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anglophiletraveler · 8 months

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Chapter 34

Shameless

Written by Billy Joel

A big thanks to everyone who keep reading this little story of mine. I really do appreciate your loyalty and patience. Thanks and love to Miss Karen!

To Demelza’s surprise, an Uber driver arrived later that afternoon to take her to her teacher for a private lesson , and then proceeded to take her to rehearsal with the orchestra. Ross had checked out the driver thoroughly and also made sure that he had a vehicle large enough for a cello. Ross had also instructed the driver to take Demelza anywhere she wanted to go, and make any stops that she needed to make. Ross was going to pick her up later in the evening after rehearsal as usual.

The next day the same Uber driver showed up and they did the same thing that day. Demelza just shook her head at the Uber driver, “This is ridiculous! I’m starting to feel like a princess!”

The driver chuckled at her statement, “Well ma'am I was instructed by Mr. Poldark himself to treat you just like Lady Di, so your wish is me command until next Wednesday.”

“Next Wednesday! Bloody hell! This is embarrassing! Well Mr. O’Brien I appreciate all of your help in this endeavour, and if I win the audition, I’ll make sure you get a couple of free tickets to a performance.”

“Hey, me wife would luv that! She’s always complaining that I never take her anywhere! It’s nice to see a girl from Cornwall make it big ‘ere in London. Yer folks must be mighty proud of ya. Alright, ‘ere we are Miss Demelza. I’ll be right ‘ere until you’re done with your lesson.”

Demelza cringed when the driver mentioned her folks. She’s gotten used to just letting it go instead of bringing up the whole sorry story. “Thank you Mr. O’Brien, I’ll be out in a couple of hours.”

“I’ll be right ‘ere.”

******************************

Verity had called Ross Friday while he was having lunch to catch up on any family gossip. He told her about Demelza’s audition coming up and how he had hired an Uber driver to take her wherever she needs to go.

The only thing left to worry about is making sure she’s eating properly and she doesn’t try to live on Chinese take out for the next four or five days. “I’ve thought about hiring a professional chef to come in and cook some meals for us. I can do some cooking, but not a whole lot. I want to make sure that she eats healthy,” Ross stopped talking when Jenny entered his office with some files. “Thank you Jenny, just set them on the table for now and I’ll get to them when I’m done on the phone. Oh, and would you mind shutting the door behind you. Ta!”

Jenny nodded at him and did as he asked and left the office, closing the door behind her. She had caught just the tail end of what he was talking about. She knew that he had hired an Uber driver for Demelza, and now it sounded like he was going to hire a chef. She couldn’t believe all of the money that Ross was spending on Demelza for this one audition. It didn’t make sense to her at all. Ross had been keeping his door closed more than he used to since the two of them had their little spat when Ross raised his voice at her. She had felt their working relationship had changed and not for the better. She had been very down since they quarrelled and she didn’t know what to do about it.

************

“Ross, don’t hire a chef, let me help and cook some meals. I can bring them over and you can heat them up whenever you are ready to eat. Home cooked meals would be so much better for Demelza, and I want to help out in some way,” Verity told Ross.

“That’s very generous of you, Verity, but a lot of work. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Of course Ross! And it’s really not that much work. I can actually fix them at your place, unless that would be too distracting for Demelza, and then I can just pop them in the freezer or the fridge! Problem solved!” Verity was so excited about theis idea. She liked to feel useful when it came to her family but she didn’t have the opportunity very often since she was still at odds with her father.

Ross was now up pacing in his office, “Well, if you’re sure you don’t mind, that would be wonderful! If you make a shopping list I could have the groceries delivered to the house and then you don’t have to haul them around.”

“Let me think about that and I’ll get back with you. Ross, does Demelza have any food allergies?”

Ross’s eyebrows furrowed, “No, none that I know of. Good God an allergic reaction is the last thing that Demelza needs. I’ll double check with her and get back with you. Thank you so much for doing this, Verity. That will be a big help. And I know that Demelza will really appreciate it. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you, Ver.”

“Oh I love you too, Ross,” Verity ended the conversation.

Ross let out a huge sigh after he hung up with Verity, and rubbed his face with his hands. Verity helping out with the cooking was actually a big load off his mind. He knew whatever she fixed would be delicious and healthy for Demelza. Everything for the next few days leading up to Demelza’s audition was falling into place. He had arranged the Uber driver, he had emailed Demelza’s private instructor and told her that if she felt Demelza needed extra time with her or a private practice room, he would take care of all of the costs, and now Verity was helping out with the food. Demelza won’t have to worry about a thing!

**********************

Ross sat in his car at the music hall car park waiting for Demeiza to come out after rehearsal. He was scrolling on his phone looking for a larger home for them but everything that suited their needs in London, was unfortunately out of their price range so he started to look further out.

He didn’t mind a small commute, but he wondered how Demelza would feel about it. But more and more it was looking like in order to get what they wanted, at a price they could afford, they were going to have to give in on the commute. Ross made a pretty good salary at his firm and Demelza’s salary was in the middle for a classical musician. Unfortunately, the London classical musicians weren’t known to make a lot of money, which always boggled Ross’s mind.

Ross had already picked up Demelza’s supper to save time, so the car smelled like Little Italy when Demelza opened the car door. “Mmmm something smells good,” Demelza leaned in to give Ross a kiss.

Ross smiled back at her, “Oh that would be my natural, irresistible scent that you’re smelling. I’m shocked that you haven't noticed it before? I’m hurt Demelza!” Ross laid his hand over his heart faking his pain.

A laughing Demelza looked in the back seat and saw the take out bag, “Your natural scent, eh? What do you do, use marinara sauce as after shave?”

“Hey I slaved all afternoon cooking that lasagna I’ll have you know. I just re-used the pan and the bag from Gino’s,” Ross continued his ruse as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“Ahhh I see. No Chinese?” Demelza asked.

“No, milady I am going to attempt to keep you fed and healthy until your audition which means no Chinese take out,” Ross was trying to use his stern voice, but that never worked with Demelza.

Demelza’s mouth dropped open, “What! No Chinese?? But Ross, I neeeed it!”

Ross took Demelza’s hand, “I am going to make sure that you eat nutritiously until your audition, and Verity is going to help me.”

“Ross, what on earth are you talking about?”

“Verity is going to cook up some meals for us for the freezer, and when it comes time to eat, all I have to do is warm it up in the oven. Nutritious and made with love, home cooked meals. How does that sound? Hmmm?” Ross glanced at Demelza to try to see how she felt about it.

“Ross, you called Verity for help? You really shouldn’t have done that! I can cook a bloody meal for crying out loud! This really is just too … “ Demelza was starting to get upset, which was the last thing Ross wanted.

“Hey, hey, hey settle down. I didn’t call Verity and ask her to cook. We were just having a chat and I was filling her in on your audition and everything, and she volunteered to cook. Baby, she wants to do this, she wants to feel useful. Really, I told her that she didn’t need to but I got the feeling that she’s feeling a little low right now. She still hasn’t heard from her father, so I think this is her way of keeping busy and doing some good for someone else. Alright? Don’t be mad, sweetheart,” Ross brought Demelza’s hand to his lips to kiss it.

Demelza looked at Ross all squinty-eyed, “Are you sure she wants to do this?”

Ross was shaking his head, “Yes, my love. I would never ask Verity to do this. In fact, I was thinking of hiring a chef.”

“Bloody hell Ross,” Demelza was looking down and Ross could swear her lower lip was sticking out in a pout, “Sometimes you are just too much. I’m not used to someone doing all this kind of stuff for me… hiring an Uber, having meals brought in, taking…”

Ross pulled into their driveway, and turned the car off. “Taking care of you? Demelza, I love you, and I love taking care of you when you need some extra TLC. I love that you’re an independent woman and you love your career, but sometimes… sometimes, I like to take care of you. Everyone needs a little bit of care once in a while. Even I do. So, just let me help you get through this time, yeah?”

Demelza gave a weak smile to Ross, “Yes, Ross.” She leaned into him and met his lips with hers. “I love you, Ross.”

“I love you too, Demelza.”

***************************

Saturday after Demelza came home from her lessons, Demelza decided that she didn’t like the acoustics of the kitchen anymore, so Ross carried the cello upstairs for her. It was obvious that she was on edge, so Ross didn’t question anything she asked.

“Demelza love, would you like me to warm you up something…?”

Demelza cut him off, “No, please Ross, stop! Enough with the food! I’m fine, I don’t need to eat. If I’m hungry, I’ll fix myself something.” Demelza massaged her temples like she had a headache. Ross almost asked her if she wanted something for a headache, but he thought twice about it.

Ross’s eyebrows lifted and he had a small smile, “Alright love, I’ll leave you alone. I’m sorry. Just let me know if you need anything. I’ll be downstairs.”

Later in the early evening, Demelza finally came downstairs and plopped down on the couch in exhaustion, strands of hair falling out of her messy bun. Ross took a drink of his beer and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He wasn’t sure if he should say anything, or if he should put his arm around her, so he just continued watching the movie that he had on the telly. After a bit Ross’s phone dinged and he started texting back.

After a couple minutes of going back and forth, Ross spoke, “Um Dwight wants to know if I want to go to the pub. Do you mind if I go?”

Demelza had a frown on her face, “Is Caroline going?”

“No, she’s at a work do. I don’t have to go..”

“No, go ahead, but you should get a lyft because you’ve been drinking already,” Demelza replied.

“Dwight’s picking me up,” he picked up his phone and answered Dwight. “I better go change.” He leaned over and kissed Demelza on the temple and ran upstairs.

***********************

Ross came back downstairs to get his coat after he changed his clothes.

Demelza looked at what he was wearing now, “Why are you dressed up?”

Ross’s brows furrowed, “What? I’m not dressed up. I’m just wearing a button up and jeans?”

“You look awfully dressed up to me,” Demelza said.

“I don’t know why, I’ve worn this shirt a hundred times and it’s like 10 years old. I’m pretty sure I bought it when I was in uni. Besides, it’s not like I’m going out to pick up chicks or something, it’s just me and Dwight going out to the fucking pub!” Ross was starting to lose his temper. But he was grateful for the excuse to get out of the house.

“Well, I didn’t think you were going out to pick up chicks or whatever. Are you? Never mind,” Demelza rolled her eyes.

“Honey if you don’t want me to go out, I won’t,” Ross said.

Demelza smacked the pillow she had in her lap, “No, just go. Have a good time.” They both heard Dwight beeping the horn.

“Alright. Do you… want me tooo bring you anything?” Ross almost hated to ask after their conversation earlier about food.

“No, I'm good. Oh wait! Ross?”

“Hmm?”

“Can you bring me some of those big onion rings?”

Ross smiled and leaned down to kiss her, “Of course, love. I’ll see ya later.”

Demelza just gave him a weak smile. He ran out the door while he still could. As soon as the door closed, Demelza burst into tears. She hugged the pillow and just had a good cry.

**************************

Ross jumped into Dwight’s car and left out a big sigh. “Thank God you texted me Dwight. Get me the fuck outta here!”

Dwight laughed at him, “Oh that doesn’t sound good.”

Ross shook his head, “Just go man before an alien’s head comes through the bloody door!”

*************************

Dwight and Ross were in their usual corner booth, eating burgers and drinking beer. Just the medicine Ross needed for his mood.

“I don’t know Ross, I guess she’s just feeling a little smothered by your efforts right now. And I totally get that you’re just trying to help her any way you can. Plus she’s probably a ball of nerves right now thinking about the audition and …. Maybe she’s worried that she’s going to let you down if she doesn’t get to move up a chair?” Dwight was trying to help his best friend see things from a different light.

“Let me down? She’s not going to let me down, I’m more worried about her letting herself down and being too hard on herself. This means a lot to her,” Ross attacked his burger as if it was the secret of life.

Dwight asked, “How do you think she will take it if she doesn’t get it?”

Ross finally swallowed, “Honestly, I really don’t know. I’m kind of worried about it. I haven’t seen her in this type of situation. And I’m sure that I’ll fuck it up somehow by saying something stupid.”

Dwight laughed, “Of course you will mate, because you’re just a man! Like the rest of us neanderthals! I guess just give her some time and space if it turns out that way. And if all else fails, you can always sleep on my couch!”

Ross wadded up a napkin and threw it at Dwight, “Thanks a lot mate! I’ll keep that in mind.”

The waitress came over to collect their empties, “You boys want another round?”

Dwight spoke up first, “No thanks Stella, I think we’ve had enough. If Ross here gets any more tipsy, he might say something stupid when he goes home, and we certainly don’t want that to happen, do we Stella!”

She giggled, “No we do not. Gotta keep the little woman happy! So are you ready for your checks now?”

“Oh wait Stella! I’m supposed to take the little woman, er, Demelza, some big onion rings home, so can you put an order in for me, yeah? And we might as well have another round while we wait. Ta.” Ross gave Dwight a smirk after the waitress left, “Oh come on mate, it’s just one more pint.”

Dwight gave Ross a stern look, “Alright. Just one more pint. “If you’re lucky maybe the onion rings will smooth things over for you.”

Ross finished off his burger, and tried to steer the conversation to Dwight, “So how are things between you and Caroline. Any wedding bells yet?”

Dwight put his hand up, “Nooooo let’s not rush things. I’ll see how things turn out with you and Demelza first before I give up my freedom permanently.”

Ross raised his eyebrows at his friend and laughed, “Fuck, better not let Caroline hear you say that! I’m sure she’s picking out her ring as we speak. She’s already brought some bridal magazines and this big notebook to Demelza to help her plan our wedding. I bet she’s got a big notebook hidden away for your wedding. You just wait and see my friend. Besides, I’m not afraid of Demelza. This is all just, you know, part of getting to know each other, experiencing things together. I mean, I guess I could’ve waited a little bit longer to propose, but really what would a couple more months prove?”

The waitress walked up to the table and set down the onion rings, “Here ya go, one fresh order of onion rings and here are your checks.”

The boys slid their credit cards into the fake leather folders, so the waitress could go pay their bills.

“You have a point, a couple months might not have made a difference, but maybe a year or two would’ve,” Dwight suggested.

Ross’s eyebrows raised up again, “A year or two? Really? I don’t know man, I just, it just felt right to do it now. Plus with mum being sick, I just didn’t want to put it off.”

“So you proposed because your mom has cancer? Ross, that's not a good reason to propose!” Dwight said.

“No! Not at all. I didn’t propose because of mum’s cancer. After we talked about the kid thing, I felt better about things. Demelza’s not sure about having kids, but she’s not ruling it out, and I’m fine with that. As far as mom goes, I just want to have the wedding before her surgery so that she can enjoy it. I love Demelza and I love how we are together,” Ross explained to his friend.

Stella the waitress came back with their credit cards and receipts for the guys to sign. “Thanks Stella,” they both said. “No problem guys. See ya next time!”

“Make sure you tip her well,” Dwight said.

“I know, I know, I know dad! Jezus! I’m going to call a Lyft for us because you’re not in any condition to drive anymore,” Ross told his friend.

Dwight nodded, “Yes, you’re probably right. It wouldn’t look good for an A&E doctor to get pulled over for being over the limit.”

Ross giggled, “No it would not Dr. Enys!”

**********************

The Lyft car pulled into Ross’s driveway, and Ross paid his share of the ride. It was obvious that he was in his cups, “Well, my dear friend, thank you for a wonderfully, fun evening out so we could solve all of the bloody problems of the bloody world once again. And thank you for being my friend all of these years. I love, love you like a brother,” he gave Dwight a big hug and kiss. “Thank you Ross, I love you man!” Ross looked at the driver, “You take care of this man, you hear me! He’s a bloody important doctor and the world needs his hands!”

The Lyft driver was trying not to laugh at the friends, “Don’t worry mate, I’ll get him home safe and sound.”

Ross finally got out of the car and waved them off. The car stopped and the back window rolled down, “Ross, don’t forget Demelza’s onion rings!”

“Oh fuck thanks mate! I love you man!” Ross grabbed the onion rings and walked up to the front door and opened it carefully in case Demelza was practising. He peeked his head through the door to assess the situation. No sign of Demelza so he tiptoed into the room and kicked off his shoes and hung up his coat. He heard a cello, so Demelza must be at it again. But this time he heard her playing a different song… it was a Beatle’s song! Ross smirked because it reminded him of the first time he ever laid eyes on Demelza in New York. He let out a big breath that he didn’t realise that he had been holding in. He made his way upstairs with the onion rings. He saw Demelza playing and leaned up against the door frame to watch her. She must have showered earlier because her hair was down and wild and flowing around her shoulders as she played. She was wearing nothing but a lace camisole and some knickers. Her eyes were closed and she was lost in the music. Ross’s eyes started to tear up because this moment in time was the most beautiful he’d ever witnessed. The song came to an end and Demelza just sat there before she opened her eyes and let out a big sigh. She then opened her blue eyes and saw Ross standing there and tilted her head and smiled.

“That was beautiful. You are beautiful,” Ross stated.

“Are you drunk Ross?” she smiled.

“Maybe a little. But I don’t have to be sober to know when I’m witnessing something very beautiful.”

Demelza gasped, “Oh Ross. I’m so sorry that I was so mean to you earlier,” She got up and walked over to him.

“I know ya are. It’s okay, I understand. I’ll try not to smother you,” he leaned down and kissed her.

When the kiss ended Demelza looked deep into his eyes and said, “Are those my onion rings?”

Ross couldn’t help but snort and laugh, “Yes, these are your onion rings.”

Demelza grabbed the bag and put one in her mouth, “Mmmmm so good. Thanks for getting them for me.”

Ross watched her enjoy her onion rings, “Your wish is my command milady. Are you feeling better than you were earlier?”

Her eyes darkened again, “Yeah, I’m just so stressed and worried, and feeling tight. The shower helped.”

“Along with playing something different than your audition piece?”

“Yeah that did help. A lot. You look like you’re ready for bed. How much did you drink?” Demelza asked.

“Enough for us to get a Lyft. And yes, I am ready for bed. I’m exhausted and I have no idea why. Are you ready for bed?” Ross’s eyes were getting droopy.

Demelza shook her head, “Mmm hmmm after I eat these. Go on ahead and I’ll make sure everything is locked up downstairs.”

Demelza went downstairs to make sure everything was locked up while she munched on her beloved onion rings.

Ross was in bed half asleep when she came back. He looked up and saw her eating her last onion ring, “How are you going to sleep with all of that grease sitting in your stomach?”

Demelza shrugged, “I don’t know. I don’t remember having trouble before. They’re worth it though!” She turned off the light and snuggled down in bed with Ross, while he wrapped his arm around her. She looked up and kissed him, “Goodnight Ross. I love you.”

“Goodnight babe, I love you too.”

*****************************

Sunday morning brought another day of practise, and frustration. Ross and Seamus sat patiently on the couch, although if there was a hint of a wrong note, Seamus was covering his ears with his paws and whined. Ross shushed him so Demelza wouldn’t hear him. Ross felt bad for Demelza. She was working on her trouble spots today and that just seemed to bring out her frustration even more. He would listen and he couldn’t hear any difference from one attempt to the other, but he didn’t tell her that.

Around noon there was a knock at the door and Ross ran to answer it so as not to disturb Demelza. He opened it and was completely surprised at seeing James and Henry, Demelza’s former roommates at the door. Ross just stood there and finally said, “Hi guys, how can I help you.”.

James raised his hand, “Uh hi Ross. Demelza called us and asked us to come over. Can we come in?” Henry was giving Ross an evil eye.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know. Sure, come on in, come on in. Let me take your coats.”

“Thanks Ross,” James was looking at Ross like he should know what’s on his mind and waved his hand, “Soooo where is she?”

Ross covered his mouth and looked at the two in front of him, “Right, she’s upstairs rehearsing. Can I get you a beer or something to drink before you go up?”

James smiled, “Sure, I’ll take a beer, thanks.”

Henry looked at Ross, “I’ll just have a bottle of water if you have one, thank you.” Awkward.

“Sure, come on into the kitchen,” Ross led the way and gave them the drinks they asked for, and showed them the stairs even though it was pretty obvious where they were. It didn’t take long before he heard Demelza squeal at the sight of her former roommates.

A couple of hours later Ross thought he should feed the musicians, so he started work on some spaghetti, garlic bread and a salad. There was some leftover bread pudding from Verity so he set that out as well. He texted Demelza to let her know that lunch was ready for the masses. Soon the three of them were filling up their plates.

“Dig in guys. There’s plenty for everyone!” Demelza came over to give him a kiss, “Thanks Ross.” “Of course, it was nothing and I figured everyone might need some refuelling. How is practise going?”

Henry spoke up, “Mmmm this is so good Ross. Demelza is more than ready for her audition. She needs to quit freaking herself out. Actually, I think she needs to slow down the rehearsing because she doesn’t want to peak too soon.” Ross’s eyes got big at that statement and cleared his throat, “Um no, she wouldn’t want that to happen.” Everyone looked at Ross and burst out laughing.

*****************

A couple of hours later, Henry and James gave Demelza instructions for the rest of the week until the audition. They came downstairs to leave to find Ross and Seamus asleep on the couch, with Star Wars on low volume playing on the tele.

Demelza smiled while she was getting the coats for the guys, “They look so sweet together!” She stepped outside with her friends. “You guys, I really appreciate your help today. I feel so much better. I don’t think there’s anything else I can do to prepare myself for the audition.”

“Nope, you’ve done all you can do Demelza. Have confidence in yourself. You’re a beautiful cello player,” Henry said. He gave Demelza a forlorn look and gave her a hug.

“Henry’s right. Save yourself for Wednesday. You’ve got this! Walk in there and kick ss ass! Now we better get going. Love ya kid,” James gave Demelza a hug.

“Aww thanks you guys. Get out of here before I start crying,” Demelza waved them off and went back inside as they backed out of the driveway.

She took another look at her two guys on the couch. She moved Seamus off so that she could get close to Ross. He woke up running his hand over his face, “What’s happening?”

“Nothing. James and Henry have left so I thought I would join you. Do you mind?” Demelza was using that voice that’s soft like a purr.

Ross smiled and sat up, “No not at all. Come here closer.”

Demelza got closer and raised Ross’s t-shirt so that she could rub her face in his chest hair.

“Judas Demelza!” Ross yelled, “Your nose is so feckin cold!!”

She started laughing, “I know it’s early but I’m exhausted and ready for bed. Care to join me?”

“That depends!”

“On what?” Demelza asked.

“Are your feet as cold as your nose?” Demelza got a shocked look on her face and playfully punched him.

“Alright wanker, I’m going to bed, you let your boy here outside and lock up,” Demelza ran upstairs.

“Hmmmmm,” Ross squinted his eyes at her wondering what she was up to.

********************

Demelza was slipping into bed when Ross entered the bedroom. He sat down on the bed and started to undress, “So how are you feeling about everything?”

“Strangely enough, I feel pretty confident about things after Henry and James came over. It felt good just working with them again. I didn’t realise how much I missed them.”

Ross took her hand. His voice was soft, “I’m sorry love. I know that connection hasn’t been as strong since you’ve moved in here with me. I sometimes forget that they were more to you than just flat mates. We need to have them over more often.” He got up to go brush his teeth and wash his face.

“Aw that’s sweet of you. I do miss them at times like these.”

Ross turned out the ceiling light and slipped into bed, “I’m exhausted and I don’t know why. I haven’t done much this weekend.”

“Ross, you’ve done a lot this weekend, not to mention looking after me during the week. And I’ve repaid you by being bitchy to you, and I apologise. It’s just that I’m so stressed over this but I shouldn’t take it out on you,” Demelza wrapped her arm around Ross’s waist.

“Oh it’s alright, I understand. I just wanted to help as much as I could since I can’t help with your music. Although it all sounded wonderful to me. Too bad you can’t play something like a Beatle’s song,” he picked up her hand and kissed her palm.

“That would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?” Demelza let out a big yawn, both of them chuckling. “Ross, do you mind if we don’t…”

“Shhh my love. Go to sleep. You need your rest and so do I actually. I’ve been thinking about Jenny and what I should do about her, and I still haven’t come up with an answer. It breaks my heart. I don’t think I’ve led her on, at least not on purpose.”

Demelza’s hand was playing with his chest hair, “I’m sure you haven’t led her on. You’re just such a great guy that she’s fallen for you like every other woman out there.”

Ross rolled his eyes, “Yeah right. I just think of her as a sister, ya know, since we’ve known each other for so long. What do you think I should do? Should I talk to her about it?”

“No, just give it a while, maybe it will just blow over,” She ran her cheek over his chest hair, one of her favourite things to do.

“Heyyyy there’s that cold nose again!”

She raised up to kiss him and nuzzle her cold nose in his neck, causing him to yell out again! “Why is your nose so cold?”

“Maybe because the rest of me is sooo hot!”

“You keep talking like that and I’m not going to let you fall asleep!” Ross warned. Then he yelled out again, “Fucking hell your feet are even colder! Put some socks on, woman!”

************************************

Monday Night:

Ross is waiting for Demelza to get out of orchestra rehearsal at the music hall. Things seem to be running a little late. Musicians begin to slowly trickle out of the door. Some wave to Ross in passing, most of them know him by now. Ross is beginning to get nervous that Demelza hasn’t come out yet. He looks at his watch again and it's been at least 30 minutes since the last musician came out, but no Demelza. Finally he just gives up and calls James to see if he knows what’s going on with Demelza.

“Ross? Is that you?” James asked.

“James, hi yeah it’s me, Ross. Sorry to bother you but Demelza hasn’t come out of rehearsal yet, and I’m getting worried,” Ross’s eyes were dark with worry and James could hear the panic in his voice.

“Oh yeah, the maestro is talking with all of the people who are auditioning for the cello chair. She should be out shortly. Don’t worry,” James replied.

“Oh of course, but she was in rehearsal wasn’t she?” Ross asked.

James chuckled, “Yes Ross, she hasn’t been kidnapped or anything, calm down mate.”

Ross sighed, “Yes, right, okay thanks mate.”

“Sure, no worries. Oh and Ross, I think this is going to be a close decision Wednesday, so be prepared in case she doesn’t make it. Just be calm, let her cry or whatever it is that she feels like doing. Call me if you need me, yeah?”

Ross was shaking his head as if James can see him, “Yeah, thanks for the advice. Oh here she comes. I’ll talk to you later. Thanks James.”

Demelza got in the car and kissed Ross, “Sorry I’m late. The maestro had a meeting with those of us who are going to audition. I would’ve texted you if I had known.”

“It’s alright, I was just starting to go out of my mind is all,” Ross was trying to make light of it, but he really had been worried.

“Aw I’m sorry, babe. Who were you talking to on the phone at this hour?” Demelza asked.

“What? Oh, James.”

“James, why did he call you?” Demelza asked.

Ross shook his head, “He didn’t call me, I called him, because I was worried about you! I wasn’t joking when I said I was out of my mind with worry. But he told me about your meeting and …”

“Aww babe, that’s so sweet! Now can I have my Chinese? I’m starving!” Demelza begged.

Ross tossed his head back, “Oh God Demelza, you’re killing me! Yes, you can have your bloody Chinese!”

Demelza laughed out loud at her fiance. Ross shook his head at her and couldn’t help but laugh along with her as they headed for the Chinese restaurant.

*******************

Ross and Jenny were finishing up some paperwork that needed to be done for a nonprofit that Ross was in the process of helping out.

“So just let me know when you hear back from Mr. Tonkin on that please,” Ross asked.

Jenny shook her head in agreement, “Of course Ross. Will there be anything else?”

“Oh yes, I’m off tomorrow. I’m going to be with Demelza for her audition,” Ross replied.

Jenny’s eyes got big, “Oh, okay. I didn’t realise that you were going to the audition. I’ll put that on my calendar. I hope that she does really well.”

“Yes, I do too. She’s worked really hard for it,” Ross was trying to decide whether or not he should ask Jenny if she has a boyfriend, but decided against it. He didn’t want her to misinterpret his questions. “Hey, when was the last time you went home to Cornwall for the weekend?”

“Oh gosh, I don’t know. It’s been quite a while. Why do you ask?” Jenny asked.

“Oh no reason, I just wondered if you felt homesick.”

“Nope, I haven’t been home in a while,” she answered back.

“Well don’t ever hesitate if you want to take some time off for a long weekend to go back home or anywhere for that matter. I bet you have a lot of holiday time saved up,” Ross’s business phone went off, just in time to put an end to this awkward conversation. “Ross Poldark, can I help you?”

Jenny left the office and headed back to her desk. Jenny was now wondering what was going on. That was weird. Why would I want to go on a holiday?

*****************

Demelza was going to have a light rehearsal day. She didn’t want to torture herself the day before the audition with second guessing herself about how she was playing, or if she picked the wrong piece of music to play. Instead she decided to just play fun pieces that she could get into playing. The maestro had given the musicians who were auditioning the next day, the night off, so she was going to take advantage of the extra time and just try to relax.

Ross came home at his usual time with a large pizza and an order of cheesy bread, with Demelza’s favourite toppings - pepperoni, onions, and black olives. Ross wasn’t a big fan of olives but was willing to pick them off.

He kicked the door shut behind him and heard Demelza playing but it wasn’t her usual audition piece. It sounded like Christmas music? He put the pizza and bread down on the counter in the kitchen and headed upstairs.

He found Demelza with a smile on her face, playing “Joy to the World”. “Are you playing Christmas music?”

Demelza smiled and stopped playing and laughed, “As a matter of fact, I am! I decided that today I’m just going to play fun music and relax.” She put the cello in its stand and walked over to Ross and put her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a full on kiss, her tongue searching for his.

Ross growled, “Mmmm I like your idea of fun and relaxing. Let’s try that again.” He put his arms around her waist and immediately let his hands start exploring her back under her hoodie, neither one of them thinking about the scars on her back anymore. His hands wandered up a little higher to find no bra. “Holy shit no bra, Demelza! You naughty girl, I love it!” He didn’t waste time and removed her hoodie up over her head, her red hair flying all over.

Demelza started giggling and removed Ross’s suit coat and started untucking his shirt, “Oh Ross you always wear too many clothes!”

Somehow Demelza managed to unbutton and remove Ross’s shirt but his tie remained around his neck! Ross was laughing, “How the hell did you manage to do that?”

Demelza threw her head back laughing, “I don’t know! It just happened!” Ross reached and grabbed Demelza’s arse to pick her so that her legs wrapped around him, squealing, as Ross carried them into the bedroom. Ross set her down standing so he could remove her sweatpants and knickers, coming off together in one nice pull. Ross closed his eyes and moaned after looking at her naked body. She reached to unbuckle his belt buckle and started unzipping his pants. She reached around to dip her hands under his boxer briefs and grabbed his fine arse, eliciting another moan. She pushed down his pants and boxer briefs in one push. She was getting good at this move. And then she grabbed his tie and pulled him closer to her until they both fell on the bed. Ross started kissing her on the lips with lust and passion, teasing her with his tongue. Demelza ran her hands getting lost in those endless curls, pulling his lips down to her breasts where she wanted them the most at this moment. He gladly obliged and took one pink bud in his mouth while he pinched the other one between his fingers. Demelza’s breath hitched at the feeling she had been longing for all day. Her hands had made their way back to his arse. HIs cheeks fit so well in her hands as she pulled and pushed on them.

Demelza found herself biting on Ross’s shoulder and clavicle area. “Ross please. Please, my love!” She begged. He raised up to kiss and lick on her neck, nipping with his teeth along the way. He could hear Demelza’s breathing getting faster. He had a feeling that she was very ready for him. He was definitely ready for her. It had been awhile since they made love. He didn’t want to push her during this last week, but when he came home today and found her in her sweatshirt with no bra on, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He let out a growl and attacked her lips once again, taking both of her hands and holding them at the side of her head with his hands as his tongue explored her mouth, not holding back any moans that left him, “Melza, I need you so mmmuch!”

“Take me Ross, please!” Demelza needed this as much as Ross did.

“Look at me, love.”

“Oh Ross, I can’t!”

He reached down with one hand to get himself ready, “Demelza! Look into my eyes!”

She did so.

Ross entered her while they dove into each other’s eyes, both moaning at the same time. “So good Demelza. You feel so good.”

“Oh my God Ross!” She pulled him down to kiss her. She couldn’t get enough of him. She wanted to crawl under his skin and become one with him. Wet, hot sloppy kisses were driving them both wild while Ross pulled out and slid back in slowly and hard. He did it again, she gasped at the feeling. “Oh God yes, Ross!” He obliged her request.

It didn’t take long for Ross’s rhythm to speed up, at the instinct of his hips. Ross lifted up a little to rub her bundle of nerves with his thumb, “Come with me, love,” he said.

Demelza could feel her heat pooling tighter with Ross’s help. She could tell by the look on his face that he was getting closer as well. He raised up more to give himself more purchase. “Ross, I, I, I’m….” and Ross let himself moan out while he reached his end, together with Demelza. Finally he was able to slow down his movement in order to try to catch his breath. Ross collapsed on top of Demelza, both exhausted and spent, but still able to kiss each other lightly on the lips.

Demelza chuckled, “Welcome home Ross.”

Ross smiled back, “I could get used to coming home to this.”

*****************************

The couple were lying in each other’s arms in the afterglow of their lovemaking, kissing each other lazily in between giggles and intimate talk. It had been awhile since the last time they had made love. Ross was never one to push Demelza into something she didn’t want, and he could sense lately with the stress of the audition that she really wasn’t in the mood. But this spontaneous lovemaking helped release pressure like the steam blowing from a tea kettle full of boiling water on a stove.

Ross was holding Demelza’s hand in his, kissing her knuckles, “So, I’ve taken tomorrow off work.”

Demelza’s eyebrows came together, “Why?”

“Because it’s your big day and I want to be with you, or close by in case you need anything,” Ross kissed her forehead.

“Awe, that's really sweet, but I don’t know what you would be able to do there. You do know that you aren’t allowed in the music hall during auditions,” Demelza’s voice was soft and low.

Ross shrugged his shoulder, “I kinda thought I wouldn’t be allowed IN the auditorium itself. And I know that you’ll probably be practising on your own. I just want to be there for you. You know, in case you need some emergency Chinese take out,” Ross was smiling.

Demelza giggled, but then her stomach growled and they both started laughing. Then of course Ross’s stomach growled as well.

“Well Ross, I guess we had better fix us some supper before our stomachs attack our bodies!”

Ross’s eyes got wide, “Oh shite! I forgot! I brought pizza and cheesy bread home for supper! It’s probably all cold now!”

Demelza sat up, “Well I hope that you didn’t leave it where Seamus could get to it!”

“No, it's up on the island. So he can’t get to it there. At least he better not have. I suppose we should throw some clothes on and check it out, yeah!”

*******************

They both threw some old sweats on and went downstairs to find the pizza and cheesy bread safe and sound, with Seamus asleep on the couch.

“Oh thank goodness. I had this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. What do you think? Is it still warm enough or do we need to heat it up?” Ross asked.

Demelza shrugged, “Oh I think it’s warm enough, at least it is for me. I’m starving so I’m going to eat. I’ll get some plates.”

“Do you want a beer?” Ross asked.

“Um yeah that sounds good. Do you want to eat down here or take this upstairs?” Demelza asked.

Ross looked at his watch, “Let’s take it upstairs. I’ll let Seamus out before I go up.”

Demelza smiled at Ross. She knew that Ross loved eating in bed, watching TV and relaxing. She had half a thought sometimes to buy a small apartment fridge for upstairs for times like these.

“Alright, I’ll meet you up there.”

************************

Ross was watching an old James Bond film while finishing up with his pizza, while Demelza was working on what she was going to wear for the audition. She decided on the standard long black skirt and a long sleeved black leotard to keep things simple and comfortable.

Ross watched what she was doing, “I thought you would wear something more you, for the judges.”

“Nope. They won’t even see me when I play. We are playing behind a curtain so the judges can’t see who it is that is playing. They will only refer to us as a number.”

“Oh wow, I didn’t know that. Well, that should keep things fair. When will you find out the results?” Ross asked.

“I’m not sure. Maybe right after the audition, hopefully.”

“I hope so. I don’t think I could wait any longer than that for the results.”

Demelza was laughing at her fiance, “Honestly Ross! I think you’re getting more nervous about this than I am! They could wait and announce it at rehearsal tomorrow night.”

“What! Tomorrow night? I can’t wait that long!” Ross was in panic mode now. “Surely they won’t expect people to wait that long.”

Demelza laughed at him. She was just yanking his chain and he fell for it.

“Aw you bugger, you’re teasing me,” Ross said.

“I’m sure we will find out tomorrow after the auditions. Now remember if you’re going with me, you have to remain calm, no fist pumping or bad sportsmanship, okay?” Demelza instructed.

“Okay, I hear ya,” Ross replied.

**************************

Wednesday, Audition Day:

Demelza woke up first to start getting herself ready. Ross let her have the bathroom while he went downstairs and cooked breakfast, started the coffee and let Seamus out. The mood was quiet, with some soft chatter between the two. Ross felt butterflies in his stomach so he was wondering what Demelza was feeling, but he was afraid to ask too many questions, so he didn’t ask. Demelza came down for breakfast in her bathrobe so she wouldn’t drop any food on her audition outfit. He made sure to kiss her neck by her ear so as not to smudge her makeup. He smiled at her appearance because it reminded him of the first time he ever saw her playing at the Museum of Modern Art. Her makeup was tasteful, but light, with a lovely lip colour, and her hair bouncy but straightened.

Demelza sat down and started eating as Ross poured her coffee. She noticed his hand shaking while he poured the coffee, “Is your hand shaking?”

Ross cleared his throat, “I guess it is.”

She put her hand on his, “Are you nervous, Ross?”

Ross huffed, “Maybe a little.”

“But why? You’re not the one auditioning?” Demelza was smiling now.

“I know, but I can’t help it. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach. I know it’s silly. Aren’t you nervous?” Ross asked.

“A little. I don’t get really nervous until right before. But I love you for being nervous.” She leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Ross’s cheeks went red.

Ross rolled his eyes, “You better eat up before it gets cold, yeah!”

***************************

Demelza needed to be at the music hall at 9 am to check in. The musicians auditioning would draw numbers out of a bag and that would be the order they auditioned. There were three cello players from the BBC Orchestra including Demelz auditioning, and five cello players from outside of the orchestra auditioning.

Ross and Demelza entered the music hall at the same door where Ross waited for Demelza to come out at night after rehearsal. By now Ross was used to the backstage area, but it was usually bustling compared to the quiet atmosphere that was there now. Demelza checked in at a table that was set up. One of the music hall’s staff members took care of checking everyone in. Once all of the musicians auditioning arrived, they all met in a side dressing room.

The rules of the day were explained to them, and then they all drew numbers numbered from 1 to 8 from a bag.

Demelza drew number five which meant that she was the fifth to audition. Demelza looked at Ross, “I think that’s a good number to have, not too early and close enough to the end to be remembered.”

“Oh yeah good thinking, babe. You’re so smart!” Ross gave her a kiss for luck.

Mother-hen Ross wasn’t allowed backstage as expected. He had to sit on a hard chair in the lobby outside of the music hall. But he was glad to find that there were two other family members of auditioning musicians in the lobby. At least I’m not the only nervous nellie! Ross thought to himself. All mobile phones were supposed to be on silent or turned off completely. So Ross figured that he wouldn’t see Demelza until she was done. He had brought a backpack full of bottles of water and protein bars in case Demelza needed something to eat or drink. Demelza didn’t have the heart to tell Ross that she probably wouldn’t want anything, the poor guy was just trying to feel useful in his way.

Ross looked at his watch. The first cello player was to begin at 11:00. Demelza estimated that each person would take 20 minutes to audition. The committee of five judges sat in the music hall. The musicians are to play behind a black screen so that the committee can’t see who it is auditioning. Demelza was taken to a warm up room at 10:30 and when it was time for her to play, a proctor guided her to the stage for her audition.

Demelza’s audition piece was Buknik Concert Etude #4. She knew the piece backwards and forwards and inside out. When she sat down behind the screen she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths and pulled herself into a zone. She opened her eyes and began to play. Ross recognized the first notes and unashamedly pressed his ear to the door to try to listen. In the first couple of measures the tone sounded brilliant which gave Demelza the confidence to attack the piece the way she wanted to! She felt like she was one with her cello, the bow was an extension of her arm. And before she knew it, the song was over! She released a breath that she didn’t realise that she was holding, and the sound of the committee applauding woke her up! The proctor came to guide her off the stage and back to the practise room to collect her things. Then she was taken to a room where the other cello players who had previously auditioned were seated and waiting for results just like her. Demelza chugged a bottle of water down and opened another and drank about half of that one. She texted Ross to let him know that she had finished and that she felt good about it. When Ross read her text, he pumped his fist in the air and yelled “yes!” The other people in the lobby gave Ross a dirty look, “Oh I’m sorry, I just got excited.” Ross slinked back to his chair. So much for Demelza’s instructions of no fist pumps! The cellists in the waiting room were all wondering if the committee was going to narrow down the field for a second round of auditions. There were only eight cellists, so this didn’t seem likely, but they wouldn’t know until the last cellist played.

One by one the rest of the cellists entered the waiting room until all eight of them were present and waiting for any word about the results. There was some low chatter in the room amongst the musicians. Demelza and the other cellists from the BBC Orchestra already knew each other and were friendly with each other. Demelza didn’t recognize any of the other cellists which surprised her because the classical music scene in London is a small world.

The few people in the lobby seemed to be just as tense as the people they were supporting. Ross was slowly walking around the room, reading the plaques on the walls for about the 10th time. He kept checking his phone for any news. He wanted to text Demelza but he was afraid that he would disturb something so he resisted. The other people in the lobby didn’t seem to be getting any news either. Ross unwittingly let out a large sigh, and the others looked at hiim and started laughing at him. “This waiting is killing me! Patience never was my forte’,” Ross explained.

Finally the personnel manager of the orchestra came into the waiting room, and all eight musicians stood up.

“Good afternoon and congratulations to all of you,” the personnel manager spoke with a very posh and deliberate accent . “Everyone played beautifully and gave the committee a difficult task at choosing the cellist who will be moving up into the sixth chair of the BBC Orchestra. Fortunately for all of you, the committee came to the conclusion that it is not necessary to hold a second round of auditions. So if you will all follow me out onto the stage for the announcement. The screen has been removed.”

They all walked out onto the stage in a line, with the personnel manager standing just to the side from them. The committee was still seated in the auditorium however they had moved closer to the stage. More waiting. Demelza felt like she was in a beauty pageant with everyone lined up to see who was going to win Miss Congeniality, Runner Up and First Place Winner.

Then all of a sudden it was over. He had announced the winner of the audition. She didn’t hear her name, so she thought she didn’t win, but the manager announced the winner by their number they pulled out of the bag at the beginning of the day. So she just stood there while everyone looked at her and started congratulating her. “What did he say?” Demelza asked. A familiar voice said, “Demelza, he called your number!” Demelza was still in a daze, “What? He called my number?” Another voice said, “Yes, Demelza! You won the audition! You did it!” She felt tears on her cheeks and she turned to look at the personnel manager, “I won?” “Yes Demelza, you won the audition! Congratulations!” the posh man told her. She covered her face with her hands. She just wanted to collapse and cry but she didn’t dare do that here. She turned to hug her friends from the orchestra. She couldn’t believe it! It was only one chair, but in this world it meant a lot because opportunities to move up don’t come along very often. Finally they were all dismissed, and they went back to the waiting room to collect their belongings and their instruments.

Ross! She thought. She turned and ran out to the lobby to find Ross. Ross spotted her running to him and he rushed out of his chair to meet her, “Demelza!”

Demelza started yelling, “I won! Ross, I won!! I did it!” She set her cello case down and all of her bags and jumped into his arms! Ross picked her up in his arms and twirled her around! You would’ve thought that she had won that beauty pageant. But this was much better than any beauty pageant. “I knew you would do it, my love!” He could hear and feel her body tremble so he set her down. Ross was just beaming at his beautiful cello player. “I’m so proud of you, Demelza! Are you crying? What’s wrong?”

Demelza shook her head yes. “Aw baby, I love you,” Ross said as he pulled her into his chest to wrap his arms around her like he was protecting her from the big bad world. He let her take a moment to cry and get herself together. The other family members had congratulated them quietly as they left the lobby. Finally Demelza felt all of that stress leave her body. She was still shaking a little bit but it wasn’t as bad as it had been. Ross pulled her to sit down on one of the hard chairs. He wiped the tears from her cheeks, and gave a bottle of water which she quickly sucked down.

He was rubbing her back, “Feeling better?”

Demelza cleared her throat and wiped her mouth, “I don’t suppose you have a flask on you?”

Ross laughed out loud, “No, I’m sorry love, that’s one thing I forgot to bring. Are you ready to go home? Or maybe go someplace and get something to eat? Are you hungry?”

“I am hungry. I should call Caroline and let her know.”

“Alright, where do you want to eat? Hmmm? Please no Chinese,” Ross teased.

Demelza smiled at him, “No, I’ll let you choose. I can’t make any decisions right now.”

Ross was helping her on with her coat, “Right. Let’s get you and your cello into the car, you can call Caroline and invite her and Dwight to come along for a celebratory meal. How’s that sound?”

She leaned up and kissed him, “Lovely. Oh we should call Drake and Michael and invite them along as well.”

“Good idea. Can’t forget them now can we,” The couple walked to the car. He loaded up the cello and noticed Demelza just leaning up against the car. He wrapped his arms around her again. She was still trembling but not as badly as before. “Come on, let’s get you in the car and warmed up,” Ross opened the car door and Demelza climbed in.

Ross got in and started the car up. He noticed Demelza was kind of quiet and dazed. “Hey, babe you alright? What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

Demelza looked up at Ross and shrugged, “I um, I don’t know. I just feel kind of numb. This doesn’t feel real, you know? Bloody ‘ell Ross, I should be shoutin and screamin for joy and all I want to do is just… “ Demelza started crying.

Ross pulled her in for a hug, “Aww darlin. Come here,” he started rubbing her back. “Do you wanna just go home? Hmmm? Would that make you feel better?”

Demelza was wiping the tears away, “You probably think I’m so stupid acting like this after I just won the competition. But yeah, I think I just want to go ‘ome. Maybe pick up some soup along the way?”

Ross tilted his head while he was listening to Demelza speak. He loved it whenever her Cornish dialect crept in. “Oh Demelza, there’s no way in the world that I would ever think that you’re stupid. I think that maybe you’re just overwhelmed by everything. Hey, how about I pick up some of that broccoli cheese soup that you like from that deli on the corner to take home, alright?”

Demelza sighed, “That sounds wonderful. Thank you.”

Ross kissed her on the temple, “Of course.”

*************************

While Ross was in the deli, Demelza texted Caroline and Drake that she had won the audition, prompting Caroline to call.

“Congratulations! That’s wonderful!” Caroline enthused.

“Thanks! It’s a bit surreal now that it’s over, but I’m very excited,” Demelza replied.

“So is there going to be a celebratory dinner tonight, or a party?” Caroline asked

Demelza cleared her throat, “No, at least not tonight. I’m, kinda tired. I don’t know, I just feel weird Caroline, I don’t know what my problem is. Ross was all set to call everyone and go out for dinner, but I would just rather not. Do you mind?”

“No of course not, it’s your decision. Are you alright Dem? Do you need to talk?” Caroline was concerned about her friend.

Demelza could feel a lump in her throat, “I don’t know what it is Caroline. It’s kind of like the let down the day after a holiday or something. Look, I’ve got to go, Ross is coming back with our take away. I’ll let you know if I decide to have a dinner or something, alright?”

“Sure, call me anytime if you just want to gab. Love you Dem.”

“Love you too Caroline!”

Ross got in the car with the food, “Hey, was that Caroline?”

Demelza smiled, “Spot on. You know Caroline. She was wondering if we were going to have a dinner or a party. I told her that if I decided to have something that I’d let her know.”

Ross nodded his head, trying to read Demelza’s mood. “Right, so I’ve got a couple pints of the soup so we have plenty, some sandwiches, some crisps and some of those brownies that I know you love.”

“Oooo that sounds delicious! Let’s go home so we can eat,” Demelza said.

**********************

Ross and Demelza were sitting in the living room eating their soup and sandwiches.

Demelza was enjoying her sandwich, “Mmmm this is so good. I haven’t had a Reuben sandwich in such a long time. I forgot how much I love these sandwiches!” Ross smiled and wiped the dressing from the corner of Demelza’s mouth.

Seamus barked at the couple waiting for them to drop any food. The dog was rolling around like he was doing tricks for food. The couple was laughing at the dog.

Demelza sighed and leaned back on the couch, “Judas Ross. I’m so sorry for acting like an idiot.”

“Will you please stop it Demelza! You are not acting like an idiot! Bloody fucking hell will you just look at what you’ve accomplished today. I am so very proud of you. I just wish that I could’ve heard you play. So at the next rehearsal do you move up officially? I don’t know how this works,” Ross replied.

“Right, yes, tomorrow night I’ll move up, and then after a couple of concerts, if I do alright and they’re happy with me, then they will offer me a contract. Then everything will be official,” Demelza said.

Ross had this weird look on his face like ‘duh’ and raised his hands.

Demelza furrowed her brows like Ross does, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Demelza, don’t you see? That’s the reason why you’re not jumping up and down and celebrating! You just said it yourself. It’s not official until after a couple of concerts, and they offer you a contract! Oh darlin, I totally get it. You’re afraid that you’re going to jinx yourself if you celebrate too soon.”

Demelza got this shocked expression on her face, “Oh my gosh you’re right! Bloody ‘ell, I didn’t even think about that. Bullocks, what a relief! For a minute there I was thinking that there was something wrong with me!”

Ross pulled her in for a hug, “Oh honey I’ve told you, that you’re fine. I love you so much. So how about after you sign your contract with the orchestra, we will have a little get together then to celebrate. How’s that sound?”

Demelza pulled away, “That sounds perfect. How come you know me so well?”

“Ohhh that’s easy, because I love you so much. You’re intelligent and funny. I admire your tenacity, your courage, your strength. You are amazing, and I. Can’t. Wait. To be your husband.”

Demelza climbed up on Ross’s lap and nuzzled into his neck. Ross hissed, “Aaand there’s your cold nose again!”

*****************

If you would like to hear Demelza’s audition piece, Buknik Concert Etude #4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbD4AANhATo

Shameless! I can’t count how many times I have heard this song sung either by Garth Brooks or by Billy Joel himself. But I guess I never really understood what the song meant until I started reading the lyrics when considering it for the title of this chapter. The chapter is about Demelza and her audition, but it also how far Ross is willing to go to take care of Demelza, to make life easier for her during her week of getting ready for the audition. He’s a bank guy and grew up in Cornwall, he doesn’t know anything about classical music so he feels helpless in how to help Demelza. His secretary Jenny doesn’t even understand the way he is behaving. Demelza unwittingly has turned his life upside down. He had been a womanizer previous to Demelza in order to prevent himself from being hurt again. The song Shameless talks about how a man is shameless in his love for his woman. But is Ross really shameless in his love for Demelza?

Well I’m shameless when it come to loving you

I’d do anything you want me to

I’d do anything at all

And I’m standing here for all the world to see

There ain’t that much left of me

That has very far to fall

You know I’m not a man who has ever been

Insecure about the world I’ve been living in

I don’t break easy, I have my pride

But if you need to be satisfied

I’m shameless

Baby I don’t have a prayer

Anytime I see you standing there

I go down upon my knees

And I’m changing, I swore I’d never compromise

But you convinced me otherwise

I’ll do anything you please

You see in all my life I’ve never found

What I couldn’t resist, what I couldn’t turn down

I could walk away from anyone I ever knew

But I can’t walk away from you

I have never let anything have this much control over me

Cause I worked too hard to call my life my own

Yes I made myself a world and it worked so perfectly

But it’s your world now, I can’t refuse

I never had so much to lose

I’m shameless…shameless

You know it should be easy for a man who’s strong

To say he’s sorry or admit when he’s wrong

I’ve never lost anything I ever missed

But I’ve never been in love like this

It’s out of my hands

I’m shameless, I don’t have the power now

But I don’t want it anyhow

So I’ve got to let it go

I’m shameless, shameless as a man can be

You can make a total fool of me

I just wanted you to know

I am shameless

Shameless

****************************

#modernpoldark #aidan turner #six sentence sunday #poldark #demelza poldark #work in progress #eleanor tomlinson

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kanthonyficrecs · 2 years

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Masterlist: Modern AU (L-O)

updated 4/29/24

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leave the light on by folklauerate Rating: G Status: Complete Summary: Kate needs a place to stay. Anthony has a few spare rooms. Things quickly get complicated.

Leaving on a Jet Plane by WaterlilyRose Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Kate and Anthony both have individual fights with their families. And drunkenly make a decision. If their families think they can do so much better than them - have a go!

Lights Out by RosesAtDawn Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: A weekend break in the country is just what Kate needs. A ‘no boys allowed’ trip to take her mind off her busy life and demanding family, that is until fate intervenes and deposits on her doorstep millionaire playboy and Formula One driver Anthony Bridgerton.

Like a (tree)House on Fire by folklauerate Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Kate is a Fire Captain, Anthony is an idiot, and Gregory and Hyacinth commit some mild arson in the interest of setting their brother up

Like a Comet by DoodlingAwaits Rating: G Status: Complete Summary: A little Kanthony family modern AU fic

like a hurricane by Moomin_94 Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: Anthony is (arguably Kate thinks) the world's biggest musician and Kate is his stylist

Like I See You by lookingforthestars Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: All Kate wants is some satisfying, uncomplicated pleasure. What could be more uncomplicated than Anthony, a very discreet professional who is excellent at phone sex?

Lockdown by Stars_of_Kyber Rating: NR Status: Complete Summary: Anthony and Kate Briderton's family was having a relatively easy time with Lockdown. And then Mary Sharma, a nurse working in the front line of medical care, got admitted to the hospital and Kate's pregnancy test comes back positive. Anthony must find a way to hold his wife and children together as they navigate these complicated times.

Long Weekend by Anonymous Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Two strangers meet, drink, vent, and then they...

Looking like that, you’ll open some wounds by lookingforthestars Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: The look he gives her as he hovers above her is full of lust and something else that Kate is not brave enough to wish for. She claws at his shirt, desperate to feel his warm skin under her hands. Desperate to keep this encounter shallow and meaningless so she can’t be disappointed.

Lost & Found by Destroyedrecord Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma were childhood sweethearts, until the day Anthony mysteriously disappeared. 10 years later, Kate is a lawyer and Anthony works for the government, and their paths keep crossing.

lost in your current like a priceless wine by folklauerate Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: It becomes a thing. “My treat, kitten,” He says, sliding into the booth at Turtle Bay, and sliding her a gin and tonic. Perhaps it’s wrong. Perhaps she shouldn’t like it. Perhaps she should figure out some sort of boundary, some sort of something. But she doesn’t. She likes it. (an age-gap au but they're both professors so is it really that bad)

Love Doesn’t Burn by magicalmenagerie Rating: E Status: WIP Summary: Anthony is trying to forget his past. Kate is trying to remember as much as possible. They’re both too young to know what they fall into is not love. Until much later, they finally do.

Love in an Elevator by handsaresilent Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: Kate and Anthony get stuck in a lift.

Love Sick by penny_loaf Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: While investigating a string of disappearances, paranormal investigators Kate and Anthony get infected with a mysterious aphrodisiac.

Made To Be by LadyKettleChips Rating: M Status: WIP Summary: Kate Sharma had always been a little pest, ever since the first day his kid sister had introduced her to the family. It was inevitable that they wouldn’t get along, not when they were in vastly different stages of their lives. Anthony Bridgerton was a stick-in-the mud and her best mate’s oldest brother. Easy to annoy and fun to mess with, he was her #1 target, but also a person she could rely on. And then life got in the way, and they grew up.

maybe i'd like you better if you took off your clothes by orangesslices Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: Kate hates the student council president for many reasons, namely because he's a self-important jackass who won because his name is on a building. She hates it even more when she has to ignore those little inconvenient sparks of something (anger, probably) when people start insisting they need to get along.

meet me at midnight by euphoriapotion Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: “Are you always this rude to people you don’t know?” he asked. “Are you always so entitled, expecting everyone to bow down to you?” she snapped back.

Meet Me at Midnight Series by BumbleBee823 Rating: G Status: WIP Summary: When Hyacinth finds out that her brother Anthony’s girlfriend Kate also likes Taylor Swift, she suggests a slumber party to celebrate the release of Midnights. So now, it’s a girls’ night in - plus Newton - full of bonding and some reflections on love and relationships.

Meet Me Under The KISStletoe by Persephonepages Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: It's Violet Bridgerton's annual Hearts and Flowers soiree and Anthony Bridgerton is in hell. Anthony has a crush on Kate. Kate is in denial about her feelings for Anthony. Colin thinks they should be the first to try out his invention, KISStletoe.

meeting you was a happy accident by lovesickhoneybee Rating: G Status: Complete Summary: Anthony's blind date stands him up, but Kate overhears and decides to step in and act like his date.

messy as the mud on your truck tyres by Moomin_94 Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: Seven years ago Anthony broke up with Kate over the phone and they went their separate ways. Until she comes home for Christmas, and then all bets are off

Mile High by Moomin_94 Rating: M Status: WIP Summary: Kate and Anthony are two people who absolutely should not be looking at a relationship right now. If only they could stay away

milk and honey by cutebutvirgo Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Kate and Anthony decide to stay home for Edmund's first New Year's Eve.

Miss Sharma Goes To Washington by doodlingaway Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Kate Sharma is an upstart progressive U.S. Representative from an immigrant family in Brooklyn. Anthony Bridgerton is a moderate Republican Senator from a family that’s been a cornerstone of New York politics for generations. They might share a constituency, but that seems like the extent of what these two rivals-across-the-aisle have in common… or is it?

Missing Connections by juniper5x5 Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Anthony and Kate meet on a train during their morning commute, and start to become obsessed with each other

Modern Omega by folklauerate Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: coworkers who argue x only one bed x omegaverse

More beautiful than anything, even the ocean by girlinaregencynovel Rating: NR Status: Complete Summary: Kate and Anthony have been together for a little bit. Just some cutesy fluff about Anthony getting a boner around Kate and her helping him

most eligible by firstglances (amalin) Rating: E Status: WIP Summary: In 1814, when a man was in urgent want of a wife, there was the Marriage Mart. Over two hundred years later, there is reality television. Or: the Bachelor AU no one asked for.

my daddy warned me about men like you by folklauerate Rating: E Status: WIP Summary: Anthony and Kate have an affair. It turns into something else entirely.

my hand was the one you reached for by Moomin_94 Rating: M Status: WIP Summary: Anthony Bridgerton watched his mother after his father died and told himself he'd never put anyone through that. Which is why he kept Kate at arm's length and told himself he was doing this so he never hurt her only himself

my heart was never pure (you know me) by thesunwontset Rating: T Status: WIP Summary: Kate Sharma has hated Anthony Bridgerton ever since he pushed her off the swings when they were little, and now she doesn't quite know what to do with that pull under her skin that emerges whenever Anthony walks into a room.

Neon Moon by thanksmilla Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: Modern au where they’re on a date, he’s smitten and she thinks he’s an uptight ass.

nights like this by Moomin_94 Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: Kate's going to show her (very) recent Ex Boyfriend exactly what he's missing out on. Or she would have; Had she got the right flat

No one Dies from Love by lookingforthestars Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: In which Kate becomes convinced that Anthony is a serial killer, but really he just has terrible brothers.

Not a Father's Day by folklauerate Rating: G Status: Complete Summary: Five times Hyacinth wishes Anthony a Happy Father's Day + one time she doesn't

nothing good starts by Moomin_94 Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: Anthony Bridgerton is a cocky little shit who needs to be taken down a peg. And Kate Sharma's the woman to do it OR The Formula 1 AU that one (1) person wanted

Obsession by Mx Kate B Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: Unhappily married, Anthony reluctantly joins a family weekend getaway. Things take a turn when Gregory walks through the door with his new girlfriend, Kate Sharma.

Of Meddling Mamas by dreamchaser31 Rating: NR Status: WIP Summary: A blind date set up by Violet and Agatha turns out exactly as neither of the unwilling participants has planned.

Of Vexation and Paintings by sheswalkinginbeauty Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: She is a hardworking art conservator. He is... a Bridgerton. They're both born filthy rich. They're both insanely stubborn. And they're both award-winning, world-class idiots. Kate Sharma had never wanted things for herself. With the exception of this one lost masterpiece. If only Anthony Bridgerton could keep his perfectly, manly, beautiful hands off it.

Office Hours by folklauerate Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: “Kate, my TA, will be distributing the syllabus,” Professor Crane said to the lecture hall, nodding towards the back of the room before busying himself with his laptop, pulling up his own copy that was then projected on the large screen. Anthony turned in his seat towards the back of the room. That was when he saw her.

Offside by Moomin_94 Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: The very last place Kate thought she'd end up when she graduated medical school was Manchester City FC but she's here now, and it would be a lot bloody easier if Anthony Bridgerton would actually listen to her

On the Way to the Wedding, You might have some bruises (and a few scars) by LoveIsStrong Rating: M Status: WIP Summary: What happens when Kate and Sophie go to Aubrey Texas for their best friend Daphne's wedding.

one time thing. by bemusedbicycle Rating: E Status: Complete Summary: “Katherine,” he whispers, horrified. “Have you not had good sex?” A modern AU where Kate has not had good sex and Anthony, out of the goodness of his heart, decides to give her the good sex.

one week (and some change) by lilimariposa Rating: M Status: Complete Summary: Anthony's in love with Kate but doesn't know it till after he asks her out. Kate's in love with Anthony but doesn't know it till she says yes. She thinks he asked for a favor. He thinks she thinks he asked for a favor. Probably, nothing could go wrong. (Enter: exasperated friends who have papers to grade and other things to worry about.)

operation: barista (snitches get stitches) by starkswinterfelling Rating: T Status: Complete Summary: All of the many combinations of the Bridgerton group chats, as they're all back together in their home town for a week and (attempt to) stir up a plot to get Anthony and the barista together.

Outside Working Hours by WaterlilyRose Rating: E Status: WIP Summary: Anthony and Kate may work together but a little harmless fornication couldn't do that much harm. They were grown-ups after all. No-one would get hurt.

#masterlist #modern au #modern au l-o

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londonchauffeurservice · 8 months

Link

#LCS #LondonChauffeurService

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gunmetalgrey · 1 year

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so you want to interact with Alex?

What are you looking for? PLEASE NOTE IT IS UNLIKELY ALEX IS UNDER HER OWN NAME, SEE THIS POST FOR ALIAS NAMES.

ILLEGAL WORK - known as M or MORAN Alex will accept work as a thief, gun for hire, getaway driver or sniper. Depending on her training in the verse this can be adapted as needed, although she never acts like she is the one carrying out the job on the first interaction. She will work as an assistant or fixer, acting like she has someone else carry out this side. If you want double Morans, this is where she would like Sebastian take over. If not, then she’s going to get her own hands dirty and generally not take the credit unless she has to or the employers finds out. It can be up to you how long she manages to keep this rouse up, usually not too long if she’s in their regular employ. It’s more for one off jobs. INFO ON FEES AND PRICING // INFO ON HER SKILLSET

LEGAL WORK - known as ALEX ENFIELD She will take legal work as a bodyguard or private security to fill gaps as needed. Her resume talks about her service and qualifications. She will pretend to be an assistant or regular company worker as needed to hide her skillset, which is sometimes required depending on what the client wants.

PARTYING - LIKELY USING AN ALIAS She’s a self destructive party girl, and can often be found in bars or clubs looking to burn off steam. She’ll try not to give a name at all, but most places she frequents she defiantly has a reputation.

HOBBIES - LIKELY USING AN ALIAS She loves to run, she can often be found running in the parks around Islington/Highbury/Finsbury as needed. She’ll spend time in gyms and kickboxing classes occasionally, this is where she’s on her least guard.

HOME - known as ALEX Alex lives near Upper St in Islington, and that’s her local area. Most of the bars she spends time in are in east London or over in Camden but sometimes she’ll go for a drink closer to home.

MI6 - ALEX TAYLOR/MORAN Alex takes a deal with MI6 for immunity, in which she earns 00 status.

PRE-ESTABLISHED

SCHOOL - known as PETYA or ALEX MORAN Alex went to primary school locally in Southwold and her first secondary school there too till she turned 13. At 13 she left to go to an girls' boarding school on the outskirts of London, so this would be a great place to know a tiny hellraiser! I imagine there’s a boy school attached if your muse went there, or maybe she just used to sneak out to local pubs underage and met your muse there. It’s pretty suburban but she’d start off going by Alex there, your muse might even know her under her birth name. She’s pretty scary as a teenager and has a bit of a reputation...

UNIVERSITY - known as ALEX MORAN She attended St. Andrews in mainverse, and was on a whole bunch of sports teams so if your muse knew her from varsity or a loose uni connection that would totally work. She also used to play in a band as a bass player for a short while.

ARMY - known as MORAN She has three main army roles, she starts out with R ANGLIAN 1ST (C COMPANY) and stays with them for four years. In this time she’s pretty settled, probably the nicest she’s ever going to be. Both her brothers are in the army too, so if you don’t know her through her service maybe your muse knew them? She moves in her fifth year into UKSF, so special forces with the SRR. This is the only unit in the British that allows women on the front line. Her first role is as a specialist driver for a year and then she transitions out of that into a reconnaissance/rescue and recovery role with counter terrorism. If your muse was a spy/MI5 or 6/CIA/GCHQ/NSA then this would be easy enough to figure out a connection!

FAMILY Thomas Moran has served both in the House of Commons (As MP for Islington North, Shadow Education Secretary and Labour Whip) and is currently in the House of Lords (As Labour Whip) so if your muse has political connections they would know her name. If they don’t they might have seen him int he news a few times, especially during the Brexit coverage. Her sister is a barrister with the European Court of Human Rights and your muse might know her from there. Please note Alex tends to cut contact with her family form 24 onwards.

#( info : details )#( about : headcanon )

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minicabairport · 2 years

Text

Five tips to booking a better trip with Liverpool Heathrow airport transfers in London

How can you make sure that your vacation goes smoothly if you need any Heathrow airport transfers to and from your hotel, or to a number of sporting events near Emirates or Wimble Stadium? If you ever have any airport transfers in London, online, you may not be aware the meet and greet of your driver is free.

If you do choose a professional company that offers the use of one of their London chauffeurs to get you around town to sightsee, shop, or celebrate a birthday, here are five questions you should ask of a company that offers both Heathrow To Liverpool Taxi and other airport transfers in London.

§ If my flight is late, can I still get a transfer? – A professional company provides certified and licensed London airport minicab. It may allow a certain time after your flight that they will wait, in case your flight is late. You do not have to pay extra if you are late because of a late flight. You should call the company - which you have arranged the transfer with - if you will be later than a half hour.

§ Do you accept plastic? – Some companies offer Heathrow airport minicab will only accepts cash. Others will take cards. You should ask before you try to book a transfer and realize your wallet is empty.

§ What are some of the benefits if I book a luxury car online? – It does not matter if you are book a vacation or you are in London for a little business and pleasure. Our discreet black cars and minibus, driven by trained London chauffeurs, can get you where you need to go. You do not have to pay an extra charge for luggage or hand luggage, unless a passenger or their party goes over the luggage limit and another car must transport their luggage.

§ Can you get me to my destination easily? – All our drivers provide airport transfers in London and they each have satellite GPS. This technology ensures that your driver will not be late to get you where you need to go in the city.

§ How soon do I need to make an online reservation? Many companies require passengers to make their reservations weeks to months in advance. However, some professional companies that provide London airport cab and transfers to other airports and seaports allow reservations with only a 24-hour notice. Pick a professional company that allows worldwide booking and it offers instant confirmation. The latter may give you piece of mind - you do not have to worry that you do not have a car booked.

Britainnia airport transfer provide a professional and exclusive luxury limousine or executive car hire with driver to private and corporate events such as VIP transfers, business meetings, conference, seminar, private tours, celebration, sightseeing, airport transfer, and cruise transfers. They provide value for money complementary travel, in a comfortable and efficient style, anywhere in UK. But, they specialize in our transfer of passengers to and from Bristol to Heathrow Taxi and from Bournemouth to Heathrow Taxi. Whether you travel on business or pleasure, they will be able to provide the right service for you.

Some Quick links:-

Heathrow To London MiniCabRide Transfers

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Minicab from Heathrow To Euston Station Transfer

Transfer From Heathrow to Luton Airport -Get Cheap Prices

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#Bristol to heathrow Taxi #Cardiff to Heathrow Taxi #Bournemouth to heathrow Taxi #Norwich to heathrow Taxi #Exeter to heathrow Taxi #Birmingham to Heathrow Taxi #Heathrow to Gatwick Taxi #Manchester to Heathrow Taxi #Edinburgh to heathrow Taxi #Gatwick To Heathrow Taxi #Heathrow To Liverpool Taxi

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ohmyeyesmyeyes · 3 years

Note

hi, i just wanted to say i loved your charles oneshot :) i was wondering if you could do an enemies to lovers w/ daniel ricciardo? thanks!

DANIEL RICCIARDO ONESHOT

TEMPORARY STRANGERS

( WARNING: swearing, alcohol, blood/injury, little bit of fluff/angst? )

word count: 5.4k

< this is my attempted version lol >

You’d debated whether or not to go to Theo’s party. For one, it was on a Thursday night, which, in itself, was rather tragic for a party thrown for an adult because surely he had to have thought that most people would be working on a Thursday night? Secondly, you had an early shift at the hospital in the morning, so you weren't sure if staying at a party fit for Blair Waldorf for a couple of hours was entirely worth your presence.

But, after a persuasive conversation on the phone — in which Theo spent the majority of it begging you to make an appearance — you’d caved and now you found yourself standing in the middle of a kitchen sipping on a lemonade, expertly avoiding everyone’s eyes and wondering why you agreed to come in the first place.

The apartment was a large, luxurious one, decked from head to toe in pricey decorations and with an open-plan layout. You even had half the mind to compare it to what you imagined a Royal Palace looked like.

In other words, it was big and incredibly tasteful and fancy, in the most annoying way possible.

Then again, Theo did own a successful Estate Agency, which specialized heavily in selling buildings in the centre of London. The money pooled from that spoke for itself, and it also meant that since university he’d met people in all aspects of his work, all of which looked like they’d been invited to his party, which unfortunately meant you didn’t know anyone, and the couple that you did, you had absolutely zero intentions of actually talking to them.

The guests themselves were glamorous, dressed to the nines and decked with expensive watches and jewellery, and you felt out of place wearing your best dress with your favourite high-tops and a blazer.

On another note, the lemonade and food were delicious. It was almost as if he’d hired a private caterer and then shoved them out of the back door before people started arriving.

“You know, I didn’t think you meant it when you said you’d come.” A smooth voice knocked you out of your reverie, and you whirled around, hastily swallowing the lemonade when you noticed the familiar blonde that you’d befriended in uni.

“I didn’t think I did either if that makes a difference.” You replied, biting the inside of your cheek as Theo rolled his eyes, making his way around the kitchen island to place a couple of collected empty glasses near the sink.

“Well, are you having fun?” He asked, leaning back against the counter next to you, his shoulder judging yours teasingly.

You hummed, narrowing your eyes, “Not as much fun as when you crashed my Grandparents party and scared away the boy they tried to set me up with, let’s just leave it at that.” You breathed a laugh, swirling the lemonade in your cup as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing.

“Oh, I haven’t had that much fun in ages.” He said, his attention turning to the other partygoers in the near vicinity, his eyebrow raising as he spotted someone trying to sneak one of his clocks into their bags without being caught. It didn’t work; they saw his gaze and turned a suspicious shade of red and pretended as if they’d simply been admiring the thing before walking away.

Theo cleared his throat, adjusting his tie.

“I think I’m just gonna…” he trailed off, his finger pointing in the direction of the culprit, an apologetic look in his eyes. You nodded, breathing a short laugh in understanding.

“I think I’m going to head out anyway—”

“Oh, please stay.” He held out a hand, silently begging for you to stay.

You hadn’t seen each other in at least a couple of months because of clashes with schedules, and it was getting to the point where the odd texts and phone calls and video calls were starting to feel more like a chore than a privilege. You had been close friends for the best part of ten years now, and you were still close, but adult life was more difficult than you expected trying to balance relationships and work.

You breathed in deeply, eyes flashing around the guests, accidentally catching the eye of Daniel and flicking your attention back to Theo hastily.

“I’ll stay for now but I’m going home in an hour, I have an early shift in the morning.” You promised, offering a small smile as Theo nodded, returning the gesture before disappearing into the throwing of people.

It wasn’t long before you were approached by an unfamiliar face. She was — like all the other people in the room — dressed nicely, and she stumbled slightly in her heels, almost running into you.

“Oh, shit, sorry about that.” She muttered, and you could smell the faint, bitter scent of alcohol on her breath, indicating that she wasn’t completely sober.

“Oh, it’s no problem.” You reassured, asking if she wanted something else to drink, seeing as though you were standing next to the drinks table and the fridge.

She shook her head, instead resuming Theo’s place against the counter next to you.

“Do you see that man over there?” She whispered, pointing her finger in the direction of the crowd out in the living area.

You furrowed your eyes, trying to lean slightly to make sure you could see who she was pointing at.

“I think you’re gonna have to be more specific because there’s about thirty people in that general direction.” You said, resisting the urge to laugh as the woman sighed, shuffling closer to the group and standing in her heeled tiptoes to see over the sea of heads.

“Okay, so he’s about 6 foot, brunette, curly hair…” she snuck a glance at you out of the corner of her eye to make sure you were trying to look out for the person she was talking about, “really fit and has an Italian nose.” She concluded.

You pursed your lips, suddenly feeling quite awkward in the presence of a stranger. You averted your eyes back to the pile of drinks on the kitchen island and halted your actions in searching for who could only be Daniel Ricciardo.

She noticed your reaction and gasped loudly, her hand flying to her mouth as if you just spilled the hottest gossip of the season.

“You know him.” She stated, stepping back slightly with an accusatory shine in her eyes.

“I don’t know him, I just know of him.” You lied, trying to brush the topic off as subtly as possible.

“Nuh-uh,” she said, taking your arm and ignoring the cry of protest from your lips as she dragged you away from the kitchen area and into the heart of the party, where the chatter was significantly louder, “I don’t believe that. You can introduce us.” She insisted.

You dug your heels into the floor as best as you could, trying to push away the wave of panic that surged through your veins.

“Lady,” you started, ripping your arm out of her iron grip, “I don’t know him.” You reiterated.

“If you don’t know him, how can you know of him?” She enquired snarkily, arching a perfectly plucked eyebrow in your direction.

“How can you not know of him?” You returned, shrugging. Her face remained blank, and it occurred to you she really didn’t know who Daniel was. “That’s Daniel Ricciardo. Formula 1 driver for McLaren this year.” You told her, straightening out your blazer uncomfortably, unaware of the eyes on you from the other side of the room.

“Formula 1? So he’s, like…a millionaire?” She licked her lips,sultry eyes slipping over the crowd and fixating on who you assumed to be Daniel.

You cringed, resisting the urge to turn your nose up at her. You suddenly regretted telling her about his career because even a blind man could see that his money was the main thing on her mind at that moment in time.

You neglected from answering her question, instead trying to slink back to the kitchen, but you were interrupted by the scuffle of feet and the sound of something shattering before an obvious cry of pain was heard throughout the room, nearly drowned out in the volume of the music pumping from the speakers.

You swivelled back around, and several people had stepped away from the scene leaving an open gap in the crowd as more people gathered around to see what the kerfuffle was.

The girl had disappeared seemingly into thin air and you were about to take the moment of peace as an opportunity to leave, but Theo’s voice called your name over the crowd, laced with urgency.

You furrowed your brows in confusion, heart pounding with anxiety at the panic in his voice. You made your way to the crowd, apologising to people as you pushed your way through to get to the centre of all the attention.

As soon as you edged into Theo’s vision, he dragged you by the elbow into the centre, pointing to the person who’s cry of pain was heard over the music.

Blood was dripping from a deep gash in the palm of their hand, and the person in question looked a little pale, holding their hand up above their head, a permanent wince etched onto their face. Despite that, they looked rather uncomfortable with all the attention, and it was this that caused Theo to turn to the crowd and usher them away.

“I have a first aid kit in the bathroom.” Theo informed you, and you wasted no time in helping the injured person raise their arm higher above their head, guiding them through the crowd with a secure arm around their waist.

“A cut on my hand doesn’t hinder my ability to walk, okay?” They tried, shifting out of your grip.

“No, but if you pass out, it hinders my ability to patch you up.” You retorted, hurriedly passing your glass of lemonade back to Theo.

The person let a weak, sarcastic huff pass their lips, but they let you guide them to the bathroom, keeping an eye on the blood dripping down their arm and creeping into the sleeve of their blazer.

“Toilet or tub?” You asked, kicking the door shut behind you and casting a weary glance back at their hand.

“Depends on the context.” They answered.

You rolled your eyes, settling them on the toilet and quickly rifling through the sink cupboards, locating the first aid kit with ease.

“I’m gonna need you to take off your blazer.” You said, never imagining that you’d say those words to Daniel Ricciardo of all people.

Your relationship with Daniel was weird to say the least. You first met at — surprise, surprise — Theo’s party a few years ago. You’d gotten along swimmingly, perhaps a little bit too well, and it was safe to say he was incredibly charming and cursed with good looks. You were quite good friends, actually.

Until one day he pulled a face at you when you approached him at an award’s evening of some sort. You’d got no idea what happened to elicit such a negative reaction, or any idea on what you could have done, but he’d sneered at you and turned around, making conversation with the person next to you. He’d never explained why, but ever since that day he’d ignored you as much as possible, and it wasn’t exactly hard not to enjoy his company when he was so obviously disgusted with your presence.

Maybe it was the fact that you only managed to snag one piece of cake that night.

“You want a striptease? At least take me out for a date, first.” He muttered, pressing his lips together in obvious discomfort as he peeled his blazer off, being cautious of the blood. “I don’t even know why you’re bothering with this anyway, I’m fine.” He insisted.

You perched yourself on the edge of the bath, placing your bag on the tiled flooring and zipping open the first aid kit.

“Dan, you’re dripping blood…you’re clearly not fine.” You muttered, carefully rolling his shirt sleeve up past his elbow, ignoring the fact that this was the first time in a long time you’d been this close to him. Ignoring the fact that he looked positively fine in a suit, minus the blood.

He let out a shuddering breath, closing his eyes and shifting uncomfortably under your touch.

You turned his hand over, assessed the gash and winced, trying to ignore the tingling, uncomfortable sensation mirrored on your own palm as your eyes ran over the gash. It ran the width of his palm, and it didn’t take a genius to notice that it was quite deep in some places.

“Can we please be quick?” He sighed, his other hand smoothing out non-existent creases in his dress trousers.

You hated to admit it, but his words stung.

“Can you at least pretend like you don’t hate me, for fifteen minutes at least?” You said, an unintentional fierceness to your tone, one that you’d tried your best to dial down in his presence, but it seemed to no avail.

“Only if you do the same.” He muttered, and you took the liberty of ignoring his comment, reaching to fish an antiseptic wipe from the first aid kit, gently dabbing at the edges to clean off some blood so you could see the extent of the damage. You flexed his hand, ignoring his hiss of pain as the cut stretched slightly.

“What was that for?” He asked, his free hand slapping your hand as he fought to take his cut up hand out of your grip.

You opened your mouth in surprise, the skin on your own hand stinging slightly with the sudden contact.

“Don’t slap me! I’m trying to make sure you don’t have glass in it, you twat.” You said, shaking your head, “Which it doesn’t, by the way, so you’re welcome for checking.”

“How did you even know to check for glass?”

“Because there was broken glass on the floor?” You answered, applying pressure to the wound and lifting his hand a little higher again.

He huffed, turning his face away from you, so he was facing the wall, his lip curling into a sneer.

You rolled your eyes, “What did you mean when you said ‘only if you do the same’, anyway?” You murmured, keeping one hand on the wound and reaching to the floor to pick up your bag and unclip the front.

He narrowed his eyes, watching you root around in your bag for something, and he was about to say something, before he was interrupted by a knock on the bathroom door.

“Everything ok in there? Everyone still alive?” Theo’s muffled voice echoed into the room.

“We’re fine.”

“Yeah.”

Daniel grimaced, brown eyes burning through the door as if he was trying to send a telepathic message to Theo through the door.

“Good.” Was all Theo said before the full sound of his shoes against the wooden veneers could be heard on the other side of the door.

You hummed in delight, producing the very thing you were originally looking for in your bag.

“Haribo?” Daniel asked, raising his brows expectantly.

“To get your blood sugar levels up, you’re still pale.” You answered, ripping open the packet, and just as you were about to pour the sweets into Daniel’s outstretched hand, you paused, recoiling.

“What?” He asked, noticeably frustrated that he wasn’t scoffing the sweets.

“Why don’t you like me?” You questioned, biting on the inside of your cheek anxiously as he stared straight at you, his face expressionless.

He was quiet for a while, and you almost told him to forget you even said anything because the simple question looked like it hit home, but he opened his mouth, quickly closing it again. He looked at you from behind furrowed brows, apparently confused by your question.

“Why don’t I like you?” He repeated the question. “Why don’t you like me?”

You gaped at him, your cheeks flushing with irritation at his words.

“I don’t—I never—” you sighed in frustration, the hand clutching the packet of Haribo clenching unconsciously as Daniel looked at you with mild concern, “Why the hell would you think I don’t like you?”

He blinked, casting his sights back to the wall, ignoring your eye contact.

“Theo told me you, and I quote, ‘hate me’,” he answered, swallowing roughly as you continued to stare at him.

His discomfort under your gaze brought a sick sense of satisfaction, but at the same time you were having difficulty wrapping your head around what he’d just admitted.

“Theo? My Theo?” You clarified, arching an eyebrow.

He nodded.

“When did he tell you that?” Your heart was starting to hammer in your rib cage, the power of which was almost painful to endure.

“When we went clubbing a while back,” he shrugged.

“Why would he—?” You muttered, before turning back to Daniel. “Are you sure he said that?”

“Positive.”

“So you’ve been so hostile towards me for months now, all because of something someone else said to you in a dark, loud club when you were — let’s face it — probably drunk?”

Daniel sucked in his cheeks, now realising how there would have been so many chances for misunderstanding in such an environment.

“Yes…” he replied, dragging the word out slowly, trying his best to take his mind off the way your grip on his wound was slowly increasing.

“I never said I hate—”

“So…you don’t not like me?” He interrupted, his eyes wide.

“No…Yes…I don’t know how I’m supposed to answer that, but I never hated you.” You said, ducking your head down at his intense glare, instead turning your attention back to his bleeding hand, carefully peeling off the gauze to take a peak. You suddenly remembered the scrunched up packet of Haribo still clutched in your grasp, and you shoved it in Daniel’s direction, not bothering to even look at him when he took it, humming quietly in thanks.

He didn’t know how to respond to that, the revelation sending his mind spinning about a hundred different directions.

He was mad at Theo, even if what happened wasn’t entirely his fault, but he was mostly mad at himself for not even bothering to try to talk to you and hash it out. The months he spent trying to ignore you were completely miserable, and the worst part is, he put you through hell without even giving you any reason, and all of that ignorance was not even worth it…that is, if what you said was true.

“Oh.” Was all he said, taking to watching you strap up his hand after telling him he (thankfully) didn’t need stitches, but he did need to rest it for a while, which was probably for the best because the F1 Summer Break was currently in full swing.

Once you’d put the soaked gauze in the bin and tidied everything away to how you’d arrived before the bloodbath ensued, you stood up, brushing nonexistent dirt off your dress, and offered Daniel a rather confused smile.

He bit his lip in thought, your eyes unconsciously zipping to his mouth, before steering your gaze back up to his eyes when he caught you, raising his eyebrow slightly, a pale shade of pink tinting his cheeks as he fought back a smirk.

You turned away, looking at the door, which was very much tempting you at that moment in time.

He cleared his throat once he’d noticed your attention flicker away from him, and it was only then he registered he practically craved you to be looking at him. Whenever he was at functions with Theo, he would always unknowingly search for you, even when he thought you hated his guts, he’d still scan the crowd of unfamiliar faces in the hopes that he’d see you again.

He chewed on the inside of his cheek nervously, feeling your eyes on him. It was as if he’d suddenly melted into a teenager again right beneath your eyes. He cleared his throat again, sinking back against the toilet in an attempt to make himself smaller at the revelation he’d just arrived at.

It was weird, seeing him so shy when he was naturally such an outgoing character.

You found a part of your brain secretly admiring his flustering, but you quickly shut that down, reminding yourself that you shouldn’t be having those thoughts, especially since you’d just had to mop up a slice on his hand.

“I think I’m gonna go grab a drink and join the fray.” You said, hating the way your voice sounded so small against the echoing walls of the bathroom tiles.

Daniel snapped his eyes to yours, holding them intently, slightly alarmed at your words.

The last thing he wanted was for you to leave him; call it soppy, but he wanted to make up for lost time as soon as he possibly could, and he knew there would be very few opportunities considering both your careers were so demanding.

“Um…” he cleared his throat, “Yeah, I just want to say, thanks for all of this.” He gestured down to his hand, and you smiled.

“No problem. Just…stay away from broken glass for a bit and you should be fine.” You mumbled, words not registering in your brain as Daniel breathed a small laugh, looking utterly starstruck and sad at the same time.

“I’ll try my best.”

You offered one last smile, checking you still had your bag, and without another word you slipped out of the bathroom door, hearing the handle click behind you.

You could still hear the thumping remnants of the party in the next room, and without really caring who you bumped into along the way, you made a beeline for the kitchen, filling up a plastic wine glass with the nearest spirit and downing it as quickly as possible. You wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, immediately feeling guilty because of the early shift, and hurried to fill the glass back up with water, trying your best to dispel the effects of alcohol before they even had an impact.

It seemed to work.

Your head was spinning, unrelated to the liquids you’d just absorbed, but because of the bathroom fiasco that had just occurred only moments prior.

You were that caught up in your own thoughts, trying to separate fact from fiction and thought from feeling, that you completely missed the very brunette on your mind stride past the kitchen and into the living area, looking like a man on a mission as he tried to seek out Theo.

It didn’t take him long, he just had significantly more trouble trying to shake off a blonde that refused to let go of his arm, and he found Theo leant against a table, looking worn out, his mind absent from reality.

In the time it took for you to patch Daniel up, it looked as if Theo had faced a war and somehow escaped.

“You okay?” Daniel asked, hand clapping into Theo’s shoulder in an attempt to bring him back to reality.

He jumped, immediately relaxing when he registered just who was standing in front of him.

“I’m fine, but if that…person over there takes another step towards my Grandma, he’s not going to know what hit him.” He answered, finger pointing at a rather suspicious looking man.

“I don’t see a Grandma anywhere.” Daniel pointed out, slightly concerned.

Theo rolled his eyes, as if he’d had to answer the question a million times already, “She’s the purple one on the mantelpiece.” He muttered, taking a swig of whatever was in his glass.

Daniel nodded, feeling guilty for even bringing up the topic, but the completely detached behaviour from Theo was giving him a hard time in focusing on what he actually came over to do.

“Sorry about that, mate.” He apologised, breathing in deeply.

Theo shrugged.

“Anyway, does Y/N still have the same phone number or did she change it?” Daniel questioned, attempting to pretend like the question wasn’t that big of a deal by shrugging and avoiding making eye contact with Theo, but the raise of the eyebrow and curious, piercing blue stare proved that his attempt was futile.

“I knew you still liked her.” Theo chuckled.

“Am I that transparent?” Daniel quipped, pressing his lips together in a tight line.

“Only for me.” Theo grinned, patting Daniel’s cheek.

Daniel pulled a face, swiping Theo’s hand away.

“But no, she’s still got the same number. Why’d you ask?”

Daniel shrugged, already backing away, attention flickering around the room, once again searching for something — the action of which didn’t go unnoticed by Theo, who positively cackled inside, “Just curious.”

“If curious means ‘I-fucked-up-with-a-really-good-person-big-time-and-I-need-to-make-it-up-somehow-before-I-ask-her-out-for-real-this-time-instead-of-practicing-it-in-the-mirror’, then, whatever you say.”

“That was ages ago!”

“People don’t forget!” Theo yelled, smirking in triumph as Dan disappeared around the corner, no doubt searching for you.

You were sitting on the cold, stone steps outside the apartment building, your phone in your hand and debating whether or not to call a taxi or walk home before it gets too dark.

Your thumb was hovering over the call button to your local taxi when the building doors slammed open, the sound of shoes slapping against the concrete as a tall figure leapt down the last three steps, running a hand through their curls in frustration as they looked left, then right, and sighed, reaching into their jacket pocket to produce their phone.

You couldn’t see their face, only the back of their head, but you’d recognise that figure anywhere.

You looked down, your heart stuttering at the sudden buzzing of the phone in your hand.

You narrowed your eyes, resisting the urge to laugh at the hilarity of the situation, and answered the call, lifting the phone up to your ear, your eyes fixated on the pacing figure on the pavement, watching him from your spot at the top corner of the stairs.

“Hello?” The person asked, sounding a bit breathless through the phone.

“Hi.”

“It’s Daniel...Ricciardo.” He winced at his own awkwardness.

“I know. You’re still saved in my contacts.”

“I am?” He replied, tone laced with shock.

You were almost embarrassed to admit that you’d held onto a little shred of hope in thinking he’d eventually get over himself, “You had a paddy with me, remember?”

“About that, I’m really sorry. Like, really, really, really,really, really—”

“I get the idea.” You sighed.

“No, I don’t think you understand how sorry I am for it. It was so insanely stupid of me to stop talking to you because of something I thought I heard in a club — a fucking club of all places — without even thinking of talking to you—”

“Why didn't you talk to me?”

He was silent for a while, and you noticed he’d halted his pacing on the pavement. “I know it sounds like I’m making up excuses, but I really thought you hated my guts, and that...it hurt because I kind of had a bit of a crush on you and I pushed you away because I think a subconscious part of my mind thought that if I did that then it would be better in the long run because I wouldn’t be so attached to you if something went weird later on.” He explained, his voice lowering and quieting towards the end, as if he’d just understood what he didn’t understand.

“That’s...a lot to unpack.” You murmured, noticing the way his shoulders had slumped.

“Yeah...we don’t have to do it right now, though.”

“No, I agree, I think we’d need a nicer place to sort though our emotional struggles than outside Theo’s apartment building.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit weird — what?” He caught himself, spinning around on his heels.

You offered a shy wave once he’d tilted his head in your direction, realising you’d been watching him talk to you the entire time.

“I was looking for you.” He said once he’d hung up the phone, meeting you halfway on the steps.

“Why?”

“Can I walk you home?” He resorted to asking.

_____

The journey home took about twice as long as it usually would, and by the time you’d both made it onto your street, night was beginning to creep through, the sky changing to a darker blue, street lamps beginning to turn on.

The conversation flowed remarkably easily, albeit there was a noticeable hesitance in dancing around that subject, but you pretended not to notice it, and you had a feeling Daniel was trying to do the same.

He kept glancing at you out of the corner of his eye, almost disbelieving of that fact that you were in front of him, even after what he’d put you through, and he had to keep catching himself to ensure you didn’t notice him looking.

You did.

“So, how are you feeling about going back after the Summer Break?”

He stifled a smile, “I don’t know why, but I have a really good feeling about going back. You know what? It has to be those Haribo’s.” He breathed a laugh.

“What? I hand out magic Haribo?” You smirked, shaking your head in disbelief.

“Yep.”

“No.”

“You say that now, but you’ll take it back when I get a podium.”

“When you do win, just don’t go around telling everyone about my magic Haribo.”

“Oh, the Haribo are reserved for me and for me only. It won’t have the same effect if you give some to Lando.”

“I’ll just take your word for it, I guess.”

You breathed a laugh, coming to a halt on the pavement, the familiar house standing to your left.

Daniel looked up.

“I thought you had a Fiesta?” He asked, pointing to the blue Hyaundi parked on the driveway.

“I’m sorry, is my car not up to the standard you’re used to?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow teasingly in his direction.

“Oi, I’ll have you know that I learnt to drive in a — I can’t even remember what model it was, but I do remember having to really press down on the brake…and the air con was broken.” He defended, throwing his hands up as if to say he was surrendering.

You bit your lip, “I learnt to drive in a Mercedes.”

His reaction was priceless.

“A Mercedes? You learnt to drive in a—wow.”

“It was just the company car, I didn’t really have a choice.”

“Still…wow.” He paused, feet tapping the pavement agitatedly, “I have a proposal.”

You met his eyes, unable to help feeling slightly anxious by the prospect.

“Go on.” You encouraged, crossing your arms tightly.

“If I win a GP…wait—can we make a deal?” He asked, throwing his hand out.

You nodded.

“If I win a GP, I get to take you on a date.” He offered, raising one eyebrow but somehow maintaining eye contact.

“But…what’s in it for me?” You smirked.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes, “That’s so rude…but, okay…I take you to Monza, and if—when I win a GP, I get to take you out. For my own sake, I’m gonna pretend like I will win one because I don’t know what I’ll do if I don’t.”

“You’ll win one.” You stated simply, shrugging.

“What makes you so sure of that?”

“Because you’re Daniel Ricciardo, when have you ever not been successful in a car?” You asked, pulling a face as if it was obvious from the get-go.

Daniel didn’t say anything after that. He just sort of looked at you, twisting his mouth up in thought. You couldn’t tell what was going through his mind at that moment in time, but you had a sneaking suspicion he was trying to believe your words.

“You really believe that?” He finally said, a hint of what sounded like insecurity laced in his tone.

“You don’t?” You shot back, your heart breaking slightly at his demeanour.

“I never left.” He mumbled under his breath, turning away from you slightly with furrowed brows, seemingly having a conversation with himself.

You knew those words would stick around in your mind for a long time.

But there was something so addictive about ‘Daniel Ricciardo wins the 2021 Italian Grand Prix’.

#daniel ricciardo #f1 #f1 imagine #f1 oneshot #driver x reader #daniel ricciardo imagine #daniel ricciardo oneshot #mclaren #daniel ricciardo x reader #enemies to lovers #f1 fanfiction #fluff #angst

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soyouthinkucanwrite · 3 years

Text

The money thing (part 1/2) - Daniel Ricciardo

It's always the little things, isn't it? The smallest stupidest things make almost no difference and then make all the difference in the world. They make everything special, but they also have the power to tear everything appart.

You and Daniel fight about money for the thousand time and he's had enough of it.

Warnings: super angst, but with a happy ending :)

Guys, this turned out WAY BIGGER than I expected, so I'm just gonna do a part 2, okay? Okay, thanks for understanding!

Song that inspired me: A list by HVOB

You and Daniel had been dating for a couple months now, having met through a common friend and hitting off almost instantly. You lived in Amsterdam and he, well he lived all over the world really, but his "time off" (meaning not racing) was spent between Monaco and London (for work), and Amsterdam now too, of course.

The changes were small and subtle at the beginning, like your weekends being spent traveling to meet him wherever in the world he was and consequently spending almost all your savings on plane tickets. You never complained to him (you planned on spending the money traveling anyway, so you didn't see the point), but didn't accept when he offered to buy your tickets, either. There's been some awkwardness around the subject but it usually died on its own.

*beginning of flashback*

"You’d have gotten here in time if you'd gotten the early flight like I told you" you remembered him saying that time you got in the paddock after the qualifying session had begun and couldn’t kiss him good luck.

"Baby, I told you. It was crazy expensive! Absurd even!"

"(y/n) for god's sake! What are we saving money for? I told you, you have my credit card number, I've offered to get you one, this is ridiculous, I can't believe I literally earn millions and my girlfriend wasn't there with me because the ticket was too expensive! I'll fucking fly you private if I have to!" he was almost yelling in his driver's room. You could only stare from the corner.

He took a deep breath running his hands through his hair. "Sorry. It's just... it was crap out there. I needed you" you grimaced at his words.

"Sorry. I really am..." you tried to approach him. "I'm here now?" you touched his arm. "It can't have been that bad, you're still on the top 10 and we both know what you can do from the 8th car..." you smiled at him.

*end of flashback*

He started to spend much more of his time off with you at your place, so you decided to get a place by yourself (having a roommate was great for company and splitting the rent, but having a roommate there while you guys just wanted some much-needed privacy was not working). Then there were more traveling to meet him, furniture for the new place, clothing for all the events (GPs or not), uber rides here and there... all of that without mentioning that you weren't being able to get the freelance jobs you used to get to make some extra money, so yeah, to say things were tight was an understatement. You tried to do all your shopping alone, so he wouldn't offer and you wouldn't refuse or be awkward about it, but Daniel seem to be glued to you whenever you were in the same city (not that you’re complaining).

The thing is, you always had trouble dealing with money. Sure, you liked to pay for your own stuff so as to not owe anything to anyone (especially boys), but it was so much deeper than that. Ever since a kid, you hated asking for money from your parents, and sometimes even the thought of buying stuff that was a bit more expensive made you sick. You couldn't explain why, you just felt guilty having so much and knowing that most people have never even seen that amount. It's not that you didn't want to spend it and save for the sake of it, you just didn't handle the idea of money very well. Needless to say, dating a millionnaire was bound to cause trouble in the relationship for you.

You were currently at his place in Monaco. It was the summer break and you had decided to spend some days just chilling at home, just the two of you - which you were glad since going out means hair, makeup, clothes, accessories, shoes... and, let's be honest, the kind of places he usually took you is not the kind of places you just throw something together last minute (the Instagram models and other driver's girlfriends looking you up and down were enough to make you think about spending money you did not have to hire a stylist or something like that). The whole situation was really stressing you out and you knew you would have to be honest with him eventually, instead of only dodging the subject and refusing most of his offers to pay. You tried to. You kind of tried. You suggested staying at home, in bed, most of the time, and he gladly agreed, but that strategy wasn't gonna work forever. You had to be honest with him. But at the same time, you knew what he was going to say and do, and the thought of him spending money on you, even if just by handling the restaurant bill, wasn't something you were much more comfortable with. Besides, it was only a matter of time before the "gold-digger" term starts to fly around in the small world that was the F1's.

You were laying on his couch, the Olympics playing on the TV but you were too busy overthinking the money thing to pay attention. Daniel was laying with his head on your lap, absently caressing your thigh and watching the TV. His phone went off and he moved to pick it up.

"Hello?" you watched as he answered the phone. "Hey mate, how's it going? Uh nothing, we're just chilling at home. Getting some rest... Yeah, I'm getting rested, you dirty-minded son of a bitch" you rolled your eyes while he laughed out loud on the line with someone. "Yeah, I know... the 19th is it? No, it's fine. Yeah, yeah. I'll be there. Alright, mate. Thanks for calling. Have a good one! Bye!" he hanged up and leaned in to peck you on the lips.

"Good news?" you asked him.

"Not really. Just wanted to kiss you" he shrugged, smiling. You smiled back and hugged him, pulling him in for another kiss. He was always so caring with you, always finding an excuse to kiss or touch you. You knew some people didn't like it, but you loved it. Physical touch was definitely one of your love languages.

"What's happening on the 19th then?" you asked him once you guys set apart from the kiss.

"Gotta be in London. Gonna run some testings and other boring race stuff..."

"Hum..." you hummed in understanding.

"You know what would make it less boring though?" he asked and you just looked at him, you already knew what he was going to ask you and it wasn't that you didn't want to spend every minute of the day with him, but you simply couldn't afford any more traveling, especially not in such short notice. "If you came with me. Huh? What do you say? A week in the Queen's land? Then we can fly together to Spa and after the race, I can go with you to Amsterdam. The next one it's the Dutch GP anyway, I'll just get there sooner" he laughed. It was crushing you, the man of your dreams was literally beaming at making plans with you, talking about spending the next few weeks glued together and you couldn't say yes.

"Dan, I have to work" you smiled sadly.

"Can't you work from distance? Or, I don't know, I mean... I know it's tiring, but you could come to London and fly home a bit early, then just meet me in Belgium?" great, his solution includes even more flying. And the thing is, you really didn't mind the flying. You always slept during the whole thing anyway, so you never got tired and the jetlag was minimal. You could work from distance, sure. Your boss wouldn't mind, as long as you got there eventually to check in on everything. But the whole logistics were just too expensive. There was no way you could afford it.

"I... sorry, I don't think I can" you said sadly and watched as his face dropped.

"That's fine, baby. I get it. I'm asking too much, all this traveling... don't worry about it" he tried to mask his emotions but you knew better. He knew you could in fact work from distance, so he was probably thinking the reason you couldn't do it was because you didn't want to.

He got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. Meanwhile, you couldn't help but bury your face in your palms. This was so frustrating!

"You wanna go for a run or something? Maybe get something to eat?" he called from the kitchen, already moving on from the subject. You knew this whole thing was only gonna keep build up till he got tired of your excuses or you blowing up, probably the former, but you just keep going.

"Yeah, sure" you answered, getting up from the couch.

You and Daniel were both very active so going for a run, hiking, riding bikes, or whatever in the middle of the day was really routine for you. The Monaco summer weather was as beautiful as always and the sun was shining bright. You enjoyed the rest of your afternoon racing each other, kissing in the harbor, and just taking in the views, spending quality time together. Money wasn't even a thing in your bubble for a while.

"I'm getting hungry" he said on the way back home.

"Me too, and I'm super hot. I could go for a juice or something right now" you were all sweaty from the running, but you didn't care, he was too.

"You're always hot baby, I don't think juice gonna help with that" he grinned at you and you just rolled your eyes at him.

You passed by one of his favorite spots for food, nearby his place and he suggested getting some take-out, to which you agreed.

"Green juice, and a chicken wrap?" you tried to decide while the both of you waited in line.

"I'll never understand how you drink that"

"I've seen you drink that too, it's actually very refreshing"

"Because I'm forced to, I'm a high-performance athlete baby. But I'm on a break, so I'll have a coke, thank you very much" you laughed at him. He was holding your hand and tried to kiss you, wrapping his arm around you, you didn't dodge his kiss, you would never, but still laughed at the fact he wanted to kiss the sweaty mess you were right now.

"I'm gross, only you" you laughed.

"That's my baby, with no makeup she a ten" he rapped shrugging and grinning.

"Alright Lil Wayne, I know that one, don't even finish the verse" you laughed at him, making him laugh out loud, getting everyone's in the restaurant's attention.

"It's true, though"

"Sure..." You just shook your head smiling. Then you heard someone call his name.

"Hey! Daniel!" you both turned around to see Charles and Charlotte sitting in a corner, him waving at you two. You had met Charles a couple of times before but never spoke too much to him. They seemed to be leaving anyway, so they walked towards you guys, instead of towards the door.

"Hey mate, how's it going?" Daniel greeted him with a handshake. "Hey, Charlotte! You know (y/n) yet?"

"Hi! I don't think so, hi! How are you?" she greeted you smiling.

"Hi! Nice to meet you. Hi, Charles!" you said.

"Hey, (y/n). You're keeping him in line during the break? Char won't let me cheat my diet either" he laughed.

"Oh, that ship has sailed long ago! Daniel will just roll into the paddock if it's up to him" you laughed back.

"Hey! I think I've earned the right to some extra calories, we've been working out extra hard lately" Daniel said waving his eyebrows suggestively, making Charlotte giggle, Charles rolls his eyes and you go even redder than you were from the actual workout, while he just laughed out loud.

"I don't even want to know" Charles said. "Always great running into you mate" he was getting ready to say goodbye.

"Are we seeing you guys tomorrow?" Charlotte asked you.

"Tomorrow?" you asked her.

"Stefano's birthday" she said like it was obvious. Stefano Domenicali was the President and CEO of Formula 1, but you didn't know that yet - still, her tone made it seems like it was someone Daniel knew, so you just looked at him. He just rubbed his neck, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh, wait. Please tell me I didn't just said something I shouldn't" she looked at Charles.

"No, no. He invited me. Us, actually" Daniel reassured her. "I don't think we're going though, forgot to mention to you" he said looking at you.

"Uh mate, I wouldn't skip that if I were you. He didn't even invite all the drivers I heard" Charles said. "Maybe just stop by to say hello?"

"Stop by... a yacht... at the sea?" Charlotte said grinning at him. Daniel looked at you.

"You feel like going? It should be fun" he asked you.

"Sounds fancy... I mean, I don't mind if you go" you said.

"Common... I’m not going alone" he nudged you.

"I don't even have anything to wear, Dan" you told him.

"Oh! We can go shopping together!" Charlotte said and you had almost forgotten they were still there.

"Perfect!" Daniel answered for you. You could only imagine the types of stores she shopped.

"Tomorrow morning, then? Daniel can text your address to Charles for me? I'll pick you up!" she was being really nice about it.

"I thought you wanted to go today?" Charles said.

"That's when I thought I would have to go shopping with you, so I could use the extra time since you're the worst shopping partner ever!" she laughed at him.

"Burn!" Daniel laughed.

"His fashion taste is not the most reliable, let's face it" she laughed and kissed his cheek. "It's a date then (y/n)?" she looked expectantly at you. You didn't want to let her down, it was so hard to make friends with the girlfriends of other drivers, they were usually so... not nice. You could always just help her and find something to wear in your own stuff later.

"Yeah, sure! See you tomorrow, at 10?" you said simply.

"Perfect!" she beamed.

>>> end of part 1 <<<

#daniel ricciardo #daniel ricciardo fanfic #Daniel ricciardo fluff #daniel ricciardo x reader #daniel ricciardo imagine #daniel ricciardo fic #f1 fic #f1 fanfic

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p-redux · 3 years

Note

Gloating about being an insider during a time of sadness is DISGUSTING

I'm not gloating, I'm posting INFO and FACTS like I always do...and showing restraint and discretion in not posting it sooner, and not posting the details, which I haven’t and won’t.

But you know what IS disgusting? Here’s a LONG list, and by no means, a comprehensive one, of what Extreme Shippers, Former Extreme Shippers, and Assorted Haters have done that is VERY DISGUSTING. I’ll write it stream of consciousness-like and not in order. Put your feet up and grab a tall drink. Here we go...

Click on Keep Reading

Extreme Shippers found Cait’s condo when she used to live in Los Angeles and sat outside for hours waiting to see if they saw her with Sam. ES blackmailed and coerced a minor, a 14 year old girl who was a super fan of Abbie’s sister, Charlotte Salt, into giving them info regarding Abbie and Sam. The girl was following Abbie’s locked Instagram account and could see the Sam related stuff Abbie was posting. ES won her trust, she gave them info about Abbie and Sam, they then told her if she didn’t screencap and give them the Sam related pics on Abbie’s IG account, they would tell Abbie and Charlotte that she had been giving them info. Sick doesn’t begin to describe it. ES tried to dox and did dox anyone and everyone who got in the way of their SamCait ship. Doxed, as in PUBLICLY posted, the names, addresses, pictures of their houses, professions, husbands’ and children’s names, employer names of ANYONE and EVERYONE who posted something to contradict the ship. They even posted pictures of their children. Again, messing with minors is a big no no, and usually a crime. ES created fake Ashley Madison accounts (that’s the website for married people who want to meet people to cheat on their spouses with) and pretended to be non-shippers’ husbands to try to make it seem like the husband was cheating. It got so bad, that in some cases, non-shippers had to get restraining orders, cease and desist orders, get the police, lawyers, and in TWO cases, the F B I involved. Yes, the F B I has come a knocking on a couple of Extreme Shipper’s doors because of their ILLEGAL actions. ES lured some of Sam’s girlfriends into believing they had their best interest at heart, gained their trust, and they PUBLICLY posted their PRIVATE messages. Luckily, in the case of one Sam’s ex, Abbie Salt, she later did confirm she and Sam dated, which totally negated everything that shipper had said Abbie told her. ES directly BULLIED and HARASSED fans, Outlander cast, crew, journalists, reporters, family and friends of Sam and Cait. ES contacted people’s employers to try to get them fired...literally messed with people’s livelihoods. They tried to get the Outlander drivers fired because they started posting stuff against shippers AFTER shippers turned on them. ES waited outside Sam and Cait’s residences in whatever location they were in to try to “catch them together.” Taking pics at someone’s private residence is very different than getting pics or video in PUBLIC places. For years, ES have manipulated pictures, gifs, video to sell the SamCait LIE to their gullible shipper friends. They’ve made money off selling these lies. ES have ostracized and banished any shipper friends who acknowledged the ship wasn’t real. They sent their best friend to Tony’s bar in London to try to prove he and Cait weren’t together, and when she unwittingly found out they were, they then bullied her and kicked her out of shipperville. ES created multiple hate sock accounts for the SOLE purpose of CYBERBULLYING Sam’s girlfriends and dates. Any time Sam dates a woman, ES follow the same pattern. They contact the women’s employers, parents, siblings, other family members, friends, ex-boyfriends trying to malign the women. Some examples: They pretended to have gone to high school with Mackenzie Mauzy and spread lies that she had a bad reputation in high school. They spread lies that Gia was a paid escort. ES contacted social media outlets to spread LIES about Sam and Cait and their significant others. Contacted anyone associated with Cait and Tony’s wedding trying to intimidate them into saying there was no wedding. They posted the picture of a waiter at one of the Outlander premieres and tried to pass him off as Tony to prove Tony didn’t go with Cait. ES have continuously posted pics of Cait with her naturally poochy belly trying to prove that she’s been pregnant with Sam’s children for the last 7 years. ES publicly questioned her if she was pregnant. Sam haters and disgruntled ex-shippers have spread rumors that Sam is gay. Nothing wrong with being gay, but what is wrong is spreading LIES. ES have badmouthed Cait’s HUSBAND, Tony McGill saying he was: her assistant, gay, her gay assistant, a loser, broke, boring, ugly, her purse holder, etc. And trust me, what I’ve posted above is the SHORT list.

And that’s not even mentioning what they’ve done to ME. Ever since I committed the unforgivable sin of posting source info CONFIRMING Sam and Cait were never a couple, and Cait was dating Tony, way back in 2014, this is what SamCait Extreme Shippers have done to me. Tagged me endlessly when I had my Twitter account telling me things like “Die, b*tch,” “Die, c*nt,” “You should be gang rap*d,” “Drop a house on her,” “You’re worse than AIDS,” and those are the “nice” comments. They literally BULLIED me every day, all day for YEARS. They also created hate accounts on Twitter and Instagram to mock me, parody me, and post lies about me. They were convinced they’d found my real identity (based on circumstantial evidence, which I’ve countered and can counter with the actual truth), and proceeded to post THAT woman’s FULL NAME, city where she lived, profession, reported her to her licensing board, and created a fake Twitter account pretending to be her. She got a lawyer and was able to get everything taken down, but they basically tried to ruin her life. They’ve spread LIES about me being the one harassing THEM and managed to convince over 60 dopes with disposable incomes to give them money for a GoFundMe campaign where they hired a Private Investigator to try to find me. They started a witchhunt letter writing campaign, hashtagged it on Twitter, #takebackourfandom, or some such bullsh*t, tagged everyone in Outlander cast and crew “telling” on me and even sent letters and e-mails to Starz and Sony executives trying to...I don’t know what. Hahahaha. It’s so ridiculous, my brain is scrambling as I write this. They told their followers not to believe anything I say and that I’m evil personified. ALL of that and more because they couldn’t face the FACT that their SamCait ship NEVER EXISTED and I was the one that confirmed it. When I think about it, I can’t believe I lived through all that. But I stayed because I knew I had the TRUTH on my side and that eventually it would all come out, which of course it did. And because I’m a bad bitch who doesn’t scare easily. EVERYTHING I’m referring to here is well DOCUMENTED with screencap proof. Or just ask anyone who’s been in the fandom long enough, they’ll attest that what I’m saying did actually happen, and that Extreme Shippers, Former Shippers, and Haters did do all of that.

So, Anon, when you come at me with “disgusting” things in this fandom, please refer to the above before you start pointing fingers at me.

PS. “Anon,” I’ve got your Los Angeles/Anaheim Samsung Galaxy S10e IP address tagged. So, send me another hate Ask and you’ll get blocked. And don’t bother using a VPN...once the tag is on, it follows the user no matter what IP they use. Now you know.

#extremeshippers #haters #samheughan #caitrionabalfe #disgusting #trolls #bullies #cybercrimes #abbiesalt #mackenziemauzy #missgiamarie #witchhunt #tonymcgill #charlottesalt

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ysltaejin · 4 years

Text

WINTER SPICE

Jungkook and reader spend their fifth Christmas together.

“Come here,” Jungkook let out a little laugh as he opens his arms for her to walk into; he pulls her beanie down so it covers her ears and places a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Is it always this cold?” She asks as she shivers, they’re waiting for a taxi to turn up. Jungkook insisted they get a taxi, the weather is too cold to be walking home in.

“It is always this cold,” Jungkook laughed at her little pout, leaning down quickly to give her a soft peck on her lips; not before doing a quick check to see if they’re being watched. They aren’t, but she knows the risks. “You say the same thing every year.”

“I do not,” She pouts, she sticks her lower lip out as Jungkook lets out another chuckle.

“Five years together, you think you would have gotten used to how cold South Korea could get,” Jungkook replies, he watches as the car they hired pulled up.

“You say that every year,” She giggles as she lets Jungkook pull open the door and waits for her to climb in, as she passes him she sneaks a quick kiss on his cheek as a thank you.

It doesn’t get any easier, she thinks to herself as she makes herself comfortable in the backseat of the private hire car they have (it’s not really a taxi because Jungkook is too famous for an everyday taxi) the life that has built together, have shared together is a one of constant overlooking of shoulders and standing close but not too close because they can’t bring up suspicion, can’t have the wrong person ask the wrong question because it puts so many things at risk. They are not fragile, she knows that, but it does not mean one strong push of a question that shouldn’t be asked couldn’t shake the foundations of what they achieved.

When it was twenty nineteen and they met unconventionally in a lift neither of them was supposed to be in that got stuck and bonded over the fact that maybe they both hated the winter months because really nowhere should be that cold;

“Got to respect Mother Nature though,” Jungkook spoke after a lull in the conversation.

“You do,” She nodded her head, “Respect yourself and the earth, the rest comes after.”

It just so happened that they both loved the late Summer nights, where the weather was still hot enough to enjoy outside but you could feel the autumn air creeping in. She had said it felt like she was experiencing a warm hug of a loved one she missed.

Jungkook told her six months after dating, when she laughed at that comment he heard bells ringing and that is how he knew. She didn’t really believe him at first but the more she knew Jungkook and the more she fell in love with him, the more she believed him.

“What are you thinking about?” Jungkook asks as he slams the car door shut, saying a quick hello to their driver and moving to pull her closer to his body. “You’re pouting which usually means you’re thinking hard about something.”

She let out a little snort as she moved so her head was leaning against Jungkook’s shoulder as they made their way towards the district Yongsan-gu, the Christmas lights were just starting to go up around Seoul and while Summer is her favourite for many reasons, winter in Seoul has as special places in her heart.

“I’m thinking about when we first met,” She snuggled in closer to Jungkook let out a snort of his own.

“Ah yes, in a lift we weren’t supposed to be in,” Jungkook let his fingers crawl down her arm before linking them together.

“Pancakes or waffles?” She asked the first time she held out her hand for Jungkook to hold. “Do you hold your hand with your fingers laced together?” She said as she demonstrated what she meant, locking their fingers together tightly “Or you do you hold them palm to palm.” She unlocked their fingers and held Jungkook’s hand palm to palm.

“Waffles, obviously,” Jungkook replied, quickly linking their fingers back together, “Always waffles.”

“I always feel bad,” She commented as she watched the lights pass by. November had brought a cold wind to the air this winter; there had been a national debate on what day the first snow would be, “I felt like I was keeping you from something.”

“No,” Jungkook laughed a little bit, “The only thing that made sense that whole day was you. I can’t describe it when we were locked in that lift; it felt so small and so compact but the moment you started speaking, the way your voice washed over me like a calmness I can’t describe; I just knew you were meant for me.”

“Sap,” She laughed softly before leaning up to press a kiss into Jungkook’s cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you,” Jungkook pulls her back down to his embrace, “I love you so much. Every year it gets bigger and bigger and sometimes I’m a little worried about what to do with all this love I have for you.”

She doesn’t respond, not because she doesn’t know how to but because she knows Jungkook likes to tell her that she’s it for him, it’s always kind of been the same, from their one year anniversary to now.

They’re lying together, chest to chest, watching each other as their breathing starts to slow and their bodies start to cool. She hasn’t managed to look away from Jungkook’s eyes, they’re as dark as the night sky but they shine like they have their own universe wrapped up in them.

“You’re so beautiful,” Jungkook whispers softly, he doesn’t wanna break the spell of what they have going on right now. “I love that I get to see you like this.”

“What? Hair a mess from the way you pull at it and lips puffy,” She let out a little laugh, she’s laughed more this year than she has ever before, she’s come to realise.

“No,” Jungkook shakes his head, his left-hand moves to cup her cheek, he leans down and places what can only be described as the softest kiss in the world onto her already kiss bitten lips. “You’re the softest in the mornings and just as we go to bed, when your alarm goes off you hit snooze two times because you can’t stand odd numbers, something to do with the fact you were born on an even day, you wake up so slowly”

She takes a deep breath, listening to Jungkook as he speaks about what he’s managed to notice.

“You go to bed, with the softest smile on your face no matter what day you’ve had. It doesn’t matter how long it has been since we shared a bed you’ll always welcome me back with such love and heat that it makes harder to leave each time and I know we’ve only been doing this a year and that can be a scary confession for some people but I need you to know that I think I’m in this forever.”

“Mr Jeon,” The taxi driver’s voice pulled her back out of her memories, “We have arrived.”

“Thank you,” Jungkook replied, double-checking that there is no one following them before opening the door, he quickly pushes some notes in the division of the front of the car. “Hope your night goes well.”

Once out of the car, they walk up to the lift that is hidden under the apartment building that BigHit rent for the boys. When Jungkook first entertained the idea of her moving to Seoul and living with him, he had to tell her about the living situation he was currently tied to.

“So you all live in an apartment building?” She asked as she munched on some lettuce, they were currently sitting in a restaurant in London; Jungkook had come out to visit her after finding out he had some time in between concerts.

“Yeah,” Jungkook replied, he fiddled with the cutlery that was sat in front of him trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say, “I know it is weird, seven young men living together and working together like a lot of people don’t get it.”

“It’s not weird,” She cut him off, she licked her upper lip to get the food that was there, “If you all get on well and you’re each other families then it is not weird. If it brings you comfort to be close to them and have them within touching distance, then it is not weird. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, then they are the weird ones.”

Jungkook was pretty sure he loved her even more then.

“Do you know what you’re getting the boys for Christmas?” She asked as they made their way up to the Penthouse floor, Jungkook had mentioned earlier in the night that most of them had decided to stay in and chill after a week of hard promotion for an album that comes out in a little over two weeks.

“I don’t think we’re doing presents this year,” Jungkook said as he pulled her into his embrace, moving the pair of them so she was stood in front of him as he leaned against the lift wall, he buried his face in the space between her neck and shoulders breathing her scent in for a moment, “I think it’s because we’re getting older.”

She couldn’t help the snort she let out and the little giggle after it, Jungkook was pretty sure that it was his favourite sound in the world. His arms tightened around her waist as they rode higher into the sky.

“You may be getting older but that has never stopped you from buying presents,” She commented, she pulled away as she heard the ding to signal that they had arrived.

“Jin is nearly thirty-three,” Jungkook commented as he reached down to lace their fingers together, “We should stop buying them.”

“Age doesn’t matter,” She argued as they walked into the shared space, “Presents are for all ages.”

Jungkook turned to argue but saw the room was full of people that he didn’t expect.

“Oh look,” Taehyung called out once he saw the pair, “It’s the happy couple.”

Jungkook tutted, “Please we know you’re jealous.”

“Of who?”

“Me,” Jungkook reeled off not missing a beat with their banter.

“I can’t argue with that,” Taehyung concedes quickly, winking at the girl next to Jungkook as she moved around the sofa to sit next to the second youngest. She tapped him on the shoulder as she brought her bare feet under her to keep them warm. “Where did you both go today?”

“Went for food,” She said as she opened her arms for Jungkook to snuggle into them, it took a while for her to be comfortable with physical touch, especially around other people but they made it five years into this and communication was always key with them.

“I just don’t like people touching me,” She argued, Jungkook had managed to find the one flaw Y/N hated about herself, the one this she wanted to hide from him forever, “I don’t know why I’m like this, I’m sorry!”

There were tears before she knew there were tears.

“Hey, no,” Jungkook is down on his knees and hands on her face wiping away tears before she could realise, “You do not need to say sorry, there is nothing wrong with it Y/N.”

She sobs for a few more minutes before Jungkook continues;

“I’m sorry if I was too strong with it,” Jungkook lowers his head so he can meet her gaze. “It wasn’t fair for me to push you too quickly. We’ve only been doing this for a few months. I should have known better. Should have spoken about it.”

She sniffed at his words, tears starting to slow down as she listened to him.

“Baby if you don’t like public displays of affection then that’s okay, it’s not a no for me.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” She sniffed hard, “It’s more that I’m not fully comfortable with it.”

“Well, we can start slow,” Jungkook spoke, his thumb rubbing circles into her skin, “We can go at your pace always.”

“Did we lose you there?” Taehyung’s voice brought her back to the present, he leaned over Jungkook to look at her with concern.

“You didn’t,” She smiled, eyes full of happiness as she turned to look at Jungkook, “I’m right here.”

“What are you guys doing for Christmas?” Taehyung asked the couple, he watched on fondly as Jungkook leaned further back into Y/N’s embrace.

“We’re staying here this year,” Jungkook answered, he pulled her hands around to his chest where he continued to play with her fingers, “It’s our fifth year together at Christmas and we had kind of wanted to have it to ourselves, no rushing around to find time for others you know.”

“Mum’s not keen but I can’t be bothered to fly out to England right now and a chill Christmas is exactly what we need after the dress of this year,” She replied laughing a little bit as she thought of the year they had.

“3...2...1… HAPPY NEW YEAR,” the crowd cheered around them, shouts and screams and wishes of well-being for the new year ahead. She had been standing with a crowd when she felt Jungkook pull her into his embrace.

“Happy 2024 baby,” He kissed her softly on the lips, “Here’s to another year filled with love.”

“Happy new year!” She giggled as she pulled away from him to look at him, “Can you believe this year will be our fifth year together.”

“Mmm,” Jungkook kisses her again, “Time really does fly when you have fun,”

“What do you think the year will bring?”

“I don’t know,” Jungkook confesses, “I’m not bothered, I just want us happy and healthy and full of love.”

“Agreed baby,” She leans up to kiss him “You and me forever.”

It’s not until a few months later, in the middle of March when it happens.

There’s a phone ringing that pulls Y/N out of her sleep, she rolls over with a groan and pushes her head into Jungkook chest, fingers pinching slightly at his abs.

“Baby, your phone,” She mumbles into his chest, lips grazing against his skin. “Please answer it before I launch it against the wall.”

“Okay,” He mumbled, he groaned slightly as he moved to the side to pick the object that was disturbing their peace so much. “Namjoon what the fuck have you seen the time.”

She let herself close her eyes, falling asleep at the sound of Jungkook. She was almost asleep when she heard the tone of his voice change.

“What do you mean have I been leaking information about us?” Jungkook sounded harsh, a cruelness to his voice that she had never heard before. “Neither of us has been talking to the press Namjoon, c’mon how could even ask that!”

“Hey,” She pushed herself up onto her elbows to hover over Jungkook, his eyes snapped to her as she looked at him, “Take a deep breath baby, let Namjoon talk and we will figure out what’s going on.”

“I know what’s going on!” Jungkook replied harshly, “Someone leaked out fucking pictures at Dispatch.”

“Okay,” She took a deep breath, “Firstly I will not be spoken to like that so please watch yourself, secondly there is no need to get angry at Namjoon it isn’t his fault and thirdly, okay we will deal with together.”

“I just wanted something that was mine,” Jungkook said after a moment had passed, “I just wanted you as mine before anyone else found out.”

“I’m always going to be yours, baby,” She soothed, she ran a hand through his soft hair, “Nothing will ever change that.”

“What’s on your mind?” Sammi asked as she plonked herself next to Y/N in the boys' shared living room. “You look like you’re thinking hard.”

“I’m just thinking about the start of this year,” She sighed in her reply as she moved to face Sammi, Jungkook had moved to the dinner table where food had been set out.

“Tough start,” Sammi agreed “But you both made it through and you’re here.”

“I know,” She said, she let herself move into Sammi’s space; resting her head on the blonde’s shoulder, “It’s just been such a year and now it’s coming to an end is a little bittersweet.”

“True, but it’s no 2020” Sammi replied, “No year could get worse than that.”

“I know he still gets anxious sometimes when we’re out and it’s frustrating that I can’t do anything about it.”

“Hey,” Sammi takes hold of Y/N’s hand, “You can’t think like that at all, you’re doing so much for him just being there for him and if he needs more he’ll come to you.”

“He just wants a quiet Christmas this year and that’s not like him at all,” She confessed, “He usually likes to be around either of our families and drinking too much and falling asleep on the sofa before getting up to play games.”

“I know, Yoongi was telling me,” Sammi tucked Y/N’s hair behind her ear, “But you both need a break and Christmas is such a good time to take it.”

“I just want him to be happy” She looked over to where Jungkook was eating noodles with Taehyung, listening carefully to what Jimin was explaining to them.

“And he is happy,” Sammi promised, “I have not seen him unhappy around you.”

“Sometimes I do wonder though,” Y/N admitted, as she turned to look back at her friend, “If I’m doing enough,”

“Of course you are,” Sammi confirmed, there was never any reason to doubt what Sammi had said.

“This year,” She paused, thinking of the right words to say before continuing, “With the photos being leaked and the idea that I could have been ruining Jungkook’s career and then the other idea that it could have potentially ended us as a couple, I just want this year over with.”

“Babe,” Sammi soothed as moved forward so she could look at the other girl directly in the eye, “There was no way you could have ruined Jungkook’s career, you know that deep down. Just like you also know that there isn’t anything that man wouldn’t do for you, so I highly doubt he would have ended your relationship just like that.”

“Scary thought isn’t it,” Y/N croaked, trying to keep her tears at bay, “The idea that I could have lost everything.”

“But you didn’t,” Sammi reminded her, “I would have kicked him in the balls if he let you walk out that simply.”

“You’re a good friend,” Y/N smiled at her, “I’m always glad I got to meet you.”

“Okay so you need to know the basics,” Jungkook said as he brought her into the building for the first time, “There is Namjoon, who is our leader, Seokjin the oldest, Yoongi is the second oldest, Hobi is third, Namjoon is fourth oldest but he always comes first in the fan chants because he’s the leader, then there is Jimin and Taehyung and finally me. Some of them have partners-”

“Jungkook, baby, breathe,” She said, cutting him off, she takes a hold of his face in between her hands. “Who has a partner that I need to know about?”

“Well currently at the moment, it’s Yoongi,” Jungkook replied, he looked down at his shoes before continuing, “Sammi, they’ve been together for about two years now, they do long distance at the moment which suits them fine but I think Yoongi is going to ask her to move across.”

“Do you think she will?” Y/N asked as she watched the numbers in the lift go higher and higher, nerves rattling around in her stomach.

“I think so,” Jungkook replied, “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” She smiled, the doors opened up and what she had expected to be utter calmness was absolute chaos.

“I promise you I didn’t take it!” A voice shouted as they stood by the table in the middle of the room, “Why would I take it when I could buy one of my own!”

“WHY do you do anything you do, Taehyung?” The blonde-haired boy shouted at who she assumed as called Taehyung.

“Wow” Taehyung threw his hands up in the air, “And you call yourself my soulmate.”

“Guys calm down,” A taller man walked into the room, phone glued to his hand, “Jungkook said he was bringing someone important back for us to meet and if they walk into hearing you both yell at each other it isn’t going to make a very good impression.”

“Namjoon,” Jungkook’s voice rattled through the room making everyone in the room pause as they turned to look at him.

“Jungkookie!” Taehyung yelled as he brought him into a hug.

“Okay!” Came a female voice, “I was told I might finally have an ally in this madhouse!”

“Sammi you say that like Yoongi doesn’t give you everything at a drop of a hat,” Jungkook laughed as he wrapped a hug around Sammi.

“Sammi, this is Y/N,” Jungkook reached back to pull her forward so he could make the introduction properly, “Y/N this is Sammi, funniest person I know.”

“Finally, I’ve been acknowledged as my rightful place in this group,” Sammi smiled.

“Don’t act like you didn’t text me to say that!” Jungkook laughed.

“Ah!” Sammi acted shocked, “I did no such thing.”

The laughter went on into the night and Y/N has never ever been more glad she yes to a boy she probably should have said no to.

“It’s snowing,” Jungkook said as he wrapped his arms around Y/N who was standing at the floor to ceiling windows, “That means it’s the first snow of the season.”

“And on Christmas Day,” She hummed as she turned around in his arms to kiss him softly.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly as they began to sway a little bit.

“I am,” She answered, all the worries she had a week prior had disappeared, here with Jungkook in his new apartment that he bought as a gift to her.

(“It can’t be right now,” Jungkook said as they walked around, “But it can be a someday?”

“Yes,” she cried a little bit, “It can be someday.)

They’ll eventually grow older together, children will make their way onto the scenes; their friends will have old and new loves and the world will keep on turning but for now, hidden away in the city of Seoul were two people celebrating their fifth Christmas together.

“I love you,” Y/N whispers and Jungkook would whisper his response and she will swear down to that very day that for a moment, world peace had actually been restored.

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thiswasinevitableid · 3 years

Note

87. you’re a P.I. my parents hired to investigate my fiancee and you completely ruined my engagement party with the dirt you found but I want to know all the details right now

Sternclay, sfw or nsfw, please!

Here you go! I went NSFW and set it in the same universe as this Indruck fill. The orc designs are once again inspired by @kriskukko, whose art everyone should check out

The air is grey and chilly, and his best coat is still a bit too plain for this affair, but Barclay can’t help but glow. His husband to be is using this engagement party to invite him into parts of society he’s only glimpsed from behind kitchen counters or through windows on his way home in the early hours of the morning.

He didn’t even have to cook the table of delicacies and warm punches, which is usually his entry fee into any social space not hosted by Mama or his other friends back at Amnesty Lodge.

“Are you alright my dear?” William touches his shoulder. He’s the height of fashion from the new stud in his nose to the cut of his suit. Barclay looks at their linked hands, marveling at how his tattoos and calluses contrast with the smooth, unmarked green of Williams' skin. It’s wonderful to know he can be part of such an unlikely match.

“I’m fine. I just wish Mama and them could be here too.”

“Barclay, I know you care for them, but they agreed with me that this is not a party they’d feel comfortable attending.”

If memory serves, Mama’s word choice was “enjoy” not “comfortable” but he’s distracted from this detail by the orc currently in a hushed conversation with William’s parents. His accent is American, the same as Barclay’s. He knows William has no friends or family on the other side of the Atlantic, and he’s too well-dressed to be an attendant. When William’s parents fervently shake their heads, the newcomer turns and strides across the floor, right to the happy couple.

“Mr. Cobb” he offers Barclay a slight bow, shows no deference to William, “My name is Joseph Stern. I’m a private detective hired by your fiance’s family. They hoped I would find reason for him not to marry you. I have.”

“I, I don’t understand. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

“No, you haven’t. The reason I suggest calling off the wedding is that he” Stern indicates William, “is not the least bit interested in you. He chose you because he knew his parents would disapprove of the match, which would in turn make it easier for him to call off the engagement two months from now and, three months after that, propose to his lifelong friend, Albert Rothby.”

Gasps and whispers fill the room. Barclay looks to William for reassurance but can’t find any; William’s too busy trading alarmed glances with Albert.

Stern continues, “His parents would be all too happy to accept the orc they once rejected for being from a slightly less well-off family after the shock and scandal of him almost marrying a nobody cook.”

“Hey!”

“His words, not mine.” The detective turns to the hosts, “You don’t need to pay me for my time, since I didn’t give you what you wanted. Good afternoon.”

A thoroughly baffled servant hands him his coat and hat as he exits, the room overflowing with chaotic accusations behind him. William doesn’t say two words to Barclay, choosing instead to shout at his parents. Barclay pulls off his silver engagement band, shoves it into his now ex-fiance’s hand, and storms out of the room.

He intends to make straight for the train station, hide his tears and humiliation until he’s safe under Amnesty’s worn shingles. But when he spies Stern on the corner handing coins to an errand boy, his foolish hope gets the better of him.

“How do you know?”

“Excuse me?”

“How do you know that’s really what William planned?”

Stern hails a cab, motions for Barclay to join him inside it. When they’re seated, he reaches into his coat and removes a bound stack of letters.

“Albert’s arrogant and sloppy; all it took was five pounds to get one of the maids to fish these out of his wastebasket.” He passes the notes to Barclay.

Each one he skims is like slicing his finger with a meat cleaver. Not a single piece of his personality or appearance remains unmocked by the time he’s done.

“I was just a game to him.” He stares at William’s signature, the same one that dots a pile of letters he’ll burn when he gets home. When he looks up, Stern’s face is full of sympathy.

“I considered not saying anything. That even if the engagement ended, you might be able to tell yourself it was a true love that wasn’t meant to be. But the longer I trailed you...I saw that you deserved better than being a pawn in someone else's trivial chess game. I offered his parent’s the chance for me to have the conversation in private; they doubled down on their insistence that you must be secretly awful to have lured their dear son to you. Ruining their party seemed fair.”

“I guess.” Barclay’s lip trembles. What was it William wrote? That he was as tender and devoted as a lapdog and twice as fun to kick around?

Stern produces a monogrammed handkerchief from his pocket, holds it out to him, “I’m sorry. I know ignorance is bliss but, um, wasting your heart on someone like him strikes me as hellish.”

Barclay wipes his eyes, but the tears insist on flowing, “No you’re, you’re right, it just, I, I really thought he loved me.” He lets out a bitter laugh, “I really am more brawn than brain, just like he said.”

“No, you’re not.” The cab slows, and Joseph’s blue eyes pin the pieces of his crumbling heart together, “and even if you were every single thing he said you were in those letters, that wouldn’t justify his treatment of you. You’re a good man, Barclay” he smiles for the first time, “someone will treat you how you deserve one of these days.”

The driver announces they’ve arrived at Barclays hotel. He glances at Stern, surprised.

He opens the door for Barclay with a wink, “detective.”

-------------------------------------------------------------

Fall arrived on the first of September, meaning the business at Amnesty dwindles right along with leaves. They won’t see another flood of visitors until the winter holidays, when everyone travels up and down the country to meet with family. Barclay fills his days with work and tries not to think about how happy he was a year ago.

Dani has a cold, so he’s working the lobby counter until it’s time for him to start dinner. A chill and burst of nickel-tinted light announce a guest. When the orc approaches him, he drops his pen.

“Hello, Barclay. It’s nice to see you under happier circumstances.” Stern removes his hat, runs his fingers through his black hair, “would it be possible to rent a room here indefinitely? I’m on a case and I have no idea how long it’ll take.”

“Yeah, of course.” He pulls out the register to check which rooms are open, which would be easier if his eyes didn’t insist on flicking back to the orc in front of him. He’d noticed Stern was handsome before, in the same way he noticed the sky is blue or a piece of fruit was ripe. Now it’s all he sees; the cut of his clothes suggesting a trim, capable figure beneath, his clean shaveness showing off the angles of his jaw and cheeks. His tusks are the same size and not chipped like Barclays own. The cook wants Stern to sink them into his skin and not let up until he sobs for a kiss instead.

“Uh, here” he retrieves a key, “I can put you in number twelve. It’s upstairs, last door if you take a left.

“Great!” Stern takes the key, lifts his two bags, “thank you for accommodating me.” His gaze slows as it moves up to Barclays face, “I think I’m going to enjoy my stay.”

---------------------------------

Joseph hates the days where he has to wait for telegrams before proceeding with his investigation. It makes him feel like a dog gnawing its tail out of boredom. At least, it used to. Now that he’s at Amnesty, he’s never bored. It’s hard to be when the best looking orc he’s ever seen likes to talk with him while cleaning tables or making breakfast.

William Ashby is a fool. Joseph knew this when he watched him forgo a kind, interesting orc who was built like a god and had eminently kissable lips for the sake of some uninteresting upper class nobody. But now that he’s eating Barclays’ cooking every day, the opinion is twice as strong. No one should be able to make potatoes a divine experience, but his friend manages.

“No running around stuffy offices or abandoned houses today?” Barclay sits down across from him.

“Not until I get a telegram from that solicitor in London. Black or white?”

“White. Well, that’s good news for me, I get a chance to beat you.” He’s smiling, the firelight dancing in his eyes and off the copper in his beard. Joseph wishes he could mimic the light's path with his hands.

Instead, he grins as he lays out the chess pieces, “In your dreams.”

An hour and a half later, Barclay whoops, “checkmate” and Joseph falls even more in love.

-----------------------------------

“Barclay? Since it’s not raining I thought you might like to…” Joseph falls silent at the sight of Barclay sitting on his bed, facing the window with a defeated set to his shoulders.

“Sure, as long as we’re back before dark.” He shrugs and doesn’t so much as look over his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Joseph settles beside him, notices the handkerchief with his initials on it clutched between his hands. The tears on it are fresh.

“Nothing. Just, uh, just….this is the anniversary of when he proposed. Of when I thought someone loved me that way, of when I thought that, that...fuck, it’s gonna sound so silly.”

“You don’t have to say it but I, um, I hope you know I won’t judge you for whatever it is.”

Barclay twists the fabric, “I love my life here at Amnesty. I love Mama, all my friends, I love being a cook. But I’ve never been wealthy; Mama and I faced lots of hard times before coming here, especially when my folks died and she took me in. The Lodge does well but there’s always the fear that one day it won’t. I can be happy without fancy food or nice clothes or nights out but, uh,” he clears his throat, “that doesn’t mean I didn’t really like having them. I don’t miss him so much as I miss this feeling of being able to want without worry. Of, of thinking I’d get to do that forever.”

He lists to the side, rests his head on Joseph’s shoulder. He’s both taller and broader than Joseph, which adds to his charms, but right now the detective wishes he was smaller so he could gather him in his arms and protect him from the disappointing world. Give him what he’s missing.

An idea buzzes to the front of his mind. He rubs Barclays shoulder soothingly, “You have to go into London for some orders, right?”

“Uh huh.”

“I have to go in to deal with this case and check to make sure nothing urgent is waiting at my office. Do you want to go together?”

Barclay looks up at him, brown eyes glittering like precious metal, “I’d love to.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Barclay knows Joseph has wealthy clients; he’s starting to suspect he has even more of them than he lets on. They’re in London for two days, and every moment not spent sleeping or working is filled by Joseph taking Barclay somewhere. The meals are by far his favorite, but Joseph bought them tickets to the opera their second night. When Barclay worried he wouldn’t be well dressed enough, Joseph decided they could both do with new clothes and bought everything without blinking at the bill.

Now, Barclay is in a private box, belly full from their stop at Simpson’s and Joseph’s shoulder resting against his own. The music is beautiful, the staging intriguing, but he’s struggling to keep his eyes open, too warm and comfortable from the company and the darkness.

The port they had after dinner probably isn’t helping.

He rests his head back, let’s his eyes flutter closed. After a moment Joseph laughs softly and whispers, “A bit too full from dinner?”

“Mmmhmmm.”

“That’s okay. The whole point of tonight is for you to enjoy yourself. If that means happily lazing like a dog by a fire, that’s what you should do.”

Barclay tenses for a second, then relaxes. It’s not like when William kept referring to him as a dog; in Joseph’s voice it’s fond, like a master who knows he indulges his hound but doesn’t care.

“That’s me. Just a spoiled pet.” He murmurs.

Short claws trace across his upper thigh, “As it should be.”

His eyes flutter open; Joseph watches him in the dark, expression attentive and possessive. His fingers don’t move even a centimeter until Barclay nods. Then they finish curving over his thigh to stroke his cock through his pants.

No one can see them, but even so his eyes dart side to side before shutting once more.

“Good boy” Joseph sighs, “sweet boy.”

Barclay nods, squirms as the touches stay teasing.

“Don’t rush. We have a whole other act to go. Just keep quiet; you’re a big, sweet beast, I’d hate to have to” he presses his palm down, “discipline you.”

He bites his tongue to keep from groaning; when they’re back at the lodge, he’s going to misbehave so much.

Joseph keeps up his steady, calculated teasing, Barclay never moving past half-hard. He falls into an almost sleep-like state, feeling weightless and far away from himself yet completely safe in Joseph’s care.

Then swift fingers undo his trousers and a handkerchief wraps around his cock. He throws a palm over his mouth as Joseph jerks his hand up and down.

“It’s almost over.” The detective murmurs, chuckles when Barclay crumples to hide his face in his neck, “that’s it, be a good boy and---oh, oh good lord.” He stifles a sigh in Barclays hair while Barclay cums into the cloth, saturating it embarrassingly fast. William once compared him, unfavorably, to a centaur in that regard. Joseph simply kisses his forehead and tidies him up. By the time they exit, the only sign of their dalliance is Barclays wobbly legs.

He fully intends to return the favor, but sex-drunkeness and general exhaustion drag him to sleep before Joseph is even in bed.

Their morning is a brisk packing up of things followed by a trip to the train station. Once they’re in their cabin, Joseph looks over the notes he made during his research.

“I just can’t shake the feeling Mr. Newton is in danger.”

“Giant cursed hound will do that.”

“I’m not so sure that’s it. I’m not ruling out the supernatural, but there are elements of this that feel distinctly orcish and very much alive in their threat. I’m glad he brought that friend of his with him; were he in Beacon House alone, he could be in serious trouble.” He closes his small notebook.

“I still can’t tell if he’s more than a friend.”

“They might not know. The few times I’ve run into Mr. Newton or Mr.Cold, they seem to be in stalemate, neither willing to make a move.”

“Good thing you don’t have that problem.” Barclay winks, then realizes he might be reading the other orc wrong, “I, uh, I mean, not that last night has to mean anything.”

Joseph unbuttons his coat, “I, um, I hoped it might.”

“Thankfuck.” Barclay slumps back, “me too.”

There’s a click of the lock, then Joseph stands and begins undoing his pants, “speaking of which, it seems to me a good boy would reward me for last night.”

“Yes, oh fuck yes.” He scrambles to get his cock out, stroking it frantically as Joseph rolls up his sleeves.

“You’re so eager to please, it makes me want to give you everything you ask for.”

“Please?”

Joseph, now bare from the waist down, bends to kiss him, “Please what?”

“Please let me fuck you, let me mppph!” His moan slips straight down Joseph’s throat as he sinks onto Barclays cock.

“Ohhhhhyes, ohmylord” the tips of his ears twitch as he rocks his hips, “you feel so good”

“Y-you’re one to talk, fuck, Joseph can I touch you?”

“Anywhere you waAAnt” he tips his head back, whisper threatening to break as Barclay drops a thumb down to rub his cock. He sets his hands on Barclay’s shoulders, “we, we don’t have much time, and I do need to review more of the case before we arrive, so be a good boy and let me ride you hard and fast?”

“Yes, yesfuck, ohyeah” A laugh catches on his tongue as Joseph, his dignified, debonair detective, sets to bouncing up and down on his cock with the kind of abandon he only witnessed when he used to serve drinks in a brothel.

Joseph grins, kisses him messily as their grunts meld with the rumble of the train. Barclay glides his free hand around to grope and paw his ass, savoring how it tightens with the effort of riding, of taking Barclay again and again. Curious, he gives it a light slap, wishing he could see a little pink bloom on the green there.

“Careful, sweet boy; if anyone’s ass is getting bruised it’s yours.”

“Tonight?” He smiles hopefully at Joseph’s flushed face.

“Yes, Barclay tonight. Tonight I’ll, ohlord, strip you down, let you rut on the bed like the needy beast you are while I turn your ass tender and red before fucking it, oh, ohshit, Barclay.” He smashes their lips together as he cums, Barclay whining with pleasure at the fact that he got him there. The detective doesn’t break the kiss as he pulls off, simply uses his strong legs to keep straddling him as he jerks Barclay off with one hand and rucks his own shirt up with the other. Barclay moans helplessly as he cums in large, white droplets all up his stomach and chest.

“You’re wonderful.” Joseph kisses his cheek.

“So are you.” Barclay holds him close, giggles adoringly when Joseph starts concocting theories while half-naked and cuddled in his lap. By the time they reach home, there’s no sign of their dalliance.

Except for their linked hands and matching smiles.

#sternclay #agent stern/ barclay #meet ugly #orc au #victorian au

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multimetaverse · 3 years

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Riverdale 5x10 Recap

Bold move kissing your boss Jughead

Glen really out here trying to get to know Betty’s family better when they’re searching for her missing, possibly murdered, sister??

10 agents to search 321 kilometres of highway doesn’t sound very efficient

Extremely realistic that the FBI would task the daughter of a serial killer, whose sister is missing, with going over the tapes of her serial killer father

Gotta love how they did a 7 time jump to age the kids but they’re lives still revolve around the High School. At least this is the first Parent-Teacher night we’ve seen on the show

Does it even really matter if Chadwick doesn’t sign the divorce papers? At best all he can do is delay it

I’m shooketh that Cheryl called Nana Rose out for acting insane. Methinks the pot is calling the kettle black

What a bizarre use of the budget to rent out the park and hire those background extras just for this scene of Jughead’s agent walking to a bench holding a hotdog

Hiram really needs to do something really evil soon. He’s becoming a parody of himself, he’s literally plotting to disrupt the fucking parent-teacher night at the high school. And why does he just have Reggie for a henchman?

Lmao he’s mining for some metal called palladium under his prison? I’m getting real Avatar (the James Cameron movie) and unobtanium vibes from this plot. Well good luck taking down the Blossoms

I sure would like to know which enemy was able to kill 10 American soldiers in a single battle. Also the Silver Eagle is a boy scouts medal lmao

Are they trying to set it up so that Hal was murdering sex workers he met off a knockoff Craigslist like the Long Island Serial killer is believed to have done?

Oh no Chad has discovered Veronica’s open and public relationship with Archie

Is Archie really trying to equate him not wanting this medal to soldiers refusing to carry out illegal orders?

Nana Rose looking at Reggie like he’s a full course meal

Tabitha can do way better than Jughead

Maple mushrooms... my god the drugs on this show

Omfg this callback to the helicopter crash. Well this scene sure seems like setup for some sort of disaster to befall Varchie

Well not surprising that the twins have issues given their ancestry and home lives

Surely Cheryl would also need to sign off on any sale of the Blossom groves

Omg we finally got some background info on the war!! Archie was in Uzbekistan! The writers might have well just have said he was fighting in Afghanistan since they just ended up picking a nearby central Asian Muslim majority country

So General Taylor might have set Archie up on a dirty mission eh?

Hahaha Glen really thinks that his dissertation on the Cooper family’s dark history is gonna impress Betty

Oh hey Uncle Frank! looks like he really did turn himself in for his crimes after all

Good on Cheryl for assuming power of attorney for Nana Rose and thwarting Hiram’s takeover

Chad is being way too chill about the dissolution of his marriage (In fairness to Chad I think a tour of London dungeons would be a great date)

Not Cheronica having more chemistry during their divorce than they did during their marriage

That’s Hiram’s big plan? A prison break at his private prison?? Even if it ‘ruined’ Riverdale it’s bound to backfire when there’s an investigation of his management of the prison!

Reggie really just started a forest fire huh

Why is general Taylor there for parent-teacher night?

Omg Charles and Chic! And Chic has hideously long hair!

Hope Alice is right that Charles and Chic aren’t gonna hurt them

I had to pause for 30 seconds to laugh, this is too good. The first gay wedding on Riverdale is gonna be between Charles and Chic! And Alice is gonna be the minister! Moments like this are why I still watch this train wreck of a show

Pretty brutal fight scene. Clearly Archie picked up some tricks while serving in Uzbekistan

Well congrats to the Charles x Chic shippers, it took a while but you got your endgame

Oh Archie, it’s not like American High Schools aren’t full of guns

Well Betty just stabbed one gay man and shot another, homophobic queen

Don’t think we needed to spend quite this much time on Jughead tripping balls

Yaaas Penelope! I love this Blossom dialogue, one of the other reasons I still suffer through this show

Kinda surprising that it took this long for Chad to be revealed as a financial crook. It’s a hollow threat however, he can still testify against Veronica if they’re still married, he just can’t be compelled to

Guess they all escaped the school?

Love that Archie is just harbouring his fugitive Uncle like it’s no big deal

Looks like god (or the devil) listened to the Blossoms’ prayers and saved Thornhill

If Hiram is so concerned about shutting down the school why not just burn it down?

Well good thing Glen and Charles survived (what about Chic though?)

Is Betty going undercover as a truck driver?

Ru-oh Raggy that blood in the bunker and no Jughead sure looks bad

Well that was a pretty good mid-season finale by Riverdale standards. Until we meet again Riverdalers

#Riverdale #Betty Cooper #Jughead Jones #Charles Smith #Alice Cooper #Chic #Archie Andrews #Veronica Lodge #Varchie #Riverdale Recaps

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londonchauffeurservice · 8 months

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#LCS #LondonChauffeurService

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pers-books · 3 years

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Letters to a Naturalist - Interlude 3

This is under a cut since it’s nearly 4k words.

Exchange of text messages a week before the Holby area schools’ half term:

Are we booking separate rooms for our weekend in London? S x

I’m happy to share if you are? Or I could book a suite with two bedrooms and then we can go from there. B x

A suite? Swanky! But that does sound like a good plan – just in case. S x

😊 Leave it to me. I’ll let you know the details. B x

Bernie had sent Jason and Marjorie Haynes first class tickets for the train from Holby to London, insisting that Marjorie accept them because they’d be more comfortable in first class given Marjorie’s almost constant exhaustion from the chemotherapy. Jason texts her at intervals during the journey to keep her updated on their progress, so she’s able to be waiting at the station with a private hire car to take them to the Natural History Museum. It’s not very environmentally friendly, but Bernie – this time – doesn’t care: she wants Jason and Marjorie to enjoy their trip and that won’t be possible if Marjorie feels too tired too early. Bernie’s also found a place to hire a wheelchair for the day. She’s not sure if Marjorie will agree to use it, but she wanted to have it available in case she does.

She and the driver, a woman in her thirties whom Bernie had chosen because she has a wheelchair accessible car, soon have Marjorie settled in the wheelchair in the back of the car, with Jason sitting opposite her and Bernie next to Jason.

“All set?” Bernie checks and when Jason and Marjorie agree, Bernie tells Zoe they’re ready to head to the Museum.

“How are you feeling, Marjorie?” Bernie asks.

“Not too tired at the moment,” Marjorie says with a genuine smile.

“Good.” Bernie looks at Jason, who’s almost vibrating in his seat. “I assume you’re excited to see the Museum, Jason?”

“I am!” he exclaims. “Can we see the Blue Whale?”

“We can,” Bernie agrees with a grin. “You’re going to find it hard to miss, Jason.”

He tilts his head and looks at her. “Why?”

“Well, it’s a very, very large skeleton that hangs from the ceiling of the Hintze Hall. You literally cannot miss it when walking into the Hall.”

“Okay.”

“I thought the central skeleton on display was a dinosaur?” Marjorie asks.

“It used to be,” Bernie assures her. “It certainly was when I was a child and when you were, too, assuming you visited the Museum as a child.”

“I did.”

Bernie nods at her. “Dippy the Diplodocus was on display in the Hintze Hall from 1979 to 2017, prior to 1979 it had been displayed in the Reptile Gallery. After 2017 it was carefully and painstakingly taken to pieces, boxed up, and then taken on a tour of museums around the country.”

“Goodness. That must be quite an undertaking.”

“It was and is,” Bernie says. “It’s seventy feet long and has nearly three hundred bones, which makes disassembling, reassembling, and transporting it a complex task. And because of its size, it can only be displayed at museums with sufficient space for it.”

“What was in the Hintze Hall before the dinosaur?” asks Jason.

“Immediately prior to Dippy, it was a mounted African elephant nicknamed George. The elephant was displayed in the main hall from 1907. Prior to that, it was a sperm whale, which was the first significant display in the hall as before that the hall was empty. The sperm whale was first displayed from around 1895. So, really, the Museum’s come full circle in having a blue whale as its central display.”

“You know a lot about the Museum,” Marjorie observes.

Bernie laughs softly, flushing a little. “Well, I’ve recorded a lot of the audios for the self-guided tours that visitors can take. Besides, I’ve been visiting since I was a small child and have given many talks there as an adult, so I’ve had several decades to learn the Museum’s history.”

“We’re here, Professor,” Zoe says from the front of the cab.

“That was quick!” Jason exclaims, sounding quite surprised.

“Yes, it’s only a short trip from Paddington Station.” She opens the door and gestures for Jason to exit first. “Hop out, love,” she says, and waits for him to climb out, then she manoeuvres Marjorie’s wheelchair out onto the pavement once Zoe’s unfolded the ramp.

“Thanks,” Bernie says with a smile to Zoe. “I’ll send you a text when we’re ready to be picked up.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Zoe promises. She folds the ramp back inside the cab, then closes the door and Bernie begins wheeling Marjorie towards the entrance, Jason walking beside them.

“Now, don’t forget what I told you, Jason,” Bernie says, “if it gets too overwhelming, you just have to tell me, and we’ll go somewhere quieter, okay?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Good lad.”

“And if you get separated, you can text Bernie,” Marjorie adds.

They’ve reached the entrance and Bernie recognises the older man who’s at the door.

“Good morning, Anan. How are you?”

“Always all the better for seeing you, Professor,” he says, his white teeth startling against his dark brown skin as he grins at them. “But it’s been too long since we have seen you here.”

“I know, Anan. I’m sorry, I was off filming that series about the wildlife of the African continent for the BBC. It’s not that long since I got back from Africa and I’ve just been too busy with University work to visit before now.”

“I understand, Professor.” He looks at Jason, who is standing very close to Bernie, his expression slightly wary, then down at Marjorie. “Good morning. It is always nice to meet any friends of the Professor’s.”

“Good morning,” Marjorie says.

“Hello,” Jason says quietly.

“This is Marjorie Haynes and her son, Jason, who is my latest protégé.”

“What’s a protégé?” asks Jason immediately.

“Someone who’s very lucky in your case, young man,” Anan says, smirking a bit at Bernie, knowing that she’ll be embarrassed by such a comment since he knows full well that she doesn’t make a big deal out of her fame.

“A protégé is someone whom an older and more experienced person takes under their wing to provide them with support, guidance and, often, training, too.”

Jason frowns at her and Bernie can guess what he’s about to say even before he says it. “You don’t have any wings.” But he’s grinning at her, so she knows that means he’s understood the phrase is to be taken metaphorically not literally.

“More’s the pity,” she says with a chuckle. “It’d make travelling much easier.” She turns back to Anan. “How busy is it this morning?”

“Busy-ish,” he tells them, opening the door and stepping through it to hold the door open for them. “The usual sort of half-term crowds.”

“Okay. Thank you, Anan.”

“You’re welcome, Professor. Enjoy your visit Jason, Mrs Haynes.”

“Thank you.”

The trio make their way inside and Bernie hopes that Jason will be able to cope with the half term crowds and that Marjorie won’t feel too exhausted, even in the wheelchair.

“Okay, fellow adventurers, it’s off to Hintze Hall with us,” she says cheerfully, and sets off in the right direction, Jason almost bouncing along beside her and his mother’s wheelchair, as if he’s six not sixteen.

Bernie smiles when she sees Serena Campbell walking towards her as she waits near the hotel where she’s booked a suite for them for the next three nights. The brunette is dressed in jeans and a short sleeved blouse and looks stunning for all her attire is casual. Bernie unconsciously licks her lips, desire thrumming through her veins. She has a fairly strong premonition that the two of them will actually end up sharing a bed, but she doesn’t mind the expense of booking a suite as she doesn’t want Serena to feel pressured at any point, even if she was the one who said she wasn’t interested in taking things very slowly at their age.

“It’s criminal, how good you look in skinny jeans,” Serena says by way of greeting, then puts a hand on Bernie’s shoulder and pushes up onto tiptoes to kiss her in a manner that will leave any onlookers in no doubt that these two women are together. Bernie doesn’t hesitate to kiss her back even though she can feel her cheeks pinking up since she’s unused to public displays of affection.

“Hello, you,” she says once Serena releases her mouth.

Serena’s smile is wide and her eyes bright with a mixture of mirth and excitement if Bernie’s any judge. “Hello yourself, gorgeous.”

“Shall we?” Bernie asks, gesturing at the hotel entrance.

“Let’s,” agrees Serena, then tuts when Bernie picks up the bag that she’s brought in addition to a suitcase on wheels. “I can manage that.”

Bernie chuckles. “I don’t doubt it,” she says. “But there’s no reason I cannot carry it for you. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do.”

Serena shakes her head, then glances at the medium-sized rucksack that Bernie’s brought. “You travel rather light, don’t you?”

“Habit,” Bernie tells her, holding out her elbow, into which Serena slides her arm, before they make their way through the entrance doors, the white-gloved doorman holding the door open for them. “You don’t want to be carrying too much if you’re trekking through a jungle or across sand dunes for days.”

Serena chuckles. “Fair point.”

They make their way to the reception desk and get themselves checked in, Bernie accepting an envelope from the young woman who’s assisting them, then they make their way to the lift and ride up four floors to the penthouse suite.

“I can’t believe you booked the penthouse suite,” Serena says, sounding rather scandalised.

Bernie smirks, one eyebrow raised. “Are you saying you don’t deserve to spend the next three days and nights in the lap of luxury?”

“Oh, no, I’m not saying that at all.”

Bernie’s smirk morphs into a full blown grin. “Thought not.” She leads the way once they exit the lift and lets them into the suite with a tap of the keycard she’s carrying.

“Wow,” Serena says, sounding awed. “No expense spared, huh?”

Bernie grins. It’s true that booking the penthouse suite was somewhat expensive, but she can easily afford it and Serena definitely deserves the best. There are vases of fresh flowers dotted around the sitting room, which is elegantly appointed in a manner that combines luxury and taste. There’s a balcony outside the sitting room’s French windows and Bernie can see a table and chairs set out with a large parasol above the table. There are also various shrubs in pots on the balcony and it looks altogether welcoming. To the left and right of the sitting room are two half open doors which lead into the bedrooms.

“Do you want to pick a room?” Bernie suggests.

“We are going to share tonight, aren’t we?”

“If you want to. But there’s no pressure,” Bernie tells her. “After all, we’ve had dinner together exactly once and exchanged a handful of letters, text messages and phone calls. I don’t want you to think that I’m not fully prepared to woo you properly.” She pulls the envelope the receptionist had given her from the pocket of her bag, where she’d stuffed it. “And to that end, do you want to pick somewhere to have dinner tonight? When I made the booking, I asked the hotel staff to put together a list of four and five star restaurants with an extensive wine list.”

Serena laughs, takes the envelope from Bernie, then wraps an arm around her and kisses her soundly, leaving Bernie aching with desire. “You know me so well,” Serena says.

“I’m going to grab a shower,” Bernie tells her.

“Okay. I’ll take one shortly. I want to look at this list, first.”

“It’s important to get one’s priorities straight,” Bernie says, deadpan.

Serena swats at her ass. “Go, shower, you incorrigible woman.”

“Okay, okay.” Bernie holds up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m going.”

When she returns from taking her shower Serena has disappeared and Bernie can just hear the shower running in the other ensuite. The list she got from reception is on the desk and Serena’s circled three of the restaurants’ names and scrawled a note – in typically almost-illegible doctor’s handwriting: “All of these are acceptable. Thought I’d pick more than one just in case even you cannot get a table!”

Bernie pulls out her phone and rings the first one on the list, only to discover they will be closed for a private party this evening. She rings the second one on the list and finds they cannot offer her a reservation earlier than 9pm, which seems a little late. The third restaurant, however, can offer her a reservation at 7.30pm and she doesn’t hesitate to book a table for two, mentioning that she’d like it in relatively quiet spot.

“Madam has romance on her mind?” asks the young woman on the phone.

Bernie snorts. “Yes, but it’s not that so much as that I might be recognised.” She swallows, then adds, “The table is for Bernie Wolfe plus one.” She is very aware of how famous she is, but she never knows if she’s famous enough for random hospitality staff to recognise her name.

“Ah,” says the young woman. “Professor Wolfe, you shall have a private table. Thank you for booking with us.” Bernie hears the sound of a keyboard being tapped, then, “Your table is booked for 7.30pm, Madam.”

“Thank you,” Bernie says with gratitude. “I’ll see you this evening.”

“We will look forward to it.”

She ends the call, then smiles when Serena walks into the sitting room dressed in just a fluffy white bathrobe with the hotel’s monogram on it and a pair of matching slippers. Bernie herself is dressed in the same fashion, more in hope than expectation that anything is going to happen.

“I’ve booked us a table at Franco’s for 7.30pm,” she tells Serena, who nods, continuing to move towards Bernie in what the naturalist considers to be a deliberately provocative fashion as her hips are swaying temptingly.

“Come here, you,” she says and grabs the belt of Bernie’s robe to tug her forward.

Bernie steps right into her personal space and bends her head to kiss Serena with great thoroughness.

“Whatever are we going to do with ourselves?” Serena asks with a cheeky glint in her eye once Bernie releases her. “After all, we’ve got several hours before we need to go out.”

Bernie smirks at her. “Well, I thought you might like to test one of the beds,” she suggests. “If that’s something that you think might interest you.”

“Definitely,” Serena says with a smirk of her own. “Be a good girl and put the card on the door, will you?”

Bernie offers her a mock salute, then picks up the ‘Do not disturb’ sign from the desk and opens the door to the suite just far enough to slip the string over the door handle, then closes and locks the door. She turns around and finds herself pressed up against the door by a very amorous brunette, who wastes no time in untying the belt on Bernie’s bathrobe, then sliding her hands over her hips.

“The very first time I saw you,” Serena says, sounding surprisingly breathless, “I wanted to snog the life out of you.”

“Is that right, Ms Campbell?”

“Absolutely, Professor.”

Bernie’s not sure why, but there’s something about the way Serena says ‘Professor’ that sounds incredibly sexy and naughty; it’s ridiculous, given that Bernie’s never had any teacher/student fantasies at any point in her career (and she’s had more than a few really gorgeous young women students). She swiftly pulls Serena’s bathrobe open before pulling her closer so that they’re pressed together, skin to warm skin, then she guides Serena so that her thigh is pressed between the brunette’s legs. That elicits a groan, a nip to her bottom lip, then Serena’s mouth is hot on her own.

When they pull apart to breathe, Bernie says, “Weren’t we going to test out a bed?”

“Yes,” Serena says and steps back, then she shrugs out of her bathrobe and allows it to slide down her arms and onto the floor. “Well, Professor, are you coming?”

“Not yet,” Bernie quips, “but I hope to be soon.”

Serena lets out a peal of laughter, then saunters towards the room where she’d showered in the ensuite and Bernie follows, pausing to scoop up the fallen bathrobe in case Serena needs it later.

She finds the bed already turned down, the slippers discarded on the floor, and the other woman spread invitingly on the bed. She quickly sheds her own bathrobe and slippers, then crawls up the bed to join her.

“Now, where were we?”

“Right about here,” Serena responds, tugging at Bernie’s body to get her to move into position.

“So we were.” She lowers her head and licks a line up Serena’s throat, which causes her to moan quite loudly. She can’t help smirking at the thought that the brunette is going to be a very vocal partner, something she personally enjoys.

Later, when they’re sprawled, spent and sated, on the sofa in the sitting room, the remains of a full afternoon tea spread out on the coffee table, Serena asks, “How was young Jason and his mother? Did they enjoy the visit to the Museum?”

“They did, although Jason was disappointed that he couldn’t get to see everything. I had to gently point out that even if his mother had been well enough, or even if he’d come with only me for company, he still couldn’t have fitted it all in as the Museum’s just too extensive for a single visit to encompass everything. I’ve promised him that we’ll make a longer visit in the summer and spend several days there.”

“And how is his mother’s treatment progressing?” asks Serena.

Bernie shakes her head. “If Marjorie makes it to the summer holidays, I think it’ll be a miracle. I lost my own mother to breast cancer when I was nineteen. She had it twice, in fact, and Marjorie, even with the chemotherapy, looks worse than my mother did the first time around.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Serena says, reaching out to clasp Bernie’s hand. “What will happen to Jason if he loses his mother? Will he go to his father?”

Bernie shakes her head. “Marjorie never told Jason’s father that she was pregnant. She’s had no contact with him since she fell pregnant in fact, so Jason’s never met the man. No, she’s appointed me as his legal guardian.”

“That’s incredible,” Serena says, looking surprised at the news. “You haven’t known them that long, have you? I thought that was what you’d told me.”

“No, it’s just a few months since Jason first wrote to me. However, since he’s sixteen I’ll only be his guardian for two years, although I’ll still be around for him even after he becomes a legal adult.” She shrugs. “It’s fortunate that I’d previously been head hunted by Holby City University and was already planning to move to Holby over the summer. If Marjorie doesn’t survive, I’ll move into the Haynes family home in order to minimise the disruption of Jason’s routines.”

“Does it worry you?”

Bernie frowns at Serena. “Does what worry me?”

“Effectively becoming a mother at our age?”

Bernie snorts. “Well, no. I have been running field trips for teenagers and young adults for schools and university courses since my late twenties.”

“That’s not the same as living with a teenager 24/7 for two years, though.”

Bernie shakes her head. “Maybe not, but Jason’s pretty easy to live with. He’s strict about his routines as a consequence of the Asperger’s, yes, but he proved to himself that he can cope with his routines being disrupted by coming on that camping trip with me. He’s kind, smart, and capable, and luckily for me and for him, he already likes me, so I don’t doubt that we’ll cope. It’s not like I’m being left to look after a six year old. The only thing that really concerns me is how he’ll cope with the loss of his mother since they’ve been each other’s world for sixteen years. The fact that I lost my own mother to breast cancer isn’t quite the same since I still had my father and three older brothers, not to mention various cousins, aunts and uncles.”

“Perhaps he and Ellie could meet,” Serena suggests, sounding tentative, as if she’s not sure Bernie will find the idea acceptable.

“It couldn’t hurt,” Bernie says with a smile. “Thanks.” She leans over and kisses Serena, intending to keep it brief, but the brunette has other ideas as she quickly discovers when Serena straddles her lap.

Bernie sees Serena off at Paddington on Monday morning with the promise that they’ll speak on the phone during the week and arrange a weekend visit to Holby soon, during which Ellie and Jason can meet each other, assuming that both children agree to meet the other. She’ll broach the matter with Jason when he rings her on Wednesday after he gets home from school: it’s become a part of their weekly routine, now, that Marjorie goes into the hospital for her chemotherapy treatment after Jason leaves for school on Wednesday morning and he rings Bernie in the afternoon once he returns from school.

As she heads across London from Paddington to Victoria Station to get the train back to Chatham, Bernie contemplates the prospect of another trip to Holby with satisfaction. Serena’s invited Bernie to stay with her, rather than book into a hotel, which is an enticing prospect. She rather thinks Serena might be ‘The One’ – the person she’d like to spend the rest of her life with. She’s not sure how that’ll work out with regards to her guardianship of Jason, but she hopes introducing him and Ellie to each other will help in that respect. She hates herself, a bit, for thinking this way, as if assuming that Marjorie’s death is a foregone conclusion, but she finds it hard to hold out hope for the other woman’s recovery from the breast cancer. She decides she’ll have to have a chat with Donna Jackson on Wednesday, to see what she thinks of Marjorie’s prospects.

She heaves a sigh, then focuses her attention on hopping off the Circle Line tube train at Victoria. She has a lot to get through this week and mooning over Serena will not help it get done. However pleasant it might be to moon over Serena Campbell.

# # # #

I’ve no idea if the Natural History Museum normally has someone at the door - I’ve not visited for forty years, but let’s just accept that in the Holby ‘verse, it does.

#Berena #Bernie Wolfe x Serena Campbell #Bernie Wolfe + Jason Haynes #Fanfic #Holby City #AU: Letters to a Naturalist

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