#fun fact my working title for the flashback sections is “how to lose a best friend”

[corbenic]

Princess Imperial 1.15

Evie returned to her dorm room to discover her roommate—or cothurne, in the strange parlance of the grandes écoles—balanced precariously on a chair, crookedly taping posters of k-pop bands to the wall. Fiona Masséna was tall and skinny, with long legs. Her round face was round featured full cheeks that were permanently flushed pink. Her stick-straight black hair ended at her shoulders. She wore a green cashmere sweater and high-waisted jeans.

Two young men stood nearby. The first was gangly. His dark hair was slicked into a pompadour. Thin gold wire-frame glasses perched on his hooked nose. He wore a burgundy turtleneck, a houndstooth blazer, straight-leg jeans, and black tennis shoes. He studied the posters plastered on her side of the room. “Don’t tell me you liked that Beauty and the Beast film,” he said.

“The music is good,” said Fiona.

The second man grimaced. “It is an objectively terrible movie.” He was several inches shorter than his companion. He’d opted for a slightly less conservative outfit: white t-shirt, skinny jeans, cognac leather jacket, matching boots. A Cartier watch glimmered on his wrist. His hair was chopped short, military-style. It was either brown with hints of red or red with hints of brown. He stood with an easy elegance, the sort of nonchalance that Evie had spent years trying to copy.

He was beautiful in the same way as an expensive sports car. His high cheekbones and straight nose gave him a sharp, distinguished look. A thrill ran down Evie’s spine as she took in his broad shoulders and muscled arms.

The door slammed shut behind her. All three of them turned to Evie.

Read the rest at princessimperial.com

[theglitterypages]

Hi! I’m a new follower so i’m not quite sure if you accept requests now but if u do! i have this request that i think would be really nice!

I just read ur one shot called “behind the scenes” and i literally fell in love with it! I was thinking if you could do a sequel or part two where levi and reader talk about what he said in the interview and come to terms with their feelings for each other and then he says that they will take it slow and court reader properly.

After that, they would have like cute moments together like, she goes live on ig or such and he join and then flirts with her through the comment section 😆🥰 they have like small dates. And then when they film again for the next season, the other actors will ask what’s the deal with the both of them and Levi says he’s courting reader ><

Just a thought hehe i hope you have a great day!

Title: Behind The Scenes Part Two

Pairings: Levi x fem! Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3000

A/N: Hello darling, I'm so sorry it took me so long to respond, I've been a little busy in cleaning our house these days and I'm trying to spend less time using gadgets that's why I rarely find time to write. Anyways, I hope you'll like this one. This is not proofread so Expect many errors, I will edit this in no time. Thanks for requesting dearie💗💗💗

Read Part 1 Here

°°°°°

“Let's see each other next season! Good luck on your upcoming projects especially you Miss Marvel!” Zeke walked towards you and hugged you tight.

The whole cast just finished eating dinner, it was a dinner filled of laughter, the whole cast talked about the days on set, the silly things and other stuffs. Throughout the years of filming attack on titan, every one became each other's best friends and every time the filming are finished it's kinda sad because it will take time before you guys start filming together again.

“Goodnight everyone!”

Levi guided you towards the parking lot, his car was parked beside Eren who's now opening the door for Mikasa. “Drive straight my sister home, it's late.” Eren nodded and saluted to Levi before he climbed up the car and drove off.

Levi, on the other hand also opened the door of the car for you before he entered the car himself.

••••

“Thanks for driving me home, Lev. Do you want go inside for some tea?”

“It's fine, I don't wanna keep you up. We barely had enough time to sleep these days because of the promotions and stuffs.” Despite of saying that Levi is still standing in front of you, his eyes are full of hesitation and he kept opening his mouth just to pursed his lips together again as if holding himself back.

You are holding yourself back as well, you wanted to talk about what he said on the interview, you wanted to make things clear but you're too scared to do so.

Levi is a man who's hard to read, you wouldn't know if what he's saying is for the sake of fun or it is because he meant it.

Maybe he said that because you two are good friends, right, that's the only logical reason that popped into your mind.

You smiled fakely, trying to hide your disappointment to the fact that he's not gonna say anything, you get ready to turn your back on him to go inside your house but Levi suddenly held your hand, causing you to look back at him with wide eyes, “W-What is it?” you stammered.

“I mean it.”

“You mean what?”

Your heart is beating so fast, you're suddenly wondering it is because of Levi or it is because you have a heart problem.

Levi sighed and squeezed your hand gently as he looked into your eyes, he prepared himself a lot of times already but why is he getting afraid all the time?

He wanted to say it, say that this is more than just a friendship, that this is more than a job, that what he's doing is not a publicity stunt but he's tongue-tied. His mind went blank the moment he met your gaze, everything that he practiced before all of this has gone into the abyss.

But if he won't take a step forward, he'll always be at the same place and he wouldn't want that.

“I like you—no scratch that, I'm in love with you.”

“We had no liquor earlier so you can't be drunk. I have no times for jokes right now Lev.” you wanted to say that you like him too but what if this is just a joke? Can you afford to lose the friendship you to has?

Levi took a deep breath before he slowly nipped your chin and leaned down, his lips almost touching yours. “I know this is ridiculous but I..fell in love with you. At first I thought it was just because I'm portraying a man who's possibly in love with your character but as time passes by, I realized I'm not portraying Levi's feelings anymore.” he closed his eyes and gulped hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he do so.

“On Erwin's last day on shoot, I've realized that my remaining time with you are short and I realized that I'm not ready to let all of this end just like that.”

Flashback

“Okay so Levi you'll be choosing between Armin and Erwin, you know what to do just show us that you're heartbroken without obviously doing it and then once Samantha and Hanji came in look at Samantha with a face of relief, because in this scene Levi is glad to see her alive.” Levi nodded to the director, the make up artists put more fake bloods all over his face and when he sat nearby Erwin, the latter opened his eyes.

“Come on, man. Loosen up, the camera's not yet rolling.” Erwin smiled, Levi is a passionate actor and he gives his best in his craft, this series for example, Levi doesn't have any stunt doubles, he learned martial arts for the role and he did great portraying Levi Ackerman.

“Lights, Camera, Action!”

The scene went well and everyone cheered since this is the last day of filming for Erwin's character, Armin immediately hugged his older co-actor, Jean and Connie did the same while Mikasa and Sasha are clapping and smiling at the production team.

You and Levi are standing side by side behind Erwin, “This is sad.” you commented while Levi sighed beside you, “Imagine what my old guy feels.” Levi told you referring to his character in the series, you shrugged your shoulders and walked towards Erwin to hug him.

“You're the best, Commander Erwin.” you smiled and did the salute in the series before chuckling, “Shinzou wo Sasageyo!” you told him and the other actors heard you, everyone started doing the salute and shouted, “Shinzou wo Sasageyo!” Erwin looked around and smiled at everyone.

“Oh come on! It's not like I'm real dead, it's just my character.”

That wraps up the filming that day, while everyone was busy taking pictures with Erwin because this is his last day, Levi remained watching the whole cast from afar.

His eyes landed on you as you cry hugging Erwin, telling him that you'll miss working with him.

That was when Levi had come to realize that once this series is finished, he will never be ready to share the last moment on and off screen with you.

He's been working in this industry for a long time, not all friendships formed in work could last after a project is done, that was one of the reason why he's doing his best not to get attached especially in leading ladies but right now, for working so long with these whole cast it is inevitable to be attached to someone so similar to him yet different in other ways.

A small smile made its way across his lips as he see you laugh with the casts as you stood beside his sister.

One thing has come to his mind at that moment, he will never be ready to let you go.

End of Flashback

“I don't want to pressure you or anything. We can take it slow, I'm ready to court you properly, I haven't done any of that before but I'll do everything...let's just give it a try.”

All you could do was stare at him, blinking slowly as you tried processing everything he said, it was surprising to see him tremble like this, you can feel how cold his hands are and how his eyes are glassy because of the tears forming at the corner of his eyes.

“Well...I like you too but we'll take things slow, right? I don't want any of us to be hurt.”

“I understand—wait, what? You like me too?”

“Should I take that back?”

“No!”

You yelped with surprise when he hugged you tightly, his arms wrapped around you as he whisper sweet nothings on your ear.

“Levi it's too tight.” you giggled and he immediately pulled away, his cheeks are red so are his ears, he's cute with that blush but the way he smiled at you makes you feel like you've won the lottery, who knew you could see the Levi Cold Ackerman smile like this?

“I promise, I'll do my best.” he told you before pressing his lips on your forehead.

••••••

“Miss Y/N? Ahm the show asked if you could go live on Instagram to entertain the fans and inform them that you'll be in the Night Show.” you smiled at the staff and took the tablet in her hands since you'll be using the show's account to go live.

You started the live while your hairstylist is still fixing your hair, “As you guys can see my beloved hairstylist is not yet done fixing my hair, I will be at the Night Show! Oh my gosh I don't know what to say next, I'm just gonna read the comments.” your hairstylist laughed at your silliness and took a glance on the screen before turning her attention back to your hair.

“Okay, @ynsupremacy says she's been waiting for me to appear on the show. Oh thank you very much dearie! I've always wanted to be here too thanks for your support.”

“Oh my gosh take it easy babes, I can't read everything in just one go.”

You scrolled through the comments and sees a familiar username, “Someone deadass spammed the comment section you guys, Levi you little bastard stop spamming. Let my babies talk to me.” you narrowed your eyes at the screen before reading Levi's comment.

“I can't believe Angels go live on Instagram, says @captainlev.”

You looked back at your hairstylist after hearing her read Levi's comment, you blushed and she laughed at your reaction before shaking her head. “What? I was just reading. Nice on Captain Lev!” she smirked at the camera before looking back at you.

“I'll be back in a minute.” she said before walking out of the room.

You could still see Levi's comments but you did your best to ignore it so you could talk to your fans. “Hello @erenlegalwife happy birthday! I'm gonna tell Eren that it's his legal wife's birthday.” you chuckled. It's amusing to see their usernames, the comments are also hilarious but there are some bashers in the comments. You didn't mind them and just proceeded in interacting with your fans.

Another comment was shown but before you could even read it someone covered your eyes and you squealed, you removed their hands off your eyes and when you looked back you gasped in surprise.

“You kept on ignoring my comments, meanie.” Levi smirked as he opened his arms, asking for a hug and when you're too slow to hug him he's the one to walk towards you and hug you tight as he laughed loudly. “I scared you big time didn't I?” he teased.

You hit his back and pullled away from the hug. “God, I hate you.” it's been two months since you two confessed to each other, just like what he said, you two are taking it slow.

You guys are going out on dates from time to time yet there's no official relationship status, you didn't need the label actually, you're sure Levi wouldn't break your heart or anything, you just want to enjoy every time that you're with him.

“Okay, Levi will be joining us too but believe me I have no idea that he's a guest as well.” you told the fans as they ask you in the comment section.

“Figured I gotta surprise you, it's much better this way right?”

“You told me you're filming for that movie, big liar.”

Levi laughed and pinched your cheeks gently, “Sorry, I just want to surprise you.” he smiled sweetly and you looked away, blushing. “Pft. Never mind...” you bit your lower lip and scrolled through the comments but Levi already read something out loud.

“Ooh... @levisamlover says ‘you two look good together, just date already’ thank you for that. I also think that we look really good with each other, thanks for supporting my claim.” he smirked.

••••

“Are you sure you're fine with us just having a date at home? Well you probavly don't wanna let the press see us.” Levi asked as he wrapped jis arms around your shoulder, pulling you close to him as you two watch a movie.

“Hmm, nah the press has been seeing us two a lot but I don't care, I just want to stay close with you like this.” you told him, hugging him sideways, Levi chuckled and kissed the top of your head before feeding you some popcorn.

In the middle of the movie, Levi looked down on you just to see you asleep with a pout on your lips. He chuckled to himself and he slowly scoop you up being careful not to wake you up. He carried you towards your bedroom and he lay you down on the bed gently.

He smiled at your sleeping form before kissing your forehead. “I love you, do you know that? The day's ending yet I'm still 'ere falling in love with you again and again, deeper and deeper at every moment that passes by.” he took his phone from his pocket and took a picture of you, it became his new hobby, he's not the type to love taking pictures before but now that he has you, he wants to capture every moment.

He wants every moment to be saved, so he can go back to it every time that he misses you.

••••

“Nice job YN! Another action stunt beautifully done!”

You let out a sigh of relief when you're done filming your part, you guys are filming Eren's fight with the War Hammer Titan, along with the Survey corps fighting scene.

When you've finally done your part you immediately sat on the floor, feeling drained because of the insane stunts you had to do.

Levi was quick to hand you a bottled of water, he also naturally took his handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe your sweats, technically it is your PA's job but Levi was way faster than them.

Zeke and Reiner who just got finished their parts too, laughed at the scene because your PA was standing awkwardly as she watch Levi steal her job. “Man, I can't be the only one feeling that something changed with this two.” Zeke smirked nudging Reiner's sides, the latter hummed to agree before flicking his eyes on you and Levi.

“He's not even using his trailer anymore. He's with her all the time, Levi is acting sus.”

“Not to mention the fact that they kept on stealing glances all the time.” Hanji appeared behind the two holding her phone in her hand as she captures a photo of you and Levi laughing together. “Once we caught 'em in the act they'll spill the beans, believe me.” Armin who just finished filming also appeared holding his bottled water.

“I have a plan.” Hanji smirked deviously.

•••

“What, you're telling me to flirt with YN? Mikasa, I don't want to get killed by your brother.” Eren complained when he found out that the plan that they were thinking was getting Levi jealous so he would spill the tea.

Mikasa glared at Eren and smacked the back of his head. “Just do it, we'll be here to do something once he attempt to kill you.” Eren stared at her unbelievably before looking at his older brother. “Why don't you tell Armin to do it?” Zeke pushed his glasses up his nose before shaking his head. “Nah, Armin is like her son, Levi won't get jealous but you, a fuckboy would appear as a threat.” Zeke explained and everyone agreed.

“Man you're the one who flirts like a Seahorse.” Armin told him.

Eren narrowed his eyes, unable to understand Armin's sentence. “What do you mean by that smart-ass?” he growled.

“Seahorses flirts a lot, you're just like them.”

“I hate you all.”

Zeke got impatient of his brother's drama and he immediately pushed him towards your direction, the poor man almost landes face flat on the floor if you weren't able to grab his arm.

“Eren!” you gasped and helped him up, when Eren got up his face is pale, he smiled awkwardly and looked back at his brother to send a glare on his way before looking back at you. “You look beautiful today, YN.” he complimented.

You were taken aback by the sudden compliment so you just smiled before tapping his back, “Thanks, you look handsome today too, nice stunts by the way.” Eren looked around and he sees no traces of Levi so he loosened up a bit.

“I was just wondering if you'd like to have some coffee, there's this new coffee shop nearby and I've heard they have nice coffee.”

“Oh yes su—”

“She doesn't like coffee.”

Eren wanted to run when he heard Levi spoke behind him but he had no choice but to look at him, “Hey Lev! What's up?” Levi raised his brow to Eren, he didn't respond to him and went to your side as he glares at Eren.

“Play nice.”

“What am I? Your dog?” he whispered and you glared at him. “I'm just saying that you should act nice.” Levi crossed his arms over his chest and let out a deep breath. “I am nice.” you shook your head and massaged the bridge of your nose, there's no point in calming a jealous Levi.

“Ohohoho! I see what's happening here! Seems like sugar plum and captain grumpy is hiding somethin' eh? Spill it. What's with the possesiveness and lovey-dovey moments?”

Levi's eyes widened for a secons before he looked away, his ears and cheeks are red. Zeke's teasing smirk tells him that the man already know something, Hanji, Mikasa and Armin's stares are also meaningful, it seems like they're pressuring him to give an answer.

Levi clicked his tongue and acted cool as he looked at his co-actors and sister.

“I'm courting her, got any problem with that? Flirt with her again and you're done, Yeager.” he held your hand and dragged you away from the group while Zeke and Eren's laughter boomed at the whole set.

“YEAGERS! QUIET!”

[badchoicesposts]

Don’t Dream It’s Over Flashbacks Part Two

DDIO Masterlist

AN: This is a compilation of all of the flashbacks of Liam and Ali’s story from my Don’t Dream It’s Over universe. You can find the full story on my masterlist.

CHAPTER 6

Ali and Liam were two very different people. There was no doubt about it. They were crazy about each other regardless, but at first glance anyone would believe that they had absolutely nothing in common. 

Liam rivaled Luca for the title of the most well-rounded person she had ever met. He was tall, well dressed, and well respected by everyone he met. His blond hair was always annoyingly perfect, even when it had been slept on for the full seven hours of sleep he got every night, and he was good at everything he tried to do. He worked out five days a week and had a natural charm that drew people towards him wherever he went. Liam slept on silk sheets, drank expensive liquor and, worst of all, was a morning person. He was always up early, eager to start his day and be productive. He was typically easy going, but he could take action and control a situation effortlessly when he needed to. 

Ali, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. She barely reached five feet tall in the right pair of heels and spent most of her time in sweatpants or leggings because of the insecurities she had about her body. Her workout routine consisted mainly of walking everywhere she needed to go, and she had terrible social anxiety. She had no constant sleep schedule, and at this point, she was practically nocturnal, only being able to get in small amounts of sleep during the day due to her insomnia. She had found her current bed sheets from the discount bin of a department store, and the most she ever spent on alcohol was twenty dollars for a bottle of tequila. She had perfect grades, but she was still constantly stressed about them. 

Liam was put together, and on most days she was a hot mess. When she says the words “trust me, I know what I’m doing” there’s about a seventy-five percent chance that she has no idea what she’s doing. However, when he said the same words, she never once doubted him. That is until he decided he could repair the clogged drain in his kitchen sink on his own. Her suspicions were confirmed as she watched the Prince of Cordonia, his nice dress shirt soaked in water, fiddle with a pipe, determined to be “normal”.

“Love, maybe you should just call someone,” she said, raising her voice slightly so he could hear her from where the upper half of his body was lying under the sink. 

“I can do this,” he called back, irritation evident in his voice. 

“Sure you can,” she mumbled under her breath, taking a seat on a stool in the kitchen. “Have ever even looked at a pipe like that before?”

The banging noises she heard from under the sink was her only response, and she rolled her eyes as she texted Drake to tell him to contact the building’s superintendent. A few minutes passed by in silence before there was a sudden popping sound and Liam’s angry voice filled the room. Ali looked up to see him emerging from under the sink soaking wet, while more water pooled onto the kitchen floor. She wanted to be mad that he had made the situation worse and not given up when he realized that he didn’t know what he was doing, but the sight of him before her made her burst out laughing. 

“It’s not funny,” he said, sending a glare in her direction. 

“Yes, it is,” she replied when she had finally managed to calm herself down. 

He narrowed his bright blue eyes at her, trying his best to stay mad, but he knew that it was a losing battle. He knew that he looked ridiculous. 

“I guess we can cross chef and plumber off of your list of potential jobs,” she said, starting to giggle again as she remembered their first date where he tried to cook for her. 

“Now stop the water and clean up that mess. The super will be here in the morning.” 

Liam watched as his girlfriend ran out of the room before he could get another word in. 

CHAPTER 7

Ali and Liam moved around the kitchen in a comfortable silence as they prepared dinner. Well, as she prepared dinner. Liam was mainly observing, helping out here and there when she instructed him to. Ali wasn’t eager to have a repeat of the spaghetti incident and wanted to make sure they had something edible tonight because he had insisted that they stay in. 

The two had been dating for three months, and he was Ali’s first actual boyfriend. She was crazy about him and glad that she could experience so many of her “firsts” with him. 

“You’re staring,” she said, as she began to carve the chicken that she had just taken out of the oven. 

“You’re beautiful,” Liam said, with a smile. 

Ali tugged anxiously at her top. She had always been self-conscious about her body, and even though she had been working towards loving herself, she would still feel insecure from time to time. Especially when she compared her body to Liam’s. Liam was tall, broad shouldered, and muscular while her body was all curves. She wasn’t overweight, but she definitely wasn’t considered thin, and she often agonized over the stretch marks she found all over and her slightly chubby stomach. She knew that besides dealing with her other issues, one of the main steps in her mental health recovery was learning how to be kinder to herself. Regardless, hating yourself could be a hard habit to break when you’ve been doing it since you were thirteen. 

Liam moved to stand behind her, pressing his chest to her back and burying his face into the side of her neck. 

“I mean it. I think you’re so beautiful,” he said, pressing small kisses to the skin there.

“I know you do, Liam,” she mumbled, a smile forming on her face.

They ate in a comfortable silence, sharing small smiles. However, Ali could feel the anxiety coming off of him every time she caught him staring at her. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong now?” she asked when they were finally done with their meal. 

Liam sighed and pulled her down onto his couch. He kept one arm tightly around her waist and began to gently play with her fingers with his other hand. 

“There’s something that I need to tell you,” he said softly.  

“What? Are you married or something?” she joked. 

The smile quickly left her face when she realized that he wasn’t laughing with her. 

“Oh, my god! You are!” she said. She was completely shocked and went to pull out of his arms, but he tightened his grip on her body. 

“No, I promise I’m not married.”

“Then what is it?” she asked, relaxing into him and placing a hand on his chest. 

“I haven’t been completely honest with you about who I am. My father isn’t actually a diplomat,” he said.

He took a deep breath before his next words.

“My father is the King of Cordonia. Ali, I’m a prince,” he said, holding his breath as he waited for her reaction. 

Much to his surprise she began to chuckle. 

“That’s funny. You really had me going there for a second,” she said with a smile.

She pulled away from him and grabbed her glass of water from the coffee table in front of her, taking a large sip. 

“Love, I’m being serious,” he said. 

“What? Liam, I’ve never even heard of a place called Cordonia,” she said, still smiling. 

“It’s a small country in the Mediterranean. Most people haven’t heard of it,” he said. 

Ali raised her brows and Liam, still smiling. 

“Okay, Liam, you’ve had your fun,” she said, resting her glass back down and leaning into his side.

“My love, please. I am being serious,” he persisted. 

Ali rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. 

“Fine, you’re being serious,” she said, quickly typing in the words “Cordonia” and “Prince Liam”.

Her jaw dropped as a picture of the man sitting right next to her came up.

“Oh, my god! You’re being serious!” she exclaimed.

She jumped into a sitting position and looked at him, her mouth hanging open. Even though a million things were going through her mind at once, none of them were good. She wasn’t going to fool herself into thinking that just because he was a prince she was going to get a happily ever after. If anything, she saw their relationship completely fall apart before her eyes. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. I needed a chance to get to know you without worrying about that getting in the way,” Liam said. 

Ali could tell that he was still nervous.

“Is anything I know about you even true?” she asked.

“I’ve told you the truth about everything except for my title. I needed you to know me as Liam, not Prince Liam of Cordonia,” he said, reaching for her hand. 

He could tell that she was still uncomfortable by the fact that she didn’t lean into him the way she usually did. 

“I know that this is somewhat of a shock, but, if you’ll let me, I would like to tell you more about my country and who I am,” he said hopefully. 

CHAPTER 10

Ali wandered up and down the aisles of bookshelves, stopping every once in a while to pull out one that caught her eye. The public library had been one of her favorite places for as long as she could remember. She had always been an avid reader and had basically grown up in the children’s section. 

The Marshall twins, who she had been babysitting part time for the past year and a half, were both enjoying the public storytime that was offered the facility, and she was glad to have a moment to herself. She loved both of the children, but two four year olds could be a lot to handle. 

Her eyes scanned over a copy of “Jane Eyre”, and she pulled it off the shelf, smiling to herself. She opened the book, flipping through the pages casually, taking in a sentence here and there. 

“I’ve heard that’s a classic, but I have to admit that I’ve never read it myself,” said a deep, accented voice from behind her. 

Ali jumped, not realizing that someone was nearby, and turned to meet a man with bright blue eyes and a kind smile on his face. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” he apologized.

“That’s okay. I just didn’t realize that someone was behind me,” she said, smiling up at him. 

“Have you ever read it?” he asked, gesturing to the book in her hand. 

“Yeah, I have. It’s one of my favorites actually,” she said honestly, handing it to him, “I would definitely recommend it.” 

“Thank you. Do you have any other recommendations?” he asked. 

Ali began to slowly walk down the aisle again, her fingertips gently tracing the spines of the books as she passed by. 

“Well, I’m the type of person that would recommend the ‘Harry Potter’ series to just about anyone, but I realize that they’re not for everyone,” she said with a laugh as he trailed behind her. “I also love ‘Tuesdays With Morrie’, it literally made me cry, and I’m a sucker for just about any book with diverse characters. To be honest, I don’t really have a specific genre of book that I look for. When I was younger I loved mysteries and fantasy, but now I’ll read just about anything as long as I think the plotline sounds interesting.”

“I usually read nonfiction, but I’ve been trying to branch out recently,” he said.

“Is there a specific genre that you’re looking for?” 

The two continued their conversation, stopping every once in a while to pull books off the shelves. The man was obviously very well educated and was easy to talk to. She found herself laughing with him and genuinely enjoying his company.

“When I was young my mother would always take me to the library. She would say that no matter where you are in the world, you were always at home a library because the knowledge it holds is universal,” he said.

“Your mother sounds like a wise woman,” she responded with a smile. 

A fond smile appeared on the stranger’s face, and Ali felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. He definitely had an amazing smile.

“She was. I don’t want to appear too forward, but would you like to continue our conversation over coffee?” he asked. 

Ali was taken aback for a second, but she quickly recovered. She wasn’t exactly accustomed to being asked out for coffee. 

“I would say yes, but I have to pick up the kids from storytime downstairs,” she said, checking the time on her phone, “I should actually get down there now.”

“Kids?” he asked confused. 

“Oh, no! They’re not mine! I’m babysitting,” she said quickly. 

“Maybe another time then?” he asked hopefully as they began descending the stairs to the first floor of the library.

“I don’t even know your name,” Ali said with a laugh. 

“I can’t believe I haven’t properly introduced myself yet,” he said, scolding himself, “I’m Liam.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Liam. I’m Ali.”

CHAPTER 11

Ali was stretched out on Liam’s bed, the sheets pulled up around her body, falling in and out of sleep as she listened to the rain fall outside. The man himself was fast asleep next to her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and his head laying on her chest. She ran her fingers through his soft hair mindlessly, the smell of his shampoo filling her senses and lulling her into a relaxed state.

Ali smiled at the feeling of Liam’s breath on her bare skin, and her eyes began to close again. It had taken forever to get used to sleeping next to someone like this, but now she didn’t think she would ever be able to sleep without him again. There was nothing she loved more than being wrapped up in his arms, and the feeling of him next to her always put her at ease. She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep before she was jumping up again at a banging sound coming from somewhere in the apartment. 

She wrote it off, figuring that Drake was just walking around the living room but tensed again at the sound of a loud crash. 

“Liam,” she said quietly, gently shaking him awake.

He mumbled in his sleep before opening his eyes slowly.

“What’s wrong?” he groaned, still not completely awake. 

“There’s someone in the living room,” she whispered back. 

Liam rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, before throwing the covers off of his body. Ali grabbed his shirt from the floor and buttoned it up over herself as he left the room. She gave him a few moments alone and ventured out into the living room after some time passed without any noise. 

When she entered the living room she saw a soaking wet Drake sitting on the couch, his head in his hands, with Liam sitting next to him. He had obviously just come in from the rain. The small side table that was beside the couch had been shifted from its spot, and a broken lamp was lying on the floor. 

“Is everything okay?” she asked softly, taking in the scene in front of her. 

Liam nodded, a strained smile on his face as he rested one of his hands on Drake’s shoulder.

“Go back to bed, my love,” he said back.

She could tell that the two needed a moment alone and nodded in understanding before returning to the room where she allowed herself to fall asleep.

Ali woke up the next morning to an empty bed. She reached over to grab her glasses from the bedside table, and saw Liam buttoning up a shirt at the foot of the bed. 

“Good morning,” he said, leaning over to kiss her lips gently. 

“Morning. Are you leaving already?” she asked, grabbing her phone to check the time. 

“I have to go into work a little earlier than I thought. But, I already have coffee ready in the kitchen for you,” he said with a smile. 

“What was wrong last night?” she asked, getting out of bed and gathering her clothes. 

She grabbed her jeans off of the floor and walked over to Liam’s dresser, taking out one of the t-shirts he had to change into. Liam sighed, sitting on the bed and pulling her down with him.

“The date slipped my mind. Today is the anniversary of the death of Drake’s father. This is usually a difficult day for him every year. The earlier I get into work, the sooner I can be back here for him.” 

Ali nodded sadly and kissed his cheek.

“Let me know if either of you need anything,” she said, squeezing his hand. 

“Thank you.”

“I’m going to grab a shower before I leave, okay?” she said. 

He nodded in response and pulled her into a kiss before they both got up again. Ali made a beeline for the bathroom as Liam exited the apartment. She took her time, letting the warm water relax her muscles and was feeling completely refreshed when she stepped out.   

“Hey,” she said quietly, as she stepped into the kitchen to see Drake already up and holding a cup of coffee.

He was definitely hungover, but she couldn’t imagine that the whiskey she could smell in his coffee was going to be much assistance in getting over it. He nodded at her in response, not meeting her eyes, as she walked around him to pour some for herself. She took a sip of the hot liquid and looked back over at him. He seemed absolutely miserable, and she felt her heart ache for him.

Ali and Drake weren’t close, and she didn’t want to assume that she knew how he was feeling, but she still felt for him. 

“Are you okay?” she asked hesitantly, not sure if he wanted to talk about it. 

“I’m fine.”

“People who are fine don’t usually start their day with liquor in their coffee,” she pointed out, keeping her voice soft. 

“What do you want me to say?” he asked, looking up at her tiredly.

“I don’t want you to say anything, but I want you to know that you can,” she responded, smiling at him kindly. 

Drake looked her over for a moment as if trying to gauge her sincerity. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey and opened it before holding it out to her. She took it from him, pouring some into her mug before handing it back. 

“My dad used to do security for Liam and Leo, so my sister and I were allowed to hang out with them. That’s how Liam and I got close even though I don’t have the lineage to merit it. He died saving Constantine’s life in an assassination attempt on The Crown,” Drake said. 

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how that must have felt,” she said honestly, taking a  gulp of her now whiskey infused coffee.

Drake chuckled humorlessly. 

“Not great.”

Ali didn’t speak. She just continued to sip from her mug, wanting to give him some space to continue talking if he chose to. Drake got up from the kitchen and walked into the living room with his mug and the liquor bottle. She followed and sat down next to him on the couch. 

“The worst part was that I… I mean we, my sister and I, we didn’t just lose him,” he said. 

“What do you mean?” 

“After it happened, my mom couldn’t take it. She just up and left in the middle of the night. She didn’t even say goodbye, just left a note saying that she was sorry. She asked another member of the guard, Bastien, to take care of us,” he said with a scoff. 

“We weren’t his responsibility. Hell, he was barely old enough to be taking care of two kids. But, he did anyway. He took care of us because she couldn’t be bothered to. I haven’t even seen her in years.”

The bitterness was evident in his tone as he spoke of his mother, and he had put down his mug, opting to drink straight from the bottle instead.

 “I can’t even begin to imagine how difficult that must have been for all of you. You didn’t deserve that.”

“Savannah, my sister, she took it the worst,” he said. 

“And let me guess, you didn’t take it at all,” she said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

He gave her a questioning and surprised look, the alcohol allowing him to finally let his guard down. 

“How did-” he trailed off, his words slurring slightly. 

“Call it a hunch. You don’t seem to be very in touch with your feelings,” she said, taking the bottle from him. 

He let out a laugh. It was tired, but it was also his first genuine smile this morning. 

“I needed to protect her. To be strong for her.” 

“I’m sure you did an amazing job,” she said, lowering her voice into a soothing and reassuring tone.

Drake sat there looking at the wall for a moment. Neither of them seemed to want to break the silence.

“What about you?” he finally asked. 

“What about me?” she said, bringing the bottle up to her lips. 

She took a swig of the liquid before bringing it back down to her side, deciding that Drake had already drunk enough for the morning. 

“What’s your tragic backstory? Liam’s mentioned… a few things,” he said. 

“Do you really want to know?” she asked. 

He nodded, raising his brows to signal that she should speak. 

“I got into a really bad depression when I was thirteen years old, and it lasted for a really long time. I, uh, I don’t really talk about this with anyone, but I guess, looking back on it I had been seeing signs of it in myself for a while. I was just too young at the time to know what anxiety or depression was,” she began. 

Drake was looking at her intently, hanging onto every word.

“Were you close to your dad?” she asked. 

Drake furrowed his brows, the sudden change back to his story confusing him. 

“Yeah, he worked a lot, but he always tried to make time for us. He was the best man I knew.”

Ali smiled at his words, glad to hear this. 

“Mine wasn’t so great. Not the worst guy in the world, but definitely not the best. I think a lot of my, uh, issues stemmed from him.”

She didn’t know why she was telling all of this to Drake, but once she had begun talking about it, she couldn’t stop. She was getting too emotional and the words just continued to spill out of her mouth.

“He was an asshole, to be honest. He had a quick temper, and you always had to walk on eggshells around him, never knowing when something would set him off. He was emotionally abusive, and he could be physically abusive to my mom. There were times when I was scared he would turn on me too. Just snap and hit me one day, but he never did. I still vividly remember one night when I was fifteen. My parents were fighting, and I got in the middle and tried to calm them both down. The look in his eyes was terrifying. He started coming towards me, and it felt like my heart had stopped beating. I thought he had snapped. He stopped himself at the last minute, but by then the damage was already done. I was so terrified I had to call my friend Luca to come pick me up. I don’t think I stopped shaking that entire night,” she said with a shudder.

“The physical stuff stopped about a year before I got ‘diagnosed’, but the emotional stuff went on for a lot longer. He would sometimes leave for weeks at a time, going off and doing god knows what with god knows who, but he would always come back, and my mom would always let him. It was always the same thing. He would snap one day, be angry at us for a while and then go back to normal and act like nothing had ever happened. It was exhausting, never knowing if one small screw-up would make him lash out.”

There were tears streaming down her face now, and Drake hadn’t taken his eyes off of her.

“There were some other things too, of course. I had major self-esteem issues, and I definitely had self-image issues. I uh- I had an eating disorder for a while, too,” she stopped momentarily to fiddle with her fingers. “Anyways, things got really bad with me the summer before high school, and it lasted pretty much all the way through. Senior year, when everyone was getting ready for prom, I was getting sent to the hospital for a ‘major depressive episode’. That’s fancy talk for ‘I wanted to kill myself’,” she tried to joke.

Ali felt Drake brush his fingers against her hand hesitantly, but instead of grabbing it, he moved away and placed his hand back in his lap instead. 

“I was nineteen when I finally started getting better. I had about five good months before both of my parents died in a car accident.”

“Damn,” Drake whispered as she took another drink from the bottle. 

“Yeah, so as you can imagine, all the progress I made kind of went down the drain. But, I had the Larsons with me. Luca and his siblings let me move in with them, and they helped take care of me. They were there for some of the hardest parts, and they helped put me back together when all I wanted to do was fall apart. Because of them I was able to start getting back to myself. It’s been about two years since then, and I still have some pretty bad days, but I’m trying to be okay,” she concluded.

Drake remained silent for a moment, taking it all in.  

“Wow, I’m sorry to unload all of that on you when you’re already having a bad day. It kind of just started coming and wouldn’t stop,” she said, embarrassed at her confession and hastily wiping away her tears. 

“Don’t apologize. I asked you to,” he said, “You’re pretty damn strong, you know that right?”

“So are you,” she said, with a sad smile.