#Richmonde Café

[digitalfilipina]

SPEND EASTER BREAK AT RICHMONDE HOTEL ORTIGAS

Holy Week is the perfect time to rest and spend time with family, and what can be more relaxing than staying in the city away from the crowded beaches and packed roads to out-of-town hotspots. At the center of the metro within the accessible Ortigas Center is Richmonde Hotel Ortigas which offers local staycationers a soothing sanctuary at special rates for an easy and affordable urban…

[stenoodie]

Lunch at Roses Senso Café & Bites Restaurant

Roses Senso Café & Bites Restaurant. #brainandtongueomelette #sojuksausage #persianbreakfast

Roses Senso Café & Bites Restaurant located at 9218 Yonge St, Richmond Hill We had lunch at Roses Senso Café & Bites Restaurant located at the corner of Yonge Street and 16th in Richmond Hill (9218 Yonge St).  I had overheard about this restaurant from a fellow mom that it was good and since we were going to be in the area, I decided to try it out.  Continue reading Lunch at Roses Senso Café &…

[sinceileftyoublog]

The Rural Alberta Advantage Interview: The Ultimate Arbiters

Photo by Leroy Schultz

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Like all bands still dealing with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Rural Alberta Advantage had to adapt. Due to the worldwide pause on live music, they were unable to follow 2017′s excellent The Wild the way they knew best: writing, workshopping, playing live, then finalizing. Fast-forward, and they surprise released an EP, The Rise (Saddle Creek), last spring, announcing the return of founding keyboardist Amy Cole, their first music in five years because they could simply no longer wait. They survived by remotely sharing demos, ignoring the typical album release cycle, releasing this batch of songs soon after they were finalized. Ready to tour and then play some more unreleased material, the band launched on a U.S. tour, their first since the pandemic, in May 2022. By the third show, lead vocalist and guitarist Nils Edenloff, followed by the rest of the band, tested positive for COVID. As many bands two years in had the pandemic in their rearview mirror, The Rural Alberta Advantage were left wondering when it would seem a bit more normal.

Thankfully, the band was able to play a handful of shows in Canada during the latter half of 2022, finally bringing The Rise to the stage and even--yes--debuting an unreleased song. That tune, “Plague Dogs”, was released as a standalone single last month with the announcement of what will (hopefully) be their first full U.S. tour post-COVID. (No, “Plague Dogs” is not a pandemic reference; it was inspired by the Richard Adams novel of the same name.) Though The Rural Alberta Advantage are planning to release a full-length later this year, “a culmination of everything we’ve been working on this whole time,” as Cole told me over Zoom earlier this month, they aren’t taking their time for granted. Instead, they want to put as many songs out into the world as they can and play for as many people as possible. Their tour starts tomorrow night at Lincoln Hall in Chicago.

Read my interview with Cole below, edited for length and clarity, about “Plague Dogs”, The Rise, and the history of the band.

Since I Left You: It seemed fitting to me that the debut of “Plague Dogs” coincided with the announcement of these tour dates, because the video shows live footage and the song has such a live sound. Was that something the you purposefully did?

Amy Cole: Yeah, it was. It sort of always is. It wasn’t because of the live video that we wanted to make the song sound more live. We’re always trying to capture what we sound like live. We’ve had varying degrees of success over the years [doing it], but it’s always our goal, because we consider ourselves a live band. I’m going to rehearsals right after this, and it’s when the three of us are in a room together that we feel the best. With Gavin Gardiner, who has been a friend for many years and has been the one recording and producing these last few songs with us, we’re able to get that [live feel.]

SILY: It definitely has a loud-quiet-loud dynamic going on. Was that also something the band went into recording trying to do?

AC: A lot of our songs do that. [laughs] We weren’t trying to rip ourselves off, but we love playing with dynamics in our songs. Whenever we can try to do it in an inventive way we don’t feel like we’ve done before, we do. This time, there are all these ups and downs and dropouts, and we really leaned into that aspect of the song. We go by feel: we work songs to death until we all feel really great about them. We’re really happy with how “Plague Dogs” turned out.

SILY: I’ve never seen you live before. Do your songs tend to take on new life live, arrangement-wise or in any other way?

AC: Yes, 1000 percent. That’s what was so challenging about The Rise. It was the first time we weren’t able to do what we normally do, which is start a song, get it to a place where we feel like we can try it out live, and then go on tour and road test that song, see what’s working and what isn’t, so by the time we get into the studio, we’ve played it live for a bunch of people and feel like we’ve got it to a really good place [to record]. Because of the pandemic, we weren’t able to do that with the songs on The Rise. That was really challenging for us. We were going in a lot more blind than normally. “Plague Dogs” we were able to play live quite a few times for people during the shows we did back in the fall. When we were recording, we felt really good about where we were at with it; we were feeling really encouraged by its response at our shows. When we went in to record it with Gavin, we knew what parts needed to be bigger, what parts needed to be smaller. That bridge in the middle didn’t come up until our last mixing session, where we thought, “Let’s amp the bass up four times as much as it is compared to the rest of the song, and let’s lean into the organ.”

SILY: Was there a different way you went about getting the feedback you needed for The Rise?

AC: Not really. Each of us played demos for close, trusted friends and loved ones. Sometimes, you’ll get a good, honest response, but sometimes they’re gonna be nice. What’s lucky with the three of us is we really trust each other’s taste. Even if it was just one of us not feeling it, we’ll listen and keep going and hacking away until the three of us are good with it. The ultimate arbiter is the three of us, so we really had to rely on that because we didn’t have a live audience telling us something was good or okay or not great. Luckily, we feel like it worked out for The Rise, but we’re happy our new songs we’re recording, we’re playing live, listening for feedback and seeing what’s hitting.

SILY: “Plague Dogs”’ launching point was the Richard Adams novel of the same name. Do you find that films or books are often the origins for your songs?

AC: I’m speaking for Nils, but sometimes he gets the idea for songs from TV or films or art. A lot of Hometowns and our first couple records was inspired by real stories from Nils’ personal life, as tons of songwriters do. A lot of those songs were about people and places he was thinking about from back home. That’s where he drew a lot of inspiration in the early days. If he were the one answering, he’d say inspiration comes from a lot of places for him. Plague Dogs happened to be the inspiration for this song, which made a lot of people [incorrectly] think it was inspired by the pandemic. [laughs]

SILY: How do you think the band has grown over time, instrumentally, lyrically, or in general?

AC: We’ve grown in the ways that people do over the 15, close to 20 years we’ve been a band. We’ve definitely gotten a lot better musically. We’ve learned a lot about making music, writing songs. We all know each other a lot better. We’ve been through a lot together, and we know how to collaborate. We know how to listen to each other and present our ideas to each other. Anyone who has worked in a group would understand this, but people have really different styles of working and communicating, and it takes a long time to learn how to best work with another person. We’ve gotten to a place where we’re super comfortable with each other and get each other, and now we sound tighter.

SILY: What else are you specifically looking forward to on this tour besides road testing new material?

AC: I’m sure it’s the answer every band gives: getting to play in front of people after not being able to do so after a number of years. We never took it lightly, but we’ll never take it for granted again. To be on stage and get to be the ones performing is one of the best experiences you can have as a musician, playing your songs in front of people who want to hear them. The fact that we’re going to get to do that again is an incredible gift. We weren’t sure we’d ever get to do this again. There were long stretches where we didn’t know what the future held for us, but we’re so happy it’s this.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately you’ve enjoyed?

AC: I watched a bit of Wednesday. My friend edited the show, including the iconic dance sequence that went viral recently, so I was very excited for him. I watched Fleishman Is in Trouble. I love The Amber Ruffin Show, which I hope comes back. She’s a writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers, which I also watch all the time. I just watched “Seth and Lizzo Go Daydrinking” last night. I loved it. It was so hilarious. Lizzo’s amazing. I was happy she won Record of the Year.

I was listening to Television just before we got on. I’ve been listening to them a lot the last couple days.

SILY: Mourning Tom Verlaine?

AC: Yeah. Listening to how much of the seeds of so many bands are in them. 

02/23 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

02/24 – Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall

02/25 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café

02/26 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown

02/28 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive

03/02 – Kansas City, MO @ recordBar

03/03 – St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House

03/04 – Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi

03/22 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

03/23 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

03/24 – Woodstock, NY @ Levon Helm Studios

03/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s

03/27 – Washington DC @ Songbyrd

03/28 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall

03/29 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall

03/31 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom

04/01 – Detroit, MI @ El Club

04/02 – London, ON @ Rum Runners

06/16 – Beaumont, AB @ Beaumont Blues & Roots

07/06 – Calgary, AB @ Wildhorse Saloon Stampede Party

07/07 – Orillia, ON @ Tudhope Park

[scandinavianfairytale]

Old feelings die hard

Pairing: Jamie Tartt x Reader

Warnings: None 💙

It was his first match back at home. Manchester. He knew it'll be bad. He knew no one besides his mom and Jerry would be happy to see him.

Though his mind kept thinking of you.

Would you spare a kind word? A flash of a smile for him? Or maybe even a hug. But he didn't dare to hope. All he knew was that he wanted to find you. See you again.

Apologize.

So before the team got up for the morning practice, he put on his hoodie and jogged all the way to the café he knew you owned.

And there you were.

He stopped at the big window and stared at your smiling face as you prepared the shop to open. It was amazing to see you so content, and he was so proud. You really made it - you had your own coffee shop and a good one, according to Google reviews. It was a cozy place, walls lined with books and plants, all your favorite things. His will was wavering and his anxiety was rising, his chest heaving. But he needed to do this. It was now or never.

He entered the café carefully, and he heard you humming to yourself as the steamer made its normal high-pitched noise. You busied yourself around the coffee machine, completely oblivious to the fact that you had company observing your every move.

Jamie was trying to think of a way to pull you out of your world, but he couldn't think of a justifiable reason. You looked so happy, reaching for cups and different coffee beans. That is until you finally turned around to fill the cookie jar on the counter and let out a shriek of surprise as you found a person standing inside the still closed coffee shop.

"Jamie fucking Tartt. As I live and breathe." You finally smiled as you realized who was standing in front of you. Making your way around the counter you wrapped your arms around him. Jamie was taken aback by the sudden hug but once the initial shock wore off his hands grabbed your torso and brought you even closer to him.

"Matcha latte?" You asked as you sat him down at one of the tables at the back. With just one look at him, you knew feeding him coffee would be a bad idea.

"Sure."

"How have you been?" He asked as he waited and stared at you.

"Busy. You know how it is." You flashed him a smile, but didn't linger. "How have you been? I saw that Richmond is making stride, congrats!"

"Yeah..." Jamie didn't sound as confident or cocky as you were used to, so your head immediately snapped back from the matcha and you finally took him in. Properly this time. Before, you just assumed it might be before-game-jitters.

"Jamie, what's wrong?" You asked concerned.

"I've been meaning to contact you for a while now." He paused and met your eyes. "I've been a shit person. You didn't deserve it and I never got to say it when I got the chance, but...I love you. I always have. Since that day that you pushed me down in the forest and sat on me because I was being a cocky little prick." You smiled at that.

"I wish I could take all the bad stuff back. I wouldn't have hurt you. And I wouldn't have left. I am so sorry." Jamie hung his head.

"That must've been weighing on you for a long time." You replied with a pause. What he was talking about was something you didn't think about that often. Of course being the girlfriend of a young football star and then being left very abruptly phased you and impacted your future relationships, but therapy helped a lot. It's not just that Jamie was a prick, no sugarcoating needed there, but you weren't a sunshine either. "Jamie, we both weren't great people - we were still basically teenagers. You were going pro in football and I was going abroad for university. We would have broken up eventually or someone would have cheated and I think while the execution was not great, you did the only right thing. So, I hold absolutely no hard feelings for you." You smiled and he finally lifted his head to look at you.

"As for the confession about love...why don't you first get into the good graces of Manchester and then we can talk, I don't plan on jeopardizing my entire life because the man I want to date is hated by the whole fucking city."

"Wait...would you want to go on a date with me?" Jamie asked, looking shocked.

"Well, I'm single and the only guy I ever really loved in my life just said that he still loves me, so I guess so?" You grinned.

"Can I kiss you?" Jamie stood up from his seat, with a little more pep and you nodded, stepping closer to him with a ridiculous smile on your face. It was like muscle memory when your lips met and suddenly all the other guys made sense - you never liked kissing them as much as Jamie. Your therapist offered that idea to you but it dawned on you just now.

Thank you for reading! 😊💙

The GIF belongs to the amazing creator 😊

[instantcaramel]

A month ago I went to Amsterdam and visited all the filming locations for Ted Lasso‘s „Sunflowers“, so I figured I‘ll finally put something together here.

First of all, basically all the scenes involving the majority of the Richmond himbos were not shot on location - their epic discussion followed by pillow fight was filmed in an abandoned hotel in London. (Info per David Elsendoorn). The same would go for Ted & Beard‘s room. Scenes on the bus or outside it were also filmed in Richmond.

The only Greyhound who doesn‘t have his own larger plotline in the episode who was actually in Amsterdam was David Elsendoorn, because they did film the first scenes at Johan Cruijff (you know how to pronounce it now!) ArenA, the home of Ajax Amsterdam (which is also the one place I didn‘t have time to visit). They could have easily filmed that in London in a different stadium but I guess they didn‘t want to pass up the opportunity - and give David something to do on his home turf.

Edit: I visited 3 months later, so here‘s some pics from the ArenA, I couldn‘t find out which hallway they used/dressed up for the press interviews, but here‘s some shots from the stadium and the VIP lounge we see at the beginning.

So, first up is Roy & Jamie‘s adventure: Jamie takes him sightseeing against his will, and the first place they stop on is Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge). (They run up the street to that before.)

Edit thanks to @warriorhoneybee: Roy grabs Jamie’s wrist at Diamond Factory on Rokin and then tells him he can‘t ride a bike outside Lyppens Jeweler at Langebruugsteg.

They go around the corner to Oude Turfmarkt (which is what I took a picture of) for Jamie to teach him how. For Grandad!!!

The fucking windmill they see before they lovingly gaze into each other’s eyes is De Riekermolen at the Southern end of Amstelpark, where they also cycle. (It‘s actually realistic for them to do that, it would be about half an hour between those locations by bike).

Rebecca doesn‘t see the obvious bike lane (that doesn‘t actually exist there) and falls into the gracht at Raamgracht. Boaty McBoatface‘s houseboat is still there, they just had it dressed up a bit with plants and such when they filmed. (Unclear if anyone currently lives there). The interiors were shot in a studio.

Trent follows Colin to Prik night club (which was absolutely buzzing when I was there, I really want to go back).

And then they sit at the Homomonument, the Pink Triangle memorial at Westerkerk, having that tearjerker of a conversation, before returning to party. (It walked that distance at night, it‘s a beautiful stroll and less than 10 minutes). When I visited someone had left sunflowers. 🌻

Leslie & Will first go to Hotel Prins Hendrik in the Red Light district (and steps away from Amsterdam main station) where Chet Baker died. They then make their way to Jazz Café Alto, which is just down the road from where Boom Chicago used to be on Leidseplein. (It‘s about 30 mins on foot between those two locations so they could have walked or just taken the tram for a few stops. The interiors were done at a studio though).

Ted of course visits the studio-filmed fictional themed restaurant where he has a BBQ sauce induced, Corey Burton-narrated epiphany about triangles, but first he sees Vincent‘s „Sunflowers“ at Van Gogh Museum during Museumnacht (which btw would mean the episode is set first weekend of November). As you can tell they moved some things around, so at least currently the painting isn‘t hung on that beautiful blue wall anymore.

As a bonus, here is a picture of where Boom Chicago used to be when Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly performed there - Brendan also used to live above the McDonald‘s on Leidseplein just steps away for a while. And the other picture is the current Boom Chicago on Rozengracht, definitely go enjoy a show there if you can.

Anyway thus concludeth my trip around Ted Lasso‘s Amsterdam. I visited for the Boom Chicago Comedy Festival and fell in love with the city, it was … magical / gezellig. I will never forget it, but then again, some people get Alzheimer’s.

[willalove75]

Oooh how about a Rebecca x reader fic where they have a sugar mommy/sugar baby arrangement, like maybe Rebecca agrees to help Reader out financially in exchange for their companionship (like going to dinners and richmond games since rebecca doesn't get to see keeley much anymore and she wants a buddy) but they fall for each other somewhere along the way?? Your fics are a godsend btw 😇

I love this!!!! This is actually the first of many sugar mommy requests I've gotten and I'm here for them😂 Thank you for the request!! 💕

And thank you SO much 🥺 I keep saying this but I really mean it, I neverrrr expected people to read, no less really enjoy my fics and it makes me so happy that everyone has been enjoying them so much! 💕

You walk into the café you spend most of your mornings in and order your usual drink from the barista. While your drink is being made you set up your laptop in your usual spot and start working on your school work. You hear your name called and you grab your drink and head back towards your seat. As you're walking across the café you notice a beautiful and very tall blond woman walk in, you make eye contact with her, you exchange smiles and you sit back down. You pop in your headphones and continue on your paper. The café is usually pretty crowded in the mornings, but its still one of your favorite places to come and get some work done. You hear someone say something and you take out one of your headphones and look over, you see the pretty blond woman standing next to you.

"Is this seat taken?" She politely asks.

"Oh, no, go ahead." You say with a smile.

She smiles back at you and you put your headphone back in and keep working. You see her scrolling on her phone out of the corner of your eye as she waits for her drink. You're distracted from your paper when you get a call on your computer from one of your classmates you're doing a project with.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, I'm sorry but I'm not gonna be able to make our project meeting tonight."

"Come on dude you're killing me."

"I know I'm sorry, I'll send you my half by tomorrow morning, I promise."

"Please don't fuck me on this I need to do well on this project, I need a good grade in this class so I can keep my scholarship."

"I won't! I promise!"

They hang up and you pull your headphones out and rub your face with your palms.

"For fucks sake." You grumble to yourself.

You notice the woman looking over at you and you look at her.

"Sorry," you say, a little embarrassed. "Group projects are the worst."

"No apologies necessary." She says with a smile and returns her attention back to her phone.

You put your headphones back in and continue your paper. The woman gets up and gets her drink and leaves. You keep working on your paper for another hour and then head off to class.

The next morning you're back in your usual spot in the café, you're sipping on your drink when you see the same blond woman walk in again. You accidentally make eye contact with her again and you both exchange smiles once more. She orders her drink and you get a call from your classmate.

"Please for the love of all things holy tell me you're calling me because you're sending me your half this very second."

"I am I am I'm sorry."

"It's due in an hour!"

"I know check your email you should have it."

You check your email and see the woman walk up next to you again, you make eye contact with her and she points to the seat, you nod letting her know it's not taken and she sits down next to you as she waits for her order.

"You are so lucky I don't hate you." You say to your classmate.

"I know I owe you big time, it shouldn't be too much to put together, I sectioned it all out so it's easier for you."

"Oh thank god, thank you. Okay I'll finish this, see you in class, bye."

You breathe a sigh of relief and you take your headphones out. The woman looks over at you and you look over at her and smile.

"I'm guessing your group project worked out?" She asks.

"Yes, barely, but it worked out." You say with a smile.

"Well good, I'm glad."

"Me too."

You hear the barista call an order for Rebecca and the woman gets up and turns to you.

"Well good luck with it."

"Thank you."

For the next few weeks most of your mornings in the café go the same way, you order your drink, set up in your usual spot, the blond woman, Rebecca, sits next to you, you both exchange a few words, she gets her drink and leaves. Slowly you two start chatting more and more, mostly just small talk, what your usual morning orders are, you tell her you're a student at the local university, she tells you she works at a football club. Eventually you begin to talk more about your personal lives, you tell her you're paying your way through school, you work nights and go to school during the day. She eventually tells you that she's the owner of AFC Richmond, you try to keep your cool, but not only has your family been diehard Richmond fans your whole life, you've been talking to the owner of a football club for over a month every morning?!

One morning she comes into the café and seems sad, you can tell something is going on and you ask her if everything is okay, she sighs and tells you that she found out her ex-husband is having a baby with his new wife, she doesn't go into detail, but you can tell by the way she's talking about it that she wanted a family, you're not sure if she wasn't able to have kids, or if they just never did, but you feel bad. The more you two talk, the longer you both stay at the café and chat. You begin to really look forward to seeing her each morning, you even began leaving your bag or jacket on the seat next to you so you can save the seat from being taken until she shows up.

You walk into the café one morning feeling totally defeated, you got laid off from your job last night and your world seems to be crumbling around you. You order your drink and claim your usual spot, you don't have the energy to even take out your laptop, no less do any school work right now. You get your drink and sit back down, staring into space, consumed by your thoughts. Rent is due soon, you have to pay your loans, a new semester is starting in a few weeks and you need to figure out how you're going to pay for your books, you feel like you're drowning, you didn't even notice Rebecca came in and claimed her usual seat next to you.

"Good morning." Rebecca says.

You don't hear her, the thoughts in your head are so loud they almost drown out the entire café. You're pulled out of your spiral when you feel a hand on your arm.

"Hey, are you okay?"

You look over and see Rebecca, a concerned look drawn across her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even realize you were here. I'm fine, I'm just-" you feel your voice crack, a few tears roll down your cheeks and you quickly try to wipe them away.

"Oh honey what's wrong?" She asks, putting her hands over yours.

"I got laid off last night, and I have all of these bills due and I have to pay for school and for books for the next semester and-" you shake your head and wipe your eyes again.

"Oh honey." Rebecca says, you're surprised when she pulls you in for a hug, but it's definitely something you needed. You wrap your arms around her and lay your head on her shoulder. You feel a calm wash over you as she gently rubs your back, her other hand cradling your head.

"It's gonna be okay." She says softly.

You try and hold back your tears, you don't want to cry all over her designer jacket, it probably costs more than your rent.

"Is there anything I can do? Do you need a job?" She asks.

"Oh god I couldn't let you do that," you say pulling away. "Thank you though. Plus, I go to school during the day, the job I had was perfect because I was able to work nights."

She nods her head. "I get it, there has to be something I can do to help. How much is your rent?"

"Everything for the month is about £2,300." You say defeatedly.

Rebecca goes into her bag and opens her wallet, she pulls out £2,500 and hands it to you.

"Here, this should take care of it."

"Oh my god Rebecca I can't take this," you say, shocked that she not only just had that much in cash on her, but just offered it to you like it was nothing.

"Yes you can, take it." She puts the cash in your hand.

"I can't- I can't pay you back for this, thank you, really, but that's way too much." You say, handing it back to her.

She puts her wallet away and pushes your hand back towards you.

"You don't have to, really. It's my money and I want you to have it." She says with a smile.

You stare at the cash in your hand for a moment and look back up at her.

"Are you sure? I have to do something to try and repay you, I can't just take it."

She smiles and looks at you.

"You know what you can do? Come to the game with me this weekend. My friend Keeley isn't able to make it and they're terribly boring when I have to be there alone. It'll be nice to have company."

"Uh, are you sure? I mean I'd love to go but are you sure that's enough? How much are the tickets?"

Rebecca lets out a little laugh.

"Tickets? You don't need tickets, you'll be up in the owners box with me."

You sit there in shock for a second.

"Rebecca, I can't let you give me all of this money for rent and let you take me to a football game, that's insane."

"Trust me, you'll be doing me a huge favor by coming with me. I can't stand being at the games alone." She says with a smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely."

The barista calls Rebecca's order and she turns and looks back at you.

"I have to run, are you okay?" She asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thank you, seriously. I really owe you."

"Please, don't worry about it. Meet me at Richmond Saturday afternoon before the match, okay?"

"Okay, thank you."

She gives you a hug and heads to get her drink.

"See you on Saturday!" She says as she leaves.

You put the money in your wallet and zone out again for a moment, you can't believe that any of that actually happened. You open your laptop and try to get some work done but you still can't really focus. After about an hour you head out and go to class.

Saturday morning rolls around and you get out of bed and get ready for the day. You do some more homework as you eat breakfast, after a few hours you decide to give yourself a break and go get ready for the match. You leave your flat and head over to AFC Richmond, excitement and nerves flood through your veins as you walk up to the building. You head in through the doors and ask someone to point you in the direction of Rebecca's office. You head up the stairs and walk up to the half-open door. You gently knock and hear a voice on the other side.

"Come in."

You open the door the rest of the way and see Rebecca sitting at her desk.

"Oh, y/n, how are you? Welcome!" She says as she gets up and walks towards you.

"Hi, I'm good, I hope I'm not too early."

"Oh not at all." She says and gives you a hug. "Please, take a seat," she gestures towards her couch and walks over to the table across the room. "Would you like anything? Tea? Water?"

"Uh, sure, tea is fine, thank you."

Rebecca walks over with two cups of tea and sits down next to you.

"So, are you excited for the game?" She asks.

"Yes, very. Thank you so much, again. It really meant a lot-"

"Oh don't mention it, it was the least I could do." She says with a smile.

You two chat for a little bit, you tell her more about your major, she talks about running the club, you enjoying talking to Rebecca. You would think that given the age difference and the differences between the two of you in general the two of you wouldn't have much in common, but to your surprise, and to hers, you actually do.

"So are you a big football fan?" She asks.

"I mean, I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan, but I grew up watching the games. My dad is actually a huge Richmond fan."

"Well, we'll have to get him here for a match one day."

"He would love that, he actually doesn't know I'm here today. He would freak the hell out if he found out I was going to be in the owners box for today's match."

She smiles at you and starts to stand up.

"Come on, let me show you around."

"Oh, okay sure!"

She leads you out of the office and down the stairs. She brings you down to the locker room and knocks on the door as she walks in.

"I pray you're all decent." She says walking into the room.

A little in shock, you follow in behind her, you're trying to keep your mouth from hitting the ground, you can't believe that she just waltzed into the locker room, you know she's the owner, but you can't believe that you're here right now, this close to all of the players you've been watching for years.

"Team, this is y/n, y/n, this is the team!"

"Hi y/n!" The team says in unison.

You feel your cheeks get warm as you wave at everyone.

"Hi." You quietly say.

You follow Rebecca to the back office where coach Lasso, coach Beard, and Roy Kent are gathered.

You freeze when you see Roy, you grew up watching him, your dad wore his jersey for every match he's watched since Roy joined the team. Even after his retirement your dad wore his jersey every match for good luck.

"Coaches, this is my friend y/n, y/n, this is coach Lasso, coach Beard, and Roy Kent." She says with a smile.

"Holy shit." You quietly say, staring at Roy. "You're Roy fucking Kent."

"So I've been told." He says.

You snap out of being star struck and reach out your hand.

"Hi, I'm so sorry, I'm y/n, I just can't believe I'm here right now, this is insane. I've been watching you since I was a little girl. My dad loves you, he wears your jersey every match, even still." You ramble as you shake his hand.

Roy grunts and nods his head and you turn to coach Lasso and coach Beard.

"This is crazy, hi, it's so amazing to meet you guys." You say, shaking their hands.

"Great to meet ya y/n, so how'd you end up meetin' the boss over here?" Ted asks.

"Uh," you look over at Rebecca. "We go to the same café every morning and we started talking and kind of became friends."

Rebecca smiles at you and turns her head to the coaches.

"So, how are we looking for tonight's match?" She asks.

"So far so good!" Ted says.

There's a knock on the door behind you, you turn around to see Sam and Jamie standing there. You feel yourself frozen in place, you can't believe you're really here right now. They ask coach Lasso a question and Rebecca introduces you to them. You do your best to keep your cool but you can't quite hide all of your excitement. They head back into the locker room and Rebecca turns to you.

"Alright, we should start heading out to the box." She looks over at the coaches. "Good luck!"

"Thanks boss! It was great meeting you y/n." Ted says.

"It was great meeting you too coach Lasso."

You follow Rebecca back out of the locker room and back into her office.

"That was insane holy shit." You say as you grab your jacket. "Sorry if I freaked out a little, I've never met a football player before."

Rebecca smiles at you. "Oh no, don't worry at all, it was sweet."

The two of you head to the owners box the excitement in the crowd begins to build along with your own. You feel like a kid watching the game, cheering and groaning with the rest of the crowd, you're having the time of your life. Halftime comes and Rebecca looks over at you.

"Are you having a good time?"

"Yes! This is amazing! I still can't believe I'm here. I never would have thought that I would be experiencing my first football match in the owners box."

Rebecca looks at you with a look of surprise on her face.

"You've never been to a football match before?"

"No, not a professional one. My parents were never able to afford tickets for all of us to go, my dad has gone to a few, but I never got the chance before."

Rebecca smiles at you.

"Well, I'm glad you're having a good time!"

The second half starts and the excitement builds up again. Before you know it, the match is over. Richmond lost, but you still had the best time of your life. You follow Rebecca back to her office and she pours two glasses of wine, you both sit on her couch and hang out for a bit.

"I'm sorry your first game was a losing one." Rebecca says.

"Oh it's fine, even though we lost I still had an amazing time."

"Well I'm very glad to hear that. I can't believe I didn't know you've never been to a game before, I would have had you come weeks ago if I knew that!"

"That's okay, I'm glad I was able to come tonight, I mean it was the least I can do. Are you sure there's no other way I can repay you?"

"Please, don't worry about it. Have you been able to find a new job yet?"

"I was offered a waitressing job, but the pay is shit, I'd have to work almost double the hours I did at my old job to come close to what I made there. I'll probably take it, but I'm worried it's going to be too much. I'm on scholarship so if I let my grades slip I won't be able to afford to go at all."

"Oh god you can't work a waitressing job, those jobs are horrendous. I would know, I was a waitress once a long time ago." She says with a comforting smile.

"I know, I really don't want to, but I don't think I have any other options."

Rebecca looks down into her glass and back up at you.

"May I make a proposal?" She asks.

You look over at her, a little confused, you have no idea where she's going with this.

"Sure?"

"Well, what if I were to give you the money you needed for school, books, rent, all of that, and you accompany me to games, boring dinner events, things I would normally have to suffer through alone, and we'll call it even?"

"What?" You ask, surprised at what she just proposed to you.

"You don't have to give me an answer right away, just, think about it."

"Wait, so you would pay me to keep going to games with you, to go out to dinner and stuff like that?"

"Yeah, think of it more as a trade." She says with a smile.

"That doesn't sound very fair to you, I mean, it sounds like I'm getting the better end of this deal."

"Trust me, it's more than fair. Plus, I like having you around, I think it could be fun."

"Are you sure? Rebecca, that's a lot of money, I don't think I could-"

"Listen," she says, putting her hand over yours. "I know it sounds like a lot of money, and to most people, it is. I am in a very fortunate position where that isn't much to me, at all, so it really is not a problem. Plus, I'd hate to see you waiting tables at a shitty diner at 3am, you deserve better than that. So yes, I am sure."

You pause and think for a second, it almost sounds too good to be true, but then again, with the position you're in right now, you'd be stupid to pass up an opportunity like this.

"Okay, I'm in."

"Wonderful." She says with a smile.

You both finish your wine and head out. You say your goodbyes and walk towards your flat with hundreds of thoughts spinning in your head. You can't believe everything that happened tonight, Rebecca inviting you to the game, you got to meet the whole team, the coaches, Roy fucking Kent. To top it all off, Rebecca offered to pay your bills to hang out with her? You feel like you're living in some weird dream. You get back to your flat and start getting ready for bed. Your phone dings and you check the notification, you see a text from Rebecca.

I had a wonderful time tonight, I hope you had fun too. Looking forward to seeing you again.

You catch yourself smiling at her text, you reply back

I had a great time, thank you so much, for everything. Let me know the time & place for next time, I'm looking forward to it too.

You wake up the next morning to another text from Rebecca

Dinner Friday night at 7?

You reply

I'll be there.

The week passes rather quickly, you spend most of your time studying for finals since the semester is almost over. Hoping to finish your degree as quickly as possible, you've been taking courses during every break, your new classes start in a few weeks and you're looking forward to them. You get a text from Rebecca on Friday telling you where to meet her, you look up the restaurant and realize it's a very fancy restaurant, you dig through your closet hoping to find something appropriate to wear. You find an old dress that should work and you try it on, by some miracle it still fits and looks decent so you decide to stick with that for the night. You finish getting ready and go to the restaurant, you see Rebecca pulling up as you arrive and you wave when you see her.

"Y/n, you look beautiful!" She says, giving you a hug.

"Aw thank you, you look amazing too."

"Are you hungry?" She asks.

"Yes, starving."

"Me too, lets eat."

You both walk into the restaurant and are seated at a table. The waiter brings over waters and the menus.

"So we were supposed to be meeting some share owners, but they called and canceled right as I was leaving so it's just the two of us tonight." She says with a smile.

"Oh, okay,"

"But don't worry, a promise is a promise."

"Oh, I wasn't-"

"I know, but I wanted it to be known anyway, even if someone cancels on us, I will still hold up my end of the deal."

"Okay, thank you." You say with a smile.

"By the way, are you able to come to the match tomorrow night?"

"Oh, yeah, absolutely!"

"Good, it should be better than the first one. I hope it is anyway." She says with a laugh.

You both order dinner and drinks, you both laugh and chat as the waiter brings your drinks over.

"To our arrangement." Rebecca says, lifting her glass.

You lift your glass and they clink together and you both take a sip. As the night goes on the conversation seems to flow effortlessly, you don't feel like you're being paid to keep Rebecca company, you feel like you're out to a very nice dinner with your friend. It only becomes quiet while you both eat, even then you're still chatting between bites. After a few rounds of drinks, a wonderful dinner, and delicious dessert, you both are stuffed and happy. Rebecca pays the bill and you both leave the restaurant.

"That was amazing." You say as you rub your full belly.

"I love coming here, everything is so delicious." Rebecca says. "Thank you so much for coming. I mean, I know we have this whole arrangement, but I had a great time with you."

"I had a great time with you too." You say with a smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow for the match?"

"Yes, absolutely, same time as last time?"

"That would be perfect."

Rebecca's driver pulls up and you hug her goodbye. She waves as her car pulls away and you head back to your flat, very full and very happy. The following day you meet Rebecca in her office again, the two of you hang out and chat before the match.

"Oh, before I forget." She says, getting up and grabbing her purse.

She pulls out a check and hands it to you, you look at it, it's enough to not only cover your books for the semester, but practically covers the entire semester.

"Oh my god." You say, shocked at the number on the check, you look up at her, your eyes wide.

"Well I figured that might be easier than giving you piece by piece every time I see you. I think that should cover dinner, tonight, and one or two more," she pauses to think of the right word. "events." She says with a smile.

"One or two? Rebecca this is like ten!"

"Oh don't be silly."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" You ask, you feel a little guilty, you don't want her to give you all of this money out of pity.

"Absolutely, stop asking me that." She says with a laugh. "If I ever think it's become too much or something I promise I will let you know, okay?"

"Okay."

You put the check away and the two of you head off to your seats. The game is just as exhilarating as the last, even more so because in the final minute, Richmond scores and they win the match. Both you and Rebecca jump and cheer, you're having the time of your life with her.

The weeks go on and you both continue to go to games, you accompany her to some business dinners, and some non-business dinners. You begin to get the feeling that she just wants someone to hang out with, you're not sure if she's just doing this because she's paying you, or because she genuinely enjoys spending time with you, but you think it's the latter. You genuinely enjoy spending time with her, you two become very close quickly, talking almost every day, you meet her friends, Keeley and Sassy, she meets yours, although neither of you speak of your arrangement to anyone. You've grown to really care for Rebecca, she's grown to really care for you too. You almost feel bad that she's still paying you, although every time you bring it up she waves you off and tells you she doesn't mind.

One Saturday night you go out to dinner with Rebecca, Keeley and Sassy. The four of you dressed for the occasion, another fancy restaurant. You've gotten to know Keeley pretty well, but this is only the second time you've met Sassy, you even got to meet her daughter, Rebecca's goddaughter, Nora briefly. The four of you order drinks and entrees, laughing and talking all night. The conversation flows as easily as the drinks do, by the end of the night everyone has a good amount of alcohol in their system. As you leave, Keeley and Sassy hold onto each other for stabilization and Rebecca holds onto you, you hold onto her, neither of you able to balance on your own. Roy picks up Keeley and Sassy gets a ride home, Rebecca looks at you

"How are you getting home?"

"Uh" you realize you walked from your flat, something you are not able to do in your current condition. "I don't know" you say and laugh.

Rebecca laughs as she holds onto you.

"Come on, you're coming home with me." She says, guiding you to her car.

Usually you would protest in fear of being an inconvenience, but tonight you just go with the flow. You both get into her car and her driver takes you to her house. As you're on your way to her house a realization hits you, the beautiful blond woman you met in the café was sitting right next to you, she became a friend of yours, she's been paying you to hang out with her. It's a strange feeling for a moment, but you look at her and for the first time, maybe ever, you realize just how beautiful she is, how her eyes sparkle when she laughs, how kind and caring she is. You realize that you've fallen for her, you're not sure if it happened so slowly you didn't realize it, or if it just hit you all at once, but you feel a warmth in your chest you didn't notice before.

You get into the house and she gives you a tour, even in your drunken state you're taken back at how beautiful her home is. She shows you the kitchen and your jaw feels like it's on the floor.

"Rebecca, your house is stunning."

"Aw thank you, I do love it." She says, admiring her home. "Come on, let me show you upstairs."

She leads you up the stairs and shows you the second floor, she brings you into her bedroom, you see a fireplace on the wall opposite the bed with a big flat screen tv sitting above it.

"Holy shit you have a fireplace in your bedroom?!"

Rebecca laughs and you look and see the pathway to her closet leading to a gorgeous master bathroom.

"Holy shit Rebecca, this is gorgeous."

You walk back into the bedroom and sit next to Rebecca on the side of her bed.

"I'm glad you like it." She says with a smile.

"Dude, this is crazy. Your bedroom is like the size of my entire flat." You laugh.

Rebecca laughs and looks at you, you smile back at her.

"Thank you." She says.

"For what?"

"For being such a good friend."

"Of course, I really like spending time with you. Even if you didn't pay me, I'd still really enjoy it." You laugh.

Rebecca laughs and puts her hand on your leg, you put your hand over hers. She looks into your eyes, without even realizing what was happening your lips meet hers, you have no idea who made the move, or if you both did, but you feel sparks igniting as you kiss. You feel electricity running through you as your tongues meet, you feel her gently hold onto the back of your hair as your hand moves up to her face.

Her hand travels down your neck to your zipper on your back, you move your hair out of the way and she pulls the zipper down. You pull your arms out of your dress and it falls around your waist, exposing your lacey bra. She guides you to stand and she pulls your dress to the ground, you pull her in and passionately kiss her again, her hands firmly grasping your hips. You fumble with the zipper on her dress and she breaks the kiss and stands up, turning her back towards you so you can unzip her.

You pull down her zipper and she lets her dress fall to the floor, she crawls onto the bed and motions for you to follow her. She pulls you on top of her and pulls you into her, your lips meeting once again. You put your hands underneath her and unclip her bra and pull it off, you grab each one of her breasts and massage them as you continue to kiss her. She lets out a small moan into your mouth and you smile, you feel her reach around your back and unclip your bra, you pull it off and she holds you tight against her. Her leg slides between yours and you grind against her, small moans escaping into her mouth, she grinds against your leg, you feel her wet thong against your skin.

She rolls on top of you and kisses down your jaw to your neck, you grab a fistful of hair at the back of her head as she sucks and kisses your neck. She moves to the other side and does the same, she sucks on your pulse point and you let out a small moan, you feel her smile as she kisses back up your jaw, her lips finding yours again. The kiss slows as she slides her hands up your waist and grabs hold of your breasts, your fingers still tangled in the back of her hair.

A tiredness begins to wash over the both of you as you slowly kiss. Rebecca slides off of you and you both lay facing each other, your legs tangled together, your hand holding the back of her head, her hand resting on your cheek. She looks at you with tired eyes and a smile on her face, she kisses you once more and pulls you into her. You nuzzle into her, never feeling more safe in your life, and you both doze off.

You wake up the next morning, still in Rebecca's arms. Last night seems foggy, as you come to consciousness you remember what happened and you realize you're in Rebecca's bed, the both of you topless in your underwear. Your shifting wakes Rebecca up, she seems to go through the same process of remembering what happened last night.

"Oh shit." You say as you sit up.

"Oh my god." Rebecca sits up and looks over at you in shock. "I am so sorry, I- I don't- I didn't-"

You can tell she's starting to panic a little, she starts to get up and you hold onto her hand, she turns back and looks at you.

"Rebecca, it's okay." You motion for her to sit back next to you.

She slides her legs back under the duvet and sits next to you, holding the covers up over her chest.

You adjust in bed to face her more and you look into her eyes, you can tell she's afraid, worried that she ruined your friendship. You place your hand on her face and gently stoke her cheek with your thumb. She closes her eyes and relaxes a little into your hand, when her eyes open again they meet yours and you smile at her.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking last night." She says.

"You don't have to apologize, I honestly don't know which one of us started it, but I'm glad it happened."

Rebecca looks at you with a little confusion and surprise on her face.

"Rebecca, I like you, I really like you. And I know this could complicate what we already have going, but, I realized last night that I-" you pause and look away for a moment, you look back into her eyes, she's anxious to hear what you're going to say next. "I really started falling for you, I don't know when it started happening, but it hit me like a ton of bricks last night. And I'm happy about what happened last night, even if we didn't have sex. I don't regret it."

She looks at you for a moment with wonder in her eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes."

She leans in and kisses you, you feel the same sparks from last night when your lips meet. She pulls away and gently bites her lip, looking into your eyes.

"Is this insane?" She asks.

"Probably," you say with a smile. "But I'm willing to give it a shot. You're worth it."

"You're worth it too."

You pull her into you and kiss her again, your hand slides to the back of her neck and she wraps her arms around your waist and pulls you onto her. Your tongues swirl around each other as she holds onto you. The kiss slows and your lips gently meet, both of you smiling into the kisses. You bury your face into her neck as you hold each other.

"This is definitely going to complicate things." She says with a laugh.

You laugh and pick your head up and look into her eyes.

"But we'll figure it out." She says and kisses your nose.

You gently kiss her again and you both hold each other close.

"Wanna jump in the shower?" She asks.

"Yes, definitely." You giggle.

You both get out of bed and walk into the bathroom, Rebecca turns on the shower and she wraps her arms around you from behind. You both look into the mirror as steam fills the room. You look up at her and she looks down at you, you close the distance between your lips and kiss her again.

You never would have imagined that you would be here, kissing the beautiful blond woman from the café in her bathroom, but here you are.

"Maybe getting laid off wasn't such a bad thing after all." You say with a giggle.

Rebecca laughs and kisses you again.

"Maybe it wasn't, I think it worked out pretty well."

[its-time-to-write]

ch. 5 - hustling for the good life

table of contents

your boots beneath my bed

You, on the other hand, had done your proper research. Watched his highlights on Lust Conquers All and everything. You want to know what exactly your stupid brain is doing, thinking someone like that is cute or (retch) boyfriend material but who gives a shit because you’re probably not going to see him again. 

You’re out of the hotel and in some tiny little cottage just outside of London. No paps, no PR agents or what-fucking-ever, just you, Natalie, and loads of fresh air. She finds you in the yard one morning, plucking a tune on a guitar and humming.

“That’s new,” she grins. “Gonna have a new single out soon?”

You raise a shoulder. “I don’t know. Maybe. Might just keep this one to myself.”

Natalie says hmm then turns on her heel to go back inside. 

“Oh,” she says after a few steps, “you should at least send it to him. He might like it.”

“It’s not about anyone!” you call after her rapidly retreating figure. 

“Sure!” she yells back. You flip her off and she says, “I saw that!”

—

Natalie’s booked some coffee shop concert for you, so you’re a little preoccupied with sound checks and meeting your temp band and promising to drink a latte as soon as you’re done singing because fuck sleeping.

It’s sold out which isn’t hard because the place is small, but it’s fun to sit on a stool and sing into a small microphone and be able to talk and joke like you’re the small-town artist you began as.

The crowd goes crazy when you strum the first few notes of Mango, as they sing along to the whole thing. You finish the set and begin thank everyone for coming when you see an oddly familiar face in the very back of the room. You’re not even sure how you caught it because again, it’s crowded, but there it is. He’s with some other people who you’re pretty sure are part of AFC Richmond, but you don’t care about that now.

You pause in the middle of your goodbye and say, “You know what, I’m actually going to play one more song. It’s a rough draft right now, so be nice to me. The working title is Poolside, and you guys are the first to hear it.”

You begin to pluck the repeating melody that’s been playing on repeat in your brain and start the first verse.

I know it’s a bad idea

And I can’t have you anyway

But you’re like a tiny bit of sunshine

I can’t seem to chase away

It’s terrifying and vulnerable in a way you’ve never been before. You’ve played songs for boys before, but never like this. 

You were in a hotel room with Austin one night after one of his movie premiers and just giggling about how stupid it all was. 

“I already have our breakup song,” you’d said, hopping down from the table. “Wanna hear it?”

Austin thought that was hilarious so he said, “Obviously,” so you grabbed your guitar from your room and strapped it on. 

“Alright,” you said while strumming a bouncy tune, “this one’s a little more line-dancey than my usuals. So.”

Austin had tapped his foot while you sang, “A long time ago/in a land not so far away/we met in a bar/and you fucking said ‘hey.’”

It was silly as you both bounced around the room singing about your impending split. Neither of you cared because it wasn’t real, and you had recorded him singing a harmony on your phone. 

You snuck it into the actual track months later, too faint for anyone to actually notice. 

But that was the closest you’d ever been to directly singing someone their song. It was different with Mango because it wasn’t romantic. 

And now it’s different with Jamie, because you’re singing about how dumb it is that you keep thinking about him asking if you were ok at that dumb fucking party. 

You end the song to thunderous applause, and you’re pretty sure bootlegs are going to end up on YouTube within the hour. You don’t care. All you can think of is slipping to the back of the café to claim that latte then sneaking out the back. 

“Nice one, girl,” Natalie remarks as she hands you a cup. “The label’s gonna love that.”

You smile. “They don’t care. I make them too much money for them to care.”

She rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to speak but just stops. 

“Hello? Earth to Nat?” you say, waving a hand in front of her face. 

“Hey,” says a voice from behind.

You spin around. It’s Jamie. 

And god, he looks fucking fit in trackies, Gucci slides, and a neon orange shirt. 

You can feel Natalie sneaking away behind you, and for once, you’re glad to be alone. 

“Hey,” you reply. “How’d you get in here?”

Jamie smiles. “Keeley. She can talk her way into anything.”

You nod, still holding your latte. “Well, usually we have a strict policy about fans who try to come talk to me unannounced, but I guess for you, I’ll let it slide.”

Oh god, are you fucking flirting?

Jamie smirks. “Babe, I ain’t any old fan. Probably number one.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Uh huh. Right. And when did you decide you could call me babe?”

Jamie takes a step closer. “Right about the time Keeley convinced me to ask you out.”

You almost drop your coffee. 

All you can say is a weak, “Oh.”

“She would love to,” Natalie pipes up from behind a stack of coffee beans. “I’ll get you her number and you can set it up.”

Jamie’s looking at you expectantly, and you suppose he probably wants your consent, not just Natalie’s. 

You nod and say, “Sure,” with the same lack of conviction the oh held. Jamie’s expression ripples for a moment, but then he’s grinning and saying “Mint,” before saluting Natalie and exiting the way he came. 

“What the fuck, Natalie,” you say. Your bones feel like jelly. “I can’t go out with him.”

“Yes you can,” she tells you. “And you are. It’s settled.”

Oh fuck. 

—

He texts you the next morning.

hey it’s Jamie :)

I can’t be seen with you, you write back before you chicken out. The press would have a field day. I’m not looking for something public, so if you’re only in this to gain popularity, you’re out of luck. 

It’s a little harsh, but you’re going to be open about this.

no worries, he says. paps r fuckgn annoying. we can do smthg small. 

Turns out something small means sneaking into a restaurant where Jamie’s been going for ages. It has a small room in the back with windows you can see out of, but no one can see in.

“John’s been getting me back here for ages,” he says. “Haven’t had an issue with the press yet.”

It’s all so normal, the way he pulls out your chair and tells you what he likes to order. The way he’s making you laugh and asking you questions about your life, not the ones about your music, but the kind that are actually about you. 

The server comes around with a bottle, and asks, “Wine?”

Jamie looks to you and you shake your head, barely suppressing a grimace.

“All good here, mate,” he says.

“Not a drinker?” he asks once the man is gone. 

You hesitate. You’re about to cross into point-of-no-return territory. 

“I- I don’t know, I can’t really smell it without thinking of my family. They’re all…”

Jamie nods. “I get it. Like me dad. Prick’ll be sober when he’s dead.”

“Yeah,” you say slowly. “Yeah, never had a family event without someone fighting. My mom’s the first one to get out, because she’s the youngest. She saw all that shit and decided it wasn’t for her. She went away to college, met my dad, and never looked back. Course, my uncles started showing up once I got famous. And my aunt, too. She’s probably the worst of all of them. She actually broke into my first apartment asking for money. She smashed a bottle and cut up my face pretty bad… I was nineteen and still trying to figure out my music career and stuff. I still have a scar on eyebrow from it. But, I wasn’t so famous that it ended up on the internet, so…”

You trail off again. Jamie’s looking at you all thoughtful. You’re not sure when he started holding your hand across the table, but there it is. It’s warm and calloused, and he doesn’t seem to care that yours is sweaty.

“My dad’s the same way,” he says softly. “Showed up a month back at a match. Fucking prick. But… can’t seem to cut him off, y’know? He’s fuckin’… family or some shit.”

“Hah,” you say, “That’s what Margarita’s about.”

Jamie’s silent for a moment. “Thought it was about how you really fucking liked limes,” he says finally.

That gets a laugh from you. “I do actually really fucking like limes. But enough about me. How’d you get into football?”

By the end of the night, you’re properly smitten. This boy knows how to flirt, knows all the right compliments and ways to brush his hand against yours or brush a stray strand of hair out of your face. 

This is bad, you think as his lips touch yours. This is very, very bad.

table of contents

[jamiesfootball]

In the kitchen Simon pointed proudly to a shared calendar on the fridge that had all their game days circled in blue. ("I'm not one to shirk my civic duties, but I've been known to skip the occasional council meeting when it conflicts with the schedule!") He offered them a drink, going out of his way to reassure Roy that he could ignore the City mugs stored above the fridge. ("We only drink from Richmond mugs these days, and they're all in the wash!") As they marched down the short hallway, he even cheerfully pointed out a dent above the baseboards where Jamie had once bounced a football off the wall too hard. ('He was only a little lad then, but Georgie dearest says that's when she knew he had the bug!') On one of those café chalkboards, a running tally of Richmond's points for the season sat printed above a grocery list for a 'Winning Bakewell Tartt.' Keeley giggled, whipping her phone out to take a picture. Simon put a finger to his lips and promised not to tell, smiling so sincerely that if it hadn't been for regular exposure to Ted Lasso, Roy would've thought he was taking the piss.

[astrangetorpedo]

Lucy Dacus Brings It All Back Home

by Hilary Saunders | 9/2/16

Back in March, when Lucy Dacus and her band passed through Boise, Idaho to play the opening night of Treefort Music Festival, every single member of the group—rolling four deep—wore shirts and caps that bore a variation on their home state’s motto: “Virginia Is For (Music) Lovers.” Before their set, they had stopped in Bleubird, locally considered Boise’s best sandwich shop, and while they waited in a line that stretched out the door, Dacus and the boys chatted eagerly and earnestly with those around them—especially if they asked about their shirts.

Four months later at the Harrison Street Café, one of her favorite sandwich shops in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia, Dacus remembers the festival fondly. Her debut album No Burden had only been out for about a month at the time, courtesy of Richmond indie EggHunt Records, and Boise was the farthest west the band had ever performed.

A lot has changed since then. Dacus has toured with indie-rock darlings like The Decemberists and Lord Huron, and impressed festival audiences at South by Southwest and Lollapalooza. On September 9, Matador Records will re-release No Burden, with the hopes that its eight songs will catapult the 21-year-old further into the scene’s fickle mainstream.

Comprised of Dacus’ first recorded works, No Burden showcases the singer/songwriter at her most revealing. Her contralto, which she manipulates from a whisper to a cry, conveys both self-awareness and self-deprecation. Meanwhile, the band, comprised of a traditional guitar-bass-drums set-up, stretches its volume and dynamics to parallel extremes, allowing Dacus to transform from demure chanteuse to rock band leader—sometimes even within the same song. Case in point: on lead single “I Don’t Want To Be Funny Anymore,” Dacus laments “being the odd man out” and “being the biggest fan,” right before the song erupts into a guttural roar. The album’s seven-and-a-half-minute centerpiece, “Map On A Wall” opens with Dacus acknowledging her physical flaws and begging, “Oh please, don’t make fun of me / of my crooked smile and my crowded teeth / of my pigeon feet, of my knobby knees,” but the song eventually builds to a tense crescendo, Dacus repeating similar lyrics with more force and tenacity.

Sitting in a corner booth upstairs in the café, Dacus explains, “I make an effort to voice what I’m most sensitive about, because I know everyone else feels that way, too. The biggest hold-up, when it comes to insecurity, is when you think you’re alone in it. When you realize that you’re not, it’s easier to deal with. It’s just that somebody has to be the first person to break the ice of internal anxiety.”

Dacus grew up in Richmond’s neighboring town of Mechanicsville (its most famous export is Jason Mraz). She didn’t necessarily suffer from “extreme internal anxiety,” but she did drift in and out of the precarious social structures of the popular crowd in elementary and middle school. By the time she got to high school—the prestigious Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, which is coincidentally located just down the street from the Harrison Street Café—she had found like-minded creative friends, and Richmond started to feel more like a home.

Although Dacus initially enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University—also located near the café—to study film, she left after her second semester sophomore year to travel in Europe. Before leaving the country, she recorded what would become No Burden to help out now-bandmate Jacob Blizard on one of his college recording finals at Oberlin. It never occurred to either of them to release the recordings. “We were just going to put it on Bandcamp for our friends and family to see,” she says. “It’s the only accessible place for start up musicians to put their work.”

When Dacus returned, EggHunt Records’ co-founder Adam Henceroth saw her opening for his label’s own signees, Manatree. As Henceroth remembers, he only intended to watch Dacus for a few minutes.

“I sat in the front row like, ‘Hey lemme catch a few seconds of this before I meet this other guy backstage.’ Well, I forgot about whatever I was doing. Forty minutes later after being glued to her set, I was speechless,” he says. “The thing about Lucy is that, literally within 60 seconds of listening to her, you’re immediately drawn into her world. You’re caught in a tractor beam of sorts. She hits you square in the head and speaks to your heart.”

Both in person and on No Burden, Dacus radiates that emotional authenticity that Henceroth describes. Part of that stems from her Richmond upbringing—specifically, the fact that Dacus was adopted. That fact is a bit oblique on the record; she never sings about her experience directly. But the lessons she learned reveal themselves in certain places—the album title itself is a reminder that we are not a duty to those who love us. They reflect Dacus’ desire to seek meaningful connections, especially when we are at our most vulnerable.

“[Adoption has] totally impacted what I write, because one of first things I learned as a philosophy was that life is worthwhile,” She says, “So much so that a bunch of people had to sacrifice a lot so that I would have one. As a four-year-old, that’s what I already knew.”

The most impressive element of Dacus’ debut is that while so much of No Burden resulted from growing up in Richmond, its messages transcend the city that raised her and embraced her. And everyone from EggHunt to Matador to the fans she’s gained in the meteoric past nine months seem to realize it. “It’s real cool how Lucy has seemed to stay true to her roots,” says Henceroth. “She talks about Virginia a lot, and she never had any obligation to include [EggHunt] in her story, but she did. She comes across as really honest. You can hear it in her music. There’s no pretense. She’s not trying to be something she’s not. It’s all coming from her. That’s the magical part of it.”

(x)

[scotianostra]

On March 12th 1881 Andrew Watson made his Scotland debut as the world’s first black international football player and captain.

It’s not often I venture into the world of football but this is quite a historical event, not only was he the first Black footballer to captain Scotland, but the first one in International football, although there were very few international teams at this time it is still a major event in my humble opinion, this would actually make him the first Black footballer to play international football, the firsts will continue as the post does…..

Andrew Watson was born in May 24th 1857, Demerara, British Guiana, the son of a wealthy Scottish sugar planter Peter Miller and a local girl Rose Watson. At the age of 14, he was schooled at the exclusive King’s College London, where school records show he excelled at sports including football. He later studied philosophy, mathematics and engineering at University of Glasgow when he was 19, where his natural love of football blossomed.

After first playing for Maxwell F.C., in 1876 he signed for local side Parkgrove F.C. where he was additionally their match secretary, making Watson football’s first black administrator. After marrying in Glasgow, he soon signed for Queen’s Park F.C. – then Britain’s biggest football team – and later became their secretary. He led the team to several Scottish Cup wins, thus becoming the first black player to win a major competition.

Soon Watson won three international caps for Scotland including captaining them to a 6-1 victory against England on March 12, 1881

In 1882, he moved south and became the first black player to play in the English FA Cup when he turned out for London Swifts F.C. In 1884 he was the first foreign player to be invited to join the most exclusive of football teams, a team that only allowed only 50 members of the high elite to join – Corinthians F.C. – created to challenge the supremacy of Queen’s Park and the Scottish national side.

It had been maintained that the first black footballer was Arthur Wharton, until it was only recently noted that Watson pre-dates him by 11 years.

One reason is that when historians consider black footballers, they tend to concentrate on professionals and not amateurs such as Watson. Another is that there are no known written records or match reports that mention the colour of Watson’s skin. One match report is more interested in that Watson played in unusual brown boots rather than the customary black boots of that time.

The colour of his skin was of no significance to his peers and there is no historical record of racism on the part of the Scottish Football Association. As written in the minutes, before one match where Watson was injured and unable to play, an SFA vice-president said if Watson had been fit he would have happily drugged a fellow Scottish international to give Watson his place.

Scottish Football Association Annual of 1880-81 reads…..

“Watson, Andrew: One of the very best backs we have; since joining Queen’s Park has made rapid strides to the front as a player; has great speed and tackles splendidly; powerful and sure kick; well worthy of a place in any representative team.”

There is almost no record of his later life; however, it is known that Watson later emigrated to Australia, he later retired to London in around 1910 and died of pneumonia at 88 Forest Road, Kew, in 1921. He is buried in Richmond Cemetery.

Pics are a mural on the side of Jodandys café in Shawlands, Glasgow, and another at the 1st Hampden Park.

[lesoreillesouvertes]

Haaaa le Kentucky 💙💙💙

Une sacrée journée aux pays des poneys ! Je suis sortie de mon hibernation dans mon hôtel semi-miteux en gardant un souvenir : une douce odeur de cigarette froide sur une partie de mes vêtements. J’avais oublié que ça existait, l’odeur de clope et les chambres fumeur.

Et je suis allée me vautrer dans un gros canapé en cuir dans un bar super pour faire de l’ordinateur en buvant du café.

Puis je suis allée faire une visite de la maison d’Henry Clay, un mec qui a presque été président des États-Unis au 19e siècle. La visite était chouette et je perfectionne ma compréhension de l’anglais dans ces moments là ;-)

Je suis revenue faire un tour dans le centre ville malgré un vent glacial (vraiment glacial !), oui avec passion maisons il y a passion street art !

J’ai filé vers le sud à quelques miles de Lexington pour rencontrer mon hôte couchsurfeuse Teresa qui habite à Richmond,KY. Et nous voilà à aller voir des poneys au Kentucky Horse Park. Et là, alignement des planètes, coucher de soleil derrière ce splendide énorme cheval mais timide apparemment d’une race anglaise avec des magnifique chaussettes de poils blancs ! Teresa a des photos de nous avec le cheval, je vais bientôt avoir des photos à l’américaine à vous partager.

Nous sommes passées voir un ami peintre de Teresa qui s’appelle Enrique. Il est d’origine vénézuélienne avec un accent … ouhaaa je ne sais pas comment j’ai réussi à comprendre tant de choses ! C’est lui avec un de ses derniers tableaux, déjà vendu. On n’aurait pu parler toute la nuit avec Teresa mais elle se lève pour travailler alors le burger barbecue, penne, épinard nous a achevé.

Vraiment le couchsurfing aux USA, c’est génial😁

[polikszena]

So, last weekend I went to Richmond, and it was wonderful. First I was there in the evening and I couldn't see anything of Richmond Green as there were no street lights in the park. I also had a pint in The Princes Head, but as it was Friday, a lot of people were there, and I didn't realise that there was another room in the back. I thought there were only the toilets. Anyway, since it was dark and rainy on Friday, I knew I had to go back.

So, next day I walked there from Twickenham, and it was amazing. The weather was nice and sunny. I think Matthijs the Dutch Boat Bloke would like it a lot as there are many boats there (not for living, though). I had a cappuccino on Ted's bench (from the café at the end of Paved Court) while watching the dogs playing in the park. It was so great! It's a pity I couldn't spend more time there. Here are some photos I took there:

[thetarttfuldickhead]

A Jamie-centric pre-OT3 Christmas story told in 25 short chapters.

Masterpost / AO3

8.

Half an hour and a cuppa in a quiet little café off Sydney Street later, Jamie had more or less calmed down after his failed attempt to have a friendly conversation with Roy Kent.

It fucking figured that Roy was too much of a miserable old twat to react normally to somone trying to be nice to him, but it was still a disappointement, especially after Jamie had gone to the trouble of getting hold of his adress (thank you, Richmond secretary Rose with a soft spot for sexy footballers), and spending a good part of his morning lurking around outside Roy’s house, until Roy finally went out to get lunch in some sad little kebab shop. 

He’d been right cunning about coming up to Roy, too, making like he was just there to get a bite, but then Roy had to go and open his big fat mouth and it had all gone tits up. It wasn’t like Jamie to lose his temper like that, but Roy’s words had prodded at something only half-healed and painful.  

He won’t be coming back. Nobody wants you. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.

(And even so Jamie might not have cared about that bullshit had it come from anyone else, but. Like. This was Roy. Roy Kent. There’d been a time when Jamie would spend hours just thinking about Roy Kent talking to him about football, about how Jamie was playing, and never once in those happy dreams had Roy suggested that City would be right to drop him. Never once had he suggested that another team would be stupid to take him on.)

But joke was on Roy, yeah, ‘cause Jamie was back at Richmond and playing and perhaps he was still not quite up to his usual brilliant standard, hadn’t scored as much as he used to, but at least he was playing, which was more than could be said for Roy.

For some reason, that didn’t feel as much as a triumph as Jamie would have thought (or would have claimed, had anyone asked him just just a year ago).

With a frustrated sigh, he drained the last dregs of his tea. He’d better get moving. Couldn’t be sat here all day like some sad sack with nowhere better to be.

He didn’t feel like going home, though. The idea of spending the rest of the afternoon alone and fretting made him like there were tiny little spiders running around all over him, their tiny little spider legs itching and pulling at his skin.

On impulse, he texted Isaac.

Hey mate

U doing anything?

Had this been last year, he would have fully expected Isaac to get back to him right away, ready to drop anything short of deadly disease or a family crisis to roll with whatever Jamie wanted. Now, though, it was a pleasant surprise when Isaac texted back almost immediately.

Hitting dover street market with colin for some christmas drip

Wanna join us?

It was stupid, really, the way the simple question sent a rush of relief and happiness through him. Fucking soft, something whispered in his mind. Needy bitch. Jamie pressed his lips together and did his level best to ignore it while he typed out a quick reply.

I’m in.

Be there in 30

I’ll buy you lunch.

He waited until he got a Yeah all right bruv, see you there, and then he pocketed his phone and headed out.

Isaac and Colin could buy their own lunches, of course – could buy lunch for the whole city of London, probably – but it was a way of saying thank you, innit. ‘Course, anyone should be happy to have Jamie with them on their shopping tour, for advice and the like, but with everything that had happened, he wanted to make sure the lads knew he appreciated them asking him to come. That he didn’t take them for granted anymore.

Maybe buying affection wasn’t always the way to go, but it didn’t hurt being a little generous when you were trying to make friends, did it? Who didn’t love gifts?

Huh. Now there was a thought.

Sure, Ted had shot down his PS5 plan (and Dr. Sharon hadn’t seemed keen on it either), but Jamie had tried doing things differently with Roy, right, and that had gotten him fuck all. It was time to do things his way, namely with a lot of style and a fuckton of money.

Roy probably wouldn’t like a PS5, though. Way too much fun for him. And treating him to lunch was right out, on account of Roy being an arsehole who couldn’t be bothered not to be an arsehole even when Jamie was clearly trying to be sweet to him,

What would he like, though? Apart from football, which no one could give him again, and Keeley, whom he already had (and even if she’d been Jamie’s, he wouldn’t have given her to Roy, partly because she was her own person and no one’s to give, and partly because Jamie would never, ever be stupid enough to lose her a second time).

He’d have to think on it for a bit, Jamie decided. But that could wait until after he spent the afternoon getting properly kitted out for the holiday season with Colin and Isaac.

Feeling quite a good deal happier than he had before, Jamie skipped down the stairs down to the Tube station and got on Picadilly line heading north.

[troquets]

Dorothea Lange - Richmond Café, Californie, 1942.

[whomuses]

open rp || Jamie Tartt

You're not fucking good enough. The words were hammering through his head on a loop. Jamie had been his way in to Richmond that day, enjoying the sunshine and taking advantage of being early to wander to a nearby café and get himself a coffee, a tiny treat before they got into training for the day. It was supposed to continue the content feeling he'd finished his 4am training with, but instead, everything had come crashing down. Some asshole who hadn't gotten the memo had shouted the words across at him, abuse falling like the autumnal leaves that lay across the street, a rising tide of dull fire that he would usually find beautiful. A stiff silence had fallen over him, frozen in place, seeing not the man who had thought to fare his opinion onto unsuspecting early morning workers, but a ruddy and fluffy-haired feature that was rather more related to him. By the time the arsehole had been swept away, and admittedly, Jamie had paid very little attention that that removal, it was far too late. His mood had crashed right through the ground, his brain an entire, tangled mess. The words were just looping, over and over, in his brain. The honest anger with which it had been shouted... Jamie knew it was right. Fuck, he wasn't good enough. His team were great. He was a let-down. The once great Jamie Tartt... The impact of someone colliding with him - or maybe him colliding with them - Jamie jolted back, an angry flash, an old, furious, trapped young man - "Mind where you're fuckin' goin', yeah?" he snarled out, lip curling into a sneer, before he could even think the words through.

[richincolor]

Food, food, and More Food

Not long ago we had a booklist involving tea and then it occurred to me that we hadn't gathered books about food yet. I love a good book about food, baking, cooking, or just enjoying food. Here are a few enjoyable stories revolving around yummy meals and treats.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo Quill Tree Books [Our Group Discussion]

Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago’s life has been about making the tough decisions—doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness.

Even though she dreams of working as a chef after she graduates, Emoni knows that it’s not worth her time to pursue the impossible. Yet despite the rules she thinks she has to play by, once Emoni starts cooking, her only choice is to let her talent break free.

Café con Lychee by Emery Lee Quill Tree Books [Audrey's Review]

Sometimes bitter rivalries can brew something sweet.

Theo Mori wants to escape. Leaving Vermont for college means getting away from working at his parents’ Asian American café and dealing with their archrivals’ hopeless son Gabi who’s lost the soccer team more games than Theo can count.

Gabi Moreno is miserably stuck in the closet. Forced to play soccer to hide his love for dance and iced out by Theo, the only openly gay guy at school, Gabi’s only reprieve is his parents’ Puerto Rican bakery and his plans to take over after graduation.

But the town’s new fusion café changes everything. Between the Mori’s struggling shop and the Moreno’s plan to sell their bakery in the face of the competition, both boys find their dreams in jeopardy. Then Theo has an idea—sell photo-worthy food covertly at school to offset their losses. When he sprains his wrist and Gabi gets roped in to help, they realize they need to work together to save their parents’ shops but will the new feelings rising between them be enough to send their future plans up in smoke?

A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen Razorbill [My Review]

To everyone else, high school senior Liza Yang is practically perfect. Pretty, smart, and well-liked, she’s salutatorian of her class and starting a prestigious university in the fall. To her ultra-traditional Taiwanese mom, however, Liza is stubborn and rebellious, unlike her older sister Jeannie. She won’t even date a proper Asian boy! The only thing mother and daughter agree on is Liza’s talent for baking. With Mrs. Yang’s annual junior baking competition on the horizon, Liza’s determined to prove she’s more than Jeannie’s shadow. If only she knew her mother has plans of her own…

Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love edited by Caroline Tung Richmond & Elsie Chapman Simon Pulse [My Review]

From some of your favorite bestselling and critically acclaimed authors—including Sandhya Menon, Anna-Marie McLemore, and Rin Chupeco—comes a collection of interconnected short stories that explore the intersection of family, culture, and food in the lives of thirteen teens.

A shy teenager attempts to express how she really feels through the confections she makes at her family’s pasteleria. A tourist from Montenegro desperately seeks a magic soup dumpling that could cure his fear of death. An aspiring chef realizes that butter and soul are the key ingredients to win a cooking competition that could win him the money to save his mother’s life.

Welcome to Hungry Hearts Row, where the answers to most of life’s hard questions are kneaded, rolled, baked. Where a typical greeting is, “Have you had anything to eat?” Where magic and food and love are sometimes one and the same.

Told in interconnected short stories, Hungry Hearts explores the many meanings food can take on beyond mere nourishment. It can symbolize love and despair, family and culture, belonging and home.

A Phở Love Story by Loan Le Simon Pulse

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.

If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and spark and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.

For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring phở restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.

But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao together despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.

Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) [Jessica's Review]

Clara Shin lives for pranks and disruption. When she takes one joke too far, her dad sentences her to a summer working on his food truck, the KoBra, alongside her uptight classmate Rose Carver. Not the carefree summer Clara had imagined. But maybe Rose isn't so bad. Maybe the boy named Hamlet (yes, Hamlet) crushing on her is pretty cute. Maybe Clara actually feels invested in her dad’s business. What if taking this summer seriously means that Clara has to leave her old self behind?

Batter Royale by Leisl Adams Abrams [My Review]

In Leisl Adams’s debut graphic novel, Batter Royale, an aspiring amateur baker enters the toughest, ugliest, most fearsome fight she’ll ever experience: a baking reality show.

When seventeen-year-old small-town waitress Rose impresses a famous food critic, she and her best friend, Fred, find themselves thrust into the tough world of competitive baking. The contest is an intense ten days of bizarre challenges, and the competition is cutthroat. Some competitors are willing to lie, cheat, and sabotage their way to the top. Rose may be in over her head, but she is determined to show that she can become a top chef. Batter Royale is a fish-out-of-water style romantic comedy about climbing out of the circumstances you’re in and making your dreams come true. [It includes recipes!!]

A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Teenage master of Cuban cuisine, Lila Reyes, is eager to inherit her family’s Miami bakery along with her sister, Pilar. But between spring and graduation, Lila’s abuela dies, her best friend abandons her, and her long-time boyfriend dumps her. Fearing Lila’s emotional health, her parents defy her wishes and entrust her summer to family and their Winchester, England inn. Even though she’s given a space to cook at the inn, she longs for Miami, the seat of her Cuban roots. Being a Miami Cuban baker is her glorified past and destined future, forged by years of training by her loving abuela.

Days into her stay, Orion Maxwell barges into Lila’s inn kitchen with a delivery from his family’s tea shop. A nuisance at first, opposite ingredients soon learn to blend. Orion befriends Lila, introducing her to his mates and devouring her food––comida Cubana.

Orion entertains her with his mental collection of superstitions and sweeps her onto his vintage motorbike. He wraps cold, underdressed Lila in his wool cardigan and becomes her personal tour guide. His mum’s early-onset (FTD) Dementia gives Orion a unique outlook––he never asks too much of the world, accepting what he can’t control. Lila soon discovers this British boy brings empathy to her loss because he’s living his own.

Before long, Lila can’t control the route of her own heart as she begins to fall for more than a new love. England has charmed her. And a special opportunity in London tempts her. As her return ticket looms, Lila feels impossibly caught between two flags. Hearts aren’t supposed to split like this––between a beautiful boy and a beautiful family. Between exploring an uncharted future in a rich new place, and honoring Abuela’s treasured legacy.

Here are a few more that are on my TBR list:

Radha & Jai's Recipe for Romance by Nisha Sharma

North of Happy by Adi Alsaid

A la Carte by Tanita S. Davis

Lessons in Fusion by Primrose Madayag Knazan

Pocket Change Collective: Food-Related Stories by Gaby Melian, Ashley Lukashevsky

Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea Kemp

If you know of others we've missed, please let us know the titles. Happy reading and possibly eatiing.