#george clarke blurb

[georgeclarkesgf]

shush, it's a secret | george clarke

it's not unusual for you to be over at george's flat considering you and him met at university and both moved to london around the same time. but about four months ago, your relationship changed from close friends to just that, a relationship.

you'd both decided to not tell anyone, despite how difficult it was proving to be to not be all over each other 24/7. the fans knew of you, to an extent. you'd appear in the backgrounds of videos or tiktoks posted by the boys. your social media was public, however, none of your accounts included your name, making it less likely for fans to find you.

tonight, you're over at the flat again, legs strewn over george's lap and eating some of the dominoes he'd ordered. a movie chris had picked out plays on the tv, but was now long forgotten about since a debate has broken out amongst the boys. over what? you don't know. you're too focused on the way george's hand is subconsciously trailing up your thigh, dangerously high for a 'close friend'. he honestly hasn't noticed that he's doing it, too engaged in the ongoing debate. so, you pick your phone up from your chest and message him.

too high x

his phone dings and he leans forward, grabbing it off the table before noticing it was from you. you watch as his brows furrow in confusion, before sending him another message.

your hand x

realisation hits george and he squeezes your thigh gently as an apology, moving his hand back down to rest above your knees. he mouths 'sorry' at you, to which you can't help but giggle and shake your head. arthur (hill) looks between you two in slight confusion, going to say something but deciding to keep his mouth shut.

it wasn't that you didn't want to tell people, you'd both just agreed it would be easier figuring things out and adjusting to this shift in dynamic without other people prying their noses in. it didn't make the thrill of getting caught any less exciting though. even the simple things such as him wrapping his arms around your waist and kissing your shoulder made you get an adrenaline rush.

you can feel your eyes growing heavy, despite it still being relatively early, and decide to call it a night.

"sorry guys but i'm gonna head to bed," an echo of boos fill the room while you shrug, laughing, "i'm tired guys leave me alone. mind if i crash in your bed george?"

it feels weird having to ask your boyfriend if you can sleep in his bed, but it seems to be doing the trick of keeping the relationship a secret. there are only three bedrooms and you've known george the longest, so it makes sense you'd stay in his room.

"no go for it, i probably won't be long." you give him a smile and climb off the sofa, heading to his room.

george's eyes widen when he next checks the time, not realising it was so late.

"shit." he mumbles to himself, gaining a weird look from the boys.

"you alright george?" arthur (hill) questions.

"yea i'm fine. just didn't realise it was so late that's all, got stuff to do tomorrow. i'm gonna go to bed though, night guys." he was lying right through his teeth, he had nothing to do tomorrow.

what george had meant to be ten minutes or so had turned into an hour and a half. arthur (tv) ended up coming over and they'd gotten so caught up in conversation that time seemed to fly by. he knows that you hate falling asleep without him and feels guilt seep into his skin. especially since he knows you won't ask for him to come to bed, not wanting it to come off weird since to the others, you're 'just friends'.

you're staring at the ceiling when he shuts his bedroom door, having fallen asleep for all of twenty minutes before you woke up to an empty bed over an hour ago.

"i'm so sorry baby, i didn't realise it had been that long," you turn to look at him, enjoying the way he starts stroking your cheek with his thumb, "have you been waiting for me?"

"mhm, fell asleep for about twenty minutes and been awake since. it's okay though, kept myself busy," george's jaw drops slightly, clearly misunderstanding your words, "oh my god george, no! i meant by reading some more of my book you perv. get your mind out the gutter."

he laughs and goes in to kiss you but you push his forehead away before he can. you scrunch up your face in disgust.

"ow, what was that for?" he's rubbing his forehead like you just hit him with a bat, making it much more dramatic than necessary.

"brush your teeth, you have pizza breath." he tries to do it again and catch you off guard but fails, "i mean it george."

"yes ma'am."

he disappears into the bathroom and returns a few minutes later. his teeth are brushed and he's wearing a pair of grey joggers. your arms open wide, inviting him to lay on top of you so you can run your nails through his hair and up and down his back. a feeling both of you love.

"can i kiss you now?" he teases, grin widening when you nod your head.

several kisses are planted on your face and you know he's purposefully missing your lips. you frown, wanting him to kiss you properly, not having felt his lips on yours in what felt like years. realistically, it's been a few hours.

"george, kiss me properly." you whine.

and he does just that. one hand holding himself up to hover over you, the other stroking your cheek and bringing you in closer until your lips finally meet. the kiss starts off slow and loving, until he presses you further into the mattress, his hands beginning to roam your body. every ounce of sleep you were feeling disappears, suddenly becoming hyper aware of what's happening.

pulling away, you mumble, "we can't, everyone's here. they'll hear us."

"never stopped us before." george whispers against your mouth, connecting your lips once again.

well touché.

a/n don't ask where the inspiration for this came from at 2 in the morning cause i don't have an answer. not proofread either sorryyy. shall i make a part two? i feel like i'll end up doing it anyway but what do you guys think??

[live-laugh-lenney]

Can you please do a fic where the reader and George Clarke absolutely hate each other they always argue but she’s best friends with Chris, and she goes on a night out her girl friends leave her and she’s drunk and scared men are hitting on her hard so decides to ring Chris but he’s asleep and George answers his phone and comes picks you up it ends up them two arguing but also something where they hook up (wether that’s the same night or different) please??

the ending to this feels almost rushed but i know i've promised this a few times... let me know what you think!

"come on."

the words come out of yn's mouth as a low grumble but it was loud enough to catch the attention of the guy stood beside her in the pub's smoking area. the time on her phone said it was quarter to two in the morning, the street on the otherside of the road was empty and baron of people walking passed, and the pub was becoming less and less busy as people got into their taxi's and uber's and went off home to nurse hangovers in the morning.

yet, here she was.

stuck in the middle of the london, all by herself and in a vulnerable state, as she tried to call the one guy she wanted to see in her moment of need. her best friend. who was, no doubt, asleep because he was sensible and chose to stay in that night rather than spending it getting drunk.

"everything okay?"

"yeah," she mumbles it lowly to show her disinterest, her eyes staring at the screen of the phone in her hand as she scrolled through all of her contacts to find christopher dixon's home number because calling him mobile number hadn't worked, "i just can't get hold of a friend, i kind of need him right now."

"can i be of any assistance?"

"no," she responds bluntly and she could feel the way he was taken aback by her abrupt answer, "i just want to go home. my friends have left me here by myself, i have no way of getting home and no one wants to answer their phones to help me."

"it is almost two in the morning."

"yeah, i know that," she scoffs it out sarcastically and she rolls her eyes, landing on the home landline to chris' flat, "no offence but i don't need any company right now. cheers but-"

"not just gon'a leave a pretty girl in a pub by herself," the guy says and, for the first time since she heard his voice, she looked at him - dressed in jeans that were too tight for his legs and a shirt that he definitely chose in hopes to pick up girls with the way he had his muscles on show - as she held her phone to her ear and listened to the dial tone beep through the speaker as the other end rung through the flat, "i'll take you home."

"yeah... no thanks," she shook her head, her face contorted with a look of pure disgust at the repulsive invitation he was insinuating; what had started out as a girl's night was always going to end as a girl's night, not leaving with a bloke she had never met before and waking up in an unknown bed the next morning. "We all know how that invitation ends and i'm not after that, thanks."

"oh, come on-"

"no," she shook her head and took a step to the side, furthering herself away from him to give him a hint of how she was over being nice to him and how she was over the conversation that she never wanted to start. her attention turning towards the phone that was warm against her ear. "answer the phone, idiot."

as she was about to give up and press the red button in the bottom corner, coming to terms with the fact that he was most probably asleep and completely dead to the world, the sound of someone picking up brought some comfort to her racing mind.

"hello?"

"chris, it's yn."

"newsflash, it's george. you know, one of the other guys who lives in this flat and got rudely woken up by this call."

"oh."

she gulps thickly, the lump in her throat aching, and she really wished she hadn't bothered. it wasn't that she hated goerge; it was the exact opposite... he hated her, for some reason, and she had no idea why. she wanted nothing more to be friends with him, making it three out of three successful friendships that she'd made through chris... except he was having none of it.

"i'm so sorry, i just-"

"i told you, babe, you can always come back with me."

yn's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to hold back the upset tears that were threatening to spill from how scared she was, the interruption making her lose her train of thought, and it was only when george spoke down the line that she felt a little intimidated.

"who's that?"

"just some guy-"

"is he bothering you?"

yn sighs and takes a glance out of the corner of her eye, checking to see if the guy was still standing close to her, already knowing that he was listening intently to her conversation and hadn't any plans to go elsewhere.

"yeah, a little," she responds and, on the other end of the line, she could hear him rustling around and moving in a pace that she could tell was quick and in a rush, "i just, my friends left me alone in this pub round the corner from waterloo and i'm all by myself right now and the pub is closing and i'm out the front and he's just here and i don't know who he is and-"

"okay, alright. i'm coming to get you, okay?"

"i don't want to be a bother, george," she heard him grunt back in response to her and she could feel a tear slip down her cheek, "i was trying to get hold of chris but-"

"chris would rip my bollocks off if he knew i didn't help you when you called. especially when you're on your own in london, drunk, with some creep standing with you."

"but-"

"i'm leaving now, okay? send me your location and i'll be there as soon as i can, yeah?"

she couldn't tell if it was the happiness to know she was being looked after or whether it was the scared feeling that had overcome her - or both - but she struggled to keep back the tears that were burning her eyes.

"thank you, george."

it came out as a wet sob and she didn't care if anyone who looked at her and thought she was too drunk and weird. her previous problem of being hit on by someone she'd never met before, the same guy, didn't seem to want to leave her as he slowly sipped on the pint he had poured into a plastic cup.

"just stay safe until i get there, okay? go find a bouncer or someone from the staff and just say your taxi is on its way. stay away from the guy who's bothering you and keep to places where people can see you."

-

"yn?"

her head snapped up from where she was staring at her phone, to see george walking quickly down the street , his hoodie pulled over his head and he'd matched loose cotton shorts with it yet skipped out on pulling socks on as he opted for sliders, because he was in a rush to leave the house and had no time for trainers.

"yn. that's such a pretty name," she heard the guy say but she was no longer interested in anything he had to say, moving from her place on the bench she had chosen to wait upon and grasping the strap of her bag upon her shoulder, "oh, babe, it's a shame you chose him over me. he's got nothing to give you."

george felt his fists curl up under his sleeves yet he chose to not make the situation worse for her.

"when a girl says no to you, she means no," george calls out over to him, staring with a look of dark anger behind his eyes, "back off and maybe try being less of a creep, lurking around drunk girls, and you might just get lucky."

"george-"

"come on," he grabs her hand and tugs her away from the direction of the pub, desperate to get her away from the stare of the guy that was bothering her, "why the hell didn't you call any of us sooner? you were there for how long, by yourself, before you realised?"

"not long," she admits, "i'd only just realised as they were kicking us all out. i went to look for them at the booth we were in and they'd left."

"how many times have we told you to not hang around with those girls? they've been nothing but trouble for you," he reminds her and she rolls her eyes, legs burning from trying to keep up with his long strides back to the tube station, "what kind of friends do that to their other friends? bad friends, yn. they're not your friends-"

"i'm not a child, george," she interrupts him and pulls her hand free from his grip, standing still in the middle of the pavement as he came to a halt from her sudden movement, "don't speak me to like i am one."

he sighs heavily and brings his hands to his face, rubbing his eyes with his fingertips before dropping his arms back down to his sides, watching as she swayed to and fro from the way her world must have been spinning from alcohol.

"alright," he held his hands up in surrender, "i'm sorry."

"you should be," she retorts, "stupid."

"don't backchat me like a teenager and i won't speak to you like a child," he insists and turns on his heels, wanting to hop back into the warmth of the underground station and get back home as soon as possible, "now come on, i want to go home."

"my home. take me home and then go home yourself."

"no, my home," george calls back, hearing her scuffing behind as she tried to keep up with his pace so she wasn't left behind and out of his sight, "i'm gonna look after you, you can have my bed, and you can talk to chris in the morning because he's gonna have some choice words for those girls."

"i don't need you to make me feel worse."

"i'm not trying to make you feel worse."

"you are."

"yn," george sighs, "i'm too tired to argue with you, okay? can we just, we just need to get on the tube, do a couple of stops, then we're home. i'll argue with you tomorrow."

"i don't want to argue with you anymore," she frowns, "i just want to be friends with you. i don't like it when you're angry all the time with me. i've done nothing to you to make you treat me so badly."

"we are friends, idiot."

"no, we aren't. you're always moaning at me, you never say anything nice to me. i'm surprised you even came to get me," yn says, "only you, george. every other one of chris' friend's like me... television is my favourite but you-"

"i do like you, yn," george sighs heavily, "but this is a conversation we don't need to be having in the middle of the road, outside the train station."

"i want to have this conversation-"

"no," george shakes his head, "it's a conversation for when you're sober and not full of whatever alcohol you've ended up spilling down yourself."

he stares at her for a moment and she squints her eyes back at him, in a feigned annoyed look, feeling the chill in the air and the alcohol mixing in her system and as well as her belly. and she couldn't bring it in her to argue even more.

"fine."

-

yn stumbles through the front door and into the darkness of the flat belonging to the boys and she was thankful she wore flats opposed to the heels that were her second choice shoe for the night. a click of the lock filled the quiet as george closed the front door behind him, keys jingling with his keyrings as he dropped them in the bowl in the entryway, shuffling further into the room. as she slid her shoes off, not knowing where she was leaving them, a lamp flicked on and she took in the living space around her.

"you could have taken me home."

"not a chance," george grumbles lowly, shrugging off the over-layer he chose to brave the night air and draped it over the back of the sofa in the middle of the room, "i think chris would have murdered me in my sleep."

"i wanted to go home."

"and i wanted to get a full night's sleep but here we are," george shrugs his shoulders and she folds her arms across her chest, like a child in a tantrum, "you can have my bed, i'll sleep on the sofa."

"george-"

"please don't argue with me, okay? i'm giving you my bed, don't make me change my mind," he warns her and the interruption was enough for her to close her lips and forget about what she was about to say to him, "i don't know what you think is happening between us but i do care about you, okay?"

she could hear her heartbeat pounding behind her chest in the quiet of the room and she looks at him, properly, for the first time that evening.

"you don't show it."

"i don't know how," he scoffs and it's more aimed at himself than at her, his feet take him across the stretch of empty space before he stands before her, "you're chris' best friend... i'm not going to be the one to step in the way and ruin that."

"you could have treated me better. spoke to me nicer. actually made me feel like you wanted me around."

"you're not listening, are you? i like you, you idiot."

for the first time that night, she couldn't find the words to come back to his response. she stared at him, dumbfounded, with wide eyes that couldn't tear away from the way he was walking towards her. and she didn't realise her mouth had gaped open until his hand came up to cup her cheek, thumb pushing her the bottom of her jaw, lingering his touch that had her tilting her head into his palm.

"but-"

"you've always got something to say, haven't you?" and if he didn't have a smile twitching at his lips, hidden beneath the growing facial hair that grew from his upper lip, she would have taken offence to his words, "i wanted this conversation with a sober yn. not slightly drunk, in a mood because her friends abandoned her, in the middle of the night and stood in the middle of my living room."

"you-" she gulps back the lump in her throat and he smiles softly, "i don't believe you."

"are you trying to push my buttons?" he asks her, the gap between them slowly closing, "because it's working."

"and what happens if i push the last one?"

"i think you know already," he says it so softly yet it held so much behind it and yn couldn't stop the tingle in her belly that brought goosebumps to the surface of her skin and the way his breath washed over her face, warm and minted from when he'd done his nightly routine before bed, had her weak at the knees, "go on, push it."

her eyes dart between his, that stayed focused on her face, and the way his lips looked so inviting and soft. teasing and taunting her. her tongue slipping out between her lips and licking her own because they felt dry.

"what if chris finds out?"

"you're a grown woman," george mumbles softly, "i think you can make your own decisions, huh?"

it's the first time she feels a tremble in her hands as she brings her arms up, resting her forearms on his shoulders and letting her fingers comb through the hairs at the back of his head. soft strands so gentle against her cold hands.

and george seizes the opportunity to test the waters of the situation by pressing his lips against hers in a peck, quick and messy, before he pulled away and waited for a response... a verbal response... yet it never came.

because it came in the form of a reciprocated kiss, fingers digging deeper into his hair as she pulled him closer, his arms wrapping around her waist as he brought her into his chest and held her tight in a hold that made her melt. he wanted her to have control, on her own terms, to test herself out in what was happening.

"chris is going to kill me," she says softly, "you guys were off limits."

"he'll get over it."

yn laughs softly and drops her forehead to his chest, his arms still tight around her waist and just couldn't let go of her, and there was a comfortable silence that swallowed the two of them. the previous moments playing on their minds.

"fancy sharing that bed tonight?"

he grins at her question, hearing the hidden desire in her voice, and presses a kiss to her head.

"i'd love that." x

[flawdchaos]

Unwanted Surprises

george clarke x reader blurb

tw - mentions of blood, period, implication of sex

authors note : i haven’t written for the chaos crew before but have been a fan for a while! i fell down a rabbit hole and absolutely adored all of @live-laugh-lenney ‘s work and was inspired to write my own. not my best work and it’s a tad bit self indulgent but i just imagine george being the sweetest partner during the rough moments of the month. enjoy!

the soft pattering of the rain and rumbles of thunder were enough to rouse george from his sleep. 12:43 pm read on the clock beside the bed. the tour had just finished the night prior and waiting for him at his london flat was yn, a homemade candlelit meal and his favorite beer. he had missed her, and her him, and he made sure to show her in every way that he could. her busy schedule with work and uni kept her from attending any shows and he wanted to make up for lost time with dinner dates, pub nights, and more.

but when he rolled over to pull her to his warm body, he spotted the small red patch on the sheets and the pair of his boxers she had stolen from the floor after last nights escapades. he couldn’t help but frown, knowing the next week would be hell for her. creeping from the bed and to the en suite he decided a hot bath, filled with some lavender bath soak would be the best way for her to start her day and quickly busied himself with the task.

the absence of george beside her under the duvet was enough to wake her up, rolling over and arms searching the bed for any hint of him. “george?” she called out, noticing the light filtering in from the bathroom. he quickly poked his head from the door. “yes, love?” he quipped. “what are you doing out of bed?” she pushed herself up to lessen the space between them. “thunder woke me up.” he shrugged. “and what about the bath?” she asked, arms stretching above her head. “it’s for you.”

he sat down in from of her, placing a timid kiss against her forehead. he has scared to embarrass her though she had no reason to be. he knew she had been so caught up in uni and work and helping him with tour that she had just simply forgot. he knew her periods were unforgiving, usually leaving her curled up in bed for days. he’s found her countless times with hot water bottles and pain relievers surrounding her trying her best to find some sort of relief. the final straw for him was taking her to A&E a few months back when she’d stood up from the couch to shower and passed out right in front of him, head barely missing the glass table all because of low iron levels. from then forward, his mission has been to make each month as easy and pain free for her as possible.

by this time, the dull ache settling in her stomach had become noticeable for her and her head fell back in annoyance. “you’ve got to be fuckin’ jokin’ me.” she groaned, glancing down at the bed below her. “not on the brand new white sheets.” “i’ll do the washing, darling. you just worry about getting in the bath.” he said, leaning forward to kiss her lips and tutting her up towards the bathroom. he busied himself quickly, stripping the sheets and duvet from her double bed and throwing them in the wash while readying some pain relievers and a cup of tea, as well, which he promptly delivered to her in the bathroom.

between the weather, his exhaustion from tour and yn’s period a lazy day was more than needed. knowing her appetite would be low, he gathered some crisps and other light snacks, plenty of blankets and her favorite candle and moved to the living room. he lost track of time watching a football match until he heard her quietly padding across the room, an old jumper of his swallowing her frame. she stood in front of the sofa and took a moment to curl herself tightly against his body, quickly switching the heated blanket on and grabbing her book from the coffee table. her face was pressed against his chest as she mumbled, “thank you for this mornin’ hun. i love you dearly.” a soft laugh left his body and he turned to pull her head up to him for a kiss. “anything for you my love.”

[loolooloo-i-got-some-apples]

- masterlist collections -

all of my sloppy fanfics, headcanons and blurbs in one place

key :

🎱 = fluff,

⚠︎ = dark themes,

✮ = angst,

💿 = smut

CWO = currently working on

These works are my own and i do not give permission to repost, share, or rewrite these on other platforms.

masterlists !

FYI: for anybody wondering, no my requests are not strictly these shows/movies or characters, you can request whatever you’d like, these are just guidelines and characters i plan on writing for the most.

OBX

featuring - rafe cameron, jj maybank, john b routledge, pope heyward

SOUTH PARK

featuring - kenny mccormick, stan marsh, eric cartman, kyle broflovski, butters stotch, tweek tweak, craig tucker

BROOKLYN 99

featuring - jake peralta, charles boyle, rosa diaz, amy santiago

DAWSON’S CREEK

featuring - dawson leery, pacey witter, charlie todd, jack mcphee, cj braxton

DAZED AND CONFUSED

featuring - randall ‘pink’ floyd

WHIPLASH

featuring - andrew neiman

ANNE WITH AN E

featuring - gilbert blythe, jerry baynard

BIG HERO SIX

featuring - hiro hamada, tadashi hamada, wasabi, fred

BRIDGERTON

featuring - anthony bridgerton, benedict bridgerton, colin bridgerton, theo sharpe, simon bassett

CALL OF DUTY

featuring - soap, ghost/simon, konig, price, keagan p russ

CRIMINAL MINDS

featuring - spencer reid, derek morgan, aaron hotchner

ENOLA HOLMES

featuring - sherlock holmes, viscount tewkesbury

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

featuring - raphael, donatello, mikey, leonardo

SAW

featuring - adam stanheight, daniel matthews

SCREAM

featuring - billy loomis, stu macher, ethan landry

HARRY POTTER/SLYTHERIN BOYS

featuring (harry potter) - george weasley, fred weasley, ron weasley, oliver wood, harry potter, cedric diggory, neville longbottom

featuring (slytherin boys) - mattheo riddle, tom riddle jr, enzo berkshire, theo nott, draco malfoy, regulus black, blaise zabini

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

featuring - hiccup haddock

IT (2017)

featuring - richie tozier, eddie kaspbrak, bill denbrough, stanley uris, ben hanscom, mike hanlon

MARVEL

requests open for all characters!

MAZE RUNNER

featuring - thomas, newt (male + gn only), gally, minho

MID90S

featuring - fuckface, ray, fourth-grade

ON MY BLOCK

featuring - oscar diaz, cesar diaz, latrelle, jamal turner, ruby martinez

PERCY JACKSON

featuring - percy jackson, nico de angelo (male and gn only), jason grace, leo valdez, frank zhang, grover underwood

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

featuring - arthur morgan, john marston

SCHOOL SPIRITS

featuring - wally clark

SUPERNATURAL

featuring - dean winchester, sam winchester

STAR WARS

featuring - anakin skywalker, obi wan kenobi, din djarin

SHAMELESS

featuring - carl gallagher, lip gallagher, ian gallagher x mickey milkovich

TEEN WOLF

featuring - stiles stilinski, scott mccall, derek hale

THIRTEEN

featuring - mason freeland

TOTAL DRAMA

featuring - duncan, alejandro

WOLFBLOOD

featuring - rhydian morris

XMEN

requests open for all characters!

BALDURS GATE 3

featuring - astarion, shadowheart, halsin, gale, lae’zel, wyll

[maxjwritess]

max’s favorite books :D

i did the 2024 five star highlights but here are my favorite books in general / brief reasons why:

dracula - brahm stoker 🩸

been one of my fave books since high school. exactly the kind of prose i like to read, long, flowery, takes 7 pages to describe the way dust looks in the moonlight. yes yes yes. also classic vampire book of course, lots of wolves, lots of victorian sexy scenes and blood transfusions, a cowboy. what isn’t there to love?

a marvelous light - freya marske 🌟

literally the book that got me back into reading. i owe robin and edwin so much. a historical fantasy that checks all of my boxes and gave me a favorite character i will never forget… edwin courcey my beloved… just in general the characters in this book are so so strong. if you like romance with fantasy and mystery elements u neeed to read this book, and the second and the third books too.

(also the sex is good AND is plot relevant. one of the best books ive read that uses the sex scenes to actually elevate the stakes and answer questions. brilliant)

a swim in the pond in the rain - george saunders 💧

if you’re a writer, read this book. it quite literally changed the way i thought about story, character, stakes, and structure. i reference this book all the time. please read it if you’re a writer. or if your a reader. or if you’re just like alive. it’s so good

piranesi - susanna clarke 🐐

i already talked about this book in my other post but gaghh. it’s just so good. i think about it all the time. it really just throws you into the thick of things and then you’re buckled in for the ride. i have never fallen in love with a main character or a setting oh so fast. certainly read if you like academic fantasy. oh, and you better like footnotes

giovanni’s room - james baldwin 🚬

i also already talked about this book in my other post but again. graahahahahahfjfbf. one of the best books i’ve ever read. changed my life tbh. VERY IMPORTANT READ. gender and love, american puritanism and masculinity, european masculinity, a tragedy you know you can’t change by the third page… it’s brilliant (bcuz ofc it is. it’s baldwin)

i have more ofc i can keep going but i think this gives a good reading profile for me? from now on im gonna post about my currently reading and reviews for books that i finish, which will be much more indepth than these blurbs. i may go back and make individual review posts (containing spoilers) for the books listed above, but this is more like an intro to my bookshelf!

if u have similar tastes, maybe we can be mutuals? i’m still kinda new to this app (and in such new to making friends on this app) but i’d love to talk to anyone about books :,)

[axnqel]

Sometimes, it's scary how strong the love gets. | AXNQEL™

C & Y ─── joint writing blog. circa jan '25. 18+.

one. cece. she/her. december sagittarius. average dc fan. fiona apple enthusiast. homelander's girlfriend (i have my reasons). iced coffee addict. missin' tiktok. masterlist.

─ writes for.. jason todd, rafe cameron, homelander, pope heyward, matt murdock, billy loomis, stu macher, wanda maximoff, soldier boy, sherlock holmes, robin buckley, steve harrington, nate archibald, jess mariano, clark kent (smallville+dceu), george weasley.

─ writes angst, fluff, blurbs, smaus, aus, headcanons, smut.

two. yoki. she/her. april taurus. chris sturniolo's main hoe (talk to the hand bc the face aint listenin). yapper. ariana grande. ribbons. gold. vanilla everything. horror movie lover. pinterest girlie. pink, pink, pink! iced coffee for life. masterlist.

─ writes for.. the sturniolos, logan huntzberger, quen blackwell, carrington, vinnie hacker, steve harrington, robin buckley, carl gallagher, kevin ball (SPECIFICALLY S1 MY MAN), dan humphrey.

─ writes smut, fluff, blurbs, angst, smaus, headcanons, aus.

TAG SYSTEM ───

— #c&y's notices .ᐟ announcements and such.

— #c speaks .ᐟ all cece's thoughts and such.

— #y speaks .ᐟ all yoki's thoughts and such.

— #cece's writings .ᐟ anything cece writes.

— #yoki's writings .ᐟ anything yoki writes.

— #asks .ᐟ all answered asks.

— #chatter mouth .ᐟ chats.

— #cece's recs .ᐟ fic recs from cece.

— #yoki's recs .ᐟ fic recs from yoki.

— #cece's reblogs .ᐟ anything reblogged by cece.

— #yoki's reblogs .ᐟ anything reblogged by yoki.

INFO ───

ᝰ INTERACT! we love talking to people so give us a reason to yap! we'll talk about anythingggg!!! whether it's about movies, our celeb crushes, or just our writings in general, we will never stop talking !! o please interact!

ᝰ REQUESTS! they are open, so if you have any ideas, drop them in my inbox. when you request, please specify who you are requesting to write for you.

ᝰ EMOJI ANONS! taken emojis below:

[imunbreakabledude]

I succeeded in a goal of reading more this year compared to the last few years (34 books), and I'm in a mood to reflect on positive stuff in an end-of-year way and bring good energy into next year, so... here's an informal highlights list of some of my favorite books I read in 2024!

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin - breathtaking; I've been getting into lots of her work lately but this is my favorite of hers I've read so far.

The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin - slightly denser and less immediately gripping to me than TLHOD; however, it still made me think a lot, in that beautiful way that Le Guin's work does.

1984 by George Orwell - yes, my first time reading it. I thought I knew pretty much what to expect from this book, having heard references to it throughout my adult life. and yes, some aspects were famliar and expected. but my god, was it so much more cutting and on point and bleak than I thought it could be. absolutely chilling. it's always nice to read a classic and come away feeling that it 100% deserves its reputation.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - picked this one randomly from a Tiny Free Library (one of my favorite book sources lately!) with no idea what to expect. it was emotional, one gut punch after another, and while I saw others complaining in goodreads reviews (one of my hobbies after finishing a book is to go see what random strangers had to say about it lol) about the lack of grand "payoff" or "rebellion" - that seems so obviously the point of the story to me, and it works extremely well for what the intent of the story is.

Who to Believe by Edwin Hill - a contemporary mystery/thriller with loads of POVs and potentially unreliable narrators. Simply engaging and fun and a very quick page-turner if you're looking for something like that!

All Systems Red (Murderbot #1) by Martha Wells - a friend lent me this and I enjoyed it a lot but haven't gotten to any of the rest of the series yet! I do plan to read more of them because I loved Murderbot a lot and definitely want to know the books before that TV adaptation comes out

What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama - simple but beautifully crafted, heartwarming and affirming without being trite. i really loved this interweaving of stories of different individuals in a community who feel stuck or lost in their lives and how they find new meaning in unexpected ways. a great example of "coming of age" style stories with people at many different points of life, showing that "coming of age" or finding a new way to look at life doesn't have to be some huge, dramatic adventure. sometimes it's just finding the right library book.

Piranesi by Susannah Clarke - I was gifted this book and had no idea what to expect, but as one of the back cover blurbs promised, it was weird and enthralling and I finished it within a day. I did enjoy the beginning more than the end, not because the end was bad or anything, but the nature of this story to me was that most of the journey was just coming to understand Piranesi and his world, and less about the resolution or destination. still, it was totally unique and really enjoyable.

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: Spy Kids

Rating: PG

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Cast: Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alan Cumming, Tony Shalhoub, Teri Hatcher, Robert Patrick, Dick Clark, George Clooney, Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Richard Linklater, Mike Judge, Guillermo Navarro, Johnny Reno, Shannon Shea

Release year: 2001

Genres: adventure, comedy, action

Blurb: Carmen and Juni think their parents are boring...little do they know that in their day, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez were the top secret agents from their respective countries. They gave up that life to raise their children. Now, the disappearances of several of their old colleagues forces the Cortez's return from retirement...what they didn't count on was Carmen and Juni joining the family business.

[taytaythirteen]

george clarke recommendations

not my work!! just recommendations of fics, all credit to original writers 💓

aftercare

☀️ fluff blurb

being gc's

☀️ being his gf

blurb

☀️ fluff

braids

☀️ he likes your hair

christmas tree dancing

☀️ fluff

cuddle up to me

☀️ asleep on the sofa

date night

☀️ first date

dating

☀️ headcannons

dating george

☀️ headcannons

denial

☀️ when's he's sick

dress

☀️ event

drunken adventures

☀️ picking you up from a night out

fans

☀️ love for their girlfriend

finally home

☀️ home from tour

flowers

☀️ gift for you

george clarke as your boyfriend

☀️ headcannons

hanging up on them without saying "i love you"

☀️ blurb

helpful

☀️ when you're drunk

human blanket

☀️ fluff blurb

ill

☀️ looking after you

intimacy

💓☀️ blurb

i think he knows

☀️ as your boyfriend

jealous

☀️ blurb

jealous

☀️ on both sides

late night talking

☀️ going to bed

lingerie

💓☀️ dressing up

love me love me

☀️ physical touch

lovers rock

☀️ when you go out drinking

makeup

☀️ taking your makeup off for you

meeting

☀️ how you meet

meeting

☀️ at a house party

morning cuddles

☀️ fluff

moving in

☀️ fluff blurb

my gentle love

☀️ home from a shoot

off day

☀️ comforting you

period

☀️ blurb

preference

☀️ boobs or bum

safe haven

🌧☀️ spending christmas with his family

saying something stupid like i love you

☀️ first time

sick

☀️ looking after you

silent treatment

🌧☀️ before dating

simp

☀️ his love for you

the useless hotline

☀️ guest on the podcast

tour

☀️ joining him on stage

tour

💓☀️ back home

unwanted surprises

☀️ getting your period

[moonacrefarm]

GUIDE

hello! here are some characters i plan/write for and some of the tropes you can expect to see in my fics.

bold = currently writing for underline = moodboard/fancast anything marked " * " is a current fav!

✴︎ ASK BOX/REQUEST: for any requests, shoot them in my ask box! i do reserve the right to decide whether ill write anything or not, but i do love a good blurb.

✴︎ TROPES I ENJOY: enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies to lovers, childhood best friends, roommates, age gap, guy falls first, old money!au, mutual pining, arranged marriage, fake dating, different era/time periods, angst, hurt/comfort, flirty rivals, academic rivals

✴︎ WHAT I WON'T WRITE: non-con, pedophilia, pet play, water sports, scat, incest, vomit play, blood play, cheating scenarios, sexual assault, daddy dom little girl, may explore some hard kinks but it's not likely

WHO I WRITE FOR...

✴︎ dc: jason todd, clark kent, dick grayson ✴︎marvel: miguel o'hara, steve rodgers, iron man ✴︎ harry potter: draco malfoy, fred weasley, george weasley, oliver wood, regulus black, sirius black, james potter ✴︎ top gun: bradley bradshaw, jake seresin, bob floyd, natasha trace ✴︎ legend of zelda: link, tauro ✴︎ genshin impact: kamisato ayato, wriosthesley, al haitham, clorinde ✴︎ jjk: nanami, gojo, geto, shoko

[georgeclarkesgf]

a request for maybe some george smut after he comes back from the useless hotline tour that we werent able to go on ?? so like he hasnt seen us in a while

the second george steps into his bedroom, he drops his bags and heads for the shower. he knows you're on your way over, having been waiting by your phone all day for him to let you know he's back. so when your phone dinged, you were already halfway out the door, tripping over your own feet trying to get there as soon as possible.

conveniently, you live about a ten-minute walk away, meaning you're used to seeing george every day. the two weeks he and max had been on tour were difficult, but you tried to make the best out of the situation and would call each other whenever you could.

a few minutes after he had got in the shower, you're at the flat taking the familiar path to his room. your heart pounds in anticipation as you undress quickly after closing the door, glad you'll finally be with him again.

the warm air surrounds you when you step inside the bathroom and lazily drag your eyes over his body. he's standing under the water, eyes closed and head thrown back, making you think of the more sinful times you'd seen him in this position.

"hi george." you say, a smile breaking out on his face when he sees you.

"hi darling. come here." he replies, arms outstretched toward you.

you step into the shower, letting him pull you into him as you wrap your arms around his neck. his arms tighten around you and you close your eyes, water cascading over you both. a comfortable silence sets in and several minutes pass before either of you speak.

"wish you could've come with us, you have no idea how much i missed you. i even struggled to fall asleep." george admits, his cheeks turning slightly red at the confession.

"really?" you raise your eyebrows at him to which he nods, "i missed you too. had to cuddle the teddy you got me instead. wasn't the same."

your hands untangle from his hair and cup his jaw, connecting your lips in a kiss. as the water continues to flow, the kiss grows more passionate. george's hands travel further down, one landing on your ass and squeezing it, the other pressed flat against your lower back to pull you closer to him.

"george," you don't mean for it to come out so breathless, but when his lips detach from yours to trail kisses down your neck, you can't help it, "you've literally just stepped through the door."

"mhm. but, i also currently have my sexy, loving, amazing girlfriend, who i've missed so much, naked in my shower. so, i don't understand the issue." he counters, making you giggle.

two fingers make their way between your legs and start toying with your clit before sliding into you, the sudden stretch causing your knees to buckle. you can feel his cock against your thigh, so you begin pumping him at the same pace he's fingering you, steadily building up your orgasm.

he curls his fingers, repeatedly hitting that spot inside you and your orgasm washes over you within minutes, hands scratching at his back. your eyes squeeze shut and you clench around his fingers, moans filling the room while you ride out your high.

"fuck, baby." you pant, trying to catch your breath.

a proud smirk is plastered on george's face, "you good?"

"so good. your turn."

you go to drop to your knees to return the favour, but he's quick to stop you and shake his head. when a pout appears on your lips, he kisses it away.

"as amazing as that would be, i need to be inside you, like now." he pleads and grips your hips, moving you until your back is pressed against the shower wall.

contradicting his words, he slowly drags his cock through your folds, letting the tip bump your clit a few times. but you're impatient, so you replace his hand with yours and align him with your entrance, jaw dropping as he pushes in.

"fuck, you feel so good, shit." he groans, hands on your hips keeping you steady while he fucks up into you.

he starts off slow, letting you adjust, but as your moans and whimpers grow more desperate, so do his thrusts. the only two words leaving your mouth are 'fuck' and 'george', his ego growing and determination to make you cum doubling.

a particularly harsh thrust has you crying out, holding onto him tighter. the sound of skin slapping echoes around the bathroom, more than likely being heard over the water that's still running.

"you close darling, yea? you gonna cum?" he leans down, connecting your lips once again, not giving you time to respond.

the knot in your stomach is dangerously close to snapping and he knows, one of his hands leaving your hips to rub tight circles on your clit.

"please george." you whimper, clenching around him so tight he swears his brain short circuits.

"cum for me."

a whine escapes your lips and you throw your head back, letting your second orgasm take over your body. his rhythm falters as you cum around him, raking your nails up his back until they're digging into his shoulders.

george's head drops to your shoulder, thrusting into you a few times before pulling out, spilling over your thighs with a moan. both of your chests are heaving while you try to even out your breathing and he places multiple kisses to your shoulder and neck.

"well, that was quite the welcome home." george chuckles, "might leave more often if that's what i get when i come back."

"don't you dare."

--------

a low whistle comes from behind george as he enters the kitchen. you're curled up in his bed, having had a proper shower after his 'welcome home', and he's gone to grab you some water in just a pair of joggers, not realising bright red scratch marks are all over his back.

"take it y/n is here then?" chris chuckles, eyeing george from the sofa.

"uh, yea? how'd you know?" he furrows his brows in confusion since there's no sign of your things in the kitchen or living room.

before chris can answer, arthur hill walks in, eyes widening when he notices the marks too.

"damn george, what the hell happened to you?"

"y/n." chris replies, not taking his eyes off the tv.

"ah, right." arthur nods in understanding with a smirk on his face.

deciding to ignore their comments, george walks back to his room, being met with your horrified expression when he turns around.

"george! did you actually go to the kitchen like that?" you groan and he nods, confused, "there's marks all over your back. it's so obvious we've just fucked."

well, that explains it.

a/n not proofread sorry <33 hope you enjoyed!

[live-laugh-lenney]

LOCKED IN | ARTHUR FREDERICK

chapter two is all yours! a bit of a messy chapter to squeeze a lot in but i'm happy to get it out! so much love from chapter one and i'm so glad you're enjoying it so far. feedback is always welcomed and my inbox is always open so please, please, please don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts on the story. enjoy! <33

CHAPTER ONE

- C H A P T E R T W O -

YN was tired.

Oh boy, was she tired.

She knew that being in a bed that wasn’t her own, that didn’t have her knitted blanket or had the indent of her body arching the mattress or her multiple stuffed teddies that all held such sentimental value, was going to be a struggle. And she knew it was going to be tough for the first night, and maybe the second, but it was something she knew that she would overcome as the days went on… she was a grown woman after all. 

As her eyes opened and adjusted to the brightness of the natural light slipping through the gaps in the blinds of the window, she felt the stiffness of her back upon the mattress and the curled up position she’d found herself in clearly hadn’t been the most ideal position to fall asleep in but she felt safe, almost, as she closed her limbs in upon herself and closed herself off to the world. A way to protect herself in a foreign building. 

She craned her neck up and took a glance around the room to see if she was the first one to wake up - but when she met the eyes of Anisa in the far corner of the bedroom, she grinned tiredly and waved half-heartedly, being quiet enough to not wake any of those who were still deep in their slumber. Johnny. Jemel. Jamie. Their bodies still forming human-shaped lumps under their covers, all still upon their mattresses with their eyes closed, breathing slowly as they enjoyed their last few minutes of peaceful sleep before the day tore them away from the comforts of serenity. She panned her vision over the row of beds before her, seeing empty and unmade beds, taking a guess that they had either decided to take a proper look around the house now that it was morning and a brand-new day or had either chosen to get ready for the day. Looking to her left, Anastasia had clearly risen for the day because her bed was empty and made up for when she was ready to clamber back at the end of the day… but to her right, Arthur was in the midst of waking up himself. A tired and crooked smile on his mouth once he made eye contact with YN.

“Good morning,” he greeted her, “did you sleep okay?”

“Eh, so-so,” she hummed, stretching her arms up and curling her fingertips into her palms, feeling the air between her bones crack from movement and, truthfully, she would have been lying if she didn’t find the sound (and the feeling) quite satisfying, “just strange not being in the sanctum of my own bedroom. Being in my own bed. Sharing a space with nine other people is still a bit weird for me.”

“Yeah, it’s a strange concept,” he nodded in agreement, leaning up on the palms of his hands and sitting up, leaning against the headboard and smushing the pillow between his back and the fabric of the headboard behind him; his bare torso which her eyes dropped down to when the duvet had slipped from his upper body, revealing a small indication that he was, in fact, well kept and looked after himself. Cheeks flushing but her vision almost immediately diverted back to his face. “Jokeman snores, too. In fact, so many people snore. More than I thought there would be.”

YN snorted in amusement and propped herself up, a little more upright, against her own headboard. 

The snoring was something she could handle.

Days before she entered the house and moments before she thought too in depth about the possibility of anything bad happening, she’d already guessed at the high likelihood that a handful of those in the group of ten were those that snored in their sleep… or talked in their sleep… it wasn’t going to be smooth-sailing each night with peace and tranquility. She wasn’t that much of a light sleeper so bumps in the night and noises, that could scare anyone awake, never seemed to phase her or rip her from her slumber so she knew she’d have been fine dealing with the sounds that came with nighttime.

Moments before she lulled off into her sleep, she’d heard footsteps quietly creeping down the alley of the columns of beds. Followed by a few hushed voices, the muffled laughter and then gentle giggles of those who slipped out of the room because they weren’t quite ready to call it a night and didn’t want to keep anyone else from getting some well-earned sleep themselves, and she probably would have joined them if her eyeballs hadn’t felt like they’d been slit with the edges of paper. Aching and almost crying to have a rest, almost watering at the mere temptation of laying down, barely able to open back up once they’d closed for the night. 

“I was exhausted,” she sighed and dug the palms of her hands into her eyes, “once my head hit that pillow and my eyes closed and I fell asleep, there was no way I was waking up. Which is weird because I felt like I was up almost every other hour to change sleeping positions.”

“I’m such a light sleeper so any noise kept me awake,” he frowned, eyebrows furrowing on his browline, “it sucks really. Hoping it gets a bit easier to deal with, to be honest. It’s all brand new when you’ve never really slept in the same room with anyone else for a while.”

“It’s like a huge sleepover,” YN gushed, the smile on her lips widening, “I love sleepovers.”

“We should definitely plan a sleepover outside of this place when it's all over,” he suggested, eyes widening when he’d realised just what he had suggested, stumbling over his words as he tried to find a way to dig himself out of the hole he’d plopped himself into, “obviously, with everyone else. Like a reunion kind of thing once this is all over.”

“That would be amazing,” YN agreed.

“I, too, think that would be amazing,” Jemel chimed in from his bed, having rolled over to see who he had woken up with, “good morning.”

“Good morning.”

“Morning, Jemel.”

Both came out simultaneously, almost drowning the other out, the bedroom falling into a silence that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable as everyone seemingly kept to themselves as they prepared for the day ahead. Sheets were rustling as others roused from their slumbers, announcing themselves with gentle greetings and waves before rubbing the sleep from their eyes, taking in the room now they’d spent the night there. How clothes had been chucked on the floor, shoes left strewn across the galley between the beds, how people had already made themselves at home. 

“I’m gonna start getting myself ready for the day otherwise I will stay in this bed all day,” YN stated, preparing for the chill in the air to hit at her bare legs showing from the cycling shorts she’d chosen as her sleeping attire for her time in there, “I almost have dread in my stomach for what they have in store for us today.”

She internally groaned as she kicked the duvet from her body and twisted around, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, toes touching the ground as she stood to her feet. 

“Hopefully something fun,” Arthur said, “I can't imagine they’ll be too harsh and throw us in the deep end from the first day.”

✦•······················���✦•······················•✦ ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

YN nursed the cup of tea in her hands, bringing the rim to her lips and taking a sip of the warm liquid, letting it slide down her throat and feeling it warm her up ever so slightly more than before. Legs swinging from the stool she was perched upon at the island counter in the middle of he room, watching Spuddz and Steph flit around the kitchen as they dried up the dirty plates and cutlery from those that had just eaten breakfast not too long ago; YN being one of those who had scoffed down a plate of scrambled eggs on toast, smothered in tomato ketchup, and covered in salt and pepper. Her favourite way to demolish a meal at breakfast.

She saw a pair of male legs trot down the stairs, bare feet padding down the wooden steps, and she hadn’t a clue who it was until they reached the lower floor of the house, thinking they must have been feeling brave to step foot on the cold kitchen tiles. 

Arthur. 

A white towel wrapped around his sodden lower half and hanging low on his hips, water still trickling down his shoulders and down to his elbows from the wet hair at the nape of his neck, hair swept to the side and showing more of his forehead that he’d keep hidden behind a fringe when it was dry and styled how he liked it to look. 

She wasn’t looking but… she was looking. 

Respectfully.

He hadn’t seen her sat at the kitchen island, briskly walking past in a haste to get somewhere more private to get himself dressed, and she was thankful he didn’t lock eyes and notice her as she watched him walk through the kitchen - she knew the cameras would have picked that up and she knew those at home would have picked up how her demeanour had changed. Maybe not the way her face deadpanned to the naked chest before her. Maybe not the missed breath that caught in her throat and almost caused her to choke on her cup of tea. Maybe not the skip of her heart that she felt happen behind her chest, that she was surprised was still intact after the heavy thumping of her heart muscle. But she knew the cameras would have picked up that moment, itself, and that was enough for people to pick apart. 

She would have wanted the ground to swallow her whole if she made eye contact with his brown eyes… but would she have regretted getting caught? She’d be lying if she said yes. 

“What do you reckon the plans are for the day?”

Steph tore YN from the distant gaze she had fallen into, sitting beside her with her own cup of tea, the stool twirling on its spot as she set her legs beneath the countertop. The sleeves of her long-sleeved bodysuit damp from the water in the kitchen sink but she didn’t seem to care at the uncomfortable feeling it must have emitted. 

“Something fun,” YN hummed, setting her mug down on the coaster before her and clasping her hands together, resting them on her thighs, “given what last year was like, they’re gonna keep us on our toes. For sure.”

“You reckon? I was hoping for a day full of getting to know one another,” Steph laughed into her cup, placing the rim against her bottom lip and taking a good sip of her tea, or coffee; YN couldn’t figure it out, “no, definitely something fun. We’re a fun bunch already, I can tell. So I hope they give us a challenge that gets us all laughing.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Silence followed.

In the distance, you could hear the chaos unfold from the bellowing laughter and the shouting that bounced around the walls and, usually, she’d had been out of her seat to find out what the commotion was all about… being nosey; a flaw that she’d say she hated about herself but she just couldn’t help wanting to be a part of everything happening around her. Especially if it was something they’d be speaking about throughout the day, referring back to with inside jokes, insisting it was the ‘funniest thing to have witnessed’. 

Except she was content sitting with Steph as she gave an aura that felt comforting, like they could sit together without needing to speak, and they’d still have a lovely time together.

“You’re looking real cute today,” Steph admitted, “that activewear co-ord is a must buy when I’m out of this place.”

“You think so? I figured we never really know what’s gonna happen in this place so it’s always good to go practical but also comfy,” YN stated, looking down at the shorts adorning her legs, enough to show off a little thigh but not too scandalous enough to show anything more, and a matching jumper sitting loose and baggy on her upper body that hid her curves away from the cameras and felt too soft to take off, “comfy and casual.”

“And gorgeous,” she winked, sliding off her chair and holding out her hand in YN’s direction, wiggling her fingers and awaiting the warmth of her hand before pulling her from the stool she was perched upon, “come on, let's go and sit with the others on the sofas. Feel like we’re missing all the good stuff going on in there.”

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦ ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Time to herself.

YN found that was something that she was going to lack having in a house full of ten people for the next two weeks. 

She lived alone back in London so she was used to her own company in her own living space, she was used to being alone with her own thoughts, and she was used to talking to herself (and sometimes answering herself), so it felt weird not being able to enter a room and be by herself for just a couple of minutes. She loved being around other people, she loved her friends, and she loved the conversation that came with being around more people but she thrived more by being by herself; she could get more done, she felt productive, she could think about things in more depth and she could enjoy the peace and quiet that she gave herself. She knew she was throwing that away once she agreed to be a part of the show during this season and she thought she’d have been okay… but she was struggling being a people-person when she really wasn’t, not one hundred percent.

Anytime the group came together and she saw it as an open opportunity to dash away and hide, she took it… 

… and right now, that solace space was the make-up area outside the bathroom. 

Where everyone had taken refuge in the downstairs lounge area, she had dipped away and disappeared up the stairs for a moment where she didn’t need to talk about her life or how she expected the rest of her time in the house to go. Using the excuse of needing to use the toilet so no one would follow her, not that it would have bothered her if someone wanted to check on her and make sure she was okay, in hopes she could have a ten minute break to recuperate with herself and herself only. 

“You didn’t do any of that in the bathroom, did you? Did you do your make-up before you went in there?”

“What?”

A weird question, YN thought. Random and completely out of the blue, unsure as to why he’d even need to ask that question as well as to why he did ask the question. And his presence along with the sound of his footsteps jogging up the stairs, her name rolling off his tongue, and the break in the quiet had startled her because he wasn’t the first person on her list that she expected to come and find her. Although, in the pits of her stomach, there was a butterfly that tickled at her insides once she looked at him..

She stopped applying the lipgloss to her lips so she could reply to the question Arthur had shot in her direction, his figure coming to a halt in the open doorway of the bathroom, hands hesitant to touch anything that she may have touched with her fingertips.

“Your make-up. Did you do it before you went into the bathroom?”

“No, I just came out of there. I’m just applying a touch-up now. Why?”

“I’m just, I’m highly allergic to make-up. Something to do with the ingredients. I’m allergic to almost all of it, weirdly. I don’t know what specifically but whenever I’ve been with a girl who was wearing make-up, I would come out in hives and get rashes across my neck so I really don’t want a flare up to happen on camera,” he waffled on, nervously laughing as he lingered in front of the door, “I’m severely allergic.”

“Well, I won’t be giving you a kiss then,” YN teased softly, her face brightening with a deep pink shade that kept creeping across the expanse of her cheeks and across the bridge of her nose, “just in case.”

His own cheeks started heating up. Flirting or… banter? He was unsure, as someone who was terrible at reading social cues, but whatever it was and whatever made them feel so comfortable around each other, he felt okay with whatever was happening. 

“No, seriously, did you apply it just now? Because I’m allergic to so much stuff in it. If I touch it, I’m in need of medical assistance straight away.”

“I’m just using lipgloss, no powders or anything. Just touching up,” she told him, “I promise. I’ve not touched it. You’re safe to go in.”

“You’re serious?”

“I’m a hundred percent serious. I never touched anything but this lipgloss,” YN admitted, holding her hands up in the air, “you can trust me, Arthur. I wouldn’t lie about something this serious. I’d be made a villain if I did that to you.”

He disappeared into the bathroom and she looked at her appearance in the mirror and, through the reflection, her eyes dipped to the cotton-wool pads sitting in a packet on a stool behind her. 

Maybe she could go make-up less for the rest of the day… 

… yet Arthur felt terrible.

With a secret challenge being given to him that morning, of lying to his fellow housemates throughout the day for bonus points, he had dread sitting low in his stomach that made him nervous to think about let alone attempt a little white lie. Given that the majority of the people around him didn’t know much about him privately, he knew that he could spew a lot of make-believe in their direction and insist it was the truth. His only query was whether he was believable enough for them to not question anything about it. 

“Thank you,” his voice echoed from the bathroom, muffled by the closed door that hid away his privacy, and she smiled softly at the sincerity of his voice. A cotton-wool pad soaked in make-up remover collecting the foundation and the concealer that was coating her cheeks, smearing moisture across her skin that she used a dry pad to soak it up, “the last thing I wanted to do was scare you with a reaction on the second day.”

“Yeah, I’d have walked out if that happened,” she admitted, “moved country, changed my name, deleted myself off the internet and gaslighted people into believing I never existed. One mention of myself and I’d deny everything,” she diverted her attention from her reflection in the mirror and to the man standing in the doorway of the bathroom, “seriously.”

“I’d still come and find you.”

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦ ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

The last hour was playing on her mind.

Arthur’s admission confused her; she hadn’t felt a lot of them in the house were at the stage where they were sharing facts and secrets so private and so confidential about themselves that no one really needed to know about them. She thought it was sweet, because he felt comfortable enough to tell her bits about his life that he’d never shared with anyone before, but she also thought it to be inessential. 

And in a daze, zoning out and forgetting where she was, with her eyes focusing on the far distance of the garden where the sun kissed the grass where the grass met the fence guarding the perimeter of the house, completely unaware of what was happening around her and how everyone was treating the moment as a karaoke session. The chill in the air was bitter and it covered her exposed skin in goosebumps, her legs still bare as she’d not yet changed from the shorts she’d worn for breakfast that morning, the jumper being the only article of clothing to give her a sense of warmth.

“Grant my last request and just let me hold you..”

She situated herself on the padded garden chair she found herself on, listening to the chorus of voices singing Paolo Nutini before her, all in different pitches and octaves and it sounded like a complete mess yet she couldn’t help but join in.  

“Lay down beside me..”

She found herself swaying beside Johnny with mirrored movements, hands following in suit, and their small chorus came to a quick end once Arthur had stepped foot out the patio doors with a football, gaining interest from the boys who she was sat with, involuntarily positioning themselves in a semi-circle so they could kick and pass the ball amongst themselves.  

“I was saying to these guys here,” Arthur started, looking to his left and indicating to Anisa and Anastasia, juggling the football between his hands as he stood before everyone in the huddle they’d all chosen to stand in, “you know that I do reaction and commentary videos? Well, I actually started on a singing channel-”

There’s a chorus of ‘oooh’s and ‘aaah’s that sounded around the group.

“-and I started off doing covers but… this is actually a bit of a sad story, to be fair,” he took a pause and looked around the group before him. All eyes on him as they awaited to hear the next sentence out of his mouth, “I did it for the longest time but the dislike to like ratio was through the roof. My family were literally just like ‘you’ve got to stop, you’re honestly wasting so much of your time, you’ve got to give it up.’”

A chorus of gentle and sympathetic sounds came from various members of the very few of them listening to him, unknowingly frowning like they were part of this story, and he continued without a query.

“Like, I think my family just thought I was so tone deaf that they were like, ‘if we invested money in singing lessons then it would just-’ like, they didn’t want to entertain the full stream of becoming a singing talent on Youtube,” he feigned a smile and nodded slowly, “it hurt. It crushed me.”

“Did you want to pursue it?” 

“Yeah, of course, but they just drummed into me that it wasn’t worth it so I carried on posting them and hoped that over time I’d just get better and better from practising and I’d progress without the need for lessons and such. No need for a tutor or whatever,” Arthur explained, shrugging nonchalantly and chucking the ball to Jamie, who had silently beckoned for the ball in his hands, “I finally realised that maybe it was just not doing well so I stopped. Deleted the channel. Never spoke of it again… until today and I’m hoping it doesn’t come back to bite me on the arse now I’ve brought it up again.”

“The internet is a cruel place sometimes,” Spuddz stated, hums of agreement following suit, “brutal.”

“That I now know,” Arthur gave a tight-lipped and sympathetic smile, “not that anyone has recognised me for it yet or anything.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦ ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

“Arthur and YN to the Store Room.”

As YN stood to her feet, Arthur felt the tug on his wrist from the cold restraint of the handcuffs clipped together, prompting him to stand on his own two feet, following her in suit as they trudged through the bedroom. Their shoes squeaked on the floor beneath them with each step they took, descending the couple of stairs outside the bedroom and entering the store room, closing the door behind them in case Sugarlips went on the topic of gameplans for the challenge they were all partaking in that day.

The handcuffs suddenly felt heavier to her. 

Every so often, throughout the afternoon, YN would forget she was attached to Arthur by their wrists and it would be in moments like that, where they were sitting together and talking about the metal elephants in the room, that she was reminded of the challenge they’d all been set. She enjoyed the feeling of having Arthur close to her side, it gave them more of an opportunity to get to know one another because they had no choice but to talk to each other… and Arthur would very much agree to that. 

“How do you feel having zero points?”

“Sugarlips, I don’t like the assumption in your voice there,” YN playfully frowned at the camera, standing high on the tripod before her and Arthur, “you’re assuming we’re not going to get any points for this challenge.”

“The challenge is almost over. The day, too.”

“We’ve still got time,” Arthur stated, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, “have some faith in us. We’re a dream team.”

“A dream team you are,” Sugarlips said, “everyone is loving you two together.”

“It’s because we bring the content,” YN teased the camera, “we might not be winning but we’re having fun and that’s all that matters. Because it’s not all about winning, it’s about the fun times we had and the friends we made along the way.”

“Great friends,” Arthur grinned widely, lifting their locked-up hands up and sticking out his little finger in hopes that YN would latch hers around it. To which she obeyed. And they shook their hands in a polite way, “see?”

“Friends,” Sugarlips reiterated and a smirk appeared on YN’s lips at the insinuation, her eyes diverting from the camera and to her lap, head dipping down to her chest in an attempt to hide to desire in her eyes that she know would never go ignored, “you’re definitely more friendly than everyone else, Footasylum is loving the attention you’re bringing to the brand.”

“Oh, I bet you are,” YN jeered and, beside her, Arthur gave out a snort in the form of a laugh, “we better be getting some proper recognition for this, Footasylum.”

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦ ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

If there was one thing Arthur found complete comfortability in, it was chess.

Seeing the chessboard in one of the cupboards in the house, he felt a little more at home because it was something he was used to playing on the outside to pass the time or to keep himself busy. 

At home, he had a board set up that he would test out different matches on and play against pretend partners to try and better his approach whenever he did play someone with a good ability to the game. On his phone, he had apps that allowed him to play games against people from all across the globe, some taking their time and allowing him one move a day and some taking just mere minutes before the game was over because it was a challenging game for those who didn’t understand the thought behind each and every move. Whenever he was with his friends, he was testing them on what each piece was and how they could move on the board, explaining what checkmate meant and the easiest ways to win each match they played. It was his hobby outside of work and it brought him immense pleasure in winning every game, an accomplishment in his eyes.

“You’ve been spending a bit of time with YN, haven’t you?” Jemel questioned Arthur, coming to his rest period of his workout and asking almost completely out of the blue, into the silence as Arthur taught Spuddz the rules of chess, “in fact, a lot of time. Not that it’s a bad thing. She’s lovely from what we know of her.”

“It shouldn’t be a bad thing,” Arthur laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck as he leant back on the beanbag beneath him and watched as Spuddz thought about his next move on the board in the middle of the table between them, “she’s lovely. She looked a bit nervous walking in yesterday and I was just being a nice person, I guess. That’s who I am.”

Jemel smirked at Arthur's admission and Spuddz cackled before making a move with one of his pawns on the board.

“Just give us a go to get to know her,” Spuddz smacked Arthur on the knee closest to him, heat rising up the back of the boy’s neck, “don’t keep her all to yourself.”

“We’re just becoming friends, that’s all,” Arthur held his hands up in admittance, slight panic coursing his veins because he wasn’t searching for love or treating Locked In like a reality TV show based on finding love within the two weeks, and he didn’t want to seem desperate enough and make it seem he was giving his undivided attention to one person, “she’s easy to talk to. And we’ve only been here less than twenty-four hours.”

“It only takes twenty-four hours, buddy,” Spuddz teased him, standing to his feet and playing on the red blush that covered Arthur’s cheeks, “she’s a lovely girl though. Never really heard of her before her name was mentioned in the line-up. She must be new on the scene outside but she’s got something good going for her.”

“She’ll make it on the outside because of how nice she is and how she gels with everyone so quickly,” Jemel said, wrapping his hands around the bar of the weights he was lifting, flexing his arms as he pulled each one close to his chest before releasing the muscles, “she’s definitely going to become a known person from this, regardless of whether she wins or not. I think she’s a gem.”

“Yeah,” Arthur nodded, eyes still attached to the chequerboard on the table, “me too. Besides, we’ve been handcuffed together all afternoon so of course, we’ve spent a lot of time together today.”

“Yeah, I can imagine,” Jemel said, placing the weights down by his feet and leaning back on the seat of the piece of gym equipment he was perched upon, “to be fair, me and Steph had some in depth conversations today whilst being handcuffed together so I definitely think that challenge was to help us figure out who we’re able to get close to here. Some of us have gelled together really quickly.”

Spuddz and Arthur nodded in agreement, their attention going back to thinking about the moves they could make on the chessboard between them, Arthur’s hand hovering over one of his pieces as he thought carefully about what his next move would allow and whether he could get himself into a position that would give him a pretty good chance at winning.

“It has me excited though,” Spuddz claimed, “like, the next two weeks are going to be great fun getting to know each other and what we’re all truly like.”

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦ ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

“Why is Arthur on-”

“Arthur, why do you have 4 points?”

“Well,” he laughed and clapped his hands, rubbing them together in a mocking manner, “I was given a secret challenge to do, throughout the day today, where I had to lie to you guys.”

“Lie to us?”

“Arthur-”

“So, I told you guys I started out posting singing covers on a Youtube channel that didn’t take off…” he paused as everyone remembered the conversation from earlier that morning, “yeah, that one was a lie.”

He watched as mouths fell gaped open.

“I also had convinced YN that I was highly allergic to make-up and that I’d swell up really badly if I came in contact with it,” he slowly looked up and made eye contact with YN and she stood there in shock, her eyes widening, “I lied about that. I’m not allergic. If you take a closer look, you’ll see I’ve got a really spotty forehead and I’ve got concealer covering them up…”

“You sneaky git!” She screeched, laughter emitting from the group and she took long strides in his direction and gave his shoulder a smack with her palm, “you really had me worried. I kept thinking I’d accidentally smeared foundation or setting spray on the door handle of the toilet or something and that you were gonna stumble in with a face so swollen up that it could have killed you.”

She frowned and he placed his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his side, her face disappearing under his arm and into his armpit, hiding the blush that made come over all hot and bothered yet she could feel him laughing, “I’m so sorry.”

“What was the third?” Jemel asked, leaning on the back of the sofa, “you’ve done well so far.”

“So the third was that I had to tell Jamie I was part of an academy as I grew up. I wasn’t. The guy I told you about was just great at football in university, played for the football team, but he didn’t step foot in an academy in Jersey to my knowledge,” he admitted and Jamie just stared at him in shock, “that one wasn’t so difficult to play along with.”

“Nah, but, I actually believed you. I actually believed you,” Jamie stated, “I know you’re from Jersey. I know you play football. I know you’re good at football. I saw you at Clash of Creators, bro.”

“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I thought, for sure, you’d have caught on,” Arthur laughed, his arm squeezing YN tighter to his side as she stood with her arm wrapped around his waist, “but oh my god, that was so fun. And so worth the four points.”

“You’re a bloody good liar, Arthur Television,” Steph cackled, reaching towards him and squeezing his shoulders, “that was scary good.”

“I studied law for good reason,” Arthur smirked, “it can come in handy sometimes.”

[thoughtfulfangirling]

2022 Reads

It’s that time where I start a new list of the books I’m reading this year. I might try again to do blurbs about them as I go and link them but uh... I’ve never kept up with it so no promises. For my 2021 and previous year reads, go here and follow the rabbit hole. For 2023, go here.

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive^ by Stephanie Land

How to Lose the Time War* by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar~

Sorcery of Thorns^ by Margaret Rogerson

The Animals in That Country^ by Larua Jean McKay

Gearbreakers by Zoe Hana MIkuta

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States: ReVisioning American History by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower (novella) by Tamsyn Muir

A Winter Haunting^ by Dan Simmons

The Binding: A Novel by Bridget Collins

Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

The Dark Lord of Derkholm^ By Diana Wynn Jones

Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea* by Sarah Pinsker~

Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan

The Song in the Silence* by Elizabeth Kerner

How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self by Nicole LePera, PhD

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell^ by Susanna Clark

Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher R. Browning

Dark Currents: Agent of Hel book 1 by Jacqueline Carey

The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esme´ Weijun Wang

Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen

The Lesser Kindred* by Elizabeth Kerner

Lincoln in the Bardo^ by George Saunders

Emma by Jane Austen

Accessing the Future edited by Kathryn Allan and Djibril Al-Ayad

Redeeming the Lost* by Elizabeth Kerner

1984 by George Orwell~

Kushiel's Chosen* by Jacqueline Carey

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

The Secret History by Donna Tart

How we Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

GenderQueer: Voices From Beyond the Sexual Binary edited by Joan Nestle, Clare Howell, and Riki Wilchins

The Deep by Rivers Solomon (novella)

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler

For the Love of Men: From Toxic to a More Mindful Masculinity by Liz Plank

Contact by Carl Sagan~

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

We're Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen*

Parable of the Talents by Ocatavia E Butler

Terror, Love and Brainwashing: Attachment in Cults and Totalitarian Systems by Alexandra Stein

The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral-And How It Changed the American West by Jeff Guinn

Circe by Madeline Miller

Autumn Bones: Agent of Hel Book 2 by Jacqueline Carey

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession by Alice Bolin

True Irish Ghost Stories compiled by St John D Seymour and Harry L Neligan

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir~

Beloved by Toni Morrison

The Penguin Book of Hell edited by Scott G Bruce

The Devil and Harper Lee by Mark Seal

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth

Mostly Void, Partially Stars by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Carmilla by J. Sheridan Lefanu

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors* by Sonali Dev

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims^

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie

Dracula by Bram Stoker*~

The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGurie

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Under the Pendulum Sun by Jeannette Ng

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Red Azalea by Anchee Min

The November Girl by Lydia Kang

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle^ by Haruki Murakami with Jay Rubin

Poison Fruit: Agent of Hel Book 3 by Jacqueline Carey

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones

*Re-Reads ^Chosen for me by someone else ~Reads done with spouse

[readingontheedge]

TILL THERE WAS YOU

★★★ NEW RELEASE FROM MARIE FORCE ★★★ TILL THERE WAS YOU is available now!  

Amazon: https://geni.us/bv4amz

Apple: https://geni.us/bv4apple

Nook: https://geni.us/bv4nook

Kobo: https://geni.us/bv4kobo

Google: https://geni.us/bv4ggl  

Print: https://geni.us/bv4store  

BLURB: Being an adult has its advantages... Lucas Abbott and his identical twin grew up sharing everything—including a reputation for funny, idiotic behavior. But now that Lucas is ready to shed that lovable-idiot image, grow up and have a real, adult relationship, the joke’s on him. He and his twin have fallen for the same woman. Crushed and hoping a few days on the slopes will work out his frustrations, he heads for Stowe, Vermont. All thought of fun and relaxation flies away as a car spins out in a snowstorm, and his firefighter/paramedic training kicks into high gear. Danielle Rowson is hoping to pick up the pieces and build a new life for herself and her daughter in Vermont. Winding up in a ditch in the middle of a blizzard isn’t part of the plan—and neither is the kind, sexy rescuer whose strong hands pull them to safety. Lucas has been a little kid, a big kid and now an adult—and he discovers that adulting has more than one advantage. Especially when it comes to sharing with Dani and Savannah the one thing that’s his and his alone: his love.  

Chapter 2

As usual, their mom had made pizza from scratch for their birthday—sausage and onion for him and pepperoni and peppers for Landon, along with special orders for the others. Normally, Lucas loved the traditions and the way his mother still paid attention to the details with each of her ten children, even though they were grown and some had kids of their own.

But tonight, with Landon and Amanda seated directly across the table from him, Lucas could barely swallow the delicious pizza or the beer his father had opened for him. He had nothing to say to anyone, which was rare in and of itself. Lucas Abbott always had something to say, especially in the midst of his boisterous family, all of whom had come to celebrate their brothers’ birthday. As the eighth child in a family of ten, one learned to speak up early or be drowned out by the noise.

When everyone was there, they were close to twenty people as his siblings were pairing off, getting married and having babies like wildfire these days. Their elusive, quiet brother Wade had shocked the living shit out of them recently by showing up with a wife none of them had met until after he and Mia had said “I do.” No one had seen that coming, but Wade seemed happier than Lucas had ever seen him. Mia’s long-lost father was throwing them a big wedding in Boston in June that everyone would be going to. Would Landon bring Amanda to that, too?

The noise level in the dining room was probably registering on the Richter scale. Normally, he’d be right in the middle of the fray. Tonight, he had a splitting headache.

Elmer nudged him. “What’s up with you?” Fortunately, his grandfather kept his voice down, so the question wasn’t heard by everyone else.

“Nothing.”

“Not like you to pick at the pizza. You’re more likely to inhale than pick.”

“I’m not that hungry tonight.”

Elmer’s white brows furrowed as he placed a hand on Lucas’s forehead. “You’re not feverish.”

Molly zeroed in on Elmer’s hand on Lucas’s forehead. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. The pizza is great, Mom.”

Though she accepted his answer, he could tell by the way his mother looked at him that he hadn’t fooled her.

Per the tradition, she brought out one big cake, half chocolate for him and half vanilla for Landon, and they blew out their candles together. They’d done that twenty-six other times, and it had never once occurred to Lucas that he ought to have his own damned cake as a grown-ass man. Until now.

“Happy birthday, bro,” Landon said, giving him a warm smile.

“Same to you.” Lucas could barely stand to look at the face that was nearly the mirror image of his own. He felt naked without the beard that left almost nothing to distinguish him from his identical twin.

Clearly Amanda preferred Landon to him if the way she giggled at every stupid thing his brother said was any indication.

She’d worn her dark hair up tonight, which only accentuated her pretty green eyes and the smattering of freckles across her nose that he’d found both cute and sexy. He didn’t recall her giggling so much when they went out and was thankful for that. In general, giggling wasn’t something he found overly attractive in a woman.

But damn if he didn’t find the rest of her overly attractive. She was downright gorgeous. He’d thought so from the first time he saw her in the conference room, surrounded by sex toys as she indoctrinated the family on the line of products her company produced.

And no, it hadn’t been the sex toys that had gotten to him. It’d been her. The confident way she spoke about something that most people had trouble talking about in private, let alone in a room full of strangers, had really done it for him. This was a woman who owned her sexuality and her freedom to express it.

That’s where his attraction toward her had started. But it had only flourished during the evening they spent together talking with an ease he didn’t often experience with someone he’d just met.

They’d covered everything from their families to their hometowns to their favorite sports, movies, books, TV shows, and it had been… easy. Fun. He’d immediately wanted to do it again and had thought she felt the same way, but watching her now with Landon, he could see that she had found a connection with him, too. Perhaps a stronger connection than she’d found with Lucas. If that was the case, there was nothing he could do about it. The choice was hers to make, and she’d clearly made it.

He stood, taking his grandfather by surprise. “Where you going, boy?”

“Gotta get home. I’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”

“Where you got to be?” Landon asked.

“I’m covering for Denny.” Lucas referred to one of the paramedics they worked with. “His wife has an ultrasound, and they’re going to find out what they’re having.”

“Oh, cool.”

“You didn’t open your presents,” Molly said.

“I told you guys no presents.”

“When do we ever do what we’re told?” Linc asked.

Lucas took the time to open the gifts from his parents—some new tools for the shop, a sleeping bag to replace the one he’d trashed after the last camping trip, a pair of the cargo shorts he wore in the summer, a book about Lewis and Clark that he’d been meaning to get and a watch with GPS capability.

“Thanks, Mom. I love it all.”

“You’re very welcome.”

He appreciated that she seemed to get that he wanted out of there. But he hoped she knew it wasn’t because he didn’t love the time with his family.

Tomorrow, he would do the shift for Denny during the day, and then he had three days off before his next shift at the firehouse. That was enough time to hit the road and get out of town for a couple of days. If his brother was going to be falling all over Amanda, he didn’t have to stick around for the show.

After he said his goodbyes to the others, his mother met him in the mudroom.

“You really shouldn’t have gotten presents, Mom.”

She shrugged off the statement. “It’s fun for me to find things I think you’d like.”

“Well, thank you. For the gifts, the pizza, the cake. For everything.”

“Are you all right, Luc? You aren’t yourself tonight.”

“I’m all right. Just fighting off a cold.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?”

“Yep.” The last thing he’d ever do is confess to anyone that he was jealous of his brother. Such a stupid, pointless emotion, and one he’d felt rarely enough to be unfamiliar with how to deal with it. He kissed his mother’s forehead. “I’ve got a few days off, and I’m going to take a run over to Stowe tomorrow.” One of his best friends from Bowdoin College lived there, so no one would question why he was going. They didn’t need to know that he wouldn’t be seeing Craig this time around.

“Supposed to snow tomorrow. Be careful driving.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

“You know better than to tell me not to worry.”

“I’ll be fine. If there’s one thing your children know how to do, it’s take care of themselves. You saw to that.”

“True. I’m very proud of that.”

“Then don’t worry. I have snow in my DNA.” He hugged her and headed out the door before he had to see Landon and Amanda again. Was he being ridiculous running from them? Yes, and he knew it, but so be it. He didn’t want to deal with it, especially on his freaking birthday.

He got in the truck, started it and cranked the heat, hoping it wouldn’t take long to warm up. It was bloody freezing, as per usual for the last week in March in Vermont, where winter tended to hang on until after the first buds of spring appeared on the trees. Keeping an eye on his parents’ dogs, George and Ringo, who’d followed him outside, he backed out of the driveway and glanced back at the house to see his mom still at the door, watching him go.

Lucas hoped she’d forgive him for leaving the party early, but he’d needed to get out of there before he gave away how he was feeling to the whole family. This was all new territory for him. He wasn’t one to have secrets or things he wanted to keep hidden. What you saw was what you got with Lucas Abbott, and he had no clue how to navigate this situation.

Keeping an eye out for rogue moose, he drove to the family’s Christmas tree farm that was shuttered until spring planting. Normally, he loved the isolation and the serenity of life at the farm, but, like everything else the last few days, it didn’t bring the usual comfort. He was edgy, out of sorts, off his game and feeling lost in a sea of familiar places and people.

His plan to get the hell out of here for a few days was looking better to him with every passing minute. Inside the loft apartment over the barn, he started a load of laundry and pulled a duffel bag with the Butler Volunteer Fire Department logo from under the bed.

He and Landon were both lieutenants in the department, charged with handling most of the administrative work that earned them small salaries. Lucas’s was enough to cover most of his expenses, which were minor thanks to the fact that he didn’t have to pay rent. He got to live at the farm in exchange for keeping an eye on the place in the off-season and acting as the caretaker on behalf of the family business. Between his fire department salary and the sale of the furniture and other wood items he crafted, he eked out a pretty decent living, but his needs were minimal.

Would a woman like Amanda be satisfied with the life that had always more than satisfied him, or would she find it lacking? And since when did he care what anyone else thought of his life?

Since the best first date in history, that’s when.

He had put his laundry in the dryer and opened a beer when the phone rang. Seeing his grandfather’s number on the caller ID, he took the call. “What’s up, Gramps?”

“I was thinking about you on the way home and decided to give you a ring. You weren’t yourself tonight, and I’m wondering if I know why.”

Amused as always by his grandfather, Lucas leaned back against the kitchen counter and smiled. “Knock yourself out.”

“I think you and your brother have set your sights on the same woman, and that’s got you all turned around.”

Lucas knew he shouldn’t be surprised that Elmer had figured out his dilemma.

“Am I warm?”

“Pretty warm.”

“Ah, thought so. It’s a heck of a thing to meet someone who really strikes your fancy. Happened to me once upon a time, and it was the worst feeling in the world.”

Lucas stood up straighter. “When did it happen to you?”

“With your grandmother. I met her when she was dating my cousin.”

“No way.”

“Yes way, and it was awful, I tell you.”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing, and that was the hardest part. I loved my cousin. We were as close as brothers. I never would’ve done anything to hurt him.”

“Since I know how this story ends, I have to know how you ended up together.”

“She told him she fancied me.”

“Whoa! How did he take that?”

“Punched me in the mouth,” Elmer said with a low guffaw. “That’s how I knew she’d picked me.”

“Wow, Gramps. I had no idea.”

“We didn’t talk about it much after the fact. I remained close to my cousin until the day he died, and I went out of my way to make sure there was never any bad blood between us.”

“Did he ever get married?”

“Yep. Married a great gal a couple years later, and the four of us ran around together for the rest of his life.”

“I’m glad he ended up happy, too.”

“Believe me—so was I. Second-happiest day of my young life was standing up for him at his wedding.” After a pause, Elmer said, “You never really know what people go through before they end up with a happily ever after, son. It’s not always rainbows and unicorns or straight lines that lead from point A to point B. A lot of times, it’s hard and messy and painful.”

“Yeah,” Lucas said, marveling at how Elmer had homed right in on everything Lucas was feeling.

“But the most important thing is family. Your brother is your closest friend, your soul mate, if you believe in such things. The two of you have been like two peas in a pod from the word go. I’d hate to see anything come between you.”

“Me, too.”

“Then don’t let it, Luc. Amanda seems like a nice gal with a good head on her shoulders. If she’s taken a shine to Landon, well, then, there’s nothing you can really do about that. But being angry with him over it isn’t going to make it better for you. It’ll only make everything worse.”

Elmer was right. Of course he was. He was always right. “Very true.”

“I’m glad you agree. Amanda is only here for a short time. Brothers are forever.”

“Especially identical twin brothers.”

Elmer laughed. “Especially that. You okay, pal?”

“Yeah, Gramps, I’m good. This helped a lot. I’m going up to Stowe for a couple of days to ski and clear my head.”

“That’s a great idea. Have a wonderful time.”

“Thanks for calling.”

“Happy birthday, Lucas. I think this is going to be your best year yet.”

“I hope so.”

“Love you, son.”

“Love you, too, Gramps.”

Lucas put down the phone, feeling thankful for the unconditional love of his grandfather, who had always been a steady presence in his life. Elmer had made an excellent point. It would be foolish to allow a woman he barely knew to come between him and the twin brother who was also his closest friend. He wasn’t going to let that happen and would use the time away to get his head back on straight.

Amanda was a great person, and he really liked her. However, she certainly wasn’t the only woman in the world. If she had decided Landon was the one for her, Lucas would find someone else. Stepping aside was the right thing to do. He had no doubt about that after talking to his grandfather.

He couldn’t believe the story Elmer had told him about the early days of his relationship with Lucas’s grandmother. He’d never thought too much about how his grandparents might’ve gotten together, but he hadn’t pictured anything like the story Elmer had relayed.

The next day, after putting in a ten-hour shift at the firehouse that had included calls to a couple of snow-related fender benders and one elderly resident who’d needed transport to the hospital, Lucas set out for Stowe. Normally a ninety-minute drive, tonight it was slow going due to the snow that continued to fall. Lucas took his time, keeping the speedometer around forty and following in the tracks left by an eighteen-wheeler that was a mile or so ahead of him.

Driving in snow was second nature to him after growing up in northern Vermont. If Vermonters stayed home every time it snowed, they’d go weeks without leaving the house some years.

He’d called his friend Craig, who’d told him to use the house while he was out of town on business. Lucas had the security code to the house and was eager for some time alone on the slopes. Physical activity always helped to clear his mind, and he hoped it would have the usual effect on him this time.

He hated being out of sorts like this and needed to shake it off and get back to normal. Moping around wasn’t his style. At the peak of ski season in Stowe, he could also count on some good nightlife. Perhaps a night with a snow bunny would fix what ailed him. One thing he knew for certain was that getting out of Butler had already made him feel better than he had in days.

Two hours into the ride, he was yawning and guzzling the coffee he’d brewed at the firehouse to keep himself awake. His eyes were tired from staring into the snow that had seemed to intensify as he got closer to Stowe. Finally, he took the exit onto the local road that led to Craig’s place and found that it hadn’t been plowed.

“Awesome…”

He slowed the truck to a crawl, inching along while hoping he was still on the actual road. As he rounded a bend, he watched with horror as the car in front of him fishtailed wildly before pitching off an embankment into a ditch.

“A baby is God’s opinion that life should go on.” —Carl Sandburg 

AUTHOR BIO:

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 contemporary romances, including the Gansett Island Series, which has sold more than 3 million books, and the Fatal Series from Harlequin Books, which has sold 1.5 million books. In addition, she is the author of the Butler, Vermont Series, the Green Mountain Series and the erotic romance Quantum Series, written under the slightly modified name of M.S. Force. All together, her books have sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide!

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.

Join Marie's mailing list for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @marieforce and on Instagram. Join one of Marie's many reader groups. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com. 

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[rachelstipe]

The most luxurious homes for sale in each state and territory

  For Australia’s wealthy, the price tag for a home that meets their needs and tastes now goes all the way to $100 million.

And if you have the cash to splash, you can fork out on breathtaking views of the Great Barrier Reef, a slice of Tasmania’s own take on Brideshead castle, or an opulent mansion in the heart of a suburb best known for housing our prime ministers.

Here is a look inside the properties asking top dollar in each state and territory.

Western Australia

This federation classic is seeking offers above $15 million. Photo: Mack Hall Real Estate

The priciest property surprisingly doesn’t sit on Sydney’s glittering harbour, but on the other side of the country, in Perth’s Peppermint Grove. With views of Freshwater Bay, the four-bedroom, three-bathroom houseis set on 3652 square metres, with a 41-metre water frontage to the Swan River.

Selling agent Mack Hall Real Estate is seeking offers above $15 million for the home.

Victoria

Shadow Creek comprises more than 2300 square metres of living space. Photo: Abercromby’s

The most expensive property currently on the market in Victoria is Shadow Creek in Locksley, 90 minutes’ drive from Melbourne, or quicker by helicopter if you chose to use the property’s private helipad.

On the edge of the Great Dividing Range, between Euroa and Seymour, the property is a six-bedroom mansion featuring its own lap pool, an expansive cellar and a four-bedroom manager’s residence, set on a holding of 314 hectares.

Shadow Creek, which the agent’s blurb says “proves what is possible when quality comes first and money is no object”, is on the market for $11.8 million.

The property comes with 314 hectares of land. Photo: Abercromby’s

New South Wales

Next up on offer is the grand Vaucluse family home of Chinese property developers Bowei Yang and Wenjing Xie, on the market with an asking price of $10 million to $11 million.

This property has an asking price of $10-$11 million dollars. Photo: Ray White

The five-bedroom, five-bathroom (plus two powder rooms) property is next door to the home of former Australian cricket captain, Michael Clarke, and is just a stone’s throw from the house of former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

Photo: Ray White

  There’s a self-contained cabana and swimming pool, lift, wine cellar, home theatre, billiards room and a four-car garage set on a block of more than 1300 square metres.

Queensland

This six-bedroom Port Douglas property has views of the Great Barrier Reef and is named after one of literature’s greats – Ernest Hemingway.

The Villa Hemingway has a price tag of $10.8 million. Photo: LJ Hooker

Billed as “the grandest property” in the area and with a price tag of $10.8 million, Villa Hemingway sits on Flagstaff Hill with commanding views of the area.

Photo: LJ Hooker

Set on six levels with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, six balconies, a cocktail bar, pool and tennis court, the property also has a separate two-bedroom, self-contained apartment.

  South Australia

This Adelaide Hills property is situated on 6.47 acres of bushland. Photo: Sotheby’s

This striking property in Heathfield, in the Adelaide Hills, is set on 2.6 hectares of bushland and features five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The asking price is $4.6 million-$5 million.

The property comes with a double garage, large elevated pool overlooking a hillside landscape, a tennis court and ground-floor retreat.

It features a separate pool house and entertainment pavilion. Photo: Sotheby’s

But it doesn’t stop there. There’s a pin-coded wine cellar, two open fireplaces, a spacious scullery and an orchard.

Photo: Sotheby’s International Realty

 Australian Capital Territory

This “sleek architectural masterpiece” located in Yarralumla, in the heart of Canberra, is set on three levels comprising five bedrooms and four bathrooms and could be yours for $4.5 million.

Set on 810 square metres, the home also features a sheltered alfresco area with a barbecue kitchen, gas fireplace and large sun-drenched patio next to a resort-style swimming pool with spa and a covered cabana.

Photo: LJ Hooker

There’s also an eight-car garage with a spacious wine cellar/storage room and a window that looks into the pool.

This “sleek masterpiece” is on offer for $4.5 million. Photo: LJ Hooker

All four bedrooms come with their own ensuites, with the two top-level bedrooms with walk-in wardrobes, dual balconies and rumpus area,

Photo: LJ Hooker

Tasmania

The estate is on the market for $2 million. Photo: Harcourts

If a full estate is more your thing, 10 minutes from Launceston’s CBD is this historical homestead, Old Marchington, currently on the market for $2 million.

The story of Old Marchington goes back to 1821 when a parcel of land was granted to free settler John Smith, a man who, according to legend, had royal connections to King George IV.

By 1842 the five-bedroom property was described as one of the best vineyards in the colony, and by 1884 it had become a prominent stud, importing top champions from England.

Photo: Harcourts

Northern Territory

Surrounded by rainforest and boasting ocean views, this five-bedroom mansion in Larrakeyah in central Darwin is on the market for $2.2 million.

The Larrakeyah mansion is on the market for $2.2 million. Photo: Knight Frank

Set on two levels and surrounded by rain forest and tropical gardens, the home has a pool, games room and wrap-around balcony to soak up those classic Northern Territory sunsets.

Photo: Knight Frank

This article originally appeared in The New Daily.

The post The most luxurious homes for sale in each state and territory appeared first on News.

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[georgeclarkesgf]

just like mummy | george clarke

george is in the kitchen finishing the washing up, when he notices the ever-noisy house is now oddly silent. this is unusual considering your 6 year old twin daughters, willow and ivy, are home. knowing silence is more often than not an indicator of his girls being up to no good, george decides to see what they're up to.

he makes his way to the living room, expecting them to be playing with their toys, but to his surprise, they're not there. next, he checks their bedroom, again not finding them. he begins to panic a little before hearing a giggle from your shared bedroom.

quietly, george pushes open the door, wanting to see what they're doing. the second ivy spots her dad, the smile on her face is replaced with a worried expression, and she tries to hide what they're playing with behind her back. willow turns around at her sister's reaction, replicating ivy's expression when she realises george has found them. but it's obvious what they were doing, the sheer amount of makeup on willow's face a dead giveaway.

"ivy-mae what have you been doing to your sister?" george asks, his tone soft but stern.

she starts fiddling with her dress, not meeting his gaze, "we're playing dress up."

"we wanted to be pretty like mummy." willow adds, tears welling up in her eyes since she thinks george is mad at them.

his eyes soften and he sits down next to them, pulling them both into a hug. willow doesn't pull away from the hug, instead nuzzling her face into george's chest as she starts to cry. makeup definitely gets on his top, but he can't find it in him to care.

"darling, don't cry. i'm not mad," he strokes her cheek, wiping away a tear, "but you should've asked to use mummy's stuff okay? and you don't need makeup. you're the prettiest girls in the whole wide world."

grabbing some of your makeup wipes, george carries willow into the bathroom, setting her on the counter. he gently wipes her face until all the makeup is gone and kisses her cheek.

while george is taking off willow's makeup, ivy tidies away your makeup and puts the bag back where she found it. she runs over to the bathroom when george calls her name and she proudly tells him she's tidied up.

"thank you poppet. how about we go get into pyjamas and watch tv until mummy comes home?" george suggests, earning eager nods from his girls.

he takes both their hands, getting them ready for bed before leading them to the living room where 'minions' is still playing. they all get comfortable on the sofa, the blanket draped over the three of them and ivy and willow curl into his side. evidently playing dress up tires them out, and they soon fall asleep, george not far behind.

when you come home from dinner with grace, that's how you find them, all sleeping on the sofa. george is now stretched out, arms wrapped protectively around willow and ivy. you take a quick photo and walk over, placing a kiss on his lips, causing him to wake up.

"hey sleepyhead, were they a handful?" you nod to your sleeping daughters.

"nothing i couldn't handle." george responds.

willow stirs at the sound of voices, her fluttering eyes open, "mummy?"

"hi baby, you have fun with daddy?" you whisper, leaning down to brush a strand of hair from her face.

she hums in response, eyes struggling to stay open. george sits up, careful not to wake ivy, who was still fast asleep, and you give him another kiss as a silent thank you for looking after them tonight.

"we should probably get them to bed." you suggest.

george nods, letting you pick willow up first before he lifts ivy into his arms. willow wraps her arms around your neck, leaning her head on your shoulder as you make your way to the girl's bedroom.

once they're both tucked in, you place a kiss on their foreheads and turn on the nightlight. you pull the door to, making sure to leave a gap like you do every night. turning around, you wrap your arms around george's waist and rest your head against his chest, hugging him tight.

"george, why do you have makeup all over your top?" you quietly giggle, tilting your head up to look at him.

"they were playing dress up. said they wanted to be pretty just like mummy. i thought i got all the makeup off." george mumbles, rubbing your back.

"aww, i hope you told them they don't need it. that they're the most beautiful girls in the world." you say softly.

"of course i did."

"good. now can we please go to bed?"

"absolutely."

a/n i can't stop thinking about girl dad george <333 i wasn't expecting to get so carried away with this but i did. anyway, hope you enjoyed it! i'm still working on requests but wanted to post something else for you guys while i work through them <3