#i’ll find that grey’s anatomy quote again and you’ll see

[georgialouisea]

Evening at the bar.

Characters - Dean x Reader, Sam, Unnamed exes. Word Count - 1400 Warnings -  Angst, fluff, exes. Summary - A night at the bar doesn’t quite go to plan. A/N -  Written for @d-s-winchester ‘s 2 year blogiversary challenge. I got the quote You were like coming up for fresh air, it’s like I was drowning and you saved me. From Grey’s Anatomy the quote is in bold below.

“Bar?” Dean clapped his hands together before dropping his duffel to the floor.

“Showers then bar, I have vamp brains in my hair.” You walked past him grabbing your bag off your bed and locking yourself in the bathroom. The hunt as per usual had been exhausting and stressful as hell. Stepping under the hot spray you waited for the water at your feet to run clear as all the vampire blood washed from your hair.

On nights like these, you wanted to curl up next to Dean and sleep, yet Dean wanted to go out, sure you didn’t have to go but if he went on his own he’d end up passed out in a parking lot somewhere.

By the time both men had showered and dressed you were ready to go out, makeup and hair done, you had on your favourite pair of jeans and a new top you’d bought recently.

“Well, you look stunning.” Dean grinned at you walking across the room his arms snaked around you, pulling you close to his chest.

“Hey! No, if you two start that you’ll never leave the room.” Sam raised his finger at both of you.

Dean held the door open for you, his free hand finding yours he pulled you into the bar. Despite the fact it looked like a run down bar from a movie it was surprisingly busy, the bar was full, a bachelorette party in the corner sat squealing and giggling away.

Following Dean to the bar you noticed more than a few women watching him, you were secretly happy, last year you were one of those women watching Dean, dreaming about being with him. Today you were sat on a bar stool, his arm draped around you, his hand resting on your hip.

The bartender glared at you as she slid your drink across the bar, her eyes darting between each Winchester.

“What the hell is her issue?” You mumbled.

“Dean.” Sam blurted, closing his eyes he dared to look down at you. “I shouldn’t have said anything, it’s not my place.” He looked over you at Dean who was completely oblivious.

“Right, great.” You sighed knowing you were in for a crap night.

2 hours later you were sat in a booth near the bachelorette party. Dean was flush against your side Sam sat across from you both.

“You okay?” Dean whispered in your ear.

“Yeah, just tired.” Smiling up at him you rested your head on his shoulder.

“You want to go back?”

“No, you enjoy, I’ll get you another.” Shuffling over Dean’s lap you kissed him before standing up. “Sam want another beer?”

“Whiskey please.”

Walking towards the bar you were relieved to see a second bartender manning the section you were in, the barmaid from before was still giving you some looks between serving customers.

Walking back to the table 3 whiskeys in hand you slowed when you saw a woman stood before Dean, she was leaning over him her hands on the table in front of him. Reaching the table you reached into the middle of the table making sure she saw, clinking them as you dropped them on the table.

“So this is your flavour of the month huh?” The woman turned to face you, her eyes travelling the length of your body. “A real downgrade Dean.” She spat smirking at you.

“Okay then.” You rolled your eyes at her, shoving past her you shimmied back over Dean’s lap and sat next to him.

The drunk woman didn’t get the message, you were tired and in no mood to play games.

“Dean when she gets boring you know where I am.” She purred reaching down to touch him, her hand stroked his chest. Everything she did Dean ignored her flirting, her touch.

“Okay! That’s enough, get your hand off him before I break it off.”

“Ooohh I’m so scared.” She mocked rolling her eyes.

Shifting Dean grabbed your hand knowing that if you got to her she’d leave crying and hurt.

“Seriously just get off me,” Dean growled, she snatched her hand away from him.

“Your loss Dean, you know your week with me was the best you’d ever had.” She blew a kiss to Dean before walking away.

“I’m refraining from throwing a bottle at her head.”

“Do it,” Sam whispered smiling at you.

“Jesus, I need another drink.” Dean sighed kissing your temple. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Yeah, but she was …”

“Dean don’t.” You held your hand up closing your eyes, not wanting to hear the rest of the sentence.

“More drinks then.” He announced draining his glass standing up and walking to the bar.

“He's slept with the barmaid too hasn’t he?” You turned to Sam.

“Yeah.” He rested his elbows on the table and dropped his head in his hands.

“And the woman having a drink with her husband in the corner, and the woman in the bachelorette party who keeps looking like she wants me dead.”

“We’ve been here a lot.” He sighed.

“I need some air.” You slid out the booth and almost ran to the door.

“Y/N!” Sam shouted after you.

Flinging the door open you walked into the cool night air, taking a few deep breaths you began to calm down. Sure you knew Dean had a past but 4 women he’d slept with in one room, the same room you were in, it was too much.

“Y/N!” Sam shouted again across the parking lot, you didn’t stop walking, you didn’t know why you just wanted to be away from the bar. You stopped when you reached a bus stop and sat down on the bench.

“You okay?” He asked sitting beside you.

“No.”

“I’m sorry, this is like the worst night never, I knew the barmaid still worked here but the rest.”

“The rest.” You repeated closing your eyes resting against him.

“He never would have put you in this situation if he’d known, he was young and stupid.”

“Sam stop please.”

“Y/N -” His phone ringing cut him off. “Dean we’re outside, we’re fine … yes she’s fine… at the bus stop… because it’s a seat okay?” Sam pulled his phone from his ear and wrapped his arms around you. “He’ll be here in a minute.”

“I know.” You smiled as you wrapped your arms around Sam regretting the decision to not bring a jacket.

“Babe? You okay?” Dean asked walking around the bus stop to face you and Sam, giving Sam a squeezed you took your arms from around him.

“Yeah.” Smiling as you stood up, wrapping your arms around Dean’s waist.

“Well you’re not okay and you’re freezing.” He kissed your hair as he removed his jacket, draping it over your shoulders. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Dean, it’s fine.”

“No it’s not, if I was in a room with guys you’d been with and they behaved how those women did, there would be two dead men.”

“I know.”

“Can you see why I love you? You’re the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Dean -”

“No, come on let’s walk back.” He wrapped his arm around you. “Sam’s probably already back.” Turning around you saw Sam was gone.

“I love you too.”

“I was a mess before you, even Sam says so, he is so grateful that you’re in our lives, he tells me at least once a week how you’ve made our lives better.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m so sorry about tonight, I’m sorry for what I did, for what I’ve done.”

“Dean they were before me, it was just a little too much.”

“Still I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“No, I am, you saw the kind of women I dated, is dated the right word?”

“Probably not.”

“Still, you, you’re the most beautiful amazing woman I’ve ever met, for years I’ve been messing about, trying to find someone, you…” He paused kissing you pulling away his hands cupped your face.

“You… You were like coming up for fresh air, it’s like I was drowning and you saved me.”

“I…”

“When I saw you my world stopped.”

“When I first saw you, you saved me, you kept my world turning.”

“You two are disgustingly sweet.” Sam interrupted. “Forgot the key.”

“Way to ruin a moment Sammy,” Dean whined handing Sam the motel key. “We should have got our own room.”

“Well if we did all we’d be doing is sleeping because as much as I love you I’m exhausted.”

“Me too, come on let’s get some sleep.”

Forever Taglist - @mega-loser1298 @smalltowndivaj @roxyspearing @ginamsmith @donnaintx @emoryhemsworth @dwgrl1903

Dean Taglist - @akshi8278 @awesomestperson22 @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @michellethetvaddict @dramaqueenrolf @itsallabouthedean

Dean Fluff- @dr-dean @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @nichelle-my-belle @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @notnaturalanahi @impala-dreamer @deathtonormalcy56 @samsgoddess @spn-fan-girl-173 @deansleather @curliesallovertheplace @whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname @waywardjoy @mrswhozeewhatsis @imadeangirl-butimsamcurious @kayteonline @supernatural-jackles @wevegotworktodo @jpadjackles @quiddy-writes @babypieandwhiskey @deantbh @deanwinchesterforpromqueen @chaos-and-the-calm67 @memariana91 @plaidstiel-wormstache @teamfreewill-imagine @chelsea-winchester @fandommaniacx @revwinchester @castieltrash1 @supernaturalyobessed @ruined-by-destiel @winchester-writes @faith-in-dean @winchestersmolder @bennyyh @clueless-gold @deanwinchesterxreader @winchester-family-business @4401lnc @teamfreewill92 @just-another-winchester @canadianjelly

@mrswhozeewhatsis Taglist Dean - @thinkwritexpress-official @itsemmyb @ezauraemmaline @charliesbackbitches @crzcorgi @ellen-reincarnated1967 @littlegreenplasticsoldier @gryffindorable713 @deerlululucy @walkingencyclopediaoffandom @growleytria @thegleegeneration @samtomydeanwinchester @sis-tafics @amaranthinecastiel @fandommaniacx @meganwinchester1999 @kittenofdoomage @samanddeanwinchester67 @ferferelli  @iridianuniverse @the-morning-star-falls @ackleslaugh @fangirling-instead-of-working @eyes-of-a-disney-princess @kayteonline @spnsimpleman @mamaimpala @winchesterfiesta @sleep-silent-angel @gadreelsforbiddenfruit @trenchcoats-and-bees @jencharlan  @thebunkerismyhome @feelmyroarrrr @beachy2014 @fandom-book-nerd @tia58 @sams-little-toy @deansleather @faegal04 @sunriserose1023 @saving-things-hunting-family @winchesterswoonathon @jotink78 @lucifer-in-leather @i-dont-know-how-to-write @everyday-supernatural-af @notnaturalanahi @howmanytuesdaysdidyouhave @babypieandwhiskey @besslincoln-bruh @shelovesallthethings @girl-with-a-fandom-fettish @hexparker @atwistoffate @evilskank-inthemegacoven @there-must-be-a-lock

[brittababbles]

Frank castle x reader studying for her MCAT imagine? super cute n fluffy- I love your writing!

Do No Harm – Frank Castle x Reader.

Author’s Note: Thank you for the request, Anon. Though Iwouldn’t honestly think of Frank Castle as anything close to cute and fluffy, Ithink this turned out okay. Thanks to Kaptest.com for providing the practiceMCAT questions. I’m considering taking the LSAT, not the MCAT, so I had no ideawhat was involved (I only got 1 out of the 4 provided questions right… oops). Alsopulled a couple of the more technical quotes from the Grey’s Anatomy (the book,not the show). Frank Castle belongs to Marvel…or Netflix… actually I don’t knowwho he belongs to at the moment but he does not belong to me.

“In anattempt to develop a vaccine for pneumonia, Fred Griffith performed a series ofexperiments in 1928 using mice and two strains of the pneumococcus bacteria: avirulent encapsulated strain and a nonvirulent unencapsulated strain. Theencapsulated strain was called the “smooth strain” because the colonieslooked smooth on a culture plate due to their polysaccharide capsules, whereasthe unencapsulated strain was denoted as the “rough strain” due tothe irregularity of its…”

Somewherein the middle of the paragraph you felt your brain start crying.  

Fouryears of pre-med. This was what it was all leading up to. A test.

Maybeyou should have rethought your plans to be a doctor.

It wasthree weeks to your MCATs. You’d been studying since nine weeks out. You’dtaken every available free test prep, and then invested what little was left ofyour pathetic waitress’s paycheck into all the proper test preps you couldfind. At this point you could probably say you were about as prepared as youcould be.

Thatdidn’t negate your test anxiety.

So youwere re-studying all your notes from the last four years. At least you weretrying to. It was slowly becoming evident that there wasn’t a way to cram fouryears of education into three weeks of time. Doing so was impossible.

A loudthump from the other side of the apartment startled you out of your thoughts.

Youcould honestly say that your mad attempt at studying wasn’t the most impossible thing in your life.

Thetypical clatter associated with Frank’s arrival in your apartment met yourears. You could visualize how he’d leave the larger parts of his portable armoryby the door. How he’d put his smaller guns on the counter. How he’d shrug outof his jacket and leave it over the back of the sofa. You heard a gurgle as thecoffee pot turned on and the muted thuds of a cupboard door opening andclosing. You could imagine the way his nose wrinkled slightly at the scent ofthe dark roast coffee you’d kept in the apartment since he’d started stoppingby. You could hear the heavy footfalls of his boots as he walked down thehallway toward your open bedroom door.

“Studyingagain, beautiful?”

Hisscent filled the room immediately. Gunpowder and black coffee and a little bitof blood. It clashed so magnificently with the softness of the smell of yourlife: flowery fabric softener and pulpless orange juice and crisp, glossytextbook pages.  

Hepaused in the doorway and looked at you with what could only be fondness. Youcouldn’t imagine why. You were in sweats and an ill-fitted henley. Your hairwas twisted up messily in a knot on the top of your head. Your glasses hadmanaged to slide down your nose, which had been buried in the textbooks thatwere scattered across your bed. Sitting cross legged amongst four years ofendless studying and stress, tears and sleepless nights, you couldn’t imaginethat you looked anything close to beautiful.

Youturned and looked at him. In any other context than this, he would probably bea terrifying sight. The skill spray painted across the body armor on his chestwas easily the brightest part of his ensemble. Everything else he was wearingwas black. He was leaning against the door frame, head cocked to one side,eying you speculatively and smiling gently. You felt your shoulders physicallydrop, not realizing they’d been inching toward your ears all night.

“I’mnever going to pass this test,” you sighed.

A deepchuckle emanated from his chest.

“You’rethe smartest person I know,” he said, “Of course you’ll pass it.”

He tooka few steps closer and the smell of blood got stronger. Strong enough for you torealize it wasn’t residual – it was fresh.

Youlooked up into his face. Little black dots speckled his face. Black, yourealized, only because of the dim light of your lamp.

“Youkilled someone tonight, didn’t you?” you asked.

What surprised you more than his respondingnod was the fact that you didn’t feel anything about this. It felt like any ofthe facts you’d been reading all night. “All the tissues and organs of thebody originate from a microscopic structure (the fertilized ovum), which consists of a softjelly-like material enclosed in a membrane and containing a vesicle or smallspherical body inside which are one or more denser spots.” “Frank Castle killed someone tonight.” The twothings were failing to look any different in the light of your bedside lamp asyou gazed up at the Punisher and sighed.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” you grumbled, climbing off the bed andtaking his hand, leading him to the kitchen.

For a few minutes, the steady drip of the coffee maker was covered bythe running of water out of the tap as you wet down a dishtowel and wiped theblood off Frank’s face. You had to stand on tiptoe to reach his forehead. Themotions were familiar, but the numbness you were feeling was not.

“You look exhausted,” he commented.

You wiped the last of the blood from behind his left ear and threw thetowel in the sink.

“Yeah,” you muttered.

You paced listlessly to the sofa and collapsed into the cushions,leaning back against the leather jacket that stunk of gunpowder. You closedyour eyes and huffed out a defeated sigh.

A faint sizzling sound from the kitchen told you that Frank had pulledthe coffee pot without turning the machine off while it was still dripping. Hisneed for caffeine would have amused you a better time.

“You want me to quiz you?” he asked, attempting to reestablish thetypical ritual of his visits.

But tonight you were hardly in the mood.

“What’s the point?” you answered, not opening your eyes.

There was what from Frank qualified as a stunned pause, followed byapproaching heavy footfalls. You opened your eyes to see him, standing behindyou and looking down at you. His face was upside down from your perspective.

“What was that?” he asked

“What’s the point!” you growled, suddenly angry.

You hopped to your feet and paced in front of the coffee table. Frankwatched, his expression blank.

“Are you really that worried about the test?” he asked, soundingsurprised.

“No!” you shouted at him.

He frowned at you.

“Yes,” you admitted, “But that’s not what I’m saying.”

Frank’s expression remained skeptical.

“You lost me there, beautiful.”

You threw yourself back onto the sofa, still irrationally irate.

“I mean… let’s assume for a moment that I pass this test. That I getinto a great medical school and a fantastic residency program and everythingI’ve ever wanted happens and at the end of it I’m a doctor. Great. Then what? Iput Band-Aids on the bullet holes in this city?” you scoffed.

“Yes,” Frank said simply.

You turned and gave him a look, unabashedly disgusted with this answer.

“Why? What good will that do?”

Frank heaved a sigh and came around the sofa. He put his mug of coffeedown on the table with a clunk before pulling your hands out of your lap andholding them in his, your palms facing up. You glared at your knees, refusinghis attempt at eye contact.

“Look at me, [your name].” he said.

You broke eye contact with your knees and scowled at him.

“These hands,” he said, gently shaking them up and down for emphasis,“Can do so much more than I could ever do with those.”

He jerked his head toward the artillery by the door. You glanced at it,then returned your gaze to his face, puzzled now.

“If you save one kid from dying a death he doesn’t deserve, then you’vedone more than I could to save this city,” he said.

His expression was sincere, and his voice was warmer than you’d everheard it. Frank had never been what you’d call particularly talkative, andhaving him suddenly express so much interest in your future was honestly a bitstartling.

“You’re brilliant,” he continued, “and you’re smart. And you’reambitious. And you’re kind, [yourname]. This city needs more people like you than it does like me. If it doesn’thave that, it isn’t worth saving.”

You simply stared at him, unable to think of what to say to all this.

“You are gonna take that test.And you are gonna get into a greatmedical school. And you are gonna putBand-Aids on the bullet holes of the world and you’ll save it one Band-Aid at atime, if you have to. You’re better than me, [your name]. You’re better thanany person I’ve ever met. You need todo this.”

You didn’t realize you were crying, but your face felt wet. Frankmanaged a twisted sort of half smile and reached behind you, pulling a tissueout of the pocket of his coat. You raised your eyebrows at him when he offeredit to you.

“Gets a little messy out there sometimes,” he said with a shrug.

You smiled weakly and took the tissue from him.

“Thanks, Frank,” you muttered.

“Yeah,” he answered tersely.

You both sat in awkward silence for a moment as you wiped the tears fromyour face.

“Have you eaten today?” he finally asked.

You thought for a moment.

“I don’t remember. I don’t think so.”

“You have any food in here?” he asked.

“I think there’s some eggs in the fridge,” you responded.

He stood up at that.

“Go get a book. After we eat, I’ll quiz you. You’re gonna pass that testif I have to threaten the guys giving it.”

You managed a weak laugh and stood, feeling slightly wobbly from yourunexpected crying spell. You turned to head back down the hall as Frank movedto the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

“Hey, [your name],” he called.

You looked back at him over your shoulder.

“You’re gonna be great,” he said, that twisted smile back in place.

You managed a smile in return, then trotted back to your bedroom.

You looked over the mess of books scattered across the bed, wonderingwhich of them would need the most studying at this point. Passing over organicchemistry and physics, you picked up your copy of Grey’s Anatomy. You opened itto the inside of the front cover. Scribbled in the top corner, in your messyhandwriting, was a note you’d written to yourself four years ago.

DO NO HARM

You stared at it for a moment, then snapped the book shut and tucked itunder your arm. With a deep sigh, you headed back out to the living room, wherethe smell of cooking eggs and gunpowder filled the air.

[ahmuteun]

all of them~

1. Who was the last person you held hands with?

um, i want to say steffen but it might have been mark

2. Are you outgoing or shy?

im in the middle, but if i had to pick i would go with outgoing

3. Who are you looking forward to seeing?

aubrey, mark, and steffen

4. Are you easy to get along with?

i would like to think so

5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you?

i mean i usually take care of others if im not puking but usually its steffen, aubrey, andrew, and/or cat

6. What kind of people are you attracted to?

i dont have a type honestly so im attracted to a wide variety of people 

7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now?

hah fuck no 

8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind?

mark

9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?

no not really

10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with?

hmmm, maybe sam? 

11. What does the most recent text that you sent say?

“lol yeah cause i look like garbage without lipstick on”

12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now?

blackpink - as if its your last 

chungha - why dont you know

boa - spring rain

exid - cream

exid - dont wanna drive

exid - how why

exid - night rather than day

exid pat pat

iu - palette 

okay its not five but theyre all good and i love them

13. Do you like it when people play with your hair?

yeah

14. Do you believe in luck and miracles?

eh it depends

15. What good thing happened this summer?

hanging out with my mates and getting to chill with them 

16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

oh for sure, hes a really good kisser lmao. in all honesty it will probably happen again next week

17. Do you think there is life on other planets?

i hope so

18. Do you still talk to your first crush?

lol nah

19. Do you like bubble baths?

i dont like baths so no

20. Do you like your neighbors?

ehh

21. What are you bad habits?

i have many but i’ll just name one for now and thats not saying no when i should

22. Where would you like to travel?

south korea maybe

23. Do you have trust issues?

um, i dont think so? 

24. Favorite part of your daily routine?

i dont have one 

25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with?

arms and belly

26. What do you do when you wake up?

check my phone

27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker?

i like it how it is

28. Who are you most comfortable around?

my close mates, the ones im okay with seeing me without makeup

29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up?

no

30. Do you ever want to get married?

honestly not really, i doubt i ever will

31. Is your hair long enough for a pony tail?

yeah

32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with?

im not into threesomes

33. Spell your name with your chin.

im too tired for that

34. Do you play sports? What sports?

nah

35. Would you rather live without TV or music?

tv

36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them?

yeah

37. What do you say during awkward silences?

i just try to make casual conversation 

38. Describe your dream girl/guy?

i dont have one

39. What are your favorite stores to shop in?

forever 21

40. What do you want to do after high school?

i mean im already in uni so

41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance?

it depends on the situation

42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean?

it could mean a lot of things, it just depends

43. Do you smile at strangers?

depends

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?

both are rather terrifying when you think about it

45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning?

i dont want to be a complete slob

46. What are you paranoid about?

people finding out things they shouldnt

47. Have you ever been high?

nah

48. Have you ever been drunk?

yes

49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about?

yeah

50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore?

probably grey, or maybe navy

51. Ever wished you were someone else?

no

52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself?

i dont wanna say

53. Favourite makeup brand?

i dont have a favorite brand, just favorite products

54. Favourite store?

forever21

55. Favourite blog?

i dont really have one

56. Favourite colour?

blue

57. Favourite food? 

korean food

58. Last thing you ate?

a cucumber

59. First thing you ate this morning?

uummm a grilled chicken sandwich from red robin

60. Ever won a competition? For what?

probably a stupid one

61. Been suspended/expelled? For what?

nah

62. Been arrested? For what?

nah

63. Ever been in love? 

yeah

64. Tell us the story of your first kiss?

i was drunk and at a party, dancing with some guy and he went for a kiss and i thought “fuck it why not?”. but it was real slobbery and had a lot of tongue and wasnt pleasant. luckily i never have to see that guy again

65. Are you hungry right now?

nah

66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends?

if were tumblr friends i consider you to be a real friend of mine

67. Facebook or Twitter?

i dont have a twitter

68. Twitter or Tumblr?

see above

69. Are you watching tv right now?

yes

70. Names of your bestfriends? 

i will only list a few

dami

aubrey

aussie

katherine

71. Craving something? What?

nah not really

72. What colour are your towels?

white

72. How many pillows do you sleep with?

two

73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals?

yeah

74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have?

three

75. Favourite animal?

my baby boy

76. What colour is your underwear?

black

77. Chocolate or Vanilla?

i dunno i like both

78. Favourite ice cream flavour?

birthday cake 

79. What colour shirt are you wearing?

pink

80. What colour pants?

im not wearing any

81. Favourite tv show?

criminal minds or greys anatomy

82. Favourite movie?

star wars

indiana jones

the prestige 

snowpiercer

theres more but im lazy

83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2?

i never saw the latter

84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street?

see above

85. Favourite character from Mean Girls?

i dunno, tina feys character probably

86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo?

i like marlin

87. First person you talked to today?

mark

88. Last person you talked to today?

im currently on call with aussie, sam, and yennifer

89. Name a person you hate?

i dont hate anyone

90. Name a person you love?

dami is the first person that comes to mind

91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now?

if i thought hard enough i could come up with someone but as of right now, nah

92. In a fight with someone?

nah

93. How many sweatpants do you have?

like two pairs, maybe one cause i think i lost a pair

94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have?

six

95. Last movie you watched?

despicable me three smh

96. Favourite actress?

i dont have one

97. Favourite actor?

hugh jackman probably

98. Do you tan a lot?

lol no

99. Have any pets?

yes

100. How are you feeling?

tired

101. Do you type fast?

eh relatively i guess

102. Do you regret anything from your past?

yeah

103. Can you spell well?

moderately

104. Do you miss anyone from your past?

yeah

105. Ever been to a bonfire party?

i mean there have been parties where there was a fire but it wasnt specifically a bonfire party

106. Ever broken someone’s heart?

i might have

107. Have you ever been on a horse?

yeah

108. What should you be doing?

sleeping

109. Is something irritating you right now?

these fucking bug bites

110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt?

not to the point where it hurt, no

111. Do you have trust issues?

didnt i answer this?

112. Who was the last person you cried in front of?

i dont even remember the last time i cried

113. What was your childhood nickname?

court

114. Have you ever been out of your province/state?

ye

115. Do you play the Wii?

i just bought one 

116. Are you listening to music right now?

nah

117. Do you like chicken noodle soup?

ye

118. Do you like Chinese food?

ye

119. Favourite book?

i dunno, im too tired at the moment

120. Are you afraid of the dark?

nah

121. Are you mean?

i can be i suppose, bu in generally i would like to think im not

122. Is cheating ever okay?

not on people it isnt

123. Can you keep white shoes clean?

lol no

124. Do you believe in love at first sight?

see above

125. Do you believe in true love?

yeah

126. Are you currently bored?

eh im alright

127. What makes you happy?

the first things that come to mind are my mates and kisses lol

128. Would you change your name?

nah

129. What your zodiac sign?

gemini baby

130. Do you like subway?

soobway is gr8 someone pls get the reference 

131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do?

welp, he has a girlfriend and even if that werent the case it would never work out between us, we just work better as friends

132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with?

didnt i answer this too?

133. Favourite lyrics right now?

the lyrics in 

blackpink - as if its the last

exid - cream

iu - palette

iu - cant love you anymore

kendrick - humble

134. Can you count to one million?

hypothetically, yes but i wont

135. Dumbest lie you ever told?

there are way too many

136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed?

closed, im no heathen

137. How tall are you?

5′2

138. Curly or Straight hair?

i have wavy hair, but if this is talking about preferences then i dont care 

139. Brunette or Blonde?

i have black hair and see above

140. Summer or Winter?

i like the spring and fall

141. Night or Day?

night

142. Favourite month?

maybe may? or october

143. Are you a vegetarian?

hell no

144. Dark, milk or white chocolate?

milk or dark, white is too sweet

145. Tea or Coffee?

tea, coffee is gross

146. Was today a good day?

eehhh the beginning of the day was better than the end

147. Mars or Snickers?

neither

148. What’s your favourite quote?

“if no one comes back in time to tell you ‘no’ how bad of an idea can it really be?”

149. Do you believe in ghosts?

yes 

150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page?

destacan los trenes de cercanías, los trenes regionales, las Grandes Líneas 

lol

[pedroscurls]

Title: Love At First Sight? (Part 9.)

Character(s): Denny and Jess (fictional/original character). Summary: Denny has a sudden sense of realization from an acquaintance. Word Count: 2,769 Author’s Note: I added two gifs because why not??? Are you crying yet bc I certainly am :(. Also, if you want to add more tears, listen to All I Want by Kodaline then listen to I Won’t Let You Go by James Morrison while reading this. It’ll definitely hit you right in the feels. Also, I used some familiar quotes from Grey’s Anatomy so that solely belongs to Shonda Rhimes.  Tag list: @memphisgirl1977​ , @clinicalkayla​ , @lostxwanderess , @negan--is--god , @trashforwinchesters​ , @heartfulloffandoms

Gif belongs to @heartfulloffandoms and @mypapawinchester

“So, I told my mom about you.” I tell him, looking at the ships on the board game. We have been avoiding the subject of our last argument, but I knew Denny was still upset. He didn’t show it often, but I could tell when his demeanor changed when a nurse came in to check his vitals.

Denny looks over at me, smiling softly. “Oh, yeah? What’d she say?”

“She wants to meet you. I don’t usually tell her about my boyfriends because she tends to bring up the subject of marriage all the time. She married young. Had me young. I guess she assumed I would follow in her footsteps.”

One of the things I enjoyed about my relationship with Denny was that we were able to talk to one another without having to worry about what the other may think. Bringing up marriage was a risk I was willing to take. Besides, it didn’t seem like he was going to run away at the mention of long-term commitment.

“What exactly is young?” Denny asks.

“She had me when she was nineteen then married my dad a year later.”

Denny arches a brow, smiling. “So, you’ve got a young mom?”

I playfully smack his upper arm, shaking my head. “Don’t get any ideas. You’re mine and she’s still happily married.”

Denny takes my hand, kissing my knuckles gently. I stare into his eyes, instantly noticing the twinkle it always seemed to hold in his brown orbs.

“I’m joking. Besides, I like them young,” he winks.

I laugh quietly, dropping my eyes to my ships on the board.

“We’re not that far apart in age, you know.”

“But you’re younger than me regardless, so your argument is moot point.” Denny grins pride fully; he always loved being right.

“Oh, shush. B7,” I say, looking up at him to see if I were to finally hit one of his ships.

“Miss. Again. Come on. Get outta your head and pay attention. What the hell are you thinking about, woman?”

I pout, looking into his eyes. “You know what, maybe you’re just better than me at board games.”

Denny laughs, nodding slightly. “That’s probably true. You’re not very good.”

Feigning a shocked expression, I widen my eyes.

“Oh, I’m definitely going to kick your ass now.”

“You’ve been saying that. I’m still waiting for it to happen,” Denny teases.

---

“I’ve got to stop by the bar to talk to Nate. I’ll be back in an hour or so, okay?” I tell Denny, looking into his eyes as I sit at the edge of his hospital bed.

He nods, staring into my eyes. It had been a couple of days since our argument and things were falling back into place. I was still aware that he was losing hope, but he said he was going to hold on a bit longer.

“All right. If you bring a deck of cards, we can play another game that I’ll win at,” he teases.

“You know, the things they say that the man should always let the woman win doesn’t apply to you, does it?”

Denny chuckles, shaking his head. “Not at all.”

“Mm, and that is why I like you.” Leaning down, I gently peck his lips. I let my fingertips run through his shaggy hair, slowly stroking it away from his face. “I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be right here,” Denny smiles.

“No stairs, okay?” I pull on my coat, retrieving my bag from the chair nearby.

Denny playfully salutes me. “Yes, doctor.

I leave his room hesitantly, glancing at him one last time before I walk to my car. Leaving him since our argument had become a tough task on its own. Leaving him alone meant he had enough time to think to himself, enough time to have his mind set on leaving, enough time for him to realize that I wasn’t worth making him stay at the hospital.

During the entire drive to the bar, I couldn’t help but let my mind drift to Denny. I knew we were running out of time and despite the LVAD giving us an ounce of hope, it wasn’t enough. Denny would continue losing hope until good news would come his way.

I walk into the bar and smile at Nate, sitting down with him. We talked about my job, about Denny. It was the first time I admitted that I loved him out loud. I put it out in the world rather than keep it bottled in.

“He’s going to hurt you, Jess.” Nate says.

I shake my head, “Then I’m willing to take that risk. I’ve all he’s got right now. He’s it, Nate. I love him.”

“You barely know him. You’ve been with him for three months at the latest. How can you love this man?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. In the back of my mind, I knew that he was simply just looking out for me. I knew many of my friends and family were worried about me investing my entire time to a man who didn’t have a guaranteed future.

“He has this natural twinkle in his eyes whenever he would look at me. He holds me when I’m crying, comforting me because I’m scared that at the end, he won’t be here. Denny’s smile brightens my entire world. He laughs when he gets a score of sixty-nine in Scrabble. He loves animals to the point that we had to rush him back to his hospital room because he ran so quickly to a group of therapy dogs that were visiting the hospital.

“He makes me laugh, Nate. We fall asleep talking about our goals in life, what we want to do and what we have already done. I may have spent those three months taking care of him, but I would do it over again in a damn heartbeat. He has my heart now, Nate. If you can’t understand that or what I’m doing, then don’t hold my job for me.”

I hadn’t realized that I was tearing up. I wasn’t expecting this conversation at all. From the looks of it, Nate wasn’t expecting me to get so emotional over Denny.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jess. You and Kate have a perfect dynamic. I’m just looking out for you. If he doesn’t make it, you’re going to be devastated.”

I stand up, grabbing my bag and my coat. It was time for me to leave.

“If that happens, I will deal it with it if it comes. Thanks, Nate. I’m going to go now.”

Before he could respond, Kate appears from the back of the bar and sighs. “Let me come with you! I want to see Denny, too.”

I glance over at her and nod, holding the door open for her. The ride back to the hospital was quiet. My mind was racing at the million thoughts in my head. I couldn’t even be angry at Nate for being protective of me. I was surprised that Kate hasn’t talked to me about it yet.

Once at the hospital, I immediately walk to Denny’s room. I almost forget that Kate was with me before I hear her voice, calling out for me to slow down.

“Sorry,” I tell her.

“Don’t worry about it. I get it,” she grins, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I lean against her for support before my eyes instantly find Denny’s.

“I brought you a visitor,” I tell him, removing my coat and setting my bag down. I instantly walk to him, kissing his forehead before sitting at the edge of his bed. “Are you okay?”

Denny glances over at Kate and smiles before he turns his attention to me. “I’m fine, Jess. I’m glad you’re back, though.”

“Me too. I’m going to talk to Dr. Stevens to see about your food for today. Kate, try not to hit on my man, okay?” I tease, climbing off his bed to give her a hug.

“No promises. I forgot how handsome he was,” she teases.

I laugh quietly, leaving the room to find Dr. Stevens.

---

Denny’s POV

I see Kate look over her shoulder, watching Jess leave. I couldn’t help but feel slightly confused. Surely, she wouldn’t try anything on me. Right?

Though, when I meet her eyes, I realize why Kate was making sure Jess was gone. It seemed like she was going to have a serious talk with me.

“How are you?” She asks.

“I’m doing okay. They’ve got me on an LVAD to buy me more time. Just waiting for good news, you know?” I reply.

Kate slowly paces back and forth, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked nervous.

“Kate, what are you doing?”

“I think Jess is going to get hurt, Denny. She’s been investing too much of her time on you when it isn’t a guarantee that you’ll get a heart. I know it sounds bad, fuck, but I want to be realistic here. That night you two had an argument because you wanted to go home… She called me when you were asleep. I have never heard her cry that much in my life, Denny. Jess is my best friend and I love her,” Kate says.

My heart breaks. She was telling me to break up with Jess. The worse part of it was that I had already been considering it. I knew it was going to break her heart, but if I died, it would hurt her even more.

“Kate…”

“No, listen, Denny. I just don’t want to see my best friend hurt because of you. When Jess gets back, tell her Nate called me to go back to the bar. I’ll talk to you later.”

When she leaves my room, I stare down at the crossword puzzle that I had been working on before she got here. My mind drifts to Jess and the past three months. If it wasn’t for her optimism, I was sure that I would have been dead by now.

But I’m just tired. I told Jess I would hold on a bit longer, but what if holding on was simply prolonging the inevitable?

As I think back to the first time I met Jess and the past three months with her, I realized one thing.

I was in love with her.

She would scrunch up her nose when she laughed. She would get lost in her thoughts when she was staring at me. She would bite her lower lip in deep thought when she was trying to figure out the next word or where my battleship was placed. She would rest her cheek against my chest, listening to my heartbeat despite how irregular it sounded. She gave me hope when I lost it.

She was keeping me alive.

But I knew. The longer we hold on, the more hurt she would get when I died. And I love her too much to let her go through that pain.

Kate was right.

I had to let Jess go.

---

“Okay! I have a salad and some fruit for a Dennison Duquette!” I smile, looking around the room only to find Kate gone. “Hey, where did Kate go?”

Denny looks at me, his smile not reaching his eyes like it usually would.

“She said she had to go. Nate called her in.”

“Go figure. Fridays were always busy. Now, let’s get you fed.” I set the tray onto the table, sitting at the edge of his bed and handing him a fork.

He avoids my eyes and I couldn’t understand why. I just hoped it wouldn’t result in him telling me that he wanted to go home because I didn’t know if I could handle that conversation again.

We eat in silence. I glance at him every so often, but he doesn’t meet my gaze. Usually, we would get lost in each other’s eyes, but tonight was different.

Once we finish our food, I grab our trays and set it aside for the nurse to pick up. Denny instantly grabs the unfinished crossword puzzle before I take it from his grasp.

Again, he doesn’t look at me.

“Did Kate do something? Did she hit on you?” I tease, laughing quietly to myself in hopes that Denny would join me. When he doesn’t, I cease my attempts at trying to lighten the mood.

“Denny, what did she do?”

When his eyes finally meet mine, I take notice at how glassy it was and the tears that were now pooling at his eyes.

“Do you believe in heaven, Jess?” He asks.

I furrow my brow. “Why are you talking like this?”

“Just – Just answer the question. Please.”

“Yes, Denny. I believe in heaven.”

He simply nods. “Do you believe in karma?”

“Yeah. Denny, what’s going on?”

“I think you’re mine. That night when I saw you… I knew I shouldn’t have talked to you. I should have minded my own business, but I couldn’t.”

“Well, thank you for talking to me. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you,” I smile. When he doesn’t return it, I simply frown.

What the hell was going on?

“You’ve done more than I could have ever asked of you, Jess. I will forever be grateful for all that you’ve done for me, but… I can’t do this. Not to you.” His tears were more noticeable now and suddenly, everything made sense.

Kate must have talked to him about me.

“W – What?”

“You should go home. Go back to school. Get your job back. I’ll be fine, Jess. I’ll be all right.”

My voice quivers and tears begin to leak at the corner of my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“What if you die? What if you die and I’m not here with you? What happens then, Denny?!”

“Then I die. I’ll be all right, Jess. You don’t have to worry.”

“I did not ask for you to help me with my groceries, Denny! I did not ask to see you in this hospital three months ago! I have spent all my time giving you hope, making sure that you were okay and you want me to leave just like that? You want me to walk away like I never cared?”

“Jess –”

“What about me, Denny?! What about me when you go to the light?! What about me?!”

Tears were now rolling down my cheeks, but the more I look at Denny, the more my heart breaks.

“I’m going to be all right,” he repeats.

“No, I get it! I get it, okay? You’ll be okay, but what about me?! If you tell me to leave and you die, I will never be able to forgive you!”

“For dying?” His voice is shaky and when I meet his eyes, I realize that this was hurting him just as much as it was hurting me.

“No! For making me love you!”

Denny stares at me as if the words that just escaped my lips was something he wasn’t expecting. He stares at me and I know in that moment, he loved me too.

“Jess –”

“I am not going to let you go, Denny! Do you understand me?! Because I can’t – I can’t leave and let you die so please… Please don’t tell me to go!” My body shakes with the intensity of all my built-up emotions from today’s events and today’s conversation with Nate.

Denny gently reaches for my forearm and I allow him to pull me close. I continue to cry, wiping the tears away but it was no point. They were just going to fall.

“I’m in love with you, Denny… Please don’t tell me to go… Please…”

“Okay, okay…” His arms wrap around me and instantly, I let my face bury against my neck. My cries continue as he tries to calm me down by allowing a hand to rub along my back.

“I love you too, Jess…” He whispers into my ear.

I shut my eyes, holding onto him tightly. At his confession, I let a fresh set of tears fall from eyes. I realize that there was no turning back from this. All I could hope for was Denny to get a new heart.

When he pulls back to look at me, he places two fingers onto his lips.

“Kiss me.” Denny says.

Slowly, I lean in to let my lips press against his and allow the brief kiss to melt away both of our concerns and worries.

Right now, it was Denny and I.

No one else mattered as long as we were together.

[whenthedayisdone]

Top 13 general artist's lyrics. Top movie/tv show quotes. im not gonna set a number for that cuz we'd be here forever

So, this incredibly weird human being right here got distracted and didn't read the entire question. Lmao

I thought you set the bar up at 13 quotes.

It took me forever. But that's okay, given how things are messy right now, this was a good distraction. Made me feel better. 😁

Here it goes.

My top 13 general lyrics - No particular order

1. You promised the world and I fell for it.

I put you first and you adored it.

Set fires to my forests and you let it burn.

Sang off key in my chorus cause it wasn't yours.

[...]

We'd always go into blindly.

I needed to lose you find me.

This dancing was killing me softly.

I needed to hate you to love me.

Lose you to love me - Selena Gomes

2. And I don't want the world to see me cause I don't think that they'd understand.

When everything is meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.

Iris - Goo Goo Dolls.

3. It's not always rainbows and butterflies

It's compromise that moves us along.

She will be loved - Maroon 5

4. Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you.

Caught up in circles. Confusion is nothing new

Flashback, warm nights. Almost left behind.

Suitcase of memories. Time after...

[...]

If you're lost, you can look and you will find me.

Time after time.

If you fall, I'll catch you. I'll be waiting.

Time after time.

Time after time - Cindy Lauper

5. Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by.

Total eclipse of the heart - Bonnie Tyler

6. Funny, you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving.

Cause when you never see the light, it's hard to know which one of us is caving.

Stay - Rihanna

7. I don't care if hurts. I wanna have control.

I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul.

I want you notice when I'm not around.

You're so fucking special.

I wish I was special.

But I'm a creep. I'm a weirdo.

What the hell am I doing here?

I don't belong here.

Creep - Radiohead

8. I remember the day you told me you were leaving.

I remember the make-up running down your face.

And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them.

Like every single wish we ever made.

I wish that I could wake up with amnesia and forget about the stupid little things.

Like the way it felt to fall asleep next to you and the memories I never can escape.

Cause I'm not fine at all.

Amnesia - 5 seconds of summer.

8. We are searchlights, we can see in the dark.

We are rockets, pointed up at the stars.

We are billions of beautiful hearts.

What about us - Pink

9. And all those things I didn't say

Wrecking balls inside my brain

I will scream them loud tonight

Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song

Take back my life song

Prove I'm alright song

My power's turned on

Starting right now I'll be strong

I'll play my fight song

And I don't really care if nobody else believes

'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me.

Fight song - Rachel Platten

10. Forget what I said. It's not what I meant.

And I can't take it back, I can't unpack the baggage you left.

[...]

What if I'm someone I don't want around?

[...]

What if I'm someone you won't talk about?

[...]

I get the feeling that you'll never need me again.

[...]

I'm well aware I write too many songs about you

[...]

It kills me 'cause I know we've run out of things we can say.

Falling - Harry Styles

11. And I am feeling so small

It was over my head

I know nothing at all.

Say something - A great big world & Cristina Aguilera

Am I falling in love with the one that could break my heart?

[...]

I wonder when you go, if I stay on your mind.

Two could play that game, but you win me every time.

Everyone before you was a waste of time.

Break my heart - Dua Lipa

12. You can't expect me to be fine.

I don't expect you to care.

I know I've said it before, but all of our bridges burned down.

Payphone - Maroon 5

13. When you try your best but you don't succeed

When you get what you want but not what you need

When you feel so tired but you can't sleep

Stuck in reverse

[...]

Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you.

Fix you - Coldplay

My top 13 quotes - No particular order

1. Sometimes family is more than just the people under your roof. They’re people who jump in, head first, who aren’t afraid to make fools of themselves to help you, who don’t hide their faces in shame if you fall down.

Alison Hendrix - Orphan Black

Bonus to this one on this show:

Sarah: Whose side are you on, S?

Siobhan: Yours, love. It's always been yours.

2. At the end of the day, you are who you are. And it's probably who you have always been.

Brooke Davis - One tree hill

Bonus:

"So, I’ve been thinking about this whole being happy thing, and I feel like people get lost when they think of happiness as a destination. We’re always thinking that someday we’ll be happy; we’ll get that car or that job or that person in our lives that will fix everything. But happiness is a mood, and it’s a condition, not a destination. It’s like being tired or hungry, it’s not permanent. It comes and goes, and that’s okay. And I feel like if people thought of it that way, they’d find happiness more often."

Julian Baker

3. In peace may you leave this shore.

In love may you find the next.

Safe passage in all your travels.

Until our final journey to the ground,

May we meet again. - The 100

Bonus: Yu Gonplai ste odon. (Your fight is over) - The 100

Honorable mention: "We're back, bitches!" Octavia Blake

4. You are my favorite thing, Peter. My very favorite thing.

Walter Bishop - Fringe

Bonus:

I know what it's like to have a hole in my life. It's been there for as long as I can remember. Olivia Dunham

5. I know how hard it is when everything we know to be true changes. But sometimes all we can do is just accept the way things are, and make the best of that.

Kara Denvers - Supergirl

Bonus:

Forgiveness isn’t something that you give to somebody who’s hurt you. Forgiveness is something you give to yourself.

Alex Denvers

6. Just because life isn’t what you want it to be right now, doesn’t mean you should tear it down.

Regina Mills - Once upon a time

Bonus:

People are gonna tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say, "No, this is who I am". You want people to look at you differently? Make them! You want to change things, you're gonna have to go out there and change them yourself, because there are no fairy godmothers in this world.

Emma Swan

7. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a step back and give yourself a chance to breathe.

Ella Montgomery - Pretty Little Lies

Bonus:

I am just really tired of living in a state of permanent anxiety.

Spencer Hastings

8. Don't wish away your life, you're exactly where you're supposed to be.

Shelby Corcoran - Glee

Bonus:

Being part of something special does not make you special; something is special because you are a part of it.

Rachel Berry

9. We probably judge ourselves way harsher than anyone judges us.

Ana Gutierrez - The fosters

Bonus:

DNA doesn't make a family, Love does.

Lena Adams Foster

10. You spend your whole life looking for answers because you think the next answer will solve all your problems: make you a little less miserable, because when you run out of questions you don't just run out of answers... you run out hope.

Gregory House - House M.D

Bonus:

I need her in my life. Do you know what it's like to need someone?

I'm sorry I pushed you away. It's what I do when I'm afraid.

Gregory House

11. Being aware of your crap and actually overcoming your crap are two different things.

Cristina Yang - Grey's Anatomy

Bonus:

Don't let what he wants eclipse what you need. He's very dreamy but he's not the sun. You are. - Cristina Yang

Honorable mention: You are my person.

Meredith Grey & Cristina Yang (occasionally, Alex Karev but we're pretending he's dead now, so...)

12. If you leave, then I don't want you to come back. It's too hard saying goodbye like this.

Marissa Cooper - The OC

Bonus:

I can't change where I'm from, but I can change where I'm going.

Ryan Atwood

So, sarcasm’s like breathing for you.

Ryan Atwood

Honorable mention: I’m just having an allergic reaction to the universe.

Seth Cohen

13. If we can't live together, we're going to die alone.

Jack Shephard

Bonus: Don't tell me what I can't do.

John Locke

Honorable mention: Freckles.

Sawyer (James Ford)

[zoeygreensimblr]

Afterglow (Episode 33)

"How's your hand feeling baby" Angus asks over breakfast, taking my hand and giving it a kiss. All eight of us gathered around the dinning table to eat the breakfast that Tess and Declan had prepared.

"Sore but I think the ice pack helped" I tell him, "It was so worth it though"

"Sore hand in the morning and a happy Angus can only mean one thing" Declan jokes, Tess gives him a dirty look and the others erupt in laughter, it takes me a while to understand that Declan is making a sex joke and I giggle

"Declan that's not funny, thats my sister" Tess goes off at him

"Lighten up Tess, it was funny" I laugh at her and she softens.

"What are we up to today?" Tess asks everyone

"Steph and I are doing a shopping trip to Magnolia Promenade, it's on the mainland, I was thinking we should make it a girls day if you girls want to join us?" I propose and the girls all cheer in agreement.

"Declan can we borrow your van? We won't all fit in the Angus' car and theres more room to put our bags" Tess asks Declan

"Of course you can baby" He says, kissing her on the cheek, I love how cute these two are.

"Take my credit card baby" Angus offers me as we are leaving, pulling it out of his wallet

"I don't need it, I have my savings from working at the bakery, plus this is my surprise for you, doesn't seem right if you pay for it" I inform him, he kisses me goodbye and we leave on our girls day out, Steph driving Declan's van with Annabelle up front with her and Tess, Cassie I in the back. We drive onto the ferry, parking underneath in the car section and find a seat up on deck, the ferry is almost empty of passengers this morning, except for one lone guy sitting on a bench seat, sporting a shiny, new black eye, he looks upper and sees me with my group of friends and comes marching over.

"You're a fucking prick tease bitch" He screams at me.

"Hi, Im Tess, speak to my sister like that again and I'll give you a matching black eye on the other side" Tess threatens him.

"Whatever, I didn't need you anyway, I was balls deep in a busty blonde before midnight" He boasts

"Translation ladies, he watched porn and touched his own dick" Steph clarifies for us and we burst out laughing.

"Where's your personal trainer today? Not here to protect you?" He says smugly

"Charlie, it was me that punched you in the face, not Angus, he just shoved you up against a wall" I remind him, "Oh, and to answer your question about where he is, he's most likely out buying condoms because unlike you, he got the girl. That must be humiliating for you, you put in all this effort to try and get me to go home with you and the guy who didn't have to talk himself up woke up with me in his bed this morning" I laugh at him

"Congratulations, you got your number two and how did Mr Beefcake compare to Mr Perfect" He asks with that smug smile on his face

"Oh no, I'm still at one, Angus has always been one and that boy has mad skills" I inform him, "Go away charlie, you're nothing but a fuckboy" I order him and he slinks away.

"So what are we shopping for?" Cassie asks to remove the bad  energy that was Charlie

"Lingerie, I need something sexier than my Hello Kitty underwear, I need to look hot" I tell the girls shyly and they all squeal with excitement.

"Oh this is awesome because I need something to spice things up with Declan after 4 years together" Tess tells us and I'm surprised, we've never talked about things like this.

"I could use a set of new handcuffs, Sam and I had to break the last ones because we lost the key somewhere" Cassie tells us and we all stop and look at her in surprise, "We're experimenting"

"Why did we not talk like this before" I ask them

"Because you were in high school and having sex with your first boyfriends and scared that your friends would judge you" Annabelle says smiling at us and taking Steph's hand, "Welcome to the grown up world ladies, this is what women talk about with each other but you can never bring it up with in conversation around the men, it's our secrets."

I'm excited to step into this new world with my best friends.

Steph drives us to Magnolia Promenade, a long street of exclusively branded stores that include  a giant lingerie store with everything that ranges from tame night dresses all the way up to early there string pieces that leave nothing to the imagination.

"You'll need more than one ladies" Steph tells us as we browse the racks, "And don't get anything that will be too hard to get out of, nothing spoils the mood faster than struggling to get out of an outfit" She laughs

I purchase four different styles, one of which I plan to save until Christmas and find Tess looking at vibrators

"I'm thinking of getting one" She says shyly

"Angus bought me that silver one, I like it" I tell her and she smiles at me

"So it's good?" She asks

"Oh yeah" I exclaim, putting my arm around her shoulder and we laugh together, Cassie comes running up to us with seven outfits and two different types of handcuffs.

"I got fluffy and regular" She squeals at us.

We stop for lunch and then head back to the island. The boys are out of the house when we arrive home which makes it easier to sneak our goodies in unnoticed but they come home not long after us. Angus comes into our room just as I'm hiding the last bag.

"How was shopping Princess?" Angus asks, before wrapping me up in his arms.

"Really good, I love Steph and Annabelle, it's great having friends who are teaching us that it's ok to talk about our men" I tell him

"You talked about me baby" He questions with a big smile on his face.

"Maybe, all good things though" I promise him.

"I don't need to know, girls talk and I love that you have a group of women to confide in" He says kissing me, "Oh, by the way, I booked a table for eight people tonight at a restaurant"

"Eight people, like a group date?" I ask, I love this idea

"Yeah, I thought it was kind of rude if I took you away from your friends considering this is your end of school holiday but I did also book a hotel room just for us, I hope that's ok" He explains, I love how thoughtful he is.

"Did you get the protection?" I enquire and he pulls a box from his pocket and throws it on the bed, smiling at me.

"First thing I did this morning, I also bought myself some clothes and necessities and I called Imogen and told her I won't be back til Friday because I'm spending some time with my Girlfriend and my friends" He informs me

"How did she take the news that we are back together?" I enquire

"I have a ringing noise in my right ear because she squealed so loudly down the phone, she loved you long before she met you so she's very happy for us, she also said to tell you that 'He is very dreamy but he's not the sun, you are', I have no idea what that means but she said you would get it" He laughs

"She quoted Cristina Yang from Grey's Anatomy to you for me, I get it" I laugh, Imogen and I share the same love of Grey's.

"So when do I get my surprise" He asks like a little kid waiting for Santa

"Tonight, when we're alone" I promise him

"You know I just want to run my tongue up your thigh right now and not stop when I reach the top of your legs, I've been thinking about it all day" He teases

"Well you will have to be patient and wait" I say, fighting temptation to just cave in now and let him to as he pleases to me but waiting until we're alone will make it all the more special.

Angus booked us into a restaurant to sample some of the local cuisine the island has to offer, it's the first time most of us has tried Kava, a local drink. We make toasts together, everyone laughing and eating.

"I want to stay here forever" I announce to Angus when we finish our dinner and he looks at me with adoring eyes.

"We could baby, not any time soon but once we get our degrees we could move out here and live in the house, have a few kids and live the island life" He says in a dreamy tone, like he's making future plans for us.

"Oh now you want children?" I question him, surprised

"I always wanted children, just far in the future but I want to have them with you" He whispers to me

"We could make one tonight" I stir him and he looks at me with fear on his face

"Zoey Amelia Green don't even joke about that" He panics, I smile and kiss his cheek

"Let's go to the hotel, I can't wait any longer to give you your surprise" I suggest, we say our goodbyes to the rest of the group and Angus drives us to one of the most luxurious hotels on the island.

Angus booked us into the penthouse, no surprises there but it's so different than the one in Del Sol Valley, here we have a zen garden on the balcony and the spa is among the island greenery landscape. The smell of hibiscus flowers fills the air but isn't overpowering, the bed has a bamboo frame and sits on a hardwood floor, the dinning table is smaller, seating for four and theres a full sized fridge stocked with alcohol and snacks. The hotel has it's own private beach as well as a pool, sauna and gym.

"We don't have to leave until tomorrow afternoon baby so there's no rush, we can take our time" He tells me, the cheeky smile spreading across his face, "Do you want some champagne, I don't think there's any in the fridge but I can call to room service and get some and dessert too" He offers, I sense that he's nervous, it's been 4 months since we were last intimate, 4 months since we had that fight that tore us apart.

"Champagne would be great, thank you baby" I say as I kiss his neck softly as he puts the call through to room service, they run it up to us within minutes, Angus grabs two champagne flutes and slowly fills them, he hands me a glass and we make a toast to us.

"How did you know I picked the end bedroom anyway?" I ask him

"You love the ocean Zoey so I knew you would pick a room facing the beach, I also knew you would pick the end room  because it's closest to the bathroom and you always forget to take your change of clothes with you when you shower so it's a shorter run to the bedroom" He replies. He knows me so well, "Wasn't there talk of a surprise for me tonight Zoey?" He asks with the cheeky smile.

"Do you want me to show it to you now? You've been very patient" I say, attempting to seduce him.

"Now I'm curious more so, it's something you show me?" He asks, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed, "I'm ready to be shown"

"Take your pants off Angus, shirt too" I demand, he does as he's asked, sitting back down in his his briefs.

"So my surprise is myself in my own underwear?" He asks confused

"Unzip my dress" I order him, ignoring his confusion, he does as he's told, letting it slink to the floor, revealing my new, white corset underneath.

"Fuck Zoey, that is just..." His voice trails off as he leans back to take it all in, he looks up at my face, his eyes meeting mine, "You can't come in here dressing like this" He tells me and I suddenly feel very embarrassed, I thought he'd enjoy me dressing up for him.

"I thought you'd like it" I say in a small, disappointed voice

"Oh I fucking love it baby but I've gone 4 months without sex and you're standing in front of me looking so damn hot and I'm just going to blow my load in 15 seconds flat" He laughs and I smile at him, he reaches out and runs a hand up the inside of my thigh, slipping his fingers inside my panties and I feel them enter me, he smiles with delight

"You never fail to disappoint my Princess" He praises me, removing his fingers from inside me and sliding my panties down my legs, I reach down and slide his briefs off, I can see he's hard already, I drop to my knees and lick along his shaft from base to tip then take it fully into mouth, moving him in and out and using my tongue to draw circles on his tip, he groans deeply in appreciation as I feel him grow harder.

"I'm gonna cum baby" He exclaims and I feel him explode in my mouth with warm, liquid sensation, it's an odd taste, not unpleasant but not something I want to swallow, I run to the bathroom with a mouth full and spit it into the sink, I grab the mouthwash and swish it around. I walk back into the bedroom and notice Angus hasn't moved from where I left him.

"I did warn you" He laughs

"I'm sorry I couldn't swallow it, I did some reading while we were apart and I know it can be seen as rude to spit it out" I apologise

"I don't care if you spit it out, I'm more impressed by your skills, that was fucking amazing" He says, pulling me down onto the bed, "Now it's your turn" He says, kissing my neck softly, moving his way down my body, he reaches the top of my breasts, being pushed together to create cleavage and he runs his tongue in-between them, unclasping my corset starting at the top and working his way down, once opened he lifts up my back gently with one arm and uses his other to slide my corset out from under me and places me back down. He begins licking my nipples, running his tongue over them in a circular motion, my body tingles at his touch and he hasn't even moved into my sweet spot yet, he moves his lips down to my belly, kissing and licking along the way, his mouth reaches between my legs and I feel his tongue on me, bringing every sensation inside of me to life, I let a series of moans escape my mouth, I remember this feeling, the building orgasm. I feel him slip a finger inside me and slowly start to move it, reading my body's pulses, I'm getting closer and closer with every lashing of his tongue until I reach the point where I can't hold back, I feel myself let go and it feels amazing. I've missed this, I've missed him. He kisses inside my thigh and slides himself up beside me, giant smile on his wet face.

"I could pleasure you all day" He announces, "Don't worry baby, we're not done yet" He promises me, he finds his pants on the floor and pulls a condom from his pocket, he rips it open with his teeth, takes it out and throws the wrapper.

"Can I put it on?" I ask him and he smiles brightly at me

"Of course baby" He replies, placing it on the tip and I roll it down, he sits on his knee,  pushes my knees to my chest and enters me.

"Fuck you feel good" He moans, I could say the same about him too, I feel every thrust, every nipple pinch, his thumb on my clitoris makes me become tighter insider, I feel myself clenching and releasing around his penis. I open my eyes to study his beautiful face, it's tense and his pleasure is building too, sweat running down his chest as he picks up his pace, moving inside of me faster and faster until I lose control and groan with elation as I complete my journey, I can feel myself pulsating around his shaft, his body goes tense as he gives his final thrust and then he relaxes, catching his breath and exiting me. He lays his head on my stomach and I run my fingers through his soft, blonde hair.

"I love you Princess" He whispers to me

"I love you too Angus, that was unbelievable" I praise him and he looks up at me with those piercing blue eyes and smiles

"You were unbelievable" He credits me

We lay in the afterglow for what feels like hours, me stroking his hair, him running his fingers softly over my thighs, I never thought I'd get to be here with him again, making love and kissing him all over but I'm so grateful we get our second chance

[lumiolivier]

Chapter Eighteen:  Duality of a Broken Heart

Word Count:  3772

Chapter No. 18/36

Notes:    It’s going to get kind of sad here, guys.  

Chapter Seventeen:  A Dark World Without Light

Another day, another dime. I crawled out of my parents’ bed and went into their bathroom.  Their shower was better than mine and a shower sounded like a hell of an idea. And coffee.  Coffee in the shower.  I’m a genius.  But that’s ridiculous, even for me.  I powered through my shower and threw on Edward Elric’s mechanic/future mother of his children, Winry Rockbell.  

 It didn’t take much for me to be Winry.  White tank top.  Short, dark blue skirt.  A little black jacket.  Even half asleep, I still looked cuter than all hell.  Good enough.  However, I still had one little thing to take care of.  I crawled back into bed with my sleepy boyfriend.  God, Julian was cute when he was sleeping.  It almost felt criminal to wake him.  But alas, we had work.  I couldn’t let him sleep.  Griffin would have my ass.

 “Julian,” I kissed his cheek, “Wake up.”

 “I don’t want to,” he groaned, “Can you come back later?”

 “No,” I giggled, “Because if I let you sleep any more, you really won’t want to get up and we’ll be late for work.”

 “I have a question,” Julian kept his eyes shut, pulling me against his chest.

 “What’s that?”

 “Do we tell people?” he wondered, “About us being…us?”

 “Excellent question,” I thought it over, “Maybe we should hold off until we come back from the convention circuit.  Hopefully, by then, I can quit the café altogether.”

 “Does that mean you’re cool with me releasing our prints?” Julian buried his face in my neck.

 “The Sebaciel prints, yes,” I allowed, “Those are fine.  The Light and Misa prints?  Not quite. We’ll wait until I can tell this town to suck my right nut.”

 “But you don’t have a right nut,” he traced down my neck with kisses and all the way to my shoulder.

 “Would you quit?” I writhed under him, “We have to go to work and I don’t want to have to deal with customers all hot and bothered.”

 “Well,” Julian flirted, “You won’t be bothered.  Can’t say you won’t be hot.”

 “What did I get myself into?” I started regretting and reevaluating my life choices.

 “The best relationship you’ve been in thus far?”

 It was like he was in my head.  At the time, I loved my last boyfriend, but once he found out about who I was, he bolted. I put up a front for the entire town for the sake of keeping up appearances and it drained me.  May couldn’t come soon enough.  Then, Julian and I can leave for Kansas City and I won’t have to deal with any of these people anymore.  I’m banking on Julian’s fans falling in love with me the same way he has.  If Julian’s as big as he says he is, we should be good.

 But until then, we had to go to the miserable café and work the nine to five.  It was just a twelve-hour shift.  I could do this.  Besides, I had him to get me through.  And there was never a dull moment.  When we got to work, Kyle, of all people, was flipping chairs down and realigning the tables. I guess he really was going clean.

 “Morning, Kyle,” I greeted, “In my three years of working here, you’ve never been in before me. Did you come down in the kitchen again?”

 “No,” Kyle shook his head, “I told you, I’m clean.  I actually got up at a respectable hour.  I’m thinking about getting a dog!”

 “You should!” I agreed, “Spend all your money on the dog, so you won’t spend it on pot.”

 “I’m torn on what kind to get,” he lamented, “I don’t know if I want a pitbull or a golden retriever.”

 “Pitbull,” Julian insisted, “Some of the sweetest dogs you can find.”

 “Really?” I gave him a look, flipping the open sign, “I thought pitbulls were mean and vicious.”

 “It’s all in the way they’re raised,” he clarified, “My mom’s got one.  Her name is Luca.  She’s a big teddy bear.  She got her when she moved to Miami.  Said it was going to get lonely without me being around, so replaced me with a pitbull.”

 “You couldn’t be replaced with a pitbull,” I reassured him, putting my hand to his cheek, “I’m thinking more along the lines of a labradoodle.”

 “A labradoodle?” Julian scoffed, “Thanks, Mimi.  Love you, too.”

 “I’m not replacing you with a labradoodle,” I rolled my eyes at his stupidity, “I’m sure there are laws against that.”

 “Wait a minute,” Kyle stopped us, “Are you two a thing?”

 “No,” we bot shot him down.

 Kyle sat back, a little stunned, “Ok.  Forget I asked.”

 I thought I’d love sober Kyle.  Unfortunately, his senses are a little sharper than usual.  And he had all of yesterday to get it out of his system. All while my boyfriend and I were a pair of serial killers in Kansas City.  This could be problematic.  While Kyle was still smoking pot, we didn’t have to walk on eggshells.  Now?  This was a minefield.

 “Kyle,” I ordered, “Get in the kitchen.  You know what to do.”

 “Yes, ma’am,” he pushed to doors and resumed his usual post.

 “Mimi?” Julian caught on, “You ok?”

 “I don’t know,” I kept my voice down, “That was a little too close for comfort.  What if he finds out?  Worse, what if he tells the boss?”

 “So what if he does?”

 “Do the words sexual harassment not mean anything to you?” I worried, “We could end up losing our jobs over this.”

 “Does the café have a policy about that sort of thing?” Julian asked.

 “Yeah,” I bit my tongue, “I probably should’ve told you about that before I hired you on.”

 “In your defense, though,” he sighed out, “I wasn’t expecting to fall for you.  That just…happened.”

 “I really like that it did,” I blushed.

 Ding!

 “Mimi,” my favorite little hot mess came in, “I’m dead inside.”

 “Good morning to you, too, Roni,” I gave her a big hug, “You ok, sweetie?”

 “I’m dead,” she shook in my arms, “And I’m not going to homecoming anymore.”

 “Why not?” I picked her head up.

 “Because,” her eyes started swelling full of tears, “He…He…”

 “Oh, honey,” I held her a little tighter, “What happened?”

 “We’re done,” Veronica bawled into my shoulder, “Luke stayed over last night and his phone was going off at four o'clock this morning…with some other girl’s nudes on his screen…”

 “Did you ask him about it?” I sat her down, “Julian, get her something.”

 “Sure,” he jumped behind the counter.

 “Of course I did,” she sobbed, “He said, and I’m quoting here, she was just a friend.  A friend that sends him pictures of her vagina on a regular basis.  For the last three months.”

 “Oh, Veronica,” my heart ached for her, “I’ll tell you what.  For bailing on you this weekend, I want you to come stay with me tonight, so I can keep an eye on you.  My parents are going to be gone until tomorrow night anyway.  It can be just you and me.”

 “Really?” Veronica looked up at me with her tearstained cheeks.

 “Absolutely,” I wiped her eyes with the sleeve of my jacket, “Now, you and I are going to go into the bathroom.  I’ll fix your makeup for you, Julian’s got your coffee, and I’ll take you to school, ok?”

 “Ok,” she leveled herself out, “But how could he do something like that, Mimi?  We’ve been together since we were in eighth grade. I lost my virginity to him.  Does that mean nothing?”

 “Stiff dicks have no conscience, sweetheart,” I comforted, taking her into the bathroom, “Something my mom has always told me and now, I pass the wisdom onto you.  Think about it.  In eight months, you’ll be graduating.  You’ll go off to college.  You’ll meet someone better there that won’t cheat on you.  You’ll end up falling disgustingly in love with each other, get married, make babies, and live your lives together.  All is not lost, child.  All is not lost.”

 “Was I not good enough?” Veronica asked meekly.

 “No,” I cradled her, “No, no, no.  Don’t let him make his infidelity your fault.  None of this is your fault.  He made a shitty choice and he has to live with his regrets.  You don’t.”

 “You’re right,” she started to come back to me.

 “That’s my girl!” I took a remover wipe out of her bag, running it under her eyes, “See?  You’ll be able to go on without him.”

 “First loves are a bitch,” Veronica sighed out, “You ever get over yours?”

 “Eventually,” I nodded, “Once you find someone new, you think of the old less and less.  You’re an amazing young woman, Veronica.  If anyone can get through something like this, it’s you.  Now, come on. Give me a little smile?”

 “Maybe not quite yet,” she tried.  That’s all I could’ve asked for.

 “Alright,” I let it slide, “I’m going to call Tammy and tell her you’re crashing with me.  When I pick you up this afternoon, we’ll binge Grey’s Anatomy and Real Housewives of wherever you want and shitty Lifetime movies in footie pajamas with all the deep-fried glory you want.  Just the two of us like the old days.”

 Veronica threw her arms around my neck, squeezing as much as she could with what little strength she had right now, “Thank you, Mimi.  You’re a lifesaver.”

 “That’s what I’m here for,” I kissed the top of her head, “Give me your face.”

 I redid Veronica’s post crying makeup to be more put together and pulled her back up by the bootstraps.  Once she gets to school, I’m sure she’ll be alright.  Or at least good enough to get through the day.  When I got her out of the bathroom, Julian had Veronica’s drink sitting on the counter, waiting for her just like I promised.  As fucked up as this is going to sound, seeing how broken Veronica was over Luke made me a little more thankful for having someone like Julian in my life.  I knew he wasn’t going to screw me over like that.

 “Come here, Veronica,” Julian offered her a place in his heart and the most insane bear hug I’ve ever seen.  This did hit a sensitive nerve for him.  If anyone was going to understand, “You want me to go find Luke and kick the shit out of him?”

 “No,” she nuzzled into his chest, “I wouldn’t want you getting hurt.  Not because of him.  He’s not worth it.”

 “That’s the attitude to have,” he squeezed her a little tighter, “You going to be ok?”

 “I’m sure I will be eventually.”

 “Sorry, Julian,” I apologized in advance, “I have to bow out of work early.  Doctor’s appointment.  I’m sure you understand.”

 “Did you get gonorrhea, too?” he teased.

 “What?” Veronica looked at the two of us like we were on drugs.

 “It’s an inside joke,” I settled her, “Julian wanted to get out of work the other day, so he said he had an appointment for a booster shot.  Neither one of us have anything.”

 “Oh…Good.”

 “Julian,” I ordered, “Keep an eye on the place.  I have to go run her to school real quick.  Is that alright with you?”

 “Do what you have to do,” he let me go, “I got this.”

 “Thank you,” I threw my bag over my shoulder and the two of us were out.  It had been ages since I had gone to the high school.  I didn’t see any need to.  Once I graduated, I was free from this place forever.  Until I started popping out spawn of my own, if I were to pop out spawn of my own.  But, if I’m still living in Lenexa, this is an open invitation for anyone to kill me.

 As soon as we pulled up to the front of the school, Veronica started getting bad again, “I don’t know if I can do this, Mimi.”

 “Yes, you can,” I assured, “Just keep your head down.  If it gets to be too much for you, find me at lunch.  Hopefully, we won’t be too busy.  You know where I’ll be.”

 “Again,” she put her head on my shoulder, “Thank you for doing this.”

 “No problem, sweetie,” I gave her a pat on the head, “Go to school.  Focus on your work.  Come back to me.  Got it?”

 “Ok,” Veronica nodded, “Do I look alright?  Like I haven’t been crying for the past two hours?”

 “Don’t worry, Roni,” I promised, “I got you.  If there’s anything I’m freakishly good at, it’s using makeup to cover everything and anything.  Even when you’ve been crying for two hours, no one will know.”

 “You’re the best.”

 “I try,” I comforted, “Go to school.”

 “Fine,” Veronica got out of my car.

 “Goodbye, honey!” I sang, “I love you!  Make good choices!”

 “You’re an asshole,” she smiled a little.  And in that moment, I didn’t care if I was the biggest asshole in the universe. That smile made it completely worth it.

 I booked it back to the café before Griffin knew I was gone.  And if he was going to bitch at me, I had an ace in the hole.  Not only would it make him uncomfortable, but it’d absolve me of any and all crimes just so I’d stop talking about it.  Sometimes, being a girl kicked ass!  Fortunately, Griffin had yet to be there.  We only had a few people in the café and Julian behind the counter.

 “Everything ok?” he worried.

 “I got her,” I reported, “She’ll be alright.  Veronica doesn’t know it, but she’s tougher than she realizes.  It is cool if I hang with her tonight, right?”

 “She needs you more than I do right now,” Julian allowed, “You and I can spoon another night. Sure, it’s the last night you’ll have the house to yourself before your parents come home, but you can always come and stay with me.”

 “What?” I teased, “So I can wake up with Hatsune Miku staring me in the face?”

 “For you,” he compromised, “I’d get rid of Miku-chan.”

 “Get rid of Miku?” I gasped, “Are you sure about that?”

 “Would you get rid of Sebastian for me?”

 “Hell no!” I giggled, “Sebastian and I have a special relationship.  He and I have had many an evening together.”

 “You didn’t have him all weekend,” Julian pointed out.

 “That’s because I had you, you moron,” I rolled my eyes, taking care of one of the regulars.”

 “Moron was a little unnecessary,” he winced, “But I’ll let it slide for now.  By the way, did you notice my little surprise this morning?”

 “Surprise?” I gave him a look, “What surprise?”

 “Not very observant, are you?” Julian grinned, “I’m not telling you.  You’ll see on your own soon enough.”

 “Should I be getting tested for real gonorrhea?” I worried.

 “I’m clean,” he swore, “Don’t worry.  It’s nothing bad.  Just one of those things I noticed that was kind of bothering me last night and I took care of it.”

 “You worry me, Julian,” I sighed out, “You really do.”

 “Not doing my job if I don’t,” Julian poked at me, “And I’m not the one that fell asleep on me last night after all the sexy talk.”

 “I was tired,” I flipped him off, “Cut me some slack.  Yesterday took a lot out of me.”

 “What was yesterday?” Mr. Griffin came in with an uncharacteristically huge smile on his face.

 “Sunday,” I giggled to myself.

 “And what were you doing Sunday?” he asked.

 I panicked.  I couldn’t exactly tell him I was cosplaying with Julian, my boyfriend, in Kansas City.  Not only would he not understand what cosplaying is, but I’d lose my job.  This was it.  Goodbye, Center Café.  Goodbye, Lenexa.  If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go crawl in a hole for six years and have no contact with the outside world.

 “I was finishing some unpacking,” Julian covered for me, “Mimi was kind enough to help me out, rearrange the furniture.  I’m kind of terrible with interior decorating.”

 “Because the katanas on the wall really make the house a home,” I giggled, silently thanking God for this man.

 “That’s just the way Mimi is,” Mr. Griffin praised, “She’s so sweet, isn’t she?”

 “That she is,” Julian agreed, “I couldn’t have asked for a better friend when I first moved here.  I’m almost settled in now.”

 “You know what you should do now?” Mr. Griffin suggested, “Go to the Old Hen on Maple.  Best bar in town, if you’re looking to pick up a woman.”

 “I appreciate the sentiment, boss,” Julian thanked, “But I’m going to have to pass.  I have a girlfriend and I love her very much.”

 “She a local girl?” he wondered.

 “No,” Julian shook his head, throwing him off our scent.

 “Then, I don’t see why you can’t shop around,” Mr. Griffin gave him a nudge to the ribs, “You’re in two different area codes.  Keep a girl in every port, son.  That’s the way to do it.”

 “No,” he stood his ground, “Only one for me.  Even though it’s different area codes, cheating is cheating.”

 “Suit yourself,” Mr. Griffin shrugged while I held myself back from beating the shit out of him. He’s sixty-four.  I could take him.  I’d probably end up busting his hip with enough force.  But I still had a favor to ask.

 “Mr. Griffin,” I swallowed my pride, “I’m going to have to leave early today.”

 “For what reason?”

 “I have someone to take care of today,” I explained, “I’m picking up my little sister from school and she’s kind of fragile right now.”

 “She’ll get over it,” he brushed me off, “you’re not going anywhere.”

 “But, sir,” I begged.

 “I said no, Mimi,” he reiterated, “I need you here.”

 “Actually, Mr. Griffin,” Julian stepped in, “I can manage the front by myself.  That’s no problem.  Mimi taught me well.  Besides, she ran the front by herself before I happened.  I’m sure I can handle it.”

 “Well,” Mr. Griffin mulled it over, “If you can do it, Julian, then, I guess you can go, Mimi.”

 “Thank you, sir,” I smiled, “This means so much to me.”

 “You owe me some overtime,” he demanded.  Not surprised.  Heaven forbid he did something nice without ulterior motives, “You’re balancing books tomorrow.”

 “Ok,” I bit my tongue. There was no greater hell than balancing the books.  That meant staying here until ten o'clock at night, going over every single little receipt this place had.  I’d rather drink bleach.  The things I do for you, Veronica.  I’d be alright, though.

 “Remember,” Mr. Griffin chimed, “A team that works together makes dreams a reality.”

 My douchebag boss turned on his heel and left Julian and me to take care of his café.  I was looking forward to tomorrow night like a root canal, but I’m sure I’ll live.  Julian stared intently at the door, “You know what I just realized?”

 “What?” I groaned, reevaluating my life in great detail.

 “You think Griffin’s a homunculus?”

 I doubled over with extreme laughter, “Oh my god, Julian!  I love you!”

 “I love you, too,” he laughed with me, “Have you never thought of that?”

 “No!” I started to come down, “But I’m so glad you did.  I needed that.”

 “You watch out for everyone else,” Julian pointed out, “Someone has to keep an eye on your ass once in a while.”

 Ding!

 I hadn’t even been paying attention to the clock.  Before I knew it, the clock had struck noon and the lunch rush had begun.  And Veronica came dredging in, making herself comfortable in the booth by the register.  I brought her usual lunch order, “How you holding up, sweetie?”

 “By a thread,” she rested her head on the table top, “But I’m hanging.”

 “Has it gotten any easier?” I sat across from her.

 “Not really,” Veronica sighed out, “I’m so damn depressed.  Focusing has been a pain in the ass for me today.”

 “I know, Roni,” I held her hand, “I know.  We’ll get through this.  I got you through when your gerbil died.  I can get you through your first major breakup, too.”

 “What would I do without you, Mimi?” she murmured.

 “You’d be a bigger mess than you already are,” I assumed, “We got this.”

 “Why aren’t you motivational speaking?” Veronica grumbled sarcastically, “I’m practically cured.”

 “Don’t give me that,” I gave her a little swat, “Julian, you got anything?”

 “Aside from the fish in the sea speech?” he chimed in, “That’s all I got in my repertoire.”

 “All that was missing was the darkest before the dawn part,” Veronica stuffed her face, “I’m telling you, Mimi.  Three o'clock can’t get here fast enough.  My last class of the day is with him.”

 “Like I said,” I reiterated, “Just throw yourself into your work.  Distract yourself.  You need anything, text me.  I’ll have my phone on me.”

 “I don’t deserve you,” she thanked me.

 “Don’t give me that shit,” I stopped her, “Finish eating and I’ll see you later.  I have to get back to work.”

 “Ok.” I didn’t have to tell her twice.  Veronica ate her feelings.  Was it the healthiest thing to do?  Not exactly. Was I going to indulge her every culinary whim tonight?  Definitely. I drew the line at booze, though. She didn’t need to go to school hungover and I don’t need contributing to the delinquency of a minor on my record or my conscience.

 “You really are going to make a damn good mom one day, Mimi,” Julian praised, “You handled that like a champ.”

 “What can I say?” I shrugged, “It’s Veronica.”

 “And how do you plan on taking care of her tonight?” he listened intently, “Giggles?  Pillow fights?  Lingerie?”

 “What kind of weird, kinky porno do you have us mixed up with?” I giggled, “Because our slumber parties involve crappy reality TV and junk food.”

 And I had all intentions of doing just that.  I bowed out of work early and stopped at the grocery store.  If I know Veronica as well as I know I do, she’s going to want sweet. The more, the better.  I stocked up on snack cakes, grabbed a couple bottles of lemonade, and headed toward the high school, waiting for that final bell to ring.  Tonight was going to be a blast whether she wanted it to be or not.  There was no way in hell I’d let her go back to school the way she went today.