#best cocktails in cambridge

[brookpub]

Brook Indian Gastro Pub | Pubs in Cambridge

Brook Indian Gastro Pub, tucked away in the middle of Cambridge, is more than simply a restaurant; it's an immersive eating experience that fuses traditional Indian cuisine with modern influences. With an emphasis on creativity, the bar has unveiled a mouth-watering new menu that will transport your taste buds to a world you will never forget. Serving up tantalising appetisers, juicy main meals, and classic desserts, Brook Indian Gastro Pub is revolutionising Indian dining in Cambridge.

The Starters' Appeal: Brook Indian Gastro Pub

The appetisers at Brook Indian Gastro Pub are expertly prepared to whet your appetite and set the mood for the rest of your meal.

Szechuan Paneer Bao:

Picture a bao bun with a twist, all fluffy and soft. Indian and East Asian flavours come together in perfect harmony in Brook's Szechuan Paneer Bao. Paneer, a famous cottage cheese in India, is marinated in a hot Szechuan sauce with lots of ginger, garlic, and scorching red chillies in this meal. After that, the paneer is expertly packed into the fluffy bao buns, resulting in a symphony of flavours and textures. The Szechuan paneer's spiciness is nicely offset by the bao's subtle sweetness, creating an appetiser that will have you begging for more.

Dragon Chicken:

Just like its name implies, Dragon Chicken is a very spicy dish. Crispy chicken tossed in a colourful Indo-Chinese green sauce and sautéed in a marinade makes up this appetiser. Flavours explode in your mouth from the fresh green chillies, coriander, and acidic lime juice that make up the sauce. The chicken is perfectly cooked—crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside—and the green sauce gives it a tangy, pleasant kick. By combining the finest elements of Indian and Chinese cooking, this dish personifies the fusion food movement.

Lamb Pepper Fry:

At Brook Indian Gastro Pub, you must order the Lamb Pepper Fry if you desire something meaty and robust. Fall in love with these luscious boneless lamb chunks sautéed with coconut, a blend of aromatic spices and freshly ground black pepper. The end product is a dish that is full of texture and flavour thanks to the black pepper's spiciness and the coconut's inherent sweetness. The lamb is succulent and flavourful, with a subtle earthiness that is typical of South Indian cuisine. No matter how cold it is in Cambridge on a winter night, this meal will keep you toasty.

Main Course Delights — Brook Indian Gastro Pub

Guests at Brook Indian Gastro Pub can continue their culinary adventure with a variety of hearty and exciting main courses.

Mushroom and Cashew Nut Curry:

The combination of the soft mushrooms and crunchy cashew nuts in the semi-dry sauce creates a sensory feast. The gravy is prepared by sautéing onions and capsicums with a blend of Indian spices until they are cooked to perfection. In the end, you get an incredibly flavorful curry—rich, nutty, and slightly sweet. You may enjoy every piece with rice or bread thanks to its semi-dry texture.

The Special Fried Rice from Brook:

Everyone loves fried rice, but the Special Fried Rice at Brook Indian Gastro Pub is out of this world. Fried eggs and spicy chicken create a harmonious blend of flavours in this dish. The fried eggs bring a richness that balances the heat of the chilli chicken, and the perfectly cooked rice keeps the texture and taste of each grain. It's a dish that will satisfy even the pickiest eaters with its vibrant yet comfortable flavour profile.

Veg Manchurian Fried Rice:

Vegetarians and vegans alike will love the veggie manchurian Fried Rice. The vegetable balls in this recipe are a culmination of finely chopped veggies cooked in a spicy, acidic sauce. When the veggie balls are mixed with stir-fried rice, a dish bursting with flavour and texture is achieved. The crunchy stir-fried rice complements the savoury veggie balls, while the acidic sauce balances out their richness. Indulge in this dish at any meal because it is both filling and revitalising.

Dessert Kulfi: The Sweet Finale - Brook Indian Gastro Pub

Dessert is an essential part of any dinner, and the Kulfi at Brook Indian Gastro Pub is the ideal way to round off your culinary experience. Rich, creamy, and flavourful, kulfi is a typical Indian ice cream. Kulfi has a distinct and delightful texture thanks to its unusual combination of spices—cardamom, saffron, and condensed milk—and sugar. It makes it heavier than ordinary ice cream. Served with a drizzle of rose syrup and a sprinkle of crushed pistachios, the Kulfi at Brook elevates this traditional delicacy to a more refined level. It's an incredibly satisfying sweet treat that will leave you wanting more.

Biryani and Tapas: An Unparalleled Gastronomic Adventure

Not only is the new menu item delicious, but so are the Biryanis and tapas at Brook Indian Gastro Pub. Crafted with care, the Best Biryani in Cambridge at Brook feature fragrant basmati rice, succulent meats, and an aromatic spice blend. The dish's richness and satisfaction are enhanced with every bite, thanks to the wonderfully calibrated spices. No matter what your taste in Biryani is—vegetarian, chicken, or lamb—Brook offers it all.

The Tapas menu at Brook is almost as remarkable, with a variety of sharing-friendly small tapas. The finest ingredients go into every one of our mouth-watering dishes, from spicy pakoras to crunchy samosas. Indulge in a variety of meals from the Tapas menu and discover the entire spectrum of flavours offered by Brook Indian Gastro Pub.

Perfect Setting:

The experience is more critical than the cuisine at Brook Indian Gastro Pub. The pub's friendly ambience is ideal for enjoying a meal with loved ones. Warm lighting, cosy seating, and an open kitchen that lets you watch the cooks work create an atmosphere that is equal parts modern and classic. At Brook, you'll always get helpful recommendations from the kind and educated staff about what to eat and drink to go with your meal.

The bar also offers craft beers, exquisite wines, and unique cocktails. The bartenders at Brook can make any cocktail to go with your dinner, from the traditional to the more experimental.

A Dedication to Excellence:

The foundation of Brook Indian Gastro Pub's operations is quality. When workable, the chefs use locally produced ingredients so that you know you're getting the freshest food. Because every dish is prepared to order, you may be certain that the freshness, flavour, and perfection of your dinner will be met. The pub's dedication to excellence permeates the entire dining experience, from the cuisine and beverages to the service and ambience.

Exciting Times for Indian Food in Cambridge:

Brook Indian Gastro Pub is redefining Indian food in Cambridge with its creative menu and dedication to quality. Brook provides an exciting and fulfilling dining experience for everyone. Whether they are fans of classic Indian food or seeking something new. Kulfi, Dragon Chicken, Mushroom and Cashew Nut Curry, Brook Special Fried Rice, Veg Manchurian Fried Rice, and Szechuan Paneer Bao are a few of the new dishes that showcase the pub's commitment to creativity and excellence.

Conclusion:

Brook Indian Gastro Pub isn't a restaurant; it's a gathering spot for gourmets and others who value good cooking. With a wide variety of dishes that pay homage to several cultures' culinary traditions, the new menu is sure to please any palate. No matter how hungry you are, Brook is the place to go in Cambridge for the finest Indian food, whether you're looking for a quick snack or a dinner. Visit Brook Indian Gastro Pub the next time you're nearby to feel the enchantment yourself.

[eviesaurusrex]

ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜱᴏ ʟᴏɴᴇʟʏ

Harry Styles x British Royal!Reader

Her Royal Highness Princess YN, daughter to Prince Charles and late Princess Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales, younger sister to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and granddaughter to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh would’ve never thought to meet Harry Styles by accident—by literally running into him. And Harry Styles would’ve never considered meeting the Princess of England again after that seemingly fateful afternoon.

faceclaim: Saoirse Ronan

author’s note: I still can’t comprehend the immense feedback and support this series got so far! Thank you so damn much for that, it seriously means the world to me <33 Attention: this is long. Like, really long.

series masterlist

;

sunflowerbutterfly Why am I still part of this circus.

Liked by murderbane, archielives, gingerprince and 4 others | 10 comments

archielives ��🥲

↳ sunflowerbutterfly I should’ve hidden in your suitcase when you left for the states 💀

↳ archielives I should’ve just grabbed and taken you with me.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly That’s categorized as treason, my friend. Would’ve made you the enemy of the state but not the Will Smith kinda type💀

↳ archielives I don’t care. The President of the United States would’ve understood it.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly … you mean the 🍊? I don’t think so. President Obama? That’s another story.

liked by archielives and murderbane

gingerprince What did Granny do this time?

↳ MacMark Better question: What did she not do?

↳ gingerprince Touché.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly I’ll text in our group later ❤️

↳ MacMark Should I bring you something, lovely? Cookies? Lemonade? I think I saw some strawberry lemonade on my way up.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly That would be actually kinda sweet, Meg 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

liked by MacMark and gingerprince

murderbane Who do I have to murder?

liked by archielives, sunflowerbutterfly, MacMark and 2 others

↳ sunflowerbutterfly No one, Mer.

↳ murderbane I would do it.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly No, you wouldn’t because you’re not even capable of killing an insect.

↳ archielives YNN is not wrong.

↳ murderbane I hate you both.

liked by sunflowerbutterfly and archielives

;

“So, let me repeat that to get that straight into my head,” Meredith started while YN sipped her cocktail through the colorful straw accompanying it, chin propped up in her palm. “You have Harry Styles’ number for a week and a half saved in your phone and still didn’t call him? Are you sick, YNN?! Do I have to call an ambulance?” Her voice raised a couple of octaves, but YN only could shrug her shoulders half-heartedly. “It is complicated, okay?” More didn’t leave her mouth before her lips closed around the straw again, and the princess took a long sip, feeling the alcohol seeping into her body and letting her feel lighter. The burdens, usually resting on her shoulders, almost flew above her now.

She knew that alcohol never was the solution, but sometimes even YN couldn’t resist the tempting liquid.

Mer watched her over the edge of her own glass, blonde brows furrowed, and forehead wrinkled. “I saw the pictures, YNN. It didn’t seem complicated in that Starbucks or that park.” Her voice was softer now, and YN felt as if she wanted to cry right on this very chair, in this packed bar, somewhere in London. A thought seemed to strike her best friend while YN started to nibble listless and without appetite on a mozzarella stick. “What did she say?” The princess didn’t need to ask who Meredith meant by she. There was only one she who could ruin her week, and it certainly wasn’t Camilla. Her father’s wife was a nuisance on worst days, but nothing more.

Shrugging, YN let the mozzarella stick fall back into the basket before wiping her hand with the tissue lying next to it. “Rambled something about he isn’t a proper association for a princess and that I have to think about my family and my position.” Her voice was laced with unbelief and something resembling… rage. The latter was unlike YN because she usually was truly a peaceful individual, always searching for a way to solve conflicts—without hatred and anger.

Meredith choked on her cocktail and coughed to get the liquid out of her windpipe before taking a deep breath. “She lost her mind,” her friend decided, and YN laughed joylessly while Mer furrowed her brows even more. “What was her reason for this rubbish?” The blonde princess pulled the straw out of her glass and let it fall onto the tissue next to her hand before grabbing the drink and taking a bigger sip than necessary. “He is a singer, and, most importantly, it’s the way he dresses. His fucking clothes, Mer! Utter bullshit,” seethed the internally boiling woman, and Meredith couldn’t help it but chuckle softly at her rare outbursts, even though the topic wasn’t something she could laugh about. Meredith emptied her beverage and showed a final nod. “It’s official. The Queen of England threw her mind out of the window. No wonder Archie left this shitshow. Sorry.” YN hummed softly; the sound got almost swallowed by the sea of noises around them and the beating music in the background. “Don’t need to apologize, love. It’s true—my life is a shitshow. Think about it. I’m never utterly and truly free, even though they try to mask it that way, but at the same time, ordering me around and trying to control which people I am allowed to consider friends. Utter. Bollocks.” YN fell silent, emptying her cocktail and letting the glass hit the table a tad too hard. “No wonder my mom lost her mind.”

Sadness etched its way into her mind, and the feeling of longing wasn’t an unusual companion for the young woman. In such situations, she missed her mother more than she already did every day of her damned life. YN believed it would be easier to handle if Diana was still alive and still by her side to guide her through the strong tide of protocols, rules, and demanding people. Diana would help her escape from time to time—fully escape. But all of it was a silly, childish dream because her mother was dead, and no power on earth could bring her back.

Camilla would know how to prevent that.

A soft hand clasping hers pulled YN back into reality and out of her spiraling mind. Her eyes found her best friend, a worried and apologetic expression on her face. “Don’t say that,” she pleaded. “You are not your mom. You won’t live like her because I’m here, and I’m here to help and stay. And that’s why I’m telling you to call this angel of a man. I’m sure his personality will brighten up your day. Think about it: He gave you his number. He wanted you to call.” YN swallowed dryly at that thought and lowered her gaze, her pointer finger following the edge of her glass. “He said he wants to see me again. That day of our first meeting,“ the princess confessed to her best friend, and just as anticipated, Meredith almost freaked out but remembered where they were and lowered her tone. “Are you freaking kidding me?! YNN, that’s… that’s amazing! And so sweet!” But the excitement soon died down at the face her friend showed. “Oh no,” the Brisbane mumbled, while the blonde only pulled her shoulders up to her ears—a clear sign of her spiraling thoughts and rising anxiety. “What if he only wants to see me again for the tabloids, the paparazzi, his impact on social media? What if he only sees the princess when he looks at me, the titles, my family, the attention he can gain through me? I experienced all of it, and it never seemed as if that were their intention. Never.”

She really had stood last in line while the universe had distributed the luck a human had in life. She always found the assholes within the sea of individuals. Or maybe she was a magnet for such people; a screaming, beckoning light in the dark ocean that was their miserable life until they could ruin a person. It was exhausting.

Meredith cocked a brow. “Do you really believe a single word you just spat out?” She looked up from her empty glass, chewing on her bottom lip. “I don’t know, Mer. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to think and what not. It’s a mess up here.” She pointed to her head and shook it. “I probably don’t believe a single word floating through my mind, but the fears are there anyway. I can’t turn them down or even off. And that’s probably why I haven’t called him yet.” Her best friend sighed while she softly patted YN’s hand. “What about a deal? You gonna call this poor man who is definitely sulking somewhere in England, asking himself what he did wrong because his phone still isn’t ringing, and if he turns out to be an asshole like everyone else, you hit me up, and I will end this bastard. Deal?”

Swallowing, YN nodded, and suddenly, Meredith pushed the basket with the mozzarella sticks right in front of her. “Perfect. And now, you’re gonna eat those damn sticks because they’re part of your culinary journey in becoming a peasant—and because I paid eleven pounds for these bastards.”

;

sunflowerbutterfly Hi, I’m YN, and that’s 100% me.

By the way: Behold and witness my immaculate photoshop skills. ✨Digital art is my passion✨

Liked by murderbane, archielives, and 3 others | 4 comments

murderbane Do I have to move my ass over to Kensington?

↳ sunflowerbutterfly …no.

↳ murderbane Call him. NOW.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly Stop screaming, I’m sensitive!

archielives Call him. NOW.

liked by murderbane

↳ sunflowerbutterfly WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU

↳ archielives Call him.

↳ archielives Now.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly Remind me again not to send you anything for your birthday.

↳ murderbane I will send you something, Arch!

liked by archielives

;

It took her another day to finally take the phone from its station.

—

Harry had just ended a fresh verse for a new song that had stuck in his head ever since that day, as his phone started to vibrate, announcing an incoming call. His band members had never seen him react this fast; usually, Harry barely acknowledged his phone when writing songs inside the studio, but in the past almost two weeks, he had acted differently, and not only Sarah suspected something.

“Yes, hello?” He sounded out of breath, his heart jumping in his chest and up to his throat. “Mr. Styles, this is the Royal Palace of Kensington. Her Royal Highness, Princess YN, would like to talk to you. I’m connecting the call now. Have a good night, sir,” the authoritative, nameless voice explained without waiting for even a second if that was alright. Well, it certainly was, and probably no one in his right mind would decline a call from the palace, so it made sense. Still, it felt odd to the singer, but those thoughts vanished immediately as a short beeping sound announced the connected call.

Silence settled into the line before her voice spoke up. “Uhm… hi? Oh gosh, is this even the right number? Shit. Uhm… if you are not Harry Styles, then I am truly and immensely sorry for bothering you, and even if you are Harry Styles, I am sorry for bothering you so late. Shit, I did not check the time before deciding this, I-…” Harry chuckled lowly and closed his pen. “YN?” His voice asked softly into his phone and let her pause. “It’s me, and it’s totally fine. You didn’t wake or disturb me,” he promised with a gentle smile spreading on his lips.

Sarah and Mitch, who had wanted to go over some things, now sat awfully still and quiet in the studio and listened to him with wide eyes.

A deep, relieved sigh traveled through the call. “Oh God, for a second, I seriously thought I gave them the wrong number. I am too bad with numbers. This always ends in a catastrophic disaster, so please, keep that in mind if you ever want me to calculate something. I am not even able to remember my own phone number correctly, which I have owned since 2009. And now I’m rambling. Gosh, I am so sorry. And now I’m apologizing again. Universe, please send some help.” The last sentence was definitely not meant for his ears, but her whispering was too precious, and Harry was glad he had heard that. It made her even more human—and so, so relatable. “I keep that in mind,” he grinned, leaning back into his chair but turning a tad serious now. “I thought I’d never hear from you.” He almost mumbled the words, not wanting to pressure her in anything or make her feel guilty. Another sigh reached his ear. “I know, and I’m sorry for that too. I had a lot of responsibilities, and after a day that started at four-thirty in the morning and ended way past ten in the night, I didn’t feel like I would be great company. And… well, I am not self-confidence in person, so that came on top.”

Harry felt his heart leap in his chest at her words. So she thought about me too, the singer grinned before standing up and moving to the cushioned corner in the studio. “I totally get that, don’t worry. I just thought… well. I don’t know what I thought. Maybe that I made a mistake or offended you in any way, I wasn’t aware of.” The brunette heard a chuckle, and he had to laugh softly as well. “Maybe we should decide right here, right now, to just jump into the cold water in any case of doubts and episodes of overthinking,” YN suggested with another chuckle, and Harry thought that he had never grinned this wide in his entire life. “I think that’s a great idea. Maybe we should toast to our deal with another coffee.”

He swallowed hard after the suggestion, which had slipped out of his mouth without a second thought on how that sounded, but her answering voice, instead of the beeping sound of an ended call, saved his rapidly beating heart from exploding. “Smooth, Mr. Styles, exceptionally smooth.” He could hear her grin from the opposite end of London. “What about a day trip? Just… getting out of London and maybe somewhere more peaceful? Don’t get me wrong, I love this city with my entire heart, but-“ Harry continued her sentence. “-but the paparazzi are horrible.”

He knew that feeling all too well.

“Yes! Exactly this. So… Would you be up for it? We don’t have to drive far. Maybe Reading? Oxford is a bit farther, but not as far as Brighton or Portsmouth…” Harry had to admit that he loved to listen to her ramble, slipping into the depths of her mind. It was the most adoring thing he had ever witnessed, and he hoped instantly to hear it even more often. “We can go wherever you want to go,” he returned and meant it with every single part of his being. “Reading, Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton, Bath… Road trips are fun.” He could hear her smile again—she almost always let a very short, very quiet chuckle out while forming her lips into a smile. It was strange how fast he had caught up to one of her habits. Harry had to ask himself what else he could explore when spending more time with the princess. Everything in his body tingled at the prospect of more time with YN.

“Bath is a bit far for only a day trip, don’t you think? And… do I need to prepare something special for a… road trip?” The princess spoke the word as if it meant traveling to the moon, and Harry had to cock a brow. “Your Royal Highness, do you try to let me know that you never experienced the magic of a road trip?” His voice had gained a teasing tone, the nervousness finally disappearing. Her groan made him laugh under his breath. “Do not dare and tease me about my lack of experience and knowledge! Meredith—my best friend—is not particularly hyped for long car journeys, and Archie—my other best friend—didn’t have a driver’s license until he moved to the States. And asking my two shadows always seemed kind of… odd. Not to mention my family, even though Harry would have done it if I had asked really nicely.”

The other Harry—it was funny thinking like that about himself—hummed, interested, listening intently about her life and family. He only had known the things made public, and even those were probably straight-up lies. Well, most of them, at least. “I would never think of it,” he grinned before humming again, deep in thought now.

“We would need a good playlist for the road.”

He could hear her scribble on paper.

“Consider this done,” YN decided, and Harry thought further.

“Snacks and drinks, of course.”

“That’s my job as well.”

“You can cook?” He didn’t intend to sound this surprised, but YN gladly only laughed wholeheartedly. “Yes, I am capable of following recipes and actually am able to cook and bake without them—without poisoning everyone around me, thank you very much.” Harry fully ignored Sarah’s and Mitch’s stares at his loud laugh escaping him now. “I’ll keep that in mind. But I’m providing the drinks. Is it true that you love strawberry lemonade, or is that just a straight-up lie created by tabloids to boost beverage production?” He waited for an answer while already planning to ask his mom for her recipe. “This one is, surprisingly, very true. But don’t believe the things about my morning routine if you ever stumble upon them. Who drinks Earl Grey with raw eggs? Is that even a helpful concoction in the eyes of the beauty industry? I believe not.“

It was official: Harry could listen to her all day long and wouldn’t get tired of her voice. Quite the opposite was the case—he craved more and more of those soft sounds leaving her lips.

“I can outdo this easily. I only have to say three words: bull testicles moisturizer.” Her escaping laugh was almost like music in his ear, and he wanted to write songs about it.

Harry, deep breaths. The century’s biggest crush is showing.

But it was too hard when she was not only stunningly beautiful but also funny, intelligent, and one of the gentlest and most compassionate human beings walking on this planet.

“Tabloids only hire a certain kind of people, don’t they?” YN still laughed but took a deep breath. “Okay, back to the topic at hand: do we need a picnic blanket? I mean, it is still February, and the last snow only melted yesterday, but… I don’t know, the thought seemed so enticing in my head, but it is probably not manageable without getting a horrible cold. Which I cannot cast upon you, fine sir, and I am not allowed to get sick any time soon either.” Harry could hear incomprehensible mumble reaching his ear, and he already figured out what that meant. “Busy schedule?” He desperately wanted to know more about her life; maybe he could help her a bit, and if it would just contain road trips here and there, he would do it. “Kind of. The birthday of my uncle—Edward—is coming up, and Granny is head over heels for the idea of a ball. Nothing big or fancy like the Royal Caledonian Ball in May, but still something I have to attend in a fancy, uncomfortable dress and torturing heels,” she explained with a soft groan, and Harry smiled at her being so completely normal. If the world only knew that… “How about that: We will leave the picnic blanket for now, but we’ll take it on a road trip another time?” He had spoken the words without thinking—again. He wanted to hit himself.

“Are you already planning another trip with me, Harry?” In his panicky screaming mind, he couldn’t process her tone, or if YN smiled, so he stammered around it. “I… It shouldn’t… I didn’t…” But her gentle laugh silenced him, though he could feel the blood rushing into his cheeks. “I was only teasing you, Harry. I’d be honored to have a road trip companion. So… When do you think we can do it? I’d love to say we could leave right away or tomorrow, but I’m visiting a children’s hospital.” His heart almost jumped out of his chest, and Harry had to take a deep breath. “What about next week? Tuesday? Most tourists will be around during the weekend.” He tried to think about anything that would make this day impossible to maneuver around it. “Tuesday sounds perfect. Do you want my number? Just in case something comes up?” Harry swallowed, eyes widening, but he nodded even though YN couldn’t see it. “That would be great, though there won’t be coming anything up.” He would know how to prevent that from happening.

After he had scribbled down her number next to the verse he had written earlier this evening, there was a short silence between them before YN cleared her throat.

“…Harry?”

He perked up. “Yeah?”

“I’m really glad you were my collision partner in that Starbucks.”

The singer could hear her smile appearing again—and he smiled as well.

“Me too, YN.”

;

haroldsmind He can’t stop writing. Wonder why that’s so. It definitely doesn’t have anything to do with those phone calls he always accepts within a millisecond, nope 👀 Sincerely, Mitch (yes, I stole his phone for this post)

Liked by annetwist, gemmastyles, pillowpersonpp and 3 others | 5 comments

jefezoff Or that free Tuesday he demands he needs 👀

gemmastyles Phone calls? I need details? 👀

annetwist Mhmmmm 😇

haroldsmind And I wondered where my phone was. Thanks, man.

liked by mitchrowland, jefezoff, and pillowpersonpp

↳ mitchrowland I had to do it.

↳ haroldsmind And why’s that?

↳ mitchrowland Capturing it for the future so I can say “I told you”?

liked by pillowpersonpp and jefezoff

pillowpersonpp Don’t mess this up, Haz, thank you.

↳ haroldsmind I don’t know what you mean.

↳ pillowpersonpp Don’t act dumb, I want to meet her.

sunflowerbutterfly And suddenly, a bouquet of flowers appeared on my doorsteps 🙊🥺

Liked by MacMark, gingerprince, archielives and 4 others | 6 comments

archielives Excuse me while I cry in my pillows (out of pure happiness)

liked by MacMark and murderbane

MacMark Mhmmmm? 👀

↳ sunflowerbutterfly 👉🏻👈🏻

↳ MacMark I want to hear everything after that horrible family dinner tonight.

gingerprince Okay, yeah. Interesting. Do you mind pointing me in the direction of the suitor, so I can play out the big brother act?

↳ sunflowerbutterfly I seriously don’t know what you mean.

↳ gingerprince I call bullshit.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly Ah ah ah! Don’t let Grandmother dearest hear that. She could get the impression the Americans rub off on you 💀

liked by MacMark

↳ MacMark What a shock it might be if she learns that Harry was already like that before we even met 👀

liked by sunflowerbutterfly

;

YN would’ve lied if she said she wasn’t nervous as she climbed into the waiting Jeep after Bernard had pulled up in front of the palace. He had handed her the keys with a smile—he knew just as well as she that she hadn’t driven her car ever since returning from Oxford—while Aaron and Egil situated themselves in the black Audi behind her. At least she would have some privacy before picking up Harry, so she could try and calm her nerves a bit.

“Everything will be fine. Everything will be okay. It’s nothing. Just a day with the hottest and most handsome and wonderful male individual gracing this earth with his presence. It’s nothing unusual, YN. Nothing to worry about.”

She tried to calm herself with the newfound whispered mantra but failed miserably, even until the last intersection she had to cross. It was as if she was back at square one and as if the nightly phone—and even FaceTime—calls didn’t happen for the last six days. It was maddening.

Stopping at the given address marked the point of no return, especially because the door leading to his property had already got opened, and Harry bloody Styles appeared in all his handsomely glory. He held a basket in hand on which two thick blankets laid, neatly rolled up, and an umbrella in his other hand—you never knew in England. Harry turned after closing the door and spotted the described Jeep immediately—plus the sleek black Audi waiting behind it.

“Hey,” the man smiled after putting the basket in the trunk and climbing into the car seat. YN released a relieved sigh and returned the smile. “Hey,” was all she could return before—in an impulsive reaction—she leaned over the middle console and pressed a featherlike kiss on his cheek. He chuckled after YN pulled herself back onto her side of the car, cheeks trying to challenge a hydrant. “I guess the flowers arrived?” The princess nodded with another smile and started the engine to leave London behind for the day. “They did. And… and they are breathtakingly beautiful. Thank you. How did you know that periwinkles and cream roses are my favorites?” A curious expression settled on her slightly concentrated face as she maneuvered through the heavy London-ish traffic, and Harry couldn’t stop himself from staring and watching her. “I didn’t,” he grinned softly. “I just went into that flower shop, saw the florist unpacking a fresh box of cream roses and periwinkles, and thought, They look gorgeous, I have to send her them, and the rest is history, as one would say.”

She could feel how her cheeks proceeded with their goal to be just as similar as a hydrant while turning onto the A40, heading to Oxford. They had decided upon her beloved city of scarce freedom two nights ago while talking about their respective lives, and YN had sucked every word of him up like much-needed oxygen. But somewhere along the FaceTime call, during which she had settled in the comforts of her bed, the princess had fallen asleep, and Harry still couldn’t comprehend the burning but soft, warm feeling that had spread through his body at the sight of her peaceful sleeping face—because his voice had guided her into slumber. He still felt privileged because he had seen her in her most vulnerable state so far: in the comforts of her home no one outside her family and friends had ever seen before and her trust to let him see her sleep.

Don’t try to talk yourself out of it, Harry. This crush is still there, and you are falling even harder for this woman.

It was probably very true.

“Then you must be a wizard—or the Fates had their fun,” YN grinned, eyes quickly jumping up to the rear mirror before changing the lane, black Audi still behind her. She could never outrun them, not even if she took lessons with the Fast and the Furious cast. “You know, I can drive us as well.” But at his words, the princess settled into an even more comfortable seating position—almost slouching in the driver’s seat. “Nah-uh. You can drive us back home if you like, but maybe I won’t let you then either because it was my idea.” She paused, and her thumb softly stroked over the steering wheel. “And I missed driving, to be quite honest. Haven’t done it since returning to London full-time.” Harry slouched as well; long legs outstretched and an elbow propped up on the small space next to the window. “So, this is a drive along memory lane?” He asked, and YN nodded with a radiant smile. “It totally is, yep. I always took this road when driving back on Sundays if my presence was needed in good ol’ London. Same car, same black Audi behind me, with the exact same men inside it. But this now… this is much better.” Harry could witness the transformation from that radiant smile into a shy one and—again—couldn’t stop staring.

YN chuckled, embarrassed, and shook her head softly. “That sounded too cheesy, even for my standards,” she mumbled, but suddenly, she felt a warm, much bigger hand enveloping the one resting on the gear stick, lacing their fingers together. The princess only spared a quick glance down but was taken aback at how good their hands looked together; how they fitted almost perfectly. She had never thought that this was possible—that her brain went into overdrive just at the mere sight of two hands together. Or that her stomach fluttered like a tornado of butterflies at the feeling of his warm skin pressed against hers in the most innocent but intimate gestures this world had to offer.

But there was probably always a time for firsts.

“Not too cheesy,” Harry almost whispered, and YN couldn’t stop but push their fingers closer together, getting a better hold on them and reveling in this unexpected feeling. “Okay,” she grinned softly and pointed her finger in the direction of the audio system. “Would you mind? I’m a bit… preoccupied.” Laughing, Harry watched her as she helplessly shrugged her shoulders; one hand at the steering wheel and the other clasped in the soft embrace of his hand. “Of course.” He touched the display to wake it up and was suddenly faced with a fully prepared playlist. Instead of looking through the titles YN had put on there, he only started the list and widened his eyes as the first tunes of Heart Of The Country by Paul McCartney filled the car.

“Where did you…-“ Harry couldn’t even end his question, too stunned he felt, and YN reveled in his expressions. “I wasn’t an A-student for nothing.” The satisfied grin was accompanied by her thumb gently caressing his hand—YN could not not cave into that desire. “I took my research very seriously,” the princess nodded proudly, while Harry leaned even further back into the seat and shook his head unbelievingly. “You constantly amaze me, Your Highness,” he finally spoke as Heart Of The Country ended, and Bridge Over Troubled Water started. YN granted herself one very quick look over to him, saw his slightly blushed cheeks, the small smile on his lips, those mesmerizing eyes settled entirely upon her, and looked back to the traffic in front of her.

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

She really wasn’t sure.

His following chuckle would’ve swept her off her feet if she didn’t sit already.

“It’s more than just a good thing.” So much more.

;

ynismyqueen Excuse me while I sob uncontrollably.

SHE WAS ONLY A HANDFUL OF FEET AWAY FROM ME.

I BREATHED THE SAME AIR AS SHE DID

‼️AND HARRY WAS WITH HER‼️

Liked by royalistsbitch, yn_harryshipper, yourfan1, hsfan1, and 358 others | 99 comments

royalistsbitch I spilled my tea.

yn_harryshipper WHAT?! IS MY DREAM REALLY COMING TRUE

↳ ynismyqueen I THINK SO??!!! They sat SO close to one another 😩 And their expressions were EVERYTHING 😩

↳ yn_harryshipper screaming crying dying right now.

hsfan1 another account posted the pictures of Harry, but I can’t find them anymore!!! 😭

↳ hsfan2 perhaps you mean harrystylesfanpage?

↳ hsfan1 Yes. YES! Thanks so much!

liked by harrystylesfanpage and hsfan2

yourfan1 Can somebody recall a day in the past months where she looked this happy???

↳ yourfan2 Nope.

↳ ynismyqueen Only the day she met Harry in that Starbucks

↳ yourfan1 True! I missed her smile 🥺

↳ yourfan2 +1

↳ ynismyqueen +2

harrystylesforever I probably died, and this is just the afterlife where all your ships become a reality.

Liked by ynismyqueen, yourfan1, hsfan1, hsfan2, harrystylesfanpage, and 1,219 others | 311 comments

hsfan1 i kinda love the content, but i kinda feel bad because those photos violet their privacy, urgh

liked by yourfan1 and 113 others

↳ yourfan1 Same, bestie, same.

hsfan2 Look at how they sit 😮‍💨

ynismyqueen Still not over these two. And it’s so sweet that they do it here in Oxford because Oxford means so much to YN 🥹❤️

↳ yourfan2 Had the same thought. She probably showed him her favorite spots in the city 🥺

harrystylesfanpage We’re really rooting for these two now. Haters gonna hate soon, but we don’t care. We love a happy Harry! And a happy YN!

;

sunflowerbutterfly Who needs cooks when they have a cooking Harry? 🤷🏼‍♀️

Liked by murderbane, gingerprince, MacMark, and 3 others | 4 comments

MacMark Harry Styles is in the palace kitchen, and nobody thought to give me a heads up?

↳ sunflowerbutterfly We sneaked in. No grand announcements possible 🤷🏼‍♀️

↳ MacMark Aha 👀

gingerprince You are lucky I’m not there.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly 🙄💀

↳ gingerprince But seriously, YNN. I wanna have a word with him if this continues.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly I don’t know what you mean, Henry Charles Albert David.

↳ murderbane COULD YOU PLEASE STOP WITH THE SELF DENIAL?!

liked by gingerprince

↳ gingerprince Thank you, Meredith. What she said 👆🏻

liked by murderbane

↳ sunflowerbutterfly I hate you both. If you’ll excuse me, I have a guest.

archielives YOU GO GIRL!!!

murderbane Will the cooks keep their mouths shut?

↳ archielives They will. They adore YN to pieces.

haroldsmind Chef Harold is here to save the day👨🏽‍🍳

↳ sunflowerbutterfly Well, the food is already smelling (and looking) delicious

↳ murderbane I can’t see the first reply, but I’m sure it’s Harry, so here is the 1,000,000£ question of the evening: Do you really mean the food or the cook only inches away from said food?

liked by archielives

↳ sunflowerbutterfly 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

↳ archielives Those emojis won’t save you, dear.

liked by murderbane

;

“Do you need anything else, Your Highness?” One of the cooks asked after Harry had divided the spaghetti between two plates—the plain white ones, not the fancy porcelain with the white gold designed edges—and YN shook her head while Harry gathered the two plates and a bottle of wine. She already held the two mugs in hand, out of which they would drink it. Who needs fancy glasses made out of crystal? “No, Chef Laurent, but thank you. You all can head home and to bed—we will be just fine. But please don’t lock the freezer, that would be really great, and I would appreciate it on an entirely different level.”

Who knew, maybe she craved ice cream at night?

The chef of chefs nodded and started to usher everyone out of his realm. “You know it is only Laurent, Your Highness,” he scolded her with a smile, but YN shrugged. “And you know I told you I would start using only your name if you drop the title as well. Good night!” YN coaxed the bottle out of Harry’s grasp, smile on her face, so that he could use both hands for the plates, and guided him back to her apartment after passing the several stairs to the second floor of the east wing. It was far enough away from her brother, Kate, and the kids to be quiet enough but not too far away if YN felt the need for her eldest brother’s hugs or advice from her sister-in-law. And so the entire second-floor wing belonged to her—including the attic above her six-room apartment.

“They really love you,” Harry said, and the princess cocked her head slowly from side to side, unsure. “Maybe. Maybe they are just friendly because they have known me my entire life and always had to keep up with me stealing the cakes out of the cooling room. Maybe they are just friendly because they get paid to be. Who knows.” She always had a hard time believing that people actually liked her for herself and not for the title, her family, or position—the latter containing connections and relationships with powerful and influential people. She had learned early in her life that it wasn’t her title that contained said things because even with a title, one could be as insignificant as a stone in the mud.

Her uncle Andrew was only the most recent example. The thought alone made her skin prickle in the most unpleasant of ways.

But Harry thought differently about the kitchen staff. “I believe they do. I’m not blind; I saw their faces when we entered, and you greeted them. They love you. They would cook you the grandest dinner in the middle of the night if you’d ask. And, to be honest, it doesn’t surprise me a bit.” They had reached the last step and turned right to pass the long corridor and finally reach the french doors to her very own realm. “Why doesn’t it?” YN had to ask. Harry grinned down at the blonde, and if he didn’t carry their dinner, he would stretch a hand out to push that blonde strand out of her face and behind her ear, maybe steal a quick touch of her soft skin. But instead, she did it herself with a hectic move which he knew that it screamed insecurity. “Because you, YN, are a compassionate and loving person. You treat people with unbelievable kindness and tend to them if they need you. I saw those pictures from your trip to the hospital—every single one of these kids, and even their parents and the staff loved you. They respect you. It’s who you are. And it’s inevitable to fall to your feet.”

He swallowed before turning again and walking to the mentioned doors, the princess closely next to him. She opened one of them without a single word and let them into her sacred halls. Harry let his eyes wander again—they had been up here shortly before going down to the kitchen and making dinner—and he still couldn’t grasp the coziness of this place. Everything seemingly screamed “YN” in every octave and sound he could imagine. He may not know her for long, but it was enough to picture the perfect home for the woman now striding to the small coffee table in front of the fireplace to clean it off books and paperwork. Two comfortable-looking pillows found their way onto the softly looking carpet; two fluffy blankets followed just as closely. He carried the two plates over, settled them onto the table, and plopped down next to YN on the ground, watching her as she skillfully decapitated the wine and poured it into the two mugs.

She finally looked up to him again because even while sitting, Harry almost loomed over her. “Which one do you like?” The question got asked with both mugs in hands, raising them now onto eye level, so Harry could inspect each of them more closely. “A fancy and noteworthy selection, miss, and a tough decision.” She nodded, suppressing her grin. “Indeed,” YN answered with the most serious tone she could master. “I will happily take the I survived my trip to New York City mug if you don’t mind.” The princess handed the white mug with the yellow cab over to the singer while taking a better hold of her own mug Meredith had made for her birthday three years ago. The dark blue “YN’s Rule #16 - Never mess with a Princess’ coffee if you want to live” still made her chuckle every time she looked at that mug. She may have graduated with honors, but she definitely had pulled many all-nighters with Mer to watch every single episode of NCIS. She still was a young woman with a burning passion for tv shows and Hollywood movies, after all.

“An excellent choice, sir,” YN grinned before taking the first sip of some white wine she had found in the kitchen—and which suited their dinner if one could believe a world-known chef. But then, she turned serious again, swallowing dryly before opening her mouth and asking the boiling and tickling question. “You said something about it being inevitable to fall to my feet. Does… does this statement include… well, you?” Only a second after the question mark had left her lips, the princess felt the blood rushing into her face, and her lungs stopped working entirely while her heart working overtime. Almost hectically, the blonde turned to their food and tried to find the manual on how to use a fork again in her brain. But emptiness was all that greeted her up there. “I’m sorry,” YN whispered then, not daring to raise her gaze. “I shouldn’t have asked that. It is none of my business, I suppose, so… forget I ever asked.” The muscle in her chest ached, and YN wished desperately to reverse the past twenty seconds to return to the fluffy mood they had created with those silly mugs.

A warm finger underneath her chin guided YN’s face gently into another direction, pushing her to look Harry right into his handsome face, those sea green eyes intently wandering over her face before they stared right into hers. “If you allow it.” His voice was a husky whisper in the silence of her living room. YN blinked slowly, not daring to move too fast in utter fear she would destroy this moment when moving too suddenly. “What?” Her voice had never sounded this breathless in her entire life. Harry softly grabbed her chin with his thumb, his pointer finger still resting underneath it. “If you allow me to fall to your feet, I will happily do it. I’m probably already at your feet without even knowing it, hoping to have the honor to get to know you better, spend more time with you, show you how you deserve to be treated every single minute of every single day. To cook for you after a road trip, full of singing along the playlist, in that massive kitchen downstairs, while you’re sitting on the counter, reaching for every spice I need, adorable smile on your pretty face. To show you my kitchen and living room where we could play Monopoly all night long while eating Chinese takeout, reading the notes of our fortune cookies out loud. To take you out to a proper sushi restaurant because takeout sushi doesn’t count. Convincing you there that green tea and sushi are a delicious combination. I will do all that and more if you allow it.”

Harry stopped for a short moment to take a deep breath and tried to soothe his rapidly beating heart. Forgotten was the steaming pasta next to them, the wine in their silly mugs, the unfamiliar environment the singer found himself in.

Only YN had space in his mind.

Only YN was important now.

“Will you allow it, YN?”

And her barely observable nod was everything he had ever wanted.

;

haroldsmind Incognito 101: how to pull off the sunglasses-hat-combination without a single ray of sunshine.

Liked by pillowpersonpp, gemmastyles, annetwist, jefezoff, and 5 other | 8 comments

gemmastyles I think I just hyperventilated.

↳ annetwist Deep breaths, love 😇

↳ gemmastyles Don’t be the calm one now, Mom!!!!

jefezoff So, this is where you disappeared to today 👀

↳ mitchrowland I told you 👀

↳ jefezoff I know, but I thought it couldn’t be true 👀

pillowpersonpp Excuse me, I have to get my worldview in a new order.

sunflowerbutterfly I just entered this magical realm and suddenly faced myself. That’s surprising.

↳ sunflowerbutterfly (No, it is not because you asked very lovely if you could post this one here.)

↳ haroldsmind 😊

liked by gemmastyles, pillowpersonpp, annetwist, and 2 others

↳ gemmastyles He is using emojis. I’m repeating, he is using emojis.

↳ haroldsmind 🙄

liked by gemmastyles and sunflowerbutterfly

;

Lying between pillows, blankets, and comforters spread over the fluffy carpet in front of the now crackling fireplace, YN held Pride and Prejudice securely in her hands. Harry laid beside her, propped up on one arm, eyes fully taking in the woman next to him, while her lips moved and let the words of her most favorite novel out in the air.

“But vanity, not love, has been my folly. Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, where either were concerned. Till this moment I never knew myself.”

The singer smiled at the sight of her closing eyes with a deep, comfortable sigh escaping YN and letting the old book slowly rest on her chest. The cover, though… “Wait. Is this the same book…?” Harry didn’t even need to end his question because YN turned her head, eyes opening, and her slight grin gave him the answer. “It looks so old. I remember thinking the same, especially while holding it, but I thought Harry, she would never bring an old book to a Starbucks.” Now, her grin held a piece of secret knowledge, and the princess sat up in their self-made coziness. Harry followed her close, still resting his weight on one hand that rested closely behind her back, and looked over her shoulder to see what she was doing. Her fingers let the pages fall back into their usual position and opened the first page. The tips of her fingers softly stroked over the old, yellowish paper until they reached the printed year of release. His eyes fell on the black ink above her finger, and the singer felt as if his eyes would pop out of his head.

“What the….-“ His voice died down, and he scooted closer, not thinking about it further, and not even the pressing feeling of their legs against each other could pull him out of his disbelieving daze. “This can’t be…” But her chuckle proved otherwise. “It is,” she grinned, and Harry stretched out his hand to intently grace the surface of this first edition. “And you brought this first edition to a Starbucks? Seriously?” YN chuckled again and let her thumb tenderly stroke over the cover after closing it. “It’s a bit… no, very posh, I know. But I never owned another copy of Pride and Prejudice because I never think about it when I’m in a bookstore. And… I’m biased in buying another edition, to be quite honest. They were my firsts, you know? Thanks to them, I fell in love with literature, with books, and the written word. It feels like betraying my one true love.” YN chuckled with a head shake.

But Harry understood it and nodded his head. “It’s like for me with music, with my guitars, my piano. I understand. It’s still more extra than I have ever thought could be possible.” YN shoved him playfully to his side, and the singer laughed loudly, the princess following close. “Better carrying one first edition volume rather than all three, don’t you think?” The brunette grinned up at the woman still sitting upright on their makeshift island of comfort. “True,” he agreed, and after YN had put the book on the soft cushions of the sofa next to them, she settled back onto their island, head slowly resting on Harry’s outstretched arm.

She moved her face to look up at him, furrowing her brows in question. “Is that okay?” The man hummed in agreement at the almost whispered ask—soft expression settling on his face while watching the blonde woman, settling closer to his body without even thinking.

“Was there ever a time when you wanted to do something different than what you do?” Her question pulled Harry back to her after losing himself in the view of her right next to him, head resting comfortably on his biceps. One shoulder got shrugged, and he was quiet for longer than intended because YN had started to play with a loose thread on his hoodie. “Before everything—before X-Factor and finding the boys, starting the band, going solo—I thought of attending university as my sister did. Maybe something along law, sociology, and business. But then everything changed, and I remember how I once sat in my room, trying to figure everything out, and thought how music had changed my life and, finally, that music was the one thing I wanted to do. Plus, I never was a good student, so university would have probably been a struggle throughout.”

While talking, Harry had looked upwards to the ceiling, but now, his gaze settled back on YN, realizing that she had observed him while telling her all these things. And at the sight of her bright blue eyes, which always reminded him of a spring or summer sky, he had to ask something. “Do you mind it?” Creases formed on her pale forehead as YN knitted her eyebrows. “What do you mean?” Her voice was quiet, not to disturb the peace they had found after dinner. “Do you mind I never went to university? Never graduated and earned degrees?” The princess propped herself up on one arm and starring down onto the brunette with still knitted brows. “Are you asking me if I mind that you’re a singer?” At his nod, YN sighed gently and, with her fingertip, booped his nose. “Of course not, silly,” she smiled. “I actually admire you and your decision to do what you love, to follow your heart. It’s more than I have ever done.” Now it was her turn to shrug her shoulder. “My decision to study literature was the only thing in my life I actually decided myself without getting pressured into it.”

Now thinking more closely about it, YN decided that her life was not only sad but pathetic.

“What would you do if you had the choice?” Harry’s question let YN settle back closely next to him—he was so perfectly warm and invitingly comfortable to snuggle up to, and his arm the best pillow in the world. She didn’t need to think long about it. “Probably something with literature. Maybe an editor—finding new talents in the writing industry, publishing them, giving them a voice. Or maybe something with art.” The easel in the other room almost screamed for her undivided attention. Harry looked surprised but impressed. “I didn’t know you painted,” he said, and YN hummed, moving her head slowly closer and closer to his shoulder. “Few people know about it. The public does not belong to this circle of knowing people, though. There are few things they don’t know about me, and I revel in every single one of them—my painting and drawing are a part of it.” Harry chuckled at the mischievous glimmer in her blue eyes. “You little devil,” the singer whispered, a grin tucking at his lips, and, without a second thought, pressed a tender kiss to the princess’s forehead and hairline.

YN closed her eyes at the feeling of his lips against her skin; relishing in it because it had been long since her heart had fluttered like an excited bird in a cage, shortly before it would get opened to release the little creature into freedom. “It’s a lonely life,” she suddenly whispered, barely above her breath, because the princess had never admitted this part of her mind, not even to Archibald or Meredith. “Tell me about it.” Harry’s response was just as quiet as hers. “There isn’t much to tell. It is just… lonely, especially when one of your parents is already long dead and your father has a new wife you never warmed up to, and when you are constantly surrounded by people who do not care for you. I’m barely alone. And yet I feel incredibly lonesome. I have Meredith, of course, but she has her own wonderfully successful life, and I am so immensely proud of her and her achievements. Archibald escaped this life because it was easy for him—too far behind in succession to have a realistic chance. But I cannot… leave. I have to stay and hope to not lose my mind like my mother somewhere along the road and do something irrational and destroyingly.” YN stopped to breathe deeply; trying to fight down the rising tears. “I’ve never expected to be so lonely and to feel like I am trapped constantly,” she finally muttered, feeling Harry’s arm slowly enveloping her shoulders and tightening his hold on her. But it didn’t hurt—quite the opposite: she felt protected in the best possible way.

“I’m sorry,” Harry whispered into her blonde hair, feeling her shrug under his arm and hand. “I should be used to it by now, but sometimes the feeling and thoughts return like a crashing wave, and I have to figure out how to prevent being dragged down under the surface by the current and thrown into the ocean. I never intend to become a delicious snack for sharks.” The singer laughed under his breath at the comparison but tightened his hold further nonetheless. “If you ever consider finding a job, let me know. You would be a great songwriter,” he tried to lighten up the mood but meant it at the same time because YN was good with words. Probably better than many people in the industry. “Don’t be silly,” she laughed against his shoulder. “I would write novels, short stories, or children’s books—fewer rules, more creative freedom. Songs have to rhyme, have a rhythm, and I am not good with either of those. I preferably enjoy music made by others than me—yours, for example.” YN lightly nudged the man into his side, and while she tried to nuzzle her face into the soft fabric of his—deliciously smelling—hoodie, her eyes fell on top the small clock settling atop the still crackling fireplace, but the flames slowly died down, the wood already half-eaten.

Her eyes shot open, but YN didn’t let her body shoot up in panic. Instead, the princess hummed interested, acknowledging, and Harry made a questioning noise somewhere deep in his chest.

“Do not panic—“

“It’s never soothing to start a sentence like that.”

Giggling, YN looked up and reached for his lips to put her fingers on top of them in order to silence the man. “Shush.” She could feel him smile against her fingertips. “Do not panic, but it’s already half past six.” Her voice lowered itself as if it was forbidden to be still wide awake. Now it was Harry’s turn to look at the clock with wide eyes. “How did that happen,” he asked, curiosity clear in his voice. “I don’t know. Do you mind? Is it bad? Do you have an early morning?”

She should’ve checked earlier—or asked him before they even drove to Oxford, to begin with.

His headshake soothed her bubbling anxiety. “No, of course not. Everything is alright. It just didn’t feel like we spent more than eight hours talking and reading. And I don’t want to… to let this end already.” YN watched how his eyes jumped over every inch of her face, desperately trying to remember every mark and freckle. “Hey.” Her soft voice and even softer skin of her knuckles caressing his cheek let him stop. “I will not disappear, H. I will be right here.” The nickname had slipped without thought, and the singer felt his body burn and heart racing. “Okay,” he mumbled with a dry mouth. “I am only a phone call or text away. And if I don’t react immediately, don’t worry—I will call or text back, pinky promise.” YN moved her hand off his cheek and stretched her pinky out for him to grab with his own. He did it without hesitation. “Same goes for you, y’know?” The princess nodded slowly before taking another glance at the clock.

“I can drive you home if you want,” she suggested, but the knitted brows of the singer let her stop right away. “That’s not how this works. I’m the one who brings you back home. I won’t let you drive alone back here, in the dark and cold. Nope, not gonna happen.” YN sighed with a smile tucking at the corners of her mouth. “Well, okay, fine gentleman. At least let me call you a cab and bring you down to the gate then.” She would’ve loved to ask Bernard if he could drive him so he wouldn’t have needed to wait in the cold, but she didn’t want to wake the poor man in the middle of the night.

This was something Harry could live with, so he nodded and waited until YN had peeled herself off his shoulder to stand up. The brunette stretched a hand out, palm facing up, and the blonde took it without hesitating a second, letting him pull her up, and the woman couldn’t stop her wandering eyes from resting on his strong biceps hidden by his sunflower-yellow hoodie. Calling herself out mentally, YN averted her gaze and slipped back into her sneakers, waiting next to the French doors, and wanted to open them, but Harry was quick to hold the door close. With a questioning expression, the princess looked up, raising both eyebrows, watching the man who stared her down.

“Coat?”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, it will not take hours.” And she tried to open the door again. But Harry was as persistent as she loved to be. “Coat. I won’t let you out without another layer.” Another eye roll followed, but the woman finally rounded him to grab her hanging coat. He turned as well to help her slip into the thick and soft fabric before Harry gave her a once over and suddenly grabbed right over her shoulder to retrieve a scarf. “Oh, are you bloody kiddi…-“ But he had already started to wrap the article around her neck; his concentrated expression made the princess chuckle into the fabric. “Satisfied?” She asked Harry as he seemed to be done, and the singer grinned down at her covered form, plucking the scarf to its perfect position. “Now? Yes,” he agreed and finally let her open the door while slipping into his coat himself.

They walked the stairs in comfortable silence, and as they slipped out the front door, YN shrieked at a sudden movement to her right. She clung to Harry’s side, fingers burrowed into the arm of his coat, eyes wide in shock as they stared at an already working Bernard. “Your Highness,” the driver chuckled while bowing swiftly. “Bernard!” YN pressed a hand to her rapidly beating heart and inhaled the cold early morning air deep into her lungs. “I thought you’d still be at home.” The middle-aged man and Harry nodded to each other respectfully before he looked back at the princess. “Your brother and sister-in-law have appointments to attend, but there is still much time in case you need my service, princess.” YN quickly looked from Bernard to Harry—she let go of the poor man’s arm as it dawned on her that she still clung to it—before looking back to her favorite driver. “Actually…,” the blonde started. “Would it be possible to get him home safely? We forgot the time, and I do not want to dump him into a cab.”

The singer tried to protest because he didn’t mind taking a cab, but the driver was faster in his response. “Of course, Your Highness. Mr. Styles.” YN rolled her eyes with a smile and led Harry to the shining black SUV. “How does he know who I am?” He only dared to whisper the question. “He has two sixteen-year-old daughters, plus barely anything is secret within these walls. The bush radio never sleeps,” she whispered back, chuckling softly as they arrived at the back door.

Harry opened it while Bernard had already situated himself behind the wheel and started the engine, his eyes resting on the blonde’s face. She smiled up at him. “This was by far the best day in a very long time,” YN spoke first and let his face settle into her memory, saving everything she could put in a folder up there. But instead of saying something himself, Harry grabbed her hand softly and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her middle. He could feel her arms encompassing his neck and how she leaned her hairline against his jawline after he had bent his head a bit. “I‘ll call later,” Harry murmured and dared to touch her temple with a feather-like kiss. “Get some sleep first,” YN mumbled back and pulled gently back. “Text me when you get home, okay?” The man grinned tenderly at the evident concern lacing her voice. “Will do.”

With that, he got into the car, and after one last look at her, Harry closed the door, and the vehicle ventured off the palace’ grounds, leaving a squealing YN with reddened cheeks behind.

;

This one got… long. Holymoly. But it’s here! I hope y’all enjoyed it as much as I did while writing it. As usual: Comments, reblogs, and likes are much appreciated <3

Taglist: @tinyhrry @feestyles @r3vivedbur @theekyliepage @sunshinemoonsposts @oh-its-jennyyy @butdaddyiluvvhim @cwiphswmwasohmm @agustdpeach @keriberry @sleutherclaw @formulasatellite @princessmiaelicia @rororo06 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @venomsvl @maraudersrry @theroosterswife24 @lovurryy @indierockgirrl @lazybot @laura-naruto-fan1998 @awesomebooklover17 @ihavelovedyousincewewere18 @illicithallways @mrosales16 @b-reads-things @bugg06 @grapejuice-rry @happyeverafterjunkie @famedrs-blog @beata1108 @0oolookitsme @panicattheeverywherekid @majasophieanna @blueleonor @supersanelyromantic @bookscoffeandotherstuff @astranva @harrystylesishot @estaticheart @onecrazydirectioner —I hope I got everyone!

[sugar-soda]

Kids Shouldn't be Here: Paladin Danse

Fallout 4 Platonic Companions x Child! Sole

Warnings: Canon Typical Violence, Child in dangerous situations

A/N: This is NOT romantic at all! This is all platonic relationships that explore how the Fallout 4 companions and game would change if the Sole Survivor was a young child. Any romantic suggestions or reblogs will be blocked.

Masterlist

______________________________________________________________

Combat was no place for a child.

That's why the Brotherhood of Steel rarely let squires out on the field. Even reconnaissance missions could go quickly sideways if hostiles are spotted. So children were kept on base for their safety. On the rare occasions they are allowed outside, it was often in groups and they were to be escorted by at least an equal number of knights. In the event they are attacked, they were given strict instructions to retreat or find cover if retreat was impossible.

Despite this, training for all brotherhood squires started very young. At age 7, basic defense maneuvers were taught and simple training regimens would be implemented into a squire’s daily schedule, increasing in difficulty as they aged. By starting at a early age, they would be fully prepared for any situation when they were allowed to go off base.

The Brotherhood took great pride in their defense of their young members, which led to many adults feeling safe enough to have a few little ones themselves, if they are able.

Not everyone did, of course. Some were just unable to reproduce, others had no desire for children, and the rest felt like it was unfair to have a kid if they were constantly out in the field, finding the likelihood of their death way too high.

____________________________________________________________

Paladin Danse, for one, just never had the thought of having his own kids. He was too busy with his duties as a Paladin and never desired to cultivate a relationship, much less one that would lead to fatherhood. So, the idea simply never crossed his mind. 

Now, he didn't hate children. He just never had much of a chance to interact with them. On a few occasions he had assisted with class training and demonstrations, but those were few and far between. He was also never assigned to escort any groups of them as a knight, which he is thankful for. The children's lack of discipline and excitement for potential danger would likely drive him up the wall, and he couldn't scold a kid for having fun. At least when helping with a class, their teacher would be there to reign their youthful energy into something productive.

Right now, the Paladin could use some of that energy. The attacking ghouls seemed never ending. 

Ever since they first stepped into the Commonwealth, Recon Squad Gladius had taken loss after loss. Knight Brach, Knight Worwick, Knight-Sergeant Dawes, all dead to this god forsaken place. 

Now they lost Knight Keane.

Danse would never admit it, but he believed that there was a high chance of all of them dying. With Knight Keane dead and Knight Rhys injured, it left only him to fight off the ghouls attacking the Cambridge Police Station. Scribe Haylen was assisting the best she could, but was currently using one hand to shoot, and the other to put pressure on Knight Rhys’s injury, so her aim was inaccurate at best.

Danse prided himself on his skills in combat, but his lack of sleep and pounding headache had left his own aim absolutely abysmal. He had seen civilian children with better aim, he swore.

One ghoul got much too close to him. If he wasn’t in his power armor, he would have been cut by its long, infected, clawed nails. Danse blocked the thrashing feral with his arm and shoved back, knocking it off its feet long enough to pull the trigger. God, how many of these things were there?

“DUCK AND COVER!”

A young voice screamed out from…above? The situation only was made more chaotic by the explosion of a molotov cocktail thrown over the defensive wall. Multiple of the ghouls fell to the fire, dead on impact as more mindlessly ran through the flames. Two additional lasers shot past him, and a gunshot cracked in his ears. Danse quickly recovered and fired at the closest feral. He could ask questions later, right now he had to insure the survival of what was left of his squad. Even if that meant accepting backup from unknown forces.

“Civilians in the area! Check your fire!”

The fire had considerably weakened the attacking ghouls. Now, they were falling in one or two shots. The final feral threw itself at Danse, only for a bullet to rip through its neck before making contact.

Danse kept his guard up and scanned the perimeter for additional threats. Nothing. No more ghouls at the moment. Excellent. He turned to look at where the additional shots came from and assessed if they could be threats.

A man and a Mr. Handy, and if the shouted warning, the explosion, and the sound of bullets ringing in his ears was any indication, there was an additional person, though he assumed they weren’t as young as their voice sounded like. His guess was a sniper of some sort, which is how they were able to throw the cocktail so far. He wasn’t sure where they were shooting from, but there were enough structurally sound buildings around that any of them could have had a fire escape that could be climbed.

The Mr. Handy looked standard enough. Nothing to indicate it was  different from its more violent counterparts, except maybe a cleaner finish. It was clearly well taken care of. Maybe that’s why it didn’t appear hostile toward anyone, now that the ghouls were cleared. In the event it did turn violent, Danse was confident he could take it.

The man may be a more difficult threat. He seemed well-built and he appeared unphased by the ghoul attack, holding himself similar to Danse wished more knights would. Stern, straight backed, and collected while holding his laser musket at the ready. This man clearly had training in combat. Still, Danse was sure his power armor gave him more than enough of an advantage should the need arise. He opened his mouth to thank the man, but was cut off by him looking up and yelling.

“Sunny! Are you alright?”

“Yes, Mr. Preston, I’m fine! They didn’t even get close to the fire escape.”

The clattering of a rusted, metal ladder was heard, followed by quick footsteps as the previously unseen sniper rushed past the wall.

Oh. So he was incorrect. The sniper was as young as her voice sounded. Danse frowned. The rifle on her back clearly registered her as the sniper, but he had difficulty believing someone so young would be able to handle such a powerful weapon. The recoil alone should damage her shoulder, not to mention the weight of the weapon. 

Such questions were not important at the present moment, however. More pressing matters needed their attention. These civilians may not be completely benevolent in their assistance. With the squad's weakened state, it would be easy for a well armed group to overtake them. He was confident he could take on each of the three individually, he wasn’t sure he could take on the man if the girl and Mr. Handy was giving him backup. His power armor was strong, but enough damage could cause it to break and leave them vulnerable.

“We appreciate the assistance, civilians,” Danse said, addressing the man. “But what’s your business here?”

The man moved himself, so he was in front of the girl. “We were on our way to Diamond City when we got your distress signal. It sounded like you needed a hand, so we came.”

The girl held up her wrist, showing off a Pipboy attached to it. “I picked it up on my Pipboy!”

The Commonwealth must have more operational vaults than the Wasteland. She said it so casually and without concern, despite the rarity of the device. She must have been from a Vault herself, as Danse could see now that she wore a vault suit under her duster and sparse leather armor. Though it didn’t explain her presence here and not underground.

“You know, when you first meet someone for the first time, it’s typical to introduce yourself. Not interrogate them,” the man said, almost sounding as if he was teasing. Danse knew that dealing with civilians should be dealt with more gently, as they couldn’t be expected to have the same discipline as a Brotherhood soldier. The death of his comrades have left him wary, however, believing caution to be the best way to move forward.

“Apologies. If I appear suspicious, it’s because our mission here has been difficult. Since the moment we arrived in the Commonwealth, we’ve been constantly under fire,” He apologized. If the man was willing to help, it would be unwise to anger him. “I’m Paladin Danse, Brotherhood of Steel. Over there is Scribe Haylen and Knight Rhys. If you want to continue pitching in, we could use an extra gun on our side.”

Danse held out his hand in a gesture of goodwill, which the man shook. “Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen. This is Sunny Roberts, I’m escorting her to Diamond City.” Danse had heard very little of the Minutemen. Any data on the cause was collected before his squad was sent out. Trained troops of volunteers would travel the Commonwealth responding to settlements in need of defense when called. A noble and honorable cause no doubt, but overly charitable and unfocused, with no stated way of collecting needed resources for their men. So he had to assume a single civilian being escorted by one was standard procedure.

Roberts pulled one of the arms of the Mr. Handy as she introduced the robot. “And this is Codsworth!” 

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, good sir!” it said, waving a claw in greeting. Danse really didn’t want to interact with it more than he had to, so he was relieved when Garvey continued speaking.

“I’m a little surprised to see Brotherhood all the way out here. I heard a little about you guys back in the day, but I thought you guys were all based in the west.”

“Affirmative, we are generally located toward the west coast. However, we have been sent out on recon duty, but I am down a man and supplies are running low. I’ve been trying to send a distress call to my superiors, but the signal’s too weak to reach them.”

Haylen finished stimpaking Rhys and spoke up, “Sir, if I may?”

“Proceed, Haylen.”

“I’ve modified the radio tower on the roof of the police station, but i’m afraid it just isn’t enough. What we need is something that will boost the signal.”

“Our target is ArcJet Systems, and it contains the technology we need…the Deep Range Transmitter,” Danse told Garvey. “We infiltrate the facility, secure the transmitter, and bring it back here. So what do you say? You willing to lend the Brotherhood of Steel a hand?”

Garvey looked apprehensive, but Roberts nudged him. “Mr. Preston, they need help. That man clearly needs more than a stimpak and I think I saw Haylen run out of those anyway.”

Danse suppressed a frown. Roberts was perceptive. While that wasn’t the last of their stimpaks, it was the last Scribe Haylen had in her first aid kit. There were two, maybe three, at best inside. The last of the Radaway had been used two days ago during a radstorm. Not nearly enough if they wanted to survive any future attacks.

Garvey, luckily, seemed to cave to the light pressure. “Yes, we’ll help you, but we will need more ammo and supplies if we want to get to ArcJet Systems. The last I heard, their security system was still operational.”

“I can assure you that I wouldn’t undertake this mission unless I had confidence in your abilities,” Danse assured. He turned and went toward Knight Rhys, who was only now starting to sit up with Scribe Haylen’s assistance. “Haylen, take Rhys inside and bind his wounds. That stimpak won’t be able to heal the more superficial wounds and we don’t want them getting infected and becoming a bigger problem. Rhys, once you're on your feet, I want you to make certain that the perimeter is secure.”

Once he heard their confirmations, he turned back toward Garvey. “Resupply yourself inside the police station, then let me know when you are ready to begin.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roberts had shot past Danse and Garvey, the Mr. Handy following fretfully behind. By the time the rest of them had filed in, he could already hear her rifling through ammo cases in one of the side rooms. He restocked his own supply of power cells at the front desk before allowing Garvey to grab his own. Danse watched as Sunny emerged from the side room and sat down on the floor near the door with a magazine and Nuka-Cola, using her duffle bag as a seat. The Mr. Handy started undoing and then redoing her braids, earning a quiet “Thanks, Codsworth” in return.

“Your charge seems awfully…attached to your robot.” Danse told Garvey. While he was aware of Mr. Handys being used for childcare before the war, and therefore likely used the same in vaults, seeing it do so was still unnerving.

Garvey looked up from counting his ammo and looked at the duo, unfazed by their strange display. “You mean Sunny? Yeah she’s pretty close to him, but I don’t blame her. He’s kinda all she has left.” Preston lowered his voice and said, “Both of her parents were murdered and the man who did it kidnapped her brother. That’s why I’m escorting her to Diamond City, to try and find leads on where he is now.”

Danse frowned, sympathetic to the girl, but still confused. “Surely there were more capable residents of the vault than a child. Despite her impressive abilities, she is still a prime target for hostiles.”

“There are no other residents,” Garvey stressed, now continuing with filling his ammo belt. “According to Sunny, none of the other residents' pods would open, and the terminals said their life support got cut off. She’s the sole survivor of that place”

Now he was more confused, “Life support pods? Were the residents quarantined due to disease? Is it wise to allow a potential carrier out in the open?”

Garvey shook his head, “No, she’s perfectly healthy as far as I can tell. At least physically.” He checked on her again. Now she insisted on the Mr. Handy lowering itself on the ground, to have it read along with her. If it wasn’t for its creepy eyes appearing to scan the page, Danse would have assumed it had powered down. Garvey lowered his voice again all the way down to a whisper, “The reason she was in there was she’s pre-war.”

Danse flicked his gaze back to her. She was snuggled up the best she could to the Mr. Handy, pressing a cheek to the cool metal as she scanned the magazine's pages, her knees propped up. Danse would admit he had difficulty telling a child’s age, but there was no way she was a teenager. Her height and awkward limbs suggested she was about to hit puberty, but her chubby cheeks and higher pitched voice showed it may still be awhile.

“I find that very difficult to believe.”

Garvey finished filling his ammo belt, and put it on. “Believe it or not, it’s true. The vault froze the original residents as soon as the bombs dropped. Nonconsensually. Apparently, they were told the pods were for decontamination. Sunny said one moment her father was telling her it would be alright, the next? Everyone’s dead. She’s only been out for a few days”

Dear God. Danse couldn’t keep the shock off his face. It was appalling how this happened. Vault-Tec had the technology. They could have kept the residents and their descendants alive for centuries, he knew they could. It was well known that the legendary Lone Wanderer was from a vault. But instead they committed atrocity after atrocity. There was a reason most vaults sat rotting, with all residents dead. Except it didn’t kill this one, just left her as a child out of place and out of time. 

“She…seems to be handling it well?” he started uneasily. It was hard connecting an orphan left in the vault to the child chugging the last of her Nuka-Cola. 

“Most of the time, she seems fine,” Garvey started, “ but if you remind her of what happened to her parents or what happened in the vault, she starts to break down. Happened when I first met her. She was fine until I asked her where her parents were. So it's best to avoid the topic.” The Minuteman straightened up and readied his musket. “Ready to go?”

“Affirmative. Follow my lead.”

Danse didn’t realize a third member had joined them until they were going down the steps of the station. “Roberts, return to the station. Haylen and Rhys are fully capable of watching you until Garvey’s return.”

She continued walking even as he addressed her, Codsworth following behind. “No, I’m going.”

Danse had to remind himself that she was not technically under his command, and pushed away the feeling of disrespect he was just hit with. Grabbing her by the shoulder, he contined, “I can not allow a civilian minor to accompany us on a potentially hazardous assignment. We will return shortly.”

“Arcjet worked with the military, so they had to have a great security system.  You'll need someone hack into terminals and shut it down. I know you can't, Mr. Preston, and judging by the locked terminals in the station, I'm betting you can't either, Paladin.”

Garvey, luckily, seemed to be on his side. “I know you wanna help, Sunny, but you're going to be vulnerable if we get in a fight inside the building. Codsworth can only lay so much cover fire, and Paladin Danse and I won't be able to protect you.”

Roberts shrugged off his hand and adjusted her duffle bag to reach inside. “ I know I can’t fight if someone gets close. There’s a reason I use a sniper rifle. That's why I grabbed this at the station.”

A Stealth-boy was pulled out of her bag and held up triumphantly. “I can cloak myself so no one can see me, and uncloak when I need to use a terminal, or pick a lock, or something.”

“The lockpicking I'm sure won't be necessary, Miss Sunny,” the Mr. Handy cut in. He sounded a little put off, but Danse was sure that was his imagination.

Sunny rolled her eyes good naturedly, and zipped her bag back up. She clipped the Stealth-boy onto her duster for easy access before continuing forward. “Besides,” She added, “that Rhys guy looked like he wanted to shoot me in the back. I'm not going back in there with him.”

That made too much sense, unfortunately. Danse knew that Rhys took great pride as Brotherhood knight and had a poor temper with it. Having your superior protect you during combat was nothing to be a ashamed of, but needing assistance from two civilians and a machine was probably where Rhys drew the line. His ego was bruised and Robert's unusual attachment to the Mr.Handy drew a larger target for his ire. 

In the Brotherhood, everyone should be treated with decency. Civilans should be treated with caution, as they were outsiders, so it would understandable to appear cold but it was still a soldier's duty to protect them and show they were not a threat until threatened. Superiors should be treated with the most respect, those of the same rank all held the same duties and should understand each other, and subordinates should be led by a firm but fair hand. Rhys’ temper often kept him from that. He had already received multiple dressing downs for aggressiveness toward fellow knights, insubordination toward superior officers, and mistreatment of scribes and initiates, which is why he was unable to climb the ranks any higher.

If he contined his behavior, he would recieve another for his attempts of intimidating a child, of all things.

Danse sighed and relinquished the argument. Mostly to avoid further headaches. “Very well. But I expect you to listen to every command Garvey and myself give you until we return,” he stated. 

Roberts smiled. “ Yes sir, Mr. Paladin!”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So what exactly is the Brotherhood of Steel? Like, what do you guys do?”

After Danse had given explanation on what had happened to lead his squad to such dire straits in the Commonwealth, silence had fallen over the group as they jogged toward their destination. While the power armor lengthened his strides, each step was slower, so Garvey was able to keep up easily. Roberts’ shorter legs made the trek more difficult for her, as she was practically running compared to them. Despite this, she was able to break the silence about 10 minutes afterwards without sounding out of breath. Must have been all that youthful energy.

The question was reasonable, he supposed. The Brotherhood of Steel formed after the bombs fell, and haven't been in the Commonwealth ever. So they wouldn't be spoken about often enough for someone who's only been out for a few days to know about them. Danse racked his head for the recruiting methods he learned as an initiate. 

“Our order seeks to understand the nature of technology. It's power. It's meaning to us as humans. And we fight to secure that power from those that would abuse it,” He stated. It wasn't the exact wording, but it was close enough he thinks.

“What do you mean by ‘abuse’?”

“Before the Great War, science and technology became more of a burden than a benefit. The atom bomb, bi-engineered plagues, and FEV are clear examples of the horrors technological advancement had wrought. We are here to make sure that doesn't happen.”

Roberts stayed silent for a bit, mulling the words over in her head. Danse was sure she would agree. She saw first hand how much was lost in the Great War. How technology in the wrong hands could rip apart families and kill entire nations. 

“So what do you do when they do?” she asked, “Who decides who should and shouldn’t have certain things. Like, I get raiders and killers shouldn’t get, like, an atom bomb, but what if a small town has one or even just a lot of advanced weapons? What do you do then?”

Danse couldn’t help but be reminded of the story of the Lone Wanderer finding a small town built around an atom bomb, funnily enough. Apparently she had shut it off, but he questioned the validity of the story. “If the town is willing, we would temporarily relocate the citizens and send in a squad to disarm the bomb, dismantle it, and take the individual pieces to a secure location. In the case of the weapons, the same procedure is followed or they are to be put under the protection and control of the Brotherhood,” he said.

“And if they aren’t?” Roberts pressed. “I mean, I can’t imagine why a town would want a bomb, but the town could have those weapons for defense, not to hurt anyone.”

Danse swallowed, and continued, aware that the answer would sound wrong to someone so young, though maybe not so naive. “If a town is unwilling, they are put under control by force.”

Sunny didn’t ask any more questions.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roberts kept her promise in Arcjet Systems and stayed out of the way. When the synths first showed up, Danse was concerned when he immediately lost sight of her. Then she faded back into sight and he remembered the Stealth-boy she had. On occasion, he swore he saw a tire iron swing down on a synth across the room, but that was it.

“Damn it, a dead end! See if you can get the door open.”

“Got it!”

Roberts kneeled down in front of the door and carefully placed a bobby pin and screwdriver inside. Carefully turning the lock slowly and looking for the sweet spot. The Mr. Handy spoke for the first time since they left the station.

“Must you use such a criminal skill, Miss Sunny? Even hacking the terminal would be preferable.”

“Locking picking is faster. I promise you can lecture me later, Codsworth.”

Garvey leaned curiously over to observe her work. “Where did you even learn to do that? I didn't think schools before the Great War taught how to pick a lock.”

She was silent for a moment before answering. “ They didn't. I learned from a magazine and practiced on Mom and Dad's safe until I got it right.” a light blush bloomed on Roberts’ face. “I thought the cover looked cool.”

The Mr. Handy sighed, “ Sadly, I didn't find out about this terrible exercise until she had already cracked the safe open and had moved onto Mum's jewelry box.” the robot gave a simulated sigh. “ After that, I insisted we switch the liquor cabinet over to a five digit combination lock.”

“I wasn't going to go through the liquor cabinet,” Roberts pouted, but made no further argument. She replaced the bobby pin with another before attempting the other direction.

Danse leaned closer alongside Garvey. Roberts showed much potential for her age. Already well versed in combat, and possessed other skills to further the mission. If a few rougher edges could be smoothed out, she could become a very successful Brotherhood member in the future.

“ Roberts, have your Stealth-boy ready. There are more synths on the other side of door.”

“Got it.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once they had gotten to the engine core, it seemed like the synths had multiplied. Roberts had disappeared as she should, but Danse hoped they didn't accidentally leave her behind above them. As they reached the bottom, the lights turned on. Excellent. Roberts must have gotten ahead and restored the auxiliary power. 

Danse backed up against the glass of a window so none of the synths could attack from behind. The Mr. Handy had set up in front of the stairs, blocking any more approaching synths with a well placed shot.

Garvey kept moving around the room, as the slow reload of his laser musket left him open for a melee attack if he didn't stay out of arms reach.

“Paladin Danse!” Roberts pressed her face up against the glass from the other side. “I can turn on the engine from in here and take out all the synths but everyone needs to get in here!”

Adjusting his footing to back up toward the door, Danse yelled out to the two others. “Everyone inside the engine room now!”

Garvey and the Mr. Handy retreated into the the room, Danse bringing up the rear. His armor acted as an effective shield for the two as an automated voice started a count down. By the time it called out three, the Mr. Handy closed the door and Danse and Garvey pressed against it to keep the synths from getting in.

A scorching wave of heat hit the door as the engine roared to life. Garvey jumped back away from the red hot door, but Danse stayed against the door. His power armor was made to handle extreme temperatures such as this. While he wouldn't take unnecessary risk like standing in the flames, the heat off the door was negligible at worst.

As the engine sputtered off, Roberts ran down the hallway towards them. “ Is everyone alright?”, she asked, “That engine is way more powerful than I thought. It didn't just fry the synths like I thought it would, it turned them to ash!”

Danse made a mental note to inform his superiors of the deadly engine. While he had no idea how someone without the Brotherhood resources would move the giant thing, but it would be better to deal with it soon rather than find out who. Danse looked down at Roberts. She had dirt on her face from the window and her braids were once again a mess but she appeared relatively unharmed as she looked  up at him.

“Great job,” Garvey praised, “ Sorry that I doubted you.” He affectionately ruffled her hair, causing more of it to fall out of her braids.

“Excellent work, Roberts.” Danse added. “With the power on and the way cleared, we should be able to locate the Deep Range Transmitter.”

Roberts grinned. “You're welcome, Paladin Danse. But you can just call me ‘Sunny’. ‘Roberts’ makes you sound like my old principal.” 

Not knowing exactly what a principal was, Danse agreed to the small request.

“Very well, Sunny. Let's move.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh my gosh, the sun's too bright now! I think I spent too long in there!”

Danse had to agree with Sunny as he squinted against the harsh light in his eyes when they exited Arcjet Systems. The Deep Range Transmitter was secured and the whole building cleared for another squad to later survey for other resources.

Danse turned and faced the group. “ Thank you both for your assistance with securing the Deep Range Transmitter.” He focused on Garvey. “ If you are interested, I'm sure the Brotherhood of Steel would be proud to have you join our cause.”

“The offer is appreciated,” Garvey smiled, “ but I'll have to decline. Just make sure the Brotherhood knows to leave the settlements alone.”

“As long as they cause us no problems, that should not be an issue,” Danse agreed before turning to Sunny. “As a token of appreciation, take this,” he handed her his spare rifle, “ it's a standard issue energy rifle with a few modifications. The lack of recoil and shorter range will be more suitable for defense in closed areas.”

Sunny took it gratefully, “Thanks! I already live with a semi-permanently bruised shoulder. All this leather armor can only do so much. I don't think I can live with my wrist being like that, too.”

Danse felt a little smug. He knew she couldn’t use that rifle without repercussions.  “The offer stands for you as well. It's not every day we have a squire so far ahead of their peers. You could become one of the youngest knights we ever had with more proper training.”

“Oh! Well, thank you for the offer,” Sunny hesitated, clearly unsure on what to do. “ but I don't think I'll have time for training. You see, I'm looking for someone and I have to follow my leads. So I can't stay at your Brotherhood base.”

“Accommodations can be made for your…unique circumstances, I’m sure once I explain the situation to Elder Maxson, he would sign off on it himself” Danse pushed, as Sunny awkwardly shifted her feet. “ and the Brotherhood resources could be used in your search. To my knowledge, you are looking for your younger brother, correct?” 

Sunny sent a quick glare to Garvey, who looked unrepentant. Then she looked back at Danse, “Yes, I’m looking for my brother. His name is Shawn. The man who killed my parents took him, and I’m going to find him."

“I understand,” Danse comforted. “I also understand you need all the help you can get. While you would be expected to uphold Brotherhood values and rules, you would be under our protection. Since you are also under the Minutemen, your presence will serve to prevent hostilities between the groups.”

“But I’m not part of the Minutemen, Mr. Preston is just escorting me.”

That caught Garvey’s attention and he raised an eyebrow. “Sunny, you’ve been an honorary Minuteman since you helped at Concord.”

Her head whipped around in shock and her eyes grew bigger. “Really?”, she asked excitedly.

“Yes,” laughed Garvey good-naturedly, “just don’t expect me to give you assignments. Not until you're older. The word ‘honorary’ is there for a reason.”

Sunny whipped around once again to face Danse again, grinning widely and holding her hand out. “Okay, Paladin Danse, if you can convince your boss to let me continue to live outside your base, I’ll join the Brotherhood of Steel. Don’t make me regret it!” She pointed a finger at him.

Despite himself, Danse smiled lightly. “Excellent! Glad to have you, Squire Sunny.”

[jerzwriter]

Are We Dating the Same Guy? Ethan Edition

There are Facebook groups called "Are We Dating the Same Guy?". They exist to "expose" cheaters and guys who are just creeps in general. Women will post a photo/profile and ask if anyone has any tea or red flag alerts. The other day I was scrolling through a local one and saw a friend of mine. Talk about a WHOA moment. A few days later, the "AWDSG? Boston" group was recommended to me, and my mind automatically went to... what if Tobias and/or Ethan were on this? I ran the idea past @lucy-268 and @genevievemd and asked if I should do it for Ethan or Tobias. Their answer was, "Both is good." So, in honor of them, I'm doing both. I posted the Tobias version here, and now, I present Ethan's.

Book:               Open Heart (Post Series)

Pairing:           Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Kaycee MacClennan)

Rating:            Teen

Words: 1,723 plus edit

Summary: Sienna's dating luck hasn't been as good as she had hoped, so on the advice of her best friend, Kaycee, she is looking to see if her matches appear in the "Are we dating the same guy? Boston/Cambridge", group on Facebook. But instead of finding her most recent match, she finds... Ethan. Here are Kaycee's (and Ethan's) reactions... as well as the post itself.

A/N: The story precedes the FB post of Ethan on the "AWDSG?" page. *** Participating in @choicesjunechallenge Cocktails (they needed one or two... lol)

“Oh my, God,” Kaycee cringed, her forehead falling into the hand that wasn’t gripping her phone.  

“I hope you’re not upset. I…”

“No! No, Sienna… I appreciate you letting me know. Can you forward the link to me? I’d like to see it before I break the news to him.”  

“Damage control?” Sienna giggled.

“Yeah, well, I’d like to see how much damage there is.”

“Sure. I’m heading back to the hospital, but text me if you need me, OK?”  

“Of course. And Si, thanks again; I appreciate the heads up.”

“Hey, what are best friends for if not for letting each other know when their fiance is on some weird stalker page on Facebook.”

Kaycee was relieved Ethan was still out for his daily run. It would allow her some time to research. The irony was delicious. She was the one that recommended Sienna start checking out the “Are we dating the same guy?” group to weed out potential creeps. After Wayne and a couple of terrible online dates, it sure wouldn’t hurt. The last thing she expected to happen was for her best friend to find her fiancé.

“May as well bite the bullet,” she sighed, about to click the link. But then she thought it would be best to have some support on hand… in this case, a mimosa and Jackie. Once the drink was made, she dialed her friend.

“OK, I just sent you the link,” Kaycee stated. “We’ll open it together on the count of three.”

“I don’t understand,” Jackie whined. “If Sienna found this, why isn’t she stuck dealing with it now? Why drag me in?”

“Because she’s working, and if you think I have the self-control to wait ten hours before she’s off shift to open this, you’re high. Now… open!”  

“Damn, you’re bossy. I don’t know why Ethan puts up with you. But then again… once we check this out, maybe you won’t want to put up with him….”

“Jackie, please…,” Kaycee interrupted. “I’m sure he’s not doing anything wrong. I’m just curious to see what people had to say about him. Now ready… one… two… three!”

“Hmm… decent enough picture…” Jackie started.

“Yeah, it’s not his best, but… oh my God!” Kaycee exclaimed. “This sociopath took his picture without him knowing! Carmen is right! That is creepy! What kind of a woman does that?”

“Who is Carmen?”

“I don’t know… but she commented. The point is, she is right. Ethan was clearly dating a crazy woman.”

“Hmm. That checks,” Jackie deadpanned. “Crazy women are apparently his type because I remember someone taking many pictures without his knowledge… across a crowded nurse’s station, in Donahue’s, when she saw him strolling down the street…. What kind of serial killer does shit like that?”

“That was different!” Kaycee defended. “ I knew him. He was my attending.”

“Yeah! That makes it so much better.”

“You’re not focusing!” Kaycee admonished. “Holy shit, Erin sure had a lot to say!”

“Erin? The nurse on four? Is that the one he used to date?”

“One and the same… you know, maybe I shouldn’t read this. Maybe I should just tell him about….”

“Oh, hell no!” Jackie interrupted, her interest suddenly piqued. “Now I want the juice!”

“Don’t you mean the tea?”

“Juice, tea? I don’t care; it’s all served at brunch. Now what do we have here…. Erin seems cool … girlfriend clearly had some feelings about being dumped, but she still gave him the thumbs up. Wait, who is Marissa?”

“Marissa?”

“Yeah, apparently she banged your man when they were both residents….”

“RAMOS!” Kaycee screeched. “He banged Marissa Ramos?”

“Did you not know this? Shouldn’t you have known this?”

“It’s not like I asked him for a dossier of everyone he ever slept with… or vice versa! But he could have told me about her,” Kaycee sighed. “Then again, maybe it would have been better not to know. Fortunately, we rarely hang around with her and her husband. It will be awkward looking at her over the dinner table now.”

“Will it? Is it difficult for you to look at Harper?” Jackie asked. “Does he have trouble looking at Bryce? Face it, a slight tweak here or there, and your story would have been a hit on any Mexican telenovela.”

“Jackie!”

“OK. Maybe it would be better geared toward an Indian soap opera. Hey, wait! That’s it. I’m taking your story, embellishing a little… I think it can sell! This may be how I pay off my student debt!”

“Jackie!”

“What? Do you or Ethan watch Indian teledramas?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the harm? I’ll give you a cut of the profits.”

“You’re not really helping,” Kaycee groaned, rubbing her temples.

“I know. That’s the plan. This way, you'll wait for Sienna when something like this happens again. She’s the supportive friend; you should know better than to involve me. Although… now that you’re part of my new get-rich-quick scheme, I suppose I’ll have to put up with you.”  She cleared her throat. “So, Kaycee… what do you need from me? How can I support you?”

“By hanging up,” Kaycee spat.

“That’s not the answer I was hoping for… how can I get more material if….”

“Jackie! Ethan just got home. I want to go fill him in.”

“Of course! Any chance you could record his reaction to this? I’d love to use it when I….”

The line went dead as Kaycee ended the call and threw her phone in her pocket as Ethan approached.

“Oh, hey, baby,” she smiled nervously. “How was your run?”

Ethan came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and leaving a soft kiss on the side of her neck.

“Exhilarating,” he half smiled. “Or as exhilarating as a run can be on an eighty-nine-degree Boston day. What about you?” he asked, thumbing through some mail on the corner of the kitchen table. “Did you have fun while I was gone?”

“I don’t know if fun is the word I’d use to describe it,” Kaycee winced. “It was… interesting? Maybe informative?”

Ethan looked over quizzically, both brows raised. “What, were you watching a documentary?”

Kaycee spat out her tea, wiping her mouth with a laugh. “Not… exactly.”  She extended her hand. “Come… join me in the living room.”

“All right… what did I do?” he asked with a grave tone as they sat on the leather sofa. “You know, I’m already a decade older than you, Kaycee, and when you do things like this, I swear, you take years off my life.”

“Me?” she bleated.  “I didn’t do anything! But… I can’t guarantee this won’t take years off of your life.”

She reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone and handed it to Ethan.

“There’s a page on Facebook,” she started. “Where women post photos of men they’re talking to, or just started dating, and….”

“IS THIS ME?” Ethan yelled.

“It is,” Kaycee said, rubbing his knee. “It’s not recent… it’s from 2019, so….”

“So this has been viewable for the past four years!!”

“Uh.. apparently, it has.  But it’s not as bad as it seems….”

Ethan began to read through the comments rapidly, his face becoming paler by the second until it turned crimson red.

“This… this is … this is an atrocity! Is this even legal?”

“I assure you it’s perfectly legal. I mean, I assume someone could have a defamation suit depending on what is said.  But your former chicks seemed to speak pretty highly of you, so….”

Ethan jumped from the sofa and began to frantically pace the floor. His attempts to speak were thwarted when words failed to come… Kaycee wasn’t sure she had ever seen him this flustered.

“Ethan, you’re going to hyperventilate.  Breathe….”

“How… how did you even find this?”

Her explanation failed to offer any relief. “Great! So Trinh knows. Do you know how many others could have seen this in the four years it was up?”

“Well, it was liked by seventeen thousand people, so….”

“SEVENTEEN THOUSAND!!!”

“What do you expect, babe… you’re hot.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” he whimpered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m feeling lightheaded.”

Kaycee jumped up and ushered him back to the couch.

“Here, baby,” she comforted, trying to conceal her amusement at his overreaction. “Do you need me to get you a glass of water?”

“No. I need a Scotch.  This occasion requires Scotch.”

“Very well…” she said, pouring his drink. “Ethan, I think you’re making too much of this.”  

“I’m not making too much of it.  I like my private life to be, well, private.  And this is not….”

“Private,” she finished.

“This is the opposite of private!” Ethan downed his drink, then held Kaycee closely in his arms. “I hate the modern world,” he groaned.  

“It’s not all bad,” she smiled. “Why don’t you must message the group’s admin and ask her to take it down. NICELY!”

He shot Kaycee a look that made it clear that her statement changed his message's tone.

“Fine! Hey, out of curiosity, is anyone else we know on this thing?”

“Tobias is,” she smirked.

“Jesus, I can only imagine what people had to say about him.  How many likes did he have?”

“19,500,” Kaycee winced.

“Wait! He has 2,500 more likes than me?”

“That’s unimportant, baby,” she redirected. “What’s important is we get your post taken down.”

“Well, maybe not,” he concluded. “Maybe I should leave it up a little longer. Maybe things will even out – considering our engagement may have this trending.”

“Trending?” she laughed. “Do you seriously want to leave your private life viewable for anyone to see… just so you can attempt to get more likes than Tobias?”

“Well, when you put it that way,” he smiled.  “By the way, what would you have said about me… you know… if you had chimed in on this.”

“Me?” She grinned. “There is none better, but he’s taken… and you don’t want to mess with a girl from South Philly.”

“You know,” he chuckled. “That’s kind of a turn-on.”

“Is it,” she cooed. “Why don’t you head into the shower, Dr. Ramsey… I’ll meet you there in a few?”

“That sounds like a plan, Dr. MacClennan… you know… maybe this wasn’t such a big deal after all.”

“Yeah,” Kaycee laughed. “Funny how that worked out.”

Perma: @a-crepusculo @animesuck3r @annoyingmillenialnewbie @crazy-loca-blog @doriopenheart @differenttyphoonwerewolf @fayeswiftie @gryffindordaughterofathena @genevievemd @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @kingliam2019 @liaromancewriter @onikalover @openheartforeverinmyheart @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @secretaryunpaid @socalwriterbee @sophxwithers @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

More tags in reblog.

[yourimagines]

Hi 👋🏻 I really love your stories, keep up the good work!

Can you write one for me please?

Reader meets Nate or Nick during a vacation trip. She’s from Europe and is younger than he is.

Thank you so much 😊

Yess I will, I’ll start with Nate, I upload later a version of Nick.

First time

* English is not my first language I apologise

* Triggers: Swearing, Fluff (bff name Y/BB/N, friends name Y/F/N)

Y/N POV

Here I was in Miami for the first time with my friends, it was me and five others. “Y/N, lets go, I want that good spot at the beach.” My best friend said. “Yeah yeah I’m coming.” I jumped out of our rented car and grabbed my bag. “I really can’t believe it.” An other friend said. “I know right?!” They where slightly freaking out as I just rolled my eyes. “Are we ready or not?” I locked the car and walked up to the beach, they quickly followed me. “Girl we are always ready.”

We where laying on these sun beds as a large group of guys walked passed us. My best friend was sneakily checking them out as she was wearing her big sunglasses. “They look fit tho.” “Oh please Y/BBF/N behave, it’s our second day here in America.” She only giggles. “I’m sorry I can’t help myself.” They guys stopped a bit further away as they all lined up for a photo. “Say cheese!” She yells as they posed. I quickly hide my face in my hands as one other friend hit her leg and the others giggles out. “God dammit Y/BBF/N.” I was embarrassed by her. I carefully looked and the guys walked back to their chilling spot, a few meter away from us. “Why did you do that?!” I whispered yelled at her. “Oh come on Y/N, it was funny.” Y/F/N shook her head. “No it was not, you don’t know these people, were in Miami not in freaking Cambridge.”

Y/BBF/N and Y/F/N went off to get us some ice cream, the three other went off for a swim, leaving me alone. I was reading a book when I heard someone walking up “Hey.” I looked up from my book and saw a good looking guy standing at my feet, blocking the sun. “Hi.” I smiled at him. “I’m sorry to bother you but your friends are with us, I thought I should tell you.” I nodded friendly at him. “Thank you for telling me.” I looked back at my book. “If you want you can join as well.” I looked back at him. “That’s very kind but I decline, thank you tho.” I looked back at my book again. “Okay, we’ll if you change your mind you’re welcome to join.” “Thank you.” I saw in the corner of my eyes he left. ‘I’m not here for the guys like the rest of our group, just let me be me, please.’

The day went fast as I was mostly alone, one friend joined me for awhile because she wanted to check on me. “You don’t have to be here, I’m fine I like this.” “I know but this is our vacation trip, we should stay together tho.” I looked at her and smiled. “It’s fine, go enjoy, we are together later today.” She nods and stands up. “But promise me one thing tho.” She nods. “Don’t go home with them, just don’t okay.” “I promise, I’m not a fool.” “I know but they other might be.” “I watch them don’t worry.” She smiles and leaves me alone.

They all came back, giggling. “Hey y/n.” “Hey guys.” They all packed their stuff. “I’m hungry.” I said while grabbing my bag. “I’m more like craving for some cocktails.” My bestie said. “No thanks I’m more into fast food.” She groans. “Come on just one night.” I sighed. “Okay I make you a deal. We’re going for some fast food and after that we hit the club for some cocktails.” She was almost begging me as she had her hands in a prayer. “Okay fine but I choose where we are going to eat then.”

I hated that I agreed with them. They where invited by that group of guys to join them for a drink. “This is y/n, she’s the oldest from our group.” My bestie said to them. I simply smiled at them. “Nice to meet you y/n, I’m Nate.” That good looking guy from earlier gave me a hand. “Hi, nice to meet you to Nate.” My bestie walked away to the others as Nate and I stayed behind at the bar.

“You’re not a big fan of this, Am I right?” “Yeah you’re right.” He nods and took a sip from his drink. “it’s okay tho, everyone has their least favourite activities.” I smiled at him. “I’m not boring if’s that what you’re thinking.” He chuckles. “I didn’t thought that but it’s good to know that you’re not boring.” I laughed and shook my head. “I’m more like a history kind of a person, I want to see things, not lay on a beach and drink my vacation away type.” He nods. “Your not from here right?” I nodded. “Well you should check out this place.” He showed me on his phone a restaurant. “The food is really good, one of my favourite placed here in Miami.” “It’s looks good.” “I know right.” He went to his instagram and I looked away, giving him some privacy. “What’s ya name.” “On instagram.” “Yeah, so I can send it to ya.” “Uh it’s Y/IG/N.” He typed away on his phone. “I send it to ya, you really should check it out.” “I will thanks.”

Nate and I where talking the whole night, drinking some soft drinks together. “I never got your age, your the oldest from the group she said right?” “Yeah I’m 28 years old, the youngest in our group is 22 years old, they are all nice people tho.” He nods. “And you? What’s your age?” “38.” He said as he took a sip from his drink. “Cool, you live around here?” “Nahh I’m from California Stockton. I’m here for a event.” I nodded.

The night became to an end as the bar was getting closed up. “They are fucked.” We where walking to the parking lot. My friends were wasted, giggling around as the guys helped them to our car. “Good luck with them.” Nate pointed out as Y/BBF/N crawled into the car. “Thanks. I really need that.” I opens my side of the car. “Be careful.” “I will and be careful as well , it was nice meeting you Nate.” “We will, it was really nice meeting you y/n.” We both smiled and Y/BBF/N whined out. “Ugh Y/N hurry the fuck up.” I laughed and got in the car. “Have fun this weekend.” “Yeah you too.” I waved them goodbye and drove us back to the hotel. “Y/N, he’s cute I hope you got his socials.” “Be quiet you all.” They all giggled as I got all shy about it. ‘They are right, he is cute.’

Y/IG/N

Liked by BestieF/N, natediaz209 and 100+ more

First week in America got us good, thanks to the handsome fella who recommended me this restaurant 👊🏻❤️

20+ more comments

@ BestieF/N: life’s good here

@ CrazyF/N: Good choice 👍🏻

@ natediaz209: no problem 😉

@ Y/IG/N replied: ❤️

@ BestieF/N replied: 🙊

@ Sunflower22: great time with great friends 💕

@ Y/M/N: have fun ladies, Y/N be careful please ❤️

@ Y/IG/N replied: I will mom ❤️

[the-brewers-inn]

Experience The Brewers Inn- Premier Restaurant in Cambridge for Dinner and Lunch

When visiting Cambridge, The Brewers Inn provides a wonderful dining experience that blends traditional charm with contemporary taste. Inviting and ideal for lunch or dinner, this location promises a unique gastronomic experience right in the central of the city.

A Warm and Welcoming Atmosphere

You are welcomed by a warm, yet chic atmosphere as soon as you walk into The Brewers Inn. Whether you're having a romantic evening dinner or a laid-back lunch with friends, the interior design seamlessly combines the warmth of a classic pub with modern style, creating the perfect atmosphere for any occasion.

Delicious Lunch and Dinner in Cambridge

Lunch: A great blend of comfort and inventiveness can be found on The Brewers Inn's lunch menu. Start your meal with delectable starters like the daily soup or crispy calamari, and then select from a variety of main dishes including the perennially popular fish & chips or a traditional cheeseburger at restaurant in Cambridge. Pan-seared salmon with seasonal veggies is a great alternative for people looking for something lighter. Everyone will be satisfied with the cuisine, which offers options to suit a range of palates and dietary requirements.

Dinner: The Brewers Inn becomes a sanctuary when night falls. Perfectly grilled steaks, creamy pastas, and tantalizing vegetarian options are just a few of the delectable evening menu items. To guarantee flavor and freshness, every meal is made with ingredients that are sourced locally. A fantastic meal is perfectly capped off with one of our sweet delicacies, so be sure to leave room for dessert.

A Selection of Drinks to Enhance Your Dining

Choose from a wide selection of beverages at The Brewers Inn to complement your meal. Pick from an array of well-chosen wines, specialty beers, and traditional cocktails. Every dish goes well with a different beverage, whether you like a strong red, crisp white, or refreshing local brew.

Exceptional Service at Restaurant in Cambridge

Reputable for providing exceptional service is The Brewers Inn. Our friendly and competent staff will go above and beyond to make your stay delightful. They will make recommendations and fulfill any specific requests you may have to guarantee a memorable eating experience.

Ideal for Any Occasion

The Brewers Inn is the ideal location for any kind of event, from discreet dinners to big parties. Whether you're celebrating a big occasion or just having a casual lunch, the restaurant's welcoming environment and adaptable cuisine make it a terrific choice for any occasion.

Plan Your Visit to The Brewers Inn

The Brewers Inn in Cambridge is a must-visit if you want a memorable eating experience. It's hardly surprising that it's a favorite among both locals and tourists with its extensive menu, superb service, and cozy setting. Make a reservation for a seat right away to find out why The Brewers Inn is a unique Cambridge attraction!

Reserve your table at the best restaurant in Cambridge today by calling 01223 861349 or emailing us at info@thebrewersinncambridge.co.uk. Visit our website- https://www.thebrewersinncambridge.co.uk

[solospabreaksuk1]

Discover the Best Solo Spa Breaks and Top 10 Places to Visit in Cornwall

If you're yearning for a rejuvenating escape, solo spa breaks UK offer the perfect opportunity to unwind, recharge, and explore. From luxurious spa retreats to the scenic beauty of Cornwall, here's your ultimate guide to planning a solo adventure filled with relaxation and discovery.

Welcome to Truly Discover, your go-to blog for everything you need to know about the UK!

Solo Spa Breaks in the UK

Solo spa breaks UK are an ideal way to focus on self-care without distractions. The UK boasts a plethora of top-tier spa destinations tailored for singles. Whether you're looking for a serene countryside retreat or a chic urban spa, there's something for everyone.

1. Champneys Tring, Hertfordshire - Renowned for its historic charm and world-class treatments, Champneys Tring is perfect for a rejuvenating solo retreat.

2. Ragdale Hall Spa, Leicestershire - Combining modern facilities with Victorian architecture, Ragdale Hall offers extensive wellness programs.

3. Grayshott Health Spa, Surrey - Specializing in holistic health, Grayshott is ideal for those seeking a comprehensive wellness experience.

4. Lifehouse Spa & Hotel, Essex - A contemporary spa with a wide range of treatments and wellness packages, Lifehouse is perfect for solo travelers.

5. The Scarlet, Cornwall - An eco-friendly, adults-only haven with stunning sea views and Ayurvedic treatments.

Singles Spa Holidays

Traveling alone allows you to tailor your spa experience to your personal preferences. Singles spa holidays are becoming increasingly popular as they offer the freedom to indulge in treatments, activities, and relaxation at your own pace. Many spas provide tailored packages for solo travelers, ensuring a personalized and fulfilling experience.

Top 10 Places to Visit in Cornwall

Cornwall, with its rugged coastline and charming villages, is a must-visit destination in the UK. Here are the top 10 places cornwall to explore:

1. St Ives - Famous for its art scene, beautiful beaches, and the Tate St Ives gallery.

2. Padstow - A foodie haven known for its seafood and charming harbor.

3. The Eden Project - An iconic attraction featuring massive biomes housing diverse plant species.

4. Tintagel Castle - Steeped in Arthurian legend, this dramatic cliff-top castle offers stunning views.

5. Falmouth - Home to a picturesque harbor, maritime museums, and lovely gardens.

6. Newquay - Renowned for its surfing culture and vibrant nightlife.

Best University in the UK for Masters

For those considering further education, the UK offers some of the Best Universities in the UK for Masters studies. Among them, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge stand out for their prestigious programs and world-class faculty. 

Additionally, Imperial College London, University College London (UCL), and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) are highly regarded for their master's programs across various disciplines.

Best University in the UK for Masters

Manchester Day Drinking : Food and Drink Venues UK

When in Manchester, enjoying a day of casual drinking at some of the city's finest establishments is a must. Manchester Day Drinking vibrant bar scene includes:

1. The Alchemist - Known for its innovative cocktails and stylish ambiance.

2. Cloud 23 - Offering panoramic views of the city from the 23rd floor of the Beetham Tower.

3. The Wharf - A relaxed pub with a great selection of beers and a picturesque canal-side location.

4. Albert's Schloss - A lively beer hall with a wide range of beers and Bavarian-inspired dishes.

5. Port Street Beer House - Perfect for craft beer enthusiasts with an extensive selection on tap.

Whether you're looking to relax with a solo spa break uk, explore the scenic wonders of Cornwall, or enjoy a lively day of drinking in Manchester, the UK offers an array of experiences for every solo traveler. So pack your bags, pamper yourself, and embark on a memorable solo adventure!

[thegrandnewdelhi]

5 star hotel and restaurants for Business in Delhi

Spoil yourself in 5-star Luxury in Delhi’s Best Hotel Restaurants

Are you looking for some luxurious experiences during your short or long stay in Delhi with your friends, family or loved ones? Or, perhaps, as a businessman, are you searching for options to boost your business and further your business interests along with your business associates amid some luxurious and opulent ambience? If any of those cases best describes your current interests, then 5 star hotel restaurants in Delhi are what you are really looking for!

Whether for vacation or to serve your business interests, you can have the best and world-class dining experience in Delhi’s 5 star hotel restaurants or business hotels in Delhi.

Classic Cuisines That Will Surprise Your Taste Buds!

Whether it is North Indian, Continental, Italian, Chinese, Sea Food, or many other types of cuisines, 5 star hotel restaurants in Delhi can offer you all and more!

You can gorge on some of the most mouth-watering fancy meals and fine dining menus the whole world can offer, right here in Delhi: Pepper Prawns, Sushi, Tiramisu, Cauliflower Cappuccino, Lamb, Drunken Chicken, Tenderloin Steak, Lemon Fish, Jalebi, Cocktails, Jasmine Tea, Chicken Tikka and more!

Fine Dining Experiences

The Cambridge dictionary describes “fine dining” as a “style of eating that usually takes place in expensive restaurants, where especially good food is served to people, often in a formal way”. Well, if business hotels in Delhi are “expensive”, going by the above definition, they also are a great value for your money and time, making sure that every Rupee, Dollar, Dirham or other currencies you spend during your stay in such hotels goes towards boosting your business interests manifold!

And it is not just luxurious dining experiences we are talking about. Even if you are looking for just a delicious curated meal or millet-based menus, including spectacular dishes made from the highest quality of ingredients reflecting regional cuisines, 5 star hotel restaurants in Delhi have it all to make yours an unforgettable culinary experience.

Best Chefs Waiting to Surprise You with World-Class Cuisines

During the G20 Summit in New Delhi, 5 star hotel restaurants in Delhi literally charmed and wowed the biggest leaders in the world, including the likes of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Miloni, UK's First Lady and daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, Akshata Murty, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak! The whole world saw the world-class and unforgettable culinary experiences such hotels are capable of offering, including a seemingly endless array of cuisines reflecting various parts of the world, exotic locations, and cultures.

The fantastic experiences that the world leaders had in such 5 star hotel restaurants in Delhi is testimony to the finest class and sheer brilliance of the world’s best chefs to be found in such hotel restaurants.

And What about Business?

The world-class business hotels in Delhi are an absolute must-go if you are planning a serious business trip to Delhi. India has become a very important global destination for business travellers and business tourism, in general, and Delhi’s world-class business hotels are just what you need to turbo-boost your business interests! Absolutely!

All 5 star hotel restaurants in Delhi treat business guests with the special treatment they deserve, making them feel pampered and wowed, even as they push ahead with their business interests. It doesn’t matter which part of the world you belong to, you will be properly taken care of, so that you can take care of your business without facing any hassles whatsoever.

Whether it is Chinese, Indian, Italian or Japanese delicacies, all the world-class business hotels in Delhi are just waiting to provide you with an authentic and unforgettable culinary experience.

Delicious Conclusions

No matter from which part of the world you are from, the 5 star hotel restaurants in Delhi and the best business hotels in Delhi are always raring to go in their efforts to go the extra mile to please you–their customers! When you step into any of such world-class restaurants and hotels, you can be sure of enjoying a most luxurious stay, even as you go about savouring the culinary delights with your friends, and loved ones, or just concentrate on furthering your business interests! So, if you are headed for Delhi, or are already in the city, be sure to book in the best hotel restaurantsor business hotels in Delhi.

[bookdjvibe1]

Event DJ Cambridge

Experience the ultimate ambiance with DJ Vibe's wedding DJ services in Cambridge! Passionate about creating unforgettable moments, DJ Vibe tailors music to your love story. From modern sound and lighting to event music, cocktail hour, and reception celebrations, DJ Vibe ensures a multisensory experience. As a skilled emcee, he adds a professional touch to your event. Make your wedding day harmonious and memorable with DJ Vibe's expertise. Contact djvibe@bookdjvibe.com for details on services, packages, and pricing. Elevate your event with the best Event DJ in Cambridge!

[theivhubburlington]

The IV Hub Burlington MA

The IV Hub Burlington MA specializes in IV Therapy and Medical Weight Loss programs, Testosterone Replacement Therapy for men, Liquid Lipo, and more! Our medical spa and weight loss clinic is led by a Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years experience, offering personalized treatments to help YOU to feel better as you work towards your health, weight loss, beauty, or memory goals! We offer the best IV therapy in Burlington. IV therapy drips include Meyers Cocktail, Immunity IV, Skinny Drip and other nutritional IV's. Our medical weight loss program offers diet, exercise and fast weight loss with compounded semaglutide. We also offer monthly subscription services for Testosterone Replacement Therapy for men in Burlington, MA.

Contact Us: The IV Hub Burlington MA Address: 154 Cambridge St Suite115, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Phone: 781-812-7550 Email: info@theivhubboston.com Website: https://theivhubboston.com/burlington/ External Links: Artmight Coub Disqus Spreaker Ted Giphy

[lizseyi]

How Do Mixologists Differ From Bartenders - And Why Should Your Brand Be Hiring A Mixologist For Its Next Event? 

As you might have gathered from poring over our website – or even if you have worked directly with us in the past – here at BrandWarriors, we know a thing or two about how important it is to hire skilled event staff. 

But when your own brand is looking to hold a promotional event that is meant to show off your organisation and its products, services and values to best effect, is there the risk that you don’t properly understand all the skills your hired staff do – and don’t – have? And more to the point, do you understand the implications that could have for your event? 

The distinction between bartenders and mixologists is a classic example of where such misunderstanding and confusion can arise. So, let’s take a closer look at the specifics of how these roles can differ. 

‘Bartender’ and ‘mixologist’ are not direct synonyms 

Look up their respective definitions in some parts of the web, and you might understandably be led to imagine that bartenders and mixologists must be essentially the same in terms of their skill sets. 

But before writing this article, we took a quick look at the Cambridge Dictionarywebsite, and we did find there was a difference, albeit a subtle one. The term “bartender”, for instance, was defined as “someone who makes and serves drinks in a bar”. Meanwhile, the same source defined “mixology” as “the activity or skill of mixing drinks such as cocktails”. 

The title “bartender”, then, can be applied to anyone who serves customers at a bar. Such a role is likely to entail beer-pulling and cleaning, and certainly could include the mixing of cocktails as well, although a given bartender might not necessarily possess the most specialised or highest-level skills in this regard. 

Contrast that with a “mixologist”, who… well, the clue’s kind-of in the name. They’re professionals who specialise in cocktail-making, frequently being highly adept in the creation of new recipes, as well as in the application of interesting “twists” to more familiar favourites. 

A mixologist, then, is someone who you can typically depend on to bring a particular “wow factor” to your event. The best of them are able to create drinks that truly captivate the attendees of a brand event like the one you might be planning right now. 

Furthermore, a capable mixologist will be able to effectively expand the range of cocktails available to guests, even if there is a relatively limited number of base ingredients at hand for the mixologist to use. 

It all means that you can count on a suitably skilled mixologist getting it right every time, which will help engage your event attendees, and contribute to the all-round memorability and success of your event. 

So… is a bartender “just” a bartender? 

Of course, we should probably emphasise at this point, that there’s nothing wrong with someone being “simply” a bartender. Competent bartenders can be highly adaptable, potentially able to cover all manner of duties in relation to the serving of drinks and snacks at a brand’s promotional event. So, they could well have a role to play in your event, alongside a mixologist or several. 

Nonetheless, it is important to appreciate that a mixologist’s role is by no means identical to that of a bartender. This, in turn, might shape some of the decisions you make as you seek to put together a promo event that offers real sparkle and impact. 

For a discussion with our own BrandWarriors about how we can help you hire skilled event staff who will embody everything you want in such personnel representing your brand in person, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via phone or email today. 

[brookpub]

Best Drink Pairings for Indian Chicken and Paneer Biryani

Best Drink Pairings for Indian Chicken and Paneer Biryani

Indian food is well-known for its varied traditions, aromatic spices, and robust flavours. People who love food have a soft spot for Biryani, one of the many memorable delicacies. This fragrant and flavourful rice dish is a favourite in Indian restaurants all over the globe and a household staple in India. It is typically made with marinated meat or veggies. With its exceptional Chicken and Paneer Biryani and well-curated cocktails, Brook Indian Gastro Pub has raised the bar for Biryani in Cambridge lovers everywhere. Let’s check the Best Drink Pairings for Indian Chicken and Paneer Biryani.

Essence of Biryani

To eat Biryani is to go on a gastronomic adventure that captures the spirit of Indian food. Legend says that Persian traders and travellers brought Biryani from their homeland to India. The word "birian" means "fried before cooking" in Persian. There are now many regional varieties, each with history, style, and taste.

Chicken Biryani: Biryani in Cambridge

The aromatic basmati rice is topped with juicy chicken breasts marinated in a mixture of yoghurt, spices, and herbs. This classic dish is a favourite. Thanks to the dish's ideal cooking, the rice absorbs all the fragrant spices and flavours. The chicken is delicate, and the rice is fluffy and flavourful, creating a lovely mix.

Paneer Biryani: Biryani in Cambridge

In place of the traditional meat in Paneer Biryani, fresh Indian cheese paneer is used, making this dish a vegetarian pleasure. Cooked with the same care as the meat version, this dish layers marinated paneer pieces with spicy rice. Rich, filling, and flavourful, the paneer's creamy texture soaking up the spices makes the meal even better.

The Perfect Drink Pairings -

If you want to boost your Biryani eating experience, try serving it with a drink that complements the dish's intense flavours and spices. The drink selection at Brook Indian Gastro Pub is hand-picked to complement the restaurant's famous Chicken and Paneer Biryani.

Grand Authentic Veg Thali

Traditional Drink Pairings

Lassi:

One common accompaniment to Biryani is lassi, a traditional Indian drink made with yoghurt. In contrast to the hot Biryani, its chilly influence and creamy texture provide a pleasant contrast. If the recipe calls for anything sweet, salty, mango—or rose-flavoured, lassi is the way to go.

Chaas, or Buttermilk:

The traditional Indian drink buttermilk, sometimes called chaas, is another great accompaniment to Biryani. This spiced yoghurt drink is a great way to wash down the heavy Biryani with something light and tart.

Cocktails of the Modern Era -

Beer:

Biryani pairs wonderfully with beer because the fizz and mild bitterness can balance out the heavy flavour. Craft beers from Brook Indian Gastro Pub's range are hand-picked to go well with the Chicken and Paneer Biryani.

Wine:

Although many might not think of mixing wine with Indian food, several varieties bring out flavours. Biryani combines tangy reds like Pinot Noir or crisp whites like Sauvignon Blanc. You can find wines on the list at Brook Indian Gastro Pub that go well with the Biryani.

Mixed drinks:

Another excellent choice for Biryani is a creative cocktail. A spiced rum drink, for example, would go well with a hot meal, while a gin and tonic with mint and cucumber notes would be perfect for cooling down.

Alternatives to Alcohol -

Mocktails:

If you're looking for a classy and tasty non-alcoholic drink, go no further than mocktails. Mulled drinks like spicy apple cider, zesty lemon, and mint cooler are available at Brook Indian Gastro Pub to complement the Biryani.

Medicinal Herbal Sodas:

The strong flavours of Biryani can be balanced with herbal teas like chamomile, ginger, and lemongrass, which are known to be calming. If you're seeking a non-alcoholic accompaniment, these teas are perfect because they are aromatic, light, and refreshing.

Indian Biryani at The Brook Cambridge: A Culinary Gem

Famous for its modern takes on classic Indian dishes, Brook Indian Gastro Pub serves you some of the best Indian food in town. Everyone loves them, from locals to tourists, because of their dedication to quality, authenticity, and innovation. The following are some of the reasons why Brook Indian Gastro Pub is the most excellent Cambridge spot to get Chicken and Paneer Biryani:

Excellent Cooking:

With a wealth of knowledge and expertise gained over many years in the kitchen, the chefs at Brook Indian Gastro Pub are true experts in their field. You can be sure that your Chicken and Paneer Biryani will be authentic and delicious since they use only the highest quality ingredients, traditional spices, and cooking methods.

Careful Detail:

Brook Indian Gastro Pub's Biryani is meticulously prepared using marinating and rice, meat, or paneer layering. The end product is a visually pleasing, striking, and flavourful appetiser.

Hospitality and Ambiance:

The pleasant atmosphere of Brook Indian Gastro Pub reflects India's rich cultural history and is sure to put guests at ease. The decor, music, and general ambience achieve a dining experience that is equal parts cosy and refined. Everyone on staff is warm and welcoming and knows how to ensure you have a great meal.

Beverage Menu:

The drinks served at Brook Indian Gastro Pub are as carefully selected as the restaurant's food. Every palate may be satisfied, whether it's with classic Indian drinks, modern cocktails, or speciality beers and wines. Additionally, the well-informed staff is happy to make suggestions to ensure that the ideal wine accompanies your meal.

Involvement with the Community:

As a community centre, Brook Indian Gastro Pub organises events, live performances, delicious cuisine and drinks. Its dedication to involving the neighbourhood enhances the eating experience, turning it into a gathering spot for wonderful cuisine, beverages, and company.

Conclusion:

Combining beverages with Indian Biryani at The Brook Cambridge is an art form that requires skill to achieve flavour harmony, elevate the eating experience, and amplify the dish's rich, aromatic spices with an emphasis on authenticity, originality, and quality. Brook Indian Gastro Pub in Cambridge guarantees that every meal is an unforgettable experience. We also serve Grand Authentic Non-Veg thali and Grand Authentic Veg thali at the pub. The thoughtfully chosen drink pairings enhance the flavours and create a balanced, fulfilling dinner, whether you're eating their famous Chicken Biryani or the delicious Paneer Biryani.

Brook Indian Gastro Pub offers various classic and modern drinks to suit a wide range of tastes and preferences so that every customer can discover the ideal drink to complement their meal. For Biryani in Cambridge, no one does it better than Brook Indian Gastro Pub because of their extraordinary culinary skill, meticulous attention to detail, and dedication to the community.

For a memorable dining experience that embraces the rich flavours of Indian food, Brook Indian Gastro Pub is the place to go the next time you're craving a plate of Biryani and the ideal drink.

[photographyatmit]

Blogpost #8

The Magnum Photos Cooperative was founded in 1947 by a small group of photographers: Robert Capa, David Seymour, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, William Vandivert, Rita Vandivert, and Maria Eisner. They have since grown to include many members and have headquarters in New York City, Paris, Tokyo, and London. The Magnum Photos Cooperative formed to allow a group of photographers to collaborate and have more freedom in their work.

Susan Meiselas joined Magnum Photos in 1976 and is currently the president of the Magnum Foundation. She is best known for her insurrection in Nicaragua and her documentation of human rights issues in Latin America. She received her M.A. from Harvard University in the 1970s, though has worked mostly in New York. She has published books, co-directed a film, and received numerous awards throughout her successful career. Now in her 70s, she currently resides in New York. 

Susan Meiselas, The main street in a rural town. Santo Domingo, Nicaragua, 1979. Magnum Photos

Susan Meiselas, Stencil of a Sandinista rebel throwing a Molotov cocktail. Nicaragua, 1984. Magnum Photos

Susan Meiselas, Self Portrait. 44 Irving St, Cambridge, MA, USA. 1971. Magnum Photos

Susan Meiselas, Street fighter. Managua, Nicaragua. 1979. Magnum Photos

Susan Meiselas, Hanging out on Baxter Street. Little Venice, New York City. 1978. Magnum Photos

Susan Meiselas. Roe, Jojo, Dee and Lisa leaving St. Patrick’s School. New York City, USA. 1976. Magnum Photos

Susan Meiselas, At a playground under the Manhattan Bridge. NYC, USA. 1976. Magnum Photos

[kingdomtee]

Never underestimate a woman who understands football and loves Albert Pujols signature shirt

At the Never underestimate a woman who understands football and loves Albert Pujols signature shirt . Also,I will get this start of last year, when Covid took hold of the world, fashion was finally forced to address the ever-accelerating speed of its output. The industry’s frenetic pace has long been a subject of cocktail party conversations, but it seems it took a pandemic to instill even a modicum of change. Grace Wales Bonner has never been one to acquiesce to the constraints of the traditional fashion calendar—she has alternated between showing menswear and womenswear, and oscillated between runway shows and lookbooks depending on what best suits. But, with times what they are, even she paced her process—and so her latest collection showcased the final chapter in a trilogy, begun last January, which explores the cultural and sartorial threads that interlink Britain and the Caribbean. “This subject is the starting point for why I’m interested in creating,” said the designer, who is British born but of Jamaican heritage. “During this time I feel like I’ve really been grounding myself in this framework, and refining myself within it. These collections are about consolidating and reinforcing what is timeless to me; representing the breadth of what Wales Bonner is, and can be.”Never underestimate a woman who understands football and loves Albert Pujols signature shirt, hoodie, sweater, longsleeve and ladies t-shirt

Classic Women's

Long Sleeved

Unisex Sweatshirt

Unisex Hoodie

Classic Men's Thus far in the Never underestimate a woman who understands football and loves Albert Pujols signature shirt . Also,I will get this series the designer has looked to the second-generation Jamaicans who established London’s 1970s Lovers Rock scene to inform her designs, and then the dress of Jamaica’s dancehall and reggae stars. Here she started by exploring the wardrobes of Britain’s Black scholars in the 1980s: those who traveled from across the world to study at the likes of Oxford and Cambridge. There was a reimagining of their academic attire—of tweed blazers and knitted scarves, well-worn chinos and striped jumpers—but within that historicism, “I was thinking about how in certain spaces people create a language for themselves,” reflected Wales Bonner. “About how you might disrupt an institution from inside.” You Can See More Product: https://kingshirtstore.com/product-category/trending/ Read the full article

[apinchofm]

What Are We Doing?

The story of Kate and Anthony in Ruin

Strangers-to FWB-to Lovers.

"I don't have time for a real relationship. I'm finishing my medical degree, I do not-"

Anthony looked up from between her legs, annoyed that he had not distracted her well enough.

"That's fantastic. May I continue?"

...

Fresh out of Cambridge, Kate decided to go to London with a few classmates. Her last night of freedom before starting the medical part of her degree

Sitting at the bar, she noticed the handsome man next to her. He looked annoyed as the bartender listened to him rant about his sister's engagement.

"I feel bad for the man your sister is with," Kate snorted.

Anthony looked at her, "He was my best friend and my little sister!"

"If they love each other, then what's wrong with that? Scared she may get treated the way you treat other women?" Kate challenged. Most men were always terrified of that prospect.

But he smiled at her, narrowing his eyes in interest, "I will have you know, I am a perfect gentleman."

"I'm sure," Kate agreed sarcastically.

"I'm Anthony," He introduced, "See? Gentleman."

"Kate." She replied.

"What are you drinking to?" He asked, noticing her cocktail. As he moved closer, he inhaled the smell of her. Lilies. It was nearly intoxicating.

"I have just graduated. Starting medical training in September," Kate explained.

"Congratulations! That calls for a drink. On me." Anthony said. Sexy and smart? He liked her already.

"What about you?" Kate asked, seeing his glass of whiskey.

"I am... just drinking,"

"I'm sure that's just alcoholism."

They both grinned and laughed, "No, I, um, it's been a shitty few months. Fighting with my sister and my best friend. My fiancee broke up with me," Anthony took another sip, "I have everything but my life is a mess,"

"I'm sorry," Kate said genuinely feeling bad for him.

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine, I think." Anthony waved her off, "I have my family to focus on,"

"I get that. I always worry about my little sister." Kate agreed, "And my mum,"

"I have seven siblings to worry about," Anthony said and her eyes widened.

"Well then, I think we'll need more drinks."

They were still talking and drinking even as other patrons left.

"You are so bloody arrogant," Kate said to him.

"Never had a complaint before," Anthony said with a wink. He tapped his black card against the reader, "Come home with me?"

She raised an eyebrow but followed him out anyway.

That's how it started. Neither would say it meant anything. Merely two older siblings, who needed relief in their busy lives.

....

Kate finds out who Anthony is when they re-settle in Mayfair. For Mary, it was coming home after two decades to the house and estate her parents left her. She didn't exactly want it but she wanted her girls looked after.

"I love it!" Edwina ran inside the large house, Newton scampering behind her, "I get first dibs on rooms!" She ran up the staircase.

"It's like a mausoleum," Kate said. Mary wrapped her arm around her eldest.

"That was my parent's style." Mary agreed, "But we will brighten it up. I fear Edwina has already planned to paint the whole place yellow or pink."

"I'm so here for that," Kate said and they both laughed.

"Mary!" There was a sharp knock at the open door, accompanied by a cheery voice and a cheerful woman in a floral dress carrying two large cake tins.

"Violet." Mary grinned and hugged her old friend.

"I have brought cake. Victoria sponge, made by me." Violet gave her one, "And the other is full of cookies and macaroons, from that bakery," She clicked her fingers, "Anthony! Darling where is that bakery again? The one Eloise and Frannie love?"

"Near Hyde Park mother," A deep, familiar and amused voice followed by Anthony himself. He is holding a basket of flowers

Kate and Anthony stared at one another as their mother's chatted. He was her fucking neighbour?!

"Ah, this is my eldest, Anthony. Anthony, you remember Mary, do you not?" Violet introduced.

"Wow, the last time I saw you, you were so little," Mary gushed at the Viscount who smiled politely, "This is Kate, my eldest

"Amma, I called bagsy on the room with the view of the gardens! It has so much space for my books!" Edwina came barrelling down the stairs, smiling at the new people.

"This is my sister Edwina," Kate introduced her sister who smiled brightly at Anthony, "And this is Newton." The puppy barked at Anthony causing him to step back and Kate smiled, satisfied.

"Why don't I help you with your boxes? You can show me this room you've baggised" Anthony said to the younger sister who grinned and nodded, putting down Newton and dragging him with her.

"Oh, such a sweet man. But that's the Viscount. He still reads to Hyacinth before she goes to sleep. He can't resist helping a younger sister." Violet gushed to Mary.

"Viscount?" Kate asked, startled.

"Yes, darling," Mary confirmed, "Oh, sorry yes. Violet is the Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton."

"But please Violet because that is a mouthful." The women laughed, before walking through the house, discussing what Mary was going to do with it.

Kate hated him. Oh, she really hated him.

But it turns out disdain makes for great sex.

....

Marina knew. She had a second sense for her friend's well-being in every sense

When they were helping Marina paint the living room of George and her's new home.

Kate leaned back when she noticed her friend sniffing her, then scanning her with a critical eye.

"You're having great sex." Marina concluded, as she continued painting the mantle place.

Kate spluttered, "How do you-?! What are you, a sex sniffer dog?"

"Because as cute as that shirt looks on you, it's a few sizes too big and you smell like Tom Ford," Marina said. Then her eyes widened, "Which nepotism lawyer are you sleeping with?"

"None of your business!" Kate said defensively." Her friend simply smirked. She would find out, somehow.

In fact, when Kate and Sophie were going home, Marina texted Kaye:

"Anthony Bridgerton is a good choice. Proud of you x'

She was going to kill George.

....

After Sophie outed her at dinner, Mary wanted to talk to Kate

"Anthony Bridgerton," Mary hummed as Kate dried dishes and put them away.

"Mama..." She didn't want a lecture.

Mary laughed, however, "No, I don't mind it honestly. He would make a good son-in-law," She teased.

"We're just," Kate shook her, "It's not that serious, just a bit of stress relief. Neither of us have time for that,"

"You forget, I met your father when I just finished med school," Mary pointed out, "He had a charming little girl who he looked after, whilst doing his PhD, then remarried and we moved to a different country afterwards. Multi-tasking is in your blood, chellam"

Kate smiled, "Edwina-"

"Will come out when she's ready. It's not for us to worry about, not unless this girlfriend breaks her heart." Mary said and she had to agree. Her younger sister was a romantic. If she broke, she would shatter.

"You deserve happiness and respect," Mary said gently, brushing Kate's hair back, "Do you have that?"

She thought of how even after sex, they would watch something, playfight, order in or go out for dinner. Anthony knew her and she knew him.

"I do, amma," She whispered.

...

"Do you want to go to dinner?" Anthony asked her when she came by his penthouse in the evening. He was still in a suit,

"Uh, sure," Kate replied, confused. They usually had food afterwards.

"Great, I made reservations," He smiled

"Do I need to change?" Kate asked, looking down at her dress under her

"You look beautiful," He assured her sincerely. She always looked beautiful.

They walked down the busy streets of London. Anthony talked about his day, and how Gregory is doing better at school. Kate talked about her upcoming tests and that's when it hit her.

"Anthony." She stopped walking. He turned to her, concerned.

"What are we doing?" Kate asked, desperately.

"Going to dinner. You mentioned you wanted to try the place a few weeks back-" Anthony explained, confused by her questioning.

"Exactly! Why do we remember these things? Why do I know that you hate bees and that you secretly like sugary caramel lattes? Why do you keep the soap and the perfume I use at your place?" Kate asked, "What are

"Kate..." Anthony whispered, "I'm not good at this. I can't even pretend I am. I have a failed engagement. I'm not perfect. I know that. Do you want to stop?"

"No," Kate shook her head, "But I can't ignore how I feel and just.."

"So we can just be us." Anthony concluded, "But I'm not going to pretend that I don't feel strongly for you. That I seem to only be able to breathe around you. And this has always been more than sex."

She reached up and kissed him, her hands cupping his face. His hands wrapped around her waist, holding her close.

"So is that a yes?" Anthony asked.

"Come on, buy me dinner," Kate smirked, holding his hand. He grinned and they happily went.

[gabriellademonaco]

Carina’s pick of the best day/cocktail outfits of 2021:

Beatrice Borromeo, Dior, Monaco National Day

Princess Tatiana of Greece, Del Coredress, Wedding of Prince Philippos of Greece

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium, Natan, Belgian National Day

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Prada, Milan Design Week

Princess Isabella of Denmark, InWear, Prince Christian’s Confirmation

Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Zimmermann, Prince Julian’s Christening

Queen Letizia of Spain, unknown, Medal of Honor of Andalusia

The Duchess of Cambridge, Holland and Cooper, Visit to Scotland

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, H&M, Crown Prince Couple’s Awards