i saw somewhere i can't remember someone talking about a Buddha bathing ritual that happens on the fourth lunar month (typically falling on May). In Japan during the Hana Mitsuri festival, they bathe the Buddha with amacha, a tea made of hydrangea fermented leaves. This ritual is done so that everyone has a chance to introspect themselves so that they will reduce bad seeds, increase good seeds, open their minds, raise the seeds of enlightenment, make life more meaningful and bring happiness to all sentient beings in this universe.
Me, a casual viewer of BFU: True Crime and Puppet History, clicking on the Making Watcher playlist: Oh, its so nice that the boys got to start their own company :)
Me, 40 minutes later, no longer a causal viewer after seeing Ryan Bergara talk about his anxiety and then almost cry on camera because he is so happy that his friend agreed to work at his new company:
ohhhh my god. okay. so. my aunt does like, she buys random junk in bulk from retail wholesalers and then resells it on like, facebook marketplace and ebay and stuff. whatever. so my mom works for her. makes a flat $50 a day, regardless of the fact that shes disabled and doing hard labor for at least 8 hours a day, often 10+. and min wage here is $10 an hour but mom argued that $50 a day is still more than what she would make working the same hours at an actual job because of taxes...like girl that would be 50% taxes. you do not pay that fucking much. so thats already Bad.
but today mom shows me a video of a knife theyre gonna sell, and i watch 2 seconds and i realize its an automatic knife, and i tell her hey. thats illegal to possess in this state. let alone sell! and mom is like ohhh [aunt] knows what shes doing itll be fine.... we sell knives on there all the time she just doesnt put pictures and calls them something else on the listing to get around fb/ebays policies :)
LIKE. HELLO. THATS NOT BETTER. YOURE COMMITTING MULTIPLE CRIMES. *AS YOUR JOB.* and she was just like "its not a big deal she knows what shes doing." folks, this is the same aunt that, very illegally, paid me to sort through her clients confidential tax documents and bank records and stuff. because she works for a bank. and took the records home to sort them. i dont think she DOES know what shes doing, actually!
in a couple months im gonna be asked what I did over the summer and I’m just gonna sit there unresponsive because I don’t want to admit to playing between 250-300 hours of yakuza 0
meant to post abt this yesterday and ik it’s kinda mean but i think the counselor i have rn is the worst one ive ever had possibly even worse than (or tied w) the one i had over the summer who kept ending our sessions well before the full hour was up when i was going thru a horrible time and kept spending the sessions mostly talking abt herself and her own problems. actually no now that i write that out she was probably the worst (though she was one of the warmest / nicest and our personalities meshedreally well so i feel bad saying that she was the worst). but the one i have now is so…. lke idk. my experience w the worst counselor made me rly want to work w a clinical intern again bc i wanted someone who would like. actuallytake things seriously and give me the time i was paying for and spend all of it talki ng abt the things i was paying to talk abt and draw from the most recent / cutting edge info instead of entirely personal experience (WHICH AGAIN I FEEL SO BAD ABT BECAUSE. my work is all abt healing each other by sharing things like that and i realt did like her but it just wasn’t appropriate i guess bc it was a counseling relationship!) but my current counselor is so… rigid and restrictive. like i think he is trying too hard to apply what he’s being taught and he seems like nervous and talking out of his ass and he masks that by taking up SO much space and spending like 3 minutes responding to every one minute i talk and literally like strongarmimg the convos and deciding what we’re going to talk about and moving us on to a new topic abruptly before i feel ready to move on and like taking time out of our sessions to do paperwork / admin stuff so he doesn’t forget later (and a lot of the time i think he’s doing it while im talking bc i see his eyes moving around his screen and the light on his face like he’s not even listening to me). and it fucking sucks. i want to crack him like an egg so bad and make him realize it doesn’t have to be this way but i know that’s not my responsibility and in our session last night i basically gave up trying to create enough space for myself and just let him steer things bc i was having side effects and it was just rly unsatisfying
nick goes to open the back drivers side door of the car, before chris quickly places his hand over the door handle.
“you can sit in front again, i wanna sit with y/n.” chris suggests, trying to sound casual but the hint of desperation in his voice is apparent to all of us.
nick raises an eyebrow, “you’re actually ridiculous chris” he shakes his head before walking around to the other side and sitting up front.
i smile almost teasingly at chris, a pink tinge becoming present on his cheeks.
“you want aux?” chris asks.
“no, i’m okay with whatever yall want to play.” i tell him.
“you sure?” he asks again, just to be sure.
“chris this is literally like suffocating.” matt pipes up, peering back at us through the rear view mirror.
“i’m just making sure.” chris defends.
chris and i have always had a flirty friendship, but lately i’ve noticed a new intensity to it all. it’s like every time i turn around he’s there, primed and ready with a new excuse to be close to me. it seems like the entire dynamic of our friendship was changing right in front of me.
but i wouldn’t call it a bad change.
while he used to casually brush his hand against mine, or throw out a teasing, flirty comment here and there, he now finds every excuse to touch me- whether that be his knee pressed against mine whenever we sit next to eachother, much like right now as he sits beside me, occasionally stealing glances at me, or moving past me with his hand pressed against the small of my back.
he takes any chance he can get to compliment me, telling me how pretty i am, that i’m smart, talented, even things as random as he likes the way i look in green.
and then of course, the way he looks at me.
he has a longing eyes that weren’t there in boston, like he’s trying to tell me something without words.
i’d be lying if i said i didn’t love every part of it.
we pull up to the restaurant and matt throws the car in park. chris opens the door for me, of course, extending out his hand for me to take in assistance.
“i can’t remember if i told you already, but you look really nice y/n.” matt remarks, a warm smile playing on his lips.
“thanks.” i smile, accepting the compliment.
i glance over at chris, his jaw slightly clenches at the compliment. i brush my fingers against his to ease the tension.
once we enter the restaurant, the host escorts us to our seats. chris’s hand planted on the small of my back, guiding me.
we get sat in a booth and chris slides in next to me. his legs brushes against mine under the table, sending a jolt of electricity up my spine. the soft hue of the overhead lights casting a warm hue on chris’s features, illuminating them perfectly.
chris’s arm drapes casually on the back of the booth, his fingers grazing my shoulder gently. it’s a small gesture, but it feels so intimate, almost as if he’s taking a silent claim over me. i try focusing on the menu, but it’s almost impossible with him this close.
“what’re you thinking about getting?” chris leans down to speak to me, his breath warm against my ear with the close proximity.
“i actually don’t know. this is the biggest menu ive ever seen in my life.” i laugh, glancing around at the endless options.
“i recommend the alfredo, just sayin” he suggests with a casual shrug.
“you always recommend alfredo.” i roll my eyes playfully.
“and it’s always the best thing.” chris defends.
“actually, it doesn’t sound half bad.” i admit.
“see? what did i tell you?” he says confidently. earning another eye roll from me.
a little while after we take our order, our food arrives.
as we eat and talk casually amongst ourselves, matt interrupts the conversation.
“oh y/n, you kinda got something right there.” he gestures to the corner of my mouth. “here i got it.” he leans over the table with a napkin, gently wiping the sauce from my face.
“oh thank you.” i murmur, feeling slightly flustered from the interaction, but i shake it off when i notice chris’s sudden change in demeanor. he goes quiet for the first time tonight, i give his hand a gentle squeeze under the table.
was he jealous of matt?
surely not. why would he be? matt is his brother, and im his best friend.
his friend.
and that was it.
after dinner, the drive home was painfully quiet. you could cut the tension in the air with a knife.
now chris and i sit silently in his bed. i excuse myself to go take a shower, in hopes that maybe he would get over whatever had his so pissed off by the time i was done.
“i’m gonna go shower.” i stand up, grabbing a pair of pajamas out of my suitcase.
“k.” chris replies coldly.
i stop myself from saying anything, i didn’t want to argue with him.
…
i walk back into chris’s room, and sit back in his bed. chris had turned on netflix, and was watching love island.
“watcha watching?” i ask, desperate to break the silence.
“what’s it look like?” he responds sarcastically.
i was done holding my tongue, “chris what is your problem? why are you so mad?” i ask, my patience finally snapping.
“maybe next time you want to gawk over my brother, don’t do it in front of me.” he snaps back.
“are you serious?” i scoff. “that’s what this is about? matt wiping sauce off my face?”
“you’re fully capable of doing it yourself, no?” chris retorts.
“you’re acting as if i asked him to do that, he was just being nice.” i defend, my voice tinged with frustration.
as i sit there, facing chris, a whirlwind of thoughts race through my mind. i can’t believe we were arguing about something as trivial as matt wiping sauce off my face. it seemed so insignificant, yet chris was clearly upset. i can’t help but feel a mix of frustration and confusion. why is he making such a big deal out of this? does he seriously think i have any control over matt's actions?
deep down, i wonder if theres more to chris's reaction. is he really that jealous? the idea of that seems almost absurd, but there’s no denying the intensity in his eyes. i try to push the thought away, focusing instead on defending myself. i hadn't done anything wrong. matt was just being nice, and it felt unfair to be blamed for something so innocent.
yet, despite my in doubtable irritation, a small part of me couldn't help but feel a flicker of hope. if chris actually is jealous, does that mean he cares more than he lets on? was the flirty behavior more than just chris being typical chris? the thought is both thrilling and terrifying. i don’t want to read too much into it, but the possibility lingered in the back of my mind, adding another layer of complexity to our already tangled relationship.
chris’s expression softens when he sees the frustration in my eyes. he sighs, running his hand through his hair.
“i’m sorry.” he says quietly. “i overreacted. it’s just, shit, i don’t know. maybe i’m just jealous.” he admits.
“chris you don’t have to be jealous.” i tell him.
he looks at me, eyes full of sincerity. “yeah i know, i just care about you, a lot and sometimes it just gets the best of me.”
a small smile tugs on my lips. “i care about you too chris. more than you know.”
“but, can you just promise me you’ll talk to me when things bother you before you go an be a dick about it?” i tease, extending my pinky out to him.
“i promise.” he laughs, interlocking his pinky with mine.
a/n: sorry i didn’t know how to really end this LMAO. i don’t really know how to feel about this part tbh. PLEASE lmk your thoughts/ what you would like to see in future parts. my requests are ALWAYS open and highly appreciated and encouraged.
Summary: You and Paige have been best friends for the last 6 years. You trust her completely. And it is because of that trust that you ask her a rather forward question. AKA - You ask Paige to teach you.
Warnings: mature, angsty
Word Count: 2.9k
Sweetbans Masterlist & Teach Me Masterlist
AN: A little filler - more lessons to come soon.
Paige was all you could think about. And if you were to ask her, you were all Paige could think about. Yet neither of you said a single word about it.
After your last lesson, Paige had to excuse herself before continuing on with life.
"Alright ma, imma need you to stop right there before I do something you aren't ready for," Paige says as she pulls you up towards her. Your face now hovering over hers. Given your current state and hearing Paige moan your name - you weren't ready to end.
You just stare down at Paige. Before you know it, you are leaning in and connecting your lips with hers.
She is shocked at first, but seeing as to how turned on she is, kisses you back and immediately establishes dominance.
You moan into her mouth and she moves your legs to straddle her. She slowly sits up, not breaking the kiss. Your hands make their way to tug on Paige's hair causing her to struggle to maintain dominance. Using the opportunity, you begin to fight for dominance as you ever so slightly begin to grind down on the girl's hips.
Paige is fed up with how good you are at turning her on and decides to really take manners into her own hands. She removes her lips from yours and begins to work them down your neck, spending extra time on the spot she found right under your ear.
"Paige," you breathe out, now grinding harder on her trying to relieve any of the building pressure in your core. "Babe, don't stop."
Paige's senses are overloaded with you - removing any and all sense she has remaining. She takes one of her hands and lowers your bra straps, kissing down your shoulder and to your chest.
It is on the next throaty groan that reminds her this is all for a lesson and you aren't hers for the taking. Not yet at least.
Paige begins to slow down with the kisses and leans her head on your shoulder - steadying her breathing.
"Why'd you stop?" You ask before you are able to stop yourself. You feel her chuckle underneath you.
"Such a good student, babe but can't overwhelm you or you'll forget everything," Paige says, knowing full-well it is complete BS.
You don't push it and nod. The two of you stay in the same position for a minute. Paige then puts her hands on your hips, giving them a little squeeze before plopping you on the bed beside her.
She gets up and starts to make her way from your room.
"Where are you going B?" You ask and Paige's mind makes a connection.
She realizes that you only use her first name (which you would never do since coining the nickname 'B') when she had you really riled up. You would say her name and that became thrilling to her. She would try and elicit it every chance she gets moving forward.
"I need to go take care of myself babe," she says giving you a smirk. "You did such a great job turning me on that now I have to go finish it."
You blush immediately and watch the girl walk out of your room.
Now the two of you are sitting on the couch of your apartment with half of the team. They invited themselves over and decided that a movie night was in order. They had no knowledge of the compromising position Paige had you in nearly an hour before their arrival.
The girls decided on the fast and furious movies, which always meant you were watching at least two of them. Nika put on the 4th one which no one complained about and now you are all sprawled out in your living room snacking and watching.
You are posted up between Azzi and Nika - leaning on Azzi's shoulder. You made sure to not sit right next to Paige, not trusting yourself.
Paige on the other hand was in one of the recliners. Every minute or so, she found herself glancing over at you. Not that you noticed, but Azzi did.
Paige's eyes would shift to you and then she would adjust in the recliner. Azzi got sick of it and tried to pull Paige's gaze to her. When she finally makes eye contact with Azzi, Azzi gives P the 'stop staring' eyes. Paige just shrugs and crosses her arms. She wants you in the recliner with her.
The first movie wraps up and you can feel yourself getting sleepy. Everyone gets up to grab more snacks and use the restroom. You go and grab a sweatshirt - finding the closest one to you in your room which just so happened to be Paige's. You throw it over your head and let it swallow you up.
When you make your way back, you see Nika has shifted over to where you were sitting and Evina took Nika's spot. You stand for a second before looking over at Paige in the recliner with both arms open, inviting you into her. You inhale and make your way over to your best friend.
You crawl on top of her and curl up with your head on her chest. Paige's arms wrap around you and you make some final adjustments to get comfortable. None of this phasing the girls on the couch one bit.
It is halfway through the movie and you feel yourself nodding off. Paige can tell you are fighting sleep and kisses the top of your head.
"Go to sleep love, it's okay." She says in your ear as she rubs your back. You stop fighting it and allow the much-needed sleep come over you.
The movie finishes and the girls begin cleaning up. Paige never minded hosting knowing all the girls always clean up after themselves. When Paige didn't make a move to help - it caught everyone's eye.
"Bro, you are whipped," Evina says looking down at Paige rubbing your sleeping back.
"I am not - she's my best friend," Paige says making sure she is not talking too loud. She doesn't want to wake you.
"You are wrapped around her finger, there is no trying to hide it," Azzi says with a smile, knowing the full extent of Paige's love for you.
Paige knows she could fight this but also knows that they are right, right as she is about to respond, you begin to stir.
Paige continues to rub circles on your back as your eyes flutter open.
"Is the movie over?" You ask, voice groggy and eyes half closed.
"It is," Paige says in the softest voice. "The girls are about to head out, do you want to say bye?" She says looking up.
You look and see all the girls looking at you in Paige's arms. You can't help but blush and hide your face in Paige's chest causing all the girls to let out 'awws' and coos. You put your hand up and wave at them as they say their goodbyes.
Once they all leave, you prop yourself up on Paige. One hand on the recliner, the other on her stomach to stabilize yourself. You yawn and fall right back into your best friend's arms. Paige lets out a breathy laugh.
"You gonna move so we can go to bed?" She says expecting you to get up and not go right back to where you were.
"Too comfy," you say and nuzzle your face into her with a hum.
Paige can't help but fall more in love with you in these moments.
Her hand comes up to brush some of the hair out of your face and you look up and let out a content sigh.
You hadn't told Paige yet but you ended up not going on the second date with the girl from your class. She was nice but you learned she wasn't what you wanted. You couldn't have what you wanted. And you didn't want the lessons to stop so you opted to keep quiet. Something was better than nothing right?
You are looking into Paige's eyes and can't help but think what this would be like if you admitted your feelings to the girl. Would she reciprocate them? Would she tell you she has loved you as long as you loved her? Or would she run? Say you are nothing but a friend and cause the biggest heartbreak of your life?
Paige is looking down at you, hand still playing with your hair. She could get used to this. Up to this point, she has never wanted to be in a relationship with anyone. She was completely content hooking up with girls when she needed a fix and then coming back to your friendship. But the more she thought about it and the closer she got to you - it had her questioning settling down and making you hers.
Her thumb comes up to rub your cheek and your heartbeat picks up.
Your mind begins to stir.
Your hand comes up to grasp hers, removing it from your face. As you do so you adjust yourself, no longer curling up on her but laying with your stomach on hers. You place the hand that you were holding on your waist, bringing yours back up to cup her neck moving it enough to allow the access you want.
Your lips meet her neck in a gentle kiss, instantly having her craving more. You kiss up her neck to the base of her earlobe, kissing it before bringing it between your lips giving it a little suck.
Paige lets out the most beautiful moan as you feel her fingers tighten their grip around your waist.
"What...what are you doing ma?" She asks, barely able to get the words out before another moan escapes her mouth as you continue to work on her neck.
"You know," you say in between kisses. Hand coming down to the hem of her shirt lifting it just enough to run your fingertips over her torso. "Your moans are like music to my ears."
You begin to kiss your way up to her lips. Right before you reach her lips you pause. Not looking in her eyes, only at her lips.
"How am I doing, 'ma'?" You ask in a borderline teasing tone and use the pet name that would fall from her lips.
It was her turn to bite her lip. You shake your head no.
"If I can't do it, neither can you." You say bringing her lip out from her bite. "And for the record, I just wanted to practice."
You sit up and make your way out of the chair and towards your room.
"You coming to bed, B?" You say innocently like you just didn't turn her on faster than any other girl she has been with.
Paige gets up without a word and follows you into your bedroom.
In the next few days, you and Paige are back to normal. Hanging out with the team, practicing, bugging one another. It was nice. It was normal.
It is game day and the team is in the gym getting ready. You are at your desk reviewing some last-minute plays when Geno comes in and tells you to get out there with the team.
You head to the floor and watch the girls warm up. The game begins and the team is playing extremely well. They are up in the 4th when Paige is hit in the face by a girl from the other team. She falls to the ground holding her face.
You freeze - panic setting in. She stands up and slowly makes her way to the bench, knowing they won't let her play with blood on her face.
Geno is arguing with the ref as you do the same. You hear your name called but ignore it until Azzi comes up and grabs your arm.
"Paige keeps pushing the medic away - will you?" Azzi says as her head nods in the direction of Paige swatting the medic's hand away from her face. You roll your eyes and make your way over.
"B, get your ass over here." You say as you dawn a glove and grab a tissue.
"She flat out hit me in the face and they are calling it a common foul! That is absolute trash!" She says but still makes her way to you.
You put the tissue on her nose and she hits your hand away.
You give her a look, knowing the look will do more than any words could. She stops moving and stands there. You put the tissue up to her nose and hold it there, looking past her at Geno and the refs. When you turn your attention back to the girl in front of you, you see her eyes are closed. She looks peaceful at this moment like she isn't in the middle of a game and didn't just get hit in the face.
Your hand removes the tissue from her nose and you grab her chin, examining her face. Her eyes remain closed only opening when you reach around and tap her ass.
"You're good to go B," you say sending her on her way, only she doesn't move.
"B, go," you say and gesture towards the court.
Paige hesitates before doing her little jump and steps toward the court but not before her hand finds your waist, giving it the all-too-familiar squeeze. Your breath hitches and you shoot her a look.
The team goes on to win the game. Everyone is super excited and decides to go out to a bar to celebrate. You only go because the team insists and you can't say no to the girls.
While the team is out, you decide to have a dry night. The last thing you want is to be trying to corral a group of tipsy girls.
You are sipping a sprite when you hear loud giggling come from your right.
Paige is whispering in a girl's ear causing her to giggle. You try not to pay it any attention but you see the girl's hand come up to Paige's chest and play with her hair.
It makes you sick. Yet, you can't take your eyes off of them. You take another sip of your drink as you watch Paige's hands come up to the girl's waist - a feeling you have grown to crave.
Paige says something in the girl's ear that causes her to nod rapidly and allow Paige to take her hand, leading her away from the bar.
Your stomach drops and you feel your eyes become wet.
'This is so stupid' you think to yourself as you watch them go towards the bathrooms.
You drop some money at the bar, grab your jacket - not wanting to be anywhere near this place, and let one of the girls know you are heading home. Before you reach the door, you feel the first tear fall. Your hand comes up to wipe it away before anyone can see and you make your way home.
To your lack of knowledge, your tears didn't go unseen. Azzi was watching you the whole time Paige was talking to the girl at the bar. Azzi knew the second you heard the giggle that Paige drew from the girl, it would hit your ears. Azzi saw how your demeanor changed when you saw Paige and how you left just as they were heading to the bathroom. Azzi was the only person to see your tears fall as you walked out. She is also the only person in the world who knows that Paige is completely and utterly in love with you.
Paige eventually emerges and finds Azzi. The first thing she does is ask where you are.
"She left..." Azzi says.
"Why? Where did she go?" Paige asks.
Azzi gives Paige a look and Paige knows that you saw her take a girl back. Paige puts the water in her hand and begins to make her way out of the bar.
"Paige!" Azzi yells and catches up to her.
"Let me go, I am going home," Paige says wanting to find you.
Azzi lets out a sigh, not sure what Paige is going to do.
"Maybe you should just give her some space," Azzi says, not wanting to completely out the state that you left in.
"Space?" Paige laughs. "You know better than anyone that I don't want space, especially when it comes to her."
Azzi loves Paige but also knows how big of an idiot Paige can be.
"I am going home and I am spending the rest of the night with my girl," Paige says, completely forgetting she just had her tongue and hands on someone who was most definitely not you.
Just as Paige is about to walk out, Azzi puts her hand up to stop Paige. Right as Paige is about to protest and give some sort of speech she is confused when she sees Azzi's hand come to her shirt.
Paige stands there, as Azzi fixes the mismatched buttons on Paige's shirt then lets the girl go.
Azzi watches her friend go. She sighs and takes a long sip of her drink. She didn't fix the shirt for Paige. She fixed it for you, she couldn't bear the thought of more tears falling over some dumb decision by Paige.
AN: The plot thickens...are you hooked yet? Let me know what you think. And as always, thank you for your love and support 💙
summary: you and luke have a secret/not so secret relationship
a/n: no warnings really, this is cute i think and very cringey fluff tbh. not proofread.
word count: 1.3k
-
Keeping your relationship with Luke a secret from your friends was a hard enough task as it is, but having to keep it a complete secret from your family was proving to be an even more difficult task. It has been over 6 months of you and Luke being together now and everyday you just want to shout from the rooftops just how much you love him.
Although you knew being in the spotlight was 100% not what you wanted, it was so much harder than you thought to have to sneak around and pretend to be single around some of your very closest friends. And Luke knew how much it meant to the public for you to be known solely as ‘Luke Hughes’ Girlfriend’ so you had both agreed on the whole keeping-things-a-secret thing until further notice.
Because of this, It had been almost 2 weeks since you had last seen your boyfriend. Both you and him being respectively busy, and also having absolutely nowhere to spend time together as your two roommates had not been out of the house for any extended periods of time lately. And in the midst of that, Luke and Jack had a guest staying at their condo since the beginning of the month, making it nearly impossible for you to spend any time there at all.
This had you up late at night thinking about Luke for what felt like the millionth night in a row. wishing he was beside you instead of just your childhood stuffed animals. Wishing he was rubbing your back, soothing you to sleep, kissing your neck gently, tracing shapes on your skin - there were so many little ways he showed you his love and you missed every single one of them. And as much as you hated what was at risk with you sneaking him over - laying in bed dreaming about it caused absolutely no harm at all.
Pulling you out of your daydream, you hear buzzing begin to come from your phone that is left charging on your nightstand as you are trying desperately to fall asleep. You look over to see that it is Luke calling you, at almost 1:00 in the morning. You wonder if he had been up thinking about you too.
You reach over and grab your phone to answer him, “hi baby” you whisper into the phone, not wanting to wake up anyone else in your apartment.
“baby I cant sleep. I miss you so much” he says with a tired rasp in his voice. He lets out a sigh on the other end of the phone and its almost like he is right beside you. You can hear the longing in his voice and can just sense how frustrated he is with the single sigh.
“I miss you too lukey. I literally cant sleep either - ive just been up thinking about you” you say honestly.
You have always been super honest with him about everything. Weather it be you telling him every single detail about how horrible your period is that week, how you absolutely dread doing the dishes and let them pile up for days before getting to them, how you refuse to go out past 5pm by yourself because you are terrified of being kidnapped, or explaining to him word for word why you love the movie ‘love rosie’ so much and how much it means to you when he agrees to watch it with you. Luke knew you so well and you knew him just the same. Because you always communicated with each other. about everything. No matter what.
Thats why what he said next came as such a shock to you.
“Ive been thinking too..’’ he trails off, his tone quieter than before
You stay quiet on the other end of the phone, curious about what Luke is about to say and suddenly extremely aware of the fact that it is so late at night and he decided to call you without warning. After your silent thinking, you hum a quiet ‘mhm’ in response, urging him to continue.
“Ive just been thinking.. maybe I regret keeping things, with us, a secret for so long. I know I- We agreed to hold off, especially because of how it would affect your life and everything. And I know thats a really big deal. I dont want you to think im being selfish..” he begins, but waits for you to chime in with your thoughts.
Things have worked well this way for so long, that it surprised you he felt this way. Especially because Luke is a very private person in general, you assumed this is how he wanted things. It broke your heart if you made him feel like this was all your idea in the first place. You just thought it would be best for the both of you.
“Luke I dont know what to say. Honestly i thought we were on the same page so I didnt offer to change anything…”
“How long have you felt like this?” you add, trying to speak loud enough but still with your voice in a whisper.
“I mean. I dont really know?” he says almost as a question
“Luke…” you urge him, hoping he will answer your question honestly.
“Well I guess - about a month now I guess? I know i shouldve said something sooner but I just didnt want to ruin anything. I know thats kind of..shitty..” He says regretfully
Theres the honest boy you know.
“I..I didnt know” you say. Honestly you ddnt know where to go from here. You wanted to tell everyone everything about your relationship at this very moment, but werent sure if thats where Luke was going with this.
“I- What are you thinking? I understand if you want to keep things the way they are. I wanna be clear that I really dont want to force you into changing anything. I just i couldn t keep it to myself anymore”
It was so exciting to you knowing how much Luke cared about you. The way he cares for everyone around him has always been something you admire about him. He has the biggest heart in the world and you only hoped to be at least half as caring as him. Clearly this has been on his mind for a while and he cared so mch about your feelings towards it that he didnt want to let his feelings ruin what you have.
“Luke I love you, obviously as long as you know that, thats enough for me. But i do want everyone to know that too.” you say as the lump in your throat grows and tears well in your eyes.
You honestly didn't know why this was making you emotional. But the combination of missing him, hearing him so delicately approach you with this, and knowing this might be the moment you get to share your love for him with the world, is making it hard to get your words out right now.
“I love you so much. and I want everyone to know I do too” he says matter of factly and your heart melts completely.
You both sit in comfortable silence over the phone for a moment as your slight sniffles fill the quiet air.
“I dont know why im crying..” you say through quiet laughter and hear Luke share laughter in response. He was so used to you being emotional over the most random things, this not surprising him one bit.
“What can i do baby?”
You dont even have to think twice of your next response but pretend to be contemplating anyway,
“hmmmm, come over?” you respond hopefully. It thrilled you to think he might actually say yes. Even at 1:00 in the morning.
“Absolutely,” he says with a laugh and you grin ear to ear with giddy excitement,
summary: A new series on ynrecommends channel on YT called Celebrity Book Club grabbed Harry's attention. Now, they are simply joined at the hip. As friends. Right?
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yourinstagram
liked by harryupdates, yourbestfriend and 17 291 others
yourinstagram hello! i started a new series on my YouTube channel - celebrity book club! my first victim was the one and only - Harry Styles. he has an... interesting library to recommend. click the link in bio if you want to watch me gush over harry, new bookshop I found and the best coffee ive ever made!! byeee, xx
also, you harries are too good with photoshop. i was sure he was reading book lovers...
view all 2 302 comments
yourbestfriend bestie gettin' famous!!!!
⤷ yourinstagram i knew it was a bad idea to listen to you...
⤷ yourbestfriend people need to know how great of a booktuber and reader you are
harryupdates that's a great video! i immediately subscribed to your channel!
⤷ yourinstagram thank you! I hope you'll find something for yourself there, xx
user22 came here from yt! fantastic video
user39 your editing skills are amazing!!
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harryupdates
liked by hArrysbtch, yourinstagram and 34 402 others
harryupdates yn from ynrecommends on yt did a video where she read all the books that Harry has ever recommended. she is hilarious, very sweet, and absolutely clever. watch it when you have some spare time, you won't be disappointed!!
view all 5 201 comments
hArrysbtch ive been watching her videos for months!!! thank god she finally gets the spotlight she deserves
⤷ harrysmoustache does she (like most of the booktubers) sugar-coat everything or she's just blunt?
⤷ hArrysbtch oh she's super down to earth! she also does those instagram lives where she talks about the latest book(s) she's read. super funny and laid back
⤷ harrysmoustache oh, thank god! i was looking for someone like that! im diving into her channel right now!
yourinstagram thank you so much! thanks to you, you harries are flooding my socials!! (im not complaining) xx
⤷ harryupdates can't wait for another video!
harryshoee she's so beautiful, too! and loves cats!
harrysmylife "harry, if you ever watch it, let's pretend you guys, if you ever watch it, i recommend you diving into Toshikazu Kawaguchi" she has TASTE, let me tell you
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harrymylove
liked by harryupdates, hArrysbtch and 22 301 others
harrymylove I'VE MET HARRY YESTERDAY!!!! look at him and my doggy Bart. i still can't process it...
view all 3 301 comments
hArrysbtch how was it???
⤷ harrymylove it was so lovely! he was kind enough to take a photo and talk with me for a while!
⤷ hArrysbtch what did you talk about? pls spill the tea
⤷ harrymylove im an English major so i asked him about some book recommendations. he answered with "i didn't have much time to read anything new recently. but was recommended and just bought Toshikazu Kawaguchi's books, so maybe this author"
hArrysbtch Kawaguchi???? after yn recommend that to him in a video???? he watched her video??? yourinstagram
harrysmoustache I've just started reading 'before the coffee gets cold' and looooove it!!
harryupdates do we think he actually watched yn's video?
⤷ hArrysbtch i hope so!
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harryupdates
liked by hArrysbtch, harrymylove and 45 302 others
harryupdates HARRY'S official YT channel left a comment on ynrecommends latest video!!
view all 6 401 comments
hArrysbtch that bish said 'let me break the internet and use me fuckin phone'
hArrysbtch unbelievable...
harrymylove he watched the video that's why he recommended me Kawaguchi... im melting
harrysmoustache i hope that he loves it as much as i did!!!
harrysmylife 'love, h xx' let me go cry in the corner
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yourinstagram
liked by yourbestfriend, harrystyles and 67 492 others
yourinstagram hopefully, this date will be successful
view all 9 201 comments
yourbestfriend was it?
⤷ yourinstagram after a couple glasses of wine, we moved to the bedroom
⤷ yourbestfriend STOP
⤷ yourinstagram never praise a ford till you get over...
harrystyles Assuming it wasn't successful, do you have any dates free?
⤷ yourinstagram i'll need to check my calendar, although i only attend when coffee (or wine) and good books are provided
⤷ harrystyles Done.
⤷ yourinstagram i'll think about it 🫣
harryupdates oh those are so tricky!!!
hArrysbtch stop, i also had an awful blind date with a book...
⤷ yourinstagram that's the worst! i just need to read the synopsis and thena few pages to decide if I want to buy it
harrysmoustache why is nobody talking about harry being in the comment section??? ASKING HER OUT??? who is this man??? what's happening
⤷ user93 well, it's clearly not him typing or even controlling it! the managmet took it over long ago!
⤷ harrysmoustache and they say im delulu...
harrysmylife SHUT UP !!! avtivrry is my favourite harry, like??? what do you mean he can type the comment? the flirty one? the one asking a girl out? like???
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harrystyles via close friends IG stories
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harrystyles
liked by yourinstagram, harryupdates and 4 292 294 others
harrystyles 11.08.2023 📚
view all 23 292 comments
yourinstagram you did not buy them just for yourself
⤷ harrystyles Wouldn't you like to know 😎
harryupdates Well-read king that we stan
hArrysbtch I'm connecting the dots here
harrysmylife welcome back 2013 Harry, how have you been?
harrysfan83 since that girls yt video, he became obsessed with books...
⤷ harrymylove it's called getting a crush on somebody
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hArrysbtch
liked by harryupdates and 4 492 others
hArrysbtch sooo, this is a still from yn's latest video... that stack of books looks awfully familiar to the one that Harry posted a week or so ago... coincidence? i don't think so. plus!!!! she did say she didn't spend a penny on those books
view all 928 comments
harrysmoustache if they are together, i feel like the fandom would love her
⤷ hArrysbtch i would hope so!
harrysmylife relationship, friendship or whatever -ship it is, im here for itttt
user94 y'all are really reaching now...
harryupdates it's the way she was glowing in that video for me! she looked so happy
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yourinstagram
liked by hArrysbtch, harrystyles and 76 301 others
yourinstagram when they read your recommendations>>>
view all 8 492 comments
hArrysbtch now let him play patroclus in a movie, i dare you Hollywood
⤷ harrysmoustache who would you choose as Achilles??
⤷ hArrysbtch you know what? let him be Achilles and Timothee would be Patroclus
⤷ harrysmylife this adaptation with this casting would cure me, for real
harrysmoustache he's in his lover era
harrystyles I love reading your copies of books with all the 'cute' and 'slay' and 'I LOVE THEM'.
⤷ yourinstagram it's called active reading
⤷ harrystyles No, its not.
⤷ yourinstagram party pooper
yourbestfriend thanks for inviting me!!!
⤷ harrystyles Do yo want to join us?
⤷ yourbestfriend I knew I liked you for a good reason
harrysfan45 so she is the girl from those pap photos
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harryupdates
liked by harrysmoustache, stylesbabie and 87 392 others
harryupdates HARRY taking photos of YN in Italy!!
view all 7 302 comments
hArrysbtch melting
harrysmoustache what in the world...
stylesbabie i know exactly what that photo is focusing on
⤷ user42 what?
⤷ stylesbabie (•) (•)
⤷ harrysmoustache in the wise words of Steve Harrington: BOOBIES
harrysmylife so they are dating
⤷ user93 no one confirmed it
⤷ harryupdates good luck with waiting for Harry, confirming that he is/isn't in a relationship
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yourinstagram
liked by harrystyles, yourbestfriend and 291 492 others
yourinstagram the promised vlog is up on my channel! grab some good drink and a snack for a quick talk about being single, vulnerability, loving your friends more than anything and - of course - some good books I've read in Italy!!!
view all 16 302 others
harrystyles I see the similarities between pictures 3 and 4
⤷ yourinstagram well, one is a cute little creature and the other is a sweet creature
⤷ harrystyles Good one.
hArrysbtch best vlog I've ever watched!!! Good job!
harrysmoustache being single??? what do you mean? i was rooting for you...
⤷ stylesbabie ...we were all rooting for you
harryupdates great recommendations as always!!! my tbr is growing with each of your video
celebrityupdates Single? Our sources are saying quite otherwise!
⤷ user56 spill the tea!!!!
⤷ celebrityupdates Link in bio to all the things you need to know about this romance!
⤷ harrysmylife it's like a man and a woman cannot be friends
Summary: After a harsh criticism from one of your teachers, you started to fall into a bad habit again. You started staying overnight at the company, your knees are always bruised, and you probably shouldn’t have 3 cans of Redbull everyday… Thankfully, your bandmates have easily recognized your behaviors and decided to put it to an end.
The horrendous amount of caffeine started to take a toll on you.
During one of the last practices for your comeback, Chaewon stared at you worriedly.
But you were too busy staring at your shaky hands to notice.
After chugging another can of Redbull, you finished the practice and finally turned on your phone. Several missed calls and notifications from your group’s chatroom covered your phone.
You didn’t have the energy to care.
You fell asleep on the couch in the practice room.
You have a comeback tomorrow after all.
-----
Furious is an understatement.
Chaewon is absolutely mad.
The 6 of you gathered at the studio for Music Bank on the day of the comeback. While getting ready with makeup and outfits, you could tell the girls wanted to talk to you but were too busy to.
When you all finally got up to the stage, the jittery feeling became more intense. As the second verse started your stomach started to churn, your throat closed up - you almost missed your lines-
and once again you couldn’t stop staring at your shaky hands with bloodshot eyes.
Until you froze.
Your eyes met Zuha’s. And you watched in slow motion as she ran towards you, barely catching your body before it hit the ground, and the spotlight in front of your eyes shut down.
-----
“…..ays-… y..… med…-”
You finally woke up with a pounding inside your head.
The moment you could blur out the bright light above your head, you could see Sakura’s face and feel the cool cloth on yours.
She was carefully wiping away the sweat on your head and quickly noticed your eyes open.
“Y/n! How are you feeling?”
At the same time, you could hear a loud crash on the other side of the room.
“Y/n unnie woke up?!”
“Y/N ARE YOU OKAY-”
“G..guys… calm down..”
The three younger girls ran up to you, seeming to have been lounging on the couch together.
Eunchae, with teary eyes, pulled you into a tight hug.
“Hey! She’s not stable yet!! Don’t push her around!!”
Your leader walked through the doors to pull down the three puppies from you.
“Thanks..”
After a few moments of awkward silence, Chaewon finally started.
“You passed out on stage Y/n.”
“Chaewon, don’t be too harsh.” Sakura tried her best to keep the situation calm.
“I know unnie- Y/n. You fainted due to malnutrition. When’s the last time you ate anything?”
“…I’m not sure..”
“Of course you’re not sure. The only thing you’ve been putting inside your body was energy drinks-”
“Unnie..”
“No- We were all thinking so I’m just gonna say it- We thought you were gonna die Y/n.”
She said it so matter-of-factly that you could almost laugh. Almost.
“Why would y-”
“You were barely home, working like a slave every fucking day, starving, and depending on pain meds- so yeah, OF COURSE WE THOUGHT THE WORSE!!”
You finally gained the courage to look up at her teary eyes.
“Do you understand the amount of fear I felt when I saw you drop to the ground yesterday?! How terrified we felt when you didn’t wake up when Yunjin screamed your name?!!”
“I-..”
“Kazuha carried you to the hospital because she was too scared that something might happen to you if she let go!! Can you even imagine being that scared?!”
You looked down at your lap, fiddling with the needle(IV drip) inside your hand. Sakura gently held your hand to stop you.
“That’s enough Chaewon.” She said.
She’s never stern, but this time she was. Sakura gave you this look, something just like the one your mother always gave you.
Worried, angry, but somehow warm.
“We were scared Y/n.. More than the fainting, I was scared of losing you just like last time…”
Last time? Oh yeah. You almost killed yourself during debut.
“We care about you. You know that. All 5 of us love and cherish you, sometimes even more than anybody else in the world. And watching you slowly fade away like that just…”
She started to choke up. It was rare to see her like that, so you instinctively shot out to pull her into a hug.
Holding onto you, as you might just fade away, Sakura softly sobbed into your shoulder.
When you felt another weight on your back, you turned around to see the youngest also snuggling into you. Probably the person you mostly didn't want to catch you in such a depressing state.
"I...I'm sorr-"
Yunjin, with the same teary face all the others choked out;
"It's not your fault."
She slid next to the edge of the bed, gently holding onto Sakura's hand right on top of yours.
"I wanted to be better. Good enough to stand by you guys. I just wanted to-" You felt the tears finally fall free from your eyes as Chaewon with the same frown (albeit a bit softer) held your face.
Gentle. God, they were all so gentle with you.
"You are. You are good enough. You are good."
Watching you sob out, Kazuha finally joined into the pile, right next to Yunjin as she dries your tears with her old sweater sleeves.
You let out another ugly cry as you feel the 5 girls' warmth trap you. You forgot that you were good enough. You forgot how loved you were.
But just like always, they were there to remind you once again.