#Valentine Lamar

[singeratlarge]

SATURDAY MUSIC VIDEO MATINEE: “My Funny Valentine”—This ironic love song is from the comedy-musical BABES IN ARMS, a Rodgers & Hart musical that premiered this weekend in 1937. It’s the story of a group of small-town Long Island teenagers who put on a show to avoid being sent to a work farm by the town sheriff—the original 1937 version of the musical had political overtones with subplots about Communism and racism. A character named Billie Smith sings “My Funny Valentine” to a man named Valentine "Val" LaMar. Billie describes Valentine's characteristics in unflattering terms (at one point Billie describes Valentine's looks as "laughable," in keeping with the title), but ultimately affirms that he makes her smile and that she doesn't want him to change. The description of Valentine was consistent with lyricist Lorenz Hart's own insecurities and belief that he was too short and ugly to be loved. Hart, with Richard Rodgers,composed the musical, which included “Johnny One Note,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Where or When” and other songs that are now in The Great American Songbook.

Ella Fitzgerald’s remake of “My Funny Valentine” inspired me to do it, and I’m familiar with signature versions by Chet Baker, Elvis Costello (whose version I heard first), and Miles Davis. I do it in D minor and it’s one of my favorites to sing out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-wdP-twkU

#Valentine #ValentinesDay #babesinarms #longisland #teenagers #myfunnyvalentine #billiesmith #valentinelamar #rodgersandhart #richardrodgers #lorenzhart #whereorwhen #greatamericansongbook #musical #ellafitzgerald #chetbaker #elviscostello #milesdavis #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #williamsportpa #bullfrogbrewery #jeremiahs

[bumblecrisp]

as previously stated my spotify wrapped is actually not at all representative of what i’ve been listening to for at least the last eight months, which is deeply unimportant in the grand scheme of things but it bothers me so im making a new one myself. this is the spotify wrapped of my heart

top artists:

king crimson

gordon lightfoot

kendrick lamar

taemin

miki matsubara

top songs:

frame by frame - king crimson

my love mine all mine - mitski

summer side of life - gordon lightfoot

everybody wants to rule the world - tears for fears

투명 우산 (don’t let me go) - shinee

top genres:

progressive rock

new wave

k-pop

singer-songwriter

city pop

[thebuhonerodazorrow]

Cowboy Bebop

Supernova Swing part 4

Titan

[thenerdsofcolor]

Hard NOC Life 339: Revenge of the Sixth

It’s still Star Wars Day on Hard NOC Life! Dominic and Keith celebrate the combination of AAPI Heritage Month and new Star Wars content via the latest Acolyte trailer. Keith also explains why “Revenge of the Fifth” makes zero sense when “Sixth” is the better pun. They also share their initial reactions to the first look at David Corenswet as…

[ell-es-dee]

☣ hallo !! im nawt the best at making intros so.. here's the best one i could put together... (๑ᵔ⤙ᵔ๑)

⤷ before you read just know that if you are very judgemental you do not belong here

💊 namehoard: toxin, sayori, yakui (main name), cyanide, lithium, radium, cyber, marigold, bonnie, keta/ketamine, hazard, strawb, nyacifier, chlorine, zombeh, bena/benadryl, poptart, kona, hikkie, valentine, biscuit, flandre, redrum ++ any fictionkin names are fine!!

💊 nonbinaryflux intersex boygirl, aroaceflux and pomoromantic ++ xenogenders

💊 pronouns: it/xe/lean/glitch/nuke (use any other and i will give 1 warning, and if u continue it will become a block.

💊 all of my aesthetics/subcultures (very passionate about them && will block if disrespectful): larpercore, juggalo, cultcore, doomer, slimepunk, necrotrap, bastardcore, terrorwave, incelcore, grunge, gopnik, slavic, jumpstylecore, oddcore, toxiccore, glowwave, icepunk, breakcore, acidwave, drvgcore, kinderwhore, trashcore, urbling, scemo, shinora, gurokawa, rokku gyaru, hadeko, clowncore, yamanba gyaru, maidcore

💊 i have some disorders,, iwc always ૮ ◞ ﻌ ◟ ა (i swear im nice)

💊 some of my main fandoms: fnaf, yandere simulator, class of 09, ddlc, lucky star, creepypasta, eddsworld, south park, monster high, tyler the creator lore, mlp, strawberry shortcake, homestuck, vocaloid, gorillaz, nijura maids (i dont support the creator 😕), cry of fear, touhou, anything dr suess ++ more

💊 top fictionkins;; ticci toby (crp), yakui-san (nijura maids), billy lenz, nicole (class of 09), kyle broflovski, wendy torrence, carrie white, sayori (ddlc), midori gurin (yansim), karkat vantas, bonnie (fnaf), tord (eddsworld), derpy hooves (mlp), tavros nitram, applejack (mlp), toko fukawa, biscuit tan, natsuki (ddlc), karen (class of 09), meatwad (athf), sayaka maizono, hamtaro, stanley mitchell, shitai-san, cassie (skins) clownpiece (touhou), flandre scarlett, cirno (touhou), takane yamashiro ++ wayy more.. (pfp is probably who im kinshifted as) also im fine with doubles & mediamates!!

💊 some of my favorite music artists;; smashing pumpkins, jazmin bean, sharkdrug, yabujin, korn, icp, limp bizket, kmfdm, nirvana, 2pac, 4lung (i dont support the creator), bloodhound gang, cannibal corpse, foo fighters ☹️, weezer, gorillaz, kendrick lamar, lagoyo, red hot chili peppers, tyler the creator, basement jaxx, pierce the veil, deftones, ayesha erotica, slipknot, msi, hole, sematary, live (band), dmx

💊 fave movies/shows: scream, saw, skins, the united states of leland, ANY tim burton movie, final destination, american psycho, the office, impractical jokers, south park, rick & morty, twilight, pulp fiction, amercian horror story, heathers, carrie, pet cemetery, breaking bad, mlp, edd ed and eddy, the twilight zone, goosebumps, athf, tmnt && others

💊 if you get triggered by drvgs or hospitals my blog is NAWT for you :o(

💊 moodboard account: @noapologiesbynirvana

💊 i have chronic sickness, and use hospitalcore/medcore to cope.

💊 pro dance dance revolution player 💯💯

💊 huuuuge mountain dew, surge & sprite fan

💊 feel free to ask for my discord !!

💊 dni: basic dni, anti fictionkin/otherkin/etc, anti furry, anti therian, transphobes, homophones, TRUE CR*ME COMMUNITY/COLUMB*NERS (im recovering), people who support trump (YOU'RE HORRIBLE!!!!), nsfw blogs, toxic stans (any community), shedblr (thin ice,, im recovering)

💊 gonna leave it at that for now,, might add more later !! ^_______^ 🌀🌀

[defjux]

64 of my favorite Hip Hop releases of 2024 Anything outside of the top 20-30 the order doesn't really matter much, but I think all of these releases are dope and worth your time. I'll post another list soon with the rest of my favorite albums from this year in other genres, but the hip hop list is tradition for me at this point. Hopefully there's something new here for you to enjoy. I'm sure there's a few releases that went under the radar for me, so if anyone has suggestions i'm all ears. As always, the album titles below will have the bandcamp link/spotify url as a hyperlink if either are available. Oh yeah, feel free to let me know what your favorite albums of the year were, i'd like to know - any genre, it doesn't have to just be hip hop. Peace. Chart with Album Titles included

1. ELUCID - REVELATOR 2. Ka - The Thief Next To Jesus 3. AKAI SOLO - DREAMDROPDRAGON 4. Mach-Hammy - #RICHAXXHAITIAN 5. Cavalier - Different Type Time 6. The Fortunate Ones (Anwar HighSigh & Dr. Quandary) - RESIN 7. Armand Hammer - BLK LBL 8. Kenny Segal & K-The-I??? - Genuine Dexterity 9. ShrapKnel - Nobody Planning To Leave 10. Sunmundi & klwn cat - Lived and Born 11. Nakama - EMBERGO_ 12. Lee Scott - To Tame A Dead Horse 13. Dead Players - Faster Than the Speed of Death 14. Oliver The 2nd & Heather Grey - Desert Camo 15. Navy Blue - Memoirs in Armour 16. Nuse Tyrant - Juxtaposed Echoes 17. Phiik & Lungs - Carrot Season 18. Nickelus F - MMCHT 19. DJ Muggs & Raz Fresco - The Eternal Now 20. Joshua Virtue - Black Box: JOSHUA IS DEAD

21. Duncecap & Steel Tipped Dove - The Need To Know 22. Jak Tripper - The Wild Dark 23. Mary Sue - Voice Memos From A Winter In China 24. Midnight Sons - Money Has No Owners 25. Revival Season - Golden Age Of Self Snitching 26. JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU 27. Boldy James & Conductor Williams - Across The Tracks 28. Sasco - The Hottest Year on Record 29. yungmorpheus - WAKING UP AND CHOOSING VIOLENCE 30. Hester Valentine - Valenta 31. Deca & Deal. - Bough 32. Serengeti - KDIV 33. Mavi - Shadowbox 34. cunabear - What Dollar$ Can't Buy You 35. Rap Man Gavin & postureless - Memories, Dreams, Reflections 36. Sadistik & Maulskull - Oblivion Theater 37. Oddisee - And Yet Still 38. Roc Marciano - MARCIOLOGY 39. Noveliss & Hir-O - Cyberpunk Rhapsody 40. Tyler, the Creator - Chromakopia 41. Rich Jones & SINAI. - Sour Dub 42. Freddie Gibbs - You Only Die 1nce 43. Vince Staples - Dark Times 44. Javi Darko - DEATH OF AN IMMORTAL 45. bromethugzine - THUG ZINE issue 002: WORLD-SPIRIT 46. Teller Bank$ & Ed Glorious - The Pride & Glory 47. Nxworries - WHY LAWD? 48. Cavalier & Quelle Chris - Death Tape 2 49. R.A.P. Ferreira - The First Fist to Make Contact When We Dap 50. Lupe Fiasco - Samurai 51. Lt Headtrip X Bloodmoney Perez - EMBLEMS 52. Chuck Strangers - A Forsaken Lover's Plea 53. Daniel Son & Futurewave - BUSHMAN BODEGA 54. MIKE & Tony Seltzer - Pinball 55. Kendrick Lamar - GNX 56. Estee Nack - SYSTEMATICALLY WE WERE NEVER FREE 57. Ja'king the Divine - Children of the Scorned 58. Big Flowers x Messiah Musik - Save The Bees 59. Shape - Midnight Geometry 60. Sleep Sinatra & bloomcycle - Memory(ummm…) 61. Skyzoo - Keep Me Company 62. Common & Pete Rock - The Auditorium, Vol. 1 63. NAHreally & The Expert - BLIP 64. IMP - Idle Hands

[d1instigator]

random and pointless head cannons

(i’m bored)

miles:

weirdly obsessed with iceberg videos on youtube like he will sit for 2 hours straight and watch an iceberg on a topic he knows nothing about

is terrified of getting sick because he got the flu for a week once

cant handle too much sugar/caffeine, he gets the shakes and stays up for hours. when he was 8, the day after halloween he got into his candy and ate a bunch, so he ran around the house for 30 minutes and rightfully crashed, knocked out cold and lightly snoring

listens to kendrick lamar religiously, he screamed when his parents got him tour tickets

gwen:

loves making lists. to-do lists, shopping lists, bucket list. if she can write it down she will

would have mental breakdowns when she was younger if her ponytail had bumps

music snob, and not in a bad way! she feels very strongly about her opinions of music/the industry and will info dump if you mention an artist she likes “did you know that she actually wrote this song for” despises new age radio and perfers physical music and streaming services

had a serious twilight phase. bought all the books and would ask people if they were team edward or team jacob

pavitr:

has a horrible fear of clowns, tenses up when he sees one and has nightmares for a week after

he loves making silly little tiktoks! keeps up with trends and has 100+ drafts of him messing with filters

he is a serious live tweeter like he would be in the middle of a war and be like “yoooo it’s getting tense over here guys”

gets homesick so easily, he was the type of kid who would leave the sleepover at 2 am because he was “sick”, in addition to that he gets super bad social burnout. it takes a while but if hes going out two days in a row he will shut down for a bit.

hobie:

has poked himself in the eye multiple times with his spikes

despises commercial holidays but loves valentines day for some reason??? he will go to a store and borrow some chocolates and cute cards, writes notes paragraphs to his friends about how much he appreciates them

very very smart! he’s quite literally the definition of this 🤓☝️ emoji

(kinda nsfw not really it’s just nipples) he lost a bet once and had to get nipple piercing but he actually really liked them so he kept them in, but he wears a classic barbell nun of ones with charms

[halcyongirll]

♡ halcyongirll ♡

HIII MY NAME IS LAUREN!!

intro post

artist i like/bands - kmfdm, chemical brothers, nine inch nails, rammstein, the smashing pumpkins, type o negative, alice in chains, korn, limp bizkit, system of a down, soulfly, metallica, megadeath, julie, radiohead, mazzy star, fiona apple, blue smiley, title flight, ethel cain, nicole dollanganger, hole, massive attack, black sabbath, narrow head, cocteau twins, my bloody valentine, slowdive, fleshwater, mediavolo, the smiths, LSD and the search for god, dean blunt, whirr, yves tumor, steve lacy, tyler the creator, deftones, tame impala, memo boy, eye dress, alex g, duster, strawberry guy, mac demarco, tv girl, kendrick lamar, ozzy osbourne, L7, the offspring, MSI, ICP, linkin park, mötley crüe, michael jackson, aaliyah

favorite movies ever - natural born killers, reservoir dogs, pulp fiction, the lost highway, mullholand drive, cape fear, taxi driver, american psycho, carrie, hocus pocus, spring breakers, jennifers body, down in the valley, lolita, kill bill vol 1, kill bill vol 2, texas chainsaw massacre, jeepers creepers, thirteen, the butterfly effect, the secretary, death proof, dazed and confused, donnie darko, elephant 2003, palo alto, look away, before i fall, fast times at ridgemont high, detroit rock city, home alone, metal lords, the dirt, the craft, the doom generation, lords of chaos, waves, little birds, buffalo 66, american honey, euro trip, beevis and butthead do america, ginger snaps, DUCK!, smiley face, nowhere 1997, mysterious skin, dinner in america, white oleander, bones and all, fish tank, the loved ones, i believe in unicorns, the v su, mid 90s, the flordia project, water lilies, empire records, anora, words on bathroom walls, hick, may, zola, gummo, lilya-4-ever, speak, priscilla, vivarium, flower, teeth, kids 1995, little miss sunshine

favorite shows - skins, boy meets world, full house, beevis and butthead, headbanger's ball, breaking bad, mtv daria, mtv downtown, twin peaks, outer banks, euphoria, american horror story

favorite games - doom, minecraft, GTA, silent hill, life is strange, fnaf, yandere simulator, cry of fear, puppet combo games, sims 2, 3 and 4, fatal frame, project zero, PS2 horror games, red dead redemption, until dawn, roblox

favorite cases - charles manson, columbine, halifax (lindsay souvannarath james gamble), jodi arias, andrew blaze, adam lanza, elliot rodger, sol paiz (i know she's not really tcc but i love her) zodiac, ken and barbie murders, jeffery dahmer, ted bundy, pekka-erik

additional info - yes im TCC and i love dylan he's probably my favorite, i also might post very questionable things lol. for example heavy topics like depression and mental health because well i struggle with it, also sh/gore/sexual themes like that... so just block!!! alright peace and love <3

[d1lfenthusi4st]

(introduction post) (update/new)

neenah/nettie. enfj. she/her. sixteen. queer.

interact (if you like any of these) - ethel cain, english literature (books), paranormal activity, lana del rey, vintage things, and true crime.

don’t interact (if any of these) - racist, homophobic, transphobic, trump supporter, and any other problematic thing.

music - ethel cain, lana del rey, stevie nicks, phoebe bridgers, maggie lindemann, nessa barrett, isabel larosa, sza, rihanna, beyonce, taylor swift, lady gaga, julien baker, lucy dacus, janis joplin, fiona apple, mitski, clairo, kesha, amy winehouse, laufey, beabadoobee, katy perry, lauryn hill, sabrina carpenter, renee rapp, chappell roan, lorde, charli xcx, kali uchis, olivia rodrigo, halsey, doja cat, hayley kiyoko, lauryn hill, ariana grande, faye webster, billie eilish, molly santana, nicole dollanganger, sky ferreria, megan thee stallion, madison beer, mazzy star, hole, muna, florence + the machine, jack off jill, bikini kill, spiritbox, veruca salt, the cranberries, boygenuis, paramore, siouxsie and the banshee, the runaways, evanescence, kittie, dominic fike, artemas, childish gambino, tyler the creator, hozier, asap rocky, kendrick lamar, frank ocean, elliott smith, jeff buckley, billy idol, rob zombie, troye sivan, the weeknd, joji, jimi hendrix, chase atlantic, the neighbourhood, cigarettes after sex, tv girl, inhaler, the 1975, arctic monkeys, soundgarden, nirvana, deftones, korn , system of a down, type o negative, metallica, mötley crüe, guns n’ roses, led zeppelin, pink floyd, the doors, mortician, cannibal corpse, the beatles, the smashing pumpkins, sleep token, bad omens, limp bizkit, gorillaz, bauhaus, joy division, depeche mode, the smiths, fleetwood mac, pierce the veil, slipknot, my bloody valentine, crystal castles, rage against the machine, bôa, sisters of mercy, the cure, queen, alice In chains, extreme, the rolling stones, wallows, ratt, one direction, and him.

films/shows - coraline, the outsiders, purple rain, the lost boys, scream, the crow (1994), corpse bride, the nightmare before christmas, ruby gloom, and glee. (i also seen all the star wars movies)

others (stuff you might wanna know) - i’m a minor, so please be respectful if you’re older, and choose to follow or interact. and most the photos i post are from pinterest or me.

about me - leo sun, aries moon, and aries rising, baby goth, i listen to only one podcast (true crime cam), future law student, silver jewelry person, my little pony card collector, and wannabe poet/writer.

socials - pinterest (punishedcorpse), letterboxd (c0rpsebr1de), airbuds (wildmustang)

[shecriestotheclickingoftime]

2024 was the year of

- jeff buckley

- cocteau twins

- fiona apple

- slowdive

- billy joel

- radiohead

- lana del rey

- mac demarco

2025 will be the year of

- jeff buckley

- radiohead

- deftones

- kendrick lamar

- my bloody valentine

- arctic monkeys

- red house painters

[thelilylav]

And I can go anywhere I want, anywhere I want, just not home

(my tears ricochet, Taylor Swift)

dead girl in the pool (girl in red), Ghosting (Mother Mother), This Town (Frank Sinatra), You're on You're Own Kid (Taylor Swift), Self Portrait/Inn of the Dawn Horse (Leonora Carrington), Matilda (Harry Styles), Quote by Miriam Adeney, Coraline (2009), United in Grief (Kendrick Lamar), Christmas Kids (Roar), I Will Always Think Of You (Bojack Horseman), The House (2022), recently (Liana Flores), Bag of Bones (Mitski), Call Me By Your Name (2017), Courtney Love Prays to Oregon - Clementine Von Radics, Girls Against God (Florence + The Machine), Coraline (2009), dorothea (Taylor Swift), Tell The Wolves I'm Home (Carol Rifka Brunt), X (2022), Buzzcut Season (Lorde), Chinese Sattelite (Pheobe Bridgers), Nighthawks (Edward Hopper), 'tis the damn season (Taylor Swift), Homesick (Noah Kahan), 'tis the damn season (Taylor Swift), Untitled (Valentin Pavageau)

[prompt-ary]

FEBRUARY PROMPTS.

Prompt-ary is a February Prompt Challenge with Valentine’s Day and Love-Themed Prompts from February 1st up until the 14th of February. Feel free to participate, if you love prompts & love!

Rules: 

1. All fanworks and mediums welcome  2. Absolutely NO AI  3. Tag your triggers 4. I don’t care about wordcount. Write as much or as little as you want.  5. No real person fic. I know I can’t stop you, but I prefer you not use my prompts for that.  6. I’m keeping good faith with everything else. 

PROMPTS.

February 1. First Love | First Kiss | “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston | "I love you more than coffee, but please don't make me prove it."

February 2. Soulmate | Soulmate Au | “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion | "A soulmate is not found, a soulmate is recognized."

February 3. Bite | Passion | “Lovefool” by the Cardigans | "Love makes you foolish. It makes you throw every bit of logic away, do stupid things, dangerous things."

February 4. Holding hands | Letting go of hands | “Iris” Goo Goo Dolls | "Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts."

February 5. Beginnings | Second Chances | “Love On the Brain” Rihanna | “Love is when you don't have to be with another person to touch their heart!” 

February 6. Caress | Misunderstandings | “Clumsy” Fergie | "The brightness of my day doesn't depend on the sunshine I receive. Everything depends on your smile." 

February 7. Drawing | Want | “Kiss Me” Sixpence None the Richer | “You love me. Real or not real?"

I tell him, "Real.”

February 8. I thought of You | Remember | “What About Us” P!nk | "Sometimes, the most vivid love stories unfold not in reality, but in the tapestry of our dreams." 

February 9. Don’t want to lose you | One Bed | “The Only Exception” Paramore | “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever.”

February 10. Can’t buy me love | For Your eyes only | “Accidentally In Love” by Counting Crows Paramore | "The best kind of love is with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time."

February 11. Gift | Coupon | “Love” by Kendrick Lamar | “People think that intimacy is about sex. But intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them.”

February 12. Give you my Heart | Long Hug | “Mine” by bazzi | "You can't blame gravity for falling in love."

February 13. First I Love You | Marriage | “Dreaming of You” by Selena | "To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides."

February 14. Valentine’s Surprise | First Home | “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carrey | “I'm not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me.”

[thebuhonerodazorrow]

Cowboy Bebop

Supernova Swing part 3

Titan

[heartshapedtrap]

thank you so much for the tag @ereb1d to share five songs I’m enjoying at the moment :)

1. her by poppy

2. blank page early version by the smashing pumpkins

3. father time by kendrick lamar ft sampha

4. beware the beast by carpenters brut and mat mcnerney

5. roygbiv by boards of canada

tagging: @yurilingus @bhorrormovies @horrorknife @codedreams @lowpolygeralt @t-valentines @whodoesnataliehave

[liaromancewriter]

What Could Have Been (4/?)

Series Premise: When Ethan breaks his promise, Cassie is forced to accept they’re not inevitable after all.

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Cassie Valentine) Rating/Category: Teen. Angst Words: 1,195

Series Masterlist

Chapter 4: New Normal. Old Habits. Time to accept the reset and explore new possibilities.

Whenever Cassie Valentine had imagined her life as a doctor, it invariably involved her medical hero, Ethan Ramsey. Back then, she had only known his words and thoughts on diagnostics.

She had come to Edenbrook to learn from him and hopefully impress him enough that he’d agree to mentor her. Falling in love with him hadn’t been part of her plan.

Their relationship hadn’t been the plan, and yet they were inevitable. Or so she had believed once upon a time.

Nothing lasts forever, she reminded herself as she got dressed for work. She would always carry a version of him in her heart, one she didn’t have but couldn’t lose.

Despite the awkwardness of the last few weeks, their relationship had begun to… normalize. They were professionals, after all, and loved the work. When it came to the Diagnostics Team, Cassie was already learning so much.

Their latest case involving Lamar Stevenson was the perfect example. It would have never occurred to her to conduct a home visit to diagnose an illness. But the systematic way Ethan walked her through the process opened her eyes.

For a while, she forgot that they were no longer together as a couple. Once they were away from the hospital, the easy banter returned, and so did the light teasing she could never resist with him. Ethan could be too serious, but never with her.

“If I lived here, I would lose my mind,” she said dramatically, gazing at the placid bay.

The beach house didn’t even have the melodrama of angry waves crashing against the rocks. What exactly did people do with so much quiet?

“What about this would make you go insane?” Ethan asked in surprise, clearly not expecting her answer.

“Are you kidding?” She shook her head and spread her arms to encompass the scene. “It’s way too boring! I need to live in the middle of the action.”

“One would think you already get plenty of action,” Ethan grinned, his expression more relaxed than she’d seen in a while.

When Cassie raised one eyebrow, his face flushed, and he stumbled over his words. “I meant your casework. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“Too late,” she almost quipped but suddenly remembered who they were, or weren’t rather, and swallowed her words.

When she almost fell off the chair while reaching for the photo album from the top of the armoire, she never doubted Ethan would catch her. But she hadn’t been prepared for the scent of his cologne and that feeling of rightness as he held her in his arms.

They stared at each other, blue eyes clashing with green, both reluctant to let go. Following instinct, she leaned closer, and he did the same, their foreheads almost touching.

This is how it could’ve been, Cassie thought wistfully. But it wasn’t; she was only torturing herself and him by letting the moment linger.

That was yesterday. Today, it was back to being Dr. Valentine and Dr. Ramsey.

Cassie exited the subway station with Sienna, half-listening to her friend talk about her intern Mitch. Her mind was jumbled with her dream of Ethan last night and Lamar’s worsening condition.

As they neared the hospital’s entrance, Sienna nudged her shoulder forcefully. Cassie glanced at her friend and realized someone was standing before them, blocking their way.

Nate Hanson looked just as good as she remembered. They had gone on one date six months ago but had flirted plenty over text. Conflicting schedules kept getting in the way of their second date.

And then things between her and Ethan changed after Miami. There wasn’t room for anyone else in her heart after that.

“Nate? What are you doing here?” she asked, wondering if she missed a message from Max that his friend was coming to Boston.

“Board meeting,” he said, smiling in a sincere way that was part of his charm. “My company concluded the research project with the hospital, so I’m presenting final recommendations to the board.”

Nate looked askance at Sienna, who was watching him with curiosity. Cassie quickly made the introductions.

“It’s good to see you, Cassie,” Nate said, the appreciative look in his hazel eyes boosting her self-confidence. “Is it too much to hope you’re still single?”

“She’s definitely single,” Sienna grinned cheekily.

Nate laughed, and Cassie threw her friend a disgruntled look. Unrepentant, Sienna waved it away and slid a lascivious sideways look at Nate.

His phone pinged, and he checked the screen. “Shoot. I have to head upstairs.”

He moved closer, and Cassie tilted her head back to gaze into his eyes.

“Can I please take you to dinner tonight? Our previous efforts at scheduling didn’t work, so let’s be spontaneous,” he added when Cassie looked doubtful.

“I get off at six,” Cassie relented.

“Great! I’ll pick you up at seven from your apartment. If that works?” Nate said.

“Seven is perfect,” Sienna piped in.

He smiled and winked conspiratorially at Sienna, making Cassie huff in exasperation.

“Don’t you want to know where I live?” Cassie called out as he started to walk away.

“I’m a hotshot CEO. I’ll find out,” Nate shot back cockily over his shoulder.

Suddenly, he turned around as if pulled by a string and slowly walked back toward her, looking abashed.

“Sorry. I was trying to be cool,” Nate said, nervously running one hand through his hair. “I have no idea where you live and, short of asking your brother, no way of finding out in a way that would be considered legal.”

“Give me your phone,” Cassie ordered, rolling her eyes but secretly amused too.

Later that day, Cassie sipped the coffee Alan Ramsey had bought her as thanks and absently reflected on her upcoming date.

But her mind kept drifting to Ethan and his vulnerability, barely there before his mask descended when his mother was mentioned. So much of his life was a closed book and always would be, she thought morosely.

Meeting his father, knowing Ethan had mentioned her to him, had been the highlight of her afternoon. And for another brief moment, back at the coffee shop, they’d forgotten about the reset.

She hated seeing Ethan upset and reached across the table to press her hand to his. He didn’t resist. Instead, he gently stroked hers with his thumb. The gesture was so loving and familiar tears pricked her eyes.

“I’m here for you,” she whispered, feeling his anger and pain.

Cassie wanted to wrap her arms around him, for him to be hers again so that she could comfort him in a way not allowed between colleagues. But the spell broke with his next words.

“I mean it, Cassie. This means nothing,” he said definitively. “I don’t even know why my father came all the way here to tell me.”

It was sobering to realize the man she loved could be so heartless. If he was willing to easily cut his mother off and call her a stranger, what chance did Cassie have that he’d eventually let her back into his life?

Despite his gentle touch, Ethan could be harsh and unforgiving. And she would do well to remember that.

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