#and they end up having sex with jasmine that morning so it's still a win for them

[the-hinky-panda]

Show me all your tatt's, not just the ones that's on your hands

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Part V

Chibs finally has you in his bed, wrapped in his sheets and nothing else. Smoke from the firepit still clings to your hair, adding to your perfume of eucalyptus and jasmine. Earthy, clean, and feminine. He buries his face in the curve of your neck because he wants to drown in that scent. Your skin is soft but in the dim lighting of the antique bedside lamp, his fingers encounter more raised scars than he anticipated. But gathering those stories will wait until morning. 

He can tell you’re used to quick fucks, just scratching an itch and moving on. Your hands are busy, in constant motion: raking through his hair, pressing into the sinews of his back, sliding over the curve of his ass. You’re quick, efficient, working towards the completion of a task. When you reach for his cock is when he grabs your ever busy hands, holding your wrists together in one of his own hands and pinning them above your head. 

“Slow, lass. We have all night.” He presses open mouth kisses along the line of your jaw. “And I intend to enjoy every minute.” 

You give him a pout but your eyes have nothing but heat in them. “You better not be taking things slow because of what I told you earlier.” 

His free hand finds your breast, his thumb flicking your nipple, your back arching underneath him. “Gentle and slow are two different things, luv.” 

Your mouth twists into a crooked grin before your legs wrap around his hips. He can feel the strength in them, especially when you squeeze your thighs around his, nudging the tip of his cock against your core. 

“Fucking hell, woman!”

You wink up at him. “Years of riding horses, luv.” 

Well, if that’s the way you want this to go, who is he to deny you that? He can go slow the second round, after he wears you out a little bit. He’ll give up some ground there. He allows you to move him into position, notched against your entrance. You bite your lip and raise an eyebrow when he rolls his hips forward, sliding partially into you. 

“Looks like I win this time.” 

He huffs a laugh. “Don’t get used to it.” 

He releases your hands and they immediately pull his face down to yours. You kiss him slowly, languidly, and he slides into you completely. It’s obvious you’ve headed his request to slow down; you’ve conceded some ground as well. Your legs remain wrapped around his hips, your hands gripping his shoulders so you have leverage to follow his pace. It’s a fucking spiritual encounter, your movements completely in sync with his, and it feels fucking amazing. He wants to slow it down even more, savor the feelings of your skin against his, your wet heat gripping his cock perfectly. 

But then your breath catches, your head tips back and back arches and he knows the end is coming. The headboard bangs against the wall as he chases his completion, spilling himself inside of you at the same time your shake underneath him with your release. He drops his forehead to your shoulder, pressing slopping kisses against your now salty, smokey skin. It takes a moment for him to realize the person on the other side of the wall is banging back with an irritated “Knock it off and go to sleep!” Both of you glare at the offending wall and shout “Fuck off” before dissolving into a fit laughter. 

He rolls onto his back, still chuckling, pulling you against him. You curl comfortably against his side, your head resting on his chest and a leg wrapped around his. He realizes this is the lightest he’s felt in months. The weight of grief with the recent losses, the stress of running the club, it’s suffocating. Being in Ireland drudges up an endless amount of memories and failures as well. All of it heavy, weighted chains pulling him down. Even his most recent failure with Althea, sex was something about proving something, his feelings for her, the shaky trust that would never be good enough for her. He had tried, he honest to God had tried to make it work with her. 

He’s tired of failing with relationships. 

But now, he feels like he’s able to take in a full breath of air now. With you, there’s no proving anything. There’s no competition or pushing each other until the other snaps. You fell into bed because you liked each other, respected each other. You didn’t second guess his every move and he didn’t worry about what you wanted from him. It was simple, direct, and hands down one of the best sexual encounters he’s had. 

He very well could fall in love with you. 

“You okay?” 

He can hear the doubt in your voice, the caution in your touch as you trace the edges of the tattoo on his chest. “Fuckin’ stellar luv.” 

You laugh quietly. “I have that effect on men. And a couple women.” 

“Oh, I wanna hear that story.” 

You kiss him briefly, sweetly, before sliding out from under the blankets. You reach down and start gathering up your clothes and he realizes that you’re getting ready to go back to your room. He reaches out, slides a hand over your back, along the curve of your waist, and rests it on the top of your hand. 

“Stay.” 

You turn and look at him over your shoulder, hair mussed and skin glowing warm in the soft lamplight. You’re a vision and he could stare at you for the rest of the night if you’d let him. He really hopes you’ll let him. A soft smile tugs at your lips, all sarcasm and biting wit gone from it. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” 

You lift your hand up and brush your lips over his knuckles. “Okay. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll be back.” 

He watches you cross the room, not a scrap of clothing on your body and zero shame in that state. He has questions about the scars he came across on your shoulder and stomach. You have tattoos that he hadn’t seen before: a horseshoe with sunflowers around it and an abstract horse made of curling lines on your shoulder blade. Both have initials and dates hidden in the artwork. He wants to know the stories behind those too. You step out of the bathroom and return to the bed, returning to his side. You lay your head on the pillow, facing him, your thumb running along his cheekbone, that soft smile returning to your lips before your eyes close. 

Who is he kidding? He’s already fallen in love with you.

[phrynewrites]

can we get more drunk blind date au hcs 🥺 also some family hcs🥺🥺

Ugh the way I live for blind date au like they're fully my ogs and I'd love for them to have a Revival here 😎

Drunk HCs

Drunk Jasmine will get into literally anyone's lap. She's always teetering between h word and soft.

One night, pre-admitting feelings, Jasmine has her eyes set on Bosco. She's pulling them out to dance, grinding all over them. And of course Bosco doesn't mind, wanting to take Jasmine home just as much as she wants to come home with them.

However, when Bosco takes her home, she's too drunk and ends up falling asleep in Bosco's bed instead. Jasmine cuddles up so close against Bosco the minute they join her in bed (after they're done removing her make up)

Family HCs

The last person Bosco brought to family Thanksgiving was their ex, who was the literal worst and in no way wanted to be there. She didn't engage with their family, acted like Bosco putting their arm around her was a personal affront, and complained the whole time.

So Bosco's sister immediately likes Jasmine more, especially given how she's somehow positive after a cross country flight, and is bringing both nice wine and garbage wine to dinner (because Bosco insisted that their sister likes the garbage wine, but Jasmine doesn't believe Bosco because that sounds like something they'd lie about so their sister won't like her.)

Despite claiming not to be girlfriends and insisting that Bosco's sister has nothing to worry about with these two *being too loud* sleeping in the same room, the two do in fact have sex. They try everything to be quiet, moving off the rickety bed and onto the floor, fingers in Jasmine's mouth, like everything. And yet when they come downstairs the next day, Bosco's sister still calls them out for being too noisy.

[heartshyuck]

Pairing : Haechan x reader

Genre: angst, fluff, one sided love, best friends to lovers, college au

Synopsis: Haechan envies the person that doesn’t love you because you don’t love him. He envies the people that can confess their love to you because he can’t. So he stands at the borderline of friendship,not daring to cross.

Word count : 4.4k

Warnings : blasphemy, making out, swearing and drinking.

To him you’re beautiful. In the ways you look at him, constellations in your eyes as if you held the universe within your dark orbs. Haechan is sure God made them for the stars to envy. You’re beautiful in the way you carry yourself, confidence and elegance in each striking step you take. You walked into his heart and claimed it as yours, with your burning touches that branded him and sent sparks into his blood. It was in that moment Haechan turned from God and named you as his own. He worshipped the sweet melody of your voice, your words were his teachings and your name a mantra to his mind. He basked in your dizzying scent of vanilla, blood orange, vibrant lilies and jasmine. He was sure it was what heaven smelt like. Your lips a shrine and his own as pilgrims and the blasphemous act of tainting the dynasty that you are, was all too tempting but what Haechan was unaware of was that you were far from a god. You were the devil. The embodiment of temptation and a caged heart, you were a nightmare dressed as a daydream. When he first locked his lips with yours, passion overflowing with the eagerness of lust  was when you first accepted him as a friend. When your lips locked with his, you kissed him painfully slow, each movement burning , agonising yet addictive. You smelt sweet yet the blood, you drew from when you bit down on his bottom lip demanding for entrance, left a lingering salt to each synchronised movement. The sinful act of your tongue in Haechan’s mouth, sucking his soul out of him and leaving him breathless while every nerve ending lit on fire. The messy clashing of teeth as you abruptly changed pace always leaving you in control and always leaving Haechan on edge, never knowing what to expect is when Haechan fell in love and submit to you. One kiss was all it took and one kiss was all he got. Haechan was left to suffer and to pay for his sinful blasphemy he was left at the borderline between friends and lovers. Months went by since the night infused with alcohol and your forbidden touches went by but it’s branded in Haechan’s memory. He remembers every placement of your hand, every gaze you gave him and every sweet word that fell past you plush cherry lips. Yet he doesn’t dare to mention it, scared the friendship he’s built with you would collapse. Haechan’s learnt a lot about you over these months and one of them being you’re unable to commit. You hate being tied down, you want to draw out of the lines, you wanna smash down walls and burn bridges but you love drawing your own lines and tying your own strings. You pushed Haechan’s boundaries but wouldn’t hesitate to cut him off as soon as he crossed one of  yours, yet he worshipped you and grew a relationship  around eggshells. He knew it was unhealthy, it was toxic, yet the venom that seeped into his heart poisoning him slowly, was addictive and it once again showed how his heart belong to you. It was yours to use and abuse, you broke him into a million pieces and each sharp one puncturing Haechan but it was okay because the pain he felt was caused by you, he wanted to feel anything as long as you were the cause of it. So Haechan didn’t push past your borderline and he stayed as a friend, as long as it meant he could see you everyday, buy you coffee every morning and kiss your forehead every time he saw you, just to set himself ablaze, for it was that feeling that kept him alive. Haechan has seen many attempt to cross the line but all perish and burn out into ashes. It used to effect him at first, a haze of green jealously would engulf him each time he’d see a new man wearing you as if you were a prize, with your arms interlinked. The green would turn into red, as anger took over at how they would use you but you remained unbothered and a cool blue of relief caused all the blood reds and sea greens to subside as he saw you break heart after heart. Relief that your heart wasn’t the one breaking and as much as he hated the cage around you heart, for it was those four walls that put him in the friend zone, he thanked it every time a new man crossed the line. The difference between these men and Haechan was simple, they didn’t have any foundation to their relationship with you other than sex and that could only last for so long. After you got bored, you moved on but with Haechan there was no sex to move on from, the foundation built out of curiosity of each others well beings, likes, dislikes and every little detail soon turning into a core of fondness and care. Haechan was the only male who didn’t seem to have sex with you as his end goal, you could see it in his eyes a burning sensation but one more scarlet that lust. It was love, over the months Haechan has fallen in love with you. The way you call his name with a light and airy tone that showed your excitement off. It made every hair on Haechan’s body stand proudly at how you were happy to see him, it sent floods of dusty pink to his cheek and hazes of muted gold and pastel purples swirl around him as he feels his heart stop. He loved the way you sent him a text every morning and every night wishing him a “good day” and how you hope he sleeps well, which only in return ruined his sleep as his mind only wandered to you, eyes glued to the screen scanning over and over again to the text that was accompanied by pink hearts. The way you would say “sorry” to every little thing made every cell in Haechan’s body buzz with bliss at your cuteness. The way you casually told him that you loved him, that you cherish him more than anything and although the high of hearing these words seeped in and clogged Haechan’s brain from any form of functioning, a deep unsettling feeling would sit at the bottom of his gut as he remembers the difference in your feelings towards each other. Whilst Haechan’s love for you was an undying blue flame, in its purest form a love burning so deeply, his love felt cool and soothing. You burnt and scorched him alive, imprinting your name over the gold and silk of his skin and he would cool you down with ice running into your veins extinguishing the burning lust and replacing it with the feeling of being loved. It scares you, how the fire within you could be so easily put out just by the mere thought of him. The way he walked up to you in all his glory, sun kissing his gorgeous honey skin causing streaks of gold to glow over his sharp and distinctive features, illuminating him and causing a heavenly glimmer. So you pushed Haechan away, stealing a kiss from him and letting him suffer as he watched you kiss others breathless but none ever compared to him. Haechan had your heart leaping uncontrollably out of your chest, hitting against your ribs and begging for it to be released so it could run to him. Yet here, you didn’t have that same longing in your heart instead you felt the twisted, painful feeling of your heart aching. As if someone plunged their hand into your chest and squeezed it, as if it was being stabbed repeatedly again and again and agian. Maybe it was the alcohol but the fear of losing your fire had vanished, yep definitely liquid courage. You held onto anothers neck, swayed you hips against their’s but your eyes never left Haechan. Not as he held her close to him, one hand gently placed on the small of her back whilst the other cupped her cheek holding it in place as he kissed her slowly. It was too slow for you, every movement played in slow motion. The way his thumb gently caressed the top of her cheekbone, how his eyes fluttered shut as their lips meet and how his tongue slowly danced with hers. You sure she’s fallen in love just buy the way her knees are slightly bent, legs are soon to give in as the kiss weakens her, the way she’s desperate for more as she clings on to him, knuckles white. But you can tell he isn’t in love with her, though he treats her like fine glass too scared to touch incase it could break, the kiss lacks passion, the same passion he gave you all those months ago. It’s not her fault, your sure she’s a great person but he’s just using her, using her to get to you. He breaks away from the kiss, chest rising and falling rapidly as he catches his breath and immediately, as if his eyes were trained to do so, they land on yours. The fact you’re even looking his way is a win for Haechan but he doesn’t miss the slight scrawl on your face that you then attempt to cover with a smile. He’s used to those fake smiles but he’s seen plenty of real ones to be able to differentiate them, this smile doesn’t go all the way up to your eyes like they usually do, this smile doesn’t show off all your teeth, this smile looks too nice to be genuine. Haechan knows he shouldn’t be happy to see that smile but he can’t help it, he can’t help but get his hopes up and convince himself that you do really like him. He knows he shouldn’t be playing with others feelings just to get a reaction out of you but everytime his eyes come up to meet yours he can see the glints of dark green jealously and suddenly all his guilt dissipates. You let go of your date for the night, excusing yourself to get water in hopes of sobering up and shaking off the envy. You turn to face Haechan who still had held his eyes on you and with one quick movement of your eyes he understood and followed you into the sea of people. The movement of their bodies as the swayed to the heavy bass washed you both up in the kitchen where other things like countless red cups also ended up, abandoned. You grabbed one from the stack of unused ones and pouring yourself another drink despite your intentions of coming to get water, you had decided that if you were going to do this you needed the slight buzz to help you. You down it in one go and it burns the back of your throat causing a slight itch. “ who’s the girl?” You ask in genuine curiosity but the itch in your throat causes a strained tone as if your saying it in slight disgust but you swear it’s the itch or so you’ve convinced yourself. Hyuck raises his brow to this as he places his right elbow on the granite counter to lean against. “Just someone is my econs class” he shrugs as if it’s not important, as if he isn’t ecstatic to hear you ask about her. You know what game he’s playing at because you play it all the time but being on the opposite side of it gets under your skin. You exhale sharply out of your nose, dig your elbow in counter, placing the weight of your head on your hand as it sits under your chin whilst you slouch over and the edge of the counter that digs into your waist. You look towards the “just someone” who’s eyes are glued to Haechan’s figure, a small smile on her face, she looks in awe of him. “She’s cute” you say as she shyly waves to you now noticing your intense gaze and you slightly move your hand in a half wave gesture and then your gaze turns to hyuck, cheek now lying in your palm still supporting your head.  His eyes never left you, he didn’t even glance over at her for a second and it was painfully obvious that she really was “just someone”. “Mhm she is but cute was never really my thing” he says as he moves closer until he’s right next to you mirroring your stance, you place your head on his shoulder and he places his on yours. You can smell the strong scents of oak and  hint of fresh grapefruit that is just powerful enough to be smelt , radiating off him. You inhale it in and with a sharp exhale you roll your eyes back because everything about Haechan creates a high, a sensation of pure ecstacy and you understand just how easily one could fall for Lee Donghyuck but like every high there’s a downfall. You haven’t experienced the downfall but that’s only because you won’t fully give into to his high. Blame it on the alcohol or maybe just your desires but for tonight you consider maybe just give in. “Take me home Hyuck” and with that said he slowly moves his shoulder and stands up straight, taking your hand he leads you through the vicious waves and makes his way to the door. Passing the “just someone” without even a look explaining where he was going, you could practically feel her sadden expression around her as you were pulled passed. As soon as you stepped out the house, Haechan stopped and let go of your hand. You faced him confused but met the sight of him taking off his jacket and hanging it upon your shoulders. It was a familiar sight but this time your heart froze, you couldn’t breathe and your body felt numb yet a slight tingle was set on every nerve ending as you felt an ecstacy like no other as you finally let your walls fall. Again he held your hand tight and your heart jumped, it leaped and skipped a beat. A slight blush ran upto your cheeks but you didn’t feel hot. Haechan calmed you, he soothed and cooled you and soon you found yourself gripping onto him just as tight. To Haechan this was like a dream but the burning sensation that came from the touch of your skin pressed against his was far too real, it was just like he remembered, the same feeling that has him mesmerised. The same feeling that had him denounce God, kneeling and worshipping you and only you. This feeling is what made you his religion, his god, angels, heaven and devil as well as his hell but every part of you was adored by Haechan regardless if you loved him or hurt him. It was so much more than he remembered the warmth was a roaring fire that lit his soul on fire until all that was left was the embers. It was destructive and ruthless but so addictive, it gave him an ecstacy he seeks for, it gave an even greater burning sensation to his lungs and louder thumping to his hear than any amount drug or alcohol could offer. You were a drug. You were a goddesses. You were his world and his everything. There was a comfortable silence in the car, you and Haechan both just taking in every moment whilst you held hands. It seemed like the world stopped, like the slight noise from the wind that came through the windows was a lullaby and the slow and steady rocking of the car lulled you to sleep. You found comfort and peace in Haechan and it’s the first times your hearts felt safe but you didn’t expect it to last long, this comfort but for now you’d give in because this feeling was bliss. So you close your eyes and fully submit to Hyuck. When you open your eyes again only 10 minutes had seem to pass yet it felt like a you spent a lifetime engulfed by Haechan’s eternal blue flame, as if all feelings of loneliness, of doubt, emptiness were erased. A high that only got higher with no sense of a drop. It’s the abrupt stopping of the car which pulls you out of your euphoric state but instantly it returns as Haechan’s arms wrap round your waist as he carries you out the car, you wrap your legs around his waist, hooking your head over his shoulder, you breathe in his scent and again it goes straight to your head, clouds swirl and you feel as if your floating. You place small and slow kisses on his neck trailing down to his collarbone until finally you tuck your face away into his chest. Each one of you kisses burn Haechan, branding him as yours again and again. His heart swells at how perfectly you fit into him, how you complete him. Your scent sets his lungs ablaze and makes his vision blur, there’s ache in his heart as it fills with so much love and adoration for you with no release. Haechan opens your apartment door with the key you entrusted him with no so long ago, he’d never admit it but the happiness and pride he ft when you gave it was like nothing he’d ever felt before, it meant you trusted him. It was that moment he knew that he wasn’t going to stop falling for you. He carries into the small bathroom beside your bedroom and places on top of the sink counter. He tries to pull away but you pull him back, not ready to let go just yet. You both stay like this for a few minutes until he pulls away again, holding your chin up so he can look at you properly and slowly you both close the gap between each other. The kiss is painfully slow and soft, both holding each other as if you were made of glass. The kiss was innocent and sweet, Haechan could taste the alcohol on your tongue and it only burnt his lips even more. For you, you could taste the sweeter taste of lemonade for that’s all that Haechan drank, your heart leaped as you remembered the habbit he picked up after he met you. Haechan’s driven you home many times, placed you on this exact counter before and wiped away your makeup and places you in bed. Then he leaves but tonight you need him to stay. “Stay to night” you whispered invetween kisses and Haechan nods, not taking his lips off yours. You kiss until the all the oxygen between you two is exchanged, until your lungs are burning and you feel slightly dizzy from lack of breathing. Haechan pulls away and stares in total awe at you and you can’t help but stare back at the ethereal man that stand in front of you. You also can’t help but giggle slightly, the joyful bubbles of laughter leave your throat and as if they were contagious, a similar yet deeper sound leaves Haechan. “You’re so beautiful” he says as his lips brush against your forehead. A smile is accompanied by a soft blush and it’s the most genuine smile you’ve ever given anyone. “You should see me after I take my makeup off” you say in a laugh, looking up and placing a chaste kiss on his lips. “Well let’s take it off” he says as he reaches to the cupboard to grab some wipes. You close your eyes and gently haechan wipers away at the art on your face. Softly he wipes down the bridge of your forehead, around your eyes, the bridge of your nose, your cheeks and the finally your lips. He places a quick peck on your lips and with that you open your eyes with a smile across your face. Haechan had thought he had seen your genuine smile before but now he’s sure this is what a smile looks like. It’s the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen and it fills his heart so he kisses you again quickly just to relieve it a bit. He ties your hair back and softly rubs your face wash into your face. Again repeating the same actions. Every movement so soft and loving, you almost lose yourself in the peaceful silence and warm feeling of love. Until he spashes you with cold water, it drips down your neck and by the way your clothes sticking to you, your guessing he missed some of your face. You hear a high pitched laugh that’s so squeaky it’s almost silent, you can only assume he’s dying and rolling around on the floor by the sound of thumping that you assume is his fist on the floor. “Hyuck!” You whine out, shouting at him. You don’t open your eyes yet, afraid of bubbles still being on them. You extend your arm reaching out for the sink, waving your arm around in the air trying to find the taps. This only makes Hyuck laugh more as he sees you struggle, his heart swells as he sees you too scared to open your eyes and he thinks to himself maybe cute is his thing. He stands up off the floor, a few more giggles bubble out of his throat and he continues to help you wash the soap off your face. You smack him lightly on the chest as he slots himself invetween your legs, only make him giggle again and a smile finds it’s way on your face but that smiles wiped off when Haechan chucks the towel and hits you square in the face. “Hyuck!” You cry out again only to again cause more squeaky giggles to escape him. You slide off the counter and head into the bedroom, still sleepy, you change from the now damp clothes that were sticking to your body into your pajamas and then slip under the covers. Hyuck follows soon after, taking off his shirt and slipping on a pair of short he left here a few weeks ago. He lies next to you, pulling you into his embrace and you lay your head on his chest. You lie there in silence for a while and slowly you were drifting off to sleep, again giving in to Haechan’s love and he must have thought you were asleep but he whispers a small “I love you” as he places a kiss on top of your forehead. 4:00 stared back at you as you stared at the alarm clock, it had bearly been two hours but your sleep seemed to have left you and it’s in the silence of the night that your mind wondered to the depths of darkness. No matter how much Haechan loved you, you couldn’t love yourself. You stepped out of bed, slowly trying to shuffle out of Haechan’s grasp, trying not to wake him, and headed out to the balcony connected to your room, it was small but cosy. It lead to a view of the city’s skyline and eventually you could make out a river that flowed in the distance and the moon hung in the centre of the sky, lighting it up to reveal the millions of starts that accompanied it. You breathed in the cold night air, letting it peirce your lungs and set your skin on fire, which usually calmed you but compared to Hyuck’s touch it was nothing. You felt numb and empty again. You needed him and he needed you. He was there for you but were you there for him?, he loved you with his whole heart but could you love him with such passion and beauty ? All great highs have a downfall but the ones which show no indication are the worst. It wasn’t him that was your downfall, it was you. You could never learn to love, to trust when you didn’t love or trust yourself. Trust yourself to be good enough for him, him who was the world, the universe and everything. He gave love in it’s purest form and you couldn’t give him anything as equally beautiful back. No matter how much he insisted you were enough, you couldn’t believe him because it wasn’t enough for you. The silent sobs that were silenced by the harsh pressing of your hand upon your mouth were soon silenced by your face buried into his chest. He was there for you, again and again but all you’ve done was push him away. You don’t deserve him, he deserves better. Someone who can repay his love and give more, someone who is confident in themselves to be able to be there for him, someone who can scream they love him. He derves someone that wasn’t you. You who was broken and numb, you who only knew disastrous love, love that left, love that was empty, love that hurt, love that wasn’t love. “I don’t want to break your heart” you cried into his chest, gripping on his sleeve as he rubbed your back attempting to sooth you and calm your breathing yet all it did was make you cry more. For he was so perfect, so loving and you couldn’t return it. “Then don’t” he simply replied, placing his chin above your head, pulling you impossibly closer and you could feel his breathing begin to unsteady and fear rised and you could feel it in the back of your throat. “But I have to” you chocked out as your eyes and throat stung, as your heart clenched and your lung felt like they’d give way. As your knees felt weak and your head began to spin, as you felt empty and broken. “Why” his voice broke and you knew he was crying too, your heart sank and even more of the feelings of not be enough sat at the front of your mind as his once soft and happy tone had been replaced with the sound of soft cries. You made him cry, you made his heart break and you’ll do it again. You don’t trust yourself with someone as precious as Haechan, something as precious as his heart because here you are breaking it because “So mine doesn’t” So yours doesn’t. 

© (jisungiest) 2021. All Rights Reserved.

[curlybookwriter0294]

Breakup & Pillow Fort

Summary: He truly thought once they were alone after the day of meetings with other council members they could finally talk and hopefully work things out in hopes of getting back together afterwards. Zuko forgot how stubborn Katara can be when she’s angry.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Avatar or it’s characters. Just the plot :)

Rated M for mild sexual content 😁

“Katara.”

“No.”

“Katara.”

“No, Zuko. Just go to sleep already.”

Zuko sighed in annoyance, throwing up his hands in the air. “Can we please talk about?” he tried again after a couple minutes of awkward silence. “Did you really had to make this ridiculous pillow fort?”

“No and yes.”

Zuko fisted up his hair with his hands, sighing heavily as he turned on his side, frowning at the stack of pillows that looked like a wall that Katara had made earlier to keep them separated on the bed. He truly thought once they were alone after the day of meetings with other council members they could finally talk and hopefully work things out in hopes of getting back together afterwards. Zuko forgot how stubborn Katara can be when she’s angry.

He rolled his molten eyes and smacked his head with a palm. Zuko was honestly surprised that she didn’t make him sleep on the floor. Not that he would be against it or anything because he would understand and knew that he had deserved it even though to him it was ridiculous that she had ended things with him even though he had told her everything.

Zuko had told her the truth, the whole truth and she had still ended things with him afterwards. He made sure to not leave anything out and if he were honest with himself, he didn’t think that this would happen. Zuko needs to why Katara decided to end things despite him telling her the truth.

The young Fire Nation prince hopes that the breakup would be temporary because neither of them had gone public. Hell, not even his uncle The Fire Lord know, and he would usually tell him everything.

“I deserve an explanation. You owe me that much Katara,” he told her, staring at the pillows, wishing that he could see his waterbender that was on the other side.

“I don’t owe you anything Zuko. Fuck you,” Katara snarled out with a huff.

“You have actually. Multiple times in fact,” he jokily added, trying to lighten the mood, smirking at himself at the comment. Apparently, it wasn’t appreciated.

“Is that all I am to you Zuko? A plaything?” Katara asked suddenly, making Zuko drop his grin at the question that he was not expecting. He doesn’t understand why she was asking him that question. “After you’re done with me, are you really going back to Mai?” she whispered out the last part, causing Zuko to furrow his brows together.

Did Katara truly not believe him when he had told her that the only reason why he had gone to see Mai in the first was so he could meet her new boyfriend and wanted his opinion because she had trusted him before she introduces him to her parents before going public? He doesn’t understand what made her think anything else had happened when he had told her everything that she needed to know.

“I’ve told you everything Katara. What made you even think for a second that—”

“Azula cornered me,” she interrupted, her voice still above a whisper. “She—she told me that you two had plans to get back together and that all I was to you was a silly plaything. Is it true, Zuko?” she asked again.

Zuko growled lowly in the back of his throat, balling up the sheets with his hands. So that’s the reason for everything. It was because of his little devil of a sister Azula and one of her many schemes to break them apart and she had succeeded.

“Azula always lies. I’ve told you that a thousand times! She’s been trying to break us up since day one of our relationship Katara. She wanted me to get back together with Mai because she hated the two of us being together.” Zuko told her, grounding his teeth together to help him calm down and took several deep breaths though his nose.

The Princess of the Fire Nation had tried everything in her power to break up the waterbender and the firebender. In the beginning, their relationship was supposed to be political in hopes to bring the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation closer together. As time went on, they started to develop true feelings for one another. Azula was pissed at the news and had several times attempted to ruin things between the young couple. She did not approve of his relationship with Katara because she was an outsider and a waterbender.

Zuko was angry. He was angry at Azula and was slightly angry at Katara for believing her lies and schemes. Now he knows the real reason why Katara had officially ended things between. It was because of a lie and she had fell for it.

He ran a hand through his raven hair and sighed. “Why did you let her win?” he wanted to know.

“Because I’m so fucking stupid,” she replied with a groan of frustration. “I can’t believe that I—”

“Stop right there Katara,” Zuko told her firmly, narrowing his eyes as he continues to stare at the stack of pillows in front them. “You are not stupid. You’re smart, head strong, brave, courageous, beautiful, sexy, amazing,” he chuckled as he thought of another quality that he had loved about Katara. “Not to mention stubborn. Don’t you forget that. You hear me?”

He could hear Katara sighing on the other side of the fort. “I hear you Zuko.”

He breathed a sigh of relief at her response and he made a promise with himself to deal with his sister in the morning. “Does that mean that we’re back together now?” he asked her, praying to whatever spirit that he could think of that she would say yes.

“Once I remove the pillows, we’re back together,” she told him and Zuko could hear movement. His eyes stayed glued to the pillows that began to shrink one by one until finally seeing Katara’s beautiful face. She was propped on the bed on her side using an elbow, her long brown hair falling loosely over her shoulders with a small smile on her face. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Zuko said back, watching her scooting closer to him in the bed and stopped when the two of them were nose to nose. He took a deep breath to take in the smell of her jasmine scent and reached out to play with a strand of her hair, twirling it around with his finger playfully “My beautiful waterbender,” he muttered huskily, smiling at her blush that was forming on her cheeks.

“My handsome firebender prince,” she whispered, leaning forwards to kiss him softly on the lips lightly. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he told her seriously, leaning back in to kiss her longer this time, making Katara moan against his mouth when he pulled away from her. “Get on top of me,” he whispered against her lips.

“Are we about to have mind blowing make up sex right now Zuko?” Katara asked when she had got on top of him, quirking a brow at him when her sapphire eyes met his golden ones. She blushed when she felt something poking on her thigh.

Zuko smirked at her flushed face. “Does that answer your question?” he asked devilishly, hiking up his own brow at her.

Katara moaned when he started to roll his hips against hers, causing her to throw her head back. She responded by doing the same with her hips rolling against his, causing Zuko to hiss lowly when his member started to get even harder at the contact. Katara grinned wickedly at him and leaned down to his ear, licking it at the hollow of it. “Let’s not break up again,” she whispered hotly against it.

“Yea,” Zuko hissed out in agreement. “Let’s not break up again.” he chuckled. “Because that fort was ridiculous.”

AN: first attempt at writing for this pairing and I want to do more. They should’ve ended up together. End of story. Even the VA agrees hehe. Let me know what you guys think!

[cloveroctobers]

ELLADINE SARABI

IG info/bio: @/ellasardineabi | 18.5k followers | Artist | i was born with glass bones and paper skin♡

25 years old

Born & raised in Cardiff, Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Father was in the n*vy and moved his family around a few times until he and his wife came to a agreement that it would be best for the family to grow up in one solid place

whereas he would leave for months at a time living elsewhere

Which was hard on the family at times since he is viewed as the rock of the family

He eventually left the n*vy after serving 20 years & was so thankful to, he hated it and how it messed with him mentally

He’s also of Iranian heritage

Her mother is of German heritage

Has her own restaurant that serves authentic German food

Both of her parents instilled hard work, discipline, generosity, and how to be practical in their children

Elladine is the middle child

Has a brother that is ten years older than her and then a younger sister who is seven years behind her

Canon: there is currently a discussion going on if they are going to bring their (maternal) nan/mam-gu home since the nursing home isn’t providing the proper care their nan needs

Her mother has a rocky relationship with her mother that she doesn’t like to discuss with her children but her husband knows all about it

Her nan has Alzheimer's and is becoming violent

it has become difficult seeing her most days

Elladine came into glassblowing after being involved in many classes in secondary such as workshop class

which became her fav since she was able to manipulate many materials such as metal, wood, and glass

She also took a auto body class which was interesting but she wasn’t too thrilled about it. Got away with a B- but knew she could do better if she really wanted to but she didn’t need the class to graduate so allow it

Currently works in a glass studio where her work is displayed/sold and she’s one of the main ones that makes great profit

has bought her own space for her own studio and is slowly making it to her liking with her assistant, yes she’s got one!

Hopes to be in that space within the next 6 months...it would have been a little sooner if we weren’t dealing with a global p*ndemic!!! but ya know life f*cking sucks sometimes!!!1!!:) especially if people don’t gaf

Moved back in with her parents so that she could not only help with her nan but get her studio ready, her parents approved since she was working towards something and realized her talent

I definitely see elladine going through a grunge phase and it probably still slips out every now and then lol

Her childhood room is still in shades of raspberry, gray, and a deep purple

always been plus-sized/fuller than the rest but it’s literally hereditary since her mom is built the same way who got it from her dad

Her family never made her feel ashamed as they shouldn’t and none of her true friends made her feel different since they were all of different sizes!!! besides who’s really friends with someone because of their bodies? Ur really ugly if that’s how u roll js

Always a respectful student and not too afraid to spark up a convo with you but can be a little nervous if the person is more of a “I have to warm up to you first” since she’ll feel like she’s annoying you if she carries the convo at first

Takes her time in relationships because she’s scared of getting hurt, cause breakups are not fun! Especially if theyre your friend on top of that

Although Friendship breakups are much worse let’s be honest here!!!

Has noticed that a few of her exes like to bring up that she’s controlling or too bossy in relationships and that makes her a little insecure since she doesn’t view it that way??

She knows what she wants and likes things a certain way, and she can see how it can kinda come off that way based on how she approaches/says things and tries to be better at toning it down and not being offensive to her significant others

Always has a plan and likes to follow it, she definitely keeps to-do lists on a daily

Takes trips to see Nicky often and vice-versa, every moment they spend together feels like it’s meant to be, even when it’s them just simply chilling in each other’s spaces, he’s truly one of her best friends and he feels like the missing part of her life

He offered for her to move in with him but elladine didn’t accept it since she wanted to be there to help with her nan and in fact—she wanted to be the one to ask HIM to move in with her

but if they make it long enough, they’ll go house hunting together...maybe

I get Shawn/Angela relationship vibes from them (boy meets world for those who aren’t aware of this couple and I’m not just saying this because they’re interracial as well lol) did I say this already about someone else? Brain fart lol

everyone relationship has their flaws so when they hit a bump in the road...elladine immediately wants to fix it but it comes off as more critiquing, moodiness/blaming the other

while Nicky can be defensive/argumentive/a little condescending on his end

To get through it, they normally go on a walk together in complete silence until they’re ready to speak again or they take a break from each other

I think words of affirmation is her love language

Taurus sun + Virgo moon + Capricorn rising?

“The girl on the motorcycle” is one of her fav films — no this is not metaphoric to her love life

Loves watching things with captions on since she always finds herself doing something else while watching anything (which irks Nicky a little bit but that’s just the way elladine is and he loves her so he deals with it)

Will rewind something if she missed it too

Canon: never had morning sex before

but can now say she has ;) & understands the pros people say about it and it outweighs the cons in her book

Will start the whole song over too if she missed her fav part in it

She also enjoys billiards since her brother used to work in a pool hall and when he had to watch her because she was “too young” in her words to stay home by herself he would take her there even tho technically she wasn’t supposed to be there but he was screwing his boss’s daughter so it was quite fine

her sister has a crush on Gary & ships elladine with him, which they joke about every now and then + he doesn’t follow her back, which is okay! Not a big deal but her sister keeps sliding in his dms (he’s now single)

She NEVER thought she would be on THE love island and wasn’t that confident that she’d find a real love that carried on outside of the show but Nicky has proven her wrong 🥲

She’s 5’5–5’6

Probably shops at Zara & top shop and has no issue picking pieces that flatter her “pear” figure, she loves all that is of her body: the pudge, love handles, cellulite and all (she’s very confident and won’t let anyone see her moments of doubt when it comes to her frame)

Loves mythology but will tell bill stfu if he comes near her trying to argue about anything in that subject

Very competitive and will rush through certain things, leaving one to think that she’ll fail somewhere but rarely does

If she’s not near or away from the mountains or the sea for long period of time she gets very moody!!! Guess that’s the Welsh in her huh?

Loves fireplaces, they’re super cozy and very romantic if you catch ella’s drift 😏

Probably smells like jasmine & pink pepper idk

Wants to travel to Iceland one day

Knows her way around a car but dreads having to get it fixed or fixing it herself?

Loves driving until her road rage kicks in? Oh you’re gonna go around her to get in front of her? Never that. She’ll always be in front of you and will break check you if you try her “Drewgi” she mutters

Early riser and goes to bed early too lol

She’s the crying drunk lmao

Automatically vieve has become one of her best friends from the villa but it deff didn’t feel forced like it normally would have just because their bfs have a podcast together, they talk about everything together. EVERYTHING! It feels like she’s the big sister she never had, yet they’re only a year apart lol

They have ft sleepovers and man is it fun!

Forgave lily but at the same time can’t fully see herself being friends with her like vieve tried to encourage before they went on the yacht...sorry everything can’t be Kumbaya over here sis

It sucks to say but it was easier? She doesn’t know if that’s the right term or not... for her to forgive rafi than it was lily and it’s fucked up but that’s the way it is. It’s not like she contacts him on seperate messages or anything like that! She’ll talk to him via group chat and that’s pretty much it. She knows it was all part of the show and production’s bs for ratings but that doesn’t mean it still didn’t hurt

Wishes him success on his shows/movies but doesn’t engage/watch them

What does she post? I feel like she posts maybe three times a month and a lot are outfit pics but tends to go live more so to chat with the people! She’ll also show all what glassblowing entails while chatting away! She loves that part and is pretty open about things but knows how to keep some things private

Personally wasn’t the biggest fan of season 1 but admits she wishes she had mc’s balls in terms of what she would have done if she was in elladine’s place when lily picked Nicky, “ugh! I wish I had her strength rising through my veins in that moment. Absolute riot. Adore her.”

‘“Licky” is a ugly ass ship name anyways so who’s really winning here?!’

Celeb crushes? Iwan Rheon, Henry Zaga, Anthony Welsh, jason derulo, & LaRoyce Hawkins

Listens to: soleima, Marisa Maino, Ava Max, poppy, Caroline polachek, Donny Hathaway, Phil Good, & SAINt JHN

Anthem — M.I.A. “Bad Girls”

[essaysbyciara]

Thy Neighbor II: Lovin’ The Crew [Chapters 11 + 12]

[Prologue] [Chapters 1 + 2] [Chapters 3 + 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapters 7 + 8] [Chapters 9 + 10] 

Man, we’re eight chapters away from the end of this story. Ugh. Let’s see who gets on y’all nerves this week LMAOOO. 

OH! I started a Yahya Abdul-Mateen II x Reader story called (1) New Message. Check it out if you haven’t done so already! 

As always, thank youuuuuuuuuuuuu for the likes, comments and love. Taglist is still open! Peace & (most importantly) Love! 

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“It’s okay, Jasmine...” Ciara finds herself Monday morning in the bathroom stall at Proverbs’ Camden location rubbing the back of a seven-year-old girl puking up a liquid Ciara can’t quite figure out. When Ciara signed up to volunteer at Proverbs, she expected to peer into the eyes of Y’lan, not the contents of a toilet. But as the only woman volunteering that morning, she bides her time inside the restroom with little Jasmine as she tosses up her little life. 

Ciara went to church on Sunday slightly hungover with thighs that ached to the delight of Trevante. Even as she started to reconcile her decision to break her rule to have sex with Trevante, she found herself always reminded in church about being “in the world, not of the world” and how we all need to “stand firm”, a sermon series in Ephesians convicting her as if she was up for capital murder. 

Ciara’s decision to not have sex wasn’t a biblical one. It wasn’t because the Church told her to keep her legs closed or because as a Christian, she is to save herself for marriage. She found all of these rules to be antiquated and patriarchal. Ciara chose to be celibate to prevent the heartache of sleeping with someone who would leave her, to not end up like she did after her ex-boyfriend left her: waxing her rejection away with as much sex as she could. As soon as she knew her man to be committed, she’d be down to consummate their love but Trevante hadn’t make them official, so Ciara jumped the gun. So she wouldn’t get left. 

So when she saw that phone call grace Trevante’s phone, she wanted so bad to throw the phone at Trevante and walk out. But she didn’t want him to then call that girl back and leave Ciara out in the cold. So her heart -- and her nether regions -- made an executive decision to make Trevante stay. Whoever “Meganne Thee Intern” was would have to wait for her turn. 

CIara wishes it is someone else’s turn to coddle Jasmine inside of the bathroom. When she thinks Jasmine has no more puke left to give, she picks her up and carries her outside of the bathroom. To her delight, Y’lan is standing right outside waiting for them both to exit.

“Yo, Ciara … I really appreciate you right now.”

“Oh, I know...is her Mom on the way to get her or something?”

“Her Aunt is coming. She ain’t happy but the girl ain’t going to school like this…” 

Ciara cradles Jasmine’s head as she looks into Y’lan eyes, causing him to match her glance. They exhale to break their trance. 

“Do you have clothes for accidents? I want to get her in a new shirt,” Ciara says, wiping Jasmine’s eyes to stop her from using her stained shirt. 

“Yeah. There’s a closet down the hall before the steps, to your left. I’m sure you can find something for her.” 

Ciara consoles Jasmine as she walks down the hallway. Y’lan stares at  Ciara as she carries her patient, adoring her care of Jasmine in that moment. He’s happy the church ladies chose to take this Monday off. 

Y’lan walks into the kitchen just as Winston finishes prepping the after school snacks for later. Winston was caught by surprise when he walked into Proverbs to see Ciara sitting at the table with some of the children, helping them try to finish their math homework before heading off to school. Winston didn’t want his car ride with Ciara to end, the both of them waxing off about their favorite rap albums and college courses. 

He found himself enraptured in Ciara as she talked about her research paper, falling in love with her enthusiasm toward her project. He picked her brain to know the best place to grab a bite of Carribean food in the city, she picked his brain about Harlem, New York, the city he lived in before moving to Philadelphia. The conversation felt so natural, as if they met in another lifetime. He couldn’t help but think about who she was dating and what a lucky guy he must be. 

And how it was that guy’s loss and Winston’s gain to be able to drive Ciara home that night. 

Winston and Y’lan quit their small talk when Ciara walks into the kitchen. 

“Hey, Y’lan. I just gave Jasmine to her Aunt, so we’re good. There anything else you want me to do before I head out?”

“No, Ciara. You did enough today. I appreciate you. See you on Thursday at U City?”

“Yep! I think I might have some really good news for you. See you then. Winston, so good to see you! I’ll see you later!”

Ciara waves at them both. Winston follows her graceful exit with a stare which Y’lan mirrors until he notices Winston’s unbreakable gaze. He laughs and throws a bag of Goldfish snacks at Winston, causing Winston to quit following Ciara with his eyes.

“My bad, man…,” Winston says to Y’lan breaking his stare with a laugh.

“No, it’s cool. I just ain’t ever seen you like that.”

“There ain’t drool on my shirt, right?” Winston looks down at the blue cotton fabric draping his broad chest. . 

Y’lan laughs uncontrollably. 

“Nah, you good King. She’s bad, bruh. Y’all have classes together?”

“We have some seminarian classes together. I have to be careful, man. I feel like she catches me looking at her all the time.” 

“Yeah, she’s good for that…” 

“Hey, man. If you staking claim on that, I’ll bow out.” Winston’s shot confidence causes him to believe that his tall and soft body with a bespeckled visage can’t compete with a former football player like Y’lan. 

“Real talk, Winston...she and I had a thing about a year or so ago.” 

Winston’s heart catches another dagger. He knows the rules. 

“My bad, man. Ain’t mean to…” 

“Nah, bruh. You’re good. We’re adults. It didn’t work out, it wasn’t her fault. She caught me when I was out here tripping.  I thought she’d kill me when I first told her what happened. I’m surprised she’s even volunteering. The non-profit she works for is helping us find staff.” 

“Maybe she’s plotting your murder, eh? But nah, she seems like a good girl.”

“Yep, she is…” 

Y’lan continues packing lunches until he catches Winston’s mood turn from jubilant to desolate. 

“Winston, you aight?”

“Stuff like this makes me realize that I’m so scared to date. I keep getting scared about relationships, man. Like I don’t want to meet a woman and punk out or think it’s going to fail.”

“Yo, man. I think you’re being too hard on yourself. You’ve been doing the work to get yourself right since the divorce. If you think you’re ready to step out there, you should do it.”

“Wild thing is that I did with Ciara, man, and failed.” Winston shakes his head. 

“What you mean?” Y’lan grows more inquisitive. 

“I asked her out like months ago, worked up the nerve and everything. And she turned me down.”

“Word? I mean, she met you through me at the time when she and I were beefing real heavy.” 

“Maybe but she told me she was dating somebody, so...” Winston goes back to packing lunches leaving Y’lan’s mind to go back to that moment inside of U City Coffee when Trevante offered to take Ciara home and it made his senses go off. 

“She’s dating not married, man.” Y’lan says to reassure Winston. And himself. 

“You’re right, bruh. So are you telling me to stay close?”

Y’lan inadvertently juices up Winston, turning him into the competition. But now he’s even more sure that Trevante’s been in a race too and he needs just one opportunity to find out for sure. 

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Hey, man. I can’t wait for this launch event in March,” Y’lan says as he steps away from the conference room table and closer to Trevante.

Y’lan and Trevante couldn’t be anymore different. Trevante’s tailored suits and crisp ties make Y’lan’s polo shirts and jeans look juvenile. Y’lan’s wild but kept hair towers over Trevante’s crisp fade, waves distinguishable from a mile away. They both play match with the beard, keeping it lined and tight. 

Y’lan reformed choir boy antics don’t compare to “Playboy Tre”, what Y’lan calls Trevante. He grimaces at the “war stories” he hears from Trevante, only because he used to be worse. Even though he tries to caution Trevante to get it together, he doubts that he ever listens, watching Trevante put new numbers into his phone like they could win the lottery. He hoped that his talks about futures and wives and happy ever afters would get to Trevante.  He just wasn’t expecting Ciara to be the result. 

Y’lan knows he has to ask Trevante if he and Ciara are together for sanity’s sake. But he also feels that it is not his job to inquire. If anyone needs to fess up, it would be Ciara to Trevante. She owes Trevante at least the courtesy to know that she’s working with a man who once dreamed to sex her and would have if Ciara wasn’t so upright. 

After hearing Winston’s desires for Ciara’s attention, Y’lan quickly concedes his participation in the sweepstakes game to win Ciara. As much as he wants Ciara, their history is too messy and complicated. Y’lan did her dirty, he has no right to believe that Ciara would be interested in rekindling their flame even if they let their embers burn at the coffee shop and with intermittent stares at Proverbs the other morning. He knows that feeling will pass. Ciara will wake up, smell his coffee, and go back to hating his guts. 

Therefore, Ciara is fair game to Winston. 

But not Trevante. 

“I’ll meet you at the whiskey bar on 2nd St. in about an hour, fam. I gotta send some final emails.” 

“Bet, see you there.” Y’lan daps Trevante and walks out of Trevante’s office, almost walking into Meganne, who was turning into Trevante’s office to hand him one of his email marketing reports. 

After sleeping with Ciara, Trevante noticed two missed calls and multiple texts from Meganne, some with attachments he was happy Ciara wasn’t awake  to see. He knows he must tell Meganne to chill out, hopefully as pain free as possible. But as it always is with Trevante, telling a hopeful woman “no” never ends well. 

“Hey, Meganne, you have a second?” 

Meganne hasn’t mentioned her text and phone attack on Trevante. He thinks that she’s too embarrassed or too drunk to remember. 

“Sure!” Meganne sits down on the chair in front of Trevante’s desk. 

“When did you put your number in my phone?” 

“Oh! Yeah … when we were at the bar the other night. I thought it would make things easier. If you needed to reach me or whatever.” 

“You should’ve asked me first.”

Meganne feels rejection in the air. She fights to not inhale.

“I’m sorry, Trevante. I figured you wanted it after the other night.”

“What happened the other night?” Trevante is clueless as to what he did.

“One of your friends asked us if we wanted to go to Atlantic City with you guys. I figured you needed it to plan and everything.”

Trevante and Y’lan already let their friends know about the trip to Atlantic City for Michael’s bachelor party. What started as a trip for five -- Michael, Yahya, Trevante, Y’lan and Michael’s cousin, Sterling -- is turning into a 15-man trip with both Trevante and Michael’s fraternity brothers in attendance. There isn’t an expectation of women being present. Especially not the 21-year-old intern and her friends. 

“It’s a guys trip, Meganne. My bad. I wish he told you.”

“Oh, it’s okay! You still have my number though if you want to link up.”

“I can’t, Meganne. You gotta stop sending me pictures too. My girl don’t like that at all.”

Meganne’s enthusiasm turns into mush. 

“Oh, you have a girlfriend? I’m sorry, Tre. I didn’t mean to violate.”

“It’s cool, you didn’t know.”

Meganne catches her embarrassment enough to walk out of Trevante’s office. Trevante doesn’t regret using Ciara as an excuse to get out of this mess. Even if Ciara isn’t his girl yet. 

That’s what he hopes to talk to Y’lan about. 

Taglist:  @doublesidedscoobysnacks @diva-princess-on-fleek @voyagetoadinas9 @walkrightuptothesun @wvsspoppin  @dreamlovealways @rockwit609 @thegayaxeman @joyfulwombatdreamermaker @blackpinup22 @hookedtoherfire @kris-did-it @l-auteuse @styleismyaddiction

[supersoldierslover]

Hard Feelings Part 7

Summary:  (Modern Au) After the death of your only living relative, you find yourself lost in life and your feelings. To make things worse, you have to deal with Steve Rogers someone from your past that is more present in your life now than ever.

Pairing: Steve x Reader

Words: 1775

Warnings:  No warnings this time

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Part 4, Part 5 Part 6

You are exhausted; who would thought that work was so hard? Since your meeting with, Bucky in the morning where he taught you a little bit more about how the department works.

After the meeting, he introduced you to your coworkers and they did seen really nice especially, Thor. He was like a giant teddy bear.

In the end, Bucky showed you his schedule for the next couple of weeks, where you would be following him closely almost like a shadow.

You fallowed Bucky to all his meetings; it was interesting to see how he deals it with so many different types of people and how he different he acts around every single one of them. If it was with someone of the financial department he was so polity and firm always trying to get a bigger budget for the new campaign.

With a supermodel who wanted to be part of a new product, he was charming and almost flirty. Making the poor girl blush like crazy and if was of someone on his staff he was the Bucky you knew and love it. Just charming, lovely and friendly.

“You are going to love this.” Bucky says excitedly as you two enter a conference room, he shows you 15 samples of red lipstick. You feel like you died and went to lipstick heaven “They are so pretty, I love all of them especially this one.”

You say picking a sample that was in a very dark tone of red “They are for the new collection; they were inspired by your Grandma. I swear I never saw her without red lipstick in the 6 years I work in here, so...what do you think?”

“She would love it, and probably complain that there are not enough colors.” You say excited, they all screamed your grandmother name “Good, we are coming up with the names yet, like this one…” He points to the one you are holding “I think we are going to call it, end game. Or we are going to put numbers on then we don’t know yet”

You laugh, you knew that your grandma used to label her lipsticks with numbers so the second options it really fits her “I love this idea actually; it sounds a lot like, Nana.”  He smiles at you, picking another sample “Before you go home, or Steve knocks on the door looking for you. I want to give you an assignment, ok? For the next couple of days.”

You nod, curious about what he is going to ask for you to do it “We want to honor your Grandma's memory with this product. So think about a campaign, anything that you like and that you think that she would approve. I am not saying that we are going to use it, but we could use bits or use as a base for the final project. What do you think?”

“I think is a great idea, but what happens if I can’t think of anything?” You ask worried, you really want to succeed in this assignment “Nothing, there are a couple people working on this as well as we speak but you won’t fail.  You are one of the most creative person that I know of and you also hate failure so I trust you.”

He gets up from his chair, pulling you for a hug “Thank you, Bucky. I don’t know what I would do without you.” You say kissing his cheek “Nothing, you would be totally lost without me. But know go find, Steve in the lobby because he is waiting for you.” He says dead serious but with the biggest smile on his face.

When you get in the lobby, you find Steve waiting for you in a chair “I thought you could use a ride home.” He says getting up and kissing your cheek “And maybe some dinner too? I am starving.” You ask hopeful, you didn't eat anything since breakfast.

But that is not the only reason that you want to spend time with him, Wanda’s words keep playing on your brain on repeat. And you know that you need to solve this once and for all.

“Do you want to go to that Italian place close to my apartment? You know that one we used to go?” You nod, taking his hand on yours. He is surprised by your actions but as soon as the shock passes he smiles at you holding your hand tighter “Any reason for all this? I mean you usually are not so fond of PDA.”

He says opening his car door for you. You shrug; you just want to be with him without caring what other people think “Not really, I'm very just hungry and wanting to spend time with you.”

Around 20 minutes you two arrive at the restaurant, the place is small and very intimate. It is perfect for first dates and marriages proposals. Especially with roses on each table and the guy sing in the corner of the restaurant.

You two made your orders, making small talk it was so nice to be with him like this. No ghosts from the past or pressure of the future. Just to people who have feelings for each other talking.

“I was afraid that you were going to avoid me after yesterday.” He says taking a sip of his wine; you smile at him picking his 'hand and brushing your thumb over his palm “I wouldn’t, Steve. I'm going, to be honest with you, I'm terrified and even a little overwhelmed by everything that is happening right now. But nothing this is your fault, in fact, you are the only thing right now that is making me sane.”

He smiles, kissing your hand. How could you ever doubt about your feelings for him? You get closer to him on the table, holding his face between your hands, your fingers start to caress his face “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I will tell you soon enough.” You say winking at him, kissing his cheek. You wish this moment would never end, that only would be you two against the world “Wanda called me today.” You look at him shocked; you need to talk to her about boundaries “What she wanted?” You ask taking a bite of your food.

“For me to convince you to hire a bodyguard and I agree with her.” You roll your eyes annoyed; this is a discussion that you don't want to have with anyone “I don’t see why the manor and my new apartment are pretty secure.” You say giving him your best fake smile.

“Pierce might want to hurt you.” He says trying to hold your hold your hand but you don’t let him “He won’t, I am more about you than for me... if I am being honest." He looks at you confused, so you explain “He needs me to take over the company, he might try to seduce me but you are the one in danger. Is like he is Jafar, you are Aladdin and I am princess Jasmine.”

“I can take care of myself, or you forgot my military training?” You roll your eyes at him again “So you can worry about me but I can’t do the same for you?”  He shakes his head no, before saying “It’s not that, but if he tries to attack me I can defend myself.”

You look at him and you know that he can win a fight with, Pierce hand to hand but what you are afraid of is that he might hire someone to do his dirty work “We need to do something about him, Steve. I don’t want to live my life afraid of him.”

He nods, putting his hand on your thigh “I know, and I working on it.” You put your hand on top of his squeezing it “What this even mean, Steve? I need a straight answer on this.” He nods, kissing your hand “You know that I am never going to let him hurt you, right?”

“I know, Stevie. Can we just fire him? And then hire someone to run him over, with a truck?” You ask pouting “We could fire him, I thought about this a lot but that wouldn’t solve everything. He said that has contacts inside the company, and I figure it out a few of them but I can’t fire everyone is against me running the company.”

That makes sense, but you still think that fire, Pierce is the best idea for now “Why not? I mean we would solve a lot of our problems.” He puts a string of your hair behind your ear “I know, but I have a few ideas just wait for a little while, ok?”

You nod, you can wait for a while “What we do until then?” You ask resting your head on his shoulder “We wait and we are careful around him. But I don’t want to hide whatever this is.” You look at him, smiling “We won’t have to, Steve.”

You pull him to a kiss, the kiss is small and delicate. His hands are on the small of your back, while yours is holding his face. When he breaks the kiss, he rests his forehead on yours smiling “What this makes us?” He asks holding you.

“This makes us ...us, I don’t want to be with anyone else and I believe is the same with you.” When he nods you continue “I don’t want for us to be like you were before, hiding from everyone else and sneaking around. I was us to be real a couple but taking things slow.”

He smiles at you kissing you again “I agree, we can take things as slow as you want” He says with the biggest smile on his face “You know that means no sex, at least for now?” You ask playfully;

“I know, but I will be able to kiss you whatever I want and have you in my arms again so it is worth it.” He says sweetly and you feel yourself blushing. Steve Rogers was the best man that you ever knew “We also can make out, and we can make out a lot.” You say teasing him.

He groans before saying “You are killing me, sweetheart. But I have a question for you, can I invite you to spend the night or this is to out of line?” You smile kissing his neck “Of course you can, but no funny business, Mr. Rogers.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.” He says paying the bill and leading you outside.

Part 8

The tags for this are still open, so if you want to be tagged just let me know.

And Please leave feedback, because i’m in love with this series and i want to know what you guys are thinking about it.

[fabglance1]

#XD30 - Day 6 - ‘GOOD’

She looked down at her hand, a flawless cushion cut diamond sat perched on her ring finger. She still couldn’t believe it. They night they’d had, the way he proposed, all those flowers, and the fact that she got him by being a good girl. Jordan and Jack were celibate during their entire courtship. It was so hard for her not to fall to the temptation, but now it was all worth it when she looked at the rock on her hand. She was ready to grow a family with the love of her life.

  “Let me see it! Let me see that ring girl!” Jordan’s best friend Kia was already squealing from across the restaurant. Right behind her was Tasha, Jordan’s favorite cousin. The three girls grew up together. They were Jordan’s door to the real world when her dad wouldn’t let her do fun stuff.

  After Jordan’s Mom died, her father didn’t know what to do with the little girl. The thought of raising a girl child all by himself was too scary for him to comprehend. So, he headed to church. Jordan grew up under the watchful eye of the women of Greater Harvest Church of God in Christ. She often thought they cared so much because they were trying to date her dad. But he never entertained one woman in that church. He was a devoted volunteer, member of the deacon board, and did pro-bono work when someone’s son got in trouble.

  Jordan was often told how pretty she was with her green eyes and chocolate skin. But, she was inadvertently taught that compliments from boys were bad. The devil was in those little mannish boys and only fast-tailed girls entertained their games. If he wasn’t almost like Jesus, he’d never do her any good. She was taught to wear her skirts long, keep her silky hair pulled back, and never open her legs until marriage.

  And Jordan believed it. She prided herself on holding on to her virginity through high school, college, and Law school. She always made sure to keep herself busy by going to the gym, volunteering in the community, and pursuing her education. Jordan graduated with honors and won numerous awards. Walking in her father’s footsteps she practiced law with the best of intentions. She prided herself on being honest with her clients and helping them even if she didn’t see a win.

  Kia and Tasha always made sure that Jordan wasn’t so heavenly minded that she was no earthly good. In high-school the pair persuaded Jordan to stop dressing like the Clark Sisters and more like TLC. In college, the girls knew that Jordan wasn’t having sex, but made sure she knew about birth control. By the end of Law School Jordan had found her balance. No longer a member of the COGIC girls of America, she didn’t feel guilty wearing a pair of pants, going on a cruise to Jamaica, or having a sip of wine every so often.

  But sex, sex was something she would not budge on. By the age of 29, Jordan was still holding up the standard. She’d only seen a real-life penis two times in her life: once with her high school boyfriend an again with her college beau. Jordan dated often, because of her good looks and cool demeanor, but didn’t stay in relationships long due to her no-sex rule.

  “Not even ORAL!” Jack said, looking at the gorgeous girl sitting on his couch. “You’re trying to tell me; you’ve never had a guy put his lips on your … lips!? You are almost 30!”

  It was their third date and Jack had invited Jordan to his downtown apartment. With floor to ceiling windows, hard wood floors, and kitchen fit for a celebrity chef, bringing a woman back to his house was a sure way get her naked. And he wanted to see Jordan naked! He remembered watching her walk into the gym just weeks earlier.  

  That day he spotted the slender yet toned lawyer chat with the gym owner, put her hair in a ponytail, change her sneakers, and start her workout. He didn’t mean to stare, but she was just so smooth and her smile so radiant. He’d never seen a woman come to that gym and generally enjoy being there. She worked out for exactly an hour, picked up her bag and left. The next day Jack spotted her again, same routine, different color work-out gear. He didn’t understand how he never saw her previously, but now he saw her almost daily.

  By the end of the next week he got up the nerve to ask her on a date. She smiled, but declined. Looking at Jack she knew he’d be no good. He was just too attractive. Standing at 6'5", slim basketball build, wearing the newest Air Max running shoes, she knew he was out of her league. His pecan-colored skin looked so smooth as he asked her questions about her life. She still gave him her number, thinking he’d be a good friend. He called daily and they talked a lot.

  Jack was new in the city. He experienced a horrible break-up and his best friend persuaded him to come to her town. Jack took a job at an investment firm, moving away from all the heartbreaks of living in Atlanta. It was nice to be back in the same place as his best friend and entertaining a beautiful young lady.

  “So what you’re saying is, if I choose to date you, we ain’t having sex?” Jordan nodded her head, “for how long? 90 days or something?”

  “Until I get married. Maybe I’ll marry you, maybe not. But it’s what I believe and its what God wants for my life.” She stood firm on her decision, although her knees were shaking. After just three dates, she had really fallen for Jack. He was funny, smart, and just the right amount of nasty to keep her emails to Tasha and Kia entertaining. If she was gonna give her virginity to someone, she wanted it to be someone like Jack, married of course.

  Jack sat next to her, she could feel the heat from his body. She could smell the faint scent of cologne. She watched him search her to see if she was full of BS or truly genuine. This was the part she hated. She’d been here before. All the men she dated would act like they could be celibate, but then they’d break. She’d been cheated on more times than she had fingers and hoped this one wouldn’t do the same.

  “Alright. I believe you. I guess I’m gonna be dating a green-eyed virgin. You are really like a unicorn, you know that?”

  “Just, please tell me if you can’t take it. Don’t cheat on me. Don’t lie to me. Just leave if you can’t take it.” She batted her long eyelashes and looked jack straight in his face. Jack suddenly felt nervous. He hadn’t had a woman hold him accountable in a long time. He hadn’t had a woman be so straight forward. Jordan, although quiet and chill, withheld the demeanor of an earthquake. You didn’t know when she was going to break, but you better be prepared when she did.

  The next five months were blissful. Jack had never experienced the type of affection that Jordan gave him. What they didn’t do in the bedroom she more than made up for in other places. The girl could cook, she had amazing style, she knew all the right people, and they liked the same movies. She wasn’t an extrovert like Jack (who never met a stranger), but her unspoiled honesty and considerate attention excited him. She had a small circle of friends, a couple of great colleagues, and frequented her church about three Sundays a month. She was regimented and often talked about how her routine kept her true to herself and closer to God.

  She even got Jack to start coming to church with her. She told him if he’d just listen to the word of God and not be so focused on the actions of men, he’d understand why her religion was so important to her. Jack started to see God through Jordan’s eyes and loved her even more for it. He wasn’t at church when the doors opened, but he did play basketball with the men’s ministry and found some fraternity brothers who attended just as often as he did. Jordan was right, focusing on something other than sexual conquest helped their relationship get stronger. He knew this was the woman he wanted to marry.

  When Jack told Ahlia he wanted to marry Jordan, she was pleased. She liked Jordan, and was happy to see her best friend happy.  She was also glad to have her friend back in town. Ahlia and Jack hadn’t lived in the same city since their high school days. After, Jack went to Morehouse and Ahlia went to Fordham, they found very little time to kick it. During her junior year, Ahlia went to a Study Abroad program which allowed her to study in Cambodia for two years while finishing her undergrad degree and starting her Master’s program. The two would communicate through email and a random phone calls, but the romantic feelings they shared as teens seemed to disappear. Jack asked Ahlia to come help him pick out the ring, and Ahlia went.

  On the night of the proposal, Jack rented a gorgeous hotel suite, he purchased 150 white long stem roses, several dozen candles that smelled of rose oil, vanilla, and jasmine, along with plates of all Jordan’s favorite desserts. He arranged everything in the room. He left a hand-written letter at her office telling him to meet him at the hotel wearing the dress accompanied in the letter. That night he told her that she changed his life and he wanted her to be his wife. She kindly accepted snapping photos of her giant ring and informing her friends. She, so, wanted to have sex with him that night, but didn’t. Instead, she let him see her naked for the first time telling him to promise not to touch. He obliged.

  The next morning, Jack texted Ahlia the great news. Ahlia looked at the photos of Jordan’s excited face and Jack amazing smile. She replied that she was, “sooooooo happy for them!” and that she, “couldn’t wait for the big day!” Putting the phone down she had a sudden pain in her chest. Were these old feelings coming back? Of course, not! She was SO over Jack. That was puppy love, they were adults now. He’s marry Jordan and they’d have an amazing life. She’d find her true love and do the same.

She texted Jordan and Jack in a group message saying, “If you need any help with the wedding, let me know. Love you guys! You’re lil sis!”

[scarffile0-blog]

Roseanne Should Know Being Racist is a Reverse Facial

Listen. I don’t use the word “ugly” but to describe people who are hatemongers. Racists are hatemongers and their outside seem to reflect it, as their insides spill out in the form of faces that are meant for radio: audio only please. It’s like your spirit just decays from all the prejudice you make it engage in. Like your entire being wrinkles from the core.

Note: if you are going to comment about me face-shaming someone, and kumbaya and high road, save your words. I don’t care. Calling racists on their ugliness is my form of resistance. Carry on. You’re welcome.

I’ve already talked about Steve Bannon at length. His soul rot keeps showing up in a way that his visage always looks like it’s on the brink of melting. Like halfway through melting, it found some resolve so the process paused. Seriously. Read my blog post on: Steve Bannon’s Face is the Physical Embodiment of Soul Rot. If shame had a human form, it would be him.

But the thing that kills me about racists is that their hate is so illogical, they end up feeling bold enough to call themselves superior. Or talk about what other people look like. Today’s asshat is Roseanne Barr, the Mother of  Proud Redneck Americans. It’s like the first MAGA hat was a fitted New Era and they used her head size as prototype.

Anywho, today, Roseanne felt herself feeling froggy and decided to tweet:

VJ refers to Valerie Jarrett, President Barack Obama’s senior advisor and powerful Black woman.

The sad excuse for a homo sapien, Roseanne, whose show just got rebooted almost just so she can spew her love for Cheeto Satan, fixed her fingers to compare a woman who is widely respected to an ape.

And I got mad. I was livid. For logic reasons. Even if one of my favorite pastimes wasn’t defending Black women for troglodytes. Let’s just talk facts here.

Roseanne making fun of someone’s looks is like Donald Trump aka Cheeto Satan calling someone’s hair “ridiculous.” Like, girl, you got ALL THE NERVE in the world. So much nerve. Peak nerve. Ultra nerve. The thing about racists is that their mirrors also lie to them. Or their eyes get cloudy with self esteem cataracts. Racism is a reverse facial and ain’t no amount of face peels or vitamin C serums to cure the effects of harboring so much hate.

N’an one of yall living right.

This fool trying to come for what Valerie looks like should let you know how truly STUPID racists are. Ma’am. You cannot challenge ANYBODY’S LOOKS. You just don’t have the range or the right. You coulda shut the entire fuck up for free. But alas… what’s a queen to a goblin?

Racists be out here looking like God put them together with spare parts and wanna have the nerve to talk about what other people look like. As if God had a few rough drafts He just let out cuz He wanted to see something real quick. I DON’T HAVE TIME. But I got time.

And the internet had time too. People been dragging her for her eyebrows since this morning.

I took to Facebook to fight the air and you know LuvvNation is undefeated. They had some things to say:

Sue: Whaaaat? Valerie Jarrett is just so poised and lovely all the time and Roseanne looks like someone who just finished cleaning out the garage.

Nicole: Sue, I think you’re being generous. She looks like she lives in the garage.

Maxine: Rosanne outchea walking around looking like a leaky bag of curdled milk. FOH

Aprill: The fact that it took her decades of continued plastic surgery to achieve an average face definitely makes this more appalling.

Lisa: Roseanne trying to insult somebody, out here looking like unwashed first cousin sex, high fructose corn syrup, and prices dropping at WalMart.

Biafra: Ol popped can of biscuits, bottom of the Cracker Barrell looking ass. Miss Mississippi Methhead looking ass.

Eva: When, after years of surgery, your neck still looks like lasagna edges, can you really talk about anyone? I say nah.

Mak: Roseanne looks like a pile of warm mayonnaise lightly sprinkled with dollar store black pepper.

Kara: often with a teeth-to-tattoo ratio that is not favorable…. 🤔

Shel: Oh dear, that teeth to tattoo ration describes my meth infested town to a T(eethless)! I repeatedly state that if you go into a bar, collectively the entire place has a full set of teeth.

Jasmine: Roseanne has a lot of nerve talking about anyone. Out here looking like curdled milk and melted candle wax. Stand down, madame.

Tata: Every racist I’ve ever fought with in Facebook comments or in real life be looking like they on their last horcrux

Dee: Sit yo’ refurbished lookin ass down!!!

Noelle: The thinner the lips, the worse the opinions…

Lana: My momma calls them Chicken Lipped Bigots.

Tanya: I found out Katie Hopkins is a few months older than me. I saw her picture and presumed they were talking about dog years not human years cuz clearly the years have not been good to her. She is proof positive that God don’t like ugly.

Katie Hopkins. This is a woman who SHOULD have a winning personality. For reasons.

Lynn: Look, I’m a full 10 YEARS older than her. I refuse to believe that she’s not a walking Dorian Grey portrait of some spectacular looking Hollywood actress.

Tanya: I saw her picture and was like what in the AARP geriatric dog yeared hell?!?

Shaquane: It’s always the sponge bob shaped, no lip having, stringy haired, yellow teeth having racist who have the most to say about someone’s look. You can’t be ugly and racist, pick a struggle.

Tisha: I swear God put those people together at 11:58pm on Saturday night cause he thought he was done early and was probably out celebrating when one of the Angels tapped Him on the shoulder and reminded Him and he was like “oh crap….I’ll just throw all these left over parts together and hope for the best

H Loretta: Kate Hopkins and Roseanne Barr out here lookin like a chewed on toothpick and sour milk got the nerve to be outchea talking people?

Isis: Be looking like relatives of the Crypt Keeper but always have something nasty and mean to say about other and how others look.

Dayyanah: Bannon, for one. Steve out here lookin like some hybrid produce… the looks of a potato and the shelf life of an avocado. 😒

Elia: Seems like it’s always the ones with little or nothing to offer that blab about everyone else being mean/ugly/inferior.

Patrick: Those racists don’t use 23andMe. More like 22andGodOnlyKnows.

Whittley: All the way outchea smelling like every thing wrong with wet dreams and built like sofas from a 90s sitcom. Lookin’ roughed up, ran through, beat down, full o’ funk, and sittin’ low. Just sad. Sad, sad, SAD.

Kendhra: Oh fa’sho. Looking like they were created at a hot dog factory.

Morgan: Lookin like a dusty leather bag on clearance talmbout ~superior genes.

I’m just saying. Today has been for one thing and one thing only: drag Roseanne. Nothing else I put on the list got done.

Wait. I did finish this blog post so I can cross that out too. And since it was essentially to drag Roseanne, DOUBLE CROSS OUTS!

All this dragging did serve a purpose, cuz with the entire internet on their tail, ABC had to act quick. They swiftly cancelled that foresaken reboot of hers. Roseanne is out of a job because she wrote a wrong ass check that her loud mouth could not cash.

If you need me, I’ll be over here cackling like a drunk seal. Sometimes, things go right. Roseanne losing these coins made today go right. Shoutout to Channing Dungey, the president of ABC Entertainment, who also happens to be a Black woman. She is now officially an Apollo legend for her work.

Y’all be blessed.

Source: https://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2018/05/roseanne-racism-rot.html

[inloveandwords]

If you are participating in ContemporaryAThon or if you are just looking for some great contemporary romance novels for adults, I’ve put together this list of all my favorites.

If you’d rather watch the video (and find out why I love each book), you can check it out here:

Repeat by Kylie Scott

From Audie Award winning, New York Times best-selling author Kylie Scott comes an irresistible new romance – available in audio first!

When a vicious attack leaves 25-year-old Clementine Johns with no memory, she’s forced to start over. Now she has to figure out who she was and why she made the choices she did – which includes leaving the supposed love of her life, tattoo artist Ed Larsen, only a month before.

Ed can hardly believe it when his ex shows up at his tattoo parlor with no memory of their past, asking about the breakup that nearly destroyed him. The last thing he needs is more heartache, but he can’t seem to let her go again.

Should they walk away for good, or does their love deserve a repeat performance?

♥

Atheists Who Kneel and Pray by Tarryn Fisher

Yara Phillips is a wandering muse.

She dates men who need her, but always moves on to something new, never staying in one place for very long.

David Lisey is in need of a muse.

A talented musician lacking lyrical inspiration. When he first sees her, he knows he’s found what he’s been looking for.

Yara believes she can give David exactly what he needs to reach his full potential: A broken heart.

David’s religion is love.

Yara’s religion is heartache.

Neither is willing to surrender, but religion always requires sacrifice.

♥

Blurred Lines by Lauren Layne

In a novel that’s perfect for fans of Alice Clayton and Emma Chase, Lauren Layne delivers a sexy take on the timeless question: Can a guy and a girl really be “just friends”?

When Parker Blanton meets Ben Olsen during her freshman year of college, the connection is immediate—and platonic. Six years later, they’re still best friends, sharing an apartment in Portland’s trendy Northwest District as they happily settle into adult life. But when Parker’s boyfriend dumps her out of the blue, she starts to wonder about Ben’s no-strings-attached approach to dating. The trouble is, even with Ben as her wingman, Parker can’t seem to get the hang of casual sex—until she tries it with him.

The arrangement works perfectly . . . at first. The sex is mind-blowing, and their friendship remains as solid as ever, without any of the usual messy romantic entanglements. But when Parker’s ex decides he wants her back, Ben is shocked by a fierce stab of possessiveness. And when Ben starts seeing a girl from work, Parker finds herself plagued by unfamiliar jealousy. With their friendship on the rocks for the first time, Parker and Ben face an alarming truth: Maybe they can’t go back. And maybe, deep down, they never want to.

♥

Hate Notes by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

From New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes an unexpected love story of secondhand hearts and second chances…

It all started with a mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress.

Something blue.

I’d gone to sell my own unworn bridal gown at a vintage clothing store. That’s when I found another bride’s “something old.”

Stitched into the lining of a fabulously feathered design was the loveliest message I’d ever read: Thank you for making all of my dreams come true.

The name embossed on the blue stationery: Reed Eastwood, obviously the most romantic man who ever lived. I also discovered he’s the most gorgeous. If only my true-love fantasies had stopped there. Because I’ve since found out something else about Mr. Starry-Eyed.

He’s arrogant, cynical, and demanding. I should know. Thanks to a twist of fate, he’s my new boss. But that’s not going to stop me from discovering the story behind his last love letter. A love letter that did not result in a happily ever after.

But that story is nothing compared to the one unfolding between us. It’s getting hotter, sweeter, and more surprising than anything I could have imagined.

Something new.

But I have no idea how this one is going to end…

Misadventures of a College Girl by Lauren Rowe

Straitlaced freshman Zooey Cartwright has arrived at UCLA determined to have a heck of a lot more fun in college than she did in high school. What’s the first item on Zooey’s agenda before classes start in two days? Losing her pesky V card. She’s definitely not looking for a boyfriend, so where can Zooey find the right guy to do the deed and move along without a backward glance? At a party thrown by a bunch of football players, of course.

Enter Tyler Caldwell. A beast on the field and off, cocky as heck, and often wearing T-shirts with sayings like “God’s Gift to Womankind,” Tyler is most definitely not boyfriend material.

After a make-out session with Tyler leaves Zooey entirely unsatisfied, she is determined never to see him again. But her schedule lands her in not one but two of his classes, and it doesn’t take long before Tyler is giving Zooey exactly what she wants—and a whole lot more she never bargained for. Can Zooey surrender her body to this bad boy without giving him her heart, too?

♥

A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner

It’s crazy how fast the buzz comes back after you’ve been sober for so long.

Whiskey stood there, on my doorstep, just like he had one year before. Except this time, there was no rain, no anger, no wedding invitation — it was just us.

It was just him — the old friend, the easy smile, the twisted solace wrapped in a glittering bottle.

It was just me — the alcoholic, pretending like I didn’t want to taste him, realizing too quickly that months of being clean didn’t make me crave him any less.

But we can’t start here.

No, to tell this story right, we need to go back.

Back to the beginning.

Back to the very first drop.

This is my love letter to Whiskey. I only hope he reads it.

♥

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata

Vanessa Mazur knows she’s doing the right thing. She shouldn’t feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.

But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she’s beyond shocked.

For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn’t find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He’s asking for the unthinkable.

What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?

♥

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

From the author of Happiness for Beginners comes an unforgettable love story about finding joy even in the darkest of circumstances.

Margaret Jacobsen has a bright future ahead of her: a fiancé she adores, her dream job, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in one tumultuous moment.

In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Margaret must figure out how to move forward on her own terms while facing long-held family secrets, devastating heartbreak, and the idea that love might find her in the last place she would ever expect.

How to Walk Away is Katherine Center at her very best: an utterly charming, hopeful, and romantic novel that will capture reader’s hearts with every page.

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

From New York Times Bestselling author Penelope Douglas comes a new forbidden love story…

JORDAN

He took me in when I had nowhere else to go.

He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He doesn’t treat me like I’m nothing, take me for granted, or make me feel unsafe.

He remembers me, laughs with me, and looks at me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.

I have to stop this. It can’t happen.

My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable.

Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.

I am.

PIKE

I took her in, because I thought I was helping.

She’d cook a few meals and clean up a little. It was an easy arrangement.

As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.

The more I find my path crossing hers, though, the more she’s becoming a part of me.

But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.

And her boyfriend’s father.

Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.

*BIRTHDAY GIRL is a stand-alone, contemporary romance suitable for ages 18+.

♥

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome; 2) A person’s undoing; 3) Joshua Templeman. Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

♥

From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata

If someone were to ask Jasmine Santos to describe the last few years of her life with a single word, it would definitely be a four-letter one.

After seventeen years—and countless broken bones and broken promises—she knows her window to compete in figure skating is coming to a close.

But when the offer of a lifetime comes in from an arrogant idiot she’s spent the last decade dreaming about pushing in the way of a moving bus, Jasmine might have to reconsider everything.

Including Ivan Lukov.

♥

November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

Until it Fades by KA Tucker

Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania: population two thousand outside of tourist season.

And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed attempt at a relationship, Catherine saves a man’s life. It isn’t until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has saved: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.

Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works.

For a time.

But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. What begins as an immediate friendship quickly turns into something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn’t sure she can handle; something that Catherine is afraid to trust.

Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine…before the spark fades?

♥

Dear Aaron by Mariana Zapata

Ruby Santos knew exactly what she was getting herself into when she signed up to write a soldier overseas.

The guidelines were simple: one letter or email a week for the length of his or her deployment. Care packages were optional.

Been there, done that. She thought she knew what to expect.

What she didn’t count on was falling in love with the guy.

♥

Lingus by Mariana Zapata

Most people would describe Katherine Berger as a responsible girl with a big heart, a loyal friend who takes care of those close to her, and the possessor of a wicked sense of humor. There was something about her that most people didn’t know. “My name is Kat Berger, and I love porn.”

When twenty-five-year-old Kat is dragged to a porn convention by her best friend, she’s both embarrassed and nervous. The last thing she ever expected was to meet someone who makes her laugh like no other. This is a story about acceptance and friendship, and a love born out of the most unexpected of places.

♥

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up — she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

  What are some of your favorite standalone adult contemporary romance novels? Have you read any of these?

      Favorite Standalone Adult Contemporary Romance Novels for ContemporaryAThon + New Video If you are participating in ContemporaryAThon or if you are just looking for some great contemporary romance novels for adults, I've put together this list of all my favorites.