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𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝟏𝟎.𝟑𝐤 𝐍𝐁: 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭

Tuesday, 16 January 2018

When Y/N perched her glasses on her nose the next morning, about to get out of bed, she heard the door next to hers open. What had started out as a decent morning was now tainted by last night’s chat with Harry in her room. She flopped down onto her bed, looking up at her ceiling as everything dawned on her again. Harry asked her to be his fuck buddy so she could make him become more comfortable in bed, and in return she would get free tattoos. They would have sex and Harry would get better with more experience, and once he felt ready to, he would pursue others again. That was the deal.

Y/N wanted to have sex with Harry, she had admitted that to herself, but if he wasn’t any good in bed… was it even worth it? Some men just didn’t know how to please anyone in bed, what if he was a lost cause? She knew Harry, he wouldn’t have asked her if he wasn’t truly insecure about his performance in bed. It just felt like such an odd favour to be asking someone. Did he even find her attractive? Or did he just ask her because he knew she’d tell him like it is if he fucked up? Or because they had sex before and it was just easiest to ask her?

She heard something against her carpeted floor, a quiet sound she would not have heard if she hadn’t closed her windows at 4am because of a drunken gang of men making their way home from the pub. Sitting up in bed, she looked at her floor, not seeing anything until her eyes landed on the small slit between her floor and the door. A note.

She got up from her bed, reaching for the dressing gown that hung over her desk chair. She reached for it as she heard footsteps away from her door, hearing them leave down the stairs and to the kitchen. Though it had been years since she had seen or read his writing, it still felt as familiar to her as the inside of her home in Nottingham.

I’m sorry about last night, can we talk? H x

Right now, she wanted nothing less than to talk to Harry. But, taking a look at her phone, she recognised the date, saw a text from Chloe, and knew that avoiding Harry would be next to impossible. In about two hours, Chloe would come to their flat on Orsman Road so Mason and Harry could show her how to play the PlayStation. It would look stupid if Y/N wasn’t in the room with them, keeping them company. After all, she was the one that had made this meeting happen, the tie that linked Chloe to Mason and Harry in the first place. Who knew how awkward it would be if she wasn’t there.

She got her dressing gown off, put on some knickers and a bra, then rummaged through her drawers for something to wear. She settled on a black pleated mini skirt with fishnets underneath – along with shorts to keep the chafing away – and an oversized long-sleeve jumper in acid wash black and grey. The print on it was of Back to the Future, one of the only films Y/N managed to sit through. She didn’t have the attention span to sit for hours on end to watch a film, she much preferred series where she could just watch an episode and then pause. She didn’t have the attention span for films.

Tucking the front of the jumper into her skirt, Y/N studied herself in her mirror, smiling at the image. Today might bring on some very awkward moments, but at least she would look good.

She walked over to her door, putting her ear against it to listen for movements downstairs. Last thing she wanted to do was make herself some breakfast while Harry was watching her like a hawk, trying to read her mind to figure out what she was thinking. He was one of the most impatient people she knew, always eager to get on with whatever he wanted to do, always wanting an answer right away. Though she knew having sex with Harry, directing him, and giving him more confidence in the bedroom wouldn’t be a chore, it would probably be a lot of fun. What was stopping her was that, if she wanted to have sex, she expected to have good sex. Especially if she were going to have sex with this person multiple times. If this happened, she just had to hope Harry took her seriously and did what he could to better his lack of giving properly in bed.

She looked down at the note in her hand, reading it over again as she heard the front door downstairs open and then close again. Knowing that Mason would wake up five minutes before Chloe arrived and that Nathan would likely sing along to What is This Feeling? from Wicked on his way downstairs, the person that just left had to be Harry. Y/N therefore made her way downstairs and made her breakfast, quickly walking back upstairs so she could eat her breakfast in peace. While listening to Duda Beat, Y/N sat in her bed eating, wiggling her toes in her fishnets, drifting to a place far away from the flat in Hackney.

Music was a huge part of Y/N’s life, always had been. It felt weird if her room was silent or if she was walking someplace on her own without the company of an artist singing into her ears. Nathan would often get annoyed with her about how many songs she already knew when he just found them, or how she always managed to know the songs playing at all the clubs they were at. Music was one of the things she truly treasured in life, something that made her feel safe if the world around her was too quiet or too loud.

While deep in her own thoughts, Y/N didn’t hear the front door open and closing again. She thought she heard some whistling out in the corridor, but didn’t pay much attention to it until there was a knocking at someone else’s door. Just barely, she turned her music down to listen to what was going on.

“Mase?” Harry said, knocking again. “You up, mate?”

Mason must have answered somehow because Harry opened his door and walked in. She didn’t hear what happened next, just some muffled talking as Harry stood inside a still sleepy Mason’s room. Harry’s small laughter at something Mason said emanated from the room, and two seconds later, he was closing the door and walking over to the room opposite to Mason’s, knocking three times on there as well.

“Nath?”

“Come in, best friend!” Nathan sang and Harry opened the door not even a second later.

“Hiya, thought you’d need this one,” Harry said, Y/N could hear the smile in his voice.

“Oh, you absolute lifesaver,” Nathan said, gasping a little as he took whatever Harry was offering him.

“First week back at uni, thought it’d lighten the mood.”

“Harry, you’re a dream,” Nathan complimented, making Y/N roll her eyes. That compliment would easily get to Harry’s head and he’d be all cocky the rest of the day.

“I know, but thanks for the reminder,” Harry said, steps could be heard next.

“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Nathan commented, and Y/N knew they were talking about her. The door to Nathan’s room closed.

Next thing Y/N knew, three knocks sounded at her door. She stilled, mid-chew. Looking at her door, she suddenly started searching around her as if anything inside her room would help her escape the inevitable awkward moment that was about to ensue.

“Y/N?” Harry said, knocking again.

She got up from her bed, carefully putting her plate down on her desk as she continued to look around her room. Nothing could save her, so at least her room had to look somewhat presentable.

“Y/N, I know you’re up. I can hear your music.”

Running a hand over her make-up free face, Y/N walked over to her door. She opened it, seeing Harry leaned against her doorframe on the other side, the nearness of him making her take a small step backward. He was wearing a brown knitted oversized rib jumper over loose black jeans, a pair of black leather shoes with a chunky sole that he had forgotten to take off at the front door along with his black cord double breasted trench coat. The outfit was cosy and so effortlessly attractive in a soft sort of way. Admitting that to herself made Y/N infuriated. This man was only getting harder to resist by the second.

Y/N was too caught up in Harry’s outfit to see what he was holding. Once he saw her, he did the same as her, eyes scanning her entire body to take her in properly. His eyes lingered on her legs where her bare skin was exposed through her fishnets. His Adam’s apple bobbed and he cleared his throat as he stood upright again, a slight redness appearing in his cheeks.

“Thirsty?” he asked.

Y/N narrowed her eyes at him, but then she caught sight of what was in his hands. A cup carrier where two out of four coffees were taken, two left. One for Harry, one for Y/N. There was a normal hot-drink cup and a plastic cup for cold drinks.

“Iced latte, right?” Harry asked, holding the carrier out for Y/N to take her coffee. “That’s what you had when you popped by Footprint, at least.”

Y/N blinked. “How’d you know?”

Harry shrugged, giving her a smile.

Y/N took the iced latte, recognising that it was a different cup to the ones you normally got at Starbucks, Costa, or Caffé Nero. No, this was from one of those smaller cafés that he liked popping by. She was sure she would like it regardless, maybe even prefer it to the chain stores.

“Thank you,” she said, taken aback by Harry’s gesture. He had really gone out of his way to buy the entire flat a morning coffee.

“I owed you one,” Harry smiled.

“Yes, you did,” Y/N said, but the both of them could tell she didn’t mean it one bit. Silence settled over them, Y/N kept her eyes on the coffee as she felt Harry glance at her, not willing her to look up but just trying to find his words as if there was something he wanted to say, but didn’t know how to. Slowly, she glanced back up at him through her lashes, looking between his eyes as his lips parted.

“Did you get my note?”

Y/N felt her heart leap out of her chest. “Yes.”

“Can we? Talk?”

“Yes, but I’m… I need to eat my breakfast.”

“Oh, okay. Send me a text-“

“-Thank you so much for the coffee, Harry. Truly.” And then she closed her door, standing there with one hand on the doorknob and the other holding the iced latte Harry had just given her. It took a few seconds before she could hear Harry making his way back downstairs, most likely to take his coat and boots off, and maybe to make himself something to eat if he hadn’t done exactly that at the café he had just been to. The door to Mason’s room opened and Y/N heard him yawn as he started down the stairs, greeting Harry in his usual rumbling voice.

Y/N sat back down on her bed, looking down on the iced latte in her hands. It meant nothing. He had done the exact same thing for Mason and Nathan. But… something about someone going out of their way to buy you a coffee without you even needing to ask for it, was a level of intimate Y/N wasn’t sure she had reached with anyone before. This just told her that he cared for her; cared for her like he would care for Mason and Nathan. That thought warmed Y/N, and she was left just looking at the iced latte for another minute or two before she actually brought it up to her lips to drink it. She had been right before, she liked this one much better than the one she usually got at Costa.

An hour or two later, Chloe sent Y/N a text to tell her she was on her way, and 30 minutes after that, the doorbell rang. Y/N opened the door to her room and walked down the stairs just as Harry stood in the doorway of his room, watching Y/N fly past him to get to the door. As curious as she was to peek inside Harry’s room, she would have to do that another time.

“Hello?” Y/N said into the phone.

“Hiya, babe,” Chloe called on the other end, sounding as chipper as always.

“Walk up the steps, it’s the first door on the right,” Y/N explained before buzzing Chloe in. To make it easier, Y/N opened the door and waited there for her mate in the doorway, even though the cold air from the outside corridor seeped into the flat and made goosebumps appear up and down her exposed legs.

“Hi,” Chloe grinned as she walked up the steps, hugging Y/N once she reached the flat. “And hello, Harry, you alright?”

Y/N whipped around to see Harry standing there, leaning against the wall just beside the kitchen entrance. His hands were shoved into his jean pockets and a wry smile came across his lips, nodding at Chloe as she made her way inside.

“Ready to play some PlayStation?” he asked.

“Oh, more than ready,” Chloe grinned, taking her jacket off and hanging it on Y/N’s hanger. “I’m so tired of everyone playing the PlayStation in my flat and when I ask if they can show me how to play, they say they can’t be asked.” She rolled her eyes. “So, I’m very thankful for you and Mason.”

“Think Mason’s gonna be the main lecturer of this one,” Harry said. “I’m not nearly as good as he is.”

“I hope he’s a good teacher, then.”

“Only time will show,” Mason said as he came downstairs, wearing a pair of rugby shorts and a zip-up hoodie. “Alright?” he asked, leading the way into the living room.

“Splendid now,” Chloe grinned, following Mason into the living room. As she walked past Harry, Harry’s eyes fell on Y/N who stood put, trying to ignore the intensity of Harry’s glance. She knew he wanted to say something so she walked straight past him and after the other’s, not wishing to take the discussion Harry so clearly wanted to take at that very moment. Y/N sat down by the round dining table, expecting Harry to take the seat next to hers. For some reason, that made her sweat. She was suddenly nervous for some reason.

“Harry,” Chloe chimed. “You need to sit beside me in case Mason confuses me.”

“I’m not gonna confuse you,” Mason said.

“No, but in case I need another explanation for things, you know,” Chloe explained, smiling over at Harry. Y/N could sense Harry’s gaze on her, and then the free chair beside her, before he met Chloe’s eyes again.

“Alright,” he said, walking over to sit down on the couch to Chloe’s right, the closest of the three to Y/N who sat alone by the dining table. Mason turned the telly on and then started getting the PlayStation going, giving Chloe a console while he brought his own as he sat down beside her. Chloe’s eyes instantly fell to Mason’s bare thigh, meeting Y/N’s eyes with a smirk before she focused on the television in front of her.

“Y/N,” Harry said, scooting a little to the side. “You can come sit here, if you’d like. You could game with us.”

“No, I’m alright.”

Harry put his hand on the sofa. “If you-“

“-Hello, whores,” Nathan said as he walked down the stairs and into the kitchen in his purple kimono. The white and orange lilies on it glinted in the pale sunbeams that shone through the living room window. He took the free chair beside Y/N and brought it over to the window, plopped do in it while whipping his phone out from somewhere. Harry sat back in the spot he reserved for Y/N, looking over at her as he sat back against the couch, placing his arm on the arm rest. Y/N’s eyes instantly fell onto his hand and the veins that ran from his knuckles to his wrist, studying the way he balled his hand into a fist before he stretched his fingers. She felt herself salivate. Mentally punching herself out of her trance, Y/N swallowed and looked away from Harry. He must have noticed her staring.

“Oh, I love that, Nate,” Chloe grinned.

“Aw, thanks, darling,” he said, and Y/N could see how greatly he appreciated the compliment. After all, the people he lived with rarely gave him any of them.

“Is this just a normal morning for you lot?” Chloe asked, looking around at all of them.

“I mean,” Harry said, shrugging his shoulders. “Don’t think we have a status quo or anything. Anything’s normal if nothing’s odd.”

“Wow,” Nathan said. “Ground-breaking.”

Chloe laughed. “Aw, I wished I lived in your flat. This seems like so much fun compared to my one in minging Dinwiddy.”

“Have you, Thian, and Hayden started looking for places?” Y/N asked.

“Thian’s found a flat, but it’s all the way in Brixton.” She grimaced. “That’s ages away, even by tube.”

“We found this place in December our first year,” Nathan said. “Harry’s mum knew someone who knew someone, and here we are. Pretty decent for London, even though it’s cramped.”

“Yeah, I want all the credit for this,” Harry grinned, looking as smug as always. “I’m the best.”

“That’s subjective,” Y/N scoffed, making Harry look over at her and Chloe laugh again. She felt Harry’s gaze linger on her, but she refused to look back at him, knowing that it would be hard to glance away.

“Alright, Chloe,” Mason started. “We’ll play GTA, is that alright? It’s what we usually play.”

“Anything’s fine by me,” Chloe said.

For some reason, Y/N’s brain forgot what she had just told herself a few seconds prior, because her eyes locked with Harry’s, and suddenly her heart was doing something funny. It halted for a second, then began back up again. Last night’s conversation played in Y/N’s head as well as the note he had left under her door before he went out for breakfast that morning. The proposal had not left her alone for a single second, she was sure she had dreamt of it but didn’t remember the exact dream just then.

Looking away, her eyes landed on the telly before she glanced over at Nathan who sat with one foot slung over the other. His gaze was already on Y/N, a slight crease between his brows as he scanned Harry for two seconds, then back at Y/N again. She quickly looked away, pretending like nothing was happening, as if she hadn’t just been sharing a little-too-long look with Harry that obviously meant something. In the corner of her eye, Y/N could see Nathan leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knee with his phone in one hand, looking between Harry and Y/N with an almost knowing look that brought Y/N’s pulse up dangerously high. Mason was too busy teaching Chloe about the PlayStation and Chloe was too distracted by both Mason and Harry to even recognise something was going on beyond the couch they were sat on.

Y/N did not spare another look at Harry even though she could feel him staring at her, chewing on his bottom lip and clearly wanting her to glance back at him. Y/N knew Nathan was staring between them, trying to piece together what was going on, and she was not going to give him the satisfaction of finding out on his own. First she wanted to do that herself, to figure out what was going on and how they would go forth without Nathan putting his nose in business that was not his to meddle in. Y/N had a hard time breathing under Harry’s stare and Nathan making up conspiracy theories right across from her while Chloe and Mason were shooting and killing people on the telly. This was going to be a long morning.

Friday, 18 January 2018

The first Critical Reading 2 lecture of the semester had been slow. Their professor, Yvonne, had stood at the front of the lecture hall with her hands behind her back, walking up and down in front of her PowerPoint that was displayed on the wall behind her, and talked about The Yellow Wallpaper. In her mid-40s, her dark hair came to her shoulders and her ordinary green jumper over blue jeans, made her look like anyone else. Maybe that was why Y/N liked her lectures so much; she was just an ordinary woman. Chloe had fallen asleep during the lecture, resting her head on Annalise’s shoulder, while Hayden had been texting a bloke on Tinder, and only Thian and Y/N were paying any proper attention out of the five of them. Maybe the three others didn’t find this fascinating, but Y/N certainly did.

“Women were expected to be subordinate to their husbands and completely obedient, as well as take on strictly domestic roles inside the home,” Yvonne said at the front of the lecture hall. “Upper middle-class women, like the narrator, may go for long periods of time without even leaving the home. The story reveals that this arrangement had the effect of committing women to a state of naïveté, dependence, and ignorance.”

Y/N wrote down keywords in her notebook.

“John, the narrator’s husband, assumes he has the right to determine what’s best for his wife, and this authority is never questioned. He belittles her concerns, both concrete and the ones that arise as a result of her depression, and is said to brush her off and laugh at her when she speaks. He makes all the decisions about both of their lives.”

Y/N glanced up at Yvonne again.

“As such, she has no say in anything in her life, including her own health, and finds herself unable to even protest. The author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, like many others, clearly disagreed with this state of things, and aimed to show the detrimental effect that came to women as a result of their lack of autonomy.”

Yvonne walked over to the computer, changing the slide of her PowerPoint and taking a moment to look up at it before she turned to the lecture hall again. It was just a picture of some old, decaying yellow wallpaper.

“The yellow wallpaper,” she started, clapping her hands together. “This is, of course, the most important symbol in the story. The narrator is immediately fascinated and disgusted by the yellow wallpaper, and her understanding and interpretation fluctuates and intensifies throughout the story.”

Thian flipped through the Norton Anthology that he had brought, finger skimming over The Yellow Wallpaper that was printed out on the page he had put an orange sticky note to so he could find and come back to it.

“The narrator, because she doesn’t have anything else to think about or other mental stimulation, being kept in that attic by her husband, turns to the yellow wallpaper as something to analyse and interpret. The pattern eventually comes into focus as bars, and then she sees a woman inside the pattern. This represents feeling trapped, as you may have already figured out.” Yvonne put her hands out as she continued to speak. “At the end of the story, the narrator believes that the woman has come out of the wallpaper. This indicates that the narrator has finally merged fully into her psychosis, and become one with the house and domesticated disconnect. She has become a mad woman.”

Y/N furrowed her brows, putting her pen down as she turned all her attention on Yvonne. Something about those last three words made her ears perk up.

“In Gothic literature, the mad woman hails from the dark side of Jane Eyre. Mr Rochester’s first wife, who barely appears in the text, but pops up only to terrify sweet Jane. The first wife is violently insane, and is kept away from the world, the badge of shame in Rochester’s life,” Yvonne said. “Her irrational behaviour somehow justifies him almost becoming a polygamist when he attempts to marry Jane. Only after Bertha, his mad wife, literally burns Rochester’s estate to the ground, dying in the process, are the lovebirds free to pursue their happy ending. Mad women are so inconvenient while they’re still alive.”

After the lecture, Y/N walked to her next seminar by herself. Chloe and Annalise were in a seminar together, while Thian and Hayden were in another one. On one hand, Y/N was lucky to be part of the seminar right after the lecture, which meant she could go do whatever she pleased afterwards without waiting around to be in the second seminar group, but on another hand, she wanted to be with her friends. That was all she managed to think about as she made her way down the corridor, walking past a horde of other students that were on their way to their lectures and seminars.

The corridors were of white concrete, the walls in between doors to lecture halls, seminar rooms, or exits to the either one of the quads either decorated with paintings of previous headmasters or headmistresses, or brochures or papers about different societies or sports events. In the past, there had been pictures up on the walls of old prime ministers, but the frames had always been taken down by students, or some wrote on the glass that protected the paintings, all kinds of vile words that had, in the end, resulted in the paintings being taken down, much to the students’ delight. The paintings of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher had been the ones to endure the worst of it, something Y/N wished she could have contributed with.

The ceiling high above was adorned with blue squares, lamps hanging down from some of them, while others were decorated in fine details that Y/N with her shitty eyesight couldn’t make out. The walks from the lecture hall 19 to seminar room 0-07 took about five minutes. She walked from seeing the North Quad out the windows to her left, to seeing the corridor that connected the two sides of the buildings together at the middle, to seeing the South Quad outside. Y/N hated summer, but she couldn’t wait for spring to arrive so she could spend her time between lectures and seminars outside in either one of the quads.

Y/N walked straight in when she arrived at seminar room 0-07. The seminar room was rather modern, with white walls, white ceiling, and grey carpeted floor, a blackboard hung on one wall, and a big round table in the middle of the room for everyone to be seated around. The chairs were a bright green, and the cushions that came with them matched, something that was supposed to brighten the room, but the chairs themselves were horrible to sit in. Especially for hours on end. Yvonne was already there, giving Y/N a broad smile and urging her to sit down with a warm, “welcome,” that made Y/N absolutely want to take a seat. However, as she made her way over to the table the ten people in the seminar group would be sitting around, Y/N’s eyes fell on a familiar face.

“Isla,” Y/N said, making the girl with the brown bushy hair who had her nose buried deep in the Norton Anthology in front of her, look up rather quickly at the sound of her name. An instant and warm feeling spread out from Y/N’s belly and all throughout her body, making her tingle with pure happiness.

“Y/N,” Isla said back, sitting up straighter.

Y/N let go of a slight chuckle before she walked over, sitting down beside her work friend. “I didn’t know you did English Lit.”

“I do.”

“I’ve never seen you in any of our lectures,” Y/N said.

“No, I’m usually in the very back or by one of the walls,” Isla explained. “I guess I just blend in with my surroundings.”

“Like a chameleon,” Y/N smiled, putting her notebook and Norton Anthology down on the table as well. “This is so bizarre. I didn’t know you even went to Helmond.”

“I’ve seen you at the front of the lectures with your friends, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Oh, hun, you could never disturb me,” Y/N assured, wanting to give Isla’s shoulder a squeeze but unsure if her mate would appreciate that touch or not. “This made my day. I’ve had a… week, to put it that way, and this just made my day.”

Isla smiled, looking back down at the book in front of her.

“How’d you find the lecture?” Y/N asked.

“It was interesting. I really liked The Yellow Wallpaper, so it was easy to follow along,” Isla answered as another student entered the seminar room, two others following right after.

“Right? I love anything gothic.”

“No wonder, all you wear is black.”

Y/N gasped, putting a hand to her chest as her eyes grew wide, a grin appearing on her face before she laughed. Isla’s own face broke out into a smile before her neck grew red, she must have been anxious of how Y/N would react to her taking the piss. Trying not to make too much noise so the few people who had showed up so far wouldn’t stare at them like they were mad, the two girls put their hands in front of their mouths to stifle their laughter.

“You damn near chopped my head off, right there. Oh, my word,” Y/N laughed, Isla laughing with her. “Black is a good colour to wear. It’s an anonymous colour.”

“For someone so extroverted, it’s interesting that you want to remain somewhat anonymous,” Isla noted.

Y/N shrugged. “It’s become a habit.”

Isla furrowed her brows at that.

“Hey, are you doing anything later tonight?” Y/N asked.

Isla brought her pen up to her chin, tapping it a few times against her chin dimple. “That depends.”

Y/N smiled. “Would you want to come to this Uno Society that my mate’s hosting?”

The second the words were out of Y/N’s mouth, she could see a sort of light die out in Isla’s eyes. Though she already knew the answer, she was disappointed when Isla uttered a small, “I’ve got plans, I think.”

The words hadn’t been voiced, but they both knew Isla was lying. Y/N did not mind, though. She knew that some people’s social batteries only lasted so long, and that this might be enough socialising for Isla to last her a whole week, so she did not press the issue and Isla again. If coming to the Uno Society was something outside of Isla’s comfort zone, then Y/N would not pressure her into coming.

“That’s fine,” Y/N said, giving Isla a smile. “When’re you working next?”

Isla seemed grateful for the change in conversation topic, but just before she got to answer, Yvonne sat down by the table, looking around at each one of the students that were sat in each seat. She opened her notes, clearing her throat so that all the small chatter around the table would die out completely.

“The mad woman,” Yvonne started, smiling as she made eye contact with a few of her students. “Where does the madness come from? Is it already present in the character from birth? Or does it develop, or at least intensify, due to isolation imposed by men?” she asked, looking around the table at the students surrounding it. “Anyone?”

1 Night by Charli XCX and Mura Masa played over the speakers as Y/N walked through the door and into another seminar room later that same day. She mouthed an excuse at Hayden before she glanced around, looking for someplace to sit down. Her original table was already occupied by just enough people so she would have to find another group to join this time around. The idea of disturbing someone in the middle of a game wasn’t appealing, it was frankly something that made her heart beat a little too fast. But, Y/N knew she had to do it unless she just wanted to stand around and look like a proper twit. So, after a quick sweep of the room, Y/N settled on the table in the far corner. She walked over to it, quickly realising that she knew a few of those seated around it.

“Hi,” Y/N smiled as she came over, taking the seat next to Mason.

“Oh,” he smiled back. “Alright?”

“Can I join your next round?” she asked, looking from Mason, to Kai, to the other three men seated around the table.

“Yeah, of course,” Mason said. “Just be patient, not too long since we started this one.”

“Of course,” Y/N smiled, sitting back in her chair and taking another quick look around the room. Studying each person on each table.

“Why’re you late, then?” Mason asked, nudging Y/N so she would know he was talking to her.

“Made some feijão tropeiro for dinner, had a nap, woke up ten minutes before I had to be here ‘cause my alarm didn’t go off. Phone’s dead,” Y/N explained. “Took the tube, but you know how all public transit’s always so slow when you need it to hurry along.”

Mason smiled. “Feels like that, doesn’t it?”

“Yet to see you at The Stag’s Head again, Y/N,” Kai said, grinning from ear to ear.

“She’s not as keen on a pint as I usually am,” Mason retorted.

“No, just haven’t had the time. I’ll have to pop by sometime soon.”

“Yeah, tag along with Mase, Nath, and H,” Kai continued. “H told me your fave cocktail’s Sex on the Beach. I’ll make you that if you’re not too keen on a pint. Actually,” Kai grinned, holding his hand out. “I might be the best bartender you’ll ever meet. My hands – these guys –“ He held up his other hand as well. “-Are the hands of God.”

“Pack it up, dicksplat,” Mason said, motioning for Kai to continue his round.

Kai howled, his laughter booming through the seminar room. Though deep and rumbling, Kai’s laughter was infectious and Y/N found herself smiling at him as he came down from his high, shaking his head and looking down at his cards. He dealt his round, glancing back over at Y/N.

“Did you know Mason’s funny?” Kai asked. “Mason, you can be funny sometimes.”

“You say that as if it shocks you. You literally laugh at me every single day.”

“Someone needs to laugh at you or else you’d cry yourself to sleep.”

Mason laughed at Kai, glancing down at his cards to focus on them for now. Y/N took this moment to look around her again, studying each face at each table.

“He’s not here,” Mason said, making Y/N’s head whip around in his direction.

“What?”

“Harry,” he elaborated. “He’s not here.”

Y/N furrowed her brows, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched Mason play for another moment. “I wasn’t looking for him.”

“It’s okay if you were.”

“It’d be weird if I was.”

“What’s going on with you and Harry?” Kai asked, a slight lift to his bushy brows as his eyes darted between Y/N and Mason.

“Absolutely nothing,” Y/N answered, hoping they didn’t notice her lying in the way she refused to meet their eyes. “I simply started thinking about him and thought I’d see if he was here.”

“So, you were checking to see if he was here,” Mason smirked.

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Men are so annoying.”

“Is something going on?” Kai asked again.

“You know, I could’ve just told you where he is right off the bat if you had just asked me about him,” Mason said.

“I don’t care where he is.”

“Are you and Harry a thing?” Kai asked for the millionth time.

“You’re nosier than Harry,” Y/N retorted, rolling her eyes at Kai who only laughed again. She met Mason’s eyes. “I don’t care where he is.”

Mason grinned. “He’s at work.”

Of fucking course he is, Y/N thought to herself, looking away from Mason again as his smirk widened. Y/N zoned out as the boys around the table continued to play Uno, only sometimes participating in whatever was going on when one of them shouted something or they laughed. Her thoughts were only on the proposal Harry had come with, one that intrigued Y/N more and more with each passing day. It had been four days since he asked her to help him get confident in bed and in return he would give her free tattoos.

Free tattoos. If she was getting free tattoos and good sex in the end, then the deal seemed pretty decent. After all, there were quite a few tattoos she wanted, most of them being those that Marcela had on her body, and then numerous she wanted to get herself. If she actually went through with this, then she was going to milk it for what it was worth. She was going to be proper tattooed up, looking so hot that it would be hard for her to keep her hands off herself.

It didn’t take too long until they were about to start another round, so Y/N joined in, playing until they were done a little over an hour later. When it’s time for them to pack up, Y/N walked over to her mates to apologise for coming in a bit late, something Hayden did not mind in the slightest. While that was happening, Nathan, Mase, and Kai were chatting by the exit door, waiting for Y/N to catch up so they could start on their way back to the flat and The Stag’s Head. In between talking to her friends, Y/N glanced over at them to make sure they hadn’t left yet, and at one point, she saw Nathan shake his head and raised his brows at Mason who only nodded his head in affirmation of what he had just said. Nathan looked back over at Y/N who only frowned at him, unsure what he was trying to tell her.

The walk back to the flat was slow, Mason stopping by a chippy on the way so he could get himself some dinner. He insisted on stopping if he wanted to get a proper bite in of his fish or chips, something that ultimately made Kai late for his shift at Stag’s Head. Mason was chill about it as always, reassuring Kai that his boss wouldn’t mind, he hadn’t shoved Harry’s head through a wall when he came in late while he worked there, he would surely not do that to Kai.

“Look at the size of ya,” Mason reasoned, only making Kai laugh, though Y/N could sense the muscle man was too stressed to put his entire heart into it.

The entire way back to Orsman Street, Nathan barely said a word. To Y/N, at least. He did not mind talking to Kai or Mason, but he hadn’t paid Y/N as much attention as he usually did, something that made her draw the conclusion that something was up. She didn’t try to press him about it while they were walking, not wanting to do it in front of the two others who obviously had nothing to do with this.

They said goodbye once they reached the flat, watching as Kai ran into The Stag’s Head and through the crowd of people that had already gathered in the pub. Y/N pulled her phone out of her purse, wanting to check the time, only to remember again that it had died earlier and she had forgotten to charge it afterwards. She would just have to charge it when she got to her room.

Mason opened the doors for everyone, taking his shoes off while still eating his fish and chips, strolling up to his room to finish it in there before probably having a shower. Y/N followed first after him, Nathan quick on her heels and, for some odd reason, breathing down her neck. She glanced over her shoulder at him, giving him a glare before she continued on her way up the stairs, but Nathan only glared back at her, walking just as close behind her as he had done since they got back to the flat.

Y/N opened the door to her room, sitting down by her desk and putting her phone down to charge as Nathan slammed his hands against the frames on either side of her door. Y/N jumped, looking over at Nathan whose expression looked absolutely manic.

“Right,” he started, looking over his shoulder to make sure the door to Mason’s room was closed before he glanced back at Y/N. In the meantime, she opened her laptop, keeping her eyes on Nathan. “I’ve been keeping my mouth shut about this for too long.”

She blinked. “What’s up?”

“What is going on with you and Harry?” Nathan hissed, brown eyes boring into Y/N’s soul.

She just blinked some more, staring at Nathan while she put two and two together. Mason must have snitched; he must have told Nathan while they were talking after Uno that Y/N had been looking after Harry. With that information and the staring – on Harry’s part – earlier that week, Nathan had put two and two together. That was why he was fuming and hadn’t bothered to give Y/N any sort of attention on their way back from uni.

“’Cause I can tell something’s been up. First he won’t stop staring at you when Chloe’s over, and now you go asking around about him at Uno.”

“I didn’t go asking around,” Y/N said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“You must really think I’m stupid,” Nathan retorted, raising his eyebrows at her, bobbing his head along as he spoke, something he usually did when he tried to get a point across.

“No, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She started shaking her leg.

“You know perfectly well what I’m talking about. What’s happened between you and Harry?”

“Nothing, Nath. We’re just friends.”

Nathan scoffed. “That’s the most rubbish thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Weird when that’s the truth.”

“I know something’s up,” he said, pointing a threatening finger at her.

Y/N sighed just as something like the terrace door banging shut sounded from downstairs. “Listen, you forced me to live with him. I’m just making the best of the situation you’ve put me in. I’m just making nice.”

“By sucking his dick?”

“That’s derogatory, Nathan.”

Nathan bowed his head lower, eye almost twitching with the intensity in which he was staring her down. “Something can’t not be up. My intuition is telling me something’s going on.”

Y/N let out a dry laugh. “Your intuition is doing you dirty then.”

Footsteps up the stairs had Nathan stop just as he was about to retort back, but he glanced over his shoulder instead, Y/N peering out from between Nathan and the doorframe. His curls appeared first, and then he was looking over at them, giving them that wry smile that had his right dimple deepen against his cheek. He was wearing all black, his tee shirt tucked into his black jeans, the sleeves of his tee shirt rolled up over his shoulders. Y/N hated how nice his arms looked like that.

“Alright?” Harry asked, voice just as deep and sensual as it always was. It hit Y/N like a train coming head on each time she heard his voice after some time of not. Harry’s eyes were on Nathan for a small second before they landed on Y/N, lingering there a little too long before he approached his door.

“We’re exhausted,” Nathan groaned, slumping against the doorframe.

“Same,” Harry said, looking down at his right hand, flexing his fingers. Y/N was unable to look away. “My arm feels like it’s gonna fall off, been vibrating all night holding the tattoo gun.”

Y/N bit her lips together.

“Uno Society alright?” he asked, looking solely at Y/N now. She wanted to shout at him to stop, to pay most attention to Nathan so he would stop giving them a hard time.

“Fine,” Y/N answered quickly.

Harry smiled at her, lightly nodding his head once. “Good.”

Y/N looked away, feeling her entire face heat up as she continued to feel Harry’s stare on her. She logged into Facebook to look at the family groupchat which she knew had most likely blown up since she last checked her phone. Her papai would go absolutely mad if she didn’t at least check the chat once every few hours.

“I’ll leave you two to it then, I guess,” Harry said, opening the door into his room. “Night, Nath.”

“Night, Haz.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.”

It was hard to not look at Harry, but Y/N managed a, “Hm,” in response before she focused all her attention back on writing her e-mail address and password into Facebook. The door to Harry’s room closed and the second he couldn’t see them, Nathan turned to Y/N. He gawked at her while making a sound akin to dinosaurs’.

“’Goodnight, Y/N’?!” he hissed, still sounding crazed like he had done a second earlier. He rushed into Y/N’s room, closing the door behind him so quickly and soundlessly it made Y/N think of all the other times they had rushed into each other’s rooms like this growing up.

“He’s just wishing me goodnight, Nathan, why’re you making up conspiracy theories?”

“Oh, that’s all there is to it, isn’t it?!” he whisper shouted, still sounding crazy.

Y/N rolled her eyes and clicked on the ‘log in’ button on Facebook, done with listening to any more of Nathan’s stupid theories. Doing so, she was immediately brought to the home page, displaying the 99+ messages that had been sent in the family groupchat. Y/N sighed, about to open the chat when she let her eyes drift, landing on something that made her pause.

“Harry obviously wants to-“ But Nathan stopped as well, eyes falling on Y/N’s laptop screen and seeing what she was seeing. “Kit.” It sounded like he said it more to himself than anything else, reminding himself of who that was a picture of. “Kit and Finian.”

The picture in front of them was from inside a pub, two men, clearly drunk, standing in the middle of the picture while a group of others were surrounding them. Kit had his left arm wrapped around Finian’s waist, a broad smile on his face, showing off crooked teeth and a slight, dark stubble. His styled black hair was rather nicely kept considering he was under the influence, and his small forehead and pointy nose glistened with sweat. The tank top he was wearing showed off his well-defined muscles, something Y/N knew Marcela had found attractive about her boyfriend.

Finian beside Kit was a little chubbier, wearing a baby blue polo shirt while he had an arm slung over his best friend’s shoulders. His brown hair was longer than Kit and had also been ruined by numerous hair-ruffles and fixes in the mirror since he started drinking. He was singing along to a song, eyes shut and a huge smile on his face.

Finian and Kit had known each other for years, Y/N was unsure how they had become friends. Marcela had met Kit while she went to University of Manchester, and the two had been together since her first year there. He was five years older than her, so ten years older than Y/N, and she had never had any sort of particular relationship to him. He would come by their house in Nottingham every once in a while, eat dinner with the family, but would more often than not stay put in Manchester. Y/N was always positioned next to him at family gatherings, and though she didn’t mind because they rarely talked, it still made her blood boil when she thought about it now. If she had just finished him off or gotten Marcela to break up with him, maybe her older sister would still be alive.

There had been found drops of Kit’s blood in the cabin after he disappeared, but that was nothing compared to the amount of blood belonging to Marcela that had been found there. Kit’s car was gone and all of his belongings with it. The police had stated that there was no doubt about it; Kit had killed Marcela, maybe by accident, maybe intentionally, and had hidden her body somewhere before running off. Three years had passed since then, and there had not been a single trace of Kit. He remained hidden. Some tipped the police about him, stating that they had seen him someplace far away from Newport, Wales. He had been sighted in England, Scotland, France, Morocco, and in Indonesia. Still, to this day when “sightings” of Kit were getting fewer and the days went on by, Y/N thought all the sightings weren’t him. If he had planned to kill her sister, he would have planned it out, she knew it.

The police and the population of Newport along with neighbouring towns had all searched the woods around the cabin, but Marcela’s body had not been found and neither had Kit. Nothing had been found; there were no definite answers. Except for one, at least to Y/N: Kit had killed Marcela, and he was still on the run.

Not able to look at his face any longer, Y/N’s eyes landed on the caption to the photo. Someone she knew from school had commented on it, making it appear on her dashboard, because it would never have found its way to her if not. It angered Y/N that people posted pictures of Kit as if he wasn’t a deranged murderer. The date showed 8th September last year. On the anniversary of Marcela’s murder. Y/N looked at the person who had posted it, Graham Bartlett, another one of Kit’s friends.

Miss you two everyday. #FindKitAndFin.

Y/N blinked. “Find… Find Kit and Fin?” she asked, frowning at the laptop screen in front of her.

Nathan leaned on the back of her chair. “You don’t know about Finian?”

“Obvs not.”

Nathan inhaled slowly. “Just a few days after Marcela died and Kit disappeared, Finian vanished as well.”

Y/N just stared at the picture, now not able to take her eyes off of Finian. She had seen him outside her house sometimes, just barely talked to him. He seemed like a typical bloke that thought he was better looking than he actually was, someone that made girls uncomfortable. He had picked up Kit from their house in Nottingham when Kit had stayed over and Marcela and Kit had fought, or he had just picked up the both of them sometimes to drive them back to Nottingham. He always seemed to hang out by his car, always leaning against it or smirking from the driver’s seat.

“He disappeared?”

“Yeah,” Nathan answered. “No one’s seen him in three years, four now coming September.”

“There’s not a trace of him?”

“No. He lived alone, so no one noticed ‘cause he rarely answered his phone, except his boss. He always answered him. So, when he didn’t even pick up when his boss was calling, they knew something was up,” Nathan explained. “His flat looked just the same as always when the police entered, though. It looks like he just left for the shop.”

“His car was gone?”

“Yeah.”

Y/N continued to just stare at Finian on the picture in front of her. “How… How didn’t I know about this?”

“Y/N, your sister had just been killed, you had other things on your mind than Kit’s vanished mate,” Nathan assured her. “Besides, someone might have told you. After all, there are big chunks of the following year that you can’t remember.”

Y/N nodded, closing her eyes for a few seconds before exiting out of Facebook. She couldn’t look at them any longer. Rage was bubbling inside her like a kettle about to boil over. What if Kit drove his car someplace and parked it where no one can find it, and then Finian came to get him? What if they drove away from the cabin because they knew that someone would eventually turn up, so it was better to be far away as fast as possible? Did they take Marcela’s body with them? Or is she still in Kit’s car, wherever that was? The thought made Y/N physically sick and she slammed her laptop shut.

Monday, 22 January 2018

Y/N put her white oversized jumper over her head, liking how the chunky knit felt against her freezing form. She had made the mistake of keeping her window open all night when she usually just opened it for a tad bit before going to bed, then closing it before she actually went to sleep, so her room was absolutely freezing when she woke up, something that resulted in her pulling out her thick jumper. Her black lace halterneck bralette showed at her neck and the open collar of the jumper, but Y/N did not care. The bralette was super cute, anyone who glimpsed it would be lucky. Running her hands over her black mum jeans, Y/N shoved her glasses further up the bridge of her nose before she walked out of her room, getting ready to walk downstairs to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast.

Y/N halted at the top of the stairs, glimpsing a very familiar, broad and muscular back where it stood on the terrace at the bottom of the stairs. Y/N could see something else black along his back, but she couldn’t make it out through the white of his tank top. She swallowed thickly as she stopped in the middle of the staircase, tightening her hold on the railing. He just looked so effortlessly… so fucking good. So good. It made her heart beat faster just looking at him. Though she had had her answer ready for a while now, she had just not found the right moment to tell him, but this seemed as good a time as any. So, taking a massive breath in through her mouth and then out through her nose, Y/N proceeded down the rest of the stairs and over to the terrace door.

She knocked on the glass twice, making Harry look over his shoulder rather abruptly to see who was there. At the sight of her, his eyes grew a little wide, but he stepped to the side, letting Y/N come out onto their small terrace. Harry held onto his tea mug bringing it up to his lips as he let his eyes travel down Y/N’s body as quickly as possible. At that, it was physically impossible for Y/N to do the same to him.

He was wearing his loose black jeans again, but this time he only wore a white tank top to go with it, tucked into his jeans. The collar went so low that Y/N could see Harry’s two dragon tattoos, the red one over the left side of his chest and the black one on his right one. It had been a while since she had seen those. The thought of Harry having more tattoos hidden under his clothes on parts of himself that other people rarely got to see-

“-Fine,” Y/N said, interrupting her own thoughts. She held her hands up, letting them fall to her sides as she met Harry’s eyes again. “I’ll do it.”

There was a slight pause as Harry’s face went from slightly smug to absolutely bewildered, blinking rapidly as if he had to check if this was all real and not some made up daydream. “You’re… You’re saying yes?”

“Are you deaf?”

“You’re going to teach me how to be good-“

“-Shush!” Y/N hissed, taking a step closer to Harry with a finger in front of her mouth, eyes wide. “Let’s keep this between us and not all of Hackney.”

Harry let a small smile show, a light chuckle leaving his lips, even though his searching eyes told her he was still in disbelief. “But you’re not just taking the piss, we’re actually gonna do this?”

“Yes.”

Y/N could see Harry’s grip on his mug tighten as he bit his bottom lip. “Yeah… alright…” he mumbled under his breath. “I wish there was a chair out here, I feel like my knees are gonna give out.”

“Oh,” Y/N said, looking around them as if a chair was just going to materialise out of thin air. “I-“

“-I’ve also been trying to get you alone to say sorry,” Harry said, leaning against the brick wall. “I feel like I put a lot of pressure on you to say yes ‘cause I was so desperate, I didn’t really think a whole lot about anything other than just getting the question out into the open and for you to at least consider it. But in retrospect, I realise I should’ve stopped after your first ‘what the fuck is wrong with you’, but I didn’t, and I understand how stupid that was of me.” He sipped his tea, eyes on the inside of his mug before he locked eyes with her again. “If you want to stop this, at any time, or if you don’t even want to start now, that’s completely fine. All I care about is that you feel comfortable doing this. I not only appreciate you considering it and also doing it, but I also really want to have sex with you. I’m… well…” His eyes fell to his tea again, then at Y/N’s feet. “You’re so pretty, and I’ve always thought that.”

A few moments pass when the two of them are silent, the distant sounds of London waking up to a new day keeping them company as they both let this moment wash over them. Y/N’s eyes did not leave Harry and she noticed the slight pink hue that appeared over his cheekbones, and something told her that wasn’t the cold temperature and the wind of the canal’s doing.

“I’ve always thought the same about you,” she said, meeting Harry’s eyes when he looked up at her.

Hundreds of memories from a life before this one in London flashed past them as they stood there, suddenly remembering everything that had brought them to this very moment right here. Y/N wondered that, if they hadn’t had sex that one time three, almost four years ago, would Harry still have suggested this? She didn’t think he ever would have, even though they were both very sexually attracted to one another.

“This can’t go past sex,” Y/N said, breaking the silence once again. “It’s never going to become something more, at least not on my end, and I expect that from you too. Promise me we’re just gonna have sex, I’m going to make you feel more confident in bed, and then we can move past this without looking at one another any differently, okay?”

“I promise.”

“And you give me as many free tattoos as I want. However big.”

Harry smiled. “Of course.”

“Good.”

Harry bit his bottom lip, eyes resting on the bralette strap that was visible at Y/N’s neck. He quickly looked up again. “I want you to want to have sex with me, Y/N.”

Y/N exhaled slowly, giving Harry a reassuring smile. “I do. I’ve wanted to for a while. Your predicament just took me off guard.”

“If you at any point don’t want to continue, I’ll understand, and we’ll stop.”

“Naturally.”

Harry nodded, his brain working as he thought about something. “Now… Do you… Do we…”

Y/N just looked at him.

“Do you need me to buy anything?” he asked, to which Y/N continued to just look at him. “Lube? Condoms? Toys?”

She drew in a sharp breath, feeling her heartbeat quicken drastically. “You know what, buy whatever you want, whatever you need. I don’t care.” She put her hand on the doorknob, about to enter the flat.

“Oh! Also!” Harry exclaimed. “My birthday is next week, I’m celebrating with some mates and the flat at a teammates house, wanna come with? You can ask Chloe and the rest to come if you wanna.”

Y/N flashed a tight-lipped smile. “I’m flattered, but I’m working, I’m afraid.”

“Bugger.”

“Truly,” Y/N said, really meaning it. “I’ll leave a note under your door when our first… time will be.” She paused. “First session, maybe? We’ve already had our first time.”

Harry shrugged.

“Well, I’ll leave a note under your door when that first session will be.”

Harry grinned. “Can’t wait.”

“And leave that grin in your room, I don’t want to see you being all smug when we have a go that first time.”

His grin only widened. “Love, when I’m with you, fighting that grin is like fighting an oncoming tornado. I can’t win.”

Y/N rolled her eyes as Harry laughed. She walked back inside to go make herself something to eat while she felt Harry’s eyes on her the whole time, watching her through the window. Despite herself, Y/N found herself smiling as well.

NEXT UPDATE: Sunday, 18th April, 9PM GMT!

Huge thanks to my AMAZING beta readers! 🏛️ @aileenacoustic​ 🏛️ @devil-in-bw-the-sheets​​​ 🏛️ @sunflowerstache​ 🏛️ @fromyourstrulyh​​ 🏛️

FIC PAGE | COME TALK !!!

READ TWO CHAPTERS AHEAD ON PATREON | CHECK OUT THE OTHER FIVE EXCLUSIVE PATREON STORIES HERE!

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[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, July 13

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: John F. Kennedy Jr.’s Last Day Alive

Page 2: A look back at Beach Party with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon 

Page 4: Summer fashion champs 

Page 6: The kids in South Elgin, Illinois are devastated that they can’t play Little League games during the coronavirus lockdown so one boy has decided to do something about it -- he’s asking the late baseball legend Babe Ruth for help 

Page 7: Your fate is written in your fingernails, the skinny on apples is the peel holds health benefits 

Page 8: Put twist ties to lots of other uses 

Page 9: Financial help for the asking in COVID crisis 

Page 10: Astronomers at the University of Nottingham have used sophisticated methods to calculate there could be dozens of intelligent alien races living on other planets in the Milky Way right now 

Page 11: Make your home heart healthy 

Page 12: George Clooney’s million-dollar thanks to 14 pals -- surprise suitcases of cash for standing by him in hard times 

Page 14: Dear Tony -- Could there be a small silver lining to COVID-19? Tony predicts Kim Kardashian will be doing wonderful things with her law degree and changing lives for people who should not be in prison 

Page 15: Herman Munster’s words of wisdom about bullying are still ringing true 

Page 16: Stars’ Freakiest Beauty Secrets -- Nicole Kidman, Teri Hatcher, Halle Berry

Page 17: Kim Kardashian, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow

Page 18: A new hobby can save you from the deep downs of depression

Page 19: Twin two-year-old girls are safe today and owe their lives to a hero cop who climbed 30 feet down a sheer rock face to rescue them after their father drove them off a San Diego cliff into the waters below 

Page 20: Cover Story -- 21 years after plane crash JFK Jr.’s last day alive -- the heir to Camelot devoted final hours to work and family and planning for the future 

Page 22: A Good Samaritan in Michigan climbed down into a smelly sewer to rescue baby ducklings 

Page 24: A dad who knows it’s important to support start-up businesses wrote a review for a new restaurant in town -- a toy kitchen run by his 15-month-old daughter 

Page 25: Gorgeous superstar Reese Witherspoon has finally shared one of her yummiest breakfast secrets for everyone to enjoy 

Page 26: The Good Doctor -- your medicine chest can make you sick 

Page 27: Fire departments around the country are encouraging citizens to keep their bedroom doors closed while they’re sleeping 

Page 30: Alan Alda interviewed Betty White on his podcast show and got some shocking answers -- she tells him all about fears, movie star crush and being a dirty old broad 

Page 31: Matthew McConaughey says he keeps his dad alive in his heart by talking to him, Goldie Hawn in quarantine

Page 32: Teri Hatcher once traveled on a plane to England with a monster bag of flour in her suitcase and sweated the whole way because she was worried officials would mistake it for drugs, Bindi Irwin announces they’re officially filming season 3 of the Animal Planet show Crikey! It’s the Irwins and the family’s Australia Zoo recently opened to the public again after being closed during the coronavirus crisis, Julia Roberts has purchased an $8.3 million estate in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights neighborhood to escape the fast pace and glitz of Los Angeles 

Page 35: Summer storms can be terrifying because they’re so sudden and sometimes deadly

Page 38: True Crime 

Page 40: Couples’ psychic connections, Forrest Fenn wants the world to know his spectacular treasure hunt was not a wild goose chase -- Fenn announced an anonymous explorer had found the pricey stash but he wouldn’t say who the searcher was or release any pictures of the discovery and he was accused of setting up a colossal hoax 

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Kate Middleton and Prince William and their three kids (pictures), Tom Brady in his Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform (picture), Drew Barrymore credits her dad John Barrymore with making her who she is today, Dolly Parton says she is releasing a behind-the-scenes book, Raven-Symone married Miranda Pearman-Maday in an intimate backyard ceremony

Page 45: Shia LaBeouf works out in Pasadena with his mom Shayna Saide by his side (picture), Heather Locklear in engaged to high school sweetheart Chris Heisser, D.L. Hughley collapsed during his stand-up act in Nashville and tested positive for COVID-19, Rosario Dawson is moving to the East Coast to be closer to boyfriend New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker after the craziness of the coronavirus pandemic kept them apart for months, Pink revealed her marriage to Carey Hart wouldn’t have lasted if they didn’t seek the help of a therapist, Rod Stewart’s life to get the musical biopic treatment 

Page 46: Dr. Kathy Sullivan is the most adventurous woman in the world -- she’s been to outer space and the deepest point on the ocean floor 

Page 47: Having a spectacular summer and why we love it

[believingispowerfulmagic]

“The Nanny” Chapter 35: A Winter’s Masquerade to Remember

           The doorbell echoed around the mansion and Regina frowned as she looked up from where she was folding laundry. She watched as Will left the kitchen, heading to the front door. “Are you expecting anybody?” she asked.

           “No,” he replied, “but it’s the holidays. I’m sure deliveries are going to be constant from now until Christmas.”

           She nodded, knowing it was true, and returned to trying to pair up everyone’s socks. It was quite the challenge with six people in the house and it made her worry about what it was going to be like when they grew to eight—and possibly nine if Killian decided to move in with Emma down the line. Regina was going to have to come up with a solution that wasn’t “just order new socks instead.”

           Will returned a few minutes later. “Tink’s here for you.”

           “What?” Regina asked, setting the laundry aside as Tink entered the room. “Did we have a meeting scheduled for today?”

            Tink shook her head, stepping closer as she held the messenger bag slung around her chest. “I had a few things I wanted to discuss with you and Robin suggested I just come here.”

           “Is it about the Winter Masquerade?” Regina asked, frowning. The event was only a few days away but she had been certain everything was ready to go for it. Had something come up?

           “No, we’re all good there,” Tink assured her. “It’s about something else. Your mail, actually.”

           Regina felt even more confused. “Mail? What are you talking about?”

           “We’ve been getting letters for you since the whole…incident…with Blanchard Financials. It seems people wanted to write to you and since Robin never gives out Nottingham’s address, they sent it to Sherwood instead,” Tink explained, sitting down.

           “Did Robin know about this?” Regina asked, wondering why he hadn’t told her about them at all. He was getting better about telling her things and not just doing them for her because he thought it would be easier.

           Tink shook her head. “The mailroom staff has been setting it aside and the pile has grown large enough that something needed to be done with it. So they brought it to me, I brought it to Robin and he suggested I come talk to you myself.”

           “Oh,” Regina replied, relieved and pleased that Robin was letting her handle it. “Okay, so how many letters are we talking about? And has anyone opened them?”

           Tink nodded. “There are a few hundred. Security opens all the mail that comes into Sherwood, just to be safe.”

“And what do the letters to me say?”

           “Most of them are really positive. They thank you for speaking up about your experiences at Blanchard Financials and talk about their own stories,” Tink said. “They see you as a kindred spirit.”

           A lump formed in her throat at the thought of so many women writing to her. “That’s touching.”

           Tink nodded. “So what do you want to do with the letters? We can come up with a stock answer we can send out to the recipients…”

           “No,” Regina replied, a strong feeling filling her. “It’s not fair that people are pouring their hearts to me and they just get some cold form letter in response.”

           “While I get that, you have to consider your safety and the volume. If you answer everyone, which you are not going to have time to do, you run the risk of attracting people with unhealthy fixations on you. They may perceive more of a relationship then there is. You need to set boundaries,” Tink said. “We can come up with a system to figure which ones get a standard response and which ones get a personal answer from you. How does that sound?”

           Regina bit her lip, thinking it over. While she wanted to respond to everyone, she knew Tink was right. There were people out there who might try to harm her or her family if she gave away too much information about them. And once the twins came, she wouldn’t have much time for anything else but her family. She nodded. “That sounds like a good plan.”

           Tink grinned, pulling out some envelopes from her bag. “Here are some of the letters. I thought you’d might like to see them.”

           “Thank you,” Regina replied, taking the envelopes. She laid them on her lap. “Can I get you something? Or rather, ask Will to get it for you?”

           “I’m fine, thank you,” Tink replied. “Is there anything else you want to discuss regarding your mail?”

           Regina shook her head. “Not at this time. But I’ll call you if I do have any questions or thoughts.”

           Tink stood, smiling. “Then I guess I’ll see you at the Winter Masquerade?”

           “As long as these two don’t make a surprise appearance or put me into bed,” Regina replied, pointing to her stomach.

           “Your mama deserves a fun night out. So stay in there and let her have it,” Tink said, crouching down to address the babies still growing inside Regina.

           Laughing, Regina hoisted herself from the couch and escorted Tink out. She then returned to the couch and picked up the stack of letters left for her. As she settled in, she broke open the seal of one and pulled out the letter inside, eager to read what these people had written to her.

                                                            *****

           Robin thanked Marco before heading into his house, closing the kitchen door behind him. He set down his briefcase as he pulled off his coat, smiling as he heard little feet running toward the stairs. A few seconds later, Roland appeared on them and he jumped from the third step. Robin caught him easily though it was a strain to lift him up so he could kiss his son’s cheek. It was only a matter of weeks before he couldn’t do it anymore, he knew.

           Setting Roland down, Robin grinned at him. “Do you know where everyone is?”

           “Will said he needed to go to the store to get something for dinner,” Roland said, starting to tick everyone off using his fingers. “Miss Emma is out on a date, Mr. Henry is napping and Mom is up in your room resting but not napping. She sent me down to get you.”

           “Well, then we should go see Mom,” Robin replied, taking Roland’s hand. They climbed back to the second floor, quietly walking past Henry’s room so as not to wake the older man. He needed all the rest he could get.

           They entered the master bedroom and Roland let go of his hand, racing toward the bed. He climbed on it and curled next to Regina. “I got him, Mom.”

            “Thank you, sweetheart,” she said, kissing his forehead. Robin approached her, smiling at how sweet the scene was. She returned his smile. “Hello.”

           “Hello,” he said, leaning down to give her a kiss. “Is everything okay?”

           She nodded. “My back started to hurt so I figured I would come here to relax. Roland wanted to keep me company.”

           “How sweet,” Robin said, kissing his son’s head. “But why don’t you go play for a bit before dinner? I’ll keep Mom company.”

           “Okay.” Roland kissed her cheek before climbing out of bed. He gathered the toys he had brought with him and left the room.

           Robin sat on the edge of the bed as he took off his shoes. “Did Tink stop by today?”

           “She did,” Regina replied. “She dropped off some of the letters and talked about setting up a system for us to answer them. I didn’t know I touched so many people.”

           He leaned back, smiling fondly at her. She still didn’t realize how much of an amazing person she truly was. “You told them they were not alone and they saw someone who understood what they were experiencing. Someone they could confide in and look up to, to draw inspiration from.”

           “I know,” she said, picking up a letter. “I’ve been reading them all afternoon. And I feel like I have to do something.”

           “Like what?” he asked, curious now.

           She bit her lip before asking: “How did Marian set up her foundation?”

           “Why? Do you want to set one up as well?” he asked, moving closer to her on the bed. He sat cross-legged next to her, intrigued by what she was planning.

           Regina scooted closer to him, taking his hands. “I’m considering it. Part of me knew I wasn’t alone but seeing all these letters…I’d like to create a place where others can go and realize they aren’t alone. And that they are stronger than they know.”

           He smiled, rubbing the back of her hands with his thumbs. “That sounds like a great idea. And I will help you set up your foundation. You’re going to do amazing things, Regina Mills.”

           “Well, you know what they say,” she said, leaning closer. “Behind every amazing woman is a very supportive man.”

           Robin laughed, though he was touched by her sentiment. He nodded. “That’s absolutely true.”

           She pressed her hand against his cheek and he closed the gap between them, kissing her. He once again was so proud to know her and honored to be able to love her. Regina certainly was going to do great things and he couldn’t wait to see her do them.

Continue reading on AO3 and Wattpad

[nuclearblastuk]

BLACK STAR RIDERS | Robert and Ricky on working with Pearl Aday on the new album

Heavy rock luminaries BLACK STAR RIDERS are just over a week away from unleashing their new album Another State Of Grace via Nuclear Blast Records. In a new trailer released today, Robert and Ricky discuss what it was like working again with Meat Loaf's daughter, Pearl Aday. Pearl lends her soulful vocals on the track 'What Will It Take?' - find out more here: youtu.be/rlXW0B3Uo0Y Another State Of Grace is available on CD, vinyl and vinyl picture disc, limited edition boxset and limited edition light green vinyl. Pre-order here: nuclearblast.com/blackstarriders-asog Robert and Ricky filmed an exclusive acoustic version of the band's new single 'Ain't The End Of The World' recently, which is now live on YouTube: youtu.be/Gz143L6ZckQ Watch the official video for 'Ain't The End Of The World': youtu.be/mv-tccUbm6U Pre-save Another State Of Grace on Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music: nblast.de/BlackStarRidersPreSave Order the album digitally to receive 'Another State Of Grace' and 'Ain't The End Of The World' instantly: nblast.de/BlackStarRidersASoGIT Another State Of Grace is a stunning collection of songs that will further develop the band’s burgeoning reputation as one of the most essential contemporary rock acts. Recorded at Sphere Studios in Burbank, California in February 2019, the album was produced & mixed by Jay Ruston (Stone Sour, Anthrax, Uriah Heep). Watch the official video for the title track, 'Another State Of Grace': youtu.be/1VVvp_jnUX8

After a lengthy period off the road, Black Star Riders are back with a 15 date UK & Ireland Tour with special guests Stone Broken and Wayward Sons. The dates for the UK & Ireland tour are as follows:   Oct 10    Bristol - O2 Academy *^ Oct 11    Cambridge - Corn Exchange *^ Oct 12    London - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire *^ Oct 13    Wrexham - William Aston Hall *^ Oct 15 – Dolans Warehouse – Limerick City, Ireland § Oct 16    Dublin - The Academy * Oct 17    Belfast - Limelight * Oct 18    Glasgow - Braehead Arena § Oct 19    Newcastle - O2 Academy *^ Oct 20    Nottingham - Rock City *^ Oct 22    Bexhill - De La Warr Pavilion *^ Oct 23    Bournemouth - O2 Academy *^ Oct 24    Cardiff - University (Great Hall) *^ Oct 25    Wolverhampton - KK's Steel Mill *^ Oct 26    Leeds - O2 Academy *^ Oct 27    Mancheste - O2 Ritz *^ Special guests: * Stone Broken | ^ Wayward Sons § BSR Only Tickets are on sale now: blackstarriders.com The band will then be hitting the road in Europe with support from Diamond Head and Waywards Sons. The EU tour dates rack up as follows: Oct 30    Roskilde - Gimle + Oct 31    Malmö - Kulturbolaget + Nov 01    Stockholm - Fryshuset Klubben + Nov 02    Gothenburg - Trädgår'n + Nov 03    Oslo - Vulkan + Nov 05    Tampere - Talo + Nov 06    Helsinki - The Circus + Nov 08    Borlänge - Liljan Nov 09    Esbjerg - Tobakken Nov 12    Hamburg - Markthalle +^ Nov 13    Köln - Die Kantine +^ Nov 14    Dresden - Reithalle Strasse E +^ Nov 15    Aschaffenburg - Colos-Saal +^ Nov 17    Zurich - Dynamo ^ Nov 18    München - Backstage (Halle) +^ Nov 19    Nürnberg - Hirsch +^ Nov 20    Prague - Nová Chmelnice ^ Nov 21    Leipzig - Anker +^ Special guests: + Diamond Head | ^ Wayward Sons Tickets are on sale now: blackstarriders.com ICYMI: Robert and Ricky sit down to tell us a bit about the new line-up and how they met Chad and Christian: youtu.be/vaSO2-KLRlw Robert and Ricky sit down to tell us more about the band's new single 'Ain't The End Of The World': youtu.be/GyySCAYOLfY Robert and Ricky explain how the band came up with the ideas for the new album’s packaging: youtu.be/rvet2BDKtBs Robert and Ricky on why the band decided to record at Sphere Studios: youtu.be/Is5upqZebPk Ricky and Robert discuss what it was like working with Jay Ruston: youtu.be/L0pjxhnb1UQ Robert and Ricky discuss the themes and inspirations for the album, in particular the title and how it came about: youtu.be/pSe9jDVp0t8 Robert and Ricky give us the lowdown on what fans can expect from this new album: youtu.be/72-aHyNj4Cw

The band will be taking part in a series of in store performances and singings in the UK and Ireland this October. See below for details: Oct 10th - hmv 24/26 Broadmead & Upper Floors, 26/28 & 30 Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3HA @ 2pm Oct 11th - Fopp, 37 Sidney Street, Cambridge CB2 3HX @ 2pm Oct 12th - Fopp, 1 Earlsham Street, London WC2E @ 2pm Oct 16th - Tower Dublin, 7 Dawson St, Dublin 2 @ 12:30pm Oct 17th - hmv, 3-6 Donegall Arcade Belfast Northern Ireland BT1 1PT @ 2pm Oct 18th - hmv, Unit 167, Braehead Centre, Kings Inch Road, Glasgow G51 4BN @ 2pm  Oct 20th - Fopp, Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, 49 Broad Walk, The, Nottingham NG1 7LH @ 2pm Oct 23rd - hmv, 5/6 The Avenue, Commercial Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5RP @ 2pm Oct 24th - hmv, Unit 4, 53-57 Queens Street, Cardiff CF10 2AS @ 2pm Oct 25th - hmv, 8 The Gallery, Mander Square, Wolverhampton WV1 3NJ @ 2pm Oct 27th - hmv, Unit 92, Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre, Manchester M4 2HU @ 2pm  These are wristbanded events. Wristbands will be available with the purchase of a copy of the album ‘Another State Of Grace’ from Friday 6th September onwards. Pre-order your copy of the album in store now to guarantee your wristband. More info: HMV: https://www.hmv.com/hmvlive/black-star-riders Tower: https://www.overdrive.ie/overdrive-presents-black-star-riders-exclusive-in-store-dublin-performance

[uonsu]

Making friends at University

Written by Jo Ralphs, an English Graduate from the University of Nottingham 

Making friends when starting University is a big worry for a lot of new students, so we’ve put together a few tips on making friends with some of the first (and best) people you’ll meet when moving into halls!

Keep your door open

When you’re moving in, it’s likely you’ll be going in and out of your room — and other people in your corridor or flat will be doing the same. The simplest thing you can do to meet people and start forming friendships is simply to prop your door open and say hello to your new neighbours! It doesn’t hurt to invite them in for some biscuits, once everyone’s properly introduced and settled in, since you’re probably all feeling the same way about your first night at uni.

Group Chats

Halls usually have social media pages to keep you all up to date, and from there, group chats are made for all different levels — the whole hall, your floor, block or flat may have a chat where you can introduce yourself to people, and then have something to talk about when you see each other around uni. If there isn’t one, you could always start your own chat to start introducing yourselves to each other!

SU Welcome Events

The Welcome team puts on tons of events, especially during your first week — these are around halls, on campus and in town, and are great to do some bonding with people in your accommodation, as well as getting familiar with Nottingham. The Welcome Mentors are there to look after everyone, and get to know new students quite well, so they can always introduce you to some new mates! Find out what events and activities you can get involved with during Welcome Week by downloading the SU’s app, search UoNSU Guide in the App Store or Google Play!

Positive attitude

Sometimes, making friends can seem daunting, especially in the midst of moving into accommodation and starting a new degree. Remember that other people are probably feeling a similar way, and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself or say hello to people you’ve met as you’re going around campus — you never know who’s going to end up being a good friend by the end of your degree! If you’re feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty making friends, you can always talk to a Welcome Mentor or go to SU Advice (you can find them on C Floor in the Portland Building on University Park Campus) for wellbeing advice. 

Communal areas 

In a similar vein, it can be daunting to go out into communal areas during the first few weeks, when you still don’t know everyone too well. Try to get out and socialise as much as you can, and you’ll be making friends in no time! From the dining halls to JCRs, kitchens, or other spots around campus, there’s plenty of communal areas where you can meet and hang out with people in your accommodation.

Chat to everyone! 

Lastly, I’d recommend talking to as many people as you can — introduce yourself to them, ask questions, get to know people and you’ll quickly find some friends. It doesn’t have to be small talk either — although it’s great to have funny stories about how you met your uni friends. Sometimes thinking of the perfect witty introduction isn’t easy! All you really need is to ask someone’s name, course, and where they’re from and you’re good to go. Since most people are looking to make friends when they come to uni, there’s no harm in chatting to everyone you meet! 

[minhoinator]

By My Side, A Hogwarts AU (21/75)

promises kept -  “Nervous?”

Minho stopped fidgeting for a second, his hands folding in his lap as he looked over at Mom. He was about to answer her, but then a voice called out over the intercom: “Stockport, arriving in five minutes. Stockport, arriving in five minutes.” 

“Is that his train?”

master list // AO3 // AFF // first year - muggle-born, sorted, first day, homesick, hallowe’en, deck the halls, possibilities, belonging, exceedingly acceptable, return to king’s cross - second year - diagonally, taking flight, ten points, all that glitters, holly jolly, push and pull, shooting stars, special treat, sleepover, promises made 

@lockandminkey @minhosbowties @sapphicshawol @artfulkey @shinyexo  @posygal  @bumkeyko  @usuallydreamin  @taespoon-of-sugar (if anyone else wants to be tagged in this, just let me know!)

* - * - *

“Nervous?”

Minho stopped fidgeting for a second, his hands folding in his lap as he looked over at Mom. He was about to answer her, but then a voice called out over the intercom: “Stockport, arriving in five minutes. Stockport, arriving in five minutes.”

“Is that his train?” he asked as he bounded off the bench and weaved through the crowd to the screen displaying the train numbers and their arrival times.

The click of Mom’s heels followed him, her arm draping over his shoulders. “0525, that’s his train, right?” Minho nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Kibum would be arriving at Platform 10, should they go there and wait for him to get off the train? “Let’s go back and wait for him on the bench, all right?”

“But…” He turned to watch as she started to walk away. Did Kibum know his way around Muggle train stations? Would he even know where to look for them? While her back was still turned, Minho darted up the steps and ran down the crowded corridor toward Platform 10.

Once he found it, he bounced on the balls of his feet, freezing on his tiptoes when the train pulled up to the platform, the brakes screeching as it came to a stop. Minho grinned when he spotted Kibum peering through the window, returning his wave happily. The other passengers poured out of the doors and on to the platform. It took a while for Kibum to make an appearance in the doorway. He bolted to him once he did, smiling up at him as he stepped down onto the platform.

Minho hugged him as soon as both of his feet were on the ground. “Hey, buddy,” Kibum said, patting his back until Minho let him go. “Where’re your parents?”

“Dad and Minseok are at practice and Mom is waiting on one of the benches.” He gestured to the patched-up satchel hanging at Kibum’s side. “Do we need to go get your luggage?”

“Nope. This is it.”

“Huh.” Kibum laughed as he started following the rest of the passengers off the platform, Minho following him immediately. “Yeah, let’s go find Mom.”

* - * - *

The drive home from the train station was...oddly tense. Kibum tugged on the seatbelt, pulling it away from his neck and slipping it over his head. Minho glanced back at him from his spot in the front seat, offering him a small smile, and looked like he was about to say something. But, a strange jingle started to play, and his attention snapped back over to his mom.

He held his hand out, taking the thin pink device she handed him and flipped it open before he held it up to his ear. “Hey, Dad!” He paused, laughing after a second. “You’re using dad’s phone, stupid, of course I’m gonna think you’re Dad!”

Mrs. Choi smacked Minho’s arm lightly. “Be nice to your brother.”

“You didn’t hear h -- hmm? Okay...okay...yeah...okay, bye.” Minho closed the thin pink thing and slipped it back into his mom’s purse. “Practice is running a little late so you don’t have to have dinner ready until 8.”

She let out a long sigh and Kibum leaned over a little to see the time on the car radio. Damn it, it was only 4:30, but he was already hungry -- he and Grandma usually ate early. As if on cue, his stomach growled and Minho glanced back at him. He glanced between Kibum and his mom, his expression a little weird. Kibum’s brow furrowed when Minho looked back at his mom with a smile.

“What if we got pizza and they got something on the way home?”

“I don’t know.”

“You like pizza, right, Kibum?”

“Uh...” Minho looked back at him and Mrs. Choi met his eyes in the rearview mirror. “I’ve never had it, I don’t think.”

Both of their eyes widened, and Mrs. Choi changed lanes quickly. “Get my phone and text your father.” Minho nodded and grabbed the pink thing from her purse, flipping it open again. “Tell him that they can either have leftover pizza or they can pick something up on the way home.” She met Kibum’s eyes through the mirror again. “I’m sure you’ll love it.”

Kibum smiled at her before she looked back at the road. Soon, they pulled into a parking lot for a place called Croma. They followed Mrs. Choi inside, both peering over her shoulder as she ordered them two pizzas -- a margarita and an Americana, he thought she said -- as well as some garlic bread sticks and salads.

“Grandma grows garlic around the house,” Kibum said as they headed over to the semi-populated waiting area. “Like, all around the house. We use it, of course, for cooking and, like, potions and stuff, but it’s mostly there to keep vampires away.”

Minho’s eyes widened and he started to say something, but they were both quickly shushed by Mrs. Choi. Kibum frowned, glancing around at the curious Muggles in the waiting area. Something dinged inside her purse, and she pulled out the pink thing, ignoring them for a moment.

Minho cleared his throat, leaning toward Kibum to whisper, “When we’re around...other people...we probably shouldn’t talk about...that stuff.”

Kibum glanced past him to his mother, who was still focused on the pink thing. “Even around your family?”

“Uhh...”

“Really?”

“It’s okay sometimes, and Minseok is usually okay with it, but...sorry, I should have mentioned it earlier.”

“It’s okay.” An awkward sort of silence stretched between them, broken when one of the people in the waiting area was called up to get their pizza. “Am I gonna be in trouble?”

Minho laughed. “No, I don’t think so.” He chuckled again before he sobered. “Just be sure not to say anything in front of my dad, because then you might be.”

“Choi!”

They hurried after Mrs. Choi as she made her way back up to the counter. She handed the two pizza boxes to Minho and the foil bag of breadsticks and the salads to Kibum. “Go ahead and sit in the back seat, honey,” she said when they reached the car. Minho slid the pizza into the middle of back seat before he hopped inside. “We’ll be home in ten minutes.”

Kibum thought he had been hungry before, but the smell wafting up from the pizza and the garlic bread was nearly torturous. When his stomach growled loudly again, Minho looked over at him, his eyes alit with silent laughter. He continued to talk to his mom about whatever they were talking about while he slowly unrolled the top of the breadsticks bag. With a finger on his lips, he passed one to Kibum, who ate it quietly and quickly, savoring it as much as he could on the way home.

Prism Lane was quite similar in appearances to Juliette Boulevard, with the small, matching houses and the cobblestone lanes leading to the brightly colored doors. One of the differences, Kibum noticed, were the gardens.

Here, they were pristine, with prim little rose bushes or orchids or carnations lining the homes. Back in Nottingham, however, Kibum knew that at least seven of the other residents were witches and wizards, since some of the kids were also at Hogwarts. The gardens back home were teaming with different plants, to make potions and poultices and salves, or to cook with, since they did not often go to Muggle grocery stores.

They pulled into the driveway and followed her into the house. It was nice and homey, in its own way, but not cozy like Grandma’s house. The walls were painted a cool gray with touches of blue and green accented in the art and the plants. Even though he had only seen the entrance, it seemed oddly clean, compared to Grandma’s house.

“Put the pizza on the counter before you show Kibum to your room, all right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Minho said, kicking off his shoes and holding the pizza boxes in his arms out to Kibum. “Put those here. I’ll go set them down. Just wait here?” Kibum set the bag of breadsticks and salads on top of the pizza boxes and watched as Minho glided across the hardwood floor to the swinging kitchen door. He reappeared a second later and hurried to put his shoes on top of the cubby by the door. “You can put yours next to mine.”

He set his shoes beside Minho’s and followed him upstairs to his room. “What...”

“Hmm?” Kibum pointed to the bed floating on the floor. “Oh, that’s our air mattress. We had it from when Jinki or Taemin or any of Minseok’s friends would sleep over.”

“Oh.” Tentatively, Kibum sat down on the end.

“I think there’s a hole in it, so we’ll have to blow it up every night.”

“Blow...it up?”

Minho snorted. “Like, with air?” He propped his feet up on the air mattress, jostling Kibum where he sat. Kibum rolled his eyes and started to glare at Minho when they heard a cupboard slam shut downstairs. “Oh, we should hurry,” Minho said, already hopping over the air mattress and reaching for his bedroom door. “We don’t want the pizza to get cold.”

Thankfully, they made it in time. The pizza was...deliciously hot and cheesy and Kibum wondered why the hell he had been deprived of it for so long.

They needed this at Hogwarts.

He was about to ask Minho to suggest it to Sookey when they got back to school, but Mr. Choi and Minseok walked through the door. Mrs. Choi got up to greet them and Kibum glanced at Minho, who set his fork down with a sigh as he looked to the dining room doorway. Kibum sucked the red sauce off his thumb and followed his gaze.

“Hey, Min...” Minseok said as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, grabbing a plate and a couple slices of pizza before he looked up and locked eyes with Kibum. “Hi, I’m -- “

“Minseok, I know. I’m -- “

“Kibum. I know, too.” He slid into the seat across from Minho, glancing between the two of them. “Do you talk about me at school, Min?”

“Occasionally,” he said before he stuffed another bite of pizza into his mouth.

“Only good things.”

Kibum struggled to keep his amusement from showing and Minho kept eating to keep his mouth full. Minseok squinted. “I don’t believe you.” Minho started to laugh, but all three of them quieted with Mr. and Mrs. Choi walked back into the kitchen.

“So,” Mr. Choi said, taking his seat at the head of the table while Mrs. Choi fixed him a plate. “You’re the famous Kibum.”

He spared a quick glance at Minho. The tips of his ears, as well as his cheeks, were a bright red as he stared pointedly at the table. “I don’t know about famous, sir, but yes.”

Minseok snickered, stopping when Mr. Choi cleared his throat. They all started eating after a second of awkward silence. Mr. and Mrs. Choi filled each other in about their days while the boys ate. Once Kibum was full, Minho stopped eating and cleared their plates from the table. Kibum followed him into the kitchen, rinsing the plates when Minho washed them and set them on a towel to dry. They washed the other plates too after Minseok brought them in.

Once the water was drained, Minho led him upstairs, away from the sounds from the other room downstairs. “What was that?” he whispered as they climbed the stairs.

“Dad is probably just watching football on TV. Do you wanna shower before bed?”

“Sure.”

“Okay, grab your stuff and I’ll show you how it works”

It didn’t take Kibum long to shower, and soon he was tucked between his blankets. Minho flicked off the light, accidentally bumping into the air mattress on his way to bed. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Beside him, there came a creak and a sigh, and Kibum glanced over to see that Minho had settled into bed. He stared at his silhouette for a second before he looked up at the stars on the ceiling. "Are...”

“Hmm?”

“Are those in constellations?”

Minho hummed his assent. “I tried, at least.”

“You did a good job.” There came a delayed thanks from the shadows to his right, a hint of a smile coloring Minho’s voice. “So,” Minho’s head turned on his pillow. “What have you told your family about me?” He glanced up when Minho turned on his side to face him.

“Everything, I guess.”

Kibum pulled his blankets up over his shoulder as looked at Minho. The moonlight softly lit the top of his head, the bridge of his nose, and the tips of his fingers peeking out from under his blanket. His face was still cloaked in shadow, but Kibum could feel his eyes on him. Kibum blinked, and the moonlight seemed to fade, if only slightly. “What -- “ he cleared his throat when his voice cracked. “What do you mean by ‘I guess’?”

Minho sighed, his fingers twitching around his blanket. “Everything I could remember, I guess. Like, how you helped me learn English in first year, and then again after my concussion.” He stretched a little as he yawned. “About that one time you almost fell through the lake. When you got sick but wouldn’t admit it...”

“I wasn’t sick. it was allergies.”

“Listen, Bummie, Pomfrey agreed with me so shush.”

“Whatever.” Kibum smiled, warmth blooming in his chest. He wrapped his arms around his pillow, hugging it. “What else?”

Minho yawned again. “I don’t know. Can’t remember. Mom does like you though, I think.”

Kibum’s brow furrowed. “Really?” It didn't necessarily seem like it.

He nodded against his pillow. “Something about...about liking that she knows that...there’s someone at school who cares about me...I think...” His voice grew quieter and quieter until it dropped off completely. Kibum listened to his steady breathing for a moment before he rolled onto his back.

It took him a little while to start to drift off -- being in a strange bed and all. Once he did, however, his throat became increasingly dry. Soon, he was wide awake because of it. With a quiet groan, he sat up, wrapping his blanket around him as he slowly got out of bed and shuffled to the door.

There was a light still on downstairs, stopping Kibum in his tracks. Was it just a nightlight or was someone still up? No, someone was still up, he could hear their voice. He started to descend the stairs, freezing when one of the steps creaked under his foot.

The voices quieted for a second, and a shadow passed over the open kitchen door before they spoke again. “It’s not like he’ll be here much longer,” Mrs. Choi said, her voice sounding like a tired sigh. “It’s just until the end of the week. And it’s not like you’ll be here often.”

Kibum slowly sat down on the step, wrapping his arms around himself. “I don’t want Minseok here either, then, you know, just in case. I’ll take him with me to work.”

“Of course.” Silence stretched between them for a moment. “He is Minho’s friend...I don’t think he’d do anything to harm us.”

“I guess.”

Kibum jumped when a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned, expecting to see Minho behind him, but found Minseok instead. He gestured behind him, and crept back to his room, Kibum quietly following. He closed the door and flipped on the light once Kibum was inside.

“How much did you hear?” Minseok asked as he walked past him on his way to his bed.

Did he know? Kibum stared at him for a moment, searching his expression for any sort of clues. “Not much, but enough.”

“Yeah.” Minseok rubbed his hands over his face, sighing heavily.

“Is that why he always takes you with him to practice? Because of Minho?” When Minseok didn’t respond right away, Kibum went on. “Like, I know they were talking about me, but it sounds like what happened here last summer.”

Minseok looked up at him, his brow furrowing. “Minho told you about that?” More or less...Kibum nodded. “I think it is, even if Dad won’t admit it.”

Kibum let out a disdained huff before he sank to the floor, crossing his legs beneath him. “What the hell for?”

“I think, well, I think Dad is just, like, struggling with the idea that one of his sons is a wizard. It doesn’t help that Minho refuses to do magic to prove that he actually is a wizard -- “

“That’s against the law for us, though.”

“Right, that’s what he said.” Minseok sighed again. “I think just the fact -- that he’s magical -- really freaked Dad out...He doesn’t talk to me about it, but I’ve heard him say stuff to Mom when they think I can’t hear them.”

Kibum couldn’t help but ask, “What sort of stuff?”

Minseok started to speak, but quickly closed his mouth and averted his gaze, shaking his head. “I don’t remember.”

His hands fisted in his blankets, tugging it a little tighter around himself. “What do you think?” Kibum’s jaw clenched when Minseok met his eyes again. “About Minho? What do you think?”

“I don’t think he’s a freak, if that’s what you’re asking. Like not at all.” Kibum started to relax a little bit. “I wish I could go with him and see all the cool stuff he tells me about, but...yeah.”

Kibum nodded. He seemed nice enough and supportive of Minho, which was good. If Minho’s stories about Minseok were to be believed, he basically hung the sun in the sky. “I...I’m glad he has you to come home to.”

“And I’m glad you’re there for him at school.”

Kibum gave him a small smile before he stood and headed for the door. “Going to practice with your dad tomorrow?”

“Probably. Maybe.” Minseok smiled back. “I might try to stay home.”

“Okay.” Kibum closed the door behind him, tiptoeing down the hall to Minho’s room, his previous thirst forgotten. Carefully and quietly, he crept back into his bed and rolled on his side to face Minho. His hand laid limply off the bed, his thumb twitching occasionally.

It wasn’t fair.

It wasn’t fair that someone as sweet and kind and giving as Minho would have to come home to...to parents who can’t seem to accept a major part of who he was. He already knew this visit was going to be different when they started to plan it last year, but he wasn’t expecting this. He glanced past the tips of Minho’s fingers to where his face was hidden by the night.  

“I know you’re asleep, buddy,” Kibum whispered. “But I want you to know that I’ll always be there for you. No matter what. I’ve got your back like you’ve got mine.” He glanced back at his hand, and after a second of thought, he hooked their pinkies together. “I promise.”

* - * - *

In the haze of early morning, Minho’s only warning was a slight clink. By the time his eyes had barely started to open, it was too late.

Ice cold water, followed by the ice cubes themselves, poured onto his neck and back. Minho’s eyes squeezed shut before he launched himself out of bed, tripping over the empty air mattress and falling onto the floor.

Looking up, he saw Minseok standing over his bed, drinking the rest of the water from the glass.

“Breakfast is ready.” He cackled and ran out the door when Minho threw his cleat at him. “Hurry up!” he called from the hall, his heavy footsteps thundering down the stairs.

Grumbling to himself, Minho took off his soaked shirt and tossed it into his hamper. He was about to go downstairs in just his shorts, but then he looked back at the empty air mattress. He could feel his face heat up as he looked around for a shirt of some kind, finding and pulling on one of his many hoodies and heading out the door. Before he went downstairs, however, he hurried to the bathroom, combing his hair into place with his fingers.

“Good morning!” he said as he walked through the doorway and into the kitchen.

Kibum looked up from the table, smiling brightly at him. “Morning!”

The TV was on in the living room, but Minho couldn’t tell what was playing. He scooped some slightly burnt scrambled eggs and a couple slices of bacon from the discarded pans around the kitchen and grabbed two of the frozen waffles from the toaster. “Where’s Mom?”

Kibum shrugged, and Minseok answered from the other room. “Dad took her out for breakfast!”

“Ahh.” Kibum was pouring him a glass of orange juice, and he slid it in front of the seat beside him as Minho came into the dining room. “Sleep okay?”

“Mmhm.” He took a sip of his own juice, his brow furrowing. “So I know that this isn’t pumpkin juice but it kinda looks like it and I’m each time I take a drink I’m surprised.” Minho almost snorted scrambled eggs out of his nose and Kibum patted his back as he coughed. “It wasn’t that funny.”

“It’s not you,” Minseok said as he went through the dining room to the kitchen. “He’s super giggly in the morning.”

“Oh really?”

Both of them turned to him, and Minho’s face felt like it was trying to spontaneously combust. “Leave me alone,” he muttered, trying not to laugh, as he gathered his plate and glass and tried to go hide in the living room. Oh great, Minseok had been watching Shrek...that never made him laugh. Minho situated himself in Dad’s armchair and continued eating his breakfast as Donkey tried to get out of Dragon’s clutches.

Kibum followed him into the room, stopping dead in his tracks as he stared at the TV. “What’s that?”

“You’ve never seen Shrek?” When Kibum shook his head, Minho scrambled for the remote, starting it all the way over. He hummed along to All-Star, and glanced over at Kibum. “This is the song the team listens to before a game.”

“Oh...”

Kibum sat in rapt attention of the movie, not even looking away from the screen when Mom and Dad got home. Minho started to get out of Dad’s chair when he walked into the living room, but he gestured for him to stay put. “Ready to go?” he asked Minseok.

“Can I stay home today?” Minho’s eyes widened as his gaze flicked from Dad to Minseok. “It’s not like I do much of anything when I’m there.”

“But you’re learning the entire time. How are you going to make it as a football player if you don’t learn from the professionals?”

Minho glanced back at Kibum, to check if his attention had shifted from Shrek to the conversation, but it hadn’t.

“It’s just one day. Is one day really gonna make that much of a difference?”

Dad’s jaw tightened and he met Minho’s eyes, seemingly surprised to find him watching. Minho quickly turned back to the TV, lounging as casually as possible in the armchair. “I’ll be late,” he said, kissing Mom’s cheek before he left the room.

In his peripheral vision, Minho saw Minseok visibly relax. When Dad’s car puttered away outside, Minho glanced over at his brother, smiling when he looked back.

Minho -- and Minseok, when he didn’t go with dad to work -- spent the next several days showing Kibum as many Muggle things as possible. It took him a couple of hours to get the hang of how to play video games, but he seemed to prefer to sit back and watch while Minho played.

Unsurprisingly, football, much like Quidditch, was not one of his interests, but he still joined them when he and Minseok went outside to pass the ball around the yard. He sat on the ground, picking at the grass while he chatted with Minho and Minseok. Sometimes, Minho got too involved in their discussion that he forgot to pass the ball back.

One afternoon, when Kibum went inside for a minute to make himself some tea, Minseok called him over. “What’s up with you?”

Minho frowned, confused. “What do you mean?”

“You’re acting like the guys do at school when the girls come to watch us play.” Minho blinked, averting his eyes when his face started to heat up. “It’s only Kibum.”

“I know.”

Minseok lightly kicked the ball back and forth before he kicked it up with his toe. He caught it and tossed it against Minho’s chest, who then caught it. “Pass it back,” he said, gesturing for him to return to his spot across the yard.

Minho started walking back, looking up when the sliding glass door opened and Kibum stepped out, a mug in hand.

One Muggle activity that Kibum really did seem to enjoy was watching TV, specifically movies. The Chois had never really had that big of a movie collection, but Mom had a soft spot for Studio Ghibli movies, so they had a bunch of those. After they had watched Howl’s Moving Castle, Kibum wanted to watch them all, and Minho was more than happy to oblige him.

One night, as they were trying to fall asleep, Kibum whispered, “You know what? I think Miyasaki is a wizard.”

Minho smiled as he glanced over at Kibum’s silhouette. “I think you’re right.”

Most nights, after Mom and Dad thought they had all gone to bed, Minseok would come into Minho’s room and he would ask them questions about Hogwarts and they would regale him with stories about their experience so far. It was nice for him to be able to talk freely about school at home, but it was also fun to watch Kibum get to talk about it, too.

His eyes would light up with each new question that Minseok had for them, and his voice got really fast as he tried to pack as much information -- relative to the question or not -- into each of his answers.

Had Kibum always had dimples? They seemed to be showing up more and more as his visit continued and he felt more comfortable with Minseok...maybe Minho just didn’t notice before.

“Minho, is something wrong?”

“Hm, what?” He blinked, meeting Kibum’s eye as the dimple on his cheek disappeared.

Kibum snorted and Minseok laughed. “You’ve just been staring at me.”

“Sorry, I, uh, I was trying to remember the, uh, wand motions for the spell you were referring to.”

“Petrificus Totalus?”

Sure. Whatever.

Kibum grabbed a licorice wand from the pile of candy he got out of his satchel and did the motion, and Minho nodded, taking the licorice from him and eating it with a grin when Kibum rolled his eyes.

On Kibum’s last night in the Choi household, Minho and Kibum decided to share some Bertie Bott’s beans with Minseok, but not tell him the secret. Kibum poured the entire box into his hand, dividing them evenly between the three of them. He passed Minho’s his with a quick wink.

“Oh, these are just jelly beans,” Minseok said, popping one into his mouth.

When he did not react right away, Minho let out a pent-up breath. “Yeah,” Kibum said as he nonchalantly picked through his. “I didn’t know you guys had them, too.”

Minseok scoffed. “Where’d you think you guys got the idea from?” he asked as he popped a mottled brown bean in his mouth. Dirt...Minho bit his lip to keep from laughing. Minseok grimaced as he chewed and shivered as he swallowed before he grabbed a bright green one. Vomit. Minho saw Kibum start to look toward him and he made himself turn away. “What the fuck?” he sputtered, spitting out the remnants for the bean.

All three were laughing so hard that Dad had to come upstairs to tell them to quiet down and go to bed. After Minseok left the room, they could hear him brushing his teeth for five straight minutes. Both Minho and Kibum couldn’t stop giggling, especially after Minho tried to sober himself enough to say, “It’s not that funny.”

Morning came all too soon, unfortunately.

It wasn’t even nine in the morning by the time Mom had he and Kibum out the door and on the way to the train station. It was stupid to be sad that he wouldn’t be around the house anymore. It had only been a week, but Minho had grown rather accustomed to being with Kibum night and day.

His room would feel so empty, now.

“Got all your stuff?” Mom asked Kibum, who nodded.

All three of them piled out of the car and headed inside, Minho and Kibum hanging back while Mom paid for his ticket with the money Grandma sent.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Minho wanted to say, but he held his tongue. Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back, knocking shoulders with Kibum and grinning when he acted affronted. “I’m coming over in two weeks, right?”

“That’s the plan, so I certainly hope so.” Kibum’s smiled dimmed slightly when Mom started back toward them, handing Kibum his ticket. “Thank you for letting me stay with you, Mrs. Choi.”

“You’re welcome, Kibum. It was no trouble at all.”

He nodded, glancing between the two of them before he waved goodbye to Minho with a dimpled smile. As Kibum started to walk away, Mom’s arm rested across Minho’s shoulder, and she guided him toward the exit. He looked back for one last glimpse of Kibum, but he was already gone.

* - * - *

“Do you think we’ll make it in time?”

Kibum’s grip tightened on the handle as the Knight Bus made a rapid turn around a corner. He and Grandma had set out for Nottingham Station about five minutes ago, which was about twenty minutes later than they were expecting. Mrs. Prue, one of their neighbors, came over to get a couple pinches of powdered unicorn horn from Grandma’s store and the two ended up talking for much longer than Kibum would have liked.

Minho’s train was supposed to be in at noon, and it was ten till that when Grandma hailed the Knight Bus.

“I’m sure we will, sweetheart. And if not, it’s not the end of the world.”

He pouted a little as he peeked outside at the blur of the passing scenery. The bus stopped three more times -- either to let passengers off or on -- before they reached Nottingham Station. Once it came to a stop, Grandma grabbed Kibum’s sleeve before he could bolt for the exit. “Why don’t you go get him and come right back? That way we don’t have to wait for the bus again.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She stood, following him to the door so she could speak to the driver and the shrunken head and ask them to wait for a moment.

Once his feet hit the pavement, Kibum took off toward the entrance, scanning the crowd once he was inside. He was about to call out for Minho, but then he saw him coming out of the restroom. He waved with he spotted Kibum, jogging around people to meet him by the door.

“Hey,” Minho said once he reached him, his voice a little breathless.

“Hi.” He grinned and Kibum couldn’t help but follow suit, but before he got too distracted -- “We gotta go, the bus is waiting.”

“Oh, shit, okay.” He followed Kibum out the door, running across the sidewalk to where the Knight Bus sat idling.

“Took ya long enough!” the shrunken head said when they hurried up the steps.

Minho gasped, grabbing the back of Kibum’s shirt as he stared open-mouthed at the shrunken head. Kibum pulled him along before the head could say anything sarcastic, leading him to where Grandma sat on one of the only bolted down seats on the entire bus. He set his backpack down on the ground before he greeted her with a hug.

“How have you been, darling?” she asked as he sat beside her -- on a non-bolted down seat. Kibum suppressed a smile as he held onto the strap before them.

“Good. What about you, Grandma?”

Any possible conversation from Minho died when the bus jolted forward, swerving madly around in the Muggle traffic on its way out of the Nottingham Station parking lot. By the time they reached home, Minho was clinging to the closest bar for dear life. “Come on, buddy,” Kibum said with a laugh, patting his arm to remind Minho to let go.

They helped Grandma inside and Minho dropped his backpack at the door as he slipped off his shoes, staring at the inside of Kibum’s home with bright-eyed amazement.

The walls were painted a rich mustard, but ivy from the potted plants in the living room crept along the walls and the ceiling, twisting around the banister leading upstairs. Handwoven rugs lined the hall, and Kibum followed him down to the kitchen, both sitting at the counter as Grandma put a kettle on.

“Your house feels like the common room!”

She smiled at Minho as she started making three teabags. “That’s what Kibum said.”

Kibum’s eyes widened when Minho stiffened beside him. He cleared his throat. “When did Jjong’s mom say he’d be done with his guitar lessons?”

“Not sure. I think she said 1 o’clock. Need something, dear?” Kibum glanced over at Minho, who was staring at the icebox.

“I’m really thirsty.” She nodded and moved to get him a glass and fill it from the sink next to the icebox. He drank it in one drink, swallowing thickly. “Would you like more?” she asked as the kettle started to sing.

“I can get it.” He hopped off the chair and went around the counter to pour himself another glass. “Oh, hey, that’s us!” Minho gestured to the polaroids posted on the icebox. He sipped the water and inspected the pictures as Grandma poured their tea behind him. His hand froze in front of one -- at this distance, Kibum couldn’t tell which on it was -- and when Grandma had set their tea on the counter, it was gone and Minho was back in his seat.

Minho started at the sound of the phone ringing, which was rather loud compared to the sound of his mom’s cell phone. Grandma was quick to answer it. “Oh, Sandra, hello!”

Really? Mrs. Prue again? Sighing, Kibum looked over at Minho. “This’ll take a while.”

“Can we take the tea to your room?”

“Oh, yeah! Grab your stuff and I’ll show you where it is.”

Minho followed Kibum to his room, closing the door behind him as soon as he stepped inside. “So, this is it,” Kibum said, gesturing to the small room.

It was a little smaller than Minho’s bedroom, or maybe it just felt that way with how much more stuff Kibum had stuffed in his room. Grandma had charmed the bed to stretch to a queen size, so they could share it instead of making Minho sleep on the very uncomfortable couch downstairs. All along the walls hung the many polaroids from their first two years at school, as well as prints from around the world that Mom took for work. He glanced back at Minho to see his reaction, but found him staring at the polaroid in his hands.

Kibum’s heart sank. If it was the one he took from off the icebox... “I can explain.”

Minho met his eyes, his mouth twisted in a sort of frown. He moved past him to the bed, dropping his backpack at the foot before he sat down. When he tossed the polaroid to the side, Kibum joined him on the bed, picking up the picture. Yup, it was his favorite from his stay in the Hufflepuff dorm, when he was bugging Minho in the common room while he was reading.

“I thought you said you weren’t gonna show her any of these,” he said, his voice quiet.

“I...wasn’t planning on it, but...”

“But, what? You couldn’t help it?”

Kibum’s brow furrowed. “Don’t take that tone with me, you don’t understand.”

“Really? I don’t?”

“You’re family aren’t...” He stopped, shutting his mouth quickly. The door downstairs opened and closed, both of them distracted by the noise. Kibum went to his closet door, opening it and nodding for Minho to get inside. His brow furrowed in utter confusion but he stepped inside and Kibum followed him in, mostly closing the door behind him. “I just don’t want us to be overheard.”

“Mm.” For a moment, the only sound in the closet was their quiet breathing, but Minho soon broke the silence. “I know I’m just a Muggle-born -- “

Kibum squeezed his eyes shut. “Minho, I didn’t mean -- “

“ -- so I don’t understand what it means to be a legacy or whatever at Hogwarts, but I do know you.” Kibum opened his eyes, meeting Minho’s gaze. “It’s gotta be eating you up inside, not being truthful with her. How much longer are you gonna put yourself through this...this stress?”

"I...don't know." Sighing, Kibum shook his head. “You...you won’t tell her this week, will you?”

“Of course not.” Kibum slumped back, his head knocking back against the wall. “It’s not my secret to tell. I won’t mention it again once we step outside the closet.”

“Thank you. And Min?” He glanced at him, his eyebrows raising in question. “I’m sorry for even implying that...because you’re Muggle-born...you...”

Minho’s expression softened. “It’s okay, Bummie, I know you didn’t mean it like that.” He opened his arms and pulled Kibum into a hug. “Are we good?” he mumbled into Kibum’s shoulder.

“Yea -- “

Both froze when Kibum’s bedroom door opened. “Ki?” Oh, it was only Jonghyun. “Grandma said you guys would be up...here...” He opened the ajar closet door, looking up at both of them in bewilderment. “What the hell are you guys doing?”

Slowly, Minho dropped his arms from around Kibum and Kibum took a step back. Minho shrugged and shook his head while Kibum said, “You mean you don’t often hug your friends in closets?”

Jonghyun snorted. “Well, I mean, yeah,” he said as he stepped inside the closet to give Kibum and then Minho a quick hug. “So, what's up, guys?”

* - * - *

Minho felt sort of stupid, now.

He had been quite nervous -- and he kept it from Kibum -- about seeing Jonghyun again. They had only seen each other for maybe ten whole minutes last summer, and, yeah they had gotten along for those ten minutes, but he was here for a full week.

Being greeted with a warm smile and hug? Almost totally eradicated his nervousness, which was a relief. After about a minute of him talking about his music lesson, his eyes widened. “Oh my god, I forgot! Follow me!”

Minho glanced at Kibum, who looked equally confused, and they both followed him downstairs and out the door. Jonghyun had the backyard gate open and closed it behind them. “What are we doing, Jj -- “

“Wait, wait!” He called out behind him, and ran through the back door.

“What do you think it is?” Minho whispered.

“Could be either really good or really stupid. Last time it was a kazoo he found in the street.” Minho couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t long before Jonghyun rejoin them outside, a gray and black speckled puppy writhing in his arms in an effort to lick his chin. Kibum gasped, hurrying to meet him and pet the puppy’s head with the tips of her fingers. “I love him.”

“Her.”

“Her. What’s her name?”

“Byulroo.“

Kibum frowned. “Why call her that? It seems rude.”

"We found her in a box on the side of the read on the way home from my lesson. Mom said something like: ‘Oh, that’s really not good,’ and she sorta yipped after that so that’s what I decided to name her.”

Minho held his hand still as she licked his fingers. “She’s so cute.”

“Isn’t she?” Jonghyun grinned up at him before looking back at Byulroo. “You’re so precious. I love you so much.” He cleared his throat, his voice switching from baby-talk to back to normal. “What are we doing today?”

Both Minho and Jonghyun looked at Kibum. “Not sure, but Mom will be home soon and we’re planning on going to Diagon Alley because I need new robes.” He glanced between them. “Other than that, I don’t know.”

“Mind if I come with?”

Kibum looked over at Minho, who gave him the slightest nod. “Sure, if you want, I don’t mind.”

It didn’t take long before Kibum’s mom came home. She found them rather easily, as all three were...loudly giddy at Byulroo’s -- or Roo, as Jonghyun had nicknamed her -- presence. The tiny puppy was soon safely inside with Jonghyun’s mom and sister and the boys were all tucked into the back seat of Kibum’s mom’s car.

On the way to The Leaky Cauldron, Minho and Kibum silently agreed to torment Jonghyun, who had the misfortune of sitting in the middle of the back seat. Kibum kept poking his side, nodding for Minho to do the same after a moment. By the time they reached the pub, Jonghyun had trapped both of their hands in his, tightening his grip when either of them tried to make a move against him.

The lanes between the shops of Diagon Alley were bustling with the back to school crowd, so the boys huddled behind Mrs. Kim as she led them to Madam Malkin’s. When she stepped inside, Kibum turned to them. “Hey, if you want to wait with me, that’s fine, but if you want to look around that’s fine, too.”

Jonghyun patted Minho’s back. “We’ll look around.”

“Meet us at Fortescue’s, I think.”

“Will do.” Kibum nodded, turning around and heading inside. “Do you have all of your school shopping done?” Jonghyun asked once the door swung shut.

“Yeah, Mom and I came once we got the list.”

“Ah.” Both were quiet for a moment. For Minho’s part, he was feeling slightly awkward at being alone with Jonghyun for the first time. It was probably the same for Jonghyun. He stepped back from the stairs as Jonghyun descended them.

“Do...do you miss Hogwarts?” Minho asked as they started walking down the lane.

“Well,” Jonghyun said, drawing out the word. “Yes and no. I wish I could be there with you two because I feel like that’d be so much fun. And I really got along well with Flitwick -- my head of house.”

“Oh, right! Kibum mentioned that you were in Ravenclaw.”

Jonghyun smiled fondly. “Yeah. But I really like Beauxbatons, too. And since I’ve been there longer, it feels more like home than Hogwarts does.”

“Have you learned any French?”

“Oui,” he said with a quick wink, and Minho grinned, turning to hide his slight blush. “My new house is Merprin, which is basically the equivilent of Ravenclaw over there.”

Jonghyun answered any questions Minho had about the differences between the schools as they walked in and out of shops, not paying much mind to which shops they walked into. Much to both their surprise, they were soon assaulted by an overwhelming concoction of perfumes and incense.

“Oh god,” Jonghyun muttered and Minho sneezed twice before the left the shop. “So, that reminds me...one time PJ -- PIerre, one of the roommates I mentioned -- decided to douse Vincent’s pillow in his sister’s perfume.”

“Oh no...”

“Yeah, our room stunk for days, it was bad.”

“I can imagine. One time,” he held back a laugh at the memory. “One time Taemin, one of my friends back in Korea, came to school with a mustache drawn on his face in permanent marker. His older brother did it when he was sleeping.”

“Did he know?”

“Not until second period.”

“Oh my god. Wait...” he stopped, grabbing the sleeve of Minho’s shirt to make him stop, too. “That gives me an idea.” He explained on his way to the ice cream parlor, but it sounded like all they would need to prank Kibum one of these nights was some of Sodam’s new lipstick. “You like chocolate?” Minho nodded, and Jonghyun stepped inside as he gestured for him to wait outside.

Minho settled into one of the chairs, letting out a sigh as he watched the crowd. He spotted Travis and Tanner going into the broomstick shop, but they didn’t see him.

It was nice getting to know Jonghyun. Based on all of Kibum’s stories, he almost sure that he would like him a lot, but he was happy and even relieved that that was turning out to be the case. He searched the lane and soon found Madam Malkin’s shop. As much fun as he was having with Jonghyun, he was looking forward to Kibum’s return.

“Here you go!” Minho looked up at the sound of Jonghyun’s sing-song voice, smiling when he saw the proffered chocolate milkshake.

“Thanks.” Jonghyun sat across from him, sipping happily at his own strawberry milkshake while Minho pulled his straw out and licked the whipped cream off of it before sticking it back in. He glanced over at Jonghyun when he felt his eyes on him, his expression surprisingly sober. “What is it?”

“There’s, uh, something I want to say...and...now that I know you a little better, I think I can.” Minho gulped, dread settling in his chest. Jonghyun continued. “I don’t know how much Kibum has told you about his...well, I don’t want to call it ‘his past’ because that sounds a little weird but that’s what it is. Anyways, I don’t know how much he’s said, but it hasn’t exactly been easy for him.”

“Right.”

“Like,” he paused to drink more of his shake, “He’s moved around a lot and because of that it’s hard for him to keep whatever friendships had. You won’t tell him I told you this -- “ Minho shook his head. “ -- but when he found out that I would be in France during the school year because of my parents' divorce, he cried. Several times, I think.”

“Oh, no...”

“He tried to keep it from me, but the day before I left, he was helping me pack and he started to tear up when he asked me to remember to write to him. Grandma says he has problems with feeling abandoned.”

Minho looked down at his straw before he took a long sip. Maybe that was part of why he kept lying to Grandma about being in Slytherin...because he thought she’d abandon him. It would make sense.

“I’m saying all that to, well, thank you, I guess.”

“Thank me?”

“For being such a great friend to him. God, I can’t tell you how many goddamn letters I’ve gotten where he’s telling me about all the stupid stuff you two do together.” Both of them chuckled, and Minho kept sipping his shake. “He deserves only the best, so I’m glad he has you.”

“And you.”

“Yes, well, that goes without saying.” Minho almost spit his milkshake out and Jonghyun laughed loudly, turning the heads of the people walking into the ice cream parlor.

“What’s so funny?” Kibum asked, Minho jumping at his seemingly sudden reappearance. When neither Minho nor Jonghyun answered immediately, he gestured for Minho to pass him his shake. “Did you guys have fun?” he asked in between sips.

Jonghyun met Minho’s eyes with a smile. “Yeah, we did.”

When they got home, Jonghyun left them to go back to his house. Grandma had dinner practically ready by the time they stepped inside, and Kibum joined her in the kitchen to get the dishes to set the table. Minho straightened his and Kibum’s shoes by the door before he hurried to help him.

Each meal Grandma made during Minho’s visit either reminded him of being back in Korea or being back at Hogwarts.

In the days that followed, Minho and Kibum -- and sometimes Jonghyun -- helped Grandma tend to her backyard garden. The first time Minho saw it, he stood on the porch in awe for a second before Kibum pulled him along with a laugh. It almost looked as though one of the greenhouses at school had been transplanted here in Nottingham.

Apparently, Grandma supplied ingredients to the apothecary in Diagon Alley, which is why Mrs. Prue was over as often as she was since she was one of the healers on staff there.

There were plants there that Minho didn’t recognize, but luckily Grandma sat out on the porch, very much willing to answer any questions he or Kibum may have had while she knitted. Somedays, she let them be, leaving at the appearance of Mrs. Kim.

One day, when Jonghyun was over to help them, Grandma and Mrs. Kim were about to leave. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she told them with a wink.

All three of them nodded, but Kibum waited until the door was closed behind her to say, “Sprout told me a lot of stories. We have more leeway than you might think.”

After dinner most nights, Minho and Kibum took turns showering before they went to bed. Once the lights were out and they were tucked in, they discussed the coming year and how excited they were about the prospect of having different choices for electives.

“I’m thinking about taking Muggle Studies,” Kibum said one night, and Minho hummed in response. “What, don’t you think it’ll be interesting?”

“I mean, probably, but what would I learn from that?”

“True.” He glanced over to where Kibum laid but saw only darkness. “I mean, I guess we don’t have to take the same electives. At least one, I think, if you want.”

“Divination?”

Kibum snorted. “That works. Which other one do you want to take?”

“My dad said I had to take Arithmancy, since that’s the closest one to math which makes it practical.”

“Hm. Good luck with that.”

Minho chuckled. “Thanks.”

One of the nights, closer to the end of Minho’s visit, Jonghyun invited them over to have a camp out in his backyard, complete with the Muggle treats s’mores -- “That’s what they’re called, right?” Minho nodded, amused. Jonghyun’s mom, the other Mrs. Kim, trapped a flame in a jar for them to roast their marshmallows with before she left them to their own devices.

Once the s'mores were eaten and the flame was extinguished, they laid huddled together, reading their fortunes in the stars through the clear ceiling of Jonghyun’s tent. They started out sort of serious, but it soon turned into them concocting the wildest stories for each other just to make the others laugh.

Kibum was the first to fall asleep, his head lolling over to rest on Minho’s shoulder. Minho froze, glancing up at Jonghyun when he pulled a tube of lipstick out of his shorts pocket. He continued to hold still for several minutes, to make sure that Kibum really was asleep, before he nodded. Jonghyun drew all over Kibum’s face as gently as he could, so as to not wake him up, before he passed it over to Minho.

“Your turn.”

Red was streaked all over Kibum’s face, his lips smeared into a terrifying smile. To be quite honest, there really wasn’t anywhere else to draw. Except...Minho carefully uncapped the lipstick with one hand and drew a small circle on the tip of Kibum’s nose.

“Perfect.”

When morning came, Minho was woken to a pillow hitting him in the face. Kibum stood over him, his face and hands stained red in an attempted to clean off the lipstick. The pillow in his hands poised to hit him again. And hit him again it did when Minho burst out laughing.

“It was...Jonghyun’s idea!” he yelled between smacks.

“You swear?”

“I promise.”

Kibum started to turn away, but paused. “Did you draw any of it?”

Minho’s eyes widened and he pointed to the tip of his nose. He half-yelled, half-laughed when Kibum hit him with the pillow again before he ran back inside. Minho quickly wrapped himself up in his blanket, shuffling after him into the house to help him.

Or Jonghyun.

He hadn’t decided yet.

* - * - *

Heat, as well as the smells of pumpkin and warm spices, radiated from the kitchen. Kibum wiped away the sweat on his brow, internally reminding himself that his current discomfort would be worth it, in the end.

It was Minho’s last full day there, so Grandma was giving him a first-hand lesson on how she makes pumpkin pasties.

Kibum turned the page of his book, humming to himself. Really, he wasn’t all that focused on the book -- the page was nothing but a blur of black and white -- he was just trying to distract himself. Looking away from the book and into the kitchen, he saw a very concentrated Minho rolling out the dough, flour dusted across his chin and cheeks and hair.

He smiled to himself as he tried to refocus on his book, only to be distracted again by the front door opening and closing.

Jonghyun dropped into the armchair across from him, the discarded copies of a week’s worth of Daily Prophet’s crinkling beneath him. “Wanna do something?”

“Nah, I’m reading.”

Jonghyun glanced down at the book, smirking. “It’s upside down, genius.”

Kibum blushed to the tips of his ears as he flipped the book right side up. “Don’t you have Roo to play with?”

“Mom took her to get shots or something.”

There came a clatter from the kitchen, and Kibum looked over to find just Grandma standing there. Minho popped up a second later, rolling pin in hand. “Maybe you should just roll it out,” he said.

“No, honey, you’ve got to learn this for yourself.”

Kibum glanced back at Jonghyun before focusing on his book again, only to do a double take and stare at him. His chin was resting on his hands, and he let out a long sigh with a dreamy sort of smile as he fluttered his eyelashes at Kibum.

He blinked once, twice, before he lowered his voice to a whisper. “What the...fuck are you doing?”

“What? Is this not how friends look at each other? With soft adoration?”

Kibum’s face was ablaze, he knew it and he knew Jonghyun could see it, judging by his growing smile. “Soft adoration? Did you learn that in your creative writing class?”

“Maybe so. Doesn’t make it not true for you, though.” Kibum rolled his eyes and went back to re-reading the same sentence for the fifth time.

He made it through a full two pages by the time the pumpkin pasties were ready to eat. Minho brought one in for them both and waited anxiously for them to eat theirs. Kibum ate his quickly, despite it being too warm, savoring it as much as he could.

“This turned out really good. Good job, Min,” Jonghyun said before he directed a pointed stare at Kibum.

“Yeah,” Kibum said, clearing his throat. “Really good.”

Minho beamed at them both, and Kibum looked back down at his book with a sigh.

The next day dawned too soon, taking Minho away on the early morning train. Kibum stared out the window of the Knight Bus. “See you soon!” Minho had said when he let him go before he started to walk away.

“Yeah, in five weeks.”

Minho turned back around, his smile reaching his eyes. “That’s still soon.”

Kibum imagined the blur of the scenery was the train that Minho was on, and he couldn’t help but wish that they lived a little closer. Regardless, school would be here before he knew it, so he might as well enjoy the rest of summer while it lasted.

* - * - *

A/N: Guess what today is?? It's a year since I posted the very first chapter of this fic! Which is crazy to think about. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter ^^

[arnoldoxfamhomewares-blog]

Hello from Arnold, Nottinghamshire!

So here we are, the Oxfam Arnold Homewares store on Nottingham Road in Arnold. We’re the big store across from Wilkinsons and Eagle Square and we’re thrilled to be on Tumblr now. I’m Andy, the social media guy for the store, and I hope I can bring you some content you will enjoy here and over on our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages!

Why would a charity shop need a social media presence? Well, it’s important to us to let you know we’re her and also that there is a dedicated team working here behind the scenes to ensure the donations we receive are displayed well in order to help generate funds for the causes Oxfam works with. Together we can help to improve lives.

How does donating a few items help people? Every item can help to generate funds that can be used to better the lives of those in need, be it a paperback, a t-shirt, a vase or larger items like furniture. We’re known for the quality furniture items we carry and we always have a range of items that are perfect for first homes or a number of other situations!

There’s a lot going on in the store at all times. The shop floor team each have their own specialities, be it books, music, clothing, furniture or otherwise, and behind the scenes there are team members sorting and cataloguing items, checking items, preparing clothing, working on selling items via the Oxfam selling pages and even a quirky guy in a back office creating social media content. *waves*

The activity in-store is much like our town, Arnold, itself. There is always something going on, always something new to see and always plenty of people to meet. The people are the heart of a community, and it’s a pleasure to be amongst the team of volunteers here. Please do call in and say hi. You never know what you might find.

[etterri]

Nottingham green apartments

NOTTINGHAM GREEN APARTMENTS FULL

There are over 300 places to eat in Nottingham, serving up a mouth-watering selection of local produce and world cuisine. So whether you’re in town for a business trip, a university event or simply for a leisurely weekend, SACO’s long and short stay apartments in Nottingham will provide the ultimate homestay for the whole family. 21 st century Nottingham is a dynamic East Midlands hub that does a lot of things really well, whether it’s the great shopping, the award-winning food scene, the clever public transport, or the buzzing entertainment and live music that really does offer something for everyone. Robin Hood would definitely approve!

NOTTINGHAM GREEN APARTMENTS FULL

However, its design does not live up its location.Nottingham – or ‘Notts’ as the locals like to call it – is a medieval city full to the brim with history and architecture, but one that has also fully embraced modern living. "This will be the building that will be seen upon entering the city from Trent Bridge. It added in planning documents: "The scale which isolates the form of the proposed development on such a prominent site. Nottingham Civic Society said it "has reservations" about the application. I'd be okay if it was just a restaurant or pub but 100 homes is a bit much." "It's quite a tight space so it might have a bad impact on traffic. Jess Butler, 33, of The Meadows, added: "I think it might encroach a little bit. It would increase volumes on London Road too." "The Meadows struggles as it is with car parking spaces so this might not help. Tom Cope, 30, of The Meadows, who lives near to the proposed site, said: "I don't have a problem with the size of the application, the issue for me is the traffic impact it might have. Twenty-six letters of correspondence were received, with 24 letters of objection and two letters in support of the proposal. The southern half of the site is a former petrol station currently used as a car wash, whilst the northern half has been cleared for redevelopment it was formerly occupied by a restaurant and public house.Ī basement car park accommodates 71 parking spaces, all with electric vehicles charging points, accessed from Ryehill Street. To the west lies the Portland Leisure Centre and residential properties on Radcliffe Street, Lamcote Street, Meadows Way and Arkwright Walk.Ī new development has recently been constructed along Arkwright Walk that includes a four storey apartment building at its southern end, opposite the application site. The site is located to the west of London Road and east of Meadows Way, forming an island between the two. The scheme would also provide a reception, gym, café and restaurant at ground floor level, along with a bin store, disabled parking and onsite facility for delivery vehicles. Planning documents reveal a proposal for an apartment scheme comprising of 67 one-bed, 32 two-bed and one three-bed apartments at the site off London Road. Plans for a large Nottingham apartment complex with 100 bedrooms off one of the city's busiest roads look set for the green light.

[weepingseraphstranger]

Just something I wrote to pass the time

The sun was in the blue sky, shining bright. A few white cotton clouds were rolling by with the soft breeze that lulled the flora too and fro, along with the clothing line that was full of damp clothing. A woman with dark amber hair, in a do that covered most of her ears, was pinning up the last few articles of clothing.

Soft hums left her as she bent down to pick up the now empty weaved basket and made her way past the cut lawn, before briefly stopping near the garden to look over the soft-toned flowers. A soft smile graced her pink lips at the butterfly flying from one flower to the other. 

Continuing to hum, she stepped onto the concrete platform and walked back into her home. It smelled of cinnamon and sugar, most likely because of the dessert she had baked a few days ago. Those kinds of scents always lingered. 

Upon setting the basket down, she took off her heels that matched her tri-coloured outfit, replacing them with her house shoes before picking up the basket once more to carry it to the laundry room, which was almost as small as a closet. All it held was a washing machine and a shelf that held the things she needed to wash the clothes. She set the basket on the floor underneath the shelf and made her way to the kitchen, grabbing her apron and tying it around her waist as she got ready to begin dinner while she made a small lunch. With this, she would be done with her usual daily tasks until it was dinner time and her husband came home. 

She’d needed to prepare the chicken. They weren’t having whole chicken tonight, no, they were having chicken croquettes. The leftover chicken would be used for chicken a la king or something else after tomorrow. 

“What should I make for dessert…” She murmured in thought after shutting the oven door. 

Unlike the main meals, when she made dessert it would last over a few more days. It was just her and her husband after all. Yet she had eaten the last bit of pie yesterday, leaving them with nothing to end the day with. 

‘I can make a quick stop at the store for gelatin and mandarin oranges.’ She thought, spreading the mustard on her bread. 

‘And sherbet…’ She continued in thought, mind made up on orange sherbet salad.

Her effort to make her lunch halted when she heard the front door open. In curiosity, she silently made her way to the foyer, the butterknife still in hand. It wouldn’t have helped, but it was something. 

A tall figure was near the closed door, having just taken off their hat and was placing it on the top of the coat rack. His face was revealed as he turned slightly to set down the case that held his papers from work and, usually, a change of clothes for when he got off of work. His face was revealed slightly, but enough for her to know who he was if she didn’t—which she did already know who he was!

From the side, she could see a nose with the slightest hook and hazel eyes that looked almost sunken on the face that appeared intimidatingly near-emotionless most of the time. 

“Honey!” She wasted no time calling out in joy, rushing to him after setting the butter knife on the thick railing of the stairway in the foyer.

He looked her way, and without a word, bent down enough for her to place a delicate kiss on his cheek, leaving a faint mark from her lipstick. 

“You’re home so early!” She exclaimed, hastily unbuttoning his grey suit jacket, helping him remove it. 

“There was trouble in the department. Mr Sharpe decided to send us home.” He stated. His words were accented with one that didn’t quite sound like Nottingham English. It held a different foreign tinge—even more foreign than it already was to the Yankee ear. To go with the accent was a slightly deep, reserved tone of voice. 

“Have you eaten yet?” She hummed out, handing him his jacket once he was done removing his shoes. He didn’t seem to have the bag she had given to him this morning filled with food to eat so he didn’t prepare it himself. It would’ve been a disaster. He thought a proper lunch was so little with nothing but a plain old sandwich.

“Yes, just before leaving work.” His responses were always so quick and bland. She didn’t mind though, after six years of marriage, she had gotten used to it. 

She followed after him as he made his way up the stairs. 

“Oh!” She chirped as she thought of something, “This is a wonderful opportunity! I was just thinking of what treat we should have after dinner! What would you like, sweetie?” 

He hummed in thought before answering, not sparing a glance behind him, “Søsterkake.”

“Søster cake?” She repeated, “I’ll need to stop by the market for the raisins…”

She had known the recipe from the top of her head. His mother was sure to drill it in there when she had first visited years ago. It was his favourite sweet food along with smultring and tiramisu. His mother also had her learn another food he liked…rakfisk…it was an acquired taste so when she made it, she made it solely for him to take with his lunch.

“I’ll be sure to do that after I have lunch.” She commented, “You just change and get to resting.~”

“Don’t you need me to drive you?” He questioned.

“Oh no, honey! It’s fine, I can walk there. You got off early, enjoy it.” She dismissed. 

He released a sigh through his nose, a very brief one as he worked to get his tie off now that they were in their room. Unlike most of their home which had light-coloured walls, their bedroom was dark green, brightened by the secondary colour—pink. He wasn’t much for showy things, preferring reserved things like dark colours and no patterns. The dark green walls were for him and his wife had chosen to add her own taste to their room, the only colour she found to match the walls while being bright was the pink with a splash of a matching blue here and there. 

As he shed his work clothing, she had moved to neatly fold the layers he took off. Despite his closet being full of clothing that was more semi-formal to formal to most everyday lads, he only had a few business suits. He had two for every season; greys for spring, navy blues for summer, browns for autumn, and black for winter. This was the reason he needed his suits neat and perfect, especially when not worn. While he had plenty of other button shirts he could wear underneath his suit jacket, he preferred his crisp white shirts for the grey business suits. 

And while she needn’t fold his clothes as he took them off, he could do it himself as he could with everything else, but she couldn’t not be near him. Josephine Nohr loved her husband and found herself always gravitating near him. It was something of an unconscious thing. She would coddle him and whatnot even when she didn’t need to. It was the way she showed her care towards him amongst other things. Not that she cared that she may have coddled him too much. 

He couldn’t argue with it either. It gave her joy to do such things, so he let her. Since he wasn’t such a person to show affection physically, or at all, that was the least he could do for her.

She set the pile on the pink covers of the bed before taking her leave to go back to the kitchen, picking up the butterknife she set on the railing as she passed. Although he had already eaten, it wouldn’t hurt to make him something small to eat. Just to keep him full until dinner time. 

After fixing him something, she arrived in the living room where her husband was sitting on one of the white chairs in front of the fireplace. She set the plate on the table, affectionately patting his back as he glanced up from the book he had picked out from the shelf in the room. 

“Thank you.” He uttered as she went to go to the dining room with her plate. 

She wasn’t one for eating anywhere but the dining room, but she gave her husband an exemption to it, letting him snack anywhere in the house as long as he didn’t leave his dishes all around. Fortunately for her, he rarely ever strayed from the dining room. The only other places he ate were the living room and in his office, yet only ever with light snacks. And he had always brought his dishes to the kitchen when done, even washed them if he wasn’t too busy. He was independent— and still widely is— before they married, so that was a given. 

The dining room was lit by a window and the natural lighting spilt in from any open doors, one leading to the kitchen, another leading to the living room and the other to the hallway. There was one other that was closed leading to the guest room that sat cornered by the dining room and living room. 

She sat at the square table on the green cushioned wooden chairs. The white table cloth wouldn’t seem to match the interior on its own if it wasn’t for the light green walls and white curtains. 

Unlike the living room, there was no tv or turntable. Just a few displays with a few potted plants and fine china. The focus here was to eat, with the only other entertainment being talking to each other. 

After eating the sandwich and putting the dish in the sink, checking the chicken, she stopped by her room to get her purse so she could leave once the food in the oven was done. It wouldn’t take long for it to get fully cooked, last time she checked the time, there were only a few more minutes left. 

She raced to the kitchen, taking the chicken out and turning the oven off before making her way to the door and putting her shoes on. 

“Hmm? What are you doing?” She questioned her husband upon seeing his arm reach past her to get his shoes. 

“I’m going with you.” He simply stated, keys in his hand. 

She only grinned and opened the door, exiting onto the porch. A soft chitter caught her attention. It was a cat that didn’t look that special. Just a brown and white fluffy coat with dark brown stripes, but to the woman he was the cutest thing. 

“Dinah! That reminds me, honey, Dinah needs more food!” She called out to the man who was still inside. 

The cat rubbed his head against her leg as she ran her hand along his back. He perked up as the door opened once more and made his way over, walking into the house to rub himself against the legs of her husband. He bent down to give the cat a few pets before holding the door open. 

“In or out, Dinah.” He softly told the cat, holding the door open as he walked out.

Dinah just sat on the floor in the house, staring up at the man. 

“In it is.” The man commented and finally shut and locked the door. 

Josephine laughed a little and made her way over to the car that her husband hadn’t parked in the garage yet. 

[carpetstyle]

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1. Precision Installation:

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2. Time and Efficiency:

Installing laminate flooring can be time-consuming, especially for those without experience. Professionals can complete the job efficiently, saving you valuable time and preventing potential frustration.

3. Cost Savings:

While hiring a professional may seem like an added expense, it can actually save you money in the long run. Their expertise ensures that the laminate is installed correctly the first time, reducing the need for costly repairs or replacements down the road.

4. Warranty Protection:

Many laminate manufacturers require professional installation to maintain warranty coverage. Hiring an installer ensures that your investment is protected.

5. Enhanced Durability:

Professionally installed laminate flooring is more likely to withstand wear and tear, maintaining its beauty and structural integrity for years to come.

In conclusion, while laminate flooring may appear to be a straightforward DIY project, the benefits of hiring a professional laminate flooring installer are undeniable. Experts from Carpet Style bring expertise, efficiency, and precision to the table, ensuring your investment enhances your home for many years to come.

[architectnews]

Ten global projects that demonstrate the possibilities of low-energy architecture

Low-energy buildings can "make communities more resilient to climate shocks," says author Jared Green. Here he picks ten examples of low-energy buildings from his book Good Energy: Renewable Power and the Design of Everyday Life.

Following the recent IPCC climate report, there has been an increased focus on the impact of emissions from buildings, with the built environment thought to be responsible for around 40 per cent of global CO2 emissions.

The 35 projects featured in Green's book aim to demonstrate how low-energy buildings, which are more energy-efficient and have lower CO2 emissions than regular buildings, can be both well-designed and affordable.

"Low-energy buildings integrate photovoltaic panels, energy efficiency strategies, and all electrical systems, so they are critical to shifting us away from fossil fuels," Green told Dezeen.

Read:

UK industry group calls for new rules to force architects to calculate embodied carbon emissions

"These buildings are much healthier for people and the planet and also significantly reduce energy expenses over the long-term," he added.

"They can also enable a new relationship with energy grids, increasing the decentralization of energy systems, which can make communities more resilient to climate shocks – such as more extreme storms and hurricanes and more dangerous flooding, heatwaves and wildfires."

Read on for Green's pick of ten low-energy projects from his book:

Zero Carbon House, Birmingham, United Kingdom

"Architect John Christophers transformed his own home into one of the most sustainable houses in the United Kingdom. He grafted a contemporary addition, covered with photovoltaic panels and solar water heaters, onto the side of his original two-bedroom house built in the 1840s.

"The house is now energy-positive, creating more energy than it uses. It has seen a net reduction of 1,300 pounds (660 kilograms) of carbon dioxide annually, compared to the estimated CO2 emissions from the home before it was remodelled.

"Christophers lined the entire structure with a membrane that stops air and heat from escaping and incorporated rammed-earth floors pulled from the foundation of the home, mixed with red clay."

Belfield Townhomes, Philadelphia, US

"In the Logan neighbourhood of North Philadelphia, developer Onion Flats designed and built three 1,920-square foot (178-square metre) townhouses.

"This was the first public housing created in North Philadelphia in five decades and the first certified Passivhaus project built in Philadelphia. Each townhouse was built in just three months at a local factory using prefabricated components at a cost of $249,000.

"The passive townhouses include super-insulated walls, triple-pane windows and a heat-recovery pump that draws in fresh air, filters it and then efficiently heats or cools the interior. Each house has rooftop photovoltaic panels with a five-kilowatt capacity.

"If tenants stay within their set energy budgets, the townhouses consume zero energy. If they use more they will be drawing more energy from the grid than the photovoltaic panels."

Trent Basin, Nottingham, United Kingdom

"With rooftop photovoltaic panels, a 2.1-megawatt-hour Tesla battery, and sophisticated energy management software, the Trent Basin residential community has been able to generate and store its own energy, feeding directly into the UK power grid. The pitched roofs of the community take their form from the local red brick factory buildings of Nottingham.

"By connecting to the grid, the community energy system for over 100 homes is able to trade energy generated on-site, selling stored energy when demand is high and storing excess power from the grid when public demand is low.

"Since the energy systems went online in 2018, the community's photovoltaic panels have generated 310,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy and saved 110 tonnes of carbon emissions."

SMA x ECO Town Harumidai, Sakai City, Japan

"Daiwa House Industry Company, one of Japan's largest homebuilders, has shifted its focus to prefabricated communities that produce more energy than they use. Since 2017, this project, which includes 65 homes, has produced 427 megawatt hours of renewable energy, 15 per cent more than it used.

"This has reduced carbon emissions from electricity generation by an estimated 95 per cent.

"Homeowners use the company's proprietary home-energy management system, which automatically moves energy into storage for use at night and lets them track how much energy they generate and use.

"Each family's share in the energy-conservation effort is displayed in a ranking, with high-ranking families receiving points that can be used for the electric vehicle car-sharing service."

UC Davis West Village, Davis, US

"At 224 acres (90 hectares), this project is one of the largest planned sustainable communities in the US. The 663 nearly zero-energy mixed-use buildings are powered by rooftop photovoltaic panels and house 3,000 students, faculty and staff.

"The development also encourages low-carbon transportation. SWA Group, which led planning, design and implementation phases for the landscape architecture, built on the existing bicycle culture of the campus to create a bicycle-first transportation system.

"Bike parking was conveniently integrated into building courtyards and public areas, whereas vehicle parking was moved into centralized areas farther away to further incentivize biking and walking."

The Sustainable City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

"This 114-acre low-carbon development created by Diamond Developers is home to 3,000 people from 64 countries. The developers took a holistic approach to sustainability, designing a community that can produce its own food, conserve and reuse water, and meet 87 per cent of its energy use through rooftop photovoltaics combined with energy-efficiency measures.

"Solar panels on both homes and common spaces generate 1.7 gigawatt hours of renewable energy annually. The entire development is estimated to offset some 8,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year."

SDE4 at the National University in Singapore, Singapore

"This building is inspired by the region's simple timber Malay houses, which are characterized by deep overhangs, raised platforms, and loose room divisions that enable continuous cross ventilation.

"A team including Serie Architects, Multiply Architects, and Surbana Jurong scaled up this vernacular approach to a 92,440-square foot (8,588-square metre) six-story building for Singapore's National University.

"SDE4 is Singapore's first zero-energy building. Covered in photovoltaic panels, the building has an energy-generating capacity of 500 megawatt hours and more than half the building is open to the environment and naturally ventilated.

"In classrooms that require cooling, a 'hybrid cooling system' augmented with ceiling fans reduces energy use by an estimated 36 to 56 per cent over a conventional building in Singapore."

School in Port, Port, Switzerland

"The jagged roof of this kindergarten and elementary school in Port, a small suburb of Biel, holds 1,110 photovoltaic panels that have the capacity to generate nearly 300 kilowatts of power at peak times. According to designer Skop architects, the school not only powers itself but also 50 surrounding homes.

"Wood is used as the primary construction material. 'Wood is used throughout both the facade and the interiors,' Skop partner Martin Zimmerli said.

'As a result, the school can be seen as a large carbon sink. All the timber comes from sustainable forestry.'"

Council House 2, Melbourne, Australia

"The 134,500-square foot (12,450-square metre) CH2, a government office building, was designed by architect Mick Pearce and Australian architecture firm DesignInc to function like an ecosystem, with 'many parts that work together to heat, cool, power, and water the building.'

"Compared to conventional Melbourne office buildings, CH2 has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 87 per cent and cut energy and water use by 60 per cent.

"The western facade of this highly responsive building is programmed to track the movement of the sun. In the winter, the recycled-wood shutters open to let in light; during peak afternoon sun in the winter, the shutters close."

Bullitt Center, Seattle, Washington, USA

"This energy-negative building was designed by Miller Hull Partnership with the ambitious goal of becoming the most sustainable commercial building in the world. The coplanar canopy roof hosts 575 photovoltaic panels that generate 230 megawatt hours of energy annually.

"The building's core structure was built to last 250 years, rather than the standard 40-50 years for contemporary commercial buildings. Given the amount of embodied carbon they contain, buildings that endure are the most sustainable.

"The Bullitt Center already stores 600 tons of carbon dioxide in its structural timber frame and uses just 25 per cent of the energy that a conventional building in Seattle would use."

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