pastprovincial

[pastprovincial]

DAKOTA JOHNSON. ph. Ryan McGinley for Vanity Fair.

[pastprovincial]

[ 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚚𝚞𝚎 ]

Angelique was the kind of person who worked better with a glass of wine by her side. Now that the holidays were over, it was time to return to the usual events: weddings, company parties, the like. With Valentine’s Day coming up, the engagement and wedding season was slowly but surely beginning. With her head in her work, she hadn’t even noticed the brunette come and sit beside her. “Mon Dieu, you caught me by surprise,” she exclaimed with a hand at her chest. Angelique motioned for Belle to sit beside her, moving her coat to make room. “Merci, you’re too kind. It’s just my job, you know. What are you drinking tonight, and why alone? Well, not so lonely any more–you have me now.”

༝༝༝ 📖 ༝༝༝

As much as Belle wanted to find her place here, she wasn’t always sure where she sat with all of Adam’s friends. She didn’t know where they even stood with Adam sometimes for that matter. Angelique was usually attached to Blaise, though she never pried for details regardless of wanting to know what was going on between them. The offer to sit closer to her was a good start as the woman grabbed her glass and transferred over to the spot beside the blonde. She gave her a smile as a form of thanks before it turned into a laugh at her question. “Well you’re very good at it, though I do assume Adam would always have the best of the best working for him.” Not a single employee she’d met seemed less than amazing. He was the type to be particular in who he hired anyway. “It’s better than drinking on my couch alone or so that’s what I tell myself,” she said, a laughing following her words. “Red wine, as always. I really should branch out but nothing is quite as satisfying after a long day.”

[pastprovincial]

[ 𝚝𝚒𝚢𝚊 ]

.

“Hmm?” Tiya hummed, lifting her head from the calendar she’d been checking on her phone. Today was turning out to be a busy one ( most of them were ). “Oh no, I always get some oatmilk in mine, it’s practically tan by the time it gets to me,” the woman admitted freely, knowing some people were very particular about milk making coffee less coffee. “But if that isn’t yours,” she started, looking around the store, “who’s could it be” It looked like they had a bit of a mystery on their hands.

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Belle gave her a smile as she caught her attention, hoping she didn’t interrupt anything too important. “I am quite guilty of that myself, but funny enough when it comes to my tea I want it as strong as I can get it.” That wasn’t a popular opinion, knowing coffee fanatics found it a crime to add that much cream but she wanted to enjoy it. There wasn’t any point in ordering something to choke it down or so Belle thought. “You see, I was trying to figure out the same thing. They called it out for me but it’s most certainly not mine. I assume they gave my order then to someone else,” she said while eyeing the crowd around them. 

[pastprovincial]

[ 𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚖 ]

~

The lobby of the apartments Adam owned was quite spacious. There were sitting areas and the front desk had someone twenty-four hours a day. Adam knew nothing but having the best so he tried to do the same with his business endeavors. Belle was a strange addition to his life. He lived nearby all his closest friends and somehow Belle had weaseled her way into that. He kept her at arm’s length, but when he spotted her sitting in his favorite spot something felt different. She was peculiar, for sure, but she had him convinced before even asking that the spot was hers. Not that he would ever admit that. Sometimes they ended up in the spot at the same time, hence a second chair, and would read in silence together. It wasn’t uncommon for them, and if any of the two spoke it was usually Belle. Adam was particularly agitated that day. He couldn’t focus very well on his book and kept sighing or huffing. He hadn’t slept well and had a killer hangover. Most everything was bothering him for one reason or another. After slamming his book shut without so much as marking his page he let out another huff. “I’m fine. Or I would be if people weren’t so concerned.” He stood from his spot and stretched his arms out, his shirt lifting slightly to reveal his stomach since he hadn’t bothered to tuck it in that morning. When he dropped his arms his shirt fell back into place and he glanced over at Belle. “I’m just tired,” he said a little harshly. “And the indoor pool is closed for maintenance today so I can’t even use the hot tub.” At least that could relax him. “I think I just need a nap. Or a drink and a cigarette.”

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To expect anything besides some coldness was Adam to have not known him at all. No matter what he was talking about it was typical that he would be grumpy while doing it. Belle found his social skills to be less than superb but he had a certain kind of charm about him. They were unlikely friends, she going so far as to grow to find a small fondness to his bad attitude. Not that she didn’t think he should fix it but it was simply Adam’s nature to be that way. Belle couldn’t shake the feeling there could perhaps be more than meets the surface, already having gotten the sense of something secret going on in this very apartment building. “Maybe if you stopped making such a fuss over there, people wouldn’t have to be,” she said with a raise of her eyebrow. He never talked about what was going on, always deciding to sulk in silence. Hearing him huffing was enough for her to at least try but she had been expecting him to shut it down as always. In fact, it amused her a bit, bringing a small smile to the edge of her lips. “As if you don’t always wake up on the wrong side of the bed.” Belle tried to hide her amusement as she looked over to him, bringing her legs around now so she could face him straight on. “There’s always a bath, though I tend to think a glass of red wine can fix almost anything.” 

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who: tiya ( @faiirytalcs​ where: grind your gears 

What was supposed to be a quick stop for a cup of tea turned sideways when she took a sip and immediately tasted black coffee. It wasn’t that she didn’t like coffee but this must have been someone else’s that they put her name on by mistake. There was only one other woman standing there as she went back to make sure she hadn’t grabbed the wrong one and they just messed up her order. “Did you happen to get a dark roast?” Belle held up the cup in her hand with a small smile. “Just making sure I didn’t make yours by accident.” 

[pastprovincial]

who: @angeliquealexandre​ where: aile ouest

After staying late at the bookstore to finish sorting some new arrivals Belle’s first stop was the bar once arriving home to her complex. It wasn’t that she needed a glass of wine but it would be the best way to unwind after a long day at work. Perhaps after she’d even treat herself to a face mask while watching a rerun of Bewitched since it was always on late anyway. She wasn’t expecting anyone to join her at the bar but seeing the blonde sitting a seat away from her caught her attention. Angelique was more poise than Belle, holding herself with a certain pride that she couldn’t help but admire. “The party for New Years was nothing short of amazing, you really outdid yourself.”

[pastprovincial]

who: @lovesanopcndoor​ where: once upon a page 

Belle was re-organizing after the holidays, it being an on-going process for the first few months of the new year. That was when she was able to decide on a new layout or swap out books to keep it from ever growing boring. Books were anything but so she kept her store in rotation, forcing people to look at things they might not before. One never knew the magic they could find on the shelves. As the redhead came into the same isle as the one she was placing a stacking more books in, Belle was quick to offer her a smile. “Romance?” She said nodding towards the section of books they were in. “My own personal favorite too.”

[pastprovincial]

who: @gablumiere​ where: aile ouest

She sat at the bar using her hand to rotate her glass, watching as the red liquid hit the side like watercolor. It felt ridiculous sometimes to pay what she did for her apartment but she didn’t have kids or a family so she might as well spoil herself. Premiums like being able to go up a few floors and be at a restaurant, not to mention one that had a full bar helped Belle in justifying it to herself. Sometimes she forgot it was alright to spend money on herself and enjoy how far she’d come. The bookstore was doing well, she been saving from the moment she got here; this was something she was doing for her. Belle sigh a small exhale, smiling to herself as she set her glass back down. As soon as she looked back up she couldn’t help but catch the eye of her favorite chef. “And what’s the special tonight, chef?” She asked, her smile growing. “Oh, and pairs with a chianti.”

[pastprovincial]

who: @abeastwithin  where: the rose apartments 

Belle was hiding in her favorite place in the whole town. It was a small corner of her apartment building that had a window and a seat that was perfect for reading. She would bring her favorite book, a blanket, and a cup of tea to sit there and watch the flow of the street. This was where life was simple. It was perfect though because it just so happened it was someone else’s before she found it. After a little bit of convincing he agreed to let her use it too and had a chair brought for him to sit nearby. They never spoke many words there but today she could tell something was on his mind. “Are you going to keep sighing to yourself or do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?” She asked with a gentle laugh, looking up from her book.

[pastprovincial]

PERSUASION 2022 | dir. Carrie Cracknell

[pastprovincial]