thebookoflcve

[thebookoflcve]

"That's not what the articles say," she snickered under her breath. "I swear you two could very well fuse at the hip and no one would acknowledge the oddity of it all." A rueful smirk blossomed on her lips at the way the comment hissed through his teeth. "You don't have to tell me baby," she leaned in closer with the an toying glint in her eyes. "Benimle çıkma şansını asla bulamazdın." You would never have gotten the chance to date me. Merve's brow kinked at the flagrant disregard for her profession. She wrote about fashion, she was no closet gopher. "I swear you were dropped on your head when you were born. I work for Vogue the magazine, I do not style people. If you would have asked "Merve you have impeccable style please help me" I would have obligded. I don't even know why I am friends with you."

"  ––––––– my  wife  doesn't  need  to  be  attached  to  me  24  /  7  ,  "  eyes  lifted  from  his  menu  for  a  second  before  it  went  back  to  scan  through  the  wine  card  .  "  bu  bir  randevu  değil  .  "  this  is  not  a  date  .  "  you  are  going  there  yourself  .  i  only  invited  you  here  because  i  need  help  picking  clothes  for  next  season  in  pairs  ,  isn't  that  your  job?  "

[thebookoflcve]

Was this what burnout looked like or was it a mental breakdown? Nevertheless, Merve continued to show up to offer solace. Her admiration for Brooke's work and ability to hold tightly to her sharp tongue had yet to run dry. "You've been wasting away on this couch for weeks now. You have made a person sized dent in it, it's sad. The team is beginning to wonder if you're hiding a pregnancy or resigning. I've made sure to set the record straight about the pregnancy but not the resignation. I am a little unclear about your direction as of late." She turned her gaze down to Brooke before shaking her head. "The Gala ended on a sour note because of the very theme of the event. You cannot control nature and people are still buzzing over the looks despite the poor weather. This isn't like you," she sighed. "...so you're gonna get your ass up, you'll shower, and we're going to make your noon meeting in person. I've already informed the necessary party that you chose not to use Zoom this time. Let's go."'

to say brooke had been a shell of herself since the met gala was the understatement of the century. she had been avoiding vogue offices and the wrath of her mother, taking a leave and working remotely from home and the only person she was letting in was merve to update her on daily tasks and things brooke needed to answer. she was still embarrassed that merve had seen her in such a state of absolute panic and anxiety and was keeping her conversations with her as short as possible. laid on her couch as eyes aimlessly scrolled through the emails on her phone, she didn't lift her gaze when merve addressed her. "i don't know what you're talking about. everything can be answered with a simple yes or no."

[thebookoflcve]

Despite the distance laid between an ocean and several tumbling social rings, her eyes remained the same curious and persistent. Clifton reveled in the relativity of such a small common thread that bound them all together. Desire. Not just the wanton kind but the burning pit of ownership of a goal that teased ones outstretched fingers. If only little Addie had the courage to reach a little farther, he may have entertained the silly notion of her affection. He observed the bristling piety that shielded her after all of these years. He could still pluck out the festering want nestled between the fabric of her morality. There was no curtain or winding corridor for her to hide behind; for his all seeing eyes never closed. "I must have gotten my wires crossed," his words subdued but teasing. "You've come a long way from home so it's natural to want to stay where it's safe. Even if you're completely miffed over your father's choice in coming here. Change is how we survive. This is his conquest in survival." He gestured around with a softening grin. "I bet old Gus has already forgotten I was coming. Since I am here, let's not waste a trip, and have lunch. It seems all over due, Adelaide"

"Unless you're still angry with me for all the tricks we used to play on you when you were growing up."

while she had spent most of her childhood glued to the queen's side, the only time she ever strayed was when augustus had clifton over - not that she ever said much to the male, but she'd simply make sure she sat close by, lingering around wherever they were hanging out in buckingham palace, hoping that he'd notice her, even just for a minute. but he never did. it was a silly childhood crush, one that she had forgotten about over the years. she had cemented herself as a key member in the royal family, only to have it all taken away from her, leaving her feeling like that shy and insecure child she had been all those years ago. "oh...well, augustus isn't here...he uh, he doesn't live here. he has his own place. only i live here." she said, cheeks heating up with immediate embarrassment that she was twenty eight years old, still living with her parents simply because she was terrified to live alone in a country she knew nothing about. "i mean...just for the time being. temporarily. until i find a....uh, a suitable place." she said with a firm nod, clearing her throat, feeling like the room was a hundred degrees. "right...well, i'm afraid that there's a stark difference between fears and allergies. the former doesn't give you a rash." she said, letting out a nervous laugh. "oh..no, no not at all. i was just...doing some reading. "would you....would you like me to give you augustus' address? he isn't too far from here."

[thebookoflcve]

[thebookoflcve]

Atticus adjusted the tie that choked the literal life out of him. He didn't understand why any distinguished man would want to be strung up by something so frivolous as a silk piece of scrap nestled under the collar. All too annoyed by the constant pressure, he looped it from beneath the black collared shirt and stuffed it into this pocket. He promised his coach that he would attempt to mingle with seven members of Team USA before they jetted off to Paris. He didn't really have much in common with the blockheads aside from beating most of them at one point in his journey from the junior competitions well into the ascending weight classes. Through the cluttered conversations stuffed into tight posh restaurant, he found his gaze wandering around the dining room. Unamused and hungry, he considered bailing before catching a familiar sight.

A cool draft of indifference met with effortless beauty.

Atticus couldn't help the grin that formed on his lips as he watched Elle endure another twenty minutes with the little prick who seemed to just talk and talk and talk. He waited until she had made her move out of the door before following. His footsteps wide and inviting as he closed the distance between them. Atticus lightly brushed past her with an air of surprise. His brows knitted together in a feigned sense of recognition when she called out to him. "Me," his response delivered with the same cool ferocity that morphed around very syllable that bound off her lips. Atticus chased the subtle delight that flashed in her gaze before it has been dashed for something far more aloof. He was glad to see the deep furrowing annoyance that darkened her expression beginning to disintegrate; it had bothered him all evening. "Elle Kennedy aren't you being a little closed minded? A boxer can have imploring curiosity and an appreciation for the finer things in life. I should be surprised in seeing you here. Shouldn't you be secretly plotting someone's demise? Or are the murder podcasts really still just for shits and giggles. "

✩ ℂ𝕃𝕆𝕊𝔼𝔻 𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝔽𝕆ℝ 𝕒𝕥𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕦𝕤

@thebookoflcve

At the end of yet another brutally monotonous evening with another brutally monotonous man, a fellow designer who sought collaboration in spite of the fact that Elle found his designs as tedious as his drawl and the basic three-piece suit he arrived in, Elle felt deeply dissatisfied with the squandered evening. Even all of her impish attempts to elicit an adverse reaction from the man throughout dinner had been for naught, his character so mundane that all of her innuendos failed to register with him - too widely sophisticated for his simplistic mind.

She felt stifled by the pent-up disorder that hadn't had a chance to be properly dispelled as the evening air rushed through her brunette waves. Her lips curled into a pout, and it was only after she had sent a message to her niece about the possibility of hanging out that she felt someone brush past her shoulder. Disgruntled, she lifted her eyes in a rare exhibit of irritation she wouldn't normally reveal in public, only to realize she recognized the features.

"You," her expression changed so dramatically in the seconds that followed, it bellied he either had the best or worst of luck to run into her that evening. "The boxer with all the imploring questions, fancy seeing you here."

[thebookoflcve]

Tyler's strides slowed to match her even gait. His hands gathering in the shallows of his pockets while they took another stroll down the dangerous alley of the past. This time, it wasn't under the warm hues of burning candles in the foreground of a budding nuptial. The air was fresh and crisp; a perfect deterrent for the heady pheromones of lust and love that diluted his reason every time she fell into his path. Tyler knew better. He wasn't the type to continue to burn in the flames fanned by someone else. Still, he showed up because if she called he would always answer. "You think too highly of me, Erin, because I'm a shit load of trouble. Don't let the beard and suits change ya mind about the past." His words well intended and plucked from the safe middle passage between them. A place devoid of the temptation to reach out his hand for hers. "I'll all ears. It's the very least I can do."

perhaps the kinder route would be to leave him be . enough time had passed for dust to settle , no good reason to disturb it once more other than to clear a guilty conscience . and rather selfishly , it served as an excuse to simply see him again . wave of relief washes over her at kinder than deserved reception , soft outline of a smile only just showing itself as she stepped forward . " trouble ? i don't think you're capable of such a thing " playful jest , yet a bittersweet notion , too good of a man if there ever was such a thing . " i won't stay long , i just ... " brief pause allowed for a moment to consider her words , " i'm just trying this new thing where i'm more honest with myself " she added with a soft chuckle , an attempt to lighten what was a daunting admittance , " and i guess there's just a few things i thought you should know . "

[thebookoflcve]

Distance and time didn't lessen the awkward burden of seeing her in public; let alone having to endure yet another superficial conversation. Atticus silently reminded himself of the pain that they had brought to each other's door. An omen and a warning for the future. He would continue to tread lightly. "You're still looking, that's good." He offered with a forced grin. "I am more than ready. I could taste gold. How's your project?"

closed starter for atticus | @thebookoflcve

she had left him alone, that was what he has so obviously wanted and she was far to pretty to beg for the attention of a man she had used most of the time anyway. sure, part of her hurt he was done but her ego outweighed that part more than it should so that smaller piece of her heart would be buried deep down. that didn't mean she couldn't be civil when they inevitably ended up in the same place together, victims of their own social circles. "you look buff atty, you ready for go time?"

[thebookoflcve]

Tyler never thought he would stand here experiencing the seventh ring of hell and all of the insufferable side effects of the industry in one night. He didn't know diddly squat about art or fashion. He merely attended out of obligations in the wake of last year's successful campaign. Tyler desperately looked for any escape hatch to slither out of the formalities of the conversation. Much to his delight, the familiar blonde cut through the tension that coiled around his neck like a cord. Her effortless interception was happily received. "If you excuse me," he bowed his head before whisking her farther into the buzzing crowd. "How much do I owe you for the assist? You name it, it's yours. If I had to endure another moment I was going to jump off the balcony."

closed starter for tyler | @thebookoflcve

ophelia wasn't sure if she had simply been blind to everyone else around her any time she was in a room full of people lately or if people had been avoiding her but people sure as hell seemed to be coming back out of the wood works since her public humiliation stunt at the met. was this what happened when she didn't have her face glued to someone elses. nothing tyler looking, well less than comfortable in his current conversation ophelia decided catching up with an old friend could do her no arm, the model moving herself into the conversation with ease as her perfectly manicured nailes trailed down his arm, hand settling on his elbow. "excuse me folks, may i steal ty a second?"

[thebookoflcve]

"I forgot that your mountain of products would defy gravity and the fundamental pillars of physics, silly me." The jest filled in the spaces between each word. Madeline knew the defiant feeling that came when loneliness crept in; heartache only further disturbed the fragile earth beneath their heels. "For once, I can say with certainty, that you were not the problem this time. If she couldn't believe in your words and intentions, she waiting to throw in the towel. Isn't love supposed to be enduring? Just don't let this ruin the good change you've made. You reverting to some sex crazed bastard will only prove her thoughts about to be true."

"my hair would never flop, do you know how much product my stylist uses to make sure it doesn't budge? please." he huffed with a roll of his eyes, posture slumping further like he was some kicked puppy on the side of the road. "and for what?" he said with a humorless laugh as he shook his head, looking over at his niece. "to get framed for cheating on my girlfriend and to have the entire world believe it at the drop of a fucking hat, to have her believe it wholeheartedly? i did it all for nothing. no one was ever going to think differently about me." he said with a shake of his head. "i wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, do you really think i would've been stupid enough to do something to fuck that up?"

[thebookoflcve]

Madeline pitched forward to challenge the lofty comfortability that wound comfortably in Theo's posture. Her fingers interlocked beneath her chin as she continued to observe him. It felt like shooting fish in a barrel. "This gala actually served a purpose despite being rained on. Stars aligned and here we are." Madeline finally disengaged, her back leaning comfortably against the back of her chair. "It'll be even luckier if I decide to give you my number for my new phone. I will admit I am not the type to just give it away but I can persuaded after a proper celebration. What do you propose we do to celebrate?"

it seemed to theo like madeline was just as interested as he was . she's been playing the same game as him , which only made him feel better about himself . " i think you're right . i'm glad we met at the gala though . " a soft smirk appeared on his face as he kept his gaze on the blonde sitting across from him . " we have to celebrate our lucky day somehow , then . " he offered , and then he figured he would probably have to come up with a way to celebrate . " with a brand new phone ? that's impressive . " his eyebrows rose as he chuckled lightly , truly didn't expect that to be her answer . " i guess today is truly my lucky day then . "

[thebookoflcve]

"I support Finley's decision to walk but I know it'll only get worse for the rest of us. You get the green light to be free because your career is set in stone and flourishing. If it were anyone else in our family, I would have said this was impossible but the world you built is exactly what I expected from you, Elle." Madeline ran her fingers through the assortment of luxurious fabrics sown into the most unique and delicate pieces of art. It almost felt sinful to waste such beautiful garments on her own sullied frame. You put a pig in a dress but that doesn't change that it's a pig. The thought was quick and sudden but dissipated as the conversation morphed into something far less serious. "I know she rued the day she allowed us become so well read.." She turned on her heels to face the slippery woman who evaded her question effortlessly. "Almost too inviting, the room is becoming so cramped with all of your admirers when will you have time for me?" Madeline reached out to hook her fingers into the loops of Elle's jeans. "I'm not talk about your beau but the one who sweats for money."

"Fourteen hours, she messaged me this morning. I've been recruited for the coaxing," Elle giggled, mindful that her mother hoped she would employed her beguiling disposition to ensnare her sister back into the family dynasty. She fingered through the pieces hanging on the rack with tenderness, as though she were tending to small creatures, even fighting the impulse to coo affectionately at a specific piece of her new collection that she adored. The very piece was lifted and handed to her niece to try on. I'd like to know in how many ways I can tell dear old granny to choke. "I mean between the two of us we have a least a dozen or so languages in our arsenal, I think we can get pretty comprehensive."

The edges of Elle's round eyes suddenly crinkled in mirth, discreet and impish. "You're going to have to be more specific, I mingle frequently," her tone betraying her familiarity with the unusually perceptive and inquisitive boxer who had been encroaching in her thoughts ever since their encounter. "I'm very inviting, you know." The slight wink she sent Maddie a non verbal cue of the inside joke.

[thebookoflcve]

Her fingers absently traced the thinly spun glass rim as she ruminated on Jesse's mirthful quip. Strangely, it had provoked a deeper line of thought that she had quietly sown into the lining of her fraying thoughts. "Every man is a damsel in distress but they're all too proud to accept it. It's why they wither at the idea of any woman having true power. It would only continue to illuminate how tiny and feeble minded they are..." her smile remained soft around the edges but the tension in her teeth would surely induce an early migraine. "...not you of course. You're not like the others and I attribute it to your rearing. I did a great job mothering you," she muttered with a sweeping chortle. How many glasses of wine had she had? Madeline's gaze cut to the perfectly baked fortune cookie between his fingers. "I could only imagine how giving you must be in bed. Not a single ex in sight wanting to forget you or hating you exist. I am jealous," Madeline tapped his nose. She placed her glass onto the table to savagely crack open her cookie. Her brows furrowed at the inky text etched into the tiny strip of paper. "Be cautious while walking in darkness alone... how fitting." She crumpled the paper and flicked it at Jesse. Her cookie was left forgotten on the edge of the table as she taken another hefty sip of wine. "If you do, I'll call down to the doorman to help roll you out in style. What do you want to watch?"

Laughing as she protested her survival skills, they relaxed back on her ridiculously expensive couch and turned to look sideways at the blonde beside them. "My bad. I will plan on relying on you to keep me safe, in that case. I'll take on the roll of damsel in distress- is there a male version of damsel? There should be, it's 2024," Jesse joked, reaching into the bag for a fortune cookie and prying it open, scanning the text before chuckling to himself. "You're more likely to give than give in...in bed," He read it out loud, before adding the second part and snickering to himself. "Sounds like me, I'm a giver," Tossing the cookie in their mouth, Jesse handed Maddie one and grinned. "I'm going to eat a disgusting amount of food tonight, aren't I? You're gonna have to roll me off your couch,"

[thebookoflcve]

nayeon ☆ na tracklist!

[thebookoflcve]

[thebookoflcve]

The weighty affairs of a Kennedy hellbent on rockbottom would easily tank anyone's buzz. Yet, she had finally hit her stride. In all of the whipping chaos, clashing bodies, and dizzing beats --Madeline felt the world quiet. Carter's furious distain of her had become a welcomed familiarity. It seemed so silly to become hung up on all of the people who disappointed her by betraying their intention with soft words. Carter, steadfast and unwavering, challenged her notion that everyone was full of shit. "Was that when you had the floppy hair and rocked up in that all white number?" Madeline circled around him, her hand grazing along the back small of his back. "I said you were hotter when you smiled. Hotter indicates that there was once a dip in temperature. You're far from ugly but the scowling is so 2014 Carter. C'mon, shimmy a little and I'll leave willingly. I promise no one is paying attention to the grump in the corner."

instant  amusement  plays  across  his  features  at  her  remark  ,  unbothered  by  whatever  it  was  an  online  review  may  come  across  .  more  so  because  ,  the  front  line  of  the  club  isn't  what  worries  him  ,  it's  the  exclusive  part  in  the  back  that  is  free  from  prying  eyes  :  which  is  why  he  rarely  ventures  to  front  .  "  ––––  i  haven't  danced  since  2012  when  they  forced  me  to  learn  choreographies  for  my  music  .  " he confesses , taking a long sip from his drink . " but for once you admitting i'm hotter . "

[thebookoflcve]

The spacious gap that divided them had grown too big for all of the small comforts that they craved. Madeline wondered when his hand had fallen out of her grasp. The worn rubber sole of her shoes cooled slowly as the lonely of realization dawned on her curious mind. The burn sensation that used to get her out of bed now seemed to be last thorn jammed too far in her side to be removed. A bitter piece of shrapnel that would forever disfigure the link that bound them together from birth. Madeline made peace with the soft close of the door to their innocence that they had both taken for granted. Whoever they became when they left this moment would carry knowledge that road paved before them was new and infinitely uncertain. "Why did you run, Monroe?" From Archie and from me? Madeline gingerly nestled herself into the plush velvet chair seat at her vanity, the bristle of her brush pressed into her palm, a control presence of pain that dissuaded the real ache from setting in. "A kiss doesn't always have to mean anything but a kiss..." she offered with a daft optimism. She knew a kiss always meant something. It mean something to Archie. Foolishly, she ignored what it could mean for her brother. "So I've been told but I don't think that's true," I wasn't enough. I'm never enough. "We're both horrible people and misery like company." Madeline didn't dare meet her brother's gaze, the same that seemed intent on dismantling the path she had plan to follow until the end. "Yeah but he did and has for weeks. It doesn't matter, it's better this way, I'm better off doing me." alone. "He knows. It's funny after him raising hell and the mild name calling, he gave his blessing. If only he knew how unserious it all was. Maybe we're not people built for this. Maybe we're all destined to fuck up until we stop caring about who we hurt."

            it was always those someone loved most who could pluck guilt from thin air if it was so willed. if only he could claim innocence the way he had denial, but such fault lay in what monroe had failed to do with one of the few who knew everything.  she was supposed to know everything.  he sighed, consuming all the air around him as if it would expel the truth for him in the next breath. “ yeah. maddie, he did and nothing has been the same since. ” she may not have been told within days or even months of the secret that had consumed him, tucked away deep down like a lock with the key thrown into a lake only now drudged up from the lake's floor, but she was the first monroe himself had spoken to about it outside of antagonistic arguments directed at archie. with that, an unspoken weight lifted the ease the breath that came with the memory. “ so, now you know. ” monroe shifted, the weight of his body pressed against the mattress that dipped under him. “ i'll spare you the details. ” his own selfish reasons less she were to ask, for now, right now, that was all it took and the crushing weight of guilt would suffocate him again. this was also why maddie's confession hadn't been met with anything other than a slight nod of acknowledgment. was he to chastise her for sharing in the same sin? secrets kept from someone sworn to loyalty since birth.  “ you're too good for him. you know that. ” but the guilt weighed again, a boulder on his chest when blame was placed. she'd been alone because of him. she'd been ignored because of him. she'd been feeding  a destructive habit  because he was not there to help her out of it. “ and archie wouldn't ignore you. there's not a thing you could do that would make him.. ” but there was plenty monroe could do. “ does uncle j know? ” he asked mildly, a pale comparison to the spite for his own transgressions that came with the words directed at him.

[thebookoflcve]

There were two infallible truths that each Kennedy is taught early on in their rearing: Kathy Kennedy was never wrong and to never cross Noelle. Both women were pillars in the success and longstanding permanence of Kennedy name. The feat, itself, couldn't be sowed in kindness but something far sharper. Madeline gained the wrath and disappointment from Kathy and the indifference from her own mother. A little kindness from someone who felt distant from the very start of her life brought her comfort; it was sad. "Is that your plan? To take me under your wing and be your accomplice? I'd like to know what I gain from being transparent. Where do you want to start?"

❝ smart girl ! ❞ praise wasn't something noelle sang often but she was known for being slightly softer on her siblings' spawn. nothing that would make eyes bulge but enough for them to hear one compliment a year from her. especially when it comes from them attempting to flatter her, even if with lies. she can appreciate a good sucking up to her. ❝ your mother has no idea i'm even here, let alone what i came here to do. this is because i don't think i know you enough and that's tragic. i can't have you be my accomplice in the future when i barely know you. ❞