#i would believe adam had sex more than ava...

[thewayhavenchronicle]

i know 'word of god' from Mishka is that Ava has had sex before but as a demisexual myself who hasn't had sex because the thought of being touched by someone else is a little frightening and I also just don't really have the urges.... Wrong.

Ava has not had sex because she didn't have any love connections as a human and she hasn't had any as a vampire and it probably hasn't even really crossed her mind until now.

me to mishka about A's sexuality and experiences:

[fruit-of-infidelity]

Tw/ SA | You mentioned that Ryuuto was abused by Cordelia kind of like Laito was? How does Ryuuto internalize and show his trauma? Curious to know how it impacts his personality and relationships!

Ava: I’m real happy to hear you are curious!! I’m gonna put this under a cut bc I know I’m going to ramble heaps, whoops.

Unlike someone like Laito or Ayato who can, within themselves, acknowledge that they have experienced traumatic events because of their mother and understand that her behaviour was toxic and horrendous, Ryuuto does not. 

Much of what happened to him is, he feels, deserved and a reflection of what maternal love is. What love is. It’s not only that he doesn’t acknowledge this as abusive behaviour, but he cannot acknowledge it in such a way. There is a massive mental barrier that is stopping him from doing so, and he acts out on anything that tries to break down this barrier, be it through denial or by manipulating himself to reaffirm the ideas of “this is normal”. This all comes from the fact that the only real “affection” he has ever received, and the only female interaction he has had for much of his childhood was from Cordelia - Ryuuto became dependant upon her, thus he feels a need to cling to her and her impact on him, even if it has destroyed him.

This is were we begin to see parallels between the triplets and Ryuuto, through how the whole relationship has impacted the world around him and his own personal growth and relationships with others.

While he did not face the exact same abuse as Laito from Cordelia, he was groomed and sexually exploited during his teenage years. Like Laito, he experienced romantic and sexual affection in place of maternal affection, thus he has a difficult time differentiating lust from love, although in Ryuuto’s case, he doesn’t use sex and pleasure to mask his trauma as Laito does. However, they both use methods of seduction and manipulation to win over their prey.

Similarly to Kanato, Ryuuto’s idea of relationship and women in particular has been shaped greatly by Cordelia. They both view woman as sexually-driven in their motives and desires. This idea is exploited by both of them, however, to get what they desire from women. They both also have a deep adoration of their mother and desire for her attention, although while for Kanato, this behaviour faded out as he grew older, for Ryuuto it did not. 

When it comes to personality, Ryuuto and Ayato are quite similar at first glance. They both hide their true feelings behind a wall of arrogance and cockiness, and both do genuinely believe themselves to be superior to others. I’m tempted to say that Ryuuto is worse than Ayato, however, merely because of his God Complex that developed out of the religious (of sorts) indoctrination of him by Cordelia. Once Karlheinz’s plan is revealed to him, he has no doubt he is Adam (or more accurately, he can become Adam).

Gosh, would you look at that... I definitely did ramble... Quite a lot!! I hope some of it makes some sense and wasn’t too had to read! ^^

[justthehiddleswrites]

The Reluctants | Chapter 7 | The Reluctant Lover

Pairing: Adam (OLLA) x OFC (Charlie Bock)

Summary:  Charlie can’t believe her luck when she lands an apartment all to herself in Quincy, Massachusetts in a decaying triple decker. But life gets more complicated when someone moves into the basement. Specifically her landlord, Adam, who also happens to be a vampire. As life collapses around Charlie, these two forge an uneasy and unlikely relationship. But is their relationship as doomed as the building they live in?

Chapter:   Adam and Charlie unpack some of their baggage and attempt to move forward.

Warnings: Violence, Smut, Frottage, Dry Humping, Teasing, Coming In Pants, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex. Couch Sex. Kidnapping. Stalking. Non-Graphic Violence, Character Death

-

“Adam!” Charlie and Ava exclaimed, though for entirely different reasons.

Ava jumped up and hugged Adam. His muscle twitched under Ava’s touch. Charlie sat still, confused and a little frightened.

“How long has it been, Adam? Five years?”

“Not fucking long enough. Get the fuck out of my house. You are not welcome.”

Ava glanced back at Charlie. “But your lovely girlfriend invited me in.” Ava gave a brief smile.

Adam looked away and Charlie’s hands fidgeted in her lap. Ava sensed she hit a nerve and pushed.

“Adam, aren’t you going to formally introduce me to her?”

“No. She’s…”

“Charlie.” she jumped to her feet and extended her hand. Ava shook it with her gloved hand. She turned Charlie’s hand over and inspected the healing wounds on her wrists.

“Double dipping, Adam? Naughty.” Ava scrunched up her nose.

“And you are?” Charlie yanked her hand back and shifted to Adam’s side. He laced his fingers with hers and squeezed hard.

Ava pouted. “You haven’t told her about me? I’m Ava. His sister-in-law.”

Charlie’s heart dropped like a stone into her stomach and all the way down to her shoes. She let go of Adam’s hand.

“What?” she croaked out. Adam reached out for her, but she jerked her hand away.

“I’m Eve’s sister.” Ava continued on, either oblivious or indifferent to the damage she caused with each word. “The two of them were so in love for centuries. How many weddings was it? Four?”

“Five.” Adam responded quietly. Charlie took another step away as hot tears stung her eyes.

“Excuse me.” Charlie bolted from the room, slamming and locking her bedroom door.

Adam narrowed eyes at Ava. “Not even five fucking minutes.”

“How was I supposed to know you didn’t tell you about her? It must be serious if you are sucking and fucking.”

“Don’t call it that!” Adam raised his voice. “Get the fuck out of my house.”

“Is that any way to treat family?” Ava batted her eyes. Adam grabbed her elbow and walked Ava to the door. “You need me!”

“I don’t need you. I don’t need anybody!”

Adam flung the door open and with all his force threw Ava out onto the porch. She stumbled down the stairs.

“Fucking asshole!” she screamed.

“Stay the fuck away from me. If you come here again, Eve’s memory won’t save you from my wrath.”

Adam slammed the door shut and stared down Charlie’s bedroom door. He contemplated letting it sit until tomorrow. That was the easiest option, but not the right one.

“Charlie?” He rapped his knuckles against the door.

She didn’t respond, but Adam could hear her breathing on the other side of the door. There was a soft sob.

“I can explain all of it, Charlie. But I need you to open the door, darling.”

Nothing. Adam’s head hit the door with a thud. “Please.”

“Go away.” Charlie sobbed.

“No.”

“I’m not opening the door.”

“Then I’m sleeping on the floor. I’m not leaving until you talk to me. Until I can explain.” He slumped to the floor, leaning against the door. “I need you, Charlie.”

“You don’t need anyone, Adam.” Charlie turned away and crawled into bed, sobbing.

-

Ava dusted off her short dress and cursed at the hole in her tights.

“Shit!”

“Do you know him?” a voice called out from the shadows.

“Who’s out there?” Ava tensed up.

Jason stepped out from the shadows, a cast on one arm. “Someone with a bone to pick with the man that lives in that house. Do you know him?”

Ava smiled. An ally in town would be helpful. She needed a place to stay. “I do. Can we go somewhere? Maybe your place?” Jason’s eyes lit up. “I’m so hungry.”

“I parked my car around the corner.” He offered his good arm to Ava. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Ava.” She rubbed Jason’s arm. “My name’s Ava.”

“Ava. I’m Jason.”

-

Charlie slept like shit and woke up grateful she had the day off. Her head pounded from crying the night before. A fraction of the pain in her heart. She should know. She cursed her stupidity for falling once again for an unavailable man. Still wearing the clothes from last night, she opened the door and tripped over Adam sleeping at the threshold.

“Ah!” she screamed as she tumbled to the floor, hitting her knees hard.

“Shit.” Adam groaned as he unfurled from the fetal position he had curled into once it became clear Charlie wasn’t coming out. As he pulled his eyes open, he spied Charlie crumpled on the floor. “Charlie!” He reached for her, but she recoiled.

“I’m fine! What’s a little more pain at this point?” She rushed to her feet, smoothing out her wrinkled t-shirt.

Charlie walked to the kitchen, ignoring Adam’s footsteps behind her. Opening a cabinet, she grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen and a coffee mug. Adam leaned against the sink, arms crossed, watching Charlie’s coffee ritual. Two scoops of grounds carefully measured. Water not from the tap but a bottle.

“Are we not going to talk about yesterday?” Adam picked lint from the hallway carpet off his rumpled shirt.

Charlie’s spoon clattered to the counter. She flattened her palms against the counter, composed herself, and flashed Adam a fake smile.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” She moved to grab a bowl of Sugar Smacks. Adam shuttered at the sight of the processed cereal.

“If there is nothing to talk about, then why are looking at me like we are going to go kill Batman?” Charlie cocked her head to the side. “Your fake fucking smile, Charlie! Are we talking about this or not?!” His voice raised and reverberated against the peeling wallpaper of the tiny kitchen. His tone sharp and cruel.

“Not! We are not talking about it!” Charlie screamed back, her headache pushing against her forehead. She promised herself not to cry in front of him.

“That’s not acceptable!”

“Then why did you give me the option?! Then why did you…” her voice trailed off, and she spun back around as the tears dropped to her cheeks. She grabbed her coffee, not bothering to doctor it up with creamer and sugar like usual. “Go home, Adam.” She stomped off back towards her room.

Adam’s long legs helped him cut her off before she reached the hallway. “I am home. This is my house. Finish your sentence. Why did I…” There were a million ways Adam could imagine that sentence ending, all of them bad.

Charlie shuffled her feet, deciding whether to break away from the conversation, return to the kitchen, maybe barricade herself in the bathroom or tell Adam the truth.

“Why did you say all those things to me if you didn’t mean them? Why did you have to sleep with me if you were never going to love me?” she struggled to spit out the words.

“I… I…” Adam sputtered. None of those answers did he expect. Again, nothing about Charlie was what he expected. Nothing had gone to plan since he met her.

“Please.” She held a hand up. “I don’t need excuses. I’m used to rejection and disappointment. It is just a lot easier to swallow when the person doesn’t make me feel like they gave a damn first.”

Adam stepped forward. She held her arms out. “Please stop! I have had quite enough torture for 24 hours and you comforting me about finding about your wife, who have been married to for centuries, is more than I can handle. Go downstairs. I’ll see you in a few days to feed.”

He made one more step. Charlie’s fists clenched at her sides. “Go before I call the police to report harassment!”

Adam stopped in his tracks. Charlie’s eyes sparked with hurt and anger. He wanted to push the issue, wanted to tell her about Eve. About Ava. About the pain inside his heart. But no good came from him ending up in a jail cell.

He nodded. “I’ll see you, darling.”

She glared at the term of endearment and continued to do so until he left via the interior stairs. Adam overheard the lock click on Charlie’s door to the interior basement stairs and his heart ached like being crushed in a vice. He hurried downstairs and locked himself in the spare bedroom.

“Eve.” he called out to no one. “I’ve fucked up and I need your help.” If he could cry, he would.

-

Adam respected Charlie’s request and kept his distance. He spent an inordinate amount of time talking to Eve. About Charlie. Never in all his days did he imagine himself talking to his dead undead wife about his current… Not girlfriend, not lover. His Charlie. There was no other word to describe her. And she was his. Or at least she was.

“Eve, baby.” he called out to the wind for the third night in a row. “What was it you said to me before? About life?”

He plucked the strings of the instrument on his lap. All the music he played felt hollow. He can hear Eve prattling on about surviving, nature, kindness, and dancing in his head. When Adam lost Eve, he closed his heart to all those things except surviving. And he was doing a piss-poor job at that.

“You would like her. She is brilliant but kind. She doesn’t give me an inch and gives as good as she gets. And yet, so fragile, my dear. Fragile like a bomb. And her family. It seems they are the root of all this nonsense. I could kill them, Eve, for they have done to her.”

He sighed and slumped before falling back onto the bed. “I can’t lose her. I can’t. Not like I lost you.” He squeezed his eyes shut and covered them with his hands. Adam lay motionless, deep in thought.

-

Charlie eased down the stairs, the letter folded neatly into thirds gripped in her hand. No sweaters, no skirts. Just a ratty sweatshirt and her favorite pair of jeans. She knocked on the door. When Adam didn’t answer, she tried the doorknob and pushed it open to step inside.

To the untrained eye, the apartment would look the same as always. But Charlie could see the telltale signs of clutter. Instruments on the sofa. Notes on the floor.

Adam wasn’t in the living room or the bedroom. Charlie ambled down the hallway and past the tiny bathroom to the spare bedroom. The door was wide open. Adam laid sprawled on the bed, eyes closed. Picture frames leaned against the walls three and four deep. They filled every corner with boxes of flotsam and jetsam. Discarded on the bed was some strange stringed instrument Charlie had never seen before.

“Adam.” her voice is soft but clear.

He popped to standing and rushed to hug her. Her hands hung loose at her side.

“You came.” He buried himself into her neck, inhaling her scent. That impossible scent of Charlie, toeing the line of too masculine and too cloying.

“I can’t have you starving. A deal is still a deal. Before we get started, here.” She shoved the letter at him.

Adam unfolded the paper and read the top line. “Notice of Intent to Terminate Lease. What is this?”

Charlie gulped. “You just said. I’m terminating my lease. Now the original lease terms asked for 30 days, so that is what I put here. That should give you plenty of time to find a new supply of—”

“No.” Adam crumpled the paper into a tight paper and threw it into a corner. “I don’t accept.”

“Well, the terms of the lease explicitly state—”

“STOP IT CHARLIE!” Adam yelled loud enough for Charlie to blink and take a step back. “You are not packing up and leaving until I explain.” he regained some of that cool exterior he had worked decades to cultivate. “Go sit on the sofa. Please.”

Charlie didn’t move. “If after what I have to say you still want to leave, I won’t stop you or bother you ever again. Now please go sit.”

She nodded and turned back down the hallway. Adam shut the door behind him and followed her to the living room. Charlie picked up the instruments with care and returned them to their designated hooks, one after another. Adam didn’t even have to correct her once. She sat on the edge of the velvet sofa, hands folded in her lap. Like that day when she first found out the truth about him.

He sat on the opposite side, uncertain what to do with his hands.

“I should have told you about Eve.”

“Yes. You should have.”

“Sounds like something she would say.” he chuckled before clearing his throat.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Right. We were together for a long time, Charlie. She was my other half in every way. But then she got sick. Blood poisoning.”

Charlie scooted closer to take his hand. Adam gave it a small squeeze.

“After that, it was easier to shut everything out. Lightning doesn’t strike twice. And I am not that lucky. But you are…” He searched for the words. “… unexpected.”

“Is that a nice way of saying…” Adam cut her off.

“It is my turn to speak. And I will not have you denigrating yourself in front of me.”

Charlie shut her mouth and motioned to have Adam continue.

“Thank you. I never planned on any of this. I am ill equipped for relationships.”

“That makes two of us.” Charlie muttered and Adam snapped his head and furrowed his brows. “I was agreeing with you!” she pleaded.

“The bottom line is…” he turned to face her, grabbing her other hand. “… I may have been married for centuries but you are here now and Eve is gone. And if you are willing to give me another chance, I will do better. But in this moment, right here and now, I need you, Charlie. And I don’t need anyone.”

Charlie chewed her lower lip and bounced her foot against the floor. She glanced around the room, buying time. Her eyes settled on Adam’s record player. She stood and walked towards it. A stack of records off to the side. Charlie shuffled through them, selecting one and putting it on.

“Dance with me, Adam.” Charlie called as the strains of O.V. Wright’s Let’s Straighten It Out came on.

Adam grabbed Charlie’s outstretched arm and pulled her tight to his chest. His long arms enveloped her as they swayed to the music. She buried her head into his chest and breathed in deep. He smelled of Adam, sandalwood and cologne.

“I’m not letting go.” Adam commented as he kissed the top of her head.

“Please don’t.” she replied, muffled by his shirt. Tears stained the silk material as they fell from her eyes. “I’m ruining your shirt.” She pulled back, wiping her cheek.

“It’s been through worse.”

He tilted his head down and pulled Charlie’s chin up and kissed her with parted lips. His hands splayed across her back as his tongue slipped into Charlie’s mouth and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers slipped through Adam’s black locks and she explored his mouth as he explored hers.

When they parted, the song ended, but they continued to sway to an invisible rhythm.

“Where do we go from here?” Charlie questioned, not moving her head to look at Adam.

“I believe tradition dictates after a fight, a couple takes part in make-up sex.”

Charlie giggled against his chest. “Nothing we have ever done has been traditional.”

Adam’s hands tugged and pulled at her sweatshirt. “True but we definitely do sex.”

“That we do.” Adam kissed her again, walking the two of them back to the couch. As Charlie fell to the couch, the wood frame of the antique sofa cracked, but neither Adam nor Charlie paid it any mind.

“I am hungry, darling.” Adam growled into Charlie’s ear as he pawed as her chest underneath the sweatshirt.

Charlie arched her back to meet his hands. She pulled the sweatshirt off and tossed it to the floor. Her hands tugged at his shirt, exposing the taut muscles underneath. They rose to their knees. The couch creaked again. Adam kissed up and down Charlie’s torso with sloppy mouth kisses. He gripped her waist and Charlie reached behind and unhooked her bra.

“Your tits are magnificent.” Adam moaned, taking one of Charlie’s nipples in his mouth. He sucked hard.

“Fuck, Adam!” Her head fell back as her hands pulled him closer. His fangs nipped at the tender flesh. He hungered in all aspects.

“I need you, darling. Now.” Adam grabbed her thighs and flopped her onto her back.

Creak. “Did you hear that?” Charlie asked, while she fumbled with the infernal button fly on his dark jeans. “Why in the hell are there so many buttons?”

Adam yanked her jeans, not budging them for a moment. “I insist you must only walk around naked from now on in this house.” He was in such a hurry that when Charlie stroked his shaft, he ripped the button clean off.

“Those were my favorite jeans.”

“Too much talking.” Adam growled, shimmying her pants to her ankles. He lifted each leg, pulling the jeans off and depositing them on the floor. He pushed his own pants down past his ass, his cock popping free.

“I am afraid I won’t be gentle this time, my love.” Adam pushed her legs open and up, pining them back.

Charlie grabbed his shoulders, pulling him against her. He pushed into her and groaned.

“Fuck!” they both exclaimed as Adam bottomed out.

Adam’s hips twisted while he rutted against Charlie. Her nails dug into his back, leaving red crescents. Adam tore at the upholstery, fisting it on either side of Charlie’s shoulders. The couch creaked and whined as Adam thrusted into Charlie at a ruthless pace.

“Darling…” Adam moaned as his balls tightened. His fangs painful.

“I’m cumming!” Charlie bucked against his hips. Her pussy fluttered and clenched around Adam’s cock.

“Yes!” Adam thrusted twice more as his fangs sunk into Charlie’s neck.

“AHHH!” Charlie’s vision turned white while Adam fed and came inside her. Her pussy milked his cock. Adam remained latched to her neck. A meal had never tasted so good.

In complete exhaustion, Adam collapsed against Charlie. A trickle of blood came down Charlie’s neck to pool between her breasts. With a delicate touch, Adam licked up the trail of red before kissing Charlie’s neck just below the already healing wound.

“Oh!” Charlie shuddered at the overstimulation.

“We should fight more often.” Adam commented, continuing to nip at Charlie’s neck, collarbone, and breasts, leaving marks.

“Adam!” Charlie punched his shoulder.

At that moment, the sofa collapsed underneath them, sending a cloud of dust surrounding them. Charlie held onto Adam as they crashed down, screaming. Adam covered as much of Charlie’s body as he could, in case there was shrapnel from the collapse.

As the dust settled, Adam stared into Charlie’s wide eyes. The corners of his mouth twitched.

“Darling, I believe we have fucked the shit out of this couch.”

Charlie burst into laughter.

[imagine-that-100]

Drunk | Part 5 |

Description of Part 1: Matty Healy x Reader (Female) | When you come back home to Manchester from University, you get invited to a house party filled with your old friends from high school. You hadn’t seen most of them for 4 years and the house brings back some old memories of the parties you once attended. Getting drunk with old friends ends up being better than you imagined.

Word Count: 10.3k

A/N: Just want to say a huge thank you to @dot-writes and @murderousginger for the help you both gave me on this part. Literally couldn’t have done it without you so thank you very much. I do really really appreciate it. Hope you all enjoy the new part and are liking where the series is going its been fun to play about with this series and I’m looking forward to the next 5 parts. Love you all and thanks again for reading x

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

| MASTERLIST IN BIO | 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The whole weekend seemed to fly by so fast. You felt think the whole weekend had been put on fast forward because you didn’t get a moment to yourself all weekend.

If it wasn’t Matty taking up your time, it was the gossiping between you, Ava, and Stacy. You literally hadn’t stopped chatting about the boys all weekend and the juicy stuff that you found out about Adam and Ross was making you squeal.

They obviously made you give them the gossip on Matty, and you spared no expense. You told them everything they wanted to know. You’d been getting up to some kinky stuff again but that wasn’t really a surprise to anyone.

What was a surprise though was the fact that Matty had learned some new tricks that consumed your mind practically all the time you were around him. Every time he did anything with his hands, he had you hypnotised and he full well knew it. It was the same with his tongue.

He would keep running it over his bottom lip and you would fully stare at him doing it. After he did it every time a smirk would appear on his face and when your eyes would travel back up to his own you could see the humour in them. By the end of the weekend you could just tell that he was doing in on purpose.

The gig at the festival on the Saturday went better than the boys or you ever expected. They literally had new fans coming up to them afterwards asking if they had any CD’s or any mercy that they could buy.

They drew in a massive crowd as well, so the event organiser was pleased that he had agreed to let them headline. He even came up and thanked you for changing his mind and letting them perform.

After that you made the manager joke to George again and he apologised for not stealing your powers of persuasion earlier. The Saturday flashed by and before you knew it you were in bed again with Matty and that was how you spent a good portion of your weekend.

Just you and him doing unspeakable things to each other.

When the Sunday gig came along, they drew in a crowd for that too which the pub seemed to be thrilled by. They hadn’t expected it to be as busy as it was but the manager that you sort of knew seemed to be overjoyed.

Just before the gig she came up to them and thanked them all very genuinely for coming and performing. She told them that she hadn’t seen a crowd like it for someone performing in the bar before and that she definitely wanted them back at some point.

“She seems really nice” George said as he watched the manager go back over to the bar. 



“Yeah she is” You smiled.

“I don’t think they get big crowds in here often, so it probably means a lot to her” You said as Matty’s arm found its way back around your shoulder.

You were all sat around a large table that consisted of the band, you, Ava, Stacy, and a load of your other Uni friends. Most of them were the girls that you’d introduced them too on the Friday, but a few new ones came as well.

Your course buddy Josh caught your attention and you stood up to give him a tight hug. You loved Josh so much you literally didn’t know what you would do without him. He kept you sane.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever” You grin when you throw your arms still around him.

Josh laughed as he kept his hands on your hips. “I swear it’s only been like… four days?” He questioned.

“Exactly, that’s forever” You laugh before hugging him again and he gave you a tight squeeze before picking you up and spinning you around.

You were a giggling mess when he put you back down and you had to cling to him to make sure you didn’t fall to the ground. You were still laughing when you looked around towards your table.

Josh’s hand remained around you as you ushered him over to the table so you could introduce him to the boys.

Whilst your attention had been on Josh though you didn’t see Matty watching the exchange with unamused eyes. You were his this weekend and he didn’t like that someone else had grabbed your attention as much as the guy you were hugging was.

When Matty averted his gaze from you, he looked back to his friends and they were all giving him the same amused look. They could all see he wasn’t impressed that someone had took your attention away and he told them all to, “Shut the fuck up” which made them all start chuckling.

“Guys this is Josh. Josh this is George, Ross, Adam, and Matty” You introduce him.

“Nice to meet you gu… Wait” Josh started but then stopped causing you to look at him.

He was looking at you with wide eyes and asked you “Matty Matty?” Before looking down at Matty with a smile.

You had no doubt Matty’s face would now have a huge smirk on it and when you looked at him you were right. Matty looked like the smug prick he was.

You pushed Josh away from you with an embarrassed smile and sat yourself back down in your seat. “Fuck off” You told him shaking your head before picking up your drink and chugging it as Josh started laughing clapping his hands.

Matty’s ego seemed to get the biggest boost because then he wrapped an arm around you again and asked with a smug grin, “Been telling people about me?”

“Fuck off” You seeth through your teeth and looked back towards josh who’d just come and crouched down beside you. He had his hands on your legs to keep himself balanced and he was still chuckling.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, mate” Josh grins and Matty started laughing.

“Anything I should be worried about?” Matty asked Josh but he kept his eyes on you and you couldn’t keep the smile off your face.

“Nah man, you definitely did better than me” Josh told him, and you burst out laughing at that and playfully shoved Josh off balance.

“Wait…” Matty paused before he questions, “You two…?” 

You chuckled at his reaction, nodding, “Yeah”

“Don’t worry it was like three years ago” Josh informs him as he gets himself up off the floor.

“And extremely we were both extremely drunk” You added before you glance at Matty’s face and snort. “Why do you look so shocked? You’re not the only person I’ve shagged, you know?”

“I’m not. I just didn’t expect you to be best friends with one” Matty said trying to defend himself.

“We were just drunk, and it sort of happened, didn’t it?” Josh chuckled thinking back to the night.

“Yeah it didn’t go very well. Remember when I literally died afterwards” You laughed, and Josh nodded laughing.

“Yeah and we didn’t know how to act in the lecture the next day. That was the most awkward day of my life” Josh chuckled, and you laughed nodding.

“Ah well. At least we can laugh now” Josh said, and you chuckled.

“Yeah. I’ll try not to be as drunk next time” You play, and Josh winked at you.

Matty fought the urge to remove his arm from around you. He couldn’t believe that you were talking about shagging someone else as his arm was around you.

You started giggling and look back to Matty. He didn’t look impressed. 

“You don’t need to get worked up about it, I’ll still shag you later” You told him and that only made his lip twitch up a bit.

“She all yours man. Imma go and try my luck with Lizzy again” Josh told you and you suppressed a laugh. “Have a good gig guys” He waved at them all before heading back over to the other side of the room.

After that Matty made it his mission to have you hang on to his every movement whilst you were sat next to him and whilst he performed. He knew how to play you and you were a sucker for him.

As he watched you from the stage, he found it difficult not to get excited as all the dirty things about how innocent you looked ran through his mind. You were watching him with your lip between your teeth and you kept your eyes on his body instead of his face.

He especially liked it when he thrusted into the crowd and you almost spat your drink out. He smirked at you and you pursed your lips watching the grin on his face.

That gig was possibly your favourite. It was an awesome way to close off a great weekend. A massive crowd supporting them and more really good sex when you got back to your flat.

You couldn’t ask for much more really.

On the Monday you were hesitant to see them go. You’d had such a good weekend and weren’t really ready for them to be going back.

But midday on the Monday you had to show your boys out. You went down to the car park with them and helped them carry their stuff music gear out.

And once they were all packed up, they all proceeded to hug you and say their goodbyes. George obviously got to you first and gave you a massive bear hug which you eagerly returned.

“Imma miss you” He said as you hugged yourself into his chest.

You chuckled and said “Imma miss you too… And you call me whenever you want. I’m never doing anything, and I’ve pretty much finished everything”

George reluctantly agreed that he would, and you moved on to hug Adam then Ross. When Ross let you go, he smiled down at you, “I’ll probably see you again in the next fortnight”

To say your face lit up would be an understatement. You were beyond happy. Over the weekend you’d seen Ross and Ava actually getting along with each other and chatting throughout the day so you had hope that there would be a spark there.

And the fact that he was coming back signified that there was one, so you were really happy for them. And you were happy you could see Ross more often than normal too.

“I’m so happy” You grin before giving him another hug.

And then there was only Matty left. His arms went around your waist and he pulled you into him. You thought it was going to be for a hug but no he kissed you.

As soon as his lips were on yours you didn’t want him to go. It had been great having him back and you loved the banter between you. It really was a shame you were in Leeds and he was in Manchester.

You felt his arms tighten around your waist as the kiss continued and you practically melted into him. The moment was definitely savoured but the both of you as you knew it wouldn’t be happening again for a while at least.

When you pulled away, he felt his arms around you and yours rested on his chest. You smiled at him whilst you looked into his brown eyes and he grinned back, “So, we starting this back up when you get back home?”

You grinned but attempted to keep your cool, “Maybe. Depends if I’m ready to settle down or not”

“So imma take that as a yes” Matty smiled and you rolled your eyes in jest. 

“Okay” 

When you said that Matty grinned at you and hugged you towards him for a hug. Your arms went around his neck and gave him a tight squeeze before letting him go.

“Let me know when you get back” Matty told you as he let go of you and headed back to the car.

You chuckled, “Shall do” and watched as he got in one of the two cars they brought. As they set off, they all waved at you and you started waving back.

George rolled down the passenger window and hung out of it screaming, “Bye” at you and you couldn’t stop yourself from giggling as you waved them off. 

Just as they were leaving you turned back to go back into your building and shook your head thinking of your crazy friends from back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

2 months later, you’re in the middle of Wilmslow walking back home from the train station. You’d just about got back after doing a little bit of shopping in Manchester and planned to do fuck all with the rest of your day. That was until you saw one of your favourite people.

“George” You called. 

You noticed that he was walking slightly ahead of you with Jess.

He turn around and search for the voice that called him and when his eyes  fixed on you, a grin appeared on his face.

You smiled and waved at him and he waved you over to them. You walked towards him and he extended his arms out towards you.

You walked into them and gave him a quick hug. It was the middle of July now and you’d been home since the middle of June.

You’d brought all your stuff back from Leeds and only went back over once for your graduation a few weeks ago. But you hadn’t seen any of the band since which was a mild disappointment to you.

Once you let go of George you said your hellos to Jess and gave her a hug. You’d hadn’t seen her since before Christmas when you were at George’ studio with the boys and her a week after the first gig that you came to.

From what you could remember it was a really nice night and you got on really well with her.

“What are you doing out?” George asked curiously.

“I’ve just been shopping, just got back from Manchester. What about you?” You question them both with a smile.

“We’re just meeting the other lads in the pub for a pint” George told you taking a hold of Jess’ hand again. This made you smile, and you so desperately wanted that for yourself.

“Ah right nice one” You grin as you switch your shopping bags to your other hand because your other one was growing colder by the second because the blood couldn’t get to it.

“You should come join us. I could use the company” Jess says, making you smile. 



George looks down at Jess and possessively says, “She’s my friend you know” 

“Oh, I'm sorry can’t she be my friend too?” Jess asks, her gaze meeting his with raised eyebrows challenging him.

You smile at the situation and joke, “Don’t fight, there’s enough for me to go around” 

But then you start to feel like you’d be intruding. That and you really weren’t dressed to be out drinking, you looked a mess.

“But I should be getting home I don’t want to intrude on your afternoon” You start but then both their faces fall.

“No please come, I really can’t stand being there by myself with them lot. You know what they are like.” Jess pleads, “I can only handle them all on my own for so long” 

“Come on Y/N, I’ll get you a drink” George grinned, and you gave in.

“Only if you’re paying George” You chuckled, and you all started walking in the direction of the only fun place in Wilmslow.

There wasn’t really much around other than the cinema and the shops. So when you were all younger, you would descend onto this bar as soon as someone was 18. It was like a tradition at that point.

You hadn’t been in for years but when you got there it looked exactly the same. A load of memories flooded back to you about the whole place and you smiled at the thought. You really had missed home.

As you walked further into the bar, you saw the group sat around a large booth. In the booth was Ross, Adam, Matty and a girl you vaguely recognised.

From what you could remember she was nice, and it seemed like Matty had taken a liking to her because his arm was around her shoulder. You weren’t really shocked by it because after all it was Matty.

George and Jess got to the table first and George announced, “We picked up a stray on our way here”

You smiled at his comment and you saw the others look towards you. You saw Matty’s face look from the girl next to up to you and you saw his face turn from a smile into a sheepish grin. As if he’d done something wrong.

You were slightly confused by his reaction, but you elected to just send him a confused look before your attention diverted to Ross and Adam and a smile came to your face.

“Hey” Ross greets you with a smile, whilst shuffling round the table to let George and Jess in.

Adam followed his actions whilst asking, “Are you alright? Haven’t seen you in ages”

You smiled at him and sat down next to the girl Matty’s arm was around as it was the only seat available. You placed your bags on the floor and said, “Yeah I’m great thank you, are you guys okay?”

“Fantastic now I have a pint” Ross said before taking a sip.

You laughed at that and then asked Jess and George if they wanted a drink as the others seemed to have full drinks.

“Nah its fine I’ll grab them, what do you want?” George asked you, keeping himself stood up.

“It’s fine George, I don’t mind getting it. I was only joking” You tell him.

“It’s payday so shut up. What do you want?” He asked standing by the table waiting for your drink order.

“Dark Fruits please” You looked up to him graciously.

“Okay, be back in a minute” George announced before leaning down to Jess and kissing her on the cheek quickly before heading to the bar.

Your heart actually melted at the interaction and you wanted that for yourself desperately. You waited a moment as George walked away before you cooed, “That was the cutest shit I’ve ever seen”

Jess giggled at your comment and you couldn’t help but be honest and neither could the girl who was sat next to you. “You both really are the cutest” The familiar girl agreed, and you nodded along.

“Stop it” Jess blushed and both you and the girl laughed.

You turned to her and finally remembered that she was that it was Charlotte, a girl who you vaguely recognised from high school. “How are you doing Charlotte? I’ve not seen you in like four years”

She looked at you and noticed that something seemed to click in her eyes about who you were. 

“Oh my god. Y/N?” She asked and you nodded at her trying to hold back your laugh.

“I’m great thanks. You look amazing by the way!” She expressed with wide eyes.

You let out a little laugh and looked down at yourself. She was clearly talking about your weight-loss over the years because you currently looked like a tramp compared how you usually dressed.

You were wearing dark grey joggers with an oversized black t-shirt that was hanging off your shoulder letting your bra strap show through. You chuckled, “You should see me on a good day”

She chuckled at that and then thankfully George brought you drinks over. You thanked him as he placed it down in front of you and you quickly took a big gulp of it.

“So, Y/N/N, what are you up to now your free from education?” George asked, before taking a sip of his own drink.

“Nothing really. I’ve literally just been enjoying my freedom” You smile.

Ross asked, “Have you found a job or anything yet? You said you were looking around here, right?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Yeah, I managed to get a job at school” You told him with a smile.

“As in our high school?” Adam asked.

You nodded, “Yeah. I’m starting in September. Helping out with the councillor and the student welfare stuff”

“That’s amazing, well done” George said, and Jess also congratulated you.

“Can’t believe you’re going back to school” Adam grinned.

“I’m literally doing it for the holidays. Can’t wait to be paid for loads of holidays throughout the year” You joked and a few around the table laughed.

The conversation moved on and you were having a really nice afternoon with them. You felt like you hadn’t seen them in ages, and you weren’t surprised. You hadn’t actually seen them since they had all come to Leeds for the weekend.

You’d seen Ross the odd time he came back over to see Ava and you started questioning why you didn’t go for Ross instead of Matty. Ross was boyfriend material. Matty, however, was fuck boy material.

You’d only seen Matty once afterward they all came down for the gigs and that was a weird night. He’d randomly showed up at your flat practically banging the door down at 1am. You answered it scared shitless because you were the only one left in your flat and when you let him in, he practically dragged you to your bedroom.

You never got an explanation for it and when you woke up the next morning he was nowhere to be found. You would have thought you’d dreamt it all if it hadn’t been for the black hoodie that was left in the morning.

You decided not to make a big deal about it and didn’t even question him about it over text, you just let it be. And the fact that you didn’t hear anything when you came home you thought that he wasn’t interested anymore or that he’d found someone.

Which he clearly had, and you didn’t mind. In fact, you were happy for him. Or you were, until you found out some information.

“So how long have you guys been seeing each other then?” You turned to Charlotte and asked her.

You watched as she leant into him a bit more and you smiled at the interaction. She looked happy and Matty looking good in himself too.

“Since the middle of March, wasn’t it? So that’s like four months now” She told you and you had to force yourself to smile.

“Oh right, that’s nice” You said, but you were fucking fuming. 

You couldn’t believe that you’d done it again. You’d again been unknowingly a part of someone cheating on who they were seeing.

You looked from Charlotte around to the other boys. Matty was conveniently hiding behind Charlottes figure. Ross and Adam looked like they didn’t want to be there and when your eyes connected with George’s, his lips were pressed together, and he looked sheepish.

“You guys didn’t mention when you came to Leeds” You said in a very knowing tone but not for Charlotte to pick up on.

You watched as everyone then took an awkward sip of their drinks and nursed it for a while to avoid your question. 

“It was pretty fresh then wasn’t it? So, they probably forgot” Charlotte said trying to defend them.

“Yeah I’m sure it was a complete accident” You seethe before taking a sip of your own drink to stop yourself from getting annoyed. You didn’t want to be annoyed at the boys. You really liked them, so you tried your best to get over it.

You quickly brushed it off and after a few minutes you were carrying on like you knew nothing. You didn’t want to make it obvious for Charlotte’s sake, so you just put it past you.

And you were having a really good time. Catching up with them was always fun and so was hanging out with them.

However, you kept feeling Matty’s fingers trail up and down your arm. At first you thought that he must have been doing it by accident because his arm was over Charlottes shoulder.

But when you moved away his fingers found your arm again. You couldn’t believe it. He was literally sat with his arm around the girl he’s been seeing for 4 months apparently but was also teasing you.

You wanted to out him and tell him to stop but in front of Charlotte it would have been a bigger drama than you could handle right now. You moved away from him again and kept yourself at a distance so he couldn’t do it again.

Eventually you moved to the other side of the booth because he kept finding you some way or another. But then you moved across the table to ensure he would leave you alone.

However, the annoying twat started dragging his foot up and down your leg in an attempt to tease you. After a while you kicked him in the shin to get him to stop and you sent him a glare. He sent you a death glare back and you smiled because you knew you’d hurt him.

But whatever you did, he wouldn’t stop messing with you. You knew what he was doing. He was taunting you.

Everything he did caused you to focus on him. Each time you would glance his way and he would do something else that drew you in even more.

He kept moving his hands which was a part of him he knew you really liked. He knew from his gigs that you would focus on his hands playing the guitar and he knew you liked what he did with them when it was just the two of you alone.  

He would also bite his lip which drove you up the wall because you knew he was doing it to make you look at them. They looked so incredibly pillowy and pink you wanted nothing more than them to be on yours.

You mostly hated the way his mouth would hang open just enough for you to be able to see his tongue moving around his mouth. What was worse was the fact that he knew you were looking. Especially when he ran his tongue over his teeth.  

He caught you multiple times but that didn’t stop you from looking. If anything, you wanted him to have his arm around you again like he did back in Leeds.

You liked to be held in a secure grip and you liked that he knew how to play you. At the same time though, it really drove you up the wall. When all you really wanted was to be slammed against it. But your morals wouldn’t let you.

You were still annoyed that he’d used you back in Leeds when he had Charlotte here. Birthday or not, it shouldn’t have given him the excuse.

George dragged you outside to have a fag with him and Matty you reluctantly went out with them. You listened to them chat about a load of bullshit that wasn’t at all relevant and you didn’t need to listen to it. You just think George wanted you outside with him because he’d missed you.

George finished his fag first and headed back inside and you went to follow him. However, Matty hadn’t finished yet and caught you by your hand to keep you outside.

You took a step back to him but moved yourself out of his grip. 

“What?” You questioned him, not knowing what he wanted.

“I’m not done yet” He said blowing smoke out of his mouth and gesturing to the 1/4 of the cigarette he had left.

“And you need me why?” You bluntly asked.

“Company” Matty shrugged, as if it was obvious.

“Why didn’t you ask Charlotte?” You asked.

This seemed to humour Matty as his eyes brightened and he asked, “You jealous?”

“No, I’m not jealous. You’re with her so stop fucking touching me Matty. You can’t have it your way all the fucking time” You said in an annoyed tone.

You turned back to go inside but Matty grabbed your arm again pulling you back round to face him. You sent a glare at him when your eyes connected with his again.

“Y/N, come on” He said with a smirk, but you’d had enough.

“No,” You said firmly. “You are with her Matty and have been for four months apparently”

“It’s just sex” He said, like that made the situation any better.

“Yeah and she seems to think it’s exclusive sex but from both times you came to Leeds, it’s apparently not for you” You state, feeling like you were explaining a difficult situation to a child.

“Just stick to her Matty. I told you in Leeds I’m not fucking about anymore. So, keep your hands to yourself and leave me the fuck alone” You shake your head before storming back inside.

Thankfully you were able to take your seat in between Ross and Adam again before Matty sat back down a minute later. You both continued on like nothing had been said between you and you chatted like that for another half hour before Matty and Charlotte disappeared off somewhere.

You didn’t care though; in fact, you were quite relieved. At least you didn’t have to worry about him hitting on you when he wasn’t near you. After a conversation about nothing in particular you excused yourself and went to the bathroom.

You got yourself up and quickly went to the toilets, so you didn’t miss out on any conversation.  However, just as you were about to walk into a stall, you heard groaning from inside the one next to it. It sounded like a girl gasping for relief and your eyes widened at the realisation of what was happening.

You’d wondered why Matty and Charlotte had been gone so long. You didn’t expect her to be getting head in the bathroom.

You hastily turned around and headed back to your seat. Obviously trying not to look completely mortified.

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice, and the conversation flowed normally with the other boys. You forgot how much you’d missed them the past few months and you were so thankful that you were back, and you could see them more now.

You excused yourself to get yourself, George and Jess another drink at the bar and whilst you were there a cute guy started talking to you. He had hair like Ross’ and was really cute.

He was clean shaven though, but he had cute brown eyes. By the cute guy alone you were extremely thankful you decided to come to the pub with George.

“What’s your name by the way?” You asked him after you laughed at a joke, he just made about having to wait for drinks.

“Tom,” He smiled, asking, “And what’s your name?”

“Y/N” You introduce yourself brightly.

“Well it’s very nice to meet you Y/N. You’re so beautiful that you made me forget my pick up line” Tom flirted, and you giggled at how bad the pick up line actually was.

As your laughter continued, he asked, “I’m guessing from your reaction you’ve heard that one before?”

You giggled and nodded, “Yeahhh, but it was a good try though. I’m sure you could do better”

“Oh, a challenge. Okay then, let me think…” Tom trailed off and you grinned, waiting for him to think of a better one.

“I didn’t know angels could fly so low” He said with a cheeky smile and you chuckled shaking your head at how bad it was.

Tom’s eyes widened and he excitedly tried again, “No wait, let me start again…”

Tom cleared his throat before saying, “Hi, can I follow you home? Sorry that was a bit forward, but my Mum always told me to follow my dreams”

This one made you giggle even more, and you placed a hand on his arm. 

“Cute but not very original” You told him. 

You’d heard these lines a few times and you always laughed at how cheesy they were. It was cute that he was trying though.

“Ah well, I’ll just have to think of some more” Tom smiled, and you told him that he definitely should keep them coming.

After that though the conversation moved on slightly “You guys seem to be having a good time” Tom said with a smile nodding over to your group of friends.

You looked back over and saw your little group of friends laughing and chatting away. Matty and Charlotte still hadn’t returned yet but the rest of them seemed to be having a blast.

“Yeah I’ve just finished Uni so it’s like a mini school reunion for me” You smiled looking back over to your group of friends.

“Ah right that’s nice. What did you do your degree in?” Tom asked.

“Psychology” 

“Really? That’s cool. You must be clever then” Tom smiled, and you laughed at that.

“You’d be surprised” You chuckled.

And he carried on chatting to you about Uni for a while until you got your drinks and at that point he was flirting slightly, and you loved it. You flirted back a bit, but he was actually making you nervous. In a good way though.  

You watched as he picked up a menu and started looking through it. Tom absentmindedly asked you, whilst flicking through it, “I wonder what the tastiest thing in here is?” 

You were about to say that you’d never seen the menu before, but Tom continued on to say, “Ah I found it. It’s Me-n-U”

When the words left his mouth, you let out an amused giggle. You hadn’t expected that one, so you found it quite funny despite hearing it before.

“Wow, that was the worst one yet” You laughed, and Tom chuckled putting the menu back down.

“I can’t even think of my best one... This is an embarrassing day” Tom groaned in disappointment.

“Nah don’t be embarrassed, you’re doing well” You smiled to encourage him a little bit. 

You liked that he was funny and cute, and to be fair to him he really was doing well.

He was making you nervous in the best way possible. You just didn’t want to give too much away though.

“Well as much as I’d love to stay and chat, I will get killed if my friends don’t get their drinks” Only now realising you’d been gone a little while.

“You better go then. You’re too pretty to be getting killed” He joked, and you giggled.

“You’re cute. Let me know when you think of your best pick up line” You chuckled and said over your shoulder as you headed back to the table, “See you when I come back for another drink” 

When you sat back down, and Jess and George thanked you for the drinks. And when the couple came back over you acted like you knew nothing about what you overheard in the bathroom.

You didn’t want those noises in your mind or the thought of Matty doing that, because you knew how good he was. You didn’t need to be getting flustered talking to Adam and Ross.

After about 20 minutes of you all settling back into the conversation you looked up from the table and saw that Tom was walking towards your table, looking at you with a smile.

You immediately smiled back because he was so cute. 

“Hey, you alright?” You asked him with a pleasant smile. 

You were definitely glad you were speaking to the cutie again.

“Yeah, I’ve gotta head off but I was wondering if I could get your number?” Tom asked you with a grin.

You couldn’t help but send him a very happy grin back and you said, “Course you can”

At this point everyone on the table was deadly silent and all looking at the interaction between you and Tom. However, your eyes were fixed on him, so you didn’t even see the boys faces mask into curiosity and you didn’t see the anger that came to Matty’s face.

“We could go out for drinks or something if you want?” Tom asked confidently as you put your number in his phone and you loved it.

His confidence to come up to you in front of this group of people in particular was very attractive to you. Not many guys would ask a girl that in front of anyone, let alone a table full of her friends.

“I’d love that” You told him with a grin as you handed him his phone back, leaving the contact up.

“Awesome” He smiled brushing hands with yours as you gave it him.

“Oh, I thought of that line by the way…” Tom added, and you smiled brightly.

“Go on then” You said not being able to contain your smile. 

You definitely looked like the Cheshire cat you’d been smiling so much now.

“Okay, so I might not go down in history for being the guy with the best pick up lines, but I’ll go down on you” Tom flirts with a cheeky grin and a wink.

At that you let out a choked breath as your jaw practically dropped to the ground. You heard a gasp from the table and a few chuckles from the guys around you, but you couldn’t take your eyes off Tom.

“Holy shit, please do” You gasped before you could stop yourself. 

You felt hot and flustered and you literally wanted him to take you home there and then.

Tom let out a laugh at your reaction and chucked, “I’ll see you soon Y/N”

“I really hope so” You shouted back to him as he’d turned around to leave. 

You saw him turn back and smile at you and you couldn’t stop grinning.

You bit your lip as you watched him leave, admiring your view and you forgot where you were for a split second. You felt that your cheeks were hot, and you wanted to squeal.

You turned to look at the table and you put a hand over your mouth. You said through your fingers, “I’ve never been so turned on in my life” and the girls laughed at you when you said that.

Your jaw was still on the floor. You bit your lip to try and get a bit of self-respect back.

Jess laughed, “Go Y/N, he’s fucking fit”

“I know” You grinned at her and bit your tongue.

Ross let out a laugh and nudged you “You’ve gone all flustered”

You put your hands to your face still smiling trying to hide your embarrassment.

 “Ahh stop it” You chuckled and started fanning your face with your hands.

“He’s not that fit” Matty states and you sent him a look of disbelief. 

Tom was the best-looking guy you’d seen in Wilmslow for a long time.  

“He is” Charlotte corrects him, looking to Matty like he was stupid.

Matty shook his head. He was having none of it.

 “Nah. He looks like Ross”

“Yeah… And Ross is fucking fit” You said without a glimmer of hesitation.

Matty shook his head at you not believing you. “And when have you ever said that?” He asked pulling a face.

“Not that I’d tell you about, it but I’ve said you were all fit for years” You said shaking your head at him like he was stupid.

“But not George... George is my brother” You said before grinning at him.

Jess started giggling at that and George shook his head at you. “It’s lucky you finished that sentence, or you’d be getting a slap” He said, and you sent him a dirty look.

“You could try and slap me Hun. Ask dickhead Adam how one of my slaps feel and let me know if you want one” You said remembering Steve’s party.

After that though, you turned to Ross and saw a shocked expression, so you giggled. “Yeah. Sorry to just spring that on you” 

“It’s alright, this is just new information” Ross chuckled still looking slightly confused.

“Yeah I should have caught you before you came to Leeds and I set you up with Ava” You said with a hint of disappointment.

“Sorry Y/N/N, you should have said earlier” Ross smiled throwing an arm around you and hugging you towards him.

“If you’d said that line to me Ross, I’d have been begging at your feet” You chuckle,d not even lying.

“Well at least I know for next time” He joked, and you laughed.

“Ah it’s okay. I’ll have to just give Ross two-point O a go” You said with a grin.

After that you stayed for probably another half an hour until you had to head home. They all politely said their goodbyes and then Jess told you to let her know if the fitty (Tom) messaged you.

You started laughing about the whole situation again and joked, “I’ll let you know if he’s good in bed when I eventually get around to that”

This caused Jess and Charlotte to laugh but George choked on his drink and Ross and Adam looked mortified that you’d just said that. Matty looked moody which wasn’t really a change when the subject came to Tom.

Each time one of the girls brought him up he would try and move away from the subject or he sat there with a moody face.

“Y/N, you’re fucking disgusting” George told you after he stopped coughing.

“Awh George. You really think that girls don’t have the same disgusting chat you guys do about sex. That’s so cute” You said before ruffling his hair.

“I’ll see you guys soon” You said to the boys and then said to Jess, “And I’ll let you know all the dirty details over text because poor George obviously hasn’t had sex before and doesn’t want to hear about it”

George flipped you off as Jess started laughing saying how she couldn’t wait. You laugh and say “Cya” before leaving and heading home.

You had to go home and make sure your house was tidy because your mum had been gone for a week and was coming back later on that night. You’d got used to just tidying at your own pace back in Leeds, but your Mum didn’t go by the same standards.

She was only back to sleep tonight because in the morning she was being flown out somewhere for work, so you’d have the house to yourself again for the rest of the week. You guessed she just wanted to check in before going away again.

Once you got the house tidy, you decided that you would be spending the evening in bed. You’d not had a movie night in months and decided to treat yourself to doing nothing and just have a chilled night in.

Your mum had texted you saying that she would probably get in around 2:30am at which point you would probably have fallen asleep watching your films. She also let you know that she would be leaving around 8am and you told her honestly that you weren’t getting up to see her off.

You knew she wouldn’t mind; you were on your own most of the time now a days. It just gave you more incentive to find a relationship. Someone you could share your time with and not be alone 24/7.

The movie night started off with you watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as it was one of the old films that you really enjoyed watching now and again. After that you decided to put on American Pie as that was another classic film that everybody enjoyed watching.

You got about halfway through watching that when your doorbell rang. You pulled a face and paused the film. You hadn’t planned on Y/B/F, Caroline or Alisha coming around and they were the only friends you had so you were beyond confused at who was at your door.

Knowing your luck, it would probably your fucking annoying neighbours asking you to turn your TV down. However, it wasn’t them. It was someone you definitely weren’t expecting, and you were beyond confused as to why they were stood on your doorstep.

“Why are you here?” You asked sceptically when you answered the door.

Matty pushed past you into your house and turned back to you. 

“Can’t I just come and see a friend?” Matty asked with an innocent smile which you knew was fake.

“You could if I knew that’s what your intentions were, but I know you better than that... Get out” You tell him in a flat tone.

“Y/N like you said I’m seeing Charlotte, I’m just here to catch up with my friend” Matty said and you thought about it for a good second.

“Try anything and you will be thrown out” You warn closing your door and heading back upstairs to your room. “I’m watching films so do not interrupt please” 

You were halfway through the movie and you didn’t mind him joining you, as long as he wasn’t going to distract you from it. You loved American Pie and you hadn’t seen it for ages, so you actually wanted to watch it properly.

You heard him climb up the stair after you and once you’d entered your room you sat back down on your double bed. You didn’t wait for Matty to enter your room to un-pause your film you carried on as if he wasn’t there.

You saw from your peripheral vision as he closed the door behind him, and he dumped his jacket over the chair in your room. After that he sat down next to you on your bed and you continued to watch the end of the film.

You didn’t really talk to each other as the film ended. Matty didn’t need to ask what it was because he’s seen the film a thousand times. Everyone on earth had seen American Pie. It was such a good film; it was so funny.

At the sex scene part of the film you felt uncomfortable with Matty sat next to you. You really had expected him to make a move on you during that part of the film and you were pleasantly surprised when he just laughed along at the jokes.

When that one finished, you got up and looked at your shelves full of DVD’s, trying to find another good one to watch. You’d been looking for a minute when you heard Matty come up behind you and start looking too.

“Can we watch Pulp Fiction?” Matty excitedly asked, pulling the DVD from your shelf. You looked at him and smiled shaking your head.

“You interrupted my movie night, remember?” You said taking the DVD off him and putting it back in its place.

Matty sighed from behind you and pushed your shoulder before taking a seat at the end of your bed. You chuckled at his disappointment and carried on looking for another film.

“You better choose something good” Matty warns, watching you look at your shelves.

“I don’t own any bad films Matthew” You scold him.

“Well I can see The Notebook there, so you obviously do” Matty rolls his eyes and you let out an annoyed sigh.

“The Notebook is a great film, fuck off” You shake your head, still searching for a film.

Your eyes glanced across your shelves until a film that you hadn’t seen for ages stood out to you. You pulled it off the shelf and quickly headed over to the DVD player before Matty started complaining.

“What are you putting in there?” Matty asked you seriously as he watched you slot the DVD into the player.

You let out a laugh, “That’s what she said”

Your Y/E/C eyes connected to Matty’s brown ones and you could see the humour in them as he shook his head at you.

“Aren’t you meant to be twenty-two now? Very childish of you to still make those jokes” Matty tries to scorn you but the smile on his face told you that you’d actually made him laugh.

“Like you don’t make rude jokes” You chuckled, rolling your eyes at him.

“Have you seen this before?” You asked Matty curiously.

“You didn’t tell me what you put on” He said standing up to come and sit back down next to you.

“Stardust” You told him and clicked the ‘play movie’ button when the home screen came up.

You looked to Matty for an answer and he released a sigh, “Yeah it’s not too bad”

“It’s a great film” You confirmed, your eyes travelling back to the screen.

You both watched that film and chatted to each other throughout it. You found him quite fun to be around during a movie. He didn’t chat the whole way through, he just made the odd comment about a scene and you spoke about it for a minute or so before your attention returned to the film.

At one point you were both talking about how the two main characters were really attractive. You thought that Charlie Cox looked amazing in the film especially when he got the long hair and you did think that Claire Danes was really pretty, so you agreed with Matty on that one.

“Imagine being paid to kiss him. I wanna be an actress” You said just after the film finished and you were putting the DVD back in its box.

“What purely to kiss the guy?” Matty asked you with an amused grin.

“Hell yeah. I’d do it for free if I got to kiss him though” You chuckled. You actually would Charlie Cox was fit as fuck.

“Has that guy texted you yet?” Matty asked you curiously.

You smiled at that question, “Is that the only reason why you’ve come round? To check up on me?” You asked him, knowing full well that even if it was true, he would deny it.

“No” Matty bites back almost immediately.

“Just wondered” He added after a second, and he surprises you by adding, “He seemed to be very forward with you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright” 

“I can handle myself Matty. You of all people should know that” You said as you picked up the first Pirates of the Caribbean film.

“But thanks for caring” You added, not wanting to sound bitchy.

Once the DVD had started playing you sat yourself down next to Matty again saying, “To answer your question, no he hasn’t messaged yet. But I really hope he does”

“Why? He was a creep” Matty scolds.

“He wasn’t” You shook your head at him, defending Tom. You thought he was cute and funny.

“Oh yeah, the first thing he says to you is that he’d gunna go down on you and that's not the creepiest thing that's ever happened to you” Matty recited to you like you were stupid.

You shook your head looking at him. “That wasn’t the first thing he said to me. You weren’t there when I met him” You told him, and you just smiled when you saw Matty shaking his head and rolling his eyes at you.

“Whatever, you’re telling me if I came up to you back in December and said ‘I’ll go down on you’ you would have said yes? You would have slapped me harder than you slapped that dickhead” Matty said and you couldn’t help but giggle at how angry he was.

“Matty if you’d have said that line to me, I’d have let you do it in the bath in front of Y/B/F and probably in front of everyone else downstairs too” You told him honestly. 

You still couldn’t get over how hot Tom’s line was.

“You’d let me lick you out in front of all our friends? Y/N, you kinky bitch” Matty smirked, before making a V with his fingers and playfully darting his tongue out.

“Fuck off” You laughed, nudging him and trying to get the thought of him doing that to you out of your head. You’d almost forgot he’d done it to someone else previously that day.

After that, you played the film and you forgot how much you enjoyed watching Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp in the same film. Matty seemed to be enjoying himself to and he made himself at home when he opened the sealed can of Dr Pepper that was on your bedside table.

You’d quite enjoyed your evening so far. Matty was surprisingly okay with you and you were both acting how you and your best friend did when you were bored. You had films on and chatted pure shit about random things that came to your heads during the boring bits.

You were having a really nice night in with him and he seemed to be enjoying your company too.

When you got halfway through Curse of the Black Pearl, your stomach started rumbling and you asked Matty if he wanted something to eat. He of course said yes so you said “Come on then” gesturing for him to follow you downstairs to get the food.

Matty scoffed, “I’m a guest. Shouldn’t you be getting me everything”

“Get up now or you’re getting nothing” You told him, and he got himself up with a sigh.

“You’re a real bitch, you know?” He shakes his head, following you down the stairs.

You chuckled at the comment whilst nodding your head. You really were.

As you both walked into the kitchen you heard Matty start humming the tune to the song American Pie and you smiled. You turned back to him and started singing along with him when it came to the chorus. 

“So bye bye, Miss American Pie…” You started but Matty stopped humming to it and smiled at you.

“I was hoping you’d know that song”

“Everyone knows that song” You told him, before adding, “It’s one of them songs I always want to dance to” 

You smiled at the brunette before turning towards the fridge and opening it to see if there were any treats inside.

“Come on then” You heard Matty say before he started singing the song himself. You felt his hand grasp yours and pull you too him as he sang, and he span you around.

You heard the fridge close as Matty made you dance around the kitchen with him and he made you giggle when he twirled you around again. You were both shuffling around your kitchen stupidly dancing as Matty sang you the chorus of the song.

You let out a loud laugh when he finished the chorus off and laughed into his shoulder. 

“That was funny” You murmured to him with a grin on your face. You never imagined dancing in your kitchen with anyone let alone Matty.

“Told you. Imma be a Rockstar and sing you that song on stage one day”

You rolled your eyes at that, “Don’t be silly. Your too self-absorbed to sing anyone else’s songs but your own”

Matty paused for a moment as if to give it some thought and then he nodded in agreement, “Yeah, you’re probably right”

“I know I’m right you don’t have to tell me” You chuckled.

“You are a fucking know it all, aren’t you?” Matty grinned as you put the song on your phone to listen to whilst you poured drinks for the both of you. 

You laughed nodding your head at him as you got some chocolate out of the fridge as well. You both started singing along to the song and Matty again started pulling you to him to dance. 

His hands held your and you moved together like you were 5 years old having to dance with someone you didn’t want to dance with. You did though it was quite a funny experience. He was just as bad at dancing as you.

“How are you doing that?” You asked in giggles looking down at his feet. 

He kept doing some weird moves that reminded you of Michael Jackson. Damn the boy had some moves.

“It’s dead easy” Matty chuckled repeating his movements and you just started giggling at how stupid he looked.

He made you try and do it as well, but you tripped over your own feet and out of embarrassment you hid your face in his chest. You were a giggling mess and you couldn’t stop laughing.

Matty was chuckling as well and you felt him put a hand on the back of your neck and he half hugged you with his other arm that was now around resting on your back.

When you felt him pull slightly on your hair you looked up at him still in giggles as you knew he wanted your attention. However, when you looked up at him his soft lips were on yours.

It was the most out of the blue kiss in the world. And that fact that it happened as you were overcome by laughter made your mind hazy. Like you couldn’t think for a solid minute.

You didn’t stop the kiss from happening when you really should have. It wasn’t like it had been before. It was a soft kiss that wasn’t rushed at all. You could feel the passion behind it.

It felt amazing and he almost made you forget about the events that had happened previously that day. Especially when he manoeuvred you, so you were sat on the kitchen counter with him in between your legs.

Your arms went around his neck to keep him there but as his tongue entered your mouth your sensed quickly returned back to you.

You pulled away from him and pushed him back slightly. 

“No” You shake your head.

“Yes baby” Matty softly encourages, before trying to kiss you again. 

His lips did catch yours once more and you were almost willing to break your rule. But you couldn’t.

You pushed him away again and held onto his shoulders to keep him back. You shake your head as you deny him, “No Matty” 

Matty looked at you with disappoint clear on his face as you continue, “If you think we’re doing this again, you can keep dreaming”

“I’m not being someone’s second best again” You told him, running a hand through your hair.

“What are you on about?” He asked looking at you curiously now, his hands now resting on your thighs.

“I could hear you going down on Charlotte in the bathroom like six hours ago. I’m not being the one you cheat on her with.” You told him.

“Y/N it’s not that deep. It’s only sex” Matty attempted but you shook your head.

“I don’t care. I’m not being that girl again” You told him honestly and you see something click in Matty’s head. 

You’d almost forgot that he saw you have a go at Kyle for using you to cheat on his girlfriend, but at least Matty would understand.

“Now” You started, jumping off the counter and opened the cupboard up and saw the large box of crips.

“What flavour crisps do you want?” You asked him routing to find yourself your favourite flavour.

When he didn’t reply you looked towards him and he was looking down at you with furrowed eyebrows. You sent a questioning look his way and he kept the same face.

“You’re not gunna chuck me out?” Matty asked, gesturing to the door looking confused.

“Believe it or not I was having a nice night with my friend. And I’d like to get back to the film” You smile, picking up your own crisps.

You glanced back to him and he was looking at you in disbelief. 

“What flavour do you want?” You asked again and that finally seemed to take Matty out of his trance.



“Cheese and Onion please” Matty told you and you quickly found one to throw at him.

He chuckled as he caught them, and you shut the cupboard door and headed back upstairs with your snacks in hand. After that you both ended up ordering a Dominos because you were both starving.

Once that came, you ate like pigs who hadn’t been fed for days. You put it down to the alcohol that you’d consumed earlier in the day because somehow every time you had a drink you always wanted fatty foods afterwards.

You ordered a large pizza each which you both devoured. You’d been having a really good night and whilst you were eating, you’d put on the other Pirates of the Caribbean films. Partly because they were masterpieces and funny. And partly because it was easier to stick to one franchise of films on a movie night.

By the third film it was getting late and your eyes had started to close slowly. Before you knew it, you’d fallen asleep and your head had dropped down onto Matty’s shoulder because you were sat up next to him. You didn’t do it on purpose it was just the way you’d fallen asleep.

Matty froze for a second. No one had fallen asleep on his shoulder before besides Louis when he was really young. He forgot what he was meant to do. He didn’t know whether to wake you up or just let you sleep.

After a small panic, he decided to let you sleep and tried to remain deadly still, so he didn’t wake you up. But before long Matty’s eyes started closing to and his head ended up resting against yours.

And that sleep was the most peaceful one Matty had had in a long long while.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Taglist: @the-girl-before @dot-writes @lololovestaylor @murderousginger @peachquestions @siwiecola @nostalgic1975 @fairyyyfloss @theycallmenefi @colette2194 @maroonmolly @sexycleopatra @mrsprescott @fullmoonremus @whenthe-smokeisinyoureyes

[darley1101]

February Run Down

I had an anonymous request for which February requests I will be writing for and could I offer a glimpse for each one. If you would like to be tagged in any or all of these please let me know via comment, ask, or message.  And if you would like a run down of what to expect in March let me know. 

Love At First Sight

Untitled: A late night conversation in the world's tallest building leads to surprising confessions. (Combined with a request from @laniquelovesworld for 'things you said when we were on top of the world) Bloodbound Adrian x Annabel/MC

Perfect Date

Baked With Love: How does one plan the perfect date for the perfect woman? That is the dilema Phoebe finds herself faced with as her girlfriend Hana's birthday approaches. (requested by! @kennaxval) The Royal Romance Hana x Phoebe/MC

Starring Role: Jameson wants to believe Adam is sincere when he says he has feelings for her but everything else about the world they live in is so fake can she trust him? (requested by @begging-for-kamilah)

First Kiss

Goodbye Is Not Forever: With Zig about to leave for Japan will Aaron finally act on his feelings? (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) The Senior Aaron x Zig

Love Letters

Owner of My Heart: Liam and Karin make a startling discovery that leaves Liam feeling closer to the mother he barely knew. (requested by @bobasheebaby) The Royal Romance Liam x Karin/MC

Wedding

The Persistent Bridesmaid: Beckett invites Tatiana to his cousin's wedding, which leads to a discussion about the future. (requested by @blackcatkita) The Elementalist Beckett x Tatiana/MC

Our Song

A Moment: In an effort to grasp of a moment of normal Parker asks Katarina to dance when a certain song comes on. (requested by @hellospunkiebrewster) It Lives Beneath Parker x Katarina

Crush

Just Admit It: When Shreya tries to point out the obvious to Tatiana, Tatiana turns the tables. (requested by (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) The Elementalist Beckett x Tatiana with mention of Griffin x Shreya

Flight Risk: Bailey's never been one to take a risk. Play it safe is her motto. Will a certain pilot have her throwing caution to the wind? (requested by @brightpinkpeppercorn) Endless Summer Jake x Bailey/MC

Thinking Of You: Aaron can't stop thinking about Zig. (requested by @queerchoicesblog) The Senior Aaron x Zig

Long Distance Relationship

Forever And A Day: Saying goodbye is one of the hardest things a person can do when they're in love. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) Desire and Decorum Chambers x Konevi

Meant to be

May I Have This Dance Aria is on the verge of having her mother pick her up early for Christmas break when Zack asks her to be his date to the Winter Formal. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) The Freshmen Chris x Aria/MC

Lovers Reunite

Owner of a Lonely Heart: Morgan knew going to Boston was a mistake but she also knew there was no going back, not after the way she left things with Sawyer. Will an unexpected visitor change her mind? (requested by @blackcatkita) Big Sky Country Sawyer x Morgan/F!MC

Breaking Out of The Friendzone

I Choose You, Maxwell Beaumont: Riley finally admits her true feelings to Maxwell. Does he feel the same or is she just a friend? (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) The Royal Romance Maxwell x Riley/MC

Intense: After breaking up with Becca, the last thing Chris expected was for Aria to friend zone him. Will she ever look at him the way she used to or has he screwed that up forever? (requested by @whendolphinscry) The Freshmen Chris x Aria/MC

Family

Bitter: When word reaches Theresa Sutton that Marlcaster was caught in a scandalous embrace with Rebecca the claws come out. (requested by @hellospunkiebrewster) Desire and Decorum Marlcaster x Rebecca/MC

Enemies to lovers

Flashbang: Adrenaline has Estela rushing into the arms of a man she used to think she hated. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) Endless Summer Estela x Taylor/M!MC

Forbidden Love

What The Heart Wants: Falling in love with a business partner goes against everything Serena believes in. Yet, she can't seem to help herself. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) The Heist: Monaco Fabien x Serena/F!MC

Unrequited Feelings

Handle With Care: When a co-worker develops scary level feelings for Becca, she turns to Zig for advice. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) The Senior Zig x Becca

“Let's grow old together.”

Untitled: An overheard proposal has Adrian and Annabel having their own conversation about the future. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) Bloodbound Adrian x Annabel

“Just shut up and kiss me already!”

Less Talk, More Action: Bailey is tired of Jake running his mouth so she issues an ultimatum. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) Endless Summer Jake x F!MC

“I can't keep my hands off you.”

My Heart Beats For You: Jealousy has sparks flying and admissions being made. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah and combined with an anonymous request for drama) Red Carpet Diaries Matt x Ashton/MC

“I don't care. You are my family now.”

Love Is Thicker Than Blood: The last thing Morgan expected when her car broke down was a family...yet that is exactly what she got. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) Big Sky Country Sawyer x Morgan

“Get a room, you two!”

Just Admit It: Drake and Olivia find themselves at odds trying to figure out how the other feels. (requested by @bobasheebaby) The Royal Romance Drake x Olivia

Jealous Judas: (Set in the Death and Decorum world) Briar lashes out when she sees the looks between Rebecca and Marlcaster. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah)

“It's three in the morning.” “I know, but I miss you.”

Stay: Loneliness has Katarina showing up at Parker's in the middle of the night. (requested by @brightpinkpeppercorn) It Lives Beneath Parker x Katarina/F!MC

“You said you loved me.” “I didn't mean for you to find out like this.”

Stalemate: Too good to pass up offers have Emily and Zig at a cross roads in their relationship. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah)

Unexpected Declarations: What started as revenge has become so much more. (requested by @sazanes) Desire and Decorum Marcaster x Rebecca

“Come back to bed.” “Make me.”

In The Midnight Hour: It was just sex. Two people fulfilling a need. At least that was what Serena told herself. (requested by @blackcatkita) The Heist Monaco Fabien x Serena/F!MC

“You make me a better person.”

Unexpected Love: The lights have faded. The cameras are off. Was it all just for show? Or did something real develop? (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) America's Most Eligible Derek x Kristen/F!MC

“Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?”

Untitled: Things get interesting when Damien gets hit on right in front of Ava. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) Perfect Match Damien x Ava/F!MC

Untitled: When a drunk cowboy hits on his teenage niece Morgan gets a peek at what sort of dad Sawyer would be. (requested by @alj4890) Big Sky Country Sawyer x Morgan/F!MC

Untitled: Serena isn't sure how to act or what to think when the team's new driver shows an interest in her. (requested by @blackcatkita) The Heist Monaco Fabien x Serena/F!MC

“To me, you're perfect.”

Approval: Another run in with her mother leaves Hana exhausted and questioning herself. Thankfull Phoebe is there to remind her how wonderful she really is. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) The Royal Romance Hana x Phoebe/MC

“I could kiss you right now.”

Baby Mine: When Olivia offers to assist Drake in taking care of his nephew she didn't realize it would stir up unexpected feelings. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) The Royal Romance Drake x Olivia

“Let me love you.”

Lady of His Heart: Sinclair makes an offer Lisette cannot refuse. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) Desire and Decorum Sinclair x Lisette/MC

“You're impossible!” “Isn't it why you love me?”

Saturday Mornings: If there is one thing Katarina loves...it is Saturday mornings with Parker! (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) It Lives Beneath Parker x Katarina

Flirtation: Silly teasing leads to a startling revelation. (requested by @drakewalkerfantasy) The Elementalist Beckett x Tatiana/F!MC

“You're something else.”

Unexpected Emotions: Lily comes to a complicated decision when Liam proposes. (requested by @begging-for-kamilah) The Royal Romance Drake x Lily/MC

Friendly Advice: When Becca sees Zig getting a little overbearing with his sister she decides to step in. (requested by @queerchoicesblog) The Senior Zig x Becca  

[choiceslife]

When Worlds Collide: Part Four (Limited Series)

  Disclaimer: Based upon characters in Choices - Endless Summer, It Lives in the Woods, The Royal Romance, #LoveHacks, Home for the Holidays, and The Elementalists series. All characters presented are the property of Pixelberry Studios. I claim no ownership. This story is purely the work of the poster as fanfiction. Overall Series Rating: 18+ Warnings: Adult Language, Adult Content, Sexual Discussions. Future chapters may contain SMUT and Gratuitous Sexual Descriptions Overall Series Summary: The sisters are together again and Ava Cunningham believes only they can help her. Author’s Note: This Limited Series is a companion/sequel to Divided By Circumstance. I suggest you at least read that series in order to understand this one. As with most of my stories, this is a crossover and is part of my interconnected Chromatic AU. My MC’s are as follows: Carrissa Monroe (TRR), Abby Bennett (#LH), Scarlett Joy (HFTH), Taylor Reed (ES), and Donovan Bailey (TE). Previous Chapters can be found in my Master List located in my header. Tag List: @cinnamonroll-duffy @darley1101 @brightpinkpeppercorn @debramcg1106 @regrettingnathan @katurrade @teamtomsato @luxurylives @akrenich @riseandshinelittleblossom @ladynonsense @kinkykingliam @jlouise88   @littlecrookedheart @i-choose-liam@tmarie82 @bobasheebaby @boneandfur @europeanguy @walkerismychoice @pixieferry @sstee1 @endlessly-searching-for-you @eileendannie @imogen-wescott

*** Westchester, Oregon - Many Years Ago Not many people came to visit the old lady in the woods. Just the way Cora Pritchard preferred. The last time she had company, her visitor had traveled from relatively nearby Pine Springs for some advice. But that was some time ago. The new guest she was expecting would be coming from much further away and would be in a much more dire situation.

The young, and very pregnant, brunette arrived at Cora’s door late one night, knowing the elderly woman was the only person that could help keep her unborn daughters stay safe. She knew after her first trimester that something was different about the pregnancy. Her coven wasn’t sure what to make of her complications, so she made her way across the country to find Cora. Members of her coven had always held Cora in high regard as one of the most powerful witches in the country. If anyone could help, it would be Cora Pritchard. As the last few months of Anastasia Freeman’s pregnancy progressed, Cora tended to her needs as best as an old woman could, especially with limited resources. Anastasia appreciated it all. She knew Cora had modest means, but her willingness to help a stranger be as comfortable as possible during the final days of her life was truly a blessing. “Cora,” Anastasia called with shallow breath. “It’s almost time.” Cora gripped the young woman’s hand tightly. “Are you sure this is what you want my dear? There is still time to get to a hospital.” “No. We can’t. They’ll ask questions. It will get back to my children’s father and he can never know they exist.” Anastasia cried out as her contractions began to intensify. “He’s hell-bent on power and if he knew that his mistress bore children with such gifts; he’d exploit them. I want my daughters to grow up with a normal childhood Cora. Promise me you’ll do as we discussed. Promise me that Adam Vega will never know of his daughters.” “I promise you Anastasia. Your secret is safe with me. Your daughters will never end up under Vega’s control.” Years had long passed since Cora performed a binding spell, but back then it was to reign in a rebellious young witch who didn’t realize the honor it was to possess such magical powers. This binding spell was much different; much stronger. The three infant subjects had no idea their birth was a once in a millennia event that could unleash a power struggle between good and evil that would decimate the planet. Cora intended to keep their births unknown per Anastasia’s final wish. There would be groups on both sides searching for the trio of sisters, but Cora would do everything in her power to keep them protected from harm. Cora successfully bound the powers the infants possessed, but the massive spell drained most of her energy. Recuperation took several days, yet she still managed to tend to the trio of babies left to her charge. After a few day of caring for the newborns and a private burial ceremony for Anastasia, Cora prepared the sisters to be taken to their new homes. The incantation she used would allow her to always know their locations should the need ever arise where Cora had to undo the spell and unleash the sisters’ powers. For most of their childhoods, things went smoothly for Abby and Scarlett. They were both raised in loving family units. Carissa’s situation, however, was unexpected. The young couple Cora had selected to raise Carissa ended up divorcing a few weeks after the she was placed with them. Rather than contacting Cora, the couple abandoned the baby at a local hospital. Cora debated finding baby Carissa a new home, but didn’t want to raise suspicions with any entities or groups seeking the power of the sisters. So she left the baby in the care of the state. As the years passed, Cora monitored from afar. Only once did she have to interact in the lives of all three to avert the sister’s discovering each other. The trio had all been drawn to New York City in their early 20’s. For Cora, it made her realize just how strong their bonds were to one another. The three unknown sisters lived within a few blocks of one another and it would only be a matter of time until fate brought them together. Until Cora changed all that from happening. San Francisco, California “We are never going to find a writer worthy of what we’ve established here.” Martin thrust his fists against the glass conference table, tired and annoyed at looking through countless résumés. “ClickIt is at the top of its game TJ and we can’t just accept anyone. We need someone with quality and a thirst to get ahead of the trends.” “You’re so right bro. They should also be hot.” Before TJ could continue, a knock at the conference room door interrupted his train of thought, which no doubt would have continued down the path of wanting a writer for their physical attributes. “What?” The elderly secretary from the Temp Agency shuffled her way inside. She was friendly enough, but something in her scared TJ to his core. “I’m sorry to interrupt gentlemen,” she began, “it seems that this one résumé was previously misplaced.” She dropped the document off in front of Martin before making her way back to the door. “I think you’ll agree that this woman would be the best candidate for the company.” Martin quickly glanced through the woman’s qualifications and liked what he saw. “Thank you Cora,” he said, but she was already gone. It would be the last time Martin or TJ ever saw the elderly woman. “Abby Bennett huh?” TJ remarked after snatching the résumé from Martin’s hands. “She is definitely qualified. And she sounds like a hottie. Let’s hire her and be done with this nonsense.” New York City, New York Three dates with the reclusive billionaire and Abby couldn’t believe just how wrong she had been about him. She had imagined that Adrian Raines was like every other rich guy she ever met: Arrogant. Selfish. Philanderer. After getting to know him, however, Abby realized Adrian was nothing like the others. As an interview subject, he was rather boring; but the dates were a very different story. Abby snuggled her back close to Adrian’s firm chest as he wrapped his strong arms around her midsection. She was absolutely floored at how ridiculously muscular Adrian was beneath his expensive Italian suit, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. And the sex - goodness was the sex incredible. Abby couldn’t believe that someone so young could perform as if he had a lifetime of experience. Adrian brushed a strand of hair from Abby’s neck as he placed a gentle kiss to her collarbone. “I can’t believe that just happened. I usually don’t move to intimacy so quickly, but something about you Abby just drew me into your grasp.” “Squats. I do squats like you wouldn’t believe. Never underestimate the power of a nice booty,” Abby joked as she turned into Adrian’s embrace. She ran her fingers up his washboard abs, eliciting a soft moan from her lover. “You clearly know the benefits of going to the gym as well.” Abby pressed her lips to Adrian’s while pushing him onto his back. She straddled his waist, raking her fingers down his taut chest, ready to go for another round when her cell phone blared with an incoming call. She glanced at the number, immediately recognizing the San Francisco area code, and promptly rolled off Adrian. “Sorry. I’ve been expecting this call and need to take it.” Several minutes passed and Adrian propped his body up on his elbow while still lying in bed as he watched Abby pace his penthouse master bedroom. Adrian could tell she was excited, but was actively working to contain that emotion from coming through in her voice. “Seems like you’ve got some good news,” he commented when she hung up her phone. “I’ve been offered a position as a Featured Contributor with ClickIt in San Francisco,” Abby squealed as she jumped back onto Adrian’s bed. She shoved him onto his back once again and re-straddled his lap. “I’ve wanted this job for months. I can finally work at a place that is solely focused on digital media, unlike the frickin’ Manhattan Daily which keeps stifling my attempts to expand their digital footprint with an app.” “San Francisco huh? I’m happy for you, but I won’t lie. I was hoping to get to know you better.” “Oh Adrian. I’m sorry. I wasn’t really looking for anything serious. I figured we were just having some fun.” Abby pressed her hips down tightly on Adrian’s waist, slightly gyrating until she felt his manhood respond. “You’re a fantastic guy and one day you’ll make some lucky lady very happy.” Abby kept grinding into Adrian as she leaned forward and kissed his soft lips once again. “Until then, we’ve got the rest of tonight to have a good time and I think you should give me a proper send off.” Adrian rolled Abby over and positioned himself above her. “With pleasure,” he whispered as he slowly pressed inside Abby’s core for the second time that night. ___ “I wish you didn’t have to go through with this Liam. Just tell Leo to take it back.” Drake nudged his head tighter into the crook of Liam’s shoulder. His hand draped across his best friend’s bare chest. Drake lightly massaged one of Liam’s nipples into a hardened peak as his mind came to the realization that this could very well be the last time he got to cuddle in his lover’s arms. “I hate him for doing this to you. To us.” Liam understood Drake’s pain. For as long as he knew what it meant to love, Liam always believed that he would be with Drake. However, all of that changed when Leo abdicated the throne. As progressive a country Cordonia was, Liam knew that his time with Drake was over. While the people of his kingdom may accept a Prince Consort, the laws were still deeply archaic and required him to produce a natural-born heir to the throne lest the reign of the Rys family come to an end. Liam knew he had to put his country before his own needs. “You don’t hate him Drake. As much as it pains me that I can no longer be with you, we both know that this is what is best for Cordonia. I love Leo, but can you imagine him running a country?” Drake chuckled at the thought before rolling on top of Liam, pressing his chest tightly to his best friend’s firm body. “All I want to think about his going down on you one last time.” Drake slipped beneath the covers, about to pleasure Liam, when the bedroom door flew open. He felt his best friend immediately tense up at the intrusion and once he heard the voice, he knew why. “What are you still doing in bed Liam? I have a night of fun planned. Tariq and I are downstairs waiting,” Maxwell said with ferocious energy as he plopped himself down on the bed beside Liam. “Do you know where Drake is? He wasn’t in his room. I checked.” “Not a clue. How did you get in here? The door was locked.” Liam made sure not to pull the covers too tight so Drake would not be revealed hiding beneath. “I had keys made to everyone’s room. How else am I to give my patented Beaumont morning greetings?” Maxwell sprung from the bed and was back by the door in an instant. “Anyway Liam, hurry up and get dressed. I’m gonna search for Drake. See you downstairs.” The energetic young Beaumont disappeared as quickly as he arrived. Liam peeled back the covers to reveal a startled Drake looking up at him. “Well that kinda killed the mood.” “Yup.” Downstairs, Maxwell found Tariq waiting in the lobby without Drake. Lord Beaumont had checked his room a second time after leaving Liam’s, but it was still empty. “Still no sign of him Tariq.” Maxwell was simply met with a knowing smirk from the nobleman. “He’s gonna miss out on all the fun.” Maxwell began to rattle off all of the places he planned for the group to experience tonight, when a gentle hand tapped him on the shoulder. “Yes?” He questioned spinning around to see a frail looking old woman. “I’m sorry to interrupt young man, but I couldn’t help overhearing your plans for the evening. With your exciting agenda, you’re going to work up quite the appetite. There is a quaint bar not too far from here that has the best burgers in the city. Ones that will change your life.” “Ooooooh. That sounds yummy!” “Indeed they are. And if you go, I hope that you get Carissa as your server. She is a bright flower in this concrete jungle waiting to bloom.” “Like a little blossom?” Maxwell questioned. “Exactly my dear.” “This is awesome. Thank you Miss...?” “Cora.” “Thank you Miss Cora.” Maxwell took the elderly woman’s hand and kissed it gently, when he spotted Liam and Drake step off the elevator and into the lobby. He excused himself from his new friend to greet the King-to-be and Drake. “It’s about time! We are gonna have so much fun. And this sweet old woman just gave me a lead on a fantastic place for burgers later.” “What old woman?” Drake questioned. Maxwell turned to see that Cora was no longer where he left her. “But she was just...?” A look of confusion crossed his face as he craned his neck around the lobby to no avail. “Tariq? You saw her right?” Tariq shook his head not even looking up from his phone, no doubt swiping to find a hook-up for the night. “Right. Well shall we go?” Liam asked ready to get the group focused on having a good time for his bachelor party. “I’m looking forward to having a great night out with friends. And we will definitely be going to grab those burgers later because I’ve been craving one ever since we landed in America.” ___ The following morning, Cora Pritchard found herself sitting on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs situated on either side of the worn brown door belonging to the office of Damien Nazario, Private Investigator. The building was rather rundown, borderline squalor, but no more decrepit than the shack she called home. Several moments passed before the attractive former police officer arrived. His dark hair was matted to his head and his body covered in a fine layer of sweat. If Cora had to venture a guess, she must have caught him after his morning run, before he went for his usual morning coffee with his friend Kyle. “Good morning ma’am,” Damien said with a smile as he grabbed his office key from his pocket to unlock the door. It was quite unusual for him to have someone waiting for him so early in the morning since he tended not to open for business until well after 10am. Hell, even then it was unusual for him to have a walk-in client. Most of his business operated on referrals. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long. I usually don’t open for another three hours.” “Oh that’s quite alright Mr. Nazario,” Cora said with a grandmotherly smile as she followed the fit investigator into his office. The place was an average size and, much to Cora’s surprise, was fairly well organized. Several pictures of him with a pair of people, who appeared related, adorned the walls. More pictures with the same people were in frames on Damien’s desk. “I won’t take up much of your time.” Cora took a seat across from where Damien usually sat when meeting with clients, nonchalantly swiping the closet framed photo to take a look. “A Ms. Scarlett Joy had applied for a Junior Editor position with Piquant Press recently and we wanted to schedule an interview for her with the Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Peralta. I’m afraid the phone number she provided is incorrect, so we weren’t able to reach her. She listed your office as the most recent place of employment so I thought I’d stop by to set up the interview.” A brief look of disappointment washed over Damien. He was looking forward to catching another case since he could use the money. “Oh I see,” he replied fumbling around his office looking for a spare shirt to cover himself. Unable to locate one quickly, Damien took a seat across from Cora. “I’m sorry ma’am. I don’t usually have conversations with people dressed like this,” he said motioning to himself. “Or undressed like this,” Cora joked. “But it’s quite alright Mr. Nazario. I’ve seen plenty of shirtless men in my time, although few as remarkable looking as you.” A chuckle escaped Damien’s throat as his face blushed slightly. “Well, thank you,” he replied caught off guard by the old woman’s remark. Cora could sense he was a little flustered by her comment. “I’m old Mr. Nazario. Not dead,” she laughed. “Your boyfriend here is a lucky man.” Cora placed the picture of Damien with his arm wrapped around a young man’s shoulder, both smiling brightly, back onto his desk. “Who? Kyle?” Damien stammered. “No, no. Kyle is my best friend. He and his cousin, Nadia, are in fact. I’m actually dating Scarlett.” “My apologies Mr. Nazario,” Cora said as she stood from her seat. “Well if you could have Ms. Joy call Mr. Peralta’s office so that her interview can be scheduled, it would be greatly appreciated.” “Not a problem.” “Thank you for your time. And again, I’m sorry for my confusion.” “It’s quite alright,” Damien said standing behind his desk as Cora made her way towards the door. “Can I ask you a quick question though?” Cora stopped and looked back towards the investigator. “Why did you think Kyle was my boyfriend?” “All of the pictures in your office feature you and him. You both look very happy together in them.” Cora watched as Damien glanced around looking at all of the photos. She could tell that he was taking in her words. “Life is short Mr. Nazario. Don’t be afraid to follow your heart or chase your dreams. I hope that you’ll encourage Ms. Joy to follow her dreams as well. I have a very strong feeling that she will do well on this interview. Piquant Press would be fortunate to have a woman with her talents.” With a final nod to Damien, Cora exited the office. Westchester, Oregon Minutes after speaking with Damien, Cora collapsed down into an overstuffed chair in her living room. Her body wasn’t used to astral projection, let alone doing it three times in repeating days. She needed time to rest and recover, but she hoped that her efforts to keep the sisters apart and safe proved fruitful. *** (To be continued)

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 27/02/2021 (Ariana Grande, Digga D, Ella Henderson & Tom Grennan)

I like how on the UK Singles Chart, even if it’s kind of a slow week, we still have nine new arrivals to get through. Joy, let’s just start with the rundown. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS.

Rundown

As you’d expect, a lot of the debuts from last week were pretty flimsy on the UK Top 75, the range I cover on the singles chart, and hence a lot of it’s gone, including all of the slowthai songs, even “CANCELLED” with Skepta which reached the top 40. Another big top 40 debut that’s disappeared is, again as you’d expect, “UK Hun?” by the United Kingdolls. We do have three pretty big drop-outs though: “No Time for Tears” by Nathan Dawe and Little Mix, ”Really Love” by KSI featuring Craig David and the Digital Farm Animals and finally, “See Nobody” by Wes Nelson and Hardy Caprio. It seems that finally we’re making some room for the Spring hits to come tunnelling in by next month. That also shows in our notable fallers, as we have “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and remixed by DaBaby at #37, “Whoopty” by CJ at #39, Taylor Swift’s re-recorded “Love Story” plummeting off of the debut to #41, Fredo’s album bomb continuing to linger as “Ready” with Summer Walker and “Burner on Deck” with the late Pop Smoke and Young Adz are down to #44 and #64 respectively, “you broke me first” by Tate McRae at #47, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at #50, “Siberia” by Headie One featuring Burna Boy off of the debut to #58, “willow” by Taylor Swift at #59 (Not a good week for Taylor), “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran at #69 (The bigger question should be why it’s here at all), “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper at #71 and “Apricots” by Bicep at #73. For our gains, well, it’s pretty weird trying to find our replacements for all of this, as we have “Mr. Brightside” by the Killers back to #68 as it takes advantage of a slower week, “Roses” by SAINt JHN and remixed by Imanbek having a weird second wind at #60 – and the same goes with “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles gaining big for some reason up to #46. Otherwise, we do have some genuine rising hits in the top half of the chart, like “Mixed Emotions” by Abra Cadabra at #45 off of the debut, “Regardless” by RAYE and Rudimental at #43, “Astronaut in the Ocean” by Masked Wolf at #35 (Because I guess since Logic’s retired, people are looking to Australia for a half-baked replacement), “Believe Me” by Navos at #33, “Little Bit of Love” by Tom Grennan at #32... Okay, if we’re going to give rising artists their first top 40 hit, why is it these guys and not Kali Uchis? Though I have a feeling we’ll talk about her next week. Anyway, our other notable gains are “Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)” by Jason Derulo and Nuka at #31, “Arcade” by Duncan Laurence and FLETCHER at #29, “My Head & My Heart” by Ava Max at #25, funnily right next to Joel Corry’s “Head & Heart”, “Commitment Issues” by Central Cee at #18, “Up” by Cardi B at #17, “Your Love (9PM)” by ATB, Topic and A7S at #15 and “Latest Trends” by A1 x J1 at #12, with no real movement in the top 10. With all that out of the way, let’s stay cautiously optimistic for our new arrivals.

NEW ARRIVALS

#75 – “All You Ever Wanted” – Rag’n’Bone Man

Produced by Mike Elizondo and Ben Jackson-Cook

You probably know Rag’n’Bone Man for “Human”, one of the biggest hits in the UK of the 2010s that never really crossed over stateside. I was never a fan of the guy’s music in its over-produced blues-pop crawl, so I didn’t really expect his next album to do anything for me... but I feel like it does matter to a lot of people. His first album was big – and not just moderately – with several hit singles, and he would later hop on Calvin Harris’ “Giant” to more success. With that said, I don’t know why this lead single from his upcoming sophomore effort Life by Misadventure took a month to get to the lower reaches of the chart, even with a video. Has his hype fizzled out? Is there something more behind this or do people genuinely not care enough to check out the guy’s music past his debut record that had a bigger push? I don’t know but I do know that I actually quite like this... I mean, a lot. Finally, Rag’n’Bone Man found some faster-paced production that works very well with his signature baritone voice, as this almost post-punk-esque groove may be stiff but it chugs along nicely, especially with the layered guitar loops and those inspired distorted synth bloops, with some real dynamic mixing. What I feel is missing from this is stakes, at least in the content – it seems more observatory than telling any real narrative or drama that warrants such a rocketing song, especially that screeching guitar solo. I don’t think that really matters, though, as the subject matter is interesting enough in how he discusses places he’d spent his childhood in like Brighton and London and how they’ve changed since, with a pretty understandable level of both nostalgia and anger levelled at whoever made those changes... knowing he supports Corbyn, there could be some political undertones here, but I digress. The song caught me by surprise, I hope it sticks around further than a couple weeks.

#70 – “Lifestyle” – Jason Derulo featuring Adam Levine

Produced by Rice N’ Peas

So, Jason Derulo struck gold with the TikTok fame and his return to the #1 spot as he stole some Pacific Islander’s beat on “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” with Jawsh 685, and in 2020, everything seemed to go right for Derulo at a good time, even netting a BTS remix in the process. Now ever since then he’s been alternating between original tracks and more “borrowed” Pacific Islander beats, and this is one of those original tracks, which sounds nothing like the siren or Tampa beats so I’m pretty sure we know what the aim really is for those tracks. Whilst he’s had some success in the European markets, he hasn’t had much in the US so a catchy pop single with Adam Levine, detached of the Maroon 5 brand as that continues to fade away post-“Memories”, seems like an apt but desperate attempt at latching onto said market. God damn it, I’m embarrassed to say that it worked because this should not be a good song. It’s got a pretty funky synth riff and bassline that makes this otherwise pretty embarrassing track a lot more listenable, as Derulo’s delivery is pretty insufferable (but still pretty sonically appealing; the guy sounds great with a lot of Auto-Tune). There’s a lot of nonsense lyrics, both literally in the post-chorus and more ridiculously in the first verse, full of lyrics about how an unnamed woman is “shining bright just like Rihanna-na”, one lyric out of the whole song that is generally pretty weak lyrically, as you’d expect. The chorus is really damn catchy though, and propelled by horn lines and pianos that sound pretty triumphant, even if the clipping falsettos sound like garbage, and Derulo’s  ad-libs in Levine’s verse are just hilarious. Honestly, Levine sounds better with this hook than Derulo does, mostly because Levine is aptly and actively not trying, which is much more fitting for a messy dance-pop track. With just two verse-chorus structures, as well as two post-choruses, this is basic and practically unfinished; there isn’t a bridge. With that said, I can’t hate this at all, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s the fact that Levine’s reverb-drowned “Lifestyle!” backing vocals are cut off in the mix during the chorus... that did genuinely get a laugh out of me, don’t ask why.

#65 – “HEAT” – Paul Woodford and Amber Mark

Produced by Paul Woodford

From just a glimpse of her work, Amber Mark seems a lot more unique and soulful than most of the replaceable dance-pop singers, but for the purposes of this song and hence this show, that’s all she is, and Paul Woodford is just the boring DJ. This is a dance-pop song with 90s MIDI-sounding pianos, odd vocal processing, generic string patches, a house groove accentuated by a lot of fake hand-claps and a weak, barely-there drop. The time house-pop does something interesting for the first time in years in the mainstream beyond this garbage that’s been living in German night clubs in the 90s for decades after the fact, is the day I am a much happier woman. Skip this.

#61 – “Didn’t Know” – Tom Zanetti

Produced by Sjay

If you want proof of how slow a week this is, there aren’t even lyrics for this on Genius. Anyway, I don’t know or care who Tom Zanetti or Sjay are because guess what this is? Another house-pop track. To be fair, this one has more of a bass-heavy deep house groove and bassline, and a pretty cringeworthy rap verse from who I assume is Tom Zanetti, going for what seems like a Chicago house vibe but missing any of the soul or big diva samples, relying instead on a checked-out delivery from someone no-one knows the name of. Really, what do you expect me to say about this? It’s a sex jam, but it’s so basic and minimal that those keys in the chorus end up sounding as eerie as they do seductive, and overall, there’s genuinely nothing to grab from this other than that Tom Zanetti shouldn’t be rapping... whoever that even is. I did look up the guy and it makes perfect sense that this guy was making bassline music decades after that was big, because this screams “failed attempt” to me, and hopefully if the British public have any sense, it’ll be a failed attempt on the charts. We’ll have to wait and see on that front, I guess.

#57 – “Time” – JLS

Produced by Oswald Hamilton (or Biggz the Engineer)

So, legendary(?) boy band JLS are probably one of the bigger names from the craze of R&B and pop bands and vocalists that got big from The X Factor but JLS had actual staying  power for at least a little while, mostly because, well, there was always a place for them in the late 2000s and early 2010s, where it wasn’t uncommon to see these dance-pop tracks flooding the chart. They weren’t that great, obviously, but they didn’t need to be as what mattered to the audience and label was that the four boys kept their charm and style by the time they released a new record every November and that a couple singles off of it went to the top 10. That comment about longevity must not have lasted, however, as whilst most members were able to find some kind of success solo, usually in broadcasting like Marvin Humes, people weren’t really demanding a comeback, I suppose, as whilst this is their first charting song since their 2013 farewell “Billion Lights”, this new reunion track hasn’t made much noise at all and is probably here off of sales. I mean, the lyrics aren’t even on Genius yet... oh, wait, it’s some other guy that happens to be called JLS. Huh. Well, that makes sense, but, like, you’d want to change your name if it was that closely related to a big name, especially if you weren’t a family-friendly boy band and were instead a pretty awful rapper relying on a weak UK drill beat with absolutely no energy at all. Okay, so this sounds like several rappers here, so I assume it’s a rap group or collective. Either way, not many of these people have much charisma to talk about, like at all, and this beat can’t carry them on that lone piano melody alone, even if it is kind of menacing. The song feels twice its length, and something screams industry-made to me. I don’t know, maybe it’s because it’s a debut single, but they’re not signed to any major label so that’s just speculation. With some research, I found that it’s by two guys called Switch and J9 and a lot of fans were confused why it was uploaded under JLS, when the original song, on YouTube, isn’t even called “Time”. It’s called “Look”. I can only see this as kind of a scummy marketing ploy by a label, as I don’t think an independent distributor would be willing to change the name, artwork and artist name to believably look like JLS. I don’t know about any of this but really the song isn’t bad or really worth caring about, just a game of finding the impostor. To be honest, I’d love for JLS’ actual comeback single to be a drill banger in response, but again, we’ll have to wait and see. For now... who even gets the royalties for this?

#56 – “CLOUDS” – NF

Produced by Tommee Profitt and NF

You know what’s decidedly less fun than UK drill rappers masquerading as late 2000s boy bands? Christian rap. To be fair to NF, he’s less outwardly Christian as he is just family-friendly pop-rap with a lot of technical skill and that’s fine, although it does mean his fanbase consists pretty much exclusively white kids who think they listen to “real rap with a message” and dismiss anyone with a darker skin tone as mumble-rap. Though I don’t think NF purposefully lets into that demographic, at least from the little I’ve heard, I don’t doubt that he knows that’s his base as he continues on this lead single from his upcoming mixtape CLOUDS to criticise rappers who “go Hollywood” whilst also acknowledging how violent some of his lyrics may seem, which kind of seems like an odd thing to say in this context. I mean, NF here is only being clean rather than Christian, but not in a Lecrae way where he’s genuinely a versatile and soulful rapper outside of the religious stuff that tends to work its way into a lot of his work. Instead, NF just kind of meanders over a condescendingly bad piano-based trap beat, with pretty pathetic flows that really undermine how much technical skill this guy supposedly has. I mean, if he’s going to imitate Eminem with even more filler bars and unfunny mid-verse skits. To be fair, I can’t complain about the dude’s energy, and the beat does get better as it gathers a lot more energy in its choral grandiosity, but I feel like this one starting verse just lasts for days because of how little is actually said in three minutes, and that second verse is shorter but says even little. That’s before getting into some of these lyrics as it really is just nonsense half of the time. He claims to be “not artistic” – I don’t know why Nate meant by that but it just comes off as how it is on paper: hilarious – and also flooding the first verse with a series of ridiculous metaphors you’d be hard-pressed to wrap your head around, including questionable name-drops for... Bill Gates, of all people. I do find it ironic how despite his fanbase wanting to make you think you’re not smart enough to get NF’s really “clever” bars, the Genius annotations for one of the few kind of cool lines here show that it completely goes over their heads. NF says, “Got something in my cup, ain’t codeine”, which you can stretch – pretty reasonably – to be a Biblical reference. The song’s about fame and success, so referencing “my cup runneth over” makes a lot of sense. The annotations says that it’s unclear what’s in NF’s cup, and a comment corrects him, saying that it shows in the music video that Nate’s cup has water in it. Nice one, guys. At least Eminem murders women and Hopsin’s a racist piece of trash, what does this guy have?

#38 – “test drive” – Ariana Grande

Produced by Foster, Mr. Franks, TBHits and Murda Beatz

Ariana Grande released the few bonus deluxe tracks from her Positions album last week, and of course, at least one charted – not many others could as you can’t have more than three hits at a time on the UK Singles Chart. I know, it’s silly. Honestly, I think the deluxe tracks were in most cases better than the standard edition, and I think if we cut out the annoyingly large amount of filler in that total package, we could have a pretty damn great record from Ari, but as is, it’s really just fine and suffering from all of the issues her past few years of music have. With that said, “test drive” might be my favourite ever song of hers, with its gorgeous 90s R&B keys that lead us in to a bouncy house beat from Murda Beatz of all people (in a similar vein to “motive” from the standard edition but with actual sound design). There isn’t that much of a bass in the groove here, but it makes up for that with its twinkling synths and Ari’s delivery which sounds convincing and infectious through the whole track, which may be short at just barely more than two minutes but does not waste that time with its incredible chorus and whilst I would have preferred some more complexity or meat to this production, particularly the percussion, this dreamy blend of 90s pop styles is really fun as is, especially in that final chorus with those subtle strings and bleep-bloops coming in, to the point where you don’t really care how abruptly it ends... which actually might be a pretty fitting end for a track about a youthful, very sexually active relationship. Yeah, this is pretty great – check it out.

#36 – “Toxic” – Digga D

Produced by Trinz

Speaking of bonus tracks, here’s a bonus track from Digga D’s most recent mixtape, Made in the Pyrex, and any goodwill I had for this guy is gone because this song is deplorable. You can say it’s satirical all you want – and to an extent it probably is – but I really can’t sit here and listen to a rich guy talk about how awfully he treats women for three minutes. Basically, the song is about influencers that want to “suck his bone”, and honestly that would be fine if he kept it about the sex, rather than how much he seemingly hates these women, calling them good for nothing sex objects with the subtlety of a dusty red brick. Misogyny is common in rap music and popular music as a whole, and it’s forgivable because, really, objectification is so commonplace that there’s no point in fighting it off, and really there’s nothing wrong in a rapper saying “my girlfriend is attractive” because... well, yeah, she probably is. There’s also nothing wrong with a rapper describing or depicting sex, because sex happens, and there’s also nothing wrong with rappers describing their conflicts with women because, again, they happen, and music is never supposed to represent a perfect life or perfect human. You can express your flaws and irrational emotions, even if they are “toxic”, in your music because it’s a form of human expression that knows few bounds, and as long as there’s some kind of tact or thematic approach, I really do not mind and will often try and justify it. However, when you’ve got a guy with no charisma or personality describing how he uses his fame on Twitter to his advantage for cheap sex, what really is the point in listening to this guy? Do you enjoy hearing about how he constantly condescends and insults the women providing him with cheap sexual desires? Sure, they never sent you letters while you were in jail, but they were never supposed to. These are Instagram models and social media influencers you use to get your rocks off by sliding in DMs, not long-time relationships, and you know that, so why are you complaining when your emotional desires are not met beyond intercourse... especially when you clearly don’t care about hers? I guess Digga D is being “toxic” on purpose as the title and chorus ensues, but this is too overly-specific and based in what seem to be real-life situations for me to stick with this and justify any of it, especially him referencing the models’ substance abuse, how he refuses to drink fancy wine she bought her instead of his cheap Magnum tonic wine – a sexual stimulant from Jamaica. All that would be fine if it weren’t for how he takes this back to real life by mentioning his ex-girlfriend, breaking all illusions of satire and fantasy. In the second verse, he continues to slut-shame and condemn women for... travelling abroad? Profiting from OnlyFans? Wearing Rolexes? If you want to talk about how many designer accessories you wear, how many places you’ve been, how many women you’ve had sex with and how many women you use for your own benefit and no one else’s, as you do in all of your songs, then where’s your excuse for criticising women for doing the same thing? Oh, right, there is none! I heard a few weeks ago and talked about on this show how the government has to see Digga D’s lyrics and censor them in the case that they’re too violent. It’s pretty telling how this misogynist piece of shit slipped through those cracks, huh?

#28 – “Let’s Go Home Together” – Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan

Produced by TMS

Okay, so this is our highest debut this week, and it’s from singer Ella Henderson, who you probably know from “Ghost”. She was another X Factor singer and this song actually dates back to 2016, where it was leaked online as a duet with James Arthur. More than four years later, it sees an official release with the slightly-less-trendy Arthur replaced with Tom Grennan, similarly non-present pop singer. I’m surprised the label’s even letting her release this pretty generic pop ballad with an acoustic pick-up and lyrics about going home together while drunk, as well as trap-esque percussion because of course. I mean, her second album has been shelved for half a decade, and Tom Grennan himself has kind of been in limbo until recently, and it’s not like he’s doing anything interesting or different here with his insufferable mumbling delivery. There’s an unfunny bait-and-switch in his verse at some point that I think even James Arthur would have pulled off better, and Grennan’s last line in the bridge is genuinely just one of the worst moments in music this year, Jesus Christ – you’ve just got to listen to that part, I guess. The song’s really not worth speaking more about and I want to wrap this up.

Conclusion

A slower, less chaotic week yet still a mixed bag and mostly bad. I’ll give Best of the Week for Rag’n’Bone Man for “All You Ever Wanted”, with a really close Honourable Mention for Ariana Grande’s “test drive”. Worst of the Week should be pretty damn obvious given that Digga D’s “Toxic” even exists, but Dishonourable Mention really is a toss-up. I guess Tom Zanetti’s “Didn’t Know” might be the most embarrassing song here... apart from “Lifestyle” of course but that song really is just okay. For next week... who cares? Here’s this week’s top 10:

Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank if you’re interested – really, I just talk about Weezer more often than I should – and I’ll see you next week.

[ourheartscondemnus]

Hi Ninji, I kinda just thought of how Adam and Eve have practical, simple modern clothing in plain colors, whereas Eva has vintage/retro type of attire, with patterns. They blend in as she stands out, careless of being seeing, confident in her immortality and kinda ignorant, whereas they are more careful of their privacy and general safety. I like how their mentalities clash in every way, even just in attire, and if you have a few thoughts on this it's always nice to read what you think !

Sorry, I got to this late, I had some errands to do today!

 First I want to point out this great article:  Q&A: Costume Designer Bina Daigeler on Only Lovers Left AliveVampire Costumes, Dressing Tilda, & More

It has a lot of interesting facts from the costume designer himself and it’s a great read.  Th first part of this article has some great information on the characters clothing and I think it is important to observe each one: 

The film’s central characters, all vampires, have been there and done that —  and their clothes, which have been cobbled together over centuries —  reflect it. Adam (Tom Hiddleston) swoons around his home in Detroit in half-unbuttoned dark shirts and bare feet, slim jeans, and lanky black hair; he’s as unconcerned with the outside world as he is with updating his wardrobe. 

Half a world away, Swinton’s Eve stalks the streets of Tangier in white leather and a shockingly white mane, which is given extra volume with yak hair. At home, her casualwear consists of embroidered Chinese pajamas and a decadent yellow-and-black robe handmade by costume designer Bina Daigeler, who previously worked with both Swinton and Jarmusch on The Limits of Control. Eve delights in life, books, and technology; naturally, she’s got a gleaming-white iPhone that she uses to FaceTime with Adam. Together, they sip blood from elegant little glasses and lounge in centuries-old robes.

Ava, Eva’s troublesome little sister (played by Mia Wasikowska), is the most colorful of them all. A night owl who prefers clubs to cafés, Ava wears girly, vintage-style dresses, patterned tights, and silver Mary Janes to flounce around Adam’s house and cause chaos wherever she goes.

 The fourth vampire in their pack, the “real” Christopher Marlowe (Josh Hurt), appears a little disheveled at first glance. But a closer look reveals his three-piece suits are made from exquisite and very old fabrics, gathered over the centuries since the writer’s mysterious “death” in 1593.

 There’s also a part that mentions the gloves which is also important. 

I know that there are references to the age of their clothes themselves. How did that affect what kind of textiles you used for the designs?

I like to use for them this very basic, natural leather — all of them, there’s something with leather they are wearing, and that they protect themselves also with the gloves. [The leather] is somehow a little bit like a second skin. The only one who is different —  because she is lost — is the character [played by] Mia [Wasikowska].

So focusing on Ava now- 

 Ava is the youngest of the group, and she is a very unique personality in the film. She’s bouncy, ready to party at all times, bratty, stubborn, childish, and depending on how you see her-annoying as hell at times. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a fun character, but the way she easily manipulates and plays Eve, and Eve allows it, while Adam just stares like ‘Fucking really?’ is upsetting to me because Eve is so good natured and Ava loves taking advantage of that to get her way. She knows she can’t with Adam, so she likes to annoy him, piss him off, destroy his life. 

Remember, this is the second time she’s done something horrible to him, and considering she’s less than 400 years old,  How do we know that? When asked, John Hurt said Marlowe is YOUNGER than Adam- Adam is 500-600 depending on the interview, article, etc that you read. Tom always said 500 so I go with that. Eve is 3000 according to Tilda, and John said that Marlowe was  300-450 years old and was uncertain how he turned. I never finished it, but here is some interview notes I took from various interviews- this was only HALF of them.  And everyone agrees, including Jarmusch, that Ava is the youngest. So she’s likely only close to 100-200. We know that because she hurt Adam 87 years prior to the film- it was made in 2012/2013 so that means the incident that he’s still upset over took place in  1925/1926 or so.

So looking at her age, it makes sense that she is the way she is. Part of the film’s story is Adam’s turning point on humanity. He’s basically turned his back on it at the end of the film, returned to his vampire roots, etc. after Ian -his last connection a)betrayed his trust and b)was murdered by Ava-the reckless and blood thirsty child of the group. Seriously, in vampire terms, she’s probably still a baby which is possibly why Eve gives in to her manipulations. 

SO ON CLOTHING-The style of clothing isn’t modern, and yet it’s not ancient pieces thrown together across time. It’s recent enough that it still looks stylish, and still gives her a unique image compared to-well EVERYONE in the film. Even the background people at the club didn’t pop out. You had a few hipsters, a few basic outfits, but nothing POPS. And the one outfit that does pop had a cut scene- The girl from The White Hills outfit. (There was a deleted scene where they pass by and she sees that they have no reflections you can see it here ) BTW her name is Ego Sensation. Just fyi. 

SO anywho- Ava’s clothing is meant to have more personality, to stand out, because of the concept that she is ‘lost’ her being lost is entirely up for debate on the meaning, but I take it as because of her age, she’s still not ready to let go of the lifestyle she’s become accustomed to, to party and explore the world, to live among the living instead of hiding away.

 Another great thing about her is with Adam and Eve-their clothes can be completely androgynous. One of Tilda’s great qualities is she’s built where she can dress as either sex and it WORKS. If Eve and Adam traded outfits, other than awkward sizing it would make no difference in making them both look a certain gender. (Also-headcanon that Eve is genderfluid). Meanwhile, Ava is girly from head to toe. Even her gloves are supposed to look more ‘girly’ than the others. It’s one of the things that makes her character so adorable to look at.

Going back and looking at her age- Ava has no reason to fear people. She didn’t live in a time when vampires were hunted, most likely. I want to believe she was likely still a ‘newborn’ when she first pissed Adam off, but only Jim Jarmusch could tell -and I have no way to ask him or even Mia. Sad. If I could be connected to them to know more I totally would. (I STILL want a book on how all of them were turned/met one another etc. because I NEED IT and tbh I don’t like most of the fanfic for the movie :x ) - Let’s assume she was turned around 1900 (Edith Cushing is that you?) - By then everyone pretty much stopped believing vampires existed. You had books like Carmilla( (1872) and Dracula ( 1897) and in 1922 the movie Nosferatu. By then, it is safe to say Vampires were more myth and legend than a real fear. Going from there, who really believed in any kind of supernatural being existing anymore? And the few things people may have believed, aliens and ghosts, are all just superstitious to those who don’t believe.  

Ava literally was not raised as a vampire in a time where she needed to fear people, unlike Adam and Eve. She just doesn’t have a reason to hide- and if she drains people, it can easily be a murder covered as being someone who is severely mentally ill and thought they were a vampire. But the killer would never be found- unless there was some tie to her or others around her. That’s why Adam and Eve skipped town, Adam broke his rule of not being seen with Ian because Ava wanted to go out-meaning they were the first who’d be mentioned as suspects in his disappearance. 

Adam and Eve meanwhile have lived through a hell of a lot of shit where innocent people were MURDERED for any traits that tied them to witchcraft, being some supernatural creature like a vampire and have seen some shit. People would put stakes through the dead to keep them from rising, they’d bust their jaws, they even made cages over graves to keep the dead underground. There is a real fear of being found out embedded in them, and as Marlowe said, it would cause chaos-and likely lead to their deaths, if they were to tell the world they existed. Eve plays with the idea, but she’s a smart one, she wouldn’t do it knowing it could mean they’d be killed for it. If not used as lab rats. 

Each of their clothing has its own type of personality, Eve’s is very reminiscent of the places she’s been and the cultures she explores, Adams clothing, according to that one pamphlet thing (I can never remember where it is or how to find it) 

and Kit’s is your basic nice suit match but with pieces that are about 400 years old. (I want to know the secret of their clothing staying perfectly intact.) 

But even with all this, Ava’s stands out the most because she doesn’t see any fear or need to fear being out in the open unlike the others. If you look at it in her pov, it makes perfect sense to not have to hide, and lets be honest- the fact that Adam and Eve dress the way they do actually does make them stand out a bit in a crowd because NO ONE dressed like that now-or hardly anyone does anyways. 

Ava’s clothing and their significance is one of my favorite things about the film tbh. And, like you said, she is careless, overconfident, and slightly ignorant. But on another hand, isn’t it smarter to try and blend in with a crowd instead of standing out? I can’t quite remember, but I think 2012/2013 was the area when vintage was suddenly EVERYWHERE and everyone wanted to be vintage-so who stood out more, Adam and Eve, or Ava? 

For some other links you may enjoy: 

A wordpress users views and analysis of Ava’s costumes: https://superqueen.wordpress.com/2014/03/27/may-i-avas-wrist-length-gloves-in-jim-jarmushs-only-lovers-left-alive/

An interview with Jim Jarmusch: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/04/jim-jarmusch-only-lovers-left-alive-interview

[yuniesan]

Girl Meets Season 4 - Episode 24

Girl Meets Season 4 - The Continuing Saga of Riley and her friends as they tackle their Sophomore year in High School. The ups, the downs, and everything in between. What will their sophomore year be like? Read and find out.

Episodes [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]

A/N #1: This chapter is short... but cute 😉💜

24. Girl Meets The Return of Family Game Night feat. Twister

A/N #2: The title looks like the name of a song

There’s something that has always bothered Riley, something she couldn’t really understand, and that was the fact that her father never let her play twister. She had to look it up after a while and it looked like a fun game but for some reason her father was adamant on her never playing the game.

She was sitting my Maya’s room, while Maya changed because it was family game night, and all of the Hunter family was coming over. But since they didn’t have a game that they could all play Riley suggested that they put different games in each room and people could float around to whichever game they wanted to play. Lucas, Zay, Farkle, Smackle, and Cassie were all coming over along with her uncles, and Rachel. So the house was going to be packed with people.

“Uncle Shawn,” Riley called out when she reached the living room. Deciding to leave Maya up to whatever she was up to.

“Yeah Riley,” Shawn said turning around and looking at her. “What do you need kiddo?”

“Why won’t my dad let me play twister?” she asked him point blank.

“What do you mean?”

“Well one time we were playing the couple’s game,” she started remembering that day. “It was New Years, and my dad said that we weren’t allowed to play Twister and well I wanted to know why.”

“This is something I think you should ask them,” he said.

“I have, and of course they don’t say a word.”

“Well okay, let’s just say that the reason your dad doesn’t want you to play has something to do with him being afraid of the outcome of the game.”

“Fine don’t tell me,” she said dejected at how he was deflecting the question.

“Oh thank god,” he said looking to the sky. “Sorry Riley but I don’t want to answer a question that your parents should have answered a long time ago considering how you’re sixteen.”

“Let’s go,” Maya said walking out wearing ripped jeans and her favorite tank, which Riley knew Josh liked the most out of all of her clothes.

The four of them walked over to Riley’s place, Riley still thinking about the twister dilemma, she still couldn’t figure it out. When they reached her house it was full of people, Ava, Auggie and Doy were running around the living room the adults were all talking to one another, hugging like they hadn’t seen each other in years when they had seen one another two days prior. One game already set up in the living room, another on the dining room table. Riley took one of the games to her room, The Friends Game, which she didn’t really want to play.

Then she saw it, right underneath, Twister looked back at her and she slid it under the game she had originally picked up and walked out of the living room and towards her room. One by one her friends filed into her room all talking to one another.

“What are we going to play?” Zay asked looking over at Cassie.

“I don’t know, I saw the couple’s game outside on the dining room table,” Cassie said looking at him like he was everything she ever wanted. “It might be a good way to see how well we’ve gotten to know each other.”

Riley couldn’t help but think how cute they looked. They still hadn’t made their relationship official but they were happy just going on dates and talking for hours. Zay had told Riley that he wanted to introduce Cassie to his parents, mainly because he couldn’t stop talking about her.

“If it’s alright I would like to go around and study everyone as they play their perspective games before I make a decision,” Smackle said to Farkle.

“That’s alright with me,” Farkle said smiling at her.

Josh hadn’t shown up yet so Riley, Lucas, and Maya were left to set up the game in Riley’s bedroom, but when Maya picked up the game she saw the game underneath and smiled.

“Riley Matthews,” Maya said looking up at her. “Are you defying your father?”

“I just wanted to see what it was about,” Riley said trying not to sound too guilty for taking the game without asking.

“Well I think you and Ranger Rick over here should play,” Maya said as Lucas walked over to see what was happening.

“Play what?” he asked looking between the two girls.

“This,” Maya said holding up the game. “Everyone else is off to play something, the parents are all talking and Josh isn’t here yet… so you two have to play. I’ll spin the board.”

“Um… do you want to?” Riley asked Lucas not knowing what to do.

“I’ll play,” he said smiling at her. “Why not it’s not a long game from the looks of it so while everyone decides and Josh gets here I guess we can play twister to kill some time.”

“Alright,” Maya said pulling off the top of the box and putting it on the bay window. “Here make yourselves useful and lay this out on the floor.”

Lucas took the plastic part of the game and shook it out before laying it on the floor. All Riley saw were the spots wondering what the game was about.

“So how does this go?” Riley said looking to her best friend.

Maya cleared her throat and looked up, “Basically I call out where you have to put your arms and feet, and first one to fall loses.”

“That’s sounds easy,” Riley said wondering why her father was so against the game. “Let’s start.”

“Alrighty,” Maya said spinning the board. “Right foot yellow.”

Riley moved her foot onto the yellow circle, she was facing Lucas who just smiled at her. “You’re going down Friar,” she said to intimidate him.

“Bring it on Matthews,” he said returning her challenge.

Maya spun the board again. “Left hand green.”

Riley bent down and put her hand on the green circle in front of her, as Lucas put his hand on the one next to it.

“Right hand green,” Maya said. “Geez this is stupid.” She mumbled before noticing the couple in front of her as Riley put her hand on the green circle behind her and Lucas his hand in the one behind Riley’s left hand. “Oh this just got interesting,” Maya said as she looked at the two in their compromising position.

Riley could feel her heart trying to jump out of her chest with the closeness of Lucas in front of her, all she could smell was cedar and a light hint of sage.

Maya spun the board and laughed. “Left foot red.”

Riley looked at Maya in distress because that would mean moving around to the point where she would be so close to Lucas, and her heart was already pounding in her chest from the closeness. Lucas easily moved his foot while Riley tried her best not to fall as she touched the red circle just behind Lucas’ foot. He was almost on top of her, and she heard his breath hitch from the closeness. That’s when she realized why her father always said no to play the game when it came to the two of them.

“I feel like I should leave you two like that,” Maya said but in Riley’s head she sounded a million miles away with Lucas so close to her.

Suddenly her door burst open and Lucas fell forward as her father screamed.

“No,” he yelled. “Topanga,” he yelled out.

Lucas was on top of her, both of them not moving as Maya laughed in the background.

“Get off her you heathen,” her father said as Lucas scrambled off of Riley and her father hauled her towards the living room. “Topanga you wouldn’t believe what Riley was doing, she took the twister game and was playing with… with… with HIM.”

Her mother started laughing, “Geez Cory, Twister is not a euphemism for sex,” her mother said making Riley turn bright red. When she looked over she saw Lucas’ ears turning red from embarrassment.

“It’s my fault,” Maya said. “I took the game.”

“Maya don’t lie,” Riley said looking over at her best friend. “I wanted to know why you wouldn’t let us play so I took it.”

“That’s it you’re grounded,” her father said and the room just looked at him stunned.

“Seriously Cory,” Eric said walking over to his brother. “You’re over reacting.”

“Yeah Cory,” Rachel chimed in. “It’s just a game.”

Shawn was doubled over laughing in the corner trying to get a hold of himself, while everyone was trying to not laugh at what was happening, but soon the room was filled with laughter. As much as Riley wanted to laugh her heart was still pounding in her chest, Lucas had fallen on her and he lost but it felt more like Riley won something bigger than a stupid game.

The closeness made her blush and want to cover her face before anyone noticed, the smell of Lucas was now permanently burned into her mind as well as the weight of his body on top of hers. Even though her mother had said it hadn’t involved sex, for some reason it felt intimate enough. Once everyone stopped laughing and they all got back to their games Lucas took Riley’s hand and led her towards the table, they sat there watching everyone as they stole glances at one another. Riley wasn’t ready to move forward with that part of their relationship, she knew that much, but she wouldn’t mind playing twister again if it meant being that close to Lucas again.

[justthehiddleswrites]

The Reluctants | Chapter 11 | The Reluctant Hero

Pairing: Adam (OLLA) x OFC (Charlie Bock)

Summary:  Charlie can’t believe her luck when she lands an apartment all to herself in Quincy, Massachusetts in a decaying triple decker. But life gets more complicated when someone moves into the basement. Specifically her landlord, Adam, who also happens to be a vampire. As life collapses around Charlie, these two forge an uneasy and unlikely relationship. But is their relationship as doomed as the building they live in?

Chapter:   Adam continues his search for Charlie and Jason becomes more and more persistent.

Warnings: Violence, Smut, Frottage, Dry Humping, Teasing, Coming In Pants, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex. Couch Sex. Kidnapping. Stalking. Non-Graphic Violence, Character Death

-

Adam slept like absolute shit that night. If you wanted to call those few bits of restless nightmares sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Charlie pleading and crying, or bloodied or worse.

“Fuck!” He threw the pillow across the room and headed to the living room.

He attempted to play the guitar but couldn’t focus. He couldn’t focus on anything. Adam collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion, knowing he needed to be at his best that night to dealing with Jason.

-

Charlie’s head and cheek roared in pain that next morning, and her stomach burbled. She contemplated eating the rest of the fries, but the smell of the bag ended that plan.

“Morning, darling.” Jason held out a paper coffee cup towards Charlie.

“No, thank you.” Charlie turned away.

“Why not?”

Charlie spun back around. “Gee, I don’t know the fact you kidnapped me or the fact you punched me in the face or the fact you have chained me to a futon, forcing me to pee in a bucket? Take your fucking pick, Jason!”

Jason sat down next to Charlie, placing the coffee on the floor. He attempted to tuck Charlie’s curls behind her ear, but she ducked from his hand.

“Baby. You’re talking crazy. I had to take you. To get you away from that monster. You’re under his thrall. This is the only way for us to be together.”

“There is no fucking ‘us’, Jason. I will never be with you. Even if you weren’t a murdering psycho, I would still never date you. I love Adam.” Charlie gasped at what she said. Her fingers caught her lips for a moment.

“You don’t know me yet. You are still hung up on me being your boss. I needed to put an end to that.”

“You fired me?!”

Jason blinked back at Charlie, emotionless. “Of course, I can’t date a subordinate.”

“You fucking asshole!”

“You don’t mean that, baby. I fired you for us to be together.” Jason leaned in to press his lips to Charlie’s.

In a flash of rage, Charlie reared back and landed a solid punch to the side of Jason’s face. “DON’T YOU DARE FUCKING KISS ME!” Her voice bounced off the walls.

Jason jolted to standing. “Keep your fucking voice down!”

“I WILL NOT!”

Jason’s eyes flashed. “Then I’ll have to gag you.” He wandered into the kitchen. “Another one?” he yelled out, finding the girl from last night dead on the floor, drained by Ava.

“I was hungry.” Ava muttered from where she slept on the floor in the dark kitchen.

-

At the first dark, Adam took off in his beat up Jaguar. He ignored the speed limits to the best of his ability. The spiderweb of streets with roundabouts and what not only slowed him down. A toll road delayed Adam for fifteen minutes and an accident for another thirty minutes. It was enough to make him want to face the zombies on public transportation.

At last, he pulled up to a crumbling brick building. Adam didn’t see any light coming from Nicole’s third floor apartment.

Before heading up, he lifted the lid off the tattered shoebox and pulled out his .38 revolver. He made sure it was loaded and tucked it into his waistband before heading to the front door.

-

Ava woke up from her blood coma after draining that poor girl last night. She stumbled into the living room. Duct tape covered Charlie’s mouth.

“What the fuck, Jason!” she stomped into the bedroom.

“Ow!” Jason yelled when Ava smacked his back and yanked him out of the bed. “The hell?”

“Why is her mouth duct taped?” She shoved her finger towards the living room.

Jason sat up, his belly lopped over the waistband of his pajama bottoms. “She kept screaming. I needed to shut her up!”

“Take it off now.” Ava stomped.

“Fine.” Jason headed towards the living room. He ripped the duct tape off.

“That fucking hurts!” Charlie screamed. She rubbed her face, making sure her lips were still there. “You said you loved me! Why would you hurt me?!” Charlie sobbed.

Jason dropped to his knees in front of her. “I do love you, Charlie. I love you so much. I do all of this for you.”

“I don’t trust you.” Big tears stained her already dirty sweater.

“Let me show you.” Jason pushed himself between Charlie’s knees and pulled up to kiss her.

BAM! The front door split in two by the force of Adam’s foot and then body.

“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!” his voice boomed, and the walls shook.

Jason scrambled to his feet. Ava ran in from the bedroom.

“Adam!” she exclaimed. Ava moved towards him, arms open but stopped when he stared daggers at her. His eyes darted back to Jason.

“You can’t have her!” Jason’s hands balled into fists. “You’ve brainwashed her to love you. But she loves me.” His face twisted up into a crazed expression.

Adam rolled his eyes and threw Jason to the side, turning his attention to Charlie. He cupped her face and kissed her.

“I feared I lost you, my love.”

Charlie sobbed, gasping for air. “I thought you would never find me, Adam.”

Adam’s thumb ran across Charlie’s cheek, and she winced. He turned her head to see the dark purple bruise, and the laceration caused by Jason the night before.

“Who did this to you?”

His eyes flashed a rage, causing Charlie’s heart to jump into her throat. Shaking, she jutted her chin at Jason, who now laid in a groaning pile on the dirty floor. Adam kissed her forehead and turned his attention to Jason.

He picked him up like a sack of potatoes. Adam moved his face to within inches of Jason’s. “Remember how I told you if you ever came near her again I would break something more important?” his tone cold.

Jason’s eyes widened as Adam’s nostrils flared in anger. Adam reached down and grabbed Jason’s genitals. He twisted until Jason’s scream rose two octaves.

“That was before I fell in love with her.” He threw a punch across Jason’s face before dumping him on the ground. Jason writhed in pain. “That is for her face.”

Adam returned to Charlie, undoing the chain on her ankle, rubbing the red skin underneath. He gazed up at her with a worried expression. “Did he…” his voice trailed off.

Charlie shook her head from side to side, tears soaking her face. “No. He tried to kiss me, but I decked him.”

“Good girl.” He kissed her again.

“Did you just say that…” Charlie started as Adam kissed again.

“Now is not the time. Let’s get you out of here.” Adam pulled Charlie into his arms.

“I can walk.” Charlie whined.

“No.”

“What about me?” Ava called out. Adam placed Charlie onto her feet to turn his attention to Ava.

“What about you?” Adam’s eyes narrowed.

“I was stuck with that psycho for weeks. Cooped up here.”

“How did you even meet him?”

“Outside your house.” her voice grew small.

“So you did this to yourself. And as usual, taking no fucking responsibility.”

“But Adam, you’re the only family I have.”

“No. Eve was your family. And she’s dead. BECAUSE OF YOU!”

Ava blinked. “You think I don’t realize that! You don’t think I lie awake in the day regretting Detroit.”

“No, I don’t. You only care about yourself.” Adam extended his arm to Charlie.

Charlie moved to grab Adam’s hand but something held her back.

“No…” Jason garbled out, digging his nails into Charlie’s legs. He pulled at her.

“Adam!” Charlie yelled as she tried to kick and pull Jason off of her.

“She’s mi—” A loud bang cut off Jason’s words, replacing it with a gurgle.

“She’s mine.” Adam coldly responded.

Charlie followed the sound to Adam, who was holding a pistol aimed at Jason. She ran to his side as he lowered the gun.

“Why—”

“He never would have stopped, darling. He would come back again and again. I needed to stop him. I had to keep you safe.”

“But—”

“I can’t lose you. Not to him, not to anyone. I love you.” He pulled her tight against his chest.

“I love you too.” Charlie cried into his shirt. “I love you more than anything.”

“I told you once, and I meant it, I am never letting go.” The two embraced. Adam hugged Charlie so tight, he feared her ribs might cracked.

“Am I just supposed to clean up this mess?” Ava gestured at Jason and the broken door.

Adam aimed the gun at Ava. “Don’t push me.”

Ava sneered. “Bullets can’t kill me.”

Adam cocked the gun. “Wooden bullet.”

Charlie placed her hand on Adam’s bicep. “Darling…” Adam turned to face Charlie. She never called him that. Or anything but Adam. “… let’s go home. Can you take me home?”

“Yes.” He replaced the gun into his waistband. “For once Ava, you can clean up your own mess.”

“Oh, one thing!” Charlie ran to the corner by Ava and grabbed a guitar case. As she passed by Ava, she reared back and punched Ava in the jaw. “That’s for the Gibson!”

Adam let Charlie walk down the stairs holding the Gibson case. But insisted on carrying her into the house. He set her down on the couch and ran a hot bath for Charlie to clean the grime, blood, and filth off. She cried the entire time. Adam sat on the toilet keeping watch over before toweling her off and pulling on her softest pajamas, the one with Pusheen on the pants.

“Sleep, my love. We can talk later.” Adam cooed as he pulled Charlie against his chest. He didn’t doze off until Charlie’s breath was deep and even.

[justthehiddleswrites]

The Reluctants | Chapter 10 | The Reluctant Detective

Pairing: Adam (OLLA) x OFC (Charlie Bock)

Summary:  Charlie can’t believe her luck when she lands an apartment all to herself in Quincy, Massachusetts in a decaying triple decker. But life gets more complicated when someone moves into the basement. Specifically her landlord, Adam, who also happens to be a vampire. As life collapses around Charlie, these two forge an uneasy and unlikely relationship. But is their relationship as doomed as the building they live in?

Chapter:   Adam finds out the truth of Charlie’s whereabouts as well as Jason’s nature and is pissed.

Warnings: Violence, Smut, Frottage, Dry Humping, Teasing, Coming In Pants, Oral Sex, Vaginal Sex. Couch Sex. Kidnapping. Stalking. Non-Graphic Violence, Character Death

-

Adam groaned and stretched in bed early that evening. Charlie’s side was cold, and the sheets tucked up. His brow furrowed until he spied the note on his nightstand.

“Ridiculous.” he clicked his tongue at Charlie, slipping out without waking him. He remained in bed, hoping she would soon return and slip under the sheets to curl next to him before heading to the living room.

But Charlie didn’t show when she usually did. Or two hours later. At first Adam figured she was caught up at the record store, but at three hours Adam worried enough to call Simmons’ personal cell phone. No easy feat as Adam needed to dig out his landline from under a table and crumpled pieces of paper and dust.

“Hello?” Simmons answered with his distinct, gravelly voice.

“It’s Mr. Streiff.”

“Oh, already calling with an offer to buy the Gibson? Charlie is a better salesperson than she lets on.”

Adam’s brows knitted. “What Gibson? I’m calling to check on Charlie, who is working late with you.” His tone firm, bordering on accusatory.

“She left hours ago. With a 1905 Gibson she insisted to take to show you.” Simmons responded worried, although Adam couldn’t tell if it was over the guitar or Charlie. His fist balled tightly at his side.

“What?! Where did she you go?” Adam paced the floor as silence hung in the air while Simmons contemplated his response.

“I didn’t see.” Simmons snapped his fingers. “Wait! I wondered if her cousin came and got her.”

“What cousin?”

Adam shoved on his boots while pulling on a shirt. Charlie said nothing about a cousin. And given what she said about her parents, he doubted the existence of any cousin.

“The one who came by the other day asking for her schedule.”

“And you gave it to him?!” Adam’s voice rising to a yell.

“He said the family came to surprise her. It sounded nice.”

Adam rolled his eyes and cursed. “Fuck! What did he say? Did he give a name?”

“He said his name was Jason. And—” Simmons’s next words met with a dial tone when Adam hung up.

He threw the phone against the wall, smashing it to bits.

“Fuck!” He kicked at the pieces of plastic on the floor before slumping onto the couch. He couldn’t decide whether to kill Simmons first or go out hunting for Charlie.

-

Charlie rolled her neck, popping the bones.

“Ah…” she sighed while taking a quick inventory of her body.

Her head still pounded and tender to the touch on the back, where she touched what seemed to be a goose egg. Her arms and hands were free, and she was wearing everything from when she left the record shop, save her overcoat. As Charlie sat up from the bed or couch or whatever she sat on, a chain clinked. Charlie glanced down to see her leg shackled to what Charlie now determined to be a couch. A shitty futon to exact.

Loud voices filtered from next door and Charlie moved to the edge of the couch, as far as the chain would let her.

“This was not part of the plan, Jason. Idiot!” A female yelled.

Something clattered to the floor on the other side of the door.

“Why are you the one calling the shots!?

Charlie recognized Jason’s sniveling tone.

“I’m the one taking all the risks! You wanted Adam, she will get us him!”

“That doesn’t mean kidnap her! Do you realize how pissed he will be?!”

“What do you suggest? Let her go? Absolutely not! She’s mine.”

“I don’t know what I wanted, but this is not it.” The floor shook as Ava stomped and pouted. “I’m hungry.”

“There’s some blood in the fridge.”

The door creaked open and Charlie scrambled away. Ava popped into the room.

“Oh, you.” her voice dripped with disdain. “You’re awake.”

“How in the hell did you and Jason…” Charlie’s voice wavered, still coming to grips with her situation.

Ava smiled, her fangs peeking out from behind her lips. “Your little stalker boyfriend?”

“Not my boyfriend.”

“No, but he is your stalker.” Ava smirked. “I met him outside when Adam threw me out. So rude.” Her bottom lip popped out into a pout.

“He will be so pissed when he gets here.”

“I realize that!” Ava stomped her foot and then stormed away as Jason came in.

He sat down right next to Charlie. His cast rough against her skin. Jason lifted his good hand to run the back of his finger along Charlie’s cheek. She jerked back at the intrusion.

“Get used to me, sweetheart.” Jason’s face twisted into a sick smile.

-

Adam spent the better part of an hour grilling Simmons on every nuance of his conversation with Jason and the events of that night. Frustrated and angry, he slammed his hand repeatedly against the steering wheel of his Jaguar. It hurt like hell.

As soon as he got back home, he went to Charlie’s apartment and ransacked her living room and bedroom. Clothes and paper flew in the air without regard until he located Charlie’s neglected planner. With a deft finger, he flipped the pages until he found what he wanted. He ripped the page out and then shoved clothes and debris from his fit to find the phone.

“Charlie?” Elise answered in a groggy voice.

“Who the fuck is Jason?”

“Who the hell is this?” Elise’s voice turned shrill.

“It’s Adam, I’m her…” He hesitated. How much did Charlie tell her friends? He quickly replaced the thought with panic and fear as to what may happen to Charlie. “… boyfriend.”

Elise sat up in bed. “Oh, pleasure. Did Jason show up? I told Charlie to be careful.”

Adam would have to wait until Charlie came home safe and sound to discuss hiding important information from each other.

“Tell me everything about him.”

-

Twenty minutes later, Adam hung with Elise with enough information about Jason to recognize breaking his arm last month was a gift. He should have broken his neck. Nothing that would pop up on a standard background check, but red flags nevertheless. He sounded like a serial killer in the making. Adam ripped the phone out of the wall and walked downstairs to fish out his own address book. He prayed the number still work as he punched in the number.

“Hello?” the male voice answered.

“Frank, I need a favor.”

“Adam. You know that’s not my name, right?”

“I’m not calling you Francois Eugène Vidocq.”

The man chuckled. “It is a mouthful. It’s been at half a century since we talked. How’s Eve?”

“Dead.” Adam winced.

“I’m sorr—”

Adam cut him off. “I don’t need your apologies. Do you still have access to the Registry of Motor Vehicles?”

“Massachusetts? Well, yeah, if you call hacking into their database access.”

“I need you to get my an address for a Jason Fuller and a Nicole McDonald?”

“Got anything else? Dates of birth?”

“No.”

Frank sighed on the other end of the line. “Give me a bit, I will call you back.” The line clicked dead.

Adam paced the floor. His hand ran through his wild hair. He hated this. He hated his mind racing to all the possibilities of the horrible things happening to Charlie. A thought entered his mind. He walked into the spare bedroom, digging through a box. And then another, and a third.

“She’s fucking right, Eve. I should let her clean and organize down here.” He rummaged through yet another box before pulling out a tattered shoebox. “Apologies, baby, for what I may have to do. But I love her.”

An hour later, the phone rang.

“Took you long enough.” Adam snapped back. He threw a black leather jacket on top of his usual rock n roll attire, combat boots and everything.

“You didn’t say anything about a rush.”

“The urgency was implied, Frank. Did you get the addresses or not?”

“I got what you want.” Frank rattled off two addresses, Jason’s in Cambridge and Nicole’s in Revere. “You never told me why you are looking for this guy.”

“He took something very dear to me.”

“A guitar?”

“A girl.”

-

Charlie soon discovered Jason and Ava didn’t have a fucking clue what they were doing. Two things became clear to Charlie: Jason wanted to keep Charlie for himself, and Ava was always hungry. She had no idea how long she had been here or if Adam realized she’d gone missing. If she wasn’t so terrified, Charlie would have been laughing at this Keystone Cops kidnapping of hers.

Ava and Jason bickered in the corner.

“Hmmm.” Charlie cleared her throat. Two heads snapped over to glare at her. “I’m wondering,” She crossed her legs at the ankles, chain clinking along the floor. “which of you is going to let Adam know you have me?”

Ava’s face pinched up. “I beg your pardon?”

Charlie’s lips twitched into a smile. “Well the whole point of this is to get Adam’s attention, am I correct? It’s hard to do that if he DOESN’T HAVE A FUCKING CLUE, I’M HERE!” she screamed.

Jason stomped over to Charlie and hit her with his open hand. The left side of her face exploded in pain.

“DON’T FUCKING TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” Jason screamed back. His nostrils flared and spittle flew out of his mouth. Charlie cried out of exhaustion and pain more than anything. Jason’s expression softened. He sat next to her.

“Sweetheart.” He cooed, reaching up to soothe the already bruising mark on Charlie’s cheek. “You know better than to get me upset. I lose control when I get upset. You might end up hurt.”

Charlie gulped. “Sorry.”

Jason stood up and kissed the top of her head. “Now let’s go get some ice from that bruise.” He walked off to the kitchen.

Ava’s gaze darted between the kitchen and Charlie. “Fine, I’ll make the phone call.”

Adam never got that message because he was long gone.

-

Jason’s Cambridge apartment was empty, but that didn’t stop Adam from ransacking the place. In particular, he shredded to bits a few photos of Charlie pinned onto a corkboard.

“Fuck!” he cursed as he caught the time after kicking in Jason’s TV. There wasn’t enough nighttime left to make it to Revere. “Hang on just one more day, my love.”

-

Charlie iced her cheek with the frozen bag of peas Jason tossed to her. Her stomach gurgled.

“Could I get something to eat?” Charlie’s voice soft and wavering.

“I’m hungry too.” Ava whined.

Jason rolled his eyes. “Women.” He grabbed his keys. “Feed on her if you’re hungry.”

“Do I look like I have a death wish? I want to talk to Adam, not be killed by him. Bring something to eat.”

“Fine!” Jason slammed the door.

He returned several hours later, a greasy bag of fast food tucked under his cast and a drunk girl holding his other hand.

Charlie’s nose scrunched at the aroma of burger and fries. Jason pushed the girl towards Ava.

“Eat up, both of you.” he sneered.

“I’m trying to watch my cholesterol.” Charlie piped up.

“Did you ask her if she is clean?” Ava complained.

“If you don’t like what I brought you, then you can STARVE!!” He slammed to the door to the other room.

Ava shrugged her shoulders and dragged the girl into the kitchen. Charlie snacked on the fries while ignoring the greasy cheeseburger. Tears rolled down her face.

“I miss you, Adam. Please find me.” she whispered as she pulled the thin afghan over her body and laid down on the sofa, which she just noticed smelled of beer.