#andrew and flo working together again

[sincericida]

ANDREW GARFIELD and FLORENCE PUGH

have an idea for their next movie ↑

(@totalfilm x/t)

[devilsandwings]

Quiet Scenes- A Paul mescal fic

Synopsis: This will be an ongoing story. About Paul Mescal and a singer/actress with Sabrina Carpenters discography. That’s all I’ll reveal for now, read to find out. Love yall 💕

1k words ~ CW: none

This indicates a flashback ✨

March 12, 2023

I’m sitting at the Academy Awards, sipping on my champagne and gossiping with my best friend, Florence Pugh. She’s presenting an award with Andrew Garfield later tonight, you’re her guest. “…so anyway after all of that they ended up getting back together.” Florence finished her story about one of her friends.

“Wow yea that is ridiculous why would she take him back after that.” I responded in bewilderment of her story. She just shrugs her shoulders and the lights dim. Jimmy Kimmel comes back out onto the stage.

~

The night has been going great, you and Florence are having an amazing time. She killed it presenting, the host is funny, you’re running into friends and icons. You’re having a wonderful time at the Oscars. The announcers voice booms over the audience, “Please welcome academy award winners Jessica Chastain and Halle berry”

The two women walk onto the stage in their beautiful gowns. They smile at the assuring crowd as they walk to the microphone. “When an actor or actress first approaches a role we use every tool at our disposal to help us create the world of the character” Jessica says, reading the teleprompter. They continue about how actors create their characters.

“Here are the nominees for best performance from an actor in a leading role” Halle says

“Austin Butler, Elvis.” The announcer exclaims. The screen above the stage changes to a camera of Austin at his seat, he smiles and looks at his costar. The crowd erupts with applause. The announcer continues to read off names and the crowd cheers.

“Would now be a bad time to tell you I’ve never seen Elvis?” Florence whispers to you

I turn my head and gasp at her, “YOU WHAT” I whisper yell at her, but it doesn’t really matter nobody else can hear us over the cheering for Colin Farrell. “Ma’am you have to see it, I’m showing it to you next time you come over, I own it.” She laughs at my demand and nods her head, she cheers for Brendan Fraser.

I turn my head back to the screen as the announcer says, “Paul Mescal, Aftersun.” My brain screeched to a hault at the mention of his name. Then he was on the screen, wearing a white suit. He looked good, really good. “Bill Nighy…” the announcer continues. Just like that he was gone again. Florence cheered and smiled at me with an exaggerated smile, yay see you worked with him and his next role got an Oscar nomination, she’s probably saying in her head.

She doesn’t know what happened, I didn’t tell her. How could I have told her? She loved Mike, she would have been so mad at me. I’ve never seen her mad before, upset and frustrated sure, but mad? No, and I do not want to see it.

“Do you mind if I sit with ya? My trailers a Sauna.” Paul asks, sticking his head into my trailer. “Well we’re in Australia, so it’s hot in my trailer too but sure.” I retorted. “You’re probably just looking to escape your own mess.” He closes the trailer door and puts his hand over his chest, “You wound me, I thought we were friends.” He “stumbles” down onto a chair. I roll my eyes at him and throw a pretzel out of my bowl at him, “friends don’t steal from each other.” “Don’t bake delicious biscuits and expect me not to eat some” he says to you smiling, looking at you with those blue eyes. You look back into them, you could look into them forever. Your eyes meet, and the moment hangs there, magical, electric. Then breaking the spell he clears his throat and looks away from me.

The announcer finished the names and all the nominees are shown on the screen but you can’t help but look at Paul. “And the Oscar goes to,..” Jessica begins, “The Whale”. You audibly groan and Flo gives you a strange look and laughs.

“God I know you worked with him but I didn’t know you wanted him to win that much.” She chuckled as she claps. “Did you even see his movie?”

“Of course I did” I reply, “it was amazing. He was very good.” I drastically lowered my volume halfway through because Brendan began his speech. His face, you can’t get it out of your mind. It was only a slight falter when The Whale was called but it was noticeable.

~

You’re standing at the bar of the Vanity Fair Oscars Afterparty, waiting for Florence to come back. You grab your drink off the bar and turn around to look at the crowd, you scan the room hoping to find a familiar face when you see Paul. Standing halfway across the room laughing with a couple people. Then as if sensing her gaze, he looks up. Their eyes meet.

He excuses himself from the group and walks over to you. There’s a beat of silence as you take each other in. He looks a little rougher, more grown, but his eyes are just as sharp. His blue eyes that I wanted to swim in.

“You look…” he breaks the silence, “incredible”.

“Thank you” she blushes, “you don’t look too bad yourself. White looks good on you.”

He chuckles at her compliment, “thanks.”

There’s an awkward silence. He takes a sip of his drink. “Congratulations on your nomination” I say to him, holding up my drink, “I was hoping you’d win. I saw your movie it was amazing Paul.”

“Thank you. That really means a lot, coming from you.” He says, “It’s good to see you. Really good”

I take a sip of my champagne, studying him. I’m about to say something to him when Pedro Pascal walks over to us.

“Paul hey, could I talk to you for a minute?” Pedro asks, then he turns to me “I’m so sorry could I steal him for just a moment?”

I laugh, “Go right ahead.” I pause for a moment and look at Paul, “It was nice talking to you, I’ll see you later.”

Paul nods, “See you later” His gaze lingers on you until Pedro grabs his shoulder and they turn away. You sit alone at the bar, finishing your drink.

Authors note: Hey this is my first time writing in like a long time so be nice. Lmk what yall think & if you want a part 2. Also feel free to request anything! ~rose

[tamtam-go92]

The Stories of Riverblossom View and Pleasanthills

This post on @katatty's Strangeswap AU reminded me on a stupid idea I once had after reading that Riverblossom Hills might be a spoof on Pleasantview, but of course I didn't have the time/guts/interest/thrive to actually realize it as a 'hood (though I still might!). I basically gives every (except for two) Pleasantview an Riverblossom Hill character as counterpart and is really funny and interesting for me to thing about:

The Broke family <--> the Ottomas family:

Samantha was left to raise two boys alone following her husband's suspicious pool ladder accident. With David acting out, can Samantha teach young Tommy to make the right choices in life?

Large families have a lot of love to share, but also require a lot of work - especially with more children on the way! Will grandma's help be enough to keep this family strong? -> Basically everyone is swapped, so Peter is dead, Samantha is pregnant with his third baby, Flo Broke lives with her son Skip and his family, Brandi is pregnant with twins. Sharla becomes a Broke and gets to be a blend of Skip and Brandi.

The Caliente family <--> the Wan household:

Was it just coincidence that those girlfriends arrived in the eve of Stella's disappearance? And is their interest in Morty physical... or fiscal?

Dina and Nina moved to town when their uncle, Tango, offered them his old home - which they just finished remodeling. Will they find excitement in this quiet town after the dust has cleares? Will Nina and Daniel make a life together? -> I think it was the Wan households description on the wiki that make me first think about this AU. Though I can't find the comment about the Wans being a spoof of the Calientes anymore. Very little is interesting about this swap, Nina is Patricia, Dina is Cleo and vice versa

The Dreamer family <--> the Martin family:

Andrew is pursuing his dream of being a professional gamer, while his son Jacob hits the books. And Andrew may have found his muse, but will his creativity be enough to win Sandra's affection? -> So basically this one is a bit creepy since it makes Jacob's canon (now adult) girlfriend his dad's love interest. xD And Jules O'Mackey is back to being Jacob's girlfriend - yay!

The Goth family <--> the Roth family:

Sandra is ready to start a family of her own, but can she tame the town Casanova? And can Morty bounce back after the disappearance of his wife Stella?

Having recently moved to Pleasanthills has had a wondeful effect on the Goths! Cassandra and Alexander are doing great in school, Mortimer found a great job, but Bella seems a bit restless... -> This might be the most obvious and gifts us with the amazing couple Cassandra Goth x Dirk Dreamer! Isn't it lovely??? Sandra would be about to marry Leod McGreggor and well that's the only interesting switch imo.

The Lothario family <--> the McGreggor family:

Who is Leod McGreggor? Is his engagement to Sandra Roth genuine? And what about the rumor that her mother, Stella, was last seen scaling the deck of his condo?

Don Lothario has a farm... and an orchard. Will he be so focused on gardening that he forgets to cultivate friendships? -> This is such a fun pair imo! The dishonesty in the McGreggor/Roth engagement would probably be more about his sexuality in this case though... And Don as a farmer in a kilt? A+!

The Pleasant family <--> the O'Mackey family

On the surface, Gabe and Alexandra O'Mackey seem to have the perfect life, but is their love a flimsy facade? And can Angela and Jules make the right choices when it comes to love?

After being caught cheating, it took Daniel some time to start dating again. Is his relationship with Nina meant to last? Will Nina and Lillith be able to work out their problems and realize how similar they really are?

Mary-Sue succumbed to the call of pottery and left her family to pursue her dream. Will living the Artist life be enough to keep her afloat? -> I was about to let Daniel live alone but then I remembered that Gabe and Jason Greenman are siblings, and Daniel and Jennifer Burb are siblings so this aligns nicely so Lilith gets to live with her dad. Angela now is an O'Mackey and looks like Jules and she gets to date David Ottomas, yay! Jules is with Jacob, as the universe intended and Lilith once was Dirk's girlfriend. =( I don't like DanielxNina much but it's the logical result. And Mary-Sue as bisexual potter living in a hut is just top-notch!

The Burb family <--> the Greenman family

Rose, Jason and young Daisy have decided to trade the fast-paced city life for some fresh air, and hope to make a nice home in Riverblossom View.

Jennifer gave up her name for the love of her green-skinned god. Despite the love that they share, will they be able to raise a happy, healthy child? Can John adjust to living in a town instead of the great outdoors? -> The biggest changes would be that Daisy now is Jason and Rose's biological child and thus a mixture of them both and of course her and Rose aren't plant-sims anymore. So John and Lucy are plant-sims and Lucy is John's plant-baby.

The Oldie family <--> the Ramaswami family

The Ramaswamis are simply one of the nicest families around. Their years together through good and bad have made them into the wonderful parents, and grandparents, they are today.

Herb and Coral are ready to settle down and start their life together! Will they settle in the beautiful town of Pleasanthills or find a new place to make their happy home? -> This would be so fun because it would make (elder) Sanjay and Priya Alexandra O'Mackey's adoptive parents! I know we have Alexandra's parents in her family tree, but this would be so cool, wouldn't it? And seeing a young Herb and Coral start the family they always wanted together? *chef's kiss*

The Caliente-Goth-Dreamer household:

Can Tango and Frieda cope with the loss of their close friend and face their own imminent mortality or will they find a way to cheat death? Will Darren and Dirk fina a way to fulfill their dreams in the great game of life? -> I love this the most as is gives the opportunity to explore sims that usually are already decreased. Of course that means we don't have Catherine and Betty. But isn't it just too perfect that Nina and Dina have an uncle (just like Cleo Shikibu is Catherine's niece) and Morty has unmarried aunt (just like Mortimer)? Those are a little too many coincidences, aren't they? So I see where the Riverblossom Hills is a Pleasantview spoof comes from!

Aesthetic-wise I would imagine it to be like that: Every Sim gets the age of their counterpart (I mean of course) and also their outfit. But otherwise they keep their looks (except it's stated otherwise) like hair-do, face, skin-color, makeup etc. The maps are switched, but everyone lived in their counterpart's house, so for ex. Samantha, David and Tommy Ottomas live in the Broke trailer but the trailer is on the Riverblossom Hills map (if this makes sense xD). I really wanna do this but I know that I don't have the time or the patience or the skills to do this as it would mean massive editing of relationships and memories etc. But if somebody feels inspired, feel free to create! Just please share the end result with me <3

Wow, this is long xD Which 'hood would you swap like this? Maybe Veronaville and Strangetown would work together (with everyone being related with each other). Belladonna has so many sims it would probably require two hoods to do the deed so both Desiderata Valley and Bluewater Village?

[shinycollarboneapologist]

We know Taylor verse! Reader is friends with blondie and Charlie but considering she’s an actress who are her actor friends? (Maybe her having a friendship with Andrew Garfield that Matty hates?)

OOOOO. let me think, i have a long long list of actors that i think would be her besties ..

obvi andrew garfield because that’s …. yeah. andrew is just always around and matty is sick of him. he’s facetiming the reader and andrew is in the background so matty just gets annoyed and hangs up. he, conviently, calls him anthony when he sees him because who would he be if not petty. it doesn’t help that andrew’s GORGEOUS and funny and charming and tall. but it’s all very platonic between reader and andrew.

miss flo obviously. who DOESNT want to be friends with florence pugh? she’s just so effortlessly cool and funny and i can see the reader making an appearance in her cooking videos from time to time.

ZENDAYA and by extension the rest of the euphoria cast. maybe she makes a cameo or two in the series.

uhhh sophie turner DUH. i love sophie and joe’s relationship, and there’s that taylor connection again. but i like her and sophie would get along so well and be so funny together. maybe she catches the bouquet at sophie and joe’s vegas wedding and it’s all like 👀.

miles teller. because i think we all need a little mustache man in our life.

john boyega. i’m deep down a big star wars NERD and john .. does something to me, so i’m being selfish and making reader and john friends.

idk, she’s very well connected and i can see her having a lot of friends all over the globe and all over in various forms of work. (maybe she’s pete davidson’s new rumored lover at one point?)

[fics-not-tragedies]

In a Week: Chapter 15 🌲

Things happen in this chapter, very nice and important things for the of their story.

Words: 1655; Warnings: none; Summary: Flo and Andrew dance at the rooftop of their hotel.

Hozier tag list:

@letoursilencebreaktonight​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @angelpeachamber​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @sgt-morgan​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @julessbrown​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​;

Monday, 11:20pm

As soon as Andrew had finished smoking, he headed to the bench. He patted the seat next to him and Flo hurried over, eager and not quite afraid as she had been before to show it. He opened his arm for her to come close to him in case she was cold. She wasn’t. But she didn’t pass up on the opportunity, leaning her head against his shoulder.

“What’s your middle name?” He mumbled against her temple, like it was embarrassing he didn’t know, watching her twirl a strand of hair around her finger.

“Stella.”

“Flo Stella Hayes…” he sighed, drawing circles into her shoulder through her dress with his index finger, “Pretty…”

“Yours?”

“John. After my Dad.”

“That’s sweet” she acknowledged. Flo tilted her head in the same direction Andrew was looking, batting her eyelashes at the sky, “Do you know any of the constellations, Andy?” Andrew was soft and warm and she resisted the temptation to curl further into him. Her lips were so close to his neck now that if she moved slightly, they would have easily pressed against it. She started to wonder what kind of sound he’d make if she did, when he began to answer her.

“If you pointed them out I think I’d get it, but I don’t know much about them… not off the top of my head…”

“What about the zodiac ones?” She pressed.

“I know… few” Flo laughed a little.

“Few is good. But I feel like you’re capable of much more than that.”

A moment of silence fell between them and she was determined to break it.

“Andrew?”

“Yes?”

“What animal do you think you’d be reincarnated as?” He laughed loudly, surprised by how quickly she changed the subject, how fast her mind worked, how many questions she had.

“Dunno, love, nobody has ever asked me about that before…”

She stood up, suddenly filled with energy, spinning around with her arms out.

“You see I’d wanna be a bird” she announced, flapping her arms idiotically, “…but I’d probably be something much more boring like… a woodlouse or… a mealworm.”

“Flo Hayes” he chuckled, standing up to match her energy, “you’re absolutely not a fucking mealworm… I can see you, perhaps as a… shrike…”

“You…” she started, ignoring his observations about her, wiggling her finger in his direction instead, “You’re difficult. I can’t work you out” Andrew bit his lip as she moved towards him. Her chest and cleavage was exposed more than it’d been in hours and her lips were pouty. It was harder than ever to resist her, “At first I was thinking maybe a bear or a tiger, but you’re too gentle for that. Maybe a kitten.”

“A kitten?” He coughed, eyes wide, “A little fluffy kitten?”

“Mhm. You’re definitely a kitten.”

“Pffff…” he exhaled, shaking his head.

Monday, 11:30pm

“Oh!” He chimed, remembering something important that had been part of his plan all day, “There’s a speaker up here somewhere…” he turned with his back to Flo, fiddling with a black box on the wall, “…which I think… plays music from somewhere in the hotel…” he fumbled with a couple of buttons and music started playing suddenly, vibrating quietly across the rooftop, Chet Baker crooning, making Andrew sway his hips for a moment.

“Let's get lost

Lost in each other's arms

Let's get lost

Let them send out alarms

And though they'll think us rather rude

Let's tell the world

We're in that crazy mood…”

Flo watched him shake from side to side, arms swinging with little consideration for the beat of the music, “I, em, I danced to it with my Mum when I was, you know, smaller…”

“Like this?” She sniggered, raising her eyebrows as he spun around her, letting the music move him.

“No, like proper slow dancing” he chuckled, “I never was good at it, em, I’m a terrible dancer honestly…” Andrew shrugged, licking his lips as she stared at him. Flo could feel herself smiling brightly from the way her cheeks ached. This was it. She stepped towards him, her heart pounding.

“You should try.”

Andy swallowed hard, stopped moving for a second, tried to process what she was saying.

“Let's defrost

In a romantic mist

Let's get crossed

Off everybody's list

To celebrate this night we found each other

Mmm, let's get lost…”

He cleared his throat and smoothed a hand through his hair to mask his nervousness, though Flo could see straight through it, “Are you offering yourself as a dance partner, to me?” Andrew held out his hand as confidently as he could, wiggling his fingers at her with a warm smile, the corners of his lips pulled up sharply, “Will you dance with me, Florence?”

She bit her lip, considered the dangers, loudly screamed FUCK in her head then nodded at him once before she could change her mind.

“I can do that.”

Flo exhaled nervously as she clasped her fingers around his, the warmth from just his fingertips spreading through her and he pulled her closer to him in one swift movement, reluctant to move too quickly in case she changed her mind. He dragged her backwards with him a little, eyes locked on hers, their hands still tightly clasped together. Andrew waited for a second, performed an elaborate mock bow to invite her in and she laughed carelessly as he spun her towards him.

“Let's defrost

In a romantic mist

Let's get crossed

Off everybody's list

To celebrate this night we found each other

Mmm, let's get lost…”

After a moment or two of stiffness, scared to make a sudden move, Flo relaxed and placed her other hand gently on his shoulder. Checking she was comfortable by her expression, he stepped forward, his puffed out chest almost touching hers. They began to dance clumsily, swaying to and fro, completely out of time. In seconds, Flo was laughing so hard her sides hurt. Andrew giggled too, spinning her out and in dramatically, her bare feet struggling to keep up, little regard for how dizzy she felt.

It was only when the track switched to something slower that they felt the mood shift.

Flo pressed herself against him and held on as tightly as she dared. But the closer she got, the more she was lost in how he smelt, the way his hands felt on her body. Andrew wasn’t even sure what to do with his hands. He settled eventually on holding her waist before climbing back up her back to bring her even closer. Flo pressed her flushed cheek against his chest, her fingers moving to stroke the soft hair at the back of his neck. Andrew was losing his mind trying to keep his control, knew he couldn’t hold back much longer. He leaned down to press his cheek to her hair for a second, inhaling deeply. They swayed together silently for the remainder of the song, eyes closed but when the music came to an end they slowed dramatically - as if both caught on something they couldn’t ignore.

Flo turned her face so that she could find his eyes again and he did the same, leaning down even further, his nose close to hers, nudging it accidentally for a moment, their eyes so intensely locked. Her fingers were still at the back of his neck, she could feel his pulse, wondered if her own was faster. She was surrounded by the spice of his cologne, by his warmth. There was pause where Flo felt like she was in the middle of a hurricane, watching everything fall to pieces around her. Andrew counted the shades of green in her eyes, wondering how he could ever write them into a song.

And then, he was kissing her.

The moment his lips touched hers, Flo moaned. His mouth was soft and warm, his lips a little chapped but it was so him, everything she expected. She kissed him back hungrily, without any shred of hesitancy, climbing onto her tiptoes, could taste his whiskey, so overwhelmed by him, unafraid, her fingers trying to find some way to bring him closer. She sighed at the relief that she was kissing him at last, that he was kissing her back and that everything was in the right place in this very moment.

Andrew couldn’t get enough, couldn’t believe his luck, couldn’t think about anything but how sweet her lips tasted, how softly she was moaning against his mouth, the way her body was curving into his. He hummed against her, needing more, never having enough of her, insatiable now he knew what kissing her was like. Flo was obsessed. He struggled for air under her control, his hand cupping the side of her face as they finally let go, neither of them ready for the moment of euphoria to be gone before it had even begun.

“You have to say something now” Andrew muttered, his forehead pressed against hers.

“Why me?” She replied breathlessly, looking up at him through her thick lashes, the need she had for him so hard to resist. She was so drunk on the moment, unable to process how wrong and right it was, too giddy on the fact he was holding her, touching her, making her feel this way. His big doe eyes and swollen lips had her weak.

“You usually have, em, something witty to say.”

“I’ve got nothing this time” she said, shaking her head and nuzzling into his palm.

He tenderly stroked her cheek with his thumb for a moment as he thought. He needed her like he never needed anyone before, his addictive personality well and truly triggered by the way she was looking at him. But Andrew didn’t want to make a mistake, didn’t want to ruin anything. He sighed dramatically, gave her a weak smile that made her eyes shine like emeralds under the stars and whispered:

“Neither have I…”

[maybe-its-just-me-blog]

My Top 10 Concerts of the Year (and more)

I created this blog about a year ago to post reviews of the shows I went to... and then I didn’t. So here’s a brief take on each full show I went to this year plus a video or two from my YouTube channel. Headliners are given the most precedent for the ranking, but I took the whole event into account.

Check out my full list of attended concerts here.

and my concert clip YouTube channel here.

1. Oct 12, 2019 Finale: The Farewell Tour   Peter Frampton / Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening / Julian Frampton Band Concord Pavilion Concord, CA

Peter Frampton’s “final” show (outside of a recently announced European tour) never felt like the end of the road for the guitar legend. The set drew largely from “Frampton Comes Alive” and nearly every song was extended with improvised guitar solos that took the 2019 live versions to the next level. The intensity ramped up towards the me of the main set, with an instrumental cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” a nearly 20 minute version of “(I’ll Give You) Money” and massive singalongs on “Baby, I Love Your Way” and “Do You Feel Like I Do.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSJ3N-P_xWM

Peter Frampton’s son, Julian Frampton opened the show, while Jason Bonham kept the family affair going by paying faithful tribute to his father, John Bonham, with the Led Zeppelin Evening. 

2. Dec 05, 2019 Alice in Winterland 2019   Kesha / Avril Lavigne / Flora Cash The Masonic San Francisco, CA

Alice 97.3’s annual “Alice in Winterland” holiday radio festival was co-headlined by two of pop’s biggest stars of the 21st century so far. Following an opening set from Flora Cash, Avril Lavigne kicked off her set with recent single “Head Above Water” before running through a career spanning 8 song set (including an two costume changes and an encore break) with every song keeping very close to the original recording. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i41-CrbxUIA

By contrast, Kesha’s performance was incredibly loose and free-wheeling, with songs rarely sounding anything like the album versions. Early hits like “Your Love is My Drug” and “Take it Off” were sped up, punk rock style, with the latter getting rowdy enough that Kesha had to dodge dozens of clothing items that were... taken off. In between bras flying and confetti guns and streamer cannons, Kesha performed 9 songs total, including a fan request for newer album cut “Boots” before closing with her debut single “Tik Tok.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IRsSx5vey8

3. Jul 20, 2019 – Jul 21, 2019 Vans Warped 25 Years  

Travie McCoy / Skating Polly / Doll Skin / I the Mighty / Ariana and The Rose / The Aquadolls / ONE OK ROCK / Face To Face / The Vandals / We The Kings / Anti-Flag / Ozomatli / Chali 2na & Cut Chemist / Meg & Dia / Goldfinger / Less Than Jake / Simple Plan / Atreyu / Go Betty Go / Bad Cop / Bad Cop / The All-American Rejects / Tsunami Bomb / Teenage Bottlerocket / Sum 41 / Yungblud / Machine Gun Kelly / Andrew W.K. / The Used (and more) Shoreline Ampitheatre Mountain View, CA

After wrapping up the cross-country version of the Warped Tour last year, Kevin Lyman brought the 25th anniversary celebrations to just three U.S. cities, closing in Mountain View, CA. Compared to the touring editions, Warped 25 felt supersized. Bigger stages. Bigger bands. Longer sets. The return of the half pipe and Lucha Libre wrestling. Even a Warped Tour museum. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1_SO4lp4wo

Of course, the main draw of the Warped Tour has always been the music and with 70 artists over two days there were lots of options. Between the three stages you could see bands who played Warped’s earliest days like Face to Face and the Vandals, followed by first timers like Ariana and the Rose and Yungblud. The latter brought one of the few true surprises with Warped alum Machine Gun Kelly crowd surfing his way through “I Think I’m Okay” twice in a row. It’s easy to see Warped 25 being a blueprint for future “Warped Weekends” I’m select cities, if the tour really is officially over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoaH2xiABTM

4. Apr 12, 2019 Fight the Good Fight Tour The Interrupters / Masked Intruder / The Bombpops   The Regency Ballroom San Francisco, CA

This sold out show was by far the biggest Bay Area headliner for The Interrupters, coming off the success of radio smash “She’s Kerosene” and one night before their debut at Coachella. From the first song, the crowd sang and danced along to every word, at times shaking the floor of the Regency Ballroom. The LA band even paid tribute to Bay Area music with teases of tracks by Metallica, Green Day, NOFX and Rancid before settling into a cover of Operation Ivy’s “Sound System.” The rest of the set was evenly split between the band’s three albums and the energy never let up throughout.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbA4THZIqK8

Prior to the headliner, punk band Masked Intruder played a nearly hour long set. As their name suggests, all four members of the band conceal their identities with ski masks and nearly every part of the show has a “criminal” theme. This shtick could have been very corny, but lead to fun surprises like the straight-faced, on stage police officer dancing in the crowd and (hopefully fake) beating up the band with a night stick. Crowd participation went to the next level when an audience member was brought up to sing “Heart Shaped Guitar” with the band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Vyy3y0n3E

Opening the night were the dual-lead vocal attack of The Bombpops, who brought loud and fast punk rock songs like “CA in July” and “Dear Beer.”

5. Jun 03, 2019 The People Tour MMXIX   Hillsong United / Amanda Lindsey Cook / Mack Brock Oracle Arena Oakland, CA

Hillsong United may be a “church” band but they were easily able to pass for an arena rock band at Oracle Arena. The Australian worship band came equipped with two stages, three smart phone shaped screens and all the laser lights you could possibly want. United’s set drew mostly on their 2019 album People, but thanks to a lyric ticker above the stage, the near capacity crowd song along to every song. When they did break out older songs like “The Stand” or “From the Inside Out”, it tended to be only the bridge and chorus of the song but repeated enough to last a few minutes each. All told, it was over two hours and 20+ songs of praise music from Hillsong United.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4EWL8Wr5Ig

If that wasn’t enough, the People Tour brought worship leaders from two other well known churches to join the party. Mack Brock from Charlotte, NC’s Elevation Worship opened the night with a short set on the b-stage in the middle of the arena. This performance would be later immortalized by a live EP featuring two songs from Brock’s solo work as well as the Elevation anthem “Do It Again.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-qEv7qeCos

Amanda Lindsay Cook from Redding, CA’s Bethel Church took the middle slot, utilizing the lights and screens of the main stage to bring her songs to the next level. She opened with a reworked take on her most famous song with Bethel, “You Make Me Brave” followed by about a half hour of slow burning tracks from her two solo albums. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC9GQEHle14

6. Mar 26, 2019

Girl The World Tour Maren Morris / Cassadee Pope   The Masonic San Francisco, CA

Less than a month after her sophomore album Girl released, Maren Morris brought all but one of those songs to her set at the Masonic. In between, she revealed much of the inspiration behind the lyrics, especially those about husband Ryan Hurd, having spent their first wedding anniversary together in the city earlier in the week. Newer songs like “The Bones” and “RSVP” got big reactions but it was early songs like “My Church” and “Rich” that really had the crowd singing. Of course the biggest singalong was reserved for the final song of the night, pop-crossover smash “The Middle.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpt8Bnep9tA

Before joining Maren Morris for a verse on “All My Favorite People,” The Voice winner and former Hey Monday lead singer Cassadee Pope opened the show with a handful of new songs along with her breakout singles “Wasting All These Tears” and “Think of You.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Ue4n57jlQ

7. Nov 25, 2019 Ximena Sariñana / Mylko   The RitzSan Jose, CA

Just couple of weeks after performing at the Latin Grammy’s, where she was nominated for both Record and Album of the Year, Ximena Sariñana played her first Bay Area show since 2013’s Outside Lands festival. The night club atmosphere was obvious early and for awhile there was more chatter than singing from the audience. Ximena eventually got the crowd on her side with recent single “Si Tu Te Vas” followed some of the earliest songs from her career. The biggest highlights were songs Ximena originally did with other artists. The first was an acoustic version of “Aire Soy,” originally a duet with Miguel Bosé, here featuring the band Mylko who opened the show and acted as two-thirds of Ximena’s backing band. Later in the night, came “Mis Sentimientos,” a Los Angeles Azules song that here felt more reggae than cumbia with the stripped down production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-Iqe_WFW8

Before playing bass and drums in Ximena’s band, Mylko played a half hour of their own songs, blending electronic sounds and falsetto vocals. The duo played all of the synths and drum pads live which made the songs feel looser and more jammy than you might expect from the genre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12HXYhClgLI

8. Aug 30, 2019 Nelly / TLC / Flo Rida / J-Kwon / Sage the Gemini / Gorilla Zoe / 99 Percent Shoreline Ampitheatre Mountain View. CA

The tour unofficially known as the “Whole Lotta Hits Tour” definitely lived up to that billing with some of the biggest hits of the last thirty years.Flo Rida was the first of the three headliners but could have easily closed the night. Not only did he bring the hits like “Low” and “My House” but Flo Rida also came with every gimmick in the book to make the show feel bigger. Sometimes it was stuff thrown into the crowd (t-shirts, roses, CASH!); other times, audience members were brought up on stage to sing or dance. Not once but twice, Flo Rida hopped on a security guard’s back to trek up the the lawn the greet the fans in the cheap seats. As if hits and antics weren’t enough, there were special guests galore. Bay Area rap group 99 Percent came out for their part on “Cake” while Gorilla Zoe surprised the crowd with his hit “Hood Figga” along with a couple of newer songs. The Bay Area flavor continued with Sage the Gemini and his post-hyphy song “Gas Pedal” along with two features with Flo Rida. In all, Flo Rida brought everything he could do please the audience and make his performance a hard act to follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3IUkbwvFEc

R&B legends TLC had that honor, with a set that was very similar to their show at the San Mateo County Fair last year. Where this summer’s show differed was the pure size of the production. TLC utilized the large screen to provide a different moving backdrop for each song, making the show feel more like the arena shows of the group’s prime. “Red Light Special,” for example, use silhouettes to mimic the actions of the on stage dancers and seemingly increase the number of performers on stage. The end of show featured the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ famous music video moments as her verse from “Waterfalls” played and Shoreline was lit up by cell phone lights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSLn2Yg70DQ

Ostensibly, Nelly was the biggest of this three headliner show, but his set had an uphill climb to match the two prior to him. Sure, he played all the songs you’d want to hear like “Ride Wit Me” and even his verse on Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” but just speeding them up slightly couldn’t mask the lack of production or interesting elements to the show. The screen mostly showed the original music videos for songs, and outside of dancers and a dj, there wasn’t much going on on stage. Nelly did have his own surprise guest, bringing out his nephew J-Kwon for 2004’s smash “Tipsy.” Any momentum that created disappeared with words that can be a kiss of death at any show. “I’m gonna do a few new songs now.” Three unreleased singles later, Nelly finally made it to “Hot in Herre,” “Dilemma” and “Just a Dream” but he never really had a chance at following the previous two acts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyurIDM11oM

9. Jun 22, 2019 Sanctuary Tour   Aly & AJ Alameda County Fairgrounds Pleasanton, CA

County fair shows usually feature either extreme nostalgia acts or young artists that still have a lot to prove. Aly & AJ feel like both and neither at the same time. On tour for their second EP since breaking a ten year hiatus, the sister act went back and forth between their old Disney Channel hits and the newer critically acclaimed mid-tempo pop. With a mixed, fair-going crowd, it made sense that early songs like “Potential Break Up Song” and “Like Whoa” connected more often than the recent ones but the band gave full effort to each track, whether it was a rock-edged guitar track or a more soulful synth pop ballad. Considering this was a more casual audience and venue than the shows on their club tour, (plus an interruption for an altercation between two fans and a security guard,) Aly & AJ still managed to impress. The full show with opening acts and a longer set would probably be a better atmosphere though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWxdBqJU6ns

10. May 15, 2019 Nice to Meet U Tour   Bea Miller Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA

The same week she was announced as a performer at the Outside Lands festival, Bea Miller brought her first headlining tour to San Francisco for a sold out show. With no opening act, this show felt more like “An Evening With” Bea Miller, even if the evening was over in just over an hour. Bea spent the better part of the hour telling the stories of about her EPs turned into album Aurora. The highlight of this part of the set was an acoustic version of “Like That,” a song she says still makes her cry on stage sometimes. So, of course, a crew member was sure to hand her a tissue as soon as it was over, just to lighten the mood. That latter portion of the night featured less talking and more well known songs, like a remixed “Fire N Gold”, new single “it’s not u, it’s me’ and Bea’s biggest hit to date “I Wanna Know.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGG1e9vr_cE

Honorable Mentions

Jun 15, 2019 The Bash Music & Craft Beer Festival 2019   Rancid / Pennywise / Suicidal Tendencies / L7 / Sharp Shock Santa Clara County FairgroundsSan Jose, CA

Punk rock beer fests have emerged as a sort of “Warped Tour for older people” which might be sustainable in the post-Warped era. Rancid played an hour of mostly the old songs you would expect, preceded by veteran bands Pennywise and Suicidal Tendencies among others. My only two gripes: 1. the beer fest portion occured before the bands started playing 2. “Institutionalized” sounds less manic from a 57 year old Mike Muir than twenty something Mike Muir.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isftBRQL9Gk

Jan 04, 2019 AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! 2019   Alessia Cara / Alex Aiono / Brynn Elliott Discovery Meadow San Jose, CA

This was the first of a planned three nights of concerts celebrating the national college football championship and would’ve been the least attended if the third night weren’t rained out. Musically, the show was fine, featuring ten song sets from up-and-coming artists Brynn Elliott and Alex Aiono, with slightly more established Alessia Cara closing. However, the show never felt like it was about the music. In between each set was around an hour of brand ads and promo reads that, on a frigid night, felt like overkill considering only a 45 minute headlining set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evwPJq2XsqU

Aug 02, 2019 Pop 2000 Tour O-Town / Aaron Carter / Ryan Cabrera / Tyler Hilton The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA

For a tour based mostly in nostalgia, this show featured a lot of new songs. That was not always a bad thing, as Aaron Carter’s solo keyboard, laptop and vocal performance showed. It was telling when O-Town’s “biggest fan” was brought on stage to win a prize and couldn’t name a single song from their new album. With only a couple acoustic guitars (at one point, Ryan Cabrera even had to borrow Tyler Hilton’s,) a keyboard and two laptops between the artists, this felt more like a backyard barbecue with slightly more famous than usual entertainment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOfZqBzFi14

Top 3 Performers of the Year (no particular order) Flo Rida Kesha Peter Frampton

Top 3 Venues The Masonic Mountain Winery Shoreline Ampitheatre

[fics-not-tragedies]

In a Week: Chapter 2 🌲

I know that there aren’t many people interested in this fic, but honestly this will be going on for some time, because it’s my favorite idea! Also I forgot to post it yesterday, oops...

Words: 3060; Warnings: none, unless you want another warning for alcohol drinking, then you have it; Summary: Flo meets Andrew who decides to keep her occupied with his presence through the whole week.

Hozier tag list:

@letoursilencebreaktonight​​​​​; @angelpeachamber​​​​​; @sgt-morgan​​​​​; @julessbrown​​​​​;

Sunday, 11:05pm

After ordering two Malibus, desperately trying not to down them before he even had the chance to ask her about her name, Andrew pulled the chair back and sat down, sliding the glass across the table to her, his hand longing on it, hoping she’d brush her fingers against his skin.

There was something about this girl, the way her impossibly green eyes lit up whenever she looked in his direction that made him want to give her anything she could possibly want. She wrapped her fingertips around the bottom part of the glass, purposely avoiding his hand and pulled it closer to her.

He cleared his throat, suddenly becoming aware of the silence that had been building between them since he sat, but before he could form something clever or witty, he simply spat out the most obvious question that had been circulating since he first caught her gaze.

“What’s your name?” He asked slowly, bringing the glass to his lips and taking a sip.

“Flo” she replied quickly. Andrew nodded, toying with the word in his mind before deciding that it absolutely suited her. He had a thing for noting when people didn’t suit their names but Flo unquestionably did. It was strong, bold and gorgeous and he practiced saying it out loud, enjoying the way it rolled off his tongue.

“Technically it’s Florence” she smiled watching his narrow lips, her cheeks blushing slightly, but she held her chin high, determined to keep her confidence she was still trying to work on, “but I prefer to be called Flo.”

“It’s still a great name” he announced, sinking further into his seat and fixing his eyes on her. There was an ease, an instant softness to the way they spoke to each other despite the overly long pauses.

“Thank you” she said with a shy smile, tucking strands of straw blonde hair behind her ears.

Andrew was mesmerized by the movement of her small hands, the slim gold jewelry that decorated her fingers, her black painted nails.

“Do you have a name?” She asked, feeling utterly ridiculous at the way she phrased it.

Stop trying to be cool.

Andrew squinted at her a little, as if he was trying to work something out, but replied after a second.

“Andrew. Andrew, Andy. You can call me any name that you think suits me.”

“I like them all. Can’t I pick them all?”

“If you want to” he chuckled and they both took their drinks into their hands, silently sipping for a moment or two. The record changed and he looked in the record player’s direction as she tried to figure out what tune is being played now. When she turned back to face him he was grinning from ear to ear, his long hair messy as he ran his hand through it again, wide grin on his face. She smiled back helplessly, “What do you do, honey?” he asked, his lips pressed into the edge of the glass.

“What do I do?”

“Yeah, em… for work and everything that includes” he continued, placing his drink onto the table, pressing his hands together, as he explained himself.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, her face bright, “I’m the head of IT department in a big company. Big office. Big desk. Got one of those spiny chairs too” Andrew was amused by the way she wiggled her finger to explain the movement of her chair. Flo usually held back from talking about her job, men were usually intimidated by her success, but Andrew was different, seemed to understand her even though they just met, “What do you do?”

“What do I do?” He replied quickly, pausing from taking another sip.

So she didn’t know. What a relief.

“Yeah?” He tilted his head and bit the inside of his lip, thinking, glancing away for a moment. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to explain this. Everywhere he went, people just knew him. But not this girl, this girl was different. Just being himself wouldn’t cut it this time. She was a challenge. And that was exciting.

“I’m a musician and I’m in a band.”

“You are?” She answered quickly, her eyes squinting with excitement at his confession, the vague familiarity of his face striking her again, “That’s so cool! I’d love to hear some of your tunes” he watched as she lean forward enthusiastically, her hair falling over shoulders, soft like honey.

Andrew was obsessed, bewitched, mesmerized by her every move. Not only was she dazzling in every way, she was oblivious to who he was, completely unfazed by it all and it was magical. A complete fantasy. A clean slate.

“Em… perhaps. I don’t usually play my music…”

“Oh why not!” She pouted, “Not even for me?” even the way her lips formed words delighted him. He swallowed sharply, trying to focus on what she was saying. What was she saying? He was lost.

“We will see” he replied with a shrug, though he already knew he would do anything she wanted him to.

“What do you play?” She continued adamantly and he laughed, hoping they would move on from the topic, but she seemed genuinely interested in him as he was in her and she was clearly not going to give up without a fight.

“Are we still talking about… em… me?”

“Yes” she replied confidently, batting her long lashes in his direction.

“The guitar, piano… and… em… other stuff. I do the singing as well.”

“Ooh… I always wanted to learn to play the guitar, but never really had the chance to start it” she grinned and nodded to the direction of the music, “Promise me you’ll play me something on the piano! I noticed it in the ballroom as I walked here.”

“Yeah, I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Andrew” she warned, winking at him. He exhaled sharply and smiled, all warm and intoxicated.

“Never do” Andrew took another mouthful of his Malibu and tried to keep his eyes from wandering over Flo’s body, “I’m here for the whole week” he stated.

“Good” she replied sharply, the thought of a whole week with this man beginning to excite her beyond any rational explanation, “Me too.”

“Why are you here Flo? Em… are you running away from something, honey?”

“How did you worked out that one?” She replied, a slight panic in her voice. Was she really that easy to read? She pushed a few loose strands of hair from her eyes, not used to feeling so vulnerable.

“Well…” he mumbled, lowering his voice and leaning across the table slightly, “I was only guessing, but em… now I know I was right somehow.”

“Maybe I just needed to get away for the week?” She replied, crossing her arms on her chest, unintentionally drawing more attention to it.

“But why did you needed to get away for the week?” He continued teasingly, pointing his finger and raising one eyebrow before taking another sip from his glass which was nearing empty, “That the em… main question now.”

Flo glanced down at her own glass, realizing that she already had more than she  planned to drink tonight, she was nearly three cocktails down. She swirled her finger over the edge of her glass. Then she moved her eyes back to his, the warmness of his eyes making her toes curl and found herself spilling all her secrets without hesitation.

“Well if you must know, uh… I just needed to take a break from everything” there was an obvious crack to her voice that which Andrew couldn’t help but find endearing, even though he embarrassingly wanted to comfort her. He had to slow down on the drink, “I have to rethink my life and perhaps start something new.”

“Oh yes, em… I get that” he sighed, gritting his teeth, “I’m sorry to hear that.” though the perfect stranger opposite her was nothing but a perfect stranger, she knew he was being genuine, that he really was sorry. His eyebrows pulled in and he pulled the softness expression she has ever seen, then like a perfect contradiction he added… “Life sometimes gets too fucked up.”

“Yeah…” she mumbled into her drink, taking another huge sip of it.

The issues and problems mixed together. The loneliness. The way her heart was ripped out of her chest many years ago. Everything that had lead her to this very moment.

Andrew’s voice broke her from her trance, “You’re still on this planet with me, honey?” He waved his hand in her face goofily and she blinked herself back to the room. First the beautiful record sounds, then the stunning vintage decor, then him.

“Yes. Sorry. I’m here.” Flo tipped the remnants of her glass back, savoring the taste of the liquor in her throat and patted her lips dry.

“Look, Lo” he began, scratching his nose and she giggled instinctively at her new nickname, “Em… can I call you Lo?” She nodded in response, “I know you’re feeling absolutely shitty now, but I think em… I think I have em… a plan.”

“Great, because I have no plan.”

“How about we em… spend the whole week together. I can take you for long walks in the woods if the weather gets better and em… I’ll try my best to make you feel better. Even if I had to play the piano for the whole fucking night.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t…”

“Never do” he repeated, cutting her off with a wild grin before she could finish the sentence. He stared her down, his round muddy green eyes unblinking, somehow soft and sexy at the same time, “Well?”

She pursed her lips, weighing the options. Three scenarios were crystal clear in her mind.

Scenario one was an awkward, drunken one night stand which they’d both regret in the morning.

Scenario two was that one of them would make advances on the other and they would argue explosively about it.

And scenario three was that they would spend the weekend simply enjoying each other’s company, until another Monday afternoon comes and they’d never speak again.

She couldn’t decide which sounded best in her head. Unable to determine what she really wanted from her week away from reality, she looked momentarily back to him, tilting her head. She was unable to keep the smile from stretching across her lips when he wiggled his eyebrows in her direction, smoothing his hair back. She shook her head and laughed.

“Fine. I’m in.”

“Another drink?” He asked, waving over a waiter before she even had a chance to reply.

Sunday, 11:25pm

“Surname?”

“Hozier Byrne.”

“Oooh, sexy” she laughed, the alcohol well and truly absorbed into her bloodstream now, “Wait a second… Hozier? Like… you sang that song about church?”

“Sadly I did… em… same question?” He replied, drumming his long fingers on the table, trying to keep his hand occupied.

“Hayes.”

“Flo Hayes…” he mused, rolling the name over in his deep drawl.

“Do you believe in miracles?” She asked, focused on learning as much as she could.

“Em, I think so. Like me being here with you is a miracle, somehow isn’t it?” He chuckled, the creases around his eyes more obvious than before, “Do you?”

“You can’t just ask the same question back every time, Andy” Flo replied, rolling her eyes.

“But you always ask good questions!” he pressed his finger to his temple for a moment, focusing his brain through the fogginess the drinking had brought on, “Do you like em… sleeping?”

“Do I like sleeping?!” Flo scoffed, “Yes. But come on you can do much better than that!”

“Oh Lo, I don’t know… em… you ever broke someone's heart?” Flo could tell he was proud of himself.

“That’s a good one! Probably my first boyfriend. We were 17 and I moved to another country never seeing him again.”

“He probably never got over you em… he probably wrote sad songs about you” Andrew proclaimed as he finished the last of another glass, his voice bold despite the fact he was beginning to slur. Flo was briefly aware of a nervous sensation building in her stomach but ignored it, having the next question prepared as a distraction.

“Okay, you ever wrote a song about your ex?”

“Uhhh…” he took final sip of his drink before placing the empty glass on the table with a loud thud, “Great amount of my songs are the ones about my exes… It’s the yearning for something you once had, but now it’s all lost.”

“The yearning” she repeated after him, before taking a sip from her glass. Before he could say anything else she threw another question at him, “What was your last text?”

He fumbled through his pants pockets to fish out his phone out of them. He tried to unlock it, but the drunken haze wasn’t helping him with dealing with electronic devices.

“Do you need help with it?” Flo asked.

Though he had genuinely been struggling, Andrew took this perfect opportunity to drag his chair closer to hers, so that his whole body was close to her, the table between them had been killing him. Suddenly her knee was against his and he tried not to notice, handing her his phone. She flipped her hair over her shoulder effortlessly and took it from him, her fingers almost brushing his.

Her neck was exposed to him now, pale and smooth and inviting and he inhaled a little too loudly, drunk instantly on her perfume. She was sweet and spicy all at once and he reeled in the uniqueness of it. If she had been a random girl at a random bar, he’d have made all of the moves by now. But there was something untouchable about Flo - he knew he had to work for that opportunity and he was more than happy to.

“Who’s Alex?” She asked seconds later, looking up at him and catching her breath in her throat, not used to him being this close.

“He’s my close friend. He’s in the band with me.”

“Mhm. So your last text was ‘miss you too’” Andrew grinned awkwardly, taking his phone back, only half embarrassed.

“It’s your turn” Flo chuckled.

“Emmm” Andrew licked his lips absent-minded, silently craving a cigarette, even though he knew he shouldn’t be getting into smoking again, determined to drag it out as long as possible so he could stay with her, “Would you rather go to the outer space or… or dive to the bottom of a bog?”

“Easy” she declared, clapping her hands together, “Space. It’s so fascinating and beautiful. All of those stars and colors… And I hate bogs. Too many germs.”

“Well, you wouldn’t have to touch the bog water, you’d in a bog submarine” she giggled a little at his words.

“Bog submarine sounds really interesting, but the stars are much prettier Andrew” she added, “Don’t you think?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, Andrew. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?”

“Lots of alarms. So many of them that my phone once scolded me for having too many… emm… good cup of tea, toasts and my dog.”

“So you’re single?” Flo blurted, her mouth outrunning her brain for once. Apparently she wasn’t even trying to be cool anymore, “Except for the dog of course” she added with a large smile on her face.

“A good boyfriend would be sat here, on my chair, right next to you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she laughed, the corners of her full lips twisted upwards. Andrew cleared his throat.

“You’re pretty… em… and I hope you’re aware of it.”

“Oh shhh…” she waved him off, her cheeks unusually hot, before adding a quiet: “thank you.”

“So you agree with me?” He purred, his lips parted as if waiting for something. He couldn’t remember the last time a girl had actually accepted his compliment and it was so refreshing, her self-assured nature making him somehow more eager to please.

“Am I not allowed to agree?”

“Of course you can agree. Don’t think anybody could disagree” Andrew and Flo locked eyes for a moment obviously too long, each of them scared to be the first to turn away. Eventually Andrew broke away, consumed by her intensity, devastated that his glass was empty, instead occupying himself with the search for his lighter.

“Is it my turn?” She asked, finishing the leftovers of her fourth? Or was it the fifth? cocktail to divert her mind from wandering further into the ridiculously gorgeous way he smelt.

“No, em… you already asked your question, honey.”

“I did?”

“Em… yes… em… you asked if I was single.”

“Right” she nodded, nonchalantly pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

“I need a cigarette” Andrew announced at last, convinced he couldn’t sit here and be tortured by her for a moment longer.

“Need?”

“Quite desperate need” she was unsure whether he was talking about the cigarette or her now, Andrew pulled a cigarette from his packet and balanced it between his lips. The movement was so slick, so rehearsed. Flo wondered how many girls had watched him make exactly the same move. She shuffled in her chair uncomfortably as he stood and did up the button on the front of his red flannel shirt.

“Okay. I’ll…”

“You’re going with me, yes?” He asked plainly, more of a statement than a question, his palm outstretched to pull her up.

Andrew swallowed and she watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat, enchanted by the fluffiness of his beard, the softness of his skin.

How could she ever say no to him? She reached out for him and he couldn’t help but stroke down her wrist, taking the tips of her fingers in his, the simple touch enough to make her light-headed. He pulled her up with ease, stroking her palm with his thumb as he reluctantly let go.

Andrew was relieved to have at last touched her, knowing he could now die happy just having done that but he was heartbroken to let go once she was standing. She exhaled sharply, her eyes glowing an unrivaled green under the vintage bulbs, a delicate smile stretched on her face.

“You ever broke someone's heart?” he asked her before. Fuck, if she didn’t break his every time she smiled at him like that.

[fics-not-tragedies]

In a Week: Chapter 3 🌲

New chapter folks! We’re getting deeper into the story now, slowly but surely and I hope you’re hooked on reading just as I am on writing it.

Words:  3327; Warnings: none, unless you want a warning for smoking, then you have it; Summary: Flo and Andrew start talking and he helps her with coming out of her comfort zone.

Hozier tag list:

@letoursilencebreaktonight​​​​​​​​; @angelpeachamber​​​​​​​​; @sgt-morgan​​​​​​​​; @julessbrown​​​​​​​​;

Sunday, 11:40pm

Slightly buzzed from her drink, Flo couldn’t help but shiver as they made their way through the bar and outside, a small patio area lit with string lights. The night was dark, almost starless thanks to the storminess that had raged a few hours prior, but the moon was bright, high in the sky as it peaked through the clouds, making the sky glow with white light. It was mostly empty out here, though a few men were stood around smoking, dressed immaculately and laughing in deep tones. Music vibrated through the speakers, tunes that seemed somewhat out of place for the aesthetic of the hotel, but she appreciated it now that she was tipsy, humming softly to the familiar tunes. She couldn’t deny that she felt good.

There was something about that moment that seemed somehow both electric and serene and Flo had to take a mental picture and capture it, remember it. There was something about knowing he was there, almost pressed into her side and that he was new, exciting, unlike anyone she ever met. Something about the breeze which whipped around her lower arms and legs, blowing strands of her hair across her face. Something about the warm buzz of alcohol filling her insides, the rush of blood in her cheeks. Something about being a million miles from the life she knew and wanted to change.

Andrew had lit his cigarette before he even stepped out of the building and he lifted it to his lips, taking a long drag and exhaled, a practiced move.

“Do you smoke, honey?” He breathed, his voice thick against the bitterness of the night. He lean back against the wall and held out his almost empty packet to her.

“No…” Flo replied with a firm shake of her head, to which he shrugged and shoved it away. For a moment she watched him breathe out the smoke, the smell filling her senses, but he was close enough that she could bask in his own scent now, the deep spice of his cologne and something else, homely and earthy.

The moonlight bounced off his face in all the right places, illuminating his features perfectly. Flo found herself completely transfixed on his eyes, unable to tear herself away, the warm green hues making her knees feel weak. It wasn’t even that his appearance had shaken her from the very first moment, he had an addictive energy too. Every moment she spent with him, she found herself flourishing, pushing herself to reach his level of brilliance.

“Are you cold, Flo?” He mumbled, snapping her from her daze.

“A little. I can handle it” she nodded, convincing herself more than him as she swept stray hairs from her face.

“You can have my shirt, em… it’s not that warm, but it can help you somehow…”

“I’ll be fine Andy” she insisted, her body betraying her as the goosebumps crawled up her arms. She instinctively went to rub them, then rolled her eyes at her own stupidity, Andrew saw straight through her.

“You’re shivering Flo” he stated, rolling his eyes as he flicked his cigarette ash away from her, before popping it back between his lips and beginning to carefully shift out of his flannel shirt, “I’m the one who dragged you here, out to the cold.”

“I could have said no.”

“But you didn’t…” he mumbled, trying to keep his cigarette balanced as he slipped out of the sleeves.

She was stubborn and he loved that, but he didn’t like that she was cold now. In fact, Andrew had to restrain himself from moving closer to her and surrounding her with his heat, reminding himself they only met less than an hour ago and they were complete strangers with a mere slight drunkenness in common. But fuck, he wanted to touch her.

He’d been a fool to think that he’d manage to touch her again, just like he had and he wet his lips at the sight of her neck as she craned it to look at him - the cool, silky skin adorned by the night. His need was frankly insatiable now and he fought to bury the idea at the back of his mind along with everything else he was thinking of and could not do.

“Just take my shirt, please” he said firmly, holding it out, more of a demand than a suggestion. Flo sighed heavily but gave in, her fingers carefully placed around the fabric, so she wouldn’t meet his, she knew she couldn’t be able to handle it.

“Not sure if I can pull it off like you do” she laughed nervously, pulling it over her dress like an oversized blazer, relaxing into to the comfort and improvement to her warmth.

“Emm… you really look a million times better…” Andrew replied between desperate drags, his words scratchy and distracted as he subtly eyed the way it fit her in all the right places. He cursed himself for being so dumb yet again. She was delectable and it was slowly killing him.

“Thanks” she replied with a stifled laugh.

Andrew looked up at the sky, enjoying his cigarette in a comfortable silence, glancing every now and then to the charming girl beside him. He wouldn’t have admitted it, but he was cold, the crispness of Irish night outside gripped him more harshly than he expected.

But each time she grinned, her eyes lighting up in that dizzying way, Andrew seemed to forget about the cold. Flo on the other hand was thinking, too much, her mind beginning to spiral from the lack of conversation. She tried to bring herself back to the place she’d been content in, reminding herself that this wasn’t a good moment to fall apart but she was still raw, still very much aware of the pain. She blinked it away and busied herself in noticing the tone of his biceps through his slightly sheer gray T-shirt, when he broke the quiet at last, a smirk on his face.

“Flo?”

“Andy?” She replied with an equally wide grin at their casual nicknames.

“What are you, emm… thinking about?” He asked, breathing smoke away from her.

“Uh…” she bit her lip, unintentionally, trying to work out what she should offer as an answer, when her mind was truly blurry. But with his kind smile, his wide eyes and the way he smoothed his hair from his face, focused on her, she couldn’t help but spill all of the secrets she’d been trying to keep.

“I’m worried about what happens on Monday morning…” she admitted, the truth of the statement bringing back the resounding emotion she’d tried to shrug off too many times, “when I wake up trying to make a final decision.”

Andrew nodded, his face still as he crushed his cigarette, clearly debating over his words.

“I um- I umm - do you want to know what I’m thinking about it?”

Flo shuffled ever so slightly closer to him, the breeze pushing her towards him like a sign and she nodded back, words failing her more times than she managed to count this evening.

“Well, I think that you’re too worried about the future…” he ran his hand over his chin before continuing, “I think em… you’re always thinking about the next day, desperately trying to em… plan every little detail and you just should focus about those things that happen now, right in this em… moment” Flo shook her head, her lips pouty and confused even though it was entirely true and she knew it, “But then again, em… I’m just a drunk stranger in an hotel you met by pure coincidence and I don’t em… know a thing about you” she laughed then, a real laugh with her entire heart in it and he smiled, so pleased with his wit, “What I mean it’s that em… we have the whole weekend. Let’s enjoy it.”

She sighed, relieved by how kind his soul was, the lengths he was going to just to cheer her up, distract her, give her some temporary joy even though she was nothing but a sad girl at a bar to him.

“What do you suggest?”

“We can do anything you want now, just em… just say the word and we’ll do it” he bent down to her height, taking a moment to stop towering over her, because the truth was he was like a tall pine tree over her and he gripped her shoulders full of excitement. She noticed the touch first, glancing down then bringing her eyes up to meet his, convinced she’d do whatever he told her to, “Is there a thing em… you’ve never did because it was too stupid for you?” he waited, blinking, anticipating her reply.

“Karaoke” she giggled, instantly panicking about the mortifying events to come.

Andrew clapped his hands together, making her jump a little and announced: “Karaoke it is then.”

Monday, 12:05am

Flo felt like the entire room was watching them, Andrew’s hand gripping hers tightly, dragging her away back through the hotel before she could change her mind. She has lost herself in the feeling once again, his touch making her head reel.

“Wait, where are we going?”

“Karaoke!” He replied, the childish excitement building. Maybe it was the drink, maybe it was the lack of sleep, maybe it was Flo, but Andrew had a new found energy and he wasn’t going to waste it.

Passing waiters with their trays stacked high, trying to avoid a collision, he pulled her to the side of the stage, in the ballroom where the piano was located. The stage was empty now, a singular microphone not far from the piano and it made her panic with the sudden realization that she was going to have to go through with this stupid idea. She cursed him under her breath.

Andrew stepped up and tapped the mic, almost nervously, like he didn’t know what he was doing. He figured that he’d definitely had too much to drink, that his confident on-stage persona was too far out of reach now and that he’d have to wing it. He cleared his throat, the deepness enough to make the vacant faces turn in his direction.

“Lads and gents, may I have your attention please” Andrew announced to the empty room and she couldn’t help but giggle, “I’m Andrew, few of you might know me and it is my absolute pleasure to introduce Flo, who is going to give a one in a lifetime performance” he glanced momentarily behind him, searching for her eyes, relieved that she hadn’t run away. Even if she’d wanted to, she couldn’t. Her breath hitched in her throat, her limbs numb, her legs too fragile to move. Andrew noticed, always attentive and turned back to the mic, his hand curling around the stand with a sense of familiarity, “She’s a lil’ nervous so let’s give her a warm welcome” he quickly made his way back down the steps to join her at the side of the stage as he was the only one that clapped his hands.

“I told you I can’t sing, Andy” she muttered, her body pressed inches from his due to the lack of space, a last beg before it was too late.

“I heard you, honey.”

“It’s gonna be awful” she laughed, a deep blush creeping into her cheeks. He shook his head reassuringly, his flat palm warm on her shoulder blade as he tried to push her up the steps towards the stage.

“I won’t judge you” but when she didn’t move he simply mumbled: “I’m waiting.”

“Fine” she sighed at last, shaking her fingers through her hair and re-adjusting her dress as she handed his flannel back, “Florence. Shake It Out.”

Walking only with purpose, her heeled footsteps sharp and disconcerting, her shoulders sagged, she kept her head down, too afraid to look up at him from the stage. She shuffled forward in front of the mic and closed her eyes, waiting. Rather impressively, Andrew managed to navigate the song playing through the speaker system, pressed play, turned up her microphone a little and made his way quickly to a better position, one where he could see her but she wasn’t overly aware of him. He crossed his arms in front of him as the first notes filled the room.

Tucking the straw strands of hair behind her ears, the fiddling helping to keep her nerves at bay, she was thankful that she’d had enough to drink and that maybe she wouldn’t remember this moment come the morning, that the stare from him wouldn’t make much sense when she’d be sober. Flo swallowed and opened her mouth as the words began, praying that something would come out and that it would sound somewhat decent.

“Regrets collect like old friends

Here to relive your darkest moments

I can see no way, I can see no way

And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh

But I like to keep some things to myself

I like to keep my issues drawn

It's always darkest before the dawn.”

To her surprise, her own voice mixed with Florence’s in a way that masked the worst of it, in a way that gave the impression she was at least an average singer. A little relieved, she lifted her head and zoned out, not focusing on anything or him in particular, letting the swell of the music give her the energy she so desperately needed to persevere.

“And I've been a fool and I've been blind

I can never leave the past behind

I can see no way, I can see no way

I'm always dragging that horse around

All of his questions, such a mournful sound

Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground

Cause I like to keep my issues drawn

But it's always darkest before the dawn.”

Flo was not used to being this out of control, it was simply alien to her. Her hands trembled slightly and she steadied them on the stand, mimicking the way Andrew had moments before.

“Shake it out, shake it out

Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa.”

With every beat she relaxed into it and she moved her hips a little to fill the gap between the words. Andrew was smiling, grinning, he couldn’t help it.

“And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back

So shake him off, oh whoa.”

Now aware of his gaze, feeling it rippled through her entire body, Flo angled herself slightly towards Andrew, craving his reaction and he wiggled his eyebrows in response, his lips curling at the corners. Her own smile at last infectious and real, Andrew chuckled.

“And I am done with my graceless heart

So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart

Cause I like to keep my issues drawn

It's always darkest before the dawn.”

Her pristine red lips pressed against the mic as she sang and even though she missed a lot of cues and the notes were often dodgy, her formerly repressed confidence shone through in a way that made up for it.

“Shake it out, shake it out

Shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa.”

Though her heart was continually pounding, Flo finished the song much more powerfully than she started it. Meanwhile Andrew was losing his mind, practically undressing her with his gaze, mesmerized by the curve of her waist, her thighs poking from underneath the skirt of her dress, the way her hips hugged each line of the song.

“And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back

So shake him off, oh whoa.”

He prayed he was keeping it at least a little subtle, that it wasn’t showing too obviously in his expression that he was obsessed with her every move.

“And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back

(shake him off)

And given half the chance, would I take any of it back

(shake him off)

It's a fine romance but it's left me so undone

(shake him off)

It's always darkest before the dawn.”

His eyes were glued to her, as he was absolutely unable to look away, his lip stuck between his teeth as he just kept breathing her in.

“And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't

So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my rope

And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope

It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat”

There was something captivating in her, something magic in a way he always desperately tried to find in every new person he met. Perhaps she was the one he always yearned for.

“‘Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me (whoa)

Looking for heaven, found the devil in me (whoa)

Well, what the hell, I'm gonna let it happen to me.”

As she finished the performance he found himself applauding, probably quite a bit louder than he should have been. Flo exhaled with relief, the excitement bouncing around inside of her.

Monday, 12:15am

After a moment of stillness and a clumsy bow, she hurried to the back of the stage and headed straight towards Andrew, her hands running through her hair anxiously. Flo didn’t want to admit it for fear of what he might suggest next, but the adrenaline was a wonderful and rare feeling, still pumping through her as she stopped in front of him.

Glowing like she knew him all her life, Andrew’s eyes bore into hers once more and she couldn’t help herself, throwing her arms around him to bring him close to her in a hug. She was thanking him really, for something she couldn’t quite put into words. Their bodies pressed together with little resistance, his lips parting as he breathed her in, her sweet scent wrapping around him as her cheek pressed to his chest, her eyes tightly shut.

“That was fucking terrifying” she mumbled, her hands clasping behind his back to draw him closer.

“But you did it, Lo” his long arms wrapped around her in a hug that felt like the best one she ever had in her whole life.

“It was the worst karaoke held in here.”

“Nobody booed you. Also em… I think you hit like em… thirty percent of the notes.”

She rolled her eyes, then, aware of the closeness of his voice, his hands trailing loosely around her waist, she pulled away and he obliged, knowing he was losing control.

They watched each other for a while, the silence ringing in their ears. Andrew tilted his head, his jaw taught, his smile lines deep, wrinkling his long nose at her. Flo shuffled on the spot, looking at him through her long eyelashes and found herself glancing at his lips, agonizing over the fact that he was so close to her, but much too far away at the same time.

For a moment she thought about it, sure she was going to move in, kiss him, pulling him down to her, her fingers tightly knotting in the hair gathered at the nape of his neck, finally give in to that craving.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she licked her lips and took a wobbly step back, gathering herself, avoiding his round unblinking stare for as long as she could. Equally as frustrated, he cleared his throat and ran his hands back through his hair, trying to tame the frizz.

“Right, it’s your turn” Flo announced, her breaths short and shallow, stabbing him in the chest with one rather shaky finger to diffuse the tension.

“My turn for what?” He laughed childishly, clutching his chest, pretending that she hurt him. Flo stood on her tiptoes, dangerously close to him again, unable to resist him for too long.

“What’s something you’ve never done, Andrew?”

[fics-not-tragedies]

In a Week: Chapter 9 🌲

It’s chapter 9 already, but it’s still much more to unwind when it comes to this story. Also I’m glad that I have like two readers, it’s still worth going on for them.

Words:  2702; Warnings: none, unless you want another warning for smoking and drinking alcohol, then you have it; Summary: Andrew encourages Flo to do something she’s never done before.

Hozier tag list:

@letoursilencebreaktonight​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @angelpeachamber​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @sgt-morgan​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @julessbrown​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​;

Monday, 1:55pm

He steered her through the lobby and through the bar to the paved garden area they stood in last night. Past the double doors, it was really hot now and she regretted not wearing something thinner now. It was even quieter than it had been the last time, the early afternoon calling people for late lunch instead. Flo and Andy headed into a secluded corner surrounded by evergreen bushes.

“Are you sure you want to? I don’t want to, em, force you into anything” he mumbled almost incoherently as they stopped moving.

“One…” she nodded, holding up one finger confidently, trying to show him she wanted this, “just one.”

He nodded back without further prompt, fumbling in his shirt pocket for the cigarettes he stashed there, pulling out the green Marlboro like a practiced move, his fingers wrapping around the packet as he flicked it open. He fished one out for her and held it for her to take and she did, her deep black nail polish catching his eye as she placed it between her own lips. He had to stop staring at those lips.

“Am I corrupting you, Miss Hayes?” He chuckled, bringing his lighter dramatically close to them, shielding the flame from the non-existing wind and watching it light. She looked at him long and hard for a moment, holding the cigarette in her mouth, examining his chiseled features and the crinkles around his eyes, how smooth and sheen his skin was. Andrew knew she was staring, figured that she got lost in her thoughts again, decided that she wasn’t going to reply, and then…

“I think you’ve already done that, Andrew.”

He placed a cigarette between his own lips as he watched her expression change, clearly focused on what she was supposed to do and she took that first drag, well aware of his eyes on her. It felt different that she expected, her face pulling into a twisted combination of shock and distaste as the smoke filled her lungs and she couldn’t help but cough and splutter as it worked its way back out.

“Tastes like wooden shit, doesn’t it?” He laughed, lighting his own with ease, trying to remember his first.

“I don’t know - why you do it” she replied, still sputtering a little midway through her sentence.

“Well mostly because I,em, know what to do with my hands when I smoke.”

“Oh, really?” She replied, taking another short drag, as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“I’m, em, quite lost without my guitar” he added.

“You don’t look lost right now.”

“Because I’m with you…”

Flo rolled her eyes at him mockingly. She focused on taking her next drag without coughing her lungs up.

Andrew inhaled deeply, letting the thickness fill his lungs, held it there for a second then let it disappear again as he parted his lips, grey lines drifting away from him and up towards the sky. She knew she shouldn’t have found it hot, that it was stupid to find the way he inhaled and exhaled the smoke so attractive, but somehow Andrew made everything look too good. His face was so still and calm, his jaw stretching as he looked up at the sky with those inquisitive eyes. He made her want him so effortlessly, his continual battle between maturity and childishness too much to process. She tried to copy him, a stifled giggle fighting to break free when the smoke did, but she felt useless, knew it was stupid trying to act like she didn’t hate it. She coughed again and he smiled reassuringly. Flo looked away, trying to focus on anything, but Andrew.

“Well, smoking isn’t fun” she decided firmly, flicking the ash away from them, a little disappointed that she just failed to make it look good.

Andrew thought differently. He couldn’t help but want her now, was transfixed on how stunning she looked with one of his cigarettes between her lips, how her eyes went wide at every drag and she pulled an adorable face every time to hide how disgusting she found it.

“It’s fun watching you struggle with it” he replied after a moment, a jokey tone to his voice.

“Hey!” She laughed, swatting his arm lightly.

Her cheeks were rosy from the heat and she kept rolling her jumper’s sleeves upwards. Andrew wished it was cold, so he could give her his flannel again - he wanted her. He wanted to hold her against his chest in absolute silence as he finished his cigarette, rake his fingers through her hair and feel her deep breathing on his skin, without any worry of the damage it would do. The whole time they already spend together felt like a nervous bomb waiting to detonate and every move they made was agonizing. Andrew knew Flo was scared of one of them taking it too far. He knew she needed the illusion of the perfect week between two perfect strangers. But it was killing him.

“Do you think you’ll ever quit?” She asked in a quiet moment, catching him a little off guard, trying to blow her smoke as effortlessly as he was. He paused for a moment, flicking the ash that had gathered and considered his answer for longer than seemed possible, scrunching his eyes then opening them wide in thought.

“I, em, I never smoke around my dog, nor in large groups of people… I would, em, stop if I’d ever had a kid, probably” he mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair nervously, though he seemed to instantly regret it, not used to sharing so much of his future plans. Flo nodded knowingly, tried to meet his eye, but she could tell he was avoiding hers for a reason. She was conflicted about asking more or giving up, not wanting him to close up on her again.

“So you want kids?” She pushed, finally. Andrew let the cigarette dangle between his lips for a while before lifting it between his thumb and a finger, like he had an idea.

“It sounds more like a tenth date question, don’t you think?”

“Wait - who said we were on a date?”

“Nobody” he smirked.

He enjoyed how instantly annoyed her face was, how she clicked her tongue in irritation and turned away from him, trying not to show how secretly entertained she was by his wit. It was too much for his ego and he grinned like an idiot, stepping closer to her when he started speaking again, softer.

“Yeah, I want kids” he admitted. Flo turned back to him, alarmed to find him so close and smiled, her makeup-less face all shiny and slightly freckled.

“I think you’d be a great Dad, you know?” She sighed, unafraid of admitting it, like she had already thought it through at least once, “Teaching them things. Telling them stories. Running around with tiny Andrew doubles…”

“Well then…” he began, with a half-suppressed laugh, “I guess that I should give up smoking soon, so I’d still have the chance to keep up with them.”

Flo was about to ask him something else, sensing her small window of opportunity already closing but he was there first, the question hitting her hard.

“Do you want to be a Mum?”

“Not right now…” she laughed quickly, her fingers dancing around a strand of her her hair as she tried to enjoy the drags of her first and probably last cigarette ever, “perhaps one day. Need to work out how to handle myself first.”

There was a moment of silence, thick, like she said something wrong and she tried to retrace her steps. But before she could ask Andrew was mumbling again.

“You just don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“What do you mean?” she replied, taken back by his abrupt forwardness.

“You’re a beautiful woman, capable of making equally beautiful things” he decided confidently. Flo watched his lips twitch as he formed the words.

“That’s really sweet,” she admitted after a lengthy pause, moving a little closer to him without thinking, her heart beating illogically faster at his burst of honesty. He wrinkled his nose as he turned his head away from her.

“I can be” he chuckled, scared to look too long into her emerald eyes in case he couldn’t hold back any longer, “also I think, em, you’re too harsh on yourself. You’re spectacular.”

The words hung there like a clumsily, visible admission of adoration and though Flo couldn’t quite find the words back to explain how much they meant to her, he knew he would get through to her somehow.

“Thank you, Andy” she whispered.

Monday, 2:10pm

Andrew took his last drag, enjoying the final hit of nicotine and then crushed it into the ashtray on the little patio table next to him. Flo followed suit, with her finger and thumb, reminding herself to book a manicure whenever she found the time. She coughed once more, her cheeks puffed out and sighed in frustration.

“So… first cigarette ever…” he mumbled as they hurried back inside to the bar, desperate to be in the room with AC, too hot to be out there longer than necessary.

“Indeed.”

“Thoughts?”

“Last cigarette ever…” she said, firmly, pulling the door behind her. Andrew laughed, heartily, leaning against the wall, “ and I didn’t look very cool” she huffed, crossing her arms and furrowing her brow.

“You always look cool. Effortlessly cool, Flo” he nudged her elbow with his and she rolled her eyes again in response. Andrew loved how predictable that was.

“If you weren’t happy with this one you can, em, have another turn, just, em, pick another thing.”

Flo scrunched her face up in thought, trying to think of something reckless she always wanted to do, but had never been brave enough to. There was something about this day which pushed her beyond rationale. Somehow Andrew was her safety net and she felt so much more free around him, knew he’d go to any length he could just to make her crazy ideas possible.

“I’ve got something…” she proclaimed half-heartedly, “but I don’t know if I can justify it.”

“Go on” he pushed excitedly, scratching his beard.

“Well, me being the classy mess I am, I always pick the cheapest option on any wine menu. Every time. Without question. I actually have this theory that cheap wine gets me drunk quicker than the expensive stuff does, but maybe that’s because I can afford the bottle as opposed to one glass. So I’ve never had anything other than the first, cheapest option on every wine list.”

“So…” he drawled, quite confused by how long she esd talking, trying to wrap his mind around how quick she spoke when she was describing something.

“So I want to try the most expensive champagne on the menu.”

Flo tried to read Andrew’s face, tried to make sense of the dizzying grin he was wearing and loved how excited he seemed by everything she said.

“I’m in, honey. And I’m paying for it.”

“You can’t pay for everything!” she groaned immediately, expecting this exact response from him, “What are you, a billionaire?”

Andrew cackled at her, adding quickly: “I think we spend the equal amount of money so far.”

She was quiet, thinking. Her independence bounced around inside her, the need to turn down his offer practically dangling from her lips. He saw it and reached out to touch her wrist reassuringly. She flinched at the unexpected closeness, unprepared when he pulled her closer to him to drawl, “Just let me treat you, honey, you deserve it.”

“One glass” she said with a huge sigh.

“One glass.”

“Just one.”

“Only one.”

Andrew let go of her wrist and sauntered over to the bar, his hips wiggling idiotically. Flo watched him clear his throat before leaning in to mumble something Flo couldn’t quite make out from where she was standing. The bartender seemed to check twice, shaking his head a little in disbelief then she saw Andrew remove the gold credit card from his wallet. He purposely turned back and winked at her, his eyes all glittery with excitement and then returned empty handed.

“They’re bringing it over” he declared.

“How much was it?” She asked the second he was close enough.

“Not telling you!”

“Andy!”

“Flo!” he replied, mockingly.

Monday, 2:25pm

They sat at what was now apparently their table, the one they ate breakfast at that morning, surrounded by the noise of guests devouring lunch and talking casually about things Flo didn’t want or need to listen to. Andrew always took her full attention.

Glancing around the room as Flo shuffled in her chair, Andrew took in a couple of faces that they had run into already, staff and guests. He was surprised they weren’t notorious for their hotel antics by now - especially when his face was embarrassingly well known wherever he went. It amazed him once again how little Flo knew about him and he had a sudden internal dilemma that was hard to swallow. Was he lying to her by not telling her who he was?

Like a perfect intervention, the waiter came over seconds later, visibly judging the pair for ordering a single glass of champagne, the most expensive champagne they had. He raised his thick eyebrows as he placed the glasses and hurried off without a word.

“Okay then, honey…” Andrew called cheerily, holding the glass filled with sparkly golden liquid in his hand, “Shall we have a toast?”

“To what?” She giggled, taking her own glass between her fingers delicately. She lifted her eyes to his, allowing herself to be lost in him for a moment. He licked his lips, kept his intense gaze to match hers before adding proudly: “To us. To Flo and Andy. To this week, even though it barely started.”

They clinked their glasses against each other, the sound ringing between them then each took a long sip, watching each other as they did. Flo swallowed, enjoying the refreshing buzz and concentrated on how the bubbly-liquid tasted. Andrew did the same, his Adam’s apple bobbing wildly in his throat as he tilted his head to think at great effort.

“It’s uh…” she began, pulling a confused face as she searched for words.

“It’s, em, well…”

“I mean…”

Andrew shrugged, took another large sip then said: “Tastes like any other champagne, doesn’t it?”

Flo nodded, trying not to laugh as she took another sip from the glass. It wasn’t bad at all and she was surprised by how thirsty she was, but it really wasn’t what she was expecting.

“It genuinely tastes like the cheap stuff…” she giggled, shaking her head in disbelief, eyes bright and wide.

“Disappointed?” he grumbled, licking his lips as he sipped again, hoping for something more exciting that the familiar fruitiness.

“Not disappointed” she stated firmly, “I’m actually kinda relieved that I’m not missing out too much when I go for the cheap and cheerful stuff.”

She laughed again in disbelief, her eyes crinkling and nose scrunching after they each finished their glasses in another sip. Andrew smiled at how much he loved that face, placing his glass and watching her tilt her head to look at him again. He didn’t really care about the money, the stupidity of how much he just paid for one glass of bubbly, he cared that he made her laugh like that again.

“It must be your turn again now, Andrew” she sang, dabbing her lips with her fingertips.

He rubbed his eyes. He knew somehow that she wouldn’t let him off that easily and tried to focus on the task at hand, planning a new adventure for the both of them. It was almost impossible when she was sat in front of him like that, naturally stunning, full of light, quick and smart and hilarious without even trying. He shuffled uncomfortably.

“Come on, Andy” she sighed in a low, soft voice, impatiently leaning forward a little, batting her long eyelashes in his direction. “What do you want to do? What do you want, right now?”

Andrew swallowed dryly and tried not to verbalize the only answer he had.

You, Flo. I want you.

[fics-not-tragedies]

In a Week: Chapter 7 🌲

I feel like a poser writing about walks in the woods when I wasn’t even in a stupid park since like summer. Somehow I forgot how it’s like to be in a place inhabited by the wild. Also I forgot how weeks work, Thursday was yesterday, oops.

Words:  2619; Warnings: none, but really, none; Summary: Andrew and Flo wander back into the woods to retrieve the missing pieces of clothing they’ve left by the creek last night.

Hozier tag list:

@letoursilencebreaktonight​​​​​​​​​​​​; @angelpeachamber​​​​​​​​​​​​; @sgt-morgan​​​​​​​​​​​​; @julessbrown​​​​​​​​​​​​;

Monday, 10:15am

“Are you sure you’re done with the coffee?” Flo teased as they stood from the breakfast table, nodding to his three empty cups as she tucked her chair in slightly. She was feeling full, content, more at ease than she prepared herself for today and when she looked at Andrew, his sleepy smile and scrunched up face, she reminded herself just how much fun she was having.

Fun.

She rolled the word around in her head for a while - it was like she already forgotten how it worked.

“I needed it, em, quite desperately this morning” he grumbled back, half smiling, still achy, pushing his glasses back on to cover his eyes as he stood, “…don’t be too judgy…”

“I’m not judging you” she laughed, her hair fanning over her shoulders as they shook, “Besides, I think I ate more than you ever did in that one breakfast sitting.”

“Quite impressive” he replied, like he really meant it.

Andrew thought about pressing his hand against the small of her back to guide her out of the restaurant, anything to touch her again, but she was already ahead of him, her strides nearly twice the speed of his. Then, sensing his sluggishness, she turned her head to look over her shoulder, indicating for him to hurry up with a wiggle of her finger. He huffed. At her side again, he raised his eyebrows from under his glasses, as they thanked waiters and shuffled out of the restaurant, passing the bar and back out into the lobby.

Andrew had been relatively calm until this point. It was only when she turned to him with an expectant look on her face that he realized he didn’t actually have a plan. He’d spent an hour or two last night before he could fall asleep, alcohol keeping him awake, trying to put together the perfect week for Flo - the complete stranger who he had somehow come to know more deeply than logically possible. This week was about her, everything was suddenly about her and his original intention of resting and taking some time alone had been thrown out the window.

But now she was waiting for his green light, the curious tone of her expression making him nervous. She demanded so much from him, without actually asking for anything. He had ideas, parts of the days sculpted out roughly in his head, but they weren’t perfect yet. Andrew decided to buy himself some time, give her the option to pick something first, whatever she wanted.

“So, em, what’s on the agenda today, love? What do you want to do?”

“Do I have to plan everything today?” Flo replied, pulling her jumper sleeves to her palms and crossing her arms with indecisiveness, “You promised me a wonderful week, remember?”

“I’ve got few things planned for, em, later but you gotta pick first. Your move.”

Flo thought hard for a moment and Andrew laughed when he saw the idea strike her, her expression too obviously plastered on her face. He loved how easy she was to read, how he could tell that she cared when she said she didn’t, how he knew when she was hungry or thirsty or when she was feeling insecure.

“Okay, fine” without further explanation, she grabbed his arm to drag him down one of the corridors feathering off from the lobby, down to the back patio, her march determined now that she just settled on an idea.

“Wait, em, where we going?” Andrew chuckled, his free hand quickly scooping back the hair that had come loose in the movement.

“The woods” she announced, the suggestion from earlier at breakfast too good to resist. So what if she had to resist Andrew again? She could do it. Right? Right?

“Oh-” Andrew drawled, “then I think we’ll need something to, em, distract those wild animals, I don’t think they’d, em, be scared of your underwear.”

Monday, 10:25am

She bit her lip when he again kept moving in silence, a few steps ahead of her as always when he took the lead, navigating through the woods like he spend here his entire life in here. Flo shook her head as he turned another left and ran a hand through his hair which was falling into his face. The woods looked much different in day time.

They were passing by the branches she saw last night and they look quite familiar or it was just a false impression, because to her all of the trees really looked the same. Andrew pushed apart the thick bushes, just like he did last night and she silently followed him, watching him push them further apart and she moved onto the patch of green grass covered in small flowers walking carefully, passing under his long arms quickly and stopping at the tiny meadow by the creek.

All of the clothes they’ve left there were still laying under the small bush close to the creek. They were still damp, from the rain that were pouring in the night, but they were still in the exact spot they were laid and there wasn’t any sign of animals tracks near them.

“Looks like you were right” Flo said, picking up her underwear and pushing it deep into the back pocket of her jeans, “boars doesn’t fancy lace lingerie.”

Andrew couldn’t help, but laughed a little, wrinkles appearing at the top of his nose.

Monday, 10:35am

He picked up his flannel shirt and tied it around his waist, tucking the sleeves into his pockets, so they wouldn’t disturb his movements. Fixing the sunglasses back onto his face he sat down onto the grass right by the shrub and inhaled the fresh air deeply.

“Don’t you ever think about smoking in here” Flo scolded him before he even had the chance to think about the pack of cigarettes that longed in his pocket.

“I’m not…” he mumbled, turning his head to look at her. She was kneeling by the tranquil water, her hand dipped into it, stirring the surface. The water was cold, but it was the pleasant kind of cold, the one you yearn for in the hot summer.

Flo tilted her head just to have a better look at Andrew, the smug smile on his lips never disappeared whenever she was close to her. There was something in that woman that captivated him fully. He felt like she owned his soul, even though he knew her only for one day now.

“You really seem like the man of the woods” she giggled a little, playing with the water again, feeling how it cools her fingers.

“I just simply like being here” he ran his hand through the grass, feeling the damp soil under his palm that didn’t had the chance to become dry in the harsh summer sun, “I like, em, the sounds of the forest, the birds sing so beautifully…”

“Probably not as beautifully as you do” she was smiling widely at him, brushing the strands of her fair hair from her face, while her other hand was still playing with the creek’s water.

“The birds are much more beautiful in every field.”

“No, you’re just too humble, Andrew…”

Monday, 10:40am

A wild creature roared from the opposite side of the creek, striding towards them. It was a boar, a huge one, streaks of dark fur well visible on its both sides. It roared at them again and they both quickly stood up, Andrew arm extended towards her and she gently grabbed his large hand, her fingers entwined with his somehow like Flo always did it, the gesture automatic.

He pulled her closer as they started to back off slowly, trying not to annoy the boar even more.

“Just… be calm” Andrew mumbled, squeezing her hand a little tighter.

“It’s just a boar, it can’t eat us!” She raised her voice a little and the boar roared at them even louder, moving towards them.

“You ever climbed a tree?” He pulled her closer, his long arm languidly wrapping around her shoulders, like somehow he tried to shield her with his own body from the dangerous creature.

“No, never…”

“Then it’ll be your first time” Andrew quickly turned around, pushing Flo to the front with his arm and started to running through the forest with her pressed firmly to his side, “come one, love, let’s climb that one!” his long finger pointed to one tree that was few meters away from them and they ran to it as fast as they can.

Monday, 10:45am

“I think we’ll have to, em, spend few moments up in here” Andrew said, looking down at the boar family that was looking for a full course meal in the ground right below the tree they were both sat on.

“At least we have our clothes back” Flo held onto the thick branch she was seated on, trying not to fall onto the ground right between the boars.

“I can tell you’ve never climbed a tree before” he chuckled a little, seeing how she clutched with her whole body to the mossy trunk of the tall tree they both climbed for safety.

“And I’ve never run through a forest desperately trying to escape a really annoyed boar” she added, looking up at him. He was few branches above her, sitting on a particularly wide one with such ease, looking like he was comfortably hurdled up in a leather arm chair rather than on a really big piece of a still living wood. His curls looked absolutely stunning in the morning sun, the different shades of auburn and maroon visible only now, in the once-a-lifetime experience and she was living through it now. Those black-hued sunglasses were back on his nose, but it felt like somehow he was reading her mind, because when she thought how badly she wanted to see his muddy eyes he just simply took them off and stuffed them into the pocket of his flannel shirt.

“Come here” he stretched his long arm for her to hold onto and she carefully stood up, her body trembling and he held his hand like it was a lifebuoy. After she threw her underwear into the back pocket of her jeans, she took few small steps and looked up at him again, letting out a shaky breath, before she decided to move upwards, “Don’t worry, I got you, honey.”

His both arms were wrapped around her waist now, carefully helping her onto the branch he was sitting on. When she finally hopped onto the wood next to him she felt exhausted, sweat dripping down her back, her breath caught in her throat. Flo rested her forehead against his arm for a moment, but only for a brief one, every touch they exchanged was sending shivers all over her body and she was frightened she’d fall to the ground.

“You should teach people how to climb, really” she breathed, breaking the silence that fell between them like the thick morning fog.

“It comes naturally to me” he flashed her a wide smile and she was glad she still held his hand, because that damned smile would be the reason of her quite literal downfall.

“You sit here like the king of this forest… perhaps you really are a fae” she raised her eyebrow at him, receiving a small giggle as a response, his nose wrinkling as he tried not to laugh out loud.

“Those boars don’t look like they want to listen to me” he stretched out his long neck to look under the tree, only to see them digging in the ground closer to the trunk of the tree they were sitting on.

“If you’d use your charm on them I’m sure they’ll listen” Flo changed her position, trying to balance herself on the branch, clutching his arm tightly. The sleeves of his flannel were rolled up and she could feel his hot skin under her fingertips, dying inside just to caress it, just to touch him in more proper manner, feel more of his skin, “... maybe if you’d sing them a song they’ll go away, but since you’re like a Snow White it could summon more of them” she laughed a little, fixing her straw hair behind her ears and Andrew couldn’t help and joined her, the sound of their giggles filling the forest.

“If you’d like, I could, em, sing you something… if you want to, of course. I don’t have my guitar here with me, but, em, I can go acapella, just for you” he looked at her, tilting his head to the side, seeing how she tried to nest her on the branch, before she finally pressed her back against the trunk, legs hanging from both sides of the branch they were sat on.

“No man ever sang to me while sitting on the tree, so I think I’ll take that opportunity” she winked at him and it seemed like his face turned an even darker shade of pink, “Do you have any songs about woods, Andrew?” Flo asked and her question somehow felt like a challenge to him.

“I have a few of songs about woods, which one do you want?”

“Surprise me, Andy”

“Flo…” he breathed out, before clearing his throat and awkwardly pulling one leg up and onto the branch, then leaning closer to her.

She could feel the tension that grew between them with every minute they spend together. And she couldn’t deny the fact that there was something wondrous about the man that shared the branch with her. Somehow his eyes seemed like the perfect shade of green that reminded her of that kind of muddy bog water she’d like to drown herself, yet she never planned to become his version of Ophelia.

“My head was warm

My skin was soaked

I called your name 'til the fever broke

When I awoke

The moon still hung

The night so black

That the darkness hums”

His words, like the most precious poetry, leaving his mouth, the dulcet tone of his voice filling the air hypnotizing her somehow. It seemed like every time he sang Flo was catapulted to another realm, with him as the guide that showed her the wonders of other world.

“I raised myself

My legs were weak

I prayed my mind be good to me

An awful noise filled the air

I heard a scream

In the woods somewhere”

There was only his voice and the occasional chirping from birds that had nests above their heads. Andrew’s eyes were half closed, she noticed how his lower lip trembled slightly with the last word of every verse.

“A woman's voice

I quickly ran

Into the trees

With empty hands”

A fox it was

He shook afraid

I spoke no words, no sound he made”

The way he sang was much more than captivating. She could stay on that branch with him forever, listening to the peculiar, yet overly pleasant way, every letter rolled of his tongue and entwined with the sound of silence.

“What if I kissed you now, Andrew?” She mumbled under her breath, the thought slipping out of her mind and coming up onto the surface, her face in a quite appealing shade of crimson.

“What?” his eyes grew wider, the muddy greens staring right into hers.

“I think they’re gone…”

“Who?” He asked her, pulled back to Earth from his singing haze.

“The boars, Andrew” Flo said, before slowly moving down the tree.

“Oh-” he hoped she’d repeat herself, say that again, but louder, for him to hear properly, for him to answer that question, “yes, they’re gone now.”

Miss Florence, I’d feel honored to kiss you back.

[fics-not-tragedies]

In a Week: Chapter 17 🌲

More hurtful moments right around the corner, but I mixed it with some ridiculous humor, so you don’t die of heartbreak.

Words: 2575; Warnings: none; Summary: They try to part their ways for the rest of the day, but both fail at is miserably.

Hozier tag list:

@letoursilencebreaktonight​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @angelpeachamber​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @sgt-morgan​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @julessbrown​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​;

Tuesday, 12:05pm

Andrew had kept his promise to himself that he’d enjoy the four seconds of holding her, held his breath for each one, forgot who he was among the bliss of her perfume and then he had to let her go.

Though he instantly longed to touch her again, it was not a new need, rather one he learned to cope with even though it seemed overwhelming at times. As he pulled out of her touch, the air felt softer and lighter somehow.

“I’m just a little bit worried, em… that’s all…” he grumbled, “I don’t want to mess up again.”

“You didn’t mess anything up” she added, turning back to him, walking backwards down the garishly lit corridor as she spoke. He had a hint of worry in his otherwise perfect features, the way he was carrying himself, his deflated chest, creased eyebrows, and she had to soothe that, “You’ve done nothing wrong and we’re okay.”

Andrew lifted his head a little higher than he had before, nodding at her to show he understood and above all was grateful for this second chance. He hadn’t sketched out a fully formed plan in his head yet about what he was going to do with it, but he was thankful nonetheless. Flo still didn’t quite understand why he was blaming himself at all, wanted to carry the burden equally, knew that the drunken boiling over of tension last night was as much her fault as it was his, but he was too stubborn to hear that.

And even though they were feeling more content than before, they were both still repressing the panic of saying goodbye to each other before the week was up. As she looked at him, Flo considered changing her plans, delaying the inevitable, but had always been the kind of woman to rip the band-aid off and deal with the sudden shock, instead of dramatically prolonging any suffering. And she knew, no matter what would happen between them before she left Andrew to simply end everything, that something about him would always stay with her anyway. She would always have a piece of him right next to her like if they’d be buried together in one grave.

She never met anyone like him, nobody as smart and conscientious, endlessly fascinating and she liked to think some of his better qualities had imprinted on her too. The resounding fact that shocked her was that Andrew had never forced her into anything, instead peeled back the surface layer of who she was just with his charisma and charm and then gave her a firm nudge in the right direction towards the Flo she had locked away for so long.

Even though he was already forming a small for the rest of the upcoming week, it was clear that they needed to take a break from each other, even though it was only until the next morning. So quite naturally, they both decided to part their ways for the rest of the day, but since the world’s so small and the hotel was even smaller, they met again in a hot tub in the small pool area of the hotel.

Tuesday, 5pm

There were plenty of moments in his life that Andrew could recall having made him feel truly flustered because beneath the surface, it really didn’t take much to fluster him. Talking to his musical heroes at fancy parties. Interviews that were awkward and poorly executed. Watching his friends perform their new music. Difficult first dates.

But now here he was, watching Flo Hayes, climb into a hot tub, rosy cheeked and trying her very best not to flash more of her skin than was already on show and Andrew Hozier Byrne was very, very flustered.

Her body disappeared under the water for the most part, her breasts sinking just below the surface, but he could still see the top of them, her obvious cleavage, her collarbone which he ached to press his lips against. Her skin was shiny and fresh looking, the makeup that remained barely visible and he studied her face for a while, trying to learn it so that when it wasn’t there to devote his time to anymore, he’d at least find her in his daydreams.

He envied how radiant she looked no matter the time of day. There was no doubt she took care of herself, probably drank enough water, got enough sleep and he smiled at the thought of her tucked up in bed, wondered if she slept on her side or her back, whether she tied her hair up or if it sprawled across the pillow, amused himself with the imaginary sound of her snores. She tilted her head to him silently.

Suddenly worried she’d notice how blankly he was staring at her, Andrew climbed around and into the hot tub opposite Flo. His moves were precise as he sunk into the seat, trying to avoid her touch, trying to find a place to fit everything without accidentally brushing her beneath the surface. His hair were slicked back and tied into a small bun, only a few strands out of place and his chest was rising and falling uncontrollably with nervousness just from staring at her for so long. Flo rolled her eyes at his beard, his glowy eyes, how he never failed to look gorgeous even with that concentration face he was pulling.

Neither of them having spoken, Flo tried to relax, adjusted her back so it was more comfortable against the wall, spread her arms out a little further. There was plenty of room, but he was still close to her and every time he looked up at her across the bubbling surface, she was worried she’d lose her focus again. She tucked her wet hair behind her ears.

Andrew loved the way it shone under the lights of the small room, how perfectly straight it fell. He decided that she looked like some sort of ethereal goddess or like a siren who would’ve drawn him in if he was a lonely sailor at sea or like the kind of woman who renaissance painters would have dreamed of bringing to life on canvas. He blinked at her a couple of times as she met his eye line almost immediately. Her eyes were always curious, always thinking about the next thing.

“What?”

“I just can’t believe we run onto each other in a jacuzzi” Flo laughed at last, shaking her head. Andrew spread his legs out underwater and rested his arms on the back of the tub, trying to get comfortable himself. He seemed to toy with a response, she could see it bouncing around in his head, the corners of his lip curling as if they were anticipating his words.

“How does it feel?”

“How does what feel?” She sighed, knowing he’d prepared a question she didn’t understand just to evoke that very response, to keep his game of teasing her up. He wanted her to ask.

“Being in jacuzzi with a true music star” he smirked, eyebrows cocked in that way that made Flo want to simultaneously thump him around the head and climb into his lap and kiss him till he moaned against her.

“Oh, shut up.”

Tuesday, 5:15pm

He chuckled for what seemed like a long minute, impressed by the sulk she was pulling as she crossed her arms in front of her and shook her head, mouth cocked slightly open. It was then that Flo decided to test him, see how much information she could work out of him this time. He had nowhere to hide from her now, the room silent except for the sounds coming from the water and he seemed pretty sure of himself.

“Talk to me about it” she uttered after a soft moment of contemplation.

“About what?”

“About ‘being a true music star’…” she replied.

She noticed a small flinch, worried he was retreating into himself already, shoulders tight with tension, nose screwing up with doubt. He licked his lips then answered her.

“What do you want to know, love?”

“What’s it like?” She asked, keeping her response as vague as she could.

“It’s more like a love-hate relationship…” he responded, a little sooner than she’d been expecting, “I feel so lucky that, em, I can compose and perform my music to people who love it, but, em, on the other hand… I’m tired of being recognizable every place I go to.”

“It’s fascinating to me.”

“It’s really crazy. I had no idea that, em, things would get this big.”

He meant his career, had meant performing, but when he looked at her then, he also meant it about her. He truly had had no idea things would get this big with her when he saw it at the hotel bar.

“You get to do what you love and what you’re good at at the same time, that’s the dream, right?”

“Yes… but, sometimes I wonder, em, who I’d be if I wasn’t doing what I do now” he mumbled.

“You think it changed you somehow?” She asked, not having expected that response at all, but still feeling so humbled by the fact he was sharing anything at all.

“Yes, but just a little bit. Sometimes it feels like, em, the world knows more about me than I do” he scratched his head with one of his long fingers, like he was recalling something he’d read about himself that he hadn’t liked then shrugged, bringing his eyes back up, “Shit, sorry. Got a bit existential there…”

“It’s alright” Flo assured him, wishing she was closer to him so that she could use it as an excuse to touch him.

“It just scares me that, em, people can say anything they like about me.”

“Don’t you have a voice? Like an online presence?”

“I do… half owned by me, half by my team. Em, I bet people notice the difference between what I post and what my social media team does” he giggles a little, moving in the tub like he wanted to sink deeper, but he’s too tall to do so.

“As a musician, a person who writes his own songs from start to finish you have the chance to show your voice in your songs.”

“You’re right, em, I try to do it as often as possible…” he mumbled, lost in thought for a second. “Did you go to an university or a college?”

“Yes, did you?”

“Well, I started a college…”

“But you didn’t finished it?“

“But I didn’t” he confirmed, “music got me too busy and I fell into it completely” he lifted his hand from the water to scratch his neck as he spoke. “My Mum was worried at first, but she’s an artist too, em, she paints bloody gorgeous, so she understood that I’m doing what my heart wants.”

“Does she still worry?” Flo pushed.

“My Mum? No, no. Of course she’s stressed every time I’m coming home after a tour and, em, really takes care of me forgetting I’m near my thirties…”

Flo laughed again and tried to picture Andrew in any way domesticated. It was just as jarring for her to picture as being outside of the hotel together had been. She just couldn’t see him doing nothing for days on end.

“I’m kinda proud of myself, not every person has that relationship with their parents…” he swallowed sharply at the realization of how much he’d opened up to her. “What about yours?”

“My parents? They’re dead now…” she sighed.

“Oh, no… I’m- I- so sorry, Flo, I didn’t mean to…”

He nodded in her direction, fighting the urge to simply hold her in his warm embrace.

“You’re such a role model then…” she said, then quickly changing the subject, “I just can’t believe I didn’t make the connection…” she laughed, “…about who you are. I mean, I know the name now and it makes sense, but I have friends who’d be furious with me for not working it out sooner.”

“You gonna look me up later?” He chuckled, “On YouTube?”

“Who’s to say I haven’t already?” She teased, though it had been the last thought on her mind since she found out who he was. It was her golden rule with new people anyway, to work them out without using her phone, make an effort to connect in real life rather than finding out their dog’s name through their Instagram profile. And that golden rule was even more important now, with Andrew.

“No. I know you weren’t stalking me online, because, em, people who did that act differently…”

“Oh, but, I’ve already got you worked out, Andrew” she giggled, tapping her temple as if she had all the answers. He cocked his eyebrow immediately and ran his hand through the front of his hair to keep it in place.

She had such a devilish twinkle in her eye, like she’d been saving this moment for a while and he watched her shift her position slightly, leaning further towards him. His face was slightly pink from the steam that rose from the water surface and her hair was drying now with the slightest hint of frizziness. He was just about to ask her to prove her point when she was speaking again.

“You’re a perfectionist. Went to prom with a pretty girl, but you hated her dress-”

“Wait…” he asked, taken a little off guard by her sudden outburst, “Are you profiling me?”

“Well I always wanted to be a profiler…”

Intrigued, Andrew settled back into position then gave her a firm nod, lifting his hand as if to challenge her. She cleared her throat and continued.

“You send your Mum flowers whenever you feel guilty about not being home. You’re a heavy sleeper. Eat more sugar than you should. Have tried quitting smoking, but as I could see with my own eyes you failed miserably. You’re paranoid about trusting people, because you were let down by too many. You’ve broken a few hearts. Have more records at home than you have storage for. You’ve cried watching at least one Disney film - my money is on… Bambi.” Andrew laughed at that pause, “Good at bullshitting your way through anything. You have a pet - I bet it’s a dog. Worry about any mistake you make for at least two months…” Flo smiled softly before adding her last guess, one she knew was a fact: “And you’re not only big yourself, but you’ve got a big heart too, Andrew, you really care about people.”

There was a beat and Andrew folded his arms as she finished, blinking at her for a while. He tried to recall the ones she got wrong, but had been more focused on her smart mind, mesmerized by the way her thoughts were so clearly plastered across her face as she processed them. He was so impressed by the way she observed him and wanted to congratulate her.

“I know…” she said confidently, snapping him from his daze, “I’m pretty good at this.”

“Don’t you want to know which ones you got right?” He asked, the smirk on his face so full of excitement.

“You don’t know if they all fit until you catch the killer, Andy” she replied cockily, “It’s a profile, not fully fitting description of traits you have.”

“So I am the killer now?”

Yes, Andrew, you killed my heart with that kiss.

[fics-not-tragedies]

In a Week: Chapter 6 🌲

I could quote half of Hozier’s songs right now and it would fit as a brief description for this piece of fanfiction. Oh, how I love their story!

Words:  3778; Warnings: none, unless you want a warning for smoking, then you have it; Summary: Both being absolutely hungover Andrew and Flo eat a breakfast together.

Hozier tag list:

@letoursilencebreaktonight​​​​​​​​​​​; @angelpeachamber​​​​​​​​​​​; @sgt-morgan​​​​​​​​​​​; @julessbrown​​​​​​​​​​​;

Monday, 9am

Flo woke up feeling like she was run over by a huge truck, that then had reversed back over her just to be sure. It wasn’t the kind of morning which you embrace slowly, the light drifting around you until your eyelids gradually fall open and you see the whole world in all of its grace. Instead - she was asleep and then she wasn’t and it felt truly horrible.

The curtains were wide open, but the light cascading over the bed was more of a disturbance than a joyful moment. She had no memory of the view from her hotel room. She had the sense she was dreaming of something important, but it was too hard to hold onto and just like that - the dream was gone. Flo rolled to the side of her bed away from the brightness, her mouth hanging open in a groan and scrambled for her phone to check the time. She had to squint a little at the screen, her head pounding incessantly as she tried to puzzle together what she was doing the night before.

Her mind was still foggy thanks to the alcohol which taste was still in her mouth, but as she blinked through it, the night came back to her in moments, snapshots and each one was bright and vivid, images she would never let herself forget.

Malibus. A well lit bar. The warmth. The patterned corridor carpet. The stars. Shake It Out. No underwear on. A baby grand piano. Painful heeled boots. The reflection of the moon on the water surface.

And just when Flo began to retrace her steps fully, put the remaining events into order, she realized that she’d missed one crucial part out.

Andrew, Andy, Hozier. “You can call me any name that you think suits me.”

The memory of him hit her harder than she braced herself for and she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling as she tried to remember him exactly, knowing somehow that her mind could never replicate him in a way she’d be satisfied with. If she focused just long enough she could remember tiny pieces of him - the fluffiness of his slightly unkempt beard, his pointy nose, the way his eyes shone under any light - but it was never a complete picture, never enough for her.

Andrew was unexpected and complicated. He had pushed her further out of her comfort zone than she has ever been. And if Flo was honest with herself, last night she just completely lost herself in the idea of him. It was exciting and vulnerable in a way she couldn’t put her finger on. And she knew it was all that when she looked into those sparkling eyes, when she was pressed so close to his body in the creek, when she watched his fingers dance over the keys of the piano - she’d have done anything for him. She was wrapped so tightly around his little finger and she knew it.

Flo felt a nervousness, a maddening insecurity building inside her. She reminded herself that she didn’t have his number, knew such little about him and that they both were drunk enough last night not to care at all about each other now that it was light outside.

“...I think that you’re too worried about the future…”

In an attempt to shove the obnoxious self-consciousness down, Flo flipped herself over and screamed into her pillow like a teenager, giggling like a little idiot she was, at the situation she found herself in.

At last, with a mighty sigh, she dragged herself to the bathroom to stand in front of the mirror. She combed her matted hair uselessly with her hands then resorted to standing under the shower until she felt somewhat new again, the steam energizing her in ways that she couldn’t quite understand, but was thankful for that nonetheless.

After drying her hair and applying the most natural makeup she could find just in case she bumped into the perfect stranger from last night, Flo dressed herself in a hurry fueled partly by hunger. She pulled on a pair of blue jeans over her black underwear, thanking her past self for grabbing a pair that actually fit her well, rummaging through her clothes to find something that would make her feel comfortable. Settling on a much oversized gray jumper which covered her comfortingly, Flo grabbed her room key, leaving her phone behind again, praying that the day would have more than enough to keep her occupied without it.

Monday, 9:10am

Having made her way downstairs, Flo ordered her breakfast at the bar, asking for pretty much everything she could because everything smelt so good. She subconsciously checked for Andrew, but knew that she’d sense and see him straight away if he was here, the man being like a tall roman column. A little disappointed, she took the same seat by the window she had chosen last night, and eyed every plate that drifted past her, hoping it was hers. The restaurant was emptier than she actually expected, but still somehow noisy enough to annoy her and she wondered if she was the only person with a raging hangover this morning.

Monday, 9:15am

Andrew woke up alone, of course, but the thought of Flo was there with him, keeping him inexplicably warm in the first cringe of morning. Rubbing his eyes and blinking away the immediate sleepiness to sit up in bed, he decided confidently that she probably looked gorgeous when she woke up, her  soft skin and rosy cheeks making frequent appearances in his mind since he left her on the hallway by her room. He rubbed his nose and cursed himself audibly for not making a solid plan with her today or asking for her number at least.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was paranoid this morning and combined with his throbbing head, he knew he was in for a rough start. Andrew had an enormous fear that she already found out who he was somehow and that she’d think differently about him now, change her mind for the worse. Being an international star wouldn’t work its usual tricks on her and Andy told himself that she was sure to run in the other direction. It didn’t help that they both were quite drunk, both been lonely and he knew there was a part of him that knew he was just simply void filler to her.

His mouth felt dry, the summer sun was too bright and everything seemed to ache. Andrew was feeling simply dreadful and his tendency to over analyze wasn’t helping, but he wouldn’t allow himself to sit on that feeling for too long, fueled ultimately by the thought of seeing her again. He followed the usual routine that he usually did after night of heavy drinking - have a smoke, take a cold shower and have a smoke.

The first cigarette was to wake him up, ironically get his body working again and he stood on the balcony taking long and desperate drags in nothing but his pants in which he fell asleep. He coughed a little, telling himself that perhaps it was the final time to give up smoking. Andrew knew it’d probably be good for him if he could quit and that it’d slow down his ageing but he also knew that he didn’t possess the self-control needed to give up nicotine for good. Plus, smoking made him look cooler than he felt and he needed that sometimes. He stubbed it and yawned on his way back inside.

Then, though he decided he didn’t smell as bad as he’d imagined he would, he took a cold shower and raked expensive smelling shampoo through his hair, enjoying the sting of the water. He dressed, picking another flannel shirt from his wardrobe, pairing it with really old and worn out jeans he loved too much. His hair was fluffy and unmanageable and it took longer than he liked to tame all of that frizz. His second cigarette was to calm him down, turn his nerves off so that he could focus on just surviving his hangover. He finished it quickly, shoved a pair of sunglasses onto his nose to cover how dreadful he looked and headed down to breakfast, another yawn violently ripping through his body.

Monday, 9:25am

He was real, he hadn’t been a dream. And he looked fucking good.

Flo watched Andrew enter the room dazed and she tried to meet his eye as he ordered his breakfast, all the while struggling not to act too eager. He requested coffee, lots of coffee with toast and though she couldn’t quite hear his voice, she could certainly read the languid movements of his lips. But he hadn’t noticed her. He took a seat across the room, drumming his fingers on the table. His hair was still slightly damp, insanely curly just as they were last night. His outfit was like the last night’s, a flannel shirt and some jeans. She was annoyed at him for wearing glasses, black-toned ones - not only because he was indoors and somehow still managed to pull it off, but because she couldn’t see his eyes and she didn’t care how tired or hungover he was, she simply missed the muddy shade of them. He looked so deep in thought.

Monday, 9:30am

Andrew was far away, had zoned out somewhere else in both time and space like he often did when he was alone and it needed the arrival of his waiter with the coffee he requested, so he could to come back to life. He poured himself a large steaming mug, black, and drank it before the man even had a chance to offer the milk. The waiter moved away to the next table and that’s when he saw her at last - her hair all shiny and slick, face glowing like an angel, those emerald eyes just killing him.

It was like looking at a different girl from the night before, a much softer version of the one who had walked into this very room and had commanded his undivided attention and he struggled to think of anything but how happy he was to see her. Of course she still looked fucking exquisite covered up completely in a pair of jeans and a knitted jumper and Andrew was only a little aggravated by not being able to see what was underneath. Even with all the clothes on in the world, everything left to the imagination, he was aware of how ridiculously attracted to her he was and he knew that he would take any opportunity he had to be with her in the ways he dreamt of last night.

Now she was looking at him too, that wild, bright blush creeping over her cheeks and he wanted to kiss them both, press his lips to every inch of her face until she knew how wonderful she was. He raised an eyebrow at her and she did the same back, failing to replicate the seriousness of his gaze and she erupted into laughter. Strangers from nearby tables were turning to look at her, but Flo didn’t even notice. Andrew found her giggle so pure and unfiltered that he just wanted to make her laugh that way again for the entire day, over and over. That was his new mission. He felt the entire room fall away from him. He could smell coffee, make out the material of the linen tablecloth under his calloused fingertips and then it was just her, only her. But before he could process everything that was bubbling under the surface, she had stood and was walking towards him, her hips swaying naturally, her chin held high.

“Are you expecting someone’s company?” she asked, stopping behind the empty chair just as he had, badly mimicking his voice and first question from the night before. Andrew looked up and shoved the glasses up into his hair to see her better, his lips quivering as he spoke.

“Only you, my love” he replied. His eyes were blinking in a sleepy manner and he tried to keep his focus as she beamed at him, her smile quite literally making his day. Until this point he was  pretty sure how he felt about this one, wanting to be certain before he did anything stupid, but that’s when he was able to confirm it.

Fuck.

She was so far from being just another drunk, pretty girl at the bar and he had fallen for her completely. It didn’t matter if he was drunk or sober, if it was the morning or late at night, if he was feeling his best or his absolute worst - Flo Hayes had him so good, even if she hadn’t been trying.

Monday, 9:35am

She sat, not needing to be prompted twice and they began eating instantly, as if they ate breakfast together every morning without fail. She was hit with a wave of his cigarette smoke and could tell he recently went outside, probably not his first of the day, but there was still something so homely and musky underneath. As they both ate, Flo noticed that something about him was slower this morning, blunter, less alert and she tried to learn his new movements. Andrew chewed on his toast and struggled to think of something to say, his confidence severely knocked now that he was sober.

“Did you sleep well? Beds are, em, quite comfy.”

“Yes, yes” she replied quickly, thankful he figured out an ice breaker after the uncomfortable silence, “I didn’t woke up once” Andrew nodded, carefully dissecting her every word, “And you?” She added in haste before shoveling a forkful of scrambled egg into her mouth.

“Yeah, I slept like a really tall baby.”

Flo giggled again, a lower sound only held back by her own sensitivity to noise. He blinked repetitively back at her, the muddy greens of his round eyes more prominent whilst the longing for sleep had him engulfed. He spoke much more softly, was so much tamer than he had been last night and it felt like an honor to see this Andrew. She watched as he hummed to himself quietly, a tune he often found bouncing in his head recently, but one that hadn’t quite made it’s way out yet. She wondered how many people had seen this version of him and then realized that she knew nothing about him - nothing about him except what he carefully chosen to show her. He was a complete mystery and she was too curious, wanted to know more of this man.

“Andy?”

“Mhm?” He mumbled, picking up another slice of toast, his voice barely audible.

“Why are you here?” Andrew stopped chewing, afraid to look her in the eyes because of what they’d do to him. Though he could barely focus on anything, he was alarmed by the inevitable questions coming, the very thing he was terrified of the whole morning. He tried to brush it off at first, pretend he was clueless.

“At breakfast?”

“In the hotel” Flo pushed quietly, his plan not fooling her for a second. Andrew toyed with his answer in his mind. The truth was fairly simple, that he was off tour and needed to relax, regenerate, sort through some stuff before he had to come home. But he was still wary of admitting who he was to her and that’s what telling the truth would mean. He knew the questions wouldn’t stop because Flo was too easily intrigued to only ask one. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust her, because he somehow did and it wasn’t that he was ashamed as such of his career, it was just that he didn’t want to taint the week already, didn’t want the anxious man he in fact was to show up and spoil it all for him.

“I just, em, needed some time all by myself” he uttered, his voice low and quiet.

“But why here?” She sighed at his impossibility.

“It’s, em, a cool place” he squinted between phrases, his head throbbing and the nerves begging to build, “I just simply, em, like how it looks.”

“Are you from here?” Flo asked as soon as she digested his vague answer, relentlessly trying to know him.

“You ask if I’m Irish? Yes I am, ma’am” there was an awkward pause as Andrew scratched his nose. Flo could sense the tension, not immediately clear where it came from, but wishing they could retrace their steps, “What’s with, em, all of those questions? It feels, em, like some sort of, em, interview…”

“I’m just trying to get to know you, Andy” she mumbled, embarrassed now. He looked at her long and hard for a moment, his fingers tapping nervously on the edge of his plate with the same tune that had been in his head moments ago and then he sighed, a long and frustrated noise escaping from between his lips.

She furrowed her brow, lost in the rawness of seeing each other again this morning and he hated seeing her this way. The tension in her shoulders that he worked so hard last night to ease was back again. Andrew untangled his sunglasses from his hair and stuck them into his flanel pocket.

“I’m sorry, Flo” he said softly, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin. Flo watched him carefully, as he reached to comfort her with his free hand, mesmerized by the way his lips moved and she felt instantly at ease again, the loveliness of him just melting her. He didn’t move his hand much once he felt her soft skin relax over his, but she had met him halfway and it was important nonetheless. This was the first time he touched her after what had felt like forever and he almost forgot to breathe - she quite literally took his breath away.

“It’s alright…” she replied, trying to keep her focus, “I’m being a nightmare this morning.”

“What do you want to know then?”

“Anything really” she said, pushing forward on her elbows to be somewhat closer to him as he let go of her hand, “What shampoo do you use, favorite TV show, do you sleep in socks?”

“Herbal Essence, Peaky Blinders, no I don’t sleep in socks” Andrew replied, quick fire, a small smile back on his face. The silence wasn’t awful this time because they were both sort of thankful for the it now, “Sorry, love, it kinda, em, hurts to think this morning” he rasped, lolling his forehead onto his palm and squeezing his eyes shut as he spoke.

“Oh me too” she sighed, relieved he was feeling just as foggy as she was. She clutched her head in a similar way as she washed the last of her breakfast down with apple juice. He cupped his coffee with two hands, steam rising from the top and took another big gulp, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

“Are you, em, having any plans for today?” He asked quietly, his half-lidded eyes equally adorable and frustrating.

“Haven’t figured it out yet” she announced at an equal volume, finishing her mouthful, “Was gonna head to the woods, have a walk and pick up what’s left of my stuff that’s still left there.”

“Ahhhh, okay.”

“You’re welcome to join me” Flo added quickly, her smile part of the offer, “I need a guide and it feels like you’re the man of the woods.”

Andrew looked up at her again to make sure that he heard her offer correctly. From the way she could barely look at him, he guessed that she was thinking of the exact same thing he was. He knew he ought to say something, respond somehow to her words, but his mind was beginning to spiral down the rabbit hole of lustful thoughts, his eyes groping at any inch of her skin they could stumble upon. He wanted her, she seemed like the perfect hangover cure. He cleared his throat, louder than he actually intended to.

“Well, we need to get your shoes anyway” they both exhaled.

“Right” she nodded, burying her embarrassment in her drink, stifling a small laugh.

Monday, 9:55am

As guests and staff moved around them, the world moving at an alarmingly scary pace, Andy and Flo enjoyed the simple company of each other for a while. There was no rush this morning, they had nowhere to be and it was blissful. Flo went for pushing the alcohol out of her system with enormous amounts of apple juice and Andrew drank more coffee, feeling his moodiness slip away with each sip.

Flo laughed every time Andrew flinched at loud noises, her own hangover fading much quicker than his was. She we amazed by how picturesque he was. His face was sculpted so carefully and though she was more than sure her drinking had exaggerated his handsomeness she realized now that he was just as gorgeous in the headache inducing brightness of morning. He was so alive, so vivid even when he was at his worst - the creases around his eyes and nose flickering each time the corners of his lips pulled upwards. He radiated the kind of warmth of a sunset that couldn’t be captured on a camera.

Andrew grinned every time Flo spoke and even though he felt like living death and knew he probably looked like it too, he kept his sunglasses out of his face just so he could see her better. He watched her pick at her nail varnish, watched her fiddle with her hair, watched her pretty lips as she chewed and desperately held himself back from saying something stupid, something he’d regret. Every thought that came to his mind when she looked at him was too inappropriate, too forward, too much for right now. He just hoped he’d get to tell her soon.

They had both worried that last night was the end of their story together, frightened that their reunion would be cold and difficult, unsure what a new dawn would bring. Would it change things? Had the alcohol merely enhanced their infatuation for each other? Had it all been rushed for the idea of a perfect adventure?

But being together now, neither of them could deny that there was still an immediate longing to be close to each other, to learn each other. Yes, the spark was still there, maybe even greater than before, which had to mean something given their current state. And now there really was no rush, the unspoken promise of last night’s sequel hanging in the air.

[fics-not-tragedies]

In a Week: Chapter 8 🌲

It’s more like a filler chapter, at least it feels like that to me when I look at the number of words which is quite low but hey, who doesn’t love a good talk while having the lunch?

Words: 1821; Warnings: none, but really, none; Summary: After the encounter in the woods Andrew and Flo are back to their hotel ready for new adventures.

Hozier tag list:

@letoursilencebreaktonight​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @angelpeachamber​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @sgt-morgan​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @julessbrown​​​​​​​​​​​​​​;

Monday, 11:50am

“So you say that foxes make weird noises?” She was playing with the lunch menu, pinching its ends with her fingers again and again.

“Yes, they basically sound like, em, women screaming” he took another sip from the cup of tea he ordered, desperately trying not to touch her hands.

When the waiter came to take their order, they chose an oversized platter of tiny finger sandwiches - ham, chicken, cheese, then one with double the amount of cheese and some cakes too, little over decorated pieces which seemed too dainty to eat when they arrived.

“I’ll get it” he mumbled, as soon as the waiter placed the cheque.

“No, I’ll get it” she countered, taking a sip from her lemonade.

“Flo…”

“Andy…”

“I don’t need you paying for me.”

“Halves then?” He offered before she could moan at him, knowing he’d never fully win this round.

“Fine.”

Monday, 12pm

After little consideration, Andrew picked up a cheese sandwich between a finger and his thumb - too fancy for him to comprehend, too small for the price they were paying. It was gone in two bites and he was unsatisfied so picked up another and another, wolfing it down with no regard for any possible future indigestion. They ate between polite conversation, surrounded by the sound of splashing from the pool water and quiet chatter from everyone else in the room. Flo chewed gingerly, watching people from where she was sat, occasionally lifting her head back to his gaze and turning away again when he was too much.

After polishing off the sandwiches he’d chosen, the sweetness of the cake distracted Andrew, hungrier than he’d realized and he savored each bite of sugar, licking his lips. Flo tilted her head into her palm, just taking him in, chuckling at how emotive his face was even in the quiet moments. He was busy pondering whether going for a swim in the small pool the hotel had would be the worse idea than skinny dipping in a creek in the dead of the night as he tried not to devour her with his eyes, when she spoke again.

“Do you regret meeting me?” Flo slurped the rest of her lemonade and sighed deeply, like she already knew the quite obvious answer that will fall from his narrow lips in the upcoming few seconds.

“Why would I?” He answered her with another question and she rolled her emerald eyes at him, “I don’t run from boars and climb trees with every girl I meet at the bar” Andrew smiled at her with the kind of smile that weakened her knees.

“It’s quite insane what we did so far…” she sighed again, rubbing her neck. Flo looked up at his face, leaning back in her chair, hoping he’d have something clever to say.

“What, em, you always wanted, but never had the courage to do it?” He asks out of sudden.

One corner of her mouth twitches upwards and she tilts her head to the side, but just a little, “Hmm… dancing. I always wanted to join a dancing class in my town, but I was too frightened to do so.”

“Why?” He leans over the table, his long body towering over the furniture. Andrew gently grazes his fingertips over her wrist and Flo flinched it backwards.

“Because I’m like an elephant in a glass castle.”

Andrew couldn’t help and laughed out loud, brushing the stray strands of his locks away from his face, “You’re a quite gorgeous elephant then, honey.”

She shakes her head at him, her straw hair moving around her head like a permanent halo and in that moment Andrew feels like he just found his own little angel, here in the middle of the woods.

“I shouldn’t even try to dance… I’d end up crushing people’s toes and probably like breaking few mirrors in the dance studio.”

“Oh love…” he laughs again, probably after picturing her trying to crush his toes with her tiny little feet, “I, em, I know one dancer myself.”

“A dancer?” Her eyebrow rises and she moves with her chair closer to the table.

“Yes, I did one music video with Sergei Polunin and-”

He wasn’t given the chance to finish his sentence, because Flo interrupted him quite violently with her high pitched voice, “Sergei Polunin?! You know Sergei Polunin?”

“Well, em, he’s a really nice guy” he said, giving her a little smile.

Monday, 12:30pm

“I’ve got another question for you, honey” he announced.

“Go on then” Flo sighed, intrigued.

“Where do you want to be in five years from now?

Flo tried to engage her brain, tried to think of an answer worthy of his question and one she would feel comfortable saying out loud. If someone ever asked her that question at the beginning of her adult live, she’d probably come up with many various things. A promotion, perhaps an engagement in the near future, the possibility of starting a small business on her own, a better place to live than the one she already had. But now all those things were irrelevant; she got that promotion, her boyfriend still wasn’t existing, she didn’t have enough funds to open that store on her own and she didn’t wanted to live at all now.

“I’m not… sure…” she sighed truthfully, needing just to say something to ease the anxiety bubble blowing inside her, “I- I thought I knew. But now, it’s…”

“Now it all changed?” He replied, soft, his eyes locked with hers.

“Yeah…” she said quietly, “everything is different.”

Andrew mulled it over for a second, trying to know what she feels now, what she’s thinking about now, but he was clueless what was the reason behind her coming to this god forsaken hotel in the middle of nowhere.

“Do you want to know what, em, I think?”

“Always.”

He wet his lips then spoke again, “Make a new list, really, em… just take out everything on the old one and, em, start over with whatever you want.”

She bit her lip focusing. What did she want?

She’d previously wished for a promotion - but she already got that. Then there was the engagement. An obvious one to throw in the bin. How could she even dream of starting a family when she had no one to start it with? And anything would be better than the apartment she currently still owned, but it was overly haunted with the ghosts of her past.

And then she considered what she really wanted.

More time to work on her hobbies, to become better in drawing. Perhaps to see more of the world. Finish all the creative projects she started, but never really had the time to finish them. To bake more cakes… She tried to form few cohesive sentences, but her reply wasn’t quite as sophisticated as she would’ve wanted it to be.

“Maybe in five years I’ll have traveled a bit more? Drew more pictures? I’ll find a hobby that excites me? Have more nights being drunk without worrying about the next morning?” She paused for a second, avoiding his eyes, so she could stare at the wall behind him, “I want to be shamelessly happy - and really feel it.”

He smiled, couldn’t help himself, felt his heart swell with pride at how much stronger she was since he’d first spoken to her and he was busy crafting a reply along those lines when she interrupted his train of thought.

“What about you, Andrew?”

It was stupid of him to assume that she wouldn’t ask, but the same question thrown back at him was a shock. He felt frustrated, unprepared.

A couple more albums? Maybe one fully acoustic? Another world tour? More time to rest? To focus on his own needs? Find his safe haven?

Andrew was so used to have everything mapped out, a response for every question, but he didn’t know how to put it in words now that she was asking. The pause was too long. Too uncertain.

“I just want to be, um, equally happy with my career and my personal life. If I really have one now…” he drawled, “I want to keep working on my music and, um, meeting amazing new people, rediscover myself somehow.”

“Rediscover yourself?” Flo asked him, her emerald eyes back and focused on his face.

That small smile that never left his lips when he was around her was too tempting, too inviting for her and she desperately tried to fight off the urge to lean over the table, move her body closer to him and just simply give in to the thought of feeling his mouth pressed closer to hers.

“Know who I really am, since I’m, em, quite far from that right now…”

Monday, 1:40pm

“So, what’s next?” She asked, her eyes full of inquisition and curiosity, looking at him like she just read his mind. He smiled warmly, pushed his fingers through his hair for good measure then pulled her into his side, his arm slinking around her, hand cupping her waist to hold her against him as they walked together. His fingers brushed against the fabric.

He pressed his lips close to her ear and murmured: “Tell me something you’ve never done, Flo Hayes.”

“Oh, not again…”

Monday, 1:45pm

“So you really never smoked a cigarette?” He asked, eyes wide, like he just seen a little green man in front of him.

“Never ever” Flo replied with a shrug, meeting his eyes as she tilted her head upwards to look at him. They were still in the corridor on their way back from the restaurant, linked together like old friends, his hand wound around her hip to keep her close. She watched him watch her as they walked, loved the curiosity in his eyes then added sarcastically: “Why? Do I look like a dirty smoker, Andrew?”

“Em, no, it’s just… I wasn’t expecting, I…” Andrew spluttered, never ready for her responses. She was so quick sometimes that it took him off guard, “you just look like someone who, em, tried many things in her life…”

“Is it my sweater? Well we both know that’s not true…”

Andrew rolled his eyes which prompted a laugh. He knew she was so much more interesting than she pretended to be, that she liked to portray her life as quiet and boring, but there were so many things about her that excited him - her passion, her drive, all her little secrets she kept so close, how well she held herself in every situation. He did like how in control she was but he also knew that there was so much more underneath the enigma she still was to him. He had a feeling that if he could just get her to relax a little more, push past that top layer of insecurity, then she would finally realize how wonderful she really was.

[tamtam-go92]

Hallo again! I hope you had a wonderful Easter!

Sorry for the lack of Strangest Town content. I’ve been on Easter vacation and never had a stable enough internet connection to upload to my queue. Also, I haven’t finished playing the “Nerdists” yet, so it’ll take some time for the queue to start again. Sorry… And it seems I don’t have enough Sim Projects already, so I couldn’t stop thinking about something while on Easter vacation. You know this theory (from the sims wiki), that Riverblossom Hills is based on Pleasantview and its characters are parodies of the beloved base game characters? Well, here’s the concept about:

PLEASANTHILLS and RIVERBLOSSOM VIEW

More behind the cut!

A lot has happened in 25 years, but some new faces in town are stirring up rivalries and creating tension for the once happy families. Can anything be done to get the neighborhood feeling good again?

Ottomas Family 55 Woodland Drive

§929 Samatha Ottomas, David Ottomas, Tommy Ottomas Samantha was left to raise two boys alone following her husband's suspicious pool ladder accident. With David acting out, can Samantha teach young Tommy to make the right choices in life?

Wan Household 170 Main Street

§1,040 Cleo Shikibu, Patricia Wan Was it just coincidence that these two friends arrived on the eve of Stella’s disappearance? And is their interest in Morty physical... or fiscal?

Martin Family 195 Main Street

§968 Andrew Martin, Jacob Martin Andrew is pursuing his dream of being a professional gamer, while his son Jacob hits the books. And Andrew may have found his muse, but will his creativity be enough to win Sandra’s affection?

Roth Family 165 Sim Lane

§511,632 Morty Roth, Sandra Roth, Xander Roth Sandra is ready to start a family of her own, but can she tame the town Casanova? And can Morty bounce back after the disappearance of his wife Stella?

McGreggor Family 150 Main Street

§968 Leod McGreggor Who is Leod McGreggor? Is his engagement to Sandra Roth genuine? And what about the rumor that her mother, Stella, was last seen scaling the deck of his condo?

O’Mackey Family 215 Sim Lane

§2,250 Gabe O’Mackey, Alexandra O’Mackey, Angela O’Mackey, Jules O’Mackey On the surface, Gabe and Alexandra O’Mackey seem to have the perfect life, but is their love a flimsy façade? And can Angela and Jules make the right choices when it comes to love?

Greenman Family

§21,901 Rose Greenman, Jason Greenman, Daisy Greenman Rose, Jason and young Daisy have decided to trade the fast-paced city life for some fresh air, and hope to make a nice home here in Pleasanthills.

Ramaswami Family

§20,900 Sanjay Ramaswami, Priya Ramaswami The Ramaswamis are simply one of the nicest families around. Their years together through good and bad have made them into the wonderful parents, and grandparents, they are today.

 Many Sims have relocated to the quiet, comfortable countryside, in the hopes that life and family can firmly plant their roots in the middle of nowhere. Fresh crops aren’t the only thing growing in the farming community of Riverblossom View– love is in the air and many a relationship is on the verge of blossoming. Unfortunately, problems are bound to sprout in a town this small. Things are looking up, but hearts can always turn cold with the onset of winter.

Burb Family 110 Old Farm Road

§2,556 Jennifer Burb, John Burb, Lucy Burb Jennifer gave up his name and changed his lifestyle for the love of her green-skinned god. Despite the love that they share will they be able to raise a happy, healthy child? Can John adjust to living in a town instead of the great outdoors?

Lothario Family 115 Old Farm Road

§2,500 Don Lothario Don Lothario has a farm... and an orchard. Will he be so focused on gardening that he forgets to cultivate friendships?

Pleasant Family 211 Huckleberry Lane

§4,495 Daniel Pleasant, Lilith Pleasant After his wife left to become a big City politician, it took Daniel a long time to trust again. Is his relationship with Nina meant to last? Will Nina and Lilith be able to work out their problems and realize how similar they really are?

Goth Family 208 Welsh Lane

§54,328 Mortimer Goth, Bella Goth, Cassandra Goth, Alexander Goth Having recently moved to Riverblossom View has had a wonderful effect on the Goths! Cassandra and Alexander are doing great in school, Mortimer found a great job, but Bella seems a bit restless...

Caliente Household 204 Old Farm Road

§8,575 Tango Caliente, Frieda Goth, Darren Dreamer, Dirk Dreamer Can Tango and Frieda cope with the loss of their close friend and face their own imminent mortality or will they find a way to cheat death? Will Darren and Dirk find a way to fulfill their dreams in the great arts of life?

Caliente Family 202 Welsh Lane

§2,326 Nina Caliente, Dina Caliente Nina and Dina moved to town when their uncle, Tango, offered them her old home - which they just finished remodeling. Will they find excitement in this quiet town after the dust has cleared? Will Nina and Daniel make a life together?

Pleasant Family

§21,600 Mary-Sue Pleasant Mary-Sue succumbed to the call of the big city and left her family to pursue her dream. Will living the hard-bitten politician life be enough to keep her on top?

Broke Family

§35,642 Flo Broke, Skip Broke, Brandi Broke, Dustin Broke, Sharla Broke, Beau Broke Large families have a lot of love to share, but also require a lot of work - especially with more children on the way! Will grandma's help be enough to keep this family strong?

Oldie Family

§35,000 Herb Oldie, Coral Oldie Herb and Coral are ready to settle down and start their life together! Will they settle in the beautiful town of Riverblossom View or find a new place to make their happy home?