#I ended up paying for both our dinners despite the fact she is a millionaire

[asynca]

If you get the opportunity, I highly recommend the healing power of spending time around your parents when you’re all adults. Not because of familial connection, but because with the perspective of being an adult yourself you can witness your parents display all the behaviours that fully fucked you up as a child and you can finally acknowledge that none of how you are is your fault

[withyounct]

What's wrong kid? (4)

Reader X Single dad!Jaehyun

Genre: Fluff

Words: 3.7k

Prompt: You notice a child crying at a school playground. You decide to see what’s up and meet an extremely stressed/extremely handsome father.

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A/n: We’re all going to pretend like I didn't disappear for over a week. Enjoy!

To say you were on cloud nine would be an understatement. The next morning you were greeted with a ‘Good morning, beautiful’ text from Jaehyun. You skipped around happily while you got ready for class, even going as far as making breakfast for everyone. It was common knowledge that you weren’t a morning person, so Kun and Ten ate the food with caution. Throughout the day you found yourself smiling about the night before.

While you were having the time of your life, your friends were suffering greatly.

“She’s grossing me out.” Jaemin whispered to the group while you stared out the window of the café, a smile ever visible on your face.

“You’re telling me. Some guy spilled coffee on her notebook and she didn’t kill him. Shit was wild.” Yangyang informed.

“Let me punch her one good time.” Renjun rolled up his sleeves for added effect

“No.” Jeno interjected.

Laughing, you turned to your friends. You leaned your head on Renjun’s shoulder and giggled. Renjun’s death glare softened when he glanced at your smiley disposition. He patted your head and asked what’s got you acting like an idiot. Sitting upright, you glanced at the group and broke out another stupid smile.

“Remember that cute little girl I'm babysitting, well she has a very handsome, very funny, very sweet, ver-”

“Say ‘very’ one more time and I swear to god.” Haechan hissed.

“Really amazing dad, who I may or may not have kissed.” You paused. “Well in all technicality he kissed me, but I kissed back. He even sent me a good morning text, how sweet is that? That’s not important, what is important is that I really like him guys.” You leaned down and planted your face on the table. You glanced up at your friends to gauge their reaction and was met with concern expressions. You leaned back up and bit your lower lip at the silence. “Words would be nice.”

“Um.” Lucas was the first to speak. He glanced at the group. “An older guy with a kid? Y/n you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

You paused for a second. That certainly wasn’t the reaction you were hoping for or even expecting. But you understood where they were coming from. You weren’t the type to date, casual make-outs here and there, but admitting you liked someone was completely left field. Admitting you liked someone with a kid was out of the solar system in their mind.

“I get it and I love you guys for worrying, but I need you to trust me on this.” You tried, but was still met with the same concern expressions. You tried to smile, but it quickly turned into a pout.

“Okay, but we’re killing him if he hurts you.” Mark was surprisingly the first to break.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” You beamed.

The art department was hosting a free entrance gallery viewing on campus that evening. Renjun, being your group’s pride and joy Picasso, was being featured. Despite his pleads of ‘don’t come you’ll just embarrass me’, the collective unit showed up for support. Jaehyun texted you earlier that day that Taeil kidnapped Hyunjin and she was hanging out with him for the rest of the day, so you were free.

Ditching the rest of the group you and Jaemin, being the only civilized two, walked quietly around. Stopping at every painting, you started to feel a little self- conscious. There wasn’t anything outstanding that you were talented in and envied the liberal arts majors. Sulking, you expressed your sadness to Jaemin since he always did a wonderful job at cheering you up.

“Y/n, you’re the only person I know who can confidently tell me the stages of a star’s death with exact numbers and shit. If that’s not talent, then I don’t know what is.”

“Ah, my valued party trick.” You joked bumping his side.

You walked further into the gallery and stared in awe at Renjun’s piece. It was a beautiful oil painting of what the sky would look like if the Milky Way and Andromeda collided. There was a quote under his name on the plaque ‘in about 4 billion years, but the sun would have turned into a red giant and swallow the earth whole– someone great’. You looked at Jaemin surprised and he just smiled.

“I guess it’s his way of saying he misses you. Which I can relate. I'm beyond happy that you have feelings for someone, but we miss having you around all the time. Just don’t forget us okay?”

You felt the tears prick your eyes and tried to wield them back. The fact that Renjun would take the time and effort to paint something this elaborate with you in mind when he could have just easily texted made your heart ache. That coupled with Jaemin’s words broke the seal and tears started to fall. To hide them you wrapped yourself around him and mumbled ‘I hate you’ into his chest. You felt the rumble of his laugh and a kiss on the crown of your head.

“You found it.” Renjun’s voice broke through. He and the rest made their way over to you. Jaemin gently transferred you onto Renjun.

“You made her cry.” Jaemin teased. You buried yourself in Renjun’s chest, a little embarrassed that your emotions got the better of you. You felt Jaemin’s hand stroke your hair and heard the rest of your friends’ coo, each lovingly teasing you for your tears.

“I'm sorry I suck.” You cried. They of course disagreed with the statement, but you felt bad for ditching them and only today telling them why. You were a chaotic bunch, but when it came down to it you were each other’s support system.

“You’re being such a Pisces right know.” Haechan laughed, effectively killing the moment. You pushed yourself off Renjun and tried to choke him out.

You walked through the lobby of the gallery ready to go when you spotted a poster with Jaehyun’s name on it. Completely ignoring the conversation you were having with Haechan, you walked up to it.

“This Jaehyun that you might or might not be dating isn’t Jung Jaehyun, right? The guy who’s designing the new art building. Like the millionaire.” Renjun appeared next to you.

“No, it is.” You answered simply. You heard Renjun calmly hum before he screamed for everyone to help. An uproar surfaced over the topic.

“So, in conclusion, Y/n is a sugar baby.” Jaemin proclaimed.

“No, I'm not.”

“How much are you getting paid to babysit his child?” Yangyang asked.

“Not telling… Man look at the time I have to go home and rethink my life choices. See you tomorrow!”

“I quit.” You said while you and Jaehyun were preparing dinner. The statement completely caught him off guard causing him to drop the spatula and resulted in a mess over the stove. You quickly apologized and handed him a rag.

“Why? Was there something I did? Its school isn’t it? Having to watch Hyunjin and be a full-time student is too much. God Y/n I'm sorry I-”

“No, you didn’t do anything. It’s nothing like that.” You smiled, grabbing his hand. “My friends unknowingly made a good point the other day. I enjoy being around both you and Hyunjin and it feels weird that you pay me to do that. So, I quit.”

Jaehyun looked at you for a second, clearly trying to find the right words to say.

“An allowance?”

“Oh my god that’s worse. I'm not a sugar baby Jaehyun!” You busted out laughing and he did the same.

“I know I just want to see if you'd say that.” He confessed laughing. “Okay, if it makes you feel better, I’ll take your letter of resignation.” He placed a kiss on your lips.

“I saw that!” Hyunjin yelled as she finished setting the table.

“No, you didn’t!” Jaehyun yelled back.

Dinner was slightly more chaotic than usual. Hyunjin was convinced she saw you two kissing and Jaehyun was jokingly convinced that she needed glasses. The two went back and forth and you tried not to die from laughing. The climax of the dinner peaked when Hyunjin walked over and kissed you on the cheek. She proudly stuck her tongue out at her father and declared that she could kiss you too. You were convinced that the two Jungs were going to be the death of you.

You were washing the dishes when you felt arms snake around your waist. A smile spread as you were being gently swayed left and right, light peppered kisses sprinkled the back of your neck.  You both stayed in silence as you finished your task.

“There’s a charity event tomorrow that I'm being forced, by Taeyong, to attend. I would be honored if you would accompany me?” He spun you around so you were facing him.

“Me? Are you sure? Plus, who’s going to take care of Hyunjin?” Insecurity was your immediate emotion. You were acutely aware of your different social classes as is, but going to a, mostly likely, high-end charity event wasn’t something you were comfortable with.

“She’s having a sleep over at her friend’s house. I only have to show my face for an hour an hour thirty tops, then the night is ours.” He said caressing your cheek. After giving it some thought, you reeled back your anxiety a bit.

“Okay.”

When you woke the next morning, you were hit with two panic thoughts. One, you were late, but decided fuck it you had enough absences left. Two, the most important one, you had nothing to wear that evening. You quickly grabbed your phone ready to cancel on Jaehyun when Ten opened your door. You both stared at each other for a second.

“Don’t tell Kun I'm skipping.” You pleaded.

“Got you. Also, there’s a tree in the living room that wants to see you.” He shrugged at your confused face and pointed to the living room.

“Johnny?” The surprised evident in your voice.

“Morning sunshine. I come bearing gifts.” He held up one large and small box. Hesitantly, you took them. “Jaehyun called me freaking out because his dumb ass asked you to the event tonight without making sure you had a dress ready. Lucky for you two, I exist.”

“Do you want me to try it on and mak-”

“Nah, it’ll fit. I'm late. See you tonight.” Before you could get anything else out, Johnny was out the door.

You glanced in the larger box to find a beautiful champagne lace off the shoulder dress. You stared in awe at how pretty it was. Turning it around you saw that the price tag was covered with a smile with its tongue out and a JS initial next to it. You laughed and found that the shoes and accessories shared the same mark.

“Wow.” Ten whistled picking up the shoes. “My baby is moving up in the world.” He carefully placed everything back in their boxes and ordered you to get ready for your next class.

The day flew by faster than you would have liked. At one point you demanded that Jeno acquire the power to slow time. Being the sweetest person ever, he tried.

You would be lying if you said you weren’t excited. Not knowing what to expect gave you anxiety, but the realization that you get to see Jaehyun in a three-piece suit made you want to scream. You looked down at your outfit and felt a little like a princess. It was nowhere near your usual attire and you had to give it to Johnny for picking out something this flattering for you. You did a little spin and chuckled.  

A few minutes later, Jaehyun showed up and you were whisked away. During the car ride you would steal glances at him and saw him do the same. You were at a red light when you caught each other in the act, which caused you to laugh at your silliness.

“So, if you plan on only being there for an hour, why bring me?” You asked curious.

“Honestly, I wasn’t going to ask you. But the guys made a good point, that it would be rude not to invite my girlfriend and have other girls ‘fight over me the whole evening’. They said they’re tired of seeing that.” Jaehyun confessed without a thought. There was silence from your end of the car. He pulled up to another red light and turned to you.

“Girlfriend?” You said wide-eyed. You saw his face shift into panic mode.

“Shit I meant to say that in a more romantic setting.”

A stupid smile broke across your face. “No actually that was perfect.”

“Pretend you didn’t hear that and let me try again later.” He pleaded.

“Absolutely not.” You had to stop yourself from dying of laughter. The two of you debated over the semantics of a perfect confession until you reached the venue. Looking up at the five-star hotel you felt your anxiety rise again. You started biting on your bottom lip when you felt Jaehyun bring your face near his.

“You know you have a very dangerous nervous twitch.” You shuddered as his breath fanned your face. He glanced down at your bottom lip and placed a kiss on it as if apologizing for your abuse. “You don’t need to worry; I’ll be right by you the whole time.” He said before leaning in for a real kiss. This one was different than the rest, it was softer and warmer. It had a magical effect of putting your heart to rest. You pulled away when the valet arrived. Jaehyun tossed over his keys and guided you into the building. You were immediately hit with the smell of expensive perfume and cologne. Everything looked obnoxiously wealthy and you inwardly cringed, but put your best smile foreword.

“You have such a wonderful fake smile.” Jaehyun softly commented as he nodded at some random guy.

“Thanks. I hate everything right now.” You smiled at him. He snickered as he introduced you to some older man and his wife. You were polite and commented on how beautiful she was, and she immediately took a liking to you. Jaehyun pulled you around meeting people while introducing you as his girlfriend. Every time he said it your smile turned less and less fake.

After a few minutes your face started to hurt, and you were looking for a way out of meeting another round of rich people. Looking around, you spotted Jaehyun’s friends talking amongst themselves over champagne. You pulled on Jaehyun’s sleeve and nodded in their direction.

“You go. I’ll be there in a minute.” He whispered. You nodded and excused yourself.

“Damn I did a good job.” Johnny praised when you walked up, resulting in a smack on the arm by Taeyong.

“You look beautiful Y/n.” Taeyong commented. You let them know just how much you hated being there and they related with the feeling. Sicheng got you a glass and Taeil laughed at your disgusted face after you drank some.

Jaehyun approached and eyed you and the glass of champagne.

“I don’t see the hype.” You handed him the glass. They began to talk business and you tuned out. Jaehyun’s arm snaked around your waist and you copied the action. You looked up and smiled at him and heard Doyoung cooed.

“You just missed the cutest smile.” He nagged while hitting Jaehyun’s free arm.

“Jaehyun is that you?” A whiny female voice entered. Everyone’s head turned to the noise. You saw everyone excluding Jaehyun roll their eyes and looked yourself. It was a woman about the same age as the rest who was by all accounts stunning, but was wearing too much makeup and not enough clothes. She walked up and pulled him into a hug. Jaehyun, being ever the gentleman, pulled his arm from around you and hugged her back.

“Kate. How are you?” He smiled.

“I'm doing wonderful, so sweet of you to ask.” You saw Yuta fake gag. They talked for a minute before you were introduced.

“This is my girlfriend Y/n. Y/n this is Kate; her company has worked with mine in the past.” You put back on your fake smile, holding out your hand. She shook it as if it was contaminated, but your smile didn’t waiver. You could tell she didn’t like you which was fine since the feeling was mutual. She very clearly flirted with Jaehyun a bit more until he and the others were called over by one of the older men you were talking to earlier.

Awkward wasn’t the right word for the situation, but it was the one that fit it best. The two of you stood in silence as her acrylic nails tapped on the table.

“You’re a bit young aren’t you.” She stated. You had to suppress an eye roll. You nodded and told her that you were a college student. She then spent the next few minutes lowkey insulting you while masking it as older sister advice.

“Listen love, because I like you, I’ll let you in on a little secret. Guys who go after younger girls like yourself only want one thing.” She twirled your hair between her fingers.

Thoroughly done with her basic jealous attitude, you pulled yourself away from her.

“God your insults are as bland as your dress.” You sighed. “That may be true for some people, but I doubt he would put in the effort of bring me here, would he?” You smirked. “Desperation isn’t a cute look on anyone, love.” You smiled as you walked away. You turned to find Jaehyun’s friends close by with surprise faces.

“We were ready to tear that bitch a new one, but you got it.” Yuta said in awe.

“That’s it. You’re officially my child.” Doyoung was almost in tears.

“Where’s Jaehyun? We’re reaching two hours and I want to go.” You groaned. Taeil and Sicheng volunteered to hunt him down while Doyoung and Taeyong gave you a speech on the perks of being their collective child.

The minute you entered Jaehyun’s place you threw off your heels.

“I'm really sorry about tonight.” Jaehyun said picking the shoes up and putting them on a rack.

“Don’t apologize. I got two cool dads out of it.” You laughed laying down on the couch. “While I adore this dress Johnny got me, I would love nothing more than to get out of it.” You confessed innocently. It took you a second to realize the weight of your word. Leaning up, you saw how red Jaehyun went and a blush worked its way across your face.

“I know what you meant. I’ll get you something to change into.” He said quickly before disappearing down the hall. You face planted into the cushions and screamed until he came back. He handed you an oversized hoodie with a pair of shorts and told you that you could use his room to change in.

Walking down the corridor you noticed how oddly quiet everything was. Not having Hyunjin screaming and laughing about was an empty feeling. It was as if the house lost a bit of it color. You shook off the feeling and entered Jaehyun’s room.

You instantly fell in love. It was a soft cream-colored room with huge glass windows spread across the furthest wall with a patio attached. You looked around at all the plants and hanging baskets that decorated the room. There were three large bookcases with books and photos on them. The bed was the size of three of yours put together and was paired with a white duvet. The room was exactly what you expected to be, but you couldn’t help but be amazed at how simply beautiful it was.

Deciding that you imposed enough, you changed into the clothes and was faced with a problem. The hoodie basically swallowed you whole and reached beyond the shorts. Shrugging, you went about finding Jaehyun in the living room.

“I look like a child.” You flapped the remaining length of the sleeves for emphasis and saw the tell-tale sign of red spread on Jaehyun’s ears. He bit back a smile and held his hand out, beckoning you to come. You traveled across the room and planted yourself on his lap.

“You did this on purpose.” You accused.

“Absolutely, you look adorable.” He confessed.

The night went along like your usual ones. It was your turn to pick a movie and of course you picked The Conjuring 2. About a quarter into the film, you felt Jaehyun pull you against him.

“Is this you distracting yourself from the movie like a scaredy cat?” You asked as he feathered kisses on your face.

“No.” He lied, pulling the blanket over your heads. Giving up on watching the movie, you turned to your boyfriend laughing that his boldness.

Now you had no intentions of staying the night. So, when you woke up warm with arms wrapped around you, you knew you fucked up. You looked up at Jaehyun sleeping figure and allowed yourself a few seconds the bask at how peaceful he looked. You gently brought his watch up and glanced at the time.

“Holy shit!” You screamed as you threw the covers off. Jaehyun’s eyes flew opened and he groaned. “It’s almost 9.” You shook him up. He stared at you for a solid minute before panicking as well.

“Fuck.” He hissed throwing the cover off himself. You were both incredibly late for your respective responsibilities. Which wouldn’t be a problem for you if you hadn’t skipped the day before. Fumbling around, you got ready in five minutes flat. On the car ride to campus you stole Jaehyun’s laptop and submitted a half-ass assignment that was due at the end of class while he called Johnny telling him that he’ll be late to their meeting. Breaking a few traffic laws, you made it to your lecture in time to sign the attendance roster.

“You look like shit.” Haechan and Lucas side eyed you as you slid into your seat.

“Shut up.”

After class was over Lucas offered to dive you back to your apartment to shower and change before your afternoon classes. You hugged the giant and told him how much you loved him.

“So…”

“I didn’t have sex.” You said bluntly as he followed you up the stairs. Kun, who was hanging out in the living room, looked you up and down. A look of skepticism painted on his face.

“Did you-” He began.

“No.” You walked past him and into the bathroom.

“Ten owns me $20.”

[controllingkittens]

Giving names to things with Barba.//(Cappitto, part 2)

So, this time, we keep with the same Barba/ Reader Age-Gap series I’m doing as a start in the fandom. This is how I imagine Barba and reader would give a name to their relationship.As you see, I’m not good with titles. Sorry.

This one goes to my new English fella @skittle479 <3 I hope you enjoy.

Relationship: Rafael Barba /Reader

Words: 3432

“I can’t even walk!” you admitted when you took your first steps after the dinner. You really had enjoyed it: choking on laughter every five, telling each other about your daily lives, about your friends, your family, your work, stories about the past. It was just so easy to open up. You two didn’t realise how late it was until the bartender warned that last couple of smiley faces he was already closing up the bar. “Let me help you” offered Barba, placing his hand on your waist, and keeping his arm secure against your back.With a soft motion, you held your arm and softly pressed to his back. “There it goes, we can help each other” he added with a smile that melted your heart. “I am not helping you, Rafael!” he wasn’t helping you in a literal way either. “You shouldn’t have eaten so much then, sweetie!” he sneered at you with tenderness. He dazed when your brows joined on a furrow and showing him your tongue. “I already told you, I have this 24-hour shift tomorrow!” you protested with a sudden high-pitch and reddish on your cheeks.“I have to make a small pantry inside ‘ me” “'Cause you are a bear” he sassed. His smile just grew when he saw your eyes turning into two small sparkling lines. That was a thing his mother and her grandmother used to do aswell, and he knew that, if your mood was as dulce (sweet) as theirs, he was playing with fire. “Maybe I am"you hissed, wanting at least to own the last word. "Oh, sure, a really cute one by the way” and with a quick kiss on your forehead, he won that short battle. “Hey, Rafael.I really don’t want to leave, but I have nearly an hour by sub ‘till I get home."Living outside Manhattan never had bothered you: cheaper rent (cheaper everything, a nurse salary wasn’t really high), fewer people…But sometimes, it really annoyed you how plans got messed up by the fact of living on the side of the bridge. "I can call you a taxi” he instantly suggested. The offer was quite eye-catching, but you wouldn’t accept it. Barba was the one who had paid in your few dates -he had insisted too, arguing it was a gentleman’s’ duty- and just thinking about it made you feel a little bit uncomfortable. You might don’t had much money, but you really appreciate the independence it gave you. “No way, I just need to check my watch…” “SHIT!” You both stopped in the middle of the Avenue and the ADA watch the horror in your face. Studying the way your eyes had opened wide, the little wrinkles that the gesture had created in your face and the hand you covered your mouth with. “What a beautiful creature I am beside of” was the only thing he could found out. “What is it (Y/N)?” he mumbled with concern “What’s the matter?” “I lost it!I LOST THE LAST TRAIN!” you had completely missed any conception of time that night. You felt silly, upset and a sudden wave tiredness started to cover you.“I can’t believe it” Some of the pedestrians were looking at you, but the shame of the situation just blinded you. Since you had noticed the age difference between both of you had shocked and even maybe annoyed Rafael on a first instance, you had decided to took your responsibilities, giving emphasis to those where you not very bright on, seriously. Start behaving like an adult at 24 didn't sound great. And failing in front Barba sounded even worst. "It's okay" he comforted you, rubbing his hands on your shoulders "I can still pay a taxi for you" "You are not paying any taxi for me Rafael Barba" the attorney could have sworn he had just heard his mum out of your lips "You've paid for the dinner. You've paid for all our dinners! I am no New York City lawyer but I' got my money, thanks!"the small traces of your Staten Island accent spat out with your small temper "I'll wait for first’ morning's " Rafael side smiled, delighted with that woman that stood inches from him and concerned about an idea that danced on his mind. "So you are going to wait on the station alone until the morning?It's freezing" he slowly started. "I am,"you thought about it"I can try to call a work colleague...she might kill me..." Shit.It was now or never. "If you don't to get killed...I have this spareroomatmyapartment"he stumbled, letting all those words out of him as fast as he could and finding incredibly difficult to look at you afterwards. His mouth was dry. Maybe he had to kiss you again. "You can use it if you want" Blushing because of him had turned into a usual, but this time he noticed your face turned into a very sweet tone of vermillion, higher than he had never seen on you. Had he gone too far too soon? It didn't take him more than a glimpse of second to elucidate his proposition with a fast and nervous speech. "I mean, we don't have to do anything, it's just..." he wanted the ground to open and devour him right there and now"...of course, if you want, we can-" "Okay." you interrupted with a mumble for good, something he that made both of you sighed of relief. You smiled at each other and he started to guide you with a few "over here"s and "over there"s. Apart from his directions, the conversation seemed to be over. You two had started to think what would happen once you'd arrived at his residence and an avalanche of emotions and possible situations had sunk you. Excitement, joy, passion, desire, fear (of yourself)...were just a few of them. The nerves would have made you run if Barba's arm wasn't surrounding your back, bringing you closer to him every step the two of you made.

His building was pretty much what you had imagined, even the doorman had a suit, just you had guessed.The man, whom name Barba told you was Mike, greeted you sleepy at the hall. Suddenly, the sound of your name made you turn around. "Oh my God! It's really you!" A tall, handsome young man walked through the door and open his arms willing to hug you. "Adam?" Was it really him? That tall and skinny boy that became your best friend in your last year of High School and ended up confessing his love for you?"Adam White?" Barba stepped back two steps silently just in time to let Adam squeeze you between his now muscled and toned arms. "(Y/N) you look as beautiful as I remember," yes, of course, he was Adam "even more!" Showing a white and perfect smile, something he had changed since the last time you had seen him, he pressed a kiss on each of your cheeks. "It's been a while! I've missed you a lot I must say!About what'd you be doing, if you'd be thinking of me too..." he might have improved outside, but he was still the Adam you knew: he said just what crossed his mind, not thinking about the consequences. That made him look adorable for you for a while. For a while. You smiled and hugged your friend back. "You're right Adam, it's been a while"you admitted,"I'm working as a nurse now, what about you?" Rafael observed and listened how this tanned and good-looking young man bragged about creating a millionaire app two years ago. We watched the way he looked at you and didn't like it a bit. He didn't know much about that new neighbour of his, but what Mike what told him: he had bought the penthouse, cash. "...so this is Rafael, my..." What were you really?, none of you had put a name to your relationship yet. Despite dying for designate it, you thought he might think it was childish of you."...special friend." Both men shook hands and smiled. One of them used that smiled he reserved for those lawyers he wasn't really keen of. The other just stretch his lips. "Well, I told you, you have to see the view from the top, it's amazing, call me (Y/N)" he gave you another great hug and passed by Barba "Sorry, the lift for the penthouse it's that way" Rafael created a big and flashy mental note to make a call to one of his friends of the Taxes Department, just to make sure for Mr.White everything was ok. You turned just to see Rafael with a singular shimmer on his eyes. "What?". Abruptly ejected from his devilish thoughts, he was happy to land again on the hall by your side. "Nothing darling,"you felt yourself blossom with the pet name"let's go up, it's terribly late"

His condo was what made of dreams of walnut, white, and green. At least his living room was. The expensive wood furniture perfectly combined with the immaculately ivory couches. Modest pictures and paintings placed here and there making the place his. "You didn't mention you had a wonderful taste for decoration, Rafael" "I haven't mentioned a lot of things yet," with an elegant move, we removed his own coat and put it aside in a small hall closet -he had a hall closet- "this one, shame on me, I kept it to myself because it's not true at all" He proceeded to ask for your overcoat maintaining his then-current pace conversation and trying, hard as he could to keep a straight face. He had been waiting to seen your wearings the whole night "I hired a decorator when I moved here. I didn't have time or taste for such a task-" His confession and his breath lost. The green velvet dress traced each and every one of your curves. No cleavage, you didn't need too either. The long sleeves contrast with the short of the length. But it was the back, the back. Barba worried he might even have to excuse himself and hide in his bathroom. The view of your naked back... he could almost felt the softness of your skin and draw the line of your scapulas. He had to use every remain of his firmness to stay calm while he placed your cloth piece in the hall. "You are unquestionably breath-taking tonight, dear" he felt dumb" I mean, you were before taking the coat -not that you had to-" he was prattling as you approached him" I just really dress looks on you-" You stopped an inch in front of him, face to face. Placing your first finger and your thumb under his chin, holding it sweetly as you looked his green eyes. "I chose it because of the colour, you know?" You felt his smile when your lips crashed against his. Rafael's hands found your waist.Your tongue slip between his lips and he gave you access pleasantly, enjoy how you set in motion with a hasten pace, exploring and playing inside his mouth. Not being able to resist, your hands climbed up his hair and your fingers started running across it. Barba took this as a signal he could go further too. A shiver shook your body when his large hands pressed your back for the first time. He ran them up and down, drawing soft caresses on your skin. A soft moan escaped from the back of your throat, parting your lips long enough to give Rafael time to decide your neck was in need of his warmth. Sweetness was quickly being replaced was an unstoppable passion. Something he hadn't felt too long ago. Demanding more, he closed the worthless distance between you, pushing your body against his. You moaned moving your lips against his left ear, making him brought his head back and closed his eyes with pleasure like you had just told him the most desirable secret ever. You took advantage of this and quickly placed your lips on his jaw, going down his neck, alternating your tongue, your lips and sometimes even your teeth. You noticed his hands were hesitant going under your lower back -could he even more of a gentleman?in a moment like that?-, you could feel his grown arousal and you felt nothing but flattered about the fact of it. Not stopping your kisses road, your hands grabbed him, and you shamelessly rounded your glutes with them. Now he was sure about having your permission, he gradually cupped your clothed butt and appreciated the shape of it expanding his hands on it, covering almost all of it. You found yourself rounding your wrists around his dotted tie, wanting more and more. "Wait," the word left your lips, but they kept working on his neck without stopping. He had heard you thought, at least that must be the reason why his cheek didn't touch your anymore and his hands, although they stayed where you placed them, stop caressing you. You cursed yourself. His green glance found yours."What?"His voice now sounded white and certain, making you felt sure about what were about to say. "Rafael. I'm asking you this because I really like you,"surprised of how sure your tone sounded, you kept on with your request, keeping for yourself the biggest reason why you were doing it "can we take things slow?" Your request was unexpected for Barba. Of course, he would accept it. The would be no doubt about it. But he supposed, like most people in their early 20's -like he was at his own-, you were active on sex matters. But it happened, like in many other fields, you were one of kind; and that was something he really appreciated about you. "Yeah, whatever you want my dear, no problem with me" he felt something revolve inside him when a vast smile covered your face thanks to his little lie. It was, in fact, a problem with him. He really desired you, he never had desired someone like this in so long. It was already aching him. Rafael guide you into a small suite he called "the guest room": it was, like the rest of the condo, perfectly decorated and it had a bathroom on its own. When you told him that spare room of his was bigger that your owns and you shared a bathroom in your apartment -that, by they way, wasn't as cute as that one was- he blushed and quickly left for looking something more comfy for you to sleep in. He came back with several options for you: two of then were perfectly matched men PJ's and the other one was an old Harvard jumpsuit. Leaving all of them on the top of the bureau, he walked towards you and softly pressed a kiss on your forehead. "I'm at the end of the hallway ok?" he stated"my house, your house. Fridge is empty, but check anyways" he started walking out the room "Rest" he ordered "and have nice dreams" Your eyebrow rose "I'll have to dream about the man across the corridor then" Too much for him. Did you even know you were teasing? You had too. "Me matas" (You are killing me). You watched him disappear as he closed the door. Without making any hesitations, you removed the dress of you and carelessly drop it on the top of the bed. The friction with the air made your nipples froze, and not liking the new temperature, you were fast grabbing the Harvard t-shirt and slipping into it. Kicking twice at the air your kitten heels were off and your stockings were the only thing that kept your feet from the wooden floor. There were a few things in your purse, the ones you knew you'll need. The ones that could fit on that small rounded piece without exploding really. To find the one you were looking for you had to clear all its content out on the top of the mattress. A tiny one-dollar-pack of makeup cleansing tissues. You thank God you actually listened to Meg sometimes "never go out without them".

------- At the end of the hallway, 40 minutes and a cold, long and shameful shower later, Rafael had his eyes locked at his ceiling. He felt abashed. He was a grown man. A respectful man. A man who always took control of situations. He was always in control of himself. Of his temper. Of his feelings. He wasn't a fan of emotions, he had learnt to avoid them and place them aside when he needed to. Much more often as the years passed by. Not that night. Not when the water stream hit him or when he had to rest his hand on the wall while he calmed himself with the other. Not when we thought about the arch of your back, the sweetness of your top lip or the roundness of your butt. He had loose it. He nervously moved to the side, wondering if he could sleep that night when a knock predicted the opening of the master bedroom room. Well, maybe he had fallen asleep and he was dreaming. "Hey!" you buzzed"'you in dreamland?" for once in his life, Rafael thanked he was a short man. His old college t-shirt was only able to cover your upper body, revealing your dark plain panties and legs longer than any of his trousers. "Am I?" his answer was honest. "Rafael" you mumbled from the door"I keep my thoughts about what I said before, but," you had been thinking about going to his room for 10 minutes "do you think it's okay if sleep here with you?" He saw you there, crossing your legs and biting your lip at his door. "(Y/N), you know there's this thing, horrible thing, called teasing?" he needled coming up his elbow. Your eyes widened "I don't!-"you understood "Oh, Rafael, I'm sorry, it's not my-" His hand grabbed the full of the duvet and rose it. "In" he ordered with a tilt of his head. Joyfully, you entered the cave that he had made and hugged his body with your arms and legs. Just like the koalas you had seen on Discovery Channel hanged on their trees. "Thanks, Rafiiiiii!" your voice had gone a few scales higher "May I call you Rafi?". Rafi was then in a clasp made of long legs and tight arms, it wasn't that he didn't like it, but he appreciated it when you loose a bit and he made himself comfortable by your side, savouring the softness of the skin when his hands started sweetly running down your leg. "Not in public" he accepted. Rafael closed his eyes, deciding if there was a perfect time for falling in Morfeo's arms, it was this. His hand rose to your lips cossetting them before his body finally started feeling all the tiredness. "Rafi" the softness of your voice was almost touchable. "Mmm" "You know before?, when we ran into my friend Adam," You had to be kidding.Now?"When he asked about you, and I had to answer..."Rafael didn't open his eyes, but his ears were very, very open. "Mmm" "I wasn't sure about what to answer him"you confessed in the silence of the night. He was apparently calmed: one of his hands kept at the top of your upper leg and his breath was slow. "Why?" "Because I wanted to answer him"you recognised biting your down lip "and not exactly how  I did" Rafael reminded the moment down at the hall when the braggart was talking to you and you had said the words "special friend". He opened his eyes. "What did you want to answer him?" he asked you using your words. "-that you were my boyfriend" mumbling timidly you watched a spark in his eyes. Surprisingly for you, he closed them again and kept his cool down. "Boyfriend then" he established with a deep voice.

[andrewdburton]

Money story: Our financial 180

This guest post from Joel is part of the “money stories” feature at Get Rich Slowly. Some stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success — or failure. These stories feature folks from all stages of financial maturity. Today, Joel shares how he and his wife made a “financial 180”, going from extreme spenders to extreme savers.

Hi, I’m Joel!

Last November, I quit my job as a software engineer to retire early at the ripe old age of thirty-three. I had reached financial independence — that point where you’ve saved enough money that you never need a job again.

Life’s been pretty great since then. I work on fun stuff — like writing and music — on my own schedule. I take care of the household chores and cook dinner for my wife (who still works…for now). I have plenty of time left in my days to spend goofing off with family and friends.

You might think that if I managed to retire at such a young age that must mean that I had this money thing figured out all along. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, just a few years ago, I was stuck in a job I hated with no way out. I wanted to escape.

This is the story of how my wife and I made a financial 180, going from zeroes to heroes in just a few short years.

An Expensive Past

In 2007, I graduated college with a degree in computer engineering, took a job with a fortune 500 company, and bought a brand new house. For the first time in my life, I felt like an adult. With a big paycheck coming in every two weeks, I could have anything I wanted. As luck would have it, I wanted a lot — and I had expensive tastes!

I decided my first purchase would be a $3500 high-def television. I added a PlayStation 3 and assorted accessories to the shopping cart, and raced back to my new house to get everything set up.

That night, as I sat on the floor in that empty house, watching The Simpsons, my girlfriend (now wife) convinced me that something was fundamentally wrong.

“Joel,” she said.

I glanced over to her. She looked beautiful in the glow of the giant television. “Yes my darling?” I said.

“We have no furniture,” she said. She was right. But we had an awesome TV!

In all of the excitement of my spending spree, I somehow forgot furniture. No problem. I reached for the credit card, and $10,000 later, our house was filled with furniture: fancy leather sofas, king-sized beds, the works. It felt great! For the previous five years, I’d been a broke college kid. Now, I was a respectable grown-up.

As the years passed, my spending habit worsened. By 2012, we were spending six figures a year on… Stuff.

Two brand-new cars at $25,000 a pop? That’s normal, right?

A $40,000 wedding and a fancy Bahamian honeymoon? Sure, that was expensive but we could “afford” it.

$13,000 in restaurant spending during a single year? We liked to think of ourselves as food connoisseurs.

Why shouldn’t I treat myself? I was putting a full 6% into my 401(k) every year to get my employer match. That was more than most Americans. I was being smart! So, I continued my adventures in spending.

A Crash Course in Life

Before I knew it, our life was full: food and water delivery services, monthly massages at the spa, fancy dry cleaning bills, season tickets to various entertainment venues, expensive martial arts hobbies. You name it, we had it.

But as our life — and bank statements — filled up, we weren’t getting any happier. It was actually the opposite. We were more stressed than ever before! We just couldn’t figure out the problem.

In 2013, I decided changing employers would shake things up and give me a much-needed morale boost, so I jumped to another big firm in the area. The pay bump and new faces helped a bit, but within a few months, I was unhappy once more. What was wrong? I had spent thousands of dollars on toys the previous year. Why weren’t Amazon purchases fixing my problem?

What I needed was a way out of the life we had built for ourselves.

You’d think a high tech job would be interesting, but over the years I realized it’s all the same: Write yet another version of an already existing widget for a program that’s behind schedule and over budget. Changing jobs didn’t help. New code, new cubicle, same prison sentence. The fluorescent lights taunted me as I stared at the blue skies outside. I couldn’t go out and enjoy it; I was always too far behind on my tasks. I tried coming to work earlier, staying later, working through lunch.

Nothing helped.

I was trapped.

It was around this time that a friend pointed me to a blog called Mr. Money Mustache. He thought it might help give me some perspective on money, so I glanced over a few articles. “What an interesting website,” I remember thinking at the time, unaware that my life was about to change in a very big way.

Soon after, my wife was in a terrible car crash.

She was visiting her mom in south Florida when a sheriff’s officer ran a red light with no sirens and T-boned her in an intersection. My wife’s Honda was totaled, but thankfully she walked away with only minor injuries. Soon after, the insurance company sent us a check for $10,000 — the depreciated value of the $25,000 car she purchased new just a few years earlier.

Our Financial 180

That night, as we sat on the fancy leather sofa in our filled-to-the-brim-with-stuff house, my wife once again convinced me that something was fundamentally wrong.

“Joel,” she said.

“Yes my darling?” I said.

“We need to stop spending our money,” she said. As is often the case, she was right, and I knew it.

That night, we both binge-read the Mr. Money Mustache website. I became consumed by this strange concept of financial independence, the idea that somebody could save enough money to retire in ten years (or less).

I worked out the math for myself. I checked the numbers twice, looking for a mistake. But it was real. Financial independence really was a way to escape the daily grind, a way to add control and meaning back into our lives. We took the $10,000 insurance check and put it into a Vanguard index fund instead of buying a second car.

It was a new financial beginning for us.

As we began slashing our expenses, we realized that most of the luxuries we purchased to make ourselves happy were superficial. The new house and cars, the fancy furniture, it was all a sham. None of it actually brought us any long-term happiness. After a few months, the shininess fades, and you’re back to square one. It’s called lifestyle inflation.

Worse, the things we sacrificed for those luxuries — control of our own schedules, free time for friends and family — really would contribute to our happiness, if only we had time for them! Once we figured this out, we worked hard to increase our saving rate as much as possible.

We turned money management into a game. Every month, we’d look for one improvement we could make to our budget. Before long, we got pretty good at saving money! The results were dramatic.

This graph shows how we slashed our spending:

And this graph shows the simultaneous rise in our savings:

By 2015 we’d cut our expenses by two thirds, allowing us to max out our 401(k)s and pay down our mortgage. In the years since, we’ve saved hundreds of thousands of dollars. And just after my 33rd birthday, less than five years after our financial 180, I was able to quit my job — for good!

A Team Effort

I know this story sounds like sunshine and lollipops, but turning things around was not easy. And the turnaround didn’t happen overnight. It was gradual. We made a ton of mistakes along the way:

We bought a new home worth less than half its mortgage.

We had six-figure annual expenses and battled lifestyle inflation.

We had sizable wedding, travel, and new car expenses.

We had no investment knowledge whatsoever, so we made poor decisions.

The list goes on and on and on.

Despite the mistakes, my wife and I were determined to work together as a team to turn our finances around and to learn as much as possible.

We devoured financial independence blogs like Mad Fientist, 1500 Days, and Frugalwoods. We read books such as Your Money or Your Life and The Millionaire Next Door.

We worked together on our impulse spending by creating shopping lists before stepping foot into our favorite stores (Best Buy for me, Target for the wife). If it wasn’t on our list, we didn’t buy it. To reduce our restaurant spending, We learned to cook each other’s favorite meals instead of going out to eat every night. The key here is that we each put in the work — together. We communicated our goals. We were both invested in turning our financial situation around, and so we were fully committed to making it work. At the end of each month, we’d sit down together to scrutinize our credit card statements and cut all nonessential expenses.

Gradually, our hard work started paying off. All of the individual improvements we made added up to something enormous.

We tracked our net worth as it grew. This helped form a mission statement for my blog: to document our journey, and help as many people as possible save up their own FU money, replace fear with flexibility, and avoid all the mistakes we’ve made in the past!

Why did we pursue financial independence? To spend more time with family and less time at unfulfilling jobs. To pursue creative endeavors with no pressure to turn a profit. To live our lives the way we want, on our own schedules, without the need to worry about money ever again.

Want to get started on your own financial 180? The math is easy. Create a gap between what you earn and what you spend. Build a wealth snowball. If you can save half your income, your working career will only be around a decade long! I know, I know. It sounds crazy — but it’s true.

Maybe it’s time to make a financial 180 in your life. Ten years from now, you’ll be glad you did!

Reminder: This is a story from one of your fellow readers. Please be nice. After twenty years of blogging, I have a thick skin, but it can be scary to put your story out in public for the first time. Remember that this guest author isn’t a professional writer, and is just learning about money like you are. Unduly nasty comments on reader stories will be removed or edited.

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