What?”

“He’s our son. You said my son.”

All I want to do right now is to reach through this tiny screen and hit him upside the head. Really, after I lay out all of my concerns, this is all he has to say to me?

“Whatever. When are you coming to Philadelphia next?” I question. I don’t want to air all of grievances and talk about the new baby over the phone. I’ve had enough communication classes to know that you need to see someone’s nonverbal behaviors instead just hearing what they have to say.

“Why? You want to see me?” Suggestion laces his tone.

No, asshole, you already got me pregnant again.

“Yes. We need to talk about Holden… and some other things,” my voice trails off at the end, not sure how to warn him about such big news.

“Some other things, eh? Well, I’ll be looking forward to that,” he responds, clearly thinking that it’s something regarding us and our relationship, well, our dislike or lust for one another or something, instead of picking up what I’m trying to hint at.

“Cool. So, can you take a trip to Philly sometime soon or are you going to wait until hockey season?” I inquire.

“I can take a trip there, just for you. And Holden, of course.”

I can’t help but let a small smile slip onto my face. That sentence shows me that he’d be a good dad if he just put in the effort. It infuriates me that he’s kept that from Holden for years just because he hasn’t felt like working towards a relationship with his son.

“Good. Let me know when you’re in town so we can meet up.”

“What? You’re not going to invite me to stay with you?”

“Goodbye, Adam.” I hang up before he can respond. All I can imagine the rest of the day is his reaction after that phone call. He would have that small, knowing smile on his face, pulling his phone out of his pocket every five minutes to check and see if he got a new text from me or to send the fifth one in a row to me- one that I still would not respond to.

And my heart skips a beat at the thought of that.

~

It’s been a week since the phone call and since Adam sent me a screenshot of his booked ticket to Philadelphia two weeks from then. For some reason, maybe it’s the stupid, hopeless romantic part in me, I had hoped that he would book his plane ticket and hotel room for that night or even the next day. But he told me he had some ‘lose ends’ to tie up in Chicago before leaving.

And it’s also been a week since Holden has said a word to me. I’ve tried talking to him. I’ve asked him about his day, his friends, cooked him his favorite meals all week, I even offered to take him to Target to get a new video game.

None of that has worked. And it hurts. It hurts knowing that after everything I’ve done for him and everything I’ve sacrificed for him, and how Adam has done none of that, he looks at Adam like a God and me like the scum on the bottom of his shoe.

I know it’s what I’m supposed to do as a mother, care for my son and make sure he’s happy, but it’s just- it’s just- ugh.

I start to feel my blood boil as my mom’s voice echoes in the back of my head. Life’s not fair.

It’s then that I realize that I’ve given him enough space and time to figure out his feelings and how he wants to proceed. I don’t want to give him too much space that he begins to resent me and feel like I don’t care about him.

I know that feeling all too well.

I knock on his bedroom door softly, waiting for him to open it before I just walk in. It creeks open slightly, and just as I expected, eyes matching my mom’s peek out to glare at me.

“Can I talk to you, Holden?”

He doesn’t respond, just stares at me.

“Please, you don’t even have to talk, just listen,” I beg.

Fortunately, he opens the door the rest of the way, watching as I walk into his room and sit gently on the edge of the bed. He sits down on his worn computer chair, laptop open to some video game I don’t recognize on his desk.

“I want to start by apologizing for yelling at you last week,” I begin, taking a deep breath. Apologizing isn’t something that comes easy to me- I grew up in a family where the words ‘I’m sorry’ were unheard of. My parents were always right, and I was always wrong.

“I realize it probably wasn’t easy for you to go to Chicago by yourself to meet your dad. Holden, I just want you to realize that I would do anything to protect you, and I love you with my whole heart so realizing that you were in such an emotionally taxing situation without talking to me about it first-“I pause to sniffle, starting to feel tears well up in my eyes. “I felt helpless. And I couldn’t stop wondering why you didn’t feel like you could share that with me and then I realized that it’s because I don’t share stuff with you either.”

He watches as I lift my sleeve, wiping the tears from under my eyes. His face is still blank, but his eyes look like they’ve softened. He’s understanding my words so far.

“So, yes, this baby is also Adam’s baby. And he did ask about you when I saw him back in February, but I let my pride get the best of me and I told him that he didn’t deserve to see you. I’m sorry for robbing you of meeting your father earlier,” I genuinely apologize, maintaining eye contact with my son.

He shifts in his seat, his hard exterior softening with every word. “Well, I’m sorry for calling you a shitty mother. And saying all of that other stuff. And, if it makes you feel better, I did go to the computer programming camp. I just saw Adam when we had a night off.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

He nods.

“What did he tell you? About not being involved in your life?” I ask carefully, curious as to what Adam told Holden to turn him against me like that.

“He just told me that he was working through some stuff,” he shrugs, acting like he doesn’t care but I know my son well enough to tell that he does. “And he wasn’t ready until recently to meet me.”

I bite my tongue to keep it from releasing an insult towards Adam. “And how does that make you feel?”

“Honestly?” I nod, probing him to go on. “Pretty awful. I don’t think I want a relationship with him, mom.”

A mix of emotions run through my body at his word. I feel anxious, because now I have to tell him that Adam’s coming next week and will want to see him, sadness, because my son now recognizes how his father did not want be involved in his life, and anger toward Adam for making him feel like this in the first place.

“Well,” I cough awkwardly. “He’s coming to Philadelphia next week. I’m going to meet him to tell him about the baby. If you don’t want to see him, you don’t have to. It’s all up to you, bud.”

I stand up slowly, rubbing my belly as the baby begins to kick. He always seems to do that whenever I move even just a little bit- he’s an active little guy.

“Oh,” I turn back around just as I’m about to close the door. “How did you even find out who your father is?”

“Please mom, I’m not stupid,” he grins slyly at me, sliding his headphones onto his neck. “You lived in Chicago when you got pregnant with me and worked for the Blackhawks. I figured, since you said you worked a lot, the only guys you really had a chance to be with were on the team. And when I asked you about my dad for that project for school you said he was Swedish, so I just went to the Blackhawks roster in 2020 and found the Swedish players, messaging them some really uncomfortable and intrusive messages on Instagram.”

I chuckle at that, shaking my head. It will never not blow my mind how clever and smart he is. As I close the door to his bedroom, I hear him say, “On the plus side, Alex Nylander is a really nice guy.”

~

The day is finally here. Being eighteen weeks pregnant makes it really hard to hide my baby bump, but I somehow manage to find a baggy sweatshirt that I’ve stolen from one of my ex-boyfriends to cover it up. I don’t want to walk into the restaurant we’re meeting at and have him immediately know.

Somehow my jeans still fit on my legs, but I have a feeling by the end of this lunch they’ll be unbuttoned. It’s just the way it goes sometimes.

I get to the restaurant before Adam, just like how I planned it. I wanted time to scope out my exits in case I need to bail halfway through this meal- knowing Adam, it’s a possibility. I haven’t thought through what I was going to say too much.

I know I need to talk to him about why he would keep Holden going to Chicago to see him a secret from me, and we need to talk about the baby.

But mostly I just want to hear him grovel. The secret, sadistic part of me wants to hear him beg for forgiveness for making me raise my child by myself for the past thirteen years. I want to hear him admit that he fucked up- I’ve never heard Adam Boqvist admit that he fucked up before.

He shows up two minutes late.

I know because my phone is sitting face up on the table and I click on it every five seconds to see what time it is. I tell myself that if it gets ten minutes past noon and he’s still not here, I’m going home and giving up on dealing with Adam ever again.

But then he’s standing in front of me, familiar toothy grin on his face, black beanie on his shaggy hair, and a bouquet of red roses in his hand.

“You’re late,” I state sternly, not letting any sign of emotion onto my face. I need to let him know I mean business. I need to let him know that I’m never getting into bed with him ever again.

“Yeah, sorry, there was a line at the grocery store,” his grin begins to slip, but as he holds the bouquet out towards me, it takes over his face once again. “I got you these.”

“Thanks.”

I don’t make any movement towards them. His smile falls once again and I begin to feel guilty- he did buy these flowers for me, but he also impregnated me and left me twice.

He slides into the chair across the table from me, setting the flowers on the table and coughing awkwardly. “So, have you ordered yet?”

“Just water,” I respond shortly.

“Do you want to split a bottle of wine?”

“I’m not really a day drinker,” I eye him over the top of my menu, then go back to skimming through the items. It’s a charade, though. I already know what I want.

“Are you two ready to order?” The peppy waitress appears at our side, notepad open in her hand.

“I’ll have the chicken alfredo,” I announce, folding my menu.

“I’ll take that too. And a bottle of your sweetest wine, please,” the blonde orders, passing his menu to the waitress. When she leaves, he turns back to me. “I know you like the sweet stuff.”

I take a deep breath, deciding to cut to the chase. I’d rather get through this meal as soon as possible. The sooner we get done talking about this stuff, the sooner I can get out of here.

“Adam, I’m pregnant.”

He chokes on the sip of water he’s just taken from his glass, water dripping down his chin and landing on the table in front of him. I can’t help but watch with a content smile as he coughs, trying to catch his breath.

“Excuse me?” He utters through coughs, wiping his chin with a napkin.

“I’m pregnant,” I repeat. “I’m due in November.”

“Well, uh, congratulations,” he says unsurely.

I roll my eyes, muttering, “You clearly haven’t gotten smarter since last time.”

He seems to catch on to the hidden meaning behind my comment, his eyes widening. “Oh is it- since we-“”It’s your baby,” I conclude bluntly.

A smirk begins to spread across his face. I can’t believe it. He’s smirking just after I told him that he got me pregnant accidentally for the second time.

“Why do you have that look?” I snap.

“My little swimmers work pretty well, don’t they?” He inquires confidently, sipping from his water and succeeding this time.

I lean across the table, turning it on him. “I don’t know, do they? Are there any half-siblings that I need to worry about?”

The smirk is replaced by a look of genuineness now. It startles me, the sudden change of emotions. “No, it’s you, Y/N. It’s always been you.”

I lean back in my seat, the sudden seriousness too much for me to bear. I fiddle with the napkin sitting next to my glass, avoiding eye contact with him. “Yeah, so it’s a boy.”

“Another boy,” he echoes my very thoughts the moment I found out the sex.

I grin at the thought of my second child. When he’s been kicking me at night and keeping me awake, I think about what he’s going to be like. Is he going to cry a lot or is he going to be a quiet baby like Holden was? Will I have to keep an eye on him every minute or will I be able to get some breaks?

And what about when he’s older. Will he like hockey like his dad? Would he like the Flyers because we live in Philadelphia, or would he like the Blackhawks because his dad plays for them?

“Speaking of boys, how is Holden doing? He hasn’t been responding to my texts lately.” Adam means for the question to sound casual, but I can hear the undertone of worry in his voice. Maybe he isn’t as much of a shitty father as I think he is.

“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” I confess.

He doesn’t bother to hide the hurt on his face. I don’t expect him to. I know how it feels to feel unwanted and unloved by your child- I felt it when Holden told me that I’m a shitty mother. And although Adam deserves the consequences to his actions, I can’t help but feel a small amount of pity for him.

“I deserve that,” he sighs.

“You do,” I agree, knowing that I’m shoving the knife deeper into his heart. “But just give him time to decide what he wants to do. It’s all so fresh to him.”

He gives me a small, vulnerable smile.

“Why didn’t you tell me that he was going to see you while he was in Chicago, Adam?” I ask him the question I’ve been dying to ask ever since I found out about the situation.

He shrugs, not saying a word.

“Yes, you do know,” I persist. “So just fucking tell me. Enough of the bullshit, we’re in our thirties now. It’s time to focus on the children, not your fucking pride.”

He looks baffled by my sudden outburst, but it inspires him to answer. “I was afraid that if you found out, you would stop him. Then I’d never get to meet my son.”

“I would have stopped him,” I agreed, causing him to open his mouth to begin arguing with me. I start to speak again before he can begin. “And reschedule the trip to a time that works better with my work schedule so that I could go with him. Yes, you’re his father, but you’ve never been in his life. You’re essentially a stranger to him.”

He narrows his eyes at me like my words are a challenge. “Not anymore.”

I narrow my eyes at him now. “Really? What’s his middle name? When is his birthday? What’s his favorite color?”

He doesn’t respond and I scoff, taking a sip of my water again. “That’s what I thought.”

We’re quiet as the waitress returns with our meals. I cut my noodles, taking a bite of my food.

“I don’t want it to be that way with this baby,” he says, quickly adding, “And Holden anymore. I want to be there for this baby from the start. Or from now, I guess. And I want to be there for Holden, if he ever wants me.”

Mixed feelings begin to flush through my body. This is what I wanted for my kids from the beginning, an active father figure. And Adam’s offering it now, but why am I still feeling so hesitant?

After years of expecting him to step up as a parent and him never doing it, I have reasonable doubts when it comes to Adam’s parenting ability.

“Well, you know it’s up to Holden. You can’t force him to like you,” I begin slowly, trying to phrase my words in the best way possible. “But with this second baby… we can try it. I have a doctor’s appointment in two days. I’ll text you the address and time.”

“But my flight leaves tomorrow,” he whines. “Can’t you just reschedule for today?”

“You have so much to learn, Adam,” I shake my head. “I just hope you realize that being a parent means that you’re selfless more than selfish. Tell you what, go back to Chicago if you want to. But if you go back to Chicago, the only time you’ll communicate with the boys is when they want to talk to you.”

[introverted-sugar]

Ugh 😑

Heads up, this is a minor rant! Proceed with caution.

I feel like such a shit friend for what I’m about to express but I have to get this off of my chest because I have no one else to complain to. Also, I know I’m a great friend but I’m very particular about how I do things and I need to be at peace when I’m somewhere

So, my birthday is in a few days and I’m going to Miami/islamorada/key west for 10 days. I’ll be in Miami for 4 days with my girl best friend, and then “Travel daddy” the remainder of the trip.

So me and my best friend are similar in the sense of us being laid back and chill, we don’t do too much, when we go out we’re not twerking on table tops or fighting or any of that ratchet bullshit (now don’t get me wrong, you put the right song on and I’ll shake these cheeks but i just don’t like that type of attention, I sucked as a stripper 😂) But we are also VERY different. I like to try new things, eat at kind of fancy restaurants (if I’m paying, VERY fancy on a “mans” dime 💁🏽‍♀️) , I don’t like to go to clubs and if I do I’m definitely leaving early, lounge by the beach/pool, swim, snorkel, bike ride etc. So I’ve been trying to plan stuff for us to do but it’s hard because I have to take her into consideration (I’m used to traveling alone or with some man that’s trying to please me so I’m usually able to just do what I want )

Here is a list of grievances & concerns I have thus far:

1: She doesn’t really like sushi. Yes, that’s petty but I have dinner reservations the night of my birthday at a sushi place with a tasting menu. She said she was okay with going but eh idk, and then is she going to be cool with the price tag of the tasting menu? Any tasting I’ve ever done all the people at the table had to do the tasting menu

2: Piggy backing off of the first point, her sister is flying in the same day we are to help her friend that’s getting a BBL down there (😑, I’ll explain why I’m not a fan of her sister later) but we arrive at like 12, she’ll be arriving around 8 pm..the time I made reservations at the sushi spot. So earlier we were on the phone and she said “oh yeah such and such gets there around 8 I told her WE would come pick her up from the airport” Pause! WHO? Not I! I said “that’s the time our reservations are for” she was like “oh well she can just meet us there” 🤦🏽‍♀️ now remember I said I don’t do too much, I’m quiet and reserved. Her sister, not so much. She’s not about to embarrass me and she’s DEF not chilling at the hotel with her loud ass. My thing is, how tf you inviting people to MY birthday dinner. I honestly don’t wanna see her sister at all while we’re there, but I’m willing to meet her somewhere for an hour or so and then leave ✌🏽

(I don’t like her sister because the very first time I met her a couple years ago on NYE she basically got us involved in a literal BRAWL at a HOUSE PARTY in the heart of west philly of all places 😑 long story short the whole party beat her sisters ass for walking in and tAlking shit, and then Her sister stole someones whole car at the party, I guess when they were jumping her someone’s keys fell out of their pocket so she took the keys and figures out which car it belonged to and stole it, like it was just a ghetto ass mess)

3: She keeps asking me the same questions over and over. We have had this trip booked for MONTHS, literally, I like to be organized and plan shit out, but every week or so it’s “so where are we staying again” “how much is it” “do you think my hair will last if I get a frontal” to which I replied BITCH NEVER, just get braids or locs, of course she just got a sewin/frontal earlier…okay but I warned you sis😖. now mind you this will be her first time in Miami so she wasn’t really trying to pay the price (half) for the hotel I booked. I’ve been to Miami plenty of times on top of actually living there and there’s no better deal we’re going to get on south beach, with all the amenities that the hotel offers, I’m very good at planning and booking trips and finding the best deals so I was highly irritated when just a week before our trip shes tryna find cheaper places. I told her she can look but it needs to at least •be in south beach •be on collins/ocean drive and •have a pool (unless she could find an Airbnb). Y’all she sent me all these bullshit ass links to places in HOLLYWOOD (which I actually love but I said south beach…), Miami Gardens 🤮, and ft. Lauderdale and they didn’t have any amenities and were MORE money. In my head I was like “bruh nevermind we’re staying where we’re staying, you don’t need to do ANYMORE looking” 🙅🏽‍♀️

4: she doesn’t like the water or swimming. That’s the main reason I even go to Florida so often for the water, like literally. I’m not a fan of most beaches up north (Giants neck beach In CT Is awesome though, Maine has some nice ones too but it’s just so cold even on a very hot summer day, jersey has a few as well but mainly I like clear waters) So anyway, I wanted to book this snorkel/boat tour/key west tour but she doesn’t want to do it because 1: she doesn’t wanna snorkel but 2: we would have to leave at 6:30 am and she doesn’t get up until like 12 🙄 I feel like I’m limited as to what I can do

5: She still hasn’t sent me her half of the hotel fee and we leave Tuesday…it’s Saturday. She’s been saying “imma send it tomorrow” for like 2 weeks now and telling me about her car troubles

6: As I mentioned she wakes up late, which means she goes to bed late. The latest I go to bed is like 12 but when I’m on “vacation” I tend to drink more than I normally would so I go to sleep early. Shit when me and travel daddy went to all those vineyards I legit took naps mid day to keep up 😂 I’m worried she’s gonna keep me up like she did last month when I spent the night at her house, I was HIGHLY irritated and it was only one night

I’m seriously pondering why tf I thought this was a good idea. Lowkey I didn’t think it was a good idea but we’ve never traveled together and she’s never been to Miami (she’s the reason we’re even going to Miami because I’ve BEEN over Miami, it’s packed and overrated but I thought it would be a cute thing for us to do)

It doesn’t matter how cool you are with someone you have to have the right travel buddy and just because you get along doesn’t mean you should travel together. Sadly, I can already tell you this is our last trip together

The irony is I was sooo hesitant and complaining about going on the WPB trip but ended up having a blast, but we also had a huge villa and everyone had privacy, and I only personally knew one person so at first I didn’t feel super obligated to be all chummy with his friends, but I loved all of them they were so much fun and liked to do the stuff I like to do, it really was such a bomb trip I wish I could show you guys all the cute pics and videos we took, REALLY great vibes

I love my best friend to death but I’m so apprehensive about this trip. We don’t even chill that often on the regular, mainly because we’re both just busy or live kind of far from eachother but I’m that friend that loves you…from afar, every now and then she’ll drag me out to some lounge and I’m always ready to go early it’s just not my scene, I wanna be in bed damnit! 😩

Am I just being a brat? What do you guys think?

[nytech]

Building a Two-Sided Marketplace With Regina Gwynn …And uncovering the specificities of your target market.

TresseNoire’s Story

Regina: TresseNoire has been up and running since 2013, but this latest product is a pivot from our original premise, which was to create the first on-demand, on-location beauty booking app that would send a traveling textured hairstylist to your house, hotel, or office to do your hair. Our mission has always stayed the same: it is to give women back the most important resource on Earth, which is time. And we tried to think through multiple ways of doing that by allowing us to find out faster and easier ways to simplify the beautification process. For women of color with textured hair, there are lots of pain points. Everywhere from finding the right products to finding the right stylist, to maintaining the right hairstyles to finding the right long-term maintenance for your hair.

So we kicked off with this on-demand, on-location beauty booking app, which was very successful. We started off in Philadelphia, expanded to New York, and ended up with stylists in Philly, New York, Washington, DC, LA, Dallas, Texas, and Cincinnati. It was through that experience that I became, I guess, a tech founder, which is also a whole separate conversation. You know, I definitely was a non-technical founder, with a background in fashion and beauty prior to my entrepreneurship journey. But it also introduced a very large opportunity with taking the on-demand technologies that we had seen grow like Uber, FreshDirect, and all these other kinds of business models and apply them to the beauty industry.

We kept getting so many questions from our clients. “Okay, so now the stylist has left, I love my hairstyle. Now, what do I do? How do I maintain this hairstyle?” or “What products should I be getting in the beauty supply store?” And so I found myself doing so many additional phone calls, whether it was me advising the client, connecting them to our stylists either before, during, or after the hairstyles. We realized that there was an even bigger opportunity. Through the access to education and personalization, every single client was different, they had a different hair type a different hairstyle, they lived in a different location, they had different hair needs, whether it was fitting edges, or split ends, or dry hair or super curly hair.

So there were all these different variables that to my co-founder: “If we’re in this tech industry, and we have all these tech tools available to us, why aren’t we using all of these unique criteria to develop a more accurate system, a more accurate process?” That was the impetus behind pivoting to our virtual beauty coach app. Now, our clients can take a quiz. We gather 28 points of data to determine the kind of beauty regimen that works for them, and that education is delivered through a text message. So you interact with our beauty coach via phone, and you can actually change the algorithm based on the information you give us. So if it’s raining outside, then we’ll say hey, it’s raining, don’t forget your umbrella. And if you change your hairstyle, then we’ll change the education based on the data that the client provides.

We’re still in private beta, and we definitely have learned a ton this year, in a lot of the iterations that we’ve been working on. But I’m really excited about the long-term opportunities of providing this technology to additional beauty brands. The idea is to make sure that we’re getting education around our specific hair journey and making that type of information available to everyone.

Building a Two-Sided Marketplace

Andy: That’s really exciting because you went from being an entrepreneur that was using technology to build her product and her services to being a tech entrepreneur, and building a tech product. And I imagine that was a very different experience from both sides of the coin. I want to dive a little bit deeper into that, starting with the on-demand service platform that you provided, and the lessons that you learned while you were trying to scale that business into different markets.

Every market is a different market, and I’m sure you had to adapt to each market. What was it like to build an on-demand service?

Regina: Building marketplaces is really hard. Building two-sided marketplaces is even harder. Do you have to start building the offer or the demand?

In addition, understanding the nuances in the type of customer demand was essential to tailor our offer to each market. As we started to move forward, we realized that marketplaces are really hard.

When we look at Glamsquad and other beauty booking app type models, we see that they’ve been around since 2011, have raised over $30 million, and to date, are still in less than 10 markets. It’s become very clear that there was some very inherent kind of long-term challenges that we were going to face while identifying that there were other pain points.

Uncovering the Specificities of Your Target Market

Andy: How did you uncover the specificities of each market? What kind of data did you collect to inform your decisions?

Regina: Social media is really useful. We have a modest amount of followers, probably around 10,000 across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. They actually were the main indicator. When we would look at our audience, scroll through the pictures and see what are women wearing in Dallas, New York, Austin, Texas, LA, etc. That way we could see a very different consumer, from market to market.

We took that information along with talking to our stylists. So we always had at least a few boots on the ground in any market that we went into, and between my co-founder and I, we have networks across the country. We always wanted to just pick up the phone and talk to a girlfriend and say: “Hey, what’s going on in that area? What are the hot spots? Who are the arbiters of culture in that area?” Then we would follow them and watch them in order to find out where the beauty trends are going.

[agathabridgerton]

Silence

Episode: “Never Again” | @today-in-fic

Mulder had read the entire incident report by the time he arrived at the hospital, feeling... Well, he didn’t know how he felt. Angry, at the least, but he couldn’t pinpoint why. Everything in the report confused him; Scully wasn’t the type to be reckless and get a tattoo, let alone at a parlor with definitive ties to a Russian gang. It was a side he’d never seen before. He was dreading the interaction they were about to have and wished for half a second that she had someone else listed as her first emergency contact. But, no—Mulder was listed first because he was always on hand and knew Scully’s medical details immaculately. No one else could do that but her; no one could replace him.

He knocked on the door to her room, her singular travel suitcase with him since he’d picked up her items from her hotel room before hitching a taxi to the hospital. They weren’t staying in Philly any longer than necessary, he’d decided. “I brought your stuff. Your clothes are inside. I booked us a flight that leaves in three hours.”

Scully, who’d just opened the door for him, did the bare minimum of making eye contact with him before taking her luggage and shutting the door on him. What the hell had he done to make her do this? Were a nameplate and desk really that important? He respected her and appreciated her—he made sure of that—so why was she angry with him? Why did she feel the need to act out?

Mulder let his forehead fall against the door gently, not making a sound. What stuck with him most of all, though, was that she’d been wearing Jerse’s shirt when she’d answered the door at his apartment. (The only man’s shirts she should be wearing are his own.)

[let-this-ship-sink-already]

Tearing down the Tomdaya timeline, created by "Spidermaninlove" - Part 3 (2018)

I am not using evidence or "proof", which is OUT THERE, to show that this timeline is only based on the emotions/opinions of its creator and is therefore falsely claimed as a fact.

(Warning: Editing is off in this one.)

January 9, 2018

Dom, Tom’s dad, blogs he is flying with Tom to LA today. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 10, 2018

Tom photographed by a fan in LA wearing what appears to be Z’s leather jacket. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 11, 2018

Dom blogs Tom is in LA for voice recordings. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 12, 2018

Dom blogs Tom is in LA for Spies in Disguise.  Tom departs LAX for AZ for the ACE Comic Con. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 13, 2018

Tom at ACE Comic Con.  When asked if he would do a musical with Z, he replied, 110%.  She’s great.  She can sing way better than I can, but I’d give it a try. -> IRRELEVANT.

Z followed and then immediately unfollowed a Tom Holland Instagram fan account. -> IRRELEVANT. Everyone goes down a rabbit hole on social media sometime and accidentally follows someone.

January 14, 2018

Tom arrived in LA. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 18, 2018

Tom returns to London. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 19, 2018

Tom retweets Z’s tweet:  "First of all", “bottom line” and “end of story” are all phrases you should avoid when arguing with me cause that means war. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 25, 2018

On January 25, 2018,  Z’s interior designer posts a photo of Z’s coffee table with a copy of the November 9, 2016 edition of The Hollywood Reporter (THR) magazine on it.  This is the edition in which Tom and Z appear together.  THR’s annual Next Gen assessment of Hollywood’s best and brightest, 35 and under.-> IRRELEVANT.

February 15, 2018

Z spotted at Heathrow airport.

It appears Tom foregoes the BAFTA pre-dinner party that Haz attended to, dare I say, spend that time with his very very good “freind”, Z? -> ASSUMPTION.

February 16, 2018 – Tom and Z photographed together at Harrods and the Tower of London. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

February 17, 2018

Z and Tom attend Burberry fashion event together in London. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

February 18, 2018

Tom and Z photographed together with a fan in Kingston (Tom and his parents live in Kingston). -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Z filled in for Sam (”Samdaya”) on Tom’s IG live story for the Brothers Trust drawing.  Z attempts a British accent, and Tom and Z exchanged smiles, laughter, and heart eyes during the live. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. ”heart eyes” is an INTERPRETATION.

Z appears in first known photograph with the Hollands, including Nikki, Tom, Dom, Paddy, Harry, and Tessa. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. Also, isn’t it the only picture out there?

Z and Tom attend the Vogue and Tiffany & Co BAFTA after party in London.  Both Tom and Z were styled by Law.  Tom was photographed with Z and Darnell while at the party. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

February 19, 2018

Both Tom and Z depart London and arrive in LA on what appears to be separate flights. -> ASSUMPTION/IRRELEVANT.

February 21, 2018

Tom spotted at a gym in Northridge, CA – the area in which Z lives. -> Tom is staying at Zendaya‘s place when in LA. If your friend stayed in town, would you host them as well or let them stay at a hotel?

February 22, 2018

Tom and Z spotted at In-N-Out Burger.  They were also photographed and filmed by the paparazzi while out for lunch and denied they’re a couple. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. So much for “never denied” dating.

Damage control:  Tom in Z’s Snapchat story about the paps.  Z tweeted:  “When you realize you ain’t really got the juice cause paparazzi only find you when @TomHolland1996 is in town…” -> Knowing what “damage control” means for Zendaya is an ASSUMPTION.

Z and Tom reportedly spotted by a fan at The Grove. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

February 25, 2018

In Z’s stylist, Law’s IG story, he says “tuxedos for Tom.” -> IRRELEVANT.

February 26, 2018

Tom and Z spotted together at a fan’s workplace. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 1, 2018

Tom spotted at the gym in Northridge again.

Analysis:  Is Tom driving all the way from a hotel to Northridge to use a gym there?  Hotels have gyms.  Z lives in Northridge.  Conclusion:  He’s not staying in a hotel! -> It is known he was staying with Zendaya in LA which is what friends do. Doesn’t confirm they are dating.

March 3, 2018

Tom and Z photographed with a fan in Beverly Hills.  Another fan tweeted he spotted them on Rodeo Drive today.  Z, Tom, Darnell, and Law photographed by the paparazzi while shopping in Beverly Hills.  Tom and Z were also spotted having lunch together at a restaurant. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 4, 2018

Z and Tom sat next to one another at the Oscars and they left the venue together.  Both attended the Vanity Fair after party, left the Vanity Fair party together, and arrived together at the Governor’s Ball.  Law Roach styled both “him” and “her”. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 6, 2018

Tom and Z spotted together and photographed at Target. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 8, 2018

Z and Tom spotted together by fan in Beverly Hills. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 10, 2018

Tom departs LA for London. -> IRRELEVANT.

March 17, 2018

When asked on Twitter, “When is @Zendaya going to date someone publicly I’m ready for it,” Z replied, “Never”.  -> IRRELEVANT.

March 19, 2018

Law Roach, Z’s stylist, stated on an IG live story that he is Tom’s stylist as well. -> IRRELEVANT. Merely explains why they hang out so much.

March 25, 2018

Per Dom, Tom is on his way to LA. -> IRRELEVANT.

March 28, 2018

Tom sighting at a Chipotle in Northridge (Z’s neighborhood). -> It is known he was staying with Zendaya in LA.

March 29, 2018

Tom and Z spotted by several fans at Crossroads Kitchen, a vegan restaurant.  According to a fan, Tom photographed Z with the fan at the restaurant. 

Note:  Tom met Jake Gyllenhaal at Crossroads Kitchen. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

They were also spotted shopping together (shoes, comic books, etc.).  They were photographed posing together with a Spider-man statue outside the Golden Apple comic book store. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. Also looks like a pap walk. Two actors from the Spiderman movies going out to buy comics and posing with a Spiderman statue. 🤡

It appears Tom was wearing Z’s t-shirt, and they were wearing matching shoes. -> ASSUMPTION.

March 30 - 31, 2018

Tom photographed by paparazzi leaving Z’s house with his luggage on March 30. -> Tom is staying with Zendaya while in LA.

Tom departs LA and arrives in London. -> IRRELEVANT.

April 19, 2018

Tom departs China for LA. Z spotted at a gym in her area.  We all know Z rarely, if ever, goes to the gym, and Tom has been spotted in the past at a gym near where Z lives. -> IRRELEVANT.

April 27-30, 2018

Tom and Z spotted together by fans at a theater in Northridge seeing Infinity War (IW) on April 27. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom and Z attend City Year LA Spring Break: Destination Education at Sony Studios on April 28. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Z and Tom spotted by employees at the In N Out Burger drive-thru in Northridge on April 28. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom and Z spotted at a theater seeing IW again on April 29. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom and Z photographed by a fan at Home Depot.  Note: Tom went to carpentry school. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

May 1, 2018

Tom photographed by the paparazzi leaving Zendaya’s house with his luggage, and was spotted by a fan at LAX. -> Instead of staying at a hotel, Tom stayed at Zendaya’s place again.

May 2, 2018

Tom in London.  Z attends College Signing Day event in Philadelphia. -> IRRELEVANT.

May 8, 2018

Tom posts a photo of Z at the Met Gala on his Instagram account. -> Co-workers/friends supporting one another.

June 1, 2018

Z wishes Tom a happy birthday on Instagram. -> Co-workers/friends supporting one another.

June 23, 2018

Jack, @tomdejaa, Instagram, asked Tom at the Seattle Comic Con if he was okay with Tomdaya shippers, and Tom said, it’s fine. -> What was he going to say? “Fuck off”?

Zendaya in London for Spider-man Far From Home

-> I could sum the entire weeks up as “co-workers-friends hanging out together because at the time, they were filming together. 🤡

June 24, 2018

Zendaya arrives in London. -> IRRELEVANT.

June 25, 2018

Tom returns to London from Comic Con in Seattle. -> IRRELEVANT.

July 11, 2018

The content drought is finally over.  Tom and Z were together today watching the soccer game.  It appears they may have had lunch together too. -> The drought” is over because they are literally working together. They have no choice but to spend time together.

July 14, 2018

Tom, Z, Jacob Batalon and Tony Revolori attend Lovebox 2018 in Gunnersbury Park, London. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

July 21, 2018

Tom and Zendaya were spotted together by fans.  According to one fan, they saw Incredibles 2 with cast members. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

July 29, 2018

Tom and Z sighting on the Tube in London along with Jacob and Tuwaine. They visited the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London.  Tom’s Mum and Dad visited as well.  Afterward, they dined at a nearby restaurant with Tom’s family. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom is wearing a Daulton jersey.  Darren Daulton, nicknamed Dutch, was an American professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies…

Note:  Tom’s nickname is Dutch.  He stated this in an interview with Z. 

@currentlyinterested asked me if I think Z got Tom the Phillies jersey when she went to Philadelphia for the College Signing Day event with Michelle Obama.  Yes! Yes, I do. -> All 3 are ASSUMPTIONS/INTERPRETATIONS.

August 3, 2018

Tom and Z along with Jacob, Tony, Remy, Darnell, and Zach bowled and played arcade games tonight at the Hollywood Bowl in Watford.  Z and Tom played air hockey together and sat next to one another. -> They sat next to one another :O - On a ”serious” note: co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Someone commented on an Instagram post of a fan photo with Tom that Tom and Z are at the cinema in Kingston all the time. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

August 4, 2018

Tom was with friends and family at the Shoreditch House tonight and Z tweeted:  When people don’t directly ask you to go somewhere you didn’t wanna go and they also know you didn’t wanna go, but you still feel a way.

Shoreditch House is a mostly private members’ club with a rooftop pool, restaurant, bar, and hotel. -> IRRELEVANT.

August 11, 2018

Tom and Z were spotted at the Secret Cinema in London along with FFH cast and Haz. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

August 13, 2018

Z and Tom were spotted with Tuwaine, Harry, and Haz at the cinema in Watford this evening. -> Co-worker/friends hanging out together.

August 19, 2018

Tom, Z, and Spidey cast spotted by fan in Hertfordshire. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

August 22, 2018

Tom was at Z’s hotel. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. How do people know Zendaya’s hotel though? 👀

August 27, 2018

Z & Tom had dinner in St Albans with Z’s mom and Kamil.

Z & Tom sat together.  Z left the restaurant as the fan who saw them took a photo with Tom.

Tom was wearing an AllSaints t-shirt that looks exactly like the one Z was wearing last week.-> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

September 1, 2018

Z’s birthday

Tom posted this on Instagram:  “Me, myself and the birthday girl. Happy birthday mate - keep killing it and paving the way for the rest of us ♥️”  -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom, Z’s fam, friends, and some Spidey cast and crew had a dinner party in the Silver Room at Annabel’s, a private Members’ Club, in London.  Tom has a membership to this club.-> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Z posted a story showing the paparazzi following her vehicle after she left Annabel’s. -> They wanted to catch Zendaya leaving with Tom, which would make the “relationship“ more believable. They didn’t leave together.

September 2, 2018

Skai Jackson’s mom, @kiyacole, who follows and is followed by Law, responded to an anti on a post about Z’s “real-life boyfriend Tom Holland” on the justjared Instagram account:

@kiyacole:  “Yes.  It’s true.  They been on the low for a while.”

Law responded but later deleted:  “@kiyacole  Really?  And how would you know.”

And how would you know.”

-> THIS IS A BIGGGG ONE FOR TOMDAYA STANS. They believe it’s evidence and outs them as a couple. What it actually is? A person, who absolutely knows nothing but pretends she does for attention.

September 3, 2018

Claire, Z’s mom, posted on Instagram, “A Wise Woman Once Said Nothing!” and “#truth #butiwanttobepetty”.  Was this in reference to @kiyacole’s comment? -> ASSUMPTION. TO ME, it’s meant in a “Don’t talk when you don’t know anything.” way, not a ”You just outed my daughter’s relationship” way. But this can be interpreted anyway you want.

September 4, 2018

@kiyacole, Instagram, posted on her account that she had been hacked.  Commentators on the post called her out on it stating she had posted stories of herself around the time of the alleged hacking. -> She wasn’t hacked, she just stuck her nose into other people’s business. She said later on: ”I don’t know who is dating who nor do I care.” She didn‘t know though she cared enough to comment. She did it for attention.

Czech Republic

September 10, 2018

Tom & Z spotted on a flight to Prague.  Z photographed Tom with fans at the airport in Prague.  Z and Tom left the airport together. -> Co-workers/friends catching a flight together to the next filming location.

September 11, 2018

Tom and Z photographed separately with fans in Prague. -> Two actors spotted at a new filming location.

September 12, 2018

Tom & Z spotted together in Prague today getting into a taxi together. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together, traveling due to work together.

September 16, 2018

Z’s cousin, Whitney, liked several Tomdaya posts on Instagram. -> IRRELEVANT.

September 17 - 19, 2018

Z and Tom filmed night shoots on the Charles Bridge in Prague.  They shared a sweet moment hugging during a break. -> Co-workers/friends working together.

September 24 - 25, 2018

Tom and Z were photographed in a hotel in Prague.  Z was wearing the same dress she wore while filming with Tom on the Charles Bridge last week.

A fan spotted both Tom and Z alone at 1:00 a.m. on the 25th near the Prague castle where FFH was filming that night.  They were wearing their coats so they were not filming at the time the fan stopped them to get Tom’s autograph. -> Co-worker/friends working/hanging out together.

Venice

According to a longtime Italian fan who delivered gifts to their hotel, Tom and Z shared a room at Hotel Danieli where they were staying in Venice. -> A fan wouldn’t have that knowledge. Sharing a room, while working, is highly unprofessional. Hanging out in one room together/sharing a room - there is a difference.

September 26, 2018

Tom and Zendaya arrived together in Venice with Darnell in tow.  The rest of the cast took a separate flight and boat to this destination. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

September 27, 2018

Tom and Zendaya were spotted and photographed by the paparazzi and fans in Venice along with Martin Starr, Darnell, Jacob, and Tony.  Tom was wearing the Tomdaya flannel shirt today. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. There is no such as a “Tomdaya” flannel shirt, it’s a shirt that both Tom and Zendaya were wearing. Does sharing clothes proof that you are dating? No.

September 29, 2018

Tom’s grandparents arrived at his hotel around 4 pm.

Several videos were posted by fans of Z sitting with Tom and his grandparents at a restaurant/bar at the hotel where they’re staying.

According to a fan, “So as far as I can tell from the two hours they spent in the hotel, they sat next to each other for a really short time. They even had two different tables. Z was at the table with Jacob and two other guys, while Tom was w/ his grandparents, Harry and another guy. While they were together, they didn’t do anything that could make you think they’re dating.“ -> Maybe, because they are not dating?

Z, Tom, and Jacob were photographed with a fan while at this restaurant/bar.

Z and Jacob departed the hotel via boat to an unknown destination.

Tom changed clothes and returned to the restaurant with his grandparents and Harry.

Tom and Harry departed from the hotel on another boat to an unknown destination.

Z posted two stories of herself sitting with Jacob at what appears to be a lounge.  One story was muted.  The other story included Remy.  Darnell posted a story at the same location one hour later which showed Tony and his family there.  Crew member, Danni, posted a story at the same location three hours later.  Harry was in Danni’s story.  Analysis:  Tom was also there. -> All of the above: Co-worker/friends hanging out together.

September 30, 2018

Tomdaya Fam Day

Tom and Z toured Murano, an island near Venice, with Tom’s grandparents and Harry. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. Zendaya was tagging along as a friend.

Tom and Z were photographed with a fan at their hotel.  Both Z and Tom had obviously just showered. -> They are spotted together because they are staying in the same hotel. Implying that they showered together is clownery at this point.

That night, Tom, Z, Tom’s grandparents, and Harry depart the hotel via a boat. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 1, 2018

Tom and Z were spotted having dinner together by a fan’s mom. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 2, 2018

Tom and Z were photographed at a restaurant in Venice.  Martin Starr and Jacob were also there. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 3, 2018

Spider-man Far From Home wrapped filming in Venice.

Tom and Z were spotted at the Skyline Hilton (rooftop) Bar in Venice.

In a video taken of Tom and Z at the Dandolo Bar at the Danieli Hotel in Venice, it appears they are sitting next to one another in a settee. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 4, 2018

Zendaya spotted at Newark Liberty International Airport.  She later posted a story from her home in LA. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 5, 2018

Z confirmed she is in LA for a couple days and will soon be in NY. -> IRRELEVANT.

Tom was spotted by several fans en route from Atlanta to La Guardia. -> IRRELEVANT.

New York

Z and Tom at a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY (exact date unknown). -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 6, 2018

Z and Noon departed for NY, and were spotted at JFK. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 9-10, 2018

Tom was spotted on another flight from Atlanta to New York. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 12, 2018

Tom and Z filmed Spideychelle scenes in NYC.  Their chemistry was insane even with Tom in full Spider-man costume.

Z and Tom were filmed sparring together and were also spotted hugging in between scenes on set.  This was in preparation for a scene. -> Them having „insane“ chemistry is an INTERPRETATION.

After they wrapped for the day, Tom waited in his vehicle while Z greeted fans and then departed the set after Z had left in her vehicle. -> This is what a fan said and making it look like Tom waited for Zendaya is an INTERPRETATION.

An accounting of one fan, @parkerxdaya, Twitter, who was on set that day:

There are a lot of pictures of Zendaya smiling while filming the scene with Tom as Spider-man. I hope you all know that if she is smiling in the picture, that is ZENDAYA not MJ. MJ is frightened during the scene, then a little uncomfortable, then concerned. Her expressions during the scene were serious. But in between takes, her and Tom laughed, joked around, danced, made fun of us, waved to other fans, talked to Jon, Harry etc. It was very windy, so yes Tom helped fix her hair at points. It became a problem during the scene because her hair would cover her face. They would cut, laugh about it, and would go again. However, that video of them play fighting and running in place, then hugging, was just them tiring themselves out and picking up where they left off from the other scene. That does not take away from the fact that it was super cute. Zendaya looked so genuinely happy, and it made ME happy to see her so happy. I couldn’t see Tom’s face with the mask on, but I just know he had a dorky smile on his face the whole time. They both were so comfortable with each other. -> INTERPRETATION.

October 13 and 14, 2018

Tom and Z filmed on a closed set.  Leaked videos from the set on the 14th revealed an additional Spidey and MJ scene that was filmed outdoors in front of a blue screen. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 15, 2018

Z and Tom were photographed with young fans during a break while filming at the Newark NJ airport. -> Co-workers working together. 🤡

October 16, 2018

Remy, Jacob, Zach, and Tony have all wrapped.  It’s Tom’s last day filming.  Z is still in NY.

Tom posted a pic of himself with Z as Spider-man and MJ on Instagram when he wrapped filming Spider-man Far From Home in NY.  -> WORK RELATED.

October 18, 2018

Tom appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Brooklyn show. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 19, 2018

Tom and Z were spotted together at the play American Son on Broadway. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 20, 2018

Tom and Z photographed sitting together at Peaches Restaurant in Brooklyn.  Z and Tom spotted and photographed shopping in SoHo.  They were also photographed outdoors in SoHo with Noon and company. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 22, 2018

Z was spotted by fans in NY. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 23, 2018

Z’s Instagram story:  “Always working…”  She appears to be doing a photoshoot.  No sign of Tom. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 26, 2018

Tom posted on Instagram:  “Went to do some work on chaos walking with @dougliman.” -> IRRELEVANT.

October 28, 2018

Z spotted at JFK and LAX. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 29, 2018

Tom spotted in London. -> IRRELEVANT.

November 12 - 19, 2018

On November 12 and 13, Tom participated in the Cooking with the Avengers event at the Russo brothers’ restaurant and bar.

Tom and Z were spotted having dinner. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom was on the set of Euphoria visiting Z. -> Co-workers/friends supporting one another.

On November 17, Tom and Z were spotted at the Arclight theater at the Sherman Oaks Galleria mall near Northridge. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together if truly happened.

On November 19, Tom was spotted in Beverly Hills. -> IRRELEVANT.

November 24, 2018

Tom at Z’s after Thanksgiving party. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

November 25, 2018

Tom returned to London.

Tom and Zendaya obviously spend a lot of time together but there is not even a little bit of „evidence“ that they are dating. People who see chemistry between them, who get couple vibes from them or are convinced they are dating? It’s their perception, their interpretation of events but absolutely nothing in this timeline “exposes“ them as a couple. They are spending time together because Spiderman 2 is in pre-production and then the filming process has started. Would they spend AS much time together if it wasn’t for work? I personally doubt it.

TO ME, they are definitely friends. They do PLAY IT UP for promotional purposes though. This is how Hollywood works.

What doesn‘t confirm a relationship:

- spending time together

- sharing clothes

- staying over at someone‘s house

(And that’s basically all we get from Tom and Zendaya. Plus, them denying dating rumors.)

[leafs-lover]

Because Two People Got Drunk: 28

Series Masterlist

Chapter 28

A/N: So sorry about the delay! I don’t know anything about preeclampsia, I did some research but I tried to not get too hung up on the details.

Summary: You and Fred have some hiccups as your due date approaches.

Warnings: Swearing, cheating, angst, mentions of drinking Word Count: 6500

“Morning” you sing walking into Oliver’s room. You open the Penguin’s curtains allowing sunlight to fill the room.

Fred is on the road having played Philly last night for round one of the playoffs. It was game 6, and the Penguins won securing the path to the second round. After losing games 4 and 5, games the media ripped apart Fred’s performance. They were up in game 4 going into the third period, but a fluke goal with a bad bounce gave the Flyers momentum and they ended up making a comeback. They should have won game 5, but the team just didn’t show up only getting 15 shots but letting 40 at Fred. The media blamed Fred for both loses, and you know it bothered him even if he doesn’t bring it up to you.

Game 6 was a super close game, and Oliver was too excited to sleep; you ended up watching the entire game and overtime, he didn’t fall asleep until after midnight. You let him sleep in until 9 but decided to wake him up so his entire sleep schedule isn’t messed up, even if it means a cranky two year old.

You watch his heavy eyes slowly close while he struggles to stay awake. You walk over and sit down beside him on his bed. You brush the red curls from his forehead and place a soft kiss there “time to wake up sweetie” you say softly. You hear him whine softly and roll onto his side trying to fall back asleep.

You laugh lightly and pull the blankets off of him and he groans “no mommy.”

“I made you breakfast” you say poking his side tickling him. Your toddler’s weakest point is how ticklish he is, which has helped you turn around a lot of potential meltdowns. He laughs slightly squirming to get away but you keep tickling him while his laughing becomes louder.

“You going to get up now?” you ask while your son continues to laugh. Through his breaths he squeals “yes” and you finally stop.

After the bathroom and helping him get dressed you head downstairs with Oliver, you help him into his seat at the table. You place his breakfast and orange juice in front of him and sit beside him drinking a tea, having eaten earlier while he slept. You pull your phone out and start scrolling through Instagram while Oliver rambles about Fred coming home today.

“Yeah he should be home soon” you respond smiling at your son who lights up at your words.

“Daddy played good” he says putting a piece of French toast in his mouth.

“He sure did, he was very good.”

“When he play next?” he asks scooping some food into his mouth.

“I’m not sure, not until the other teams are done. So he will be home for a few days” you say taking a sip of your tea when you hear a ding on your phone.

Oliver returns to his breakfast and you click on the button to see a message from someone you aren’t friends with, you scan over the message reading it a few times when you hear Fred’s shoes on the hardwood as he walks down the hall. You lock your phone and set it down on the table.

“Daddy” Oliver squeals running down the hall jumping into his arms. Fred chuckles and picks him up, holding him tight for a long hug while he slowly walks into the kitchen.

“Hey Ollie I missed you” he says kissing his cheek.

“Missed you too daddy” he says with his arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

“I heard you stayed up late watching the whole game” Fred says setting him back down at the table and he places a soft kiss on your forehead. You can smell the whiskey and beer from last night that is lightly disguised by his mint toothpaste. You know the team went out after the game for dinner and some of them were going for drinks at a bar after. Based on the whiskey smell and bags under his eyes it’s obvious Fred joined them.

“Yeah I watched the game with mommy. You had so many saves daddy” your son coos from his spot at the table.

Fred smiles rubbing his hair and sits down beside you, chatting with Oliver who shares his excitement over the win and moving on the second round. You sit there quietly drinking your tea half smiling while Oliver rambles on. After eating Oliver jumps down and walks over to his toy room leaving you and Fred alone at the table while you tap your fingers against your empty mug.

“I missed these boys too” he says rubbing your stomach “and I missed you too skat.” He leans in to kiss your cheek, you smile lightly at the contact but turn away slightly, causing a scowl to reach Fred’s face. “Smuk what’s wrong?” he gently brushes your hair behind your ear to further expose your face to him.

“Nothing” you mumble, pushing your chair back. You try to stand up and gather the dishes but Fred grips your wrist pulling you back into your seat.

“Kære it’s been over 3 years. I know when something is wrong and I know when you are lying. So save both of us time and just tell me what’s wrong” he groans.

You take a deep breath rolling your eyes; sometimes you wish Fred couldn’t read you like a book. You mindlessly play with your phone, flipping it upside down in your hand.

“Please babe” Fred says. You slide your finger over the sensor on the back unlocking the device, the Instagram messages displayed on the screen. You silently slide the phone across the table to him, your right hand rest on your stomach while Fred releases your other wrist and picks up your phone reading the messages.

He scans the messages a few times; when you hear a loud noise from the play area. You stand up and walk over to Oliver’s play area, you see a bunch of his blocks scattered around on the floor “my tower fell” he laughs upon seeing you. You chuckle lightly and he starts to rebuild his tower while you sit on the nearby loveseat watching your son. You feel the weight shift as Fred sits down beside you, spinning your phone in his hand.

“This isn’t true smuk” he says lightly watching Oliver play with his toys.

“I would have believed you, if it wasn’t for the pictures” you whisper, your voice catching in your throat.

The messages are from a woman in Philly who was out with some friends and recognized some of the players at the bar. She sent you a couple different pictures and explained that she used to date a Philly player for a couple months until she found out he was cheating on her all the time during road trips and she “thought you would want to know.” She explained that the guys were getting pretty cozy with a group of women at the bar and she saw Fred leave with one of them.

The first picture she sent was taken from behind the group. Fred and a couple players are standing at the bar with a few women all of whom are gorgeous. He is leaning in close to talk to a blonde his arm draped over her shoulder; her hand resting on his lower back while she is tucked in close under his arm. The second is the guys sitting at the table, Fred is in the background but the same blonde is sitting beside Fred, you can tell because of the pink sequined shirt is the same as the first. They are sitting extremely close together, laughing at something.

These two pictures seem to be relatively innocent, and nothing that is overly concerning to you; women are always approaching players out in public and it’s not the first time someone has sent you pictures similar to this. You have learned to ignore these types of messages, because you trust Fred and know these types of women are mostly looking for attention and have no truth.

If it was just these two pictures you would delete these messages not bothering to tell Fred. But the next picture has this woman sitting on his lap; Fred’s hand is laced in the women’s hair, holding her face inches from his. There is a large smile on his face while she is looking down towards his lips. The worst part is that smile has been reserved for you for the past 3 years; it’s the way he looks towards you.

“I’m not an idiot, I know what happened next” you scoff wiping the tear from your eye. You push off the seat, your stomach at 31 weeks making it difficult to get up.

“(Y/N)” Fred whispers helping you stand up, his hands on your hips helping to steady you. You walk away to the kitchen leaving Fred standing alone.

“Baby” he calls out walking over to you.

“Oh don’t you dare… don’t you baby me” you scoff your tone rising. “You don’t get to fuck another woman and then come at me with baby.”

You open the cupboard and reach up for a cup, but your bump makes it hard for you to reach to the second shelf. You feel Fred step up behind you placing a hand on your lower back as he reaches around you for a glass. Normally you would feel his touch from your core to your toes, it would make you weak. Make you want to hop up on the counter while Fred grips your hips pulling your entrance closer to his hard member. But today, in this moment, you want him to be as far away from you to never touch you again. Fred walks over to the fridge, pulling out your favourite juice and pouring some and handing it back to you.

“I didn’t fuck her” he says back to you, you shake your head and take a sip.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” you ask him rolling your eyes. “Even if she didn’t say you left with her it doesn’t take a genius to figure of what happened next.”

“I swear I didn’t fuck her, I didn’t do anything with her. I know how this looks and -”

“It looks like you are two seconds away from making out with that girl” you bark at him “and a half hour away from pressing her up against the wall in your hotel room.” You feel tears welling in your eyes and slowly start to fall down your cheeks. “Your girlfriend is pregnant and huge, she is too sore for sex or really anything at this point so it makes sense that you find someone else. I just wonder how long this has been happening, how many other girls there have been”

Fred’s large hands come to your face; he gently cups your cheeks while using a thumb to wipe your tears away but they keep falling down your cheek. You look up at him seeing his brown eyes are glazed over, waiting for the tears to fall. “First of all I love seeing you pregnant you know that” a hand slides over your stomach gently rubbing you “Lastly and most important babe, I didn’t sleep with her or anyone else. I love you. I want you, only you” he whispers. You are sure if he were to try and use his full voice it would crack and his tears would fall along with yours.

You feel the sincerity in his voice and you step closer to him, wrapping your hands around his back while you grip his tee. Your face falls into his chest, his hands gently stroking your back. “Promise?” you sob against him.

“I swear I didn’t sleep with her” he pulls you in tight to his chest; you stand there for a few minutes holding each other. You can hear Oliver in the toy room, talking with some of his action figures. You can hear Fred’s constant beating of his heart. Your breathing begins to steady, your sobs slow. You think he is telling the truth, while the picture does look somewhat compromising; a picture without context can be misleading.

“Then what is happening in the picture Fred? I want to trust you but what would you think if this was reversed” you sigh against him pulling back. You see the wet spot where your tears have stained his shirt. You tilt your head up and look at Fred, his hands slide to your hair and he looks down at you.

You meet his gaze, staring into his golden brown eyes. While Fred can read you, you also can read him.  Looking into his eyes you see him looking past you, trying to keep you slightly at bay. Instead of feeling his authenticity, you sense he is holding something back from you. You blink back the few remaining tears as your eyes have dried, feeling Fred take a gulp.

“I didn’t sleep with her” he repeats “but…” he trails off taking a deep breath. “But I did kiss her” he practically whispers that statement, you aren’t even sure he spoke those words they were so quiet.

Silence falls in the room; you can hear your clock ticking on the wall while you process what he said to you. Seconds turn to minutes while you feel your body go numb. Fred continues to gently stroke your back waiting for you to respond. Your chest tightens while your breathing increases, you can feel your heart pounding in your head. You bring your hands to Fred’s chest and push him away from you.

“WHAT?!” you say in disbelief. You try to be firm but your voice quivers “you kissed her, you kissed another woman?!”

“Yeah I did, but you need to stay calm. It’s not good for your blood pressure” he replies.

“You just told me you kissed another woman and now you want me to be calm! You can’t be serious Frederik” you yell at him throwing his arms off of you. You take a few steps to stand on the other side of the island, crossing your arms around your chest. Tears build in your eyes, and fall down your cheeks, your body shakes as you begin to sob. You start to feel uneasy on your feet, anger coursing through your veins. You reach down and grip the side of the counter steadying yourself taking a few deep breaths. You feel your knees getting weak, legs trembling under you.

“(Y/N)” he says walking towards you.

“Stop” you whisper “Do. Not. Come. Closer.” You take a deep breath, your vision blurred with your tears.

“Okay, okay” he whispers “I won’t come any closer, but can you please sit down…for the babies. I don’t want you to fall” You can’t see him through your tears but you can hear the pain in his voice. You move a few feet, falling into the stool at the island, your hands shaking.

“How could…” you stutter out. “How could you? How could you do this to me? To us? To Oliver?” Silence falls over the room while you cry into your hands.

“I don’t have a reason, or an explanation. Nothing…I’m just an idiot and I fucked up. I…I” he trails off, his voice cracking. You can hear the disappointment in his voice “I am so sorry” he whispers. His voice is closer; he is now sitting on a stool beside you.

You both sit in silence you can hear Oliver playing in his playroom, you hear some of his toys hitting the floor while he babbles to himself. You sniffle using the sleeve of your shirt to wipe your eyes, focusing on your breathing.

“Fred I am 31 weeks pregnant with twins, our second and third babies. What were you thinking?” you ask turning your head to look at him for the first time in minutes. You can see the pain and disappointment on his face, while he looks down at his hands that are resting on the counter. You reach out and grip your glass, but your hands are trembling too much for you to bring it to your lips.

“I wasn’t” he whispers.

“No, that isn’t a reason for this. There is a reason why you did this and I want to know” you say firmly.

His gaze doesn’t change as he brings a hand up to wipe the side of his eye brushing away some tears. He takes a deep breath and another before finally bringing his eyes up to yours.

“All this” he motions around the room “you, Ollie, the babies. I love all this so much, but it’s been a little stressful.”

You lightly scoff at his comment while he ignores it and keeps talking. “With the struggles you have been having, blood pressure, stress and discomfort I try to take some of the burden to ease things for you. And that’s my job to do what I can to help you. I can’t be pregnant so I try and make everything you experience manageable. We have the cleaning lady, massages and Christie; but it’s not enough I feel like I need to be doing more. And then there is the stress of my job, I feel like I can’t talk to you about it without feeling bad because you are dealing with so much more right now. The guys were all just having a good time drinking, celebrating the win when this group of women came over and it was just a causal conversation. It was nice to have someone to talk to, to help me forget about things even if for only a minute.”

You stare at him listening to his words, and it’s all true. Not that it is an excuse or justification for what he did, but you know he has been under pressure. You haven’t made it to many games because a couple weeks ago your doctor told you that you needed to relax more and watch your stress levels. She told you that your blood pressure was high still, but your platelet counts were a little low. She didn’t want to declare it was preeclampsia, but with that diagnosis Fred was worried. He hasn’t wanted you at any games. He wants you to be as comfortable as possible at all time, somethings he knows isn’t really possible at games. It’s also something Oliver has voiced his displeasure in, which has increased your guilt and stress over the situation.

“You have been so sore recently too that I can barely look at you let alone touch you.”

“So because my body is in too much pain from growing two tiny humans, two tiny humans that you wanted and helped make, you can seek attention from someone else” you retort.

“No definitely not. It’s just…” he trails off. He shifts to turn towards, his eyes are bloodshot from crying “it was nice to touch someone and not have my hands be pushed off, to have someone want me.”

“Fred…I am sorry I made you feel that way. This pregnancy has been full of challenges and completely different from my last one. I always want you, do you have any idea how hard it has been to want you every time I see but my body doesn’t agree. To be dripping wet for you every day, and not be able to do anything because I can’t handle it…” you say as a ball begins to build in your throat.

Fred grabs your hands in his “we kissed at the bar, only one time. I knew it was wrong, it felt so wrong so I stopped and left the bar right after. I text you when I got back to the hotel to see if you were awake, I just wanted to hear your voice so bad but you were asleep and didn’t answer.”

“Why did this girl say she saw you leave together? The girl who messaged me isn’t the girl in the pictures; so what would she gain by lying?” you ask him.

“Well after I pulled away, I said I had to go to the bathroom but I went to the bar and paid my tab and got my coat from coat check. I didn’t even bother ordering an uber until I got outside, I just had to get away. She saw me leave and came out not too long after, trying to get me to bring her back to the hotel. I had to practically push her out of the car, she was pretty insistent. But I swear I left her standing on the sidewalk. I wish so badly I didn’t do it, that I could go back in time. I am so sorry (Y/N/N)” he says to you.

“It doesn’t matter though Fred, we’re supposed to be a team. I’m supposed to be the person you talk to about this, the person who helps you escape the stress” you say as tears begin to fall again. Fred’s hand comes up and gently wipes your tears, him looking into your eyes.

“I am so sorry (Y/N” he says bringing his lips to your forehead. You stay like that for a minute, Fred continues to whisper he is sorry while his lips are hovering in front of your forehead. His warm breath and calloused fingers on your cheek begin to soothe you, his presence always brings you back down.

“I love you so much” he whispers tilting your head and placing a soft but hesitant kiss on your lips, his thumbs gently stroking your cheek. You melt into his touch, your hands come up and gently grip his biceps while his mouth opens, allowing you further access. He is slow and cautious with his movements, treading lightly trying to gauge your limitations.

He grips your face firmer, bringing you closer for a passionate kiss when you push him off you. “No Freddie you don’t get to kiss me and make it all better. You don’t get to kiss her and then come here, say sorry and then kiss me as if it didn’t happen.”

You turn your head toward the playroom and can still hear Oliver babbling in there, oblivious to what is happening around the corner. You wipe your lips removing the taste of him from you. You place a hand on your stomach, rubbing it gently while your other wipes away the tears that haven’t fallen yet. You feel Fred’s gaze as he waits for your next move.

You let your tears stop, taking a few deep breaths. You finally turn back to Fred and stand up from the barstool “I need some time” you mumble almost not audible “some space.” You walk over to the other side of the room and grab your phone putting it in your purse while heading to the door.

Fred follows you to the door “what you’re leaving? If anyone is leaving, going to a hotel…it will be me not you; I fucked up and you’re pregnant. Just let me pack a bag and” he trails off for a second “and spend some time with him. I’ll tell him in a couple hours I have a road trip or –“ he rambles on.

“Fred you’re not leaving” you cut him off. “He wouldn’t believe you, I told him when you won last night you would be home for a bit. We have a 7 bedroom house, I’ll sleep in our old bed for a bit. I just…I need a drive” you say walking out the door.

You return a couple hours later, having driven aimlessly around. You called Carlee just to hear her voice, not having it in you to say out loud what happened. You thought if you pretended it didn’t happen you might forget for a minute that it didn’t; but it still felt real. It took so much energy to not break down, especially when she asked how Fred was. You were really happy you were driving, otherwise she would have switched to FaceTime and you wouldn’t have been able to hide you pain.

She told you about her dog Carlos she recently adopted. He is a 4 year old lab husky mix with the sweetest heart, but when he doesn’t get enough attention he starts to howl which he did while on the phone. She also told you about Chris, her new boyfriend. By the time you hung up you realized you had no idea where you were and had to pull over and Google Maps your way home.

When you return home Fred is in the kitchen making dinner while Oliver watches Pixar’s newest movie on the couch.

“Hey” Fred says stirring something in a pot “dinner will be ready in twenty minutes or so.” You give him a half smile and walk over to the fridge, grabbing a drink “I moved some of my stuff to a spare room, you stay in our room.”

“Thanks” you mumble walking over to the couch to join Oliver for the movie. You sit beside him and pull him in beside you, and he fills you in on the movie.

___

“Daddy” Oliver says pointing to the TV. The second round is well underway; highlights from game 5 and Fred’s interview are being played. Fred is currently at the rink for a practice, game six being tonight.

“Yeah that’s him Ollie” you sigh. You sit there for a little while watching Oliver while he plays with his toys. “Hey bud, you want some lunch?” you ask. He looks up at you and nods before returning to his toys; you stand up and wince at the feeling of your feet, you slowly make your way to the kitchen. You open the fridge when you hear Fred’s heavy steps on the hardwood.

“Why don’t you go sit down and I’ll make lunch” he says coming up beside you. You give him a half smile and move to the living room and sit on the couch. A few minutes later Fred brings out lunch and a tea for you and Oliver.

“Daddy, daddy! Want to play hockey?” Oliver asks holding some ministicks after eating his grilled cheese.

“Sorry bud, I have a game tonight. I have to get ready for it. Another time, promise” Fred says.

“Okay.” He pauses briefly before looking at you, “mommy are we going to the game?” he asks with a spark in his eyes.

“No little man. Mommy can’t go to the game” Fred says pulling Oliver up to the couch.

“Why? We don’t get to go anymore” he sulks.

“Because mommy is growing your brothers, and it’s really hard work. She needs to relax and take it easy so they will be safe and healthy” Fred tries to explain but you can see the disappointment in your sons eyes. While you are still upset with Fred, you don’t want it to have an impact on Oliver. Tears start forming in Oliver’s eyes and you feel your heart breaking for him; mom guilt coming in hard.

Even if your doctor hadn’t given you the recommendation you still wouldn’t have gone to any games this round, given the current state of your relationship. Further to that you haven’t really spoken with Fred over the past week and a half. The only conversation you really have had was after your doctor’s appointment where you were given Betamethasone injections; a steroid to help develop the babies vital organs and others about Oliver. The tension in the house reminds you of two years ago when you told Fred you wanted to move out of the condo.

You know it’s been hard on him, he lights up when you walk in the room, and you feel his heart sink when you don’t return the feeling and walk past him. He still talks to your stomach, and rubs it trying to feel one of the babies kick; no matter how mad you are you wouldn’t deprive him of those experiences during your pregnancy.

It’s not that you love him less, because you still do; you were just so mad. But your anger is beginning to subside and you think maybe it’s time to start repairing things before they become too fractured to repair. You want to talk to him while you have time, before the babies come and it gets forgotten in the mayhem of newborns; especially since newborns have a reputation for coming early.

“Maybe we can see if Kathy or Christina can take you to the game” you say stroking his back. Oliver smiles and leaves to go play with his toys.

“It’s okay babe” Fred whispers, wiping a tear you hadn’t even realized had fallen. You move closer to Fred, resting your head on his shoulder while he cautiously wraps an arm around you. You feel him stiffen beside you, unsure of what you want to do and not wanting to make anything worse.

“This is so hard. I feel so bad disappointing him” tears are slowly falling down your cheek while you watch him play in front of you. You smell Fred’s familiar cologne, something you didn’t realize you had missed so much until this moment. Fred hums in your ear “babe, you’re an amazing mom, look at him. He is happy, healthy and loved.”

You turn your head and see Fred’s eyes are locked on you, you grab his other hand that is resting on the couch and bring it to your stomach “you’re an amazing dad” you whisper up to him. He lets out a breath, one he likely has been holding in while walking on eggshells around you.

His hand strokes your stomach as you sit there looking at Fred who has turned his attention to Oliver. You notice the bags under his eyes are bigger and darker than normal, his beard is slightly longer than normal in need of a trim and brushing. You see the emptiness behind his eyes while he gently rubs your stomach.

“Maybe tonight you can sleep in our bed…with me” you say looking up at him. A small smile crosses his face while he turns to look at you “yeah?” he asks, and you just nod smiling at him.

“I’d like that” he says, you lean forward and gently press your lips to his “me too” you whisper pulling back. Fred’s arm tightens around you and he pulls you closer to him, your hand scratches through his beard.

“We still have some things to talk about though” you say. Fred just smiles and nods while you rise onto your knees bringing his face closer to yours, you bring your lips back onto his tasting his chap stick. You swirl your tongue in his mouth moaning lightly at his touch you have been yearning for.

“Daddy can you read to me?” you hear Oliver ask causing you to separate, as he walks over to his bookshelf to pick a book out. You slide beside Fred settling under his arm while Oliver crawls onto the couch and snuggles in on the other side of him.

A few hours later Fred has left for the game, but not before placing a long passionate kiss on your lips. You can tell it’s something he didn’t want to end. You practically had to push him out the door so he wasn’t late.

Sportsnet is playing lightly on the TV when you see Oliver come down the hall in his jersey even though the game doesn’t start for another 2 hours. He picks up a ministicks and pretends to play, but you can see the emptiness in his actions. He is only holding his stick with one hand, barely making contact with his puck trying to act excited but you know he is disappointed in being at home.

You wander to your bedroom and get changed out of your sweatpants. You change into a pair of maternity jeans and a loose black V-neck T-shirt before returning to the living room. “Hey Oliver, you want to go to daddy’s game?” you ask. He looks up at you with the biggest smile you have seen on his face in a while “yeah I do mommy! But what about my brudders?” he asks looking at your belly.

“They deserve to have some fun for one night right?” you ask, he nods in agreeance. “We will be okay, promise.”

Oliver nods taking in your words, and practically runs down the hall when you tell him to get his shoes on. A few minutes later you are on the way to the game as Oliver rambles in the backseat. He hasn’t stopped smiling since you told him you were going to the game. After parking you help Oliver out of the car and pull on your Andersen denim jacket you have yet to wear. You grab Oliver’s hand while walking through the building to the wag suite. Oliver immediately pulls away and runs to play with some of the other kids.

“What are you doing here?” Kathy asks hugging you.

“He really wanted to come to a game and I wasn’t feeling terrible so I thought we could come” you explain. You leave out the part where Fred kissed another woman and you have been too bitter and upset to come but are ready to forgive him. You don’t know if she knows, or who of the WAG’s knows but at this point you don’t care.

As the warmups start Oliver runs over asking if you can go down to the ice to watch. Of course you agree and walk down to the ice to say hi to Fred. He skates around the ice a few times and goes to his spot beside the hash marks to do his stretches. Oliver waves at him trying to capture his attention but you aren’t sure he will since he didn’t expect you. He puts his helmet on and begins to skate into the crease to take some warmup shots when he spots you. He skates over to you lifting his helmet; he shoots you a glance before bending down to tap the glass by Oliver. He fist bumps Oliver before standing up to look at you.

You can tell he is happy to see you even if he wants you to be resting at home. You smirk at him and turn slightly to show him the back of your jacket. A large grin crosses his face, and he raises his eyebrows at you, you chuckle slightly. You blow him an air kiss and he smiles and mouths “love you” before skating off into the net.

You return to the suite to watch the game. You have been sitting beside Kathy who has been filling you in on all her wedding details, showing you the bridesmaid dress she has picked for you. You have been shifting in your seat, wincing slightly at the pain you can feel in your lower back. Your shoes begin to fill a size to small, and you are sure your feet have swollen.

It is the end of the first period and the Penguins are up 1-0. You look over at Oliver who hasn’t stopped watching the game, a large smile plastered on his face the entire time. You would be tempted to leave, but you feel so bad for Oliver. He has wanted to go to a game for so long, but you don’t know if you can sit any longer.  You stand up, putting a hand on your lower back as you start pacing around the room trying to see if the pain subsides.

“Why don’t you go home” you hear Kathy say coming up beside you “I can tell you are struggling here.”

You look over at Oliver who is chatting with some of the other kids “I can’t make him leave. He has been so upset not coming to games. I finally bring him to one, a playoff one too; I can’t take him home it will crush him. I’ll be fine” you say trying to convince yourself.

“Fred have a car seat in his car?” she asks.

You shake your head no “Fred brought his BMW tonight, but I have his spare key in my purse.”

“Leave him and your keys with me and take the BMW home. I’ll watch him and deliver him to Fred after the game. He won’t even notice you’re gone and you can get home and rest, your due date is soon” she explains.

You laugh lightly knowing she is right “my due date isn’t for 8 weeks so hopefully they hold on a bit longer, but thanks Kathy.”

You give her a hug before walking over to Oliver “hey buddy, mommy isn’t feeling too good so I’m going to go home” you say and see his face fall. “But Kathy said she can watch you for the rest of the game so mommy can go rest” you explain “is that okay?”

“Yeah” he cheers causing both you and Kathy to laugh.

“Okay you be good for Kathy” you say brushing hair from his face “and daddy will drive you home after the game.”

“Okay, love you mommy” he says wrapping his arms around your legs.

You pull out of the garage and start the 20 minute drive home. You are sitting at a red light listening to AM radio, waiting for the second period broadcast to start. You shift slightly in your seat trying to get comfortable, this car isn’t the most ideal for a large belly so you haven’t driven it in a few months. You  mindlessly stare out the window tapping the steering wheel. Just as the light turns green you put your foot on the gas and start to advance through the intersection.

You her screeching and feel your body fly forward, the seatbelt locking around you. Next your face and chest feel like they are being punched by a very firm but fluffy pillow. A loud ringing noise echoes through your ears. Warm liquid falls down your face, when everything around you goes dark.

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[tammyfeabakker]

Ok made some progress... lesson I learned this week... a old friend got intouch with me. I was suppose to go down to Florida in September. A few days just a few days. Ok. I get a call from this person. Hey cat! My friend is renting a house in Brigantine. I want to see my friend in northfeild...I'm coming up. I said do you think your friend would mind if you stayed with me acouple days! She said well no she wouldnt. So she asked me one way ticket or 2 way. I thought she was asking my advice.. I said one well you wont be pressured you have friends and family here. Why limit yourself... well each day after that... she texted me it started to dawn on me... all these accommodations she wanted. How long do you think your staying at MY HOUSE?!!!. Shes like I thought you would be my main house to stay 😳... I was like how did a few days turn into your main place to stay? Shes like well this friend has only 3 bedrooms and theres 3 people staying there... and karen has a one bedroom condo... I said I got a 3 bedroom house.my son in law parents coming to stay... 5 people in this 3 bedroom house. Like how long did you think I was sleeping on the couch for? She asked me where she would sleep for the few days at my house? This was the few days I invited her... I said you can have my room. She said where you sleeping? I said on the couch. I didnt want to hurt her feelings. So I had approach this in not my usual manner. I'm not no fucking holiday inn! You want jersey tomatoes rye bread cottage cheese your own room a driver pick you up from the philly airport rather then ac. Can my niece come stay? Broke the camel's back was the bathroom. It was getting to the point where she wanted her own bathroom. Because tjs parents would use mine. She said well I hope theres another bathroom they can use. She said she doesnt need to be a in the ass. I said your becoming one like how long do you think your staying here? Shes like I thought you would take an extended vacation. I run a small buisness fucking extended vacation. Ain't happening hell I have to work my days off sometimes. I learned I kinda like being by myself I dont need friends I also learned doing things on my own ain't so fucking bad after all. I had plans. I was going back to working out. To see if that help my sleeping problems. I can put up with her for acouple days I gotta life here... past stays in the past no matter what. Why it's called the past.. frankly if you havnt been in my life up till now you really dont belong in my present. You put an olive branch out to someone they take the whole fucking tree. I stayed awake all night again wondering how to handle this without me looking like the bad guy and like I said I would like to keep in touch if not oh well. It's done and over with. I told her I can accommodate you a few days! Pick you up from philly. Comes back with maybe she got to enthusiastic. Maybe I should cancel to I have to make some calls to can you find me a cheap nice hotel? Covid prices. Fucking yellow pages. Can you find me a cheap flight I said spirit. She ended up booking with America airlines. 158 one way verses 89 2 ways. Ac airport is 10 mins away philly airport is hour away. I knew then be a problem. Theres no place like home theres no place like home.. I can actually get on by myself on my own after this bull fucking shit. I'm buying roller skates do it on my own. I know my Katy will follow. Anyway. Mother and daughter positive challenge. I did need this in a way. I wouldnt never thought I was ok on my own. Until now... ✌❤🤣🙏🤞

[adashofniallandasprinkleoflunacy]

this is dom harry bro no questions he'd just sit there eating u out for hours but wouldnt let u come

“Please.”

“No.”

“Harry, please.”

“Mm-mm.”

It’s been hours. Literal hours.

Her best guess is two, but it feels more like twenty. She’s hypersensitive, and it’s not helping that he’s refusing to let her cum.

Y/N can only hold out for so long before her body takes on a mind of its own and breaks down without his or her permission, so she tries to focus her thoughts on something—anything— else. Anything but him.

Her mind wanders to how she’d ended up in this position in the first place.

How she had thought he’d come in from the airport and they’d go out for some dinner and maybe save all of the raunchiness for the later half of the evening.

But of course he couldn’t wait. He’d been waiting for three days, and now he was refusing to leave his post between her drenched thighs to make up for it.

Harry had gone to Cancun for a couple of days to shoot something top secret, leaving Y/N behind in Philly, where he was planning to come back to put some more business details in order for his next album.

When he had walked through the door of the hotel room, she almost didn’t recognize him.

He’d gotten very tan during those days in Mexico and she could tell it was natural. His nose was already starting to peel and the edges of his hairline were sun-bleached, along with a wave of honey and auburn highlights running through his usual chestnut brown curls. He was sporting crisp white shorts, a simple black button-up with the first two buttons undone, a black windbreaker, and her own pair of scuffed up white Vans that she had let him borrow.

He tended to take something of Y/N’s with him whenever he went away, even if just for a little bit. An old oversized Jurassic Park t-shirt that smelled like her, a wooden bead bracelet she got when they visited Animal Kingdom, the silver charms from one of her favorite necklaces that dote her initials, which he would loop around his cross chain. A ruby and black diamond ring he had gifted her for her birthday that fit perfectly around his pinky, her favorite pair of cactus-patterned socks— the list is endless. Point being, this time around he decided on the pair of Vans he found at the bottom of her suitcase.

Harry loves that he never had to ask to borrow her stuff; she just let him raid whatever he wanted because it truly touched her that he always wanted to have a piece of her on him.

Those pair of raggedy Vans had ended up kicked into the corner of the room beside his suitcase as he distractedly shrugged off one shoulder of his jacket, the other occupied holding his phone to his ear.

“Yeah, that’s what we planned. Mitch texted and said he was boarding his flight so he should be here by tonight, probably around ten. The latest, twelve, depending on traffic.” Harry had grabbed his phone from its spot between his ear and shoulder, switching sides to slide off the rest of the windbreaker. “Okay, so nine tomorrow morning? The room’s booked and everything? Alright, sick! I’ll text you when I’m on my way. Later.”

Harry had tapped the screen of his phone, releasing a long sigh of relief through his nose as he chucked it onto the free bed along with his jacket, running one of his large hands up his tired face and through his messy locks.

Y/N had spoken up first, voice clear even over the Sugar Rush episode playing on the TV in the background. “How was Cancun?”

Harry’s drained gaze had focused on her and somehow, just looking at her— just seeing his girlfriend laying on the disheveled bed in one of the lavish, creme-colored hotel bathrobes with rainbow fuzzy socks covering her wiggling toes and her bangs pinned back haphazardly with a clip— had inflated a certain warmth inside him that rose up from the heels of his feet to the tips of his fingers, expanding in his chest and squeezing out any stress and exhaustion milling in his veins.

He had pursed his lips into a small, lopsided smile full of tender fondness, his eyes softening and glossing over with the comfort that comes from her familiar scent of chamomile shampoo and apple lip balm. “It went great. Everyone was lovely, the filming got done quick and easy, the food was as amazing as ever, but...”

Harry had trailed over to the front of the bed, falling onto his knees and then hands, crawling across the mattress until he was hovering over her with arms propped on either side of her head and knees straddling her hips. He’d pressed a delicate kiss to the center of her forehead, leaning down to nudge her nose with his. “...I missed you.”

Y/N cocked her head back to lock eyes with her boyfriend, his smile contagious. “Well, I missed my Vans.”

Harry had broken into an amused snort, shaking his head lightly as he speckled pecks all over her face. His tone was dramatic and full of pretend anguish. “My poor heart!”

She was reduced to a giggling mess as she wrapped her arms securely around his neck, his own arms weaving their way between the bed and her lower back to keep her trapped as his mouth brushed across every tickle spot he’d learned like the back of his hand.

Harry had pulled back from his little attack, grinning ear to ear with his dimples on full display. He’d balanced himself on his elbows, fingers reaching up to tuck her unkempt hair out of her face.

They’d laid like that for a moment; Harry snuggled between her legs, irises flickering over the tiny details of her face, taking her in. The way her lips were lightly chapped, her cheeks warmer than usual, her chest heaving and neck flexing with every breath she’d gulp down. The way her eyes were bright, almost as if infused with literal starlight. The way her hands were gripping at his wrists gently and the way she kept glancing down at his mouth, inviting it to meet her’s.

“Y’know what I’ve been thinking about all fucking day?” His voice had been soft— barely above a mumble— but filled with a type of desperate conviction that she rarely saw in him.

“Mm?” Her fingers had tightened around his wrists curiously.

He’d taken in a shaky breath, letting it out slowly in such a way that it rattled his lungs. His tongue had peeked out to swipe across his bottom lip, which had then pursed with his top one in anticipation.

“Been thinking about eating you out for hours.”

Y/N’s heart had tripped a step at his confession, which had come out as a sigh of needy pleading. 

“Yeah?”

Harry had nodded his head sluggishly, leaning forward to lightly touch his lips to her Cupid’s Bow. The warmth of his words traced the outline of her mouth suggestively, sending a shiver racing down the knobs of her spine. “All fucking day, baby. Spent every second on that plane thinking about how sweet you’d taste on my tongue and how good it’d feel to have you dripping down my chin.”

One of Y/N’s hands had left its spot, opting for tracing his top lip with its fingers instead. “For hours?”

Harry had nodded almost feverishly, a small whimper stringing at the back of his throat at the sensation of the ridges of her skin passing over his. “Just been craving you a bit extra, lately. Was practically running through the airport to get here.”

She’d release small laugh in the form of a scoff, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. “I thought we’d go out to dinner first or something and save this for later, but if you really need it that bad...”

“Fuck, minx, I need it so fucking bad.”

Harry had left no time for her to think it over twice, pushing back to sit on his heels and tugging the tie of her bathrobe loose. “Jesus Christ...”

Y/N had prepared for the occasion.

In the short time he’d been away, she’d gone shopping at a mall near the hotel. She hadn’t really gone with the intent of purchasing anything, but then she ran into a specific set of lingerie that she just couldn’t pass up.

It was bright red lace, the fabric littered with glitter. It came with a bra (which had a bow over the middle of each cup and one at the center of the piece, which could be undone to remove the article from the front) and a pair of high-waisted cheeky panties with matching garters that fit perfectly mid-thigh.  

Y/N could practically see Harry’s mouth watering as he had blinked at her a few times, utterly dumbfounded, mouth slightly parted. A hue as red as her undies had crawled up his neck and spilled across his cheeks, as well as the shells of his ears and the tip of his button nose.

“I was saving it for later.” She’d murmured softly, keeping her vision trained on his face, drinking up every twitch and jolt of his expression and letting it overflow her ego. She had spread her legs, hooking them over the back of each of his knees as she sunk further into the sheets, allowing her plush robe to skim down her upper arms. “But you can tear it off now, if you want.”

And that brings her to where she is now, with her head thrown back against the mound of expensive feather pillows, fingers woven into Harry’s damp curls as she bucks against his face, his forearms draped over her outer thighs to keep her pinned down to the mattress.

“Fucking hell, Har, please just let me cum.”

When he said for hours, she thought he’d meant it hyperbolically.

“Stay still.” His voice is low and raspy, thick with lust and drunk on her taste.

She thought it would’ve been maybe twenty minutes— forty, tops— but those minutes had turned to an hour, and that hour into two. The first hour he’d spent biting into her inner thighs and tonguing her over the lace panties, only removing them after they were embarrassingly drenched (and with his teeth, of course). The last hour had been him nose-deep between her thighs, fingers working into her thoroughly as he lapped at her folds like he hadn’t eaten in weeks.

“God, you’re so fucking wet.” Harry pulls back a bit, lips, dimples, and the point of his nose gleaming with her excitement. He messily drags his knuckles up her pulsing clit, trying to clean her up a bit so he can get in further without feeling suffocated.

The milky liquid coats the back of his hand generously, dripping down onto his fingers and smearing across the soaked sheets. He glimpses down at it, instinctively bringing it up to his mouth and licking every drop off his knuckles. His tongue passes over his skin and between his fingers, eyes flickering upwards to lock onto her’s. His irises glitter with a form of self-satisfied snarkiness, glittering with different tones of green, light blue, and crystal amber in the deeper crevices.

Harry pushes his first two digits entirely past his lips, lids fluttering shut as he inhales a quaking sigh through his nose, humming a moan in the back of his throat. His words are muffled over his full mouth, but passable nonetheless. “Shit, you taste so bloody sweet.”

Her whole body caves upwards, thighs clenching and heels digging into the bed. Her voice is broken and whiney. “Wanna cum so bad.”

“I know y’do, darling. I know.” He pulls out with a wet pop, licking over his swollen lips and glistening chin. “But I’m just having too much fun. Just a little longer, I promise.”

Harry’s large hands cup over her quivering outer thighs, yanking her back towards his face. He picks up again with tiny puppy licks across the sensitive bud at the center of her folds, hips absentmindedly grinding into the bed to ease the radiating ache itching the underside of his balls.

Y/N tugs harder at his sun-kissed curls, feeling him hiss against her— the vibrations cause her knees to twitch. “I c-can’t hold off anymore...”

The pads of his digits bruise her skin. “Y’can— know y’can. If you want me to fuck you tonight, you better.”  

Harry flattens his tongue out across the thickest part of her crotch, turning his face slowly from side to side as his fingers gently curl inside her, brushing against her tightening walls and resulting in a shattered whimper straining her throat. “That’s a good girl, hm? Love the sounds you make for me— they’re so fucking pretty. Love the way I make you squeal.”

Y/N’s words choke out in sputters, interrupted by abrupt breaths she can’t help but inhale. “Feels—so good— fuck—!”

“Such a darling little thing, aren’t you?” Harry looks up at her from underneath his thick lashes and cockily furrowed brows, the edges of his lips peeking up in a smug simper from between her legs. “Bought yourself something nice for me to fuck you in and thought you could go prancing around in it all night without me knowing until we got back.”

“Wanted it to be a s-surprise.”

“Yeah? Well, I’ve got a surprise for you, too.”

Harry backs away from her slightly with a final rough lick, removing his fingers from inside her and sloppily wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. He reaches over her left hip, hooking the ruined panties with his index finger and holding them up above her abdomen for her to see. A certain mischievous glossiness washes across his darkened eyes.

“You’re going to put these back on and spend the entire night in them. Want you sitting at dinner in the mess you made, thinking about how hard I’m gonna pound you when we get back.”

[lonelypond]

Parent Trap, Ch. 3

Love Live, NicoMaki, 3.1K, 3/?

Summary: Maki heads to Philly, after some pointed questions from Grandmama Nishikino; Nico seizes the stage; Eli worries.

Another First

Eli hadn’t been sleeping so when Mischa came out and saw her Mama sleeping on the couch again, she curled up against her, humming.

“Nontan?” Eli muttered, but the weight on her side was a light one, “Misha?” Eli was wide awake.

“You have a bed, Mama.” Misha stated.

“I know, baby. I’ve just had to stay up late and I don’t want to disturb your mother.”

“What’s been keeping you away from me, Elichi?” Nozomi drawled, wrapping her robe around herself as she entered the kitchen.

“Well, you.” Eli thought, but she just hugged Misha and yawned, “I’ll be in bed early tonight.”

Nozomi leaned on the counter,“I look forward to it.”

Eli ignored that, giving all her attention to her daughter, “What do you want for breakfast?”

“Caramel popcorn.” 

“Popcorn isn’t breakfast food. How about cereal, that’s crunchy.”

“Okay.”

“Here you go,” Nozomi pulled puffed corn cereal off the shelf, “Put some blueberries in.”

“Good idea, Mom.”

“Thank you, baby bear.” Nozomi winked at Eli, “All my ideas are good ones.”

Eli remained silent. She couldn’t figure out, besides her usual matchmaking tendencies, what Nozomi might be up to. But she needed to know details before she needed to do damage control. But Nozomi, unusually, wasn’t being quick to gloat. Which worried Eli even more.

###

Maki was glad Dia was asleep. The Nishikino matriarch was about to make Dia’s Mama’s life very difficult and Maki didn’t want Dia picking up on her stress.

“So, Maki, why are you suddenly flying to Philly?” Coffee was never just a pleasant drink shared.

“Got a ticket to a concert. It’s the only one I can make. I want to pick up a lot of local history books for Dia.”

“Concert? The symphony? Philadelphia is….” “No.” Maki shook her head, speaking slowly calmly, nothing to see here, “Singer, friend of Eli’s.” “Oh.” The strategic sip.  Maki countered with a glance at the time.

“Thank you, Mama. Dia was very excited about coming here…” Her mother raised an eyebrow, “Has Dia met your new…” hesitation, fraught with meaning, “friend?” Maki shrugged, “We had a casual lunch. She knew a fun place to go skating. The Ribbon downtown. You should take Papa.”

“I’ll be sure to get the details from Dia.” Her mother was really going to interrogate her one year old grandchild for details about Maki’s date. And then the internet. Oh gods, Maki paled, what did you get when you searched Nico? What kind of things did she wear onstage?

“I really have to go.” Maki stood, going to kiss Dia before she left. “I’ll call you when I land.”

Her mother nodded, “Be careful, dear.” “I always am.”

Maki wondered what her life would have been like if she’d been a little less careful.

###

Nico stared at the message that had just pinged in.

M: So, I’m in Philadelphia tonight. But your show is sold out.

Nico snorted. Of course her show was sold out, all the tickets were gone in two hours. 

Another ping.

M: I was hoping you could sneak me in ; )

N: Nico doesn’t do groupies.

M: Does this outfit work? I usually go to symphonies. Then the snap. A short, plaid skirt, textured and torn stockings, the kickiest of designer boots, a cropped NicoNi t-shirt under what looked like a cashmere swing coat. Nico whistled.

“Cocoro?”

“Yeah, sis?” “Find Maki and bring her to the green room. Fast. She looks like this.” Nico handed Cocoro her phone.

“Is she the one with the little girl?”

“Yes.” “Doesn’t look like anyone’s mother.” Cocoro snapped. “Just go get her.” Nico ordered.

Exasperated, Cocoro zoomed out the door.

“And be friendly.” Nico yelled as the door closed. 

Nico leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling, willing herself to focus on the concert, the audience, the fans eager for a Nico Ni knockout show. She could feel the buzz, the call to burst out onstage. She never started late, but tonight, tonight, there would be a slight delay because Nico was going to claim a good show kiss from her newest fan.

###

The screaming. It was everywhere. It was insane. And EVERYONE was singing along with Nico, waving lights, hands and banners in the air. And Nico was a shower of meteors, almost literally, lights and energy and sound making her seem like a series of explosions speeding across the stage.

Maki sat on a stool after trying to keep up for awhile when she caught a glance and a wave in her direction from the star of the show. The nosise and bustle was starting to give her a frowning headache; she wanted to have bought earplugs. She caught glimpses of molded foam in the ears of all the staff. Because they were music professionals who wanted to retain as much of their hearing as possible. And Maki was an idiot fangirl in too little clothing to be warm. She pulled her cashmere coat around herself and watched, unable to look away, from Nico executed sharp and perfect breaking moves in summer beachwear. Constant motion and spotlights must keep Nico warm, because there wasn’t enough fabric to.

Maki zoned out, watching Nico in a detached fashion, as she ignored the blur and bustle around her. And then the stage went black, and the audience was still for enough of a heartbeat to startle Maki out of her fugue state, and then when the NICO! chants picked up volume, Nico was suddenly in front of Maki, hands on either of Maki’s knees, curving upward to smack a kiss on Maki’s lips. Maki fumbled backward and one of Nico’s hands reached around her waist.

“AMAZING RIGHT!” Nico was glowing and shouting and Maki was too aware of all the people rushing toward Nico and crowding both of them. Awkwardly, Maki slid off the stool, into a sweaty Nico hug. And Maki was calm for however many seconds that lasted, but then Nico had her hand and was pulling her toward the stage, and her sister, headset on, was covering her mic to yell things at Nico Maki couldn’t understand. At the edge of the stage, Nico turned to Maki, “Encore. Wait here.”  And then the roar as Nico walked out for another song, Maki, realizing she was on the verge of hyperventilating, turned and sprinted to where she thought the exit to the what must be a cooler quieter hallway would be.

###

Maki paced. She had leaned against the wall, eyes closed, already caught up on her messages, made a sad sounding TWIG post, hummed through the Nico songs she could remember, wondered if Dia was sleeping okay and if she’d missed Maki’s usual bedtime story. All of that and Nico was still somewhere else. So Maki was pacing. And then a door banged open and there was a slightly out of breath Nico, oversized neon pink hoodie over white and pink heart leggings.

“There you are. Nico couldn’t find you.” Nico waited for Maki to finish her circuit and return to where Nico stood. 

“Are you done?” Maki grumbled, then winced.

“Nico’s never really done on a concert tour. Perqs of being the boss.” Nico waved her arms, “Everything is Nico’s.”

“Don’t you eat. Or sleep?” This was obviously going to be  more complicated than taking Nico out after the show to the quirky diner Maki had researched

“Yes, Nico eats. We go back to the hotel. Cocoro’s already ordered enough food for three crews.”

“Oh.”

“Did you want to take Nico out?” Nico almost giggled about how cute it was, but the tremble of Maki’s jaw stopped her and she swivelled into enthusiasm, “That sounds perfect. Nico is starved.” “Really?” Maki’s body language looked less defeated.

“Let’s go.” Nico took Maki’s hand, and with the other, pulled her phone out of the hoodie’s kangaroo pocket, “Cocoro? Nico needs the limo now...and make sure everyone is taken care of…” Nico glanced at Maki as she listened to the reply, “I don’t know when I’ll be back. Don’t worry,” Nico winked, “Maki’s taking care of me.”

“I could call a car?” Maki offered. “Nah, Nico’s driver is used to things and doesn’t mind driving around if there’s no parking. And the sound system is crazy good. We can play anything you like, if you’ve had enough Nico.” Maki, with Nico on her arm giving her the complete Nico charisma package, couldn’t keep the huge grin off her face, “Well, I did sit through an entire concert.” “But Nico didn’t sing your favorite song.” “Huh?”

And Nico, grinning devilishly, dropped her voice and “Stuck On You” echoed through the hallway.

###

The third restaurant/bar that had a kitchen that closed early. Maki had growled and stormed out, Nico had smiled, apologized, and tipped the bartender who had delivered the bad news. Then she’d rushed outside before Maki flipped a car or wandered into traffic...Nico stopped, Maki was standing outside the bar, a couple steps down from the door, one arms holding her coat closed, the other holding a phone she might have been shouting at, but she was looking more like crying than car flipping. 

“C’mon.” Nico grabbed Maki’s arm, pulling her toward the car, “We’re going to grab a couple of the coolest pizzas in Philly, take them back to Nico’s suite, and catch up on Nancy Drew.”

“Nancy Drew?” “CW teen horror with a diversity of brave, pretty people, and a conniving lesbian lovely. It’s fun.”

“Horror?” “Spooky mystery. Scarier than Scooby, but not too gory. Nico and Cocoro watch on the road so we can catch up with Cocoro and Cotaro when we get back home. You like pizza right?” Ah, something Maki could grab onto, “Yes, I like pizza.” “Did you pack pajamas?” “No.”

“No?” That made Nico pause.

Maki twirled a curl of hair into a thin twine, “I mean I brought sweats…”

“Uh huh,” Nico held the car door open, “Nico will grab you sweats and a t-shirt from the merch stash. Fresh off the runway. That outfit is super hot, but doesn’t look curl up on the couch with pizza comfy.”

Maki smiled, finally,  as she adjusted the very short skirt for sitting, “It’s really not.”

###

The pizza was square. 

“It’s square.” Maki said, sitting back from the box, sliding farther back into the corner of the sectional, the lights of Philly bright behind her in the floor to ceiling windows.

“It is.” Nico sat solidly center, setting up her laptop.

“And gooey.” Maki pulled a piece out of the pie, examining it quizzically, “Crispy crust, then cheese, then sauce.” 

“Smells amazing.” Nico leaned down the couch to sniff, then snagged a bite. “Nico likes.” “Hey!” Maki pulled the pizza away from Nico while managing to lean toward her, “My slice.” “Sharing is sexy.” Nico stared into amiable amethyst, trying to keep her eyes off the slightly too tight V neck she’d pull for Maki.

Maki raised an eyebrow, “Leaving enough pizza for your date is sexier.” “Hey.” Nico opened the second box to wave under Maki’s nose, “Nico bought two pies, with the selection of their best toppings. Paid cash.”

“Yeah, good pizza in Philly seems to be a cash only deal. It’s weird.” Maki sat back, pizza gone in three bites. 

“Puts more money into pizza, less money into credit card fees.” Nico started on a slice of her own as Maki grabbed one from the second box. “Philly’s got weird vibes, cool weird vibes, though. All the history stuff adds awesomeness.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to see the Liberty Bell tomorrow. I told Dia I’d bring her back a lot of books.”

“Nico can make some time in the morning..” “Really?”

“Sure.” Nico wasn’t actually sure Cocoro would agree but the thought of Maki bright eyed and eager wandering historical Philly in search of things to take home to Dia was too cutesweet to miss. “It’s right downstairs.”

“So,” Maki swivelled her way out of the corner, now fully leaning on Nico, “What’s this scary teen show you want us to watch?” “Haven’t you ever heard of Nancy Drew, girl detective?” Maki giggled, “Of course, I have, Nico. But you’ll need to catch me up on the plot so far.” Nico decided she’d had enough pizza and dropped her arm around Maki’s shoulders, encouraging closer snuggling, “Nico is the best at catching people up. So, there’s Nancy. And George, who’s running a diner, and then Bess who’s living out of a van, and Ned Nickerson is working out of a garage and he and Nancy have this relationship that she won’t admit is a relationship and…”

Maki put her head on Nico’s shoulder, still managing to keep a constant pizza chew going, “Where’s the scary?”

Nico leaned over to hit play on her laptop, “Oh, you’ll see.”

###

Voices. Maki must be up. Nico smiled at the memory of an adorably exhausted Maki too sleepy to keep her eyes open through more than one and a half episodes of Nancy Drew. Nico let the coziness on the couch linger for the rest of the ep, but then grabbed a pillow and blanket from her bed and tucked in her surprise overnight guest right where she was. Nico wrapped a robe around her camisole and shorts and stepped into the sitting room. Maki was sitting in the solo chair in the far corner, staring out at the Philly skyscape, mug of something on the table next to her, smiling at her phone.

“No, Mama won’t be back for lunch, Dia. We’ll have breakfast tomorrow. I had square pizza for dinner last night. And cold pizza for breakfast.” Maki waved a slice at the camera. “PIZZA!” came the squeal from the phone, “Mama, want pizza.”

Guess it ran in the family, Nico chuckled to herself, probably best to leave Maki and Dia alone, no telling who else was in on the call and waking up in someone else’s hotel room usually required explanation. Nico ducked into the bathroom.

Dia had been fussy last night, missing Maki. Maki hadn’t missed Dia as much as she feared, but gleamed when Dia wanted to video chat over breakfast. 

“We’ll get pizza for dinner tomorrow, bun.” “NOW.” 

Dia seemed more interested in having pizza than having Maki there.

“I’ll talk your grandmother into pizza for you, all right.”

“Pizza.” Dia's volume was a shout, “And Mama.” “I won’t be back until late tonight, Dia. But I’ll have a bunch of presents. I’ll read you a book if you’re awake.” “Book…” Dia’s face lit up, “Bedtime story.” “Bedtime story for Dia, about the Liberty Bell.”

“Ring!”

Maki laughed, “Let me talk to your grandmother.”

###

A knock on the door. Maki must have ordered something. Maki seemed to be saying goodbye so Nico answered it. A hotel staffer stood, black waxed canvas duffle bag and matching garment bag in hand, “Ms. Nishikino had her luggage sent over.” “Oh, thank you.” Nico was still in her bathrobe, so she took a good look at the nametag, “Nico will leave you a tip when she checks out, Terry.” Nico took both bags, surprisingly heavy. She didn’t hear Maki’s voice so she figured it was safe to speak.

“They brought up your luggage.” “Oh thanks.” Maki bounced into the main part of the sitting room, “I’ll take that.”

“Nico needs a tip.” Nico refused to turn over the garment bag when Maki’s hand closed over hers. “Oh…” Maki seemed confused and reached for a pocket but the Nico Ni pink sketch sweatpants had none. 

“Not what Nico meant.” Nico stepped closer, lips pursed, closing her eyes but not before she caught the flaming blush across Maki’s cheeks. A quick, tingling brush across Nico’s cheek and Nico let Maki take the luggage.

“Did you leave Nico any pizza?”

Maki nodded, not making eye contact.

“Maki?” “‘m sorry I feel asleep…” A mutter, then a sigh, “It wasn’t much of a date.”

“Don’t worry about it. Nico had a great time. I was really glad you came to see the concert.” Nico raised a hand to her temple, “It’s a big change from the first night we met on that balcony, Nico Nico Ni. Nico likes this better.”

Maki, eyes suddenly glowing like Nico had stirred up banked embers, stepped in, one hand sliding around Nico to pull her closer, as their lips fumbled into a demi-passionate melding. 

“Me too. You’re amazing.” Maki whispered, still close enough that Nico wanted to bite forward, “I’d love to come to every concert.” Another kiss, even less breath left for talking, Nico pushed a little, “Free tonight?”

And that broke the spell. Maki stepped back, regret pursing her lips into frown lines, “Evening flight. Sorry, Nico.”

Nico slid her hand down Maki’s arm, until their fingers were intertwined, “Can’t blame Nico for trying.” Maki’s grin gleamed, “Are you planning to monopolize my time from now on?” A quickly stolen kiss as Nico said, “Yes.”

“Good.”

“Hey,” Nico, hand still holding Maki’s, pulled her toward the couch, “If you ever want to come back to Philly and stay longer, we can get a crib in this suite. Probably take a week to really find out what Philly’s best square pizza is. I’m sure Dia’d like a vote.”

Giggling, Maki let Nico pull her into an embrace, her head falling back to Nico’s shoulder, “Sounds like fun. Dia’s first plane ride.”

“Do you really want to go sightseeing now?” Nico whispered in Maki’s ear, fingertips playing with the hair at the back of Maki’s neck. “Nico…” there was a shiver in Maki’s voice so Nico’s lips followed the path of her fingertips.

Nico’s hand was now sliding into the V neck of the Nico graffiti portrait shirt, “You can pick up something for Dia on the way to the airport. My driver knows all the best places.”

Maki slid down the couch, forcing Nico’s hand to linger by her ear, “Nico…”

“Yes?” Nico flipped, so that she had Maki pinned down, leaning in, hovering near enough to lick Maki’s lips if she’d moved her tongue at all. And then in a blink, Maki had surged up, her arms around Nico, lips crashing in a completely unguided, stunner of an amorous explosion.

Another “Nico,” more plea than pleasure.

Maybe Maki wouldn’t be making her flight. Or Nico’s concert would go on without the main act. Nico didn’t really care. Time could stop right now. Maki was melting, hair vivid and sexy as she curved sensuously against the pale neutrals of the couch, and Nico, all Nico wanted to hear was how often Maki could moan her name. No audience had ever hit exactly that tone, that grab, that fuel. A new world, just for Nico. Time to explore.

A/N: Howdy.