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collecting-stories · 4 years ago

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Cowboy Blues - pt. 01 - Rafe Cameron

Summary: You swipe right on Tinder with some interesting results.

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You weren’t traditional by any sense of the word. You’d given up all those crazy ideals that had been ingrained in your personality when you realized that you weren’t going to find a high school sweetheart to settled down with. Or a college one for that matter. You settled for nice dates with average guys and tried to remind yourself daily that you needed no one to complete your life. It was fine on its own.

“I think the literal class of guy has gone down,” your best friend Nina mentioned as she scrolled through your phone. You loved Nina but she was tone-deaf to most of your single life complaints. She was already married, to the same guy she had been dating since middle school. After HSM came out she had been madly in love with Zac Efron and had managed to find the one guy in your school that looked almost just like him and they’d stayed together.

“You’re on tinder right now, just to put that commentary into perspective for you.” You pointed out, annoyed mostly. Nina had invited herself to come have lunch with you while you worked on finalizing your classroom for the coming school year. While you tried to get actual work done, Nina just scrolled through the guys on your tinder and bitched about their profiles, as if she expected to find some great life partner for you.

It was probably cynical of you to say but, if you never dated again, never settled down with anyone, it probably wouldn’t matter. Wedding fever sprung up whenever someone else was tying the knot or having a kid but when that passed you weren’t particularly eager to look for someone. People had been, for the majority, disappointing since you had turned 18 and, for the past eight years you hadn’t been proven right.

Someone to cohabitate with might be nice. You certainly thought about it on nights when you were feeling particularly isolated from the rest of the world, but all that disappeared when you considered how used to being alone you actually were and what cohabitating would actually mean. Someone who would leave dirty dishes in the sink, leave water on the bathroom floor and track it through the house, who would chew too loud or hate the food you liked or snore too obscenely or drink too much. There were a million flaws with your imaginary future suitor and you listed them all anytime you got the bug to start dating again. But twenty-six was old, according to Nina, and you needed to get married.

“What about him, he’s cute?” She held the phone out to you, the guy in the picture was smiling, sitting in front of a table with food. You looked up briefly from the lesson plan you were writing out, nearly losing your mouthful of coffee.

You swallowed and took the phone, staring at the picture, maybe a little too long.

“He’s cute babe, but he’s not like People Magazine’s hottest man alive.” Nina said in response to your out burst.

“No, no, I know him.” You explained, eyes still on the picture. God, you couldn’t help thinking that he looked good. Did you look that good? He was the spitting image of what he’d been in the stairwell at Duke. Attractive, self-assured, a little cocky. “We went to the same college. I hooked up with him one time at a party before spring break…I uh, he told me to call him and I lost his number.”

“On purpose?” She asked, plucking the phone out of your hands. She lingered on his picture, waiting for your either glowing recommendation or scathing review before she swiped. He was cute, she’d give you that. He was tan, tall, even in the picture it was obvious, and just nice to look at.

“No,” You admitted. “I was gonna call him and then I got back together with Ian.” Your ex-boyfriend be damned, you left out the part where you thought about your random hook way more often than a sane person should. After spring break it hadn’t been hard to dodge him, Duke had a massive campus and you didn’t have any of the same classes but every time you and Ian had it out you couldn’t help wondering what it would’ve been like if you’d called him back. Even after you graduated and moved back home to Boston, you still couldn’t quite shake the memory of him.

“Well Ian’s getting married and you’re not...so,” she swiped and then closed the app, sliding off your desk to take a slow appraisal of your classroom while she dug the knife in deeper, “are you going to Ian’s wedding?”

Nina kept asking, as if you had much say in the matter, and you kept answering, deflating your ego every time you had to say yes. “I have to…it’s my grade partner. She even made me a bridesmaid.” Admittedly, you and Anya had been much closer before your boyfriend of three years dumped you and immediately started dating her. Now it felt hard to be around her for too long, like going home for the holidays and trying to keep quiet when your drunk uncle brought up the political climate in the country. Anya told you she had held off the wedding because she wanted to ‘wait until the dust settled’. As if it hurt less now. For different reasons, sure, but not less.

In a month’s time you’d be sitting through a bridal shower that her sister kept texting you to help coordinate and plan. She’d tried to be nice, giving you a plus one to the wedding because you didn’t know any of her friends or family. The only other person you knew was Ian, ex-boyfriend and groom, not exactly who you wanted to be hanging out with. Of course, you knew his family and that just made the whole ordeal so much more awkward.

The plus-one was an empty gesture though. Just a reminder that there was no one for you to invite. But you kept hoping, maybe you’d meet someone. Maybe you could transport yourself into a Hallmark movie and rent a date or something. Fall madly in love in a week and move to their small town and never look back. Then, at least, you could miss the wedding altogether.

“She’s a fucking back stabbing bitch.” Nina commented, as if this was some new piece of information that she was finding out about now.

“Anya is super sweet.” You defended, only because it was true. Anya might’ve been marrying your douche of an ex-boyfriend but she was categorically the nicest person that you had ever met. “It wasn’t like he cheated on me, we broke up.” You didn’t want to have this conversation anymore. Not two weeks before the beginning of school. Two weeks before you had to look at her face every day until the honeymoon.

“They got together pretty quick.” Nina pointed out, not that she ever needed to. “Well, whatever, so what was this guy like, what was his name?”

“Did you swipe right on him and not even look at his name?” You asked, reaching for your phone to check.

“Yeah, so? She asked, “You said you knew him.”

“I said I slept with him.” You corrected.

“Same thing.” She shrugged, “name?”

“Rafe. Cameron.”

She ‘ohhhh-ed’ appreciatively, “What was he like?” She asked. “He sounds rich.”

“Hot,” you shrugged, “I don’t know he was probably a total fuck boy. He asked me to call him the next morning after breakfast and I said sure and then when I got back to my dorm Ian was there.” You provided the short story of events, omitting any major details about that night. You told Nina everything but you had never told her about Rafe, always a little wistful about the encounter. As if it was some personal memory that would lose its importance should anyone else know about it.

“He made you breakfast?”

“Yeah, so?”

“That’s like jackpot. God you could be like, married right now, popping babies out for some Swedish Au pair to run around after.” Nina replied raising her eyebrows suggestively.

“I’m glad you’ve created this weird ‘rich kid’ narrative but I have no idea. It’s not like I was checking the guy’s financials while I was sucking his dick.” You lowered your voice at the end of the sentence, just in case the pushing 80 secretary walked past and heard you.

“Please, have you seen him? That is a baby-faced, rich boy living on his daddy’s money. And you could be too.”

“Okay, look, I was 20, I wasn’t trying to settle down and get married. At least not to some random guy I only hooked up with because my boyfriend was a douche.” You replied. Not to mention that breakfast had essentially consisted of one bite of toast before he was eating you out on the counter of his off-campus apartment. Not exactly the romantic beginning to a relationship. “Wait, did you swipe right?” You asked, almost immediately horrified at the thought.

“Maybe.”

“No,” you groaned, “fuck, he’s gonna think I’m so weird!”

“He will not. Besides, if he’s as much of a fuck boy as you say then guarantee he doesn’t even remember you.” She replied. “Besides, if he answers, it’ll be kinda nice ya know? Go out, have a nice dinner, get fucked, all your problems melt away.”

“He better not remember me.” You grumbled. You were not prepared for the absolute humiliation that would come from him seeing you on Tinder and remembering you.

“Did you really sleep with so few guys in college that you remember him?”

“You’ve slept with one person in the last decade…” you pointed out.

“And?” She slipped her sweatshirt back on and grabbed her bag, “whatever, I’m heading out. I have work in 30.”

With Nina gone, you slumped back in your chair and grabbed your phone. You had a tendency to never get rid of anything; it was the great downfall of your life. Someday you would accumulate so much stuff you would become a hoarder and then no one would love you but the cats that used your belongings as a litter box. It was a terrible habit but it lent to usefulness sometimes, especially in moments like this, as you scrolled through your phone, finding Rafe’s contact. You had told Nina that you’d lost Rafe’s number but in actuality you had kept it stored in your phone even though you’d never used it.

Now, this wedding fever was doing nothing but confirm your fear that you were one step closer to an unfulfilling life alone. Even Lorelai Gilmore didn’t stay single forever.

You stared at his name in your contact list, a little fire emoji next to it and you could remember laughing at him when he typed it in. It was more a playful jab at the way your Boston accent had pronounced the word fire than anything to do with him though you thought it was an accurate description.

You wondered if he had the same number. If you’d called him that night, would it have been another failed relationship to catalog away for when you were feeling especially shitty. Or would he have left you for the bubbly grade partner that you wanted to hate so much but couldn’t. Nina had swiped right on him but you didn’t even know where he lived these days. You were living in Boston again. You’d moved home for your masters and stayed when the teaching internship turned into an actual job.

North Carolina had been fun for school, being 12 hours away from home had given you the most incredible sense of freedom but nowhere was New England and you’d been itching to go home again just as soon as you’d arrived down there. Though coming back to Boston, you had found it different than you’d left it. Even with Nina here, she was married, she had her own life away from you. As much as you tried to settle in and pretend that everything was fine, you couldn’t help but admit that Nina was right, you did need someone.

Single life felt a lot more routine than you imagined it would. A call from your mother, complaining that your sister was acting out and being generally awful, a call from your sister, accusing your mother of being overbearing, and hours of alone time filled mostly by reading, walking your dog, and binging TV shows. “At least you got a dog and not a cat.” Nina had said when you brought Fivel home. He was pre-named and you were always partial to An American Tail.

“Only so I would exercise.” You had replied, knowing you had to walk the dog, a black lab mix that was a puppy when you got him. “You hear that Five, I’m using you for my own gain.” He had gotten big since then, fully grown now with a personality that included forgetting his size and spreading out on top of you when you laid on the couch.

Your apartment was small, an old converted brownstone with three apartments, yours on the top floor above a middle-aged couple with a very spoiled seven-year-old. They were nice when they weren’t blaring Disney movies and you resented that even in your house you couldn’t escape children but you couldn’t be too upset. The place was nicer than you could’ve hoped, truthfully. Especially living alone.

Even with a nice place to live though, it was always the same. Walking Fivel, making whatever dinner that came in the Sunbasket boxes at the beginning of the week, and watching Top Chef.

You closed out of your contacts, going back to Tinder as if Rafe would’ve already messaged you. All Nina had written was ‘hey’, as if that was supposed to entice someone into replying. You doubted the stupid picture of you from last year at the beach really did anything special. You weren’t surprised to find that there was no reply yet. You read his profile over again, unsure what else to say. The night the two of you hooked up you had both been at a party though these days your partying had been replaced with drinking alone.

Whoever said don’t waste your twenties would’ve recoiled in horror at the way you were living.

“Leaving so soon?”

You turned away from the double doors leading out onto campus, the click of the bar as it released echoing in your ear for a second, drowned out mostly by the music that was coming from the various dorms that had their doors open. It was a floor party; one you’d come to with some friends in high hopes of forgetting your current ex-boyfriend Ian once and for all. Three months of condescending comments and gaslighting finally pushing you over the edge.

“I was just...getting some fresh air.” You replied, shrugging. Trying to look calm, unaffected by this stranger’s sudden entrance into your life. He was cute, far more so than Ian. Taller too. You thought you recognized him from the lacrosse team your roommate was so obsessed with. “Lacrosse players are never unattractive.” She had argued once when she dragged you to a game.

He definitely fit the bill for her ideal of the lacrosse playing frat boy. Hot, tall, tan, his cap was on backwards and he looked so relaxed but also so sure of himself. Like whatever was going to happen in this hallway was going to go exactly how he wanted.

“Want some company?” He asked, taking a sip from the cup in his hand but not taking his eyes off you.

You felt like your heart was hammering in your chest, head swimming and you’d not even had anything to drink that night. “I uh…” worse case scenarios increased by tenfold in your head given the context of the situation. You were alone in a hallway, potentially about to go outside, while everyone else was partying, where they couldn’t hear you, with some guy you didn’t know at all. A guy who gave off some pretty strong ‘get-whatever-I-want’ vibes and he’d said no more than two sentences to you. “I uh, kinda wanted to be alone.”

“Cool, cool.” He shrugged, “no problem.”

For whatever reason that possessed you to think it was a genuinely okay idea, so you walked out, the door clicking open as you stepped onto the pavement. You kicked the stopper so it wouldn’t shut all the way because you’d rather be able to get back in than somehow have both of you trapped out here if he did decide to follow you. No alcohol, your brain was just malfunctioning or maybe your roommate was right and your usual suspicion of everyone had turned a nice moment into an awful one.

It was significantly colder outside than it had been in the dorms, even in the hallway, and you breathed out a sigh of relief. You wanted to scream at Ian for not even letting you have a good time when you were out with friends because you kept thinking of him. He was off somewhere, already on spring break, no doubt hooking up with girls you’d never know about because you had told him it was over. And it was, you were just so completely unsure-

You’re silent berating ended mid-sentence when you turned around to see your lacrosse playing stranger sitting on the steps just inside the door. He smiled at you and waved and you almost laughed at the oddity of the moment as you came back inside.

“What are you doing?” You asked, holding the door open and letting some of the cold air deep in.

“You said you wanted to be alone. Figured I’d wait.”

“For?”

He shrugged, standing up and leaning against the bottom of the railing, “you, to not want to be alone.”

“Well,” you were momentarily caught off guard, a nervous laugh escaping. Truthfully, you had never had someone flirt with you like this before, so directly obvious about liking you. Not necessarily one with quick-witted comebacks, you were still fairly good at deflecting when you needed too but somehow, he had rendered you speechless.

He nodded his head toward the steps, “we can just sit? Door’s right there,” he offered, referring to the dorm room less than six feet away. The door was open and you could hear a mix of chatter and music.

“Okay.” You agreed, letting the door close on the stopper, the slightest wave of cool air seeping in while you walked over and took a seat beside him. You introduced yourself, unsure what else to do, and probably sounded like every middle-aged family member he had when you asked him what his major was.

“Rafe Cameron,” he replied, “economics.”

“Oh god,” you said before you could stop yourself. He was the full package clearly, though of what you weren’t sure. He sounded rich, by the name alone, econ major, lacrosse player, potentially, and absolutely fuckable. There was no other coherent way to describe it. “I took an econ course as an elective freshman year, it really fucked me up.”

“Not a math person?” He asked, another sip of his drink and you really wished you had one. Anything to occupy a little corner of your brain so everything wasn’t so solely focused on him.

“No, no, not at all.” You shook your head. “So…do you live in this dorm?”

“Nah, my roommate’s dating some girl in one of these,” he replied, the same head nodded toward the rooms as before, “I’m just here for the booze, and the company.”

That wasn’t even that smooth of a line and you were melting at it. You weren’t sure if you were just dying for some positive attention or going through the motions of a breakup but either way you were seriously considering your roommate’s earlier encouragement of ‘letting yourself go’. Have fun, she had said, be bold.

“You play lacrosse, right?” You asked, because you were 95% sure you’d seen him and it was eating at you a little bit. You felt like you were grasping at straws trying to think of what to say. You were fairly positive that he was only talking to you because he wanted to have sex with you but honestly, you really wanted to have sex with him too.

“I do,” he grinned and you knew you’d basically given him the upper hand. “You’ve been to a game?”

“I’ve been to all of them.” You said before you could stop yourself. “I mean, my roommate’s a big fan of lacrosse or lacrosse players, not sure, so we always go.”

“Not a fan yourself?”

“No, I mean, I like it, you guys have a good team.” You shrugged. This was going terribly, or you would think it was if he wasn’t looking at you like that.

“Yeah?” He grinned, sliding a little closer to you on the stairs.

“I should close that door, it’s getting cold in here.” You mentioned, standing up suddenly.

Rafe couldn’t help his smile as you walked down the steps to the door. He had come out into the hallway because the party was boring, the music was subpar, and Topper was starting to annoy him. He had considered going back to the apartment altogether but he’d just sat on the stairs instead, as if he was waiting for something. And then you’d come along. “We could head back to my place? It’s warm.” He offered. A stupid line, sure, but the last one had played well for him so he tried this one.

You almost laughed at the cheesiness of his comment. The way he said it, even with how you’d felt when you first realized he was there, was easy, letting you know that the decision was yours entirely. Maybe it was a decision you shouldn’t have been making right this moment but he was gorgeous and anything that had you not thinking about your ex was good enough for you. “Yeah, but I’ll be cold on the way there.”

His lower lip jutted out, pouting at you playfully, “We’ll drive, you can stay warm in the car, promise.”

Sans Nina stopping by, the next day played out the same as the day before. You managed to hold off checking your Tinder until halfway through lunch. It wasn’t like you’d stopped thinking about it or forgot the whole exchange with Nina the day before. You’d locked the whole thing away to reminisce about at some later date when you were no doubt alone once again. Alone and-

And he had sent you a message. It just said hey back, and a subtle compliment about your profile picture, telling you that he would kill for beach weather right now and that ‘blue is his favorite color’, you clicking back a second later and realizing that the bathing suit you had on in your profile picture was, in fact, blue. You half wondered if he remembered you and that’s why it was so casual. But he was arguably that casual the night you met too. If you’d been in a less hyper aware state of mind you would’ve never realized he was flirting with you.

You stared at the message for half of your lunch hour wondering what to say in return. Something witty maybe, though you were feeling as tongue tied as you had that night six years ago. Not at all the confident person you always envisioned yourself being at this point in your life but the nervous one who said dumb stuff that you didn’t mean to.

-I went last weekend with a friend and it was literally too cold to take my sweatshirt off...fall’s a bitch-

You replied, attaching a frowning emoji to the end of your sentence. You hated your inability to be cool online. What else could you say though? You couldn’t ask if he remembered you. Say that if he did remember you than you were sorry for never calling and you know how much of an ass matching with him on Tinder probably seems. Or that pathetically enough for you that night and following morning are arguably the best sex you’ve ever had. Or even that his profile picture made him look better than you remembered, god why did you get back together with Ian.

Rafe had seen the match almost immediately. Working from home that afternoon, he’d only been half paying attention to the zoom meeting that he was on, scrolling through his phone when the notification popped up. He had clicked into Tinder, staring at your name and profile picture off and on for a good hour while he tried to think of something to say to you.

Something clever.

He wasn’t exactly the most sentimental person anyone had ever met and he’d slept with plenty of people in college but he knew you the minute he saw your picture. You looked exactly the same as you had that night, though the picture you used for your profile didn’t quite do justice to the way your eyes lit up when you smiled or how ridiculously easy it had been for him to be completely infatuated with you that night.

You had never called him and he couldn’t fault you for that, it wasn’t exactly like he was screaming boyfriend material back then. He barely was now. Whenever he thought about you, and he was sure it was more frequently than it should be for a one night stand from college, he assumed you’d probably met someone, settled down...all that ridiculous stuff his sister was into.

He said he liked the blue of your bathing suit in the picture of you and that he wished it was beach weather because seeing you honestly had him missing the Outer Banks more than he expected to. He sent the text and spent the rest of the night feeling like a dumbass. There he was, blowing his chances all over again. But then, halfway through the next day, you texted back.

-You Bostonians need to work on your weather. -

He responded, as soon as he got the message, and then,

-I’ll get right on it...any specific requests?-

Your reply came back a few minutes later, after he checked his phone three more times.

-Warm enough to take you to the beach.-

Rafe responded a little faster than he probably should have. Maybe a little more desperate than he should have too but he couldn’t be bothered about that.

-Sans the sweatshirt? -

-Exactly.-

He followed the text up immediately with a,

-but since I can’t take you to the beach, are you free for dinner this Friday?-

-I am, yeah. Where did you have in mind?-

-Have you been to Menton? -

It was warm in the apartment, even for mid-March with the windows opened. The kind of weather that made you want to stretch out in bed and do nothing all day. Except this wasn’t your bed or your room and the noise coming from the kitchen was definitely not going to help lull you back to sleep. Opening your eyes to the sun streaming through the window, you climbed out of bed, grabbing the t-shirt from the carpeted floor and pulling it over your head.

You hadn’t intended to stay the night at Rafe’s but really, once you were there you hadn’t wanted to leave. Even now, all you really wanted was to find him and take him back to bed. Maybe not to sleep but definitely to sleep with.

“Oh my god, you’re so loud,” you teased, walking into the small kitchen to find Rafe standing over the stove, back to you. He turned at the sound of your voice and you had to appreciate the lack of clothing he had decided to wear to attempt breakfast, just a pair of navy-blue briefs.

“Watch it, you won’t get any of these world class scrambled eggs.” He replied, pointing his spatula back to the frying pan on the stove.

You walked closer to him, letting him wrap his arm around you and pull you into his side. “Those do look like some quality eggs,” you observed, putting your arm around his waist.

This felt so easy you were dreading going back to your dorm eventually. Ian hadn’t even made a guest appearance in your brain and he’d been pretty much the star since the two of you broke up. But right now, all you wanted to focus on was Rafe and getting to spend as much time with him as possible.

Rafe moved the skillet off the stove and laid the spatula down, using his free hand to grab your waist as he maneuvered you around in front of him. You yelped in surprise when his hands fell to your thighs and he hoisted you up onto the counter.

“Careful! You almost burned me!” You laughed, swatting his hands away.

“You’re not even near the burner.” he laughed, pushing your legs apart so he could stand in between them.

“I thought we were having breakfast?”

“We are.” He reasoned, the innuendo evident as he leaned down and kissed just above your bare knees. “When do you have to be back?”

“Whenever.” You shrugged, more than happy to have this moment play out, uninterrupted.

Menton was the kind of place that other people went to. Not first grade teachers on first grade teacher salaries. Even when you were younger, growing up in the more affluent part of western Massachusetts, you had never really been part of a ‘fancy restaurants’ family. Menton was just some place Nina mentioned when she talked about restaurants too expensive for normal people.

“What if he remembers me?” You had asked, a few hours earlier, when Nina showed up at your apartment with shoes for your outfit.

“Did he say he did?” Honestly curious about this guy you had never mentioned to her before.

“No. But what if he does?” You couldn’t help being paranoid about the whole date. You could still remember the feeling of being around him, of being with him. Rafe hadn’t mentioned to you that he remembered you, and thank god too because how awkward would that conversation had been? Just a ‘hey, aren’t you that girl I hooked up with six years ago in college?’. Why did Nina have to swipe right. Why couldn’t she have minded her own business and believed you when you said that you were over Ian and not at all concerned about the wedding.

You were freaking yourself out for nothing. Or because you were dressed nicer than you had been in two years and standing outside Menton.

“Hey.”

You turned toward the sound of someone calling your name, seeing Rafe walking across the street. You felt very much like you were twenty again, finding him watching you from the stairwell, butterflies in your stomach. You teetered for a moment on the sidewalk, unsure if you should wait for him to make it all the way to you or just walk up and hug him. That seemed a little extreme, honestly,

You could still remember the feeling of his arms around you but if he didn’t remember you, and you were banking on him not remembering, it would be odd to just grab him in the street. He eased the tension for you though, reaching an arm out for a side hug once he was close enough. Casual but still not too personal.

“Hey,” he repeated, stepping away from you for a brief appraisal. “You look beautiful.”

“Ah, thank you...this place looked so fancy online, I wasn’t sure what to wear.” You admitted.

“You googled it?” He sounded amused, even as he stepped in front of you to hold the door open and you could just imagine the smirk on his face. The same one he’d worn when you told him that you had seen all of his lacrosse games. (You had seen all the ones after that night too but you always made sure to sit high up in the bleachers and you never stuck around after a game.)

“Well, yeah...I wanted to read the menu.” You replied, pausing briefly as Rafe gave his name to the hostess and she grabbed two menus, walking you through the restaurant to a nice table in the back. Quiet but not too quiet.

“Hopefully it’s lived up to its reputation so far?” He asked, biting his tongue to stop himself from saying that he remembered how bizarrely neurotic you could be, even in the few hours that he had spent with you.

“I mean I haven’t eaten the food.” You stressed, looking at him over your shoulder as he pulled your chair out for you. “Thank you.”

He grimaced, as if the possibility of you rating this place, or the date, badly, was still an option then. “The oysters are really good...or the cappotelli.” He suggested, moving around to his side of the table, “do you have a wine preference?”

“Red, otherwise...not really.” You replied, letting him order a bottle for the table. This was somehow exactly the person you’d hooked-up with in college and not that person at all. As if you could see little cracks in the facade of his put-together appearance. “So, are you from Boston?”

“No,” he shook his head. He looked up at you for a moment, breaking his concentration with the menu before he laid the paper off to the side, “I’m from North Carolina, the Outer Banks, I actually ended up moving up here for work.”

“I know this sounds crazy-”

He hummed and you scrunched your nose at him.

“-I’m always like, surprised when people are like, from the beach.” You explained, “like I only think of the beach as vacation place not like a, live there all the time place.”

“That’s cause it gets ridiculously cold up here.” He replied, “No one wants to live on a beach where it snows.”

“The beach is nice off season!” You insisted. “It’s not crowded and you can just like, walk around-”

“If I have to wear a coat to go to the beach, it is not nice.”

“Okay,” you sassed, sticking your tongue out and making him laugh. “So what do you do then? Why’d you move to Boston?”

“That’s a loaded question,” Rafe noted, “I work for an economics firm here. Mostly I moved for the job opportunity but the distance from my family was an added benefit.”

“Well, I say this from a place of extreme bias, Boston is the best city.”

“It has it’s perks.” He could’ve been talking about a good parking deal but the way he smiled at you when he said it made you feel like he was talking specifically about you.

The date ended with Rafe walking you to the train, his coat over your shoulders because the light jacket that you’d worn had proven not warm enough for the early autumn chill that settled in. You talked about your first-grade class and being nervous for the impending year and he listened, saying that sometimes he felt like he was working with six year olds.

“At least I can curse in front of my co-workers though.” He lamented.

You laughed, “I’ve definitely let my fair share of curse words go...and heard quite a few from kids in my classes.”

“Oh man, I’d fucking lose it if some kid started cursing at me.” Rafe replied.

At the train station you argued for a few minutes over his coat, him insisting that you just hold on to it (“trust me, if I go 24 hours without seeing you again, I’ll be shocked.”), but you told him you had a severe inability to remember to give anything back and likely he’d never see it again, something he doubted, the implication that this would progress far enough that he would be in your apartment eventually there beneath the surface of his words.

When the train pulled in, the coat left in your possession, Rafe pulling it tighter around your shoulders and promising that he would get it back eventually. “I’ll text you.” He said, as the doors closed. And, by the time you got home, there was a text from Rafe waiting for you.

taglist: @maplelattes22 @poguesrforlife @freckled-and-daydreaming @chasefreakinstokes @millie-753 @fangirlwithme @alex12948 @katherine097 @tangledinsparkles @carbonated-beverage @mariofgreengables @damonsalvawhore27 @dopedoodes @dolanfivsosxox @belledutchess @poguelifeeee @faded-blue @parkerpetertingle @thebookwormlife @summer-clouds-and-long-days @jellyfishbeansontoast @minigranger @hoewkeye @love-someone-special @tiredfeels @strangerthanfanfiction713 @the-only-nana @tomzfrog @mozz-are-lla @vindictive-hearts @wldflwrskyee @ssprayberrythings @jenahbell @beautyandthebleh @gothackedalready @teenwaywardasgardian @sarahcxmeron @haha-fuck-you-thot @stillbelieve398-5 @rewindlr @queenniccimicci @kissessforharryyy @thedarkqueenofavalon @alytavzla @bqmblebee @linniep @nerdypartytrashpsychic @xxchxrryxx @spencer-reid-is-a-cutie @mirjanak @danielladreaming @obx-saltlife @youngestxhearts @spnobsessedmemes @wowitswondergurl @celestialmaybank @aoba-josigh @pineappleandcherries @mysterious-adventurer @justawilddreamerchild @rhyetaylor62 @calm-rejects @balletandyuzu @oh-annaa @aiifandomsunite @x-lulu @ceruleanjj @wicked-laugh @obxwriterfan @allie-mcginn @pcterparxer @literarycharleton @khiaraaa-in-spacee @crushe-s @teamnick @daydreamlilys @collectiveuniverses @activist-af @mdgrdians @buckys-sunflower @vindictive-hearts @copper-boom @talksoprettyjjx @5am-cigarette @smiithys @dontjinx-it @outerbanksbro @mysticsthinking @heavenlymama @louisolos @rudy-pankow-needs-an-oscar @babymatilda @raekenliar @lemur46 @under-a-canyon-moon @calums-betch @dpaccione

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watchmegetobsessed · 4 years ago

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Celebrity crush - Tom Holland

just a little something i thought about today!

word count: 3.1k

masterlist

“So this is how it’s gonna go. We’ll give you two options to choose from, you’ll say who you would rather choose to be your man, we’ll keep him and you’ll get a new face on the other side. Clear?” Ellen explains the game of ‘Who’d you rather’ to you as you nervously sit in the comfortable armchair. You shoot the audience a nervous look nodding your head.

“Sounds cool,” you clear your throat bracing yourself to whatever is about to come.

“Great, let’s see our first candidates!” she announces and you turn to the huge screen behind you when two faces appear next to each other. “We have Liam Hemsworth and Ansel Elgort. Who do you choose?”

“Um, tough start, I’ll go with Liam,” you say nodding to yourself. You’re satisfied with your choice.

“Alright next up we have Liam and…” Ansel’s face disappears and it’s replaced by a photo of Dylan Minnette.” Liam and Dylan!”

“Dylan is a cute guy, but I think I’ll stick with Liam.”

“Okay, Liam stays. Let’s see the next one,” Ellen nods and Dylan’s face is now replaced by Harry Styles. “Oh my! Harry or Liam?”

“Oh definitely Harry,” you say before you could even stop yourself from talking and the audience laughs, but totally agrees with your choice. “Just look at him! And I think you purposely used a picture where he has long hair. That was iconic.”

“He really did have all the looks,” Ellen agrees. “Okay, so we have lost Liam, now we are rolling with Harry. Let’s see the next contestant.”

As the picture changes on the screen your answer comes faster than you could even think about who you want to choose.

“Tom!” you snap immediately as Tom Holland’s photo appears on the big screen and the audience starts clapping at your fast response.

It’s been an open secret in your team that your absolute number one celebrity crush is none other than Spider-Man himself. You’ve seen all of his movies numerous times and on your latest birthday your friends even put a shirtless photo of him to your cake. You obviously didn’t post that one, but it did take a better place in your heart than the other, plain one.

“That was… pretty fast,” Ellen smirks at you and you can feel your cheeks growing warm at how unfiltered you were.

“I’m just a big fan of his,” you tell her, but your face gives you away.

“Who isn’t? Okay, let’s see the next one. Tom or Nick Jonas?”

“Tom,” you say without even giving Nick a second thought.

“Seems like we are picking up the pace of the game. Alright, Tom or… Zac Efron?”

“Tom.”

Ellen laughs at your eagerness to keep Tom, but she keeps going for two more rounds where you keep choosing Tom over Cole Sprouse and Taron Egerton, until his photo finally moves over to the middle as the winner.

“So I guess we have a winner over here. You didn’t seem to be willing to even look at anyone after Tom.”

“I told you, I’m a big fan of his,” you tell her with a shy, but flirty smile as you fix your designer dress and cross your legs.

“Have you—Have you ever met him?”

“Unfortunately not yet, but I’m hoping our paths will eventually cross. I’m a Spidey fan, seen all the movies and he is definitely my favorite so far.”

“What would you tell him if he was here now?”

You are quick to turn around and check he is not creeping his way up to you right now. You can never know what Ellen has in store for you, she is the queen of surprises when it comes to her show.

“He is not here, don’t worry,” she laughs as you sit back with a relieved sigh.

“I had to make sure,” you chuckle. “Anyway, my message to him is that if he ever wants to come and see my show, I can get him a free backstage pass,” you say and then flirtatiously wink at the nearest camera as the audience starts cheering.

“Tom, I hope you’re watching this and you are gonna take the next step. Y/N is waiting for you!” Ellen smirks before moving on with the second part of your interview.

Few days after the taping the interview finally airs and the internet goes crazy over your crush on Tom Holland. Your fans even make memes and montages of the two of you, some of them make you laugh hard when you are scrolling through your feed on your rehearsal.

To be honest, you thought it would be the end of the story, you quickly moved on since you had a sold out show next Saturday and you were in and out of rehearsals in the upcoming days, not even paying a second thought to what went down at the interview.

Saturday afternoon you are sitting at makeup when Rita, your manager walks in with the widest grin on her face you’ve ever seen.

“What’s gotten you so happy?”

“Guess who I just gave three passes to?”

You think to yourself, but don’t really have a valid guess. Unfortunately, Rita doesn’t want to give out the information that easily.

“Okay, if you can’t guess you’ll have to see it yourself. Pay extra attention to the VIP sector on the right tonight,” she hints before walking out.

“Rita! You can’t just not tell me!” you shout after her, but she is gone.

She successfully made you go crazy over who is going to be in the audience tonight, but also made sure no one gives you the info before the start, so you have to see it during the show.

“I fucking hate you,” you growl at her as you stand behind the stage, getting ready to start. The intro is already playing and the hairstylist is finishing up your hair one last time.

“Make sure to put extra effort into the Harder choreo today,” Rita winks at you and you scoff at her. Harder is one of your steamiest songs, and the dance you perform on stage is definitely a hot one where you truly feel like a badass woman in your tight, revealing costume.

The show starts off great, the crowd is going crazy and you are grateful to be with your fans tonight, but your eyes keep wandering over to the side where you are supposed to see the mysterious guest, but the lights are too bright for you to see anything other than pitch black. All lights are dimmed when Harder comes on and the red lights give just the perfect heated atmosphere the song needs. You’re wearing your skintight bodysuit and knee high boots, hair let down as you do your sexy dance with your female dancers in the back. In the middle of the song you go over to the right side where you are supposed to do a short routine on a chair, one of your favorite parts in the whole show. Singing the lines you sit down to the chair that was already waiting for you and just as you open your knees wide your eyes meet a familiar gaze and you almost forget to sing.

Tom Holland is standing in the VIP section with his pass hanging from his neck, he has his two brothers with him, but you pay little attention to them as you keep performing with your eyes glued to his handsome face.

Taking Rita’s advice you make sure the rest of the choreography is as sexy and heated as possible and you occasionally keep glancing in Tom’s direction who seems to be enjoying the show. It gives you the boost to bring the best out of yourself, he is smirking with amusement in his eyes and you catch him say something to his brothers from time to time who just nod in agreement. You’d die to know what his words were, but you can only hope he’ll come backstage after the show and you can ask him yourself.

By the end of the concert you are bursting from energy and this show will definitely be in your top ten for the rest of your life. You’re panting but grinning widely as you run off the stage and do a quick group hug with your dancers, something you never miss after every show as an appreciation and celebration of the good work you just did.

As you head to your dressing room you spot your manager who has a devilish smile on her face and you almost start lashing out on her, but then none other than Tom Holland shows up coming from the arena. You stop in your way as your eyes meet, eyebrows running up on your forehead when you see the big bouquet of flowers in his hands. He gifts you with a soft, shy smile, the one you’ve seen so many times on the big screen, but it’s a thousand times sweeter in real life.

“Hey!” he greets you waving in your way, as if you haven’t seen him. You don’t see anyone else in the room, to be quite honest.

“Hi! I… didn’t know you were coming tonight,” you admit tugging your hair behind your ear and you wish you felt less sweaty and smelly. You can only hope it’s not as bad as you think.

“I took your invitation serious,” he chuckles making you smile.

“I honestly didn’t think you’d ever see that, sorry if it was… too silly or something,” you tell him with a nervous laugh. It wasn’t in your plans to face him so fast after you admitted to the whole world that you have a fat crush on him.

“Well, it was hard not to see it when literally everyone was tagging me in posts about it.” He then realizes the flowers are still in his hands and steps closer. “Oh, I brought these for you. I hope it’s not too big of a cliché, but I wanted to give you something after the show.”

“That’s so sweet, thank you!” you tell him completely touched by the gesture as he hands you the beautiful bouquet. “Did you like the show?” you innocently ask, his look imprinted in your mind as he watched you in awe from the audience.

“It was fantastic! Really, mind-blowing. All the dancing and everything, I didn’t even know where to look.”

“Well, I saw you looking at me pretty often,” you flirt and hope you’re not being too bold. But there’s no way you are wasting this chance with Tom Fucking Holland, your all-time favorite Spider-Man and #ManCrushMonday. Though you haven’t posted about the latter, but you definitely thought about it before.

His cheeks turn red as he laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

“Well, it was hard not to look when you were so breathtaking, to be honest.”

You can’t stop yourself from smiling like a teenage girl at the compliment. Even an idiot could feel that there is in fact something between the two of you and you truly hope he is feeling the same and it’s not just your crush talking from you.

“Hey, you guys should take a picture together,” Harry suggests and you suddenly feel ashamed you haven’t even acknowledged the twins’ presence.

“Oh, yeah, sure! But you guys should come too!” you tell him, but Tom is quick to differ.

“No!” he protests and you give him a surprised look before he corrects himself. “I mean—Let’s take one alone and then with the boys.”

“Okay,” you smile, and judging from the laugh his brothers try to hide you know his reasoning behind it. “I’m sorry if I’m sweaty and all,” you apologize as he stands next to you, curling an arm around your waist while you do the same and hold the flowers with your other arm.

“I think I’m just as sweaty after that show you just put out,” he admits and you can’t hold you laughter back.

Harry takes a few shots of the two of you before he and Sam joins you and a crew member takes a few group photos.

“Well, thank you for coming, I’m glad we got to finally meet,” you tell them, thinking about how you don’t want to part your ways so soon, but you have to start getting ready to leave.

“Me too, it was something to remember forever,” he admits with that same shy smile. “Hey, so I heard the big news that you’ll be performing at the Oscars!”

“Yes, it’s unbelievable! I’m so nervous just thinking about it!” you admit. It’s kind of an understatement, you’ve been practically shitting yourself ever since Rita broke the news for you that you’d be one of the performers at literally one of the biggest events all year.

“Congrats and… I guess we’ll meet in a week then.” The smile on his lips lets you know he is counting on seeing you on another occasion and you are happy he is on the same page as you.

“I guess,” you nod chuckling.

“Would it be too straight forward if I asked for your number maybe? Just to make sure we will meet that night.”

“Strictly for that reason,” you nod with a playful smirk as he hands you his phone and you type your number in quickly.

“I can’t wait to see you again,” he tells you as you hug goodbye to all three of the boys.

“Same here,” you nod before turning around and heading back to your dressing room.

***

The Oscars is just as nerve-wrecking as exciting it is for you. It’s you first time doing such a huge performance and you definitely don’t want to be remembered for giving the worst show of all times. You smile your way through the red carpet even though you could break down in tears any minute. You’ve never felt this nervous before and you don’t like the effect it has on your mindset.

Sitting in your dressing room you are getting ready since your performance is just twenty minutes away. Your glam and outfit is completely done, but you just don’t feel the same in your thoughts.

From a sudden idea you send a text to Tom. It’s been an entire week since the show he attended and he texted you before you could even get back to your dressing room and you’ve been going back and forth ever since. He even FaceTimed you one night and you had a two hours long conversation about the most random things. Tom is easy to talk to and this is exactly how you imagined him. Your crush on him has just grown since you met him in real life. In this moment you feel like he is the person you want to talk to, but you doubt he even has his phone on him.

For your biggest surprise a reply arrives just seconds later.

“I’m on my way to you.”

It takes you a few moments to process that he indeed just left his seat at the Oscars to come and calm your nerves. Just about two minutes later there’s a soft knock on the door and after you call out, Tom appears in his perfectly fitted suit, looking better than ever and for a split second you forget everything and just think about how damn good he looks in a suit. When you return to reality panic sets back in and Tom can see it all in your eyes.

“Hey! Why are you so upset?” he gently asks as he steps closer to you taking your hands in his.

“I’m just so fucking nervous, what if I mess it up?”

“You won’t.”

“How do you know?” you whine, already seeing the worst things happen to you out there.

“I just know. I know, because you are literally the best. No one else deserves more to be here than you, alright? They asked you for a reason.”

“I’m just so scared something goes wrong,” you sigh, head hanging low, but he is quick to lift your chin up and make you look in his eyes.

“Everything will be alright. And if something do happen… I’ll just jump up to the table and pull my pants down so everyone will look at me and forget about what you messed up,” he tells you in an attempt to make you laugh and it works.

“That would be pretty funny.”

“Yeah? Do you want me to do it anyway?” he asks chuckling.

“No, keep your pants up,” you tell him shaking your head.

The door opens and an assistant pops his head inside.

“Y/N, we need to go, you are starting in five.” You nod your head and turn back to Tom.

“Can you come with me?” you ask him.

“Of course! Do you want me to stay at the side and wait for you?” You nod again, still feeling a little lost, but way better than before Tom arrived. “Alright. Let’s go then,” he smiles at you and the two of you walk out hand in hand.

He walks you all the way to the stage where you get your mic and earpiece, telling you encouraging words all along, calming your nerves as if it was his magical power.

“You got this,” he tells you, squeezing your hand one last time before you head out to the stage.

He was right, you got this. The song you performed was an excellent choice and the audience seemed to love the visuals and the dance. You get a standing ovation at the end and you almost start crying right there. You rush off the stage and immediately spot Tom still standing at the same spot you left him, his eyes and smile filled with pride and glory and your legs are just pushing your forward until you are in his arms, holding him tight, squeezing him happily as you squeal joyfully.

You lean back and your eyes move down to his lips the same time his gaze travels down to yours. In just a heartbeat you lean forward and your lips meet in a sweet, victorious kiss you’ve been waiting for so long. You melt into his lips, fingers tangled in his perfectly made hair as his palms lay flat on your bare back where the dress is not covering your shivering skin.

It takes quite some time for the two of you to let go of each other, one of you always goes in for just one more kiss as the backstage is rushing around you, people are running wildly to get everything in place when the show returns after the commercial break. Yet you just stand there with Tom, completely lost in each other.

“I think…” he starts quietly, a smirk hiding in his lips, “I think we owe Ellen a thank you,” he says making you laugh.

“Definitely,” you nod before pressing your lips back to his.

general/forever taglist for Tom Holland

i do separate taglists for different people, but not for different works of mine! if you ask to be on my Tom taglist, you’ll be tagged in all of my Tom fics!

@zaahidahhh @shawn-youth @wildflower-cth @imaginashawnns @haute-shawn @learning-howto-be-myselfx3 @cutepenguin1 @madatmendes @harrysleftchelseaboot @sunflower6why

if you’d like to be taken off or added to the list, please let me know!

#tom #holland #tom holland #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland fanfic #tom holland imagine #tom holland oneshot #tom holland blurb #tom holland fluff #tom holland x you #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x reader

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peaky-shelby · 5 years ago

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When he sees me [5]

Pairing: Chris Evans x oc

Summary: Delilah is a simple shy girl. What will happen when famous actor, Chris Evans sees her? Will she hide, will she run again? Will he make her come out of hiding instead?

Episode 5: The one with That day

Read: prologue, episode 1, episode 2 , episode 3 episode 4

Words: 2.344

Based on When he sees me by Sara Bereilles

Warnings: awkwardness, mentions of anxiety and a fight

Author’s note: sorry for the delay, from now on updates will come every Friday!! luv ya xx

8:00 AM

“AH!”

Delilah’s heart dropped out of her chest when she saw Sebastian coming out of her bathroom. His hair were messy and of course he was naked from the waist up, looking like a complete god. “What are you doing here at eight in the morning?” she hissed at him, hitting him in the shoulder for scaring her like that. “I could have been naked! wait- have you been here all night?”

“Good morning to you too shorty!” he replied, giving her a smile. Delilah hit him again, this time the punch was harder and Sebastian stepped back out of instinct “Ouch!” he rubbed his arm and frowned his eyes “jeez, you’re dangerous in the morning- have you talked to chris about that?” Sebastian walked to the kitchen before she could hit him again, laughing at his own joke, because he is a dork.

“wait-” Delilah rushed behind him “if you were here all night... did you-”

“yeah we did. We were spying on you two from Laura’s window, you can’t imagine the way she screamed when she saw you kissing-” Sebastian started making coffee, totally ignoring Delilah’s little cries for help. That kiss was already bad enough but to have Laura see it, that was way worse.

“Well you should tell her that it meant nothing”

“You can tell her that when she wakes up but I doubt she’ll believe you. Coffee?”

“why wouldn’t she believe me?” she questioned sitting down on the kitchen table and nodded about the coffee. Sebastian left her the cup on the table, smiling.

“Because I don’t even believe you, because you are lying.” Finally he took a seat next to her and a sip from his coffee. He looked so comfortable around the house, moving like it was his own apartment. “Chris is a nice guy, you shouldn’t run away. Not this time.”

“How do you know about my running away history?”

Sebastian tilted his head and smirked like the answer was obvious and then it clicked for Delilah too. Laura.

“look” he cleared his throat and leaned closer to her “You don’t have to talk to me, you barely know me but I know chris, he wouldn’t have kissed you on the first date if it meant nothing. He never does that. Don’t run way and If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for him. He looks tough but he is not all that tough.”

“I-” Delilah bowed her head, her thoughts felt too heavy “don’t you and Laura have better things to talk about?”

Sebastian chuckled and at that moment Laura came in dressed in his long black shirt, her black hair up on a bun, she slid her hands down his chest and leaned down to kiss his cheek “Morning” she sang in his ears. Sebastian’s face lit up the second he sensed her standing behind him.

“Good morning doll. I made coffee”

“You’re an angel.” Laura raised her head to look at her friend and gave her a quick kiss “good morning D” she poured herself some coffee and took a seat across from Sebastian “Did Chris call yet?”

“Laura its eight thirty in the morning , what do you think?” question Delilah.

“He’s probably gonna call later, we got press today. Which reminds me I’m gonna need my shirt” he pointed at Laura smiling but she pouted “Oh come on doll, you can come with me, it will be really boring-”

“I can’t I have rehearsals today, all day.” She reached to hold his hand and winked “But Lilah could come with you”

Delilah chocked on her coffee as a response to her friend’s suggestion.

“Sure! I bet Chris would love to see you-”

“I can’t! I have to go to the coffee shop-”

“But you have the night shift today” reminded Laura

“Actually Zac called me, he is sick and he asked if I could fill in for him”

“You mean he texted on the group chat if anyone could help and you said yes because it was an excuse not to deal with Chris Today.”

Delilah took a sip from her coffee, looking at her friend like an innocent kid.

“Unbelievable”

Sebastian could only laugh and shake his head. “wow”

1:00 PM

“D, your phone is ringing!” Called Paul as Delilah entered the kitchen. She walked over to him wiping her hands on her apron. “Is it Laura?”

“No, it says Evans”

Delilah stopped on her tracks and her entire body turned white, matching the walls of the kitchen. Should I answer? No? Maybe? fuck.

“D?” Paul asked, worried by the way she looked “D?” He asked again, trying to wake her up from her nightmare. Delilah looked up at him and grabbed her phone, very quickly shutting it off.

“No talking when we are working.” she explained, she was mostly trying to convince her self that what she did was right. She turned around, picking up a tray and walking back out the tables. She was replacing her thoughts about Chris with orders.

2:00 PM

“how much time do we have left?” Asked chris, sinking back at his chair. This was the worst Part about being a Hollywood actor, press could get very exhausting, you would sit in a room for hours answering the same questions, to different people and most time the chairs were so uncomfortable.

“A little more Buddy!” Sebastian gave his friend a light pat on the knee. “You ok?”

Chris opened his right eyes just a little to look at sebastian “you said she’s working, right?”

“oh god” he laughed

“What?” Chris at up straight opening his eyes completely “I’m just asking”

“Yeah I know You’ve asked about twenty times”

Chris groaned and sank back at his chair again. He rubbed his face with his hands, trying to calm his mind “I’m an idiot- I shouldn’t have kissed her, It was just the perfect moment and her eyes looked so pretty, her lips- I couldn’t help myself.”

“Dude calm down!”

“I really like her, she’s feisty but cute at the same time, she’s got this mystery about her...”

“Of course there’s a mystery. She’s a writer, mystery is what they do best.” Sebastian sighed “Look, you can drop by the house tonight with me, I was gonna go anyway”

Chris thought about it. he leaned back, looking at the ceiling, all he could think about was her and her smile. Her lips, her taste, her smell. He had to see her again.

7:00 PM

“Ms. Green, I promise I’m fine, I don’t have to go home yet-”

“Delilah you’ve been here since nine thirty, its time to go home.”

“Why can’t you be like the other bosses who force you to stay all day instead of kicking you out.”

Ms. Green laughed, the wrinkles in her face getting more visible by the way she smiled. She was a very kind woman, with lots of stories to tell and the owner of the coffee shop “Sweetheart, what ever it is you should go home and deal with it, overworking yourself will not solve the problem.”

“How do you always see right through me?”

“Go Delilah.”

8:00 PM

When she opened the door she didn’t think she would have to deal with her problem, she didn’t think that he would be sitting on the couch drinking tea and laughing but there he was on her couch, talking and laughing. The keys dropped off her hands, landing on the floor and earning everyone’s attention. Laura was the first one to sit up, ready to run in case Delilah was going to attack her. Sebastian tried to hide in between the pillows of the couch, pretending like he was innocent and Chris smiled, that boyish smile with that adorable charm.

“Hi.” he whispered in her direction.

Delilah knelt down to pick up her keys, not taking her eyes off chris while doing so. She tried her hardest to fake a smile and look comfortable in this situation but in reality she was freaking out. Every bone in her body was telling her to run and the voices in her head grew louder and louder, drowning her in doubts amd fears.

“I didn’t know you’d be here” she gulped.

“Oh yeah, it was a last minute call, Laura offered to cook and I was exhausted by the press and I thought I’d stay and surprise you”

“Well I’m surprised” She answered in a high pitched voice “I love Surprises- But I actually have to go out again-”

“Delilah!” Warned Laura, making her way towards her. Delilah shot her a killing look in response, warning her to back off and then looked back at chris with a sympathetic smile. “My friend Zac he is really sick and he asked If I could go watch after him, I can’t say no-”

“Yes you can Delilah, You are not his nurse!”

While Laura and Delilah were arguing, Chris bowed down his head, looking at his hands. He was feeling like an idiot, he scoffed at himself as he got the message, she didn’t want him here, she didn’t wanna see him and she didn’t answer the phone because, she didn’t wanna talk to me. He stood up hiding his hands in his pockets, the two friends stopped arguing when they sensed his tall figure getting up and looked at him. “I’ve left didger alone at home, maybe I should go too-”

“No!” Laura replied quickly “neither of you has to go! I cooked! I never cook! So you will both stay here and appreciate the food that I made you!”

Chris wanted to be kind to Laura and stay but looking at Delilah, god she was so easy for him to read. He could see her trying to hide behind that wall that she was always carried around, behind that smile but he saw it in her eyes, that hurt and pain, that fear. He wasn’t going to push her anymore than he already had and maybe she would eventually come to him instead.

“Lar I’m sorry I’ll make it up to you I promise.” He stepped closer to Laura and kissed her forehead and then smiled at Delilah, he was trying to let her know that it was ok but he doubted she’d listen to his voice among all the voices in her head. He turned to the door to leave when he heard his name.

“Chris, wait-” She walked to him and gave him a sad smile “walk with me?”

He hesitated at first but nodded “sure”.

Neither of them said anything until the came out of the building

“chris-”“Delialh-” they both laughed awkwardly and motioned for the other to go on.

“You go first”

“No you, insist” he smiled

Delilah took a second to gather her thoughts and remember all the things he wanted to say. She was never good at this things, being open about her feelings, talking about her fears. “I..” She scoffed at her inability to speak “I’m sorry-”

“No you did nothing wrong.. You don’t have to apologize-”

“But I do, because I’m about to use the most cliche line in the book” she stopped walking, he turned around to her, looking at her with those magic puppy eyes “Ok here it comes... It’s not you It’s me”

Chris really tried to hold himself from laughing but failed miserably. The laugh escaped his lips as easy as he breathes, it was shirt but loud. Delilah nodded in understanding, she deserved that laugh. “chris..”

“No I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh but you really used the most cliche line in the book... problem is you are wrong.”

“I’m wrong?”

“Its not me but it’s not you either, its the noise... only noise.”

Delilah bit her lip and this time it was her turn to scoff. god it was so annoying how everyone talked about that noise, how everyone acted like they had her sort out. “you don’t know me Chris, and you definitely don’t know the noise in my head”

“D-” “No! Stop! Just-” she sighed “I’m tired of everyone pretending they know what I;m going through- this is why i don’t get close to people, I don’t need this in my life, that smirk and your smart-ass!”

“Delilah!”

“Chris, this is not gonna work-”

“How do you know?”

“Because I know me! And in the end I will only break my heart and maybe yours too! Because I don’t know how to get close to people! because I can’t-” she paused, swallowing down the anger and the sadness but tears had already started falling down her eyes. “and you can’t either! You can’t deal with this and you don’t have to so I’m giving you a pass because I can’t let you in and then have you run away-”

“Funny you accuse me of being a smart-ass but what about you?”

“Excuse me?”

“You think you know exactly how this will end, you make the decisions, you have it all planned out in your head and you listen to no one but yourself because you think you know everything but you don’t!” Delilah looked at him in shock and anger. She was pissed for only one reason even if she wouldn't admit it and the reason was that he was right. “You know what you’re right, this is not gonna work if you’re not gonna let it work. So let’s save ourselves some trouble”

“That’s a great idea” she spat out

He stopped closer, only a kiss away from her “Tell me to stay and I’ll stay, say go and I’ll leave and you won’t have to see my face again”

Delilah looked at him with her teary eyes. Her heart was pounding, she wanted to kiss him, hold him, she anted to love him and she was so close into doing that, only one second away. She was ready to say the word when another came out her lips like venom.

“Go.”

@annoyinglydarktriumph-us @purely-myself-03 @yelyahcardella @tfandtws @thejemersoninferno

#Chris evans #chris evans imagine #chris evans one shot #chris evans x reader #chris evans x oc #steve rogers #imagines #marvel actors #Sebastian Stan #sebastian stan imagine

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red-lipstick-and-high-heels · 7 years ago

Photo

I feel like this picture sums up perfectly the 'relationship' dynamic between Zac and Alex. I don't ship them together at all, and beyond the desire to see what their offspring would look like, I don't get why people want them together. As a person, Alex seems like all the things Zac posted about in the birthday thing on instagram. I just get the impression that Zac is trying soo hard for her to like him, and she's just not into him. It makes me really sad to watch all of his attempts to win her affections fall completely flat, knowing that regardless of whether or not she's a private person, I have yet to see any kind of strong evidence that any of it is actually working. Zac has said in many interviews that he enjoys a challenge and being pushed outside his comfort zone. I daresay this is doing exactly that for him and he's really committing to it, just like he does in each of his movies. Alex, on the other hand, has said that she doesn't have the stamina to date big celebrities, so that says something in itself. Zac will probably never not be a massive deal in the public eye. Just overall, she only ever seems to treat him with professional courtesy, whether in interviews when he constantly compliments her and seems to try to keep not-so-subtly finding reasons for her to date him and she consistently brushes off with a simple 'thank you, I appreciate that/that's very sweet, thank you', but it all just seems polite and cordial with her, she's not deeply affected by it, where he's basically wearing his heart on his sleeve the entire time. I really wouldn't be surprised if the only reason, or the biggest motivator for him getting a dog from the same place as her, or at all, is a huge move to impress her. But I also get the sense that he's just really lonely in himself and where he's at in his life. (Maybe I'm reading wayyy too much into it, but it's been a few years since he's dated anyone and he's mentioned a few times about being alone - for various reasons, plus he's said it's nearly impossible for him to date) In the pictures from Alex's birthday, there's one where he's kissing her cheek and from memory, she's staring directly at the camera and has a straight face like she's just not having it, but doesn't want to make a thing of it. I think there's another one where she's sitting next to him and looking at the camera smiling, but overall it just looks like Zac is trying everything he can to win her over, and part of me wonders if she's just placating him for the sake of their friendship, but just wants him to stop/move on. Like in the massive dedication birthday post everyone is raving about, she doesn't look thrilled about the picture, and her response to it is far from gushy, it's more something you'd say to someone out of gratitude, but also just to not appear rude. As someone who's had several unrequited loves, I really truly feel for him! He seems like a genuinely lovely guy, that I feel like he deserves someone that matches him and actually feels the same way back *cough*Vanessa*cough* I know that's in the past, but their love was so pure and they both genuinely looked happy together, until Zac's career took off. I've never once seen Alex give Zac anything even remotely close to the looks that Vanessa did, and yet that's pretty much all he seems to give her. *sadface* I hope that Zac learns what he needs to from this whole experience and moves on to someone more suitable for him (lol me, call me mebbe?), because if they did end up dating (or make it public that they were) while he'd definitely prove himself to be the most upstanding boyfriend in the world, I feel like his efforts would be wasted because he wouldn't be being himself, he'd be so focused on being whatever it took to keep Alex, and that's not only sad to watch, but it's a waste of the person that he is. Rant over...for now.

#zac efron #alexandra daddario #unrequited love #shes pretty and all #but i just dont see it #personal thoughts #ive been there so often i run that shit #time for him to move on #bless his tries though

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sagegothel · 7 years ago

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F the Prom → Sia

TAGGING → Tia La Bouff (@tiaisms) & Sage Gothel

TIMELINE → Saturday, May 18

SETTING → Charming Dance Hall, Streets of Walt, 1151 Wiizard Way

SUMMARY → Tia and Sage both have crappy nights at prom. In the end, they decide to get pizza and plan a summer roadtrip (including that info here because we didn’t write it lol)

Sage was totally not having a good time at prom this year. She’s volunteered to be a chaperone because she finally had a boyfriend now and being dates with like, Lux or whoever again was so not okay, although that hadn’t stopped Vivi from asking Wayland to go with her again. But whatever; Sage had figured she’d get to hang with Izzie and Tia and like, pass her crown on to a new cheerleader who won queen this year while she waited for a chance to borrow Wayland for the dance they hadn’t gotten last year when she’d been prom queen instead. And to hurry it up a little, she was maybe kind of scoping out cute high school boys to set Vivi up with instead, since she was like, super pretty and really couldn’t keep borrowing Wayland from her forever. She’d just spotted a medium key hottie she didn’t know when Tia crossed her line of vision, though, and she waved excitedly. “Hi bestie!” Sage squeed, reaching out to hug her without even noticing the expression on her face. “Do you think that boy over there is shorter than Vivi or not? I like, can’t tell from here.”

Tia only just barely spared a glance at the boy Sage was gesturing to as she tried her best to keep her composure up for a few minutes longer. "He looks shorter than us. Can we get out of here?" She asked in a rush, silently praying to God and anyone else who was possibly listening that Sage would just be a good minion and not question her until they were at least out of the range of a building filled with a bunch of nosy annoying high schoolers. Tia was so upset about her latest and quite possibly final break up with Kai, she really doubted her ability to be able to say much else without it possibly escalating into actual screaming.

Sage ‘s eyes went wide, surprised by Tia’s response, but she didn’t question it. She was best friends with like, the two smartest people on the planet; if they said something they were usually right about it, and Sage was super glad to have them to help her out when she didn’t get stuff. “Oh, um, sure!” she replied, casting a quick glance around to make sure Vivi hadn’t like, snuck Wayland off to do anything weird to him before she looped her arm through Tia’s and let her lead the way. “Is Kai stuck doing like boring radio stuff?” she asked as they walked. She totally wished she was hanging out with her own boyfriend; she was a little curious about why Tia wasn’t with hers, but she could like, need underwear help or something else that was a bff job instead.

Tia waited to answer Sage's question until they were all the way out of the building and then Tia turned around and flung herself into Sage's arms. "Kai's leaving again so we broke up." She sobbed, finally bursting into tears as she buried her face into her best friend's shoulder, completely ignoring the fact that Sage probably wouldn't appreciate the eyeliner, mascara and deep purple lipgloss smeared on her dress.

Sage had thought maybe Tia just didn’t hear her question at first, but her starting to cry as soon as they were outside was a definite clue that Sage had been wrong. “Oh-em-gee, no!” Sage replied instantly, wrapping her arms tightly around Tia, shock preventing her from saying anything useful as she tried to rub soothing circles on Tia’s back instead. Her best friend was all soggy and sad, and Sage hated when the people she loved the most were sad - but how did she fix it? “He can’t! We’ll like, build a dungeon and lock him up there so he can’t leave you. Like, why would he want to anyway? You’re so much better than the stinky old world anyway!”

Tia started crying even harder the more Sage talked to her. "Yes, he can! I told him to go! It's a really good thing for him and I can't make him not go do that!" She cried out before pulling out of the hug and dragging Sage further down the street towards their cottage. "He's going to do some youtube red show and he wants to go so so bad. It would be absolutely awful of me to keep him here."

Sage pouted slightly. She’d totally trusted Kai not to make Tia sad ever again, and they’d seemed super duper happy for like, almost a whole year now. Seeing Tia so crushed that he was going away again made Sage wish they’d found her a totally new boy instead, and maybe later when Tia wasn’t so super sad she’d suggest some of the ones she’d been looking at for Vivi. Right now, though, she didn’t know whether they were supposed to be mad at Kai or not, and she wished Tia had given her more indication of whether she should be saying totally bad stuff about him to cheer her up or not. She settled for a middle ground as they got closer to their cottage, asking, “Did he like... ask you to go with him? You’d be like, such a cute internet famous girlfriend! Like Vanna White but like eight zillion times prettier?” She chews on her lip, hating the words even as she said them. Leaving would be stinky, right? Tia would totally miss her and Izzie more than she would miss Kai, she had to.

Tia stared blankly at Sage for a few seconds before realizing that her bestie was serious. "Of course not. I don't want to go with him. For starters, I can't swim so if I fell off the boat like that girl in the Zac Efron movie about ghosts, I'd be dead super fast. But mostly. As much as I love Kai and all, but I'd be such a wreck without Wes, you and Izzie around. That's part of why I made this one the forever break up. He'll always want to go somewhere new, while I'm happy where I am and I hate being left behind. How would that ever work in the long run?"

Sage nodded her head. "That's super fair; before I got to Walt, like, the deepest thing I ever went swimming in was a bath tub. And there were no sharks or seaweed or like, drowny stuff in those," Sage said, wrinkling her nose up. How could Kai like all of that stuff more than he liked Tia? It just didn't make sense to Sage, but if he was really gonezo then she wouldn't have to make sure everyone blacklisted him or anything. "I'm so sorry, T, but that sounds super smart and grown up of you. There are so many cute boys in this world that would pick you over the stinky old ocean every time, and we'll totes find them for you when you're un-sad enough." Sage reached out to squeeze Tia's hand, adding, "And hopefully his show will get like, 30 seasons so he can't come back and try to make your life all confusing again every time you start to be okay without him."

Tia let out part of a giggle despite her sadness thanks to Sage's reaction. "I just don't like messing my hair up and pool water makes blonde hair green and dulls highlights, so I never bothered." Once the girls arrived at their cottage, Tia unlocked the door and headed straight for her room, throwing herself onto the bed with only minimal regard to where Sage would fit next to her voluminous gown. "I knoooooooow there are. But Kai was the best of them! What if when I'm unsad I can't find anyone I liked even half as much. Walt is only so big and I already know most of the boys our age!" Tia frowned even harder at the idea that Kai ever coming back would make her life all confusing. Looking up from her pillow to glare at Sage, Tia snapped, "I could be perfectly okay with him if he ever came back after his show. I said this break up was for good and I mean what I say."

Sage didn't want to give Tia too much space in case she needed someone to hug her or play with her hair, so she leaned against the side of her bed, tentatively perched there while Tia sprawled. "I mean, we could like, go on a road trip? Walt doesn't have all the boys in the world," Sage said thoughtfully, although the whole world was like... kind of big and scary. She'd never really been anywhere but her own home and Tia's and Walt. She didn't know where to start to look, but Izzie would know, and the two of them could help Tia together. Right now, though, helping her was something Sage had to do all by herself, until Tia was ready to tell other people about her super awful prom night and her new super single status. "Yeah, but like, he might scare off your new boys if he like, tries to win you back, even if you don't want him! It seems like, super complicated to have exes around, but I can be your body guard or something." Sage reached out tentatively to squeeze Tia's shoulder. "Whatever happens, we'll totes get you through this together. But what do you want to do like... right now? Can I get you pizza?"

#✦event: prom 2k18 #tiaisms #para #para:tia #tia #para:ftheprom

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keepoffthegrace · 4 years ago

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What Made Me Love 18 Again

Disclaimer: [MIGHT CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS]

This is my first ever k-drama review and I’m thinking of starting to write k-drama reviews since I’ve been really into k-dramas lately. I’ll name this k-drama recommendation series as What Made Me Love [Insert K-drama Title Here].

First up is 18 Again!

Major take away after watching: Life lessons, will make you realize a lot of things

18 Again is based on the 2009 US Film 17 Again which starred Zac Efron. It tells a story about the married couple Jung Da Jung (Kim Han Neul) and Hong Dae Young (Yoon Sang Hyun) who are in the brink of divorce when Hong Dae Young’s miraculously transformed to his 18-year old body but retains his 37-year old mentality.

Even though the story is based on a movie, how the story was told hits differently. So if you loved the movie, you definitely have to consider this on your k-drama list! This drama will offer enough laughs and tear-jerking scenes.

So what made me love 18 Again?

1. Perfect Main Lead Casts

Lee Do Hyun as the younger Hong Dae Young

This is the first lead of Lee Do Hyun and he totally nailed his character. First is that he effectively portrayed a struggling teenage parent as he tries to be a responsible husband to his wife and a caring father to his kids. It seemed that he experienced being a young teenage father himself. Just by watching Lee Do Hyun, I can already empathize with his character especially when he took sick little Si Ah to the hospital. He’s adorable with kids, too. Second is how he acted as a 37- year old Hong Dae Young’s who is stuck on his 18 year old body. My favorite scene of him was his ugly crying towards the end. I can feel his desperation that he wanted to go back on his 37 years old self

Kim Ha Neul as Jung Da Jung

She is a young looking pretty actress! At first, I didn’t find her attractive but the more I look at her, I can’t help but admire her beauty. It’s the first drama that I watched that she’s in. Although she looks timid on the outside she’s definitely a complete opposite the moment she speaks. Her character is full of boldness and confidence. Her face is sure perfect for a broadcaster.

2. Interesting Supporting characters

The Bestfriends

Every scenes of Deok-Jin (Da Young’s bestfriend) and Ae-rin (Da-Jung’s bestfriend) brought me laughter. Their expression is priceless especially with Ae-rin every time she encounters the young Da Young *cue slow-mo effects plus the background music* There scenes felt like a kdrama within a kdrama. Also Deok-Jin’s character whenever she attempts to surprise Ms. Ok with extravagance and he immediately denies that it was him because he doesn’t want to get caught.

The Hong Twins

Apart from them being both undeniably adorable, what I admire about their characters is that although the Hong twins are estranged from their parents from lack of communication, they did not grow up as the annoying and the brat type of teenagers. Si-Ah is a rebellious teenager, she is the type of character that knows what she wants and works for it. Si-woo, on the other hand, although seemed aloof but deep inside he’s just shy and don’t know how to socialize. It was really a great help when his dad turned young again because apart from having a friend, he regained the courage to play basketball and join the basketball varsity.

Heo Woong-Ki from JBC News Department

Da Jung’s journey towards her broadcaster dream was a truly a challenge. She was discriminated and was treated unfairly in her workplace because she was a divorcee and and started late in her career. However, this guy right here never took that against Jung Da Jung, in fact he’s one of the few people who secretly roots for Jung Da Jung’s success in her broadcasting career. He seemed a proud daddy whenever Da Jung does a good job.

3. Notable Character development

Goo Ja-Sung the high school bully

There’s always an explanation why some teenagers turned out to be bullies in school. It may be caused from lack of attention and affection they receive from their parents just like Goo Ja-Sung. Ja-Sung takes out his anger and bullies Si-Woon. Fortunately, his character changed on the progressing episodes after his dad starts appreciating him and starts treating him like a son. I still can’t believe that Hwang In-Yeop who plays Goo Ja-sung is 30 years old (American Age) in real life. Some of my favorite scenes from him was when he sings his confession to Si-Ah (Is he a singer?) and also when he and Da Young had some beer and then he fell asleep after one sipping. LOL

Kwon Yoo-Mi and Director Moon Sang-Hwi from JBC News Department

Honestly, these are the two people I least expected to have a character development because I swear they are just the few people who look down at Jung Da Jung being a broadcaster! Yoo-Mi never treated Da Jung with respect and even gave her judgmental looks whenever they are together. I already wished them unhappiness at first but I’m glad the writer decided to redeem their characters in the end.

4. The relationship between the Female lead and the Second Lead

Ye Ji Hoon the baseball star

Korean dramas won’t be complete without a second lead. Ye Ji-Hoon is obviously smitten with Broadcaster Da-Jung and I don’t see why not he wouldn’t fall for her. Ye Ji-Hoon didn’t mind if he was older than her, have kids, and a divorcee. In fact, he admires her even more. What I admire about their relationship is that there are no judgments between the two parties and they are very comfortable to tell each other’s problems. They support each other’s careers, too.

5. Life Lessons

As a k-drama fan, this is what I always look forward to after watching. 18 Again didn’t disappoint me in offering life lessons to ponder on. Here are just few realizations after watching the drama:

Communication is vital in maintaining relationships

Proper communication is really important in maintaining relationships. Not just with husband and wife but also with your children. As a couple, we become too caught up with work and with our own personal problems that sometimes we forget the reason why our partner is there. Our pride sometimes builds a wall to seek for help with our significant other. As a parent, sometimes we forget to be a friend to our children whom they can share without judgements. As a son or daughter, we should not forget to say our gratitude towards our parents if you felt the love and their sacrifices.

Continue reaching your Dream even it might take longer than expected

What this drama taught me when it comes to reaching your dreams is that there will be unexpected turn of events that might cause a delay in reaching your dream. However, if you really love that dream of yours, you will pursue it even if you feel that it’s too late just like Da Jung’s dream of becoming a broadcaster. She had to set aside her dreams first to be a mother to her kids and a wife to her husband. But she’s a confident, bold and go-getter woman who eventually become a news broadcaster. But there will still be hurdles that will come your way and you need to stay tough.

#wmmlseries

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ritebeforeyoureyes · 7 years ago

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Confessions

Just wanted to ask if you guys would be interested in a tag list, so you’d be notified every time I post the next chapter? Also, smut warming at the end - requested by the lovely @write-numinous x

Masterlist - Plot: Tom and Harrison visit Zendaya on set.

Confessions (Chapter Five)

The Greatest Showman was true to its word; extravagant and boisterous. Tom and Harrison were lucky enough to visit Zendaya on set today and they were both mesmerised by their surroundings. The lights were bright and yellow in tone, the costumes were large and eccentric and there were handfuls of performers everywhere. The set was so unlike that of Spider-Man that the two British boys were struggling with what to pay focal attention to.

The cast and crew were preparing for a scene that involved Zendaya and Zac’s characters, Anne and Phillip. There were wires dangling from the ceiling and a large trapeze hoop in the centre of the open space. People were running about and for once, those people weren’t Tom and Harrison. It gave them the chance to appreciate a film set from an outsider’s perspective.

“This is crazy.” Tom whispered into Haz’s ear who was just as stunned as him. Tom had worked on his share of films, yes, but he was always too stressed about learning lines or having his makeup done. This was truly the first time that he was able to appreciate how much work went into the art of producing a high-class movie.

“Hey, look, there’s Z.” Harrison pointed towards Zendaya and Tom felt his breathing hitch in his throat. Every time he looked at her, he was blown away. Zendaya’s hair was in its natural curls, the style framing her face and accentuating the minimal makeup against her striking features. Her body was adorned in a glittery leotard, the ends skimming the tops of her caramel thighs. The outfit left her lengthy legs on display and Tom let his eyes travel down them slowly. Those were the legs that had become accustomed to being wrapped around his waist. “She looks good.” Haz nodded appreciatively, after all, he was a straight guy and Zendaya was hands down beautiful.

“Oi, that’s my girl you’re talking about.” Tom playfully nudged Harrison’s side. The two started to goof around and Zendaya was able to spot their movement in the crowd. She made quick eye contact with Tom and winked at him slyly, Tom’s cheeks heating up into a blush instantly.

“Aw, is little Tommy blushing?” Haz poked at Tom’s cheeks and this time, Tom whacked his friend a little harder than he had before. He was getting ready to tell him to ‘shut up’ but he was cut off suddenly when action was called, and the full set of cast and crew was silenced.

Tom watched in awe as Zendaya strut into the frame, her hips swaying as she stood centre stage. This was the scene that showcased Zendaya and Zac’s duet, Rewrite the Stars, and Tom listened as a speaker belted out the sensual music. Zac and Zendaya’s duet was one that discussed their characters’ unconventional love and the hurdles that they had to face in order for society to accept them. It was Tom’s first time hearing it and he was amazed at how amazing Zendaya sounded. He had heard her sing, but not like that. His eyes followed her as she mimed to the song, her whole persona now that of Anne’s.

Tom had been so captivated by his girlfriend that it took him a few moments to notice Zac trail closely behind her. Zac grabbed onto Zendaya’s wrist and spun her around forcefully. Zendaya stumbled lightly on her feet, her body pressing up against his tightly. The two made solid eye contact and Tom watched as the cameras got different angles of the romantic moment. He knew they were acting but he couldn’t help but let the jealousy coarse deeply through his veins.

His jealousy only seemed to get worse as the day progressed – it was safe to say that it wasn’t easy for anyone to sit back and watch another guy kiss their girl.

The whole ordeal had Tom in a sour mood and not even Harrison’s joking could lighten him up.

“You okay there, grumpy pants?” Zendaya giggled softly, her arms winding around Tom’s neck as she pulled his body closer. Her day had come to an end and she was meant to be getting out of her costume before heading home. But she hadn’t gotten any alone time with Tom all day and in all honesty, she couldn’t wait another moment before kissing his scowling lips. The kiss was short lived because Tom pulled away suddenly, the image of Zac and Zendaya kissing still heavily imprinted at the forefront of his mind. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Tom knew he was being stupid, but he couldn’t help the way that he felt. He and Zendaya hadn’t really talked about it but they’d fallen into this natural routine of hiding their relationship from the public eye. He hadn’t even noticed himself doing it; they never held hands when on the street, he didn’t kiss her on set, they didn’t post anything on social media. And keeping their relationship a secret meant that nobody knew she was his. It made the whole jealousy thing harder. He couldn’t openly explain why seeing Zendaya with another man bothered him so much.

“Tom.” Zendaya pushed, her hands gripping his shoulders. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“Why are we keeping our relationship a secret?” Tom blurted out and mentally smacked himself for doing so. Deep down, Tom knew the answer to his own question. They were both private people but Zendaya especially. She had been trained to be the wholesome Disney star when she was with Trevor and her agent had decided a public relationship wasn’t the best image for her at the time. As she grew older, Zendaya just became more and more comfortable with hiding her relationship. There was no paparazzi, no invasion of privacy, no pressure to act perfect – it was the only thing that made her feel like a normal teenager. On the other hand, a secret relationship meant that Tom got Zendaya all to himself.

It was just hard … weighing up whether going public over his jealousy was worth it.

“Is that what’s bothering you?” Zendaya sighed, taking a small step away from Tom to look him in the eye properly. She was holding his hands now. “I feel like a relationship is so private, you know, I don’t want anybody ruining what we have. I keep telling you your life is going to change after the movie release and it will. You’ve seen them, they don’t leave us alone now. It’ll be worse if they actually knew we were together.” Zendaya was talking about the invasive paparazzi who had taken a liking to being camped outside her apartment door. “But … if it’s not okay with you-“

“No, no, no-“ Tom closed the distance between the quickly, his mouth rambling out the conflicting thoughts in his head. “I just … it’s silly but, seeing you with Zac made me all territorial and it’s just hard hearing everyone talk about how much chemistry you two have and-“

“Are you jealous?” Zendaya couldn’t help but let the smile float to her face.

“Baby, of course I am, look at you.” The blush flooded to Zendaya’s cheeks and she glanced at her feet - this time Tom leaned in for the speedy kiss. He kissed her lips and then nuzzled her nose with his own, their eyes fluttering shut momentarily. “It’s just frustrating knowing I can’t kiss you like he did in front of everyone-“

“Look I was made to keep my relationship a secret before, it’s all I know. If it’s not what you want to do though, I’m not going to force you to.” Zendaya, like Tom, was considering the pros and cons of going public. She’d never had to think about it before, but relationships were all about compromise and if going public meant Tom was happy, she would do it – for him. “We can make it work, we can talk to our publicists-“

Tom silenced Zendaya instantly, “Z, the fact that you’re thinking about going against what your comfy with, for me, is enough to make me happy.” And, it was the truth. Tom was glad that Zendaya had considered what he’d told her but he was just like her. He wanted to make her happy and if keeping their relationship a secret was what she knew best, then so be it. Zendaya knew more about celebrity life than he did and he trusted her wholly. “I don’t care if the whole world knows or not … you’re just going to have to excuse my … possessiveness at times like today.”

“And you’re going to have to excuse mine … ain’t no girl coming after what’s mine.”

A swirl of emotions was visible in Tom’s eyes at Zendaya’s words – mine, he liked the sound of that. He stared down at her face in awe, the warm lighting catching the soft hazel colour prevalent in eyes. His gaze was heated and protruding and Zendaya found herself swallowing thickly, her lips parting in response. Tom’s jaw clenched at the sight of her, his body turning as a hunger for her bubbled within him like somebody had suddenly turned a switch. His stomach was clenching, and his body was magnetically drawn to her. His hands gripped her waist before his lips descended onto her chin. He hovered first, his breath warm and teasing against her skin.

Tom slowly placed open mouthed kisses up her neck and to her jaw before darting his tongue out to show her throat some attention. Zendaya’s neck fell backwards, giving him easier access, the gasps of approval escaping her audibly.

“You drive me crazy.” Tom mumbled against her skin, his hands pawing off the material gracing her body. Zendaya just nodded, her head to dazed by the sweet assault of his mouth against her exposed skin. His hands travelled down her sides, ghosting her curves whilst his mouth sucked at the fleshy part of her neck. His touch was both light and passionate and Zendaya wanted more … always more. “You taste so good.” Tom groaned out, his voice so husky it had Zendaya’s body humming.

Zendaya whimpered before grabbing his face with her hands, their lips finally meeting once again. Zendaya’s silent torment came to an end as their mouths entwined. It was like Tom was the missing piece to her puzzle, the piece that made her feel whole. His lips moved fervently against hers and he tilted backwards, deepening the kiss. He leaned down and wrapped his large hands around her thighs before hiking them around his waist. Instinctively, Zendaya’s hands rest against his shoulders as Tom stumbled towards the small couch in her trailer.

As the two descend onto the flat surface, Tom’s warm tongue enters Zendaya’s mouth, the sweet taste of him overwhelming her senses. Zendaya was straddling him, her body moving against his with a passion that Tom was ready to meet. His length twitched against her navel and Zendaya pulled away to catch her breath, smirking at the sight of her dishevelled man.

She gave him a wink before stepping off him, his body involuntarily raising to reach for her again. She simply just shook her head and Tom watched her curiously. He growled lowly as she unclasped her bra and stepped out of her panties before resuming her place back on top of him. Tom was helpless, he couldn’t hold back the muffled cry that escaped him.

“You’re mine, Tom Holland.” Eyes focused, Zendaya’s hands trailed down his chest before discarding of his shirt. Tom reached to touch her, but she grabbed at both his wrists with one of her hands, forcing his arms above his head. He could barely think straight when she was pressed against him like this. With his hands restrained, Tom’s only form of showing Zendaya how much he needed her was by bucking his hips. He was grinding against her flat stomach and the two moaned simulatenously.

“I’m yours.” Tom assured. His eyes closed as their foreheads pressed together and he was momentarily distracted by how nice it felt to have her in his arms. However, Tom was unprepared for the moment Zendaya’s free hands slipped into the waistband of his boxers. His eyes snapped open and she forcefully held his gaze and she pumped him slowly. “Baby, don’t stop.” He whispered against her bare chest, his pants growing stronger by the second.

Tom directed her through what felt good and Zendaya was basking in the newfound power that she had over him. Amid his orgasmic haze, Tom could see the effect his pleasure was having on Zendaya and with no warning he slipped a finger into her opening. Zendaya’s body seemed to flop against Tom’s as he slowly eased in and out of her. “Does that feel good?”

“Yes! Please, Tom, please.” She was begging, and she was unsure what for. The two touched one another at the same rhythm, their lips connecting as they both came apart.

This feeling … it was heaven, both panting and breathless, naked in one another’s embrace.

But, like every good thing in life, Tom and Zendaya’s honeymoon phase was soon going to come to an end.

#tomdaya #tomdaya fanfiction #tomdaya fan fiction #tomdaya fan fic #tomdaya fanfic #ritebeforeyoureyes #confessions #confessions chapter five

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temmaha1996 · 7 years ago

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Baywatch

Baywatch is a 2017 action comedy directed by Seth Gordon. It stars Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron and Alexandra Daddario. The film is about Mitch, a dedicated lifeguard who recruits a series of new trainees, one of them being Brody, a cocky but disgraced Olympic winner. However, the lifeguards are put to the test when a new drug surfaces on the bay. It is up to the Baywatch to track down the dealer and put an end to the chaos and danger on the beach.

All I knew about Baywatch going into this film was David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson running in slow-motion towards the sea. That’s about it. When I saw The Rock cast in the reboot, I was shocked yet curious to say the least. This film also bombed at the box office, losing to stiff competition from Pirates of the Carribbean, Wonder Woman and Alien: Covenant. Of course, my expectations were incredibly low going into Baywatch. I mean, that’s what you expect from a film about superhero lifeguards. After watching it, I am beyond surprised to say the film isn’t all that bad at all. Is it a good film? Definitely not, but it knows that. I had a few good chuckles and I surprisingly did not hate this film in the slightest. There was actually some enjoyment to be had. Baywatch is a trashy, stupid and incredibly dumb film; but it is incredibly aware of that. Definitely guilty pleasure material.

Let’s begin with what Baywatch got right.

Of course, The Rock and Zac Efron. Dwayne Johnson has come a very long way from his WWE days, and has since become one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood. I personally love the guy, and he is enjoyable in pretty much every movie he is in. Baywatch is no different. The Rock charms once again as Mitch. I found his one liners and banter between Zac Efron to be absolutely hilarious and he was easily one of the stronger parts of the film. Efron himself held up pretty well. I got quite a few laughs from his character. I found his character to be a parody of himself, and I always appreciate actors who don’t take themselves too seriously, making fun of themselves a little.

However, there is of course, alot wrong with Baywatch.

Mainly, urgency. The film is trying so desperately to be funny and parodic throughout, and sometimes it hurts the movie. There are deaths, explosions and serious crime committed in this film, but not once do the characters take it seriously despite making it a priority to put an end to all madness and take responsibility for the safeties on the beach. That was incredibly confusing and somewhat insulting to the viewer. Not to mention, the Alexandra Daddario - Efron love storyline felt incredibly forced and Priyanka Chopra’s villainous character felt as if she came from a different film.

To conclude, despite a lack of urgency, the comedic performances of Efron and Rock salvage the film from being a complete flop. This film was obviously made for the general audience, and not the overly serious film critics. Once you go in with the right mindset, turning your brain off in the process, I think there is actually some enjoyment to be entertained with. It’s definitely funny at points, and the best part about Baywatch is that it is incredibly aware of how stupid and idiotic it is. It’s not trying to be smart, it’s not even trying to be a good movie. It’s hot garbage and it knows that, and for that I give credit. As I said before, this film may just be another guilty pleasure for certain audiences, myself shamelessly included. Baywatch receives an 6.4/10.

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micaramel · 6 years ago

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On March 29, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty announced that it would be launching a red highlighter called "Geisha Chic."

After the brand shared photos of the new product on Instagram, customers called the highlighter's name "inappropriate," and accused the brand of being racist.

On Instagram, representatives for Fenty Beauty told customers that the highlighter has been pulled "until it can be renamed."

The same statement was reiterated to INSIDER by Fenty Beauty representatives.

Geishas have a rich history in Japan, and products inspired by them are often considered to be examples of cultural appropriation.

In the past, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty has been praised for offering cosmetics in diverse shades to suit multiple skin tones, but the makeup brand is now facing backlash from fans who say the name of its new highlighter "Geisha Chic" is offensive.

Photos of the highlighter, which Hypebae describes as a "metallic brick-red" color, emerged on social media in March alongside new Fenty Beauty products like the Sun Stalk'r Bronzer and Killawatt duo in "Afternoon Snack/Mo' Hunny."

The product was met with criticism from Fenty Beauty followers on social media, who felt the product's name was "inappropriate" and accused the brand of being racist.

In response to one person's comment on Instagram, Fenty Beauty thanked fans for "educating" the brand, and said the product would be not be sold until it was given a new name.

In a statement sent to INSIDER, Fenty Beauty confirmed that the product has been pulled "until it can be renamed."

Trendmood, a verified makeup news account on Instagram, shared photos of the product on Friday.

After photos of the highlighter surfaced, customers began criticizing the brand

On Twitter, one customer called the product's name "inappropriate," while another accused the brand of being racist.

Rihanna was really about to bring out a blush called geisha chic 😐 thank god people noticed how gross that was and fenty delayed the launch to rename it. Really weird how the entire fenty beauty team didn't catch how inappropriate that name is from the start

— Sunny (@sun1796) April 1, 2019

. @fentybeauty has a new highlighter named “geisha chic...” ummmm? Rihanna... explain why Asian targeted racism gets glossed over, it feels even worse when it’s from another marginalized group 😓

— Jessica (@lyjessicat) March 30, 2019

“Geisha Chic Hunny” 🙄🙄🙄🙄 Really, Miss Fenty? REALLY?

— Jodie (@_J0die_) March 31, 2019

Really Fenty? This is supposed to be considered appropriate? pic.twitter.com/tyT3Df4xfw

— 🐝 Katie Bates 🐝 (@BeauteCoulisses) March 30, 2019

However, some fans stood by the brand, and said they didn't have a problem with the product's name.

As a Asian person, I don't see the problem in @fentybeauty naming one of their highlighter/blush 'Geisha Chic'.

— pizzaz (@Honeybuttergal) April 1, 2019

Exactly. Like I previously mentioned, the highlighter is called geisha chic (sans honey) and the color pays homage to traditional geisha and Meiko makeup. That’s why I’m finding this whole situation people getting worked up over nothing to be fake woke.

— Suffering™️ 😩👌🏽 (@Hibantina) March 30, 2019

@fentybeauty is about to make me so broke with their #TROPHYWIFE body lava & new #GEISHACHIC killawat foil!! Oh well. 🤷🏻‍♀️ pic.twitter.com/dT4OW0sWNg

— Taylor Harvey (@tayharve) March 29, 2019

After facing backlash, Fenty Beauty announced that it would pull the highlighter 'until it can be renamed'

On Sunday, a member of the r/BeautyGuruChatter subreddit named elizabeth-bug shared a screenshot of a direct message she received from Fenty Beauty after leaving a comment on the brand's Instagram page.

"We hear you, we have pulled the product until it can be renamed. We wanted to personally apologize. Thank you so much for educating us," representatives for Fenty Beauty told the Reddit user on Instagram.

Speaking to INSIDER, representatives for Fenty Beauty reiterated the same statement, and confirmed the message was sent to Instagram users. The representatives did not comment on when the product will be renamed and released.

On Reddit, many said they appreciated Fenty Beauty's statement, and applauded the brand for prioritizing customer comments over profits

"I like this reply: short, straightforward and with an actual apology," Reddit user PinkChampagne_ wrote.

"Good for them, not only apologizing but taking action, and giving no excuses," Redditor 321ss said.

"This is a good apology. It doesn't side step or make excuses. I'm super happy," Reddit user SwimmingCoyote said. "It's also a good sign that Fenty is willing to eat the cost of pulling an almost-launched product. Even if it's just renamed, that will require a lot of money to relabel. I appreciate that Fenty didn't just go forward with the launch while saying that they'd do better next time."

Products inspired by geishas are often considered to be examples of cultural appropriation

The term cultural appropriation is used to describe the adoption of elements in a minority culture — typically one that has been historically oppressed or discriminated against — by members of the dominant culture, by those who wield power in a society.

For example, many have spoken out against Halloween costumes that draw on exaggerated and insensitive cultural stereotypes, such as "geisha costumes."

Read more: Fashion Nova is selling a 'geisha' costume — and it shows how dressing up for Halloween can be problematic

Critics have argued that these costumes — no matter the intention behind them, sexualized or not — should not exist at all, as they allow those who belong in a privileged group to "try on" a culture without experiencing or understanding the history behind it. Meanwhile, when people within that culture wear the same garment, they are often mocked for doing so, or criticized for not assimilating into American society.

That's not to say that people can't appreciate cultures outside their own, or that cultural exchange is inherently wrong. The difference between appreciation and appropriation, critics argue, is that appropriation results from ignorance, from a failure or unwillingness to learn about a culture, or to listen to those within that culture.

Geishas have a rich history in Japan

According to Tokyo-based travel company, Toki, female geishas became prominent in Japan between 1750 and 1780. They originally worked as assistants to the oiran, elite and "very expensive Japanese courtesans."

At the time, according to San Francisco's Asian Art Museum, strict government regulations forbade geishas from forming personal relationships with, or even sitting close to, the courtesans' clients.

During Japan's Meiji period, which lasted from 1868 to 1912, geishas replaced the oiran as the main "providers of hospitality and entertainment at dinner events for large companies and government officials."

But in the early 1900s, according to Toki, US soldiers stationed in Japan following World War II incorrectly referred to a broad category of female Japanese workers — a group that included prostitutes and nightclub hostesses — as "geisha girls."

This American mistake contributed to a global misunderstanding of what geishas are — a warped perception that persists today.

Ariana Grande fixed her Japanese tattoo after people accused her of disrespecting the language: 'RIP tiny charcoal grill'

Victoria's Secret says its 'runways have been culturally diverse for a long time,' but it has been accused of cultural appropriation over and over again

Zac Efron wore his hair in dreadlocks and he's being accused of cultural appropriation

Kim Kardashian defended wearing Fulani braids amidst cries of cultural appropriation

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Cleaning roofs is easier with this machine

from Design http://bit.ly/2I3SAtf

#micaramel

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carrieadamson-blog · 8 years ago

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Critique responses

Definitely going to respond individually to what everyone wrote on their paper because I am so excited about all of this amazing feedback from everyone. I really enjoy this new way of doing critique. At first I really did not like it because I thought it made the conversation feel forced, but now I really appreciate hearing from people that don’t usually talk. Also the conversation goes in a different direction than what people write on their papers most of the time, so it’s like double the feedback because sometimes people don’t say everything that they have written. Something I really loved about this particular critique was watching everyone approach my piece. The way people surrounded it, looked into/under things, touched the lotion sitting in beet juice. It was so awesome, plus everyone laughing at my material lists I had no idea I was that funny. Everyone together created a new experience by observing my experience!!!!!

What Peter said about the smell being endearing but also repulsive was exciting because that was what I was going for. He wanted the smell to be much more apparent and suggested I use a heating element. I think that makes a lot of sense also considering what we touched on about having different states of material in there, whether it’s different states of matter or stages of decomposition. I am not sure how to make the smell more apparent but I’ve always liked the idea of planting the smell throughout the room in jars, one time Will Connally, my Time professor, suggested this about a performance installation and it always stuck with me.

Zephyr said it feels like the smells of a memory, a memory gone bad like an expiration date. I love that way of thinking about it, she also said the smell was small but so there and sickly and I think that’s a good way of describing it. Ever since seeing Anicka Yi’s talk (mom if you are reading this you should look up the artist Anicka Yi) I’ve been extremely inspired by her work/way of thinking so I was really excited when Zephyr said it reminded her of how Anicka Yi thinks art can exist in a moment and change or decompose if it needs to, instead of being this thing that survives through time. I love the idea of art for right now and I’m going to throw it away after it has lived it’s life. She also mentioned how it feels too contained to the table and should continue around the floor and I agree now that it’s been brought up. I think I was nervous to do that because it is already so much to look at that it is almost startling for a second. I was nervous to be overwhelming in a bad way. She said digesting itself!!!!!!!!!! that was such a core idea I had in making this, yay.

Sophie said there are a lot of smells, but they aren’t bad. Never mind it is starting to smell bad. I love that in a lot of people’s notes, it smells fine at first but then you get to the rotting layers of the smell. “Process-based installation? taking over space in immediate surrounding environment” --On thinking about continuing this. Also this made me think about what Corin said about a lot of layers getting buried. I agree with this which is why i think it is important that I have all the different stages of decomposition..I document the process like crazy for this reason, because I keep covering it up. But what if I just let the work have all of the layers in it!!!

Emmett suggested I have a time progression video of the layers building up/food rotting but that goes with the idea of having each stage of layers actually in the work. I remember someone saying how it is in a state of being worked on, Like this is how I was working on it and I’m going to sit back down any second and go back to working. This “state of becoming” is a common theme in my work and gets talked about in all of my critiques even when I don’t intentionally do it. Emmett liked the rust on some of the cans in comparison to how pristine some of the other cans looked. I kept some of the cans because I think I can go even further with this super new-clean can and super old very rusty can.

Oh I just realized it was Katie who said this about state of becoming, she said it was like it was frozen in time. That’s what I wanted to achieve but with the next thing I work on, go further. This is why I want to reference household items. You’re reminded of how your body interacts with the objects, of certain moments, like having a meal or organizing a drawer or working at a desk space. I’m FASCINATED by how things are left in a moment of time. I constantly am taking photos of how the dishes pile up in the dish rack, or how perfectly disheveled the books are in my book case. This goes into what Corin wrote about looking at piles of things so that I have reference to make this process into a form.

Ava said hearing the material list, it becomes an I spy. Clare also said it reminded her of making potions outside when she was a kid, and Katie said something about childhood too. I think that’s accurate because what I loved about this process was my child-like curiosity coming out while I was mixing these things together literally with a stick in a coffee tin. It was like I could do anything, I could put anything together and it becomes a material but I don’t even know what it will turn out like! it’s so exciting.

Bella said I’m like a creepy grandma fairy and that’s really funny because this project does kind of look like I’m that strange old lady that lives in the house by the woods and I’ve just invited the neighborhood kids into my home to look at my rock collection and give them some cookies that are kind of dry with bits of cranberry in them and this is what they see on my coffee table next to my pet iguana.

Preston said he likes that I gave the viewer the information of how it was made because it gives a mental image of me working and my body manipulating these objects. I am excited about this because I really did want the viewer to think about their body in relation to the work and I think that it’s beginning to happen based on what Preston said.

What Zac said about clues about where my mind was metaphysically from writing on the table and the lists was good to hear because those were hints about where I was mentally. Psychological is probably a better word then metaphysical. That is something I need to continue. I’ve been searching for a way to make my work more personal and I think this writing of thought process is a good way in incorporate myself into my work more. Will continue this maybe in a different way

Roya said by letting things decay we add personhood to food and materials. not sure if I understand but I like it

Marin said the lists actually are the entire piece--WOW. I never thought of it like that but that is so amazingly true, these objects are nothing, serve no purpose, disjointed lists in themselves. Use the lists as guides.

CORIN!!!!!- “very dirty purge” yes. “a cleansing ritual” definitely felt that way. Alchemy kept being brought up, I looked alchemy up and I liked some of the phrases I found by defining it. “Universal Elixir, Secretive Experiment” This is so fitting to me as a person because I’m always obsessed with anything metaphysical or spiritual in nature also interested in witchcraft but not in a way that I am practicing it. But this being said, it’s a ground for my work to build on top of. Maybe the atmosphere content of my work is metaphysical (I don’t know if that’s the right word) So happy you brought up how this could sculpturally emerge because this is the entire struggle, and the reason why I presented my work in this way. I just wanted to see what would happen because I have been so focused to the process of the work that it became the entire work and it was only appropriate to highlight that. Shelves, stacks, and piles are what will be studied in the future!!!! Collections too maybe, I love collections of random things for no purpose other than the fact that it’s a part of the collection. For example I have a collection of the plastic ties that come on loaves of bread. Not the thin twist ties, but the square-like plastic things with an opening on the side to put the plastic through once you twist it to be small. ANYWAY. I thought it was extremely appropriate that you said I had found the formula of working. “How do you create an immersive physical environment/form/space to think through these material interests”. This is exactly what I want to do in this next piece. I want to make an immersive space that wants to be functionable but it’s completely not, using these materials too!!!!! I’ll write more/think through this more not right now. But this made me think of The Merzbau space by Kurt Schwitters.

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damonbation · 4 years ago

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Unhashed Podcast - When Maxis Shill ETH

On this week's episode of the Unhashed Podcast: Bitcoin Maximalists like Jameson Lopp and Alena Vranova are shilling an Ethereum compliance coin that they are advisors on. Is this a hypocrisy that calls into question their whole reputation or a big nothing burger (or something in the middle)?

Weekly News Wrap Up:

A whopping 21,454 BTC was just swiped off the market by intelligence and mobile software company MicroStrategy. It became public knowledge in a MicroStrategy filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. A MicroStrategy press release indicates that the firm had been planning the move as part of a capital allocation strategy that it had announced in its Q2 2020 financial results release on July 28. The news that an otherwise institutional business intelligence company had just invested $250 million (nearly 25 percent of its full value) to buy 0.1 percent of the total BTC supply quickly spread across multiple Bitcoin-focused social media platforms and news outlets.

There was no shortage of expressions of joy among those who shared their thoughts and opinions about this massive institutional purchase. In the press release, the CEO of MicroStrategy, Michael Saylor, shared his reasoning for wanting to hold bitcoin as the company's primary treasury reserve asset in a way that shows he's really done his research.

Not only did Saylor comment on how he thinks bitcoin is 'œdigital gold' and is 'œsmarter than any money that has preceded it,' but he also recognizes some of the other positives that Bitcoin can bring. 'œThe investment reflects our belief that Bitcoin, as the world's most widely-adopted cryptocurrency, is a dependable store of value and an attractive investment asset with more long-term appreciation potential than holding cash,' Saylor said, per the release.

Bitcoin custody solution provider Casa has announced that it is offering in-wallet bitcoin purchases, allowing Casa App users to forgo exchanges when they add to their HODLings. Casa explained that users can make these purchases using Apple Pay or debit cards, which connect them to retail exchanges through a secure API provided by Wyre. Wyre offers similar services to other projects in the space, such as DropBit. Casa, which positions itself as a particularly security-conscious provider of private key management, noted that while this feature adds convenience, it does not impact custody or the safety of funds.

Aaron van Wirdum of Bitcoin Magazine writes: Taproot, a potential upgrade to the Bitcoin protocol first proposed by Bitcoin Core contributor Gregory Maxwell, is in its late stages of development. The technology consists of a clever combination of crypto-tricks that would let users hide complex smart contracts inside regular-looking transactions '" the complexity is only ever revealed if parties to a contract are uncooperative. Leveraging this idea, Bitcoin Core contributors including (but not limited to) Jeremy Rubin, Antoine Riard, Gleb Naumenko and Gregory Maxwell himself have been speculating about a general concept referred to as payment pools.

Payment pools would let groups of users share ownership of the same coins (technically: UTXOs) as recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain, while letting any of these users make (or receive) payments with them. As the group and its individual members 'œhide' in a Taproot structure, all of them enjoy more privacy, smart contract flexibility and other benefits' and they potentially even enjoy these benefits off-chain, making payment pools a new Layer Two solution

Coinbase will allow U.S. retail customers to borrow fiat loans against as much as 30% of their bitcoin holdings in the fall, the San Francisco-based exchange announced Wednesday.

Coinbase is one of the largest and most regulated crypto exchanges to get into the lending business, and the exchange is setting conservative parameters on the product, capping credit lines at $20,000 per customer and offering an interest rate of 8% for bitcoin-backed loans with terms that are a year or less.

https://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-to-offer-bitcoin-backed-loans-to-us-customers

Bitmex will be launching our User Verification Programme at 00:00 UTC on 28 August 2020, where all customers will be asked to complete ID checks within the next 6 months. These new controls will enable us to create a more trusted and secure trading environment for all BitMEX users.

https://blog.bitmex.com/announcing-the-bitmex-user-verification-programme/

BlockFi has announced the close of a $50 million Series C fundraise. Sources say the company's valuation stands at $400 million. The additional capital will help the firm continue to grow at a fast clip, says CEO Zac Prince. The firm could be crypto's first SPAC given the right market conditions

https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/75338/blockfi-raises-50-million-eyes-potential-spac

At the same time, BlockFi tweeted this out: 'œAs we continue to grow, we plan on adding as many cryptos as possible. Keep an eye on our Twitter for updates!'

https://twitter.com/TheRealBlockFi/status/1296486866804498437

The Gibraltar-based INX Limited today began its initial public offering for 130 million security tokens that can be used with its upcoming cryptocurrency exchange, following approval from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). And there are unexpected figures in the fray: Bitcoin maximalists Jameson Lopp, Samson Mow, and Whale Panda. All have criticized Ethereum and many other tokens in the past, but they're onboard with INX. In response, Lopp tweeted: 'œNot an equity offering. Not yo' mama's ICO. A guaranteed share of cash flow.'

https://decrypt.co/39769/bitcoin-backer-jameson-lopp-defends-support-inx-token-ipo

Coinbit, supposedly South Korea's third-largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of trading volume, has reportedly been seized by police over allegations that it faked most of that volume. According to a report from Seoul Newspaper on Tuesday, local police raided and confiscated the company's Gangnam headquarters and other premises. Accused of fraud, the firm's owner, Choi Mo, and other managers are said to have artificially inflated volumes on the exchange by using "ghost" accounts to make fake trades, a practice known as wash trading. In its report, Seoul Newspaper said it had been informed by insiders of corruption at Coinbit months ago and that up to 99% of trading volume was "manipulated" on the platform.

https://www.coindesk.com/south-korea-crypto-exchange-coinbit-seized-allegations-fraud-wash-trading

Price Analysis:Number go down

One Final Note:Firstly, Support us on Patreon.

Make sure you are storing your crypto on something secure like a Ledger and backing it up on something sturdy like a Billfodl. If you buy these items through the links above, we do take a cut of the profits but it also helps support the show - a win/win for all involved.

And also...thanks for stopping by and listening. If you want to help us grow, there are several ways you can help out.

You can donate bitcoin to us at the address on the donate page on our website unhashedpodcast.com, you can also sponsor our show by getting in touch with us at [email protected], or there are a few other things you can do that will cost you nothing but a little time - you can rate our show on itunes or wherever you are listening to this, you can tell a friend about us, or most easily, you can retweet our tweets announcing each episode and follow us @unhashedpodcast or join our telegram channel at t.me/unhashedpodcast.

Again thanks for listening and helping us grow. See you on the other side.

Producers of the Show:It's time to thank the people who are making this show happen:

A big thank you to our VIP patrons:

Scott Offord from Crypto Mining Tools

MKUltra07

And Peter McCormack from the What Bitcoin Did Podcast

Thanks so much for your contributions.

If you want to help contribute, you can go to patreon.com/unhashedpodcast or send Bitcoin to the address on the about page of unhashedpodcast.com

from Money 101 https://letstalkbitcoin.com/blog/post/unhashed-podcast-when-maxis-shill-eth via http://www.rssmix.com/

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danielmarkharrison · 4 years ago