#Adam Sinclair (M!OC)

[peonierose]

Blue Lagoon

Book: Open Heart

Type of story: Social Media and Text edits

TW: None

Summary: It's Bryce's bachelor party. Let's see what he and his friends were up to.

A/N: I already did Luna's bachelorette party in case you want to read it first here are Part 1 and Part 2

A/N 2: It took me a while to get it done, but here it is. Enjoy!

[peonierose]

Luna Auclair

What will your OC and their date be wearing?

She loves to take her time to get ready. And to wear anything she feels comfortable in (since it’s hard to find comfy and stylish maternity clothes - but usually she just improvises 🥰)

Does she have any rituals or other things she must do or wear?

Luna likes to listen to music while getting ready. Here are some of her songs she listens and sings along to.

She loves to wear the silver and gold necklaces she got as a Christmas present from Ethan and Hayley with the twins names Kehlani Mae and Alaia Rose engraved on it.

As well as her engagement ring she got from Bryce on Valentines Day.

How will they get there?

Either by using one of their Jeeps or walking (if it’s close by).

Bryce Lahela

What will your MC and their date be wearing?

Bryce likes casual wear. Such as jeans and a shirt. But he can dress up fancy when the occasion calls for it.

Does he have any rituals or other things he must do or wear?

While getting ready he checks off his list of things to do. He never forgets to put on his ”special lotion“.

When Luna once asked him why? Bryce’s reply was ”Getting pretty takes time.“ Luna just laughed and went on to get dressed.

He loves to wear the silver and gold necklaces he got as a Christmas present from Ethan and Hayley with a the twins names Kehlani Mae and Alaia Rose engraved on it.

Keiki Lahela

What will your MC and their date be wearing?

Something casual or a tight dress. With lots of earrings, rings and necklaces.

Does she have any rituals or other things she must do or wear?

Keiki loves to spend time at the beach: sunbathing, diving, surfing. Anything that gets her into the water.

She loves to put on some lip gloss in the shade Coral Crush (it’s her favorite - since orange is her favorite color 🧡)

How will they get there?

By car. Keiki doesn’t really like to walk, but she’ll do it if someone asks and if it’s not too far.

Koa Haulani

What will your OC and their date be wearing?

Jeans and a shirt. Or even a suit and tie.

How will they get there?

By using their cars or walking -if it’s within walking distance - and if Koa can convince Keiki to walk there (she’s not fan of walking.)

Maxine Moore

What will your OC and their date be wearing?

Maxine likes anything with leather and a side slit and some high heels. But some jeans a t-shirt and her favorite pair of Dr. Martens is her go to outfit (sometimes she borrows a pair of Dr. Martens from Luna, since they have the same size.)

She loves to wear a couple of necklaces paired with her favorite earrings.

Her favorite perfume tasting like sea salt and her perfume L'Essence from Balenciaga it has notes of vanilla, amber and musk it’s very woodsy. So exactly what Maxi likes.

Adam Sinclair

What will your OC and their date be wearing?

Adam likes to wear something comfortable when he and Maxi go out. Nothing too fancy. Though he does wear a suit & tie when the occasion calls for it (and he knows for a fact that Maxi loves to watch him get dressed 😅)

Does he have any rituals or other things he must do or wear?

Adam loves to take his dog Knox for a walk to the beach before he goes anywhere.

He also wears a his mothers necklace to always keep her close. He started wearing it after his mom passed from cancer.

How will they get there?

They either use Maxi‘s Jeep or Adams motorcycle or Adam’s car he calls Baby (yes he calls his car Baby just like Dean Winchester calls his ’67 Chevy Impala, baby)

Hayley Valentine-Ramsey

What will your MC and their date be wearing?

Hayley loves to dress to the nines. Like this gold dress (see above). It’s her favorite it was a gift by Ethan. Given to her for their first anniversary. It’s still her favorite.

She usually pairs her dresses with high heels.

Does she have any rituals or other things she must do or wear?

Hayley loves to wear red lipstick. And very little jewelry, except for her engagement and wedding ring.

She loves to get pampered. Face masks (as you can see Jenner loves face masks too 😂). She, her sister Bella, her best friend Sienna and Jackie love to get ready together. Make-up, hair everything. Manicures and pedicures.

Ethan Ramsey

What will your MC and their date be wearing?

Ethan loves a fitted and classic suit. He finds that a tie isn’t always necessary.

Does he have any rituals or other things he must do or wear?

Ethan usually shaves before he and his wife go out. Hayley tells him not to. He does it just to annoy Hayley.

How will they get there?

They’d use Ethan’s car. Since Hayley doesn’t really like to drive through Boston.

Hayley always says ”These people who shouldn’t be allowed to drive will only annoy me and drive my blood pressure up the wall. No thanks I don’t want to spend time in the ER in my gorgeous dress while waiting on test results.“

Addison Dalton

What will your MC and their date be wearing?

Addison loves looking glam and sexy. But she also loves jeans and t-shirt looks.

Will they need a babysitter?

Addison will make sure that both she and Sam are going out, they’ll organize a baby sitter. They’d use Jordan (Sam has mixed feelings about Jordan - but he’s good with Mason and Mickey so he looks past it.)

How will they get there?

They’ll use either Robin or Addis car to get anywhere.

Robin Flores

What will your MC and their date be wearing?

Robin loves his suits. You’ll rarely catch him without wearing a suit. Though maybe Addison can convince him to wear jeans and a t-shirt 😉

How will they get there?

He’ll definitely going to use his own car. Or let Addi drive his ”car“ (though he doesn’t like others driving his baby 🤣)

Gretel van Andresen

What will your OC and their date be wearing?

Gretel loves anything with leather (not just because Grey secretly likes seeing her in leather. But because she feels good while wearing leather.)

Heels are her favorite to wear. Red or black heels are her favorite.

Does she have any rituals or other things she must do or wear?

Gretel loves to take a relaxing bath, preferably with lavender salt.

She also loves to use her favorite perfume smelling like cherries. She puts it on after she’s done with her make-up and put on her clothes and shoes.

How will they get there?

Preferably by any transportation possible, except teleportation. Which Gretel hates. Even though Grey uses it to annoy her.

Grey

What will your OC and their date be wearing?

Anything tailored to his body. Anything with leather that also allows a lot of movement and places where he can stash his weapons. His powers alone won’t always help him out.

Does he have any rituals or other things he must do or wear?

Before he goes anywhere he likes to eat something with vegetables, since Grey is a vegetarian and a nice cup of hot, brewed green tea. He doesn’t drink any caffeine.

How will they get there?

By car or Teleportation (he loves to annoy Gretel by teleporting since he knows she doesn’t like it to much.)

Sam Dalton

What will your MC and their date be wearing?

A suit and tie (Emma helps him choose which one looks the best on Sam.)

How will they get there?

Sam usually calls Carter to pick them up.

Will they need a babysitter?

Yes they do organize a sitter. Sam complains about Jordan but Jordan is good with Mickey and Mason so he endures it for the twins sake.

If Jordan is unavailable, he coordinates it with Addi.

They have shared custody of the twins. So they always see who’s available to look after the twins if both Sam and Addi are out for the night.

Emma Anderson

What will your MC and their date be wearing?

Emma loves it when she and Sam March color wise and outfit wise. So she usually picks the dress and tries to find something suitable in Sam’s walk in closet.

Elegant and unique dresses are her vibe. Her best friend Jenny has often times been her savior when it comes to picking the right outfit.

Does she have any rituals or other things she must do or wear?

She loves to wear her engagement ring and her wedding band.

Emma loves jewelry but not too much. Just enough.

How will they get there?

They usually let Carter pick them up. But there have been occasions when either she or Sam drove one of their cars.

Will they need a babysitter?

Yes. As much as Mason and Mickey might complain that they’re old enough to stay alone at home, Emma and Sam still think it’s better if someone looks after them. Otherwise they’d destroy the house with their experiments 🤣 Not that Emma didn’t have a hand in one of two of the boys experiments 🤣 But she and Sam wouldn’t have the boys any other way. Experiments and all.

MC Mixer - Week 2

Before you go to a party, you've got to get ready, right? Well that's what week 2 is all about!

Don't worry, even if you didn't get a chance to RSVP, you're still welcome to participate!

What will your MC / OC and their date(s) be wearing? This one is pretty self-explanatory

Do they have any rituals or other things they must do or wear? Will they be getting a haircut? Fresh shave? Anything special they do to get ready for a party.

Will they need a babysitter? Do they have any kids? If so, who does your character turn to when they need a grown up night?

How will they get there? What's your MC / OC's preferred method of transportation?

Responses will be accepted through 11:59PM (PST) on Friday 6/16.

You can participate by reblogging this post, or creating your own with your responses. Your submission can be in the form of test, inspo pics, moodboards, whatever you choose!

If you have any questions or issues, feel free to reach out to us. Our asks and inbox are open, we'd love to chat!

@aallotarenunelma @ao719 @aussiegurl1234 @cadybear420 @charlotteg234 @deb-1106 @emkay512 @karahalloway @mariemarieohcontrary @myautumnrose @noesapphic @ofmischiefandmedicine @peonierose @queenrileyrose @socalwriterbee @tessa-liam

@choicesficwriterscreations @choicesmonthlychallenge @choicesflashfics @moodmusicmonday @choicesprompts @choicesholidays

[staytiny-angel]

For Grace and Country 1/?

'Hangman' Adam Page/F!OC, One-Sided Kenny Omega/F!OC

Rating: Eventually M, right now PG

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Kenny Omega being an asshole and a creep, Cameos from WWE wrestlers.

Written with my partner in crime @lilmissriottbliss

Taglist: @axelwolf8109 @moxleyunstable

Notes: Takes place in the alternate universe created by @lilmissriottbliss, @swifteforeverandalways and myself known as the Emoverse, but no prior knowledge is needed to enjoy this fic.

Fic Playlist:

Summary: Ava-Grace came to AEW with a purpose, to be the best wrestler she could be, but also to maybe win the heart of a certain cowboy. Unfortunately standing in her way is an overprotective Dark Order and the unwanted advances of the AEW Champion Kenny Omega. 

--------

Ava-Grace Sinclair looked in the mirror backstage at Dynamite carefully checking herself over. She had to look perfect, tonight was her Dynamite debut. After months of working dark matches tonight she was wrestling Thunder Rosa. She popped her airpods in and cranked up BTS to get herself hype as she eased into her stretching routine. She had to do well tonight, she wanted to make her trainer, Seth Rollins proud and prove that the months he'd spent training her in Iowa weren't a waste.

"Ava…" a sickeningly sweet voice said from behind her. Kenny Omega frowned as he realized Ava couldn't hear him. Kenny didn't know what it was about the 5 foot 4, curvy African American woman but he was….interested. Unfortunately for him Ava had spurned his advances at every turn, preferring the company of herself or rarely those misfit losers in the Dark Order.

Kenny tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention, causing Ava to spin around hand raised to defend herself, only to groan when she caught sight of Kenny and Don standing there smirking at her.

"Ava." Kenny smiled at her, "Tonight's the night isn't it? Your big Dynamite debut."

"Yes it is and I'm getting ready for my match. Why don't you both go away and continue ruining Impact?" Ava said rolling her eyes

 Kenny smirked. "Ouch, that was low" 

"What do you want, Omega?"

 "After your match maybe we can….hang out?" Ava was cut off by Moxley loudly clearing his throat. 

"Do you have a problem?" Kenny sighed in annoyance. 

"Nope, just leave the Newbie alone before I call my emo baby sister's twin"

"I didn't need the save," Ava told Moxley, shaking her head and continuing to get ready for her match. 

"You're one of my brother's kids. Me and Sethie may not currently see eye to eye but...I promised I'd look out for any of his that ended up here" he said gruffly before walking away.

"Mox" Ava called out

"Thank you" Moxley nodded and gave the smallest of smiles. Darby Allin nodded at her while Pac talked to Rebel. AEW definitely seemed like everyone knew everyone and they were all BFFs. And then the Dark Order came in, Silver tripping over himself while Anna cussed at him. Evil Uno was reading and Adam Page was drinking, and Ava's heart soared

Hangman Adam Page. The reason she signed with AEW, instead of joining Seth in WWE. The secret Becky had promised to take to her grave. The redhead had thought her crush was cute. To Ava it was an annoyance she couldn't shake. She'd been watching him for years and had always been infatuated with him and now after years of hard work here she was, same company, same show as the love of her life….except...the Dark Order was super overprotective of their cowboy and tended to shield him from newcomers for fear of someone taking advantage of him or hurting him while he was still healing from his breakup with The Elite. 

Ava took a deep breath as first Thunder Rosa's then her own music hit. There was no time for annoyingly sexy cowboys or their even more annoying defense squads right now. Right now? It was time to kick some ass.

"Nice debut," Miro praised. "Seth has never trained a bad student"

"Not sure about that but thanks" Ava smiled then frowned. 

"What's wrong?" Penelope asked.

 "I can't find my phone, I swear if Kenny took it" 

"I'll go ask" Miro handed his title to Kip.

"I'm hanging out with Violet from WWE tomorrow, the last thing I need is that getting leaked" Ava groaned.

 "Excuse me?" Adam knocked on the wall. "I found this by Malachi" 

There it was, a phone with a purple case

"My hero!" Ava praised causing the denim clad man to blush.

"Uh...nice match tonight, that finisher of yours is a showstopper" Adam said rubbing the back of his head with one hand as he took a sip from his ever present whiskey glass.

"Thanks! Seth was really excited that I decided to use one of his moves." 

"He sure must be proud of you," Adam replied. 

"I hope so, I worked really hard to get here" Ava smiled at him causing something to flutter in Adam's chest. 

"Time to get ready" Anna came over to them pulling Adam away from both the odd feeling in his chest and Ava herself

"Guess I'll see you next week?" Ava said looking up at him 

"Yeah, next week" Adam softly replied before walking away with the Dark Order trailing behind him, some of them giving Ava oddly hostile looks. 

"You got it bad, girl," Penelope said, shaking her head. 

Ava sighed "I know" 

----------

The next day Ava sat at an outside table of a restaurant in Texas waiting for her friend, former Raw and NXT champion Violet Gillath-Balor to show up. Soon enough the pale blue haired woman showed up, baby carriage in tow.

"There's my girl," Ava cooed at the baby girl, giggling when she blew a bubble.

"Sometimes I think you're more excited to see the baby then you are to see me" Violet took off her sunglasses and rolled her eyes. 

"It's because I am" Ava replied cheekily "She's cuter and talks less" 

"Saw you kick Thunder Rosa's ass last night, a picture perfect tv debut, if I should say so myself" Violet says as she sits down and picks up the menu. 

"Thanks, Seth even posted about it on his socials, said he was proud of me" Ava grinned at the thought of the praise from her mentor. He hadn't been happy when she'd chosen to sign with AEW instead of joining him in WWE after her stint on the indy circuit but they were slowly working past it and she had many friends in the rival company, including Violet, the wife of Finn Balor and Seth's own wife Becky Lynch.

"You deserve the praise" Violet smiled at her  "You did really well for your first appearance on national TV" 

"Now it's time to claw my way up the ladder" Ava grinned back as she took a sip of her wine. 

"Well, enough of that, time for the dirt. Did you see him?" Violet asked with a smirk 

"Oh my Goddess, you would not believe it.  I misplaced my phone like a total spaz but he found it for me! And he called Grace Under Pressure a 'Showstopper'" Ava said tapping on the table in her excitement 

"Tell me everything" 

-------

After a long lunch with Violet and her daughter, Ava stopped by her hotel room and changed into her comfortable but fashionable workout clothes and headed to the gym the roster was using while they were in town.

"Do you have anywhere I could dance?" She asked the attendant as she walked in the brightly lit space, already spotting Miro and Kip working out.

The woman pointed to an area off to the side where there was a section of wooden floor, a mirrored wall and a barre. 

Putting in her earbuds she put on Perfect World by Twice, and stretched her muscles before starting to dance to the upbeat Japanese song. Unbeknownst to her Kenny was in a different part of the gym and had just walked into the main room, his eyes immediately drawn to the dancing wrestler, his eyes following her movements as she twisted and turned to the music only she could hear. 

"Your obsession is showing" came the snide voice of MJF from behind him.  "You're practically drooling, give it up Omega, the entire roster knows she's got her eye on the cowboy. You don't stand a chance" he laughed as he walked away. 

Meanwhile Adam and the Dark Order were entering the gym, Adam's eyes also immediately drawn to Ava as she switched from a cuter style dance to a sexier one as the music changed. 

John Sliver came up next to him and asked "You like her huh?" 

"I don't know her, but I think I could," Adam said honestly 

"Omega ain't gonna be happy, he's got his eyes on her too" Anna chimed in 

"That's not exactly a deterrent" Adam said with a smirk. 

"I….we just don't want you to get hurt, all anyone knows about this girl is that she was trained by Seth Rollins but declined a WWE contract to come work with us" Anna said softly 

"I'm a big boy Anna" Adam reminded her, he swore he appreciated the Order ever since they'd unofficially adopted him but their over protectiveness could be stifling at times. 

Oblivious to the two men who's attention she'd garnered Ava took out her airpods and took a long guzzle from her water bottle.

"Ava-Grace...didn't know you could dance like that." Kenny came over to stand behind her.

Oh goddess, not again

Ava thought to herself as she tried to avoid being as rude as she'd been the night before, Kenny Omega was still the AEW Champion and one of the higher ups in the company, the last thing she wanted to do was aggravate him, but there was no way she would ever date an asshole like him even if she didn't have her heart set on her precious Hangman.

"What do you want Kenny?" Ava asked as politely as she could.

"For you to go on a date with me tonight" Kenny answered

"For the last time...no" Ava said

"But look at us, we look so good together " Kenny says pointing to their reflections in the mirrors

"Your just not my type Kenny, I'm sorry, " She said as sincerely as possible

"Besides, the lady already has a companion for the evening" Adam chimes in out of nowhere

"I do?" Ava looked up at Adam in shock. This could not be happening. Was he really asking her out?

"If you want to, that is" Adam said blushing.

"Sorry Kenny, I already have a date" Ava says in a slightly awestruck voice.

"Are you serious? You'd rather go out with him instead of a champion?" Kenny laughed sarcastically

"Absolutely" she says looking up at Adam dreamily

[choicesficwriterscreations]

December 27 2020 - January 2 2021

Bloodbound

Cigarettes | Priya Lacroix x Adam Vega - @homeformyheart​  [adult content]

Pieces Of The Past series | Adrian Raines x MC - @itslaniquelove​

Chapter IV  [adult content]

Desire & Decorum

Emilia’s Little Smile | Ernest Sinclaire x MC - @ethanramseysrookiexox​

Winter Adventures: Mr. Giggles | F!OC, Briar Daly, Dominique Foredale - @princess-geek​

Open Heart

A Christmas Meeting | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @trappedinfanfiction

Desire And Regret | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC, Bryce Lahela x Sienna Trinh, Jackie Varma x Gary Garrison - @lem-20​​

A Night At The Opera House | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @lucy-268​​

The Stroke Of Midnight | Ethan Ramsey x F!MC - @schnitzelbutterfingers​​  [adult content]

A Very Lahela Christmas: Kanakaloka | Bryce Lahela, Keiki Lahela, F!OC - @storyofmychoices​​

A Very Love Actually Christmas | Bryce Lahela x F!MC - @eleanorbloom​​

Queen B

Feeling Glum | Ian Kingsley x MC - @ethanramseysrookiexox​​

Red Carpet Diaries / Hollywood U

One Last Kiss | Thomas Hunt x MC - @theartoflovingthomashunt​​

The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir

Everything Has Changed series | Liam Rys x MC - @callmeellabella​​

Chapter 2

Greek Meat series | Liam Rys x MC, MC x M!OC - @bebepac​​​

Celebrations Of Life And Love: Part 2  [adult content]

The One That Saves Me series | Liam Rys x F!OC(1), Liam Rys x F!OC(2), F!OC(1) x F!OC(3) - @waywardromancefantasygirl​​  [adult content]

Prologue: Ironic

Sapere Aude | Liam Rys x MC - @sfb123​​  [adult content]

Part 1

The Year Of The Bucket List series | Drake Walker, Hana Lee, Liam Rys, MC, Maxwell Beaumont - @thegreentwin​​

Chapter 1

Save The Date

Stage Door | Justin Mercado, MC, Nora Mercado - @storyofmychoices​​

Sunkissed

New Year’s Shells | Nate x MC - @littleredroseonthevalley​​

Crossovers

The Freshman x The Royal Romance

Mia’s World series - @bebepac​  [adult content]

My Brown Eyed Girl | TRR MC, M!OC

Open Heart x Perfect Match

Fallin’ All In You | Bryce Lahela x F!MC, Damien Nazario x F!MC - @romewritingshop​​

The Royal Romance/Rules Of Engagement

I’ll Follow You Into the Darkness series | Liam Rys x F!OC (1), Drake Walker x F!OC(2), Maxwell Beaumont x M!OC, Leo Rys x F!OC (3) - @waywardromancefantasygirl​  [adult content]

Chapter 31: So This Is Christmas

[lorirwritesfanfic]

hey, could you add me to your tag list??

Hi there! These are my tag lists:

America's Most Eligible: Adam x F!MC, Mackenzie x F!MC, Han x F!MC

Bloodbound: Adrian x OC, Jax x MC (x Adrian), Kamilah x OC

Desire & Decorum (modern day au) : Annabelle x OC, Hamid x MC (x Sinclaire)

Perfect Match: M!Hayden x F!MC, Damien x F!MC (one shot requests)

Platinum (one shots): M!Raleigh x MC

Ride or Die: Logan x MC, Colt x MC (one shot requests)

Rules Of Engagement x The Royal Romance: Leo x Madeleine, Leo x MC, Dean x MC (one shot requests), Blake x Party Twin, Leo x Hana

The Heist Monaco: Eris x F!MC, Fabien x F!MC, Nyles x F!MC (one shot requests)

The Royal Romance: Liam x MC, Drake (multiple pairings)

Permanent tag: all stories (including random one shots of other books and pairings not listed)

You can choose any of them and let me know. Thanks for asking 😊

[peonierose]

Just something small. A small lil fic 🥰

Here are my pairings I feel comfortable writing about:

Open Heart

Bryce Lahela (M!MC) x Luna Auclair (F!OC)

Keiki Lahela (F!MC) x Koa Haulani (M!OC)

Maxine Moore (F!OC) x Adam Sinclair (M!OC)

Crimes of Passion

Rose De Luca (F!MC) x Trystan Thorne (M!MC)

Immortal Desires

Naya Reese (F!MC) x Gabriel Adalhard (M!MC)

I haven’t written much and I haven’t posted anything about this pairing, but I’d love to try it out 😍

Grumpy + Sunshine Dialogue

First 10 grumpy prompts + last 10 sunshine prompts

"You're definitely the only person I would do this for."

"How can you be this happy this early in the morning?"

"No, it's not annoying. I- It makes me happy to see you so happy."

"We're so different. I wouldn't want to pull you down."

"I'll do it, but only because you asked me to."

"No, no, please don't look sad. I can't handle that."

"You're so excited all the time... it's kind of adorable."

"I'm not grumpy. Not everyone can smile all the time. Except you."

"Why do you always manage to persuade me with your charms?"

"Are you really this happy 24/7?"

"Are you really this grumpy 24/7?"

"Oh, come on, grumpy face, it will be fun!"

"I'm so excited, thank you for coming even though you're not the biggest fan of it."

"You smiled! I saw it, so no denying it."

"It was fun, right? Come on, you can just admit it."

"Will you dance with me? Please, pretty please!"

"I love that grumpy face of yours."

"Everyone should dance in the rain at least once in their lives."

"Oh, your smile is so beautiful! I would love to see it more often."

"Don't look so grumpy, it will be great!"

Grumpy Affectionate Dialogue

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

[peonierose]

Losing Game (4/4)

Book: Open Heart

Pairing: Bryce Lahela (M!MC) x Luna Auclair (F!OC)

Rating: Mature / Angst

TW: Mental Health

Word: 5,000+

Summary: Bryce and Luna have worked things out. But there is still one visit to make before Bryce and Luna find closure.

A/N: This has been a story that’s very dear to me. I went a bit off-canon so I hope you’ll give it a try. As always thank you to everyone who gives my stories and my characters a chance 🩷🌙

A/N 2: In case you missed the parts before here they are: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

A/N 3: Thank you to @annieruok94 🌷🩷 and @aallotarenunelma 🌺🩷 I hope you like the part with Adam, it was inspired by you 🥰

Side note: I also made a playlist for Part 4, (the previous two parts include a playlist as well).

The next day…

Bryce

I traded my shift with Aubrey so that I could have the day off.

I was watching Luna get dressed in a pink overall with a white shirt underneath, while I was lying in bed.

Luna turned towards me as she put her hair in a bun, a few blonde strands escaping her bun. She turned to me as I was basking in her light.

”I was thinking of visiting your dad today and I’d like to come with you if you want me to and if you feel ready for us to go together.“

I raised my eyebrows as I propped myself up against the pillow resting behind me.

”Are you sure? It’s not too much for you?“ I asked while I got out of bed.

She hugged me.

”Yes, I’m sure. Also, I love hugging you like this.“

”Any particular reason why?“ I grinned.

”This fine piece of ass. I like it.“

”Well this fine piece of ass made you feel real special last night. Also, I like this dirty side of you Lunes.“

I started to unbutton the straps of her overall but she stopped me.

”B we can’t. We’ll be late. The visiting hours aren’t that long.“

I sighed. She smiled and kissed me on my still-smiling lips.

”Really?“ I asked and tried to convince her for a quick round.

”Puppy dog eyes won’t work. Come on get dressed babe.“ She slapped my ass. I laughed out loud and got dressed.

And together we drove to prison to visit my dad.

Bryce

It’s weird to be here at the Halawa Correctional Facility, again.

The guards searched us, then gave us visitor passes and let us through. We sat at a dark grey table in the cafeteria, only one other guy was sitting down with his family from the looks of it.

I don’t think I’ve noticed anything that day. Not the color of the table or if anyone else was present. It might even be the same table I sat at the other day.

My dad walked in and they released the handcuffs and let him sit with us.

Both Lunes and I sat there as my dad walked over and sat down opposite us. He looked at me and smiled.

Then he turned to Luna and he offered his hand. Luna shook it and held onto it for a couple of seconds.

”You must be Mr. Lahela. I’ve heard so many things about you.“

I winced and tried to hide the fact that I hadn’t told Luna much. An acidic feeling rose inside of me. Recognizing it as guilt. For not telling her more about my messed up family life sooner.

But maybe I could change that and tell her everything later. I trust Luna, more than anyone. Maybe it’s time to lay all the cards on the table. Talking to Luna about my family might relieve some of the residual pain I’ve been carrying around for years.

”You must be Luna.“ My dad said and smiled at her. Luna nodded and I tuned back into the conversation.

”So Bryce has told you a lot of things about me? Like that pink is my favorite color?“ He joked but Luna didn’t know that my dad's favorite color is blue. Like mine. Well, blue-green is my favorite. I wonder why? I snicker.

”No way! I once told Bryce how good he’d look in pink scrubs. Like a deep magenta or a mauve tone. He’d be a stunner.“

My dad grinned at Luna’s enthusiasm. I haven’t seen him smile like that in a long time. Looks as if Luna can win anyone over.

”Or cherry red like that hickey.“ My dad pointed to me. I blushed down to my hair roots. Luna held out her hand for a high five and my dad smacked it.

”Hell yeah.“ Luna grinned, not embarrassed at all.

”Oh, man.“ I mumbled. She smacked me onto my arm.

”Ow that hurt.“ I rubbed the spot she smacked me.

”Man up.“ She grinned.

”Really? In front of my dad?“ I said and both Luna and my dad just laughed.

”Oh please. I’m sure your dad knows we’re sleeping together. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be pregnant.“

"Looks as if that train left the station a long time ago." My dad laughed out loud and started wiping tears from out of the corner of his eyes, Luna grins.

”I like her, she's got balls.“ My dad said.

”Dad!“ I exclaimed.

”Oh don’t worry. My delicate sensibilities weren’t hurt.“ Luna waved him off.

We kept chatting for the remainder of the visit. When it’s time to leave I help Luna when we both get up, my dad stands up as well.

”It was great meeting you Luna. I can tell you’re keeping my son on his toes.“

”Oh I sure do. Bryce is a great guy. I’m very proud of him.“ Luna said with a hint of a warning in her tone. My dad raised his eyebrows and got the message loud and clear. Then he smiled.

”She’s a keeper. Also, I’d love it if you called me Keola. Mr. feels too formal.“

Luna beamed at him.

”Sure no problem Keola. That would be nice. Would it be okay if I hugged you? You don’t have to, but I’d love a hug.“

My dad grinned and hugged her. God, what did I do to deserve someone like Luna? When they broke apart my dad waited.

”What are you waiting for? Get in here. Maybe before I become a grandfather?“

”Burn,“ Luna commented. I let out a surprised laugh and my dad and I hugged. It felt different to hug him now than it did when I was a teenager.

He felt more thin and frail. But it’s good to hug him because he’s my dad. And just like that something shifts into the right place. When we broke apart we picked up the conversation about the twins.

”We’re expecting twins in March.“ Luna said and my dad nodded happily. I can tell he’s happy. He’s got the same look in his eyes when Keiki was born.

”I have something for you.“ Luna got out a black and white picture. It’s the latest sonogram from the twins. She handed it to my dad.

”It’s an ultrasound picture of the twins. Kehlani Mae and Alaia Rose. You can keep it. We have another one.“ Luna said and my dad looked down at the picture. When he looked up, he held the picture close to his heart.

”Thank you, Luna. This means a lot to me.“ I smiled and hugged Lunes close to me. We all hugged again and then left to get to our car and drive home.

When we were inside the car I turned to Luna who looked at me. I smiled and reached into the glove compartment to get some tissues out and handed one to Luna.

”Here you go sunshine.“

She nodded in thanks and smiled at me.

”Thank you for today Lunes. I can’t even describe how much it meant to me that you went and visited my dad with me. Giving him that ultrasound picture? Making him smile like that? Man, I haven’t seen him smile as he did now in a long time. You made him so happy and me too.“

”Of course B. I’d give you one of my kidneys if it meant you’d survive.“

I smiled at her.

”B?“ She asked, looking tentatively at me.

”Yeah?“

”Can we just get some malasadas to go and then get naked?“

Which drew a surprised laugh from me. It’s like my dad said, Luna sure does keep me on my toes. But I love her, and it keeps me grounded in a way that’s hard to explain. That must be the feeling when you find the one.

”Not what I expected you to say. But sure.“

”I don’t want to ruin my overall, it's so cute.“ She said and together we drove to Leonard’s Bakery.

Bryce

We got home. Had some malasadas. And got lost in each other's touch. It was like coming home. It’s what we both needed.

We stand in our shower outside. Just holding on to each other. Like one of us is going to disappear in the next second. I felt the best when I was surrounded by water. It helped me calm down and it calmed Luna down too.

We toweled off and went into the kitchen. I stopped, putting some strands of her wet hair aside and I kissed her. Wondering how I got so lucky?

”You got so lucky because I’m awesome. And you’re my arm candy,“ she said, her tone getting lighter and I looked up at her. The shadows of pain were almost gone. I just kept looking at her.

”I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt you with my actions,“ I said.

She pulled me closer.

”It’s okay B I know you didn’t mean it. And I know a relationship and love are sometimes hard to navigate. But another stunt like that and I won’t be so nice,“ she said.

”Why are you so forgiving? I thought you’d be angrier with me now?“

I asked, honestly flabbergasted.

She gnawed on her lips nervously. Ahhh. She’s been harboring a secret too.

”Spill Lunes,“ I said grinning. She looked up.

”Okay don’t be mad, but Evie sent out invitations for our wedding a couple of weeks ago and I said I’d have to ask if you wanted your mom to be there but I forgot to ask you and now your mom has gotten an invitation and I sort of didn’t ask you?“ She looked crestfallen so I pulled her close and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead.

”You were totally buttering me up. I was thinking of inviting her. Maybe even thinking of giving her and Dad a second chance. Unless they give me a reason to not trust them anymore,“ I said my voice steely.

She smiled and I knew we were good. When she kept smiling I looked at her.

”What? Any more secrets you’d like to tell me? Like how you ate the last piece of strawberry cheesecake that had my name on it?“

”That was Keiki,“ she lied and I shook my head.

We heard the door being slammed and Keiki walked in.

”You said it’s okay if we shared that piece of cake! Now I get blamed for eating the whole thing? Oh come on.“

She went into her room upstairs and slammed the door behind her. Bryce and I burst out laughing. Luna wiggled her eyebrows.

”How about we try out that hot tub we got some time ago?“

I grinned at her getting where she was going with this.

”Getting you naked is my favorite pastime,“ I said.

”Likewise,“ she replied.

We both sprinted into one of our bathrooms where we set up a hot tub. Luna's idea. The best idea she’s ever had if you don’t count on us getting together.

I got put out of my thoughts when she stood naked in front of me.

She’s been feeling unsure of her body because it started changing ever since she got pregnant.

”You‘re the most stunning woman of all time. So get that sweet butt of yours into the water,“ I said and she grinned.

”You only love me for my body,“ she grinned, getting comfortable in the water.

I huffed out a breath.

”That’s supposed to be my line,“ I said and she got closer until our bodies touched.

”Maybe you can change my mind?“ she asked.

”Oh I intend to,“ I said and kissed her until she forgot everything.

Until there’s just us and the love we shared for each other.

After a while when our fingers looked more like raisins, we got out of the hot tub. We dried ourselves and went to our bedroom. Lunes took one of my college shirts from Stanford and I just wore boxers. I turned Luna’s night light on. Illuminating the whole room, transforming it into the night sky.

When we lay in bed we almost stuck together. That’s how close we were. Needing this moment. Together. It’s what’s anchoring us.

I leaned into Lunes and sought her warmth, her comfort and she did the same for me.

Everything’s going to work out in the end, because our love is the loudest.

The next morning…

We got up, showered and lay in bed. Or well Luna was lying in bed while I was putting on some bum bum cream since she can’t reach it herself. I could feel her stare bore into me, making me smile.

”What now? Pillow talk?“ I teased and looked up at her.

”I…just wanted to ask if you’d tell me more about your parents. And what happened?“ Luna said.

I know she won’t push me, but she’d love to know more. I sigh as I put the lid back on the bum bum cream and kiss her calf. Making her laugh. One of my favorite sounds in the whole world.

”When I was younger…I don’t know, I always remember we had a lot of money. I never cared about that stuff. My parents were working in the real estate field. I wasn’t different because of it. And I didn’t act as if I was the center of attention, throwing money around.“ I sat at the edge of the bed and gathered my thoughts.

”Then there was this one night. I remember it was late and I just came back from a round of basketball with Kainalu and some of my other friends. I drove around the corner into our neighborhood in Maui and saw all these blue lights. Realizing the light was coming from police cars. Not having the faintest idea what the hell was going on.“

”Then what happened?“ Luna reached out and I helped her sit next to me.

”I saw my dad getting arrested, being put into a police car. I went inside the house like I was on autopilot. My mom came to me pulled me to the side and whispered I should take this bag from Keiki’s closet since apparently they haven’t checked that out yet. Take Keiki and get out of the house.“

”That must’ve been terrifying. I can’t imagine how you must’ve felt.“ Luna said drawing circles on my hands.

”It was horrible. I felt like I was trapped in a nightmare. Not able to wake up.“

”What happened with your parents?“

”Later I found out how we got to have all this money. It didn’t just appear out of thin air. I learned my parents made some bad investments and the people they owed money wanted their money back. Saying ”pay me back or else.“ I said remembering the court transcripts.

Luna puts a hand over her mouth.

”Oh god. What happened after that?“

I rub a strand of her blonde hair between my fingers.

”As it turns out my parents skimmed money off their clients. They had access to all the clients' private information. At first, nobody noticed anything, since it was only small amounts that disappeared and that could’ve been easily justified. But when larger sums started disappearing, they started an investigation, to find out what happened. My parents became desperate to pay the money back that they owed. But what they didn’t know was that the police set a trap and caught them red-handed.“ I sigh, sharing this part of my life was always hard for me.

As if feeling this was difficult for me, Luna turned my head towards her and smiled at me.

”You don’t have to tell me. I can see this is affecting you deeply.“

I shook my head and lightly kissed her temple.

”So if your parents got caught what happened to you and your sister? I can’t imagine you came out of this unscathed.“ She encouraged me to keep talking.

”I was finishing my last year of high school. I was one of the popular kids and became public enemy number one overnight. The other kids whose parents had lost money from my parents' schemes took their anger and frustrations out on me. It’s hardly surprising, but still, I wasn’t a part of it. Neither was Keiki. She was only what, 6-years-old? And that night my parents got arrested? It was Keiki‘s birthday. I felt so angry that they would be greedy and take some money and drag all of us into it. But I know now that maybe there’s more to the story and life isn’t always as black and white as we’d like it to be.“

Luna leaned into me to offer me some comfort, as I was telling her my deepest and darkest secret. One I’m still ashamed about, though I’m trying to make my peace with it.

”We stayed with close friends until everything was cleared. Mom was acquitted because she testified against my dad.“

”Your parents love each other B. She wanted to help him and he didn’t want her to be in prison. I’d do the same. If I could help you by not making you wear an orange jumpsuit? I’d take it.“

”You’d lie on the stand?“ I was shocked.

”Depending on what the lie would be. I’m not exactly good at lying.“ She replied. I smiled and nodded absently as if now realizing she could be right.

”You may be right.“ I said.

”What happened after?“ Luna asked.

”It didn’t get better once I started college. I asked if I could take online classes. The college board agreed because my situation was a bit delicate as they put it. But it became too much so I transferred to Stanford. Just to get out of Maui. My grades were good enough that I could justify a transfer. And they had an open spot, so I packed my stuff, and left. Keiki went to live with Mom in Maui, while I went away to Stanford. Keiki was only six and in elementary school when I left. I left everything behind and didn’t look back.“

I sighed as I was saying that.

”Do you feel guilty that you left? I mean you and Keiki made up. Do you think she still harbors hard feelings because you left?“ Luna nailed my emotional roller coaster inside of me on the head.

”I do feel a little guilty. But I hope she forgave me. I regret not being here for her. But then I wouldn’t have met such awesome friends and later on you, Lunes.“

”The love of your life. Just give this a bit of time and you’ll see things will turn around.“ She grinned and I kissed her. Simply because it made me happy.

I broke off the kiss and said into her hair.

”The love of my life has a good point.“

She grinned and I smiled against her temple and instead of talking about the past, we made memories for the future.

A week later…

I was nervous as all get out. I was never good at talking to other people about my feelings.

I knocked on a red door and when the door opened a tall man with blond hair, put in a bun, answered the door.

Adam smiled at me as I stood there like a weirdo. I smiled nervously. Waving at him. Why am I waving at him? Get a grip, Bryce! I let out a nervous breath I’d been holding in and smiled at Adam.

”Bryce. It’s good to see you man. What brings you by? Oh god, my mom would whoop my ass. Seriously, where are my manners? Come on in.“ He opened the door wider and his golden retriever Knox came closer.

”Knox. Sit. Remember, no jumping people.“ Adam said to his dog who just smiled. I didn’t know dogs could smile. Huh. You learn something new every day. I petted Knox, which earned me a lick on my hand.

I followed Adam into the kitchen and sat down on one of the chairs.

”Want something to drink? My cousin made some beer. It’s made from some native ingredients found only in Hawaii. He listed tons of those ingredients. To me, it just tastes like beer. You want some?“ His head was buried inside the fridge.

”Sounds good.“ I replied.

He resurfaced from the fridge and held out a bottle of beer. It shone like liquid gold. We both opened our bottles took a sip and whistled.

”Damn. This is some good shit.“ I said and took another sip. Tasting, honey, amber, citrus notes, and something unique. Like hibiscus? How did they incorporate that into beer?

Adam smiled.

”I’ll be sure to tell him.“ He smiled and put his beer on a nearby table.

”So what brings you by? I don’t assume this is a social call?“

”What, I can’t come visit you?“ I asked, trying to mask why I was there.

Because I feel embarrassed and ashamed for something I had no control of. But like Dr. Leslie said, letting go of the past doesn’t mean it won’t be able to hurt you anymore, it means you’re giving it less power over you.

”Look I’ll be honest. I came here to ask you for a favor. And you can say no.“ I said.

”What kind of favor?“ He regarded me carefully.

”I recently had some memories from the past come back and I realized I might need an outlet for my emotions to avoid having a panic attack during surgery.“ I told him.

”I’m sorry you’re going through a tough time. I am. I know how difficult it was when my mom died. I was angry at myself, at the world, at everyone.“ He admitted and I looked up.

”I‘m so sorry for your loss. I bet your mom was an incredible person.“ I said and peeled off the label of the beer bottle. Feeling the soft fur of Knox graze my calves. I reached and patted him and he lay down by my feet. Anchoring me in a way.

”She sure was. It took me some time to figure out how to handle my grief. And everyone handles grief and losing a loved one differently. So if there’s something I can do to help I’d be happy to.“ He said and smiled, his blue eyes sparkling.

”Can I ask what happened?“ He took another sip of his beer, turned his attention to me and asked me what I feared he might.

”My parents cheated a lot of people out of their money. And the kids at school got back at me and Keiki for it. My dad is still in prison and my mom testified against my dad so she didn’t go to jail. At that time my sister and I didn’t know what my parents did. I recently visited my dad and I don’t know. I guess I’m just not sure how to feel about this whole situation.“ That’s when I realized I'd been babbling and when I looked up I just wanted to run away. Or hide.

”First of all, I would never judge you, Bryce. I’ve got to know you over the last couple of months. You're a kind, supportive guy. Who’s hard-working and loves his family. You’re a good person. Don’t let past mistakes by other people define who you are at your core.“ He said and I breathed out. Before I could say anything he continued.

”And don’t worry whatever you tell me stays between us. You don’t have to worry that I’d spill the beans to anyone. I’m really sorry this happened to you. I never thought you’d gone through something like that. So what is it exactly I could help you with? I’m not exactly good with therapy sessions.“ He smiled gently.

”I worked something out for therapy. But…I…uh…I‘d love it if maybe I could work on some projects here with you. If you need any help. I know I’m not exactly qualified or anything. But maybe I could use your workshop in the beginning. I promise I won’t make a mess. Years of doing surgeries have made me a very organized person. At least in the OR room.“

Adam grinned.

”You got it. Use the space however you like. It’s yours. If I do need some help I’ll let you know. As a matter of fact, I could use your help. I found this dresser at an antique store and I’d love to restore it to its former glory. The wood carving is beautiful, I think it’s made out of Koa wood. It would be perfect for Maxine actually.“

He blushed and I smirked.

”So essentially two birds one stone?“ I asked and he nodded. That’s when I noticed how different he looked when Maxine’s name was mentioned. I wondered what I look like when I talk about Luna. Probably like a sappy fool. But probably a really happy one.

”You really love her do you?“ I asked and it dawned on me, how much his eyes conveyed his genuine love and respect for Maxine.

”Yes I do. Maxine is a special woman. Hopefully, I’ll be able to make her happy for the rest of my life.“

”I’ll drink to that. To love and good friendships.“ I said and we clinked our glasses together and just enjoyed a nice view of a Hawaiian sunset.

Life is hard but you make the best out of it every single day.

[peonierose]

Kintsugi

Book: Open Heart

Characters involved: Maxine Moore (F!OC), Luna Auclair (F!OC) and Adam Sinclair (M!OC)

Summary: Maxine deals with a difficult time. Thankfully Luna and Adam are there to help her face her difficulties. In the end ”Family don’t end with blood.“

TW: Deals with anxiety and depression.

Words: 3,000+

A/N: This was difficult to write about. But hopefully you’ll give the story a chance. It’s not all dark and angsty it has light moments too. As always thank you to anyone reading and sharing my stories it really means a lot to me 🩷

10 a.m.

Maxine

What do you do when you have a bad day? When your world is falling apart? For when you feel directionless? And your mind is spinning? Making you dizzy, thinking you’re going insane when in reality you have a bad day and your body and your mind are telling you that you need a break.

Remedy? You surround yourself with the people you love. And sometimes that isn’t close or immediate family. As Bobby Singer said on Supernatural “Family don’t end with blood.“

I close my eyes and breathe through my anxiety as lie in my bed, my cat Milagros next to me. Her purrs make goosebumps etch on my skin but it’s a sound that’s more comforting to me than anything. I let my fingers curl in her soft fur, angering me further, bringing me into the here and now.

When anxiety and depression hit you? You want to be surrounded by love, but not overwhelmed by it.

Before I can stop myself I pick up my phone from my nightstand and I’m dialing Luna’s number. “Lu? It’s me.“ My voice must sound as horrible as I feel right now.

“Maxi? What’s wrong?“ Her voice is instantly on alert.

I wring out a sob and her voice waters immediately.

“Babe. Tell me what’s wrong!“ She says her voice wobbly.

“I know I shouldn’t ask you since you’re pregnant and you’re almost due and you have so many other things on your plate but I need you. Do you think you could come over?“ I was not able to hold my cries in, some tears leaked into Milagros’s black fur. And she rubs her head against my face, her whiskers tickling me slightly.

Her green eyes glow and she purrs again showing me some love.

God never in my entire life was I more grateful to have found this little stray kitten outside my tattoo studio. She was malnourished and didn’t have a collar. Slowly I nursed her back to health and gained her trust.

Once I did I took her to the vet to get a check up and ever since then, we’ve been inseparable.

Luna's voice brings me back from my trip down memory lane.

“I know I shouldn’t ask you since you’re pregnant and you’re almost due and you have so many other things on your plate but I need you. Do you think you could come over?“

I was not able to hold my cries in, some tears leaked into Milagros’s black fur. And she rubs her head against my face, her whiskers tickling me slightly. Her green eyes glow and she purrs again showing me some love.

God never in my entire life was I more grateful to have found this little stray kitten outside my tattoo studio. She was malnourished and didn’t have a collar. Slowly I nursed her back to health and gained her trust. Once I did I took her to the vet to get a check up and ever since then, we’ve been inseparable.

Luna's voice brings me back from my trip down memory lane.

“Okay stay where you are, I'm coming over. I’ll bring your favorite snack.“ I can hear the smile in her voice, as she’s trying to lighten the mood.

I sigh and I can’t even laugh over her joke. As much as I want to.

“I just want my best friend sugarplum. No snacks needed.“ I say and immediately feel bad for saying that.

She must’ve picked up on my mood. While I try to relax a bit into my pillows.

“Before you apologize to me Maxi, remember it’s me you’re talking to. Your best friend. I’ve got you, babe. I’ll let Bryce drive me, he’s not working today.“ She assures me before I can feel that tight knot form in my stomach for relying on and asking for my friend's help.

I snuffle a little. Nodding, realizing with a start she can’t see my nod through the phone. And a small smile lifts the corners of my lips. Reminding me my lips could use some lip balm. I think there is a cherry-flavored one in the drawer of my nightstand.

“Thanks Lunes. I know it's asking a lot, but I appreciate it more than I can say.“ I am not able to talk more than the words that have left my mouth.

“Of course I love you and I want to be there for you when you’re going through a bad time. I’ll be right there.“

She says and we hang up.

It’s days like these that I appreciate all my friends and family for living so close by. They’re here within a quick phone call.

I must’ve fallen asleep because I heard knocking on my door. I get out of bed and take a second to just take a moment to breathe and collect myself. I know I don’t have to hide or put up a font with Luna. She’s seen me at my best and at my worst and vice versa. That’s why I love her like a sister.

We’ve got each other's back.

I walk through the hallway to unlock the door, not even checking who it is. But since I’m expecting Luna it can be only her on the other side. I open the door and see Adam standing outside my door. With a rueful smile on his gorgeous lips.

“Adam? What are you doing here? not that I’m not happy to see you.“ I ask still in my sleep haze, rubbing my eyes. Trying to make sure I’m not seeing a mirage. Scared my Brian conjured him because I wanted him to be here.

His smile falters a little when he sees me. I know what I must look like in his eyes. Messy hair, and purple shadows under my eyes. Lost a bit of my usual vibrancy in my eyes. I don’t think I even brushed my teeth this morning.

For a second I feel ashamed that this is the image I present to the guy I shared a kiss with, whom I went on two dates with. What must he think of me?

“I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d check on you. Can I come in?“

He asks, clutching my favorite flowers. A beautiful flower arrangement, with pink hibiscuses and other smaller flowers woven into, with the small that says ”Orchids Paradise“. He must’ve stopped by my favorite flower shop. It’s owned by Luna‘s dad Brian. He makes some of the most beautiful flower arrangements.

He seems unsure if I’d let him in and I’m debating if I should.

How am I going to explain what the fuck is going on when I don’t know myself? I feel my control slipping. My heart beats faster and my breath is coming in short breaths.

My hands start to sweat and I rub them on my pjs. I realize with a jolt I’m still in my PJs. Oh god. But fuck it. It is what it is, I will not apologize for greeting him at the door wearing my PJs.

“Maxi? Are you okay? Look, you don’t have to explain anything. I can tell you have a really hard time right now.“

He says softly.

“Why because of the way I look?“ I say shaper than I intended and wish I could take the sharpness away.

I rub my clammy hands over my face and just want to slide down onto the floor and cry and scream at the same time. Suddenly I can feel Adam's warm and calloused hands on my own who are still clutching my face.

“I wouldn’t change a thing about you. Because I see a strong beautiful woman. I see a fighter. I see someone that I care so damn much about who is struggling and I don’t know how to help you.“

He put my hands onto his chest and I just fell into his arms without meaning to. But it’s safe, comfortable and it’s Adam. He smells like wood, a warm summer evening, and oranges. In short, he smells like home to me.

“If you need to vent or scream, don't hold back. I would never judge you.“ He says and I nod, not able to form words. To feel this level of comfort? It can’t be measured in gold.

This is one of the reasons why therapy hasn’t worked for me. I can’t open up the way I can with friends. And so that’s what I do, when I struggle I know I have a support system I can fall back onto.

So that’s what I do. I just let out all of my tears, all my anger and frustration and sadness, and let the tears wash me clean from the emotions that I’ve bottled up for so long.

After a couple of shuddering breaths, I wipe my eyes and am embarrassed because I’ve soaked his dark olive shirt with my tears and probably even snot.

Before I can say how sorry I am for ruining his shirt he tips my chin up and I see only understanding and comfort shining in his deep blue eyes. It makes me smile a little.

“If you’re wondering about the shirt. Fuck it, it’s only a shirt. Helping someone you care about is a lot more important than a stupid shirt.“ He says and wipes an errant tear from my face.

“Am I that transparent?“ I ask aloud wondering if I’m that easy to read. I always thought it was hard to figure out what I was feeling.

Then I backtrack and look at him. His blond hair is in a messy bun and his eyes shine with an emotion that I don’t feel comfortable naming yet. I know it's love, but right now? I can’t focus on that. It’s not that I don’t have feelings, I‘m scared to say I love him too because I haven’t figured out how much I love him.

“Wait. You’ve never cursed in front of me, since I’ve known you.“ I voice my opinion out loud.

“I’m a man of many surprises.“ He grins mischievously at me. And that smile? It just does me in.

Before I’m fully aware of what I’m doing I get on my tip toes and press my lips against his. I can tell he’s surprised as he didn’t see it coming that I’d kiss him, not after I had a cry session against his shirt and very defined muscles just a minute ago.

But soon he relaxes against me and puts his hand on my neck to tilt my head to deepen the kiss. A kiss can be erotic, sinful, or sexy. But it can also be nurturing, caring, soothing, and give comfort.

It’s a mix of sexy, sweet, and soothing. When we come up for air, we just smile and stare at each other.

The spell is broken when we hear a car door slam shut outside. And I remember that Luna was coming.

Looks as if it took her longer to get here. It’s almost as if it‘s Kismet that Adam showed up to help me through a really bad time. And I’m glad he showed up when he did.

“Are you expecting anyone else?“ Adam asks when he hears the front door open and a loud exhale of breath.

We look down and see Luna with some bags.

Adam smiles softly.

“Need any help carrying those bags?“

Adam offered.

Luna squeaked like a mouse and looked up from downstairs.

”Oh yeah thanks for almost making my heart stop.“ She exhales and leans on a banister.

And I instantly felt bad. She came because I asked her. And in her late pregnancy she shouldn’t overexert herself too much. But I shouldn’t have worried because Luna looked up again and her smile became as sly as a fox.

”Am I interrupting something?“ Luna asked looking between us. I feel my cheeks heat and drag my hand through my hair.

That’s when he realized he’s still carrying the flower bouquet. Amid the kiss we both forgot about it.

”Oh these are for you. I thought something pink would cheer you up and I know hibiscuses are your favorite.“ He says handing me the bouquet.

”Thank you, these are beautiful.“

He nods and helps with the bags Luna brought in.

”No. Let us help you with those bags.“ I offer but Adam squeezes my elbow and shakes his head at me.

Luna stands next to me, sees the pink flower bouquet I‘m holding, and just winks at me. I sigh, I know she’ll ask me later. But it’s also a comfort to know she’ll be asking me, which makes my lips turn up a little at the corners.

Adam carries the bags inside my apartment and looks back at me once he’s inside.

”Where do you want the bags?“ He gestures to the bags he’s carrying.

”The counter in the kitchen is fine.“ I replied.

Luna walked inside before me and as soon as we were inside she beelined for me and we embraced each other. Both of us feel the effects of Ohana.

For some people, it might sound strange. But we both struggle with the same things sometimes so we’re each other's support system.

Luna holds me at arm's length to give me a good once-over.

”Still pretty and strong. Remember we all love you. And we’re all here for you. Okay?“ She caresses my cheek. And I nodded, tears coming out of my eyes. And Luna wipes them away gently.

Adam clears his throat.

”I...uhh...feel like this is your bonding time. And I don’t want to interrupt it. I’ll call you later, Maxi.“ He says and I nod.

Luna grinned at us and went to the kitchen counter to get the items out of the bags. Giving me and Adam some privacy.

He grinned and kissed me one more time before he said he’d call me later and walked out the door, closing the door on his way out.

The door just shut and Luna walked over not trying to hide her grin and I just sighed knowing what came next.

”Spill. Please. I am dying over here. I was so tempted to look over my shoulder to see the kiss. It was sweet and hot right?“ She bites her bottom lip, not able to contain her excitement.

”How do you know what we did?“ I asked her.

Luna produces a compact mirror. I snort at her little trick but have to give her points for creativity.

”I should’ve known.“ I put my arm around her shoulder and we slowly walked towards the kitchen. Luna grinned at me.

”Looks like there was some sexual healing involved.“

”You’re spending way too much time with Lahela.“

”That‘s true. But you’re also not denying it. So that means that Adam came here and kissed you and now you’re feeling a bit better.“

I just smiled. The worry and anxiety aren’t completely gone out of my eyes but it lessened a bit. I open the fridge and let Luna assemble whatever it is she’s doing and get us some homemade hibiscus tea out of the fridge.

”How did you convince Bryce to let you carry that on your own?“

I pour us two glasses and hand her one. She took a big gulp and answered me.

”With my cooking skills and telling him I’m my own woman and I can carry some stuff. Also that he’d spend the night on the couch.“

”Yeah that probably got him moving. So what have you planned there, sugarplum?“

I ask, pointing to dozens of bowls, some clay, and gold powder. As well an array of brushes.

”It’s called Kintsugi. Instead of throwing bowls or other pottery away after it breaks, Japanese practice or even tradition is that they mend the broken pieces with golden paint. Which highlights and enhances the breaks in the pottery and creates beautiful art pieces.“

She continues undeterred.

”Don’t worry, I made sure that the urushi lacquer is safe to use. Meaning that later you’ll be able to put food into your bowls.“ I lean against the counter.

”How did you come up with this idea?“ She smiled gently at me.

”Honestly? I felt like it spoke to me. Anxiety and depression do make you feel weak or like you can’t do anything right. Or as if you’re broken. I read somewhere how your imperfections make you more beautiful. But once you heal or have people who love you that are there for you? Something heals. And I felt as if Kintsugi is just like that.“

I raised my eyebrows.

”Okay. So we’re supposed to do what? Just smash the bowls onto the floor? Isn’t Kintsugi supposed to be if it accidentally falls and shatters and you’re then supposed to repair it?“ I asked and Luna shrugged.

”Well I do see your point, but I think we can make an exception in this case.“

I‘m still skeptical when I see her take a bowl and smash it onto the floor.

”Damn Lu, warn me next time.“

”Well I did say we have to smash them just like this...so technically you were warned.“ Luna grins at me.

She gives me some gloves and I pick up the parts of the smashed bowl from the floor since Lunes can’t exactly bend down herself.

My cat Milagros who’s been wandering around hissed and disappeared. Can’t blame her. I got a quick scare too when the bowl hit the floor.

”Looks like Milagors is not a fan.“ I say and put the parts onto the kitchen counter. Luna grins and hands me another bowl.

”Come on, it's cathartic. We‘re going to cathart so hard.“

I smile reluctantly and smash the bowl onto the floor. And I have to say it felt good.

”Okay this wasn’t half bad.“

Then she smashed another bowl down onto the floor.

”See? I was right.“ She wiggled her eyebrows.

”Okay smart ass don’t be smug.“ I said and she laughed out loud with tears coming out of her eyes.

After we smashed a good portion of the bowls we put them onto the kitchen counter. We have epoxy, small brushes, urushi lacquer the bowls, and a small plate to mix the powdered golden paint onto.

We apply the mixture to the bowls and put them on old magazines and newspapers I don’t need anymore. Now we need to let them dry.

I put my arm around Luna and we grin proudly at each other.

”Good job Auclair.“ I grin.

”Likewise Moore.“

We high-five each other just as one of the bowls slips and we burst out laughing.

”Well we have six more bowls. One of them will hold together.“

We both nod.

The next day...

I‘m sitting at Luna’s kitchen counter while we have some late lunch and she leans over as much as her belly allows.

”You’ll never guess what happened.“

She whispered. I set down my fork piled with lettuce and a strawberry.

”If it involves you and Bryce being naked, then no I don’t want to know what happened. I’m your best friend, but even I draw the line at naked stories.“

Luna rolls her blue-green eyes.

”It wasn’t anything like that I promise.“

”Okay go on.“ I pick up my fork again.

”I saw Bryce reading and making breakfast this morning.“

”And how’s that weird?“

”He was listening to Donna Summer‘s song Hot Stuff. He was singing and dancing to it. Surprisingly he’s got a very beautiful voice.“

”Shut up. Really? No way.“ I finished chewing before I replied.

Luna nods.

”Apparently it’s his favorite song. It must be a guilty pleasure song of his.“

I grin slowly.

”Oh the blackmail material keeps piling up. I love it.“

”Right? You know Christmas is coming up. Why don’t you give him a let’s say vinyl record of Donna Summer’s greatest hits.“ Luna‘s glow with mischief.

”You’re such an evil little person. I’m so in. Maybe we can even get it signed.“ I ponder over that for a second.

”It can even say ”To my biggest fan, love D.“

I say out loud while Luna laughs so hard the juice she drank almost comes sloshing out of her nose.

”Oh my god I’d pay money to see his reaction. Maybe we can swing this.“

Luna says after her laughter has quieted down.

We both grin and keep on talking and spending a few glorious hours in the sunshine together.

Always remember times can be tough. Sometimes they can be hopeless or unbearable. But as long as you have people you love who love you unconditionally? Who supports you? You’re never alone. Remember that.

[peonierose]

Hi everyone 🥰

So I’m posting this a little late buuuut…August 20th marked my 2 year tumblrversary so I wanted to take the chance and thank everyone who’s ever had some nice and encouraging words to say. Who’s been supportive and just an amazing friend 🩷

I am incredibly grateful and humbled by your guys warmth and generosity. To send so much love and support my way. Thank you so so much guys. It honestly means the world to me 🩷🩷🩷🩷

So I thought I’d link some lists and if you want to send in some asks about me or my many OC‘s and MC‘s feel free to. My asks are also open so if you want to you can send in some asks for my pairings which are:

Open Heart

Luna Auclair (F!OC) x Bryce Lahela (M!MC)

Maxine Moore (F!OC) x Adam Sinclair (M!OC)

Keiki Lahela (F!MC) x Koa Haulani (M!OC)

TNA

Robin Flores (M!MC) x Addison Dalton (F!MC)

Nightbound

Gretel van Andresen (F!OC) x Grey (M!OC)

So feel free to let me know any questions about me or my characters or if you want to see a story or an edit, you can choose down below ⬇️

Again thank you guys for two wonderful years I’ve been able to call so many people my friends. And to make such wonderful friendships 🩷🩷🩷🩷

xoxo PR 🩷

Journal Prompts - by @prettypr1ncezz

OC asks - by @alannah-corvaine

Romance tropes - @urfriendlywriter Grumpy x sunshine prompts

First Date prompts - by @droptheprompt

Domestic OTP with children prompts - by @youneedsomeprompts

Everyone I’ve interacted with so far 🩷 (I also wanted to tag more people but I could only tag 50 people 🙈)

@annieruok94 @potionsprefect @petiteboheme @heavenssexiestangel @kristinamae093 @aallotarenunelma @ezekielbhandarivalleros @persephone13 @amortentiaopenheart @likealotus @surrrenderronniebabe1 @eleanorbloom @songsaboutgirls @noesapphic @lawrencebarkley @takemyopenheart @inlocusmads @txemrn @kyra75 @harleybeaumont @mydemonsdrivealimo @socalwriterbee @cariantha @starrystarrytrouble @tveitertotwrites @the-pale-goddess @mysticalgalaxysstuff @trappedinfanfiction @tessa-liam @jerzwriter @a-cloud-for-dreams @liaromancewriter @angelasscribbles @headoverheelsforramsey @lilyoffandoms @quixoticdreamer16 @jamespotterthefirst @missameliep @kingliam2019 @alj4890 @bebepac @sincerelyella @karahalloway @princess-geek @secretaryunpaid

[peonierose]

Okay since this is my first time entering Round Robin I’ll list my preferred books and pairings down below (the ones that I mainly write for) 🥰

Book: Open Heart

Pairing: Bryce Lahela (M!MC) x Luna Auclair (F!OC)

Maxine Moore (F!OC) x Adam Sinclair (M!OC)

Keiki Lahela (F!MC) x Koa Haulani (M!OC)

Book: Crimes of Passion

Pairing: Rose De Luca (F!MC) x Trystan Thorne (M!MC)

(Though I have to say I only wrote one story for Crimes of Passion so far 😅)

I’ve also done a crossover of Open Heart and The Nanny Affair 😍

I have several AUs (WIPs) set in different books and such.

Books I’ve enjoyed too: Open Heart, The Nanny Affair, Nightbound, Immortal Desires, Crimes of Passion, Wishful Thinking, Kindred, Kiss of Death, The Heist: Monaco etc. (I’ve played almost all books on Choices 🥰)

But I think if we did like a multi crossover or crossover in general that could work out (look at the Spiderverse 😉) 😍 Or even an AU or such 🥰

Hope this helps in any way 🥰🌸

Round Robin

Tagging the writers who have signed up so far. Please tell me in the comments or a DM what your preferred fandoms/characters are. I can't make any promises, but I am going to try and incorporate as many as I can and make this a cross-over story.

Thank you!!!

@karahalloway @kingliam2019 @whenyourheartskipsabeat

@twinkleallnight

@tessa-liam @aussiegurl1234 @alj4890 @peonierose @angelasscribbles @harleybeaumont @sender-paulson @thosehallowedhalls

[peonierose]

Top 10 works

For @choicesfandomappreciation Top 10 I’ve wanted to list my favorite Top 10 stories. I can’t believe I can even say I have written 10 stories and more to begin with 🥰 Who knew these stories and characters would become so important to me? But I’m glad I took the plunge, sat down and wrote some stories. I hope they can make people smile and make their better at least for a little while.

Thank you to anyone in this family fandom - as I like to call it - who is kind and supportive and gave me and my characters and stories a chance 🩷

1. Wildflower - Keiki Lahela (F!MC) x Koa Haulani (M!OC)

2. Go Blonder - Luna Auclair (F!OC) x Bryce Lahela (M!MC)

3. I‘m a Sucker for You - Luna Auclair (F!OC) x Bryce Lahela (M!MC)

4. Cinnamon Sugar - Maxine Moore (F!OC) x Adam Sinclair (M!OC)

5. Both are good - Bryce Lahela (M!MC) x Raleigh Carrera (M!MC) with @aallotarenunelma 🩷

6. ”How were we ever strangers…“ - Luna Auclair (F!OC) x Bryce Lahela (M!MC)

7. Cake by the Ocean - Luna Auclair (F!OC) x Bryce Lahela (M!MC)

8. Wake Up Little Susie - Chapter 1 - Gretel van Andresen (F!OC) and Hänsel van Andresen (M!OC)

9. Paint Wars - Luna Auclair (F!OC) x Bryce Lahela (M!MC)

10. Girls Night Out - Chapter 1 - What’s the secret password? - Characters involved: Jenny, Emma Anderson (F!MC), Addison Dalton, Sofia Russo, Sam Dalton, Robin Flores and Carter

[peonierose]

🌸 I saw @jerzwriter come up with this cool idea, so I’m borrowing your idea Els 🥰

I'd like to try and write short stories. Sometimes writing short stories helps me get unstuck on a bigger project and it helps me cope with others things I’m going through. So, if you wouldn't mind, I'd love some word prompts for any of the following pairings (list is below the cut):

Open Heart

(Romantic)

🩷 Luna Auclair (F!OC) x Bryce Lahela

🩷 Maxine Moore (F!OC) x Adam Sinclair (M!OC)

🩷 Keiki Lahela (F!MC) x Koa Haulani (M!OC)

🩷 Hayley Valentine-Ramsey (F!MC) x Ethan Ramsey (M!MC)

(Friendship / Platonic)

🩷 Luna and friends

🩷 Bryce and friends

🩷 Maxine and friends

🩷 Keiki and friends

Crimes of Passion

(Romantic)

❤️ Rose De Luca (F!MC) x Trystan Thorne (M!MC)

(Friendship / Platonic)

❤️ Rose and friends

❤️ Trystan and friends

The Nanny Affair

(Romantic)

🩷 Emma Dalton (F!MC) x Sam Dalton (M!MC)

🩷 Addison Dalton (F!MC) x Robin Flores (M!MC)

(Friendship / Platonic )

💜 Emma and friends

💜 Sam and friends

💜 Addison and friends

💜 Robin and friends

Nightbound

(Romantic)

🩵 Grey (M!OC) x Gretel van Andresen (F!OC)

(Friendship / Platonic)

🩵 Grey & friends

🩵 Gretel, Hänsel and friends

Immortal Desires

(Romantic)

❤️ Naya Reese (F!MC) x Gabriel Adalhard (M!MC)

(Friendship / Platonic)

❤️ Naya Reese and friends

❤️ Gabriel Adalhard and friends

❤️ Cas Harlow and friends

Here‘s how it works:

🌸 Send me an ask (not a DM or comment) - it can be anon

🌸 Name 2 characters, pick from romantic or friendship/platonic ones I mentioned

🌸 Give me a 2 word prompt

For example: Luna x Bryce; sunshine and ice cream

Thank you so much 🩷

[peonierose]

Love, Rosie

Book: Open Heart

Characters involved: Maxine Moore (F!OC), Luna Auclair (F!OC), Bryce Lahela (M!MC), Amara Moore (F!OC), Caelum Moore (M!OC), Keiki Lahela (F!MC), Adam Sinclair (M!OC), Grace Auclair (F!OC), Evie Auclair (F!OC), Soraya Auclair (F!OC), Sky Auclair (M!OC)

Type of story: Social Media Edits

Rating: General. One curse word, but that’s it.

Summary: It’s February 14th, Maxine‘s Birthday. So all her family & friends share some love on her (not) beloved day. Valentine‘s Day.

[peonierose]

Who is coming?

Luna Auclair (F!OC - Open Heart)

Which book?

Open Heart

Will she bring a +1?

Yes her fiancé (almost husband) Bryce Lahela (M!MC - Open Heart)

Who is coming?

Maxine Moore (F!OC - Open Heart)

Which book?

Open Heart

Will she bring a +1?

Adam Sinclair (M!OC - Open Heart)

Who is coming?

Keiki Lahela (F!MC - Open Heart)

Which book?

Open Heart

Will she bring a +1?

Koa Haulani (M!OC - Open Heart)

Who is coming?

Hayley Valentine (F!MC - Open Heart)

Which book?

Open Heart

Will she bring a +1?

Her husband, Ethan Ramsey (M!MC - Open Heart)

Who is coming?

Gretel van Andresen (F!OC - Nightbound)

Which book?

Nigthbound

Will she bring a +1?

Grey (M!OC - Nightbound)

Who is coming?

Sam Dalton (M!MC - The Nanny Affair)

Which book?

The Nanny Affair

Will he bring a +1?

Yes his wife, Emma Anderson (F!MC - The Nanny Affair)

Who is coming?

Robin Flores (M!MC - The Nanny Affair)

Which book?

The Nanny Affair

Will he bring a +1?

Addison Dalton (F!MC - The Nanny Affair)

🍾🎉 You're Invited! 🍾🎉

We want to get to know everyone's characters, but in a new (and hopefully fun) way. So we're throwing a party!

That's right, our June theme is the 'MC Mixer', over the next 4 weeks we are going to want to know all about your characters and their party styles and habits. Each week, we'll have a new series of HC questions that we want you to answer for your MCs/OCs.

... but before we can throw the party, we need your RSVP!

If you'd like to participate, please reblog this post, or create your own and let us know the following:

Who will be coming? Which MC / OC will be joining the party? The more the merrier, if you want to submit multiple characters, go for it!

Where are they coming from? Which Choices book does your MC / OC reside in?

Will they be bringing a +1? Are they going to be bringing a date to the party? (This is our fancy way of asking who their LI is. 😉)

We promise, we're going to dig deeper moving forward, we just wanted to start with the basics.

RSVPs will be accepted through 11:59PM (PST) on Thursday, 6/8. Everyone is welcome to participate, just make sure you tag us in your posts.

If you have any questions or issues, feel free to reach out to us. Our asks and inbox are open, we'd love to chat!

Tagging those who have asked. If you would like to be added to our tag list, let us know.

@aallotarenunelma @ao719 @aussiegurl1234 @cadybear420 @charlotteg234 @deb-1106 @emkay512 @karahalloway @myautumnrose @noesapphic @ofmischiefandmedicine @peonierose @queenrileyrose @tessa-liam

... as well as some of the other amazing community blogs who have been so amazingly kind in signal boosting us to help get the word out there.

@choicesficwriterscreations @choicesmonthlychallenge @choicesflashfics @moodmusicmonday @choicesprompts @choicesholidays @dont-stop-reading

[peonierose]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

If you already got this - feel free to ignore it! 😉

Cari 🩷

Aww this is such a sweet ask. Sorry for the late reply 🙈 Here are five of my stories I really like 🥰

Thank you so much for thinking of me and sending in this ask 🩷🩷🩷🩷

Losing Game 1/4

Bryce Lahela (M!MC) x Luna Auclair (F!OC)

Wildflower

Keiki Lahela (F!MC) x Koa Haulani (M!OC)

Chapter 1 - Wake up Little Susie

Nightbound vs. Hänsel & Gretel

Cinnamon Sugar

Maxine Moore (F!OC) x Adam Sinclair (M!OC)

By a Landslide

Luna Auclair (F!OC) x Bryce Lahela (M!MC)

[peonierose]

Hi sweet lovely!! 🌸🌷

I'm pulling an uno reverse on your ask - what are some guilty pleasures your MC/OCs have, if any?

sending hugs!

Hii Arii 🥰

Thank you so much for uno reversing me on this, I had a lot of fun 🩷

Okay some guilty pleasures my OCs & MCs have?

Let’s dive right in! Fair warning though it’ll be a couple of characters 😅

Luna Auclair (F!OC) - OH

Luna has a huge sweet tooth, and you’ll always catch her eating something sweet - but she especially loves anything that’s healthy and contains fruit - but I’d say her most guilty pleasure food is a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich with sliced bananas.

Something like this (video down below) Luna loves grape jelly or strawberry jam - as long as it tastes good she’s good 🩷

Bryce Lahela (M!MC) - OH

Bryce has two guilty pleasures one is Britney Spears songs and the other is he loves Haupia. It’s a Hawaiian coconut pudding. Usually made out of four key ingredients: coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, and water. The coconut milk is the base, the sugar gives some sweetness, cornstarch makes it a bit thick, and the water balances everything out

Give Bryce some Haupia and he’ll love you forever 😅😍

Maxine Moore (F!OC) - OH

Maxine loves watermelon and guava gummy worms - that’s her go to when she wants something sweet 🥰

Adam Sinclair (M!OC) - OH

You’ll catch Adam watching late night cooking shows and eating caramel pudding 🥰

Keiki Lahela (M!MC) - OH

Hawaiian Hurricane popcorn with spicy cheese dip.

Koa Haulani (M!OC) - OH

Koa loves Elvis Presley songs. That’s one of his guilty pleasures.

Emma Dalton - The Nanny Affair

Marcipan chocolate. She loves it. Ever since she first tried it.

Sam Dalton - The Nanny Affair

Sam loves to take a bath with some bath bombs. Something citrusy or something with lavender is his style. He’s working a lot so after a long day he loves to take a bath.

Gabe Adalhard - (M!MC) -ID

Anything pistachio related. And he loves classic music. Anything from Mozart to Vivaldi.

Naya Reese - (F!MC) - ID

Naya loves black licorice- there is a Swedish candy, salty licorice. She had it when she traveled to Sweden with her mom once - to see the ABBA museum since they’re both fans. That’s when she discovered their salty licorice. She loves it but everyone else doesn’t.