#HES SUCH A MAAAAAAAN I LOVE HIM SO MUCH IT HURTS

[emmyrosee]

I had a dream about Aki Hayakawa last night 😌

[fairycosmos]

I got stood up by the man I love today. And now I feel stupid for being sad over a man not showing up even though I totally expected him to do that. Maaaaaaan feelings suck ass I need a lobotomy asap

sorry to hear that that's the fucking worst!! he sounds like a stupid fucking prick for treating you like that and obviously, it goes without saying that you deserve better. this is much easier said than done i know but try not to feel bad for feeling bad - it's completely human and there's no need to suffer twice. it's alright to feel hurt and to cry or be mad or feel like shit for a while as you process this and try to accept it for what it is. i know it's no fun to feel so bad but the emotions will be there regardless so the least you can do is take care of yourself through them. even if it's all such a fucking eye roll. sending you a massive hug and i hope eventually you find someone who shows up for you so much that you would never even think to expect them not to. please stop by my inbox if you need a friend or someone to vent to <3

[aquariusshadow]

Live!Blogging Legacies s3x11

Helloooooooo friends, how’s our methan legacies deprivation going? Two weeks....two weeks...but it's time for another Legacies Live!Blog! Ngl I did miss doing these ahaha

--

well then we got some old timey shit going on here, im into it

is this clarke

this better be clarke

i better be remembering properly

that looks like an ascendant

HAH I WAS RIGHT IM NOT AN IDIOT

hi clarke

yep ascendant...artifact...whatever

damn, 4hrs of sleep (maybe) and im doin good with the brain thing

awww look at hope reassuring cleo

this is sweet

"just be natural" stares intensely

Jed no

do not introduce time travel in this

kaleb to cleo: a special someone

me: .....hope? (excuse my cleope heart)

landon would be a great history major

Kai parker???

did hope just say kai

i really like how theyre writing handon

METHAN

BBIES

I MISSED YOU

"i was worried our days of superhero teamwork would be over"

gdi lizzie

platonic!mizzie only plz

ethan come back

really thats all we're gonna see of josie/hope/landon interaction one look

wade!!!! hiiiiiiii where tf have you been

i can see josie larping actually

"im not here to bust up your bromance" ahaha

im really impressed finch stayed by herself with this werewolf secret for so long

ok lizzie calm down

like a majority of werewolf first-tunes are almost always accidental

OH MY GOD LANDON

HIS NECROMANCER MIMICKRY IS ON POINT

i love him ahahahaha

this is amazing

i love him

look at how he's making her laugh

this is so fucking cute

this is what i wanted with handon oh my gooooood

rip necromancer i guess

one of the few reasons why i enjoyed his character was he played gideon in season 3 of reign

any reign fans reading this hmu (seriously hmu lmao)

oh god wtf is that

ew dont eat the

ok

fine

be disgusting idc

oooooooo is this how dark!josie comes back

yep

ok thats clever

josies confronting her inner demons head on

i like this

"head-dive" it has a name now

jesus finch

you really dont know the whole story

oooo kaylee heightened dark!josies voice a little bit

i like that

im getting some katherine pierce vibes??? at least with her mannerisms

maaaaaaan i like how theyre showing us finch's backstory

"we"

sigh im really not surprised she yeeted him back into reality

but at least he can help heal her???

landon and josie interaction to save hope??? yes plz

oh god this isnt gonna go well with ethan going alone is it

lizzie

good lord

idk this is a bit much for her

i get shes trying to look out for josie

but yikes

"special candies"

awwwwww poor finch

this poor girl

my headcanon is that josies gonna become a badass DnD player after this episode

awww kaleb's attempt at flirting is pretty adorable

aka be yourself kaleb thats all

i really am getting katherine v elena vibes with josie and dark!josie (i really hope thats not an insult to katherine lmao)

wade you sweet simple fool you tried

so josie ended up taking her magic back to save hope...imma just leave it at that

cmon wade

be the fairy guardian you were meant to

oh ok

yeaaaaaaaa landon save your girl!!!

awwwwwwww

finally saw landon saving hope

such handon progression im so happy

awwww kaleb wanted to protect cleo

thats really sweet

idk why im not as into these two as a couple compared to some of the other ships BUT i am liking them more as the episodes go by!

handon communication! handon communication!

hope's starting to trust him yaaaaaay

hope's playing dnd

yessssssss

never thought i'd say this but handon is starting to reach couple goals for me

hey mg...ethan kinda...went off by himself...

so, lizzie supports the methaness going on

thats all im taking away from this scene

this is what i mean when i say i like platonic!mizzie

mg is so sweeeeeeeeeet i love him

WHO TF HURT ETHAN

WHO DO I GOTTA HURT BACK

hosie convo! i repeat hosie convo! finally

man i really want josie to go play dnd

no........nooooooooo dont tell me landon isnt landon

see heres my thing

if the landon we've been seeing this entire time wasnt landon

then all that handon development we finally got

asjdfahlsdfjaskldfasdkf

that being said i do find this incredibly interesting

--

I swear these episodes are just higher in quality! So, if Landon isn’t Landon, then what does that mean for all the positive Handon progression the past few episodes since Landon’s been back? Also, Methan how I’ve missed you.

[bi-outta-cordonia]

Top 10s

The year is coming to a close and despite this being my first foray into PB fandom for the year, some interesting shit has happened in these books and 2019 was full of all sorts of fun stories. I want to cap off Choices this year by naming my top ten favorite moments in all the books released in 2019.

Tagging all my favorite unfriendly Black hotties: @questionablespecies @imogen-wescott @beyonceswigs @annelyseadair @cassiopeiacorvus @massivelysilentchaos @nikkisha16 @boujeechoices @raleigh-carrera @mand-delemonde

10) BB MC training with Jax: I like. Many things. Many things involve swords. Jax training BB MC in fight skills was awesome as a scene, especially since it came with the moment of him reestablishing his connection with his blade and the two of them touching foreheads as they come to terms with her death. But nothing--nothing--is gonna top the moment where the two of them literally fight each other. They train and they train hard as hell. “What’s this position called?” “It’s called ‘you better not break my defense because I’ll kick your ass’.” And then she cuts part of his shirt. He looks up, they start back with the training, and he slices part of her dress. They keep going until eventually there are no more clothes and they are now on the ground, making out. The exact opposite of training, but I can’t hear over the receptors in my brain that sound off for couple training scenes.

9) “Oh, you like that”: Listen. NB was trash. There’s no denying that. But that first moment when you finally get to dive into Cal, make out with him, when ol girl takes off both of their clothes for the most intense face sucking she’s ever experienced in life? And then he dips his head or bites her neck or whatever the fuck he does--I don’t even remember. Because what I do remember--very vividly--is damn near throwing my phone across the room when he says “Oh, you like that...” I read it in his drawl, felt that shit in my soul, and it will never not make me so incredibly disappointed that we will never get to see him really go buck wild with MC because it was there.

8) Landry bailing if you don’t talk to him: It happened with Vanessa, happened with Becca, happened with Olivia, happened with Sebastian--sometimes. I don’t want to make friends with folks who come at me sideways when it doesn’t immediately benefit them. Landry being a little coward was something all the intelligent folks saw coming but you could see inklings of the narrative trying to set him up for redemption at the eleventh hour. Except. I didn’t want that. A majority of folks did not want that it seems. And PB listened for once and didn’t force us to have to interact with him during the last leg of the first book. If you talk to everyone in the friend group before you get to him, he bails and is not seen or heard from. Good. 

7) MOTY MC making bank off her deadbeat ex husband: MOTY was also another unexpected favorite to come out of 2019 and told the story of a single mother trying to raise her baby right. Guy was and is easily the worst antagonist to ever show up in these books because he is so disgustingly real. Emotionally abusive, manipulative, narcissistic, and cruel--he did everything in his power to exert power over MC. He wanted the kid, not because he wanted to be her father but because he wanted to use her to help boost him, and going through the whole book making sure to pick options that would best demonstrate that MC was providing exactly what the baby needs, only for the judge to say that not only is she not awarding custody to Guy but he also has to pay child support, pro- and retroactively?? When sis opened that bank account and saw tens of thousands sitting in her savings?? I almost cried.

6) ILB MC rising from certain death and avenging her parents: Okay so this might be cheating a little because ILB came out in 2018, but I also said this was a top ten list of shit that happened in 2019, and seeing this bitch break out of a coffin, swim up, and straight murder the man that took her parents from her was insanity. Richard really thought he had her on the ropes, huh? He thought she wasn’t gonna be able to break out and kick his ass? And when she told him that, as far as the entire town was concerned, he was already dead and they were just waiting for his body to wash up? Ooh, she wasn’t stuck on the boat with him--he was trapped on the lake with her.

5) Logan was a forced LI for a good reason??: Girls, Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance was an unexpected fave this year but out of all the moments to choose from that absolutely floored me, the fact that Logan was so heavily pushed was because Kaneko asked him to gain your trust so that the crew could use you? That shit hurt so much and had me screaming the entire time I was tapping through the revelation scenes. I mean, we’ve had LIs betray MCs a ton of times but I still could not believe that Logan had so thoroughly did what he did and when they showed you the flashbacks of the very subtle ways he was trying to weed information from MC? In the early stages?? Man.....this is why my MC went with Colt--kidding kidding. She is with Colt but I love Logan deeply solely because of this.

4) BB MC dying: okay NB tried to do something groundbreaking but like it got completely overshadowed by BB MC getting fucking stabbed through her chest because typically your MC will walk away okay from most scenarios but this bitch actually didn’t. Couple that with the fact that I’m romancing Jax so the thing that killed her was his sword, something that has been revealed as being a precious thing and something he’s cherished for a long time as a tool to help him protect the ones he loves? It hit me right in the a ng s t. She pops back up a vampire in the third book, a reveal which comes to us at the end of the second but oh man watching Jax cradle her dying body, knowing he was never going to forgive himself for this happening? It was delicious.

3) ACOR MC turning the crowd on Caesar: okay, stabbing Caesar was fantastic, no one is denying that, but I honestly thought the most impactful and most fucking insane moment of ACOR is when MC made the first attempt, got caught, and was able to stir the crowd during the final leg of her trial to the point that she started a literal riot in Rome. The flavor, the power--can you imagine being Julius Caesar and watching a ho string your folks along and convince them that she couldn’t possibly have been guilty of a crime because her pussy is too good for that? Who is gonna win this fight--a certified conqueror of several realms or one bitch with the world’s most fantabulous coochie? The answer may surprise you...

2) TRR MC is pregnant: we got stuck in yeehaw hell for seven weeks...seven weeks of having to act like Bertrand and Savannah were even that important according to the narrative when MC is a whole ass duchess trying to start her family....all the months of seeing Liam talk so enthusiastically about wanting a family with MC, wanting to be a father, and wanting to build a life with her, after all the bullshit they went through and the hurdles they had to jump in order to even get to the point where they could be happily married? And then she called him out to the field and told him that they were having a baby? I cried. I cried so hard.

1) ACOR MC stabbing Cassius in the fucking back: I loved ACOR so much. So much of the political machinations, the scheming, the dancing around language while trying to manipulate powerful patrons into doing your bidding--I had Antony wrapped around one finger and Cassius on the other--string them both along while trying to achieve my own goals but maaaaaaan....Betraying Cassius at the last second in order to protect yourself from reprimand so you can make a clean getaway from Rome was the peak. The epitome of ACOR MC in a nutshell. I fucking loved how absolutely unhinged and manipulative that bitch could be. She literally sat up there and told him all the things he wanted to hear, acted like she cared about who he wanted for Rome, in some cases straight up lied to him about how much she loved him, and then during the moment that mattered most--when they both stabbed Caesar and thrust Rome into chaos--she shed the visage of the beautiful woman he had so deeply fallen in love with and unveiled the poisonous snake she had always been. She used him. He truly and honestly didn’t see it coming until he peeked outside and happened to spy her standing firm at Antony’s side. And the narrative let me do that with the utmost glee. 

And that’s it. Go forth. Make your own list. Criticize mine, idc. 

[eleanorbloom]

For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was no longer a criminal. In an ironic twist of fate, he was the one putting people behind bars. And he relished in every win. 

I love thisss, likeee yesss, what a way to do justice, and you’re just as hot as if you were a surgeon (right???? or MORE?? tough question).

So for the first year in the big city, he spent his free time partying hard. With his quick rise to fame, everyone wanted a taste of the majestic Bryce Lahela. He didn’t hesitate to throw himself into the throng. 

This, please, excuse me if there are kids out here reading but this turned me on and it’s only 5 PM here (7PM now, I’ve been writing this comment for too long thanks to our convo XD) TASTE OF BRYCE LAHELA IN SUIT, WITH SWAGGER, LAWYER LAHELA, PLEASEEEEEE I WANT EVERY FLAVOR OF THIS MAAAAAAAN.

Pulling off his sunglasses and tightening his slick striped blue tie, he grabbed his suitcase from the passenger seat and got out of his car

I read sunglasses and literally I heard “Greenback boogie tsss” from Suits here HAHAHAHAHH  damn, Conch, Bryce in suit will come to haunt me every night and every day of my life thanks to you 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥵🥵🥵

He strode into Edenbrook Hospital with confidence, getting glances from several attendings and nurses as he walked the hallways.

*Me if I was at Edenbrook at that moment*

His brow quirked a little, a fit of curiosity fleeted through him 

Curiosity? Who are you trying to kid, baby? We know very well that look of yours 😏😏

Oh, I bet you do. 

you little cocky shit 😂😂😂

He couldn’t stop thinking about her ever since. 

Awwww I’m melting, Conch 🥺🥺🥺

If only PB’s MC would have been like Heather, cautious about Travis!!!! (well, we wouldn’t have had the colossal angst we had in the book, but, anywaaay)

But getting up close and personal with her that day made him realize that like him, she was at the top of her game. 

Power coupleeeee

She was professional and insightful. Bryce was also impressed with how she carried herself. Graceful and poised, yet fierce and tenacious. There were a lot of times that he thought he was hearing himself in the way she talked. And for that reason, he like spending time with her. 

aaaaaaahhh OMG I love this. Very alike but I’m anticipating clash of personalities ???!!! I’d love that, tho

But he admired her more when she made it her mission  to help him with his runaway sister. She went out of her way to spend time with her, bridging the gap between the siblings.

That was when he irreversibly opened up to her, telling her about his past. Making her see through him, who he really was.

And the way that she embraced it without inhibitions was a breathe of fresh air. He never knew he needed someone like her in his life, the one thing to complete his do-over.

It didn’t take much for him to he admit to himself that he adored Heather. He felt a deep connection to her, something he never felt for someone else.

YOU’RE KILLING ME, I LOVE THIS SO MUCHHH, he adores her. She helped him with his sister. AAAh I know this happens in the book, but the fact that they’ve only met for a few months and that he opened up to her is just 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺beautiful. My heart, Conch! ❤❤❤

But in a sudden turn of events, the hopefulness he had turned out to be just a mere figment of his imagination. 

dkjfdslkfjslkfj  WHYYYY THIS HURTS SO MUCH. I’m dying, my poor baby! 😭😭😭😭😭--says the same bitch that has been torturing Bryce for 18 whole chapters--

I love the concept of having brunches. I’m an alcoholic that always think about hanging out at Donahue’s but never ocurred me brunch. If you see brunch in my series someday, it’s because of you XD

Yet when he was finally learning to ease her out of his mind, she came crashing back in. 

DAMNMNMNALDKJSALFK

“Oooh, I’m not liking your arrogance. Being junior fellow got in your head already?” he teased her, sipping from his own glass. “Has all of your student loans been paid off so you have spare money to buy your own fancy wine?” 

you little cocky shit lksdjalkdj you’re so confident only because you parents paid your education. I love their banter.

He saw her bite her lower lip, and instantly felt the hurt she was going through. 

Awwww, baby!lfkjlkfj Empathetic Bryce IS MY KINK. YES, I SAID IT, SO WHAT?

“You know I’ll always be here for you, Heath,” 

Dani, don’t squeal, don’t squeal *DANI SQUEALS AAAHAASKDFJASHKDJAHKD*

He just held her, wishing so hard that one embrace can take all of her fears away. He closed his eyes, letting his beating heart speak for the rest of his unspoken emotions. 

AAHHHHHHHH CONCH, WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO MAKE ME SQUEAL LIKE THIS, I FUCKING LOVE THIS BABYYYYYYYYYlkjdlakjdlskj

If I hadn’t left her alone. If I just fought for her the first time. If I just have been brave enough to let her know…

CONCH AAAAAHHHHHHH  MY HEART, MY HEART, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS??????!!!!!

Even the smallest of maybes was more than enough for him. Bryce was willing to risk it for her. 

AAAHHHHHHHHH I’M SQUEALING, I’M CRYING I’M AAHHHHH I LOVE THIS SO MUCHHH, AND YOU WROTE IT SO BEAUTIFULLLY 😭😭😭😭

FIGHT FOR HER BABY, GIVE HER WHAT SHE DESERVES, AND PLEASE NEVER LET HER DOWN, PLEASEEEEEEEE.

Conch, it took me sooo long to catch up with the rest of the chapter, I still have one left but aahhh this was soooooo fucking goooooooooood. I fucking love Bryce so much, you did  him divine justice, I swear, is beautiful and I wanna protect him so bad (I wanna protect Heather too) but baby 🥺🥺❤❤

This is so great, you’re doing an amazing job sweetie! And I honestly love your writing. As I said in our convo, your writing is my thing ❤ So I’m sooo loking forward what’a coming next!

Keep the amazing work and I’m going to read next chapter now ❤

Two Old Friends

Chapter 3 of Ricochet (An Open Heart AU).

Catch up here: Prologue | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Chapter Synopsis: As Bryce takes Heather in, a facade that he has blocked out for several months begins to disintegrate.

Pairing: Rafael Aveiro x MC (Dr. Heather Song) | Bryce Lahela x MC (Dr. Heather Song)

Words: 2.3k+ | Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Rating/Warnings: None for this chapter, it's pure fluff! (Yay!)

Author’s Notes: Majority of the characters are owned by Pixelberry, except the main character Heather Song. I was listening to Maybe this Time on repeat when I wrote this chapter, I think that song encapsulates it perfectly.

8 months ago

Bryce Lahela was stoked to have been assigned the Ed Farrugia case. He dreamt up of an opportunity like this ever since he graduated top of class from Stanford Law School. It wasn't out of self-ambition, it was part of his grand plan - to go opposite the direction of his white-collar criminal parents.

At first, Bryce's parents was overjoyed when he told them he's pursuing a law degree. It never occurred to them that it was all part of his scheme.

He soldiered on through law school, bagging an internship in the San Francisco DA. When his efforts to build his network provided an opportunity in Boston, he didn't hesitate to pack up his bags and fly across the country, farther away from Hawaii than ever. It was a big risk, but it eventually paid off given how his career imploded once he got the job.

But perhaps the most memorable experience was when he told his parents that he was to become Boston's newest ADA. They were nothing but furious, there were no counting the amount of expletives he heard that day.

No turning back, mom and dad.

The timing to tell them couldn't be more perfect, because it was only a week after they turned over his trust fund, a "graduation gift". He knew it was just a bribe for him to do the dirty legal work to keep them away from prison for free.

After toiling for so many years, he was more than ready to abandon his past behind and start his life over. More than it was revenge, it was Bryce's sweet and merciful justice. No more crosses behind his back, marking him as his parents' criminal son.

That wasn't his reality anymore. So he focused on work and did his best to shine. And shine he did. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was no longer a criminal. In an ironic twist of fate, he was the one putting people behind bars. And he relished in every win.

However, being the Chief DA's golden boy wasn't providing him the opportunity to build new friendships. Although he tried to make friends with his colleagues, he began to be seen as a threat. So for the first year in the big city, he spent his free time partying hard. With his quick rise to fame, everyone wanted a taste of the majestic Bryce Lahela. He didn't hesitate to throw himself into the throng.

And in that fateful sunny morning, he felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. He built the foundations of the State versus Perry case over the weekend, not even taking a single drop of alcohol. With the help of Agent Aveiro, he collected mountains of evidence for his breakthrough day at court. He knew his case was airtight. Today, he plans to put the cherry on top.

Pulling off his sunglasses and tightening his slick striped blue tie, he grabbed his suitcase from the passenger seat and got out of his car.

He strode into Edenbrook Hospital with confidence, getting glances from several attendings and nurses as he walked the hallways. He smirked at each of them back, wondering which one he should make of a mission after he wraps up this case. God, these doctors are hot, he thought, as he slid into one of the elevators. He punched 7, and the button lighted up.

Once he arrived at the right floor, he followed the directions pasted on the walls and eventually found the diagnostics team's office. As he neared the sliding glass doors, he heard an exchange of voices in rapid succession, as if they were discussing something important. As he raised his gaze through the glass, he saw two female doctors and two males. His eyes automatically landed to the young brunette, whose hand is on her waist as she listened intently as the others debated.

His brow quirked a little, a fit of curiosity fleeted through him. She was prettier in personal. Television didn't do her justice.

Immediately shaking off the unnerving attraction, he tapped gently on the glass door. All doctors turned to him. One of the male doctors with piercing blue eyes let him in, he later found out that he was the world-renowned diagnostician, Dr. Ethan Ramsey, the head of the team.

"ADA Bryce Lahela, I'm here for Dr. Heather Song?" he walked into the room exuding confidence, burying the distracted innuendos he was currently having.

In response, she moved forward and offered her hand, smiling brightly at him. "Dr. Heather Song, at your service. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Oh, I bet you do.

He answered mentally, stepping closer to look at her soft features. He took her hand and shook it, returning the warm welcome with a smug look in his face. He couldn't stop thinking about her ever since.

He spent almost the whole day with her, going through her testimony in detail. She spoke in a very confident manner, ascertaining every small observation she made about Travis Perry, and how he raised her suspicions. She also walked him through how she confirmed her theories, and how she decided to report this to the hospital's chief. He was amazed with the way how she mapped out every step, and acknowledged how her actions made the case straightforward and uncomplicated. Certainly controversial and sensational, given that it was involving one of Massachusetts' senators. But getting up close and personal with her that day made him realize that like him, she was at the top of her game.

She was professional and insightful. Bryce was also impressed with how she carried herself. Graceful and poised, yet fierce and tenacious. There were a lot of times that he thought he was hearing himself in the way she talked. And for that reason, he like spending time with her.

Over the course of the next few months, he spent more time with her. It was the perfect opportunity to keep in touch, as she was the star witness after all.

Beyond work, it was easy for him to befriend her. She was warm and open, sensitive and caring. Eventually, she introduced him to her exclusive group of doctors, who readily welcome him.

But he admired her more when she made it her mission to help him with his runaway sister. She went out of her way to spend time with her, bridging the gap between the siblings.

That was when he irreversibly opened up to her, telling her about his past. Making her see through him, who he really was.

And the way that she embraced it without inhibitions was a breathe of fresh air. He never knew he needed someone like her in his life, the one thing to complete his do-over.

It didn't take much for him to he admit to himself that he adored Heather. He felt a deep connection to her, something he never felt for someone else.

But in a sudden turn of events, the hopefulness he had turned out to be just a mere figment of his imagination.

He learned about her relationship with Rafael. Once he saw the way she looked at him, he knew it was time to draw the line.

Ever since, that was all he thought it would be between them - an unexplored and faraway frontier.

Gradually, his presence in her life became nothing more but group hangouts in the form of brunches or night outs in Donahues. He learned to withdraw whenever she and Rafael was around, cautious to not let others know about the way he felt. He himself went back to his string of one night stands.

He kept her at arm's length, repeating to himself that he was contented with the friendship that they had. Yet when he was finally learning to ease her out of his mind, she came crashing back in.

***

Present Day

With warm bowls of noodles in front of them, they caught up with each other's life. Bryce poured them both a glass of white wine to chase down the saltiness off of their taste buds.

"Hm, this certainly is an upgrade from that cheap bottle you had the last time," her mocking voice freed him from his thoughts. He grinned at her, leaning towards her.

"Oooh, I'm not liking your arrogance. Being junior fellow got in your head already?" he teased her, sipping from his own glass. "Has all of your student loans been paid off so you have spare money to buy your own fancy wine?"

"Certainly not. I think you're the one getting ahead of yourself, hotshot. That plaque hit you in the head and made you forgot that you're a just a noob?" Heather quipped back, her index finger pointing to the square-shaped glass on one of the living room shelves.

"Psh. It's not like my colleagues skip a day to remind me of 'my place'," his one hand mimicked air quotes, feigning a look of disgust, invoking a genuine laughter from her, her skin illuminated by the late afternoon sun as she glowed in delight.

They went at it as they ate, exchanging insulting banters, trying to one up each other as they went. It was just the way they were, at ease. Two old friends who loved their careers first, always putting their self in second place.

It was the first time in months that they were together alone, Bryce realized now how much he missed spending time with her.

He didn't want to spoil the mood, but he couldn't shake off his interest on what went down between Rafael and her. He waited a few more moments as they settled into a comfortable silence, running out of casual jokes to throw at the other. He drew a deep breathe, taking up the courage he needed to raise the sore subject.

"So, you and Raf huh?"

He saw her flinch and his heart irked a little. Her hand shivered as she set down the empty glass and grabbed the bottle of wine to refill it.

"He wasn't what I thought he was," she swirled the contents of her glass once it was full, looking distracted. "Apparently, it only took him less than a month to reveal his true self." Bryce nodded opposite her, as she shrugged casually. He saw her bite her lower lip, and instantly felt the hurt she was going through.

Without second thoughts, he approached her and opened his arms, inviting her in.

After a few excruciating seconds of hesitation, she finally leaned in and received his embrace, tears falling. She didn't think there was any left, but Bryce's offer of solace was a comfort she didn't think she needed. Her dams of pain overflowed once again, and with the horrible scare that happened this morning, her resolve to put up a brave face in front of everyone crumbled.

"You know I'll always be here for you, Heath," he whispered to her, his senses being flooded by the familiar jasmine scent of her perfume.

"I know, thank you for that," she replied in a hushed voice. "I'm just... just tired of it all, Bryce, I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be. I got you."

He just held her, wishing so hard that one embrace can take all of her fears away. He closed his eyes, letting his beating heart speak for the rest of his unspoken emotions.

He tried to soothe her as he brushed her hair, rubbing the palm of his hand on her shuddering back. His grip tightened with her every sigh, pulling her ever closer.

For the first time in months of keeping his distance, the feelings he had for her, those he tried to bury deep within his heart, started to resurface. He was feeling the way he felt way back then.

In between her deep sighs and sobs, a flood of regrets raced through his mind. His chest constricted, as his thoughts lingered on what could have been.

If I hadn't left her alone. If I just fought for her the first time. If I just have been brave enough to let her know...

But he knew he couldn't what already happened define what should be and what it will be. Just like he dealt with his past, Bryce knew that with enough willpower, he can turn it all around.

He focused forward. A rush of possibilities, a promise of a future, it overwhelmed him.

Maybe this time, it'll be more. She's free now. Maybe now is a better time than before. Maybe now, it won't have to end. Maybe this time, he wouldn't need to let her go.

His heart burned with a fiery resolve and determination.

That late afternoon, when the setting sun's light began to shine upon his face, he decided.

Even the smallest of maybes was more than enough for him. Bryce was willing to risk it for her.

TAGS: @choicesficwriterscreations @ramsey-lahela

@eleanorbloom - I hope I'm doing Bryce justice 😬