#story*

[foldingfittedsheets]

Tempurpedic all foam beds really have the least motion transfer of any bed, bar none. They had a whole wine glass commercial about how you wouldn’t feel other stuff in bed but I only internalized this when I got my mattress about eight years ago.

So like, usually when you have little creatures in your life and your home you feel them jump up on the bed. But that’s because of the kinetic energy in coils. Whereas on an all foam bed all their impact is dampened, there’s no sign of creatures joining you at all.

And my little creature will usually announce herself when jumping up on the bed with little huffs, but upon experiencing such an interesting new material she will instead silently walk around enjoying the effect.

Then she is excited to see me, though I am laying mostly asleep with my eyes closed when she approaches. She sticks her face into mine. I s c r e a m because apropos of nothing there was suddenly whiskers in my face and I am convinced that this was the coming of the spiders that wanted to crawl in my mouth.

That’s when I finally understood that no motion transfer meant my cats were suddenly whisker assassins in the night.

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

this is a true story happend in fengcheng city丰城市, jiangxi province of china in 2022

[bts-trans]

240923 V’s Instagram Story

지혜 @/dlwlrma 🌈

Jihye @/dlwlrma 🌈

Trans cr; Aditi @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

[kadir01sblog]

Ben, aynı şarkıyı 100 kere dinleme manyaklığı olan,

Sabah suyu yüzüne çarparken suyun bileklerden dirseklerine akmasına uyuz olan,

Buzdolabını açıp boş boş baktıktan sonra kapayan, girdiği kapalı bir mekanda ilk önce çıkış kapısının nerede olduğunu arayan,

Masaya oturduğu zaman ilk olarak ayaklarını koyacak yer arayan, küçükken radyodan kaset dolduran,

İki eli birden doluyken elektrik düğmesini burnuyla açıp kapayan,

otobüsü kaçırınca gurur yapıp arkasından koşmayan,

Yolda giderken kaldırımdaki karo taşların çizgilerine basmamaya özen gösteren,

Gülünmemesi gereken yerde gelen gülme krizinin verdiği haz ve acıyı birçok kez yaşamış olan,

Bir türlü insanlara güvenmemesi gerekirken her defasın da aynı hataya düşen,

Kazanmışlıkları ve kaybettikleriyle güçlenen

Hayatı sil baştan yaşamayı seçen

Koca dünyanın bir nedeni de ben olayım diyen bir insanım...

Filiz Geze

Benzerimi buldum.😇

Günaydın arkadaşlar☕🍰😇

[write-on-world]

[afternoonzephyr]

lana's dream art studio 🎨🪴

[foldingfittedsheets]

The mattress company I worked for previously holds the record for my most overt macroaggressions to date. The company is in a somewhat better state now after changing hands but eight or so years ago I had some deeply heinous shit said to me.

Like a coworker who came up to me and spat out, “Why are dykes always wearing their keys on their belts?”

I stared at her in outrage and said, “My girlfriend wears her keys like that.”

“Well is your girlfriend a dyke?”

I reported it to my manager- a man who had once referred to trans people as “it’s”- but somehow, shockingly, nothing got done.

There were several extremely devout men in the stores nearby and one who I worked with in my store. He was called Keith and looked like a Tom Hanks ripoff. Name not redacted cause fuck him.

I loathed Keith from the second or third day of our acquaintance when he said, “You know I just respect the hell out of you, but I can’t abide by your choices.” Meaning, gosh you’d just be wonderful if you were in fact a different person who wasn’t gay.

Keith’s homophobia however turned out to be the most warranted I’ve ever heard when his backstory finally unlocked. You see, Keith was divorced. He’d met his ex-wife at church and they’d been married several years when one day he came home to find her sucking and fucking it up nasty style with her best friend in the middle of the living room.

When he accused her of cheating on him she scoffed and said that what she was doing wasn’t sex, because in fact, two women were incapable of having sex with each other. This seems like it could have been a solid argument based on Keith’s belief systems, but he did in fact think it was cheating.

They divorced. His ex-wife moved in with her best friend without an ounce of introspection and they attend church together regularly while she maintains that they’re just friends despite going to pound town on the regular.

[steelheart-redux]

2-1

FIRST | PREVIOUS | NEXT

[bts-trans]

240923 J-Hope’s Instagram Story

🫡 @/thv

V: Salute

Trans cr; Annie @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

[kadir01sblog]

Karısının Yerine Geçmek İsteyen Adamın Durumu..

Adamın biri hastalanıyor. O gün canı, işe gitmek istemiyor.İçinden Allah’ a şöyle bir dua edeceği tutuyor:

“Allah’ım, her gün işe gidip 8 uzun saat boyunca evim ve eşimin rahatı için çalışıyorum. Eşim ise sadece oturuyor. Ne olur, bir gün benim yerime geçip, ne kadar zor bir hayat yaşadığımı görmesini sağla.”

Hikaye bu ya, birdenbire adamın dileği yerine geliyor. Ertesi sabah , karısının bedeninde uyanıyor.

Hemen yataktan fırlıyor.Eşinin kahvaltısını hazırlıyor.Çocuklarını uyandırıyor.Elbiselerini hazırlıyor. Onların da kahvaltılarını yaptırıyor.Beslenme çantalarını hazırlıyor.Çocukları okula götürüyor.Eve dönüp, evi toparlıyor. Yıkanacak bulaşıkları ve çamaşırları hallediyor.

Temizleyiciye götürülecek olanları eline alıp telefon faturasını ödemek için bankaya gidip sıraya giriyor. Faturayı ödedikten ve temizlikçiye

uğradıktan sonra, akşam yemeği için alışverişe gidiyor.Eli kolu dolu bir vaziyette eve dönüyor.

Bu arada öğlen oluyor.Evi süpürmeye başlıyor.Eşyaların tozunu alıyor.Mutfağı siliyor. Çocuklarının okuldan gelince yiyeceği keki pişiriyor. Eee artık çocuklar�� okuldan alma zamanı da geliyor.

Yolda onlarla sohbet ediyor.Okulda olanlar konusunda akıl fikir veriyor.Eve geldiklerinde derslerini kontrol edip, çalışma masalarına oturmalarını sağlıyor.

Süt ve kek getiriyor.Bu arada yıkadığı çamaşırları ütülemesi gerekiyor. Ütü bittiğinde ancak akşam yemeğini hazırlayacak kadar vaktinin kaldığını fark ediyor.

Hemen patatesleri soymaya başlıyor.Salata malzemelerini yıkıyor.Pilav için pirinci ıslatıyor.Etleri çıkartıp, fırın için hazırlıyor.

Kocası eve geldiğinde, onu sofraya tabakları yerleştirirken buluyor.Akşam yemeğinden sonra, önce eşinin kahvesini pişiriyor.Masayı topluyor ve bulaşıkları hallediyor.

Eşinin ve çocuklarının ertesi gün giyeceği kıyafetleri kontrol ettikten sonra çocukları yatırıyor.Onlara hikaye okuyor.

Televizyon seyretmeye ve biraz da gazete okumaya salona dönüyor ki, eşi onu yatak odasına çağırıyor.

Ne de olsa , adamcağız bütün gün onlar için çalışıp, yoruldu, şimdi rahatlaması ve gevşemesi gerekiyor.

Bu da zaten onun görevi.Ertesi sabah uyandığında hemen Allah’a yalvarmaya başlıyor :

“Allah’ım özür dilerim. Ben ne dediğimi bilmiyormuşum. Karımın hayatını rahat zannetmekle ne halt ettiğimi şimdi anladım. Lütfen beni eski halime döndür.”

Sonra ruhunun derinliklerinden gelen bir cevap işitti: :“Evet, dersini aldığını görüyorum.

Herşeyi değiştireceğim ama maalesef 9 ay beklemek zorundasın çünkü, dün gece hamile kaldın..

[a-d-gris]

[feederheart]

The Five Stages of Weight Gain,

CW: weight gain, feederism, some humiliation.

Denial

Jen couldn’t believe it; 200lbs! Jen’s wide brown eyes looked down at the bathroom scale in total disbelief. She brushed her braids out of her face and looked again just in case she read the numbers wrong. She did not; as a matter of fact, the scale finally settled on 201.5 after a few more seconds. After starting her new desk job, she hardly had any time to maintain her usual regular workouts and found herself chained to her desk for most of the day. She knew that maintaining her toned body was going to be difficult but not this difficult. She tried to find time for a run here and there but work was so exhausting that she could hardly find it. She knew that her new method of coping with the heavy workload, eating copious amounts of delicious snacks as she typed away, would ruin all of the hard work she had put into maintaining her figure but she just couldn’t help herself. She also knew that she could just lose the weight if things got out of hand.

That was it, she was going to go on a diet. No more sugary bullcrap, no more fatty garbage, only real, lean, green, and high protein dishes for her. Even if her coworker offers her snacks, the one that keeps offering her pastries and treats every now and then, she would say no. She was still the athletic beach babe that she worked so hard to be, she just had to drop a few pounds.

Anger.

250lbs. 250lbs. TWO-HUNDRED-FIFTY…

Jen still couldn’t believe it. She started a diet after hitting 200 lbs six months ago and not only has it failed but she actually GAINED fifty pounds! She was getting fatter and fatter and it seemed as if there was nothing she could do about it. Her breasts and belly were starting to get in the way of the scale’s numbers; she had to lean forward just to see the nail polish on her toes. Her arms and legs had completely lost all muscle definition, making it impossible to tell that she was once a soccer player and cheerleader just a year ago in college. She was now covered in a thick and jiggly layer of fat. Each of her butt cheeks touched the armrests of her chair now and her thighs rubbed together when she walked, ruining her favorite pair of daisy dukes. Climbing up to her fourth-floor apartment was now far more difficult than it had ever been; she was always out of breath by the time she climbed the last of the stairs. Her runs became more infrequent and much shorter thanks to how poor her fitness has become.

It did not matter what she tried, she just couldn’t help but pack on the pounds. Food was the only thing that helped with her stress; she had been sneaking a few too many cheat days in the name of relieving her stress and treating herself for working so hard. Why couldn’t her body just stay the same way, she wondered. Why did the food in her new city have to be so good? Why does working out have to be so hard? Why did that guy at work keep bringing her donuts nearly every day? It was all so infuriating.

Bargaining.

It was seriously time for Jen to try something new. She was nearing 300 lbs and for the third time, in need of a whole new wardrobe. Her belly could not be contained by any of her pants, shorts, or skirts; it hung over the waistband of all of her bottoms. The only shirt that still fit her was her tube top, leaving her entire soft, stretchmark-covered belly exposed for everyone to see. The only pants that she had that could fit over her fat, celulite-covered thighs was a large pair of sweatpants that she stole from an ex-boyfriend and even those were showing signs of being outgrown soon. Even her feet seemed to be getting fatter; the softness on top of her feet dug into the straps of her favorite flip-flops and her favorite high-heels she sometimes wore to work. Her face was swelling up with fat too; she had accumulated an extra chin and her cheeks were rounder than ever, almost like a hamster’s. Her shiny black hair still shone in the bathroom light; the one part of her that couldn’t get fatter.

Jen contemplated what to do but she was out of ideas. She tried to get on Ozempic but her health insurance providers were playing games with her. She tried intermittent fasting and getting used to not eating, but when she tried, she lost control and ate double her usual caloric intake for dinner because she was so hungry. She tried cooking her own food and starting a mediterranean diet but that didn’t seems to work either; perhaps it was because she would always douse her food with too much cheese and olive oil. Regardless, she desperately needed to find something because she was getting fatter fast and couldn’t figure out how to lose the weight. Maybe she should ask the donut guy at the office to bring fresh fruit instead.

Depression.

Well, it was offical, Jen was a fatty. At 360lbs, she was now a waddling bloated blimp of a woman. She needed to use a hand-mirror to read the scale because her belly and breasts were just too big. She only had three sets of clothes that fit her, all purchased in the last month and all slowly getting tighter with each passing day; a blouse and pencil skirt for work, a casual t-shirt and pair of shorts for errands, and a large nightdress that looked more like a tent. She spent her days working away and eating whatever she could get access to, having given up on her diet completely. She was easily the fattest girl at the office, especially now that Donna, who was 400 lbs with an even bigger belly, moved on to a different job. She felt everyone’s eyes as she waddled down the hallways. Her massive belly turned heads in cubicles, paused conversations, and even became the subject of gossip around the office. She saw one coworker looking at an older picture of her on the wall, one where her face was still thin, and did a double take as she walked by her. Her ass and hips have knocked over office supplies and framed photographs several times much to her embarrassment. A coworker once declined to step in the elevator with her despite the fact that Jen was the only other person on it. Jen even saw some pictures from her competition days and wanted to cry.

Fortunately, her luck began to turn. No, she didn’t lose any weight, she actually got a promotion that enabled her to work from home. No more walking up and down the stairs every day, no more walking to the train station, no more walking through the city, and no more being humiliated at work for her blimp of a body. All she had to do was sit on her gargantuan ass at home where she had access to all of the snacks she wanted. A welcome change, now she did not have to deal with the judgment of her coworkers. Shortly after this change in her life, she found herself sitting on her couch craving donuts. Perhaps she should give the donut guy at work a call, he was the only one who still treated her the same and did not make snide remarks regardless of how much she weighed.

Acceptance

A year and over a hundred pounds later, Jen was living the life. Her belly, now spread out all over her fat juicy thighs, served as a table as she happy scarfed down a dozen donuts. Her fat arms jiggled and swayed each time she grabbed one and put it to her fat, greedy mouth. Her fat, heavy legs were kicked up onto the coffee table and spread open so that her portable fan could blow underneath of her belly and right at her hot and sweaty crotch. She remained still so that the couch supporting her massive ass did not creak and groan so much, threatening to break right underneath of her. Her laptop was on the desk beside her, sitting dormant until she has another task to complete for work. Working at home has been great for her; now that she did not have to deal with her judgemental coworkers, her stress levels have gone way down and she found herself enjoying it a lot more. She was now able to do her work as well as relax and eat all day.

Jen was fat and there was nothing she could do about it nor did she want to; her cravings were just too strong. Even though she had received her less stressful promotion, it was too late to change, her fat and growing body now craved fatty sugary treats more than ever. Her appetite could only be sated by constant snacking, which she was more than happy to do as she typed away. She knew she would never get her toned body back but she stopped caring months ago. She was happy with her donuts and pastries.

Speaking of, she received a text from her boyfriend, the same guy from the office; he had just finished making an entire cheesecake and he was walking up the stairs now. Her overfed stomach, still ful of donuts, growled at the thought of the thick, decadent, creaminess of the cheesecake and her mouth salivated hungrily. She got up, still naked, and waddled over to the door, her belly swinging back and forth and her ass shaking up and down with each step. She didn’t need to lose weight, she didn’t need her toned body back, and she didn’t need to play sports ever again; she just needed that cheesecake.

[belicomic]

[write-on-world]

[foldingfittedsheets]

So I spent 7 of the hours on my 10 hour shift doing pretty much nothing but draw and take notes for the book my beloved are writing.

Then at the eighth hour I had three consecutive groups came in all looking for the exact same bed which is wild in itself. They all three wanted Nectar and I talked all of them into other beds cause fuck Nectar.

But essentially the time I would normally have eaten dinner was swallowed in a haze of running around between folks. I ended up spending the last three hours trying to juggle multiple folks. I sold 15k in those three hours which is wild.

Finally, at the end it was half an hour after close. I was starving and frazzled so I hurried through closing duties. I just wanted to get home and eat. The store I was at is about 15 minutes from my home. It wasn’t until pulled in to my parking spot at home that I suddenly realized: I didn’t lock the door.

I was hungry! And stressed! I looked at the battery on the electric car and I could have gotten back to the store but I wasn’t confident the battery could actually do the whole round trip again.

I called my manager profusely apologizing and saying the my other car wasn’t home yet and the store isn’t in the best neighborhood. He panicked and said he’d go lock it up. I apologized more.

My wife got home and we got some very late food, settling my system down finally. When we got home again my manager called me back.

“Brother,” he said. I instantly knew what was happening from his tone.

“No,” I whispered.

“You locked it.”

“Noooooooooo!” I wailed. “What the hell! I have no memory of locking it, I was so sure I didn’t, I’m so sorry!!!”

My wife scooted up to the phone and added, “Do you like cupcakes? We’re gonna make you some cupcakes.”

So that’s how my night went.

[sweetbillwriting]

The Key To His Heart - II

Description: As a hard working novelist and single dad hasn't Bill had much time for dating but gets an unorthodox chance to meet women when his friend persuades him to be a part of a dating TV show.

Characters: AU Bill Skarsgård where his life changes in 2013 and later 2019.

Setting: L.A, 2024 but in an alternative universe where Bill having a completely different life.

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, heavy themes.

Bill's Guests:

Maria: Writer, 38.

Violet: Entrepreneur, 22.

Camila: Engineer, 31.

Victoria: Shop assistant, 34.

Sandra: Fashion designer, 36.

Julie: Model, 25.

Esmeralda: Model, 27.

Rose: Personal trainer, 22.

Odette: Pediatrician, 33.

Tiffany: Actress, 30.

Sienna: Painter, 28.

Brigitte: Chef, 29.

×××

“Why not?” Bill looked irritated at Herman, who had come in unannounced into his bedroom. The bedroom and office were those places they could talk without the camera team and the girls close by. Bill had just come out of the shower and dried himself with the towel without shyness. Even if it was Herman who had taken the liberty to walk into his room, he looked away uncomfortably when Bill let the towel drop to the floor.

“It's too predictable. The viewers will already know Camila is your favorite.”

Herman didn't let Bill ask her out for his evening date and instead wanted him to choose someone who wasn't as expected. Bill was really annoyed, he believed he would get to make his own decisions.

“Is this how it's going to be? Will you pick who I choose in the end too?”

“No, just that I will help you make wise decisions.”

Bill laughed unamused and pulled on a pair of dark gray boxers.

“If you couldn’t pick Camila, who would you choose then?”

“I’ll take a night for myself on the couch.”

Herman sighed deeply. Even if he knew Bill was stubborn, he hadn't expected he would start with those sort of childish behaviors.

Bill pulled on a pair of black loose fitting slacks but left his upper body bare so he could dry his hair without dripping water on the shirt.

“Bill,” said Herman in a parentified tone.

“Fine, Rose then? Is that okay?” Said Bill, still with attitude.

“That's a great choice, Bill! Then you can invite Camila for the group date.”

Bill didn't say anything, still annoyed that Herman decided who he would spend his time with. He had thought this would be a way for him to meet a woman and had forgotten that the first and foremost purpose of the circus was to entertain an audience. He was stupid for having forgotten that, but Herman had sold it to him so nicely.

When Herman had left and Bill had fixed his hair, he pulled on a white t-shirt. It was time for him to go down to the women, but it didn't feel as good now as it had done earlier; he felt dirty like he fooled them all.

×××

Bill looked at the girls while they ate breakfast. They had placed him at the head of the table so all of the women could see him eat his scrambled eggs. Discreetly, he looked at what they ate. Sandra ate an omelet, Victoria a big plate of fruit, Tiffany ate scrambled eggs just like himself, Maria yogurt with berries, and Sienna toast with marmalade. He gave Camila a look, and she looked back at him with a smile. She also ate yogurt, but as plain as it had been in its package.

He smiled back at her but sighed. He wanted to be with her, not Rose or anyone else; he wanted to be just with her.

“Bill?” Said Brigitte from the kitchen counter but walked up to him.

“Hm?” He looked at her a bit surprised. She had her mahogany colored hair gathered in a long braid over her shoulder. She smiled at him sweetly and gave him an off-white envelope. It had a red wax seal that reminded him of a Hogwarts letter but he brushed that thought away when he saw it was heart-shaped.

He gave Brigitte a little smile and waited for her to sit down before he opened it.

(Read out loud)

Good Morning! Today you will have your first group date, but it will also be the first evening date where Bill picks what girl he wants to have some special time with! Bill will announce what girls he wants to see on the group date and also what lucky girl gets to spend the rest of the day with him!

(Group date: Sienna, Odette, Camila, and Esmeralda.

Evening date: Rose.)

Bill read the part they wanted him to read out loud in a light, cheery way. He was happy right then that he still knew how to act because on the inside he boiled. This was not what he thought it would be. He didn't think his love life would be directed like this, but he just needed to hold up the facade; hopefully it would lead to something good.

“Ehm… I chose Odette, Esmeralda, Sienna, and Camila for the group date, and… I wonder if you, Rose, would want to see me tonight?”

Bill still had great acting chops, but asking a girl out for a date would always make him shy. He looked at Rose, who was still make-up-free and now a bit rosy in her cheeks from a hot shower. She got even more pink when he asked her the question.

“Yes, yes, of course!” She giggled a little but stopped herself when she realized the girls surrounding her were visibly jealous. Bill smiled at her, genuinely happy to see her excited, but by accident he looked towards Camila. She sat with her eyes low and dragged her spoon through the yogurt. She probably had believed he would ask her. He wanted to say to her that it wasn't his choice to go with someone else, but he couldn't; he needed to follow his contract, and it stated clearly that he couldn't talk about the production with the girls. He looked around at the other girls, some were disappointed, even annoyed, while others looked pleased. He looked at Odette, who ate a piece of pear with her fingers; when she turned to him, she smiled with her eyes. She was amazingly beautiful and reminded him of some actress from the 90s. He smiled at her because he was curious to know more about her, but even so, he felt his heart being weighed down by bad conscience for Camila.

×××

Before the date, Bill took his right to some alone time but also received even more information from Herman. He was already tired of his nagging. 

“The date will be a hike. The girls have received a letter about it. But Bill, I know you like Camila, but you can't favor her, and it's not okay to do anything-”

Bill spun around in his computer chair and didn't seem to want to listen to Herman. 

“Bill! Could you just listen? I get that you don't like the rules, but it is a TV show.” 

Bill sighed and stopped the chair. His head was even spinning, so he was a bit glad he could stop spinning physically. 

“Yeah, yeah. I get it; I must give all the girls time.” He cleared his throat and then turned towards the laptop on his office table. 

“And nothing… No kisses or so.” 

Bill didn't say anything because even if he agreed with Herman, he wanted to decide for himself what he would do. He didn't have a problem giving all the women attention and doing what they wanted, but Herman nagging him like a parent was just too much for his patience. 

He continued to work on his own things and tried to pretend he was alone, but the whole time his heart beated with stress by knowing the girls were spread out in his house and he could meet someone of them whatever he did. 

××× 

He met the girls invited to the group date on the porch. He had hiked quite a lot and liked walking in different terrain and weather. Today the sun stood high in the sky and made the air hot and dry. It would be a rough walk, and he wondered if they were prepared for that when he looked at how they were dressed. The first thing he noticed were Esmeralda's jeans shorts. They were short and seemed to ride up between her thighs while she moved. The next thing he noticed was Sienna's choice of shoes. Vans. Camila wore a tight black set that mostly looked good for taking selfies in the gym mirror. The only one who looked prepared was Odette, who even wore a bucket hat, ready for the hot sun. 

“Have you hiked before?” He asked them with a crooked smile. 

“I walk a lot with my dog, out in the forest and so on, but never like over mountains,” said Esmeralda with a laugh. Her energy felt really different from the first time he met her, and he thought to himself that he maybe had judged her too fast. 

“No… I'm a bit afraid of bugs,” said Sienna, a bit embarrassed. 

“Yeah, me too! I don't even like being outside that way,” said Camila and shrugged her shoulders. Bill looked at Odette, who stood and listened to the others. 

“What about you, Odette?” 

“Ehm, my family has camped a lot, and I was raised close to nature.” She sounded embarrassed, like the other girls’ answers were the right ones just because they were in the majority. 

“Yeah, that's cool. I guess you will lead the way then.” He wanted to encourage her because he liked a girl who wanted to exercise and challenge herself. Odette smiled warmly at him. 

“We can do it together.” 

Bill smiled back, and for a few seconds he forgot the other girls surrounding them, even Camila. 

They were given a ride to their destination in a minibus, and it was then he noticed some actual competition between the girls. It seemed like all of them tried to avoid getting into the car so they could be the lucky one who got to sit next to him. It was silly, but he couldn't lie to himself; he loved it. They were actually fighting for his attention. When Bill said a second time they could jump into the bus, Odette jumped in, then Esmeralda and Sienna. Camila became the winner, who got to sit next to him, pressing her leg against his. Bill was pleased it was she who won, and he took the moment to smell her spicy perfume and talk lowly to her about the places they went by. She liked trying new restaurants too, so when they went by one they both visited, they really spoke. Bill smiled big while talking to her, loving everything she said, but also how she said it. He loved her mouth and the shade of her lipstick. For a short second, he wondered why she wore lipstick to a hike, but it disappeared quickly when she laid her hand on his thigh. 

××× 

The sun was really gazing at them while they walked up the hill. He walked next to Odette, and they smirked at each other when they heard how the other girls complained. 

“Maybe we should give them a break?” Bill asked her. “And we can talk a little, just you and me?” 

Odette nodded happily. 

“There seems to be a resting spot up there.” 

Bill replied with a nod, then looked back at the others. Esmeralda pulled on her shorts’ legs over and over; Sienna seemed to have shoe chafing. Camila looked so warm she was close to fainting. 

“I think a break is a good idea.” 

“Yes please!” Camila said, exhausted, while the other girls nodded. 

They ogled him and Odette when they walked away and sat down on a stone by themselves, but it didn't seem like they had energy to do anything else than sit in the grass. Someone on the TV team talked with them, and Bill could guess they wanted to quit. He looked at Odette, who didn't look so affected at all, just a shiny forehead and nose. 

“You're a doctor, right?” 

“Yes, a pediatrician. I love it. It has been my dream job since I was a little girl.” 

“But isn't it hard? Working with sick kids?” 

“Of course it is. But…” She shrugged her shoulders and looked out over the view. “You can't stay in that. It's awful that kids get sick and even die, but they also survive, and I can be a part of that. I can make that change.” 

They were beautiful words, and Bill felt himself start to look at Odette in another way than before. She was that strong kind of woman, that sort who gives everything, every day. It was admirable but also really sexy. They continued to talk about her work but also places they had hiked or wanted to visit. Bill wanted to visit Oceania more, and Odette agreed. When they smiled at each other, they knew the other also thought about how it would be if they did it together. 

××× 

The TV team decided they would end the hike because of the girls’ state. It was disappointing that they couldn't survive a hiking trip, but he hid his negative emotions and looked at them with empathy. Esmeralda had gotten rashes on the inside of her thighs but tried to hide that fact from Bill, and Sienna cried silently because of her shoe chafing. Camila didn't say anything though, and Bill wondered to himself if she would have been able to continue, even if she was dressed in black spandex. 

They walked down the hill again in silence; they wouldn't go down the whole way, just to the highest place cars could park. It wasn't that long, but Bill noticed Sienna had problems keeping up, and he stopped to wait on her. She limped because of her foot but brushed away her tears when she saw Bill. 

“Are you okay?” He asked and fixed his cap so it sat a bit higher so he could see her better. 

“Yeah…”

Bill nodded towards a stone behind some bushes and, with a bit of a doubt, Sienna sat down on it. Bill searched through the pockets of his pants and found a bandaid. 

“Hopefully it'll help some…” he said and sat down in front of her and helped her off with her burgundy Vans shoe. She grimaced when he pulled it off her heel, and Bill looked at the wound. It was deep and bloody. 

“Didn't you have other shoes with you?” Sienna shook her head while she watched Bill put the bandaid on.

“I don't have such shoes.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I would never use them.” 

“Don't you work out or something?” 

Sienna shook her head. 

“Not really.” Bill nodded a little; he himself worked out as much as he could, so he couldn't really understand how she could function without it. 

Sienna stood up carefully but grimaced again. The bandaid didn't seem to make much of a difference. Bill waited for her, and together they walked down the hill. Bill noticed her focus was to just walk, so he didn't say anything, but if he was being honest, he didn't feel like he had so much to say either. Something with their chemistry was off. He didn't feel excited or curious walking with her; instead, he felt a bit annoyed. He liked hiking and being outside, but that had been ruined. 

“This is really not my thing, I would never do this kind of thing otherwise,” she said with a pained laugh. Bill smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders. 

“It's not for everyone.” 

When they came down to the minibus, a person in the team arranged how they would sit, so now Bill would sit next to Esmeralda instead. She laughed at how wrong everything had gotten and at how stupid she had been taking those shorts. 

“I've never worn them before but believed it would be cute!” 

Bill smiled amused at her. She really was different from the cocktail party. 

“They are cute, but maybe not for hiking,” he said, looking at the light denim shorts. 

“So typical of me to not be practical at all. Are you practical?” 

He pursed his lips for a few seconds before answering. 

“I think so? Most often, at least. I guess having kids... Do you have kids?” He realized he just took for granted she didn’t just because she was quite young. 

“Yeah, I have a son who will be four in December,” she said with a proud smile. 

“Really? What's his name?” His smile broadened; he liked the idea of being with someone with kids, who knew how it is. 

“Carlton. He's the sweetest. He's like a little old man—no drama at all. How are your girls?” 

“Ehm, the oldest is drama. I think she has inherited that from my side of the family. The younger one is a thinker. I think she has deeper thoughts than me if she could put words to them.” Bill looked as proud as Esmeralda, and the both of them giggled. 

His plan was to take a shower and a nap before his evening date, so he said goodbye to the girls by the stairs with a hug each. He had a better view of them and could see both sides he liked and disliked in them. Some of them made his cheeks glow pink. It was just one of them who took the liberty to give him a kiss on the cheek: Camila. Bill gave her a smile when she wiped her lipstick away from his cheek, but he actually felt less for her now. She wasn't the only interesting girl there, and he actually wanted to get to know them all. Camila was interesting and sexy, but the other women had other qualities he also liked. 

××× 

The orangery:

Bill: Odette is really interesting. She's that kind of woman you travel the world with, and I love the thought of that. Just do whatever we want. 

Odette: I think Bill just gets better and better. He doesn't feel shallow at all and seems to appreciate the real things in life. 

Esmeralda: I got too little time with him! I want to be closer to him, just me and him! It's frustrating to wait. 

××× 

The bed was too soft and his head too heavy, but he still needed to go on a date. Even if it was with a woman he looked forward to getting to know, he dreaded it. Two dates in one day was too much, but this was the concept. He should date intensely until he had fooled his brain into thinking he was in love with all of the women at the same time. 

Herman had told him he and Rose would go to her favorite restaurant, a quite simple Italian restaurant where he could eat a good pasta and share a bottle of red. He looked forward to that; he could use a calming glass of wine that would make him soft in his joints, but... 

“Oh, I don't drink.” 

Rose shrugged her shoulders. Bill looked at her with big eyes. He didn't care about other people's drinking habits, but right then and there he would have liked alcohol to calm down, but now he wondered if he could show his normal drinking habits to her. He couldn't deny he liked his liquor. 

“Can we share an alcoholic-free bottle?” Rose looked at the alcoholic-free part of the drink list, but Bill stayed on the red wine list. Would he eat a bolognese without red wine? 

“It's good for you; I know you work out a lot. You get better results without alcohol.” 

Bill smiled, strained. He did workout a lot but giving up everything good in life to have defined abs he would never do. Plus, he could have both if he just ate and drank in moderation. 

“I think I'll take a glass of barbera.” 

“What's that?” Rose looked through the alcoholic-free menu like it was a soda. 

“Red wine.” Bill pretended to be looking after the waiter but felt embarrassed for some reason. He felt like his alcohol consumption was something to be ashamed about. 

“Oh, okay. I thought we would share a bottle?” Bill dragged a hand over his jaw. He would sound like an alcoholic to her young, naive ears. 

“I really just want a glass of wine. The food gets much better with a great wine.” 

Rose nodded a little but lowered her eyes. Bill couldn't read her face, but he still felt ashamed for taking the glass, but he didn't want to give in and drink alcohol free wine because he would never do that otherwise. Even if his brother and mother lived a sober life, his social life often had alcohol in it. 

They ordered their food and had a relaxed talk about their lives and interests. It was nice; she was beautiful in her thin floral dress, sweet in her way by asking him things, but it was obvious she was younger than him. He also had become a father really early in his life, and it had shaped him into the man he was. 

“So you want to have your own business then?” He asked and took a sip of his wine. 

“Yeah, I hope to succeed with that before I am twenty-five or something, then work hard for it to become like a thing in Hollywood.” She smiled dreamingly, and Bill smiled seeing her like that, even if he had an important question that he must ask. 

“What about family?”

“Yeah, of course I want that too, but when I have the time.” 

Bill nodded a little. It was obvious she hadn't thought much about how their life would look if they were a couple. She would have kids to care about, even if she wasn't ready, because they came as a bonus with him. His daughters were eleven and five years old and were the most important people in his life. He also wanted more kids. He was 34, and who knows how long he needed to wait on her to feel ready. 

Bill swallowed his feelings down and took her hand on the way home in the limousine. She looked at him with stars in her eyes, and he smiled back at her, even if his emotions for her were really mixed. She was so sweet, but their values were so different from each other. 

××× 

The Orangery: 

Rose: He's such a good listener, and I think my mom would love him. He's just really humble and calm. 

Bill: It was good, a good date, but she's young! Yeah, I'm maybe a bit too old for her. 

××× 

The next day the idea was for them to have a long champagne brunch, and then the letter would come and drop “the bomb." The bomb everyone knew would come—he must pick a girl to leave his home. It was expected, and Bill had thought about his choice the whole night. There were actually several he could see leaving, but it was just one who would leave. The question was who he could see himself spending more time with. 

When he came down to the big kitchen where the caterers presented the food, he felt overwhelmed by how many girls there were again, and he actually thought it would be a bit nice to have one less. He couldn't give them all attention when they were all gathered and he felt torn and insufficient. 

Something was off though, and he looked around at the girls in confusion. Several of them tried to hide irritation, and he scratched his elbow uncomfortably. He wondered if he had done something wrong. 

He paused by the dinner table, but luckily he quickly got an answer from Odette, who came up to him. 

“Julie and Esmeralda have been in a fight. I think it was about Julie thinking Esmeralda is copying her?” 

Bill gave her a confused look; he didn't get what she meant. 

“In clothes and style and so on. They share a room, and Esmeralda was out shopping for some new clothes after we came back from the hike, and Julie thought she had bought clothes similar to hers…”

Bill dragged his hand over his jaw, covering a smirk. Girl fights could be quite silly. 

“Then I think it escalated quite a lot, so the production went in and stopped it.” 

Bill looked towards Esmeralda, who popped grapes in her mouth in an irritated way. Julie couldn't see at all. 

“I think I should...” He pointed towards Esmeralda, and Odette nodded in understanding. 

He almost got nervous walking up to Esmeralda, who looked so irritated he wondered if she would be mad that he bothered her. 

“Hey, can I sit down here?” He pointed to the chair next to her. Esmeralda looked up at him, fixed her face fast, and smiled at him. 

“Of course, Bill.” 

He sat down, leaning his arms against the table, and looked at her with big eyes. 

“What's going on?” 

“She's a Trump supporter!” She said fast and gave him a pointed look. Bill looked out over the room. It wasn't such a silly fight as he thought. 

“She's a racist, stupid, fuck! And says as stupid things just like him! I can't stand it, and I'm not the type of person that allows people say such shit!” 

Bill nodded in understanding. He was not a confrontational person, but he admired her for standing up for her beliefs. 

“I get you,” he said and nodded. “Sometimes you will get mad at people who don't know better.” Esmeralda looked at him thankfully and took a calming breath. 

“I shouldn't get so mad, but it's a loaded topic for me.” Bill nodded again and carefully took her hand that lay on her thigh. There weren’t many who saw him take her hand, but some did. Esmeralda hugged his big hand in hers and dragged her other hand’s finger tips over the back of it. She seemed to calm down, so Bill sat with her for a while. It was probably obvious who's side he had taken. 

Herman looked at him and then made a head movement to make him understand they needed to talk. Bill excused himself and then walked to Herman, who led him to Bill's office again. 

“What's going on?” Bill asked with furrowed brows. 

“Everything Esmeralda is saying is true.” 

“Then Julie leaves today.” Bill was determined; he knew his believers and also knew he couldn't be with someone with such different opinions than him. 

“You can't.” 

“Of course I can!” he said, upset, once again that he couldn't make his own choices. 

“No, we are not allowed to talk about politics.” 

Bill started to walk around the room with his hands on his hips. Even if his cuban collared shirt sat loose on his body, it felt hot and sticky. He hated that he had these rules. 

“But we have other footage...” said Herman carefully. Bill looked up at him. It maybe wasn't a big deal for others, but Herman knew Bill would react to Julie's comment about the portrait; that was also why it was hard to tell him about it. 

“She commented on the portrait in the stairs. She thought you would have taken it down.” 

“Of Kate?” Bill sat down in the computer chair.

“Yes. She called her ‘your ex’.” 

Bill scoffed and shook his head. Kate would never be his ex and a girl who couldn't understand that was the wrong girl. 

“Would it be okay if we had that in the show? In that case, we can make it seem like that's the reason you let her leave.” 

Bill looked a while at Herman. His plan was to leave Kate out as much as possible, but he also knew what her beliefs and values had been. If he were religious, he would have believed it was what she wanted. 

“It's okay. Yeah, do what you have to do.” 

××× 

The production had tried to play down everything that was happening, and Bill was given the instruction to act like nothing happened as well. He did his best even if he wondered what the rest of the plan was to get Julie out of the house. 

Maybe it was drastic, judging her for her political view, but he had two daughters and didn't want any such opinions to come close to their ears. He also had friends of many different ethnicities and wouldn't be able to look them in the eyes if he had a girlfriend saying things like Trump would. It may have been drastic, but for him, it was the only right thing.  

He talked lightly with Violet about the food when Esmeralda came up to him. 

“Can I talk to you?” 

He looked at her while swallowing the chicken that was a little bit too dry. 

“Sure.” They went out to the porch, and Bill leaned against the railing while Esmeralda hugged the pillar. 

“Something happened this morning, and... I thought you had the right to know.” Bill nodded with big eyes. He understood he would pretend to not know anything. 

“Me and Julie got in, sort of, a fight this morning about all kinds of things and like... She has some weird opinions; we have discussed things before, and... She said some things about your late wife.” 

Bill just stood and looked at her. Esmeralda's acting was okay, but he was great. He looked down at the ground and scratched his jaw uncomfortably. 

“I'm sorry for telling you that, but it's just weird and disrespectful that she talks about her like that.” 

Bill knew the team wanted it to sound like she had spoken about Kate even when the cameras were off, like that was what the fight that morning was about. 

“Thank you for telling me… Kate will always be a part of my life, you know.” 

Esmeralda gave him a warm smile. 

“Of course. I don't think any of us believed any different. And that's beautiful, anything else would be weird.” 

Bill smiled; even if they had been acting, the conversation was now completely real, and he got a bit emotional with Esmeralda's words, so he spread out his arms towards her. She happily pressed her cheek to his collarbone and let his long arms embrace her. Esmeralda looked up at him, and for a moment it felt like they would kiss, but she settled by giving him a kiss on the cheek that landed on the corner of his mouth. Esmeralda giggled when he smiled so big his dimple deepened. 

“We should hang out more,” said Bill lowly, believing the camera couldn't hear him, but they heard it all. 

 ××× 

The TV team had collected all the keys the girls had gotten, and now he would be giving them out again, but one less. It felt good knowing Julie would disappear. One less problem. The keys were laid on a red velvet cushion on a waist-high pillar. All of them were just as shiny as they had been when he first gave them out, but he wondered what they had done with them. Had they just been lying on a table or had some of them sucked on it or something? He didn't know. 

The girls stood in a half circle around him as the last time and looked at him expectantly. He took a deep breath before saying the first name. 

Esmeralda. 

Several of the girls looked surprised, and two of them were even upset. Esmeralda smiled big and walked up to him, throwing with her long hair. 

Odette. 

Camila.

Violet. 

Maria. 

Brigitte. 

Tiffany.

Sandra.

Rose. 

Sienna.

Victoria. 

It was painfully silent when all the girls except Julie had gotten their keys. Bill stood with his hands clasped in front of him and gave her an apologetic smile. She looked like she didn't understand a thing and then made a scoff. 

“Okay…” she said with some attitude and walked up to Bill on her stilettos. 

“Esmeralda is your favorite, and I must leave?” 

“I'm sorry… Should we go out and talk?” He said and did a motion to the porch. Julie scoffed again but walked towards the porch. Bill gave the other girls a quick look but also Herman behind a camera, then he walked out to Julie with a deep sigh. She was beautiful with her brown hair with highlights and super tight turquoise dress, but he had never been so shallow that a girl with awful opinions would get a chance just because she's pretty. 

“Wow, it was nice to get sooo much time with you!” She said, bitterly with crossed arms.

“I heard that you had talked about Kate.” 

“Hm? Who the fuck is Kate?” 

“My girls’ mother.” He talked a bit too harshly, but at that moment he spoke on behalf of his girls and became more upset than he would be otherwise. 

“Oh. I haven't said anything about her.” She furrowed her brows and shrugged her shoulders. 

“I know you have. Esmeralda told me.” 

The viewer would believe that there were other instances than the time by the stairs, while Julie just thought about that time. 

“Oh. It was nothing! I just meant you maybe should remove her from your life, a bit.” 

Bill gave her a pointed look.

“It's my daughter's mom, and if you don't understand how important it is that they remember her, we will never work.” He took a deep breath while Julie looked at him, upset but now with regret. After a few seconds of staring came a man from the team up to them. 

“Your bags are in the car, miss.” 

××× 

The Orangery:

Bill: I hope the other girls understand it's really different being a widower than a divorced father. Of course I want them to feel comfortable, but not at the expense of my girls. 

Esmeralda: I will sound like a bitch! Oh my god, I will sound like a bitch, but it's nice Julie has left. She was the bitch!

Tiffany: I think it's my turn to see Bill now! God, the other girls just seize him! Bill, it's my turn now! 

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