#i still know what you did last summer jay brooks

[jay-brooks-hugger]

Jay Brooks appreciation post because I love him, he's my best friend 💜. Seriously though I love him so much, gonna make some pins and key chains of him soon 👍🏿✨

[weyounthevorta]

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998): The Combs Cut

Mr Brooks, we hardly knew ye.

[flowerprintundies]

mr jay brooks and his kick ass silk pjs… I just think he needs more love in the Jeff fandom

I watched IKWYDLS and the sequel just for this request anon

[letmereadherbertwestfics]

Combstober Day 8

Prompt: Campfire

Character: Mr. Brooks (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer)

Warnings: None

You had never understood why people liked to travel alone. Really, the idea terrified you. Being in an unfamiliar place with nobody else to share the experience with? What was so great about that?

But that was before this trip. 

At the last minute, your friend got a violent case of food poisoning and had to cancel your trip to The Bahamas. While your friend had no choice but to not go, you couldn't afford to pay the fee it took to cancel your flight, and had been looking forward to the trip for so long that you couldn't bring yourself to cancel it. So, leaving your friend behind, you took the trip by yourself. And you had a fantastic time.

You still did everything that you and your friend had planned to do together, except without the stress and annoyance of having to drag someone else along with you. Sure, it was scary being alone at first, but after a night of hanging out at a poolside bar and then not having a wasted friend to drag back to your hotel room, your fears quieted down a bit. 

And now it was your second to last night at the resort, and you were dreading the journey home. Not only because of all of the packing and preparation and the god awful boat and plane rides back to back, but just because you didn't want to leave. Not when you still hadn't gotten to talk to the mystery man behind the check in desk. 

He was a few years older than you, cold and slightly rude, from what you could tell he was your average 'manager who hates his job but still runs the establishment like it's the Navy' types. And his name tag read Jay Brooks. And in your week and a half here, that was all the information you got out of him. 

The two of you had exchanged nothing but casualties and a room key when you checked in, aside from his brief questioning of why the booking was listed as for two and you were only one, and whenever you smiled at him on your way to the pool he would react with either a dismissive stare or even an eye roll. But that didn't sway your interest in him in the slightest. If anything it only encouraged you to keep being pleasant towards him. Maybe before you left he would crack a smile. Or maybe not. Either way, you weren't going to be giving up. 

Today the hotel had banners and fliers put up all over, advertising a bonfire out on the beach. There was going to be music, sparklers, and free drinks. It sounded like the perfect opportunity to waste an hour or two before heading back to your room, so you decided to go. 

When you got to the beach you were only half surprised to see that it was thirty minutes past when the bonfire was supposed to happen and nobody had shown up. If there was one thing you noticed about the guests at this resort, it was that they kept to themselves. The karaoke machine at the bar remained untouched, and the pool was almost as silent as a library aside from the occasional drunk or unruly child. Finding out nobody else had decided to attend this party wasn't too surprising when you thought about it. 

You were about to turn around and head back to your room when you realized there was someone sitting by the bonfire. And it only took a few more seconds for you to recognize the suffocatingly neat dress shirt and tie, and the annoyed scowl of Jay Brooks. This realization made your heart skip a beat, and you approached the bonfire a bit faster than before.

"Am I late to the party?" You asked, immediately cringing at how your voice sounded. Brooks looked up at the sound of a voice, looking you up and down before his gaze returned to the fire. 

"Can't be late when there isn't an event." He said bluntly. You slowly lowered yourself onto the log across from Brooks, the bonfire separating the two of you. 

There was an awkward yet slightly serene silence, the only sounds being the crackling of the fire and the crash of the waves. Brooks continued to stare into the fire while you stared at him, thinking you were going unnoticed until he interrupted your thoughts with a stern look in your direction.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

Though Brooks didn't look like he was joking when he said this, you couldn't help but crack a smile. You shifted your gaze to the sand, tucking your hands in your pockets. 

"Sorry." You muttered. Brooks sighed, unsurprisingly going back to looking at the flaming logs. 

"You're the one staying in the Junior Suite?" Brooks asked suddenly, making your head snap up. Before you could ask him how he remembered, he gave you a nervous, almost shy smile and explained without being questioned. "You're the first guest to smile at me in weeks. That made you memorable."

His words made your smile widen. Was Brooks, the mysteriously cold resort manager, actually being nice to you? He actually noticed your acknowledgement instead of brushing you off? The realization that you had read him all wrong made your heart beat just a bit faster. 

Relax, Y/N. You don't even know the guy. 

But you wanted to. That was enough to get you to push any anxiety or insecurity out of your mind and get you to move one log over, closer to Brooks. Once the two of you were sitting directly across from each other, you held out your hand. 

[weyounthevorta-writes]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), Jeffrey Combs Universe Rating: Explicit

Jay Brooks/OC   Summary:

With a roof repair behind schedule, I take refuge from an incoming typhoon at a local resort. Little did I know I’d be finding more comfort there than a warm dry bed and a solid roof over my head.

[the-combsverse]

what do you think Mr Jay Brooks favourite type of. music would be? A-asking for a friend

Jay listens to heavy metal, classical and electro swing

[bebepac]

Six Sentence Sunday 05.01.22 / Mood Music Monday

Sorry I haven’t been around or on as much because this past week had been incredibly emotionally rough for me.  All of you guys know, I took the passing of my OG Riley face claim Cheslie Kryst really hard,  well this past week was her birthday, and her family did a balloon release in her honor on her birthday on April 28th.  I unfortunately could not go, so I decided to do my own on Saturday.  I picked a lake where I grew up and frequented a lot as a child and teen, I read a letter I had been writing for her since her passing in January and released her balloons.  I feel like I needed to do something for her, and have a special moment on my own terms.   As you can see, I picked balloons as bright as her personality and her wardrobe were.  

Here’s what I’ve written in the past week or so:

The Rotten Apple 🍎:  Fall From Grace

The Rotten Apple 🍎:  The Apple 🍏

Original Post 05/01/22 at 6:04PM EST.

Mood Music Monday Submission / Wacky Drabbles Submission

Last Call (Farewell Wacky Drabbles)  Series:  Pop’s Place The Book:  TRR (no royals)  Pairings:  Mia x Jaiden  (Mia/ TRR MC x M!OC) past pairings of Mia x Liam /  and Mia x Drake Status: Still in the writing process Song Inspiration:  Closing Time by Semisonic

So many things happened, but this was the best summer of my life. I think that I came out of my shell a little bit. Who am I kidding a lot more than I thought I ever would. I had three guys chasing me this summer! And I always felt like I was not the type of girl that would have that, but a  month before summer vacation was over, my heart landed with the soft spoken, and kind Jaiden Brooks.

His eyes met mine as he cleared one of the tables for me.  I smiled at him and he smiled back, 

mouthing the words "I love you."

I blew him a kiss saying it back to him with ease, which that part was so new for me. I was in love, and he loved me back!  Focus Mia!!! I was in the process of taking the order of the customer in front of me.

The older woman sitting down, seeing my attention wavering, glanced back at Jai.

"Young love. You two are adorable."

“Thank you.”  

“Should I repeat my order?”

I smiled.  “Yes please.”  

This time I paid close attention.

I know I said this was the best summer of my life, but on the flip, it was also the worst. My Pops, the owner of the restaurant where all my family works in some capacity or another, had a heart attack, taking him out on an extended medical leave.

Who knew it was going to be three teenagers: Me, in charge of the floor, Liam now promoted to head cook, and Jaiden helping to run the restaurant the last part of summer.  And somehow we didn't run the place into the ground on shortened hours during the week and no weekend hours, but we were making more money than we had been.  Our community had taken care of us when we really needed it and Pop's Place had brought us all together that summer.  

Liam had learned me and Pop's shorthand language and we all had fallen into a groove together.  Even the hostility between Jaiden and Liam had lessened.

Oh right, I didn't tell you. If you didn't know Liam and I not exactly dated, but had some flirtation going on and one nearly naked situation.

And we can’t forget Drake Walker….. Let’s just say I was living my best life this summer.

"Hey guys I want you to try something, I want to take it to Pops as a new menu item, maybe seasonal dish or something.  Take a break for a minute and sit down, I really need your opinion.”

Possibly a second Wacky Drabbles Submission?

Part 6: The Conclusion The Book: TRR Series: A Piece of Heaven on Earth Pairing:  Liam x Riley /  Riley x Nico (Riley x M!OC) Status: Still in the writing process.  

Liam came back a few minutes later with bottled water for Riley.

“It’s no Tahitian Treat, but it will get the job done.”  

“That’s my favorite drink. How did we know each other Liam?”  

He immediately remembered how Riley's Mother reacted to the news. He couldn't have that happen again or Riley be afraid of him.

He heard Olivia's voice tell him to be patient.

“Our paths just randomly crossed.  Do you mind if I walk you back home just to make sure you make it there safely?”  

“I’m fine with that.”  

As they walked  he noticed Riley was walking slower.

"Are your feet hurting?"

"If I said yes, would you carry me?"

"Yes, I would." Liam responded without missing a beat.

Riley surprisingly looked at him; she was blushing.

"Good to know chivalry isn't dead."

"If you've ever been wondering of its existence Riley, that means you're with the wrong man."

Riley turned to face him.

“You’re with the wrong man.”  Liam said again.

Riley's eyes widened, and her breath hitched as she stared at him.

Wake up Riley and see me he thought to himself, I know you can feel it too. For a brief moment he saw a spark in her eyes, and it faded as quickly as it appeared.  She broke his intense gaze, motioning to the house.

"Well this is us.  Thank you Liam for the water,  and walking my dog for me."

"I didn’t mind at all. He's a great dog."

Taylor opened the door and when she saw Liam standing on the porch with Riley, she abruptly slammed it back.

“Well that was my sister.”  

Riley went to the door turning the doorknob.  While Riley's back was turned Liam smiled.

"Okay….and she locked the door. You want to sit on the porch with me until I'm allowed back in? It’s a nice morning, and we have a kick ass porch swing here."

“Sure.”  

Instead of Chance coming to her, he sat at Liam's feet.

"Chance seems really taken by you. Did we hang out with you a lot?"

"No. I only met Chance once. Not trying to boast, but dogs are a good judge of people’s characters.  So it should tell you a lot if a dog doesn’t like someone you’re around."

“That’s right! Preach Brotha!!!” Taylor screamed from inside the house.

[shawnssongs]

A New Start

pairing: topper thornton x reader

wc: 1478

warnings: unedited, mention of parental disappointment

summary: topper is a mess after sarah goes missing, and the reader wants to help him out despite protests from JJ

masterlist

gif from @water-aesthetics

“That was weak!” JJ mocked as the two of you made your way back up the beach from a rather unsuccessful session of surfing. Well, unsuccessful on your part.

“Shut up, JJ.” You joke, punching him lightly on the arm, causing him to laugh.

“You know, you really gotta get better at that now that John B’s gone.”

You gulped at the mention of your friend. Gone. Missing. Maybe dead. The fact that you weren’t sure is what killed you. You friends could be alive and having the time of their lives down in Mexico like they’d planned, they could be stranded in the middle of the ocean with no food or water, they could be lost at sea. There was no way of knowing.

“I was just distracted,” you mumble, your thoughts upsetting you a bit.

JJ quirks his eyebrow. “Distracted by what?”

You turn slightly, your best friend following your gaze to a certain blond boy, sat in the sand with his knees bent in front of him, staring out to sea. He was wearing a pair of board shorts and a dirty looking tee shirt, sunglasses covering the bags under his eyes. He’d been there since you and JJ had arrived, and he only ever moved to lift the bottle concealed in a brown paper bag up to his mouth for a swig.

JJ scoffs. “Topper distracted you? He’s been sitting there like a statue, drunk off his ass for days.”

You just roll your eyes and help JJ tie your boards to the top of the Volkswagen which he’d inherited when John B left.

“Chateau or your place?” JJ asked. He’d been staying at your house often, your parents being gracious enough to offer him as much food as they could spare. He hadn’t even tried to go back home after taking the phantom other than the one time he went to pack clothes, but he made sure his dad wasn’t home first. When JJ wasn’t at yours, he spent his time at the Chateau.

“Um, my mom’s cooking, so you can head to mine. I’ll meet you there.”

You start to turn but JJ stops you. “Wait meet me? You’re going back?”

You nodded your head. “JJ, he lost someone he loved too. And he has no one.”

“Oh please.” JJ countered. “He’s the king of the kooks. He has everyone.”

You shook your head at JJ’s ignorance. “He can’t talk to his mom. He can’t talk to Kelce. He can’t talk to Rafe.” Kelce didn’t understand the feeling, and Topper lost someone he loved, but Rafe lost his sister. He couldn’t talk to them.

“Rafe fucking caused it-”

“JJ,” you warn. Every time JJ let his mind wander to the kook, he’d let himself get mad. You’ve spent a few different nights trying to clean up the messes JJ made in the Chateau from his outbursts, punching walls and kicking things. If he didn’t already hate Rafe, he sure did now.

“Look, Jay, just go home. I’ll meet you there.”

JJ shook his head, still disagreeing with what you were about to do, but he obliged and let you go.

When you could no longer hear the hum of the engine, you padded through the sand toward’s Topper’s form. Not a muscle moved in his body as you sat down next to him in the sand, and if you couldn’t see that his eyes were open behind his sunglasses from the angle you were at, you probably would’ve thought he’d fallen asleep.

You sat there for a few minutes, staring out to sea like Topper. You weren’t sure what to say, but you wanted to keep him company.

After taking a sip of whatever alcohol he had in that paper bag, he reached his hand across his body, offering the bottle to you.

You shake your head, “I’m good,” so Topper shrugs and takes it for himself once again.

“How are you?” You ask, cringing at the words.

Surprisingly, he answers you. “Upset.” Pause. “Lonely.” You give him time to continue, but just as you were about to speak, he adds on one more. “Angry.”

You nod.

“Why are you here?” He asked, finally turning to face you.

You shrug. “You looked like you needed someone.”

“I don’t.”

“Topper, I know what you’re feeling. I’ve known John B since I was born. He was practically my brother.”

“Y’know, it doesn’t even hurt that it was John B.” Topper spoke quickly, interrupting your story and catching you off guard.

“What?” You asked, eyes wide.

“Sarah. It doesn’t bother me that she left me for John B.” He clarified.

“So what is it?”

“I loved her and she didn’t love me back, and I was an asshole about it because I knew. I knew I couldn’t hold on to her. Now she’s...” He trailed off, turning to face the horizon once again.

“John B was my first love.”

Topper scoffed at your confession.

“Hear me out, Top. I used to have the biggest crush on him. I followed him everywhere, did everything he did in hopes for that small chance he’d like me back.” You chuckle at yourself. “It lasted years.”

Topper turns to you and you can tell he waiting for the point of your story.

“And then I got over it.”

“How?”

“Because it wasn’t really love. It was infatuation.”

“How do you know the difference?”

“You don’t.” You shake your head, trying to look into Topper’s eyes, but staring right back into your own through the reflection of his sunglasses. “Not until it’s over.”

“Well things are pretty over between me and Sarah,” he sneered.

“Yeah, but your feelings for her aren’t. They will be, Top. Trust me.”

Topper didn’t respond and the two of you sat in silence, yet again. When your eyes drifted from the horizon to the dirty blond next to you, you couldn’t help but see Topper in a different light. He had been horrible to you and your friends, but he was just like you. He was just like JJ. He was a teenager that felt too much, gave into peer pressure too easily because he had no confidence in himself. Here he was, contemplating everything because he didn’t know who he was without Sarah or Rafe. He just needed time to find himself.

Topper could feel your eyes on him, so when you looked away, he would take the chance to watch you. The two of you had never been friends. He was horrible to you and the pogues, so why were you here? Why did you seem to care about him? The longer he sat there, the more he studied you. You were tanned from the sun, freckles adorning your skin. Your hair was mostly dry now, wavy and tangled since you hadn’t gotten a chance to brush it after surfing. Topper had noticed that too. He’d deny it, but he’d been watching you surf all day. Something about you was so intriguing to him. He found himself regretting all his choices in the past. He wasn’t a good guy, just like his mom would always say to him, and he wanted to fix that.

After a little while longer, Topper stood up, reaching his hand out to you.

You took it with pleasure and let him help you up out of the sand.

“Do you want to um, get something to eat?” He asked, his voice unsteady.

You give a soft smile to the boy in front of you before answering. “Um, I would...”

Of course, Topper thought to himself. You were just being kind, you couldn’t really car—

“but my mom is cooking,” you continued. “I have to get home.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I do want to, though.” You assured, placing your hand on Topper’s arm.

He hadn’t realized it, but Topper hadn’t felt any sort of human contact, any touch in days and your soft skin sent tingles throughout his body.

“Yeah?”

You nod. “Yeah. I’d um, I would invite you over but JJ’s there...” you trailed off. Topper would get the gist.

“No, I get it. If I were JJ, I wouldn’t want to see me either.”

You smile at the boy, finally removing your hand from his arm. “Bye, Top.”

He was about to let you go, but there was something left unsaid. “Wait!” He stopped you, this time him being the one to grip your arm. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

“Thank you.” You accept his apology. You could tell it was genuine. You’d usually say there’s no reason to be sorry, but in Topper’s case, there was.

Topper knew he should let you go, but for some reason he couldn’t. “Do you, uh. I know I can’t be there but, can I walk you home?”

You couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. “Yeah. That sounds nice.”

part 2?

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[my-infp-world]

INFP Music Collaboration Project: Complete!

The INFP Collaboration Playlist Project is now complete! 

In total we had about 200 songs submitted and that completely blew me away! Thank you all so much for participating, I had no idea that it would get this many responses! 

Thank you especially to @rokokokokolores,  @stillnotknowing, @anypassingthought, @2nerd4this, @sonsoftie, @aseratreasures, @infp-relatable, @lunagirl0013, @idunno-justpicksomething, and @namhamjoon (please let me know if I accidentally forgot to tag you)

These are just the participants who were okay with being named but also thank you to all of the anonymous participants!

Here’s the final playlist from everyone’s suggestions, including some of mine that I threw in even though some of you beat me to the punch for a few songs.

Here is the INFP Music Collaboration Project!

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2F8xgXYEKiJSBOo7g8IvON

I was thinking of doing another one of these in the future but just make up my own prompts and put them all in one form and leave it open for a while or forever and just update the playlist twice a month or something like that. If you have ideas, just drop a comment or an ask if you want it to be anonymous. 

For those who want to know what the playlist turned out to be, here’s the list of songs with their categories below this break:

PROMPT #01: A SONG YOU LIKE WITH A COLOR IN THE TITLE

Silver Dagger - Live at Cecil Sharp House - The Staves

Today I Sing the Blues - Aretha Franklin

Pink Moon - Nick Drake

White Flag - Joseph

Black Swan - BTS

Indigo - Origa

Everything Black - Unlike Pluto

Red Sun - DREAMCATCHER

Yellow Lights - Harry Hudson

Red Hill Mining Town - U2

PROMPT #02: A SONG YOU LIKE WITH A NUMBER IN THE TITLE

.stage 4 fear of trying. - Frank Iero

Symphony No.5 In B-Flat, Op.100: 2. Allegro marcato - Sergei Prokofiev

One More Time with Feeling - Regina Spektor

100 Bad Days - AJR

R.I.P. 2 My Youth - The Neighbourhood

+THNX190519+ - CL

100 Ways - Jackson Wang

Day 1 â—‘ - HONNE

18 - Anarbor

Two - Sleeping At Last

Three Tree Town - Ben Howard

PROMPT #03: A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF SUMMERTIME

Fumes - EDEN

Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey

T-Shirt Weather - Circa Waves

ME! (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco) - Taylor Swift

Dream - Priscilla Ahn

Carnival Hearts - Kayla Diamond

Yam Yam - No Vacation

Motivation - Normani

Wake Me Up - Avicii

PROMPT #04: A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF SOMEONE YOU'D RATHER FORGET

Alligator Alley - Michael Daugherty

Because of You - Kelly Clarkson

Sincerely, Me - Mike Faist

Cheerleader - OMI

Viva La Vida - Coldplay

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

Over You - Ingrid Michaelson

PROMPT #05: A SONG THAT NEEDS TO BE PLAYED LOUD

Shine A Little Light - The Black Keys

Dynamite - BTS

Prelude in E-flat minor - Dmitri Shostakovich

Sick of Myself - Matthew Sweet

Salute - Little Mix

Smother - Daughter

Ship To Wreck - Florence + The Machine

I Am The Best - 2NE1

Baba O'Riley - The Who

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

King - Years & Years

I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) - Whitney Houston

I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross

PROMPT #06: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO DANCE

Rain - MIKA

My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) - Fall Out Boy

Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte

We Are the Tide - Blind Pilot

I'm A Believer - Radio Edit - Smash Mouth

PROMPT #07: A SONG TO DRIVE TO

So Much More Than This - Grace VanderWaal

Open Road - Lost & Found Music Studios

Vasoline - Stone Temple Pilots

Walk in the Night - Kaori Kobayashi*

Fáinleog - Live - The Gloaming

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers

Kiss - Prince

Olalla - Blanco White

Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood

PROMPT #08: A SONG ABOUT DRUGS OR ALCOHOL

Whiskey and Morphine - Alexander Jean

Meds - Placebo

High - Sir Sly

June - Florence + The Machine

Here's to Never Growing Up - Avril Lavigne

Void - The Neighbourhood

Clouds - BøRNS

PROMPT #09: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

Love Wins - Carrie Underwood

Shukumei - Official HIGE DANdism

Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey) - BTS

The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script

Love Come Down - Kalafina

Here Comes The Sun - Remastered 2009 - The Beatles

You Are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne

Pokemon Theme Song - The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet

PROMPT #10: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU SAD

Someday - From "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"/Soundtrack Version - All-4-One

How We Love - Ingrid Michaelson

Everything You Ever - Neil Patrick Harris

Bluebird - Sara Bareilles

The Christmas Shoes - Newsong

Amen - Amber Run

Empty - Ray LaMontagne

In Dreams - Roy Orbison

The Beach - The Neighbourhood

PROMPT #11: A SONG YOU NEVER GET TIRED OF

Kimi Ga Hikari Ni Kaeteiku - Kalafina

Memories - Maroon 5

No Choir - Florence + The Machine

Should I Stay or Should I Go - Remastered - The Clash

Love On Top - Beyonce

Keep Your Head Up - Ben Howard

PROMPT #12: A SONG FROM YOUR PRETEEN YEARS

Fight Song - Rachel Platten

Samson - Regina Spektor

One More Sad Song - The All-American Rejects

No One - Alicia Keys

Poison Prince - Amy Macdonald

Love Story - Taylor Swift

7 Things - Single Version - Miley Cyrus

Rude - MAGIC!

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

PROMPT #13: A SONG YOU LIKE FROM 70s

Lean on Me - Bill Withers

Cat's in the Cradle - Harry Chapin

More Than a Feeling - Boston

Killing Me Softly - Frank Sinatra* 

PROMPT #14: A SONG YOU'D LOVE TO BE PLAYED AT YOUR WEDDING

How Sweet It Is - Michael Buble

This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - Natalie Cole

I'm A Believer - Radio Edit - Smash Mouth

Hold You in My Arms - Ray LaMontagne

Never Stop (Wedding Version) - SafetySuit

PROMPT #15: A SONG YOU LIKE THAT'S A COVER BY ANOTHER ARTIST

Skinny Love - Birdy

That's the Way It Is - Cassidy Janson

Angel - Darren Hayes

Titanium - Madilyn Bailey

There Must Be An Angel - ORIGA*

Mr. Tambourine Man - The Helio Sequence

Rude - Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

Bad Guy - The Interrupters

PROMPT #16: A SONG THAT'S A CLASSIC FAVORITE 

Africa - TOTO

Beautifully - Jay Brannan

Creep - Radiohead

Cupid - Sam Cooke

Your Favorite Thing - Sugar

Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi

I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

PROMPT #17: A SONG YOU'D SING A DUET WITH SOMEONE ON KARAOKE

For Good - From "Wicked" Original Broadway Cast Recording/2003 - Kristin Chenoweth

Take Me or Leave Me - Idina Menzel

Something To Believe In - Jeremy Jordan

Dancing with the Devil - Wolf Gang

Holding Out for a Hero - From "Footloose" Soundtrack - Bonnie Tyler

PROMPT #18: A SONG FROM THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton

Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) - Train

Waterfalls - TLC

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day

Wannabe - Spice Girls

PROMPT #19: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU THINK ABOUT LIFE

Memories - Maroon 5

Men Of Snow - Ingrid Michaelson

The River - Kyla La Grange

Saturn - Sleeping At Last

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

The Fear - Ben Howard

Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine

The Good Part - AJR

Build It Up - Ingrid Michaelson

PROMPT #20: A SONG THAT HAS MANY MEANINGS TO YOU 

Freckles - Natasha Bedingfield

Happy Home - Lukas Graham

Barely Breathing - Duncan Sheik

The Road - Hurts

Lost in My Mind - The Head and the Heart

Love Like You (feat. Rebecca Sugar) - End Credits - Steven Universe

PROMPT #21: A SONG YOU LIKE WITH A PERSON'S NAME IN THE TITLE

Esmeralda - The Hunchback of Notre Dame Company

West Side Story: Act I: Maria - Leonard Bernstein

Nina Cried Power (feat. Mavis Staples) - Hozier

Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

Roxie - Renae Zellweger

Grace - Florence + The Machine

PROMPT #22: A SONG THAT MOVES YOU FORWARD

Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto

Fuckin' Perfect - Melanie La Barrie

Who's Got a Match? - Biffy Clyro

Into The Fire - Thirteen Senses

Bang The Doldrums - Fall Out Boy

I Was Here - Beyonce

PROMPT #23: A SONG YOU THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD LISTEN TO

Neon Gravestones - Twenty One Pilots

Danzon No.2 - Arturo Márquez

Most Girls - Hailee Steinfeld

(Finally) A Convenient Truth - Get Well Soon

Stand by Me - Otis Redding

PROMPT #24: A SONG BY A BAND YOU WISH WERE STILL TOGETHER

Such Great Heights - Remastered - The Postal Service

To the Beginning - Kalafina

Here Comes a Regular - 2008 Remaster - The Replacements

Night Rather Than Day - EXID

Wonderwall - Remastered - Oasis

PROMPT #25: A SONG YOU LIKE BY AN ARTIST NO LONGER LIVING

Waiting for the End - Linkin Park

All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix

Human Nature - Michael Jackson

The Longest Time - Billy Joel

Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me - Rosemary Clooney

Before Our Spring - JONGHYUN

PROMPT #26: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO FALL IN LOVE

girls - girl in red

Conversations in the Dark - John Legend

Just like Heaven - The Cure

On The Street Where You Live - Frederick Loewe

Still into You - Paramore

PROMPT #27: A SONG THAT BREAKS YOUR HEART

Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus" - Ralph Vaughan Williams

Black Woman - Danielle Brooks

Eyes Nose Lips (feat. Taeyang) - Epik High

Empty - Ray LaMontagne

Just a Dream - Carrie Underwood

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

Requiem - Laura Dreyfuss

PROMPT #28: A SONG BY AN ARTIST WHOSE VOICE YOU LOVE

Hurt - Christina Aguilera

I'M OKAY - SAAY

So Much More Than This - Grace VanderWaal

Pretty Hurts - Beyonce

Just like Heaven - The Cure

i'm lonely - Luz

Skylark - Aretha Franklin

Never Let Me Go - Florence + The Machine

Ship To Wreck - Florence + The Machine

PROMPT #29: A SONG YOU REMEMBER FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD

Going Under - Evanescence

Muddy Hymnal - Iron & Wine

Rush - Aly & AJ

Smooth (feat. Rob Thomas) - Santana

Who Let The Dogs Out - Baha Men

She Looks So Perfect - 5 Seconds of Summer

PROMPT #30: A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF YOURSELF

Never Let Me Go - Florence + The Machine

Vienna - Billy Joel

The Pros and Cons of Breathing - Fall Out Boy

In Dreams - Roy Orbison

Car Radio - Twenty One Pilots

Sweet Nothing (feat. Florence Welch) - Calvin Harris

Lonely Dance - Set It Off

*Could not be found on Spotify

[floatingbook]

On names and naming

- Reading: Tales of the Lavender Menace by Karla Jay

Discussed during a consciousness-raising meeting:

“For instance, many of us grappled together and by ourselves with the implications of naming. The most obvious manifestation of this power is the fact that in most countries women bear the surname of their fathers and then of their husbands. A woman “loses” her name when she marries, but in fact she has never had her own name. only her father’s. Worse still is the possibility of not having a father because to be “illegitimate” is to lack the imprimatur of patriarchal approval.” p. 55

As a woman, you have your father’s or your husband’s name, you’re dispossessed of all your matriarchal origins. It also is very likely that your patriarchal origins are a lie—and I do not mean this as a critic of the women in our ancestry who had children who did not get the name of their biological father, but as a critic of this despicable tradition. Men do a fraction of the work and yet get to brand a newborn as their own, as if the woman giving birth was no more than a possession.

We all know what weights names carry. There’s no denying it. Some names get you despised, some get you laughed at, some drown you in their commonness. They used to reveal who you were: names were carved out of professions (take “Smith”, “Steward”, “Butler”, “Cook”, or “Lefevre/Lefebvre” in French, “Mercier” as well) or out of places of dwelling (e.g. “Hall”, “Brooks” in English; “Dupont”, “Dubois” in French). But that meaning is fast lost with physical and social mobility, with traumas and rebellions, with the pace of society.

“Many of the women in Redstockings changed their names in rebellion against the patriarchy, often choosing to use their mother’s names. In addition to being a symbolic gesture, adopting a nom de guerre made it just a tad more difficult for the government to figure out who we were and where our paltry bank accounts were stowed when it came time to incarcerate us. As much as I wanted to drop my patronymic, however, I wasn’t eager to claim my mother’s name. Instead I decided to substitute “Jay”, my middle initial, for my last name. // When I tried out my new name, Karla Jay, it felt immediately like a more accurate representation of who I was. I realized changing my name was not only about challenging the patriarchy—it was also about untangling my own identity from my family history.”

Changing your name, starting with a brand new one, is a way to give yourself a clean slate. It’s a statement: I don’t want to belong to this family, I am not one of your possession. It’s a form of rebellion against the tradition that hands out last names. The point is to get rid of the branding connotation of the last name (either inherited from the father or taken in marriage) that turns a woman into just another piece of furniture that makes up the wealth of the men in her life.

“I understood for the first time that I had, in fact, always detested my birth name, Karla Jayne Berlin. Well, not all of it. Karla seemed to me an original first name, and I felt comfortable with it. […] His [Karla Jay’s father] first fought was to name me Gale because I had  been born in a blizzard. My mother objected, so he chose my name from a list of freighters he spotted in the shipping news that he read every day in conjunction with his work. I’m lucky, I suppose, that a ship with a name like the Brunhilde didn’t dock then. Fortunately, the Karla Dane steamed into or out of port the week I was born, and my father was determined that would be my name. My mother persuaded him to change my middle name to Jayne instead of Dane, with the addition of an elegant Y.

But if I liked my first name, I hated the surname Berlin. For one thing, I’m not German. My ancestors came from the finest shtetls in England, Austria, and Ukraine. My paternal grandfather was from England, and for a long time I supposed that he had been assigned the name of a city when he entered the United States; immigration agents had a way back then of altering what they considered unpronounceable names. Years later, I discovered that my grandfather had changed his name himself. […]

I wasn’t particularly fond of my middle name either; people often assumed it was hyphenated to my first name. My mother and even Jessica, my best friend, called me Karla Jayne to get my attention when they were angry. As far back as I could remember, I had used my middle initial in place of Jayne. But I did like the “Jay” part. Some of my fond association with the word was based on pleasant times in summer camp. During my first summer there I was only five. I was placed in J-Bunk—probably an abbreviation for Junior Bunk—a place for children considered too young to be away from home for two months. J-Bunk was my first taste of freedom, a fun-filled life in the Catskills. Furthermore, Jay rhymes with “gay”.” p. 55-56

First names are given to us by our parents, who can be short-sighted, equipped with a taste that does not intersect with ours, or just unconscious of what a certain name entails. First names both mean a lot and nothing at all, and by that I mean that a first name is attached to you yourself first and foremost. Its main vocation is to designate you personally, to make you as individual, separated, specific in your existence, as opposed to the surname, which marks the bearer as part of a whole, the family, the bloodline, and as a woman a part of the possessions of a man. So it’s easier to grow into your first name, to make room into it for all the facets of your existence, than it is to get rid of the yoke of the surname. Hence the question, what to do with these patriarchal, misogynistic surnames?

Should we shun the surnames we were born or married into? What do we replace them with, then? Something that sounds nice to us? Something that holds a personal meaning? Something that describe an occupation we hold, a place we settled in? Do we choose a system that allows for the tracing of the matrilineal line? But then how do we agree collectively on a system, so that it is lisible and understandable? Where do we find the coherence? Do we even need the coherence?

“Changing my name was also a way of to “divorce” my parents, to let them know that I had never accepted them in that role. As children my brother and I both fantasized that we had been adopted.” p. 56

Again, a rupture with patriarchy and with abusive parents. We have surnames because there are too many humans on this planet to be able to identify them easily with just one name. Do we need those surnames to keep us sequestrated with our parents? Or could they just be changed to something like “of” followed by the name of the city we live in? Rejecting the surnames we get from birth is also a rejection of the obligatory love and respect we are supposed to feel for our parents, who can sometimes be undeserving of them.

“I didn’t change my name legally until 1978. I felt that it would be a paradox for me to petition a male court to change a name that patriarchal law had imposed on me in the first place. But after I had co-edited three anthologies as Karla Jay, only old friends, relatives, and old people at work new that I had any other name. I felt fragmented and decided to hire a lawyer to execute a legal name change.” p. 57

We live in a society, not in a vacuum. Sometimes we have to go through processes we find tasteless or distasteful, because we still need them to be understood, to be perceived by others around us. Here is information on the process in France (Site officiel de l’administration française).

“I have now spent a full three-fifths of my life as Karla Jay. In the rare instances when I run into someone from my childhood or high school who still calls me Karla Berlin, I have the distinct feeling that they have mistaken me for someone else.” p. 57

So who gets to do the naming? Are our names things that should be gifted from us by our parents? By our mothers only? Should every daughter get to name herself, when she feels or knows she has found a name for herself? When she has made name for herself?

[writethehousedown]

And The Livin's Easy, Chapter Seven (Multi) - Zyan

a/n: I DID IT! kinda at the last moment, but here she is. we’ve reached yet another end. thanks for reading fellas! sideblog for crying about the ending with me is @chachkisalpaca - a million thanks to frey for beta-ing this.

Summer of 2021, a year later.

Vanessa launches herself into Crystal’s arms when she sees her step foot onto the beach.

“You came!” She screeches so loud it hurts her ears. But she doesn’t complain, she’s missed Vanessa a whole lot. Crystal just hugs her tighter, lifting her up.

“Of course I came! I missed you, bitch,” she exclaims, settling her on the ground again. Vanessa takes her hand and guides her where she and Kameron are settled. “I gotta say though, if you made me stop on my way back home after losing to Shea Couleé in Hawaii, just to see you lose tomorrow, I’m done being friends with you,” Crystal deadpans, and Vanessa briefly lets go of her hand to playfully smack her.

Hawaii hadn’t been half as bad this year compared to the last one, considering she ended up in the fifth place, so the second place was an upgrade, and she did spend a great time while she was there — though Vanessa didn’t join her, preferring instead to stay in California in order to practice for an upcoming competition she was sure she would excel in thanks to most surfers being in Hawaii, but she still had April and Jaida to hang out with.

Things with Jaida were cooler now; they had managed to become actual friends and whatever awkwardness from the past was resolved. She still was her usual self, though this time around she seemed goofier and way more laid back. Crystal wonders if it has to do with that contact in her phone —“Babe” with three purple hearts— and the fact she’s also making a stop in California before returning to Milwaukee.

“Shush, you know I’ll win,” Vanessa says with a cocky grin, and her confidence makes her think that she’ll indeed destroy the competition.

They make small talk as they navigate their way back to Vanessa and Kameron’s blanket; Crystal asks how life is going since they moved in together on their one year anniversary, and Vanessa looks oh so radiant as she tells her how every morning and night is better than the last one, and that family reunions with Brooke aren’t as awkward as they could be thanks to them getting their shit together and talking things out.

Crystal asks if Plastique and Brooke are still a thing, and Vanessa shrugs, says she hasn’t talked with Brooke since the summer’s started, but last thing she knew was that they were visiting Plastique’s family in Vietnam over the summer and that the tickets were already paid for. Or that’s what Yvie told her, anyway, when she made a quick stop in California before heading to Hawaii to see her girlfriend.

Kameron is as strong as ever and almost crushes Crystal in a hug that leaves her breathless.

“Always a pleasure to see you, Kam,” she says, and Kameron laughs wholeheartedly upon seeing her expression.

“How are you, Crys? Where’s your surfboard? I thought I could get some cool photos of you and ‘Ness,” Kameron inquires, reaching for her professional camera carefully tucked in her backpack.

“Ah, I left it at my hotel room. I was having lunch when Vanj told me y’all were here already, and the restaurant was a few streets down, so.” She shrugs, taking the hair tie on her wristband to try and collect her short hair in a low ponytail.

“Aw, d’you have money to rent one? I wanted to beat you like Shea Couleé beat you in Hawaii, so I can have a taste of how it’ll feel to win tomorrow,” Vanessa teases her, placing her head on Kameron’s shoulder. Crystal rolls her eyes, both due to Vanessa’s cockiness and how disgustingly cute they are.

“You talk a big game, but I’m sure that I can beat you harder than Shea Coulee beat me!” Crystal retorts, earning a loud laugh from Kameron and Vanessa. She laughs too, and proceeds to tell Vanessa she has enough to rent a surfboard for maybe an hour. Vanessa claps excitedly, grabbing her hand and guiding her to the rental shack, before giving Kameron a quick kiss, promising to be back in a second.

Crystal rolls her eyes again. She can’t stand affection right now, not when she told her latest girl she was leaving yesterday and she stood her up at the airport, not even bothering to send her a goodbye text.

It’s disappointing, because she thought maybe this girl was like Gigi and she cared the tiniest bit about her.

But Gigi is unique. There probably won’t be anyone like her ever again, and Crystal is at peace with that for some odd reason.

They tried to stay in contact once they left Honolulu, but life is hectic, and it was becoming quite hard to juggle college, her job, and texting a girl half a country away on the regular. The last time they talked was on Crystal’s birthday, a simple “Happy birthday, babe!” with a heart and a globe emoji attached to it. Crystal liked the message and replied with a polite ‘thank you’, and that was it.

She tries to remember where in California Gigi said she was from. Maybe, if there’s the tiniest bit of coincidence that she lives near, they can have a movie-like reunion and revive those three weeks together, but she doesn’t get her hopes up.

*

Maybe Gigi doesn’t hate beaches that much after all.

Well, she can’t say that right now, not when she’s the only one without a girlfriend to spend summer with — Brita is going out with a girl from her class, after she spent all year long complaining about her and her shit attitude, Jan has a long distance girlfriend whom she talks with every day and swears is coming to see her before summer ends, and Jackie and Nicky are so sweet together it’s disgusting.

She feels left out, somehow. Probably because all they talk about in recent times is their partners and love lives, and Gigi hasn’t had a proper date since April, when they set her up with a senior called Pearl and their date went awful. She’s pretty sure Pearl is now dating someone else, though.

“Geeg, do you wanna come with me to get a smoothie?” Brita asks, sounding only a little bit impatient. Gigi cocks a sly brow when she notices it’s the second time in the hour she’s going for a smoothie.

“Brita, for the last time, Aiden is working and you shouldn’t be spending all your money on smoothies. The chemical bathrooms are a mess,” Jackie scolds her, briefly stopping running her fingers through Nicky’s hair, who’s lying across Jackie’s lap.

Brita folds her arms, saying, that ‘for the last time, it has nothing to do with the fact Aiden works there’, when suddenly Jan shoots up and runs off, leaving all the girls surprised.

They call for her and try to follow her as well as they can, when they spot her running into a woman’s arms, and the woman lifts her from the ground, spinning her around. They kiss while Jan is in the air, and Gigi can’t help but to roll her eyes.

Great, another pair of lovebirds she has to put up with.

Jan meets them back at their spot after kissing her girlfriend for what felt like a lifetime and introduces her as Jaida. Gigi vaguely remembers her from somewhere else.

“We met last year in Hawaii, and went out while Jay was there! We’ve been texting a lot since then, and remember that I went to Milwaukee for winter break?” Jan explains excitedly, snuggling closer to Jaida with each word she speaks. Gigi tries not to roll her eyes when Jan tells them, for maybe the hundredth time, how Jaida asked her to be her girlfriend when she visited her over winter break. Jan kisses Jaida’s cheek once she’s done talking, and Jaida just smiles brightly.

“I couldn’t pass the opportunity! You had me hooked since the moment I met you, and since this was my senior year, y’know, I thought we could make it work once I graduated,” Jaida says, bringing Jan closer by her waist and kissing her forehead.

“What were you studying?” Nicky inquires.

“I’m a communications major, and as of now I’m trying to get a job around here, so I can finally move out of my little town. And, ‘sides Jan, the beach here is always a plus. It’s a surfer’s dream,” Jaida explains, chuckling softly, and soon she’s bombarded with questions about her sport.

The fact she’s a surfer makes Gigi think of Crystal. She could’ve also had a surfer girlfriend if she tried hard enough to make it work, but she guessed that just wasn’t meant to be like Jaida and Jan.

She thinks of asking Jaida about Crystal, but decides against it. She still has Crystal’s Instagram and follows her page religiously. All she has to do is send her a text, but she doesn’t have the courage to do so after so much time having passed.

“Hey, girls? I’m gonna get ice cream, I’ll be back in a moment,” Gigi announces, grabbing her phone and shoving a couple of dollars into her phone case. She’s running away from the lovey-dovey couples more than anything, though she could also use some ice cream to help her cope.

She walks aimlessly around the beach, trying to remember where she saw the ice cream stand, avoiding children that are running around with water guns in their hands and screeching like banshees. Some beach balls are thrown her way, and she kicks them back with ease, dismissing the people that scream ‘I’m sorry’ towards her.

Gigi has learned to appreciate the unique chaos of the beach, even if she still gets annoyed at little things like the long queues to buy ice cream, and the disgusting chemical bathrooms. In the end, these are little details in the grand scheme of things.

Crystal taught her that.

It’s stupid how often she thinks about Crystal. When she starts forgetting the sound of her voice, she replays the audio messages she sent her. And sometimes, if she concentrates hard enough, she can feel the ghost of a kiss burning on her neck.

Perhaps she should download Tinder again and get a grip.

Gigi finally finds the ice cream stand she was looking for and buys the biggest cone there is, with scoops of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. She likes to keep it classy.

She’s slowly making her way back as she licks the Ice cream, wondering if her friends would believe her if she said she has a headache and is going home. Gigi really has no will whatsoever to sit through an entire evening of her friends rubbing their relationships in her face, while she’s painfully—

“Gigi?”

Gigi freezes mid-movement, looking for that voice she’s heard one too many times through audio messages. She finds the owner of said voice standing a few feet away, with her hair, that was once long and ebony, cut above her shoulders, dyed in a deep green that looks almost black, wearing a stupid yellow Hawaiian shirt over a red bikini, holding a surfboard under her arm.

She blinks repeatedly before realizing it’s not her mind playing a trick on her. It really is Crystal who’s approaching her.

“Crystal,” she manages to say, staring at her. Crystal’s smile is still the same, and her plump lips are as kissable as ever. She has a new piercing in her belly button; Gigi thinks it suits her. “It’s— I didn’t— You’re in California,” Gigi blurts out, and Crystal smirks.

“I am, yeah. I arrived this morning,” she says, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, but Gigi decides to think it’s a sunburn. “I was gonna, uh, I was gonna practice with Vanessa for a bit. She’s got a competition tomorrow, here,” Crystal comments awkwardly, making Gigi wonder where has the cheeky Crystal she knew gone.

“Are you participating too?” She asks, licking her melting ice cream.

Crystal shakes her head no, much to Gigi’s surprise.

“Oh, no, I’m sitting this one out. I didn’t have the time to sign up for this one; I was in Honolulu for another competition, like every year. I came in second. I did get a consolation prize and some money, though,” Crystal explains, going from excited to disappointed, and excited again in the span of a few seconds. Gigi giggles; she’s missed Crystal’s enthusiasm.

“How long are you staying?” Gigi asks, with a tinge of hopefulness in her tone. Crystal smiles softly, tapping on the surfboard.

“Like, three days,” she replies, biting her lower lip. Gigi’s heart sinks for a moment, but she continues. “You think that’s enough time to catch up before I’m back to Missouri?” Crystal asks, sounding way too sheepish.

A smile spreads on Gigi’s face, immediately thinking of all the things they can do together while she’s in the city, and a squeal of happiness escapes her mouth before she realizes.

“Oh my God, yes! I mean, it’s not as much time as I would want, but we could make it work,” Gigi assures her, and Crystal nods, giving her a toothy smile.

“We can make it work,” she repeats. Gigi nods dumbly, licking her ice cream again when she feels her hand get sticky with the melted cream. Crystal stifles a laugh. “I have to catch up with Vanjie, but, uh, do you wanna go for a swim together when I’m done?” Crystal asks, as if she didn’t know Gigi would say yes.

Gigi nods, and Crystal is already turning around to go to her friend, when Gigi tugs on her arm. She turns around, careful as not to smack any kid with her surfboard, and before she can say anything, Gigi steals a kiss from her.

“I’ve missed you,” she breathes out against her lips, and she can feel Crystal smiling before kissing her back.

“Summer’s way funnier with you,” she mumbles in response, forgetting about Vanessa, who’s waiting for her. The only thing she can think of right now is Gigi and how much she’s missed her lips.

[jay-brooks-hugger]

Simple little Jay Brooks edit because it's pretty much established by now that I love him. For real hesitated posting this but hey why not. It's dusty but I need to share my constant love for Jay 🫶🏿

Song: piri and tommy- Words

[weyounthevorta]

Enemies & Lovers

One of these men will give you the most passionate, sensual love affair of your life. The others, rejected by you and driven to madness and despair, are now seeking sweet revenge.

[msbigredmachine]

The Roman and Jaida Series, Part 2 - We Are Closer

As Roman and Jaida deal with the aftermath of their passionate encounter the night of Blizzard Raw, a new challenge arrives in the shape of a face from one person's past. The sequel to "We Are Fire". 

---------------

"So..." Summer Rae started as she picked on her chicken salad in the hotel restaurant, "You hear Roman tapped Dana Brooke last night?"

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "The Kaitlyn clone from NXT? Really?" When Summer nodded, Alicia chewed her breakfast and then sighed. "Well, you can add another name to the list," she smiled, raising a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice to her lips.

"Not surprised," Summer said with a shrug. "You shoulda seen her last night. You left the bar early. She was all over him."

"And now she's been under him too," Alicia concluded. "I hope she's not expecting more 'cause that's how far she's gonna get with him."

Sitting between the two women, Jaida took her time sipping her orange juice, refusing to partake in the discussion. Inwardly she wished they didn't talk so much about the man in question. It was common knowledge that both ladies had given in to the charms of the Samoan powerhouse, but neither knew that the seamstress, only a week ago, had also done the same. And if she had her way, they would never know about it. She had no interest in being dragged into lewd conversations and comparing sexual notes about him all the time. "So…what are y'all doing for Valentine's Day next week?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Nothing," Alicia said grumpily, still smarting from her recent break-up with Wade Barrett. Jaida winced at her own insensitivity.

"We could room together," suggested Summer, "Watch shitty chick flicks and eat Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream."

Alicia laughed. "Sounds utterly pathetic, but I'm down for that." She then looked over at Jaida texting on her phone. "What about you Jay? What are you up to next week?"

Summer said, "Probably hooking up with that hunky guy she's been talking to all week. Your ex, right Jaida?"

And then there was that.

Alicia sat up straighter, looking back forth between the two women eagerly for the fresh gossip. "Ex? What ex?"

Summer faced Alicia to fill her in. "His name's Lincoln, and he's coming over today to pick her up and take her out on a date. That's why she's not eating anything."

Jaida shook her head, glancing out the massive glass window of the restaurant. "You need to quit bein' so damn nosy." She looked back inside to see Roman walking in, accompanied by former Funkadactyl Cameron, and her train of thought was temporarily derailed. "And it's not a date. We haven't seen each other in a long time. He's in town so we decided we're gonna catch up, that's all."

"Can I see a picture?" Alicia asked, and Jaida passed her phone to her. "Holy shit, he's hot! Why do you keep all this juicy shit from us, Jay? I thought we were friends," she whined. "What else are you hiding, huh?"

Oh, you don't wanna know. Taking another glance at her phone, Jaida rose to her feet and picked up her bag. "I gotta go, guys. I'll be back in an hour, two tops. Y'all don't need me, right?"

"He's here already? Aren't you gonna introduce us?" asked Alicia.

Jaida scrunched up her nose. "Hell no. I'm not bringing him near any of you," she said, pointing an orange fingernail at both of them.

Alicia shook her head. "Fine, be selfish. Get one in for us though."

"Ain't nothin' to get in. We're friends."

"For now you are," said Summer, hugging her goodbye. "Don't be too long, we've got Main Event and SmackDown tonight."

Jaida made her way out of the restaurant, walking past Roman and Cameron's table like they weren't there. Ever since their little tryst, the seamstress was doing everything in her power to keep away from Roman. It was easy to pass it off as her continued hatred for him since most of the roster already knew the two were constantly at loggerheads. But if the sexual tension was meant to dissipate after their night together, it hadn't gotten the memo yet because if anything it seemed to get even worse for Jaida. She had her game face down pat in public, but behind closed doors was a different scenario. She couldn't get him or the amazing sex they had out of her mind or her dreams; sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night sweating and, to her horror, her hand between her legs. The man himself wasn't making things any easier. The backbiting hadn't stopped, but his remarks were more innuendo-laden and the look in his grey eyes was more loaded than usual. She hadn't forgotten about him wanting her to stay the night. To her knowledge, none of the girls he fucked slept over. Jaida could only chalk it down to his vulnerable state of mind at the time. If she hadn't been the one to show up at his door, it would have been someone else and he would have told her the same thing. He'd probably said that to Cameron and now there she was by his side. He'd moved on to the next one so it was time she moved on too.

Outside the restaurant she looked for an approaching vehicle, as was said in the text message, and rolled her eyes with a huge smile when a black stretch limousine pulled up in front of her. Only one person she ever knew was capable of such a thing. The back door opened for her and she shook her head with a grin.

"Some things never change," she muttered. She climbed into the limo, unaware of the narrowed pair of grey eyes that had watched everything from inside the restaurant.

------------------

"You look different," Jaida observed as she ate her chicken salad. The handsome man across the table from her did look different. His head was shaven and he had this five o'clock shadow thing going on that looked really good. He'd put on a bit of lean muscle, filling the black business suit he was wearing very well and further accentuating his good looks.

Lincoln flashed her a familiar thousand-watt smile as he sipped from his water glass. "In a good way, I hope?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Still stylin' and profilin' I see, with the limo and everything."

"What can I say? Life's been good. And you are still as beautiful as the last time I saw you," said Lincoln.

Jaida smiled at her ex-boyfriend. "You're too kind. It's been a while." She'd missed him and had thought about calling him a number of times. When she saw the email he sent her a couple of days ago, they got to chatting again like they'd never been apart. It turned out he was in town this week, so they agreed to meet today.

"It's been too long, actually. I've missed you constantly badgering me about the horrible sneakers I used to wear to work," Lincoln laughed, though Jaida didn't miss the tinge of longing in his voice as he spoke. He continued before she could make a comment. "And speaking of work, how's it going? WWE, huh? Never imagined you being there."

"I know, right?" Jaida went on to chronicle her interesting several months working for the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, designing and making ring gear for the WWE ladies. It wasn't the glitzy catwalks of Milan and Paris that she always dreamed of, but the squared circle of the WWE was just as huge a global platform to show off her talents. Lincoln listened attentively, as she expected him to. He always was a good listener.

"Wow, that sounds amazing," he said, nodding approvingly. "You're obviously having a blast."

"I am. And what about you, Mr. Chief Marketing Officer? How's it going over at our favorite magazine?

Picking up his cutlery, he focused on a piece of his steak. "No idea. I left."

Jaida's eyes grew wide. "What? When?"

"About three months after you did. I felt terrible about the way the company treated you before you left. It takes two to tango, and it wasn't like any of those hypocrites weren't doing the exact same thing we were doing."

Jaida remembered it like it was yesterday. Only eighteen months ago they were colleagues. She was his secretary at her last job at a world-renowned fashion magazine, and it was the reason her poker face was as foolproof as it was today. About six months into her job they became romantically involved and it went on in secret for over a year, until a jealous ex-girlfriend of Lincoln's exposed their relationship. The fallout was so humiliating that it prompted Jaida to sever all ties with Lincoln, uproot herself from L.A. and migrate to the East Coast. She needed space and time to regroup and rebound, and it eventually came in the form of the job offer from the WWE.

"So, I handed in my resignation letter and was gone by the summer," Lincoln went on. "I couldn't take it anymore. Plus I got tired of being the son of the owner of the company. It was a crutch I didn't need and it ended up wrecking my chances with the woman I loved," he said, staring intently at Jaida as her eyes softened. "So yeah, I seized that opportunity to move on and do something else with my life. So I got my own business now. It's not a Fortune 500 company, but it's doing great."

"You're your own man now. The ladies must be falling over their feet to get to you, more so now than ever," said Jaida.

Smiling, Lincoln shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm not interested in any of ‘em."

"Hmm."

Their eyes locked together in an intimate stare. Leaning forwards, Lincoln rested his elbows on the table. "So…who's the lucky guy I have to contend with now? Or maybe not, seeing how gargantuan they all are," he added, chuckling at his little joke.

A certain Samoan flitted through her mind that very moment, and she immediately chastised herself, horrified. "There's no one. Free as a bird," she answered.

"I guess that's good for me, right?" He looked right into her eyes, and Jaida knew that look anywhere. Swallowing, she shook her head. "Linc-"

Reaching across the table, he took her hand in his own. "I've missed you, Jay-Jay. I think about you every day, and I wish things didn't end the way they did," he said. "I want to start over with you as friends. I know it's too soon for anything more, but I'd really like to have you back in my life." He kissed the back of her hand. "So what do you say? Is that okay?"

Jaida still cared about Lincoln. In their time together they had developed a strong connection, physically and emotionally. Having not heard from him since leaving her old job and being so busy with the WWE slowly diminished that connection. A lot had changed between them, but starting again as friends didn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe eventually, they could grow to become something more again.

"Okay."

More importantly, maybe it could help her forget about him.

-----------------

Looking around the vast Catering area, Roman's gaze fell upon the entryway, where a young dark-skinned woman strolled in arm-in-arm with Natalya. "Who's the girl? Been seein' her around lately," he asked Seth next to him.

Seth looked up, and then looked back down at his phone. "Jaida. Sandra's new assistant," he answered, "Heard she came in from one of those chick magazines. The girls have been raving about her sewing skills or something."

So she was a seamstress. It didn't really surprise the Pensacola native. One could tell she was fashion-forward with the way she dressed, though there was an effortlessness about her style that he liked. She wore a baggy monochrome chiffon blouse with a short black pencil skirt and ankle strap heels, a maroon bowler hat perched on her head. He could tell that she had a cute little body; perfect for twisting into various raunchy positions...

"She's a cool chick," Dean spoke up, biting into a chicken leg. "Seems a little high-maintenance though. Like, buy her fake designer shit and she'll call you out."

"Sounds like every other broad in this joint. She'll fit right in," Seth laughed, saw the look on Roman's face, and groaned. "Oh God…dude."

Roman was still looking at the woman, but an eyebrow was raised for his Shield brother's benefit. "What?"

"I see that fuckin' look in your eye, man. You're makin' a play for her already."

"And?"

"Do you always have to nail every woman that passes through this company?"

"Hey, they come to me. Who am I to deny them?"

"One of these days one of 'em will kick you in the balls, or break your finger when you grope them. I guarantee it."

The trio finished up their breakfast and then went their separate ways. With nothing to do for another hour, Roman decided to search for the newbie, wanting an up-close look for himself. Who knew? Perhaps it could be the start of a beautiful…friendship…between them.

He found her backstage outside the women's locker room reading a magazine. A cocky smile tugged his lips. "Hi."

She looked up, and Roman was instantly drawn to her eyes; wide and almond-shaped with a mix of green and grey that he had never seen before. Her pretty face was contorted into a frown.

He extended his hand. "I don't think we've met. I'm Roman."

She glanced down at the outstretched hand. A second or two passed before she put her hand in his for a quick handshake. "Jaida," she said coolly before returning to her reading.

Roman quietly blew out a breath. They always tried to put up a front, only for their resolve to crumble soon afterwards. She would be no different. "Jaida. Beautiful name." He leaned against the table next to her. "So how you doin'?"

"Good," she replied uninterestedly.

"May I ask why a pretty lady like yourself is sitting all alone?"

Jaida shrugged. "I don't know," she said, refusing to look at him. "Definitely not to listen to the cheesy one-liners you're about to throw my way."

"Cheesy one-liners? Come on."

"Yeah. The other day I saw you chatting up one of the girls while she dreamily twirled her hair in her finger," said Jaida. "If you expect the same from me, sorry to disappoint. I'm not very good at playing the dumb floozy."

Roman had an amused look on his face. "I think we're starting off on the wrong foot."

"No, I'm perfectly fine where we've started. Shouldn't you be off somewhere keeping your little girlfriends in check or something?"

"I don't have a girlfriend, sweet pea. I'm free as a bird."

"It's Jaida, not sweet pea," she snapped.

"I kinda like sweet pea. Suits you. So if that's what I want to call you, that's what I'ma call you."

"Because you always get what you want, don't you?" Finally, she turned to face him, a look of annoyance on her face.

Roman stared at this mouthy little woman, growing annoyed himself. No woman had ever talked to him this way before. Ever. "Hey, I'm trying to be nice here. There's a lot of ladies, and I mean a lot," he bit back, "that are dying to be in your place right now, getting all this attention I'm giving you."

"Then go find them and leave me alone."

"Why all this hostility, sweet pea?" Roman said, unwilling to give up just yet. "I mean, we're going to be working together; we might as well take this time to get to know each other, ya know?"

Jaida rolled her eyes. "I think I know you just fine, Reigns. But thanks for the offer."

"So you do know my name."

"I don't have a choice. You and your buddies seem to be the shit around here. Though I don't see why," she said, giving him a disapproving look up and down.

"You got quite the mouth on you, sweet pea," Roman said, moving closer. Raising his hand to touch her cheek, his voice dropped an octave. "How 'bout you show me what else that pretty little mouth can do later tonight?"

Her eyes widened in disbelief. Then, she did something he never in a million years expected her to do. She twisted her face and sank her teeth into his index finger. Hard, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Oww! What the fuck!" he cried, shocked. Did this bitch just bite him?

"My name is Jaida. I don't want your so-called attention, so unless you got problems with your ring gear I suggest you stay the hell away from me," she warned. With that she stormed away, her high heels clicking angrily on the concrete.

Rubbing his finger gingerly, Roman narrowed his eyes at her retreating form. "Crazy bitch," he murmured angrily. She had another thing coming if she thought he was going to leave her alone. She hadn't seen the last of him, not by a long shot.

As pissed off as she had made him, he was also very much aware of how much this little altercation had aroused him.

Roman was used to having Jaida Leonard on the brain most of the time; thinking up new ways in which to get on her nerves and generally make her life miserable. Fucking her was also somewhere on his to-do list, and he figured that once he did that, she would lose her appeal. But he had fucked her, more than a week ago, and since then all he could fucking think about was her.

Her poker face impressed the hell out of him though. She was damn smooth about it too. Other girls would have acted out, hunting him down demanding answers or openly casting pathetic, lovesick glances from a distance. Nothing from her. Even when he stoked the fire by dropping obvious hints or parading another girl on his arm, she completely ignored him, and it was starting to aggravate him. He preferred it when they were constantly fighting. He knew something was very wrong with him when he saw her drive away in that limo with that guy in the back seat earlier this morning and his chest felt clogged. A tingling sensation settled in his stomach every time he thought about her or looked at her, as opposed to his groin. That wasn't a good thing. Tingling sensations belonged in his dick, not in his stomach or his chest or anywhere else.

This was all her fault. Why did she have to be so goddamn irresistible?

Turning a corner, he came to an abrupt stop and rolled his eyes. Speak of the damn she-devil.

At the end of the hallway, Jaida stood by her sewing station, engaged in friendly conversation with Lana. Keeping himself hidden from their view, he took the chance to observe the seamstress. Dressed in a sleeveless yellow crop top, a high-waist A-line skirt and black wedges, her curled hair framing her face and shoulders, she looked like a doll. Lana then waved and continued down the other end of the hallway while Jaida disappeared round a corner. Looking around to ensure he wasn't being watched, Roman followed her.

This was crazy. He'd banged her. He'd gotten what he wanted; he had no clue why he still craved her attention but here he was, scurrying after her like a big-ass rat.

He found the seamstress searching for something in a closet, that backside he fantasized about in his downtime poking out, causing his tongue to dart out over his lips. Quietly, he came up behind her and placed both hands on her hips.

She jumped with a shriek, spinning around. "Jesus, Reigns! You fuckin' scared me!"

"Sorry." The stupid little grin on his face indicated that he was anything but.

Rolling her eyes, Jaida subtly stepped back from him. "Did you want something?"

"You know the answer to that, sweet pea," he replied. "I was wondering earlier; do you get fancy limos to come pick you up in every town we're in? You gotta hook me up with that shit."

Laughing, she placed a bunch of folded clothes on top of the equipment crate. "And here I thought you couldn't detach your face from some trick's pussy long enough to see what's goin' on around you," she said.

"Funny. So who was he?"

Jaida met his eyes with a smirk. "Why do you care? Is someone jealous?" She threw the word out there to see what his reaction would be.

Roman snorted derisively. "You wish."

Pursing her lips thoughtfully, Jaida leaned against the equipment crate and crossed her arms. "He and I used to work together."

"And let me guess, y'all hooked up." Her prolonged silence and averted gaze told him much more than he expected. "Oh, you dated. Interesting," he sang. "You gotta thing for your co-workers huh?"

Jaida scoffed. "I do not have a thing for my co-workers. And just 'cause you and I fucked one time doesn't automatically mean I have a thing for you," she said, unable to keep the agitation out of her voice. "And who are you to talk about co-workers when you're the one fucking half the girls on the damn roster? I see Cameron's the latest victim. Go find your new girlfriend why don't you?"

"She's not my girlfriend. And if I wanted to see her I'd be where she is right now." Taking her by the hand, he maneuvered her out of public view and into a darkened area where more equipment crates were stationed. He then backed her up against the one furthest in. Jaida's eyes were wide the entire time. "Reigns, what are you doing?" she demanded, watching him place his hands back on her hips.

"What's it look like I'm doing?"

"You can't! And someone could see us!" she hissed, glancing over her shoulder cautiously.

"No one will see us, look where we are. And even if so, what's wrong with that?"

The seamstress glared at him. "The whole world don't need to know you've sank your claws into me."

"Ain't the only thing I've sank into you, is it sweet pea?" he whispered with a devious smirk. He loomed over her, his big body surrounding her and invading her space. Being so close to him was both making her uncomfortable and turning her on, and she wasn't sure which emotion too choose. She wanted to push him away, and at the same time she wanted him so badly she could taste it. Avoiding his eyes, she said, "You've already fucked me, Reigns. What more could you possibly want from me?"

Roman caught her chin, gently tilting it up so that their eyes met again. "I told you I'd have you again, and I always make good on my promises. You gonna pretend you don't want that too? Huh? You wanna act like you don't think about the night we shared? Because I know you do."

Without warning, he lifted her up and sat her on top of the equipment crate, wedging his body between her legs. He pressed himself against her, and his nose dipped into her hair, inhaling its appealing scent. Reflexively Jaida put her hands on his chest, but not to push him away. She felt the firmness of muscle, the heat exuding from his olive skin. "Reigns…" she drawled.

"I remember everything clearly, baby girl," Roman said in her ear. "Your hot breath on my neck, your tongue in my mouth; the way you moaned my name over and over as your tight-as-fuck pussy clenched my dick…I get fuckin' hard every time I think about it." He ran a hand up her bare thigh, a small smile forming when she shivered in response. "Wonder if that man of yours makes you feel like this," he mused, his gruff voice even huskier, his teeth nibbling her earlobe. "If his touch makes you shiver the way mine does."

Jaida had forgotten how to breathe. Visions of their night of passion sparked wildly in her mind, which was now hazy from the kisses Roman was trailing up the left side of her neck. His hand boldly made its way into her crop top, leaving goose bumps on her skin in its wake. As he placed his palm over her right breast and squeezed, a moan she couldn't control escaped her lips. She wrapped her legs around his waist and used her leg strength to draw him closer, weaving her fingers through his hair. He continued to suckle her neck, the spiky hairs of his goatee tickling her skin. His hand slipped inside her skirt to cup her mound, rubbing her through her dampened panties. "Wow, sweet pea. All this wet pussy for me?" he asked.

Before she could conjure up any coherent words to respond, he slipped two fingers inside her and stroked her wet core. She rewarded him with a long moan and eyes that fluttered shut. He plunged his fingers deeper, brushing the pad of his thumb over her clit, and she squirmed in a very satisfying way. He kept at it, relishing the sounds of her heavy breathing, then pulled his fingers out, pleased at the way she whimpered in protest. With a smirk, he pushed back in, curling his fingers inside her.

"Fuck, Roman…" It was pleasure overload for Jaida. Her forehead rested on his shoulder, clutching his massive biceps to support her weakening frame. Her entire body was on fire and tingling from head to toe. His mouth found hers the instant she lifted her head. They kissed fervently, the sound of their lips meeting and parting filling the heated silence. He drew her tongue into his mouth, sucking hard on it. His fingers plunged deeper, thrusting faster until she was moaning and rocking her hips against his hand. His arousal pressed insistently against her inner thigh. She was helpless, only cognizant of her raging need for him. She let herself luxuriate in his touch, enjoying the boldness of it, the intimacy, the sensuality of him confidently exploring her body.

The shrill, off-putting sound of her cell phone ringing permeated through the thick haze of passion. They were both more than willing to ignore it, but a few more insistent rings forced Jaida to break the kiss. On the equipment crate, Lincoln's name lit up her phone screen. Shifting so that Roman’s fingers slipped out of her, she pushed off the crate, landing on her feet, and picked up the device. "Gotta take this," she muttered dazedly, a hint of an apology in her green eyes.

Roman cleared his throat. "Whatever." He took a step back from her, hating how disappointed he felt at that very moment. But as he turned to leave, he felt her grab his arm. With her phone at her ear, she pulled his hand up to her mouth and sucked the fingers that had been inside her. He swore under his breath as he watched her taste herself, her tongue rolling around his fingers, and the erotic contact lit a fire within the Pensacola native like never before.

Jaida forced herself to let go of him, and with a wink, she walked away, more turned on than she already was. As she refocused on talking to Lincoln, one thought ran through her mind.

Boy, am I in big trouble.

---------------------

Valentine's Day

"Jaida! Presents for you!"

At the sound of Sasha Banks’ chirpy voice, Jaida turned around, her perfectly manicured eyebrows coming together in confusion, and it took her a few seconds to register the items in Sasha's toned arms; a sizable bouquet of red roses wrapped in green paper, and a large box of chocolates. "For me?" she said. She wasn't expecting any gifts.

"Yeah, and guess who sent them. Starts with an L, ends with an N," the Boss said, wiggling her eyebrows at the seamstress.

Unable to suppress a smile, Jaida reached for the bouquet, scooping it out of Sasha's hands and bringing it close to her face to inhale their scent. "Oh wow. They're beautiful," she said.

"I know right?" Sasha agreed, reading the card that came with it. "My darling Jaida, so happy to have you back in my life. Thinking of you now and always. Love, Linc." She sighed dramatically. "Honey, you are so lucky I'm with my man. I'da found a way to steal that hunk from right under your nose."

"I don't doubt that for a second," Jaida chuckled, touching one of the roses, feeling its velvety softness beneath her fingertips. At the thought of Lincoln, she felt a pleasurable tingle within her. Things were going well between them. They weren't officially dating, but it was heading in that direction. Recently they kissed for the first time in over a year, and while it was as nice as she last remembered, it didn't quite compare to that of a certain long-haired, tattooed individual.

Yeah. Him. She still couldn't get him out of her head, and it was starting to get on her nerves.

The hairs on her arm suddenly stood on end, and she felt the sensation of being watched. Glancing up, she found Roman's gaze on her. Of course. He was a number of feet away but she could still see his face clearly. His expression was unreadable, making her wonder what was going through his head at that moment. They were back to ignoring each other, right after their make-out session the night of the tapings. She thought she had him figured out but she found him more befuddling than ever.

Jaida remembered the first time she laid eyes on him, all those months ago. She'd gotten lost in the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit and stumbled upon him in a deserted hallway, making out with some girl, who she now knew was Eva Marie. The two were clearly on the way towards more explicit activity so she'd quietly gone the other way unseen. In retrospect, she wasn't very pleased that she was now lumped together with the redhead as one of his probably many backstage frolics. Only hours later he was flirting with Summer, the woman twirling her finger in her hair as she stared adoringly at him. Jaida knew what he was all about from then on. He was a guy that evidently got what, or who he wanted whenever he wanted, and she wanted no part of it. She'd lashed out at him when he hit on her, but deep down she knew that sooner or later they would cross paths in more ways than one, and she was right. She finally understood the hype though, and she was coming to terms with the fact that she may like him a little more than the boundaries of mere physical attraction permitted. But she knew better than to let her feelings cloud her judgment and dive into something she could not get out of. She knew what she was like. If she slept with him again she would fall, just like she'd fallen for Lincoln. And unlike Lincoln, there was no certainty that the feeling would be mutual with Roman. After all, what made her so special that she was the one, of all the women he'd been with, he would change his habits for?

This was not a fairytale. Life did not work that way and she didn't feel like waiting around crossing her fingers and hoping that it did. So yeah, distancing themselves from each other was for the best. Now she had to figure out how to distance herself from him mentally.

---------------

After a long evening, Jaida was relaxing on her bed in the hotel room she shared with Summer, biting into a piece of Lincoln's truffles and listening to her R&B playlist on Pandora when there was a knock on the door. A hotel employee stood outside, holding a long rectangular box sealed with a thin red bow. "I have a delivery for Miss Leonard?"

Jaida was pleasantly surprised as she took it from him. "Thanks."

"No problem, ma'am. Happy Valentine's."

She said the same to him and shut the door. She scanned the box for a moment, a smile on her face as she pulled off the ribbon and opened the box. Nestled inside was a long, single-stem red rose. She took it out and inhaled it. Aw, he was so sweet. Taking her phone, she dialed up his number, grinning giddily.

"Hey. Was just thinking about you," Lincoln greeted.

"As I you," Jaida said, making her voice as seductive as possible. "Someone's been generous today."

"Oh, really?"

"Uh huh. Flowers and candy in the morning, a single rose this evening…you're spoiling me, Linc."

Lincoln chuckled. "Trust me darling, I'd like nothing more than to take credit for something that's made you so happy," he said, "but not this time. The rose didn't come from me."

It was like a record had scratched in her head, bringing everything to a screeching halt. "Wait, you didn't send this?"

"No babe. Looks like you got a secret admirer. I'm not surprised, beautiful girl like you…"

Lincoln was still talking, but Jaida could no longer hear him. Her heart was pounding wildly, slamming against her ribs. Lincoln hadn't sent her the rose. And if it wasn't Lincoln…

And then she saw it. A small white card inside the box. Jaida picked it up and flipped it open, her eyes growing wide when she read the words written inside.

Happy Valentine's Day, Sweet Pea.

An unpleasant foreign sensation began to envelope her, making her lightheaded, but Jaida fought it off so she could refocus on Lincoln, hoping, praying, that her voice didn't betray her true sentiments. "Oh, uh, guess what? I just found the little note that came with the box. Turns out the rose is for Summer. I found it on my bed so I assumed...My bad." She forced a giggle, trying to sound embarrassed. "I better put this back then."

"You sound disappointed," said Lincoln. "If you want I could send you another bouquet."

Jaida forced a smile into her voice. "Oh no, that's okay. You've done more than enough for me." She feigned a loud yawn, desperate to get out of this awkward situation. "I should go to bed. I have an important meeting tomorrow."

"I'll let you go. I got some work to finish up myself." He paused. "I miss you."

She could tell there was something else he wanted to say. "Miss you too. Goodnight."

As soon as she hung up, she lunged for the hotel room phone on her nightstand and with trembling hands dialed a room number. A familiar deep timbre resounded from the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing sending me flowers, Reigns?" Jaida hissed into the phone. "Are you fuckin’ kidding me?"

Roman's voice danced with amusement. "Is that your version of a thank you, sweet pea?"

"No jackass! What are you playing at? If this is your idea of a joke it's not funny."

"You are one ungrateful broad, you know that?"

Jaida frowned. "And you are an ass. Anyone ever tell you that?"

"Every day, baby. Now where's my thank you? I'm waiting."

Rolling her eyes with a heavy sigh, she relented, forcing herself to calm down. "Thank you for the rose. It's beautiful," she said. "Happy?"

"Very."

Silence fell between the two of them for a long moment. "What'cha doin' right now?" Roman finally said, his voice softer.

A warm smile crossed her features. "Nothing. I'm in my room. Summer went off with Fandango I think, so I'm all alone tonight."

"Yeah, I saw them. You sound like you're having fun."

"Come over," she blurted out.

Again, it went quiet, and Jaida immediately regretted opening her mouth.

"Boyfriend ain't around to tuck you in?" Roman taunted, and the teasing rumble of his baritone voice sent embarrassment through her. "You know what, forget I said anything," she mumbled.

"Make up your mind, woman," Roman chuckled. "You want me to come over or not?"

Jaida chewed her bottom lip. This was wrong. So wrong. And yet it was all she wanted. "Yeah."

"Fine. I'll be there in ten minutes. Wear something pretty so I can take it off of you." And he hung up without another word. Jaida stared at the phone before slowly replacing it on the receiver. Oh boy. There was no turning back now. She might as well get dressed. Or rather, undressed.

When the door opened, Roman walked in, holding up a bottle of Rosé and two glass flutes. "I brought champagne. Hotel provided a complimentary bottle to all the Superstars." He smiled as he looked Jaida over. She was dressed in a thigh-length satin red robe, concealing her curvy frame, and her wavy hair cascaded down over her shoulders. She had on a pair of sinful-looking heels that pumped lust and desire through the Samoan's blood. He noticed her hardened nipples through the thin material of the robe, and he suspected it was all she was wearing. "You look smokin', doll."

So did he, even in a simple black tank top and grey sweatpants. The visible dick print, along with his smoldering gaze, brought a blush to her cheeks. Fuck, he was sexy. "Thanks. So do you," she said. "So who else did you send roses to today? Must've spent a lot of money trying to cater to all of your women."

"I sent roses to two people today, one of them being my mother. You can figure out for yourself who the other person is." Setting the champagne and the glasses on a nearby table, Roman turned and saw Jaida standing right in front of him, her hands slowly tugging at the belt around her waist.

“I’m flattered,” she said, her voice low as she pulled her robe open, “But we ain’t here to talk.”

She eased the robe off her shoulders, and as it slid to the floor, Roman felt his mouth go dry. She was completely naked, wearing nothing but those devilish heels and an even more devilish smile. He thought a lot of women were hot, but Jaida was a thing of beauty all to herself. “Jaida,” he whispered, casting his gaze hungrily over her body.

Jaida shivered when he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her flush against him. With his deep, husky tone and that 'I'ma sex you so good' expression on his gorgeous face, the only thing she wanted to feel right now was that big dick of his inside her. As Roman's lips met hers in a string of small, fleeting kisses, desire and something else she couldn't place shot through her veins. Throwing caution to the wind, she pushed her mouth against his, exploring him with her tongue. She reached down to stroke his dick through his sweatpants, smiling when he groaned in response. His hands snaked around her butt and thighs to lift her up into his arms. She thought it was so hot how easily he did that. Wrapping her arms and legs around him, Jaida returned every one of his heady kisses. She held onto him as he blindly staggered over to her bed without breaking their kiss. He sat on the bed and raised his arms to allow her pull off his tank top. Her fingers then raked through his ponytail, setting his hair loose while he fondled her breasts. His touch sent heat instantly flooding through her body. She began to grind her ass into his crotch slowly, feeling him harden against her. With another lustful growl Roman took her hair in one large fist and tugged back, exposing the tender skin of her throat. She inhaled sharply as he attacked the sensitive spot, his mouth hot and delicious on her flesh. His fingers traced the blue rose tattoo on her breast. "Your tattoo's so hot," he observed.

Before she could respond, he scooped her breast into his mouth and sucked, squeezing the other with his free hand. Jaida swore softly and tipped her head back, welcoming the sensations he invoked within her. As he pulled back, she caught sight of the open box of chocolates on the nightstand. She glanced at Roman and then back at the box, smiling as a delicious idea popped up in her head. "Lay back," she instructed.

Casting her a questioning look, Roman did as she asked, and Jaida relieved him of the rest of his clothes and mounted him. Picking out a few pieces of chocolate, she squished them together between her hands and then offered her index finger to him. Roman took the digit in his mouth and sucked slowly, never taking his eyes off her face, and his darkened gaze sent shivers down her spine. Her palms smoothed over his upper body, spreading chocolate over him like paint on a canvas, and she swirled her tongue over his heart, while Roman looked on hungrily. "Nice. I like where your head's at, baby girl," he grunted, rubbing her back lazily.

"I knew you would." She licked along his body, placing wet kisses on his stomach, accompanied by slow, deliberate strokes of her tongue. She heard his hiss of pleasure when she dipped it into his navel. "Mm babe, you taste so good," she said, tracing his abs with the chocolate and licking it off.

Roman was fixated on her every move, his lips parted and his breathing labored as she made her way further down, her seductive tongue causing goosebumps to break out all over his skin. Jaida paused at the scar from his surgery a few years ago. Looking at him, she placed a gentle kiss on the scar, and the unexpected gesture sparked a ripple of affection through him. She moved down to his dick, which stood proudly at attention. Her tongue swished briefly over her lips as she stared at it, then squeezing some more chocolate onto her hand, she closed her fist around him, slowly stroking up and down, smearing chocolate from the base up to the plum-shaped tip. Roman moaned his approval at her touch. He watched his dick disappear into her mouth, her sigh vibrating against his most sensitive skin. He caressed her hair, pushing it back from her face. "How does my dick taste, sweet pea?" he asked.

"It tastes great baby," she answered before engulfing him again, his girth stretching her mouth.

"Mmm. That's right beautiful, suck my dick." His voice was a gasping whisper as she ate the chocolate off his penis, sparing no inch of him. The flat of her hot tongue gave long strokes along his shaft and balls, her lips sliding and pulling along his coated erection. "Fuck, so good," he groaned, his grip on her hair tightening. 

Jaida continued her ministrations for several seconds, sucking, tonguing and stroking him. Then, without warning, she took him all the way in the back of her throat. The sensation that surged through him caused his hips to buck off the bed instinctively. "Jesus, Jay…wow." His head fell back, mouth open and panting with pleasure. Damn, she was good. The way the tip of his length kept hitting the back of her throat, the way her hands massaged his balls nearly tipped him over the edge. She started to suck him harder and faster, and he knew if she carried on he was going to explode. He grabbed her shoulders roughly, and with one twist of his body, she was the one on her back while he loomed over her.

"My turn," he announced, smirking at the challenging expression on her green eyes as she was aware of how worked up she had made him. He would wipe away that smug look soon enough. Taking a piece of chocolate of his own, he surveyed her thoughtfully. "Now, where do I start?" he mused.

She gathered her hair up and pointed at her neck. "Here."

Smiling, Roman rubbed the chocolate over the spot and sucked on the sensitive skin. He expected her satisfied sigh and got it. He cupped her bare breasts and lathered both with chocolate, paying particular attention to her tattoo. Jaida bit back a moan as he leaned down to slowly lick the treat off her twin mounds. He liked her tits; they were soft and supple and fit into his hands very nicely. He took his time, smiling at the way her breath hitched each time his teeth pulled her hardened nipples. He licked down her stomach, her thighs, her legs, slurping and sucking the chocolate off her skin. He returned to the juncture between her legs and smirked at how wet she already was. He slipped a clean finger inside her before withdrawing it and putting it in his mouth. "Best taste of the bunch," he remarked, then he dipped his face between her thighs, his tongue swiping greedily at her pussy.

With her chocolate-covered hands caressing her breasts, her heavy breathing intensified as his mouth pressed further into her. She reflexively lifted her hips to grind against his face, but he abruptly shoved her hips back down to the bed. Holding her legs wide apart, he thrust his tongue deep inside her. A loud, guttural groan escaped Jaida as hot pleasure surged through her system. The feeling of his tongue relentlessly stroking her was driving her insane.

Having his fill of her feminine essence for now, Roman crawled over her body and met her face to face once more. Jaida promptly pulled him down and crashed her lips to his. There was something extremely erotic about the way their nude bodies were streaked with confectionery and writhing against each other. Their tongues tangled together hungrily, and Jaida couldn't get enough of the chocolate flavor mixed with his natural taste. She wanted…no, needed, more of it, more of him.

Roman himself had reached his breaking point. Reaching for the condom he'd brought along, he sheathed himself in record time. Laying Jaida on her side, he sidled up behind her in a spooning position, then slid his knee between her legs. They both moaned as he pushed his dick through her entrance, sliding slowly inside her. She was so hot, so wet and ready for him.

"Take me," she gasped, rolling her ass back against him. The wait was becoming unbearable. "I need you, Roman. Fuck me."

He didn't need telling twice. He snapped his hips once, driving his dick hard into her, and reveled in her scream, which quickly became a groan of pleasure as he started moving in and out of her. He twisted her face towards his and muffled her moans with hot, wet kisses, as she reached up to tangle her fingers in his long locks. Her breasts were at his hand's mercy, molding and massaging, plucking the hardened nubs of her nipples. His thrusts were deep and commanding; her moans were throaty and orgasm-inducing. Then, as she was nearing her release, he slowed down, going in and out of her in a tortuously measured tempo, savoring her heat and moist warmth. Jaida moaned loudly, overwhelmed by the dizzying sensations. "Fuck, Roman…yes, just like that, oh fuck…"

Roman watched the pleasure contort her beautiful features, memorized the euphoric look in her breathtaking green eyes, the way her hair clung to her face, the way she groaned his name. The Samoan found himself proud to be the one to bring her to this state of bliss. "Such a tight little pussy, sweet pea. So wet for me," he breathed heavily in her ear, accentuating the statement with another single hard, deep thrust that caused her to cry out. Rolling her onto her belly, he adjusted himself on top of her and increased his pace as he fucked her from behind, pistoning deep into her inviting heat.

"Oh god!" Jaida moaned noisily into the sheets, her toes curling as she crept closer and closer to her climax. Roman was hitting every spot she owned with amazing precision. She was vaguely cognizant of his warm mouth suckling her neck, his pelvis smacking against her ass as he long-stroked her pussy. His fingers snuck back between her legs, probing her clitoris, and gripping the sheets tightly, Jaida screamed as she came hard, trembling uncontrollably in Roman’s arms. Groaning, he pressed her down into the mattress and hammered into her, desperate for his own release.

“Fuck, Jaida, I’m comin’...fuck!...” He moaned out loud as the orgasm seized every muscle in his body, leaving him temporarily without the ability of speech or thought. Relaxing against her, he gave her breast a feeble squeeze then let go, flopping onto his back to catch his breath.

On the nightstand, Jaida's message alert beeped. Finding the strength to move, the seamstress picked the phone up, finding a text from Lincoln, bidding her goodnight and that he would dream of her.

From where he lay, Roman could see every word in the message, the little smile on her face. "You like this dude." It was more of a statement than a question, his hand wiping away stray chocolate on the curve of her hip.

Jaida turned towards him, searching his face as she tried to gauge the casual tone of his voice. A few seconds passed, and biting her lip, she nodded.

He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "Fair enough. It got nothin' to do with what we're doing, right?" he asked, a meaningful look in his eyes. He didn't give a shit about Jaida getting together with this Lincoln guy, as long as he got his own special piece of her.

Jaida's eyes narrowed curiously at him. So he wanted this to be a thing now? As much as she should have questioned the wisdom of this decision, she found herself not wanting to, not when this was as incredible as it was. Switching off her phone and putting it away, she took his face in her hands and wrapped his lips with hers, over and over. "No," she murmured against his mouth. 

“You sure?”

“Mm-hmm.” She swung a leg over him and straddled his sweet, sweat-ridden body. "Don't worry about it."

Roman stared up at her, a mix of amusement and lust in his grey eyes. "You want more, baby? Can't get enough of this good dick?" he smirked.

"Not quite," Jaida stated, a challenging glint in her eyes. "Now let's see what you're really made of."

Roman's smile mirrored her own as he braced his hands on her hips. "Careful what you wish for, sweet pea," he murmured, right before her mouth covered his once again.

Jaida wasn't sure where she and Lincoln were going, but she knew exactly where she and Roman were at. They would indulge in each other, and when the next day rolled around they could pretend like nothing happened. She'd done it before, with Lincoln and in more treacherous circumstances. This wouldn't be a problem for her. She would find a way to make it work.

And with a dick game as stellar as Roman Reigns', she definitely wanted to make it work.

-------------------

Kindly review!

[philocalygray]

Lyric Challenge!!:)

Rules: Write the first ten songs that come up on shuffle (no skipping) and quote your favourite lyrics from them.

I was tagged by:  @mintdolans @effervescentethan @dolanoodle @hexagonalspud & @lanadeldolans love you babess♥♥

****THE SEPARATION OF LYRICS MEANS THEY ARE DIFFERENT SECTIONS IN THE SONGS, NOT ALL IN ONE GO****

1. “Like I Do” - David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Brooks

Baby, I think of you When I'm all alone and it's half past two Bet you think about it too Ain't nobody love you like I do (like I do) Baby, I think of you When I'm all alone and it's half past two Bet you think about it too Ain't nobody love you like I do Like I do

2. “Gyalchester” - Drake (EXPLICIT)

Hermès link, ice-blue mink Tat on my ribs like I do not know what permanent is They want me gone, wait for the kicker Bury me now and I only get bigger That's word to my n*gga

Me and my broski are twins, but we don't look alike I don't take naps What's that? Facts?

3. “Bartier Cardi” - Cardi B, ft. 21 Savage (EXPLICIT)

Your b*tch wanna party with Cardi Cartier Bardi in a 'Rari (21) Diamonds all over my body (Cardi) Shinin' all over my body (my body) Cardi got your b*tch on molly Bitch, you ain't gang, you lame Bentley truck lane to lane, blow out the brain (21) I go insane, insane I drop a check on the chain, f*ck up a check in the Flame Cardi took your man, you upset, uh Cardi got rich, they upset, yeah (from what?) Cardi put the p*ssy on Offset (say what?) Cartier, Cardi B brain on Offset (21)

Them diamonds gon' hit like a b*tch on a b*tchy ass b*tch B*tch, you a wannabe Cardi Red bottom MJ, moonwalk on a b*tch Moonwalkin' through your clique I'm moonwalkin' in the 6 Sticky with the kick, moonrocks in this b*tch  I'm from the motherf*ckin' Bronx (Bronx) 

4. “Tidal Wave” - Sub Focus, Alpines

You can't just give it away Like it means nothing Love isn't this game where You win something I'm tired of being on the outside I wanna know what it's like I'm tired of seeing all the sights I wanna feel us collide Your love washes over like a tidal wave I feel the impact as we collide Your love washes over like a tidal wave I feel the impact as we collide 

5. “No Tears Left To Cry” - Ariana Grande

Right now, I'm in a state of mind I wanna be in, like, all the time Ain't got no tears left to cry So I'm pickin' it up, pickin' it up I'm lovin', I'm livin', I'm pickin' it up

Ain't got no tears in my body I ran out, but boy, I like it, I like it, I like it Don't matter how, what, when, who tries it We're out here vibin', we vibin', we vibin'

And if you don't know then now you know it, babe Know it, babe, yeah

Oh, I just want you to come with me We on another mentality

6. “Thinking About It (Let It Go) - KVR Remix” - Nathan Goshen, KVR

What did you do this for? Settle down for a little bit You look like any other fool i know Why would you say it like that? Don't you know dreams really come true When you give away your heart like that? So in the meantime I'm thinking about it Let it go, let it go It will all fix itself I'm thinking about it

There's a really good thing right in front of my eyes Right in front of my eyes

7. “Let Em’ Know” - Bryson Tiller (EXPLICIT)

Right now You are now tuned in Pen Griffey I'm still going in “Who is he?” Mothaf*cka’ I’m him (Yeah, let’s get it)  I'm comin' back for good So let them n*ggas know it's mine “I already got someone” is what you tell 'em every time That sh*t ain't up for grabs Where you at on the map? I come to where you at F*ck around and end up your last I won't hold back, yeah I won't hold back, this time I won't hold back, I won't hold back 

Him bein' Tiller, he a solid young n*gga He been real ever since I know you been tense I know we ain't had a conversation in a minute 

8. “Hard 2 Face Reality” - Poo Bear, Justin Bieber, Jay Electronica

Sometimes it's hard to face reality, oh, oh Even though you might get mad at me, oh, oh

Should've been adjusted to my life Had the opportunity to stay away for the last time Now you're standin' right in front of me It hurts me to know that I lied Tryna protect your feelings You read in between the lines

Don't be afraid to stand alone Don't be afraid to stand outside your comfort zone I know it's hard away from home And it ain't easy all alone Relationships over the phone Talkin' to your significant other all night long

Love and death are quite similar How they come and go like cat burglars Reality is kinda hard to face

One day, you could be the king of pop And the next one just be "Wacko" Michael

Know it hurts to see the truth in your face Circumstances bring you down to your knees Go on and cry an ocean, but don't drown in it Enough to put your heart at ease Oh, don't lose your self-esteem I apologize, for being a man It's way harder than what it seems

9. “It’s Lit” - KYLE, ft. Iamsu! (EXPLICIT)

Well it's pretty much illuminated Ain't it, you n*ggas hate it Why you tryna act like you don't f*ck with King Wavy Why you tryna act like you don't think that I'm amazing Super Duper Kyle but I never do the saving Curly haired girls go ahead go crazy Had AP English so the flow is never basic Every time you see my face, just know you n*ggas have to face it (That sucks) Please tell your girlfriends and cameras to back up I make hits to back to back to back up Super Duper Kyle is really good rapper Shoot like the n*gga name Kyle on the Raptors Rappers worst nightmare ever since Napster You ain't really gonna hit it if you gotta ask em' That's why I don't need to ask em' Cuz I already know the answer It's lit, It's lit It's it's it's lit It's lit, It's lit Iiiiit's Lit!

Linked up with Kyle, it's lit just like Bic Watch how this game get flipped like sidekicks

10. “R.I.C.O.” - Meek Mill, ft. Drake (EXPLICIT)

To the people that think that I owe you sh*t Payback's a b*tch and you know that sh*t Y'all n*ggas gettin' too old for this

We might just get hit with the R.I.C.O Everyone home for the summer, so let's not do nothing illegal 

Madonna’s a ting I know and I’m the king of pop I’m building Never-Never Land How he hate me when I never met the man Woo! We might just get hit with the R.I.C.O

It's the Chasers, what you thought?

I'm back on that hood sh*t, yeah that wish you would sh*t I'm talking that cross you that fade you fourth quarter Like Jordan, we back on that bullsh*t We came up from nothing We started on list's most wanted but now it's the Forbes list  Shhh, listen, you hear that?

I tag: @spiffydolan @tidsoptlmist @jollydolans @dimply-dolan @obsidiandolans @heartfullofgrethan @latinodolan @dolandreaminn @succulentpancakes  @thefancave @grethanss & anyone who wants to do it:)

[weyounthevorta-writes]

Jeffrey Combs Universe Master List

All of these stories are part of my Jeffrey Combs Universe, a place where we can assume all characters played by Jeffrey Combs are living, have lived, or will live in the same world.

Dinosaur Bob (Love and a .45)

Meeting A Maniac, 17/17 chapters, Rating: Explicit

Jay Brooks (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer)

Storm Season, One Shot, Rating: Explicit

Weyoun (Star Trek Deep Space Nine)

Damar's Revenge, One Shot, Rating: Mature