#Long branch beach condos

[blog-o-meter]

Room 5 - Nicholas Alexander Chavez x fem!reader

summary: (Y/N) escapes to a quaint little hotel by the beach for a few days. On the first night, she realizes that the hot guy in the neighboring room is a... loud guy, and she finds that she can't seem to escape him no matter where she goes.

warnings: 18+, voyeurism (auditory), self-masturbation, fingering, unprotected p in v, cursing

required listening: 24 Hours by Sky Ferreira

word count: 17,415

a/n: sorry this one is so long (compared to my other fics), but I just had too much fun writing this one. I honestly could've gone writing more. If anything, I can just add on, but I think I wrapped a nice, little bow on this one. I hope you guys like it, and I would appreciate any and all feedback!! pls enjoy :) edit: I continued the story in a sequel of sorts, which you can check out below!

Making Room (Part 2) | Room On Fire (Part 3) | Room To Breathe (Part 4)

reblogs and likes are appreciated and lets me know if you'd like to see more!

The boutique hotel looked absolutely adorable, white brick on the outside and only two stories — a tiny café and gift shop downstairs and the rooms up top, just steps away from the ocean. It sat between two tall condo buildings, which mostly housed an older crowd of out-of-state tourists.

I was in search of the perfect place for a weekend getaway, and this place seemed to check all the boxes. It wasn’t near any of the busy beach accesses where all of the rowdy high schoolers seemed to hang out at, and the pictures of the café seemed like it was straight out of an interior designer’s Pinterest board. This place, The Pearl, seemed perfect.

Actually, I had been looking forward to this weekend for a long while, having booked this trip about a month ago. Funnily enough, I lived just 30 minutes away from the beach but never had the time to just get away for a couple of days — until now.

After I checked in, I carried my weekend bag and backpack up the narrow staircase to the second floor, the wood creaking underneath my sandals. When I turned on the mid-level landing, that’s when I heard a second set of footsteps coming down from above. I turned my head up, my eyes falling on the drop-dead gorgeous man carefully shuffling down the steps.

Our shoulders brushed as I squeezed by with my luggage, the warmth of his skin sending a shiver that branched out from where our arms grazed.

“Sorry,” I whispered without missing a beat.

The guy smiled politely as he turned his head back, his big, brown eyes inviting, “You’re good.”

My heart skipped a beat hearing his warm, low voice. The stranger was ridiculously attractive, his muscles bulging out of the wife beater covering his torso, his tousled brown hair elegantly falling over his eyebrows. His smile, though, was what made my skin prickle — a wide, genuine grin that showed off his perfectly white teeth behind his pink lips.

I returned a polite smile, continuing my journey up the stairs before he could notice my blushing cheeks. When I arrived to the top of the landing, I saw that the second floor was T-shaped, the rooms in ascending order the further I walked down the hallway.

I turned the corner, immediately sensing the change in atmosphere compared to the row of rooms I had just passed. This section of the hallway seemed much more secluded, quiet, possibly because, indeed, it was in its own corner of the floor away from all the other rooms.

I passed by the one other door in the hall, reaching my room — 6 — at the end where a singular window accented the softly-lit hallway. Setting my bags down, I fumbled for my phone, scrolling through my text messages with the hotel manager for the code to my door. I appreciated the fact that the rooms had a code to enter instead of a plastic key card that I could lose in the sand.

As I input the code into the lock, the wooden staircases creaked as a set of footsteps became louder and louder making their way toward me. It was the same handsome man I had brushed shoulders with earlier, a backpack slung over his shoulder as he approached the only other door, room 5.

Our eyes met briefly, a flicker of recognition in his. “Good night, neighbor,” he said with a slight nod, that same smile that made my chest warm flashing across his face as he made his way inside his room, the heavy door falling closed behind him.

I let go of the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. What are the odds the hot guy and I were staying next to each other? 1 in 5 it seems.

Shaking off the butterflies fluttering around my stomach, I finished inputting the code and dragging my bags inside the freezing room, stopping to admire the details of what my hard-earned paycheck had managed to spoil me with. The room was quaint, a neutral island color palette — the large bathroom and queen-sized bed to my right and the 70” flatscreen tv and closet on the shared wall to my left, a built-in marble counter all along the bottom.

The bathroom was my favorite: an art-deco flair with hints of coastal influence. The full shower was astounding in the best way possible — a beautiful mosaic pattern along the whole wall, double shower heads on opposite ends, and with enough space to possibly fit maybe 5 people. I could literally walk about ten steps between the two shower heads.

I walked back out to the room, setting my bags on the counter and starting to unpack, not in any particular rush to venture outside. As I organized my stuff — bikinis, pajamas, toiletries — I turned on the tv, flipping through channels and settling on HBO, Black Swan playing a few minutes in.

Enthralled by the movie and remembering I had a few snacks in my backpack, I changed into my pajamas and dug out a box of Lady Godiva chocolates from my backpack, climbing into bed and stretching out my arms and legs, excited to start my weekend getaway.

At some point, I had drifted off with a chocolate in my hand only to be awoken by a sound. I didn’t know what it was at first, choosing to ignore it and keeping my eyes closed, hoping I’d drift back to sleep. But it persisted, and it wasn’t a sound I had expected to hear — a woman’s moans.

My eyes fluttered open, thinking it might’ve been coming from the tv. After all, Black Swan did have a sex scene. However, I found the tv to be off. Maybe I had forgotten I turned it off myself before drifting off to sleep. Then, a low, drawn-out groan rumbled through, clear as day.

Oh.

Oh.

My cheeks flushed, burning at the realization of what I was hearing. I mean, I know a boutique hotel might not have the same amenities as a more established hotel chain, but you’d think thicker walls would have been a forethought. How could somebody planning to open a hotel not have thicker walls?

Again, I heard the moaning, and there was only one other room in the hallway that they could be coming from — room 5, the hot guy. I sat up in bed, heart pounding as I processed what was happening in the room behind the tv. The sounds were so clear you’d think they were having sex in the hallway.

In fact, I thought just that. There was no way that was happening right? I walked up to my room door and carefully peeked my head out, finding the hallway empty.

I retreated back into my room, my heart racing. Any other person would’ve probably turned the tv back on, or put on some headphones, something to block out the sounds, but what I did, I couldn’t tell anyone else about. I stood frozen, listening. I listened past the rhythmic porn-like moaning of the faceless woman, instead focusing on the low rumble of the hot neighbor guy’s voice.

The closet that shared a wall with his room beckoned my name, tempting me to inch closer. Before I knew it, my bare feet were shuffling toward the closet door, quietly swinging it open. The space was small, just big enough to fit a luggage rack and a few hangers up top, but the rhythmic thumping and guttural groans just behind the plaster called out to me.

Carefully, I leaned over the luggage rack, pressing my cheek against the cold, white wall. Every sound was clearer now — the creak of the bed slowing to a stop, the huffing coming from my neighbor, and the yelps coming from the mysterious lady. I could even make out some words.

“Bend over,” my neighbor spoke, his voice deep and seductive.

My stomach twisted hearing him speak in such a commanding yet intimate manner. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that a stranger so polite in passing could be so primal behind closed doors; though, wasn’t everyone?

“You’re so huge, Nicholas,” the mystery lady spoke back.

I know I shouldn’t have been listening, but I was just so enthralled. Did they know just how thin the walls are, assuming they’d block out most sound like I did? I couldn’t imagine someone knowing the walls were thin and still choosing to have sex, especially knowing there was an occupied room next door.

The plaster was cool under my cheek, refreshingly so as I could feel myself becoming warmer and warmer. The sounds of their erotic encounter seemed to vibrate through the wall, through me. Without noticing, I had squeezed my thighs together, my hand finding its way at the band of my pajama pants. As soon as I felt my fingertip slip under my underwear, I was jolted out of my trance. What was I doing?

Before I could feel any more guilty for lingering longer than I should’ve, I pulled myself away from the wall and scampered back toward the bed, choosing to ignore what was going beyond next door, my heart racing. Grabbing my headphones from my nightstand and slipping them on, I threw myself into the sheets and turned on my white noise playlist. But as much as I forced myself to focus on the therapeutic noise, my imagination wandered, picturing the faces my neighbor — Nicholas — might be making right now as he pleasured the woman accompanying him. Before I knew it, though, I had managed to fall asleep.

In the morning, I made my way down the staircase to the hotel’s tiny café, eager to start my day with a light, sweet breakfast. As I descended down the last few steps, I looked over to the sea of tables, hesitation in my heels as my eyes landed on Nicholas sitting by his lonesome as he enjoyed a cup of steaming coffee in one hand and a beat-up book in the other.

Swallowing the thought of what I did, and listened to, last night, I walked past him and approached the café counter, the smell of warm croissants and muffins enveloping my nostrils, a temporary distraction that I was grateful to experience.

“Hi,” I politely smiled to the employee, “Can I just get an Italian crème croissant with a hot green tea, please?” I quietly asked, not wanting to interrupt the quiet, calm atmosphere for the patrons of the café. 

The barista nodded her head, inputting my order into the tablet register, “We’ll send it over to your table,” she smiled.

I slipped her the money for my breakfast, smiling, “Thank you so much,” and making my way through the slew of empty tables.

I settled in at the corner table on the opposite end of the room, wanting to be as far away from Nicholas as possible to avoid any awkward conversations. Though, I may have chosen the worst table for my plan, accidentally giving myself a clear, unobstructed view of Nicholas from across the room.

His hair was damp, not purposefully styled in any particular way but still somehow falling over his eyebrows in such a perfect manner. He wore a loose flannel with a few buttons loose, the shirt billowing open to tease just enough of the gold cross chain draping over the sculpted valley between his chest.

He hadn’t noticed me yet, completely enthralled by what he was reading — Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller. I was stunned by his choice of literature. There was an old fellow a few tables down reading the newspaper to get his local news, meanwhile this guy, Nicholas, was probably on some page where the author is describing, in excruciating honesty, a night he had with a prostitute just as easily as one could describe their morning routine. In a way, I was impressed, curious.

As I waited for my breakfast, fiddling with my fingers, occasionally looking at my phone, my eyes would glance over toward Nicholas, my gaze lingering just a beat too long. The way he achingly turned the page, the tip of his finger playing at the corner of the paper, or the way he’d carefully bring the mug of coffee up to his lips — it was all so titillating.

Thankfully, though, the barista came over with a small pot of piping hot tea and my croissant, interrupting my trance and carefully setting down the items in front of me. Just as she left, my eyes flickered up to Nicholas to find that he had glanced up from his book, a polite smirk at the corner of his lips when his eyes met mine, lifting his mug in a silent, “Cheers.”

Not sure if I should wave or say hi or flash a toothy smile, I settled for a polite closed-mouth smile, lifting my mug back at him before quickly focusing my attention to the food in front of me as my cheeks grew warm. The greeting wasn’t graceful at all, but how could I focus on being graceful knowing I eavesdropped on his privacy just last night? If I was awkward at all, I figured it was my subconscious trying to punish me.

I served myself some tea and picked at my croissant as I looked out the window to the occasional family or couple walking down the street, all carrying their beach items and taking their time to get to the sand. I’d even glance around to the other patrons at the café. Though, I think part of me wanted to see if any of the girls would join Nicholas at his table and reveal herself to be the high-pitched moaner from last night. However, nobody ever did join him. Was he here alone? Or maybe she had taken the morning to be by herself.

Every impulse in me was begging me to take just one more look at Nicholas, to savor his image one last time, but I fought it. Everything except anything in Nicholas’s direction became intriguing to me. The checkered tile on the ground, the promotional poster on the window that I could barely read because of the sunshine striking through it, the older fellow enjoying his newspaper — I didn’t think I’d find myself focusing on the details of such things trying to avoid the gaze of some guy I had talked to for no more than 10 seconds, maybe less.

When I finished up, I quietly tidied the table, collecting all of the dishes and brushing off any crumbs, making my way out of the café and toward my car.

The breeze was refreshing, a nice whisper against my cheeks. I opened the trunk, staring at all of the beach gear I had to carry by myself. It was a struggle, but I managed to carry everything in both my arms — umbrella, picnic, basket, beach chair, headphones, blanket — using every crevice of my upper body to anchor something to me so it wouldn’t fall on the way over.

Thankfully, the beach access was right next to the hotel, and the path to the open sand wasn’t too long. When I got to the end of the path, I was grateful for having woken up early for the opportunity to pick a spot in an otherwise empty beach, a few umbrellas and chairs here and there from the condo occupants. I chose a spot that didn’t have any people too close by for maximum relaxation, carefully setting everything down on the sand.

I stabbed my pink, frilly cabana umbrella into the ground, laying out my beach blanket and beach chair in the shade, sliding everything else onto the corners of the blanket so the breeze wouldn’t pick the fabric up and blow sand toward me.

The water was calling my name, the light green water perfectly sparkling against the morning sun. But before I could strip my clothes off and jump in, I looked around to see if anybody would be looking as I pulled off my clothes. I didn’t see anybody particularly interested in my arrival, so I quickly pulled off my jean shorts and tee to reveal my glittery brown bikini set underneath. Before I became too hyper aware of my body, I walked toward the water, instead letting the feeling wash over me just as the waves of deliciously cold seawater did.

The occasional squawk of seagulls, the sun warming up my skin as it rose higher and higher in the sky and the sound of the waves crashing was all perfect. This moment was all I wanted out of this weekend. No distractions, no work — just me and the ocean. Needless to say, I was very excited to be able to repeat this routine for the next couple of days. 

I continued walking into the water until I was chest-deep to let the ocean devour me whole. The feeling that a wave could crash over me entirely was exhilarating. The water slowly picked me up by my feet as I hopped around.

I lingered for a few more minutes in the water, splashing water around or searching for little fish before stepping back out once my fingers started to wrinkle. As I strutted out of the water, though, I saw the familiar shape of somebody relaxing in a chair just a few feet next to my umbrella — Nicholas.

I shouldn’t be surprised. I mean, he was a guest in the hotel, too, after all. Why else would someone book a room in a hotel by the beach if they wouldn’t find themselves relaxing in the sand? But did he have to set up next to me when there was an entire football field of available space?

Meekly and careful not to trip or stumble on the way over, I walked toward my umbrella, fighting the urge to steal a glance at Nicholas, but from the corner of my eye I could see he sat there with his chest exposed. I had to let myself give in; what was the harm in a little peek?

He sat reclined in his chair, his skin deliciously glistening under the killer sun as he took it in. His hair was lightly brushing across his face from the sea breeze, like Mother Nature herself was playing with his hair. Nicholas’s long legs stretched out in front of him, his feet digging slightly into the sand. Both hands rested lazily on the arm of the chair, open. It was like he wanted to take up as much space as he could. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes; I couldn’t tell where he was looking or if he was looking anywhere at all. He radiated a kind of tranquility, as if the ocean had washed away any burdens he carried, something I hoped to experience myself this weekend.

I realized I was staring, my breath caught somewhere between awe and curiosity. I darted my eyes away, afraid I might be caught, which is absolutely the last thing I want.

Growing cold from the breeze brushing my wet skin, I grabbed my towel, drying myself off and squeezing the water out of my hair, mindful of turning myself from Nicholas so as to not flick any water droplets his way or have him think I was trying to grab his attention deliberately. Maybe he just sat there without knowing he had set up next to me. After all, I was in the water this entire time.

As I settled in, I brushed my wet hair over the back of my chair and reached for my picnic basket, pulling out my headphones, sunglasses, and my current read, White Oleander. I didn’t want to distract myself with any energetic music, instead opting to listen to the White Oleander movie soundtrack for the perfect accompaniment to the book.

I read through the chapter I had left off in, but I found myself having to reread some paragraphs, even entire pages, every time I saw Nicholas shift in his seat from the corner of my eye every few seconds. Even the way he jittered his knee up and down was distracting, almost like he wanted to grab my attention. After some minutes, he stood up from his chair, letting out a groan as he slowly stretched his arms and walked toward the water, and I silently thanked the universe for finally letting me have a few minutes to myself.

Though, I couldn’t help but occasionally glance up from my book to observe Nicholas in the water. The sun accentuated his muscles in an almost picturesque way, the stark shadow falling under each crevice of his body perfectly. He cut through the water like a knife as he walked deeper and deeper in the water, splashing water over his chest and shoulders, eventually dipping himself under the water to wet his hair. When he reemerged, the surface broke with a powerful splash, Nicholas throwing his head back and brushing his hair back with his hands.

Shaking myself out of Nicholas’s trance, I buried myself back in my book, trying not to look back up to him and letting myself get lost in the story, and for a while, I did. However, the universe seemed to like playing cruel jokes. About two chapters later, a shadow crossed my face. Curious to know if it was a bird or somebody’s umbrella flying away, I looked up to find Nicholas standing in front of me with a small grin.

“Good book?” He asked, drying his hair with a towel.

Shocked, I almost couldn’t form any words, but I managed to spit out a normal-sounding sentence, “Uh, so far, yeah, but I’m more familiar with the movie.”

“I’ve never seen it,” he confessed, dragging the towel up and down his dripping torso, almost deliberately. “Do you recommend it?”

I was quiet first, trying to clear my head of any thoughts of the night before that kept replaying in my mind. My eyes drifted up from his torso to the smile on his face, his straight white teeth in full show. Thank god I had my sunglasses on

“Totally. The dialogue in that movie is…” I trilled my lips, searching for the right word, “poignant.”

“Sounds raw,” he threw the towel over his shoulder, resting his hands on his hips, his lat muscles flexing outward like wings. “Is it your favorite movie?” He asked as he sat down in his chair, shifting until he found a comfortable position.

“One of,” I replied, turning my head to face him.

“I’ll check it out then,” he smiled, grabbing Tropic of Cancer out from under his chair and spreading it open.

“There’s a movie on that one, too,” I pointed to the book in his hands.

“Really?” He cocked an eyebrow, looking at the cover of the paperback, like he had forgotten what book he was reading. But then, a cheeky grin grew on his lips, “Did you like it?”

I couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle, knowing what Nicholas had meant. “I wouldn’t know; I’ve never seen it,” I smiled, turning my head back to the book in my hands, having almost forgotten about it.

All I heard back from him was a quiet chuckle before he settled back into his chair, the both of us reading their respective books.

After a half hour, I tossed the book and my sunglasses back into the basket and walked out over to the water. I paused at the dry edge of the sand, letting the water nip at my toes, trying not to picture Nicholas behind me. He could have been glancing at me as I made my way over, but he could also be looking at the sky, or the book in his hands, or maybe even his phone. As much as I wanted to peek over my shoulder, I continued forward, letting the sea swallow me.

I lingered, brushing my fingertips over the surface as I planted myself in knee-deep water, clutching the sand underneath my toes as it dissolved under me. As the water hugged my calves, I searched the water for anything I could find — maybe a lost pair of sunglasses, some little fishes, or maybe a conch laying at the bottom of the ocean floor. To no avail, I slowly started to retreat from the water, picking my head up to find Nicholas was looking forward, hiding behind his sunglasses again.

I didn’t let the fact he was looking over to my direction affect my ability to walk properly. After all, he could be looking past me. Maybe under those sunglasses he had his eyes closed. I wouldn’t know. However plausible any of those situations were, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched.

Upon approaching my chair, I wrapped myself in the damp towel, deciding that my time at the beach for today would be over for now. Slowly, I started to pack up my things, but I honestly didn’t know how I was gonna carry everything back now that I was damp and shivering. I tried juggling some of the things in my arms, but occasionally something would slip from my grasp. I really tried not to seem so helpless, but when the umbrella slipped out from under my arms with a loud thump, I knew keeping up that ruse wouldn’t work.

“Need help?” I heard Nicholas’s voice behind me.

I turned around, catching him push his sunglasses to the top of his head to show off his crinkled eyes, smiling. It seemed to be more from amusement at watching me struggle, not smiling from politeness.

I struggled to hold onto everything in my arms, “No,” I shook my head, laughing nervously. “I mean, I managed to bring everything over in the morning.”

An exhale escaped his lips before he tossed the book to the sand and stood up from his chair, making his way over with a satisfied look, “Let me help.”

I bit my lip, debating if I should let him help or to just push him away so I wouldn’t have that constant reminder of hearing him have sex in my head. Before I could answer, though, Nicholas grabbed the beach chair out from under my arm and picked the umbrella up off the floor.

“Thank you,” I mumbled as I adjusted the remaining items in my arms, now much more manageable without having to carry the bigger things.

“No problem,” he spoke in a low tone, that same tone I overheard when he said ‘Bend over’ to the woman in his bed last night.

My breath caught in my throat. Suddenly, I felt inexplicably warm, like the back of my neck was on fire. His expression was soft, casual, like the same man I had run into in the hallway yesterday, not at all like the man I heard in his room in a false sense of privacy.

We walked back toward the hotel, the sand kicking up behind us with every step. I was too afraid to say anything to him at all after remembering the way he spoke to his late night companion.

“So, are you from around here?” He spoke up, his voice cutting the tension that only I seemed to be aware of.

“Kind of,” I replied, hiding my face behind my damp hair, “I live 30 minutes out. I just came here on a solo-trip for a few days to escape. You?” I didn’t expect the question to slip from my lips, but in a way, I guess, I wanted to coax information out of him. Maybe if I knew more about him, that pang of guilt in my stomach would leave on its own.

He stifled a chuckle, “Not at all. I’m from Colorado, actually.”

I raised an eyebrow, surprised at the answer, “Wouldn’t California beaches be closer to you, maybe even look better than this old shore?” I looked back out into the beach, admiring its charm, but even then, I know it wouldn’t compare to a California beach.

“Actually, I live in LA, so I go out there all the time. I guess, I just wanted to visit a different place,” he answered.

I was surprised at his honesty, but I scoffed, not believing that any person from out of town would want to come here willingly, “Well, you picked a different place, indeed. Not much goes on around here, except when it’s spring break.”

Nicholas stifled a warm chuckle, “Yeah, I think I read that online.”

A part of me wanted to prod. Was he single? Who was that girl from last night? Another guest? The only appropriate question that I could think of that didn’t sound too suspicious was, “Are you here on a solo-trip, too?”

He nodded his head, “Yeah, I do a lot of solo travel. There’s a certain freedom in not having to worry about anyone else except yourself.”

I glanced over to him and saw a smirk playing at the corner of his lips as he looked over to me. Something fluttered in my chest, or maybe it was just the droplets of water trailing down from my head.

“Sounds liberating,” I managed to spurt out before the long pause became too awkward.

“It is, but sometimes it’s nice to share it with someone else, even for a little bit,” he said, his words hanging in the air.

I didn’t dare reply. I wasn’t sure if he was alluding to our current moment or maybe to the similar encounters of last night he has with women during his trips. Of course, there’s no way he’d know that I knew what he did behind closed doors, but what if he did?

“Yeah,” I absentmindedly agreed to his statement, eager to cut the conversation short.

We arrived at my car. I opened the trunk with my keys that were in my picnic basket, watching as Nicholas bent over to place the umbrella and chair inside, then grabbing everything from my arms and setting them beside each other, closing the trunk.

“My name’s Nicholas,” he held his hand out for me to shake.

That’s when I realized that he had never introduced himself. The only reason I knew his name was because I had my ear pressed against the wall just as his lady friend from last night had moaned it out of her lips.

I hesitated for just a fraction of a second before breaking through that one-sided tension and reaching out to shake his hand, his warm palm sending a shiver up my arm, “(Y/N),” I introduced myself, meeting his gaze for a second or two before looking down at my feet.

“Pretty name,” he smiled.

Blushing, I shyly said, “Thanks,” retreating my hand from his grasp and whipping back a strand of wet hair behind me.

Nicholas lingered a moment longer, the soft curve of his smile inviting me to hold his gaze. “Any chance you’d wanna get a drink later?”

I blinked, my mind scrambling for a response as the question hung between us. This stranger, Nicholas, was never meant to be more than just some nameless blur that happened to also be a guest at the same hotel I was staying. We were only supposed to bump into each other a few times in the hallway, never going into conversation and being fine with that. Now, here he was, asking me if I wanted to have a drink with him.

I kicked my feet nervously, looking down, afraid to look him in the eye as I turned down his offer, “Actually, I have plans.”

His brow lifted slightly, an amused look on his face. “Solo plans?” he asked, clearly poking fun at my earlier words.

I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, despite my nerves. “Yeah, something like that.”

“Fair enough,” he said, his tone casual but with a glimmer of understanding. “But if you change your mind…” he leaned in the tiniest bit, some tiny droplets from his hair dripping onto my skin, “you know where I’m staying,” a mischievous smirk at the end of his lips.

I felt my stomach jump at his words, catching the double meaning. He lingered a bit too long, like he was testing me, before he pulled back, still smirking.

I nodded, “Yeah, I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”

I watched as he walked past, sauntering back toward the beach. The way his shoulders shifted as he walked, relaxed yet deliberate, made it impossible to look away. The nerve of him, the audacity to be this calm, this magnetic. Maybe it’s because I’m never forward with people I just met, especially if I think they’re attractive, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the swagger Nicholas oozed. It was like he was aware of the effect he had on me.

Desperate to wash away the sand in my crevices, I trotted toward the hotel entrance, going up the stairway and to my room. I felt relief when the cold air of the room hit my face, pulling my hair away from the back of my neck so the air could creep its way and bring some relief to my flustered self. My head buzzed, replaying anything having to do with Nicholas — the way he dried his towel in front of me, his soft chuckles, even the way he walked.

Get it together, (Y/N). He’s just a guy. Just a guy you won’t see ever again after this weekend. Ever.

I sighed, dragging myself to the shower and stripping the wet bikini off my body and letting it fall to the floor without a second thought.

I was grateful the shower was huge, that way I didn’t feel as suffocated with the warm water steaming up the glass. However, each time I closed my eyes to let the water fall on my face, all I could picture was Nicholas’s charming smile, all I could hear in my head was the way he said ‘Bend over’ to the girl in his bed last night, and suddenly, I could feel a tension pool low in my belly.

Fed up, I turned the faucet knob to cold, shuddering and gasping loudly the moment it fell down my spine. It might’ve been drastic, but it did help. All I could focus on was trying not to tremble under the cold stream of water enveloping me instead of focusing on a certain man.

Once I was done with my shower, I wrapped my hair and body in a towel each, padding out into the cold room, my ankles shuddering at the cold floor beneath me. I changed into a casual set of clothes, thinking I’d probably go out for a walk later. As I dried my hair with the towel, I made my way over to the window, looking out toward the beach to see Nicholas still lounging out in the sand. He was splayed out on the chair, legs wide open as he leaned back and looked out into the water.

Tired of my mind drifting to him, I jumped into bed and put on my headphones, opening up Hulu to catch up on shows. Before I knew it, hours had gone by and it had become nightfall.

I walked to my luggage resting on the built-in counter, zipping it open to pull out a bag of chips I had bought before arriving. That’s when I heard a light knock on my door. I froze at the sound, too scared to shuffle over and check who it was.

“(Y/N), you there?” I heard Nicholas’s voice call out. I didn’t answer, standing still, my heart almost pounding out of my chest. “If you are, I’m heading over to the bar across the street, if you wanna join me,” he calmly spoke through the door, his voice cool and collected.

After a bit, I heard his feet shuffle away, becoming fainter and fainter. I still didn’t dare move an inch, paranoid he might’ve pulled a fake-out and is actually still standing outside my door. I sat on the counter, debating his invitation, but I decided against it. I’m not exactly sure why; any other girl would already have been out the door by now. I just had to trust my gut on this.

Later that night, at about 1:30AM, I found myself still awake, quietly scrolling Instagram on my phone. That’s when I heard the loud giggles of a woman outside in the hall, followed by a deep shush, the giggles falling to a quiet mumble as I heard a door open and quickly fall closed. I ignored the sounds, continuing to scroll and catch up on posts I missed during the day.

Some minutes pass by, about 10. That’s when I heard the bed on the other side begin to thump against the wall, a lady slowly starting to moan. The moans sounded different, belonging to another woman. Then, the all-too-familiar grunts coming from Nicholas started to join in.

I couldn’t reach for my headphones to drown out the sounds of sex coming from the other side; my headphones had died just 30 minutes earlier, now charging on the outlet above the counter. Tossing and turning in bed, I burrowed myself under the covers, hoping it would make some barrier, but to no avail.

Irritated, I walked over to the counter, checking to see if my headphones had any juice that I could use even for just a few minutes until I fell asleep. Just as I reached to disconnect them from their charger, that’s when I heard Nicholas’s voice rumble through the wall.

“You’re so hot,” he said, his tone thick with pleasure.

I stood there frozen, my hand still hovering over my headphones. The more I heard Nicholas speak, the more I found myself inching closer toward the closet. My heart was racing, beating faster the moment I opened the closet doors, carefully stepping inside and resting my cheek against the shared wall.

I knew I shouldn’t have been listening in, again, but I couldn’t stop myself. It was this urge that I had to follow through with. I closed my eyes for a moment, listening past the girly moans and searching for Nicholas’s voice. My chest grew tighter, my thoughts beginning to spiral.

“Just like that,” he growled.

Had I said yes to drinks, would that have been me in there? Would I be the one moaning under him instead of the mystery girl inside? My stomach tightened at the thought, frustrated. I’m not sure why I was letting it get to me like that. Maybe because hindsight is always twenty-twenty. But just knowing that it might’ve been me Nicholas said all those things to had I just agreed to drinks… It drove me crazy.

“Say my name.”

My body tensed at his words. Somewhere between spiraling and intrigued by the events happening on the other side, I had closed my eyes, achingly moving my hand to my shorts, slipping it under the waistband. What if I just pretended it was me he was saying all those things to?

I clenched my teeth, feeling a heat bubbling low in my belly as it slowly rose up to my chest. The sound of Nicholas’s voice; he sounded so close yet we were separated by this thin wall. It was maddening. I slipped my fingers under my underwear, grazing them over my damp self. I covered my mouth with my other hand, proactive about not wanting to be heard from the other side just as I heard them.

“Fuck, you feel so good,” Nicholas groaned on the other side.

My breathing became deep, my nostrils pushing out all the air that couldn’t leave my mouth. As my fingers found my throbbing bud, I quietly whimpered out, pretending Nicholas was saying those words to me. I rubbed myself in small circles, bucking my hips into my fingers.

On the opposite side of the wall, Nicholas’s groaning had become guttural, primal. The more the headboard thumped against the shared wall, the more powerful his movements had become. At one point, I thought something might fall off the wall from my side of the room.

As I slipped a finger, then another, inside myself, my breathing became erratic. I imagined Nicholas taking me, right now as I am, hard at the thought that I had been listening in on his sexual escapades. Maybe he’d push me up against the wall, cornering me so that I might not escape him. He seems like the type to want to be in control, and I’d be happy to give it to him.

I pumped my fingers slowly, at first, but then picked up the speed to match the thumping on the wall. The tension in me began to build tighter and tighter. I was so close to collapsing in pleasure, but the moment I heard a loud moan escape the woman’s lips from the other side, I was taken out of my imagination completely, remembering that it wasn’t me he was having sex with.

My eyes ripped open, realizing what I had been doing. I pulled my fingers out and collected myself, shamefully walking out of the closet and reaching for the headphones on the counter. I couldn’t believe that I had been pleasuring myself to the sounds of somebody else having sex. Even more embarrassingly so, I didn’t even arrive to a climax, so I couldn’t even say it was worth it.

I climbed back into bed, trying hard to ignore the sounds coming from the other side and slipping on my headphones, putting on anything that would distract my mind.

The next day, I didn’t wake up as early as I had liked. I ended up falling asleep pretty late, almost 2:30 in the morning, which was not my usual bedtime, clearly. But it was 12PM, still enough time to enjoy a light brunch before officially starting the day.

I changed into some loose clothes, making my way down to the café. Even though I felt guilty about last night, I felt ok enough to confidently walk into the café knowing Nicholas wouldn’t be there. Either he’d be too tired from his late night drinking and stayed in, or he would’ve started his day earlier and already had his coffee for the day. And when I entered the area, I found myself to be correct. He wasn’t there.

Comfortably, I ordered the same meal from yesterday, a croissant and a pot of tea, taking my seat at the same table. What can I say, I’m a creature of habit. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Almost as soon as I sat down, the barista came over with my things, setting them down with a polite smile. Tired and hungry, I pulled a chunk out of the croissant and placed it into my mouth, savoring its sweet taste. I enjoyed my first meal of the day calmly and slowly, relaxed to know I wouldn’t bump into Nicholas right now. Maybe I’d have a few hours to myself before I did. But of course, my peace was short-lived.

As I picked at my food, the front door to the hotel chimed. I was too focused on pouring myself the last few ounces of tea into my mug to look up, but I didn’t have to. A familiar presence approached my table, “Mind if I join you?” Nicholas asked.

I looked up, my eyes locking onto his. He had that oh-so charming smile plastered on his face — innocent, as if he wasn’t the one partially responsible for keeping me up late.

“Sure,” I said, pulling the pot away from my mug.

He pulled up a chair from the neighboring table, sitting down across from me while his gaze flickered down at my half-eaten croissant. “You like taking your time, don’t you?”

I felt a rush of heat creeping up the back of my neck at his casual teasing. He was wearing a faded tee, not from age but one that looked like it had been drying out in the sun too long, his gold cross chain hidden under the collar. I’m sure he looked good in anything he wore.

“Don’t you?” I asked without missing a beat.

Nicholas stifled a smirk, tapping his finger against the table, “So what’d you do last night?”

I almost choked on my own spit at the question, clearing my throat. Dear god, please let me not stumble over my words. “Not much, why?”

He sharply inhaled, like he was unsure if he should answer, “I had knocked on your door to invite you out to the bar again, but you didn’t answer.”

I stifled a chuckle, shrugging my shoulders, “Why? Were you afraid I was doing something better?”

Nicholas’s fingers played at the edge of my plate, smirking. “I figured you were out walking or something,” he smiled.

“Well, I planned to,” I picked at my croissant, ripping off a tiny piece and placing it in my mouth, “but I ended up staying in.”

“Oh? You stayed in?” He shifted in his seat, thinking about his next words. “Sleeping?”

I calculated my answer. I didn’t want him to be embarrassed about the fact that I could hear him having sex the past two nights. “Yeah, early night,” I kept it short, hoping he’d drop the subject or, at least, change the topic.

I wasn’t sure if he believed me, but I didn’t care to elaborate. His presence was disarming enough without dredging up last night’s… intrusive thoughts. Instead, I took another sip of tea and focused on not meeting his gaze.

“So, then why’d you come down here so late in the morning?” He asked, a grin playing at his lips.

I stumbled on my words, trying to find an answer, Nicholas becoming more amused and entertained the more I stumbled. Was he waiting around for me? Did he know his proclivities had kept me up? Did he know I could hear through the walls?

“Lazy morning,” I shrugged my shoulders. He stifled a chuckle, accepting my answer without too much kickback. “What about you?” I asked, turning the tables on him. “What did you get up to last night?”

His grin didn’t falter. If anything, it grew sharper, and he leaned forward just slightly, resting his forearms on the table. “Me? Nothing much,” his finger twiddled near my croissant, pushing around the tea spoon next to it, “I had a drink or two. A little company.” His eyes flickered up to meet mine.

I swallowed hard, the tension between us thickening. His choice of words hung in the air, deliberate and calculated. He knew exactly what he was doing dangling that tidbit of information in front of me, seeing if I’d bite, but I wasn’t going to.

Taking a sip of my tea, I pretended to brush off his words, “Sounds like you had fun,” I spoke casually, keeping my expression neutral.

Nicholas tilted his head, watching me closely. “I would’ve had even more fun, but I had some plans fall through,” he paused, “I had to improvise.”

Oh, the calculation in his words were driving me mad, especially because I didn’t want him to have the satisfaction of baiting a specific reaction out of me. Was I right? Could that have been me in his room last night if I decided to go out with him?

I set the cup down as calmly as I could manage, but inside, I was shaking, “Doesn’t seem like you had any trouble improvising, then.”

For a moment, Nicholas’s fingers stopped tapping against the plate, that infuriating smirk returning. He leaned back into his chair, amused, “You heard, didn’t you?“

My eyes nearly fell out of my head, but I tried to keep it cool, "Heard what?"

His laugh was soft but full of certainty. "Come on, (Y/N). I heard you watching a movie the other night. These walls,” he gestured lazily toward the ceiling, “are paper thin; it was like I was in your room watching it with you.” He leaned toward me, resting his arms on the table again, “That’s why you woke up late, isn’t it?"

God, I wanted to shrivel up and die right then and there. It was absolutely infuriating how he could figure me out so easily. But my suspicions were confirmed — he did know, this entire time, and he still decided to have loud sex knowing anybody in the neighboring room could hear. And he had no shame about it!

My face burned with embarrassment, and l avoided his gaze like my life depended on it. "I didn't hear anything," I stammered, lying so poorly I might as well have just admitted the truth. “I’m a deep sleeper.”

Nicholas tilted his head, that insufferable smirk deepening. “A deep sleeper, huh?” His voice dripped with amusement. He rested his chin in his palm as he studied me like I was some kind of puzzle. “Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”

My grip tightened on the edge of the table, desperate to regain some semblance of control.

“For what it's worth...” Nicholas pushed back his chair and stood, smiling down at me. He leaned down toward me, his tone softening just enough to send a shiver down my spine. "If I'd known you were listening, I might've put on a better show." He took a small bite of my croissant, dusting the crumbs off his hands and making his way toward the door, winking at me before he exited.

Unable to fathom what had just happened, I stayed planted in my seat. Did he seriously just say that? My thoughts spiraled. Was this a game to him? Could he tell just how truly flustered I was by his teasing? Was I really that easy to rile up?

I pushed my plate and mug away from me, hoping to regain some space to avoid feeling suffocated by the remnants of his presence that Nicholas had left behind in his wake. And yet, I couldn’t deny the pull he had on me. No matter how hard I tried to push it down, to deny the heat in my cheeks and the butterflies in my stomach, it was there. Nicholas was under my skin.

I tried to avoid running into him the rest of the day, to suffocate him out of me like one would a parasite, but to know you’re avoiding someone, you’d have to be on the lookout, on your toes. Every corner I turned, I checked to see if he was there. Every room I entered, I scanned around looking for his distinct tousled hair. On the beach, I hid behind my sunglasses, scanning the shore for the familiar build of him. Finding him nowhere, I relaxed a bit, choosing to free myself and going for a short walk along the water.

I let the water lap around my ankles, rhythmically enveloping them as I slowly walked along the borderline empty beach. I picked up a few shells that caught my eye — only the colorful, unique ones. In fact, I kept walking, walking, and walking until it became evening, the sun setting over the beach, slowly but surely.

I returned to my spot, sitting back and admiring the colors of the sky. In fact, I was so relaxed, huddled under my towel, that I may have yawned once or twice. As I continued to look out into the horizon, I felt a cold tap on my shoulder, turning my head up to see who was interrupting my moment of relaxation. Of course, by now, I already knew who.

Nicholas stood there, towering over me with a pair of beers in his hand, holding one out for me. “Pretty, right?” He asked with a smile, looking out into the purple water.

I glanced at the beer in his outstretched hand before shifting my gaze to his face, the fading sunlight casting an orange glow over his sharp features. I kept my expression neutral, taking the beer from him without a word. He took that as an invitation to plop down in the space next to me, stretching his legs out and taking a sip from his can.

We sat there in silence for a while, the only sounds being the gentle crash of waves and the occasional chatter of distant beachgoers. It was… oddly peaceful, almost enough to make me forget about the tension that seemed to follow us — or should I say, me — like a shadow. Maybe, also, because I was a little sleepy.

“So, did you find what you were looking for today?” Nicholas asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

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

“You were walking up and down the beach for hours,” he said, motioning toward the small pile of shells I’d collected.

My mouth grew to a smile, cocky, “You were watching me for hours?”

For the first time, Nicholas stammered on his words, and it was a sight I was incredibly amused by. His head fell as he chuckled, maybe flustered that I had finally caught him in a moment instead of the other way around, “Yeah,” he nodded his head, his cheeks pink, “I was.”

I couldn’t help the smirk tugging at my lips. Watching him falter, even slightly, was a rare treat, one I planned to savor. “I can see why you like pushing people’s buttons now.”

“I don’t like pushing people’s buttons,” he said as he brought the beer to his lips, “just yours.”

It was insane just how quickly Nicholas could turn something back onto you. The admission was so casual, yet it hit me like a rogue wave. I stared at him, half-expecting him to laugh or brush it off as a joke, but he simply leaned back on his hands, eyes on the horizon like he hadn’t just set my pulse racing.

“I’m sure you say that to all your company,” I turned to face the water, sipping on my beer and trying to hide my flushed cheeks. I chose my words carefully, wanting to see how’d he react.

Nicholas let out a low chuckle beside me. “I don’t,” he said simply, his voice drawing me in despite myself. “Only you.”

I stole a quick glance at him, but he was already looking ahead, the way his profile caught the last rays of the setting sun, casting long shadows across his features. There was something magnetic about him, and the more time I spent around him, the more I couldn’t ignore it. He was confident, teasing, but there was something underneath, something deeper that made it hard to read him completely.

A part of me wanted to challenge him, maybe even keep him on his toes. But there was another part of me, the part I kept hidden, that wanted to give in to the tension, to see where it could lead. My mind raced with the possibilities, each thought contradicting the last, until I was sure I was overthinking every moment, every word we exchanged.

I cleared my throat and shifted my position in the chair, facing toward him completely. “Indulge me. What makes me so different that you just can’t help but push my buttons?”

He smiled, like he had an answer prepared since the moment we met, “You don’t give in easily, but you seem like the type to give yourself completely once you do.”

Nicholas’s words lingered in the air, making my pulse quicken. It was strange how effortlessly he could unravel me with just a few words. I tried to maintain my composure, but the quiet between us seemed to stretch longer than I was comfortable with. His words felt like a challenge,  but also like a promise. My mind kept drifting back to the night before, to the sounds of him on the other side of the wall.

“I’m not so sure about that,” I replied, keeping my voice steady, though it didn’t quite mask the undercurrent of uncertainty I was feeling.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips as he shifted closer. “Really? Because there’s only so much pressure somebody can take before they start to crack.”

I wanted to say something sharp, something that would put distance between us, but his confidence was suffocating, almost intoxicating. I couldn’t seem to gather the words to shut him down. So, instead, I took another long sip from my beer, pretending to focus on the view ahead of me, though my mind was anything but at ease.

His smile widened, “Aren’t you cracking?”

For a moment, it felt like time stopped. The world seemed to fade into the background, and it was just the two of us, sitting there in the fading sunlight, with nothing but the sound of the waves and the sudden weight of his words hanging between us.

I cleared my throat, finishing my beer, “I don’t think so,” I said lightly, trying to mask the effect his words had on me.

“We’ll see about that then,” he finally said, his voice low and casual, though I could tell there was a hint of challenge in it.

I was almost afraid to look at him, afraid of what I might see in his eyes. But I couldn’t help it. Slowly, I turned my head, and our eyes met, the connection between us palpable. My head slowly started to move forward by itself, millimeter by millimeter, toward Nicholas. My heart raced faster and faster, it was practically thumping out of my chest when I realized that he was leaning in, too. Right as I was about to close my eyes to welcome whatever was about to happen, I heard a group of people loudly laugh as they passed by behind us. I quietly chuckled to myself, thinking that may be my cue to leave.

Satiating my dose of Nicholas for the day, I dusted myself off and stood up from the beach chair, handing him my empty beer bottle, “I guess we will,” I said, not too much of a challenge behind my words. I grabbed my chair and looked back at Nicholas with a friendly grin before walking off.

I couldn’t shake the feeling of Nicholas’s eyes on me, but I powered through, making my way to my room. The second I entered, I went to the bathroom and stripped off my sandy clothes, turning on the shower to warm myself up from sitting in the cool, evening breeze. The hot water streamed over my skin, washing away the lingering chill from the beach. I let out a deep breath, closing my eyes as the steam began to fill the space.

My mind wandered back to the conversation with Nicholas. His words replayed in my head, their weight sinking in a little deeper with each memory: We’ll see about that.

After my shower, I slipped into a cozy tee and shorts, feeling a bit more grounded. I sat by the window, towel drying my hair, watching the moonlight dance on the water. The calm of the night settled around me, but my mind was still restless.

To distract myself, I turned on the tv, not caring what was on but making sure to keep the sound at a reasonable volume to not disturb Nicholas but just loud enough that I might not hear tonight’s mystery woman moan through the wall.

As the night stretched on, I tried my best to focus on the random show playing on the screen, but my thoughts kept drifting. Every sound outside my window, every muffled thump from the hallway, made my heart race just a little faster thinking it might be Nicholas arriving to his room.

The hours ticked by. I hadn’t heard anything from his side of the wall yet — not a voice, not the creak of a bedframe, nothing. It was almost worse than the alternative. The anticipation was maddening. I half-wondered if he knew I was waiting, if he was deliberately drawing this out just to mess with me.

Finally, around midnight, I heard the faintest sound of a door opening and closing. My stomach twisted, though I wasn’t sure why. I told myself I didn’t care, that whatever he did wasn’t any of my business. There were a few thumps followed by a silence on the other side. I tried to focus on the tv but my ears seemed to be tuned in on what was going on the opposite side of the wall.

Minutes passed, and the silence persisted. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Nicholas had turned over a new leaf tonight, or maybe he just couldn’t hook himself a lady tonight. But just as my focus started to drift back to the tv, the silence was broken by a clear, unmistakable groan — Nicholas. I half-expected it to be followed by the high-pitched moan of a woman, like it was both nights prior, but it never came. 

I should’ve turned the volume up, drowned it out, or grabbed my headphones. Instead, I sat there, frozen, as the groaning grew louder — his voice, unmistakable and far too close for comfort. I hated how my body reacted. The heat in my cheeks, the way my chest tightened with every noise, the throbbing sensation between my thighs. I shook my head, trying to dispel the thought, but I let my curiosity get the best of me.

I slid off the bed and crept toward the closet, my heart pounding in my chest. My rational side screamed at me to stop, to mind my own business, but something about the sound of his voice pulled me in. But the little devil on my shoulder told me that I had already eavesdropped twice before, what’s one more time?

Opening the closet doors quietly, I leaned over the luggage rack and pressed my ear lightly against the cool surface of the wall, listening. The groans continued, low and guttural, accompanied by the light sound of a rhythmic wet slapping, sending an uninvited warmth through my body. It took a moment for me to realize there was no second voice, no telltale feminine giggle or breathy gasp. It was just Nicholas.

My breath caught in my throat. He's alone. The realization sent a shockwave through me, equal parts relief and something else I didn't want to name. He wasn't with anyone tonight. He was... taking care of himself.

I pressed my forehead against the wall, closing my eyes as his voice — raw, unguarded, and achingly intimate — filled my ears. My hand instinctively moved to my chest, clutching the fabric of my shirt as I fought the conflicting feelings that raced through me. However guilty I felt for listening in, I couldn’t pull myself away. I was entranced.

His groans deepened, interspersed with uneven breaths, and I felt my knees weaken. It was maddening how his voice seemed to reach right into me. My lips parted slightly, my breath shaky as my body betrayed me, responding to the sounds with a heat I tried desperately to ignore.

The wet slapping quickened, a whimper escaping his lips followed by erratic heavy breathing. I lost all inhibitions, slipping my hand under my underwear. I exhaled shakily, my head resting against the wall, feeling the vibrations of his voice travel through me. My fingers moved instinctively, slow and hesitant at first, matching the rhythm of the sounds spilling from him. Each groan, each sigh seemed to draw me deeper into a haze I couldn't escape.

My mind was a mess of contradictions: shame, desire, and something more dangerous — an unspoken connection, even if he didn't know I was there. I bit my lip, trying to stay as silent as possible, but the tension within me built with each passing moment, threatening to undo me entirely.

“Fuckfuckfuck,” Nicholas quickly whined out, followed by a loud moan.

I slipped my other hand under my shirt, kneading my breast, as my fingers worked my throbbing clit. I felt the rapid beat of my heart as it matched the rhythm of his breath. The heat between my legs intensified, and the sound of his voice grew louder in my ears, pulling me further into the spiral. His groans were rough, almost frantic now, and I could feel every pulse, every heavy breath reverberating through the wall like it was echoing through my very bones.

I tried to focus, tried to pull myself out of this situation before it became something I couldn't undo, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't pull away, couldn't shake the pull of him. I closed my eyes tightly, my fingers rubbing harder against my clit in frantic circles, then moving them lower and slipping my middle and ring finger inside of me. Desperate, I pulled my shorts off me, letting them land at my feet.

My own breathing became erratic, escaping through my nostrils as I tried to keep myself from making any sound, biting the inside of my cheek and shutting my eyes closed as I pleasured myself.

His voice broke through the haze of my thoughts again. "God... need you..."

The words, the desperation in them, sent me into a frenzy. I couldn’t hold in my voice any longer — a quiet, whimper escaping my lips as I pumped my fingers inside me, pretending they were Nicholas’s. I could feel the tension in me coiling tighter and tighter the more I heard him talk through his pleasure.

A high-pitched groan slipped out of him, the wet slapping quickening even more. I could almost picture him on the other side — laying down in the middle of his bed, shirtless. his legs dangling off as he tugged at himself, his eyes shut as he grabbed at his hair, giving in.

My breath hitched at the vivid image in my mind. It was a dangerous thought, but one that I desperately wished I was there to see.

I could almost hear the strained breath in his throat, as if he was on the edge, about to break. The thought alone sent an electric charge through me, spurring me to move faster, my fingers pressing deeper, matching the intensity of his own rhythm.

"Please," he moaned, his voice broken, raw with need. "Fuck..."

The vulnerability in his voice, so exposed, so real, made me lose all control. I found myself unable to think or reason anymore. I was lost in him, in the sound of his pleasure, and in the dangerous path I was walking.

His voice faltered, his groans growing more frantic, and that's when I felt it — the sudden wave of warmth, the rush of sensation sweeping over me. But just as I was reaching my peak, so was he. Nicholas let out a sound so intimate and raw that it sent a shiver down my spine. Then came a low, guttural groan followed by the unmistakable — my name.

“(Y/N)- fuck!”

It happened just as I was about to reach orgasm, but I was so startled to hear my name that my eyes shot open and I stumbled back from the wall, knocking over the luggage rack below with a solid thud as it tipped over. I tried to catch it before it hit the floor, stumbling to reach for it, but my effort was for naught. A deafening silence filled the room after the loud noise quickly settled. The only thing I could hear was the loud thumping coming from my chest, becoming faster as I realized my predicament.

My breath came in shallow gasps, my body stiff with tension, caught somewhere between shock and embarrassment. On the other side of the wall, there was a beat of complete silence. I held my breath, waiting to hear something — anything — but nothing came. Not a footstep, not a sound. My mind raced, praying that Nicholas might’ve not heard the ruckus through his climax. Don’t orgasms dull one’s senses?

And then, as if the silence was suffocating me, I heard it. A faint creak — Nicholas’s door, opening then closing with a heavy thud. My chest tightened, anxiety coursing through my veins. I stood there frozen, my legs completely unable to move as if I had stuck them in buckets of cement. I felt every inch of my skin burn with humiliation. That’s when I heard a knock at my door, not light like the day before. It sounded desperate. I couldn’t run; I couldn’t hide. Nicholas knew I was in here.

Slowly, I inched closer to the door, my hand trembling as I reached for the doorknob. I tried to swallow my nerves, but I couldn’t fight the fact that I felt like I wasn’t getting enough oxygen. I breathed heavily as I opened the door, clutching at the edge as my eyes fell on Nicholas’s heaving bare chest.

He stood there, his chest rising and falling, glistening from the thin layer of sweat that he had worked up. A slight satisfied grin played on his lips as his eyes trailed down my body, lingering on my bottom half as I stood there in nothing but my shirt and lacy underwear.

He didn't wait for an invitation, stepping inside as soon as the door cracked open, closing it behind him with a deafening click. We stood there, facing each other, the silence hanging thick in the air. I could barely meet his gaze, my cheeks still burning with humiliation. I stammered, hoping to explain myself with a pathetic excuse of a reason, but he interrupted me with a quiet shush, still smirking.

He placed a finger gently over his lips, his eyes dark with something unreadable. "No need to explain," he whispered, stepping closer, his presence dominating the space between us. My breath hitched as he closed the distance, cornering me against the wall, his body heat enveloping me, making my pulse race.

The air felt thick, suffocating, as if the room was closing in on me with every breath. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I couldn't quite figure out what to do with my hands, so I held them behind my back, pressing them against the wall.

“Were you listening in?” He asked, brushing his hand up my sides before it settled on my hip, my body trembling under his touch. It was everything I wanted him to do to me, and yet, I still felt nervous under him.

Too ashamed of myself to open my mouth to answer, I nodded my head hesitantly. Nicholas's smirk widened, but there was no mockery in it. No teasing. His hand slid to my chin, tilting my head up so that our gazes locked. There was no escape now — no way to hide.

“I hoped you were,” he murmured, his voice low and warm, sending shivers down my spine. His thumb traced the line of my jaw slowly, deliberately.

He was so close now that I could feel his breath against my skin, and I was painfully aware of how badly my body was reacting to him. His thumb brushed over my lips, and I instinctively parted them, my breath hitching as his gaze softened, darkened. I could feel the tension between us, so thick that I could almost taste it.

His other hand slid around to the small of my back, pressing me into him, the heat of his body sending waves of electricity through me. His eyes never left mine, and I could hear the rapid beat of my own heart in my ears, drowning out everything else.

Nicholas murmured, his voice dark and full of intention, "Did you enjoy what you heard?" His fingers tightened ever so slightly on my waist, as if testing my response, and I couldn't help the small, almost imperceptible nod that escaped my lips.

Nicholas's smirk deepened, and he closed the gap between us, his lips barely grazing mine. His breath was hot and intoxicating, and the world seemed to disappear around us.

“Were you touching yourself?” He questioned, his hand moving down to my hips, my body squirming the moment his finger hooked itself under the band of my underwear.

I closed my eyes, my lips parting at his touch, nodding my head again. My hands clenched behind my back, the urge to touch him overwhelming. But I couldn't seem to move, too caught up in the magnetic pull between us.

Nicholas's thumb traced the outline of my lips again, the action slow and deliberate. His gaze never left mine, and I could see the hunger in his eyes, the way he studied me like I was something he wanted, something he couldn't resist.

His voice was a whisper, low and intoxicating. "You can touch me if you want to." It was a quiet command, but there was an invitation in it.

I hesitated for a moment, but then, as if drawn by an invisible force, my hand slid up his chest, feeling the firm muscle beneath the soft skin. My fingers traced the lines of his collarbone, skimming down to the waistband of his pants before I pulled away, suddenly embarrassed by the boldness of the move. Nicholas didn't give me time to retreat too much, though. With a gentle but firm grasp, he pulled my hand back to his chest, guiding it lower, urging me to feel the hard planes of his body.

His lips parted slightly as he lowered his head, his breath hot against my ear. “Don't be shy,” he whispered again, his voice thick with desire.

I swallowed hard, my pulse racing as I let my hand roam over his body, feeling the heat radiating from him. The muscles of his chest were solid under my touch, his skin warm and soft in contrast. My fingertips trailed down to the waistband of his pants again, this time without hesitation. He didn't stop me, didn't pull away. Instead, he let out a low, approving sound, his body shifting closer to mine.

The closeness was dizzying. His scent filled my senses, sharp and intoxicating, and I couldn't help but pull him toward me by his belt loops and lean in, my lips just inches from his.

He took charge, his lips brushing mine softly at first, teasing, testing, until the pressure grew, and I found myself kissing him back without hesitation. The kiss was electric, hungry, full of that same tension that had been building between us for days. His hand slid around my back, pulling me closer, as I tangled my fingers into his hair, deepening the kiss.

My body responded to him, betraying all the resistance l'd tried to put up. I felt his hands everywhere — on my back, on my hips, his hands softly squeezing my ass, pulling me closer as if he couldn't get enough. A groan rumbled low in his throat as his lips moved to my neck, trailing kisses down the curve of my collarbone. I tilted my head back, surrendering to the sensation, every nerve alive, every thought clouded by the pull of him.

His hands slipped under my shirt, sliding along my bare skin, and I gasped at the coolness of his touch against the heat of my body. The intimacy of it all, the way he seemed to know exactly where to touch, how to make me shiver, was overwhelming. But I wasn't the only one lost in this; it was clear from his ragged breathing, from the way his hands shook slightly as they explored my body, that he was just as desperate as I was.

"Everything I did this weekend was to get your attention," Nicholas murmured against my skin. His lips pressed against the curve of my jaw, trailing to my ear, where he nipped at the lobe gently. "I've wanted you since the moment I saw you in the stairwell. I can't get enough of you, (Y/N),” his voice rough, almost pleading, “I want you.”

His confession hit me like a tidal wave, and for a second, I couldn't breathe. His words, his desire, everything he was feeling was laid bare before me, and I couldn't deny that I wanted him just as much.

"I want you, too, Nicholas," I whispered, my voice barely audible, but the raw honesty behind it made his body freeze. His hands paused where they rested on my back, and I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, as if he was trying to read my soul.

I, however, didn't hesitate. My hands found the sides of his face, pulling him back toward me as I kissed him fiercely. The kiss became frantic as our bodies collided, desperate, as though we were both starved for this connection. His hands moved quickly, pulling my shirt over my head and discarding it on the floor. I felt the cool air hit my skin, but it did nothing to dampen the fire building inside me.

I couldn't pull away. My body, my mind, all of it was consumed by him. His lips trailed down my neck, his teeth grazing lightly over the sensitive skin of my collarbone as his hands roamed lower, finding the waistband of my underwear again. I gasped as he gently tugged them down, his fingers brushing against my skin with an intimacy that made me tremble.

Nicholas was steady in his movements, never rushing, always making sure I was with him, always checking, always asking if I was okay with everything. But there was a fire in his eyes, a need that mirrored mine, a hunger that couldn't be ignored.

"I want to make you feel good," he whispered against my skin, his voice thick with desire. All I could do was nod my head at his statement, ready to give myself to him.

He wasted no time, lifting me effortlessly. I wrapped my legs around him, hooking them behind his lower back. The feeling of his jeans grazing my bare center was enough to trigger a quiet mewl out of me. Nicholas groaned at the sound, his lips crashing back onto mine as he carried me toward the bed. When my back hit the soft mattress, I felt the weight of him settle over me, his hands bracing either side of my head.

His gaze bore into mine, his chest rising and falling heavily as he paused, his face hovering just inches above mine. For a moment, everything stilled, the only sound was the rhythmic beat of our breaths mingling in the air between us. As he settled down in the space next to me, propping himself up by the elbow, his free hand reached up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing over my flushed skin with a tenderness that sent shivers down my spine. The both of us laid there, face to face.

His lips parted as if to say something but no words escaped his lips, the hand on my cheek slowly making its way down, down. It lingered, at first, over my sensitive breast, tracing slow circles around my nipple. I bit my lip at the sensation, digging my head into his chest as I quietly moaned.

Nicholas quietly giggled, amused to see me squirming under him, as he slithered his supporting arm behind my head and pulled me closer to him. His lips rested on my forehead as he slid his hand further down, enveloping my center. “God, you’re soaking,” he whispered; I could feel his smirk against my skin.

His fingers massaged my throbbing bud, then slipped his fingers into me, his touch deft and confident. I loudly gasped and clutched at his arm, arching into him. “Oh, fuck,” I quietly breathed, nibbling on my bottom lip to bite back my moans.

He smiled, “Don’t hold yourself back. Be as loud as you want,” he whispered as his fingers continued to coax me, his thumb massaging my clit.

Digging my nails into his shoulder, my chest violently rising and falling as he pumped his fingers, I shook my head. “Somebody’s gonna hear,” I stammered out through my labored breathing.

“So?” He questioned, slipping a third finger in. Nicholas's confidence was maddening, his tone both teasing and commanding, making it impossible to resist him. “Let them hear how good I make you feel," he murmured, his lips brushing against my temple.

My body arched involuntarily, my head falling back into the pillow as a moan escaped me despite my best efforts to stifle it. Nicholas was not having it. He quickened his pace, quickly slipping in and out with ease, as his thumb continued to circle around my clit. His lips kissed at my neck, his tongue licking my skin before gently sucking. I turned my head, my hand clutching at the back of his hair as I passionately made out with him, softly moaning between kisses.

I was unraveling beneath him, my body trembling as the heat coiled tighter and tighter in my core. My moans slowly became louder and louder, filling the room, and I knew there was no hiding how he was making me feel. The pleasure that I was feeling was so great that I couldn’t focus on kissing Nicholas anymore. I had to pull my head away, glancing down at his hand pumping in and out of me before shutting my eyes and burying my head into his chest again. I could barely find the strength to call out to him, my voice faltering as I moaned out, “Nic…” 

"That's it,” he encouraged, his voice a low growl. "Say my name, baby,” his fingers reshaping themselves inside me to reach further

My breathing became erratic hearing him call me baby, my nails raking across his shoulder as I clung to him, "Nicholas," I cried, louder this time, no longer caring who might hear.

The sound of my voice seemed to spur him on, his movements growing even more precise, more relentless. His words, his touch, the heat of his body — it was all too much. "It’s ok; I’ve got you," he murmured against my neck, his lips leaving a trail of kisses along my skin. His gaze locking with mine, his fingers never faltering.

His words were my undoing. I shattered around him, my body arching as a wave of pleasure crashed over me, pulling me under. My cries of ecstasy filled the room, and I clung to Nicholas like he was the only thing keeping me tethered to reality. He held me through it, his embrace steady and reassuring as I rode out the high while his fingers continued to coax every pleasure out of me, slowing to a stop.

When I finally came down, my body limped against his, Nicholas pressed a soft kiss to my lips, his hand leaving my core and coming up to his lips. I watched in awe as he licked at his fingers, wrapping his lips around them as he savored every trace of me with a deliberate slowness that made my breath hitch. His eyes never left mine, their intensity sending a shiver down my spine. I buried my face against his shoulder, my breathing still uneven.

He brushed away the damp hair from my face with the back of his pinky, “You taste even better than I imagined,” he spoke softly, his voice velvety.

The weight of his gaze was almost too much, but when I looked into his brown eyes, all I saw was warmth, tenderness, and something deeper that made my stomach ache. My stomach wasn’t the only thing aching, either. The entirety of me did — my hands, my core, my soul. I ached for him.

Desperate to have him at the end of my fingertips, I trailed my hands across his chest, settling on the nape of his neck as I captured his lips in a kiss. Nicholas replied with a soft groan, his hand finding my waist and his fingers delicately digging into my skin. The kiss deepened, our breaths mingling as I pulled him closer, needing to feel every inch of him against me. My hands wandered, exploring the contours of his back, his muscles taut under my fingertips.

I pulled my lips away, pressing my forehead against his, “I hope you’re not done with me yet,” I whispered.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips, “Far from it.”

He cradled my head in his hand, angling it slightly as his lips moved with mine, urgent yet tender. Nicholas shifted his weight, moving slightly up on the bed, grabbing me by my hips and rolling himself over on the bed as he pulled me on top of him.

My legs straddled his hips, my bare skin brushing against the rough denim of his jeans. The friction sent a jolt through me, and I bit my lip, my eyes locking with his. His hands slid up my thighs, gripping them firmly as if grounding himself in the moment. His gaze roamed over me with unrestrained hunger, making my skin flush under his scrutiny.

His hands continued their slow exploration, sliding up to rest on my waist. "I could look at you like this forever."

His words sent a thrill through me, and I couldn't help but smile, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. He met me halfway, his hands tightening their grip as he deepened the kiss. I let my hands roam, tracing the lines of his chest and shoulders, marveling at the strength beneath my fingertips. His muscles flexed as he moved beneath me, his hands sliding up to cradle my back, holding me close.

My hips began to move instinctively, grinding against him, and Nicholas groaned, his head falling back against the pillow as his eyes fluttered shut. His reaction ignited something in me, a newfound confidence that made me bold. I leaned down, my lips brushing against his ear as I whispered, "Tell me what you want, Nicholas."

His hands gripped my waist tighter, guiding my movements as he let out a low growl. "I want you," he said, his voice rough with desire.

The intensity of his words sent a shiver down my spine, and I couldn't hold back the smile that spread across my face. Leaning down, I kissed him again, pouring every ounce of my own desire into it. My hands tangled in his hair as our lips moved together, our breaths mingling as the space between us disappeared entirely.

Nicholas's hands slid down to my ass, his touch firm yet gentle as he guided me to move against him. The friction between us was electric, each movement sending waves of pleasure through me. His lips left mine to trail down my neck, his teeth grazing over my skin in a way that made me gasp.

"You drive me crazy, (Y/N)," he murmured against my collarbone, his voice raw, “you know that?"

I smiled, my hands bracing against his chest as I moved against him, my confidence growing with every reaction I drew from him. "I do now," I replied, my voice breathless.

Nicholas groaned, his hand digging into my skin as he bucked his hips upward, meeting my movements. His control was slipping, and I could feel it in the way his grip tightened, the way his breathing grew ragged. I continued to grind against him, trying to coax out the whimpers I had heard escape his lips when I was listening through the wall.

Nicholas's hands slid up my back, his fingers tracing along my spine as he tried to steady himself. His head fell back, his eyebrows tied together as his lips parted in a quiet moan that sent a rush of heat through me. But it wasn’t enough. I brushed my thumb against his bottom lip, slowing to a stop so he could feel the loss, teasing him with the occasional grind, “I want to hear you, Nic.”

He nodded his head, pressing me down against him as he bucked his hips upward repeatedly, desperate for me to continue. “Please, (Y/N),” he shut his eyes closed as he ground himself against me, quietly whining.

Smirkingly, I obliged, slowly continuing to grind against him. I rested my palms on his tense chest, bringing them down to the waistband of his jeans. His fingers curled into my thighs the faster I worked, moaning louder and louder.

“Fuck, I can’t—“ he threw his head back, raggedly moaning.

Looking at him in such a vulnerable state underneath me after days of having to deal with his cocky confidence, it made my blood rush. I played with the button of his jeans, undoing them and shimmying his pants and boxers off just enough for his hard length to free itself under me. I spit my hand, gently stroking him as I positioned his member at my entrance.

Nicholas let out a guttural groan, his hands gripping me firmly as I hovered over him, teasing him with my slow movements. I lowered myself onto him, taking him in inch by inch, the sensation sending a wave of pleasure coursing through my body. A sharp gasp escaped my lips, and Nicholas’s eyes rolled back, his head falling back onto the pillow again. The connection between us was electric, every movement, every sound amplifying the intensity of the moment. Nicholas's hands roamed over my body, his touch both tender and possessive.

As I rode him, I grabbed Nicholas’s hands, leading them to my chest. Even though he could barely keep his eyes open, he understood what I wanted, beginning to knead and pinch at my breasts. I moaned at his touch, bringing one hand of his up to my lips to kiss his fingertips before placing it back on my breast.

Suddenly, I felt him tense under me, arching his back toward me, "Don't stop," he pleaded, his voice becoming an octave higher, his grip on me tightening. "Please, baby, don't stop.”

I didn't. I couldn't. The rhythm between us was intoxicating, building to something that felt almost otherworldly. My name fell from his lips like a prayer, and the sound sent a surge of pleasure through me, pushing me closer and closer to the edge.

Nicholas's hands fell to my hips, guiding my movements as his breathing grew erratic. "I'm close," he groaned, his voice a mix of desperation and pleasure.

I leaned down, my lips brushing against his ear as I whispered, “Come for me, Nic." My words seemed to break the last of his restraint, and his hips bucked up into me with an urgency that sent shockwaves through my entire body.

“Fuck, (Y/N), I —“ His words cut off as a guttural groan escaped him, his body arching beneath me as he came. The intensity of his release sent me spiraling over the edge with him, my body trembling as the product of his pleasure filled me completely, some of the creamy liquid slowly dripping out me.

The aftershocks of our climax left us both trembling, our breaths mingling as we tried to regain control of ourselves. I collapsed onto Nicholas's chest, his arms immediately wrapping around me, holding me close as though he couldn't bear the thought of letting go.

For a while, we just lay there, our bodies pressed together, hearts pounding in unison. His fingers traced lazy patterns along my spine, a small, satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his lips. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath me, the steady rhythm lulling me into a serene haze.

He caught his breath, “That was….” a hint of a chuckle at the end of his words, “That was fucking incredible,” he said as he kissed the top of my head.

I pulled myself off of Nicholas, lying down next to him and covering myself with the bed sheets. I thought about what he had said earlier at the beach — I may not give in easily, but when I do, I give in completely. It felt nice to finally be seen by someone who could understand me even after only knowing me for a few days compared to other people who have known me for years and still manage to get things wrong about me.

I rolled over to face Nicholas, my hand finding his. He smiled softly, intertwining his fingers with mine and kissing the back of my hand. A smile curled at the end of my lips seeing him so affectionate, “When do you check out of the hotel?” I asked, playing with his hand.

“In the morning. You?” He asked, caressing my cheek with his other hand.

“In the morning,” I replied, my eyes flickering up at him to see his reaction.

He was quiet, not saying anything at first, however, he rolled me over and pulled me closer to him, spooning me and pressing a kiss to my shoulder. “We’ll have tonight, then,” he whispered, wrapping his heavy arm around my waist and nuzzling his head into the pillow.

My chest tightened at his words, and I couldn't help but smile softly. I rested my hand above his, intertwining our fingers. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep to the sound of Nicholas’s soft, rhythmic breathing.

A few hours later, which felt like minutes, I stirred awake to the soft light filtering through the curtains. The remnants of the previous night were scattered around — my shirt and underwear and his jeans and boxers strewn carelessly across the floor, the faint scent of Nicholas's cologne mingling with the crisp hotel room air.

The weight of his big, beefy arm draped over my waist anchored me in place. For a moment, I stayed still, savoring the warmth of his body against mine and the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek before I rotated in place so I could admire Nicholas as he rested. 

We were so close that I could count the beauty marks on his face. There was one on his cheek and another on his chin. His lashes cast shadows on his cheekbones, his lips slightly parted as he breathed deeply. I softly grazed my fingers over the scar on his forehead, wondering how he might’ve gotten it, though I’m not sure if I’d ever find out. He looked peaceful, vulnerable even, and the sight tugged at something deep within me.

I let my fingers trail lightly over his chest, tracing the faint outlines of the muscles that had pressed against me so urgently just hours ago. He stirred slightly, a low hum escaping his throat as his arm tightened around me instinctively.

His eyes fluttered open, landing on me before he closed them again for a few seconds, “Morning,” he murmured, smiling, his voice thick and husky from sleep. He opened his eyes again, gazing at me longingly.

"Morning," I whispered back, suddenly feeling shy under his gaze despite everything we had shared. His hand slid up my back, his fingers tangling in my hair as he leaned in for a slow, lingering kiss.

“Are we staying in?” he asked, shifting his body to face me.

I smiled, running a hand through his messy bedhead. "Oh, I wish," I admitted, my cheeks flushing as the memories of the night before flooded back, "but we have to check out.”

Nicholas groaned, his forehead pressing gently against mine. “Don’t remind me,” he teased, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He brushed a strand of hair from my face, his fingers lingering for a moment longer than necessary. “We should get some breakfast together before we leave.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, pushing myself up and sitting on the edge of the bed, stretching my arms. I let out a small sigh, feeling the weight of the moment settle on me. The night had been incredible, but the thought of leaving was already filling me with an unexpected ache. “Breakfast sounds perfect,” I said softly, faking a small yawn.

Nicholas and I didn’t waste any time. I changed into a clean set of clothes and packed up my things, my body slowly waking up the more I walked back and forth in the room. Nicholas put on his boxers and jeans and retreated to his room for a bit, quickly throwing all his stuff into a backpack before coming back to my room and helping me carry my bags to the car.

I think I was too somber to say anything, knowing if I did, that a “goodbye” might be attached to the end of whatever I say.

The silence between us felt heavy but not uncomfortable as we made our way to the café, our movements synchronized without the need for words.

As we entered, the delicious smell of freshly-baked pastries beckoned to us. The morning sunlight filtered through the large windows, casting soft rays across the inside. The sound of light chatter and the occasional clinking of cups and forks against the ceramic plates filled the air, but it all felt distant compared to the warmth between Nicholas and me.

He slithered his hand into mine as he led us to the register, politely smiling to the worker. He ordered his meal, a coffee and a Belgian waffle. I was about to order for myself when he interrupted. “She’ll have the Italian crème croissant and a pot of green tea, please.”

I couldn’t help but smile. That first morning in the café, I could’ve sworn Nicholas was so focused on his book that he didn’t realize what was going on around him; I had no idea he was paying attention to me the entire time.

He paid the worker for our food, letting her keep the change, and waked us over to the same table I had sat in both days prior. We sat close, our knees brushing under the table as we picked at our food, the conversation flowing easily despite the unspoken weight of the situation hanging in the air. After some minutes, the worker came over with our food, and we continued to converse while enjoying our breakfast.

Nicholas looked at me, his expression soft but with a hint of something more playful. “So, at what point are you gonna give me your number?” he asked, taking a bite of his waffle.

I paused, chuckling softly as I chewed on my croissant for a moment before meeting his gaze. “What?” I asked confusedly, trying to keep my tone casual, though my heart rate had sped up slightly.

“What, you thought you’d get rid of me so easily?” He took a sip of his coffee, shaking his head and smirking.

I laughed, the sound a little nervous but genuine. “I just didn’t want to assume anything or get my hopes up,” I admitted, giving him a sideways glance. There was a warmth spreading through me that I couldn’t quite place, something between affection and the lingering thrill of uncertainty.

Nicholas’s eyes softened, and he leaned back slightly, his hands wrapped around his cup. “Well, get your hopes up,” he said, his voice steady but with an undercurrent of something deeper. “because I don’t plan on letting go of you anytime soon.”

I swallowed, feeling my heart rate quicken at his words. There was something about the way he said it — so casually but with an intensity beneath the surface — that made me realize just how serious he was. And maybe how serious I was about him too.

“Alright, alright,” I said, smiling, trying to shake off the sudden rush of emotions swirling inside me. “Let’s trade phones.”

Nicholas’s smile widened, and he handed me his phone without hesitation, his fingers brushing against mine as we traded devices. I typed my number into the phone app, adding myself as a contact.

“Just remember we’re in different time zones before you decide to call me in the middle of the night,” I joked as I handed his phone back to him.

Nicholas laughed, a warm, genuine sound that made my heart flutter. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied, slipping the phone back into his pocket then handing me mine, the screen off. “Though I won’t make any promises I can’t keep.”

I rolled my eyes playfully, but the blush creeping up my neck betrayed me.

We finished our breakfast. Nicholas quietly walked me over to my car. He walked close to me, his hand occasionally brushing against mine before finally capturing it. He leaned casually against the car with his arms crossed. He looked so effortless, so at ease, but there was something in his eyes — a softness, maybe even a hint of reluctance — that made it clear he felt the weight of the moment, too.

We both stood there silently, knowing this was our goodbye. Nicholas uncrossed his arms, stepping closer until he was right in front of me. His fingers tilted my chin up, and he searched my eyes, his brows knitting together slightly as if to say something. However, instead of resorting to words, he inched his face closer and closer until our lips grazed. 

The kiss was soft at first, tentative, as if we were both trying to hold on to the fleeting moment. But then, as if we both couldn’t help it, the kiss deepened, more urgent now, the electricity between us undeniable. My hands found their way to his shirt, pulling him closer, while his arms wrapped around me, his fingers pressing into my back as if he wanted to keep me there forever. Though, we pulled away slowly, our foreheads resting against each other as we caught our breath. Neither of us spoke immediately, both of us reluctant to break the spell.

Nicholas stepped back, “How about next time you have a free weekend you treat yourself to a trip to LA and come visit me?”

My heart skipped a beat at his words, the weight of his offer sinking in. I couldn’t tell if it was the sudden openness of his invitation or the quiet sincerity in his voice that made it feel so real. It wasn’t just a passing comment; it was an open door between us.

“I’d like that,” I said softly, surprised by how easily the words came out.

He smiled, his expression softening. “Good.” He reached up, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch lingering as his eyes locked onto mine.

I wanted to say more — something that could make this moment last longer, something to ease the ache already starting to form in my chest. But the words didn’t come, and instead, we stood there, wrapped in silence, our connection hanging between us like an unspoken promise.

He gave me one lingering kiss, brief but filled with everything we couldn’t put into words. When we finally pulled away, he looked at me, as if taking one final mental picture of me standing there, before speaking. “I’ll call you.”

I nodded, feeling the flutter of anticipation start to rise inside me. “You better.”

He squeezed my hand gently before opening my car door and slyly rolling down the window, watching me climb inside and closing the door for me. He leaned on the door, softly smiling, “To be continued.”

I couldn’t help but smile and give him one final kiss through the open window so I could savor his taste before starting up the car. He stepped back, hands in his pockets, to give me enough room to back out of the parking space. I slowly reversed out, waving my hand at him and driving out into the street.

The quiet hum of the engine filled the space, but the silence didn’t feel empty. There was something between us, something that went beyond just a weekend. It was more than I’d expected, more than I’d thought I was ready for, but as I drove away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the end.

I don’t think I even left the neighborhood before a phone call interrupted my thoughts. My car’s entertainment screen lit up with the contact name in big, bold letters — Room 5.

I couldn’t help but laugh, shaking my head as I tapped the answer button on the steering wheel. “Hey,” I teased, my voice light and playful, though my chest felt warm at the sight of his contact name lighting up my screen.

“Hey,” Nicholas’s voice came through, smooth and familiar.

It was just the beginning.

Continue the story with 'Making Room' here

[simulamortem]

@naboocrowned

The queen's ship arrived on a MISTY MORNING.

The weather made the island look all the more lush, almost mysterious, as from overhead, it looked to be covered in dense jungle but for the curves of white sand beaches stretching out into the sea. The island was small, just eight miles of coastline, but the condos nestled on it - all of them buried somewhere in its forest - were scattered far enough apart that walking the island's trails and shores would feel as if one had the whole thing to themselves.

The landing pad was only sized for a small ship, something just big enough to ferry a couple of people and their luggage. Revenant waited in his native shell outside the front of the home, where something of a small stone plaza with a modest little fountain and generous greenery greeted new arrivals.

And the place looked like just that: a HOME or COTTAGE. It was no mansion, all one floor, in something of a long U-shape with what seemed just as much outdoor space on its grounds as indoor space. Its architecture was not unlike something that might be seen on Naboo, with warm, weathered hues, natural materials, traditional doors. Exotic plantlife and wooded trails branched out in all different directions around the structure, leading away into the jungle - at least one such trail surely led out to the BEACH.

[alias-sam]

Pierced by a Golden Soul

Chapter 40. (Don't Fear) the Reaper Part 2

Platonic Jojo's x Reader

Summary: Fate is a bizarre concept with countless more bizarre implications. In life sometimes such extraordinary events happen that the only reasoning left must be fate. The tragedies that constantly befall the Joestar bloodline for example may be the unluckiest series of cards drawn in human history, or perhaps the work of a greater power. There is no way to tell for sure. Had Dio Brando or Jonathan Joestar moved slightly on a divergent path the world itself would be left very different. The fate or luck of the noble Joestar bloodline has led to destruction of evil likes of the Pillar Men and DIO. This story is of a similar caliber to that of the other Joestars (as I am sure you are familiar with them). This is a story of lost souls, compassion, hope, and above all fate.

Word Count: 2,967

(Crosspost from Wattpad, full fic is already posted there.)

Even in the light misty sprinkle of rain nothing moved, nothing breathed, nothing lived. You made your solitary way past condos and large mansion-like houses minding the barren neighborhood. When a car came rumbling into the driveway in front of you it was the only thing of interest for you to focus on. It was a cop car, the man that stepped out of the driver's seat was still in uniform. You were content to just walking by, but the officer looked at you oddly as you passed by.

"Do you live around here?" He called after you. This was a nicer neighborhood, if this officer lived here, he was probably just checking in on an unfamiliar face. Unfortunately you were a teenager, adults often just assumed you were up to no good. You weren't the most conspicuous looking of high schoolers, but a high schooler none the less.

"No." You answered, turning around. "But I'm headed home from visiting a friend."

"Better hurry." The officer paced towards you. "Strange things have been happening in this area around sunset. Missing pets, strange noises, things like that." As the man spoke you couldn't help but feel you had seen him before. "The neighborhood watch thinks it a bear or something, but I'm not so convinced." Part of you really wanted to tell this man that there were super-powered killer maggots prowling the nearby woods, but the sane sector of your brain decided against it. "Be careful." The man said sternly.

"Will do Mister..." You trailed off to glance at the shiny metal name-tag next to his badge. The name-tag read 'Joe Greenmin'. "Will do." You repeated with a stiff nod. What a small world.

Just like that, you were back on your lonesome way. Typically, you wouldn't mind walking in the rain, but after the altercation with Vita's father, you just wanted to be home and warm up. Not to mention, the complete lack of life or movement was unnerving. The waves at the beach weren't even loud enough for you to hear.

The street was quiet. Too quiet.

Usually when things got quiet a stand would appear. The thought alone made you walk just the slightest bit faster. With luck, you could walk home without consequence.

Before long a familiar woodland cut off came into view. You hadn't recognized it when Vita led you into the neighborhood. Curious, you stopped in your tracks to look into the dark forest, contemplating the dangers unknown within. Just as you were about to continue on your way the sound of tousled tree branches brought your attention upwards. The soft cooing of a dove reached your ears. Your eyes were met with a bird perched on the trees, looking down at you. Stark white feathers standing out amongst the greens and browns of the forest. As you were admiring the creature a flash of gold passed your vision.

In an instant the dove was replaced by a red mist.

Blood and gore splattered across the pavement in front of you with a audible squelch. This was followed slowly by pristine white feathers that landed calmly on top of the disgusting mess. It took a moment for your body and mind to catch up with what had just happened.

"Holy shit-!" You yelled, stepping away from the pile of sticky red mush. It was that bug stand again, it had to be. As the thought crossed your mind little white specs started emerging from the tree line. Sometimes you hated being right.

Instead of standing out in the open, dumbfounded, you bolted past the maggots and into the woods. You had to quickly take this fight somewhere normal people wouldn't get hurt. That was your first priority. The second was to avoid dying. Thanks to your adventure through the woods the other day, you had an idea. Using the dense trees and foliage as cover, you ran following a couple natural landmarks you remembered from the other day. You ran until you came upon a freshwater pond.

Before you could put your plan into action, you felt the dirt underfoot shift unnaturally. You panicked, thinking you stepped on a snake or something until you looked down. Worms. Crawling up your left leg, were what seemed to be hundreds of slimy, wriggling, living worms. They moved much like the maggots, supernaturally fast, and coordinated.

Just as they were about to try running, you tripped. You awkwardly tumbled towards the water's edge. At this point you were more willing to take a chance at facing an alligator than the so-called super bugs, so you embraced the stumble, half crawling, half clambering into the pond.

The water was murky and dark, but you still managed to keep yourself below the surface. With Golden Soul you could still sense the bugs, and not just the ones from before. More were coming, and your lungs were burning already. For a moment you panicked. You were stuck between a rock and a hard place with the choices of facing the creepy crawlies, or running out of air. The pond was freshwater, so it wouldn't kill off the maggots as easily as the ocean. Black dots were appearing in your vision, managing to make you panic more. As your lungs were starting to burn, you sensed something odd with your stand. The stand auras from the bugs were passing right by you. When you finally couldn't hold your breath any more, you surfaced, coughing and gasping. When you managed to stop hacking, you watched in mild amazement and pure disgust at the spectacle happening around you.

There were water striders skating around you. All with bright orange stand auras surrounding them. It would have been an otherworldly sight if it weren't for the numerous fish floating lifelessly up to the surface of the pond. They didn't even look like they had been cut or killed in any specific way, they were all just dead. The water striders were skating from fish carcass to fish carcass, occasionally stopping or pivoting to direct themselves towards their next target. What was odd was they were completely avoiding you, however you weren't complaining. You felt like hell, you had been on the verge of inadvertently drowning yourself. The sudden plunge in the pond left you even chillier than before, it was to the point you were shivering. Due to the dirty water, your clothes and skin were covered in a muddy sheen that only managed to make you feel even colder.

When you gained the energy you brandished your umbrella, using it to clear the dead fish out of your way. The worms and maggots were nowhere to be seen, but just to be safe you re-summoned your stand to survey the area.

Your vision lit up with a sea of orange light. Under you, around you, it was everywhere. The bugs were lying in wait amongst the forest. Like predators. The ground was alive with the synchronous movement of what could be a million worms.

You felt pure fear, true cold fear. Like a piece of ice was being wedged violently through your chest, stopping your heart.

You were prey, you were alone, and you were surrounded.

Its moments like this that humans are pre-programmed for. What many know as the fight or flight instinct. You knew you couldn't fight; you survived your last encounter with these creatures because you had help. So, without further planning, you took off with only two important things on repeat throughout your mind:

Fear. Run.

As you dashed and dodged exposed roots you could hear the bugs following. You could hear the worms slithering together across the forest floor, hot on your heels. It was difficult, but you had to think. You went back to your original plan. The beach.  The sand to dry out the worms, salt water to kill the maggots. The stand had immense speed and precision, but it's strength relief in numbers. The individual strength of each insect was normal.

You eventually broke past the tree line and found yourself straight on the beach. As your sneakers made contact with the sand you looked back. The worms were slowed down by the sand, but not stopped. On the other hand the maggots were still trucking on behind you.

This stand was tracking you somehow, but not just by sight. At first you were tempted to say it was through heat after they stopped chasing you at the pond. But that couldn't be. If the stand was killing fish, tracking by body heat didn't make sense. Fish were cold blooded, meaning their temperature depended on the temperature of the water. If they were just going after the hottest thing in the vicinity, that would mean they'd go after things like asphalt due to it absorbing heat throughout the day. But that still left the fact the stand stopped chasing you after you went in the water.

Before you knew it, you were waist deep in the ocean. The maggots shot into the water, quickly dying off. The worms made it a yard before stopping and shriveling up. You closed your eyes releasing a breath you didn't notice you had been holding, relief washing over you. The light mist of rain from before was turning into more of a downpour. There wasn't much use for even attempting to use your umbrella, you were already sopping wet and covered in mud. You tiredly trudged through the waves and collapsed on the sand.

It took a moment for you to register the buzzing sound reverberating through the rain. You shot upright, going straight back on high alert. The sound was coming from all sides. Almost like it was orbiting around you. It became even more difficult to see as the rain grew heavier. Untrusting of your own senses, you summoned your stand again. Through the mist and rain, you could see one stand aura flying in a perfect circle around you, there was another crawling steadily towards you.

It felt useless to run again. As long as you were alive this stand would continue hunting you.

"Wait..." You whispered to yourself, looking down at your hand. Without much time to reconsider, you balled your hand into a first, having Golden Soul mirror the action. "I'm going to regret this." You didn't have the time to think it through, you were punched in the face by your own stand.

Numb.

You were overwhelmed by the lack of feeling. You no longer felt the dampness of your clothes, or the rain on your face, or the soreness of your muscles. Just a pure feeling of nothingness, weightlessness, and oblivion. A golden light surrounded your vision, and when you looked at your hands, they were transparent.

On the sand below laid your body. Motionless. It was eerie to be looking down at your own body, sobering even. Golden Soul remained at your side, awaiting your next command.

After shaking off the shock that came with using your stand on yourself, you returned your attention to the enemy stand.

They were beetles, now exploring around your unconscious body, looking hopelessly lost. The orange glow around them was still there, but significantly dimmer than before after losing track of their target. "Wait-" Your eyes widened. It took you a moment to recognize them.

A golden colored Rosenbergi stag beetle, and a large black Dorcus Titanus Palawanicus.

"Harvey." You mumbled looking over at the gold beetle. "...and Rodger." You sighed when you looked at the other beetle. Slowly you turned to the large mansion like house, just a few yards down the beach from where you were standing. "Sommar Vita."

[joinremax]

5 Reasons to Invest in Harbourwalk Condos at Lakeview Village Community

In the heart of Mississauga's revitalized waterfront, an extraordinary new mixed-use community is taking shape that offers an unbeatable urban lakeside lifestyle. Harbourwalk Condos, located within the innovative Lakeview Village development, provides an enviable list of reasons for GTA homebuyers and investors to take notice.

1. Stunning Waterfront Living

Let's start with the obvious wow-factor - this prime location puts you mere steps from the beautiful shores of Lake Ontario. Residents will enjoy a newly revitalized 600-meter boardwalk and pier, the longest on the Canadian Great Lakes, providing endless opportunities to admire breathtaking waterfront vistas.

You'll be living that coveted lake lifestyle with beaches and aquatic activities at your doorstep. Yet you're still just a half-hour away from downtown Toronto's urban core when you need it.

2. An Interconnected Pedestrian Village

One of the biggest draws of Lakeview Village is its walkable community design centered around green spaces, parks, trails, and pedestrian-friendly promenades connecting all corners of the development.

45+ acres of parks & natural spaces on-site

Nearby 64-acre Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area  

450 acres of surrounding parklands to explore

Bike paths will seamlessly blend into the village's pedestrian-centric streets. This interconnected layout means you can truly embrace outdoor living while having key amenities within strolling distance.

3. Sustainable Living for a Greener Future

In a highly sustainable and eco-friendly community, the residences at Harbourwalk Condos will incorporate world-leading green building standards and technologies. This provides a healthier living environment while reducing your environmental impact.

The development's focus on sustainability ensures you'll be part of a future-focused neighborhood. In fact, Lakeview Village will even have its 20-acre innovation district fostering research, learning, and cutting-edge employment opportunities.

4. Vibrant Urban Amenities at Your Doorstep

While embracing outdoor living, you'll still have the conveniences and amenities of an urban village right outside your door at Harbourwalk Condos:

Boutique retail & dining 

Local cafes & craft breweries

Rooftop patios with stunning lake views

Easy access to major big box shopping nearby

Lakeview Village is planned to offer an exciting mix of retail, office space, entertainment, arts, and cultural events providing 9,000 new employment opportunities in the future. You can live, work, and play all in one vibrant neighbourhood.

5. Stellar Transit Connectivity

With its prime Mississauga location along Lakeshore Road, Harbourwalk Condos provides seamless transit connectivity in the GTA:

Regional bus routes at your doorstep

Quick access to Port Credit & Long Branch GO stations 

Easy connections to TTC streetcar routes in Toronto

This allows for a comfortable commute whether you're heading into downtown Toronto's core, throughout Mississauga, or across the GTA and 905 regions.

An Unrivaled Opportunity on Mississauga's Waterfront

The groundbreaking Lakeview Village community represents a rare opportunity to embrace lakefront living. It is still having all the amenities of an urban village right at your doorstep. With its future-focused design principles, integrated greenspaces, and stellar amenities, Harbourwalk Condos checks every box.

For GTA buyers seeking that perfect balance of waterfront tranquility and urban convenience in a sustainable environment, this jewel along Mississauga's revitalized shoreline is truly tough to top.

[theloftspiervillage-blog]

The Advantages Of A Beachfront Condo

As time passes the climate is getting colder, driving us into winter. It just advises us that as flawless as wintertime seems to be, we truly wish we were in a warm, radiant spot, with a sea shore where we feel a loosening up sea breeze and drinking some sort of island-style mixed drink.

On the off chance that you possessed one of the numerous sea side apartment suites in the Southern United States, this would not be some unrealistic fantasy; this would be your world. Probably the best motivation to put resources into this sort of property is the capacity to go there however you see fit. It offers a difference in condition. It offers some quietness away from the burdens that hose our mind-sets. On the off chance that you investigate extravagance living on the coast, you get all the great comforts of a hotel, with a pool, bar, stimulation, and night life. In some cases you can even get a games relax, wellness focus, and spa! Also, when you're worn out you head back to your living arrangement and you get a fabulous perspective not too far off. Every morning you can watch the dawn show over the water. What number of individuals can say that? It's a get-away while at home rather than while away from home.

Beachfront condominiums are the ideal good ways from significant urban areas. They are close enough that it just takes a brief time to venture out to the focal point of the activity, yet they are not actually what you would call "downtown area" so they dodge the groups and the clamor and turmoil that joins that sort of life. You gain admittance to wharfs, bicycle ways, and conduits for sailing. There is additionally a lot of feasting and shopping in the nearby spots. It's actually a perpetual rundown of activities close to the coast.

Owning such property is additionally awesome for families. You can have guests at whatever point you like! Request that family remain and invest some energy taking in the outside air. Why not welcome them for summer get-away? The water is totally wonderful when the temperature goes up. Next time you go searching for spots to live , consider Beachfront condos for sale in nj by the sea shore. They have such a great amount to offer and there is no explanation not to have such delight. It sure beats remaining in a virus place each winter, trusting that you can evade day off wind and whatever else lies in front of you on out the entryway.

[fbwzoo]

My hermit crab mansion (for my 18 hermit crabs) is completed! This is a 125g base tank with two 36x18x18 Exo Terra tanks on top - the ETs had the top screen removed and were turned upside down and velcroed to the base tank with industrial strength velcro. Right side is forest/jungle, and left side is beach. Took a pic of lights off & lights on. The beach side has UVB light, though I need to change the bulb out still. That’s why I moved that light strip up to the top, so they can choose to climb up for exposure if they want it. 

(Note: the crabs haven’t been moved into the tank yet, as I’ll have to wait for the humidity to build up to a high enough level to be safe for them.)

Close up pics and tour of the tank below the cut! This is very long, tumblr apparently changed the photo limit for posts, so they’re all on this post. I hope you enjoy! :)

Corner shower basket on the left front of forest tank has a mix of leaves, dried moss, lichens, and bark.

Background is the fake background that came with the Exo Terra, covered in coconut fiber. Cork bark rounds and pieces were siliconed in for hides & climbing on. The corner basket on the right front has damp sphagnum moss in it. There’s a bridge connecting the two shower baskets across the front of the tank. And a strand of fake pothos around the top edges of the background - this is attached to plastic wall corner guards that had holes drilled in them & were siliconed to the walls. Great for hanging things!

Here’s a close up of the hanging climber that I made - it’s a poseable fake jungle vine, wrapped in sisal rope (secured with zipties). I made it into a corkscrew shape and tied another fake pothos vine to it, then hung this from a wall corner guard that’s attached to the ceiling of the topper tank. It hangs down almost to the substrate & is secured to another corner guard at the front of the base tank, to hep support the shape. It can be access from the foraging dish, the second story of pot condos, and up top, from the bridge and one of the cork rounds.

This “shelf” is a pane of glass that’s part of the base aquarium - there’s thick panes on either side of the center support strut. I covered the glass with coconut mat (siliconed to stay) to help protect it from falling crabbies. Fake rock planter has moss in it, soaked to help raise the humidity level right now. You can also see the chunk of driftwood that leads from the top of the pot condos to the shelf, as the other way for the crabs to access the topper.

8″ Comfort Wheel hanging at the front left, I siliconed coconut mat to both the inside and outside of the wheel for better grip. Hanging coconut hide behind that, with moss in it.

You can see most of the pot condos here. I used spray foam to secure the pots for each level together - three for the lower level, two for upper. The two levels are secured to each other with industrial velcro, so they can be separated if needed. I covered the exposed foam with coconut mat siliconed on. I also siliconed pieces of cholla wood in between each of the pots on both levels for easier climbing (you can see one strip in pic below). The pots have a strip of bark leaning against both sides & across the top.

You can also see the foraging dish here, discussed below.

Straight on view of the base tank on the left forest side. The thing with yellow flowers on the right of this picture is their foraging dish - a flower pot stand that has a clay flower pot base in it. I ziptied fake flower and leaf vines to the stand & they like to hide under it. I put a mix of leaves, flowers, bark, mushrooms, seeds, and other things in the dish. This thing has been a favorite of both mine & the crabs’ for a few years now.

Full view of the forest side!

Front view of the middle of the tank. You can just see another coconut hide behind the blue flowers, with moss in it. The big wood piece is a hollow grape wood log.

Beach side now! There’s the other pane of glass “shelf”, covered with coconut mat. Above that is the cholla wall - I put spray foam on a plastic cross stitch mat, then stuck the pieces of cholla wood into it. Siliconed some additional pieces to cover open spots of foam. 

First picture of the rock wall - spray foam on a piece of pink insulation foam board. I used pieces of foam board to make the caves & ledges, so I wouldn’t use as much spray foam. Then trimmed down as needed and siliconed black lava rocks to it. This cave turned out the most cave-like, I’m rather pleased with it!

The other cave didn’t turn out quite like I wanted because I ran out of spray foam & called it quits (that stuff is hard as hell to find in store). So the walls are a bit short to really be a cave, but oh well! There’s also a corner shelf to make a nice resting platform.

Hung a sea grass corner mat in the front right, it overlaps a bit with the rock corner shelf, above it. My thought was to try & make it a little harder for the crabs to fall all the way from the top of the topper, with the pools below - if they crack the pools, it’ll be a HUGE problem for them and me, so let’s not, okay crabs!!

Two bridges connected to each other to connect the sea grass mat to the cholla wall, and another bridge from the mat to the back of the tank above the rock wall. And one more bridge that goes from the front bridges down to the climbing branches that lead from the base tank up to this topper. The branch here is a Zilla forest branch, it’s ziptied to the fake branch climber below.

Pools! They’re 5g glass aquariums. The back one is fresh water, and the front is salt water. I have small air-powered filters for each, underneath the ramps. The ramps are made of egg crate light diffuser. The water is very murky for both pools right now because I’d just added the water & there’s sand in both pools (live ocean sand for the salt water pool). The ramps are ziptied to each other in one spot to help keep them in place. I’d like to make the area between the pools & rock wall look nicer at some point, but I was just out of energy & supplies (& money) at this point.

This is a resin/plastic wood branch reptile decoration which is their access point to climb up to the beach topper. The forest branch is ziptied to it, which you can just see on the right side.

And front view of the base tank beach side. I’ll be getting a wider container to put shells in next to the pools, as I’d like to have a little more space for shells, and something that will do better at catching water when swimming crabs come out of the pools. But this works for now. These are the larger shells, and I have another container at the back of the base tank in the middle (not visible in any of the pics) with smaller shells. I don’t have a ton of shells in because at this point most of my crabs are pretty comfortable with what they have on & don’t do much shell shopping/swapping, and I plan to switch shells out more often (every week or every other) to save space, help keep them cleaner & so the crabs get to see “different” shells more often instead of all the shells all the time. And the yellow thing in front of the shell dish is a big piece of natural sea sponge. You don’t want sea sponges in the water pools because they’ll collect bacteria. But they’re fine to put in dry & the crabs love to eat them. I haven’t given them sponge before, so I hope they like it. 

This concludes the tour of the new crab tank! Please feel free to ask questions if you’re wondering about how I made anything or where I got things from. :) Most things came from Chewy, hardware stores, and New England Herpetoculture, but I got some things from people on my main FB crab group, and some stuff I already had on hand. I’m so relieved this thing is finally done, and I really hope the crabs like it (and don’t destroy it too fast)!

[roslinadama-sinequanon]

Auld Lang Syne-A New Shandy Fic

This is a little later than planned. Due to some winter winds, I was without power for almost the whole day. But, the power is finally back on and here is the latest in a year of FUSRIA stories that I began last Christmas.

I hope you all have a great 2019!

It's New Year's Eve and Sharon and Andy celebrate with friends at a Gatsby-style party on the Queen Mary, then enjoy a relaxing New Year's Day together. Just a quick little fluff, finishing up the first year of the Shandy marriage.

You can read this here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13166086/1/Auld-Lang-Syne or here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17266316

or right here:

“Sharon, you almost ready? Don’t forget, we have to pick up Provenza and Patrice.” It was New Year's Eve and Andy by default was the designated driver.

“I’m coming.” Sharon spritzed a little Black Opium on her wrists, her neck, and, what the hell, her cleavage for good measure. After one last look in the floor length mirror on the door of her walk-in closet, she slipped on elbow length gloves, grabbed her purse, and stepped out into the bedroom.

“Andy.” His name came out rather breathless. Her sexy as sin husband was leaning against the fireplace in a pose meant to allure. And it did. His light brown suit, plaid check vest, and dark brown bow tie were stylish and dapper, and as she approached him, her insides did a little butterfly dance at the twinkle in the rich depths of his velvet brown eyes. “You look like you just stepped out of ‘The Great Gatsby’.”

“Well, uh, that was plan…right.” He could barely speak, his tongue felt thick and he could not stop staring. If he looked like something out of the pages of  ‘Gatsby’ than Sharon, in her vintage 1930’s gold lame gown, a liquid satin that clung to every curve before spilling sensuously about her long legs, was the glamorous epitome of a Golden Era movie star. She smiled at the jaw-dropping look he was giving her and twirled around, giving him a view of the plunging back.

“You like?” She asked.

“You really have to ask?” He stepped forward sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her in tight. “You sure we have to go to this party?”

Sharon shivered as he began nuzzling along her neck. The man did know her weak spots. But, she pulled back with a throaty little giggle before he got too carried away. “We paid an arm and a leg for these tickets, we’re going.”

“Okay. Okay.”

Provenza’s response when he saw the two of them in shades of gold and brown was to roll his eyes. “Eh Gods, do you two always match?”

Patrice shook her head. “Don’t listen to him, you both look stunning.”

“You too, Patrice,” Andy kissed her cheek. “You, on the other hand.” He gave a glance at Provenza, who had done nothing but grumble about having to a New Years Eve party. “You look like Edward G. Robinson.”

“A mighty fine actor. I’ll take that as a compliment,” Provenza huffed.

The party was on The Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach. Each deck and ballroom had a differently themed celebration. They planned to attend the Art Deco era festivities. Stepping onto the huge ocean liner, now a hotel/tourist attraction really was like a journey back in time. And, when they walked into the Grand Salon, decorated in rich black and shimmering gold, the centerpieces dripping with feathers and pearls, and a jazz band playing in the corner, they were transported back to the 1920s and 30’s when speakeasies and jazz were all the rage and Hollywood was in its heyday.  Also joining them for the evening were Gavin and his partner Elliott, it was Gavin who had convinced Sharon to get tickets for the event, and Sharon’s good friend Rachel and her husband Jim.

They enjoyed a tasty, elegant dinner, and then spent the night dancing to big band swing music. Well, some of them of them anyway. Andy could really cut a rug and Sharon loved to dance, so they were out on the dance floor all night. Provenza refused to get near the floor unless it was a “slow one“ but, thanks to Andy, Gavin, Elliott, and Jim, Patrice was not short on dance partners.

At the countdown to midnight, cheers filled the air and balloons dropped from the ceiling. Sharon wrapped her arms around Andy’s neck, pulling his face closer to hers.

“Happy New Year, baby,” he said.

“Happy New Year.” They grinned at each other like the sappy newlyweds they still were, then kissed in 2019.

Afterward, while the band played ’Auld Lang Syne’, everyone sang along, then moved out onto the deck to watch a dazzling fireworks display over the water, with the glittering lights of LA off in the distance.

Sharon snuggled back against Andy with a little shiver. The wind was cool off the water. Feeling her chill, Andy slipped off his suit coat and wrapped it around her bare shoulders. She gave him a smile of gratitude and then gazed off at the bright bursts of color in the sky. For many years, New Year's Eve had been bittersweet for her. She was happy enough in her life, even happier once she had gotten the job in Major Crimes. But, after her children had left home, there had always been a feeling that maybe her best years were behind her. Not anymore. She could look back nostalgically on the previous year, but she had nothing but excitement for the new year ahead and the things she and her husband had planned.

With the fireworks display over, they returned inside and made their way to the Promenade Café where a midnight breakfast buffet had been laid out to help them refuel after all that dancing.  Sharon chose a mimosa with a couple slices of French toast, while Andy had straight orange juice and a veggie omelet. They both had bowls of vanilla yogurt with the house-made granola.

“All that food and you choose yogurt and granola.” Provenza grimaced and shuddered as he sat down.

Andy eyed his friend‘s plate. “Better than that heart attack on a plate.”

“He’s right, Louis.” Patrice shook her head at the pile of biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes that filled her husband’s plate. “You’re never going to be able to sleep tonight after eating all that.”

“Well, it will be worth it.” Provenza dug into his biscuit and chewed with gusto.

By the time they finished eating, dropped Patrice and Provenza off at home, and then continued up the coast, Sharon and Andy did not get home until well after 2:00 am. Exhausted, they slept in late New Years Day, enjoyed some lazy cuddle time, and then had a simple breakfast of buttery croissants, fruit, and coffee out on the sun porch. Feeling a little more refreshed after their coffee and showers, they changed into jeans and sweatshirts and made the quarter-mile walk down the hill to the beach. It was low tide and they walked along the hard-packed sand, hand in hand, seagulls diving and cawing overhead.  After about a mile, they stopped near an outcropping of rocks and sat in the soft sand, watching the waves crash into the rocks and enjoying the feel of the January sun on their faces. Sharon laid her head against Andy’s shoulder, enjoying the peace and tranquility. She loved their walks on the beach. They stayed that way for quite a while until dark clouds started to move in and it looked like they might be in for a shower.

Back at the house, they took down the Christmas tree that had been up since the weekend after Thanksgiving. Christmas was Sharon’s favorite holiday and she always tried to hang on to it for as long as possible. For her, Christmas started the day after Thanksgiving and didn‘t end until New Years Day. When the kids had left for college and she’d moved into the condo, it had been easier to have a fake tree--though she always sprayed it with that pine scent because what was a tree without its scent. This year, in their big new house, they had bought a giant live fir, and even though they had had the guy at the tree farm make a fresh cut, and Sharon had faithfully kept the tree watered, it was still clearly time to take it down. While Andy dragged the tree out to the backyard, he left behind a trail of pine needles and broken branches. Sharon followed behind him picking up the dead branches and by the time he returned she was vacuuming up the needles. With that task completed, they sprawled out lazily on the big leather couch in their family room to binge watch college football bowl games on their 65-inch TV, Andy’s first purchase when they bought the house. With Rusty up in San Francisco enjoying the New Year festivities with Ricky and Tess, they didn’t bother with supper, simply munched on cheesy nachos with guacamole while they watched the games.

Overall, 2018 had been a great year and with a new baby on the way, Ricky moving closer to home and a trip to Russia to watch Emily on tour at the Kirov and Bolshoi ballets looming ahead, 2019 looked like it might be even better.

[rhijikainkasshikuchi-blog]

Why Beach Rentals Are The 2011 Way Stay

Your request for extra information regarding Florida villa holidays has lastly brought you what follows to this place. Hopefully you will find this text about Florida holiday homes to rent both properly-researched and properly-written. After studying this text, do not Rental condos Aspen  that there are lots different articles about Florida holiday homes to rent which you could learn properly as to acquire a deeper specifics.

People who own a getaway house in Orlando won't be that will visit year-round. They are funding it throughout the year long even so. If they rent it out, they'll make back some as well as investment not to mention the house isn't sitting empty for a long.

Today, RV-ing is already considered a booming customs. It doesn't costs as much as your journey home rentals instead it includes unlimited travel experience for the own full speed. When RV-ing on the road, responsibility is integrated. First, a motor house is not prefer your normal car / truck. It is bigger, heavier, longer and bulkier. It's also slower when it comes to speed and acceleration. So, be constantly associated with the ecosystem. Always check the vehicles behind or beside you in designated. Check side and rear view mirrors beforehand, unique that it hits the right spot oodles of flab . to see while while travelling. Keep a distance between you along with the vehicle glued to you. RV's are taller than your usual car so you have to be associated with any low hanging obstacle like tree branches, bridges and road clearances.

Pay appreciation of the info on your suite. Remember that vacation renters aren't going turn out to be bringing their very towels, pans and linens. But if they're using ragged towels and pans without handles, they're less likely to be coming down. It is, after all, their vacation.

First of all, an individual do anything, figure out where excess to opt. You never determine if youre going to end up somewhere weird for your vacation, would certainly and decide now. Regardless of whether summer continues to be a year away, you still need find out how much youre in order to have preserve.

Aspleigh House - made in 2005 and designed produce classic Italian ambiance, this Rental condos Aspen is found in Reunion Resort which is also a gated neighbourhood. Thus, you possess the exclusivity you need for. An individual are operating groups or together utilizing your family, this house can accommodate your needs; provides 5 bedrooms and 5 baths.

Vacation home rentals are amazing deals whatever the. But, procedure of obtaining good someone to stay at can be quite a complex mixed golf bag. There are plenty of internet sites that can be tapped into and there are even more companies rrn existence offering choices. Yet, they don't have the same fundamental thing. That is, of course, a person can operate directly utilizing owner. Now, why an individual want to try this? Because it would save everyone as you go along time and headaches; it may even save a few dollars as well.

Whichever Florida vacation rental home choose on I am certain that you will be happy your choice and never want in which to stay in the confined space of an hotel room again.

[cloudbusiness1]

acai bow

Los Angeles has long been a favorite place for juice, but there has never been a time in history when Angelenos has been able to discover such a creative combination of market-driven, medicinal, and purposeful ingredients. Kreation Organic Juicery and Presed Juicery are everywhere, acai bow and brands like Clover, Moon Juice, and Naturewell have their fans. Read on and discover a new generation of LA juice brands.

Vardan Sargsyan opened this ongoing cafe under the Westlake condo complex in February 2017. Tables are seated under red umbrellas where seating, and wooden bench chairs enclose the walls with a line of art inside the house. The blackboard menu touches on vegetarian foods and beverages, including nutritious juices that are compiled for ordering. Each Juice Houz (juice) has a stated purpose. To Get Rid of Toxins, simply combine legumes, kale, spinach, red apple, cucumber, parsley, lemon, lime, apple cider vinegar, and ginger. Prefer to Humility? Green apple, aloe vera, cucumber, spinach, lime, and cilantro answers the call. Shot Houz (health photos) preaches Recovery with grass grass of wheatgrass, orange, and blood orange. Do you prefer to increase your Lust? Turn to maca berry powder, hemp milk, acai bow cocoa powder, and cinnamon? Dial to Immunity with camu berry powder, watermelon, and mint. Nina Merced and husband James "kept the juice since 2005" in Venice Beach, and recently expanded to Culver City. Their new cafe includes colorful green, red, and green walls fitted with decorative dreamcatchers and hula-hoops. Organic juices are mixed to order. The Taste of Heaven Taste of Heaven may not pass through the pearly gates, but this frothy orange juice is truly satisfying, made with sweet potatoes, apples, carrots, and ginger, an ingredient that “helps to strengthen the immune system.” Other juices include V-7, riff to V-8, made of tomatoes, succulent vegetable, lemon, bell pepper, carrot, and spinach that would no doubt help to grow any Bloody Mary. Why get a face when you can just drink Skin Cleanser, a mixture of garlic, tomatoes, bell pepper, and an edible vegetable with juicy branches? This is designed for drinking, not a topical solution. “Shorts !!!” available for one ounce or two ounces. Blue algae promises ``strong, anti-aging, high protein." Wheatgrass may be a juice bar cliché, but it has shown resilience "as a detoxifier, high in enzymes." They also crack the coconut to quickly taste the tropics. Claudia Wit opened this Echo Park juice bar that suits hippie and vegan markets with her husband Bartek in 2016. This space includes brown and brick walls, aqua accents, wood veneer shelves, colorful blackboard menus, and striped bench seats. Each juice is made to order and is accompanied by a different chakra, the seven spiritual centers of the human body found in the Hindu culture of India. 3rd Eye (intuition, wisdom, concentration) needs Brain Juice: green apple, tomato, strawberry, chard, kale, chia seeds, and gingko. The Sacral Chakra (lust, art, flow) reminds Buddha Belly: grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, ginger, mint, and longan. Throat Chakra (truth, harmony, choice) inspired Immune Boost: an edible vegetable with succulent branches, watermelon, kale, lemon, ginger, wheatgrass, and chaga mushroom. Organic tonics reach only eight ounces, but it is very strong. Think of Heroine: grapefruit, watermelon, seedling, parsley, turmeric, and rose hips. "Life is a treasure" at Howling Juice, a stylish store that sisters Olivia, acai bow Noemi and Elisabeth Avila have used among car and tire repair shops since April 2017. They offer "natural, handmade juices, freshly made shots, a tonic, nutritious smoothie made from world-class food, nutritious food and snacks. ” Elisabeth Avila emphasized that organic, fruits and vegetables work well together" after 15 years of juice, and juices are "well-designed, like art projects, well thought out." The space has a white counter over the tonic bar and smoothie, a fridge of purely colored juice, a picnic table and protective party chairs, and a fashionable metal wolf that always watches over the bar. Blu may look like Windex, but it tastes good because of the balanced combination of blue spirulina, jicama, pineapple and jalapeño that promote “brain health + and cognitive skills, improved immune function, increased blood circulation, improved + blood cell growth red + white.

[jennygoeseastbay]

2018 in Review

So I used to do one of these every year on my Livejournal, and I completely blew it off in 2017 because I kind of abandoned that medium, and because the last month of that year was complete consumed with packing and moving. I’m not entirely certain I want to get more active on here, but for now this is a good place for me to post this, simply to have the written record of my existence that I need in order to process all that has happened and reflect on how it has helped me to grow and improve as a person. If I’m feeling really ambitious, I might even backtrack and do one for 2017 next week, because I like to be complete in my self-documentation. ;)

01. What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before? Visited Washington DC for the first time.

Visited the Los Cabos region of Mexico for the first time.

Closed a major gift from someone who had not already had decades of cultivation from their University.

Visited even more areas of California that were new to me, including Anaheim, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Pismo Beach, Paso Robles, and Lake Tahoe (I guess that also includes Nevada since we stayed in Carson City)

Visited Ashland Oregon for the first time.

Sold a piece of real estate. Phew!

Practiced Yin Yoga. (And walking meditation!)

Engaged in a yoga hike!

Also tried yoga with goats!

Attended WonderCon

Attended a county fair.

Road a bicycle somewhere other than a residential street

Tried kayaking

Ran a trail run race

02. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I never really make concrete resolutions, just some general proclamations about eating better, and putting more time into fitness and writing. Of these three things, the one I was most successful at this year, surprisingly enough, was eating better. In September I realized that it was time for a physical tune-up, and so I rejoined WW after a long time away, and though I still have a few pounds to go, I’ve been happy to have gotten a bit sleeker after dialing back the bread and cheese. I also attended a writing group called Shut Up and Write a couple times, and I’d like to become more of a regular at their cafe sessions in 2019, because I’ve found that their method (literally a concentrated hour of shutting up and writing) has been helpful the two times I’ve gone.

03. Did anyone close to you give birth? My dear friends Drew and Kelly had their first child in September. And my friend Lynn had her second child, a little girl, just a couple weeks ago. 04. Did anyone close to you die? Not super close, but a professor at UC Davis who I had worked with closely, passed very unexpectedly right before Halloween. 05. What countries did you visit? Mexico! Finally broke in my current passport with a new stamp! 06. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018? Good novel progress. Or more discipline on some other fiction and an essay that I just started tinkering with. A legit boyfriend. 07. What date(s) from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 2 was my first day on the job at UC Davis.

January 7 was a super fun evening at the Museum of Ice Cream in SF

January 13-15 was a wonderful weekend in Seattle where I got to meet my nephew Apollo for the first time and photograph his first swimming lesson for his parents.

January 20 was my second Women’s March outing in Sac with my friend Jade and her little ones.

January 27 was a day when I got to play tour guide for my friend Gricel and her husband when they were in SF visiting for the first time.

Feb. 10 and 11 was a fun weekend in Berkeley and SF, being silly and singing loudly with my former Cal colleagues who had become dear friends.

March 23-25 Was my whirlwind Anaheim weekend at Wondercon, and I got to catch up with my friend Mike, whom I’d not seen in a couple years.

March 30-April 1 was an epic road trip weekend, the first of what my friend Maya and I now call our Girls Gone Sensibly Wild excursions. We drove to Santa Barbara and visited the deserted UC campus there (it was closed for spring break) and also enjoyed an amazing live show featuring Dave Hause, Dan Andriano, and Cory Branan, among others at the Cold Spring Tavern. And then got a joint membership at Peachy Canyon Winery on our way back, because it was one of the few establishments open on Easter Sunday.

April 22 was Earth Day, and prompted me to venture out to Marin for an impromptu yoga hike at Rodeo Beach.

May 14 was my first appointment with a new hair stylist who would also unexpectedly become a trusted friend.

May 24 was my first time seeing Depeche Mode live, and it was incredible.

June 8-10 was my second of two hit it and quit it Chicago trips (although really, the first one wasn’t so much Chicago as it was Joliet) this year, and allowed me to reconnect with my dear friends Drew and Kelly (Drew finished his PhD at UChicago and I attended his commencement and hooding), have a day at the zoo with my friend Dawn, and also road trip to WI with my friend Mary for a beautiful and moving Lights Festival experience together.

June 30 was the day I attended my first ever CalShakes performance with Maya and our mutual friend Paola (Girls Gone Sensibly Wild continued!), and Maya also got me on a bike for the first time in ages, thanks to LimeBikes being available at the Pleasant Hill BART station. We took a short, wobbly, but fun ride down the Iron Horse Trail.

July 1 was the day I learned to kayak and surprisingly got myself through 5 miles of the Russian River without tipping over or running out of steam.

July 26 saw me reuniting with my dear pals Shannon and Glenn, when they were visiting the Sac area for a wedding.

July 27-29 was the weekend I drove up to Ashland to enjoy some time with my friend Debbie and to experience the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for the first time.

August 3-6 was when I somewhat unexpectedly had the delight of hosting my friend Clarise for a weekend visit. We drove down to Pacifica for the International Dog Surfing competition and I schooled her in the ways of California wine as much as I could with my limited knowledge.

The following weekend, August 9-13, I had a lovely time hosting and touring around with my 16 year old niece, and got to introduce her to the joy that is Santa Cruz. And yoga with goats!

August 30-Sept. 4 was when I hosted (this is a recurring theme in August, isn’t it?) my Aunt Sherrie for local sightseeing and a road trip up to Lake Tahoe.

Sept. 22-24 saw me heading down to L.A. for my cousin Katie’s wedding and some work meetings. It was the first time in ages that I got to connect with that specific branch of my family, and get to know them a bit better.

Sept. 29 was my first AFSP walk in Sac. And i was joined by Jade, her visiting mom, and her three little ones.

Sept. 30 was the really long hair session with Mason that helped solidify that we were legit friends (and included a shared sunset from the window of his hair studio!) and a quick follow up appointment on Oct. 3 allowed us to enjoy a rainbow and storm together.

Oct. 19-21 saw Maya and I doing another Girls Gone Sensibly Wild road trip. Back to Peachy Canyon to pick up some wine, and also Pismo Beach and Santa Maria for our first visit to a really lovely winery called Foxen.

Oct. 26 was quite possibly my all-time favorite Brian Fallon performance. It was just him alternating between his acoustic guitar and an electric piano, and he was joined by Craig Finn from The Hold Steady, who also did his own acoustic set.

Oct. 27 I got to introduce my new friend Torrey to the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, and we did a fun wine and Halloween candy pairing and some epic day drinking.

Nov. 3 saw me reuniting with my Cal crew and a sprinkling of East Bay friends at Fillmore Karaoke, for an epic night of loud singing as an early celebration of my 40th bday. So much wine. Actually too much, but for a birthday, that’s acceptable!

Nov. 4-6 I was in Indianapolis for work, and though the work part wasn’t particularly memorable, I was super honored and thrilled that my BFF Dawn drove all the way down from Joliet IL with her two boys to have dinner with me on my first night there.

Nov. 9 was an epic Local H show in Sac. Also a welcome break in the midst of a period of forced solitude, after the Camp Fire residual smoke prompted my whole office to work from home for about a week to protect us from the terrible air quality.

Nov. 18 was the day we had the beautiful service honoring the life of a beloved professor who passed.

Nov. 24-29 was my trip to Cabo with my Aunt Sherrie, and was also my official bday celebration.

Dec. 9-12 was my DC trip, which also allowed me to catch up with my friend Max, who lives in Baltimore, and my friend Stacey, who also happened to be there for her own work purposes.

Dec. 15 was my full day of yoga retreating at Green Gulch Ranch in Marin, and then I drove to the East Bay to catch up with Maya at Calicraft, which is one of our favorite craft distilleries in the area.

Dec. 16 was a white elephant celebration in Pleasant Hill that allowed me to unexpectedly meet a new, interesting friend.

08. What was your biggest achievement of the year? So far, meeting all expectations at my new job and closing a major gift earlier than is required. Also not losing my shit during the condo selling process, even though there were a lot of reasons to do so.

09. What was your biggest failure? I wrote VERY little fiction. But I did dip my toe back into writing in general, so I guess there’s that. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I took a tumble at home that left my tailbone a bit tender about a month ago. But otherwise, no, pretty healthy, even after getting rear-ended in my car! 11. What was the best thing you bought? Various travel tickets, both air and rail. A beautiful new necklace that I found at the holiday market in D.C. All the concert tickets that provided soul-fueling live music.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Mine! I adjusted to a new job and an unfamiliar setting and managed to acquire a few new friends while also maintaining the East Bay friendships that meant the most to me. 13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Who else but certain immediate family members? 14. Where did most of your money go? Rent. Travel. Wine, and to a lesser extent, craft beer, now that I’ve picked up a taste for stouts and sours. 15. What song will always remind you of 2018?

Anything off of Sleepwalkers by Brian Fallon

Anything off of  Be More Kind by Frank Turner

Chariot by Gavin DeGraw

Tall Green Grass by Cory Branan

16. Compared to this time last year, you are: Thinner and sleeker, weight-wise

More willing to make room for others and open my life and space to them (friend and lover both) Still as sleep-deprived as ever 17. What do you wish you'd done more of? Novel writing, as always. Flirting. And kissing. 18. What do you wish you'd done less of? Angsting over adulting-related things that were either beyond my control or that ended up working out just as they should.

19. How will you be spending/did you spend Christmas?

I’m driving to Santa Cruz on Xmas Eve and treating myself to an overnight stay so that I can indulge in my happy place and a sunset hike. Also get to celebrate Boxing Day for the first time with my friend Jade and her brood back in Sac.

20. How will you be spending/did you spend New Year’s Eve? Original plan was to hang at my friend Jade’s place with her kids, movies and snacks. But just learned the wee ones are ill, so now I’m not sure what I’m doing. That was how I spent last year (the original plan, that is), with the main difference being that last year I also went to a two-hour yin workshop beforehand, which was how I discovered my current yoga studio, and discovered how much I enjoy yin practice in general. 21. Did you fall in love in 2018?

No. But I made more effort to pursue it, and had more options than I think I’ve ever had in a single year. Which was kind of encouraging even if each one was relatively short-lived.

22. How many one-night stands? I always laugh when I read this question. How about I just wink knowingly and say a lady never tells? 23. What was your favorite TV program? Supernatural. iZombie. To a lesser extent, Riverdale, even though I’m still pretty behind on that one. Sons of Anarchy (which I know is old but I’m playing catchup via Netflix and Hulu) And as a guilty pleasure, Total Divas. And of course, I'm still casually following WWE on the WWE network, though the only thing I’m finding compelling aside from the women’s matches are the Brits featured on the UK specific programming. 24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, I don't think so. 25. What was the best book you read? I finally got into the Harry Potter series and I’m really enjoying it. I just finished the Order of the Phoenix, and have the next installment requested from the library. 26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Not entirely new, but my appreciation for Cory Branan was reinforced and amplified after seeing him in Santa Barbara. And I’m also on a rediscovery tear with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Cold War Kids.

27. What did you want and get? Reassurance that this move to Sac was the right next step, after I settled in to my new role relatively easily. 28. What did you want and not get? Romantic love for an extended period. More down time. 29. What was your favorite film(s) of this year? Bohemian Rhapsody, even though I know it had some historical inaccuracies.

A Quiet Place was hard because of the ending, but decent as well.

And the latest Halloween was hella satisfying, especially since I caught it after needing an escape after learning about the passing of the professor I mentioned earlier.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I prepped for my Cabo departure, went exploring at the Cosumnes River Trail, which is also a bird sanctuary, and caught the movie Widows with my work friend Christine. Then she took me to Panera for dinner. Couldnt’ do much more than that since I had a 5 am flight the following morning. I turned 40.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Love, as always. 32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018? Activewear as much as possible. But never enough. 33. What kept you sane? My friends. The various trips I took and rock shows I attended. Junk food. Wandering in nature.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Jensen Ackles. Tom Hiddleston. Charlie Hunnan. Idris Elba. My taste doesn't change much. 35. Who did you miss? Dawn. Becca. Kelly and Drew. Stephanie and Scott. Rob. Elspeth. Mike K. Jason. 36. Who was the best new person you met?

Lu

Ellen

Mason

Torrey

Anthony

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018 Never underestimate my own ability to adapt to new situations, and to handle my own shit like a boss. I had a few challenging things thrown at me, namely the condo selling process, and the logistical gymnastics that followed after having to bring my car in for a bumper repair following a recent rear-ending, and though I felt tested by both of those situations, I ultimately succeeded at navigating both of them to a positive end.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I’m always starting over....

I don’t wanna waste the nights in my life

But I never fit in, or felt home in my skin.

I’m waiting on a big love, baby.

--Brian Fallon, “Her Majesty’s Service”

[messysuitcaseblog]

Kayaking the Sabana River: Ecotourism in Puerto Rico

I adore kayaking, so I booked a Kayak Tour of the Sabana River, which is at the other end of the playa from our condo in Luquillo. We got so much more than we bargained for! For just $30 apiece, Bob and I found ourselves on a fascinating eco and historical tour offered by Ramon of Sun Capital Paddlesports. Ramon introduced us to the Sabana River Estuary of the Northeast Ecological Corridor, a breathlessly beautiful a protected natural area. https://www.facebook.com/suncapitalpaddlesports/

After a short but very thorough lesson on how to kayak, Ramon led us and just three other people, he on a stand-up paddleboard and us in two-person kayaks, as we navigated several branches of the river. He pulled out a map before we started and explained the history of the area, what used to be here, what had happened to it.

We learned that Luquillo was the spot where Christopher Columbus first set foot on the island of Puerto Rice in the 1400s. The Taino Indians were living here at the time, and he has discovered their petroglyphs upriver, toward El Yunque peak and the rain forest, evidence that they traveled in that direction to avoid the invading Spaniards.

Roman told us about a past sugar cane plantation, a cow farm, and then how this area because a protected corridor in 2013, after the community rose up against developers who wanted to build more resorts on Puerto Rico.

Northeast Ecological Corridor

The Northeast Ecological Corridor consists of almost 3,000 lush acres of land along the Atlantic Coast in the northeast corner of Puerto Rico. It is home to native red bats, which we saw flying around over our heads as we passed under a bridge.

I did a little digging into this protected area, and found this from Sierra Club Puerto Rico: https://puertorico.sierraclub.org

The Northeast Ecological Corridor is an incredibly biodiverse tract of land covering nearly 3,000 acres of lowland tropical forest, mangroves, wetlands, sandy beaches, seagrass beds, and coral reefs. The Corridor stretches over five miles of undeveloped beach, from Luquillo to Fajardo, and not only serves as a beloved “backyard” for thousands of locals, but also is one of only two sites in the Caribbean where endangered leatherback sea turtles come on land to nest. The largest of all turtles, leatherbacks lay their eggs on the Corridor’s beaches from March until July. A few months later, the babies hatch and crawl back to the sea.

Only a few years ago, the Northeast Ecological Corridor’s status as one of the last remaining tracts of undeveloped coastline in Puerto Rico was under threat. Resort developers wanted to buy up the land and build hotels, a plan that would have both social and environmental consequences.

Endangered Leatherback Turtles

Perhaps its most important function is to host the nesting grounds of endangered leatherback turtles (tinglars, in Spanish), which grow to be up to seven feet long.

Ramon explained why the street lights along the coast in Luquillo are red – not just to reduce ambient light, as we had suspected, but to keep the turtles from going in the wrong direction after they lay their eggs. They look for the light of the moon reflected in the ocean, and white streetlights can confuse them. Isn’t that interesting?

The Sierra Club puts on a Leatherback Turtle Festival every spring to promote awareness of the gentle giants, attracting 25,000 people to Luquillo Beach with music, food trucks, activities, and turtle-themed crafts.

There’s also a local nonprofit called Tortugas del Sur that dedicates itself to helping these endangered creatures breed successfully during nesting season. ttps://www.facebook.com/tortuguerosdelsur/

Other Creatures Along the River

We also passed this humongous iguana on the eco-tour.

This was the largest termite nest I have ever seen.

We also saw an osprey and a great blue heron, two majestic sea birds that I love, Unfortunately, they were in flight and my hands were occupied with paddles, so I couldn’t get their pictures.

Ramon made sure to take plenty of pictures of participants in the tour, the best souvenir imaginable.

Hats off to Ramon, who dedicates his life to taking care of this delicate region, taking groups on these tours to give them a fascinating experience and cultivate carrying about the Corridor and the turtles! Five Stars!

(Leatherback turtle image provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region - Leatherback sea turtle/ Tinglar, USVIUploaded by AlbertHerring, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29814022)

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[noordinarytravel]

Cemetery Travel: More Than Just Looking at Gravestones

(Updated October 18, 2020 from the original posted December 24, 2019.)

Hello there…….welcome! A funny thing happened recently. I was talking to a friend of mine and mentioned the term “necro-tourism.” He recoiled just a bit when I said it and gave me a quizzical look. I know it probably sounded like I was into something really bad, something to do with dead people.

I chuckled when he said that and then I said YES! That is exactly what it is about but there is more to it than that. Maybe you’ve heard of it before? You might have also heard it referred to as cemetery travel or tombstone travel.

Necro-tourism is a type of tourism that oriented towards cemeteries. More than that, it is about the lives and stories behind the deceased, the artwork and sculptures found in cemeteries, and an appreciation of the beauty that lies within its stillness. I have long been a fan of necro-tourism, even before it was a thing, and I try to visit cemeteries in all of the states and countries I visit.

Before I go on a trip, I do a lot of research. I like learning about my intended destination but more than just weather, points of interest, and that kind of thing. I can grab a guide book for that. What I really want to know is what makes that destination unique, who the prominent people were that shaped the history and development of the area, and how life changed for residents moving forward.

I like to read about the good, bad, and the ugly. The present day is a culmination of historical events so I want to leave no stone unturned. If key figures are buried nearby I go see their graves, those of their family members, as well as other notables in the cemetery. It helps me connect with the community and the destination overall.

I don’t recall exactly when cemeteries came into focus for my travel plans but somewhere along the line they did. When I tell my Dad about it, he just shakes his head. I know for certain that my affinity for cemeteries did NOT come from him.

Most Tragic Cemetery

One of the most tragic cemeteries I have visited is here in Texas. The event that precipitated this cemetery happened in 1993 and is known to the public as The Waco Siege. In case you don’t know what that was, it was an event that occurred in April 1993 in which the FBI and ATF raided the Branch Davidian compound (also known as Mount Carmel). The raid occurred because the religious cult known as the Branch Davidians, led by David Koresh, were suspected of stockpiling illegal weapons.

The Siege lasted 51 days and included a gun battle, tanks, tear gas, and a fire that and resulted in the deaths of 4 FBI agents and almost 80 Branch Davidians including 28 children. There is great debate over who shot first and who is at fault but it really doesn’t matter all these years later. I am fairly certain when I say we will never know the entire truth.

Many if not most of the Branch Davidians are now buried in Waco in what appears to be a pauper’s field. There is nothing that alerts you to the events that got them there, and there was nothing at the time of my visit that tells you to who they were and how they played a part in Texas history. No memorial, no markers beyond the individual gravestones. Nothing.

For some, there is no name. Only “Unknown” and the date 1993. For others, you become painfully aware of their youth and the life that was stolen from them. I felt great sadness for those who had no active part in how things played out (the kids) when I visited the cemetery and I can only hope that the innocent did not suffer. I get angry when I think about it but so many are at fault (on both sides) and nothing can be done now…….so I just let it go.

Most Scenic Cemetery

This one is tough because some of the truly old cemeteries in Ireland, especially the ones in priories and abbeys, are absolutely stunning. I think it has to do with the contrast between the emerald beauty of the island and the crumbling headstones and ruins that strikes me the most. Such a stark difference yet it all fits together like the perfect cultural mosaic.

A few years ago I was in Ireland on a paranormal trip with friends and we were able to see Bridgetown Abbey. Located just a mile or two from Blackwater Castle (where my friends and I stayed), it was built in the early 1200’s as a Augustinian priory including cloister, refectory, and kitchen.

The abbey also served as the burial place of the Roche family, an important family in the history of Castletownroche. The abbey ceased to function when it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540. The nave has a dozen or two grave stones showing the expected wear and tear from hundreds of years of the elements, and there were a few graves that were somewhat broken and caved in. If you happen to be in the area, it is worth a stop!

My other favorite scenic cemetery is very different because of the tropical location in which you will find it. A few years ago we went to Puerto Rico for the first time. Peanut was at camp that week so we took the opportunity for a little getaway and adult time.

Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery in San Juan took my breath away. We were actually visiting the Castillo San Felipe Del Morro when it came into view: there it was atop a cliff overlooking the ocean. Many notables are buried there including politicians, businessmen, actors, journalists, and musicians among others. I was walking hurriedly to the gate when I realized the cemetery was already closed. Disappointment came over me like the waves hitting the cliffside.

For me, the ocean backdrop to this stunning historic cemetery plus the rich culture of Puerto Rico made for a great week. There was a small cemetery right next door to the condo we had rented that kept me busy for a few hours. It was completely without organization with graves facing different directions.

Some graves were a mere headstone while others looked like little casitas with benches inside. They had been gated, presumably to prevent the unwanted from entering and vandalizing them. I spoke to an employee there who explained that not all graves are maintained. He was maintaining and repairing graves for which he was paid. If family members didn’t pay for maintenance they would be allowed to fall apart. Many of them already had.

Some of the graves were completely eye-catching…..so much so that I got distracted and fell into a grave scraping up my right leg. Imagine the look on Hubby’s face when I walked it bleeding and limping. He didn’t even have to ask.

Catacombs

If you don’t know what catacombs are, they are human-made subterranean passageways used for burial. Five years ago Peanut and I were in Paris and we climbed approximately 20 meters down to this maze of bones and human remains. The ossuary was built in the 18th century as a result of cemeteries that were operating above capacity. There was understandable public health and safety concerns resulting from that overcrowding and overuse. Once the catacombs were ready, the contents of the cemeteries’ were moved underground. 

The portion of the Paris Catacombs accessible for tours is just a small part of the entire subterranean structure. Openings have been found in other locations around the city but it is not advisable to enter anywhere other than where the official tour begins and ends due to safety concerns. It has been reported that people have entered illegally, become lost in the catacombs, and presumed dead.

Rome has its own catacombs but there are no longer human remains there. Catacombe di San Callisto was utilized from the 3rd to 5th centuries. Part of the larger Complesso Callistiano, the entire catacomb system is said to occupy nearly thirty-hectare area (approximately 75 acres by my calculations) bordered by the Via Appia Antica, Via Ardeatina and Vicolo delle Sette Chiese.

Since there are no human remains, it appears as tunnels with empty cells in the walls. While not as intriguing as the Paris Catacombs, it was still fascinating and worth the price of a tour. It seemed easier to access for some reason than the Paris Catacombs but, in retrospect, but it was probably about the same distance underground.

Necro-tourism isn’t at all as ominous as it sounds but it is definitely fascinating. Next time you are sipping margaritas on the beach, search for local cemeteries and research their history. Chances are you will get a broader, more complete, and probably more colorful history of the area. If you need help in this regard, shoot me an email and I will be happy to help you find something. Better yet, if you have visited an interesting cemetery, feel free to share it on Facebook and tag me @NoOrdinaryTravels. I would love to read about it!

Merry Christmas my friends! NYE is coming up and it is time to give some purposeful thought to what you want your 2020 to be!

Annette

[theloftspiervillage-blog]

Condos in Long Branch NJ

Have you ever lived during Condos in Long Branch NJ? If like me you grew up in a house with a garden then chances are high that you have got no plan what factors and options to contemplate once staring at condos purchasable. Not being responsive to key aspects that would have an effect on your quality of life, still because the unit’s marketing worth may leave you with a condominium you can’t sleep in or sell.

What to organize before testing condos purchasable

When someone decides to undertake shopping for a condominium unit the primary issue they are doing is browse adds, this is often one amongst the foremost common mistakes consumers build. Before staring at units, preparations must be created which may build searching for a condominium easier and within the finish a lot of advantageous for you.

Down through the ages folks have continually same info is that the key and searching at condos purchasable is not any completely different. He or she is going to be able to provide you with valuable recommendation and his or her services are free since the vendor pays the commission. Another person you would like on your aspect may be a professional person. “Legalize” may be a language not everyone seems to be at home with and it’s continually a decent concept we have a tendency to perceive everything we sign, trust me on this my siblings are lawyers. Next, crunch the numbers and appearance through mortgage necessities. Being prepared on the monetary front can provide you with a practical read of what you’ll be able to and can’t afford.

What to avoid whereas staring at condos purchasable

unfortunately, not everyone seems to be able to understand that little details will build an enormous distinction in ones quality of life. The subsequent are some belongings you might not have thought to require into consideration:

• Steer away from units that overlook the doorway to the garage or wherever vehicular traffic is that if you worth peace and quiet. • Once more for peace Associate in quiet don’t opt for a unit across from or beside an elevator. • confirm your suite doesn’t look over the realm wherever garbage is picked up; this is often obvious however may be a detail the general public can miss. • confirm most of the condo’s occupants are homeowners, not tenants. • Avoid condominium buildings that aren’t simply accessible by any variety of conveyance services. Trust me you’ll want the service one amongst nowadays whether or not you are doing have an automobile. • Avoid condominium buildings wherever the neighborhood isn’t as pleasant as you’d like. The building itself could also be prime notch however if the placement isn’t at par then turn over. • Avoid creating a call before visiting the condominium many times and at completely different times of the day and night. • keep in mind to talk with the neighbors. You’ll want details regarding the realm and if you’ll be able to stand living beside them. • don’t commit before you have got mentioned all the monthly fees, maintenance prices, association dues, closing fees, and every one monetary matters. You would like to understand you’ll be able to afford it all while not breaking a sweat. • don’t purchase a collection with a read you can’t suffer, irrespective of what the building’s amenities are. When you decide to move during a low-maintenance home, you may need to contemplate testing condos purchasable. Singles or tiny families will notice convenience once they sleep in a condominium. As compared to box-styled colonial homes or construction homes, a condominium is affordable and sensible. There’s no want for you to mow a large field, and you are doing not must shut down the yard pool. Most condominium units purchasable include appealing amenities like an edifice, kiddies and adult pools, gym, and lawn tennis courts. The value varies for every condominium unit could vary, and you’ll be able to notice the correct quantity that matches your budget. Before you begin searching for condominium units purchasable, take into account the following tips once getting this kind of home.

Determine the number of house you would like

Do you have lots of appliances and items of article of furniture that you simply may transfer to your new home? Confirm that you check condos purchasable with the perfect floor space for you and therefore the different occupants. You’ll be able to additionally notice a loft sort unit that may be a fashionable alternative of the many consumers. It comes with a stairs that ends up in the chamber. If you wish a spacious space, you must a condominium unit that has over a hundred sq. meters for the ground space. You’ll fancy the comfort of getting lots of rooms for your appliances, and a locality to entertain your guests.

Check the parking lot and Security

most condominium units; you would like to buy a parking lot or slots for your vehicles. The parking fee is exclusive of payment for your condominium unit. Different condos permit owners to rent a parking zone for an inexpensive value, therefore you may need to contemplate rental as Associate in nursing choice. Moreover, confirm that you simply check the look of the parking zone. Inquire regarding the safety of the complete space; therefore you’ll be able to make sure that your vehicles are during a safe location. You must additionally take into account checking condos purchasable with security measures for all owners. Security staffs ought to have strict policies before they permit non-homeowners to enter and visit relatives or friends United Nations agency reside within the condominium units.

Compare Rates and Amenities In numerous Condos purchasable

you should have many choices once you search for condos purchasable. Consult property agents, and inquire regarding different condos that they’ll provide. Search for a condominium with a decent location that’s close to your work. Then, get a computation of the overall unit value as well as the monthly fees, parking zone rental value, and several other others. If you choose to travel to the gymnasium or swim frequently, visit condominium units with amenities that you simply want.

Inquire regarding many; tangled Details

you can check the history of assessments in hot water the condominium units. Once you have learned that there are few assessments, it may mean that the buildings are well-managed. Additionally, inquire regarding different policies that involve having pets within the units, procedure for repair requests, and different considerations. Before you get condos purchasable, confirm that you simply have settled all of your inquiries and uncertainties. This way, you’ll be able to build a prudent call once you enter your new Condos in Long Branch NJ.

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Avenue south residences condo

Jamaica has a distinctive identity in the minds of many tourists. Say Jamaica holidays to someone and they'll immediately come up with a few things to say about it and usually the first things that pop into people's minds are stereotypical icons and music. But beyond the cliché of reggae, Rasta, rum and sunshine there is an island brimming with stunning natural landscapes and a vibrant authentic culture. One area which offers you a proper insight into Jamaica is St Elizabeth, in the South. Below are our top 5 recommendations of what to do here.

The Black River

The longest river in Jamaica, the Black River's name derives from a thick layer of decomposing vegetation sitting on its bed. It's home to a few salt water crocodiles in the swamp areas and has a huge variety of different birds nesting on it's banks including herons, ospreys and egrets. Most notable are the huge Mungrove trees which line the bank and flare out in spider web branches, sometimes dropping down into Avenue south residences condo  the river from 40ft in the air. Tours run frequently along this one-of-a-kind river.

Lover's Leap

Lover's Leap is the stunning point where the Santa Cruz mountain range drops down into the crystalline sea. As you can imagine the views from here are absolutely out of this world. Look out for the turkey vulture, a bizarre bald headed bird affectionately nicknamed 'John Crow', who nests in the ledges of the cliff. On your way back from the top, look out for a few small 19th century churches, and pop in to take a closer look.

Bamboo Avenue

The two-and-a-half mile bamboo avenue is a wonderful walk. Long sprouts of bamboo create a tunnel effect as you walk down the wide path, with the sun glinting through small gaps in the vegetation. It's a very picturesque, romantic place to take a stroll with a loved fun or a beloved family member.

Treasure Beach

Four beautiful bays make up this fishing area, where a tight-nit, down to earth and friendly community will make you feel like one of the locals. The fishermen used to use brightly coloured, hollowed out cotton trees for canoes, and you'll still be able to spot a few today. This is the place to go for that perfectly secluded long walk along the beach. If you have this blissful idea of the idyllic Caribbean getaway beach, without the tourists, then this is the place to go during your Jamaica holidays.

Pelican Bar

To refuel go to the quirky and distinctive Pelican Bar. It's set on stilts out in the water, so you'll either have to take a boat or go for a long swim to reach it. A great place to spend a day relaxing with good company, in a really interesting setting, it's one of the most distinctive bars in Jamaica.

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A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On

What can I say? It is 2020 after all. With two trips cancelled and one of those cancelled a second time, we have been doing nothing but working, walking Cokie, saving money and (me) banking a lot of vacation time at work. With infection rates steamrolling in the wrong direction and a lot of folks’ behaviors and mask wearing circling the drain, the chances of any international travel for 2020 looks hopeless.

We both wanted to do something.....anything to get away for a change of scenery and so we began combing the internet trying to find an available beach house somewhere not too far away. On June 29, we lucked in to this one.....available and offering a 10% discount due to several available upcoming weeks and no surcharge for bringing along Fido. Sold! Even if we had never been to Emerald Island....sold! Even if we were four or five blocks from the ocean.....sold! Even if there was no swimming pool....sold! Booked, paid for and without travel insurance, we thought we were safe. And then there was talk of a tropical storm turning into a hurricane and coming up the east coast. Great. Thanks again 2020.  

I am out of practice writing my blog but since Emerald Isle is a new destination for us, I thought I would share our experience. Emerald Isle is one of many barrier islands on the coast of North Carolina. Due to the curve of the coastline, when you are on the beach staring at the waves (as one does), you are actually looking south. We are very near “The Point” where the island ends, the ocean waves flatten and the Bogue Inlet turns into the Banks Channel. From the top floor of our rental home, we can see the ocean and the channel. 

We three joined the parade of folks walking out on The Point one evening for the sunset, a very popular thing to do here!

It is not like we had a choice because this was the only small (relatively) house available but we think we really lucked out being on this end of the island. Our neighborhood appears to have a lot of year-round residents so it is quiet and very well cared for with beautiful landscaping. There is a shady public pathway from our neighborhood to the beach. 

We see turtles, frogs, rabbits and several deer on our walks (or in our driveway).

We experienced some of the other part of Emerald Isle when out for dinner. So I can’t stress enough how much we would recommend this end of Emerald Isle....and not so much the main area. The two areas are very different.

The beach itself suffered a lot of damage and erosion thanks to Hurricane Florence in September 2018 and restoration work is ongoing but where we have been sitting or walking, you would not know it. The sand is nice, the beach is wide, the dunes well established and the sea grasses healthy and picturesque. 

There is only one small condo complex at this end so the beaches are no where near crowded. Although there are no lifeguards, beach patrol drives up and down the beach. At every public beach access, there is a rescue buoy on a rope, a whistle and a reminder to call 911 if these items are needed. Leashed dogs are welcome all the time and all types of beach structures are allowed.

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Before this trip, we had never seen this style of cabana before. They are very popular here and on the more windy days down on the beach, we never saw one blown down or damaged. Eye-witness set up and take down are easy and quick with just one shock-cord, one guy-wire and two bags to fill with sand to stabilize  A local lady told Janet two university students invented them and they sell for a whopping $249.

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For those of you who don’t know, in March, we adopted another hound dog. Then named Jolie and extremely shy and skittish, she is now named Cokie and is now only very shy and skittish! Most likely she was a hunting dog and somewhere somehow suffered a broken back left leg, probably getting caught in a snare trap. When first found, it was too late to surgically repair her leg and they warned us she may need an amputation. However, it didn’t take us long to discover her insatiable appetite for hiking in the woods on trails. Her leg will always look differently but it does not slow her down. She has come a long way but it is often one step forward, two steps backwards. Now she hates loud and not-so-loud noises, sudden movements, vehicles (especially big trucks with loud engines), men, garbage cans, baby strollers, walking in our neighborhood, walking in towns......and, well, you get the picture.  

So, I say all of that to say that Cokie is with us on this trip. We have only managed to get her to the beach two evenings and haven’t tried more. 

However, just a mile and a half up the road, there is a town park with trails. So every morning, we drive and hike in Emerald Isle Woods Park. 

No lengthy trails there but we are usually by ourselves on the trail and she relaxes and enjoys it. If not for the challenge of how many people and vehicles would pass us, we could walk to it as there is a wonderful, paved 11-mile “bicycle path” that runs from The Point to the town border with Indian Beach. Anytime of the day, there are cyclists on it and in the mornings, joggers and walkers, too. It is a great asset for a beach town so if you come here with kids, bring bikes!

Weather-wise, we got very lucky that Emerald Isle was never under an evacuation order due to Isaias vacillating between a Tropical Storm and a Level One Hurricane. A lot of places both north and south of us did issue evacuation orders. We undertook all the pre-storm advisements, securing the trash cans, bringing in balcony furniture, locking the outdoor shower, closing all window shades, making ice and pulling my truck underneath the house. We had leftovers for dinner and a 1500-piece jigsaw and then we waited.

The worst part for us was supposed to be between 4 and 5am; no doubt, it was going to be a long night. And it was. And I really don’t want to do it again. Even though we later learned when Isaias hit the North Carolina coast 100 miles south of us it was upgraded to a Level One hurricane, that was enough for me. I can not believe there are people who shelter in place and ignore evacuation orders for stronger storms. This house shook so much I was nauseous. I was only halfway joking when I said I needed my motion sickness meds! My mind raced with worst case scenarios and I thought I would have a heart attack laying in bed worrying. I couldn’t imagine falling asleep nor could I imagine staying awake all night. Mercifully, I did get about four hours of sleep. When we woke up Tuesday morning and stepped out on the upper deck, we were thrilled to see blue skies and sunshine. And the best thing, we had power!

To my knowledge, Emerald Isle escaped unscathed. On our hike in the Park with Cokie, there were some downed trees but throughout our neighborhood and between our house and the beach, lawns and driveways were only littered with small branches, leaves and pine needles. When we went down to the beach after the storm, for the first time since arriving, the ocean/swimming safety status had already been upgraded to the most normal level. So, besides being sleepy all day, we quickly put Isaias behind us.....or at least we thought so until we went to dinner.

Sunday night, we had picked up a Low Country Boil from a restaurant back on the mainland in a cute little town called Swansboro. 

Cokie was very opposed to walking around it then so we thought we would return one night without her. It never occurred to us that they wouldn’t have power so when we drove back over the causeway and then across the little bridge in to Swansboro proper, the scene before us was not that of a cute little town but a major Power company repair project in process! Needless to say, we had to backtrack and instead get take-out at Bogue House in Cedar Pointe.

On Wednesday, my younger brother, Michael, drove down from Bluefield to join us for the remainder of our stay. And as much as he wanted her to like him — and try as he might to get her to — this sent Cokie in to retreat mode. He talks very sweetly to her and has even petted her a few times but she still looks at him with such distrust. But having a positive experience with a man around is good for her and she finally ate a full bowl of food tonight albeit after Michael had gone to bed. (Small steps!)

I need to wrap this trip report up but I would be remiss to not tell you we did return again to Swansboro where we had an excellent meal at Boro Restaurant. We sat outside and were entertained by fuzzy ducklings weaving in and out of the appropriately distanced tables and by a couple singing country music.

Our other very enjoyable outing was to the charming town of Beaufort, NC.

We would have liked to have taken a tour boat out to see Cape Lookout and its lighthouse but due to COVID-19, the larger boats were not allowed to make that trip. (Next time!) Instead, we took a smaller boat (us 3 in the back of the boat, a  family of 3 adults & 3 children at the front of the boat) on a shorter trip on Taylor Creek. Even though we didn’t luck in to seeing any of the wild horses that live on the islands there, it was nice having those views of the waterfront homes and restaurants with a little commentary to go along. In Beaufort, we dined inside at the Beaufort Grocery.

It is Friday night and we have to be out of this house by 10am tomorrow. The week has flown by and we wish we could stay for another. Cokie, on the other hand, is ready to go home although really, I think as long as she is with us, and the house isn’t shaking, she is content. And for 2020, that just might be the best for which we can hope!